Aging With Care – Finding Meaning and Purpose Later in Life

Kevin Y. Kawamoto
Special to The Hawai‘i Herald

There was a time when the study of human aging tended to focus on “sick care” and aging-related diseases. The years after a person retired were thought to be a gradual disengagement from the community as older people quietly lived out their limited twilight years and experienced physical and mental decline.

Today, thanks to a variety of factors, people are living many years beyond retirement — a phenomenon known as “longevity.” In Hawai‘i, longevity is especially strong, with average life expectancy estimated to be around 82 years, several years higher than the national average.