Paul Irving has no intention of ever retiring. As chairman of the Milken Institute’s Center for the Future of Aging, he is a leading campaigner in what has become known as the purposeful aging movement. A lawyer and former president of the Santa Monica-based Institute, Paul is an advocate for the elderly population, whom he sees as a talented and “dramatically underutilized” resource for society. Author of The Upside of Aging: How Long Life Is Changing the World of Health, Work, Innovation, Policy and Purpose, he says longevity is creating an entirely new definition of what it is like to be old. From going back to school in your sixties to romances springing up late in life, Paul views aging with relish and optimism.
In this in-depth interview, he explains why he considers aging, along with climate change, to be the “great challenge of the 21st century”. He also discusses the Institute’s upcoming global conference, ‘Building Meaningful Lives,’ taking place in Los Angeles from April 30-May 3, 2017.
Listen to the podcast here
Imagine a future where we grow old but do not succumb to the diseases that typically define the aging process. Dr. Nathaniel “Ned” David, a molecular and cell biologist, wants to create a world where it does not hurt to grow old. The founder of multiple biotech companies, Ned is the President of UNITY, a San Francisco-based biotechnology company which aims to develop drugs that prevent, halt, or reverse age-related diseases. Named one of the Top 100 innovators in the world under 35, by the MIT Technology Review, Ned combines personal experience with a passion for changing the definition of old age. In this in-depth interview, he discusses his goal of producing a drug to target senescent cells that are linked to some of the diseases of old age. Ned also talks about his personal quest to avoid age-related cognitive decline and to overcome a debilitating condition, degenerative disc disease, which means he is no longer able to run.
I spoke to Ned David at TEDMED 2016 in California.
Listen to the episode here.
California is alright but when the dream job came knocking, EA's Peter Moore did not hesitate to book a one-way flight back to Merseyside. We had a great conversation on BBC Radio 5 Live's Up All Night, with Rhod Sharp.
“My dad first took me to Anfield in 1959, walking hand in hand with him at four years of age, and loved the sensory overload that was Anfield in those days, the cop, a stadium that was primarily standing. I’ve made my living out of football for a great portion of my career and I’m about to go back and do that again and I literally can not wait."
Peter is saying farewell to an extraordinary career in video games to go back to his roots. I wish him the best of luck!
When Matthew Hoffman decided to interview elderly people, to hone his skills as a TV host, he stumbled across a unique community project. Matthew, a writer and actor, is the founder of Tuesdays with Matthew, an acting class and video series for senior citizens in Los Angeles. The program, at an adult day care center, takes iconic scenes from famous movies and reenacts them with senior citizens in the lead roles. At a time when many elderly people say they enjoy good health, but often feel socially isolated and lonely, the class is a fun and novel way to inject new purpose into their lives. It may just help them to live longer. some remarkable, age-defying, seniors.
Dr. Caroline Cicero teaches social policy and aging at the University of Southern California, Davis School of Gerontology. She focusses on the intersection of aging, urban planning and the delivery of services to make local communities better places to grow old. For this episode of LLAMA, Dr. Cicero reviews Tuesdays with Matthew. She explains why it could promote longevity by focussing on aspects of life such as socialization, participation and inclusion.
LLAMA host Peter Bowes spoke to Dr Cicero in Los Angeles and visited Tuesdays with Matthew to meet some inspiring and purposeful seniors.
Listen to the episode here
Ben Hwang - biologist developing biosensors for real-time health and fitness monitoring. Ben Hwang is the chairman and CEO of Profusa, a San Francisco-based biotechnology company, that is developing micro sensors to monitor body chemistry. A former management consultant, Ben earned his MA and PhD in biology from the Johns Hopkins University. He has worked in a variety of biotech roles and is dedicated to developing technology that promotes good health and longevity.
Profusa (@profusaInc) is on a mission is to make the inner workings of our bodies more accessible. The goal, using micro sensors, is to gather information about internal biochemical changes, in real time. The 3 to 5 mm long sensors are designed to be compatible with the body’s tissues for long-term monitoring. They collect data, transmitted to external devices, providing a stream of information for long-term health and wellness.
I spoke to Ben Hwang at TEDMED in California. Listen via the LLAMA podcast website
