by Barb Green
The first “Boomers” will turn 80 within the next year, and the question of how to age well has never been more relevant.
That’s why Hetty Roessingh dedicated a series of “Let’s Talk” sessions at the HHBH community hall to different aspects of healthy aging.
“Many of us are thinking about how to age well and we know services are already overwhelmed … what can we do?” she asked, introducing speaker Dr Jayna Holroyd-Leduc, a geriatrician and Academic Lead (Brenda Strafford Centre on Aging at the University of Calgary).
“The fastest-growing segment of the population in Canada is people over 85 years of age … it’s a mark of the success of Canadian society, but many of these people are living with chronic diseases and illnesses,” she said.
“Things that used to kill people in middle age don’t anymore – that includes heart disease, cancers, and diabetes. And that’s great. But we’re seeing more frailty now too.”
Dr Jayna Holroyd-Leduc described frailty as a state of increased vulnerability to adverse health outcomes relative to others the same age, and reduced ability to cope with minor health stresses.
She was quick to point out that frailty is not synonymous with aging. “Twenty-five per cent of people over 65 are living with some form of frailty – but that means that 75 per cent aren’t!” she said. Even by the age of 85, only about 50 per cent are living with frailty.
In terms of what we can do to stay in the group without frailty, she identified four key factors:
• Smoking — don’t.
• Alcohol – no more than two drinks per week.
• Exercise – at least 150 minutes of moderate activity per week, including cardiovascular, resistance, balance and stretching. “It doesn’t have to be fancy or expensive – walking and swimming provide good cardio, heavy gardening can provide strength and resistance training, and yoga and Tai Chi are great ways to work on flexibility and balance.” She added that staying active seems well correlated with reducing the risk of dementia too.
• Nutrition — eat good, well-balanced meals and avoid highly processed food.
In addition, she highlighted the need to stay on top of our vision and hearing as we age. Hearing loss can be very isolating and is correlated with a higher risk of dementia. Also, while Covid was the third highest cause of death during the pandemic, in non-Covid times flu and colds are the eighth leading cause of death. “Keep up with your vaccines,” the doctor advised.
Finally, stay connected with your community. Recent Blue Zone studies of places with higher life expectancy all indicate that strong connections with others is a big factor in aging well.
Speaking of which … hope to see you soon at a Let’s Talk session. They’re held the second Tuesday of the month in the boardroom at the community hall, 2:00 pm.
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