Here’s some good news! We are living longer. Or at least we’ve been given numerous opportunities to consider how. However, with all things being equal, we’ve yet to achieve what a longer life can mean. How we behave now will be determined by the earlier habits that were adopted from our childhood experiences, such as what we eat and drink, the various lifestyles we’ve practiced, the social norms that were instilled in us by our parents, and those we currently have been following. All of these experiences and more have a way of influencing our lives to an extent that can affect us as we age. It all comes down to how we can continue maintaining our health and a quality life we all aspire to. The following are several facts that lend hope for achieving a longer life.
- Life spans have dramatically doubled in just a few generations, giving further hope to a vision for a longer life.
- A billion people worldwide have already reached the age of 60+.
- Our country’s population, for those who will turn 60 by the year 2040, will add another 2.1 million.
- It is projected that with a growing aging population, there will be more people living longer because of innovative technology and pharmacology.
What can this journey of humankind mean to living a longer life?
According to the world statistics on aging, Japan has the highest recorded number of elderly individuals with longer life spans (90+ years). Even more startling is Japan’s growth of those who have achieved 100+ years, a total of 90,000. Why is this happening?
Several decades ago, the Japanese government set into motion a program that was called an “educational initiative.” Their objective was to instill in the population a healthier state of living. How was this to be accomplished? They began by promoting various health behaviors that consisted of lowered sodium intake, managing stress and blood pressure, eating a more balanced diet across the numerous food groups, moderating alcohol consumption, and daily exercise. All of this was eagerly promoted with the idea of encouraging a more fulfilling lifestyle. Over time they were able to “re-model” and convince a large segment of the population to follow the concepts of the program.
We as a nation are now on the cusp of living with a massive generational change as to what is meant as healthy aging for a longer life. Getting it right is essential and it matters as you review the following reasons and ideas.
- We must develop a robust perspective on life that encourages positive values for a strong mental and physical fitness.
- We must be actively engaged with others, such as friends, relatives and community, and with emphasis on staying vigorous and productive.
- We must avoid physically and mentally “alienating” ourselves which tends to cause the “ills of loneliness.” I suggest working toward seeking the root causes of loneliness by finding others who truly need us. I believe a person who is needed, really needed, can shed light on the reasons for being lonely.
The burden of our later years requires that we make ourselves available to the world around us, that is waiting for us, even now, even here. Living longer is tied to how we choose to age.
Many elderly have, at times, felt invisible in a country that is obsessed with youth and avoidance of growing old. The path to a longer life, a life of well-being, is always possible although there will always be frustrating challenges that still go unaddressed and eventually become more difficult to accomplish.
Final thoughts: Aging is a special period of life, a gift as some see it, and maybe the most special of them all. However, it can come with all of our fears and hopes that we’ve accrued over a lifetime. The object then is to harness these fears and continue living the years ahead productively.
Age is not just a number hanging on a wall calendar, nor is it about the length of years that we must manage to eke out of it. It is about aging with all of those physiological and biological attributes that are rolled into one living being and into cherished values offered at every stage of life.
The following quotations say it best:
“Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take but by the moments that take our breath away.” - Hillary Cooper.
“When you arise in the morning, think of what a precious privilege it is to be alive, to breathe, to think, to enjoy, to love.” - Marcus Aurelius.
Sheldon Ornstein Ed.D, RN, LNHA