Good News About Aging

Considering the alternative and the reality that more people are living to advanced age it's a good thing longevity has a cheerleader. He's Charles H. Russell '49, who turns 65 in December and whose recent book Good News About Aging [John Wiley & Sons] provides insight on longer life and the "options we can exercise as individuals in taking advantage of an optimistic future."

Charlie Russell was a philosophy major at Dartmouth, following which he earned a master's and a Ph.D. in social sciences at Columbia. Then a few years ago the University of Connecticut made him a Certified Gerontologist, recognizing his lifelong career as researcher, writer, and teacher—he is a professor of sociology and gerontology at Matatuck Community College in Waterbury, Conn.

Written for laymen, Russell's book looks at most of the important issues related to aging, from economics to politics to family relations to sex. And death. Perhaps its most interesting finding, if you are of a certain age, is that statistics show that older people are happier and more satisfied with life than any other age group.

The author himself is evidence of that. He expects to continue teaching for at least another year, while enlarging his new career as a writer he is working on an encyclopedia of aging with a physician co-author. When there's time he travels to Norway, where his wife (and collaborator on Good News About Aging) is working on a yearlong special project. A native of Norway, Inger Megaard is a nurse and board member of the Norwegian Geriatric Nurses Association. How do the Russells look at the future? "The coming generations of older people will have a wider vision that will show them the way to get the most out of their long lives." Education is the key, and this book is one place to start.