By Rick Banas of BMA Management, Ltd.
Who says older adults do nothing more than sit around and play bingo?
Pat Appleton-Cordell, the remarkable interior designer that BMA uses for our senior living communities, posted a hilarious video on Facebook earlier this week that flies in the face of our stereotypes about older adults.
The video is of an Awesome Threesome of 70+ year olds from Leisure World. Their performance of Michael Jackson’s Billie Jean, was a crowd Thriller (go ahead and groan, but I just could not resist).
Watching the video a second and third time, I became curious. What other videos are posted on places like YouTube that help dispel myths about aging.
Here are just a few examples of what I found:
A video of Ernestine Shepherd, who at 72 years of age was running 80 miles a week, lifting weights nearly every day, and helping seniors improve their fitness. (above)
A video of a 90-year-old with Jean’s Golden Girls in Provo, Utah, who does the splits during a performance of her solo dance from the “Ms. Utah Seniors Dancing Pageant.” (above)
A news report done by SO-CAL News from the San Gabriel Canyon in California about Bernie McGrath, who at nearly 90 years of age prospects for gold. It helps keep him “physically and mentally well.” (above)
A video of an 87-year old women doing a Salsa dance that would be considered amazing for a woman of any age. (above)
I must say that my sensitivity to stereotypes of older adults had already been heightened earlier in the week by a comment I heard on talk radio about Joan Rivers and a comment Joan made about First Lady Michelle Obama. While I certainly have issue with Joan’s comment, I have much more of an issue with the suggestion made on talk radio that Joan should just move into an assisted living community.
Joan has always had a brash personality and sense of humor, much like other comedians such as Don Rickles. Her comment about the First Lady had nothing to do with age, and to suggest that it did is just plain wrong. According to Wikipedia, Joan will be turning 78 years of age this June.
Assisted living communities provide a wonderful environment for older adults, but they are designed for those who need some help to maintain their independence.
Why do we insist on equating the need for help with someone’s age?
My hope is that videos such as the ones that have been posted as part of this Blog can help us rethink how we think about aging.
All affordable assisted living communities managed by BMA Management, Ltd. are certified and surveyed by the Illinois Department of Healthcare and Family Services. All assisted living communities are licensed and surveyed by the Illinois Department of Public Health.
“BMA Management, Ltd. is the leading provider of assisted living in Illinois
and one of the 20 largest providers of assisted living in the United States.”
What are your thoughts? Leave a comment and let us know.
