Lifestyles

Making Wishes Come True

Posted: 10/18/2011

The key to aging well is living well.

(NAPSI)—According to Kevin W. O’Neil, M.D., FACP, CMD, to live a long and healthy life, you need a purpose. “Purpose gives dynamism to life. Life without purpose or meaning can have serious adverse effects emotionally and physically. Research has demonstrated that purposeful pursuits can not only help us live longer, but with a better quality of life and better health outcomes,” explained Dr. O’Neil, Chief Medical Officer for Brookdale Senior Living.

Aging adults, he added, who face increasing health complications and difficulty maneuvering through their everyday activities, respond positively to external interactions and events that cultivate purposeful fulfillment. For many, purpose might be easier to find if only one particular wish—to travel, see relatives, produce art, even skydive, any of a variety of dreams once deferred—could be fulfilled.

Wishes are not just for the young. They have no age limit or expiration date. They give older people a sense of hope. To help older Americans realize their purpose and have their wishes fulfilled, a nonprofit organization and a senior living provider created a program that grants the wishes of hundreds of seniors.

The Program

Jeremy Bloom’s Wish of a Lifetime, a foundation created to initiate a cultural change by enriching the lives of seniors, and Brookdale Senior Living, one of the nation’s leading owners and a provider of high-quality senior living communities, make wishes come true for residents. Built on the premise that seniors should be respected, honored and aided in society, they hope to inspire an entire generation and create a cultural shift in how we view aging. Growing older doesn’t mean one has to stop dreaming and living a life of purpose.

To request a wish, the resident or family member fills out a survey form explaining a wish he or she would like to have fulfilled, and how it relates to one or more dimensions of Brookdale’s Optimum Life platform, which is geared toward cultivating whole-person wellness.

The Wishes

The residents often have powerful life stories. They’re people who are changing the culture of aging by staying active, continuing to learn and finding new opportunities for self-discovery.

Their once-in-a-lifetime wish experiences include reconnecting with loved ones who have not seen each other in decades, renewing and celebrating passions, such as piloting a plane or playing in a band, and fulfilling other lifelong dreams.

For just a few high-flying examples, consider Helene Dax, the first female air traffic controller. Her desire was to return to the skies. Then there’s Stephen Meyer, an 86-year-old World War II veteran and former Army sergeant who always wanted to marshal in an aircraft. Howard Grim, a former Air Force Lieutenant Colonel, relived his Air Force past by flying in the cockpit of a T-34 Mentor with a pilot.

The wishes are granted as a way to enrich the lives of the residents. Many thought they would never be able to have the experience they asked for in their wishes but they still continued to dream. When their wish is granted, their spirits are renewed and they find more purpose in their everyday lives.

Many wishes involve travel; others long for family reunions, and some have unique requests to fulfill personal goals. At the website www.brookdalewishes.com, you can see each wish and view its story.

Wishes are ageless, timeless and priceless. To seniors, they are also testimonials to hope and validation that there’s no age limit on the desire to live life to the fullest. This program means senior living residents don’t have to let “someday” become “never.” They will have an opportunity to fulfill dreams they had placed on the shelf.

Learn More

For more information on Brookdale and Jeremy Bloom’s Wish of a Lifetime, visit www.seniorwish.org and www.brookdalewishes.com.

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