Older Better Wiser

Welcome to the joys and rewards of

LIFE REVIEW

CREATIVE AGING

Contact information:

Sue Salko - Sue.Salko@yahoo.com
Ronald Gross - GrossAssoc@aol.com

Our mission is to enrich all of our lives as older adults by finding new sources of joy, meaning, and fellowship.

We achieve this by enabling people to share their stories (through guided Life Review),
and by involving them in other empowering activities that foster lifelong learning, growth, and service.

We offer inspiring keynote presentations, productive hands-on workshops, mind-expanding seminars,
and personalized consultations.

We would be delighted to discuss how we might work together to meet your needs.

"Sue Salko and Ron Gross are gurus extraordinaire of creative aging."
Deb Peterson, About.com

Sue and Ron are members of the University Seminar on Innovation in Education at Columbia University (www.columbiaseminar.org).

Sue is a licensed social worker who has served as a senior advocate for NYS Senator Kemp Hannon, and regularly presents
programs for organizations such as the National Council of Jewish Women.

Ron has published 20 books including THE NEW OLD (Doubleday), which was hailed by leaders of the movement including
the National Council on the Aging, and Maggie Kuhn, founder of the Gray Panthers. He was honored earlier this year for Lifetime Achievement in fostering Lifelong Learning, at the annual meeting of the International Society for Self-Directed Learning (www.socratesway.com).

Together, Sue and Ron report each year on the annual convention of the American Society on Aging in Chicago, DC, or
San Diego. Links to their other regular writings about Creative Aging appear at the bottom of this page.

Sue and Ron currently offer free LIFE REVIEW/CREATIVE AGING opportunities
to hundreds of seniors on Long Island (NY)
under a grant from the Greentree Fund which was recently extended by the Fund
for an unprecedented second year (2013-14).

This program has been acclaimed
by the North Hempstead Town Supervisor, Jon Kaiman, as:

"critically important to seniors as it gives them the ability to connect with their peers

and help the generation behind them embrace life as they age."

For dates and locations, please write to sue.salko@yahoo.com.

Reprinted from THE GREAT NECK RECORD

Hundreds of seniors are sharing the stories of their lives in ten free workshops throughout the Town of North Hempstead.

The highly participatory workshops are conducted by Sue Salko and Ron Gross, authors and activists in the field, who are seniors themselves, and members of Columbia University’s Seminar On Innovation in Education.

“In these workshops,” says Salko, “participants are sharing some of their most significant life experiences, choices, and lessons they’ve learned. Gross adds: “Attendees are jump-starting their personal memoirs. It’s an adventure in self-discovery – and a treasured gift for family and friends.”

The program is sponsored throughout the Town of North Hempstead by the Great Neck Senior Center under a grant from the Manhasset Community Fund’s Greentree Foundation Good Neighbor Fund.

Ann Tarcher, Director of the Center, says: “We are privileged to take the lead in offering this extraordinary program at 10 locations throughout the Town of North Hempstead. We have demonstrated at the Center that seniors benefit enormously from this kind of creativity and fellowship – and have unique life experiences and wisdom to share with the community.”

The duo of Salko and Gross are familiar to Nassau County audiences. Salko regularly presents programs for the Senior Center, the National Council of Jewish Women, and other organizations, and has been a senior advocate for State Senator Kemp Hannon. Gross has conducted the monthly Socrates Salon at the Great Neck Library for twenty years, and is the author of The New Old and 20 other books. Together, they have written influential articles on Creative Aging for ABOUT.com, the web portal owned by The New York Times.

Life Review has proven successful in enhancing the lives of older adults, as researched over 35 years by gerontologist Prof. James Birren of the University of California. His pioneering work is currently championed by the reknowned Birren Institute for Autobiographical Studies (www.guidedautobiography.com), which provides acclaimed training in the technique.

The Program in Nassau County has also been inspired, according to Salko and Gross, by the invitation by columnist David Brooks of The New York Times, for seniors to glean and share the lessons of their lives, as well as by Prof. Karl Pillemer of Cornell University who has published 30 Lessons for Living: Tried and True Advice from the Wisest Americans, and by the StoryCorps project in New York City.

Further Information about Sue Salko and Ronald Gross

SUE SALKO: www.suesalko.com • RON GROSS: www.socratesway.com