It’s encouraging to read about a recent ambitious campaign launched by the International Council on Active Aging (ICAA) to change the way society perceives aging. The organization, founded about a decade ago, says it’s the ideal time to start the ‘rebranding’ initiative as the leading-edge boomers hit 65 (it’s actually 64 for Canadian boomers) – the traditional age of retirement.
According to a report filed by Canadian Press, the two-pronged campaign will have one for media, marketers and businesses focusing on rebranding aging. Other efforts include starting a new website soon and engaging the community at large to help shift the way people think of aging. A databank of best practices and a group of coaches analysing the effectiveness of ads are just some of the key elements of the campaign.
I’ve echoed it many times here on this blog that retirement is currently a ‘negative’ definition – the end of a long career or social path. However, if we turn it around, and think of one’s retirement age as the beginning of a long new phase – reinvention, new challenges and learnings, and new friends and pastimes – then the world is a different picture!
Both cognitive and physical exercising are key to the aging lifestage. The ICAA said the council is not trying to create an unrealistic point of view that people are going to be living a great life because they are older, but more like creating a fuller picture of what aging is, and presenting opportunities as well as challenges.
Well, it’s about time!
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