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The Tao of Aging

A collective of fellow elders who are passionate about sharing their unique insights and perspectives on elderhood. With their participation, we hope the collective will resonate not just to the elder readers, but also to younger people, discerning how to live in a crazy world and endure.

Here, a “voice” is any honest reflection from someone actively living (or experiencing) the later seasons of life. We welcome stories, questions, doubts, and hard-earned humor. Writings are submitted by invitation, referral, or approved request. A minimum of two posts per year is required to be in the collective.

Seniors sitting in a circle outdoors holding hands and engaging in support

The Hosts

Jeff Jerebker

A blogger, author, and elder care influencer

He is a nationally recognized leader in long-term care and Founder/CEO of Piñon Management, which he led from 1979 to 2012. Under his direction, Piñon introduced Colorado’s first psycho/social model of care in 1984, preceding the national person-centered care movement by twelve years. He holds a B.S. in Accounting and an M.S. in Sociology, and has served on the Board of Directors of the Eden Alternative, as Treasurer of the Pioneer Network, and as Vice President of the Colorado Health Care Association. His many honors include the Vesta Bowden Award for outstanding service to the long-term care industry, Distinguished Pioneer in Aging from the Colorado Gerontological Society, and the Distinguished Veteran Advocate Award.

A lifelong innovator in elder care, he challenged institutional models, helped create self-directed, multidisciplinary teams, and reshaped nursing homes into transparent, resident-directed neighborhoods connected to their communities. At Piñon Management, we welcomed neighbors into the home and regularly took residents out on fully staffed trips ranging from Las Vegas excursions to cultural events like the Aspen Music Festival, as well as local community events.

Gail Meehan

Forty years of expertise in public health and gerontology

She earned a B.S. from the University of Vermont and an M.P.H. from Boston University School of Medicine. Currently, she is the Principal of AgeWise Advisors and the Founder and Chair of Senior Health Advocates Colorado. Her career includes leadership roles like Executive Director and Senior Vice President across government, hospitals, nursing homes, and organizations such as the Veterans Administration Geriatric Research, Education and Clinical Center, and Harvard Division on Aging. She completed a Geriatric Fellowship at the University of Massachusetts, studying mental health and aging, and received funding from the World Health Organization for research on elder care in Denmark and Sweden. Gail has created and managed care programs in hospitals and nursing homes and has served on the Live Oak Advisory Committee and the Colorado Strategic Action Committee on Aging.

Members of the Collective

A weathered, open hardcover book with soft cream pages, each margin filled with tiny, handwritten annotations in elegant ink, rests on a dark, matte wooden table. A porcelain teapot and a single, perfectly round stone sit nearby, suggesting quiet contemplation. Late afternoon light filters through an unseen window, casting elongated, gentle shadows and a warm, golden glow over the scene. The background fades into a soft photographic blur of shelves lined with simple, well-worn objects. Shot at eye level with a shallow depth of field, the composition is minimalist yet rich with texture, evoking a sophisticated, reflective mood in clean photographic realism.

Tracy nickelson-wootten

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A meticulously arranged still life of objects associated with elder wisdom: a pair of thin, wire-framed reading glasses folded atop a stack of linen-bound journals, a smooth inkstone with a resting calligraphy brush, and a single white chrysanthemum in a slender ceramic vase. They sit on a low, dark wood table near a large window overlooking an out-of-focus garden of deep greens and soft grays. Gentle, diffused morning light pours in, creating refined highlights along the glass frames and vase while leaving velvety shadows behind the objects. Captured at eye level with a moderate depth of field, the foreground remains crisp against a softly blurred garden. The atmosphere is contemplative and sophisticated, in high-end photographic realism, evoking the quiet luxury of accumulated thought.

Penny Whitney

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An antique wooden walking stick with a gracefully curved, hand-polished handle leans against a traditional paper screen, its grain rich with amber and chocolate tones. At its base, a small arrangement of fallen autumn leaves in muted reds, ochres, and deep browns lies on a tatami-like woven mat. Warm, sidelong evening light filters through the paper screen, casting a delicate grid of shadows across the walking stick and floor, emphasizing the textures of wood and fiber. Shot from a slightly elevated angle with the walking stick placed along a diagonal, the composition feels intimate and elegant. The mood is nostalgic yet dignified, rendered in clean photographic realism with a subtle, sophisticated color palette.

Joan T. Seivert (joni)

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David Stang

Personal Defender of the Right to Grow Old Respectfully!
1951-1964 ForeignMissionary training by teachers from all over the world.
1964-1975 Missionary in Tanzania and Kenya Emphasis on freedom and independence
1976-2002 Nursing Home Administrator emphasis on freedom and independence of the sick and old.
2005-2015 Brazilian Amazon courts defending my sister who was murdered for defending the poor to have land and preservation of the Amazonian Forest!
2015-2026 personally defending my and others right to grow old respectfully!

A meticulously arranged still life of objects associated with elder wisdom: a pair of thin, wire-framed reading glasses folded atop a stack of linen-bound journals, a smooth inkstone with a resting calligraphy brush, and a single white chrysanthemum in a slender ceramic vase. They sit on a low, dark wood table near a large window overlooking an out-of-focus garden of deep greens and soft grays. Gentle, diffused morning light pours in, creating refined highlights along the glass frames and vase while leaving velvety shadows behind the objects. Captured at eye level with a moderate depth of field, the foreground remains crisp against a softly blurred garden. The atmosphere is contemplative and sophisticated, in high-end photographic realism, evoking the quiet luxury of accumulated thought.

Beth IRTz

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Evy Cugelman, rn, BA

Educator, consultant and activist in gerontology
Evy brought extensive knowledge in the field of gerontology, person centered care,
dementia and complementary therapies to her role as Innovation Specialist with Pinon
Management & Vivage Senior Living. From 2000 – 2018 in her role Evy was an educator
and consultant. She held educator certificates for the Eden Alternative including
Eden Associate Training, Dementia Beyond Drugs and Leadership Training; The Green
House Project; Second Wind Virtual Dementia Tour; The Validation Method and
Therapeutic Touch. Past roles include Long Term Care Manager for Victorian Order of
Nurses, in Ontario, Canada which included 3 adult day programs and an Alzheimer
Respite Program. As Education Coordinator for the Simcoe County Alzheimer
Association, Evy taught all aspects of dementia and care-giving issues throughout
Canada. Evy is co-author of the Eden Alternative Empowered Teams program, a 29
module training to develop self-directed work teams and co-author of a Complementary
Therapies Curriculum for long term care. Evy along with Rose Marie Fagan convened
The Live Oak Project with a mission to Reimagine, Redesign and Transform Long Term
Supports and Services. In 2022-2025 Evy joined The Eden Alternative home office,
part time as a Community Builder. Presently Evy is writing a book on aging well,
spirituality and healing principles.