Getting Older Isn't for Sissies so Here's What You Need to Know

Getting Older Isn't for Sissies So Here's What You Need to Know

None of us want to get older because we worry about the problems we might have, both physically and mentally. While it's true that many functions decline, some don't. Also scientists are busy working to find out simple ways to prevent some of the aging process. So while we age, more and more of us will be able to utilize the benefits from science that can give us quality of life into advanced age.

Scientist tell us that we don't all age at the same rate, but there are tendencies for all seniors to decline in certain mental functions. Some folks will suffer minor decline, others serious decline; but functions that we have in youth won't be as adept when we're older.

Age does affect cognitive abilities. That's particularly true for what is called "fluid intelligence" which is the ability to attend to task. That ability to attend is related to such activities as making inferences, understanding text and spatial cognition. So having a new and complex task with detail that involves inferential thinking will be more difficult for the older than the younger person.

As we age we also have more difficulty as conditions become particularly intricate or unfamiliar. Technology is an area where this problem shows up as it has been found that older persons have problems finding their way around complex websites. Encoding new memories and using working memory without losing track of information as it is processed becomes more difficult as we age. On the other hand there are areas of intelligence that tend to remain fairly stable during the aging process.

Most of us have experienced ourselves, or watch our older parents or grandparents struggle to remember a name or detail that they have just learned, but these same individuals can relate a story from their youth with clarity. That function is called "crystallized intelligence" which is those skills and abilities that have become habit and operate at the subconscious level. Other tasks relying on this type of intelligence is what is called prospective memory or the type of memory that involves our recall of what needs to be done. So grandpa might forget where he just put down his glasses but can go to his woodshop and construct a birdhouse right down to the last detail, something that he likely learned decades ago and that he has continued through adulthood until it is habit. That same birdhouse building also relies on prospective memory or the recall of what needs to be done when. Other cognitive abilities include picture recognition and tasks like typing or playing a musical instrument, which are one's particular expert skills that remain in memory.

What also has been found is that whereas certain functions may decline but not necessarily the whole person and not all functions at the same rate. In fact certain functions may actually increase as we age. Those functions according to Jeanne Wei at Harvard University include creativity, wisdom and spiritual strength. This tells us that we should implement creative learning experiences in senior centers to provide quality of life rather than forcing numbers of them to sit in wheelchairs and in front of televisions, warehoused with no stimulation. We often put our seniors aside just at the time those special gifts they have can be most beneficial to the rest of us. It's why elders have long been revered for their wisdom in many cultures.

What impact does this information have on programs for the elderly and what we do with our own lives? First of all we should understand that there are things that indeed we might lose, but what we gain may well replace them. Furthermore certain micronutrients such as curcumin used in Indian curry and green tea have been shown to increase life span. Finally we should all insist that our seniors, and those of us who one day will be, have the opportunity to share those three special gifts of wisdom, experience and spiritual strength that we need for our ultimate understanding and quality of life.