On Wednesday, June 16th, 2010, the Chicago Bridge hosted its first Older Adult Panel Discussion. The discussion surrounded the theme, “Empowered Aging, Stories of Strength”. This June event was held at Little Brother’s Friends of the Elderly (LBFE), and the panelists were all clients of LBFE. LBFE is a non-profit, volunteer-based organization dedicated to relieving isolation and loneliness among older adults. Their motto is “flowers before bread”, and as one of the panelists explained, this means that a person’s soul must be addressed along with the basic necessities in life. All of the panelists agreed that they did not know what to expect from this event, but they trusted LBFE would show them a good time.

The evening started off with LBFE serving a home-made meal of Caesar salad, and an opportunity for Chicago Bridge members to network. The event drew 26 Bridge members, many representing LBFE. After the group sat down to enjoy their food, we began with the typical Bridge introductions. Susan Jones, the fabulous coordinator of the event at LBFE, then told the group about LBFE and the services offered.

The panelists, 6 in total, introduced themselves and shared their age and how long they had been involved with LBFE. There were two men and four women on the panel, their ages ranging from late 60’s to mid-80’s. Most of the panelists had a 2-5 year history with LBFE. Susan Jones and I served as moderators, asking questions of the panelists to make sure the conversation kept moving. Several Bridge members had questions of their own that they asked the panelists as well.

The panelists really showed the group what aging gracefully means, and were true to the theme of the evening, “Empowered Aging, Stories of Strength”. Each panelist acknowledged that they are accepting of aging and that they have learned to go with the flow of life, not to fight it. There was laughter and jokes told, and tears over loved ones lost. We talked about how we all need someone to talk to, or walk with, in life; that it is so important not to isolate and be alone as one ages. The panelists shared that age does not matter, it is the person that matters, and that they welcome a younger cohort of professionals to help them age gracefully. The panelists all maintain that they’ve kept their personalities throughout life, and the biggest life changes have been around their health.

As our panel discussion came to an end, it was clear that everyone had enjoyed their time together. There were a lot of smiles and a round of applause. Several panelists stayed behind for a while to talk with Chicago Bridge members. One Chicago Bridge member, Caren Jeskey, summarizes the June event nicely, “The Older Adult Panel Discussion was a touching and motivational experience. The elders shared their wisdom with us, and helped us see what aging gracefully is all about. Rather that being a lecture about how to be a better social worker, it was an exercise in humanity that brought us all closer together and closer to goodness. I left there feeling inspired and full of hope. Thank you panelists!”

The Chicago Bridge looks forward to hosting more Older Adult Panel Discussions in the future, a welcome addition to our normal educational monthly meetings.

Check out some great photos from the event.