Active and healthy aging: what are we talking about?
On January 1, 2022, there were 9,063,493 people aged 65 or over in Spain, according to the latest report from the National Institute of Statistics (INE). This figure represents 19.09% of the entire population, a percentage that, according to its predictions, will reach 25.2% in 2033.
Octogenarians already represent 6% of the entire population, and will continue to gain weight in an increasingly pronounced process of over-aging ; that is, there is an increase in the proportion of elderly people in the total number of elderly people. And centenarians are starting to make themselves felt: there are 19,639 registered (1,619 more people than the previous year). Projections for 2040 suggest that there could be more than 14.2 million elderly people in Spain, 27.4% of the total population.
If the current rates of reduction in the incidence of mortality for each age group remain constant, in 2030 life expectancy throughout Spain will be 82.9 years for men and 87.7 for women . With this imminent reality, we detect the need to rethink aging and to rethink how we want to age and who should take care of the elderly. Without a doubt, we must imagine active and healthy aging.
Healthy aging involves preventing disease, promoting an active lifestyle, and creating age-friendly environments that encourage autonomy and active participation.
Healthy ageing is based on developing and maintaining functional capacity and well-being in old age . This involves preventing diseases, promoting an active lifestyle and creating friendly environments for older people that encourage autonomy, active participation in society and the ability to manage their own health. In fact, the World Health Organization, in its document Active ageing: a policy framework , establishes the actions that need to be developed to promote active ageing, based on three basic pillars: health, safety and participation .
These fundamental pillars of active aging make us think about how we will respond to older and active people who seek personal development and how we will make them participate in their community in a meaningful way. Some of the keys to achieving this revolve around these actions:
Promote health
Currently, 10% of people over 65 are frail. We need to reverse frailty and delay disability. The way to do this is to follow this formula:
- Do physical exercise.
- Maintain a neurohealthy diet.
- Take care of your sleep.
- Encourage social relationships.
Promoting healthy aging: a challenge for everyone
Combating gerontophobia and fighting against ageism
The fear associated with this type of phobia is the person's misconception about what old age is. There are people who perceive the elderly as sick, disabled, vulnerable and fragile. A set of adjectives that can generate very negative thinking, to the point of believing that an elderly person is a burden on society . All this together encompasses the concept of old age as a state of total decline, a totally erroneous conclusion.
Gerontophobia is a clinical condition and meets all the characteristics to be called a phobia, since, among other symptoms, it causes an anxiety disorder . In addition, this fear is not only associated with the passage of time or the fact that you may grow old, but the person who suffers from it is also afraid of:
- Feeling weak.
- Having age-related diseases.
- Having cognitive impairment.
- Suffering physical pain associated with lack of mobility due to age.
- Becoming dependent.
- Developing a disability or loss of mobility.
- Physical changes: wrinkles, skin spots, sagging skin...
People with this psychological disorder may show an interest in maintaining their physical appearance as young as possible through surgeries and beauty treatments. But the most alarming attitude is that people with gerontophobia show rejection, discrimination and contempt for the elderly.
Ageism is so ingrained in our consciousness that older people themselves justify some of their behaviors by blaming their old age.
While gerontophobia is a psychological disorder associated with the irrational fear of the concept of old age, ageism is the view associated with this concept. Ageism, like sexism or racism, is a type of discrimination and, moreover, is very common in our society. In the end, the person is looked down upon simply for being old and is considered incapable of being a useful person and participant in society. Ageism idolizes youth, while old age is perceived as unproductive.
The origin of these stereotypes lies in society itself and we see it from early childhood in books, films, television or radio programs and jokes. Furthermore, it is so ingrained in our consciousness that older people justify certain behaviors because of their old age.
Stereotypes about older people
Promoting life in a home
82% of elderly people in Spain say they want to age at home, according to data from the Consumers and Users Organization (OCU). But this desire often entails risks. In many cases, staying at home is not a solution, because homes are not adapted to the care needs of the elderly and can end up becoming "golden cages" from which they cannot leave, and therefore become disconnected from the community.
The home can become synonymous with isolation and unwanted loneliness. It is necessary to think about and develop proposals and alternatives that prevent the uprooting of older people from their environment and that allow them to maintain intact the right to decide about their own lives , whether where they have lived their whole lives or in a new place.
Some responses have appeared that attempt to provide solutions in this regard, such as senior cohousing , a community alternative for living old age in a self-managed way, with shared services and mutual support among peers.
The importance of urban environments in aging processes
Combating techno-optimism and ensuring lifelong learning opportunities
As Andrea Rosales, professor of Information and Communication Sciences Studies at the Open University of Catalonia, points out: "Older people often raise their voices against the prevailing techno-optimism, both in the private and public spheres." In other words, older people are a group that helps to reflect on the utopias posed by new technologies. The solution is not always for people to become digitalized . For this reason, Rosales adds: "Society should pay more attention to the opinion of older people on how we are evolving society, giving them back the place of the wise who have many things to share and reflect on."
Furthermore, we must consider the need to facilitate quality education and training for everyone. Only in this way can the conditions be established that will respond to educational needs and guarantee access possibilities at different stages of life.
Continue learning when you're older
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