August 22: Super Agers

August 22, 2024

Super Agers – why do some folks thrive well into their 100s?

We always hear stories – from family, perhaps, or on the news – about a little old person who is not only alive and well past age 100, but thriving, with a sharp mind, fit body, and glowing health.

What’s behind the fact that some of us do so well at aging? Save with SPP decided to take a look around to find out.

A recent article by The Canadian Press tells the story of Angeline Charlebois of Levack, Ont., who at 105 “spends Tuesday afternoons in town playing cards with her friends at the golden age club, often bringing home-baked treats to share with her friends. Charlebois is an avid reader and loves to sew. She makes hats for babies at the nearby hospital — having picked up knitting as a new hobby when she was 100 years old.”

“She’s extremely social, and says she likes to have a drink on the weekends with her family. She’s partial to beer or rye and water, and she puts Irish cream in her coffee after mass every Sunday,” the article continues.

“She’s used to people who are astounded by her energy and good health at 105 years old,” CP reports. “I don’t really have a secret, it’s just good, plain living,” she tells CP.

Researcher Angela Roberts describes Charlebois as a “super ager,” or someone “80 and older that has the memory of someone 20 to 30 years younger.”

Roberts, the article says, is involved in a study on the topic of super agers involving Western University and four U.S. colleges. The research has found a few factors that seem to help people thrive into their 100s and beyond.

“Human connection, seeing and being with other people face-to-face, feeding off the emotional exchange is really important,” she said.

“We see this depth of social connection as perhaps being a defining piece of exceptional cognitive aging, and indeed that aligns with research that shows that social isolation is harmful in aging and can lead to dementia and contribute to cognitive decline,” she tells CP.

A story posted on the U.S. government’s National Institute on Aging website says research in the States has shown that super agers have more resilient brains than many of us.

“Physically, the brains of cognitive super agers seem to defy wear and tear better than the average brain,” the article notes, citing research from Chicago’s Northwestern University.

“Comparisons revealed that the cingulate cortex, a brain region considered important for the integration of information related to memory, attention, cognitive control, and motivation was thicker in super agers than in their same-age peers and showed no atrophy compared with the same brain region of the middle agers. In fact, a specific region of the anterior cingulate cortex was significantly thicker in the brains of cognitive super agers than in middle agers’ brains,” the article adds.

A flurry of research studies are trying to find out why some brains age better than others, the article continues.

Is there anything we can do in the here and now to boost the strength of our brains? Or the rest of us?

An article from Harvard Health Publishing suggests there are also physical “super agers” whose bodies “have an aerobic capacity of people 30 years younger.”

“Some studies have indicated that people in their 80s who exercised at high intensity for 20 to 45 minutes a day have an aerobic capacity of people 30 years younger,” Harvard’s Dr. J. Andrew Taylor states in the article.

The article suggests a number of steps we can all take to boost our brainpower and physical fitness as we age:

• Embrace mental challenges, such as puzzles and math games. Volunteer with a goal of trying and learning new things, the article adds, or leisure activities you haven’t done before.
• Increase your exercise capacity, and try to work out at a higher level for 20 to 40 minutes, three to five days a week, the article suggests.
• Prepare to be frustrated as you learn new activities – that’s OK, the article tells us.
• Don’t let you age deter you: some famous painters like Mary Robertson “Grandma” Moses did not start painting until their late 70s, the article notes.
• Get going with a group, since taking part in new activities with a group of other people builds social connections as well as putting you in a group of like-minded beginners, the article concludes.

If you’re planning to be around for the long haul, you’ll need to make sure you have adequate retirement savings.

The Saskatchewan Pension Plan is a great resource to help you build and grow your retirement savings. SPP invests your hard-saved coins in a professionally managed, low-cost pooled fund. When it’s time to turn savings into income, your options include the possibility of a lifetime monthly annuity payment, or SPP’s flexible Variable Benefit.

Check out SPP today!

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Harvard Health Publishing, National Institute on Aging, The Canadian Press

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