Office of Academic Affairs
Human Values in Aging
Research Report
August 2008
Human Values in Aging Newsletter
Aug. 1, 2008
AARP Office of Academic Affairs
H.R. Moody, Editor
IN THIS ISSUE
- 2nd Annual Positive Aging Conference
- Walking the Labyrinth
- Florence Soltys on Life-Review
- Later Life Creativity
- Audio Books on Aging
- Web Sites To See
- Books of Interest
- Calendar of Events
2nd ANNUAL POSITIVE AGING CONFERENCE
The Second Annual National Positive Aging Conference will be held Nov. 12, 2008, at the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis focusing on "Achieving Purpose, Meaning and Vitality in the Second Half of Life." Broadcast live from the University of Minnesota's Center for Spirituality and Healing, world-renowned experts and best-selling authors will address the importance of purpose and meaning in later life as well as lessons for health and longevity learned from regions around the world.
The first Positive Aging conference, held last December at Eckerd College in St. Petersburg, was co-sponsored by Elderhostel, the National Center on Creative Aging, Civic Ventures, the American Society on Aging, and other national organizations. That event included tracks on lifelong learning, third age planning, and creativity, attracting 400 participants.
The Nov. 12 Conference, co-sponsored by AARP, is expected to attract a comparable number. In addition, the Minneapolis event will be broadcast online in order to promote community conversations at affiliated sites across the country. Participants will be encouraged to respond to speaker remarks and discuss strategies to promote positive aging in their respective communities. Organizations are welcome to host an online site broadcast to engage their community in this discussion.
This year's Positive Aging conference will feature Richard Bolles, author of WHAT COLOR IS YOUR PARACHUTE?; Richard Leider, author of SOMETHING TO LIVE FOR and founder of The Purpose Project; Harry R. Moody, Director of Academic Affairs for AARP; and Dan Buettner, explorer, educator and author of THE BLUE ZONE: Lessons for Living Longer from the People Who Live the Longest.
For more information about attending the Positive Aging conference, hosting a site, or sponsorship opportunities, contact Beth Somerville at somer012@umn.edu or visit: http://news.aarp.org/UM/T.asp?A910.52852.6245.1.19116
The Labyrinth is a design that stands for a symbolic pilgrimage: the journey of life. The archetypal image of the Labyrinth occurs throughout history, from Ancient Egypt and Native American cultures to medieval Europe. One of the most influential examples is a design found in the floor of Chartres Cathedral, created in 1220 and attracting increasing interest today.
The genuine unicursal labyrinth is not a maze, but a curvilinear design whose path leads to the center and then back out again. This winding path becomes a mirror for the life-course. In the age of Internet, we can now even visit the "Online Interactive Labyrinth" available at: http://news.aarp.org/UM/T.asp?A910.52852.6245.2.19116
For more on the Labyrinth, its history and psychological power, see:
Lauren Artress, WALKING A SACRED PATH: Rediscovering the Labyrinth As a Spiritual Tool (Riverhead Books, 1996).
Sig Lonegren, LABYRINTHS: ANCIENT MYTHS AND MODERN USAGE (Gothic Image Publication, 1991).
Jill Purce, THE MYSTIC SPIRAL JOURNEY OF THE SOUL (Thames and Hudson, London, 1974).
FLORENCE SOLTYS ON LIFE-REVIEW
Florence Soltys, an authority on life-review, died earlier this year. She wrote these words in her last book: "All of us want to leave the world feeling that we have made a difference. We want to have the freedom to find meaning in our lives and share that meaning with our family, our friends and the large community . . . As you age, your experience and learning expand to an understanding that is sometimes referred to as wisdom."
For more on Soltys and her legacy, visit: http://news.aarp.org/UM/T.asp?A910.52852.6245.3.19116
For the book, see TRANSFORMATIONAL REMINISCENCE: Life Story Work, by John A. Kunz and Florence Gray Soltys (Springer, 2007).
"Think and Be Heard: Creativity, Aging and Community Engagement" is a monograph by Steven Dahlberg, head of the Connecticut-based International Centre for Creativity and Imagination, who wrote this report following the 2007 National Arts Forum Series, supported by the MetLife Foundation. To read the report, visit: http://news.aarp.org/UM/T.asp?A910.52852.6245.4.19116
Another great source here is Gene Cohen's book THE CREATIVE AGE: Awakening Human Potential in the Second Half of Life (Harper, 2001).
For brief video interviews with Dr. Gene Cohen on later life creativity and the aging brain, visit: http://news.aarp.org/UM/T.asp?A910.52852.6245.5.19116
Sounds True, a provider of audio materials for human growth and development, is offering a range of offerings related to aging, now a clearance prices, including the following:
"Midlife and the Great Unknown" by David Whyte
"The Second Half of Life" by Angeles Arrien
"Conscious Aging" by Ram Dass
"Menopause" by Joan Borysenko
For details on ordering, visit: http://news.aarp.org/UM/T.asp?A910.52852.6245.6.19116
CREATIVITY. For a copy of "Creativity Matters: The Arts and Aging Toolkit" visit: http://news.aarp.org/UM/T.asp?A910.52852.6245.7.19116
BIBLIOGRAPHY ON RELIGION. Don't miss the on-line bibliography on aging, religion and spirituality developed by Prof. Henry Simmons. It covers church and Synagogue; theology; personal spiritual life; ethics; and life-review and reminiscence, and much more, at: http://news.aarp.org/UM/T.asp?A910.52852.6245.8.19116
AGING TODAY. For a thoughtful article on the experience of aging, read Atul Gawande, "The Way We Age Now," in THE NEW YORKER available at: http://news.aarp.org/UM/T.asp?A910.52852.6245.9.19116
JOURNEY CALLED AGING: Challenges and Opportunities in Older Adulthood, by James C. Fisher and Henry C. Simmons (Haworth, 2006).
MINDFULNESS-BASED ELDER CARE, by Lucia McBee (Springer, 2008). Holistic approach including meditation, yoga, massage, aromatherapy, humor, and more.
SOMETHING TO LIVE FOR: Finding Your Way in the Second Half of Life, by Richard Leider and David Shapiro (Berrett-Koehler, 2008).
SECOND HALF OF LIFE: "Something to Live For: Finding Your Way in the Second Half of Life" (Aug. 8-10, 2008, Rhinebeck, NY). Workshop with Richard Leider (CLAIMING YOUR PLACE AT THE FIRE). For details, visit: http://news.aarp.org/UM/T.asp?A910.52852.6245.10.19116 For Omega registration, visit: contact registration@eomega.org or (877)944-2002
FILM: "Late Bloomers." (Aug. 11, 2008, Washington, DC). 6:30 PM, Monday. "Die Herbstzeitlosen" in German at the Goethe-Institut., 812 Seventh Street, NW, Washington, DC. For details see: http://news.aarp.org/UM/T.asp?A910.52852.6245.11.19116
FINAL YEARS: (Aug. 13, 2008, San Francisco). The public is invited to an event with the author, celebrating the release of the new book LOVE FILLS IN THE BLANKS: Paradoxes of Our Final Years, by Elizabeth Bugental. 5 PM, Laguna Grove Care, Rooftop Garden, 624 Laguna Street, San Francisco, CA 94102. Hor d'oeuvres and refreshments will be served. To RSVP: call (415) 861-3455 ext. 6, or email events@pacificinstitute.org
SPIRITUALITY: "Ageing and Spirituality: A Diversity of Faiths and Cultures" Conference (Aug. 17-20, 2008, North ACT/NSW Border, Australia). Sponsored by the Centre for Ageing and Pastoral Studies. For information on the conference telephone (02) 6272 205; or email caps@csu.edu.au For more details visit: http://news.aarp.org/UM/T.asp?A910.52852.6245.12.19116
CHORAL SINGING. Encore Creativity Chorale Camp (Aug. 26-28, 2008, Chautauqua, NY). Four-day Chorale Camp for older adults. Choral directors include founder Jeanne Kelly, along with guest conductor Dr. Barry Talley, recently retired Director of Musical Activities at the United States Naval Academy, and Director of the Men's Glee Club. Repertoire will include spirituals, Gilbert and Sullivan choruses, and popular opera choruses. For details visit: http://news.aarp.org/UM/T.asp?A910.52852.6245.13.19116
"Every life matters immensely. Every well-lived and completed life helps in healing the world."
-Zalman Schachter
This electronic newsletter, edited by Harry (Rick) Moody, is published by the Office of Academic Affairs at AARP (601 "E" Street, NW, Washington, DC, 20049) and is cosponsored by the International Longevity Center-USA. The Newsletter contains items of interest about humanistic gerontology; it does not publish original writing but is limited to brief and timely announcements. To submit items of interest or request subscription changes, contact hrmoody@aarp.org Copyright 2008; all rights reserved.
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