Talk about denial. Someone made up a ridiculous story about aging, that it’s merely a number, implying that it means nothing. This myth appears frequently in the media, in ads, in stories and sometimes in fake conversations. What is ridiculous about it is that aging is a process. Whatever one’s age, including the elders in our own families, we recognize that the process takes its normal toll. We cling to that myth when we can’t face it that the process of getting older is really happening to us or our loved ones.
The Truth
Despite America’s negative attitude about aging in general, and the stereotyping of older adults as frail, “out of it”, decrepit or useless, many elders are doing rather well in spite of their years. Some of us have aging parents in their 90s who are remarkable examples of healthy aging. But, almost without exception, these successful agers are doing something right. They honor the aging process by how they live. They have strong social connections with family and community. They tend to avoid things that can harm health. They move their bodies regularly, at least a little. The ones with a firm grasp of reality do not proclaim that their age is “just a number” but rather something they recognize, respect, and work to slow and manage. There is no need to pretend that they are not on their own aging journeys.
Why The Hype About “Just A Number”?
Generally, in our society, we seem to be unwilling to face that all living organisms have a life cycle. All come into existence, and develop over time. All die at the end of the life cycle. There are no exceptions, no matter what you buy to try to avoid this. But see how the products that are promoted to “stop aging” , “ take years off”, make you “look younger” etc. are selling so well. We don’t want to come to grips with the truth that if we don’t do all we can to take care of ourselves and the older ones we love, we’ll have lots of illnesses. I don’t think anyone with heart disease that threatens their existence would tell you that age is just a number. They probably don’t hum that to themselves as they take their medications and get their blood pressure checked.
Medication Commercials
As a retired R.N. and Public Health Nurse, I admit to a pet peeve about lots of TV ads suggesting that medications are fun products and folks taking them are dancing around joyously about their drugs. It’s not fun to have chronic illnesses. I never met a single patient among the more than 10,00o for whom I had personal responsibility who was joyful about taking their meds for any chronic disease.
The continued development of new medications only tells us that science is working hard to help manage these multiple chronic conditions that dominate the health landscape of aging adults. We can be glad treatments do exist but let’s not be fooled by the myth that anyone taking the medications is not aging. I doubt that people taking any of these heavily promoted medications, often for life, would say that they see their own age as “just” a number.
A Positive Attitude—Not Myth
Each of us must address our own aging process in our own way, with our individual combination of factors that contribute to how it goes. We do have certain amount of control over that, as we choose a healthy lifestyle or not. It makes more sense to recognize that as we get older, things inevitably change. Our bodies demonstrate wear and tear. People around us who are the same age as we are become impaired one way or another. Friends and older family members pass away. All of this reminds us of the truth: as we age, our time here is limited and it’s smart to make the best of it.
The Takeaways
- Don’t ever be fooled by the hype that the aging process is “just” a number and no big deal. That hype suggests that you don’t need to work at healthy aging.
- Aging well is not going to be accomplished by pretending that it’s fun to take medications or that you’ll be just fine if you do nothing else. Get out of denial.
- Help your family and yourself by accepting the changes you go through as the years pass and plan for how to make your own journey with aging go as well as you possibly can.