Americans are living longer now than in previous decades, with many people reaching their 70s, 80s, and beyond. In the U.S. the population age 65 and older numbered 54.1 million in 2019 (the most recent year for which data are available). They represented 16% of the population, more than one in every seven Americans. The number of older Americans has increased by 14.4 million (or 36%) since 2009, compared to an increase of 3% for the under-65 population.
Healthy Aging Month is an annual health observance in September created to encourage people to focus on their health and take precautions to help them face the challenges that come with aging. This observance raises awareness on the physical and mental health of older adults and serves as a reminder that as we age, our minds and bodies change. It is important to maintain a healthy lifestyle to help deal with those changes and to help prevent some common age-related health problems.
You can take a proactive approach to aging by adopting healthy habits and behaviors, managing existing health conditions, and staying connected to your community.
For additional resources and information on healthy aging, visit the National Institute on Aging, Healthy Aging website and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention healthy aging website
Here are some recent additions to the Library’s collection available to check out with your library card, so as to gain tips and strategies to extend the healthy years of your life and postpone the pitfalls of old age.
Ageless: The New Science of Getting Older Without Getting Old by Andrew J. Steele
A startling chronicle by a brilliant young scientist takes us onto the frontiers of the science of aging, and reveals how close we are to an astonishing extension of our life spans and a vastly improved quality of life in our later years. We accept as inevitable that as we advance in years our bodies and minds begin to deteriorate and that we are ever more likely to be felled by dementia or disease. But we never really ask–is aging necessary? Biologists, on the other hand, have been investigating that question for years. After all, there are tortoises and salamanders whose risk of dying is the same no matter how old they are. With the help of science, could humans find a way to become old without getting frail, a phenomenon known as “biological immortality”? Steele, a computational biologist and science writer, takes us on a journey through the laboratories where scientists are studying every bodily system that declines with age–DNA, mitochondria, stem cells, our immune systems–and developing therapies to reverse the trend. With bell-clear writing and intellectual passion, Steele shines a spotlight on a little-known revolution already underway.
The Age-Proof Brain by Dr. Marc Milstein
When it comes to keeping your brain in tip-top shape, you aren’t limited to crossword puzzles, brain games, and Sudoku. The keys to keeping your mind sharp are already in your hands: eleven simple but powerful lifestyle factors often have a greater impact on our health than our genetics. This book reveals the secrets to improving brain function, which lie in the brain’s surprising connection with the rest of the body. Debunking common misinformation, it offers new, breakthrough science-supported strategies to improve memory and productivity; increase energy and boost your mood; reduce the risk of anxiety and depression; form healthy habits to supercharge your brain; and prevent non-genetic Alzheimer’s and dementia.
The Blue Zones: Secrets for Living Longer : Lessons from the Healthiest Places on Earth by Dan Buettner
National Geographic Explorer Buettner has traveled the globe to uncover the best strategies for longevity, which he found in the blue zones- places around the world where higher percentages of people enjoy remarkably long, full lives. He returns to Sardinia, Italy; Ikaria, Greece; Okinawa, Japan; Costa Rica’s Nicoya Peninsula; and Loma Linda, California to check in on the super-agers living in the blue zones and interprets the not-so-secret sauce of purpose, faith, community, down-time, natural movement, and plant-based eating that has powered as many as 10 additional years of healthy living in these regions. And Buettner reveals an all-new blue zone-the first man-made blue zone yet explored.
The Brain Health Kitchen : Preventing Alzheimer’s Through Food by Annie Fenn
Dr. Fenn gives readers a guide to preserving cognitive ability through food, with 100 recipes to promote mental acuity. Fenn, a doctor turned chef, has organized the book into 10 chapters representing the most neuroprotective foods: berries, leafy greens, nuts and seeds, beans and lentils, whole grains, cruciferous vegetables, and more. She walks readers through choices they can make to create a brain-friendly diet, like how to choose meats that will fuel instead of harm, how to understand the nuances between “good” and “bad” fats, and the difference between processed sugars and natural sugars. Science bites throughout the book explain the research behind the facts. Eating for brain health also means embracing cooking methods that preserve the nutrition of the food, such as braising, steaming, and smoking.
Cheating Death : The New Science of Living Longer and Better by Dr. Rand McClain
For the first time outside his private clinic, medical practitioner and pioneer Dr. McClain shares what you can start doing today to increase longevity and better your health-at home or at your doctor’s office. He takes a fresh approach to genetics, natural aging, and proactive medical treatments. McClain shows how you can get access to these therapies and jumpstart your body’s regenerative processes-everything from stabilizing mood swings, relieving depression and anxiety, extending hormone balance and sexual function, improving muscle strength and stamina, relieving debilitating pain, and restoring a youthful appearance.
Dementia Prevention : Using Your Head To Save Your Brain by Emily Clionsky
Severe memory loss and dementia are not inevitable parts of aging. Science now shows that you can make changes, no matter your age, to protect your brain. Join the authors as they guide you through a science-based tour of dementia, including how your brain works and how its function is affected by everything from blood circulation and blood pressure to sugar levels, medications, vision, and hearing.
Embrace Aging : Conquer Your Fears and Enjoy Added Years by Jeannette Guerrasio
Dr. Guerrasio empowers people over 50 by guiding them with practical advice for happy, healthy, and independent aging. She focuses on the everyday aspects of aging to help readers understand how their bodies change with age and how best to overcome and adapt to these changes.
Honest Aging : An Insider’s Guide to the Second Half of Life by Rosanne M. Leipzig
The author is a geriatrician who provides readers with inside information about the aging process. She details what to expect, what’s normal and what’s not, and what options there are when adapting to getting older.
Loving Life at 50+ : Embrace Aging Through Humor and Wellness by Maria Sabando
In our 50s we get the best of both worlds – the spryness of youth and the wisdom of aging. It’s the perfect decade to live our best lives and Mario has cracked the code on doing just that. Through loads of fun, delicious, and healthy recipes sprinkled throughout, Maria motivates women to make food their friend, not their foe, and do it with pizazz as they entertain friends and family. Maria loves yoga, and she introduces readers to a new pose in every chapter – encouraging them to find their own “yoga” – the exercise that feels like fun rather than work, helping to maintain a healthy weight with ease. Through clever quips and true wisdom, Maria encourages women to embrace and enhance what makes them beautiful and release the rest with good humor.
Outlive : The Science & Art Of Longevity by Peter Attia
In this operating manual for longevity, Dr. Attia draws on the latest science to deliver innovative nutritional interventions, techniques for optimizing exercise and sleep, and tools for addressing emotional and mental health. Dr. Attia’s aim is less to tell you what to do and more to help you learn how to think about long-term health, in order to create the best plan for you as an individual. Readers will discover: – Why the cholesterol test at your annual physical doesn’t tell you enough about your actual risk of dying from a heart attack. – That you may already suffer from an extremely common yet underdiagnosed liver condition that could be a precursor to the chronic diseases of aging. – Why exercise is the most potent pro-longevity “drug”–and how to begin training for the “Centenarian Decathlon.” – Why you should forget about diets, and focus instead on nutritional biochemistry, using technology and data to personalize your eating pattern. – Why striving for physical health and longevity, but ignoring emotional health, could be the ultimate curse of all.
SuperAging : Getting Older Without Getting Old by David Cravit
Getting older does not need to mean the end of accomplishment and growth. For SuperAgers, the period after age sixty-five can be one of the most productive and fulfilling times of life. SuperAging is already a reality for millions. But the science, business, and culture of aging have changed at such a rapid pace that they can be hard to keep up with. The authors have broken down SuperAging into seven simple components–Attitude, Awareness, Activity, Autonomy, Achievement, Attachment, and Avoidance–and in this groundbreaking book, they show how you can put these forces to work in your own life. From taking control of your health and health care to revolutionary ways of thinking about retirement, money, housing, and even relationships, you’ll discover how to make your seventies, eighties, nineties, and beyond some of the best years of your life.
Young Forever : The Secrets to Living Your Longest, Healthiest Life by Mark Hyman
Hyman challenges us to reimagine our biology, health, and the process of aging. To uncover the secrets to longevity, he explores the biological hallmarks of aging, their causes, and their consequences–then shows us how to overcome them with simple dietary, lifestyle, and emerging longevity strategies. You’ll learn how to turn on your body’s key longevity switches; reduce inflammation and support the health of your immune system; exercise, sleep, and de-stress for healthy aging; and eat your way to a long life, featuring Dr. Hyman’s Pegan Diet.
The online learning resource, Universal Class, available to Livingston Library cardholders has a course on anti aging techniques.
—Archana Chiplunkar, Adult Services & Acquisitions Librarian