A Public Health Perspective on Aging Well
As a Doctor of Public Health, I read an interesting article on strategies for healthy aging titled, “90 Might Be the New 40 - No tricks, no hacks—just tried-and-true advice you can begin using in your life today.”
The author offers some sensible tips on taking care of your physical and mental health as you get older. However, I wanted to provide additional commentary through the lens of public health. My goal is to promote healthy aging at the community and societal levels, not just the individual level.
Regular exercise is vital to maintain mobility, flexibility, balance, and mental sharpness as we age. But public spaces and facilities must also be made accessible for seniors to actively make use of them. We need public parks, walking trails, recreation centers, and programming tailored to older adults. Transportation to access these facilities can be a barrier for the those who live too far to walk. Expanding public transit routes and paratransit services enables older residents to stay engaged in their communities.
Social isolation is a huge determinant of health for older adults. Intergenerational activities allow seniors to share their wisdom and life experiences while also learning from young people. Community centers and places of worship can facilitate these interactions through volunteer programs, mentorships, and joint events. Civic participation like exercise classes and book clubs at senior centers provide social stimulation and sense of purpose. Digital literacy education for older adults increases their ability to connect virtually with loved ones.
Maintaining brain health is not solely an individual endeavor. Environments that promote intellectual enrichment, like senior learning centers offering classes and lectures, enable older adults to remain mentally stimulated. Retirement communities and nursing homes should provide cognitive development activities tailored to residents' abilities and interests. Reminiscence therapy, which draws on seniors' long-term memories, has proven benefits.
A healthy diet with proper nutrition unquestionably contributes to better aging outcomes. However, food insecurity among this population remains a serious concern, especially for homebound seniors or those with low fixed incomes. Increasing funding for programs like Meals on Wheels helps provide nutritious food access. Local markets and grocers should be incentivized to expand delivery services. Community organizations can develop cooperative grocery shopping and food sharing networks.
While the author offers some useful preventive health strategies, we must also reform the way healthcare is structured and delivered. Too often, care is fragmented across disconnected providers with no coordination. We need integrated, patient-centered primary care homes that comprehensively meet seniors’ needs. Care teams should include geriatricians, nurses, social workers, pharmacists, nutritionists, and therapists all collaborating. Quality measures and reimbursement models should focus on outcomes like functional status, independence, and quality of life - not just medical treatment.
Of course, aging does involve inherent trade-offs. But instead of just accepting age-related declines as inevitable, I believe public health initiatives can optimize longevity even when we can’t maximize lifespan. We should continually strive to not just add years to life, but more importantly, add life to years. Our elders deserve to enjoy community, mobility, independence, engagement, and meaning as they age. Public health creates the societal conditions and environments that enable that vision.
References
Oprah. (2023, June). 90 might Be the new 40- No tricks, no hacks—just tried-and-true advice you can begin using in your life today. https://apple.news/Awc3iYlCbRSmGZoipqzotTg
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
