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Dispelling the Myths of Aging: Part I

© Deb Jones

Pardon the cliche', but, each of us are aging each moment that we spend on this planet. Aging is not something reserved for the "old," and is not for the faint of heart. Aging is a universal process, a triumph of will and spirit over the everyday odds of life. Many of the beliefs held about aging, or, in this context, our senior years, are negative beliefs. These beliefs are myths, with no basis in reality, but are held almost universally in American culture. And these myths have the effect of making us dread and fear growing older, a natural life process. The truth is, the facts of our older years do not only not bear out the myths, but suggest that our older years can offer some of the best moments of our lives. To what myths am I referring? Ideas such as "most" older people live in nursing homes, people over 65 don't make positive contributions to society, and "all" senior citizens have trouble remembering where they left their car, let alone their car keys. If you'll kindly look through the following statistics, you'll quickly see that these, and other myths about getting older have no basis in truth.

How many older adults are there? (USA Statistics) Persons age 65+: 37 million 13% of population Persons age 85+: 5 million 1.5% of population

Projections for population stats in 2050 Persons age 65+: >80 million Persons age 85+: 20 million

How many older adults are gainfully employed? Men age 70+: 12.2% Women age 70+: 5.9%

How old can a person expect to live? Average life expectancy for men: 74 Average life expectancy for women: 79

Is it true all old people are weak and sick? Diagnosis: Arthritis 58% Diagnosis: Hypertension 45% Diagnosis: Heart Disease 21%

I forgot the question... Incidences of moderate to severe memory impairment Persons aged 65-69: 4% Persons aged 85+: 36%

Also of note: 72% of older Americans self-report their health as being good to excellent. 4.2% of people age 75 and older live in nursing homes About half of all people 60 and over are sexually active, with more than 70% of those saying their sexual lives are as satisfying, or more so, than when they were in their 40's.

If you are interested in verifying these eye-opening facts, or would like to read such information more in-depth, please go to www.ncoa.org or www.aoa.gov.

You may wonder why it is so important to dispel these, and other myths, about aging and the results of a long life. I believe the importance of doing so relates to two different areas, the first being the promotion of treating our current older population with the dignity and respect they deserve, and secondly, so that each of us can enjoy our agin process as the natural part of life that it is, and do so without undue fear or shame.