In a recent email conversation about aging with a life-long friend, I discovered the two of us were talking at cross-purposes. My friend is in his early 70s, preoccupied with successfully winding up his international law practice. I’m in my early 80s, preoccupied with successfully winding up my recuperative therapy following a fall and serious leg injury. We’d been communicating (or miscommunicating) from opposite ends of the aging continuum. This awkward gap got me thinking that aging may be better understood not as a unified flow but a succession of distinct phases. And since I’m entering what I think of as my final phase, I wanted to take a closer look.

What are this period’s distinguishing characteristics? Its core challenges and opportunities? How’s it different from prior phases? In the spirit of Agile Aging, how can I navigate its passage with informed judgment?

It occurred to me that I am surrounded by a final-phase case study in the form of Nancy’s and my retirement community. Virtually all of its residents are 80 or older. What makes this community tick? What are its key problems and solutions?

I’d like to report my study findings in two blog posts. This month I’ll profile the community. Next month I’ll home in on my personal aging experiences, relationships and impressions within this community. How can I make the most of my own final phase?