Coffee’s Surprising Perk
Coffee drinkers expect a quick, short-term boost from their cup of joe, but a new study suggests that drinking coffee may have long-term health benefits as well. Researchers tracked the diets of more than 47,000 female nurses for multiple decades beginning in the early ‘70s. A positive correlation was found between the amount of caffeine the women consumed (typically from coffee) between the ages of 45 and 60 years, and the probability of aging well. Read more in the New York Times.
A Long-Term Plan for Aging
Experts predict a crisis in long-term care as demand grows and the number of available workers decreases. The industry is facing multiple challenges, including a rapidly aging population, the potential for an even more pronounced labor shortage due to punitive immigration policies, and cost-of-care increases equaling as much as 10 percent for some services. Furthermore, according to a recent poll, significant numbers of adults have misconceptions about long-term care coverage, and only a small percentage have an assisted living plan in place. How do you assess the likelihood of needing long-term care, and what options are available to you? The NYT offers some thoughts.
What We’re Reading
Super Agers: An Evidence-Based Approach to Longevity, by Dr. Eric Topol, explores the burgeoning study and science of longevity. Topol, a cardiologist and molecular scientist, initially posited that genetic makeup was the key to a longer lifespan. However, further research found that lifestyle factors—including diet, exercise, and social connection—had a far greater impact on longevity. This revelation is welcome news, suggesting we all have some control when it comes to healthy aging. Read a review of the book at the Wall Street Journal.
What’s the Limit on Age Limits?
California Democrats, still reeling from the Presidential election, are exploring a mandatory retirement age for elected officials at the local and state levels. Notably, the specific age at which politicians would be required to retire has not yet been determined. While there’s been an unfortunate history of party leaders staying in office too long, is a blatantly ageist policy really the answer? Read more about what the Democrats, and others, think about age limits.
What We’re Watching
“Aging in America: Survive or Thrive,” a new documentary airing this month on PBS, is based on the groundbreaking book, “Why Survive? Being Old in America,” by gerontologist and activist Dr. Robert Butler (originator of the term “ageism”). The film takes a critical look at how older Americans have fared in the 50 years since Butler’s book was published. While some progress has been made, our elders deserve better, much better.
Grey Matter Matters
It’s critical to support brain health at every stage of life. Experts offer advice for improving and preserving cognitive wellbeing, beginning as children (focus on good nutrition and sleep), and extending through the teens (be aware of potential mental health and anxiety issues), midlife (pay attention to vascular health), and older adulthood (stay socially engaged). Read all of the recommendations at the San Francisco Chronicle.
Maybe, Don’t Come In From the Cold
New research found that cold-water immersion (14°C/57.2°F) has positive effects on cellular repair and resistance. Subjects, exposed for one hour daily, showed an increase in a critical biological protective mechanism after just one week. Read more about the (limited) study, and the link between cold exposure and longevity at SciTechDaily.
A Vaccine to Fight Dementia?
It might already exist. Advanced research conducted by Stanford Medicine found that the shingles vaccine may, in fact, do double duty: treating its intended target, and offering protection against developing dementia, lowering the risk by as much as 20%. The findings support a nascent medical hypothesis that viruses impacting the nervous system can negatively affect cognitive functioning. Read more about the groundbreaking study at Stanford News Center.
The Ultimate Aging Flex
Exercise has long been acknowledged as critical to healthy aging. However, older adults, especially those in their mid-60s and beyond, should refocus their routines to emphasize three key functions: balance, flexibility, and strength. The latter is perhaps most important as muscle mass starts to decline around age 50. Experts also advise that older adults need to exercise more frequently to see the same benefits as those realized by younger adults. Read more about how to switch up your workouts as you age, and why it’s never too late to start.
Going Deep
The documentary, “The Last of the Sea Women” explores the lives of haenyeos, the mostly older women (typically in their 70s), who sustain the ancient, yet dying, practice of gathering seafood from the reefs and sea floor surrounding their home off the coast of South Korea. They make between 100 and 300 dives per day, often in cold and challenging conditions. While the work is tough, the women are well respected and admired, and enjoy a position of distinction in local society—an anomaly in our #ageist world. Streaming on Apple TV+.
Are Older Workers the Key to AI Adoption?
New research found that – contrary to popular assumptions – midcareer and mature workers can be an asset in the successful rollout of AI tools. Generation, a global workforce nonprofit, identified a group of older “power users” who are significantly ahead of the curve in effectively implementing AI. Why have these individuals been successful? According to Generation, adoption requires not only technological expertise, but the ability to align AI with human values and knowledge, the latter being a strength of experienced employees. The organization further suggests that pairing younger and older workers would make an effective, intergenerational dream team, with the greatest likelihood of constructively deploying AI. Read more about the findings in Harvard Business Review.
Your Age Could Be Your Edge
Katerina Stroponiati is a venture capitalist with a unique approach to investing. Her singular - and contrarian - criterion for funding early-stage tech companies? Founders must be at least 50 years old. Stroponiati believes that wisdom, experience, connections, and credibility – characteristics most often associated with older professionals – are the intangibles critical to successful launches. Read more about her Brilliant Minds fund, and key research that supports her approach.
Nature vs Nurture
A healthy lifestyle can take you only so far. Research shows that eating right, exercising often, and otherwise adopting healthy habits can extend the lifespan—to about 80, or even 90 years of age. After that, genetics are likely the most significant factor. Do you have any centenarians in your family? Read the NYT article to find out more about longevity influences.
Finding Time to Grieve
What we’re reading: “Memorial Days,” by Pulitzer Prize-winning author Geraldine Brooks. A spare tale of marriage and mourning, Brooks’s memoir explores the trauma of her husband’s sudden death at age 60 (he was Tony Horowitz, also a renowned literary figure), and the all-encompassing loss she experienced after 35 years of marriage. The chapters alternate between the immediate, frenzied aftermath of Horowitz’s death, and three years hence, when Brooks decamps to a remote corner of her native Australia to finally find the time, and space, to fully grieve. Read the Wall Street Journal’s review of this moving narrative of sorrow and remembrance.
Fighting Ageism at Any Age
Elderspeak–talking in a condescending or other demeaning manner to older adults–is one of the many prevalent ways ageism is manifested. And sometimes it happens well before senior citizenship. As NPR notes, pushing back against ageist comments in all forms, including those directed internally, is one key to a longer, healthier life.
A Moving Movie About Age-Related Dementia
The documentary film, “Keys Bags Names Words” (the things Alzheimer’s patients lose most often), examines the disease from multiple perspectives, including exploring positive approaches to caring for, and connecting with, those affected. Visit the film’s website to find out about upcoming screenings, or to schedule one of your own.
The Vitalizing Effects of Volunteering
In addition to serving your community, new research found that volunteering can serve you, as well! Even giving your time for just one hour a week can contribute to a longer, healthier life. Experts noted that volunteering supports physical, social, and psychological benefits, resulting in a positive impact on biological aging. Follow the link below to Health.com to read more about the benefits of helping others.
Can Driving a Taxi Tax Your Brain?
In a word: Yes! It turns out driving a taxi can tax your brain—but in a good way. Recent research found that U.S. taxi (and ambulance) drivers had the lowest incidence of death due to Alzheimer’s disease among the more than 400 occupations included in the study. Researchers attributed this to drivers’ use of complex cognitive skills to navigate trips (most participants worked prior to today’s ubiquitous reliance on GPS). Whether solving spatial challenges, or engaging in other decision-based activities such as chess, stimulating your brain can be key to brain health.
Follow the link below to The Wall Street Journal to learn more.
Brain Health: The Benefits of Learning How to Play Music
For many kids, learning how to play an instrument is a key part of their formative years. Not only does it help with brain development, it also helps elevate moods and reduce stress. For older adults who pick up an instrument, the list of benefits expands, including the possibility of reduced risk of dementia. Read more at The Atlantic.
The Long and Winding Road
Might we take a different route if we knew we’d live to be 100? According to the Pew Research Center, nearly half a million Americans are expected to live to at least 100 years of age by 2050—that’s quadruple the current number of centenarians. Laura Carstensen, founder of Stanford University’s Center on Longevity, suggests we need to rethink our traditional pathways to optimize this new-found longevity. For example, she suggests making childhood longer, or working less while rearing children and more later in life instead of retiring. Read on for more innovative ideas.