Dr. Joseph Casciani argues that aging is worth celebrating, not fearing, and that people can thrive into their 90s with the right mindset. He shares the story of Ralph, a boxer who lost both legs but found his worth wasn't tied to physical ability, and offers practical strategies for maintaining purpose as you age.
Joseph Casciani, MD, PhD.
We are all living longer, period. Some of us will live well into our 90s, maybe even to 100 and beyond. But will we live well at that point? Can we be excited about getting older? Well, it's time to turn aging on its head and celebrate aging. I'm Dr. Joe Casciani, and I encourage audiences to embrace the notion of getting older with a fresh, uplifting attitude. I want to encourage seniors to commit to moving forward no matter the circumstance. I put a spotlight on keeping a positive attitude and determination about the future. What I want to ensure others that this determination is ours to keep. No one can take this away from us. It's ours to keep forever. Whether we're still running marathons or confined to a wheelchair, modern-day centenarians have taught us plenty about living longer. My long career as a psychologist with older adults and their families has taught me about successful aging and what it takes to face setbacks and to overcome them. Let's get past the old notions that aging means decline and weakness, and other negative stereotypes. Let's plant a flag and own this new territory, this new vision. Drawing on my clinical experience, patient cases of setbacks and recovery, the latest science on longevity, inspiring quotes and stories, and a good dose of humor, audiences will hear powerfully positive messages about celebrating aging. They will learn solutions to getting over the bumps encountered, and audiences will leave with a positive mindset about their future.
I remember a patient I had in a nursing home. We'll call him Ralph. Ralph had advanced diabetes and a very bad vascular condition, and he had to have one of his legs amputated, right? Now Ralph was a boxer. He was a professional boxer his whole life. And you can imagine how difficult it was for him to see himself without one leg, to have that leg amputated. About 3 or 4 weeks later, he got to have his second leg amputated. So for him, it was a double amputation. And managing that different mindset— now I have no legs, I'm going to be fitted with prosthesis— it was very difficult for him to accept that change. And for me, you know, my role was helping them to see that, look, your, your worth, your value as a person is not dependent on your body. This is what I was getting at earlier. Your worth doesn't, doesn't depend on having two legs and a fully functioning body. Your worth is intrinsic. It's not dependent on any changes that happen to your body. Our beauty is in our spirit, our attitude, and our outlook. As I already said, the beauty of this position is that nobody can take this spirit away from us. This is ours. Not our spouses, not our adult children, not our friends, not our neighbors, not our doctors. Nobody can take this fire and this, this flame away from us. This is ours forever.
