How to live past 90
SINGAPORE – Living healthily and staying active well into your 90s is no longer such an anomaly.
Singapore is home to 12,800 people aged 90 and above, according to resident population estimates at the end of June. This is 700 more than last year. There are 11,800 nonagenarians, while another 1,000 have lived past the century mark.
The sizeable number may partly be explained by medical advances as well as the fact that these very senior citizens were born at a time when people all over the world had large families.
From interviews with nonagenarians, SundayLife! found that they tend to have a strong family or social support network. Most have not suffered a major illness before, which for some individuals can sap their will to live.
Gerontologist Kalyani Mehta identifies four key factors for longevity: a positive attitude towards life, being generally healthy and mobile, strong family or community support and, finally, a belief system that gives meaning to life.
“Very often, we underestimate the power of the last factor. But in my view, when one reaches the 90s, material life is less important than spiritual life,” says Associate Professor Mehta, who is head of SIM University’s gerontology programme.
Four 90-somethings share their life stories and secrets of ageing well with SundayLife!, giving a peek into the spirit of a generation that lived through hard times and upheaval.
Source: The Straits Times
Category: Features, Wellness and Complementary Therapies
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