Health & Wellness Article - October 2010Healthy aging tips from
the real experts
“How old would you be if you did not know how old you are?”
It can be daunting to keep up with the research about healthy aging that comes out almost daily. I thought it might be interesting to compare the data gleaned over the last couple of years from prestigious international researchers to the data collected in 2008 when interviewing 100 healthy centenarians, who gave their top 10 “tips” for healthy aging. Here are the results of that poll—along with the percentage of how many said the tip is “very important.” (Note: Interviewees could call more than one tip “very important.”)
- Stay close to family and friends. (90%)
- Keep your mind active. (89%)
- Laugh and have a sense of humor. (88%)
- Stay in touch with your spirituality. (84%)
- Continue looking forward to each new day. (83%)
- Keep moving and exercising. (82%)
- Maintain a sense of independence. (81%)
- Eat right. (80%)
- Keep up with news and current events. (63%)
- Keep making new friends. (63%)
This anecdotal collective data compare almost 100 percent to the findings published over the last decade—and especially in the last two years—by the continuing follow-up to the Framingham Heart Study, the Nurses’ Health Study, and other large population studies conducted over a significant period of time. Relationships/connectivity to family and friends has moved into first place internationally. Also, the need to keep actively engaged in new learning competes directly with a good diet, exercise, and the importance of humor and a positive outlook.
At Touchmark we know the value of listening to the “experts” ... our residents ... and evaluating our programs and services by the direct impact on their well-being.
© 2008 Touchmark