Every species (except a type of jelly fish) in the universal ecosystem including humans would undergo physical (biological) and chemical (psychological) changes in their body and mind as a part of aging. Every individual grows older in their own way and specific to them and no two individuals grow older in a same way. A long life span free from diseases, disability and abuse can be classified as blissful aging.
My father, young and old (90 years)
Young and old 90 Years ( Courtesy : Social Media)
Demographic Statistics:
According to World Health Organization (WHO)'s demographic data, in 2019, number of elderly people (aged 60 years and above) was1 billion (around 13% of the world population) and is expected to reach1.4 billions by 2030. In India, in 2019, the percentage of elderly people to its total population is around 10% (less than the world average), whereas, in Tamil Nadu it is around 14% and the Indian elderly population is expected to double in 2050. Japan leads the list of countries having more elderly population with 29% of its population.
In general, life expectancy in the world increased over a period of time due to improvement in education, health systems, nutrition, economic wellbeing, sanitation and others. As per WHO's data, current global average life expectancy at birth is 73 years, whereas current Indian life expectancy at birth is 70.8 (less than world average) and Tamil Nadu's life expectancy at birth (as of 2019) is 72.6 (data released by the Office of the Registrar General & census commissioner of India, Ministry of Home affairs)
Legal and empowerment of senior citizens in India:
WHO report suggests that about 1 in 6 elders are subjected to some form of physical, psychological & emotional abuse, financial & material abuse, sexual abuse, abandonment, neglect and serious loss of dignity & respect in a community setting and /or in any relationship where there is an expectation of trust.
https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/abuse-of-older-people.
To protect the elderly parents and senior citizens from abuse and to legally provide them with the maintenance and welfare in the event of their inability to maintain themselves, India has enacted an act 'The maintenance and welfare of parents and senior citizens act 2007' and recently in 2021, Central Ministry of Social justice and Empowerment has established a national helpline number '14567' to inform, guide, support and intervene & rescue the distressed/abused senior citizens.
Evidence based solution for longevity:
Amongst this gloom state of affairs, there are few bright spots in the world named as 'blue zones' by Dan Buettner, a National Geographic Fellow who studied the places along with two others where people age blissfully and live longer than any other people. Okinawa (Japan), Sardinia (Italy), Nicoya (Costa Rica), Ikaria (Greece) and Loma Linda (California, USA) are the five ' Blue zones' identified by them. The famous 'Power 9 ' evidence-based solutions for longevity is provided in the link below and most important of them are ' Moving naturally throughout the day, eat only up to 80% of the stomach capacity, strong family connections' etc.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ff40YiMmVkU (TED Ed talk by Dan Buettner, explaining the salient features and the secretes of longevity of the people in the Blue Zones)
Cultural influence on aging:
Every society or culture has their own way of viewing the aging issues like caregiving, psychological support, homelessness and responses to those with dementia. Before the advent of nuclear family system, Indian and the East Asian cultures followed Joint family system which advocated strong family bonding and extended support & care and respect for elders. Nuclear family system, though advantageous when people are in their prime, is not supporting the elders as they were supported in the joint family system. This attitudinal change in the society and many other determinants have given way for mushrooming the 'old age homes/ hostels ', (government sponsored as well as private) in the recent times and its growing at a phenomenal rate of 25% per year in India.
Western culture tends to encourage 'Individualism, independence and self-sufficiency' and related to protestant work ethic in which one's ability to work is valued and naturally ,the ability to work diminishes with age and hence, elders in this culture mostly ended up living a lonely life in retirement homes and nursing homes. Though many States in the US have filial responsibility statutes and it is reported that those States are finding it difficult to enforce the statutes because of the changing demographics of the family in the US.
What to expect in aging:
On the individual level, one cannot reverse the aging process, but definitely can make conscious choices to improve the quality of life and make it blissful by maintaining an active life. If we know what to expect and prepare for the universal changes due to aging in the body and mind, we could make the aging blissful. Every faculty and organs in the human body would undergo changes due to aging and a sample is given below:
Mind - In view of shrinking of brain, signaling between different areas can slow and hence trouble remembering names and coming up with specific words, reduction in cognitive power.
Heart - Walls may get thicker and valves will get stiffer, electricity system may glitch, artery plaque may buildup.
Skin - wrinkles may form, bruise more, dry, itchy and more irritated.
Nutrition - Metabolism slows, less hungry and thirsty.
Bones, Joints and muscles - Osteoporosis may set in, muscles get weaker, tendons get stiffer and hence will decrease the strength and flexibility.
Sleep - insomnia sets in, less deep sleep and more lighter phases.
Immune system - lose body defense system and more vulnerable to illness.
Digestive system - lose appetite, metabolism reduces and prone to constipation.
Urinary tract - lose bladder muscle strength, frequent urination, prostrate trouble.
Vision - lens get thicker and difficulty in seeing in dim light and color differentiation.
Ears - hearing loss, difficulty in filtering background noises
Mouth - get dry faster, quantity and quality of saliva secretion,
Ways to lead a quality life for blissful aging:
Having known the likely changes in the body and mind due to aging, one can plan in advance his/her way of life for blissful aging.
To keep the body and mind active, ' keep moving throughout the day' as followed in the blue zones can be followed by any elder for the overall wellbeing. Regular exercises have multiple benefits for the elderly, be it walking for 30 -45 minutes a day, swimming regularly, yoga, stretching exercises, gardening once in a while, strength & balance exercise to tone up muscles, mental exercises like recollecting & remembering good old memories, reading books, learning new hobbies, games/ studies, baby sitting the grandchildren. Exercise regime is to be designed by the elder himself/herself and/or in consultation with a good Geriatrician (Geriatricians are primary care doctors who have additional specialized training in treating older patients) to suit to the individual physio - medical requirement and the socio- economic environment
Coupled with good exercise regime, balanced nutritious food (in consultation with doctor/nutrition) would help the elder to stay healthy. Make sure to get enough calcium and vitamin D to reduce the risk of osteoporosis and fractures, the two most common ailments in old age. Eat only up to 80% of the stomach capacity.
Periodic and regular check up with the family doctor / geriatrician
Sleep deficiency and sleeplessness can be managed by going to bed at the same time every night and have a sleep schedule (like a nap after lunch or so)
Connect with friends and family and spend more quality times with them
Be positive and enjoy what you do and have purpose in life to reduce anxiety, depression and memory loss.
Quit smoking even if you are a non regular smoker.
Be financially independent.
In the event of any emergency, contact the doctor immediately. Pan India single Emergency number, including medical emergency 112. For emergency ambulance services in Tamil Nadu and in some other states in India you can also dial108. In USA, Canada and Mexico, the emergency telephone number is 911.
A short video ( power of what you do on regular basis) from WebMD, a healthcare website from USA is attached.
Dedication
With immense pleasure, I dedicate this blog to my father who has blissfully aged and lived for 32 years after his retirement from government service and whose 94th birthday falls in the month of March 2023.
Few blissful old couples' photos copied from social media are appended below:
Raja! I could see your efforts in bringing out this article. Keep up the good work.
My Best Wishes and Pranams to your father on his forthcoming birthday.