Hello Missouri Members! Happy Holidays! As we distribute the year’s final Missouri Messenger and wind 2025 down, I’m relishing the season, but eyeing challenges for 2026. Top of mind are Missouri’s embarrassing rankings for long term care (publications are highlighting we are in the bottom quartile of states based on poor staffing and quality metrics). In an election year, legislators will react to such rankings during Session, which commences January 7. Already we’ve seen several bills proposing new layers of compliance and resident protection during December pre-filing.

I’m also focused on Missouri’s dire fiscal situation. Even with a projected $1 billion budget hole, revenue reduction proposals (like elimination of the state income tax) will be considered. The tight budget will likely have us fighting to avoid cuts – not win increases – in Medicaid reimbursements. And these budget challenges dampen prospects for workforce development needs spotlighted in Missouri’s new Master Plan on Aging. Despite the challenges, I remain optimistic. Why? Because of Dick Van Dyke.

Dick Van Dyke turned 100 last weekend. His optimism about aging, healthcare choices, and commitment to active aging are inspirational. As a child, I loved Van Dyke’s joyful performances in Mary Poppins, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, and the Dick Van Dyke show. Now, from the perspective of an aging services advocate, I’m thrilled to have an iconic centenarian be a living example and powerful promoter of successful aging. Van Dyke emphasizes things LeadingAge members undertake with residents every day!  

In his books on aging, such as Keep Moving and 100 Rules for Living to 100: An Optimist’s Guide to a Happy Life, Dick Van Dyke is singing LeadingAge’s song!  He preaches we must defy conventional views of old age and embrace lifestyles of joy, curiosity, and continuous engagement.  Van Dyke challenges us to:

• Prioritize Physical Activity – “Stiffness is a choice, not a necessity of growing older” he says, and consistent exercise (“play” he calls it!) is the secret sauce for maintaining mobility, independence, and overall physical health.  Van Dyke hits the gym three times a week for yoga, stretching, dancing, & swimming – activities LeadingAge members offer residents.
• Maintain a Playful Mindset – In life and on screen, Van Dyke has “walked his talk” with daily singing, dancing, cracking jokes, and enjoying pets to lift his spirits and connect him with his “inner child”.  LeadingAge members know that embracing humor and fun promotes resident mental health and well-being.
• Embrace Joy & Optimism – While he acknowledges normal social and physical diminishment with age, Dick Van Dyke “stubbornly refuses to give in to the bad stuff in life: failures and defeats, personal losses, loneliness and bitterness”. He advocates for cultivating a positive outlook and for gratitude each day to reduce stress and increase longevity.  Research and member experience supports his point of view.  
• Stay Socially Connected – Van Dyke also preaches the importance of strong social bonds – especially with young people (grandchildren, great-grandchildren) and friends of varying ages – for their rejuvenating effect and to combat loneliness.  Intergenerational activities are common at LeadingAge communities.
• Be Open to New Experiences – Rather than being a curmudgeonly, “get off my lawn” person, Van Dyke stresses keeping an open mind to new ideas, people, and activities to allow our brains to be active and engaged with the present and future.  He knows it’s never too late to try something new, which LeadingAge members advocates.
• Avoid Harmful Substances – Van Dyke credits eliminating alcohol and cigarettes from his life as a major reason for his longevity.
• Reject Age-Related Limitations – Joining LeadingAge’s fight against agism, Van Dyke believes “age is just a number”.  He encourages others to ignore self-imposed limits and societal expectations about how an older person should act, urging older people to continue pursuing passions and new challenges.

Dick Van Dyke is actively aging and making a difference!  But he says, “a hundred years is not enough.  You want to live more, which I plan to do.”  With the help of our members’ care, services, and advocacy, so too will many more Americans!

Happy Holidays and Happy New Year, LeadingAge Missouri Members!

Yours in service,