KINGSTON, R.I.- March 26, 2018- The 2018 Malford Thewlis Lecture on Gerontology and Geriatrics at the University of Rhode Island will explore the importance of older adults engaging in meaningful activities that make a difference in the lives of others.
Marc Freedman, chief executive officer and president of encore.org and leading expert on the nation’s longevity revolution, will speak Wednesday, April 4, on “The Encore Opportunity: Making the Most of the Longevity Revolution.” Freedman will speak at 7 p.m. in Edwards Hall, Kingston Campus, with a reception beginning at 6 p.m. The event will be live streamed.
“Freedman’s lecture is really a rallying cry for older adults to engage in transformational activities that both enrich their lives and the lives of others,” explained Christine Ferrone, program manager of the Rhode Island Geriatric Education Center, which is based at the University of Rhode Island. “These activities are an investment in leaving a social legacy of improving the community through meaningful efforts in the service of others.”
Freeman’s talk will cover how engaging in activities after retirement from an initial career can provide an “encore” career that gives new meaning and direction to people’s lives as they get older.
Freedman’s company, Encore, finds that many retirees are not just focusing on their finances but also how they find their passion. Encore distributes awards to those whose second acts show promise or innovation.
Freedman is a member of The Wall Street Journal’s “Experts” panel, a frequent commentator in the media and the author of four books. The New York Times described his most recent book, “The Big Shift: Navigating the New Stage Beyond Midlife,” “an imaginative work with the potential to affect our individual lives and our collective future.” His new book, How to Live Forever, will be published by Hachette Book Group in Fall 2018.
“While how life can be meaningful for older adults is a popular topic among past lecturers, Freedman’s talk will be a challenge for us to rethink how we frame the later years to see them more as an important opportunity for older adults as they simultaneously give back to the community and pay it forward in service to others,” explained Ferrone.
The URI gerontology program, part of the College of Health Sciences/Academic Health Collaborative, launched the Thewlis lecture 12 years ago to recognize the contributions of Dr. Malford W. Thewlis, a former resident of Wakefield, pioneer in the field of geriatric medicine and a founder of the American Geriatrics Society in 1942. He wrote the landmark book “The Care of the Aged: Geriatrics” in 1919. Each year the lecture highlights an important element of aging.
Olivia Ross, an intern in the Marketing and Communications Department at URI and public relations major, wrote this press release.