Retired? Living in an assisted living or nursing home community? What is your purpose?

Want to live longer?

According to Dr. Patricia Boylehttp://www.businessweek.com/lifestyle/content/healthday/627835.html?chan=top+news_top+news+index+-+temp_lifestyle, a neuropsychologist at the Rush Alzheimer’s Disease Center and an assistant professor of behavioral sciences at Rush University Medical Center in Chicago. ”…if you find purpose in life, if you find your life is meaningful and if you have goal-directed behavior, you are likely to live longer.”

Did you know dreams continue beyond the age of 35?  Want proof?  When I started into the senior living industry it was with Brightview Senior Living.  The company had six communities with most of the focus on assisted living and dementia care.  One community that stood out, and really the person that stood out, was the Activity Director at Brightview of Bel Air.  A hairdresser by trade, she engaged the residents (including in the dementia neighborhood) in a way few others can – with a focus on dignity, respect, and the belief that even people living in an assisted living community could thrive, not just survive.  This passion played out in two significant ways:  1) she challenged herself and her community to find the dream left unmet for each of her residents and then she would creatively find a way to make that dream a reality  2) she sparked a group of residents to form a singing group that eventually cut a CD and sang the national anthem at Cal Ripken Stadium for a minor-league baseball team.

People, all people, have or want to re-kindle their sense of purpose.  What is your purpose?  Do you have the key to helping someone else re-kindle their purpose?  If so, use it!