The longevity project presents…

 Three Not-So-Bad Things on Aging and Longevity

A Weekly Newsletter

There’s no denying it: we are constantly bombarded with bad news. A pandemic, climate change, inflation, war, political discord—the list goes on.  Here at the Longevity Project, we understand that bad news can be enough to take years off your life, so we want to do our part (however small) to balance the scales. 

At the end of the day, though, we’re realists. Good news is hard to come by, no matter how hard you look. So we’ll aim a little lower and without further ado, we are pleased to share our first weekly newsletter: Three Not-So-Bad Things on Longevity and Aging. Feel free to share with others and send us items you want to see included. With some luck, you will see this newsletter (and some more not so bad news) every Wednesday.

Click the button below to stay up-to-date on all the latest newsletter releases!

Archived issues:

February 1, 2023
Three Not-So-Bad Things on Aging and Longevity: Guest Editor Edition
Volume 18

At TNSB, we try to avoid feeling jealous of others, if for no other reason than it can be bad for healthy longevity. But despite our best intentions, last week we may have felt the snap of that green-eyed monster when we were talking with Chip Conley: successful hotelier, best-selling author, and a man who has somehow managed to locate his Modern Elder Academy smack center on a beautiful beach in Baja California.

Chip is a prominent advocate for long-life learning: a “new educational segment focused on helping those in midlife and beyond cultivate more of a sense of purpose, legacy, adaptability, and resilience while maximizing well-being, all based upon respected social science and adult development theories on aging.”

When you have accomplished as much as Chip has, it’s a little hard to know where to start your biography. Well, we have a new achievement that can go at the very top: the first ever “guest editor” of TNSB, a new feature we plan to run once a month. The ideas below are his; the words are ours.

1. One thing I believe

The search for purpose and wisdom is not just about helping people be better for their own sake, but about making society better. Chip told us that the “history of wisdom is that it is really a social good . . . helping people uncover and unlock and then cultivate and harvest their wisdom. . . . [This] is going to lead to a more compassionate world, whether that’s within an organization, within a community or politically.” We have tended, to paraphrase Chip, to think of individual wellness as a personal pursuit—my sleep, my fitness, my search for meaning—but when you combine community and wellness, you get social wellness.

The idea of social wellness is having a bit of a moment right now, and just in time. With the breakdown of social institutions and the decline in social capital, there is an increasing need and longing for institutions, like MEA, that can inspire people to come together.

2. One thing I’ve learned

The “thirst” for wisdom, purpose, and community in life is universal, and not limited to any socioeconomic group. Part of the challenge of long-life learning is democratizing, and making it accessible to all. Roughly half of the students at Modern Elder Academy are on some form of financial aid, Chip told us, and that he was proud to count plumbers, construction workers and physical therapists among the 3,000 people who have come through the doors since MEA opened. Chip went on to describe some of the organizations that he follows, many of which are thinking of creative ways to help more people find purpose and fellowship. Among them: the British author and philosopher Alain de Botton, whose School of Life is rolling out a new battery of long-life learning services in the context of employee wellness, and F-3 Nation, a Christian-based organization bringing fitness, fellowship, and faith to men—and reinvigorating their community leadership. It’s not everyone who would see a community of interest between F-3 Nation, MEA, and School of Life, but Chip does, believing that they are all offering different paths towards finding purpose and community in the second half of life.

3. One bold prediction for the future

Smart people tend to avoid making categorical predictions, but we are nothing if not relentless at TNSB and we successfully cajoled Chip into offering a bold prediction. And look at the pay-off: an intriguing set of ideas for expanding long-life learning and saving higher education to boot.

Chip sees two major trends coming together. The first is a decline in college enrollment that is putting any number of colleges and universities into positions of financial precarity. In fact, four colleges have announced plans to close down permanently in the last six weeks alone. And the second is the greater demand—both individually and collectively—to spend concentrated time seeking purpose and wisdom in the context of longer life. As more Americans and more Boomers reach their 50s and 60s in good health and with no clear path on how to contribute for the coming decades, there is a strong and growing need for time to rethink purpose, passion and what comes next.

As a result, Chip predicts that we will begin to “normalize the idea of a gap year in our 50s” and that colleges and universities will begin to serve this emerging market. And some, Chip speculates, may even reconstitute themselves as “gap-year academies.” Given the turnover of customers, colleges will have to bring in a complete new set of participants every year rather than every four years. Ultimately, these new programs will seek to expand the market for long-life learning, making it accessible and more affordable to more people.

It’s an intriguing idea. We certainly see pieces of this happening in small ways now, but Chip sees the future as radically different. What do you think about his bold prediction for the future? Comment on our LinkedIn page here. 

Learn more about Chip and his work at the Modern Elder Academy here, and check out his Wisdom Well blog here.

Have ideas for other “guest editors” at TNSB? Email us at ken@longevity-project.com with your nominations

January 25, 2023
Three Not-So-Bad Things on Aging and Longevity
Volume 17

Welcome back to your weekly dose of Three Not-So-Bad Things on Aging and Longevity. Each week, we try to bring you the world, but this week we're going above and beyond... to the entire universe.

1. if not now, then when?

We didn’t watch the Miss Universe pageant last week—far too busy catching up on White Lotus—but we nonetheless have to give a tip of the cap to the pageant winner, R’Bonney Gabriel of the USA, who edged out Miss Venezuela for the title. The Miss Universe pageant is probably the last place on earth we would expect to see any thoughtful discussion about age inclusivity, but nonetheless, we got some: Gabriel, at age 28, was the oldest contestant in the pageant and offered a heartfelt plea against arbitrary age limits:  

“I would like to see an age increase. I am 28 years old and that is the oldest age to compete. I think it’s a beautiful thing. My favorite quote is ‘If not now, then when?’ As a woman, I believe that age does not define us. It’s not tomorrow, it’s yesterday but it’s now. The time is now that you can go after what you want.”

And the point is surely not restricted to beauty pageants. Women in the workplace face significant gendered age discrimination that only increases in mid-career and beyond. And the more that norms around women and aging can be put on the table and challenged, the better off we will all be.

And if you don’t have the time or interest to go back and watch the show, as a public service, here is SNL’s take on it.

2. PERHAPS MISS FRANCE WAS SCREAMING ABOUT THE RETIREMENT AGE...?

It’s not quite schadenfreude but it does give us a little comfort that we are not the only ones here in the United States struggling with issues around retirement and ageism. We hope you are closely following the French government’s effort to raise the retirement age because it foreshadows many of the challenges that we have and will face here. It’s a long-running saga, and in the latest chapter last week, the French government unveiled a new plan to extend the retirement age in France from 62 to 64 years old. Let’s just say that it was not universally embraced by the French public. Some of the anger was due to upsetting deeply rooted expectations about retirement but some of it has to do with how difficult life is for older workers in France, a situation that mirrors and maybe even exceeds our own.

In a 2022 survey from Indeed France, a quarter of job applicants over 55 reported that employers had told them they were too old to qualify, and an eyebrow-raising four out of 10 employers said they didn’t intend to recruit anyone older than 45. But despite rampant age discrimination, the realities of an aging population is pressing change upon the workforce. Since 2000, the combined effects of declining early retirements, demographic changes, and pension reforms have led to a 21% growth in employment rate among workers ages 55-64. It’s a change that is happening one way or the other, regardless of the fate of this new government proposal.

3. AND HOW MANY MONTHS IS IT UNTIL THE NEXT ELECTION?

Older voters are routinely ignored by campaigns and media alike, even though they vote at higher rates than other age groups and older voters make up an ever increasing share of the electorate. It is, we think, a reflection of the same type of rigid—and largely inaccurate—thinking that leads companies to ignore older consumers because they have already made up their minds and will continue to vote or shop as they always have. It’s terribly simplistic thinking, the kind that we have railed against for years, so we were pleased to see Bill McKibben and Akaya Windwood’s recent op-ed in the NY Times that pointed out that older voters were critical swing voters in the 63 most competitive House races in 2022.  

We’re determined non-partisans in this newsletter so we’re not commenting on which ways these voters swung (hint: it’s not to the right) but we strongly endorse the notion that older voters are “in play” and “here to stay.”  And a shout-out to Bill and Akaya’s organization Third Act, that seeks to inspire activism and participation in civic life by older Americans.

January 18, 2023
Three Not-So-Bad Things on Aging and Longevity
Volume 16

1. The golden years of golden globes.

To a standing ovation—and tears on the face of White Lotus creator Mike White—Jennifer Coolidge accepted her first Golden Globe Award last week, at the age of 61. “I had such big dreams and expectations as a younger person,” Coolidge said candidly, during her now-viral acceptance speech, “but what happened is they got sort of fizzled by life …  And then you get older and think, ‘Oh, what the f— is going to happen?’” She went on to explain that, in this stage of her career, everything had changed: “My neighbors are speaking to me and things like that. I was never invited to one party on my hill, and now everyone’s inviting me!”

Coolidge wasn’t the only star over 60 to take home an award last Tuesday. Michelle Yeoh, Angela Bassett, Eddie Murphy and Steven Spielberg each accepted their Golden Globe with a candid acknowledgement that it’s difficult to succeed as an older person in a very ageist Hollywood. Perhaps these wins will send a message loud and clear: your Golden Years are golden for a reason. Not only do they offer some of the most vital opportunities for personal and career enrichment, but they represent the accumulation of decades of experience. As Yeoh said as she accepted her first Golden Globe award for best actress in Everything Everywhere All at Once: "I'm just gonna stand here and take this all in. 40 years. Not letting go of this."

2. THIS YEAR, YOU CAN IGNORE THE $700 CUTTING BOARD WITH THE BUILT-IN VIDEO SCREEN (AND THE $39/MONTH SUBSCRIPTION THAT GOES WITH IT).

The annual Las Vegas scrum known as the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) is mostly famous for eye-popping gadgetry, whether it be computerized sunglasses or Samsung’s “the Frame,” which functions as both a TV and a repository for all those NFTs you are just dying to show off. But that’s all so 2022. This year, CES saw a bit of a lurch to the practical. Accessibility technologies took center stage, emphasizing a growing investment in assistive technologies and shedding a hopeful light on innovations for the coming years. Among the many features: computerized lipstick application tools and “smart” beds. Assistive technologies have come quite a long way in recent years, both in quality and price. For example, one company debuted a stair-climbing wheelchair designed by roboticists and inspired by luxury vehicles—and the result is nothing short of a stylish, futuristic ride with vast improvements to user experience. Other companies shared updated models of assistive smart glasses, equipped with features that aid the vision impaired such as live closed-captioning and image stabilization. And that’s just to name two—check out more assistive technologies debuted at this year’s CES here. 

The growth in accessibility tech is a positive development as we consider the mobility and functional challenges for an aging population. But how to pay for these new technologies? Many of them are still some ways away from the commercial markets, and there is already some debate about what insurance might pay for and what it might not. As a result, according to AARP Senior Vice President of Innovation and Product Development Andy Millers, some are exploring subscription options for products that insurance won’t cover. We’ll hopefully see more about this at next year’s CES, and if you can’t make it there, you can join in via your 8k TV set, or strap on your metaverse VR headset, or something like that.

3. PULL OUT THAT COLLEGE PULL-OVER: IT'S TIME FOR CLASS.

We beat the drum fairly regularly here at TNSB for more lifelong learning opportunities, and apparently, the public agrees—especially when it comes to their own alma maters. In a new poll from CarringtonCrisp and EFMD of some 2500 business school graduates, 70% of respondents said that they would like their colleges and universities to offer more in the way of lifelong learning activities. You would think, in an era of declining college enrollment and a growing older population, that colleges and universities would flock to innovate around lifelong learning, even just as a growth strategy. But let’s acknowledge some substantial barriers, starting with marketing: over 50% of the poll respondents said that they were not aware of what their own alma maters were offering. And even when colleges have invested in adult learning programs, they have had difficulty in taking programs created for 18 to 21 year olds and adapting them for older adults with different needs and schedules. It’s a great challenge for the educational community—fortunately there are some 2,500 business experts available to help them think through their strategies.

January 11, 2023
Three Not-So-Bad Things on Aging and Longevity
Volume 15

1. turns out: maybe mom was wrong.

Time to close that umbrella and bask in the January sun—new research published in Nature Aging reveals that sunlight may hold a key to longevity. In a multi-year study involving a microscopic roundworm called C elegans, researchers discovered that they could effectively repower mitochondrial cell membranes that typically diminish with age by injecting them with light-activated protons. By rejuvenating the membrane, scientists effectively improved the transfer of energy within the worm and extended the lifespan of C elegans by 30-40%. 

If you are unimpressed with increasing healthy longevity for laboratory worms, consider that we do have some things in common with our smaller, slimier cousins. We both depend upon mitochondria to produce energy for cells, and wiggling through our day-to-day lives gets a little more difficult for both of us as we age. The new findings suggest that we might be able to use sunlight to recharge our batteries as we age in the future, but let’s not toss out the sunscreen quite yet—there’s still a long way to go before we understand the full implications for humans. If you want to hear updates on this research, ask us anytime! You can find us recharging our membranes at the beach.

2. ...BUT AT LEAST SHE'D ALWAYS BE THERE WHEN YOU WERE FEELING SCARED OF THE DARK.

“Who could you call in the middle of the night if you’re sick or scared?” asked Bob Waldinger of Harvard, at this year’s Century Summit. Waldinger is the director of the Harvard Study on Adult Development, the world’s longest in-depth study of adult life. The question is a critical one, as the answer may determine your healthy longevity. “What are the best predictors [of longevity]?” queried Waldinger. “We thought it was going to be their cholesterol level. We thought it was going to be their blood pressure. It turned out to be the quality of their relationships.” Indeed, as Bob explains, some of the Harvard Study on Adult Development’s most significant findings linked longevity not to physical qualities, but to emotional and social ones.

Want to learn more insights from the Harvard Study? You’re in luck. You can watch Bob’s great conversation with Laura Carstensen of the Stanford Center on Longevity here, and you can also read his brand new book The Good Life: Lessons from the World's Longest Study on Happiness. And, check out Bob's 13-question quiz in the New York Times to determine if your relationships really are as strong as you thought (and maybe even stronger)!

Bob isn't the only Summiteer who has just published a great new book. Don’t miss world-renowned psychologist and best-selling author Elissa Epel’s new book entitled The Stress Prescription: Seven Days to More Joy and Ease. 

Click here to check out other conversations from the Summit.

3. MOM WANTS YOU TO HAVE A GOOD WORK-LIFE BALANCE SO THAT YOU HAVE TIME FOR THE IMPORTANT THINGS, LIKE CALLING HER.

The TNSB house Magic 8 Ball has firmly assured us that “signs point to yes”: 2023 will be the year that broader society starts taking seriously the challenges and opportunities of older workers. A very small proof point: this weekend’s article in the New York Times on the challenges facing older workers in Japan. True, the Times offers more questions than answers, so if you prefer answers, we recommend an equally recent piece in the Harvard Business Review by Debra Sabatini Hennelly and Bradley Schurman. The authors note that, by the end of this decade, more than 35 countries will have populations with more than one out of 5 people over the age of 65. It’s a wake up call to employers, and the authors have lots of sound advice on how companies can attract and retain older workers: among other things, flexible work hours, improved workplace design, facilitation of multi-generational collaboration and communication, and perhaps most importantly, revamped compensation and benefits (such as caregiving leave, sabbaticals, and lifelong learning) so that the idea of longer careers can engage rather than repel employees. Check out the full article here.

Is your Magic 8 Ball cloudy? Feel free to ask ours for aging and longevity predictions for 2023 (but please, put your questions in a Y/N format).

January 4, 2023
Three Not-So-Bad Things on Aging and Longevity
Volume 14

1. Are you smarter than a 45th grader?

At TNSB headquarters, we don’t have time to watch dating shows like The Bachelor and Love Island, but we’ve heard that they mostly cater to the young and the beautiful. But what about the rest of us? If you’re pushing 65 and your six-pack is all about the beer, and none about the abs? On most networks in the United States, you’re out of luck, but not so in China. In recent years, Chinese television has seen an explosion of dating shows for the 50+ set. At one level, it’s not so surprising that shows like Not Too Late for Fate and Care and Love are finding a market, since China will be home to something like half a billion seniors by the middle of this century. But what we like about these shows is that they don’t fool around with silly questions like “if you could be a flower, what would you be,” or “do you have a serious fear of any kind of animal.” Nope, they get right down to it: pensions, health, loneliness, memories of people come and gone. We can’t say whether it makes for good television or not—our Mandarin is a little rusty—but we’re happy to see some networks, even distant ones, are thinking creatively about age diversity in programming.

2. New Year, New Longevity… right?

It’s 2023—the year that some once thought humans would be living as long as 300 years and would be wearing something called “kidney cozies”. As much as predictions from a hundred years ago may seem silly now, there’s a measure of truth in the idea that we are progressing into the future in many ways—one of which being in the industry of longer lives. This fall, the University of Southern California Leonard Davis School of Gerontology released an article detailing different ideas on what the future for older adults could look like. Ideas for the future range from virtual reality technologies to intergenerational care, but one primary idea underlies the idea of future longevity: there’s a lot to look forward to. 

For one, Dean Pinchas Cohen explains, personalized medicine could play a huge role in health interventions moving forward. Forget one-size-fits-all—Cohen suggests that we will be able to better predict genetic conditions in older adults, and provide preventive care accordingly. Professor Sean Curran has a similar idea: personalized diets that align with the genetic make-up of each individual. Optimizing personal diets will allow for greater nutritional effectiveness and for healthier, longer life.

We like the sound of this future. Tune back here in January of 2123 for newsletter edition 5214 to see what predictions have come true.

3. It’s not over ‘till I say it’s over!

If Tom Brady was a farmer (something we would very much like to see), he would be over a decade younger than most of his professional peers. But as a 45 year old football player, he is a huge outlier—six years older than any other player and even older than a dozen head coaches in the NFL. Brady may be unique within the NFL, but as the New York Times recently reported, there are Brady equivalents in every profession: a 70-year old paramedic, an 83-year old baker, a 95-year old artist, an 88-year old composer, and an 85-year old doctor, to name a few. All these people, including Brady, share a passion for their work and a drive to keep moving forward. Just look at how 70-year old paramedic Jesse Izaguirre responds to those curious about when he will retire: “I say, ‘First of all, it’s none of your darn business.’ I’m kidding. I’ll tell them anything. When am I going to retire? Hopefully never.”

Our team hasn’t won the Super Bowl for 30 years, so it pains us to say it, but we hope that all these outliers, including Brady, can keep working as long as it gives them joy and purpose. 

December 21, 2022
Three Not-So-Bad Things on Aging and Longevity
Volume 13 — Century Summit Edition

It may not be a Lexus with a big red bow on top, but our final newsletter of the year is our holiday cheer for you: three great things about aging and longevity from last week’s Century Summit at Stanford. Three Not-So-Bad will be back next year and, until then, we wish you a safe and happy holiday season!

1. Fossils against fossil fuels.

Ah, the holiday season: exchanging gifts, snuggling against the fire to stay warm during the “bomb cyclone,” arguing whether Die Hard is a Christmas movie or not, hitting the streets to protest climate change. If that last part isn’t on your holiday list, then you are not Bill McKibben: writer, raconteur, and legendary environmental activist. Bill joined Davia Nelson of Kitchen Sisters fame to talk about the role of the 65+ set in making the world a better place and the joys of intergenerational activism. Check out their inspiring conversation below, and learn about Bill’s plans to protest against the big banks and their support of fossil fuel projects on March 21, 2023… 32123 (the man does know branding). 

2. Maybe she can clone herself…

We also loved the conversation between Maria Shriver and Karen Breslau of Bloomberg News, but we confess to being a little exhausted just listening to Maria describe all the projects she is taking on: new businesses with her sons, a film with her daughter, the Women’s Alzheimer’s Movement, the Radically Reframing Aging Summit, the task force on aging with California Governor Gavin Newsom, and the list goes on. None of that stopped her from inviting what seemed like half the audience to connect with her on new project ideas, as Shriver herself states: “There is no shortage of subjects I’m interested in exploring.” Have an idea for Maria Shriver? She’s listening and you can watch her here:

3. IS THAT A CHECK IN YOUR POCKET OR ARE YOU JUST HAPPY TO SEE ME?

No one rushed the stage, no slaps were exchanged, but there was a different, more rewarding, drama when Trent Stamp, CEO of the Eisner Foundation, awarded the annual Eisner Prize to Jenna Hauss of ONEgeneration. Maybe it was the story of ONEgeneration, which combines adult day care and childcare in a single setting, providing intergenerational connections that, as they say, “last throughout our participant’s lives”. Or maybe it was seeing Trent pull out a $250,000 check that will help ensure that ONEgeneration will be able to continue to serve the San Fernando Valley for years to come. Thank you Trent, thank you Mike and Jane Eisner, and congratulations to Jenna and ONEgeneration!

December 8, 2022
Three(ish) Not-So-Bad Things on Aging and Longevity
Volume 12.5 — Special Edition

Over the last year, we at the Longevity Project have been researching the challenges and opportunities of longer careers. Today, we take the next step by releasing the results of focus groups and polling with younger workers in a research paper called “Generation Care: Helping Younger Workers Plan for Longer Careers and Longer Retirements”. Special thanks to our friends at Corebridge Financial who sponsored our research paper and who have themselves been thinking about younger workers and longer retirements.

Want to read every word of the research paper? Check it out here. Just want a few highlights? Keep reading.

1. YOU CAN TAKE THIS JOB AND SHOVE IT (HT JOHNNY PAYCHECK).

Here at LP Headquarters, there is nothing we like more than ruminating on the prospects of the 60-year career (the party never stops at LP Headquarters) and how they might be made more flexible, more productive and more equitable. Longer careers will almost certainly be a necessity—as John Shovin of Stanford is fond of saying, “you can’t fund a 30 year retirement on a 40 year career”—but we also think that longer careers, done right, are a part of healthy longevity. Younger workers? Let’s color them skeptical. We asked workers “If you were to live to 100, how concerning is the idea of having to add 10+ years to your working life?” Fifty-eight percent of younger workers found that idea extremely or very concerning:

On one level, it’s a reflection of our times, where views of work are being shaped by the pandemic, the Great Resignation, and the urge to quiet-quit. And it’s hard to blame younger workers for being so concerned about longer careers in the context of economic uncertainty, reduced job tenure, and declining investment from companies in their workers (more on that below). But it also should be a wake up call to corporate America and to policy makers alike. The declining worker to retiree ratio poses a huge economic risk to both companies and countries. The best fix to that is to make work more attractive, more balanced and more flexible, so that people will want to work longer. It’s quite doable, as many countries—and even some American companies—are moving towards that idea, but we are concerned that more companies might be attracted to going “hard core” and squeezing out some marginal work rather than building sustainable careers for their employees. Younger workers are recoiling from this.

Shameless Self-Promotion #1: Want to know more about the 60-Year Career? You’re in luck! You can listen to all six episodes of Season 2 of the Century Lives podcast from the Stanford Center on Longevity here. 

2. MY OLD SCHOOL (HT STEELY DAN).

But what would make longer careers more attractive and more sensible? Younger workers have a lot of answers to that question.  Let’s start with professional training and opportunities to go back to school.  It makes perfect sense.  If you’re going to work until 2080, what you learned in school in 2020 might not seem so durable and relevant—especially when technology is turning over every 18 months or so. So, it’s not so surprising that 71% of younger workers told us that training is extremely or very important to them.

The problem is that training can be hard to come by. 60% of workers told us that they thought it was their “current employers” responsibility to provide training, but employer investment in training has declined substantially in this country over time. And you can’t necessarily depend on the federal government to fill the void, as it only spends about $75 per worker on workforce development programs. It is an irony of the times (and not one of those good ironies) that the digital world opens up opportunities for training and development but there are fewer resources and less time for workers to use it.

Shameless Self-Promotion #2: Want to learn more about Generation Care and this new research (but don’t really want to plough through the entire paper)? You’re in luck again! Tune in to the Century Summit to watch JoAnne Moore of Corebridge Financial and Sammy McFarlane of Morrow discuss Generation Care and the challenges and opportunities facing younger workers as they think about longer careers and longer retirements. Register here. 

3. I'LL BE THERE FOR YOU (HT REMBRANDTS AND THE CAST OF FRIENDS)

We’re already down to #3 and haven’t mentioned caregiving—a rather odd oversight for a research paper entitled Generation Care. It may not be top of our list here, but it is top of mind for young workers. 79% of young workers told us that they expect to have care responsibilities in the “next several years.” At a time of life when we expect people to be thinking about developing careers and building a financial framework, almost 8 in 10 younger workers are expecting to have caregiving responsibilities and are concerned about how to balance work and caregiving commitments.

Truth is, virtually every worker will have significant caregiving responsibility at some point in their careers. Caregivers play a critical role in our social fabric and in our economy, and young workers are concerned that we are a long way from giving them the resources and support they need.

4. WE'RE SO EXCITED BY THIS RESEARCH, WE FORGOT HOW TO COUNT.

A majority of younger workers are not confident that they won’t outlive their savings. Younger workers recognize a need for greater support as they plan for longer and more varied careers and for retirements that may stretch 30 years or more.

Not surprisingly, younger workers are attracted to the idea of a form of guaranteed income in addition to Social Security. But it is also clear that younger workers are not expecting their retirement to be secured by government or employer largesse, a sound expectation in these uncertain times. Beyond guaranteed income, younger workers believe that they would be advantaged by having a better grasp of retirement strategies and access to financial advisors. It is a plea, as we hear it, for better guidance and support to navigate more complicated, more varied and longer careers and retirements.

December 7, 2022
Three Not-So-Bad Things on Aging and Longevity
Volume 12

1. Now starring: The norse God of longevity?

Last week, we interviewed Louise Signore, who at 110 years is the oldest resident of Co-op City in the Bronx and perhaps the oldest person in New York State right now. If you want to know Louise’s secrets to longevity, you will have to wait for the upcoming season of the Century Lives podcast (not-so-subtle self-promotion #1), but suffice it to say they do not include walking on a construction beam 900 feet above Sydney Harbor or surfing in the Norwegian Arctic.

That may seem like an odd sentence unless you have watched a new Disney+ series called Limitless, in which actor Chris Hemsworth undergoes six grueling tests, each designed, it is claimed, to teach him something about the values and management of human longevity. The wandering across the two foot construction beam at the top of a massive skyscraper is meant to teach him (and us) something about stress (we’ll buy that) and how to manage it (less certain there). If you are inclined not to take such shows seriously, check it out. It’s kind of fun, beautifully shot and produced by Darren Aronofsky, and Hemsworth is surprisingly relatable—in as much as a super rich, super famous, super chiseled, Marvel super hero can be.

If you want to take it seriously, well, then it’s facepalm time. If we want to think about longevity collectively and individually, we should be thinking not of pushing the body to its extremes but finding balance in our daily lives. Rather than jetting off for film production for a year, we should be talking about how to build family and community relationships and foster social capital. In truth, while it may not be Disney+ material, we’d be better off with a six part series on how Signore made it to 110, even if there would be no “epic” rope climb involved. 

2. How do you say longevity in Chinese?

Some countries, such as Singapore, have paid close attention to the connection between life long learning and healthy longevity– check out Chip Conley’s and Ingo Rauth’s paper for more on the subject. Now it is China’s turn. Last month, China’s Ministry of Education announced its plans to open a National University for the Aged. The announcement responds to a critical and growing need: there are now roughly 267 million Chinese citizens over the age of 60, and that number is expected to grow to over 400 million by 2035. That’s more than the population of the United States and almost that of the entire EU.

It’s a big challenge, but China has a big plan. According to the announcement, every county in China must offer at least one university for the elderly by 2025. As of now, it’s estimated that only 5% of senior citizens use educational resources, so it is a massive undertaking to scale that over the next three years. Stay tuned here for updates.

3. DISCONNECTED: REALITY VS. PERCEPTION IN RETIREMENT PLANNING

With the decline of defined benefit pensions and the increased uncertainties of longer life and uncertain economic conditions, planning for retirement has become challenging for many. Although many pre-retirees share goals of maintaining a comfortable lifestyle in retirement and saving for later-in-life care, a recent survey out of the Stanford Center on Longevity (SCL) points to disparities between the perception of retirement, and the reality of planning and saving that it requires. SCL and Greenwald & Associates surveyed 2,000 pre-retirees and retirees about their goals for the future—as well as the steps they’ve taken to get there—and found that relatively few are equipped to handle the complexities and uncertainties of the task. Just one out of 10 respondents reported being very comfortable regarding their finances, and just over half (55%) responded that their understanding was either fragile or minimal. A full 72% reported that they rely on their “own instincts”, by far the most common source for making retirement decisions.

With 10,000 Americans turning 65 every day, the report is a clear call to step up financial education and support. You might think of this as a crisis, but our friends at SCL are glass half-full types of people, and prefer to think of it as an opportunity. Here’s what they say:  

“This situation represents a significant opportunity for financial institutions, employers, retirement plan administrators, financial advisors, and nonprofit organizations that serve seniors. They can design and deliver robust, multi-media campaigns that can help pre-retirees and retirees engage with information surrounding the critical decisions they need to make.” 

You can find the full report and the “deep dive” here.

November 30, 2022
Three Not-So-Bad Things on Aging and Longevity
Volume 11

1. Houston, we have…gray hair?

Ever since the days of early spaceflight, humans have experienced varying degrees of effect from a zero-gravity environment. Even though astronaut Scott Kelly made it look fun when he attempted to juggle oranges on the International Space Station and posted breathtaking photos of Earth on his year-long space mission back in 2015, zero-gravity environments are in reality intense and often inhospitable places for the human body. Humans are built for the gravity of Earth, and our health regulatory systems reflect that down to the most finite detail—even our heart isn’t quite as good at beating when it no longer has gravity to push back against. When Kelly returned from his year-long trip aboard the ISS, lab tests revealed changes in his blood cells that had only been observed in blood cells of much older men.

Zero gravity may make space an ideal laboratory to explore the aging process. As a consequence, last week, a NASA SpaceX mission partnered with the UC San Diego Sanford Stem Cell Institute to further investigate this phenomenon by bringing blood stem cells to space. The mission launched on Saturday from the Kennedy Space Center, and its goal isn’t just to better understand how we can help keep astronauts healthy, but also to potentially unlock a more advanced understanding of aging on Earth. Researchers at the Sanford Stem Cell Institute report that they will use space as an "aging accelerator:” first confirming that the low-gravity environment accurately mimics human aging, and then using that to "further dissect the aging process." Stay tuned here for updates.

An off topic but still interesting note: When Scott Kelly went to the ISS, his twin, retired astronaut and now US Senator Mark Kelly, stayed on Earth essentially as a control group of one—so that scientists could more fully document the impact of sustained space travel on Scott Kelly. The results of the study? Some changes in DNA structure and telomere length, carotid artery thickening, and some cognitive effects. If you’re thinking about going to space and want to know how it might affect you, check out the NASA findings here.

2. MAKE LIKE A SUPER VILLAIN, AND DRAW UP YOUR MASTER PLAN.

Earlier this month, New York became the 6th state to declare an intention to develop a “Master Plan for Aging,” a comprehensive platform to address the changing needs of our rapidly aging society. California was the first state to develop such a plan and it has led to a cascade of initiatives to, in the case of California, create more affordable housing, support caregiving, advance healthcare availability for the aging and assure greater equity and inclusion in longevity. Say what you want about California, but at least it is active on the aging front. Governor Gavin Newsom’s January 2022 progress report detailed a whopping 132 separate initiatives designed to advance goals in those areas.

New York state is home to the fourth-largest population of older adults in the country, making it a likely candidate to follow the lead of California and a handful of other states. The state has had some success in responding to the challenges of an aging society—AARP named it the first age-friendly state—but the failure of its nursing and care system during the pandemic has been a wake-up call for change. Governor Kathy Hochul’s 2023 budget envisions a robust consultation process for the creation of the new Master Plan for Aging, and it is a welcome initiative in a state challenged by demographic changes and some failing institutions. Whether it leads to 132 new initiatives or not, we are all in on efforts to take a comprehensive view on how to rethink how we live, work, learn and care for each other in an era of longer lives and older communities.

3. KNOCK KNOCK. WHO'S THERE? LONGEVITY...

As we enter the sometimes stressful holiday season, we’re reminded of the importance of patience… and a good sense of humor. That sense of humor will not only get you through the holiday season, it may also help you live longer. A 15 year Norwegian study found that humor, especially in women, has a strong correlative link with health and longevity. For women, high scores on the cognitive component of humor were associated with a 48% reduction in risk of death from all causes and an extraordinary 73% reduction in the risk of death from heart disease. Somewhat surprisingly, the researchers failed to find a similar reduction among men, something they attributed to declining humor scores among men as they age. We’re skeptical of this last finding, because we have only gotten funnier as we’ve aged (cue my teenage son rolling his eyes).

So as a public service (cue my teenage son rolling his eyes again), here is our favorite joke:

A man walks into a bar and orders a drink. The bartender says, “hang on, I've got to go to the storage room to get some more ice.” The man is now sitting by himself but he then hears a little voice say “boy, that is a really nice suit you’re wearing.”  He whirls around but there's no one there.

If you want the rest of the joke, just ask. We’re always happy to tell it (cue my teenage son rolling his eyes straight out of his head)...

November 23, 2022
Three Not-So-Bad Things on Aging and Longevity
Volume 10

1. The proof is in the pudding.

Complete the crossword online, and discover this not-so-bad thing. Don't believe us? Check out the report here. (No cheating!)

2. When the weather outside is frightful… take a hike.

This may come as a bit of a surprise to the good people of Buffalo, but studies are increasingly showing that walking and exercising outside in the cold is good for you. It’s especially good in cities, where foul weather can wash away pollutants and dirt. Pavements, normally thronged with pedestrians, may be pleasingly open in cold weather, and we can worry less about germs in these pandemic-laden times. And the cold itself is good for you, thanks to the way brown fats work. Brown fats consume artery-clogging white fats, and brown fats are activated by both cold weather and exercise, so the two together are a double threat. So don’t let that 77 inches of snow slow you down. Grab your boots and go!

3. Will we eat leftovers for a week? Oh we cran, and we will.

Turkey, stuffing, football games, a second helping of stuffing, a tryptophan-induced nap, sneaking downstairs to steal stuffing from the refrigerator. There is much we love about Thanksgiving, but at the heart of it all is the chance to reconnect with generations of family and friends. Intergenerational conversations are not only fun but they can be good for you— helping increase the understanding of the many contributions that all generations make to our lives and our communities. And now you don’t have to wait an entire year to do that. Check out Generations Over Dinner, a new initiative of the Modern Elder Academy and the creators of Death Over Dinner. The goal is to inspire more intergenerational dialogue and, for those of us who fear getting tongue-tied, there is a handy guide and sample scripts. Death Over Dinner has generated a million events and we hope that Generations Over Dinner will do the same.

Shameless Self-Promotion: Not quite ready to host your own Generations Over Dinner? You don’t have to wait. Join us and Generations Over Dinner founder Michael Hebb at the Century Summit on December 14th for a midday version of the event. We call it Generations Over Dinner Over Lunch and Michael will be bringing four generations together for conversation as only he can. Register here!

Which not-so-bad thing surprised you the most? Share and tag us!

November 16, 2022
Three Not-So-Bad Things on Aging and Longevity
Volume 9

1. Nun’s the word.

Our college dorm room may not have been exactly party central, but we wouldn’t have called it a nunnery either. Yet maybe we should have, because that is now the attractive new home for a group of students at Neumann University near Philadelphia. Forty college students, both men and women, have taken up residence in the campus’ newest accommodation: the Our Lady of Angels Motherhouse Convent. At the convent, students enjoy the company of the nuns during meals and evening activities, for which both sisters and students regularly gather. On the activity agenda: pumpkin painting, making s’mores, and hopefully producing a dance TikTok video with the sisters.

The Wall Street Journal reports that the new relationships have been a revelation to both groups. The sisters—average age 82—have been astonished to discover that something called UberEats will deliver food in the dead of night, while the students have been delighted by Sister Smith’s tale of talking her way out of speeding tickets (perhaps an unintended benefit of wearing the habit.) It’s probably not the college experience that the students imagined—or for that matter, the living arrangement that the nuns expected—but both groups seem delighted by the intergenerational accommodations. The scenario is surprising but the outcome really isn’t: intergenerational living arrangements have proven positive effects on the engagement of seniors and can help younger folks navigate life challenges as well. Win-win. It’s almost as if an unseen hand has guided them there…

2. Put it there, pal…

The handshake has a long and distinguished history. In Ancient Rome, the handshake was a popular and customary expression of friendship and loyalty, and Homer wrote approvingly of the practice in the Iliad and the Odyssey. The gesture may have lost some steam during the pandemic—and Dr. Fauci even mused “I don’t think we should ever shake hands ever again, to be honest with you” early in the pandemic—but it's probably not going fully out of style anytime soon.

It is said that you can tell a lot about someone by their handshake, and that turns out to be true—though perhaps not in the way intended. New research out of the University of Michigan has tagged grip strength as being significantly correlated with accelerated biological age.  Essentially, the weaker your grip, the older your biological age, according to the researchers.  Mark Peterson, the lead author of the study, found the correlation so significant that he suggested muscle weakness may even be the “new smoking” in terms of associated health risks and complications. The Michigan team is suggesting to clinicians that they should start screening more intensively for weakened grip strength as a potential signal of functional decline, chronic disease and even early mortality.  For the rest of us, the message is to focus on physical strength and keep working that gripmaster.  

In case you missed it… We may spend more time on the couch than on the treadmill (a lot more time truth be told) but that doesn’t mean we’re not into learning about fitness. Case in point, last week, we hosted along with the PBS website Next Avenue a webinar focused on fitness, with a panel composed of three terrific experts: Dr. Poonam Desai of Next|Health, Dr. Mounir Zok of N3xt Sports and Dr. Michael Fredericson of Stanford. Our big takeaway: balance matters. Check out the webinar recording here.

3. Fire up Zip Recruiter…

With inflation eating away at savings and creating economic risks for those on fixed income, more retirees are contemplating the return to the workforce. A recent Harris Poll found that 31% of retirees might rejoin the workforce if inflation challenges persist.  This is a historically high number, partly fueled by the troubled economy but also by the perception that it is a seller’s market for workers. And older workers know what they want: 41% of retirees say they would take a job if they could have a flexible work schedule, and 35% would do so if they could work remotely full-time, both things which seem possible in a tight labor market. And indeed, the labor market remains tight. Despite the economic headwinds, the economy actually added 437,000 job openings in September and the rumors of the demise of the Great Resignation seem premature: 4.1 million workers quit their jobs in September, reflective of the confidence that workers have in finding new opportunities. For the moment, workers, including older workers, still have the upper hand.

The specter of age discrimination unfortunately always hangs over these employment conversations. The same Harris Poll found that 46% of employed Baby Boomers said that their age would prevent them getting a new job. And we all know that the task of reentering the workforce is, for most people, more difficult than moving laterally from one job to the next. As usual, it is a mixed bag on the unretirement front, and will probably remain so until American business comes to grips with the fact that older workers and near retirees are a valuable, even indispensable, economic asset.

Which not-so-bad thing surprised you the most? Share and tag us!

November 9, 2022
Three Not-So-Bad Things on Aging and Longevity
Volume 8

1. A Touch of Gray...

Last week, our friends at Generations United released their annual State of Grandfamilies report, which includes the newest data on grandparent-headed households across the United States. According to the report, nearly 8 million children in the United States live with a grandparent who serves as the head of household. It is a relationship that can bring a lot of good to both the child and their grandparent, if given adequate support. Not only do children living in grandfamilies have more stability, higher levels of permanency, and better behavioral and mental health outcomes, but the grandparents report a greater sense of belonging, cultural identity, and purpose. This is testament to the important role that grandparents play in family structure in the United States—a role that is likely to increase in an era of more multigenerational families.

But it comes with a big asterisk. This year’s State of Grandfamilies focuses on the fact that many grandfamilies struggle with food insecurity. According to the report, many of these families are on limited, fixed income, and face additional difficulties in navigating the available federal nutrition programs (most of which were never designed with non-traditional family structures in mind). A full 25% of grandfamilies are at risk of food insecurity, which is a figure 60% higher than all other families with children. The new report lays out a roadmap for addressing this challenge. Check it out here.

Shameless self promotion plug #1: You can learn more about grandfamilies and the multigenerational family by tuning into the Century Summit on December 13 and 14! Featured speakers include Donna Butts of Generations United, Generations Over Dinner founder Michael Hebb, and legendary environmentalist Bill McKibben—just to name a few. And, find out who will win the 2022 Eisner Prize, awarded annually to a person or organization that displays excellence in uniting generations for the enrichment of the country. Register now here!

2. PLaying in the band…

We quit our video game obsession in the Ms. Pac-Man era and have never looked back, but recent innovation may urge us to rethink this. Last month, researchers at the Montreal Neurological Institute at McGill University revealed that one musical rhythm game significantly helped improve facial recognition skills and short-term memory of adults 60+. After the eight week study, players of the game displayed increased activity in the part of their brain linked to memory, and were better able to recognize faces.

The game is called Rhythmicity and is the brainchild of former Grateful Dead drummer Mickey Hart. Yet, the game's impact on cognitive development is no accident. Hart collaborated with Adam Gazzaley of UC Berkeley, one of the world’s leading neuroscientists, in developing a game with the express purpose of helping older adults use rhythm training to improve cognitive skills. Hart is not alone in developing video games for that purpose. Since 2013, researchers have been putting the regenerative capabilities of video games to the test in a number of different ways—from labyrinths to racing games—but this is, as far as we know, the first proven effort to deploy music training to help brain function. Indeed, the increasing levels of difficulty and precision allows some of the game’s biggest strengths to shine: it adapts to the strengths and weaknesses of the user to optimize performance. Our verdict: it’s no Ms. Pac-Man but still pretty great anyway.

Shameless self promotion plug #2: Guess who else is speaking at the Century Summit? No, not Mickey Hart, but almost as good: aforementioned world-renowned researcher Adam Gazzaley. He will be talking about brain health along with Tony Wyss-Coray of Stanford, and Ximena Araya-Fischel, Health Editor of Next Avenue. The registration link is still here.

3. Here comes sunshine…

During the pandemic, many businesses, including nonprofits and volunteer-run organizations, were forced to shut down in person activities. This had the effect of reducing volunteer opportunities for many people, especially older adults. Yet, some organizations created virtual volunteering opportunities in order to continue services and provide ongoing engagement opportunities for their volunteers. Now, one University of Maine professor is researching whether “virtual volunteering can make assisting nonprofits more accessible to older adults, particularly by alleviating the place and time constraints associated with volunteering. To support a broader integration of virtual volunteering, she will conduct a study to investigate its benefits, challenges and opportunities for growth and improvement.”  

Volunteering has been shown to have important health and cognitive benefits for older adults, and broadening volunteer opportunities—including for people with mobility challenges—must be a good thing. But we also wonder whether some of the direct benefits of social engagement will be lost in a virtual setting. It’s a three year research project, so stay tuned here for any updates on its progress.  

Shameless self promotion plug #3: And speaking of virtual, you can virtually participate in the Century Summit (ok, it’s a stretch, but we’re on a roll) on December 13 and 14! You won’t want to miss two days of conversation featuring innovators and thought leaders from around the world.

...And here's the link to register, one more time. Did we mention you can register right now to save?

Which not-so-bad thing surprised you the most? Share and tag us!

November 2, 2022
Three Not-So-Bad Things on Aging and Longevity
Volume 7

1. Silver (Hair) is the new gold.

For far too long, women have had to fight the visible ageism that comes with gray hair— in society generally, but especially in the workplace. One 2017 economic analysis from the National Bureau of Economic Research found substantial evidence for age discrimination based on a women’s physical appearance, finding that older women are far more likely to experience hiring discrimination than older men. But perhaps that is changing, as more women are defying social expectations and doing what just feels right.

We loved this recent Wall Street Journal article about women in their 40s, 50s and 60s, who decided to drop the pretense and let their gray hair shine. Workplaces are increasingly trending more casual, and that includes more diversity in hair choice and embracing natural hair colors. A significant number of Facebook groups have cropped up since the onset of the pandemic, populated by women who want to support each other in the transition to going gray. One group, called Gray and Proud, has nearly 32,000 members, while others continue to spring up with regularity. We’re not entirely sure what to make of the fact that younger celebrities like Cara Delevinge, Ciara, and even Kim Kardashian have dyed their hair gray, but we detect a “silver lining” in all these developments.

2. Hogeweyk isn’t just a name from Harry Potter…

At Not-So-Bad HQ, we’re feeling pretty good about the prospects of innovation in senior care. Next year, a Manhattan-based nonprofit that specializes in affordable housing for seniors will open a new seniors-only apartment in Brooklyn. Fifty-seven of the available apartments will be reserved for homeless seniors, while the rest will be reserved for senior households making less than 60% of the area median income. The community is called The Atrium at Sumner, and is distinguished not only for its accessibility, but also for the resources it provides to its residents: the building will be staffed with a social worker who can meet with residents to assess their needs, help them apply for government benefits, and provide access to targeted health and wellness services.

And it's not just housing. The (relatively) new Annenberg Genspace in Los Angeles reimagines a modern senior center based on social connection, wellness and lifelong learning. Genspace is just one of a number of important initiatives that conceive of senior citizens as contributors to—and an important resource of—society, and reminds us what can be accomplished when we view older adults as individuals rather than as declining assets. Another community called Hogeweyk, located in the Netherlands, is always worth mentioning as an example of this—though they’ve been innovating in senior care for more than a decade. At first glance, Hogeweyk resembles any other fully-functional village center—full of restaurants, cafés, shops, gardens and outdoor spaces—but one key element sets Hogeweyk apart: the entire village community is dedicated to the wellbeing of older adults with Alzheimer’s. Despite the fact that all 152 of the community’s residents live with Alzheimer’s and require around-the-clock care, they have access to a full, though gated, community. The Hogeweyk model, though said to be no more expensive than a conventional nursing home, has only slowly spread, though the first UK equivalent opened last year and a Canadian imitator has been scheduled for this year. With the senior population growing rapidly, more innovation will be desperately needed.

3. Whale, whale, whale, what do we have here?

For the last 30 years, we’ve bored friends and family with stories of whale sightings off the coast of Alaska. Little did we know that the whales we saw might still be alive today—and hopefully still boring their friends with silly human stories. Whales are among the longest lived creatures on Earth, and the Bowhead Whale in particular has a life expectancy of two centuries. The extended life expectancy of these whales has historically been a bit of a puzzle to scientists, since a super-sized lifetime should (in theory) be associated with higher cancer rates, as cells would have longer to develop the mutations that lead to cancer. But that has not proven to be the case, and researchers are now identifying why. Bowhead whales have a specific gene, labeled CDKN2A, that increases resilience to genomic instability, slows down the cycle of cellular division, and makes the whales more resistant to cancer. It is, in effect, a form of the longevity maxim “live slow, die old.” It is unclear the long-term implications of this for combating cancer in humans, but studying the gene could offer a new avenue for research into potential treatments and cures for cancer in older humans. And it gives us hope that when we return to Alaska in 2050, we might see our whale friends again.

Which not-so-bad thing surprised you the most? Share and tag us below!

October 26, 2022
Three Not-So-Bad Things on Aging and Longevity
Volume 6

1. NO NEED TO PUT A SPRING IN YOUR STEP—YOUR NEW EXOSKELETON WILL DO THAT FOR YOU.

Turns out, it might actually be a good thing when robots  take over the human race. Last week, the Biomechatronics Lab at Stanford released the early findings from their first untethered exoskeleton emulator: a robotic device that can help users walk faster, and with less effort. Unlike other exoskeleton prototypes, this model  personalizes its assistance, learning more about how to best support its user with every step. The exoskeleton fits on like a wiry, metal boot, and has the sensation that feels a bit like walking on the moon: springy, light, and nearly effortless. All told, the savings on muscles and the speed boost are equivalent to taking off a 30-pound backpack. 

The goal of this new device is not to help us compete with the current speed-walking record but to help people with mobility impairments and older adults. Nearly 7 million Americans today use assistive devices such as wheelchairs, canes, and scooters, but over 40% of mobility device users are unable to perform their major, daily activities due to a range of physical barriers including, for instance, steps in and out of a home.  Sorry—you can’t yet buy this at your neighborhood exoskeleton store, but the research team is about to “release this into the wild” and believes commercialization is only a few years away.  

2. #AGINGWITHGRACE COULD BE THE #NEXT #NEW #BIGGEST #THING.

We’ve long held a negative view of TikTok because we are pretty sure that it is turning our son's brain into mush, but we may have to rethink our opinions in light of new research that shows that TikTok may be helping to reframe negative notions of aging. A new study, published last month in Gerontologist, revealed that there is an extraordinary range of popular TikTok creators over the age of 60, and the vast weight of their content is being used to, in the words of the researchers, "defy age stereotypes" or "call out agism." Since we read this, we’ve become slightly obsessed with a few TikTok accounts like @lifeinmy70s, @ourseniormoments, @nathanjameslife and even Jamie Lee Curtis who is using her TikTok platform to advance updated notions on aging. Some of it is serious stuff, but there is also just sheer joy and silliness in seeing two older women slide down the side of the Lincoln Memorial. The National Park Service might not approve but we think Mr. Lincoln would. 

3. IT WOULD HAVE MADE THE WORLD'S LONGEST TIKTOK VIDEO...

Granted, TikTok is not for everyone and for every project. We loved this recent article about 82-year-old photographer Marna Clarke, who has embarked on a decade-long portrait of aging. Clarke describes waking up from a dream in her 70s and being suddenly struck with a need to document herself and the physical changes which come with getting older. What began as a single series of photos soon stretched a year, then two, then three—until Clarke had compiled a portfolio of herself aging across twelve years. Clarke calls the series “Time as We Know It,” and it is currently accessible in her online exhibition.

When Clarke displayed the images in galleries in the San Francisco Bay Area, some were offended by the intimate depictions of her body and of her partner’s— after all, it’s not everyday that intimacy between older adults is published proudly for public consumption. But for many older adults, the series was a relief. Clarke recounted to Kaiser Health Newshow people in their 50s, 60s, 70s and above would often express gratitude to her for the series. We think it's a good step forward on the honest depiction of aging. Now if we could only turn it into a TikTok…

Which not-so-bad thing surprised you the most? Share and tag us below!

October 19, 2022
Three Not-So-Bad Things on Aging and Longevity
Volume 5

1. BEFORE THE NEXT STORM, THERE WILL BE A RUN ON DIGITAL TOILET PAPER.

We’re not huge fans of NFTs, though we find ourselves irresistibly drawn to stories about them just to find out whether we have (again) missed the next big thing or whether we are witnessing another tulip bubble. But we were recently drawn to a story of a young organization called VitaDAO, which organizes pharmaceutical research efforts around longevity. VitaDAO, which just finished its fifth longevity research project, grew out of a frustration among researchers with the so-called Valley of Death, which sidelines potentially valuable research because of a mismatch with biopharma companies’ marketing priorities. The response from the VitaDAO organizers was to create a democratically controlled organization where funding priorities were to be voted on by the community and intellectual property shared using IP-NFT protocols.

This, in their vision, would allow resources to be directed to their highest needs, and have ideas shared among researchers in an efficient manner. It’s all been small dollar stuff so far, but VitaDAO has moved quickly so far in an area not known for agility. Our verdict? VitaDAO is worth keeping an eye on, but we are still skeptical of any concept that allows “digital perfume” to be sold for $18,000 a pop.  

2. AND NOW PRESENTING THE LEAST-KNOWN MARVEL SUPERHERO: THE SUPERAGER.

Recent new research from Northwestern University has led to new insights into SuperAgers. Northwestern Medicine defines SuperAgers as people 80+ with exceptional memory skills, often better than those 20 or 30 years younger than them. The goal of this and other related studies has been to identify biological markers that distinguish these SuperAgers and aid their resistance to cognitive decline and dementia.

The new research, just published in the Journal of Neuroscience, found that SuperAgers have neurons in an area of the brain responsible for memory that were significantly larger compared to cognitively average peers. And, those neurons showed resistance to the tau tangles associated with Alzheimer’s and dementia. The existence of a new super-aging neurological signature is all pretty exciting, but it begs for further research on whether biological traits like this can be harnessed to help older adults stave off cognitive decline and the onset of Alzheimer’s.

3. IF ONLY OUR FANTASY FOOTBALL APP WAS STILL FUNCTIONING, WE'D BE ABLE TO BUY NEW APPS.

Last week, our long-suffering iPhone decided that it had enough drops, kicks and Dr. Pepper Zero spilled on it. Rest in peace, iPhone 8. We’re now nervously awaiting the efforts of the wizards at the Apple service center to recover all our data. Even going a few days without our fully-armed phone has been a lesson on how important data and apps have become to our lives. For this (hopefully) short period of time without our apps, we have been forced to read about them, rather than use them. We have been particularly intrigued with a new app called Reboot Your Health, which focuses on helping you extend your healthy longevity through building better everyday habits. It’s the brainchild of Michael Roizen, the former chief wellness officer of the Cleveland Clinic. Roizen examined 50,000 scientific studies over the course of two years to develop the personalized health solutions offered in the app and drew from Apple Health and Google Fit to offer educational content such as short videos and articles, as well as brain games, leaderboards and quizzes.

Increasingly, digital initiatives such as Roizen’s are emerging throughout the market as popular tools, and we are intrigued by the ability of the app sector to foster and reinforce healthy habits around fitness (we desperately miss our fitbit app), diet and nutrition, and mental stimulation.  Do we like the Reboot Your Health app?  We have no idea– our phone still isn’t working.  But if you have any experience with Reboot Your Health or other apps that you want to recommend, email us and we will post relevant responses next week.

Which not-so-bad thing surprised you the most? Share and tag us below!

October 12, 2022
Three Not-So-Bad Things on Aging and Longevity
Volume 4

1. FOR HIS NEXT ACT, CARL WIL GO TO LAW SCHOOL SO HE CAN SUE HIMSELF.

We loved this NPR story from Vanessa Romo about Carl Allamby, who became a newly minted attending physician at the age of 51. Dr. Allamby spent most of his adult life as an auto-mechanic, while simultaneously pursuing (and obtaining) his bachelor’s degree and then a medical degree at age 47. It’s a wonderful story about reinvention, but it’s also a testament to the critical function that the community college system can play in economic mobility and lifelong learning. Despite characterizing himself as an unremarkable student, Allamby began taking courses at Cuyahoga Community College, where he was often the youngest student in his class. Those courses, open to anyone at a low cost, reframed his views about education and his own learning abilities—and led him down his remarkable career path.

Community colleges play a pivotal role in supporting older and nontraditional students. The average age of a community college student in the US is 27, and these schools serve a much larger percentage of older students than four-year colleges. Community colleges, which pride themselves on taking the “top 100 percent of applicants,” are a key resource for people who are not fully-served by the four-year college system and also a key driver of economic mobility. But we invest only about a fifth as much in each community college student as we do in the traditional four-year college students—a significant misalignment of resources in a time of stagnant social mobility.

Shameless promotion #1: If you want to find out more about community colleges and new paths to lifelong learning learning, register for the 2022 Century Summit and tune in for our panel on lifelong learning, featuring Mitchell Stevens, a professor at the Education School at Stanford (and one of our favs); Eloy Oakley, until recently the Chancellor the California Community College system and now CEO of the College Futures Foundation; and Gagan Biyani, CEO and founder of Maven, an online learning platform aiming to be the “university of the future." 

2. ...OR MAYBE HE'LL USE THAT LAW DEGREE TO DECIPHER ALL THOSE RULES AROUND FAMILY CAREGIVING.

Earlier this month, Maine became the most recent state to create a support benefit for family caregivers. “Respite for ME” is a two-year pilot project that provides $2,000 grants to family caregivers. As the name suggests, the principal goal of the program is to provide funds to cover care tasks such as feeding and bathing, so that family caregivers can take a break from the rigors of their tasks. It is a reminder that despite a lack of a coherent national strategy to support our 50 million family caregivers, there is a rather lengthy list of programs that provide financial resources for caregivers. Federal programs including Medicare and Veterans programs, state programs such as those recently developed in Maine and Hawaii, medical and family leave programs that are developing in 11 states, and even employer benefit programs at companies such as Microsoft and Bank of America offer various types of financial and social support. You can check out a more expansive list here from our friends at care.com.

It’s great that there are so many potential options to support family caregivers, but it is still a confusing welter of programs with lots of complexity. We would hazard a guess that those most in need of support have the least time and least resources to work their way through all this complexity. It begs for a national strategy— and here, just in time, comes the 2022 National Strategy to Support Family Caregivers, courtesy of a federal advisory committee created in the RAISE Family Caregiving Act of 2018. Check out its 500 recommendations for federal, state and local action to better support caregivers here. There will be a quiz. 

3. ...OR HE COULD BECOME A "GRAY DIVORCE" LAWYER. 

We’re not big readers of page six or gossip columns, but we couldn’t help noting the recent news of Robin Wright’s pending divorce. Wright is perhaps best known for role in House of Cards (though we will always be partial to her as Buttercup in Princess Bride). This is not her first divorce but it is the first one that counts as a “gray divorce” — a divorce of someone over the age of 50. Divorce rates in the United States have been fairly steady over the past few decades, with the very notable exception of older couples. Divorce rates among people 50+ have doubled since 1990, and divorce rates among people over the age of 65 have tripled. Wright’s divorce is just one notable example of this long running trend.

You might be wondering why this article about rising divorce rates can fit into the “not-so-bad" category. We’re no fans of divorce, and we confess that it’s a little bit hard to find a silver lining here. But consider one of the principal reasons for the gray divorce trend: according to the American Bar Association, people who are now hitting their 50s and 60s are now realizing for the first time that they have 20 or 40 good years in front of them, and have reason to want to “do it their own way.” Longer lives may bring with it the prospect of multiple careers, which we consider a good thing, but also the prospect of multiple mates, which we will just call a thing.   

Shameless promotion #2: If you are caught in marital discord, it’s even more important to eat healthfully. So please join us for a virtual online panel on October 14 at 2pm ET to hear from three nationally renowned experts on diet and nutrition. Christopher Gardner of Stanford and nationally registered nutritionists (and cookbook authors) Maya Feller and Toby Amidor will share the latest research and their best nutritional advice.

What not-so-bad thing surprised you the most? Share and tag us below!

October 5, 2022
Three Not-So-Bad Things on Aging and Longevity
Volume 3

1. THE CITY THAT NEVER SLEEPS... BUT WOULDN'T TURN DOWN A NICE NAP EVERY NOW AND THEN.

The population of New York City, like much of the country, is aging. There are now more than 1.2 million New Yorkers over the age of 65, and older New Yorkers are the fastest growing component of the city’s population. Some advocates have long contended that the city has ignored its aging population, but perhaps no more.

Last month, New York Mayor Eric Adams announced the first-ever “Cabinet for Older New Yorkers:” essentially a permanent, high-level task force of 17 city agencies. The Cabinet, according to Adams, is intended to breakdown silos and help make New York a model age-inconclusive community. It is, at least in conception, a positive development to see a major city reconceive its older population from being a problem best addressed by the Department of Aging, to a diverse, vibrant group that is an integral part of the life of the city. Check out the press release here (though we warn you that each of the 17 department heads get their own quotes and paragraphs. We endorse the idea, not the writing style). 

2. LET'S TRUMPET SOME SUCCESS IN THE FIGHT AGAINST ALZHEIMER'S.

This past month has brought a moment of optimism in the fight against Alzheimer’s and dementia—something badly needed in a world in which the number of Alzheimer’s cases are expected to triple to over 150 million worldwide by 2050. First, two pharmaceutical companies, Biogen and Eisai, issued a press release touting the results of a trial of a new Alzheimer’s drug called lecanemab. According to the companies, a large-scale trial showed that the drug slowed the rate of cognitive decline by 27%. The news was greeted with a mixture of joy and caution, reflecting the fact that the trial data has not yet been made available to the scientific community.     

The process of evaluating the results and seeking FDA approval may take some time, but, as it turns out, you don’t need to wait to reduce the risk of dementia. A recent meta study (a study of studies) from Peking University Sixth Hospital concluded that there is strong evidence that mental, physical and social activities also can substantially reduce dementia risks. Mental activities like reading, writing for pleasure, or playing a musical instrument reduces risk by 23% and physical activities such as walking, swimming or yoga reduces risk by 17%. We can hope that lecanemab or other medical advances will be the magic bullet in this important fight, but in the meantime, grab that old dust-covered trumpet, share a game of Yahtzee or just hit the walking trails. There is a lot we can do for family, friends and ourselves.  

3. I MIGHT BE 100, BUT I'LL STILL BE A BETTER DRIVER THAN MY SON. 

We liked, as we hope you will, Paula Spann’s recent article in the New York Times on the importance of later life rituals. Since many of our favorite celebrations originated in a time when relatively few people lived past 60 or 70, most of the widely accepted rituals of modern life are typically reserved for the young. Graduation, marriage, birth of a child, even buying a first home are usually associated with the first 50, not the last. Rituals provide meaning, engagement and joy and we need those as much in the second half of life as the first. 

But we’re a little stumped as to what they should be. As much as we reveled in the tale of Henry Oxman’s Bar Mitzvah at the age of 83, it's probably not an option that will be widely followed. Spann speculates a ritual around giving up the car keys (not high on our list), but here is another idea from a 2018 Ted Talk:

What do you think we should we should be celebrating post 50? Share below and tag us!

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT...

Last week, we asked for your favorite 60+ characters from tv, books, movies.  Here are some of our favorite answers:  

• Frances McDormand as Olive Kitteridge

• Christine Baranski as Diane Lockhart

• Diana Rigg as Olenna Tyrell

• Brenda Blethyn as Vera Stanhope

• Joyce Meadowcroft from The Thursday Murder Club

• Gillian Anderson as Jean Millburn

• Dr. Siri Paiboun from the Dr. Siri Paiboun Mystery Series

• Samuel L. Jackson as… well… anything

September 28, 2022
Three Not-So-Bad Things on Longevity and Aging
Volume 2

1. PROTAGONISTS OF A CERTAIN AGE. 

Seniors are generally ignored in popular media, and when they are “seen,” it’s not usually in a favorable light. The greater diversity of streaming media has expanded the universe of older characters—think Grace and Frankie, The Kominsky Method, even Hacks—but it is still an underrepresented group. And for those of us who like mystery and adventure, just forget it. There are always a few exceptions, Agatha Christie’s Miss Marple, Murder She Wrote (though Angela Lansbury was only 59 when she started playing Jessica Fletcher), Reds, and a few others.

That’s why it's so interesting that two books out now feature older detectives and adventurers. Killers of a Certain Age by Deena Raybourn stars a team of 60-something female assassins and The Bullet That Missed by Richard Osman (a series we love) details the murder solving process of the Thursday Murder Club, a pickup group of residences of a British retirement home. Both have found their way onto the New York Times bestsellers list, something that may catch the attention of the publishing community.

It takes a certain suspension of disbelief to buy into a traveling hit squad of 60-something women (or men), but so what? James Bond riding a motorcycle to the rescue of an out-of-control airplane in Goldeneye is far more ridiculous, and we still liked that. The believability of the plot isn’t really the point anyway. It is the implicit message that older adults have value, and that hitting 60 or 70 or 80 isn’t the end of people’s contribution to society—or to murder and mayhem. That’s something we can all believe in.

Tell us your favorite 60+ characters from movies, books, or television.  Lists welcome. 

2. GO AHEAD, SHAKE HANDS WITH A PIG.

Last month, Silver Sneakers—the largest fitness program for older adults in the country—celebrated its 30th anniversary by setting a new Guinness World Record for the “most views in a dance fitness class on Facebook Live”. If you’re wondering why that is a recognized record, we have absolutely no idea, though it is hardly the strangest one. (Our favorite? Most tricks performed by a pig in a minute. It’s 13, by the way, but we would have been impressed by one.)

Records aside, the growth of Silver Sneakers reflects the increasing amount of fitness opportunities available for older Americans. Pickleball is another example. Invented in Seattle in 1965 (Bill Gate’s family had a pickleball court in their yard when he was growing up), the sport languished in obscurity for decades but has exploded in popularity in recent years. Pickleball was the fastest growing sport in the US each of the last two years, and there are now more than 10,000 facilities in the US, with three more being added every day. You don’t have to be over 50 to play it, of course, but the sport has proven extremely popular with older Americans. 

Unfortunately, it’s not all pig handshakes and roses. According to the CDC, more than 1 in 4 Americans over the age of 50 do not engage in regular exercise, increasing their risk of heart disease, cancer, and diabetes. The challenges of inactivity are particularly acute in low-income communities where barriers such as cost, access to green space and safety are often added to the social and practical limitations that face older Americans.   

3. GO AHEAD, HUG A FAMILY CAREGIVER. 

Loyal reader Connie Baher (she actually read the first edition of this newsletter) reports: the number of older caregivers in this country is steadily growing. More than a third of the roughly 50 million family caregivers in this country are over the age of 65, and according to AARP and the National Alliance for Caregiving, the intensity of caregiving increases dramatically with the age of the caregiver. Caregivers over the age of 75 are on average investing 34.5 hours per week in caregiving, compared to about 19 hours for caregivers in the 25-44 age range. With 10,000 Americans turning 65 every day, it seems likely that the cost of caregiving will increasingly fall on spouses, relatives and friends who are themselves 65 or older.

It's a daunting situation, being 75 and older and essentially working full-time as a caregiver. But Baher in her new book, Family Caregivers: An Emotional Survival Guide, observes:

“Long-haul caregiving gives some people an unexpected purpose. It’s actually good to be needed. For some, it’s a chance to heal old wounds, to reframe relationships. It can be a transformative experience.”   

It’s a reminder that this country does far too little to support family caregivers, including older family caregivers, but that many nonetheless find joy and purpose in this precious service.  

Which Not So Bad Thing surprised you the most? Let us know at ken@longevityproject.com, or share below.

September 21, 2022
Three Not-So-Bad Things on Aging and Longevity

1. DON'T WORRY—BE OLD. 

Contrary to public lore, there is a lengthy line of research which demonstrates that older people are happier, more content and have a more positive outlook on the world.

Just watch Laura Carstensen, the Founder of the Stanford Center on Longevity, in this 2011 Ted Talk.

But you might wonder whether that changed during the pandemic. After all, many older people were isolated, constantly at risk, and even ill-treated—not exactly a recipe for contentment. Well, the results are in, and it turns out older Americans are still happy compared to younger people, according to a new study out of the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. Across a range of measures including Happiness and Life Satisfaction, Meaning and Purpose, and Close Social Relationships, the older you are, the better off you are, often by quite a bit.

Those in the Silent Generation (77+) were the happiest in every category, followed by Boomers. That’s good news, though of course there is another unhappy reality to consider: younger people, especially in Gen Z, scored at the bottom. In fact, the pandemic has caused what the Surgeon General has labeled a “mental health crisis” for younger Americans.

2. IT'S THE SILVER ECONOMY, STUPID.

American companies are famously obsessed with younger customers, thinking that only those in the 18-49 demographic—or the 18-35, or maybe even the 18-25— count. Historically, if you’re over 50, marketers only get excited about you when it comes to selling cemetery plots, or incontinence remedies or pills for erectile dysfunction, as Vaughan Emsley once memorably recounted in the Harvard Business Review.     

But that may be changing, says Susan Wilner Golden, the director of the dciX program at the Stanford Distinguished Careers Institute. In her pivotal new book, Stage (not Age), Golden reports that big companies like Nike, Best Buy and BMW are finally clueing in to the $22 trillion business opportunity presented by consumers over 60. Best Buy is even using virtual reality to help their customer service staff understand the technology challenges of older adults.

What’s more: new ideas aimed principally at older customers—some started by older entrepreneurs themselves—are disrupting all sorts of business segments. You can watch our conversation with Susan, and with Suelin Chen, the CEO of Cake (www.joincake.com) and Eric Levitan, the CEO of Vivo (www.teamvivo.com) here.

3. YOU CAN KNOCK IT OUT DURING A COMMERCIAL BREAK. 

It’s no secret that regular exercise can be critical to healthy longevity, but that doesn’t mean you have to run a marathon to get the benefits of exercise. New research is showing that even a few minutes of movement, barely more than the length of a commercial break, can improve health. For example, a new study in the journal Sports Medicine revealed that light walking after a meal, for as little as two to five minutes, has a significant positive effect on blood sugar levels. Don’t have time to get those 10,000 steps? That’s okay! Even getting just 2,000 steps will lower the risk of mortality by a substantial amount, as will every increment of 2,000 steps thereafter.

So, get off the couch, skip all those commercials—you’ve seen that couple in the bathtub a thousand times anyway—and make some meaningful progress on your health practically before your show starts up again.

Which Not So Bad Thing surprised you the most? Let us know at ken@longevityproject.com, or share below.