Gathering Years

My hope in writing this book is to change the definitions and dialogue around the process of aging, or what I like to call gathering years. Some would have us believe the aging process comes with the absolute certainty of pain, immobility, and decreased brain agility, depression and general unhappiness. Welcome to My World…. a world of possibilities and opportunities, and of wisdom and experience. Welcome to a world where aging is a bountiful accumulation of years and experiences, full of stories, successes, mistakes, and lessons learned along the way. "How To Grow Old Without Killing Yourself" is a collection of my personal and professional reflections and observations on how to make the aging process feel more gentle, more graceful, less painful, and more fun! Please remember: • You are never too old to change! • You are never too old to get in better shape! • You are never too old to laugh and to live in abundance! I hope you enjoy this book and find the content thought provoking, inspiring, and possibly even a little transformational in the way you negotiate your own aging process.

Baby boomers have redefined the sociological norm at every stage of their lives. Nowhere is that more apparent than how the boomers are approaching the aging process As a baby boomer and a health care professional profession, I am writing this books with the intention of being part of that redefinition fining process. I am striving to change the definitions and dialogue around the process of aging, or what I like to call "Gathering Years". Some would have us believe the aging process comes with the absolute certainty of pain, immobility, and decreased brain agility, depression and general unhappiness. Welcome to My World…. a world where the aging process is filled with possibilities and opportunities, and of wisdom and experience. Welcome to a world where aging is a bountiful accumulation of years and experiences, full of stories, successes, mistakes, and lessons learned along the way. "Gathering Years..How To Grow Old Without Killing Yourself" is a collection of my personal and professional experiences, my reflections and observations about how to make the aging process feel more gentle, more graceful, less painful, and more fun! Please remember: • You are never too old to change! • You are never too old to get in better shape! • You are never too old to laugh and to live in abundance! I hope you enjoy this book and find the content thought provoking, inspiring, and possibly even a little transformational in the way you negotiate your own aging process.

Terrie M. Carpenter, PT Pain Management Specialist PT5499 Terrie Carpenter is the founder of Allies for Change, a collaborative health-care practice that specializes Pain Management and Sustainable Recovery. Terrie began her career in 1967 when she graduated from the Army Medical Specialist Corps as a physical therapist and first lieutenant. She continued her service as a physical therapist in the army until 1969 and attained the rank of captain. "The time that I served in the army was during the height of the Vietnam war. This is an important fact because during wartime medical advances must be made rapidly. Our teams were constantly challenged to treat new and different types of injuries and I was privileged to be on the forefront of those medical advances. My experience in the army shaped my career. I learned to be a "thinking therapist" and always think outside of the box. I also learned to collaborate with my medical colleagues to attain the highest quality of patient care and still strive to value and embody this ideal." Ms. Carpenter has had a long and diverse career in the field of physical therapy. During her career she has worked in a variety of settings and taken on responsibilities that include: • Direct patient care • Clinical teaching • Patient/family education • Internship program development • Designing and implementing treatment models for pulmonary physical therapy • Collaborating with federal grant teams involved in training rural hospitals in acute care Finding herself once again on a medical forefront in pain management, Ms. Carpenter founded Allies for Change, a collaborative practice specializing in pain management and sustainable recovery. Under that umbrella she has: • Developed a highly successful non-medication model for the treatment of chronic pain. • Redefined the term chronic pain and developed a treatment model for Prolonged Pain Complex. • Developed a Lifeskill© based model of Sustainable Recovery© designed to offer wrap around care and long-term support for those healing from pain and addiction. • Consulted to and collaborated with multiple residential treatment programs as their pain management specialist. Ms. Carpenter has combined her education, clinical experience, and personal growth process and created The Change Model©, a foundational piece of the philosophy and practice at Allies for Change. She is also an author and speaker. "It is my firm belief that every individual has within them the capacity to change and heal, if they are given adequate knowledge, healthy life skills, and the kind of support that facilitates lasting change. Terrie Carpenter