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The Invisibility Cloak

Writer's picture: Patricia FaustPatricia Faust


There is a right-of-passage as we enter our older years that can be very disconcerting.  Suddenly we realize that no one is speaking to us – as older women.  Marketing of products leaves us out in the cold.  We don’t see ourselves anymore.  The prime demographic I learned, capped out at 54!  How can a large generation of women be completely lost in the market?  How do we, or can we, wrap our heads around this external mindset of our age and value?

 

Seven out of 10 (70%) of women believe they become invisible as they get older.  The frightening part of this statistic is that they feel this phenomenon begins around age 52!  This is very bad news in the age of longevity.   In contrast to men, nearly two-thirds believe that older women tend to be more invisible than men of the same age, putting this trend down to society being obsessed with youth (62%), ageist (54%), and sexist (35%)!  (gransnet.com)

 

How do we react to this?  For me, I believe these statistics validate my thoughts on the matter.  The perspective that we are indeed ‘over-the-hill’ is blasted on birthday cards, reinforced when we see the only marketing aimed at us is pharmaceutical based.    And the worse insult is marketing created by younger people who think they know what we want or feel!

 

Over the years I have been adamant that our brain doesn’t know how old we are.  Our brain ages by the lifestyle that we lead.  It can be a challenge to keep our brain functioning at a high level.  It becomes our impetus to change our brain and change our life.  So, what can we do?  First, reclaim your age!  It is not necessary to try to appear younger than you are.  I thought I understood that because I am a gerontologist.  I believed I understood that age didn’t matter as you got older.  However, what I learned was, that it does matter.  After going back to grad school in my fifties, I was primed to be an expert in aging because I was already passing those aging thresholds.  What I learned was, I needed to appear younger and think faster if I wanted anyone to pay attention to what I had to say.  I had worked hard to get a master’s in gerontology degree and hold a nursing home administrators license.  It turned out that I couldn’t even get an interview.  That left me in a quandary about what’s next! 

 

It was time to reclaim my brain!  I knew I had a good one even if it felt that no one younger could see me.  We choose our outcomes I believe.  We need to be a part of our own tribe.  These were people who understood what I was feeling and were willing to support me.  Once I felt comfortable in my own skin again, I had my confidence back!  My goodness, how could I have ever let anyone, or anything take my power away?  Then I doubled down on my wisdom and knowledge.  It was at that point I realized how common it was for women of my age to feel invisible!  It became my passion to spread the word about how powerful our brain is and to start shifting the paradigm that is invisibility in ageing to power in aging! 

 

We are not invisible – we are powerful.  Reaffirm your power everyday so that your brain is never in doubt mode but in power mode.  We have a lot to do!

 

Reference:

Gransnet. Invisibility in Later Life. Retrieved from https://www.gransnet.com/online-surveys-product-tests/feeling-invisible-survey

 

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     What's Happening?

2025 has certainly started off with a BANG!  There is significant chaos surrounding the start of now President Trump’s term in office.  He described it as ‘Shock and Awe’.  I would agree with ‘shock’, but I am not in awe of the beginning of his term.  Time will tell how this all plays out.  It does force me to get serious about my meditation practice, however.

Then most of the United States was under, first – severe weather systems and then the incineration of Southern California.  In my particular neck of the woods (Ohio/Indiana border) we had 15 inches of snow, subzero temperatures made even colder by high wind.  My gas and electric bill will be out of this world after this month.  It has been a long time since we have seen this type of weather.  In 1978, we had a blizzard where over 30 inches of snow fell, the Ohio River froze over, and I had a blizzard baby 9 months later (to the day)! Nothing like that this time though!

The natural disasters to hit the US this year have been catastrophic.  There was Hurricane Helene that devastated Florida but also caused so much flooding in the Southeast State of North Carolina that the town of Ashville was left in shambles.  This is a mountain town where you would never expect torrential flooding to occur.  The recovery has been slow, but it is ongoing. 

Los Angeles California is the home of many famous and affluent people.  The Palisades and Malibu are two cities you might have seen on TV shows or in movies.  They are on the Pacific coast and were extremely beautiful.  There is nothing left. The damage is unimaginable.  It is hard to understand how people will bounce back from this.

No matter where you live or are reading this, please keep these communities in your thoughts and prayers.  If possible, check out sources where you may make contributions to their recovery.

On a lighter note, The Kansas City Chiefs and the Philadelphia Eagles will play each other in Super Bowl 59 on February 9 in New Orleans.  These two teams played each other in the 2023 Super Bowl and The Chiefs were the winners.  Grudge match in 2025?  We will see.

Make sure you check out the activities going on at the Virtual Brain Health Center.  Krystal and LeAnne always have a month full of activities, the book club, podcasts and guests who bring their expertise to share.  It is free and is worth checking out.  www.virtualbrainhealthcenter.com

I am available to book speaking engagements for The Boomer Brain and The Inside Workings of the Aging Brain.  All Boomers are feeling brain aging losses – tip-of-the-tongue, lost word, forgetting things and the slow down of processing. Request information and open dates through patricia@myboomerbrain.com.

“Pat has written a comprehensive quide to understanding and navigating the intricacies of cognitive aging. ‘The Boomer Brain’ is a beacon of hope for those seeking to enrich their later years.” Dr. Sarah McKay (Founder of The Neuroscience Academy)

Over the past few years, I have had a friend, Carol Meyer, who has been a part of My Boomer Brain.  Carol has her own publication, InFlow that is published quarterly.  It is amazing.  InFlow Magazine - Your Digital Dose of Inspiration is just that.  She has chosen some of my blogs to publish in InFlow and I am grateful.  She wants me to extend an invitation to look at InFlow for yourself.  Here is the link and access information:

 

https://inflowmagazine.gumroad.com/l/Issue11

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THANKS for being a part of My Boomer Brain! 

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