Retire those myths of ageing

by Lionel Wijesiri

What exactly is 'old age'? When does it begin? These are tricky questions to answer because old age has not been yet universally defined. The United Nations has agreed that 60+ years may be usually denoted as old age. That is why most developed countries set the age of 60 or 65 for retirement and old-age social programs eligibility.

-Google images

The simple truth is that none of us want to lose our youthfulness and face other health problems that are inevitable with age. Most of us are afraid of growing old. Right since the dawn of mankind, humans have been searching for the mythical 'fountain of youth'. The tales and exploits of the explorers in search of the waters of this fountain are quite well known.

Fateful

I remember waking up that fateful morning of my 60th birthday. A friend has sent me an SMS which said, "At 21 you were a gift of nature: today, at sixty you are a work of art." He had made my day. "I'm turning 60. I'm alive, healthy and strong," I told myself. I was so glad I've lived long enough to say those words and celebrate their meaning, Maybe, I am an exception to the common lot.

Beliefs

How do you see yourself on 60th birthday? Still with mountains to climb and worlds to conquer? Or do you see yourself in a front-porch rocker with friends and family, treated with respect and love? Or perhaps alone in an institution, with no privacy and little dignity?

Beliefs and myths about this stage of life shape how we see our future. Consider this fact:

More than two-third the people who ever who were born in 1940 are alive today. That alone suggests that myths about aging based on past generations may not hold true for this one.

The latest research shows that the vast majority of people are relatively healthy and happy into their seventies and eighties and even nineties. A still larger number would enjoy old age if it were not for the misconceptions they hold.

Realities

Robert Butler, M.D., was a well-known geriatrician in USA who saw that society had developed myths, stereotypes and myths about people as they age. Butler was not only a gerontologist but a psychiatrist, and Pulitzer Prize-winning author.

In one of his books he listed the major myths and realities.

Myth: Older persons with severe functional disabilities experience a greater number of associated diseases than those with less severe disabilities.

Reality: There is no correlation between the severity of a functional disability and the number of associated diseases. While incidences of both increase with age, the number of diseases affecting a person does not equate with either the severity of a disability or the magnitude of functional loss.

Myth: Older persons 'naturally' grow more confused and child-like, become forgetful, and lose contact with reality. They become 'senile'.

Normal

Reality: Such an image is false, stereotypical, and is neither a normal sign of aging nor even a disease.

The word 'senility' implies an assumption about elderly people that, because they are old, they are also mentally deficient. This insidious myth, still prevalent, discriminates by causing or promoting social isolation, dependency, and loss of independence.

Myth: Older persons are abandoned by their families and forced to live out their lives in isolation, loneliness, and despondency.

Reality: Older people do not live alone. Over half of those age 65 and older live with a spouse or with other relatives, while less than one in five live alone. Most of these, however, are women because women generally live longer than men.

Myth: Elderly people become helpless and cannot take care of themselves.

Reality: The overwhelming majority of older people are not helpless and for the most part can and do take care of themselves. They live independently and enjoy many of the same activities as do younger people. It is very important to understand that very few older persons require specialized products.

Myth: As we age, we lose our individual differences and become progressively more alike.

Reality: Aging does not affect us as a person; our personality remains fairly constant. Not only do we retain our individual differences throughout our lives, these differences become even more pronounced as we get older. We generally become more like our youthful self; a talkative teenager, for example, becoming a talkative older person. In reality, an old person is a young person who has just lived longer.

Forgetful

Myth: Older persons are forgetful and refuse to adapt to new ways.

Reality: Aging does not affect our ability to grasp the reality and, if necessary effect changes. The information processing literature does not support the idea that cognitive functioning declines with age. While we may experience some difficulty with short-term (working) memory as we get older, our long-term memory generally remains sound.

Myth: Old people are usually are sick.

Reality:In fact, people over 60 have about half as many acute illnesses as those between 17 and 40.

Granted, people who live a long time do tend to accumulate chronic conditions and may also suffer sensory loss and hearing loss. But these problems do not keep the majority of the elderly from being active and independent. Most of the people over 60 are physically capable of getting around with no assistance.

Myth: Aging halts learning and creativity.

Reality: Increased age doesn't mean decreased curiosity. You can find countless opportunities for discovery. Try a new recipe. Read a new book. A home-bound friend of mine learned how to use the computer at age 82. She now has a window to the world, and she keeps busy emailing and watching the stock market.

Moral

Moral of the story! So, let us free ourselves of counterproductive, and even health-threatening myths about old age and help the elders live creatively and stay actively involved throughout the rest of their lives.