{"id":14189,"date":"2023-09-01T18:44:32","date_gmt":"2023-09-01T18:44:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/healthyaging.net\/magazine\/?p=14189"},"modified":"2023-09-03T12:52:42","modified_gmt":"2023-09-03T12:52:42","slug":"september-is-healthy-aging-month-2023","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/healthyaging.net\/magazine\/fall-2023\/september-is-healthy-aging-month-2023\/","title":{"rendered":"September is Healthy Aging\u00ae Month 2023"},"content":{"rendered":"

I<\/span>t\u2019s time to celebrate September Healthy Aging\u00ae Month, the annual observance month designed to focus national attention on the positive aspects of growing older.<\/p>\n

What\u2019s It All About?<\/h3>\n

The observance month began more than 30 years ago thanks to the efforts of Educational Television Network, Inc., a 501C3 non-profit, as part of the National Healthy Aging\u00ae Campaign<\/a> to continue to draw attention to healthy, active lifestyles at any age.<\/p>\n

September was chosen as the second time of the year to celebrate positive aging, in addition to May being Older Americans Month. The U.S. Senate<\/a> unanimously passed the resolution marking September as National Healthy Aging Month in 2021.<\/p>\n

\u201cSince we kicked off the observance month, the myths of aging have been chipping away\u201d, said Carolyn Worthington, president of Healthy Aging\u00ae, the multi-media platform promoting the month.<\/p>\n

\u201cOf course, there are still stereotypes about older adults. Perhaps the baby boomers embracing aging like no other generation started turning the tide. It is not unusual to see people in their 80s and 90s doing spectacular things today.\u201d<\/p>\n

Latest Pioneers of Aging<\/h3>\n

It wasn\u2019t that long ago that 105-year-old Julia \u201cHurricane\u201d Hawkins<\/a> set a Senior Games world record in the 100-meter dash. Just the thought of a centenarian running even a few steps seemed outlandish a few years ago, never mind that would ever be athletic events embraced by oldsters.<\/p>\n

Recently, 93-year-old Everett Kalin, a retired professor, climbed Yosemite National Park\u2019s Half Dome at 8,800 feet.<\/p>\n

But, successful aging is not limited to physical feats.<\/p>\n

Supporting the point that aging is cool, Forbes magazine started a \u201c50 Over 50\u201d<\/a> annual list three years ago. Some of those on the current list include Peggy Whitson, 63, who was the first woman to head up a private mission to the International Space Stations; Cynthia Chavez Lamar, 51, became director of the National Museum of the American Indian; Joy Harjo, 68, 23rd Poet Laureate of the United States.<\/p>\n

Survey Reveals What Today\u2019s Seniors Think of Aging<\/h3>\n

A recent Harris Poll survey of over 2,000 U.S. adults, The New Age of Aging<\/a>, including over 900 adults age 50+ reveals a dramatic shift in how Americans define old age and envision the possibilities of the later years of life.<\/p>\n

The study was conducted by Age Wave<\/a>, founded nearly 40 years ago by Ken Dychtwald, Ph.D., CEO of Age Wave and who is a psychologist, gerontologist, and best-selling author of 19 books on aging-related issues.<\/p>\n

Here are some of the survey findings:<\/p>\n