At this point you may have heard the term Modern Aging at least once, and when hearing it, may have wondered what exactly the term means. Why adopt the term Modern Aging and why should we embrace it as a culture shift?
Recently I was visiting one of our Modern Aging communities and spoke with a group of residents after they had finished dinner. One of the residents said to me, “You’re the marketing guy, right?”
After confirming that I was, she shared why she and her husband loved living at that community, and her fellow residents at the table all agreed. They love living at the community and really enjoy the new friends that they’ve made since making the choice to call the community home. However, she did ask me, as the “Marketing Guy,” why we use Independent and Assisted Living on our signage. She explained that she really didn’t want to be identified by a care type, but would like to have a term that they all felt more comfortable with. As you can imagine, by this point the conversation was very lively.. I brought up the term Modern Aging for the table’s consideration, and everyone at the table loved it. They truly felt that the term called out how each of them viewed their own aging process.
Modern Aging recognizes the unique ways each person views their own aging. When we as a society use terms like Independent, Assisted Living or Memory Care, we place people in a box. From school days on, we spend much of our lives being placed in a box, so to carry this over into aging can affect the views and possibilities that anyone sees in their own journey. It can impede joyful aging and create limitations.
Modern Aging means we let go of our traditional views on aging and truly think about how we each individually want to be viewed and treated as we age ourselves. Our journey through aging is the most natural process in the universe, and sorry to say, we all have a finite number—but don’t live bound to a number! Live a life filled with joy and possibility. Don’t be told you are too old for that, but rather redefine your own aging style. Do not age in place, but rather Live in Place. When we do this, it is remarkable how we can affect quality of living and overall experience.
Be an active part of shifting thinking on ageing and become Modern Agers yourself, as it is a movement. Live a life that is extraordinary!
David Haack
Chief Marketing Officer
Cadence Living parent of Cadence Living Kent-Meridian
Residents at Cadence at Kent-Meridian define their own aging style.
