Aging Well

AGING WELL

with Patricia Bailey, Caregiver Coach

Youthful Secrets

Do people ask you, “What is your secret to aging well? I get it often, but I expect it. At almost 68 years around the sun, I know a little about aging. More importantly, I have lived to learn a lot about aging well. These lessons have given me an aura, contentment, and beauty that prompts the question:

“What is your secret to aging well?

So, what is my secret? It is the same secret you hold but may not be self-actualized yet. To age well gracefully, entertain the process of re-imagination and apply the following three tips:

Renew your mind

Enlarge your heart

Activate your beliefs

My aging well journey began when my mom Mary succumbed to Alzheimer’s in 2004. For seven years, I fought to find some comfort for her against the ravages of this disease. As a result, my life transformed.

While being a caregiver, my life was overhauled and impacted in a multitude of ways. I gained over 30 pounds. I lost my executive marketing and sales position. I struggled financially to care for my mom and me. But these were offset by the ultimate reward: I found my purpose.

Who would have thought broke, overweight, and unemployed would be a formula to better aging?

It was a winning formula that began when I was 45. I began to reimagine myself. As a marketing and sales professional, I helped build brand identities for leading corporations and some of the largest Black hair care brands for men, women, and children. Following Mom’s homegoing, my marketing transitioned to solutions on caring for other caregivers. I found joy in helping families and their elderly loved ones. I reimagined an entirely new platform, ultimately becoming a caregiver coach. You can reimagine yourself too. Here are the three core tips:

Renew Your Mind: The mind has a never-ending appetite. Your mind reflects what you choose to eat of life. Let kindness be a just dessert. Be knowledgeable of your chosen field, intentional with your thoughts, and control your imaginings. Be positive and push back negative energy.

Enlarge Your Heart to Serve: Serve with gladness. Be your why. Minimize your agenda and super-size caring and loving others. Matthew 6:21, 'For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.’

Activate Your Beliefs: Trust in your purpose. Have faith in the path chosen. Be confident and unwavering. Let perseverance be your mantra, and let continuous change fuel your growth engine.

Let aging well gracefully become your mindset. Incorporating this into your spirit and your being will bring you eternal joy and happiness.

Pat Bailey’s ascension to caregiver coach, certified belief therapist, and dementia care practitioner caps a 40+-year career in beauty care. She has managed, marketed, and sold 17 different brands to major retailers. A mother of one son, and grandparent to two, she is a weekend golfer, enjoys yoga, studies biblical history, and enjoys music. Connect with her on LinkedIn at Patricia Bailey - She Ages Well.

AGING WELL with Patricia Bailey, Caregiver Coach