Friday, Aug 13, at 11:49 pm, 10 minutes before the assignment deadline, I hit the submit button to send off my 17-page assignment. It's officially over. My grades have been good, so I am all set for graduation: Master of Science, Aging and Health at Queen’s University, Ontario, Canada.

Many people graduated with Master's degrees, why is mine special? True. It's more to do with the circumstances than academic achievement. It is distinct because:

• I am a mature student;

• I am working a demanding full-time job in a different discipline while studying this degree program;

• We are amid the global COVID-19 pandemic;

• The needs, vulnerability, and neglect of older adults are grabbing headlines, especially during the pandemic, such as the high COVID-19 infection rate of seniors in long-term care facilities;

• Global age-friendly initiatives are gaining momentum, such as the age-friendly community movement;

• The rapidly aging population exposes the urgent need for policy changes in healthcare/social services and programs, so on.
  

I will reflect on some lessons learned in the last 12 months about aging and health.

Determinants of active aging, healthy successful aging, production aging, meaningful aging include: 

• Lifelong learning

  • Like every living creature or plant, we grow throughout our life span. Learning can help us grow and better adapt to this ever-rapidly change world.

  • Lifelong learning can happen in formal, informal, and non-formal ways. It can happen in-person or online:

    • Formal learning can take the form of education through a school or institution.

    • Informal learning can take place in a structured or free-form style. For example, we can learn from a cooking class in the community, a hiking tour to explore wildlife and plants, an online book club, a weekly Bible class at church, or a photography interest forum on Facebook and so on.

    • Non-formal learning refers to learning through lived experiences, such as having a meaningful conversation with a friend about history or culture.

      
      

• Stay active

  • There is not a single recipe for everyone since we may have different health statuses. In general, we need physical exercises, stimulating cognitive activities, and spiritual nourishment in meaning and purpose. 

    
    

• Social participation

  • Engagement with meaningful people and activities and pursuing things that we enjoy are positively associated with our well-being.

• ​​​​​​​Accessible and person-centered community-based home care

  • Most older adults prefer to stay at home; we want to live close to the community that we are familiar with;

  • The ability to access care in the physical, emotional, psychological, and spiritual aspects is important to older adults;

  • Care needs to address the whole-person than fragmented. We need health and social care solutions that provide support as we strive to age-in-place for as long as possible.

My MSc study is complete, but learning continues. I will update you on my new study journey this fall and my potential epic career move.

What is exciting for you this summer so far?