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Our Mission:

The Aging Well Consortium brings together professionals, citizens and experts from a broad range of disciplines and experiences to inform and make life better for all of us as we age.

We believe personal accountability and planning is key to having some control over what happens to us as we grow older. Nothing can stop us from getting old -- except death. When people embrace their aging rather than deny it, they begin to age “deliberately,” taking purposeful steps that will allow them to age as gracefully and with as much dignity as possible.     Contact Us  

                                                                                          “Old age is no place for sissies.”
                                                                                                                        – Bette Davis 

Liz Taylor, founder & principal of Aging Well Consortium, is an award-winning journalist, speaker, consumer educator, and pioneer on a host of aging issues.

Through her writing, speaking and one-on-one consulting, she helps older individuals and their families deal with, and find solutions to, the enormous challenges of reaching  “a good old age.” She also hopes to encourage new ideas, new blood and refreshingly new attitudes in a profession that has long been stuck in the status quo.

Liz began her career in the early 1970s as a consumer fraud investigator for the Federal Trade Commission (FTC). In 1976, Elizabeth Dole, an FTC Commissioner at the time, appointed Liz director of a nationwide investigation of the nursing home industry. Fascinated by what she found, she’s worked in the aging field ever since – almost 35 years.

In the 1980s, Liz established one of the first geriatric care management businesses in the Pacific Northwest, helping thousands of older adults and their families make good decisions about their aging, care and housing needs.

In the 1990s, her focus became intensely personal as she cared for both her parents for eight years. Her mom had Alzheimer’s disease, and her dad was blind, deaf, and very frail.  Although caregiving is rarely easy, Liz learned two important lessons: one, “do only as much as you can” – which means she didn’t burn out because other people were able to step in when she needed help; and two, caring for a parent is enormously rewarding, providing memories that last a lifetime.
 
In 2000, Liz coined the phrase, “Aging Deliberately,” to express her firm belief that most of us age “accidentally,” without planning or forethought. Instead, she said, we must face our aging head on, learning how to age on purpose –- deliberately! Only then will we have some control over what happens to us.

Creating a business with this name, Liz became well known for her work:
 

• From 1994 - 2008, she wrote an enormously popular weekly column on aging in The Seattle Times that attracted thousands of readers regionally and nationally (www.seattletimes.com). Today she’s expanded her column into a longer monthly e-newsletter, Aging Deliberately, that’s available via this website by subscription  (click here).

• Through her speaking engagements, she’s become established as a highly informed, engaging authority that makes aging more interesting and meaningful -- and often more fun.

• She consults one-on-one with families and older adults to help make wise choices.

• Deploring the outdated ways in which much of the business of aging is carried out   today, especially by government and eldercare providers, Liz calls for a wholesale change in their missions, values, and attitudes. Until that happens, she says, we’re not likely to ever see the seismic shifts we need that will allow most of us to age successfully. It’s another reason to be informed – so we can protect our own interests.

In 2009, Liz’ company, Aging Deliberately, became The Aging Well Consortium, expanding the platform for including many other voices, experiences and ideas. It’s an opportunity to bring professionals, citizens and experts from a broad range of disciplines and experiences together for our readers – to offer new and interesting ideas.

It also brings our readers together with carefully vetted partners, advertisers and vendors so they’ll have easy access to high quality businesses to serve their needs.
  
Today, Liz consults, writes and lectures widely on a variety of aging topics. Her mission is to educate families, older people, community planners, legislators, and providers on important issues that affect how we age.

In 2002, Liz was selected as one of 15 journalists to attend a weeklong conference on aging in New York City, sponsored by the International Longevity Center – USA and funded by The New York Times Foundation. In 2005, she was a delegate to the White House Conference on Aging in Washington, DC. In 2007, she received the American Geriatric Society’s Aging Awareness Media Award for outstanding reporting on health care for older adults and the Excellence in Media Award from the Washington Association of Housing & Services for the Aging.

 INTERVIEWING LIZ TAYLOR OF AGING WELL CONSORTIUM:
Subjects and Questions You May Wish to Cover.


Aging Deliberately

1.    You’ve coined the term, “Aging Deliberately.” What do you mean by that?

2.    How does aging deliberately differ from how most people are aging today?

3.    What are some of the things we can do to age deliberately?

4.    What role does fear of aging and fear of death play in aging deliberately?

5.    We are looking at a huge aging population, with many of the nearly 80 million Baby Boomers entering their sixties. What needs to change in order to accommodate such a large number of aging citizens?

6.    Since the fastest growing age group is 85 and older, will the services we have now be available in 20 to 30 years?

7.    What do we need to do in our 40s to prepare for our 70s?

8.    When you are speaking to groups and counseling families, what are the major concerns they bring to your attention?

9.    Are we doing better in the aging field today than in the past? What most disturbs you?


Caring for Aging Parents

1.    What should we do when our parents become unable to take good care of themselves, but adamantly refuse to hire help in their home or move into a retirement community?

2.    How can we best communicate with our aging parents about their wishes?

3.    How important is it to have an honest discussion with our parents about what they expect from us, as they grow old?  How should we open up this conversation? When should we start?

4.    When should we anticipate how much care we could offer our parents should they become unable to care for themselves?

5.    Many women care for their own parents as they age, then for their husband’s even though both work full time, leading to intense disagreement. How can couples and family members resolve these differences?

6.    What happens when you want your parents to move in with you and your and your spouse is unwilling?

7.    What do our parents need to do to prepare to live on their own until they die?

8.    Many older people want to live at home as long as they can before they die. What are the pros and cons?

9.    If my mom has a stroke or other health catastrophe, and needs immediate nursing home care, how do we find the best option – since we might have only a day to choose?

10.    Who pays for nursing home care?

11.    I know you consult with families when arrangements need to be made for aging parents? How does that work? Why is it necessary for some families?

12.    What do aging parents need to do to protect themselves and their family members from family strife?


Preparing for Our Own Aging

1.    When should we begin to think about and plan for growing old?

2.    At what age should we have Advanced Directives, such as a Living Will and Durable Powers of Attorney for health and finances?

3.    What are the advantages for remaining at home rather than living in a retirement community? What are the disadvantages?

4.    What are the advantages of choosing a retirement community before we need to make a move?

5.    As we age, should we think about moving closer to other family members?

6.    Do you think there are better models for growing old rather than assisted living and nursing homes?

7.    How should we select someone to oversee our business and personal interests as we age? Do you favor family members or trustees?

8.    We’ve all heard the horror stories about parents being betrayed by those they have selected to advocate for them. What can we do to protect ourselves?

9.    How widespread is elder abuse and what can we do to protect ourselves?


Financial and Legal Concerns

1.    What is a Durable Power of Attorney for finances?

2.    What is a Durable Power of Attorney for healthcare?

3.    What is a Living Will, also called a Directive to Physician?

4.    Is it best to have a lawyer draw up these documents or can you do it yourself?

5.    Since the current life expectancy for Americans is 78 and rising each year, we’re probably going to need more and more care, as we get older. How are we going to pay for it?

6.    What is a Reverse Mortgage and what are the pros and cons?

7.    Regardless of our personal financial future, what are the most significant issues we need to address, individually, and as a society, as we get older?


Medical Issues

1.    What is the difference between Alzheimer’s disease, stroke, and dementia?

2.    What health concerns raise the most questions with the families you counsel and the audiences where you speak?

3.    In terms of medical issues, what is your greatest concern about the aging population?


Priorities

1.    If you could pass along your wisdom to those who are 50-plus, what would you list as the top 5 priorities to begin taking care of immediately?