I will tell you now, that when you read this paper you will learn the secret of health for both the mind and body. The purpose of this paper is to reflect on the discussions I had with the guest seniors and speakers, and relate this experience to the material learned throughout the course. In this paper I will begin by discussing age discrimination in the workplace, then I will examine the traits and definition of successful aging, and finally I will talk about the quality of life after retirement. In life, we encounter several obstacles, how we face this adversity is up to us, thus the quality of life in our later years is ultimately in the palm of our hands. Whether we choose to live a healthy or sedentary lifestyle, it will determine the state of our mind, and therefore quality of life.

Age Discrimination in the Workplace
Unfortunately, age discrimination is a reality in today’s world. Generally, when we think of ageism, we picture older workers experiencing trouble finding a job or being treated as incompetent in the workplace (Novak & Campbell, 2010, p. 215). When I spoke to Jean, an assistant oral surgeon, she however said she did not experience any age discrimination in her workplace. In fact, she became really close friends with the surgeon. Jean felt it was time for retirement once the office replaced all their equipment with new technology, “the technology was just way too advanced, and that’s when I realized it’s probably time for me to retire at 69. Plus, I don’t want to work for too long and deprive the young from this wonderful job opportunity,” (Jewell 2011). Jean has been married for an incredible 54 years to her husband Peter, who did however encounter slight age discrimination at his workplace. Peter worked for over half a century, the majority as a manager at General Motors. “I was kind of forced into retirement, but I didn’t retire until I received that package,” Peter joked. “The company found a young college graduate to replace my position at a lower salary,” added Peter (Jewell 2011).
Peter made me realize that many older people are fired or forced to retire because they have been with a particular company for so long. In their place, younger adults are hired because they will do the same job for half the pay. Personally, I feel that this is discriminating because many older people may have to retire at a later age due to their financial situation. Forced retirement can cause a lower standard of living and contribute to poverty (Novak & Campbell, 2010, p. 216). My grandfather also experienced age discrimination at his workplace, “they called me ‘Sam the Slowpoke,’” he sighed, “those three words made my day miserable. I didn’t want to say anything to my manager because I thought everyone would hate me, so I just kept quiet,” agonized my grandfather. He worked at a window manufacturer for 38 years after he was forced to retire. Five years before he was laid off, he devised a system so workers in his department did not have to bend up and down very much throughout the day.
Through these three incredible seniors, I learned that older employees have an immense amount of knowledge and experience, which can be lost to a business or organization if they force them to retire. My father currently owns and operates a marketing business, and one day he wishes for me to take over when he retires. When I do manage my family business, I will not allow any discrimination towards older employees or force retirement onto workers. I feel that if you force someone to retire at 60 or 65, it indicates that society does not value the input of these incredible and knowledgeable people, and it creates an image of older workers as incompetent and unable to contribute to society (Novak & Campbell, 2010, p. 216).

Traits and Definition of Successful Aging
Research has proven that from about the age of 30, physical and mental abilities inevitably begin to decline. However, the good news, according to Dr. John Rowe and Dr. Robert Kahn, is that this process can be delayed. In their book “Successful Aging,” they describe how to make the best of our later years. During a pioneer research study, they developed a model of successful aging. From that study, Rowe and Kahn suggest three actions that positively influence the aging process and enhance quality of life in later years; (1) low chance of disease and disability (2) high mental and physical functioning; and (3) active engagement in social relations and productive activity (Novak & Campbell, 2010, p. 101-105). When discussing with Eunice Baldwin, formerly employed with the nursing department at a local hospital, I asked her if she engaged in any physical activities. “I love sports! My husband and I curl during the winter and play golf in the summer, at least a three to four times a week,” answered Eunice, (Baldwin 2011). During class lectures, we learned that exercises could slow the aging process, improve health, and improve physical and mental function.
According to our textbook ‘Aging and Society,’ researchers list several benefits from exercise in later life. A few of these include reduced body fat, greater strength, decreased hypertension, decreased stress, decreased heart disease and decreased osteoporosis (Hicks 2011) (Novak & Campbell, 2010, p. 101-105). I asked Eunice what her and her husband do if the weather’s bad out, “if we don’t get to curl or golf because of the weather, we have a treadmill at home and we use that. Physical activity is really important for good health and happiness,” added Eunice, (Baldwin 2011). Through this discussion with Eunice, I discovered a lot about myself. I realized that my physical activity levels are quite low, and my risk for disease and disability is much higher when I get older. Eunice talked about her children graduating and getting married, “it was one of the most happiest moments of a parent’s life. I know that all my hard work finally paid off, and have a sense of great accomplishment!” Eunice said this feeling is something “you have to experience on your own.” As soon as Eunice explained this feeling of “euphoria”, she made me realize that if I maintain this sedentary lifestyle, I will never see my children or grandchildren graduate and get married, and experience this blissful feeling, (Baldwin 2011). I want to see my children happily married and settled, and so a week after the discussion with Eunice, I purchased a gym membership, and try to go at least twice a week, she became my motivation.
Through Eunice, I learned that participating in physical activity essentially meets all three criterions of successful aging; it decreases risk of disease and disability, improves mental and physical functioning, and actively engages us in social relations (through group activity) (Novak & Campbell, 2010, p. 101-105). I learned that it is never too late to get up and get started, and the noticeable benefits from physical exercise are countless! Eunice asked me, “What stops you from going to the gym?” and I thought about it for a good two minutes. “Well, the truth is…I am just lazy. I play a lot of video games, they’re just so addicting,” I replied. She questioned me again, “What do you get out of it, do you make money, do you accomplish something?” and I had no answer. Eunice made me realize that video games are not going to help me live a successful life, sure they’re okay in moderation, but I thought to myself, “is it really worth dying early with a disease, depending on your children, and never getting to see your children get married or graduate?” Eunice made me learn that the most important characteristic of successful aging is physical activity and its effects (Baldwin 2011).