{"id":10516,"date":"2020-08-17T19:06:51","date_gmt":"2020-08-18T02:06:51","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/lesliedinaberg.com\/wordpress\/?p=10516"},"modified":"2020-08-17T19:06:51","modified_gmt":"2020-08-18T02:06:51","slug":"introduction-to-active-aging","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lesliedinaberg.com\/wordpress\/?p=10516","title":{"rendered":"Introduction to Active Aging"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Introduction<\/a>

Introduction to Active Aging, Santa Barbara Independent, Active Aging Special Section, July 30, 2020.<\/p><\/div>\n

We\u2019re living in a strange time for seniors. Old people\u00a0have never been so powerful \u2014 or so vulnerable.<\/p>\n

We\u2019ve got a 74-year-old in the White House, put there\u00a0in part by a cable news network controlled by a mega-wealthy\u00a089-year-old. Then we\u2019ve got a 77-year-old presidential nominee,\u00a0who won the Democratic nomination over a 78-year-old Senator\u00a0preferred by many, if not most, young people in the primaries. And\u00a0don\u2019t get me started about the future of some of our most crucial\u00a0rights that may rest on the survival of an 87-year-old Supreme\u00a0Court Justice.<\/p>\n

At the same time, almost 80 percent of those who have died\u00a0from COVID-19 in the U.S. were 65 or older. That\u2019s left many seniors\u00a0staying close to home, feeling uncharacteristically vulnerable and\u00a0uncomfortably dependent on the benevolence of family, neighbors,\u00a0and Good Samaritans.<\/p>\n

If you\u2019re fortunate enough, as I am, to have your parents still\u00a0around, part of the challenge of middle-aging is watching your\u00a0own parents age. We\u2019re tiptoeing onto that sensitive tightrope of\u00a0still being their children, while slowly becoming their caregivers.<\/p>\n

As Bette Davis<\/a> famously said, \u201cGetting old ain\u2019t for sissies.\u201d But\u00a0staying active, engaged, and prepared for the future with solid\u00a0plans in place will certainly make all of our golden years shine a\u00a0lot brighter.<\/p>\n

With that in mind, this promotional section was developed from\u00a0a combination of editorial ideas and suggestions from the special\u00a0issue\u2019s sponsors about people, projects, and trends that they\u2019re\u00a0excited about. From that list, we selected stories that represent\u00a0a wide variety of \u201cactive aging\u201d ideas in Santa Barbara and developed\u00a0the editorial content independently.<\/p>\n

Cheers to strong and vibrant finish!<\/p>\n

\u2014Leslie Dinaberg<\/p>\n

PANDEMIC\u00a0RESOURCES\u00a0FOR SENIORS<\/strong><\/p>\n

Accessing information about community\u00a0resources for seniors is particularly important\u00a0during the COVID-19 pandemic, so the\u00a0Family Service Agency is collaborating with\u00a0many other nonprofits to provide a one stop\u00a0gateway to critical resources for the\u00a0health and well being of the seniors in our\u00a0community.\u00a0See fsacares.org\/senior-resources<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\"Active<\/a><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Originally published in the Santa Barbara Independent on July 30, 2020. To view the Active Aging Guide to Senior Life, Seen Through a Pandemic Lens, click here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

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