Healthy Aging

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Healthy Aging

• John Puxty
• Queens University

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Aging Stereotypes
vs
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Age is not necessarily a barrier!
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The Search for an Elixir of Youth
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Elixir of Youth
The hard way to stay young is to eat right and
exercise daily The easy way is to lie about your
age!
Growing old isnt so bad when you consider the
alternative
(Maurice Chevalier)
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Life Expectancy and Health Modifiers

• Ancestral longevity
• Social contacts
• Exercise
• Nutrition
• Schooling and Intellectual stimulation
• Employment history
• Obesity
• Finance
• Tobacco avoidance
• Illness prevention
• Minimize challenges
• Empowerment

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Pick healthy and long-lived relatives!
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Social contacts help!
Married men live 8 years longer than single men
and 10 years longer than widowed men
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Social contacts help!
Married women live 3 years longer than single
women and 4 years longer than widowed women
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Exercise and Aging

• Most of the muscle loss with age is secondary to
  inactivity and diet

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Exercise and Aging

• Exercise started at age 35-39 results in 2 years
  of life gain!

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Exercise and Aging

• Exercise started at age 75 results in nearly 1/2
  year of life gain!

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Exercise and Aging

• Consider setting aside 30 minutes, three times a
  week for both stretching and muscle bulk-building
  exercises

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Nutrition is important
Changes in lean body mass and fat with aging
occurs partly as result of changes in metabolic
rate, lack of exercise and diet
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Nutrition is important
The risks of osteoporosis and fractures are
reduced with vitamin D, calcium and oestrogen
replacement
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Schooling and Intellectual Stimulation
Education is protective both in terms of
intellectual and physical activity. Appears also
to be associated with longevity
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Employment History
Prognosis is poorer with unrelated multiple
changes or ...
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Employment History
Lack of development potential
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Obesity high in Baby Boomers
Heart and Stroke Foundation Report on Baby
Boomers
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Lack of insight of Baby Boomers
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Obesity avoidance Why Bother?
Approximately 1.3 million, or 21 of Canadian
Baby Boomers (45 to 59 years old), have already
been diagnosed with heart disease, stroke or high
blood pressure. 42 of Canadians already in
their 60s report having heart disease, stroke or
hypertension. Boomers with their high rates
of obesity and inactivity are likely at higher
risk
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Obesity avoidance
Obesity is associated with arthritis, diabetes,
hyperlipidemia, heart disease and a poor prognosis
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Finance
High income males live six years longer than
lowest income males
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Finance
Retirement planning is necessary long before the
age of 65 years
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The Elderly and Finance 2001

• Average income of Canadian seniors is 21,000 per
  year
• Average income of men (24,500) falls with age -
  27,500 for 65-69 falling to 18,700 for 85
  group
• Little change in income of women (15,300) with
  age
• Between 1980-1999 couples with low income fell
  from 13 to 4
• Certain sub-groups have much higher poverty
  levels eg. Very old, women, immigrants

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Finance
The inheritance pool is as big as it going to
get! A lack of will planning is costly!
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Tobacco avoidance
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Illness Prevention
Never too early and never too late!
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Illness Prevention
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Minimize Challenges
Review your medications
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Minimize Challenges
Review the environment you live in for potential
hazards
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Minimize Challenges
Review the environment you live in for barriers
to independence
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Empower Yourself
vs
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Enjoy life to the fullest!
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Life Expectancy and Health Modifiers

• A ncestral longevity
• S ocial contacts
• E xercise
• N utrition
• S chooling and Intellectual stimulation
• E mployment history
• O besity
• F inance
• T obacco avoidance
• I llness prevention
• M inimize challenges
• E mpowerment

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Some can ignore good advice!
Jeanne Calment at 116 years young in 1991