Tennessee Voices, Episode 294: Gretchen Funk, chief program officer, FiftyForward
A concern for older Americans living in a youth-oriented culture is feeling discarded, isolated and marginalized.
The COVID-19 related shutdowns and quarantine exacerbated this disconnect from community.
Yet many older Americans, be it 50 and older or 65 and older, are living vibrant lives and have a lot to offer.
On this episode of the Tennessee Voices video podcast, I spoke with Gretchen Funk, chief program officer of FiftyForward.
We spoke about the organization’s role in the community since it was established in 1956 and its programs today.
There are opportunities for volunteering, for connecting, and for support of people who need more assistance or care.
We also talked about terminology such as why “older American” is preferred to “elderly” or “senior citizen.”
She told me society is not always looking for opinions from older adults, but they have a lot of wisdom to impart.
We also discussed the topics of independence, interdependence and dependency in aging.
Recently, Funk participated in a Nashville Public Television’s “Aging Matters” and the specific issues facing LGBTQ older adults.
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About Tennessee Voices
The Tennessee Voices videocast is a 20-minute program, which started in March 2020 and invites leaders, thinkers and innovators who have written guest columns for a USA TODAY Network Tennessee publication to share their insights and wisdom with me and our viewers.
Please email your ideas for future guests to me at dplazas@tennessean.com. Thank you for watching.
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David Plazas is the director of opinion and engagement for the USA TODAY Network Tennessee and an editorial board member of The Tennessean. Tweet to him at @davidplazas.
This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Tennessee Voices: Meeting needs of older Americans with Gretchen Funk
