How does health change as individual’s age? Many Americans equate aging with a progression of disease, deterioration, and dependency. But is that really what we see? In this Coffee Break, Kristin will highlighted three key messages about how health changes with age that enrich this stereotypical view of aging.

Key points*

1) Physical and cognitive changes are a normal part of aging, and are distinct from disease or frailty. Consider, for example, changes in vision. We don’t expect older adults to have vision that is equally as good as it was when they were 20. This doesn’t mean the older adult has a visual disability, or a disease; it is simply something that changes over time. Some benchmarks are just different for older adults. “Not bad, just different.”

2) There is a great amount of variability in health and functional ability as people age. For example, some 70 year olds are rock climbing and others might struggle to walk a city block. Some of this variability is genetic, but much of it is related to lifestyle and other determinants of health (including disparities across incomes, education levels, and race/ethnicity categories).

3) Lifestyle factors are a key player in health over time. For example, health behaviors like smoking, healthy eating, and exercise can have a big impact on how healthy people are as they age. This is true across the life course, and it’s never too late to start. Even little changes (eating one extra serving of fruits or vegetables each day; parking farther away from the store; doing 5 minutes of chair exercises) can have an impact on overall health and wellness.

*These key points were selected in part from findings described in the report “Gauging Aging” by the Frameworks Institute. This is good reading – take a look when you have time!

Use this handout Longitudinal Changes in Health to follow along during the call.  Listen now to the conversation:  Longitudinal Changes in Health.

Also shared by our listener, Kathy Staats, State Specialist, the benefits of quitting tobacco from the American Lung Association.