A TIME FOR ACTIVE LIVING

By Ryhaan

Many of us see ourselves through the stereotypical images that society often presents about the elderly. We buy into the idea that we are weak, dependent, and, well, useless because we have supposedly passed our prime and have nothing useful to add to our family or society.
This negative perception of ourselves often becomes self-directed ageism, which can actually take a real toll on our self-esteem and our physical and mental health. In fact, we become conscious of these negative societal stereotypes even while we are young and may have even contributed to them, not knowing that we buy into those perceptions to such an extent that they become our expectation when we grow older.
So, we slow down, accept the aches and pains, the wrinkles, and even the onset of illness as signs that we have grown old and that there is nothing we can do about it when, in fact, adopting positive perceptions about aging puts us on a path that helps sustain our health, well-being, and longevity.
I think that here in Guyana we have a more negative than positive outlook about the elderly, which promotes ideas of frailty, ill health, dependence, and irrelevance. Negative attitudes toward aging might have crept in because of our large North American diaspora community. Western culture prioritises youthfulness and promotes a large anti-aging industry that includes Botox procedures from as early as your 20s.
Even those of us who are active and can still manage to live independently can be viewed through the lens of the common stereotypes that persist, depicting us as frail, forgetful, unproductive, and a societal burden, the implication being that such decline is universal and applies to every elderly person.
Of course, we know that this is not true. Many of us lead active, productive, and independent lives even into our 80s and 90s. We get wiser with age, having lived through both the tough challenges and the happy times that come with a life lived fully and well. And we still have much to contribute to our family and society through meaningful work that draws on our lived experience.
However, if our culture promotes negative perceptions and attitudes toward the elderly, we are less likely to embrace our aging simply as an ongoing part of life. We, therefore, give up on exercise and may even expect and accept ill health or impaired mobility as our lot.
This can lead to reduced confidence and anxiety, and even loneliness and depression, none of which helps our mental well-being and can even speed up cognitive decline.
A positive outlook, however, fosters better overall well-being and can help with speedier recovery from any illness. It’s a myth that aging is simply an external phenomenon linked to physical changes, but if we have picked up those cultural cues since we were young and view aging as a time of decline, frailty, and incompetence, this attitude can lead to physical and mental illness. This, in turn, leads to a reduced life expectancy.
A very recent study conducted by Yale University found that over 45 percent of participants who were over 65 and embraced positive aging beliefs showed mental and physical improvements in their health. They also reported lower levels of anxiety and depression. A positive self-image can also lower our mortality rates and improve our overall quality of life.
Many of us wish to maintain our activity level and our independence for as long as possible. It can be a balancing act to ensure that we receive the level of care we need without any “help” becoming intrusive and unhelpful.
Here, again, the idea among family that elderly members cannot do much for themselves and need constant attention is picked up from negative cultural cues and should be restrained, with any help tailored to suit the elderly family member who may want to continue to live as actively and independently as possible.
It would take some planning to ensure your home is safe and that you have the help and support you need. Home help with cooking and cleaning, as well as getting to clinics or doctor’s visits, are considerations that must be taken into account to allow for safe and independent living.
Positive self-perception reduces stress and anxiety and can actually improve our heart health and resilience against other illnesses.
Positive aging is characterized by growth, wisdom, and active living. Instead of giving in to cultural stereotypes about aging, it is far better to challenge them for our health’s sake.