Enlightened Aging: Building Resilience for a Long, Active Life

A leading expert in the science of healthy aging, Dr. Eric B. Larson offers practical advice for growing old with resilience and foresight. More than just canned advice, Enlightened Aging proposes a path to resilience―one that’s proven to help many stave off disability until very old age. The steps on this path include pro-activity, acceptance, and building and maintaining good physical, mental, and social health

Using inspiring stories from Dr. Larson’s experiences with study participants, patients, friends, and relatives, Enlightened Aging will help readers determine what their paths can look like given their own experiences and circumstances. It informs readers of the scientific evidence behind new perspectives on aging. It inspires readers with stories of people who are approaching aging with enlightened attitudes. It offers advice and resources for readers to build their own reserves for old age. It recommends ways for readers to work with their doctors to stay as healthy as possible for their age. And it offers ideas for building better communities for our aging population. While especially relevant to the baby boom generation, this work is really for people of all ages looking for encouragement and wise counsel in order to live a long, active life.

Eric B. Larson, MD, MPH, is a leading expert in the science of healthy aging. Since 1986, he has led a large, longitudinal research program focused on delaying and preventing Alzheimer’s disease, other forms of dementia, and declines in memory and thinking. Called the Adult Changes in Thought (ACT) study, this program is the world’s longest-running study of its kind and includes one of the largest research populations age 85 and older. ACT is a collaboration of Group Health (a Seattle-based health system) Kaiser Permanente, the University of Washington (UW), and the National Institute on Aging. Dr. Larson is also executive director of Kaiser Permanente Washington Health Research Institute (formerly Group Health Research Institute), a public-interest research center. In addition, he is a clinical professor of medicine at the UW School of Medicine and of health services at the UW School of Public Health. He also maintains an internal-medicine practice, providing primary care to his patients since 1975. Before joining Group Health in 2002, Dr. Larson served as medical director for the UW Medical Center and associate dean for clinical affairs at its medical school from 1989 to 2002. He is a member and past president of the Society of General Internal Medicine; member and former chair of the Board of Regents of the American College of Physicians; a master of the American College of Physicians; and an elected member of the National Academy of Medicine (formerly called the Institute of Medicine) of the National Academy of Sciences. Dr. Larson has published hundreds of research papers in peer-review medical journals―including the Journal of the American Medical Association, the New England Journal of Medicine, and Annals of Internal Medicine.

Joan DeClaire is a journalist specializing in health, psychology, and family relationships. She is co-author of three books: Raising an Emotionally Intelligent Child: The Heart of Parenting (1998); The Relationship Cure: A 5-Step Guide to Strengthening Your Marriage, Family, and Friendships (2002); Ten Lessons to Transform Your Marriage: America’s Love Lab Experts Share Their Strategies for Strengthening Your Relationship (2007). DeClaire’s work has appeared in many consumer magazines, including Readers Digest, People, Parents,Ladies’ Home Journal, and Redbook. She currently works as director of communications at Kaiser Permanente Washington Health Research Institute, where she edits the Healthy Findings blog, and manages media relations, social media, scientific editing, and web content development.