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The Graying of America
<br />✓ About half of all the people who have ever
<br />lived to be 65 or -older are alive today.
<br />✓ life expectancy at birth in the U.S. was 47
<br />years in 1900; it is now about 76.
<br />✓ More than 70 percent of people now live to
<br />age 65, almost three times as many as at the
<br />start of the century.
<br />Six Myths ofAging
<br />Society is in persistent denial of some important
<br />truths about aging. We view the aged as sick,
<br />demented, frail, weak, disabled, powerless, sexless,
<br />passive, alone, unhappy, and unable to learn — in
<br />short a rapidly growing mass of irreversibly ill,
<br />irretrievable older Americans. To make use of the
<br />new scientific knowledge and experience its ben-
<br />efits, we must "unlearn" the myths of aging.
<br />Myth: To be old is to be sick.
<br />_ act: Only 5.2 percent of older people reside in
<br />nursing homes, down from 6.3 percent in 1982. Of
<br />Americans aged 75 -84 in 1994,73 percent reported
<br />no disability. Even after age 85.40 percent were
<br />fu::y functional- The reduction in disability appears
<br />to be acLe!erating, even among those over age 957-1
<br />Myth: You can't teach an old dog new tricks.
<br />Fact: The less people are challenged, the less they
<br />can perform. Older people can, and do, learn new
<br />things — and learn them well. In one experiment,
<br />older people who showed declines in inductive
<br />reasoning and spatial orientation made significant
<br />and longlasting improvement after five training
<br />sessions.12
<br />Myth: The horse is out of the barn.. Many believe
<br />that, after decades of fat -laden foods, no exercise
<br />and overindulging in alcohol, what they have lost is
<br />gone forever and cannot be recovered.
<br />Fact: Nature is remarkably forgiving. The risk of
<br />heart disease begins to fall almost as soon as you
<br />quit smoking. In five years, an ex- smoker is not
<br />much more likely to have heart disease than some-
<br />one who never smoked — and the good effects of
<br />quitting hold regardless of age, how much or how
<br />long you smoked. The same is true for obesity,
<br />✓ From the birth of Christ to 1900, life ex-
<br />pectancy increased each year an average of
<br />three days. Since 1900, it has increased 110
<br />days a year.
<br />✓ The "old old" (over age 75) are the fastest
<br />growing segment of the population: in 1900,
<br />4 percent of the over -65 population was
<br />over age 85; now more than 10 percent are.
<br />— From Successful Aging
<br />blood sugar, blood pressure, cholesterol, triglycer-
<br />ides, and decreased physical functioning.
<br />Myth: The secret to successlul aging is to choose your
<br />parents wisely.
<br />Fact: With rare exceptions, only about 30 percent
<br />of physical aging can be blamed on genes and only
<br />about half of changes in mental function. This leaves
<br />substantial room for healthy lifestyle to protect the
<br />mind and body. Also, as we grow older, genetics
<br />become less important, and environmental factors
<br />more important.'
<br />Myth: The rights may be on, but the voltage is low.
<br />Fact: In an early study, about 70 percent of 68-
<br />year -old men were sexually active. At age 78, this
<br />dropped to about 25 percent. due mostly to health.
<br />Among older women, the major factor for declining
<br />sexual activity was the unavailability of an appropri-
<br />ate partner. The same study repeated today would
<br />likely show greater sexual activity.
<br />Apart from sexual activitythe-basic human need
<br />for affectionate physical contact, which is apparent
<br />even in newborn infants, persists throughout life.
<br />The voltage is never too low for that — in fact, it
<br />may help keep the lights on.
<br />Myth: The elderly don't pull their own weight
<br />Fact The unstated assumptions are that every-
<br />body who works for pay is pulling his or her weight,
<br />and those who do not are a burden. The truth is
<br />some people who are paid do little or nothing
<br />useful while unpaid but productive work — in the
<br />home or as. a volunteer — is uncounted. Also,
<br />millions of seniors are, ready, willing and able to
<br />increase their productivity, both paid and voluntary,
<br />given a chance. 10 .
<br />— Excerpted, with editing, from Successful Aging
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