That means actively engaging with people, things, the environment, learning and the self, developing a clear self-perception, and becoming more autonomous, among other steps. Just as doctors advocate physical exercise to keep the body functioning optimally, the Towers advocate keeping the mind active via meaningful engagement. He focuses on research and theory she provides real-world examples and a relatable, personal touch. Chris Tower - who holds a bachelor’s degree in psychology and an MBA in marketing and cognitive behavior - teaches with her husband in a close partnership. The program is a multi-disciplinary approach to optimal aging, based on the latest research in the fields of psychology, gerontology, neuroscience, systems theory, sociology, nutrition, and age-appropriate exercise. He created DAP six years ago as a way to share his personal experience of an alternative way to approach aging and retirement that is healthier, happier, and more aligned with today’s rapidly changing world. “Older people can become a force for good and positive change in this world.” After battling cancer, he shifted to psychology, earning two master’s degrees - one in clinical psychology, the other in organizational development - along with a Ph.D. “We need new purpose in this extended phase of life,” says Tower, noting that he and Chris met in business school at UCLA, joined the Peace Corps, and then moved on to corporate careers. Indeed, it was the motivation behind the Towers’ Dynamic Aging Program. There’s a documented “rush-crash” syndrome that often occurs a few years post-work - and oftentimes that’s incentive to approach the golden years in a different way. While most people anticipate retirement as a time to pursue more hobbies, or as a season to volunteer, many find the reality less than fulfilling. Our minds need to be sufficiently challenged in order to create the brain cells and neural pathways necessary for a healthy aging brain.”
“But that paradigm can escalate cognitive decline.
“The old approach to retirement emphasizes a partial disengagement from the workings of society, while keeping active or busy for as long as you can,” Dudley Tower explains.
They’ve also led an informal, salonstyle group based on the program for residents at The Cliffs. The couple, who live at The Cliffs at Glassy, teach the intriguing Dynamic Aging Program at the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at Furman University. The very definition of the word retire - to withdraw, or go away or apart, to a place of privacy, shelter, or seclusion - is “old school,” according to the Towers, and they’re working to give it new meaning. Dudley and Chris Tower want to retire some old paradigms about aging.
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