Outlook Is Positive for Getting Older

Older people may have something to look forward to as they age?living longer. So said geriatric expert Prof. Raymond Tallis of the University of Manchester (England). He reported that life expectancy at birth rose by 4.7 years for men and by 3.5 years for women in the last 2 decades of the 20th century.

Prof. Tallis recently told the British Association science conference that research shows that the level of disability older people are suffering is declining and the rate of that slowdown is accelerating. Therefore, he believes that more can be done to postpone chronic, disabling diseases. In order that people not suffer from bad health in the final 8 or more years of life, medical experts hope to reduce illnesses to a very short time span. Individuals can make simple lifestyle changes (eg, increased exercise, weight control, a healthy diet, and only moderate drinking) to decrease the risk of age-related illnesses such as cancer, stroke, and osteoporosis.