A Glimpse of Life at 67: The Modified Future-Self Worksheet

ABSTRACT

Imagining what one will be like as an older adult can be a difficult task at mid life, let alone during young adulthood. Yet, pondering senescence has positive benefits for young adults with respect to their future physical, financial and social well being. This article describes an exercise used with more than 300 introductory-level gerontology students to encourage them to visualize what life will be like at 67. Student and instructor evaluations support the usefulness of this exercise in going beyond the textbook in discussing the challenges and benefits of aging.

The authors would like to thank the undergraduate gerontology students on the Omaha and Lincoln Campuses of the University of Nebraska for their participation in this study.