Q. You’ve written about ageism and age discrimination in several of your columns. What are we learning? I am a 70-year-old woman and have a vested interest in the topic. S.D.Your question is very timely. Becca Levy, psychologist, epidemiologist and professor at the Yale School of Public Health recently wrote the book “Breaking the Age Code: How Your Beliefs About Aging Determine How Long & Well You Live” .
There is so much more. For example, older people with positive views of aging perform better on hearing tests and are less likely to develop psychiatric illnesses like anxiety, depression, post-traumatic stress disorder and suicidal thoughts. Levy and others have clearly demonstrated that our attitudes and beliefs about aging indeed affect our longevity and how we function both mentally and physically. Note, we all are stakeholders and never will have control. What we do have is influence over how long we will live and how well we will age.
Thank you, S.D., for your important question. Stay well everyone and remember kindness is everything. Helen Dennis is a nationally recognized leader on issues of aging and the new retirement with academic, corporate and nonprofit experience. Contact Helen with your questions and comments at Helendenn@gmail.com. Visit Helen at HelenMdennis.com and follow her on facebook.com/SuccessfulAgingCommunity