What do you think helps people to age well?

[Fraudornot]

We are dealing with elderly people in their 80s - is decline inevitable or do you think there are things we can do to live a healthy very older age? Mobility and strength seems key but can it be maintained into 80s and 90s?

Watching with interest; coming from a family who are basically infirm well before 80, I've seen my possible fate and don't want to head down that road..

Horse-riders and dancers usually age well.

Exceptionally intelligent people with brilliant intellects and enquiring minds seem to to do well despite their physical condition.

People with regular, modest habits.

People who walk briskly, daily.

My grandma is about to turn 101 and her short term memory has started to go in the past few years but other than that she's been incredibly healthy and with it. She puts it down to continuing to play piano and read in a foreign language regularly. I remember her saying something about touching her toes 100 times every day but I don't think she still does that! She was very active when she was younger but for my whole life her main exercise has been walking and gardening. Her diet is very simple but not at all low fat, just sensible old school food in moderation. I think genes have a massive part to play as well.

I should add that the horse-riders only age well if they survive the horse riding 🫣 and aren’t injured in accidents or falls! 😬😆

Other than that it’s very good for you as it exercises the entire body. So do many of the tasks involved in looking after horses.

I imagine the latter applies to regular swimmers too?

Keep active. Not necessary hard stuff, just walking etc. my gran is 89 and still walks daily. Slightly overweight but everything in moderation. Always been very social and looked on the bright side

Of course mobility and strength can be maintained into the 80s and 90s but people have to make an effort. My mother is 89, widowed 5 years ago.

She lives alone in her 5 bed house with large garden which she maintains herself, she gardens most days and doesn't have a cleaner. She climbs ladders, prunes trees. She cooks from scratch, eats 3 healthy meals a day, 1 glass of wine a day. She walks 2 miles every morning, rain or shine.

She also believes that people should make themselves continue to do things for themselves and that once you start sitting down and getting other people in to do things then the decline starts. There may be something in that.

Embracing Technology and having an. Interest I other people and the world around

Keep walking, keep seeing people, keep doing stuff.

Keeping mind and body active

for my mother, it is sheer bloody-mindedness. Determined to outlive siblings: 3 down, 1 to go

Drinking plenty of water.

My parents are in their early 80s, tech literate, physically active and intellectually curious. They are both absolutely fine. They’ll pay people to do the awkward stuff around the house and garden - hedge cutting, decorating, plumbing/electrical work. But general maintenance and cleaning inside and out they are all over. They also go out for coffee / lunch / dinner with friends or family 2 or 3 times a week, and go out of the house every day even if that’s just to the local village to get a paper or whatever. And they still go on plenty of holidays / breaks, although more of those are UK based now…though they did go to Australia last year. So I intend to take the same approach :)

My gym is full of retired people. They’re so disciplined and I’m in awe. Sometimes they need to take a bit of time off for a new hip or new knee, but they come right back again. The older people I chat to at the gym have led interesting lives and have interests and a real passion for life.

What everyone said already about keeping body and mind active.

Also: regular dental care, hearing checks, wearing hearing aids, visiting the hairdresser regularly, and wearing clean clothes. All basic things but really important to health and wellbeing IMO

My mum is the last of many and it makes her very sad. It’s hard being the last one! Dad has lost three and that also makes him sad.

Getting enough sleep.

No rhyme of reason to it. Grandma lived until 100 and survived the potatoe famine in Ireland. Nan lived until 90 despite heavy psych meds and a 20 a day habit 🚬 . Mixture of processed and non processed foods. Massively stressful lives full of trauma. Zero alcohol though.

I must admit this has been my experience too. Both of my in-laws were very overweight and smoked and neither exercised and they were both in their late eighties when they died. They also boiled their vegetables to death!

My mil is in 80s. She is just starting to get physical frail. But (aside from luck ) what I think has kept her stay happy and healthy is :

1. Maintaining friendships and having an active social life - she has a large family so that helps too

2. working until she was 73- was working In a gift shop but she loved it.Only a few days a week but she walked there and back (got 30 mins) and the contact kept her mind going. Sh e reads a lot too.

.3) she avoids the doctor. She occasionally takes her statins and. A few paracetamol for back pain. That's it. my mum and dad who are younger basically live at the g.p. Constantly getting tests and finding more things to take pills for. My dad is on something like 10 pills a day.

4. being fit before old age but not super so. She walked everywhere and was active and a normal weight. She wasn't playing contact sports or overdoing it.

5. positive attitude. She is handling her rescued mobility with a real stoicism and acceptance z just says ' it could be so much worse' Her husband died a long time ago so I think she's grateful for life.

6. she is content and does not have regrets. She's been a happy person and is satisfied with her life. She's fun to be around.

My parents are younger but not in great shape. My dad was very sporty and has arthritis as a result. He also has early Alzheimer's. . We can't know for sure but there is evidence that not looking after hearing and being socially isolated can contribute to this . He hasn't got any friends . His life was work.
and he sort of gave up since he retired. .

my mum was never overweight but she was sedentary. She don't keep herself active. She is more social than my dad to her credit and has worked hard to get friends in her area. But my dad and her don't get on and I think his lack of desire to socialise or do anything is very hard for her . She's a very intelligent academic and I think she could really do with using her mind more.

She has osteoporosis and has had cancer. Luckily the cancer was operable. . I think her mental state is a bit unstable. She's dealing with dads Alzheimer's rok which is very hard for her. So becoming I carer is a transition that will have a huge effect on the

Accepting that their body is changing, and using assistance to deal with that well. My elderly relatives who moved to a bungalow/bought a mobility scooter/used a rolerator (zimmer frame with wheels) had a much better time of their later years than those who became housebound and isolated (see also using hearing aids).

I thought the majority of it was genetics?

https://www.theguardian.com/science/2026/jan/29/long-life-age-health-genetics-science-research

My family seems to live long lives but dementia is the main thing in mine. No history of heart issues, cancer etc

my dad - eats fuck all fruit and veg, seems to survive off meat, carbs and gin. No formal exercise but is always doing DIY and “helping the elderly” with gardening etc (the elderly being 2 years older than him) has never smoked, is on no medication and looks a decade younger. Thinks SPF is for abroad and has been seen to wash his face with swarfega
the GP said if he was as fit as him in retirement he would be a happy man

I don’t know what the answer is but my family all work well into their 80’s my Dad had 9 siblings, lost one brother at 87. The rest are going strong from 88 - 73. From a farming background but not all farmers now, but even the non farmers work 7 days a week. Also they all seem to really like their work.

Socialisation is such a huge thing to keep mind and body active. My mum embraced infirmity 15 years ago after a hip replacement and used it as an excuse to never go out, as she found any form of social interaction difficult. Now, widowed at 83, despite being perfectly healthy, it’s meant she is totally reliant on me for everything as stepping outside her front door, or interacting with anyone terrifies her.

It’s taught me to make sure I keep my mind as well as my body working. Work and a sense of purpose is super important, but puzzles, language learning, reading, and being around people is so important.