We all have someone we look up to, admire, want to be like. It might be your mom or dad or a good friend, or it might be a teacher, sports or movie star, or maybe a great writer or thinker. My mom is 98, and one of her complaints is she has no role models! They're aren't enough people on the planet that have reached her age to show her how to live, how to grow old gracefully.
I had never thought about that before she mentioned it to me, but she's right. We all have people our age or older, to show us the way. If there's no one out there of your age, then YOU'RE the role model.
There is no right or wrong way to grow old, and younger people don't always know what's right for their parents. I hear so many people in their 70's and 80's that have been advised by their children to go into assisted living. This may be right for some, but certainly not all.
Some older people give up driving in their early 70's. Some are driving nicely in their 90's. Older people for the most part, know when it's time to give up the car, to move into assisted living, to get a companion. Older people should not be put in a one size fits all box.
As we age, the number of people living into their 90's and 100's is increasing by leaps and bounds. These strong men and women will show us the way. They are already showing me that you can live a productive and fruitful life until you are 100 or more. Lifelong learning is available to everyone. Exercise is available to everyone, so is travel, and many other activities to make you happy. Don't let anyone tell you you can't do something. We will become the role models for the next generation. As seniors live longer, they will show others the way, just as my mom and her group of women from 90-100+ continue to model for my generation. They may not have many role models, but they're doing a great job of showing my generation how to live a long, happy life.
(Food for thought: With so many people living to be so old, how should society use retired people that may live another 35 years and still have much to contribute to society?)
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