Good news, everyone! We’re living longer than previous generations! Pero ya sabíamos eso, ¿no?
It’s been pretty obvious especially when abuelita is living well into her 90s and the doctors are telling you that there’s nothing wrong with her besides the fact that she’s old. ¡Que suerte!
Now the Center For Disease Control and Prevention has numbers to back up what we have been seeing. The life expectancy from 2009 to 2010 has gone from 78.6 to 78,7. Although that doesn’t look like much, the average is on it’s way up. But does this mean that people are getting older as healthy individuals or are they staying alive but in pain and unhealthy?
Like What You’re Reading? Like Us On Facebook!
As the surveys from Medicare showed over a series of years, illness was almost compressed to the point right before a person’s death. Medical advancements have been helping people to overcome problems like joint disorders, heart disease and other chronic illnesses, which makes them less challenging to deal with than in years past.
Other studies have shown that older people are sharper than people of the same age in previous generations. Cognitive function in the elderly now has shown to be better than those a generation older at the same point in life.
Talking to your abuelita or abuelito helps to keep their memories active. This is why it’s good to have conversations with them. Take the opportunity to learn about your family, your past and learning about your grandparents lives. You not only help them, but you’re also gaining cultural knowledge for yourself.
In addition to all of this, people who eat healthy and exercise are sure to live to be older. Keeping track of consumption and taking care of yourself can guarantee a healthier and longer life, until genetics kick in. Sometimes that will affect a body no matter what.
However, this shouldn’t keep you from trying to stay healthy. Living longer can be a pleasant experience especially when you don’t have a lot to worry about. Taking preventative measures and getting checkups and screenings can also help to prevent worse health conditions as time goes on.
But all this good news aside, things are now taking a turn because of the obesity rates and diabetes. Due to the fact that so many people are developing diabetes, especially in the Latino community, this can shorten lifespans. Nonetheless, proper care and management can help to prevent any serious diabetic complications. Doctors say that the elderly now should be models for the aging generations.
