The United States has more people approaching old age than ever before in our history.

How successfully we age in later life has a lot to do with how we take care of ourselves throughout the years. Stony Brook is taking the lead in exploring and discussing the important issues connected to aging.

President Samuel L. Stanley Jr., MD joined AARP President Jeannine English on stage following her lecture.

The University  hosted AARP President Jeannine English at the Charles B. Wang Center for a lecture to introduce some new ways of thinking about aging.

By mid-century there will be almost 100 million Americans age 65 or older, which is more than twice as many as in 2013. “Increased longevity means that you can have more opportunities in life, more experiences, so it’s a wonderful thing, It also means you need to prepare,” said English. She shared that many older people have the experience and knowledge to help out communities and our economy.

Some of the issues connected to aging such as the latest breakthroughs in healthcare, new frontiers in energy, new understandings of our environment and new technology were discussed.

Faculty, staff, students, community members and local elected officials listened as Ms. English pointed out the importance of family care giving, with 40 million Americans providing unpaid care for their loved ones.

AARP, established in 1958, concentrates on the health (security), wealth  (financial resilience) and self (personal fulfillment) of seasoned citizens.