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The Invisibility Cloak

  • Writer: Patricia Faust
    Patricia Faust
  • Jan 30
  • 3 min read


There is a right-of-passage as we enter our older years that can be very disconcerting.  Suddenly we realize that no one is speaking to us – as older women.  Marketing of products leaves us out in the cold.  We don’t see ourselves anymore.  The prime demographic I learned, capped out at 54!  How can a large generation of women be completely lost in the market?  How do we, or can we, wrap our heads around this external mindset of our age and value?

 

Seven out of 10 (70%) of women believe they become invisible as they get older.  The frightening part of this statistic is that they feel this phenomenon begins around age 52!  This is very bad news in the age of longevity.   In contrast to men, nearly two-thirds believe that older women tend to be more invisible than men of the same age, putting this trend down to society being obsessed with youth (62%), ageist (54%), and sexist (35%)!  (gransnet.com)

 

How do we react to this?  For me, I believe these statistics validate my thoughts on the matter.  The perspective that we are indeed ‘over-the-hill’ is blasted on birthday cards, reinforced when we see the only marketing aimed at us is pharmaceutical based.    And the worse insult is marketing created by younger people who think they know what we want or feel!

 

Over the years I have been adamant that our brain doesn’t know how old we are.  Our brain ages by the lifestyle that we lead.  It can be a challenge to keep our brain functioning at a high level.  It becomes our impetus to change our brain and change our life.  So, what can we do?  First, reclaim your age!  It is not necessary to try to appear younger than you are.  I thought I understood that because I am a gerontologist.  I believed I understood that age didn’t matter as you got older.  However, what I learned was, that it does matter.  After going back to grad school in my fifties, I was primed to be an expert in aging because I was already passing those aging thresholds.  What I learned was, I needed to appear younger and think faster if I wanted anyone to pay attention to what I had to say.  I had worked hard to get a master’s in gerontology degree and hold a nursing home administrators license.  It turned out that I couldn’t even get an interview.  That left me in a quandary about what’s next! 

 

It was time to reclaim my brain!  I knew I had a good one even if it felt that no one younger could see me.  We choose our outcomes I believe.  We need to be a part of our own tribe.  These were people who understood what I was feeling and were willing to support me.  Once I felt comfortable in my own skin again, I had my confidence back!  My goodness, how could I have ever let anyone, or anything take my power away?  Then I doubled down on my wisdom and knowledge.  It was at that point I realized how common it was for women of my age to feel invisible!  It became my passion to spread the word about how powerful our brain is and to start shifting the paradigm that is invisibility in ageing to power in aging! 

 

We are not invisible – we are powerful.  Reaffirm your power everyday so that your brain is never in doubt mode but in power mode.  We have a lot to do!

 

Reference:

Gransnet. Invisibility in Later Life. Retrieved from https://www.gransnet.com/online-surveys-product-tests/feeling-invisible-survey

 

 
 
 

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March was an unusual month for me.  Normally I work on articles, give presentations and generally just stay tuned to what is going on in the field of aging.  This month I “learned” a lot.  Last year I learned how to write a book.  At the time I took the course I thought it would just be a natural extension of all the writing I had done over the years.  WRONG!!  The actual writing of the book was the easy part.  Putting it together into a book was difficult for me.  The course gave me step by step lessons on constructing a book.  Then editing and formatting were just as challenging.  On June 7 last year the book was published!  It was one of the most satisfying days of my writing career. 

Naturally, when you self-publish, you do not have a publisher promoting the book and getting it in the right categories for best sales on Amazon.  That was crushing because I really didn’t know to appropriately market it.  I am a brain health person!  In December of last year, I purchased a marketing program that is based on statistics.  I am technical minded and so this approach made sense to me.  The course is almost completed.  Can’t wait to see if it improves sales!

The next step I am looking at is recording an audiobook.  This is another venture I knew nothing about.  But I am already tagged on Facebook for marketing of audio book programs.  Facebook picks up everything.  Now my husband was creative director for an advertising agency and when I told him I purchased another class – he couldn’t believe it.  “This was my business.  I know how to do recordings, why didn’t you ask me?” Well, I knew he was an expert in that business, but this audiobook needs to meet all the criteria that Amazon requires for publication.  So, he can take care of the recording part of this audiobook, and I will navigate the process of meeting Amazon’s requirements.  We worked on the book together like this. 

Then I talked with some coaching experts on the viability of starting group teaching programs.  Reading The Boomer Brain book and implementing the Brain Healthy Lifestyle have two entirely different outcomes.  This lifestyle is important to maintaining high cognitive function throughout the later years of our lives.  Look for updates as to when I will roll this program out.

My last learning endeavor was attending a two-day bootcamp for Speakers.  I am really excited about what I learned there.  That is a late this year or next year project, but it is one I am really looking forward to.

 

What Is Happening in April?

The American Society on Aging is having their annual conference in Orlando Florida April 21-24.  This is the largest multidisciplinary conference on aging and the annual conference for Members of ASA.  I have attended a number of these conferences throughout the years, and it is consequential.  Keynote speakers and special events are focused on combating ageism in our society.  Although this is a professional meeting, the attendees come from all aspects of aging services.  They have their work cut out for them this year!

April is Stress Awareness Month.  We should be aware of stress every month and understand how we can break the stress cycle.  These are stressful times, and we need to protect ourselves

Here is a positive one “April is National Volunteer Month”.  When I am working with new retirees who don’t know what to do, I talk to them about volunteering. It is important to have a purpose after you leave the workforce.  There are so many nonprofits who need help in all aspects of their organizations.  It is a perfect way to give back.

Finally – It was Opening Day for the Cincinnati Reds – the oldest major league team in the nation.  Cincinnati takes that responsibility seriously.  There is always an Opening Day Parade through downtown to the Ball Park.  Huge crowds line the streets and every year there is talk of making it an official holiday.  Schools and employers look the other way when there is an empty desk.  No matter what the outcome of the game is, there is so much joy, and you can feel that energy.  I am fortunate that I get to experience that.  We all need some joy right now. 

Enjoy your April.

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