Each spring, Erdman Palmore celebrates his birthday by completing his own special version of a triathlon. He bicycles his age in miles – this year, that means 76 – then does just as many push-ups and sit-ups. “It is to counteract the assumption,” says the professor emeritus at Duke University, “that growing older means inevitably going downhill” – unless it is on his bicycle. Seniors like Dr. Palmore are helping redefine notions of “getting older.” Forgotten by the media, passed over for promotions, and teased by birthday cards, they have long struggled for dignity in a youth-obsessed society. But increasingly active and independent seniors, and the baby boomers who will follow, are helping to chip away at the ageism that spans Hollywood to Hallmark. Seniors today are healthier, wealthier, and more educated than their predecessors – and their population will double in the next 25 years. Those are the highlights from a US Census Bureau report released Thursday on Americans 65 and older. Among its findings: ¢ Poverty is declining. The proportion of those living in poverty decreased from 35 percent in 1959 to 10 percent in 2003. ¢ Disability is decreasing. The disability […]