In a recent newspaper article entitled, "What To Do Now to Feel
Better at 100," the article's author told a story of hiking in the
Grand Canyon with her grandson. At one point, the grandson turned
to his grandmother and asked, "Grandma, how many 69 year- olds do
you think could do this?" My first response was surprise that the
grandson knew his grandmother's age; I can only imagine what a
difficult concept 69 is to a 10 year old. I was more taken aback by
the grandson's question, as 69 seems a perfectly reasonable age to
me for someone to be out hiking.
Which leads us, in a roundabout fashion, to the concept of our
perceptions of age and aging. The very fact that it has become
mainstream thinking to make plans for how to be a healthy
centenarian is something that most of us now greet without blinking
an eye. Scanning the obituaries, it has become commonplace to see
people living to an age that was scarcely imaginable not so long
ago. Frankly, numbers seem to mean less and less, while physical,
emotional, and mental status are the true measures of health at any
age.
The goal, of course, is to live as long and healthy a life as
possible. Whether it makes sense for all of us to strive to be 100
is a very different issue altogether. I find the prospect rather
daunting, although if you'd asked me at 20 what I thought about
being 55, I might have had a similar response.
The focus of "What To Do Now to Feel Better at 100" was on two
major influences, written about by a specialist in geriatrics.
According to Dr. Mark Lachs, we all possess something called
physiologic reserve. This is an excess capacity that we all start
out with, and which diminishes over time. If we can slow down the
loss of this excess capacity, we will age more successfully. With
an emphasis on the decline in muscle strength, Dr. Lachs points out
that most of us who are healthy will remain mobile into our 80's or
90's. But, as Dr. Lachs also points out, given our new longevity,
"today millions of people have survived long enough to keep a date
with immobility."
Simply taking a walk every day can mean major changes in your
health down the road. And, what is even better, it is never too
late to start a walking program. As Dr. Lachs comments rather
pointedly, "the embers of disability begin smoldering long before
you're handed a walker."
The other major component for healthy aging is a healthy
environment. It makes sense to look around your home and to make
adjustments to your environment before problems present themselves.
If, as a colleague of Dr. Lachs points out, "most dwellings and
equipment were designed for 21 year-olds," we need to give
conscious consideration to our surroundings, i.e. poor lighting,
windows and doors that stick, stairs and bathrooms and bathtubs
that become increasingly inaccessible as we age.
If we plan - and act - now, we will have reason to celebrate at
100.
Laura Solomon
Director, Covenant Methodist Home Care
Chicago Senior Living
Assisted Living
in Chicago