Yvonne Behrens
As an aging boomer, I am wishing to proactively confront my aging process. Of course, there is no way of predicting how any of us will age, but I do believe that dealing with it at an earlier stage in life will allow [me] to be better prepared down the road.
Through this webpage, I plan to concentrate on the questions that surround boomer’s aging. We will focus on how the politics of aging, health and aging, and, society’s focus on youth and mobility will affect us as we move into our “twilight” years. Discussions and articles will explore how the Age Wave of older Americans will impact society as more and more baby boomers move into the 65+ category. The last big topic that will be covered will be the question of living environments, including the national examination of the concept of liveable communities.
BACKGROUND
Since 1995, I have been a caregiver to various family members all who have had different care-giving needs associated with their aging process. In 2006, I became actively involved in the field of aging, first as a representative for the Brain Fitness Program, a computer software program created by Neuro-Scientists to re-stimulate the aging brain, and then as a consultant helping individuals to understand the aging process and what they may confront with aging loved ones or themselves.
I sit on the following committees:
- Consortium on Aging, Lynchburg, VA
- Chair, Committee on Public Awareness, Beard Center on Aging, Lynchburg College. We put on an Age Wave Summit in 2009 on how communities and boomers can prepare for boomers’ aging
- Beard Center on Aging Conference Committee
- Senior Citizen Coordinating Council, Chair for the marketing committee, Council of Community Services, Roanoke, Virginia
- Employed Caregivers Committee, Council of Community Services, Roanoke, Virginia
- Representative of the Senior Citizen Coordinating Council at the Roanoke Regional Housing Network
- Member, American Society on Aging
- Member, Southern Gerontological Society
