The art of ageing wisely
- This is not a novel
- Is there a fear of old age?
- Planning for the future then
- Isn't there a certain reluctance to approach it and talk openly about it?
María Jesús González-Espejo, from León, is one of the 14.5 million Spanish people known as ‘Baby Boomers’, i.e. those born between 1945 and 1964, when the birth rate soared after the end of the wars and their corresponding uncertainties that ravaged the planet during the first half of the 20th century.
In addition to being a lawyer, professor, entrepreneur and artist, she is a recognised expert in the field of intelligent ageing, known internationally as ‘Smart ageing’. As a result of this part of her work, within a variegated mosaic of activities, González-Espejo has founded Matura, Club for a Better Longevity.
With this experience she has now published ‘The Art of Ageing Wisely’ (Ed.Matura, 460 pages). With her characteristic rigour, she compiles an exhaustive catalogue of steps and decisions to be taken so that those who reach the final third of their lives can do so in the best possible conditions.
‘Did you know that scientists estimate the age at which we begin to age at thirty,’ she tells me as she discusses the details of the book.
This is not a novel
Of course not, the novel is set by one's own life. This is a manual for making the best decisions and enjoying a fuller future. I do this by means of the method I have christened ‘Just In Time’, which is, after all, the tool with which you will be able to make better decisions.
Is there a fear of old age?
The aim is to convey a positive idea of old age, without euphemisms, calling things by their proper name. To this end, I have grouped the fundamental aspects of living and enjoying this period of life into nine pillars: health and well-being, leisure and sociability, home, finances, insurance, legal aspects, technology and care for our elders.
Planning for the future then
In an environment as changeable as the one we live in, I would be foolhardy to think that I am going to help you plan for your future. The future today is unpredictable. However, I do believe that the book will help readers to imagine what they want it to be like and thus to cope better with it.
Isn't there a certain reluctance to approach it and talk openly about it?
I think there are two ways of approaching your old age: consciously or unconsciously. That is, procrastinate, continue to be afraid of the words old age, death, illness, continue to play ostrich by burying your head in the sand, or advance in your personal development, mature, understand that without death there is no life, that this is the destiny of all of us, whether we like it or not. And if you want to, then embrace the ‘Smart Ageing’ movement, joining the community of people who have consciously decided to grow old together... more wisely.
The book deals with virtually all aspects, management and decisions that a person has to make in the last years of life, a period which, in view of the sharp increase in longevity, may extend over several decades. It also includes a catalogue of fourteen fundamental decisions for living this stage more peacefully: from making preventive powers of attorney and making one's last wishes clear, to putting in place the necessary means to avoid feeling unwanted loneliness, planning finances, choosing the best time to retire and taking care of one's health with a preventive approach.
María Jesús González-Espejo is very satisfied with the launch of MaturaClub.com and Maturalmente.com, tools that make it easier to apply her methodology and to which almost a thousand baby boomers have already signed up, all of them willing to make their upcoming retirement a real party.
