November expo to focus on making a successful aging transition

Preparing for the emotional, physical and lifestyle changes that the senior years bring can help ease transitions for those entering retirement as well as their loved ones.

To help the community plan for this eventuality, The Gazette will host a one-day Successful Aging Expo on Nov. 1 featuring aging and health-related seminars, workshops and an array of exhibitors from the community.

"We are looking to appeal to anyone 50-plus, or who may be actually looking for advice on how to help their parents who are 50- plus, live a better, higher quality of life, have fun and still be active," said Brad Howard, vice president of sales and marketing for The Gazette.

By 2015, 45 percent of the U.S. population will be age 50 or older. In Colorado Springs, roughly 42 percent of residents are 50- plus - a population that often experiences the transitions of aging on multiple fronts. According to AARP, half of Colorado residents age 50 and older are or have been caregivers to aging loved ones.

"We know that many of our readers are over 50 and they read The Gazette both in print and online. Just like the news we cover and the content we provide, this is a way to bring everything into one expo center so that people can come and be informed about issues that affect the community and their lives," said Howard, adding that the company organizing the expo has hosted similar Successful Aging events in Denver, San Diego and Los Angeles.

The free event will feature more than 30 speakers and more than 100 booths focusing on issues that affect the 50-plus population. Topics range from medical, including dementia and joint replacement, to practical (how to approach downsizing) to financial, including retirement and estate planning.

Seminars throughout the day include a nutrition talk and a session on maintaining youthful skin. Other topics include connecting with grandchildren through "grandparent vacations," and how to approach and navigate dating. The personal finance website MoneyRates.com ranks Colorado as the sixth best state in which to retire, in part because of the statistically impressive health and longevity of its seniors. To that end, the expo also will feature health screenings and health improvement workshops.

"We've got things that are both fun and serious," Howard said.