This article follows on from my recent piece, Grief After 60. There, I explored how personal loss, whether through death, health changes, or unexpected turns in life, shapes us in later years. But grief doesn’t always come only from within our homes or families. Sometimes it rises when we witness suffering in the wider world. This is what I call collective grief, the sorrow we feel for children and women who remain hidden in cycles of exploitation.

Why Collective Grief Matters After 60

By the time we reach our 60s, we have known loss in many forms. That makes us especially attuned to the pain of others. When we hear about children trafficked into labor, women exploited in brothels, or families torn apart by poverty and migration, something in us aches. We recognize the human cost. We know what safety and dignity mean because we’ve built lives around them, and we can imagine the despair when those are stripped away.

Grief after 60 becomes not only personal, but global and collective.

Why Exploitation Thrives

Exploitation does not appear out of thin air. It grows where social, political, and economic cracks already exist.

• Poverty: Families living on less than $2 a day are vulnerable. Traffickers often prey on parents desperate to feed their children.
• Conflict and Instability: War zones and refugee crises create fertile ground for exploitation. Displaced people become easy targets.
• Gender Inequality: In many societies, girls are valued less than boys. That inequality leaves them more vulnerable to forced marriages, sex trafficking, and child labor.
• Weak Laws and Corruption: Where justice systems are fragile, or officials look the other way, traffickers thrive.

How the Problem Looks Around the World

While exploitation is global, it takes different shapes depending on where you look.

In the United States and Europe, trafficking often hides in plain sight. Victims may be domestic workers, farm laborers, or young women promised “modeling jobs” that turn into nightmares. The U.S. State Department estimates that hundreds of thousands of people are trafficked annually in the U.S. alone. Europe sees similar numbers, especially among migrants from Eastern Europe and Africa.

In Latin America, economic inequality drives much of the exploitation. In countries like Ecuador, Colombia, and Brazil, children are recruited into forced labor or trafficked across borders. Tourism, both legitimate and illicit, adds another layer of risk.

In Asia, with its dense populations and vast informal economies, some of the highest numbers of exploited children and women are found. The International Labour Organization estimates over 11 million people in forced labor across Asia and the Pacific.

In Africa, exploitation is often tied to conflict, poverty, and displacement. Child soldiers, forced labor in mines, and trafficking of young girls for domestic work remain heartbreaking realities.

While the settings differ, the common threads are always vulnerability and invisibility.

Numbers That Stir the Heart

Sometimes statistics help us feel the scale of what words cannot capture.

• The United Nations reports that over 50 million people worldwide are living in modern slavery, a figure that includes forced labor and forced marriages.
• One in every three victims of trafficking is a child.
• Women and girls make up nearly three-quarters of all victims.

Behind each number is a face we may never see, but their absence presses against our collective conscience.

What We Can Do After 60

It is easy to feel powerless in the face of such enormity. But grief can be a catalyst. Here are ways we can make a difference.

• Start Conversations: Simply naming the issue keeps it visible. Talking about exploitation with friends, in community groups, or at book clubs gives it oxygen.
• Support Organizations: From local shelters to global nonprofits, survivor support depends on people who give time, money, or advocacy.
• Educate Ourselves: Reading survivor stories or attending talks helps us move beyond headlines. Awareness is the first defense against silence.
• Vote with Values: Policies and leaders that protect women and children deserve our support. Social and political action matters, even in later life.

From Collective Grief to Hope

Yes, the children we don’t see are hidden. Yes, their grief feels overwhelming. But acknowledging it is the first step toward healing. Our collective grief can be turned into collective strength.

At 60 and beyond, we are not bystanders. We are witnesses, advocates, and caretakers of empathy. By refusing to look away, by raising our voices and joining our hands, we honor those whose pain is often unseen. And in that act, we also find healing for ourselves.

Let’s Have a Conversation:

How do you take part in collective grief? What stories touch your heart the most?

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I’ve always been interested in brain health, especially after reading more about neuroplasticity. But I never worried about my brain much. It was just there – ready, reliable, always on call. But as I got older, I noticed little shifts: forgetting why I walked into a room, forgetting names, misplacing my glasses. (I actually now keep a pair in every room!)

And then I got a call from a good friend… she told me that her husband had been diagnosed with the first stages of Alzheimer’s. And I thought, Oh s—! These aren’t some random ‘old people’ – these are my peers! (I know that sounds cold… but that’s the first place my head went, even though I cringe to say that.) And I knew that if I wanted to keep that easy focus I once took for granted, I needed to make some changes.

So, I began to research ways to take care of my brain. I discovered that staying mentally sharp isn’t about doing one big thing – it’s about small, steady habits that add up.

A few things we can do to help our brain:

Exercise

One of the first things I did was to commit to more exercise… no marathons or anything extreme! I started doing aqua-aerobics with a friend, and I started riding my bike more. Where my husband and I live in Portugal, it is flat and by the sea, and bike riding and walking is such a pleasure. The sunshine, the salty sea breeze and the movement all feed the brain as much as the body.

Learning

I also learned, unsurprisingly, that studying and learning new things helps to focus the brain and increase its neuroplasticity. And because we are relatively new in Portugal, we happen to be learning a new language. Did you know that learning a new language can increase neuroplasticity and have remarkable cognitive benefits?

I can honestly tell you this is not easy! I am frustrated more than not… But the challenge itself is part of the point. Each time I solve something new, it feels like my brain is stretching and waking up.

You may not be living in a new country, but it’s never too late to start learning a new language. Or start learning how to play an instrument.

Learning to play a musical instrument demonstrably promotes neuroplasticity by stimulating the brain to adapt and change, strengthening neural pathways and improving cognitive functions like memory, attention, and executive functions. This process involves both structural and functional changes in the brain’s gray matter and white matter, enhancing its ability to learn and reorganize itself throughout a person’s life. 

If you’d like to start piano lessons, Sixty and me offers a FREE video course for beginners. You can check it out here: PIANO LESSONS FOR BEGINNERS.

Sleep

Sleep, too, is an absolute priority. I have known for a while how important sleep is, especially for the aging brain.

Sleep is crucial for the aging brain, as it facilitates memory consolidation, waste removal via the lymphatic system, and maintains cognitive functions like attention and decision-making.

Food

And of course there is the food we put in our bodies. The food that feeds the brain includes vegetables, berries, nuts and fish. No one is telling you to give up the foods you love. Go ahead and have ice cream when you want it. But be mindful of feeding your brain too and give it what it needs.

Pausing

But perhaps the most powerful shift came from pausing. I wrote about this in my last article for Sixty and Me!

Practicing mindfulness just five minutes with my breath in the morning is incredibly helpful. Just this simple practice helped me focus longer, and I was less reactive, and my mind felt calmer.

Connection

A massive addition to keep the aging brain sharp is connection! Staying in touch with friends, meeting people for coffee, going for walks with people. These connections aren’t just social – they are brain workouts. Increasing your social group is a big recommendation for helping our aging brain! (My upcoming article explores ‘SuperAgers’ and the importance of connection.)

What I’ve learned is this: staying focused and keeping my brain strong isn’t about fighting age. Not at all… instead it’s about working with it, giving the mind what it needs to stay alive and curious. Movement, learning new things, sleep, good food, mindfulness, and connection – these aren’t chores, they’re gifts!

And the best part? It’s never too late. Each small habit feels like I’m giving my brain a thank-you note (I know that sounds cheesy…) but it’s a nice warm feeling. These are the kind of habits that I don’t need to break!

If you are interested in more articles about brain health, you can find more on my Website or my Substack Page. I love hearing from people, so please let me know your thoughts about keeping our brain focus as we age, or any other subject that comes up as you read.

Let’s Have a Conversation:

What do you do to keep your brain focused and healthy? Do you have any blocks that stop you from doing things you know are helpful? What’s your favorite thing to do that promotes brain health?

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