Coming Soon: Next Avenue's Advocates for Aging

Change is good and we're excited about a change in the way we honor and recognize individuals who continue to break new ground on the challenges and opportunities facing people over 50.

Formerly known as Influencers in Aging, Advocates for Aging emphasizes the forward-thinking work of these individuals in areas such as caregiving, employment, public policy, perceptions of aging, longevity and health. These are Advocates who are striving to make life better for all older adults, to empower them and to celebrate the perspectives they bring to life. 

This year, for the first time, Next Avenue partnered with the American Society on Aging (ASA) to select the Advocates for Aging. We are excited to have the opportunity to help recognize the 70th anniversary of the American Society on Aging in this way.

Our team of Next Avenue editors will have the privilege of speaking with this esteemed group of thought leaders, creators and activists in the next few weeks.

On Tuesday, Mar. 12, come back to Next Avenue to read more about them!

Founder of GeriatRx, DeLon Canterbury is a North Carolina-based board certified geriatric pharmacist who founded his consulting company in order to help provide support to caregivers and older adults when it comes to creating the best pharmaceutical care plan.

Rosanne Corcoran spent 12 years caring for her mother, who was suffering from dementia; in a true sandwich generation role, she was also raising her own teenagers. Rosanne learned firsthand the joys and challenges of caregiving and launched a monthly podcast to help others facing the same struggles called Daughterhood the Podcast.

We've all seen them – the "over the hill" kinds of birthday cards that denigrate and mock aging. Jan Golden decided to do something about that and created a line of greeting cards and gifts celebrating aging. Her company, Age-Friendly Vibes, has become a true passion project.

Journalist, speaker and bestselling author Carl Honoré has tackled topics like slowing down the speed of daily living and most recently, aging, with "Bolder: Making the Most of Our Longer Lives." His work has been recognized worldwide (including this TedTalk on why we should embrace aging as an adventure) and of "Bolder," The Daily Mail called it "a joyously life-enhancing book (that) shatters the myths about ageing."

The American environmentalist and author is founder of Third Act, which encourages people over 60 to speak up and take action in service to the climate and justice. He also helped found 350.org, "working to end the age of fossil fuels and build a world of community-centered renewable energy for all."

Generation is "a global nonprofit network that supports people to achieve economic mobility and a better life." Founder and CEO Mona Mourshed is a proven leader in the education and workforce space and has authored education reports, including Education to Employment: Getting Europe's Youth Into Work, and Education to Employment: Designing a System That Works.

Appointed to the Federal Council on Aging by President Jimmy Carter in 1978 (for the first of three appointments, the last by President Barack Obama), Fernando Torres-Gil has had a long career in academia and public policy. He is currently a Professor of Social Welfare and Public Policy at UCLA, an adjunct professor of gerontology at USC and director of the UCLA Center for Policy Research on Aging. He's the author of six books and more than 100 publications.

Judy Woodruff may have stepped aside from the anchor chair at PBS NewsHour, but she's done so to take to the road and travel across the United States over the next two years for a reporting project, America at a Crossroads, where she will examine America's political divisions.

Julie Pfitzinger is the managing editor for Next Avenue and senior editor for lifestyle coverage. Her journalism career has included feature writing for the Star-Tribune, as well as several local parenting and lifestyle publications, all in the Twin Cities area. Julie also served as managing editor for nine local community lifestyle magazines. She joined Next Avenue in October 2017. Reach her by email at [email protected]. Read More