by Judith Graham for Kaiser Health News, August 31, 2017 (posted in Premier Senior Consultants News per KHN guidelines)
After making it through the maelstrom of middle age, many adults find themselves approaching older age wondering “what will give purpose to my life?” now that the kids have flown the nest and retirement is in the cards.
How they answer the question can have significant implications for their health.
Over the past two decades, dozens of studies have shown that seniors with a sense of purpose in life are less likely to develop Alzheimer’s disease, mild cognitive impairment, disabilities, heart attacks or strokes, and more likely to live longer than people without this kind of underlying motivation.
Now, a new report in JAMA Psychiatry adds to this body of evidence by showing that older adults with a solid sense of purpose tend to retain strong hand grips and walking speeds — key indicators of how rapidly people are aging.
Why would a psychological construct (“I feel that I have goals and something to live for”) have this kind of impact? Seniors with a sense of purpose may be more physically active and take better care of their health, some research suggests. Also, they may be less susceptible to stress, which can fuel dangerous inflammation.
“Purposeful individuals tend to be less reactive to stressors and more engaged, generally, in their daily lives, which can promote cognitive and physical health,” said Patrick Hill, an assistant professor of psychological and brain sciences at Washington University in St. Louis who wasn’t associated with the study.
But what is purpose, really? And how can it be cultivated?
Anne Newman, a 69-year-old who splits her time between Hartsdale, north of New York City, and Delray Beach, Fla., said she’s been asking herself this “on a minute-by-minute basis” since closing her psychotherapy practice late last year.
Building and maintaining a career became a primary driver in her life after Newman raised two daughters and went back to work at age 48. As a therapist, “I really loved helping people make changes in their lives that put them in a different, better position,” she said.
Things became difficult when Newman’s husband, Joseph, moved to Florida and she started commuting back and forth from New York. Over time, the travel took a toll, and Newman decided she didn’t want a long-distance marriage. So, she began winding down her practice and thinking about her next chapter.
Experts advise that people seeking a sense of purpose consider spending more time on activities they enjoy or using work skills in a new way. Newman loves drawing and photography. She has investigated work and volunteer opportunities in Florida, but nothing has grabbed her just yet.
“Not knowing what’s going to take the place of work in my life — it feels horrible, like I’m floundering,” she admitted, in a phone interview.
I didn’t ask myself did I have a larger purpose in life — I asked myself what gives meaning to my life. BARRY DYM
Meghan Ferguson attended Valencia College and has a degree in Health Sciences. She has always had a passion for being there for people during the difficult moments in life and has enjoyed getting to apply that passion to helping seniors and their families during times of transition.
She was blessed to get to know five of her great-grandparents, and all four of her grandparents, so she was raised aware of the special role that seniors play in the lives of their younger family members and the community and how cherished those relationships can be.
Meghan has lived in Central Florida her whole life, and now resides in Orlando with her husband Chandler and their three daughters Audrey, Rory, and Harper. They attend church at Discovery Church in Orlando.
Katie Thomaston
Katie Thomaston
Community Resource and Senior Living Advisor
Katie Thomaston is a licensed Assisted Living Administrator and a Dementia Certified Professional. She has always had a passion for helping others and at Premier Senior Consultants has been able to hone her skills into helping seniors and their families.
Katie has always been extremely involved with her immediate and extended family. As a child, watching her grandparents age was a memorable experience and gave her the desire to one day help seniors. Years later, walking through this journey with her grandmother brought her full circle from seeing the aging process as a child.
Katie lives with her husband Matthew and they have 4 children, Jacob, Joseph, Jude and Jillian. They attend church at Journey Christian Church in Apopka.
Holly Jennings
Holly Jennings
Owner and Senior Living Advisor
Holly Jennings has 20 years’ experience in senior living, as a licensed Assisted Living Administrator and Certified Dementia Professional. She attended the University of Central Florida and Palm Beach Atlantic University and has a bachelor’s degree in Organizational Management and a Master’s in Business Administration.
Knowing from first-hand experience of placing her own loved ones in an Assisted Living community, and for compassionately caring for the residents and families as an administrator, Holly understands both perspectives. Her desire to help families through the placement process is where as co-founder, she began Premier Senior Consultants in September 2012.
Holly proudly serves on the board for the Alzheimer’s Dementia Resource Center. She has been a Central Florida resident since 1987 and lives in Lake Nona with her husband Jim. They have a blended family of 5 grown children and 4 grandchildren.