Finishing Well / Part 1: Are Your Seniors Engaged?

We speak of furniture or photos having a “glossy finish”, but what about people? Are you preparing now to finish well? What about your clients? In this new series, we’ll explore some of the facets of what it takes to “finish well,” meet some of the seniors who are living it — and see how various reverse mortgage options fit into the picture for emerging elders.

In 2001, Beacon Hill, the nation’s first senior “village”, opened its doors. Radical at the time, the idea of “aging in place” soon caught fire, as we described a while ago.

However, the aging-in-place concept has evolved along with what it means to grow older. Once, the idea was to have a support network in place before a senior might need help. Now, the mission is engagement: what kinds of support will make the latter decades as joy-filled and purposeful as the earlier years?

“Aging is fabulous,” contends Beacon Hill’s executive director, Laura Connors. “We’re there to help people maintain and expand.” In 2001, that meant helping mature adults to remain in their homes. In 2013, it’s about helping people get out of their homes, and into the surrounding community.

Beacon Hill board member Dan Taylor observes that communities are changing, along with the worlds of government and non-profits. The health care reform act, for example, is “triggering significant shifts in the approaches and services of health care providers. This may create new needs among seniors that help shape new roles for village programs.”

Connors is hearing a call very different from a decade ago: “Some members are adamant that the village, “do more about end-of-life planning,” something few elders feel comfortable discussing with family members.

Clearly, finishing well has taken on a depth of meaning, and remaining active and engaged is front and center for those who are now entering the Third Age. How can a a href=”http://reversemortgageinfo.com” target=”_blank” title=”Reverse Mortgage Information”>reverse mortgage support the evolving needs and objectives of Third Agers in the third millennium? That’s an excellent question to start asking as you engage with retirees and soon-to-be-retirees, during brown bag talks and when networking with those in complementary professions, such as financial planners.