As life expectancy increases, expectations of healthy aging also increase.

The fountain of youth may still be a myth, but a longer life expectancy is now a reality.

In fact, life expectancy at birth in the United States has increased over 30 years in just over a hundred years to 78.6 years.

But with the increase in life expectancy, one question arises: how do people stay healthy as they get older? A new concept of healthy aging has emerged. In fact, some are using a new word for aging baby boomers – the "perennials" – to describe people who want to lead active, thriving lives until they reach old age.

What is healthy aging? As members of the Healthy Aging Research Network, we looked at the factors that affect the lives of Americans, how to stay healthy, and how to prolong their lives. By taking a holistic view, we defined healthy aging as "the development and maintenance of optimal physical, mental (emotional and emotional), spiritual and social wellbeing and function in people". elderly ".

But achieving that goal is quite different.

Moving demographics, changing views

We now know many of the factors that influence healthy aging – genetic makeup, cell biology, behaviors, personal perspectives on aging, social engagement and the environment – and the importance of considering aging as the culmination of all these factors. Despite the accumulation of chronic diseases such as arthritis, dementia, heart disease, diabetes or cancer, aging is not a "disease" but rather an ongoing process that occurs from birth to death. Social and behavioral determinants are often predictive factors for premature death that are stronger than biology or health care.

However, there are fundamental questions about what aging means in the United States and abroad. This is important to consider because stereotypes about aging can be health risks themselves, as research has shown that the negative perception of aging can reduce life by 7.5 years.

In the early 1900s, life expectancy at birth in the United States was less than 50 years and only a very small percentage of Americans lived up to the age of 65 .

As a result, people did not expect to live until old age and the concept of healthy aging was unthinkable. Few people, including the elderly, health professionals or policy makers, could imagine the costs associated with aging with chronic conditions for individuals and society.

Now, aging is a global phenomenon with 962 million people aged 60 and over in the world, including about 78 million North Americans. With an average life expectancy of around 80 years and the possibility of living to 125 years on the horizon, there is more concern about the factors and consequences of life in the 80s, 90s, 100s and beyond.

The aging of the population, with older people becoming an increasingly important part of the population, is becoming the "new standard" in the world. This has the effect of demystifying certain stereotypes about the aging of the planet as a phenomenon that occurs only in the most developed countries. Although Japan and European countries have the highest percentages of older people, population aging rates are actually higher in many developing regions such as Asia, Africa and Latin America. With globalization and rapid urbanization, families are often more mobile, social support networks are collapsing, health systems are inadequate, and older people are often left in isolated villages for their own health. take care of them.

On the positive side, we in the United States can learn how some countries are successfully addressing their aging population and age-related condition by considering comprehensive community-based approaches such as dementia-friendly communities.

Creeping Ageism

Despite the growing proportion of older people in our society, many people still have stereotypical ideas about aging and view older people as less capable. Often, the images they hold describe aging as synonymous with fragility, loneliness and poverty.

Similarly, depictions of over-aging, such as 90-year-olds running marathons, reflect extreme cases that are not necessarily true for most 80, 90 or 100-year-olds. Healthy aging does not mean that everyone has to be at their best in all dimensions. on the contrary, it means that everyone should live a full life.

Above all, it is important to fight against ageism in all its forms, which requires a change in our mentalities and policies, to the detriment of negative stereotypes of aging.

Recognizing that aging is a societal and individual concern, it is important to identify concrete actions at all levels that can make a difference.

For large-scale change, we believe that multiple sectors – aging services, public health and health care – and policy makers, health professionals, families and the elderly themselves can take action. We believe that public support needs to be strengthened to allow the growing number of perennials to acquire the well-documented keys to healthy aging. These include a positive attitude towards aging, physical activity, access to healthy foods, social bonding and living in safe communities.

To this end, several aging advocacy groups have come together to launch a campaign to "reframe" or "disrupt" aging – highlighting its positive aspects, but also recognizing the realities of aging. conditions.

A crucial factor is to rethink the role of older people in society and to have meaningful roles throughout life, whether paid or unpaid. We need to fight against aging ideas that prevent older workers from keeping good paying jobs or finding new ones if they become unemployed. As researchers, we found the positive impact of evidence-based programs for self-management of chronic diseases, physical activity, falls prevention and improved mode. of life to promote health and autonomy.

The challenge will not go away

By 2050, there will be more than 2 billion seniors in the world. By 2035, there will be more adults 65 years and older than children under 18 in the United States. This unprecedented transformation can result in dark projections. Although these numbers are changing the game, the aging of the population does not have to be fate.

These projections can also serve as a catalyst for creating a society that values ​​older people, promotes supportive social and physical environments for healthy aging, encourages intergenerational differences in intergenerational conflict, and encourages seniors to take their health into the future. hand. However, this requires a commitment to programs and services that help seniors maintain their health and function.

We want to envision a world where intimate relationships would be perceived as natural at any age, with most falls preventable, technology is ubiquitous for extending the health and well-being of older people, and caregivers have a role to play. More importantly, we believe that it is better for society as a whole that perennials continue to play a dynamic and productive role, whether at home, in the community or at work.