I am 75 and a 41-year resident of walkable Oak Park. I recently took part in a research project on overcoming ageism, sponsored by Yale and Midwestern universities, AgeOptions, and Oak Park Township.
It was shocking to learn that people with positive age beliefs live an average of 7.5 years longer than people who have negative beliefs.
Many negative beliefs about aging were also shared, such as, “old people are fragile, so they should not exercise.” Wrong! I keep fit by working out 4 times a week at the gym.
Marsha Borders
Oak Park