CLSA Book Corner: Aging in three-year increments
Laura Wershler has spent much of her life advocating for and writing about sexual and reproductive health. But when she was invited to contribute to a book anthology about women and ageism, she decided to share her experience as a participant in the Canadian Longitudinal Study on Aging.
You Look Good for Your Age, published by the University of Alberta Press in 2021, features both established and emerging writers who share their insights into aging through short stories, poetry and essays. Wershler decided to tap into her training as a journalist to write “Aging in Three-Year Increments.”
“I went to journalism school when I was 57 years old,” said Wershler, who graduated from Mount Royal University in 2011. “I really wanted to learn the foundational principles of journalism.”
Armed with a pen and notebook, Wershler documented her experience as a CLSA participant during her third visit to Calgary’s Data Collection Site in May 2019. Her goal was to share the impact the CLSA has had on her.
“The study has made me so cognizant of my own aging,” she said. “We have the opportunity – maybe even the obligation – to do simple things to maintain our health, fitness and well-being.”
For Wershler that means strength training to stay fit, hiking with friends and keeping busy with a part-time job in a women’s clothing shop. Age has little to do with a number or her appearance, she says.
“I’ve come to understand that what matters most is not how I look, but how I move, how I think, how I feel,” she writes. “Aches and pains and hearing aids aside, I'm feeling strong and wise and connected.”
Her essay also ponders how her participation in the CLSA has impacted her perceptions of the aging process and the factors that impact it.
“I know how important this longitudinal study is to finding ways to help my fellow baby boomers and the generations that follow, live both long and well,” she writes.
“Aging doesn’t have to ‘just happen’ to us,” she adds. “I want people to be more mindful of that.”
Watch Laura Wershler read an excerpt from Aging in Three-Year Increments.