At what age do you become an older adult? For many of us, the definition of “old” changes as we age. Or perhaps it’s “at least 20 years older than I am now.” Aging is a very subjective and personal process.

In fact, age has many expressions and can be defined as physical, chronological and functional age.

Our society has created a few benchmarks for aging. You can join the American Association for Retired Persons at age 50. Medicare kicks in at 65. The age full Social Security benefits kick in depends on the year you were born, currently 65 to 67.

More importantly, society feeds us many messages about what aging looks like. Is your image of aging a relaxing retirement with new hobbies and time and resources to travel and enjoy life? Is your image of aging disability, infirmity, loss of independence and relevance? Or is it a mixture of both?

Research indicates that your view of aging can significantly impact how you experience aging. It seems like it would behoove us all to identify and challenge the stereotypes and biases around older adults. (Hint: Stay out of the birthday card aisle!)

Some of the stereotypes associated with aging are probably familiar to you. Recognize these?

Aging means sickness, disability and loss of independence. False. The majority of older people maintain full functioning throughout their lives.Getting older means having to live in a nursing home. False. Only 5% of older people live in nursing homes. Seniors who do need extra support can often find in-home support or supported/assisted living settings that allow for full autonomy and privacy.Older adults need a guardian or conservator to make their decisions. False. Implementing guardianship means taking away a person’s basic civil rights and should be approached cautiously. There are many other less intrusive means of supporting someone’s decisions and maintaining their dignity and autonomy.Your aging process is determined by your genes. False. Heredity is only one factor. There are many lifestyle decisions that can impact the length and quality of our lives. Even better – it is never too late to implement lifestyle changes and see positive impacts. Which leads to …You can’t teach an old dog new tricks. False – both for dogs and humans. You can learn new skills, new information, new habits at any age. Older adults frequently start second and third careers after we what consider retirement age. Grandma Moses didn’t start painting until she was 78; now her art can be found at the Museum of Modern Art.

Aging successfully isn’t all a matter of mindset. There are professionals and resources to help you figure out how to age the way you’d choose. Community Connections can help Medicaid-eligible people with limitations to their activities of daily living find programs to support them. Our community senior centers have many programs, including Aging and Disability Resource Center counselors, who help people navigate the programs and services available.

Which is the final myth to debunk – you don’t have to age alone.

Tara Kiene is president/CEO of Community Connections.