What do you think helps people to age well?

👆The above is about being fully capable in older age and not having to rely on others

For my grandparents, I think that it was mainly a mixture of keeping active, spending time off out with friends, mental stimulation and good food. Ultra-processed food did not exist at their house; it was meat or fish and vegetables... for every meal bar breakfast. All cakes were homemade up until my grandmother declared that she didn't have time to bake as she was too busy going out at 90. They put it down to very regular visits from families to "keep you young" and the brandy bottle in the baking cupboard 😂"A tipple a day keeps the doctor away!"

Genetics help, too, but we can't control those. You're practically youthful if you die before 91 in my family, so if I am lucky, I have a lot of years to fill up with things!

Older friends would recommend farming, as farmers never retire, so it keeps you busy and on the go seven days a week.

Genetics (luck) play a big role. My parents died in their 60s. They were active and slim with healthy diets, non smoking, very low alcohol consumption. Both had great social lives, lots of friends, interesting careers, volunteered in the community etc. They both got cancer. One was skin cancer- most likely linked to a single episode of sunburn in childhood. Whilst this was in theory a ‘preventable’ cancer, it would be inaccurate to attribute it to an unhealthy lifestyle. The other cancer was stomach. Nothing to do with lifestyle, two other close members of the family also died from it.

Last year, my 48 year-old triathlete, vegetarian, healthy eating friend got diagnosed with Stage 4 bowel cancer and died shortly after diagnosis.

Meanwhile, I know smokers and drinkers in their 80s. They look pretty fucking dreadful but they’re still alive.

I feel rage at the unfairness of it all.

Jeanne Calment (oldest verified person) smoked cigarettes from the age of 21 until she stopped at 117, meaning she smoked for nearly a century.

I’m guessing luck and exceptional genes!

I agree genetics is key, as is remaining active and engaged. But I think, a degree of financial comfort is necessary as well because that, in part, facilitates activity and sociability.

I would add being careful not to slip in to being malnourished. Smaller appetites and living alone could possibly lead to a tendency to rely on ready meals and junk food.
I know a few people who are in their eighties with b12 deficiency anemia mainly due to absorption issues ( sometimes a side effect of medication)rather than diet.
Theres also the risk of low vitamin D if people are inside much of the time.

@ExOptimistyour mum is quite right. My friend stopped making any effort with anyone, or anything and is now in a nursing home and immobile. I’m convinced it could have been avoided.

Long life seems to be fairly genetic, but lifestyle seems to be a bigger factor in being healthier until the end. Staying active. Social connections. Decent diet.

Some people seem to avoid the negatives of smoking but others don't. My Gran smoked and lived into her 90s, my mum smoked and died of COPD, with lung cancer, in her 70s.

Squats:

Squats are the secret to longevity. Here’s how to master yours

https://www.thetimes.com/article/b68ff228-b9ac-482d-bfa2-682f80071b35?shareToken=4c8520a4dc05b26c8068b43049b17a69

It seems to be well recognised now that over 50s do better cognitively taking a multivitamin and/ or a b complex, specifically for the folic acid and b12.

He sounds in many ways like my Grandad was. He used to ‘take the little old ladies shopping’. Not a single one was older than him 😂
I think it’s structure and routine that helps a lot.

Oh yay, I do about 400-500 squats a week, hopefully that will counteract the amount of cake I eat 😂

Yeah, I agree there is a lot of luck/good genes in there too.

My uncle was a GP, spare of build, lived in the mountains and was frequently up and down them on foot or on his bike, ate very healthily, drank in moderation, never smoked - he'd only just retired when he was diagnosed with dementia in his mid-60s and he was dead within three years. He was always the picture of rugged and rangy good health, until he wasn't.

I know of people who did all of those things and more, and still ended up demented and in nursing homes.

Obviously, it's better not to engage in activities and habits which cause actual harm, but otherwise it's down to genetics and luck.

It's ALL about probabilities. Everyone has anecdotes about someone over 100 who smoked or drank a bottle of whiskey every day, or someone who's relative lived a healthy lifestyle and got struck down with cancer in their 50's. But it's not helpful as they are the exception rather than the norm. Statistics shows that healthy people tend to have a longer/healthier life, and those who had an unhealthy lifestyle tend to have a shorter/unhealthy life. There are always exceptions, i.e. the normal distribution curve in probability always has people at either end, but the vast majority are in the middle, i.e. they follow the trend.

Agree with this. Both my DPs had reasonably healthy diets, did Sudoku, walked etc. etc. and both are in a care home with dementia. Unfortunately they maintained their bodies a little too well so are now trapped in them with failed minds.

The one thing that I think they could have done differently was they idolised thinness. Not anorexic or anything but of the generation where being fat was deemed to be a moral failing and DM secretly proud of her tiny waist. They both now have severe osteoporosis which is horrible to live with, so more protein and some weights for me.

Companionship, activity and good wholesome food.

My dad lived until 90 - he ate well, was an avid reader and loved gardening in his large cottage garden. He and my mum had lunchtime drinks with two friends every day!

We have adopted their approach in retirement (apart from the lunchtime drinks!) - very active, my husband is a walker and me an obsessive gardener. We see our grandchildren regularly and are active with them on days out, both avid readers and the big one, trying to maintain peace of mind as much as possible. Everything in moderation - we eat well, husband cooks from scatch most days, our weight is average, plenty of hobbies and social contact. Our for coffee/maybe a couple of times a week. Keeps life interesting.

Keeping active and social worked well for my lovely dad who stayed generally well and "compos mentis" until 3 weeks before he died. Turns out he had stage 4 pancreatic cancer. However he was age 96 1/2 so had had a good innings (his phrase). He was still driving short journeys and doing his own gardening and cutting the grass, pacing himself so he did a bit every day.

When it comes to living independently for longer, as well as keeping physically fit I think maintaining social links is really key. Particularly keeping in the habit of meeting new people and trying new things. My observation is that those who have rarely socialised outside family and friends made in their youth find it very difficult in later life when their partner/old friends/siblings etc pass away or become frail themselves, and are more likely to become isolated and reliant on a few remaining family members. Whereas those who are in the habit of trying new social clubs/hobbies etc and meeting new people are more likely to keep a wider social group and adjust how they socialise as their abilities/needs change.

As an example, since she retired in her mid 50s my DM has only socialised with family and old friends and has stuck to the same hobbies. She had opportunities to try new things but was always 'too busy' running around after family members etc. Most of her old social contacts are now dead or infirm, and she isn't physically able to do her old hobbies. It's such a long time since she joined any social group or met anyone new that she finds it too daunting and refuses, so she's dependent on a few younger family members who are also juggling work/children etc. This means she spends a lot of time at home alone, which is really not good for her mental health. By contrast, MIL (who is a similar age to DM) has always prioritised socialising and since FIL passed has decided to always say yes to any social offers unless there's an incredibly good reason. So she meets new people all the time, goes to lots of clubs etc and has picked up new hobbies that fit what she can do at her current age (rather than giving up because she can't do what she did when she was 30). Both were of a similar fitness level etc in their 60s (in fact I'd say my DM was probably a bit more physically active and had a better diet) but now MIL looks and acts 20 years younger than DM.

Jeffery Archer stayed active right up to the end. No slow decline.

Often read on here about frail/ elderly parents and now in my early seventies find it somewhat depressing to think about what the future might hold. I still teach on supply a couple of times a week and invigilate at the local sixth form. These go some way to keeping me active as well as on line fitness classes and strength training. I’m actually fitter now than ever before. Long may it last but I think working helps keep me young.Diet wise I have never been one for processed foods I prefer to cook from scratch and love fruit and veg. Pert of my five a day does however come in a glass and is derived from grapes. 😁

Yes he was a conniving fucker all his life that’s what kept him going