Older Adults Experience Better Mental Health When They Have A Reason To Get Up Each Morning

Dear Dr. LeCrone:

In an earlier column you mentioned that psychological resiliency seems to enhance healthy aging. Can you please discuss in more detail healthy aging in older adults?

-A reader in Minnesota.

Dear Reader:

Aging in humans gives rise to many challenges and changes. Two of my favorite quotes related to healthy aging are “Life is not about finding yourself, it's about creating yourself.” (George Bernard Shaw) and, “He who has a why to live can bear almost any how.”(Friedrich Nietzsche)

Mentally healthy older adults continue to experience a sense of adventure as years go by. Most of us might not feel comfortable skydiving at age 70 or 80, but learning a new hobby, joining a travel club with other seniors, learning to use the computer, and participating in other lower risk activities can provide a sense of adventure and creativity.

Older adults who are mentally healthy also experience a sense of:

• Making a difference

• Being needed

• Contributing to something

• Doing something of value

• Having a purpose in life

These individuals talk about “needing and having a reason to get up each morning,” whether it is a job, volunteer activities, or beginning a new career. For others, something as simple as acquiring a pet can help meet this need.

Focusing outside of oneself rather than being enslaved by emotional neediness and dependency on others is essential to good mental health. Being part of a caring, sharing community can offer and provide support, friendship, and involvement for those that belong.

Recognizing and accepting limits and boundaries that come with age are other key elements in mental health and aging. For example, if your night vision declines with age, avoid driving after dark. Switching from jogging to walking may be healthier for your bones and joints.

Using compensatory aids for age- related changes are helpful in maintaining a sense of self- sufficiency and contact with the world around you. Hearing aids, lens implants for cataracts and large print books are all examples.

Mental and physical health go hand and hand so that healthy seniors should exercise, exercise, and exercise some more. Joining an exercise group or exercising with other people often helps sustain the routine that is necessary for staying active.

Healthy, successful aging provides benefits to the older adult and, in turn, their younger family members. Commit to healthy aging when you are young so you won’t get “old.”