As we close out Older Americans Month, its theme, “Champion Your Health,” should be carried into the remainder of 2026 and beyond. The important principles of life management, advocating for oneself, and actively attending to one’s mental and physical health to maintain vitality and independence require frequent emphasis. While we cannot reverse the clock, we can embrace the passage of time with full hearts, clear eyes, and renewed wonder by using these principles.

The average life expectancy of American women still hovers between 75 to 80 years of age, with a growing contingent moving into their 90s and even 100s. Projections from the U.S. Census Bureau show that the nation’s centenarian population is set to quadruple over the next 30 years.

Thanks to modern medicine, knowledge, and improved living conditions, we are all living longer. The challenge now is: How do we live better and maintain that vitality and engagement as we increase in years? Barring major health issues, how do we continue to live independently and maintain our contributions to our family, our community, and the fabric of the nation?

Here are the focuses that matter:

Age Without Getting Old.

It starts with the mind. According to Psychology Today, subjective age (how old you feel) rather than actual age is what dictates your brain, your health, and your happiness. As the aphorism goes, “Age is an issue of mind over matter. If you don’t mind, it doesn’t matter.” 

Some keys to brain health and happiness: Maintaining a sense of curiosity and wonder.

“Novelty and curiosity are the food of childhood. We seek out, explore, and immerse ourselves in situations with the potential for new information and/or experiences. This is the key to vitality: It is how we, as older adults, can grow via our own activity rather than submit completely to decline.” 

The beauty of growing older is that it allows for moving into less-structured work or full retirement. This, in turn, gives one the perfect opportunity to pursue a new hobby or interest, or to incorporate an older one into daily routines. Often, the more challenging, the more life-giving, the better. 

It should involve these elements:

  • External cognitive learning: discovering new facts or concepts.
  • Internal cognitive pondering: ruminating about these new facts or concepts.
  • Expressive learning: actively engaging and actively planning on these.
  • Internal sensory seeking: openness to new and unusual experiences.

Traveling, exploring new areas of study, and incorporating new health practices involve all of these. Exercise and practices like walking in nature, Yoga, and Tai Chi have the added benefit of killing two birds with one stone, as they engage both the mind and the body.

Maintain Community for Stability and Longevity.

Whether it is family ties, faith communities, or civic organizations, connection to community is an essential part of not only aging well but maintaining active engagement and advocacy in things that matter.

Psychologist Paul Bloom wrote, 

“We are constituted so that simple acts of kindness, such as giving to charity or expressing gratitude, have a positive effect on our long-term moods. The key to the happy life, it seems, is the good life: a life with sustained relationships, challenging work, and connections to community.”

Independent Women has long advocated for Aging at Home and Living with Dignity. When we are surrounded by the familiar—our home, our cherished belongings, and the community we have cultivated over many years—it not only keeps our minds sharp and our hearts engaged, but it fosters longevity and a better quality of life as we age. 

Independent Women president Carrie Lukas mentioned in a recent op-ed:

“Home represents independence, continuity, and dignity. It is where people feel most like themselves.” 

A catastrophic health diagnosis, loss of agility, mobility, and limited resources can create barriers to this. Barriers that Independent Women is addressing through The American Caregivers Program. Independent Women is working to change the regulatory frameworks that prevent citizens and residents from working with older Americans to maintain their ability to remain at home, stay independent, and enhance their ability to thrive. We also need an increase in the supply of these caregivers, making it easier for older Americans who need the help to be able to locate it.

Ageism: Advocate for Yourself and Others.

Spending a lifetime attaining skills, contributing to the community, raising children, and building a professional life should be a point of pride. Instead, this wealth of life experience can be dismissed because of one’s age, ignoring what that age represents and the weight of what it has contributed to our society. 

“Ageism can lead to isolation, loss of self-esteem, and even depression among older adults. Furthermore, stereotypes like being out of touch, resistant to change, or frail can perpetuate ageist attitudes. These misconceptions can prevent older adults from being seen as valuable contributors to society and the workplace.” 

Here’s how to maintain a sense of purpose and vitality in what we do and have yet to do:

  • Be your own best advocate. Control the narrative, ensure your voice is heard, and maintain your shine.
  • Know your rights and insist upon them. Particularly in the medical setting, where ageism has become especially pronounced and could have deadly consequences. 
  • Maintain your networks. This involves engagement professionally and personally across the spectrum of ages and experiences. Have others who know your quality and desire the inclusion of your contributions and voice.
  • Cultivate joy. There is nothing more youthful than a sense of adventure and delight in the world around you. Henry David Thoreau said it best: “No one is as old as those who have outlived enthusiasm.” As we age, we may discover there is nothing new under the sun, but we can always engage the world with fresh eyes and excitement over the new experiences that every day brings.

To paraphrase Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, age is opportunity in a different dress.