More Information For more information on cognitive super-agers, visit
www.nm.org/healthbeat/healthy-tips/4-habits-super-agers
or
www.aarp.org/health/brain-health/info-2023/minds-of-super-agers.html
HAW RIVER — When most workers may just be rolling out of bed, Flora Slade has already clocked in and on an assembly line at Andersen Sterilizers, a medical device manufacturer in Haw River.
She’s 86 but works 45 hours a week and plans to keep working as long as she can.
“I love this company,” said Slade, who in her 70s enrolled in college and earned an associate’s degree in business. “I had the hardest time finding a job outside my home after my children left the nest. Had I known about Andersen, I would have come here much sooner.”
Slade, a resident of Burlington, is the mother of four daughters and one son. She has two grandchildren and one great-grandchild. After raising her children and then caring for her grandchildren, Slade tried to re-enter the workforce. It wasn’t easy interviewing; the rejections were difficult to process.
“I registered with a staffing agency, hoping they could help me find a job,” she said. “Each time I interviewed, they’d tell me, ‘We’ll let you know,’ but of course, I’d never hear back. I surmised that it was because of my age. Eventually, my contact at the agency said that she thought Andersen Sterilizers would be a good fit for me.”
Ethan Marshall, who oversees operations at Andersen, interviewed Slade.
“I explained to Ethan that I had been unable to secure a job because of my age,” Slade said. “I assured him that if he took a chance on me, he wouldn’t be disappointed. I told him, ‘I’m a workaholic, and I need to keep my hands busy. It keeps me out of trouble.’ ”
Marshall hired Slade on the spot. That was four years ago.
“Flora is a fast worker, but she never breaks a sweat,” Marshall said. “She’s consistent and focuses on quality, yet she’s able to keep her peers entertained with lively and fun conversation at the same time. Flora sets a great example for us all.”
There are times, however, when Slade finds herself questioning the younger generations and their expectations.
“Andersen offers a great deal of flexibility to its employees,” Slade said, waving her arms in the air as if to add an exclamation mark to punctuate her comment. “Management understands that sometimes unexpected issues arise at home. They make adjustments to help them succeed in every area of life — at work and at home. Occasionally, someone will abuse this latitude. ‘This is a good place to work,’ I tell them. ‘Work hard, be appreciative, and you’ll be rewarded.’ ”
Slade is an example of “super-agers,” a term coined by neurologist Marsel Mesulam for people who are decidedly young in mind despite an aging body. According to AARP, super-agers retain mental acuity right into old age.
Super-agers seem to have a couple of things in common: Community is critical to their well-being, and they are determined to make meaningful contributions to society even through old age.
That couldn’t be truer for Slade. It seems she works as much for others as she does for herself.
“Encouraging others brings me joy,” she said.
It’s not that she’s a stranger to adversity. She lost everything in a house fire two years ago and a daughter to congestive heart failure not long after. She is just focused forward.
“Nothing is more rewarding than to see that I can have a meaningful impact on another person’s day,” she said.
Slade’s daughter, Gena, also works at Andersen in Accessories. She’s thankful for her mother’s giving nature.
“I love my mother,” she said. “She’s a caring person and thinks about others before she thinks about herself.”
Thinking back to that day when he interviewed Slade, Marshall was filled with gratitude.
“We are certainly blessed that Flora accepted our offer to join the Andersen team,” he said.