Healthy Aging: What Older Adults Can Do

In a video posted on YouTube last year, older adults around the world were asked what healthy aging means to them. Here’s what some of them had to say:

“Healthy aging means being able to go about my daily activities and being able to deal with the issues I face without fear.” (Tanzania)

“Healthy aging means having good relationships with people, neighbors, and friends and having a good relationship with God.” (Jordan)

“Some older people always stay in their houses, but you have to get out, breathe fresh air, walk more, and do morning exercise. It gives you energy.” (Kyrgyzstan)

“First of all, health is wealth. The second priority is family and community because a healthy relationship with the community boosts your morale. The third priority is having adequate accommodations with adequate facilities.” (Pakistan)

“Happiness for older people is to live how we want to live. To live well, with health, with education, with culture, with community work…working toward having the quality of life we deserve.” (Colombia)

September is Healthy Aging Month, and the population is growing older around the globe. In less than two decades, the United States Census Bureau projects that adults 65 and older will outnumber children under age 18 for the first time in America’s history, and by 2060, 24 percent of Americans will be in their golden years. In coastal Georgia, nearly 24 percent – more than one million – of the state’s residents are already age 65 and older, more than the entire population of some states. 

At Senior Citizens, Inc., we say our mission is to help people age successfully. For us, that means people live the life they want to live, where they want to live, and have the highest quality of life possible. 

What’s the secret to approaching age with enthusiasm? Dan Buettner, a National Geographic Fellow and New York Times bestselling author, has some insight. He studied five places in the world – dubbed “blue zones” – where people live the longest and are healthiest: Okinawa, Japan; Sardinia, Italy; Nicoya, Costa Rica; Ikaria, Greece; and Loma Linda, California. The older populations there have a number of things in common: they consume a healthy diet, exercise moderately, manage stress, focus on loved ones, and know their purpose.

This sense of purpose, what Okinawans call ikigai and the Nicoyans call plan de vida, translates to “why I wake up in the morning.” When we’re younger, our sense of purpose necessarily translates to raising children or building a career, but once the kids are grown and you’re retired, it’s not too late or impossible to find a new sense of purpose. In fact, doing so is worth up to seven years of extra life expectancy!

Here are a few more tips for positive and healthy aging:

Celebrate your age. Aging is inevitable; sticking your head in the sand won’t change that. While getting older comes with new challenges, it also comes with perspective, resilience, wisdom, and no longer caring about what other people think. There are many negative stereotypes regarding aging and memory, and it’s been proven that older learners do better on memory tasks when they have a positive outlook. People who believe they are not in control of their memory skills are more likely to experience decline, while those who believe they can improve have a better chance of keeping their minds sharp. 

Defy expectations. It is no secret that we live in a youth-obsessed culture. Just take a look at a cosmetics counter with its wrinkle serums or the greeting card aisle with cards mocking old age. The image of later life is often viewed through the lens of loss: loss of health, loss of loved ones, loss of work, loss of vitality, and loss of purpose. In 2021, the World Health Organization (WHO) warned that negative stereotypes about aging lead to poorer health and social isolation and cost economies billions of dollars. In fact, if Americans 50 and older were counted as their own country, they’d constitute the world’s third-largest economy. That’s from a 2019 AARP study that also found that the group’s economic impact will triple by the year 2050, increasing spending from $8.7 trillion in 2020 to a projected $15 trillion in 2030. 

Grow your friendships. Unfortunately, even in the best of times, isolation is all too often a way of life for older adults. The ties that bind us—and help us build trust, connection, and participation—tend to dissipate as we age. We retire from jobs, children grow up, and move away from home, and we inevitably lose friends and spouses to death and illness. All of these losses correlate to reduced social contacts and stimulation, which certainly impacts our mental and physical health. The data is undeniable. According to a study from the Rush Alzheimer’s Disease Center in Chicago, the rate of cognitive decline is 70 percent less in those with frequent social contact compared to those with low social activity. Relationships matter and we know that now more than ever, thanks to COVID-19. Loneliness is a bigger health risk than obesity or smoking, so finding your tribe has never been more important.  

Continue to challenge yourself. Try new things. Stretch your mind and body. Find your “why I wake up in the morning.” When COVID hit in March of 2020, many understandably focused all of their energy on health and wellness in the physical sense. However, the brain deserves just as much of our attention as our bodies. A sharp, keen mind is a critical component of successful aging, in both good times and bad. Challenging your brain with a hobby or a new skill – whether it’s writing your life story, joining a book club, doing crossword or jigsaw puzzles, learning a new language, playing an instrument, or taking a course from The Learning Center – are all ways to ward off the effects of getting older and build community in the process! The research bears this out. In 2012, the Rush Memory and Aging Project concluded that “cognitively active seniors are 2.6 times less likely to develop cognitive impairments, such as Alzheimer’s.” 

It would be folly to pretend there are no challenges associated with old age or that there are some things beyond our control. No one is excited about wrinkles, thinning hair, or health challenges, but getting older is a sweet time in life. Instead of shunning it, let’s embrace it and transform our society into one where everyone can make aging healthy and successful.

Interested in learning more about healthy aging? SCI is here to help. From getting assistance identifying community-based services with a care navigator to engaging in senior activities with our local neighborhood centers, Senior Citizens, Inc. is your place for exceptional senior health services and care. Contact us today to get started!