If you’re getting up there in years, a few statistics might be in order:
*About 5,000 Americans turn 65 each day. Another 10,000 reach 50 every day.
*If you’re a 65-year-old woman, you’ll probably live another 20 years. If you’re a man the same age, you’ll likely live another 16 years.
*Americans added another 28 years to their life spans in the 20th century.
*Folks 85 and up are the fastest-growing age group in our society. The second fastest? Those who are 100 or older. This means that folks who are 50 might expect to have half of their adult life ahead of them.
Social Security matters aside, how can we spend these years feeling healthy and happy?
Dr. John W. Rowe and Robert L. Kahn think they have the answers. They’ve written a book, “Successful Aging,” based on a 10-year study of aging in America. The MacArthur Foundation paid for the $15 million project.
According to the authors, successful aging is based on three characteristics: a low risk of disease and disease-related disability; high mental and physical function; and the desire to remain actively engaged with life.
“Each factor is important in itself,” says Rowe, who is president of Mount Sinai Hospital and School of Medicine in New York. “And to some extent, independent of the others.”
Additionally, the book debunks common myths about aging and puts the future in the individual’s hands. Here are some of the myths they toss out the window:
*Myth No. 1: To be old is to be sick.
The book compares the health of 65- to 74-year-olds in 1960 and those the same age in 1990, finding a dramatic reduction in three precursors to chronic disease: high blood pressure, high cholesterol levels and smoking.
Between 1982 and 1989, there were also significant reductions in other diseases, such as arthritis, hardening of the arteries, dementia, hypertension, stroke and emphysema.
*Myth No. 2: You can’t teach an old dog new tricks.
The MacArthur research shows that older people can and do learn new things. And contrary to what insurance company ads would have you believe, 95 percent of older people live in the community at large; only 5 percent are in nursing homes.
Among those aged 74 to 81 at the beginning of the study, a full half showed no mental decline over the following seven years.
*Myth No. 3: The horse is out of the barn.
This has to do with claims from longtime smokers that there’s no point in stopping now.
“Certainly it’s better to start healthy habits early and sustain them for a lifetime,” Rowe says. “But for those who have strayed…nature is remarkably forgiving.”
He cites research that shows the benefits brought about by smoking cessation, sensible diet and exercise.
*Myth No. 4: The secret to successful aging is to choose your parents wisely.
If your grandparents died young or old, will you follow suit? Not necessarily.
According to “Aging Successfully,” genetics account for only 30 percent of our longevity and vitality. Lifestyle, including diet, physical activity and social ties, account for the rest. The really good news is that it’s never too late to effect lifestyle changes that will make a difference.
*Myth No. 5: The elderly don’t pull their own weight.
Rowe discusses seniors who contribute to society through volunteering, social activism and continued productivity of all kinds, paid and unpaid.
Many retirees begin exciting new careers that keep them engaged with life. It is not uncommon to read about those who return to school to get a degree in a field that interested them in their youth but remained an unfulfilled dream.