Thomas L. Cory, Ph.D.
We are an aging society. Americans 65 and older now comprise more than 13% of our population. The number of centenarians in our country topped 70,000 in 2006. And our life expectancy continues to slowly increase.
Now consider this: Beca Levy, Ph.D. of Yale University studied pretty much the entire over 60 population of Oxford, Ohio for many years. Dr. Levy was particularly interested in what factors predicted longevity. Here's what she found: An individual's attitude towards aging was a better predictor of longevity than virtually any other measured factor. Individuals with a positive attitude towards aging at age 60 tended to live, on the average, more than 7&1/2 years longer than those with a negative attitude. A positive attitude toward aging was, in fact, a better predictor of longevity that cholesterol level, amount of exercise, or whether the individual did or did not smoke.
Fascinating. In a culture that in many ways still denigrates aging with jokes about "senior moments," rocking chairs, botox, and senility, the best predictor of longevity is a positive attitude towards aging. But we're ahead of our story, in fact, about 2000 years ahead.
Good Roman Advice
"All would live long, but none would be old."
-Benjamin Franklin
The Roman statesman-philosopher Marcus Tullius Cicero (106-43 BCE) spent considerable time thinking, and writing, about aging. In his essay "De senectute," (On Old Age) Cicero writes, "...I find that there are four reasons for old age being thought unhappy; First, that it withdraws us from active employments; second, that it enfeebles the body; third, that it deprives us of nearly all physical pleasures; fourth, that it is the next step to death."
Well, needless to say, Cicero-well over 60 when he wrote "De senectute," then goes to some length to rebut each of these rather familiar sounding stereotypes and furthermore to offer surprisingly contemporary sounding advice on how to age with grace and dignity.
For example, he points out that … "The great affairs of life are not performed by physical strength or activity, or nimbleness of body, but by deliberation, charaction, and expression of opinion. Of these old age is not only not deprived, but, as a rule, has them in greater degree."
And how about the belief that memory fails with age? Again, let's consider Cicero's answer: "But it is said, memory dwindles. No doubt, unless you keep it in practice or if you happen to be somewhat dull by nature...Old men retain their intellects well enough, if only they keep their minds active and fully employed."
Cicero would be gratified, but certainly not surprised, to find that several recent studies by the American Psychological Association's Task Force on Aging have found that humans in later years have far more physical and mental health than was previously thought. For example, physiological studies indicate that adults continue to grow new brain cells throughout life. Other studies clearly indicate that memory and cognitive abilities do not automatically decline with aging and, in those cases where some decline does occur, memory loss can be reversed through regular mental exercises and daily memory checks.
Now, if they'd just read Cicero... . Well, without belaboring the point, Cicero also has little patience with the idea that the elderly are by definition "weak and feeble." Interestingly, he suggests that you can remain vigrorous and keep up your strengths through long walks, gardening, etc., and that by living wisely you can stay happy and productive until it is your time to gracefully depart this earth. As Cicero points out, it is your attitude and your beliefs about aging that will determine the quality of your later years.
And he's right. Just as the subjects who had a positive attitude toward aging were found to live on average in 7&1/2 years in Dr. Levy's study, other research strongly suggests that if you believe your memory will decline as you get older, you're right. On the other hand, if you believe you can keep your memory healthy and functional as you age, you're also right. But that ‘s not the end of the story.
Back to the Future (Or Present)
"The only way to make friends with time is to make friends with people."
-Robert McAfee Brown
Since about the mid-1960s psychologists, psychiatrists, and sociologists have been struggling with the concept of "Successful Aging." While everyone seems to agree that successful aging has to have something to do with happiness and life satisfaction, it turns out that no one can quite agree on what these terms mean. So lets briefly review some of the theories of "successful aging" and what it entails. What we'll find is that the definition of successful aging has changed any number of times over the past few decades.
Back in the 1960s, we had the "disengagement theory" of aging which proposed, essentially that “in the normal course of aging, people gradually withdrew or disengaged
from social roles as a natural response to lessened capabilities and diminished interest...the successfully aging person willingly retires from work or family life and contentedly takes to a rocking chair." -Bearon, 1996
Well somehow I don't think the AARP would be too excited about that theory. Nor, as it turns out, were researchers in the 1970s who came up with the "activity theory." Now according to this much more palatable theory, people were seen to age most successfully when "they participate in a full round of daily activities, that is keep busy."
-Lemon et al., 1972
OK., this theory sounds more promising and actually guided national policy throughout several decades. Keep the elderly busy and they'll be happy. So what could be wrong with that idea? Makes sense. Except for one, well actually several, small problems. I.e.: Busy at what? Does everyone over 60 or 70 enjoy the same activities? Not likely. And we do know that older people are not all the same, that many people prefer less structured lives.
So we then came up with the "continuity theory," which proposes that the people who age most successfully are those who "carry forward the habits, preferences, lifestyles and relationships from midlife into late life." In other words, those adults who age successfully basically keep on doing pretty much what they've done from their midlife on, provided their midlife was happy. But suppose their midlife wasn't happy?
More recently, we've begun to develop viable models of successful aging, models that recognize individual differences while emphasizing the positive possibilities of aging. And thankfully, we've gotten totally away from equating length of life to successful aging. If there's one thing researchers do agree on, its that quality of life is more important than mere length of life.
A Good Life Well Lived
"People like you and I, though mortal of course, do not grow old, no matter how
how long we live...(We) never cease to stand like curious children before the
great mystery into which we were born."
-Albert Einstein
The UCLA School of Medicine recently interviewed and studied 1200 adults between the ages of 70-99. Their results indicated that successful aging could be defined as:
1) a high level of engagement with life.
2) low risk of disease.
3) high physical and cognitive functioning.
Interestingly enough, the UCLA researchers found that socialization and moderate physical activity helped maintain a high level of cognitive functioning not only among their healthy subjects but also among those subjects with chronic physical ailments.
So if we define successful aging at least partially in terms of a reasonably high level of cognitive functioning, interacting with others and staying physically active are pretty important. In Eastern cultures such as China, Japan, Thailand, and Tibet, they've know this for centuries. Not to mention Okinawa with a disproportionately high percentage of healthy, active elderly. In their society, the elderly are respected for their wisdom and experience, often consulted regarding important personal matter, and, as a matter of course, expected to stay active and productive members of society as long as possible. No mandatory retirement age, no assisted living. Interesting ... . Evidently, when aging is considered in the context of experience gained and knowledge to pass on, the elderly do better.
It is this staying involved with life that I feel really is at the heart of successful aging. And while for many individuals this involvement equates to an active social life,
research and personal observation suggest that an active pursuit of life-long learning is another key element in staying involved. Retirement and the years after provide an opportunity to pursue college courses--often available at no or minimal cost--for the elderly. Courses in art, history, science, literature are all there for the asking.
Think about this: There is a retirement community in New England, run by Lassel University, that requires, as one of the covenants for living there, that residents spend 450 hours a year in some form of active learning. You can take college courses, teach a course yourself, attend lectures by guest speakers, etc.. Someone has clearly figured out that life-long learning enhances the quality of life.
There's more. Staying involved with life also means contributing to life in meaningful ways. Mentoring, doing volunteer work, the possibilities are endless. For those of us who aren't quite there yet--as Oliver Wendell Holmes wrote, "Old age is l5 years older than I am"- it is our responsibility to make sure that as people age they still
have the opportunity to contribute.
In fact I would argue--and I believe the research supports this--that graceful aging is aging engaged in life, not life seen from a rocking chair. But how about asking the elderly to define what they see as successful aging. A recent study in the American Journal of Geriatric Psychology notes that “according to seniors,” successful aging involves:
a. active participation in a variety of interesting and fulfilling
social and intellectual activities.
b. developing more close friendships.
c. meaningful and positive interactions with family.
d. as much independence as possible.
Again, shades of Cicero. Perhaps our tendency to place our relatives in assisted living as soon as we can really isn't necessarily in their best interest. Perhaps we're protecting our independence at the expense of theirs.
But how about the elderly who do need assistance, the population we sometimes refer to as the "frail elderly?" Or those with Alzheimer's disease? The error we make is assuming that there really is little we can do for these individuals. And yet research is beginning to show that even those individuals in a state of dependency can find satisfaction and meaning in their lives if we're willing to give them a chance. Providing stimulation for the frail elderly in the form of family and social interaction, music, art, and appropriate physical movement clearly improves the quality of their lives.
And how about your proximity to death? Once again, consider Cicero, not to mention a bunch of other philosophers and theoreticians, who basically says "get over it."
In fact Cicero makes the rather obvious point that the only thing your mortality should encourage you to do is live your life to the fullest, develop your spiritual self, and stop wasting time. Tough to improve on those ideas.
And In Summary…..
"None are so old as those who have outlived enthusiasm.
-Henry David Thoreau
So let's review what you can do to age with grace and dignity.
* Begin now to develop a lifestyle that is happy and fulfilling. See aging as simply an
opportunity to devote more time to that lifestyle.
* Remember that successful aging is based on life-long learning. Actively pursue your
interests. Take college courses, go on elder hostel trips, read, watch educational TV.
* Keep contributing. Don't allow anyone to tell you you're too old to help others or your
community.
* Stay reasonably active. If sports and exercise aren't your thing that's ok., but at least go
for a walk, garden, wash your car, play golf. Don't let your body rust.
* Stay involved with others. Meet new people. Join a club that interests you. If you've
always been something of a loner that's ok. too, but again consider what you can do to
help others.
* And remember, even if you become physically dependent on others, your mind still
works. You may have to remind your caretakers of this from time to time and that's ok,
too.
My hope is that by considering the ideas and research presented in this article you might reconsider your ideas about the elderly and what constitutes successful aging. Life satisfaction, happiness, self-esteem, a sense of having value and importance to others, all these are clearly characteristics of those who age with grace. If you are not yet a member of what is often now referred to as "third-agers," now is the time to construct a style and quality of life that you can continue as long as possible. Yes, your body will change, eventually your mobility will be limited, but there is always something to learn, someone to help, a life to live. Remember, our goal is to die living.