Healthy Aging

How will you spend the rest of your life? Odds are you'll have a few more years to think about it than your ancestors did. Thanks to better nutrition, sophisticated medical care, and protection against infectious diseases, humans are pushing the envelope of longevity. In the years between 1900 and 1990, the average life expectancy increased by 27 years. That's the same number of years life expectancy increased in the forty-five hundred years from the Bronze Age to 1900.

At this rate, you might think we'll be living to 200 before long. That's not likely, though. As we age, our individual cells grow and divide to replace themselves as they wear out. Scientists have found that human cells can replace themselves only about 50 times before they simply run out of gas. But although you may not be able to live forever, you can do a lot to stay active and healthy in your later years.

R-E-S-P-E-C-T

Aretha Franklin sang about it and we all want it, but many older people are not treated with great respect, at least in this country. As Dr. Andrew Weil describes in his book Healthy Aging, siblings in traditional Okinawa households argue over who will get the privilege of caring for their aging parents. Okinawans who live to be 97 are often honored with a kajimaya celebration in their communities. Okinawan folklore says that a person who has lived to such an old age has special powers, and people who participate in the kajimaya ceremony may share in his or her good fortune. Is it a coincidence that Okinawans enjoy what could be the world’s longest life expectancy?

No matter what your cultural heritage says about aging, you can improve your quality of life by recognizing and, valuing your position in the world. A good attitude may even help you live longer. A Yale University study of 660 people 50 years and older found that those who had a positive self-image about aging lived 7.5 years longer than those with a negative self-image.

Consider the following benefits of being the age you are now:

•Life has been a good teacher. The experiences you've had and the lessons learned from them better equip you to meet challenges now and in the future.
•Skills you learned early in life -- like managing your finances or dealing with difficult people -- are likely to improve with age and practice.
•You're less likely to obsess over situations that would have caused you substantial worry and stress when you were younger. They may not seem so daunting when viewed from your current perspective.

If you find your self-confidence flagging, consider trying one of the following:

•Learn something new: take a gourmet cooking class, or learn to play a musical instrument, or delve into a different culture through books you get from the library.
•Join a group. It could be a support group with a specific focus, a book group, or just a few friends who meet regularly to offer each other encouragement.
•Become more comfortable in your body. If you've become less active because of a fear of falling, contact your local community center, gym, or healthcare facility about classes that teach balance and how to position your body if you fall.
•Get regular exercise. We'll talk more about exercise in a later class, but one of its many benefits is that it fosters a sense of personal control and confidence.

Combating ageism

Too often aging is viewed in terms of failing health, frailty, and loneliness. Gerontologist Robert Butler, founding director of the National Institute on Aging, coined the term "ageism" to describe this negative view of older people.

You don't have to look far to find examples of ageism. Older people are often made to look foolish or frail in advertisements aimed at a younger audience. At the opposite end of the spectrum, some ads aimed at an older audience feature healthy, wealthy retired folks golfing or sailing or relaxing on a tropical beach with a Mai-Tai in hand -- a view of retirement grossly at odds with reality, given that one in four Baby Boomers may have a net worth at retirement of less than $50,000.

Ageism has an even more sinister face when you consider elder abuse and discrimination. As many as 3 million Americans over 65 have been injured or mistreated by their caregivers, according to the U.S. branch of the International Longevity Center, a research policy organization associated with the Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York City. The AARP reports that complaints of age discrimination in the workplace jumped 41 percent between 1999 and 2002.

The problem of ageism is rooted in denial of its very existence, according to Drs. John Rowe and Robert Kahn, researchers involved in one of the most extensive studies on aging in the United States. As they write in their book Successful Aging, "Acknowledging the truth about aging in America is critical… if we are to move ahead toward successful aging as individuals and as a society.” What can you do to combat ageism?

•Refuse to be invisible. If you see an ad that portrays an older person in a negative way, write to the company and let them know they've lost your business. Likewise, support companies that use older people in their ads or show them in a positive light.
• Learn what your rights are in the workplace and speak up if you feel you are being discriminated against because of your age.
•Vote. Find out how candidates stand on issues concerning older Americans and support the candidates who will work for causes that concern you. Even better, volunteer to help in their campaigns.

Anti-aging vs. aging well

Enter the words, "anti-aging" into any Web browser and you'll get a staggering number of results -- including information from reputable sources along with many sites promising the fountain of youth in the form of pills, supplements, hormones, and other therapies. However scientific experts on aging say there is little or no evidence that anti-aging remedies actually work. Instead of promising a “cure” to aging, health care providers should focus on helping people to stay healthy as long as possible.

That's where you can play a big role. You can control many of the factors that influence your health as you age. We're all going to end up in the same place, but to some extent you can influence how you get there. As Weil says, "To age gracefully means to let nature take its course while doing everything in our power to delay the onset of age-related disease…" The goal of this class is to give you the tools to do just that.

To do before the next class:
•Think about the advantages your age provides you. What knowledge or skills do you have now that you didn't have when you were younger?
•Make a list of at least 5 words that describe the positive things about being older. Post them where you can see them every day.
•Is there anything you've always wanted to do or learn about? Take one step towards making it happen, whether it's researching a class, checking a book out of the library about a place you've always wanted to visit, or writing a few pages of the novel you've always felt you had in you.