Forward Focus: A look back over 40 years
Leaving a legacy
Forty years of Forward Focus: Changing people’s lives one edition at a time By Misa Acox Editor, Forward Focus When I became the editor of Forward Focus more than 10 years ago, my aim was to do two things: 1.) change perspectives on aging, and 2.) to celebrate and show the joy of aging. In these years, Susan Sizemore, FiftyForward communications director, and I have had the good fortune of working with like-minded colleagues who strive to help older adults live happy and independent lives. FiftyForward provides not only provides services to assist older adults, but operates seven centers to keep them active, engaged, and connected. The early editions of The Senior Sentinel were 8 pages in black and white and soon grew to 16. The paper featured stories on programming and included center calendars. From the start, printing costs were offset by selling advertisements; the early editions even had personal ads of ladies and gents looking for love. Even early on, The Sentinel strove to bring important news to older adults, featuring articles on legislation and health that would impact older adults. In 2008, the agency rebranded from Senior Citizens, Inc. to FiftyForward and it only seemed right to update the name of the publication, too. The Senior Sentinel became Forward Focus. Over the past 10 years, this publication model has served us well. Forward Focus works to share the latest news on health and wellness, trends in technology, interesting venues to visit, arts, as well as inspiring and insightful interviews with people making the most of second chapters. Some of these folks were our own center members, embracing new adventures in our initiative of “FiftyForward Firsts.” In one issue we featured Joe Murray who at 78 did his first skydive. Of course he had company -- two friends he met through a FiftyForward men’s group who shared his sense of adventure. Another First included FiftyForward Madison Station members who made their dream come true to touch the sky in a hot air balloon. We also had the great pleasure to interview some well-known celebrities such as Amy Grant, Vicki Lawrence, Kimberly Williams Paisley, and Leeza Gibbons, who are using their voices to bring awareness to issues that impact older adults. Some of their stories were bittersweet, but they were also a joy to interview. We also introduced several regular columns in our paper such as Jenni Hargrove from NonProfit Jenni who wrote about tech apps in our column, “What the Tech?” Connie Sue Davenport graced our paper for many years with her insightful column about antiques. We also featured ongoing columns written by our 14 | Forward Focus
staff of in-house experts on care management, food insecurity, and scams. It is our hope that these articles gave you food for thought and resources to call upon in times of need.
September 2019
Our very first issue of The Senior Sentinel in 1981 is framed at our headquaters at the FiftyForward Patricial Hart Building.
As we say farewell to Forward Focus and its history that spans more than four decades, we hope that you will join us online for our many programs and events happening across all the centers. This last edition serves as an evergreen issue highlighting the many programs and services available through FiftyForward. Visit our website to learn more (https://fiftyforward.org/) or reach out to one of our centers. If you are in need of resources, call the Resource Line at 615-743-3416.
June 2018
It has been a joy to create this publication and to hear how it has been well received by so many readers over the years. The end of a print publication is always bittersweet. From the first edition in 1981 to this last edition, we hope you have enjoyed the journey with us. Take a look back with us at some of our favorite past covers. Special Peter Max issue, June 2015
