Century Lives: The Century Club
Global advances in human life expectancy are one of the great achievements of the 20th century. But in the 21st century, lifespans in the US have stalled as our peer nations continue to add healthy years to their lives. A major part of our challenge is that many older Americans spend their years in social isolation: disconnected from others and lacking purpose. In the U.S., this issue remains largely ignored by policymakers and the public at large.
But other countries have faced the same challenges head-on: as societal problems requiring societal solutions. These nations, the Century Club, are blazing a new path toward longer life that mirrors the healthiest societies on Earth. In Century Lives: The Century Club, Ken crisscrosses the globe to see how other countries tackle loneliness in older age. Join us as we explore the idea of retirement as a career in Japan, the lifelong learning cities of South Korea, the benefits of volunteerism to volunteers in Italy. These governments have established opportunities for social connection that have been adopted as social norms by the general public. This season holds lessons for all of us back home in the U.S., so we can make the second halves of our lives as engaged, productive, and purposeful as the first.
Episodes
Episode 1: The Fountain of Youth
In the first episode of Century Lives: The Century Club, “The Fountain of Youth,” Ken searches for centenarians in Italy, drags his Gen Z son to Florida’s Fountain of Youth tourist attraction, and learns an interesting truth from the chronicler of the world’s Blue Zones.
Episode 2: The Unretirement
You can’t go anywhere in Japan without running into older workers. They might be driving your taxi, serving your food, or selling you tickets at a tourist attraction. Japan has the highest percentage of older workers in the world. You might think this has to do with economic necessity and changes in pension rules. But when you look closely, you’ll discover the widely accepted belief in Japan that work brings you “Ikigai," which translates to a purpose in life that is critical to healthy and successful aging. In Episode 2 of Century Lives: The Century Club, host Ken Stern travels to Fukuoka, Tokyo, Ukiha, and Toyama to meet older workers who describe what they enjoy about working longer. And, he visits a company in Tokyo that is developing new adaptive technologies that will help people work into their 70’s and 80’s—that is, if they so choose.
Episode 3: Hurry, Hurry
The national motto in South Korea is “hurry, hurry”, and that’s what the country did as it turned its metropolitan areas into “lifelong learning cities.” Across the nation, adults of all ages now have access to free classes that help them keep learning—and connecting to each other. In this episode, Ken goes back to school, where he learns about the traditional art of teamaking, and meets a recent college graduate who is older than he is. Then we return to the United States to hear from an American who attributes her long lifespan—99 years and counting!—to lifelong learning.
Episode 4: Die Making Love
It’s been said that you are what you eat, and Italians are aging like the fine wine that makes them famous. As older Italians retire and leave their careers behind, an astonishing number of them are beginning new chapters as volunteers. In this episode, Ken travels across Northern Italy to explore its vibrant new culture of volunteerism. Along his journey, he gets the best advice about aging he’s ever heard.
Episode 5: Anti-Ageism
It may not come as a surprise - but fixating on someone’s age can affect how you think about them and even how they think about themselves. And the health implications are dramatic. People who have a negative view of aging live on average 7.5 years less than those who have a more positive view, even holding constant for other health and social factors.
In this episode, Ken travels to some of the longest-lived countries in the world to find societies that put real thought into the needs of older adults. He'll take you to a fashion show in Singapore, a beauty school in Japan, and meet a street photographer in South Korea - to discover a kind of longevity advantage - with cultures that encourage a positive attitude towards aging.
Episode 6: The Kids Give Me Life
The United States has been described as the “most age-segregated society that’s ever been".
In the final episode of Century Lives: The Century Club, Ken travels around the globe to explore how other societies make intergenerational connections. He gets serenaded by the oldest and youngest Spaniards, and witnesses the world’s most comprehensive effort to build an intergenerational society in Singapore. And as Ken wraps up his trip, he realizes that he found his ikigai.
Episodes 1 - 5 are out now!
New episodes will be released every Wednesday.
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