Fulfillment at Any Age

Thanks very much for your most recent post. I found it to be both enlightening and encouraging. I think it will help a lot of people.

I wanted to reflect on the following statement, "Rowe and Kahn, who popularized the term "successful aging," placed cognitive functioning front and center in the equation for achieving a fulfilled and satisfying later life." This comment makes me think about my great grandma who turned 90 in october! What a milestone. She is independent, still cooks and cleans on her own and lives in a nice apartment with other elderly people down the hall. She is mentally, very sharp. Just 5 years ago she told a detailed story of the great depression for my counsins school history project. The amount that she could remember was astounding. I think this can be attributed to her reading. She reads the newspaper every morning and loves her bingo as well. She is on the phone talking with my grandma and her many grand children on a daily basis and yes, she remembers every one of her fifteen or so grandchildren and great grandchildren's birthday's without a calendar needed (sends a card in the mail). She is a socialble person and enjoys telling stories at every family gathering. I will encourage her to keep it up!

I heard a story once about a man who got locked in a freezer. He was so sure he was going to die that he kept a running list of his symptoms as he neared death. The following day he was found dead, though it was determined from all known factors that he should have lived just fine. His fear was a self-fulfilling prophesy.
This whole Alzheimer's culture reminds me of this story. We're prophesying ourselves into early dementia.

What an accurate term for, well, for self-hypnosis. Believe enough in the actuality of something and it seems more and more real to you. Articles like yours are helpful as they remind everyone to stay alert to that phenomenon, don't fall victim to it, and then pass along that valuable reminder to others. Many thanks!