Elders R Better

As we wrap up older a month dedicated to older Americans remember that age is just a number and mine is unlisted.

During the global pandemic, Americans who have worked the longest for themselves, their families, and their country have suffered a partic­ularly vicious combination of health and economic

#COVID-related harms. Older Americans were more likely to suffer serious symptoms if they contract COVID-19, experience its effects longer, recover more slowly, and sadly, have been less likely to survive it. Individuals 65 and over have comprised more than 80percent of all COVID-19 deaths. This time last year, more older Americans were hospitalized than those in younger age groups.

This year’s theme for Older Americans Month is “Communities of Strength.” Just as older Americans build strong communities, #CityImages, as well as other civil rights and labor organizations, have built a strong community committed to preventing and remedying age discrimination.

We will continue our efforts to combat all types of discrimination and to improve the quality of life for older Americans and ensure that the nation’s economy has the full benefit of their talent and experience. Here are some samples of outstanding older athletes.

• Tiger Woods, Golf. After basically being out of golf for the last two years with back injuries and other related issues, the 42-year-old golfer came back in a big way.

• Brett Favre, Football. Brett Favre is one of the toughest athletes of all time, and he played in the NFL past his 40th birthday. After spending a large part of his career with the Green Bay Packers, Favre went to the Jets at age 39, and then at the age of 40 and later 41, he played with the Minnesota Vikings.

• Bartolo Colon, Baseball. “Big Sexy” has defied expectations of what an athlete can do after his 40th birthday. The 5’11”, 285-pound righty has been with the New York Mets for three seasons 2014-16, helping the team make the World Series in 2015 while going 14-13 record with a 4.16 ERA.