Aging in America

When do we become old? Is there an exact age or state of mind or body that says old age has begun for us? At age 55, it's a question that I think of more often than I did when I was 35!

The Pew Research Center conducted a telephone survey of Americans, 18 and older, and received 2,969 opinions. It is interesting to look at the results and see how the answers to "When does oldage begin?"depends on the age and gender of the respondents.

60 percent of the under 30 age group said you're old when you reach 60. I guess I better get out my old stuff and get ready.

But wait a minute, those respondents that were 65 and older say that old age begins at exactly 74! Not a day sooner! While I may like the answer..gives me 20 more years of middle age..perhaps the 65 year old is engaging in some wishful thinking?

In the study, women of all ages believe that a person becomes old at age 70, while men think 66 is old. We've known for a long time that men like young women better while women always value older men.

When I answer that question myself, at age 55, I tend to agree with the women. 70 seems to be a time I could embrace the idea that I'm old. I remember reading somewhere, a long time ago, that when we picture ourselves in our minds, we see ourselves at around age 28, at the time we began to feel grown up, mature, a true adult.

The Pew study went on to ask additional questions and then the results became more complicated. Almost all of the survey respondents said that your chronological age does not often match how old you feel. Most of the respondents over age 60 said that felt much younger than that and over half of the 18-35 year olds said that they felt younger than their chronological age.

Other interesting criteria for old age came out of the results from the study. The list below highlights some of the most interesting results and I found myself agreeing with many of these statements.

You're old when:

You can't live by yourself (79 percent)

You can't drive a car. (66 percent)

You turn 85 (79 percent)

You have failing health that plagues you (47 percent)

But further results show that while some Americans think certain signs of aging indicate a person is past their prime and old, fewer of us agree on what that means. Smaller percentages thought the following criteria equaled old age.

You're old when:

You have trouble climbing stairs (45 percent)

You frequently forget names (51 percent)

You have bladder control problems (42 percent)

You're no longer sexually active or rarely (33 percent)

You turn 65 (32 percent)

You have grandchildren (15 percent)

You have gray hair (13 percent)

I bet most of the answers to the second list came from younger survey takers, below the age of 40!

Because of the baby boom generation retiring and aging, these sort of questions are going to need to be answered by all of us. The challenges that caring for ourselves and our aging population will place on our society are real. Providing healthcare, finding long term care facilities, and helping seniors remain independent are burdens that a younger workforce will be required to maintain and develop.

The reality of the survey responses suggest that those under 64 who fear these aging problems was larger than the actual realities being lived by those 65 and older. Those over 65 said they had experienced only a few of the expected burdens of old age. In fact, they felt that they were in the best time of their lives.

Benefits of being "older"

Able to spend more time with family (70 percent)

Being retired and not working (66 percent)

More time for hobbies and fun activities (65 percent)

More financial security (64 percent)

Having strong relationships (62 percent)

Among the most interesting answers on the survey, was the ones asking this question.

How old would you like to live to be?

72 percent said 89 years

21 percent said 100

Only 8 percent said they would like to live to be over 100 years old

How old do I want to live to be? Ninety seems like a nice round number, although the idea of living to be 100 is an enticing one that I'd consider if I good maintain a healthy, happy, productive lifestyle!

Whatever your opinions on the subject of growing old, there are certain factors that we all need to consider.

We need to maintain our health by proactive measures of exercise, nutrition and good healthcare.
We need to be prepared to be financially secure.
And we need to maintain strong loving relationships with family and friends.
It also doesn't hurt to have some good hobbies or interests to engage our minds and our bodies.

For more information about the issue of aging and the impact on our world of the increase in "senior citizens.", check out the following sources. And to read the entire study done by the Pew Research go to their webiste to read the entire study. It's fascinating and much more comprehensive than the review I've done here.

And remember the important fact that came from the study is, You're only as old as you feel and act!

Additional online resources on old age

Growing Old in America:

American Psychiatry
Pew Research Study