How aging has affected six older Americans’ view of wellness and staying healthy
Your Gray Matters celebrates diversity and resilience in living and in aging. These are six stories collected by The New York Times, to read the entire article for free, scroll below. To share your own story, go here
Roller Derby
Evelyn Block, 76, California
If you don’t want to be treated like an old person, don’t act like an old person. You have no idea what other people your age are not doing.
Ballet
Giannella Garrett, 71, New York
There’s always a challenge ahead. You conquer one and there’s 100 more to complete.
Meditation
Shailendra Jain, 68, North Carolina
I have spent a lifetime trying to conform. Before I die, I want to feel free, I want to break through the self-imposed barriers.
Gardening and Painting
Malinda Hatch, 82, Maryland
I feel that plants won’t grow for everybody. They know there is this strange symbiosis. Plants reward you. I try to understand the world of today and how it is different from the world that formed my values as a young person.
Independent living
Nancy Gabriel, 98, New York
My dog is named Jake. As he ages — he’s 12 — he is still playful but also goes to his crate and takes more naps. I keep hoping he’ll be around and be OK. Since I’m aging, too, I understand the process. It’s very similar.
Exercise and Prayer
Trent Lyght, 65, Georgia
I am a former athlete. My mother’s death in 2014 and getting divorced the year before prompted me to seek an organized religion.
Other Voices:
- “For the first time in my life, I’m also following a regular skin-care routine,” wrote Michael S. Russo, 60, of Nassau County, N.Y. “As a man, I never thought this was important, but it really is. You don’t want your face to look like an old leather saddle bag if it doesn’t have to.”
- “Self-care for me means assuming responsibility for still being on the planet without asking other people to be responsible for me,” said Malinda Hatch, 82, who lives in a multigenerational home outside of Baltimore.
Original article: Text by Marisa Meltzer, Photographs by Elizabeth Bick - Updated Oct. 15, 2024
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