Carl Rowe is a doctor of pharmacy and national expert
on caring for the elderly and developmentally disabled.
Growing Old is Not What it Seems
MISINFORMED: A health forum tries to change beliefs and gives advice on caring for the elderly.
By Mike Schwartz
CANYON LAKE – Growing old is fraught with common misconceptions. And seniors are just as misinformed about the realities of aging as anyone else.
Basically, older Americans don’t give themselves nearly enough credit, according to Carl Rowe, a doctor of pharmacy and national expert on caring for the elderly and developmentally disabled.
“We will challenge some long held myths,” Rowe said at the Ninth Annual Senior Health Forum. His talk outlined key physical and mental health advice for living well and research that may extend a person’s life for years.
Co-sponsored by the Riverside County Advisory Council on Aging and the Riverside County Office on Aging, the May forum drew seniors, family care givers and health workers from around the Inland Empire. Many smiled and nodded as Rowe systematically “exploded” erroneous belief about aging:
To be old is to be sick. Only about 5 percent of older Americans live in nursing homes, and the proportion of older Americans who are disabled is going down, not up, said Rowe, president of Integrated Care Communities, a long-term residential care program for elderly adults at Riverside County regional Medical Center.
You can’t teach an old dog new tricks. There’s ample research showing that older people can and do learn new things well, Rowe said. Although the limits and pace of learning change, scientists are discovering that fears of age-related mental decline often are exaggerated, he said.
Three key factors, he said, predict strong mental function in old age: regular physical activity, a strong social support system and a belief in one’s ability to handle what life has to offer.
The horse is out of the barn. Many older people believe there’s no point changing long standing bad habits live overindulgence in alcohol, fat-laden food or lack of exercise because irreversible damage already has been done.
While it’s better to adopt healthy habits early on, Rowe stressed that it’s “almost never too late to benefit from healthy living.” Not only can people recover much lost function and decrease risks, but they sometimes can increase abilities beyond what they enjoyed as younger adults.
The secret to successful aging is to choose your parents wisely. Heredity isn’t as powerful a force as many assume, said Rowe. Except for the most strongly determined genetic illnesses such as Huntington’s disease, environment and lifestyle have a significant impact on your risk of developing a disorder.
“We now know that diet, exercise and even medications can delay, or completely eliminate, the emergence of a disease,” he said.
The lights may be on, but the voltage is low. According to Rowe, chronological age in itself isn’t the critical factor in sexual activity or physical intimacy. While sexual activity tends to decline with age, there are vast differences, often influenced by cultural norms, health and availability of partners, he said.
“The basic human need for affectionate physical contact persists throughout life,” Rowe said.
The elderly don’t pull their own weight. “The widespread belief that older people are relatively unproductive is wrong and unfair,” said Rowe. One third of seniors work for pay, one third volunteer in churches, hospitals and other organizations, and many regularly help family members, friends and neighbors, he said.
“It would take 3 million paid care givers, working full time, to provide the equivalent assistance to sick and disabled people provided by family care givers.” Rowe said.
Tips for a Long Life
Until medical science comes up with a sure-fire way to keep everyone eternally youthful, it’s up to us to take responsibility for our own health and fitness.
Aging and long-term care expert Carl Rowe offers the following tips for enjoying life into your senior years:
Exercise. Light exercise is better for your body than heavy exercise. Exercise keeps muscles strong and increases blood supply to the brain, which helps keep the mind alert.
Stretch. It increases flexibility and helps maintain coordination. This reduces an older person’s risk of falling.
Don’t over exert yourself. Make time to relax.
Vary your routine. New experiences are good for the brain.
Look on the bright side. It has been shown that optimistic people live, on average, 19 percent longer than those who are miserable.
Be creative. Daydream. A study on American nuns showed that the most imaginative among them have the longest life spans. Letting your creative juices flow is good for stress relief.
Accept that you will change somewhat with age
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