A new study reveals that people in different parts of the world do not age at the same pace. There are a lot of factors that seem to have an influence over the aging process, and this study tried to account for many of them. For example, access to Western-style medicine seemed to play a big role in overall health. The level of industrialization of the country in which the individual lived also played a role.
Using a base age of 65, this article pointed to the best and worst countries in terms of aging. They found that Japan had an age of 76 that matched up with the global base of 65 years. This was the best country in the world in terms of aging and indicates that the average 76 year old in Japan has the same relative levels of health as the average 65 year old.
The country with the lowest base age was Papua New Guinea. The average 46 year old had the same health issues as the average 65 year old.
The availability of medicine plays a large role in this 30 year discrepancy. But that wasn’t the only factor. For example, the U.S. ranked 54th overall, with the age 65 equivalent here being 68.5 years old. Even though the U.S. has some of the best hospitals and doctors in the world, there are many countries that have healthier seniors than we do.
So, what can we learn from this? For one, there are a lot of improvements that the U.S. can make to help our senior citizens. And two, we can also see that age-related disease burdens are being relieved. Although this isn’t readily visible in the above mentioned numbers, it was another positive finding from the study.
Ultimately, there’s nothing that you can do when it comes to widespread trends in terms of aging. The place where you can have an impact is in your own family. Besides helping the senior citizens in your life with their needs, you can also help the younger people around you to embrace healthy habits early on. This might not seem like it does much for the aging process, but if your children make it a habit to eat right, exercise, and avoid substances that can hurt them on a regular basis, they are far more likely to be free of some of the major health issues as they grow older. It’s not a guarantee, but it’s a step in the right direction.
When it comes to the elderly folk in our lives–our parents and grandparents–we can (and should!) help them, too.
Observing variations in aging in different parts of the world can be helpful because it sheds light on what the healthiest practices are, and what the best way to address health issues might be. But when it comes down to it, we also need to be invested in the present in our lives and help those that need it find the best senior care for their unique circumstances–whatever those might be.
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