A NEW LOOK AT LONGETIVITY

 I have just received my degree as a certified futurist thanks to a wonderful lifelong learning course. A six-week course that sent me on a path to thinking about and researching longevity in the last few weeks. The impact may be even greater than the change. Are you ready?

According to the CDC, currently the average life span in the U.S. today is 77.5 years. Yet more and more people living are to 100 years and more, and what are we to do with the prediction that living to an active 125 years will soon be attainable. If you’re eager to live that long.

Frankly, I’m not. I am already twenty-four years past my expiration date and often feel, well, tired. I’ve put two careers behind me and now it looks as if I’ll need a third. (Of course, once you reach a certain age, you can’t plan too far in advance. A new five-year business plan might be out of the question.) Still.

Globally, the World Health Organization, WHO, predicts that by 2050 the population aged 60 years or more will double, while those aged 80 years or more will number 400 million persons. This extension of the lifespan is looked upon as a triumph of medical advances stemming from access to better treatments as well as a focus on preventive therapies.  

So I’m asking…is 80 fast becoming the new 70 in human years?

You’ll notice I have more questions than answers.

Longevity has been attributed to DNA, a positive attitude, a Blue Zone lifestyle - work, a plant based diet, red wine - and socialization. So-called, super-agers also may experience a metabolic slowdown, a slowdown of the aging process…which includes the brain. (Apparently Henry Kissinger at 100 years of age was still serving as a consultant on foreign affairs just before he passed.) But apparently one size does not fit all. One book on how to live longer does not apply to everyone.

Are we interested in longevity because we fear the alternative?

We do know that heart disease and cancer are the two most common causes of death at any age. Both are subjects to ongoing research with increasing positive survival rates. Some speculate specific targeting will eradicate cancer altogether in the near future. It’s already being done with varying degrees of success for different types of the disease. Early detection whether by chance or testing is the very best option.

Genome editing (changing the DNA of a cell or organism) holds great promise for cancer and a variety of diseases. Like AI, however, Genome editing carries a multitude of ethical concerns.

AI has taken its place in operating rooms. Over the last six years, I have had OR robots perform two quite different and successful surgeries on me - with the assistance of talented surgeons.

So, yes, I think we should fear AI and also be very grateful.

The medical community has already made great advancements in the skeletal department. We are fortunate to have an array of replacement parts…hip, knee, arms, elbows, etc. (And there are parts you can live quite nicely without, like the appendix.)

So many advancements have been made in the last fifty years; imagine what the next fifty will bring!  A cure for the common cold?

And then if you’re feeling young and great, the next step is clear.

Cosmetic surgery can completely transform the human body, removing years of wear and tear. A boom for the anti-aging population - mostly women. Although, I wonder why thirty year old women are subjecting to Botox injections on a regular basis. I don’t understand the big lips either, fish lips…rather resemble grouper lips. But perhaps with whatever procedures you choose, you’ll be able to look more like a 95 year old when you’re 125.

Is that a good thing?

When I did a small informal poll asking if folks would like to live to 125 most said yes as long as they enjoyed a good quality of life. Quality of life is soo subjective. And chancy!

The eldest in many cultures are revered for their wisdom which is a good thing. But what if in this new age of aging, the information you possessed at 100 years was irrelevant by the time you were 125? What then will you offer? (Just gives me goose bumps!)

One of my friends once told me, “I’m not afraid to die. I just don’t want to miss anything.”

And there’s that.

 

 

MY TRUTH

 I recently fell into a funk, unusual for this positive thinker, and the only way out was the truth. Sadly. Or not. So this is my truth.

I am what I am. I am done with pretending the old woman in the mirror is not me. While my mind tells me that I’m as much fun and as ready for adventure as I was when I was thirty-five…No. the truth is, adventure and fun have taken on new meanings. Adventure is going to a new hair stylist for the first time; fun is curling up with a cup of tea and immersing myself in a good book.  

My hair is silver, my toes are curling inward. Mysterious projectiles shoot from my mouth unexpectedly when I’m speaking. Sometimes I wobble when I walk. Strange sounds sometimes emanate from my body. Words that I know very well escape me. I stare into space waiting for them to return unless there are others in the room that jump in quickly to fill in my blanks. Obviously, my brain is not operating on all cylinders as it once did. It’s slower. But I’m over eighty and a decline is to be expected. 

My hand shakes with a familial tremor so when I attempt to order one item online, sometimes two (or more) arrive. There are wrinkles where my skin used to be English-fair and smooth and I do believe those are jowls starting to form.

With the exception of a few variants, the aging process is alike for most of us. Advanced aging (85 years plus) does not make us exceptional. It only makes us privileged. Admit it, super-ager has a nice ring!

 I’ve known friends who have become preoccupied attempting to understand the aging process they are experiencing and to bond with others of like health and mind. I get that. There is a certain comfort in belonging to a group. We want the reassurance of knowing we’re aging like our best friend Angie. Except when it becomes an obsession and we unwittingly become self-absorbed in the process. Aging being all we think about, all we research, all we care about. (Or anti-aging, but that’s a whole different bucket of worms and a three or four page essay.)

My late husband refused to become embroiled in health and or aging discussions. He would change the subject or leave the room. He’d rather talk about the state of the economy! And he hated politics.

Perhaps we should let nature take its course while we direct our mind and body into living our lives the best way possible despite the challenges presented by aging. Alas! I cannot visit Machu Picchu any longer. I’m lucky to be able to travel to Salt Lake City. But that’s where I’ll go now and visit family. My breathing issues have required me to change my plans and revise the bucket list. Hardship? Hardly.

So how did I fall into the funk in the first place? Too much focus on aging, both the pros and cons. Mostly cons. I was researching, writing and living the subject. So how did I escape the obsession/depression of aging? 

By pure accident I’ve found taking on responsibility helped me. Doing nothing in retirement years may seem like a dream but can quickly become your worst nightmare leading directly to the afore mentioned funk of depression and obsession.

I’ve signed on for volunteer work. I’ve chosen a volunteer responsibility which interests and excites me. I may not be able to contribute as many hours as I would have in younger days, but that’s acceptable and more than okay for most organizations.

These new responsibilities don’t mean a new ache or pain won’t have me venting in frustration or making a doctor visit, but a blip is a blip, a paragraph rather than a short story. I’ll take care of each new challenge (and they will come!) and move on. Simply put. The secret to overcoming aging obsession is responsibility to something or someone other than yourself. You may not be able to make a five year plan in good conscious but making a plan for today is totally reasonable. It’s called living in the present.

Of course having to face the mirror to wash my face and apply a minimum of make-up, I’ll still be forced to see what others see. I am an old woman. I must acknowledge I look quite like other old women. Women I pass on the street. We may have not traveled the same path to the place we are now, but we share the same fears and challenges of aging - as well as the same natural silver hair color. A year ago I might have said I have nothing in common with these women. I am not a member of the same tribe. But now I know unequivocably that I do.

Losing our friends is devastating. Waiting to die is sad. (Especially if our bodies are not ready) Waiting for family members to make our lives interesting is tragic when we are still capable of making our own decisions and focused on our journey. 

In our youth when Betty Friedan promised we could do it all, but we eventually arrived at the place where we learned we could not. We were exhausted. We started looking for balance, in work, family life, and romance. Now the only balance we’re after is the kind that will keep us upright, rather than on the floor. But maybe that’s just me. Taking responsibility.

I am what I am. And as the lyrics from La Cage Aux Folles add so poignantly…I am my own special creation.

Aren’t we all? And shouldn’t we be celebrating this unexpected longevity instead of falling into an aging obsession funk?