One of the interesting things about working with people is watching how differently they age. I have seen people, and I’m sure you have too, who are in their forties but look like they are in their sixties or seventies. And there are those in their nineties who seem like they are in their fifties or sixties.

Just a few weeks ago I had the privilege of caring for a lady who was 100-years-old and in basic good health other than having a touch of the flu and some stiff joints. When we first met, she had cookbooks and cooking magazines spread all over the hospital bed. I asked her if she enjoyed cooking, and she replied with a huge grin, “I love to cook but don’t get to do as much as I used to, but you might be surprised by what I can do with a microwave and toaster oven.”

What are the reasons for such vast differences in how we age? In my experience, patients of advanced age all have something in common: a desire to keep working and to stay active while contributing to life.

I remember my Great Aunt Vicky, who always insisted on peeling potatoes, sorting beans, or washing the dishes after dinner. Aunt Vicky had to stay active; she had to contribute and she did so with smiles and laughter. To my knowledge, she never smoked, always ate a big breakfast, worked in her garden, and raised her chickens. For every holiday dinner, Aunt Vicky brought the most wonderful apple stack cake, which she made from scratch on a wood burning stove in a house with no running water.

November is National Alzheimer’s Disease Awareness month. We know the leading causes of death in the United States are cardiovascular disease and cancer. What may not be common knowledge is that Alzheimer’s disease is the sixth leading cause of death. Although we have made great strides in lowering mortality rates caused from heart disease, prostate cancer, and stroke, we have seen nearly a 50 percent increase in the number of deaths caused by Alzheimer’s disease. 

The causes of Alzheimer’s are poorly understood, but most medical experts agree that there is no one factor responsible for the disease. While some researchers believe that clumps of usually harmless protein may interfere with communication between the brain cells, others believe that the brain cells’ internal structures becomes twisted, causing cells to die. But, what causes either or both of these conditions to occur? 

The brain is one of the body’s most vascular organs; therefore, it makes sense that what is good for the heart is good for the brain. Research suggests that a diet rich in fruits and vegetables and low in fat may be good for overall health. 

Prevention is the key, so examine your lifestyle and talk with your healthcare provider about cardiovascular risk factors, such as high cholesterol, type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, and excess weight. Management of these risk factors as well as regular physical exercise, social interaction, intellectual curiosity, and mental stimulation may be your best weapons against a disease that has no cure.

I believe that Aunt Vicky’s attitude toward life, her network of friends through her church, the garden, the chickens, and drawing up her own water from the well while cooking her meals on a wood burning stove kept her mind young. So encourage those closest to you to dance, laugh, and challenge their minds— it’s the curiosity about life that keeps us young.

For questions, comments, or suggestions on topics you want to read about, e-mail Howard Baker, RN BSN at howard@howardsbaker.com.