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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Boomers will recall what happened where our parents retired. It was literally, in most cases, getting the gold watch at 65 and leaving the workforce entirely for a leisurely life of golf, visiting relatives, the bridge club, and so on.

Turn the clock forward from the 1980s to the present, and it’s a very different story.

According to Statistics Canada, the percentage of Canadians of senior age is growing. In 2020, the agency reports, “18 per cent of the Canadian population were aged 65 and older,” a percentage expected to grow to 24 per cent by the end of the 2030s.

Our older folks “are living longer and healthier than previous generations,” and that’s one reason why more of them than ever are working or volunteering, the article notes. Stats Canada reports that 13.8 per cent of Canadian seniors were working or volunteering in 2020, up from just six per cent 20 years earlier.

Is it just health and vitality that’s keeping older folks working?

A recent H&R Block Canada survey found that 50 per cent of those surveyed planned “to have a side gig when they retire.”

That may be driven by the reality that they can’t afford to fully retire at 65, notes the media release setting out the survey results. “Fifty-two per cent don’t feel they have enough money left at the end of the month to save for their retirement,” the release notes. And only 46 per cent “feel good about their retirement strategy,” the release notes.

“Not so long ago, the traditional vision of retirement was that at around 65 years old, Canadians ‘hung up their hats’ and celebrated the end of full-time employment. Enjoying the steady income of their company/government pension, they were ready to embrace new life ventures in pursuit of the things they never previously had time for,” states Peter Bruno, President of H&R Block Canada, in the release. “What we’re seeing now is that the vision for retirement has evolved dramatically – fuelled by shifts in tax-friendly savings plan options, evolving workforce realities, the gig economy, and the prevailing economic environment.”  

An article in Business Insider suggests the rising cost of living is also a factor.

“Seniors are re-entering the workforce in growing numbers,” the article reports, citing a report from USA Today. “As inflation squeezes them out of retirement, many are taking jobs as cashiers, retail associates, and hosts at local restaurants, among other service industry jobs,” Business Insider reports.

Steve Weeks, 69, says he went back to work at a Florida restaurant because “the extra money is helpful.” The article goes on to say that older workers are seen by many as being “more dependable, displaying higher levels of punctuality, lower absenteeism, and less inclination towards job-hopping.”

There can be other, non-monetary benefits derived from working into your senior years, reports Harvard Health Publishing.

“There’s increasing evidence that the payoff of working past age 65 may go beyond income. Some studies have linked working past retirement with better health and longevity,” the article notes.

“A 2016 study of about 3,000 people, published in the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health, suggested that working even one more year beyond retirement age was associated with a nine per cent to 11 per cent lower risk of dying during the 18-year study period, regardless of health,” the article continues.

Another study found that “people who worked past age 65 were about three times more likely to report being in good health and about half as likely to have serious health problems, such as cancer or heart disease,” the article notes. Research has also established a link between working past retirement age and “a reduced risk of dementia and heart attack.”

Most of the folks we know still working at part-time or volunteer jobs cite the benefit of being part of a time, and having a purpose and sense of belonging. You do miss social interaction with workplace friends after you hang up the ID badge.

If you’re a member of the Saskatchewan Pension Plan (SPP), and plan to work beyond age 65, be aware that the plan allows you to start turning savings into income as late as late as age 71. So if you work after turning 65, you can still contribute to your SPP pension nest egg for another six years. It’s another helpful feature of SPP, which has helped deliver retirement security since 1986.

Another great bit of news — SPP members can now make annual contributions equal to their available registered retirement savings plan (RRSP) room! There is no longer an annual limit on how much you can contribute to SPP, and as well, there is no limit on how much you can transfer into SPP from your registered retirement savings plan (RRSP). SPP retirement saving is now limitless!

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