If you look at my profile on any of my social media, you’ll see that it says that I help silver people of all genders age with vigour and dignity. Not surprisingly, I’ve been challenged to explain what that means – those are nice words, but how do they help real people improve their lives?

Speaking for myself only, I feel that the words vigour and dignity are the distillation of how I want to live in the last third or so of my life. I’d love to know what you think about this.

• Without being ableist and devaluing the lives of the chronically ill and disabled, for myself, I wish to be able-bodied and healthy for as long as possible. That’s the vigour side of things – eating well, sleeping well, moving my body, using appropriate supplements, keeping myself and others safe from COVID-19 and other infections as much as possible. That has especially been brought home to me in the last couple of weeks. I’m still recovering from COVID-19, and while I’m grateful not to have had too bad a case, if it is up to me, I’ll never catch it again. If that means masking in indoor crowded places and choosing my activities with care, so be it. It also means advocating for public health mitigation measures so the vulnerable do not have to choose between losing access to public life and risking the loss of their actual life. I will be getting every booster that is offered to me, and also advocating for equitable sharing of vaccines with the world. We have enough that we can do both, if only we decide it’s important.

• It is also important to me, without looking down on those who struggle financially, that I be able to do the things that I want to do, travel and have fun and help my kids, as well as supporting charities in a meaningful way. Not to mention, as we age, being able to afford the care my husband and I will likely need. That’s where the dignity part comes in – aging safely and with dignity can be expensive. I wish it weren’t so, but there it is, especially now that so many conservative governments are trying to privatise health care and make long term care facilities even more of a nightmare than they already were before the pandemic. Having a side gig that brings in a little extra money can really make a difference.

So this is what I mean by vigour and dignity – supporting our health for as long as possible, and also making some extra money, to enjoy that time and also to allay anxiety about the future.

I think both aspects are important, and it is my aim to support anyone who would like my help with either or both of them. I’d love to know what’s important to you, and what you are doing about it!