EAST LANSING, Mich. — This coming Wednesday, August 21, is National Senior Citizens Day—a day to honor and celebrate the invaluable contributions of our senior community. They're more than just a generation; they're our good neighbors and their worth celebrating. Just ask East Lansing resident Linda Foster who is living her best life.
“This is called Top of the Rock and it’s where we party every Friday night!”
Linda and her husband Ed are proving that life doesn’t slowdown in your mid-eighties.
“I’m 85 last month and she was 85 in February," says Ed.
"He always says he married an older woman," Linda adds.
Ed responds, "she robbed the cradle,”
The Fosters moved into East Lansing’s Burcham Hills retirement community last year and they’re thriving!
They aren't alone. A 2022 study by National Geographic and AARP found that overall happiness tends to increase with age, particularly after 70.
The survey of 2,580 US adults revealed that older adults recognize the challenges of aging but worry about them less as they grow older.
Thirty-four percent of adults 80-plus and 27% of those in their 70s describe themselves as "very happy," compared to 21% of those in their 60s, 18% in their 50s, and 16% in their 40s.
“I had a friend who lived to be 106," says Linda. "She told me, and I agree with her, that a big part of it is attitude, you can do a lot more than you think you can, and you just shouldn't give up.”
Ed believes age is just a number.
“I would say the most important thing is to stay active and keep your mind active, doing things that you continue to do. Carry on.
Eighty-seven-year-old Dick West also calls Burcham Hills home. It wasn’t an easy decision to leave his house of 50 years, but he knew he needed more help.
“I thought, when you're a senior, you're done, and you're not done," says Dick. "Life begins when you're a senior, far as I'm concerned, if you've got your health, that's the main thing health.”
Dick stays very busy, serving on three committees at Burcham Hills and engaging with the community.
The National Geographic/AARP study also found that Friends, family, and community are the hallmarks of finding happiness. Dick agrees.
“It's better than sitting home looking at four walls. You got something to do every day. When you wake up, it's a new day. And as my daughters say, Take day at a day, day at a time, and that's what I do, and I enjoy it.”
Ed adds, “I don't really think of being old as being old. If you'd asked me 20 years ago if I'd be 85 years old, I would probably not. But I'm going for 15 more!”
And that's the spirit of a good neighbor—sharing life, joy, and wisdom at any age. Let's celebrate the vibrant lives of our senior neighbors, who are this week's Good Neighbors.
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