There are so many benefits of home sharing beyond the relatively small amount of rent that can come with it. Rabbi Laura Geller, Rabbi Emerita at Temple Emanuel of Beverly Hills, is the co-author of  “Getting Good at Getting Older and is the Chair of Synagogue Village Network. Click here.

Gen Z is soft, millennials are embarrassing, boomers are evil, and no one has thought about Gen X in years. But while generational framings are ubiquitous, just how real are these fault lines?

Click here to find out.

By Rabbi Laura Geller, Professor David Elcott and Stuart Himmelfarb

Read this recent article from eJewishPhilanthropy about our recent Active Aging Convening entitled “The Challenges and Opportunities of Longevity — A  Jewish Communal Response.”  It captures the growing interest among a wide range of Jewish organizations in understanding the impact of longevity and learning about new models of engagement in Jewish life.

Read it here.

Modern Elder Academy hosted an online session entitled “The Power of Reinvention” on July 12, 2023, featuring Chip Conley and Joanne Lipman. They explored the skills and mindsets needed for reinvention, discussing how it can manifest in our lives and the transformative role of struggle. They also addressed midlife changes and Ms. Lipman’s four stages of the Reinvention Roadmap: search, struggle, stop, and solution. Joanne Lipman is the author of Next! The Power of Reinvention in Life and Work. Chip Conley is the founder of MEA. 

Click here.

The idea of a retirement purposely filled with work might seem dismal—proof that we’ve prioritized achievement over happiness for so long that we can’t even stop in our 60s. But there might be a less pessimistic way to look at those who actively choose semi-retirement. Read it here.

by MIKE SCHNEIDER Associated Press; May 25, 2023

The share of residents 65 or older grew by more than a third from 2010 to 2020 and at the fastest rate of any decade in 130 years, while the share of children declined, according to new figures from the most recent census… Combined, the trends mean the median age in the U.S. jumped from 37.2 to 38.8 over the decade.

Click here to read the full article.

Archives of Gerontology and Geriatrics, Vol. 107, April 2023

…participants who exercised ≥ 2 times/week with others…showed a lower risk of developing cognitive impairment than those who did not exercise with others. 

…if all participants exercised alone or with others ≥ 2 times/week, the risk of cognitive impairment decreased by 15.1% and 29.2%, respectively.

Both forms of exercise reduced the development of cognitive impairment, with exercising with others potentially being highly effective in preventing cognitive impairment.

Click here to read the article.

What could be more optimistic than dining with eight people you’ve never met in hopes of making a new friend?

…everyone had come for the same reason: to connect with strangers in real life and potentially make a new friend… A 2010 report in The Journal of Health and Social Behavior showed that low social connection is linked to poor health outcomes, including heart attacks and cancer, as well as other conditions. Lacking connection has also been found to be worse for your health than smoking, obesity or high blood pressure. As a predictor for a happy life, strong relationships are more reliable than such factors as wealth and I.Q.

The New York Times, March 11, 2023, by Setareh Baig

Read it here.

… no two people age the same. Although age is the principal risk factor for several chronic diseases, it is an unreliable indicator of how quickly your body will decline or how susceptible you are to age-related disease. This is because there is a difference between your chronological age, or the number of years you’ve been alive, and your biological age – your physical and functional ability.

Published March 15, 2023 in The Conversation

Read it here.

by Kerri Fivecoat-Campbell, March 22, 2023

The arrangement, once the norm for many American families, is making a comeback. Article includes tips for a successful multi-generational household.

From “Next Avenue”, read it here

As the world emerges from the pandemic, people are 'looking for ways to connect on their own terms — in their own homes, in their own community,' OneTable CEO Aliza Kline said.

For years, the organization has served people ages 21-39 by offering them a platform to connect, funding to host dinners and resources such as recipes, invitations and Jewish religious resources. Now, the organization is expanding: In response to the loneliness many empty nesters feel when their children no longer live with them, OneTable plans to offer a platform for older adults, too.

Read it here.

By Bobby Duffy

Pitting boomers against millennials is a distraction from the inequality that affects us all. An interesting take on inter-generational differences and tensions, an issue that often arises when deciding on investing in older adult programs. Read it here.