Beyond the Numbers: How a Positive View on Aging Can Make All the Difference
- When Road Scholar staff member Lauren attended a learning adventure in Grand Teton National Park, she found that age became a regular topic of conversation.
- Some participants expressed concern that their age meant they couldn’t tackle more challenging hikes, or worried that the younger instructors might not understand the needs of the older group members.
- Lauren’s thoughts differed — she enjoyed hiking with older Road Scholars, and found the sharing of knowledge between generations inspirational.
At age 29, I didn’t look like the average Road Scholar. And yet there I was, attending the program Hike, Paddle & Float: Outdoor Adventures in the Grand Tetons in the heart of Grand Teton National Park.
As a member of Road Scholar’s staff, I was on the program as a participant. One of my goals was to delve into the experience of a typical Road Scholar. My fellow adventurers were enthusiastic and ranged in age from their 50s to 80s.
Because of the active nature of our program, with every day including hiking or canoeing, age seemed to come up in conversation often. Since I was the youngest in the group, many assumed I wanted to take part in the most challenging hikes (not always the case), while others felt their age was holding them back from hiking to their fullest extent. Many of our instructors were in their early 20s, and occasionally a Road Scholar would express quiet concern that their youth might mean they didn’t fully understand the needs of our group.
These comments and conversations around age were fascinating to me. How could people who were so vibrant dismiss themselves as “old”? And how could our younger instructors assure participants that they knew a thing or two about the Tetons?
Let’s Talk About Ageism
Aging is something we all have in common — we’re all getting older with each passing day. But while I was on this Road Scholar learning adventure, I was saddened to hear some participants refer to themselves as “old” in a negative way.
While we can’t do much about the numbers we reach with each birthday, we can combat negative perceptions, including ageism, defined as “prejudice or discrimination on the grounds of a person’s age.” Notice the definition doesn’t say “old.” That’s because ageism impacts all of us, at every stage of life.
Positive Views on Aging Are Good for Your Health
Becca Levy, Ph.D., a professor of epidemiology and psychology at the Yale School of Public Health, found that a positive attitude towards aging can add an average of 7.5 years to a person’s lifespan. This attitude change can start with learning more about ageism and positive perspectives, including through books and advocacy. Having intergenerational friendships and relationships also creates opportunities to witness new perspectives and make powerful connections.
As our week together came to a close, our “young” instructors gave out pieces of paper to everyone, asking participants to write down life advice they wanted to pass along. Throughout our week, these instructors had talked with us on the trails about the types of trees we passed, pointed out geological features and discussed the details of daily life in the mountains. Now they were asking for our wisdom, and I was struck by this exchange of knowledge within the group.
In the end, age didn’t matter. In a true embodiment of the Road Scholar spirit, we all had something to teach each other.
Combat Ageism while supporting Road Schoalr: roadscholar.org/Aging-Equals-Living
Lauren Briggs first discovered Road Scholar at the age of ten, when she embarked on a Grandparent Adventure with her grandfather. In 2022, she reconnected with the
organization and began writing for Road Scholar full-time. Lauren is especially passionate about sharing participant stories, including her own Road Scholar experiences in South Dakota and Grand Teton National Park. She lives in Massachusetts and enjoys spending summers exploring New England in her campervan.