In the upper echelons of politics, there is no shortage of men and women who work well beyond conventional retirement age.
Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., who turns 90 next month, has said she will not seek re-election in 2024 but continues to serve as the oldest member of the U.S. Senate, despite a recent prolonged medical absence and doubts about his mental acuity. In the 2024 presidential election, voters will likely face a deadlock between President Biden, who will turn 82 next November, and former President Trump, who will turn 78.
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Experts say that working until old age can be beneficial and improve longevity – but only if it is by choice; being forced to do so for financial reasons has the opposite effect. However, many Americans are opposed to elder statesmen making decisions, with 41% saying that old age harms members of Congress by making their jobs “more difficult” rather than helping them with “wisdom and experience.” . according to a recent survey.
So what are the cognitive challenges of working as an older adult – and what can aging professionals bring to the table?
What happens to the brain as we age?
The National Institute on Aging says that as we age, it’s not just our bodies that start to look different – physical changes also occur in the brain. Certain areas of the brain begin to shrink, “especially those important for learning and other complex mental activities”; communication between nerve cells in certain regions may not be as effective; there is more inflammation; and “blood flow to the brain may decrease.”
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These physical changes may also correlate with changes in mental function, but experts say there is no fixed, universal template when it comes to aging.
“Yesterday I saw someone in my clinic who was 86 years old and she really looks like she is in her late 60s or 70s,” said Dr. Sharon Sha, clinical professor of neurology and chief of the Division of Memory Disorders at Stanford University. Yahoo News. “I’ve met 90-year-olds who run ultramarathons, so their joints, cardiovascular function and brain don’t reflect those of a typical 90-year-old. So yes, brains can act very differently.”
Sha also notes that while some changes in mental function are to be expected, not all of us are predestined to suffer from dementia when we get older.
According to a recent study from Columbia University, nearly 10% of U.S. adults ages 65 and older have dementia and another 22% have mild cognitive impairment. Cases of cognitive impairment increase with age, although they are still a minority; while 3% of people aged 65 to 69 have dementia, this number rises to 35% of people aged 90 and over.
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What are some of the challenges of working as an octogenarian?
Even for a healthy individual, some cognitive changes are expected. Sha said that for many people this means changes to the following:
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Processing Speed: “As we age, there is a decline in how quickly we think.”
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Working memory: “The total amount of information we can retain may decrease slightly, but not significantly.”
Decreased attention and ability to multitask may also be affected.
“Our bodies are not what they once were,” said David Myers, an 80-year-old professor at Hope College in Holland, Michigan, in an email to Yahoo News. “The stairs became steeper, the newsprint became smaller, the voices of others became fainter, our sleep more interrupted. Our memories and reasoning are less quick. We most often experience brain freezes when trying to recall someone’s name or the next point we were about to make.”
What benefits can older workers bring to the table?
However, Myers said there are many gifts and challenges to being a hard-working octogenarian. As a social psychologist, Myers challenges many of the conventional stereotypes associated with aging in the US; he recently published a book of essays about “curiosities and wonders of the human mind” – the last of the 18 books he wrote.
“There is a temptation to group octogenarians together, when in fact their resilience and capabilities vary much more than, say, 8-year-olds,” Myers said. “At age 80, some are close to death, while others remain energized, purposeful and insightful.”
He said there are several advantages to being an older professional:
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Crystallized intelligence: “Although we octogenarians don’t think as quickly (our ‘fluid intelligence’ is waning), our ‘crystallized intelligence’ – our lifetime of knowledge and the ability to apply it – remains strong.”
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Wisdom: “Older adults often benefit from a greater ability to keep things in perspective, navigate conflicts, and appreciate the limits of their own knowledge. It takes experience to know what you don’t know.”
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Emotional stability: “As teenagers and young adults, we were on an emotional roller coaster. Later in life, our feelings soften. We are better able to look beyond the moment. Praise produces less euphoria, criticism produces less despair or irritation. This way, as we face the arrows and arrows of the day, we can better take a broader perspective.”
The National Institute on Aging says there may also be some positive cognitive changes, with many studies showing that older adults “have more extensive vocabularies and greater knowledge of the depth of word meaning than younger adults.”
How to Keep Your Brain Healthy and Agile as You Age
Although genes and family history may play some role in age, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says that “up to 40% of dementia cases can be prevented or delayed”.
A lot of brain health comes down to lifestyle choices, and Sha shared some advice she often gives her patients to improve their aging brain — with one top-rated tip.
“Exercise, exercise, exercise. Research studies are really confirming how important aerobic exercise is for brain health,” said Sha. “I think it’s important to get your heart rate up 30 minutes a day, if you can do that, at the very least.”
A heart healthy mediterranean diet – rich in plant foods such as seeds, vegetables and whole grains, as well as fish – can also do wonders for the brain.
While there are no specific “brain games” that offer a surefire way to improve brain health, cognitive stimulation also plays a significant role.
In addition to daily exercise, Myers says it’s this “active engagement” that has helped him stay mindful into his 80s — “through reading, writing, and interactions that keep my brain alive and growing, and my life still full of purpose.” ”.
