In June of this year Dr. John Beard, Director of the World Health Organisation’s (WHO) Department on Aging and Life Courses, announced the launch of the Global Network of Age-friendly Cities.

Research from 33 cities, confirmed the importance for older people of access to public transport, outdoor spaces and buildings, as well as the need for appropriate housing, community support and health services and the need to foster the connections that allow older people to be active participants in society, to overcome ageism and to provide greater opportunities for civic participation and employment.

This is aligned with the vision of AgeEsteem of “a society where people of all ages are respected as contributing members of society”.   I was privileged to meet with Dr. Beard following my talk on Age Esteem at the WHO headquarters in Geneva last month to discuss our common concerns around issues of aging.  Very energizing and encouraging.

Bonnie Fatio

Bonnie Fatio, founder of AgeEsteem, will speak at the World Health Organization (WHO) in Geneva, Switzerland on Does Age Matter? on September 7.

Age is important to the work of the WHO.  In 2007 WHO created the Department of Ageing and Life Course (ACL).  ACL focuses on helping people to realize their potential for physical, social, and mental well-being throughout the life course and to participate in society, while providing them with adequate protection, security and care when they need it.

AgeEsteem is aligned with the WHO in its focus to help people to realize their potential.  Age esteem is an essential element to remaining healthy and reaching your potential as you age no matter where on our globe you live.

Hardy Korver, 54, Netherlands

When I hear the term Age Esteem I think of you, Bonnie Fatio! (laughter)  What made me think about it even before my wife put your book AgeEsteem in front of me was the economic crisis.  I thought, “We’re throwing away a lot of experienced good people because of age.”  You see that the other generations that are now a bit more elderly didn’t screw up as much as mine.  It’s a good mix.  We should use the mix.  Mix high and low in both ages and experience.  Use them both.  We need both.  We need those people yet we’ve let them go way too soon and we haven’t really given them the respect and responsibility that they should still have.

I’m becoming a dinosaur myself.  In fact Age Esteem is written about me.  It effects my life too.  I am a dinosaur in my firm.  There are only three guys older than I am and I’m only 54, and feel like 45.  As juniors we ran to the older guys, but there aren’t any older guys left. Your wings are clipped when you’re older.  I don’t think I can do as much.  Or I can, but I’m not supposed to.  That is the problem where Age Esteem comes in.  You may live alone, but surely you are surrounded by others saying, “You can’t do that anymore.”

Hardy’s tips: Know the relativity of everything. Don’t dig yourself in too much to what you are doing at present because there is much more around you.

Get balance in your life.  Work is very important.  You get a lot out of it but grave yards are full of those people who couldn’t be missed.  I keep that in mind. Work hard and play hard.  At least if you play hard you enjoy other things.   I still have people around me who take four weeks holiday and the rest of the year they’re 100 km and hour, always.  I can’t believe that that’s good.  No one ever died from working hard.  They die because they don’t take a rest.  Relax some of the time.

It is more than just reloading the battery. I think that’s a poor description of just survival.  It’s getting inspiration, not only charging the battery but getting new ideas.  You don’t have the same energy as when you started out, so you have to grow.  It’s inspiration and that can only happen if you look around you in a different way.   I have gotten the nicest inspirations from very unexpected things that I see.  Like in Africa or my home, too.

Lavender for Age Esteem

Do you remember the song, “Lavender blue dilly, dilly, lavender green…”?

The lavender plant usually blooms in June-July with the vibrant purple flowers covering fields.  Carpets of lavender blooms highlight areas of Provence in southern France, England and in many other places adding dashes of color to gardens and backyards.

This lovely plant also has a sweet fragrance and calming effect on the nervous system.  Lavender has many uses in treating medical conditions as well as in making cosmetic products and even in food!

Aromatic oils are extracted from the various parts of the plants to use in aromatherapy.  –  A way of healing which utilizes the scent and medicinal properties of the plant. Forms of aromatherapy have existed since the very beginning of civilization.

Lavender essential oil is the most versatile of all the essential oils and is very beneficial for high blood pressure, stress, bronchitis and muscular pains.  These conditions can be treated by soaking in a warm bath of lavender oil or lavender bubble bath, or with a massage using the essential oil.

Lavender is also used in perfume and in beauty products. Even in this way the perfume can be beneficial for medical conditions as well as giving off  a beautiful scent.

Finally, the lavender flower may enhance a delicious crême brulée or even a cake.
So enjoy this aromatic plant and look and feel wonderful at the same time.  It can help to enhance your age-esteem.

Grandma Nature

Many of the films for May/June are from around the world: France, Spain, Argentina, Switzerland, Norway, Mexico, United States.  I no longer dare call them foreign films since AgeEsteem readers come from most areas of the globe so many films will be foreign to most.

Films are a wonderful escape into another world and other lives far removed from our own, or perhaps not so different.   They are good for our age-esteem.

• We continue to learn through movies.  They stimulate our minds.
• Going to a theater is a social event, as is watching a DVD with friends.  We share the film and our impressions and reactions.
• Films often make us laugh or cry.  Laughter is a great preventive medicine..  Crying is also a good release that rids us of toxins.
• Films help keep us abreast of what is ‘in’.
• Watching films can be an intergenerational activity.  It offers us the occasion to ask questions and to learn from others, including small children and teens.

Research also shows that to watch a film in another language, whether or not we read subtitles, helps to connect our mental neurons in new ways.

Walnuts for AgeEsteem

Most people love walnuts, either in brownies or cookies or other delights. Did you know that walnuts are very healthy as well as being delicious? Next time you’re hungry and feel like a snack, eat a handful of walnuts.

Walnuts are healthy for your AgeEsteem.  They contribute to the prevention of health factors associated with aging.

Walnuts are rich in the omega-3 fatty acids which lower LDL, the “bad” cholesterol, thus reducing the risk of heart disease. Walnut oil is obviously good for cardiovascular health as well. In addition walnuts are rich in iron, protein and magnesium which is necessary for strong bones.  They are a very versatile food which can be added to vegetables as well as to desserts. So, when next baking or cooking, add some walnuts!

Waldorf Salad
Equal amounts of red apples, celery and walnuts, cut into small pieces.
Add one cup of sour cream and mix together.
Refrigerate and serve when needed.

Grandma Nature

Traditions can also be solo.  Sometimes it is fun to begin a meaningful tradition just for yourself.  It can provide a wonderful  means to pamper yourself by repeating something that you especially enjoy.   This will increase your happiness which also enhances your AgeEsteem.

A tradition can be related to a hobby or sport.

• Fishing on the first day of the season no matter what the weather.
• Getting up to watch the sunrise on the first day of summer.
• Making a collage of photos at the end of each year.
• Giving something you own to someone who needs it on your birthday.
• Treating yourself to a special brunch each Sunday.

Of course these solo traditions may become contagious and  include other people as well.

Sharing the sunset

There are numerous places in the world from the U.S. to South Africa and Australia where my husband and I have joined the local tradition of watching the sun go down at the end of the day.   It is like donuts and champagne or balloons and dancing on New Year’s eve or a picnic on the first day of summer.  As soon as we repeat the event, it becomes tradition.  We expect it and look forward to repeating it yet again.

Traditions are  healthy for our age-esteem.

• They give us occasion to celebrate.
• We look forward and plan for these events, whether as organizer or participant.
• Traditions are social events that bring us together with others.
• Traditions are often inter-generational, offering an opportunity for all ages to have fun together.
• They create memories and images to savor and to share.
• They do not need to cost anything, like sharing the sunset.

Going to the movies is a wonderful exercise for our age-esteem.   Why not take a look at our critic’s choices over the next three days and treat yourself to a theater outing or rent one to watch at home?

• Going to the movies is a social event, especially when we watch with friends and discuss the film afterward.
• Films spark our imagination.
• Movies stimulate our thinking; they take us to other parts of the world and into unusual settings.
• Watching foreign films in their original language forces us to concentrate on vocabulary.  If you study a foreign language, this will help connect words and images, phrases and scenarios.
• Many films keep us up to date and help us converse with our grandchildren.
• It’s fun to watch good movies!

For the last two years I have dyed Easter eggs with our granddaughter, Jessica.  Jessica is now almost three, so it was especially enjoyable dying eggs together this year.  It was so much fun that when I saw her last week she announced, “I want to color eggs today.”

As I opened my mouth to explain that we only color eggs for Easter, I abruptly closed it.  Why shouldn’t we paint eggs at other times of the year?   It is a good example of how we place limits on ourselves and nip creativity and an open mind.  Here I was about to instill a limit on the same child who I want to become confident, setting her sights high knowing that she can do anything she sets her mind to.

It shook me up.  Am I also influencing her age-esteem?

Our AgeEsteem is greatly influenced by limiting thoughts.  Examples abound with messages bombarding us showing us that youth is associated with opportunities  and age with obstacles.  Youth is freedom, age is a burden.  These limiting concepts are cemented into our minds. –  Even though we know these messages are not true.   Who says we shouldn’t travel alone, drive a race car, climb mountains, start a new business…?

Break down your personal limiting barriers.

• Listen to yourself when you speak out loud and to your thoughts.
• Filter your messages.  Are they limiting what you think can be done?
• Ask yourself why you think this way.  Has someone fed you this message often so you now believe it?
• Make a list of these limiting beliefs.
• Act on them.  Just do what you have previously limited yourself to believe you could or should not do.

My granddaughter and I will color eggs again next week.  Sometimes changing a limiting belief  is as simple as that!