Superagers

Aging Gracefully

It turns out that entertaining new perspectives, even uncomfortable ones can help one age gracefully. How does one defy the effects of aging? “Superagers,” who defy aging stereotypes, tend to embrace discomfort. There are even documented ways to improve Alzheimer’s that include such an embrace of what is at least unfamiliar.

See the Superagers video where Maria Shriver visits a group of senior citizens known as “super-agers” whose brains have been shown to be as sharp as those of people in their 20s. Late in life they’re taking on new challenges, learning to play piano and chess, and preventing loss of memory as well as aches and pains formerly considered inevitable.

The NY Times covered this story too (here). Excerpt:

Think about the people in your life who are 65 or older. Some of them are experiencing the usual mental difficulties of old age, like forgetfulness or a dwindling attention span. Yet others somehow manage to remain mentally sharp. My father-in-law, a retired doctor, is 83 and he still edits books and runs several medical websites.

Why do some older people remain mentally nimble while others decline? “Superagers” (a term coined by the neurologist Marsel Mesulam) are those whose memory and attention isn’t merely above average for their age, but is actually on par with healthy, active 25-year-olds. My colleagues and I at Massachusetts General Hospital recently studied superagers to understand what made them tick....

The advice implied by the above has already been covered by this blog (here and here).