The Human Experience of Aging: Health, Identity, Relationships, and Care Across a Lifetime is an inviting, practical course for anyone who wants to understand what aging really is—and how to navigate it with more clarity, confidence, and compassion. We’re living longer than ever before, and that changes everything: how we plan our lives, how families support one another, how workplaces think about retirement, and how communities can help people stay healthy and connected. In this course, we’ll explore aging as something that unfolds across a lifetime—not just something that “starts” in later years—looking at both what happens inside our bodies and brains and what’s shaped by relationships, culture, and the world around us.
No background in medicine, social work, psychology, or any related field is required to join. This course is designed for curious learners of all ages and walks of life, and it’s built to be engaging: short lectures paired with real-world case examples, guided self-reflection, and lively discussion. Along the way, we’ll debunk common myths about aging, learn what “healthy aging” means beyond simply avoiding disease, and better understand how lifestyle, social connection, and environment can support well-being over time.
Just as importantly, the course looks at the human side of growing older: changing identity and purpose, resilience through life transitions, and the emotional realities of later-life relationships. We’ll examine how aging reshapes marriage, family roles, and intergenerational ties—including the joys and pressures that can come with caregiving. The course also introduces different care models (from family support to community and formal systems), and invites thoughtful discussion of dignity, autonomy, and ethical questions that often arise in later life.
By the end, you’ll have a clearer understanding of how aging works, why experiences differ so much from person to person, and what individuals and societies can do to make later life healthier, more supported, and more meaningful—for ourselves and the people we care about.
Learning Objectives
By the end of this course, learners will be able to:
- Understand how aging works—from changes in the body and brain to shifts in identity, relationships, and purpose.
- Explain how life experiences, social structure, and culture shape how people age.
- Recognize common physical and mental health challenges in later life and what supports healthy aging.
- Compare different approaches to elder care, including family care, community support, and formal care systems.
- Think more clearly and compassionately about aging—both their own and that of others.
Course Outline
1. Sunday, May 24 from 9 a.m. – 12 p.m.
Introduction: Evolution of Aging
- Defining age and aging.
- Aging as a global phenomenon.
- Common myths and misconceptions about growing older.
- The new paradigm of aging.
2. Sunday, May 24 from 2 – 5 p.m.
Productive Aging: A Life Course Perspective
- How early-life experiences shape health and well-being in later life.
- Aging as a lifelong process influenced by social, economic, and cultural factors.
- Work, retirement, and economics of aging.
- How inequality accumulates across the life course.
3. Sunday, May 31 from 9 a.m. – 12 p.m.
Healthy Aging: Bio-Markers and Self-Perceived Well-being
- How biological aging affects the body and brain across adulthood.
- What “healthy aging” means beyond the absence of disease.
- Lifestyle, social, and environmental factors that promote health across later life.
- Practical strategies individuals and communities use to support healthy aging.
4. Sunday, May 31 from 2 – 5 p.m.
Mental Health: Psycho-Social-Spiritual Framework
- How psychological, social, and spiritual factors shape aging experiences.
- Meaning, purpose, identity, and resilience in later life.
- How mental health, cognition, and emotional well-being change over time.
- Diverse ways older adults cope with loss, change, and life transitions.
5. Saturday, June 13 from 9 a.m. – 12 p.m.
Marriage and Family
- How aging affects marriage, partnerships, and intimate relationships.
- The emotional complexity of relationships in aging families.
- Changing family roles, including grandparenting and intergenerational ties.
- How families adapt to caregiving, health changes, and later-life transitions.
6. Saturday, June 13 from 2 – 5 p.m.
Care and Caregiving
- Comparing family caregiving, community-based care, and institutional care models.
- The emotional, physical, and economic challenges of caregiving.
- Ethical issues related to autonomy, dignity, and end-of-life care.
- Elder abuse.
7. Sunday, June 14 from 9 a.m. – 12 p.m.
Age-Friendly Society and Intergenerational Solidarity
- The importance of social connections for healthy aging.
- Risks of loneliness and social isolation in later life.
- Community-based approaches that foster inclusion and engagement.
- Policies for an age-friendly society.