Seniors are living longer, healthier lives, and the mid-valley's no exception

The world is getting older, and not just geologically speaking. Around the world, people are living longer, healthier lives, and the increased survival rate is changing the way the world looks.

The Gazette-Times and Democrat-Herald covered about a half-dozen centenarian birthdays and two 75th wedding anniversaries last year. Newsroom staff began to wonder if our community, and our world, really was living longer.

So we asked the experts at Oregon State University's Center for Healthy Aging Research whether that was the case.

"We are really living in an unprecedented era," said center director Karen Hooker. "Of all the people in the world who have ever reached the age of 65, half are alive today."

Percentage wise, centenarians are the fastest growing population in the United States, followed by those age 85 and up, Hooker said. The 2000 U.S. Census indicated that 10.3 percent of Benton County's population was 65 years or older; the number was even higher in Linn County - 14.5 percent.

In 1900, only 4 percent of the U.S. population was above the age of 65. Today, that number is 12.8 percent, and it's soon expected to rise to 20 percent, that is, one in five. In 1900, the average life expectancy was 47. Today, it is 78.

"That's an extra 30 years of adult life," Hooker said. "That is a huge gift."

There are a number of factors at work in the growing population of seniors. The first and most obvious is a decrease in mortality because of infectious diseases, and improved public health conditions. In the past, children commonly died by the age of 5, but medical advances have cut that number dramatically in many countries.

Fewer women and children are dying in childbirth, and healthy lifestyles are increasing the chances that more adults will reach a ripe old age.

But it's not simply an increase in pure numbers. The percentage of older humans is also increasing, because the birth rate is dropping, meaning fewer babies are being born, while more adults are getting older.

Scientists call it the beanpole effect. In the past, a middle-age couple likely had a large number of children and perhaps one surviving older parent between them. Today, middle-age couples often have one or two children, and have three to four surviving parents.

"I think it's interesting to think that all of America will (eventually) look like Florida," said Hooker, referring to the popular destination for retired Americans.

As far as Hooker is concerned, a healthy aging population is a boon to society.

"They're an untapped resource," she said.

While the aging population is less likely to retire at the same age as their predecessors, those who do often find volunteer activities in which they continue to contribute to society. And those who participate in meaningful activities after leaving work often live longer lives due in part to that involvement, according to researchers.

Despite perceptions that older adults are being set adrift by their families, Hooker said, statistics show that 80 percent of elder care is done by a family member, not an institution. And according to the Administration on Aging, nearly half a million grandparents age 65 and older are the primary caregivers for their grandchildren.

As the population ages, stereotypes about aging are also changing, she said. There are more frequent, more pleasant depictions of older adults in the media than a few decades ago, when "The Golden Girls" was one of the few positive images of the AARP crowd.

"Ageism still definitely does exist," Hooker said. "It's changing, but it's changing slowly."

At the Center for Healthy Aging, researchers are examining how biology, psychosocial factors and social issues all play a part in the aging process, and the quality of life.

"There's no one way to age well," Hooker said, but there are factors which seem to contribute to long life.

For example, at the Linus Pauling Institute at OSU, Tory Hagen is looking at basic cellular processes and how mitochondria might be affected by vitamin supplements that combat some aspects of aging.

At the Bone Health laboratory, researches are looking at ways to build better bones through exercise, and how to prevent falls that can lead to broken bones and illness. Cognition and aging is another important topic, and researchers are looking at how stress, family relationships and other factors affect mental sharpness.

There are also many social and ethical issues surrounding aging, such as the right of families and facilities to monitor intimate facets of older adults' lives, presumably to keep them safe and healthy.

In order to facilitate the work of the Center for Healthy Aging Research and others, OSU has created LIFE Registry, a database of older Oregonians that links researchers with possible study subjects. Oregon residents age 50 and older interested in participating in various projects can sign up on the registry at www.hhs.oregonstate.edu/healthyaging.

As research into healthy aging continues, one thing is clear, Hooker said.

"Although genetics is a part of aging, behaviors are at least as important if not more important than genetics," she said. "A healthy lifestyle leads to healthy aging."

TOP THINGS YOU CAN DO TO AGE OPTIMALLY

• Exercise

• Diet of healthy, nutritious food

• Don't smoke

• Find "just right" stress level and maintain it

• Challenge your brain - limit passive activities

• Choose life situations that maximize your sense of control

• Prevent depression, keep an optimistic outlook on life

• Build and maintain social relationships

• Engage in activities that are productive and have personal meaning

• Financial management

Source: Karen Hooker, director of OSU's Center for Healthy Aging Research