Aging Artfully

September is Healthy Aging® Month, thanks to HealthyAging.net.  Their reason for creating the national observance? "Because there's lots of living left to do..."

Over the last year no one has shared a more whimsical attitude about ‘getting older’ than Sophie Lumen.  Created in 2010, her Art of Aging Facebook page has nearly 10,000 “likes”. And yes, I’m one of them!  That says a little something about our society’s priorities.  Then again, the numbers may just be one more example of the power of the vast Baby Boomer generation... the first of whom are now advancing into retirement age.

On her site Lumen asks, “What if we think of aging as an art?…an effort called out of the soul that takes skill, guts and devotion to manifest…with the power to create laughter, seriously tweak stereotypes, and inspire?”

Dr. Andrew Weil may have an answer for her (http://www.drweil.com/drw/u/ART02792/senior-health How To Live To Be 100 - Senior Health by Brad Lemley)

In his bestselling tome, Healthy Aging: A Lifelong Guide to Your Physical and Spiritual Well-Being, Dr. Weil tackles the “how-to’s” of artful aging and notes that in studies of centenarians there is no evidence "that particular foods, supplements or other substances have anything to do with our living to extreme old age."  Lifestyle, however, is key.  Strong family ties, meaningful pursuits and physical activity are all vital to keeping vital.

In a survey of American centenarians, the Evercare senior healthcare company learned the following:

As a model of longevity, Elsa Hoffman 102 – with her great-grandaughters Blair (l) and Elsa Textor-Black – says there's nothing "I say I can’t go to or don’t want to do." This centenarian's version of slowing down in the past decade is to limit her travel to places near her Florida home – South America, for example.

• American centenarians are surprisingly plugged into popular culture. Nearly a third have watched a reality TV show, and 27 percent have watched MTV or music videos. One in seven has played a video game.
• Six percent have been on the Internet, and four percent have listened to music on an iPod.
• Eighty-two percent said their dietary habits had improved or stayed the same as compared to 50 years ago.
• Only 23 percent said they have ever smoked. On average those who quit did so 41 years ago. Two percent still smoke!
• Favorite memory? Twenty-eight percent said their wedding day, followed by 13 percent citing the birth of a child, and 13 percent their 100th birthday. One said his favorite memory was "when I learned to fly at age 76."
• Thirty-four percent said the person they would most trust to tell the truth would be their priest, rabbi or preacher.
• Seventy percent now live at home, either alone or with a spouse.

This is what 64 looks like!
Evergreen songstress Emmy Lou Harris

Research shows that the oldest seniors tend to embrace who they are becoming, as opposed to fighting the natural aging process they cannot stop or change. They also keep doing things that matter to them, whatever those might be. Consequently, what they do matters!  


For instance, Martha Graham danced professionally until she was 76. Benjamin Franklin invented bifocals at the age of 78. Georgia O’Keefe continued painting well into her 90s.

What would you like to accomplish when you reach those ripe ages?  


We’d love for you to share your own thoughts on artful aging on our Facebook page.

Warmly,

Lilo