Sherwin B. Nuland, 76, is a clinical professor of surgery at Yale University and also teaches bioethics and clinical medicine. He's the author of How We Die, a reflection on the modern way of death, which won the National Book Award in 1994. Nuland spoke recently with AARP Bulletin Senior Editor Carole Fleck about his latest book, The Art of Aging: A Doctor's Prescription for Well-Being, in which he says aging is an art that promises rich rewards for those who recognize its gifts and limitations.

Q. There are so many books on aging. What's different about this one and why is it important?
A. Other books don't delve very much into the way people begin to change within themselves and the way they view the world. My approach has to do with attitudes and the kind of creativity that sustains us and rewards us as we get into our later years. Age is a stage of development, which means we continue to develop. This is about ways of thinking that can enhance those later years.

Q. What's the main message of your book?
A. That age is not a disease; it's a great opportunity for those who approach it wisely. If we recognize our growth potential, we can find ways of looking at these late years in ways that aren't traditional. There's no reason for it to be a time of decline. It could be a time of great mental prosperity.

People say, "I can't do this or that because I've reached 60 and only young people do this kind of exercise or go off on an adventure, or travel to China." We are accustomed to thinking of age in that way. You might not climb Mount Everest because one of the wisdoms of aging is that you have to be realistic about what your body can do. But you don't reconcile yourself to giving in without trying.

Q. You say aging is a gift that brings opportunities we may not have had before. Can you explain?
A. There are opportunities that come to us because we have more leisure time, because we're older and we have a better chance of being wiser. I was 75 when the tsunami struck. I watched TV news the first night and thought, I've got to help. Here was an opportunity to be of service in a way I had not served before. I couldn't, I was too busy working.

[Going to Sri Lanka and working as part of a seven-person medical unit for two weeks] was an opportunity that came to me. My writing career came to me as an opportunity when I retired from surgery because I was mature enough to have a bird's-eye view of everything I've done and what my colleagues have done. I've written nine of my books in the last 12 years. All are the products of my post-60 years.

Q. You said you approach aging as an art. Can you elaborate?
A. You find beauty and richness in life—with hobbies, learning a new language, learning a musical instrument, traveling to a place you've never been, in friendships. It's something that allows you to be creative. You're looking for enrichment, things that make you feel better.

Q. How does one reconcile the physical or mental limitations that often come with age? A. Diseases are not necessarily byproducts of age. If you live long enough, your heart can't beat as hard, your kidney can't make urine as efficiently, your muscular-skeletal system changes, so things happen. But those are different than a disease. You learn to do what you're capable of doing well. Your self-image and attitude is key. If you believe you're going to be as vibrant as you can be, you'll accomplish that.

Even someone who has a physical disease can have an enriching and rewarding later life. The most important key is relationships to people, whether husband or wife, children, close relatives—the people who give real meaning to your life and understand you the most.