The perils of being old(er)
I watched Don Lemon’s interview with Clive Davis, Whitney Houston’s agent/record producer. He was 90 years old.
I asked myself, would I be so lucky to be as smart and coherent as this man? There was no hint of him being a pre-boomer generation of older people. The man insists that retirement is the furthest thing on his mind. He goes about his business like it was 50 years ago. Inevitably, he was asked what he thinks about Pres. Joe Biden in taking on a second term. If he runs and wins a second term, he would be 82 at the inauguration.
His take on this question is predictable in a public forum like that. But, on the other hand, we are all witnesses to what Mr. Davis was saying; we can make up our minds as the president carries on with his job of governing, communicating and leading. So let us also remind ourselves of the most often-used cliche about aging. It is just a number!
“Aging is an extraordinary process where you become the person you always should have been.” David Bowie
Ronald Reagan left office after a second term at 77, the oldest at that time. It was well known that he was showing some signs of Alzheimer’s by the time he finished the second term ( and eventually died of the disease at 93 ). Queen Elizabeth II was a working head of state until she passed on at 96.
AGING AND LONGEVITY ARE PRODUCTS OF NATURAL SELECTION
Our evolutionary path suggests that the mortality rate rises following the end of our fertility ( that is, our ability to reproduce). Our continued survival is inconsistent with our reproductive fitness. If the only factor determining our longevity is fertility, the human life span would be much less than it is now. Because we are no longer a total captive of natural selection, we have been able to intensify many contributing factors to increase our life expectancy. Every one of us, I am sure, even knows a person or two who are extraordinarily blessed with genes of longevity and able to defy our evolutionary trajectory.
One of the fascinating areas of human study includes components that contribute to long life. Well-known elements of human durability involve nutrition, exercise and sleep. However, even if we are resolute in our diet and all other prerequisites for long life, many environmental determinants contravene our chances for long healthy life. Water and air pollution and exposure to carcinogens are high on the list.
WHO ARE THE HAPPIEST AND HEALTHIEST PEOPLE IN THE WORLD?
Stress is ancillary to many afflictions we are susceptible to, especially in our later years. Yet, eighty years of extended research ( by psychiatrist Robert Waldinger of Harvard Study of Adult Development, TED Talk: Lessons from the World’s Longest Study of Happiness ) of the happiest and healthiest people points to those with a warm connection with others. “People had less depression, they were less likely to get diabetes and heart disease, and they recovered faster from illness when they had better connections with other people.” That is to say that they are the least stressed, even physically stronger and with sharper brains.
It is worth mentioning that the oldest person in Canada, Shige Mineshiba of Vancouver, at 113 ( who passed on in Jan this year ), credits “plenty of social outlets” as the key to her longevity. It all makes sense because Shige immigrated from Japan at 60. Japan ( specifically, the island of Okinawa), as is well known, is home to the oldest people in the world. Not incidentally, her two sisters lived to be 104 and 109.
Before leaving this topic, I would be remiss not to mention our “Hurricane” Hazel McCallion, who, at 101, continue to significantly contribute to Mississauga’s cultural and business life (read: https://www.balita.ca/in-the-throes-of-irrelevancy/ ) after serving as mayor for 36 years. Then my mother, at 99 ( 100 in 4 months ), is as clearheaded as some younger than her.
Anecdotal evidence can be conflicting and sometimes defy conventional wisdom. For example, it is not uncommon for people to reach their 80s but still cling to cigarettes. Many continue indulging in fat and sugar, frequently mentioned as the “enemy” of ripe old age. Then we hear people doing very well with 4 or 5 hours of sleep, despite the generally accepted norm of 8 hours.
These are environmental factors, one of the many components of long life. However, parental longevity remains the main predictor of life span. As mentioned earlier, genetics trumps environmental influences in determining long life.
WHAT DOES IT MEAN WHEN SOMEONE IS AGING GRACEFULLY?
A couple of years ago, while lined up at a lunch counter, the server, after I made my selection, asked me if my “daughter,” while looking at the woman beside me, wanted anything. Of course, I had to disrespectfully tell him she was my wife! I was not amused!
This incident was a rude awakening for me. If it was not an indication that I was much older looking than my wife, I don’t know what is. ( we are both of the same age ) Look at the disadvantage of a man in comparison with a woman, at least in the physical realm:
- Men spend more time outdoors; sun exposure ages the skin more quickly.
- Generally, men’s employment is more physical and stressful on the labour front.
- Droopy skin, baldness, smile lines and “turkey necks” appear more quickly in men.
- Despite some literature to the contrary, hormonally, women get better protection from female hormones than men get from their hormones.
- Overall, men are less likely to undertake practices that help them look younger, i.e. using makeup or more in tune with fashion.
- Physiological cardiovascular differences are disadvantageous to men; i.e. higher serum cholesterol in men also relates to ageing.
From high blood pressure to constipation, a long list of challenges catches us in all regions of the body, from head to foot. Baldness ( or thinning hair ), eyesight, hearing and balance problems, weak muscles, a big protruding belly, urinary issues, low libido, and arthritis from hips, knees and feet are afflictions of the old.
“Growing old is like being increasingly penalized for a crime you haven’t committed”
Anthony Powell, English author at age 68.
Just as necessary but not immediately apparent is our cognitive competence. Besides the more severe forms of dementia, forgetfulness is the leading complaint as we become elderly. It seems a universal sentiment to be forgetful, but what kind of forgetfulness could spell a more serious concern? Unable to locate a set of keys or eyeglasses are pale compared to an inability to recall the use of common implements such as forks and knives. Most experts agree that this is a higher level of absentmindedness.
It reminds me of an “old” joke about a house guest looking to use the washroom. When he thought he did, he was profuse in his delight at an automatic light as soon as he opened the door. Upon hearing his praise, the host reminded him that he had just peed in the fridge!
Not to make light of the cognitive issues we face in the latter part of our lives, this is the other side of the same coin. But are we doomed to a life of a confused, nonsensical state in our old age? No, of course not; however, dementia / Alzheimer’s statistics are sobering. For example, figures in Canada show 597,000 cases in 2020 ( 62% were women), which is projected to increase by 38% by 2030. In the U.K., there are 850,000 cases today ( 6 M in the U.S.), projected to rise to over 1 M by 2025. Moreover, the incidence of dementia doubles every five years after 65, and about a third have it by age 85.
30% of people with Alzheimer’s diagnosed at 85 had a pathology that began between the ages of 55 to 65. Unfortunately, attempts at treatment have failed because the underlying causes have not been identified, and treatment mostly has occurred late in the process. The latest mitigation to the effort is a drug called Lecanemab ( Leqembi ). It removed the plaques in the brain and was said to slow progression by 27%. However, the side effects are severe; brain swelling and bleeding have been noted. In addition, the cost is prohibitive at U.S. 25,000 a year.
WHAT DOES OUR FUTURE HOLD?
Discounting Jared, Adam, Noah and the rest of the biblical, mythological “hoary old goats,” the history of human longevity has been decidedly optimistic. The last fifty years have been dramatic. For instance, both of my grandparents on either side died in their sixties of “old age.” They were not only old looking but died of diseases that today do not even merit going to the hospital. Consistent medical breakthroughs are the bedrock of cumulative increases in life expectancy, now at 82.81 ( 79.05 in the U.S. and 72.12 in the Philippines).
Early detection and prevention have caused cancer death rates to decline by 33% since 1991. There are also 30% fewer heart-related death rates and hospitalization in ten years. But, the steady rise in our life span is now tempered by high rates of drug overdoses, obesity and suicides. Poverty, economic inequality and poor health care are the top reasons in less developed countries. Despite all these, we, collectively, will be around much longer than past generations. However, evolution would have probably given rise to a “Homo artificialis inteligencies” ( a generic superhuman ) before becoming a mythological Methuselah.
“We live in a youth-obsessed culture that is constantly trying to tell us that if we are not young, and we’re not glowing, and we’re not hot, that we don’t matter. I refuse to let a system or a culture, or a distorted view of reality tell me that I don’t matter. I know that only by owning who and what you are can you start to step into the fullness of life. Every year should be teaching us all something valuable. Whether you get the lesson is really up to you.”
Oprah Winfrey, in “O, the Oprah Magazine” 2011
HAPPY VALENTINES!