Websites and Organizations. There's so much going on!
Under CEO JoAnn Jenkins, the American Association of Retired Persons (AARP) has become a terrific, multi-faceted resource and lobbying force for people over 50. Specifically, check out the companion site, AARP.org/disruptaging developed to support the ideas puts forth in Jo Ann Jenkins’ book, Disrupt Aging.
Area Agencies on Aging form a national network that was created by an act of Congress, called the Older Americans Act, in 1974. There are over 600 Area Agency on Aging across the nation, and they are all charged with the same thing—delivering services to seniors at the local level. Think of AAAs as the boots-on-the-ground of senior services—connecting to seniors at the county, city and neighborhood level. Each geographic area of the country has an Area Agency on Aging assigned to serve it. Most states have several Area Agencies. You can locate yours here.
Started 14 years ago by Danny Davis, “Beyond 50 Radio” has an indexed archive of shows on every topic imaginable. Lots of good food for thought.
This site was founded by Ron Pevny, author of Conscious Living, Conscious Aging, to support people in getting off aging auto-pilot and into becoming the “elder” they want to be. You'll find lots of fine wisdom here.
The tagline of this organization is “Second acts for the greater good.” Its great aim is to harvest the unprecedented resource represented by tens of millions of Americans over 50. Encore has developed several strategies to make the most of our power: connecting generations to improve the world, and connecting 50+ individuals with paid an unpaid work opportunities, and with each other.
Karl Pillemer, a Cornell University professor, has worked with elders for ages, collecting thousands of bits of observation, advice, and philosophy from them, all indexed by topic on this site. He’s also put them into two books: 30 Lessons for Loving and 30 Lessons for Living. This isn't activism exactly, but it's generous, kind, interesting, and validating of older adults' hard-won perspectives.
The National Council on Aging is the granddaddy (sorry) of American organizations dedicated to helping people age with dignity, health, and minds intact. It was founded way back in 1950—by Boomers’ parents—in response to rising health costs and mandatory retirement, which were decimating older people’s finances. A fascinating interactive history of NCOA’s work is available here. Today, NCOA offers a wealth of resources to help older Americans maintain or achieve economic security and mental and physical health. NCOA hosts the National Institute of Senior Centers, which supports and strengthens America’s 11,000 senior centers. NCOA’s lobbying and public policy arm works to make sure older Americans’ needs are not lost in the shuffle in D.C. Venerable and essential.
This U.S. government site is full of resources and information for older adults and those who love them, including people living with Alzheimer’s and their caregivers.
This New York Times series ranges widely in topics of interest to older Americans and the people who care for them. It’s always interesting.
Next Avenue is PBS’s first and only national journalism service for people in the latter half of their lives. Their tagline is, “Where grownups keep growing.” You can find fresh information daily on just about any topic relevant to aging. They write, “Every day, we invite readers to consider what is next, what lies just ahead and what will be revealed in their lives.” Don’t miss it!
Continued learning and social connection are key ingredients for brain health and a happy life. But it can be challenging to find high-quality educational experiences that are affordable and open to people in later life. The Bernard Osher Foundation has filled a critical gap by funding Osher Lifelong Learning Institutes at scores of American universities from Maine to Hawaii. The “OLLI” at the University of Michigan is a great example of the riches these programs bring to the community. Find the one nearest to you, and have fun growing your mind and your social network at the same time.
The tagline for this organization is “Wisdom and Spirit in Action.” Sage-ing International is based on the book, From Age-ing to Sage-ing: A Revolutionary Approach to Growing Older by Zalman Schachter-Shalomi and Ronald S. Miller. The organization’s purpose is to guide individuals to reclaim the power of aging for the benefit of society. No matter what you think about the phrase “sage-ing,” this site is valuable as a resource and thought-provoker.
The National Institute of Senior Centers, co-housed with the National Council on Aging, is the support center and standard-bearer for senior centers nationwide. Their map of affiliated senior centers can help you find one near you. You can also find centers by searching "[Your state] Association of Senior Centers." Those sites vary widely, but are likely to help you find the center nearest you. Like state sites, senior centers vary widely in their programming, but most offer classes in finance, exercise, the arts, and other subjects, typically for free. The best are places that energetically foster intergenerational interaction, breaking down the psychic barriers between "us" younger people and "those" old people.
Stanford’s is by far the most public-facing university-based center on aging in the U.S. Founded and directed by psychologist and gerontologist Laura Carstensen, author of A Long Bright Future: Happiness, Health, and Financial Security in an Age of Increased Longevity (2009), Stanford’s Center on Longevity (note: not on “aging” or “geriatrics”) focuses its research on real-world requirements for healthy aging: mental sharpness, physical fitness, and financial security. The dozens of research-based publications found on the site are accessible to lay readers, and offer up the most rigorous, timely information available on these key issues in aging.
The principles of universal design—creating environments and products that work for people of all ages and abilities—applies to technology as well. Gary Kaye founded the informational website Tech50+ to keep tech developers’ feet to the fire by reminding them of the 50+ crowd’s love for tech and their buying power. Here you’ll find reviews of new products and services from a 50+ perspective. This well-designed site is packed with useful information.
This site is rich with links to blogs (who knew there were 50?) on different aspects of aging: health, longevity, nutrition, hospice, and more. When you have this many, they can’t all be right for you (and a couple links are broken), but there is a lot to explore here.