There’s no special diet, supplement or exercise that will guarantee you a healthy and dementia-free old age. Five octogenarians reveal what’s behind their rich, active lifestyles
Having a social life in older age doesn’t just make you happy, it can actively slow down the ageing process, says immunologist Dr Jenna Macciochi. “When you feel safe and supported, the body’s systems that cause inflammation stand down,” she explains.
Our immune system protects our bodies by triggering inflammation at times of stress – but it can go into “overdrive” with too much stress or anxiety, causing fatigue and triggering faster ageing.
Dr Macciochi, author of the book Immune to Age, believes that rather than worrying about optimising your diet, taking the right supplements or following a strict routine, you should focus on building a supportive community around you. “Research shows one of the crucial indicators of longevity is how many close friends someone has at the age of 50,” she explains. “It’s about quality rather than quantity – if you get to 50 and there are people you count as close friends, that is a key medicine to support the next phase of your life.”
“Super-agers” are people in their 80s and beyond who have the same brain function and memory skills as a middle-aged adult.
A recent study of 31 super-agers by Northwestern University, in Chicago, found the one thing they all had in common was high levels of “positive social relationships”.
Separate studies have also shown that having a positive mindset and engaging with younger generations, especially helping to bring up grandchildren, can be beneficial for physical and mental health in old age.
The i Paper spoke to five inspiring older people to find out how they are ageing positively:
‘It’s so boring when people grumble about their aches and pains’: Ann, 81, from Guildford
Ann Elms, 81, keeps busy with yoga, coffee mornings and running an advanced French language class
“I’ve only got 25 minutes to chat before I’m off to my ballroom dancing class,” says Ann Elms, 81, when she picks up the phone, fresh from swimming 40 lengths of the small pool in her garden.
I’m lucky to have caught her at all. In the next week alone, Ann, from Guildford, Surrey, will be heading off on trips to the Isle of Wight and the British Museum; starting a new yoga-style exercise class; attending a history talk, a coffee morning and a jazz evening with old friends; hosting a cream tea for her girlfriends; and running an advanced French language class, with her French boyfriend Olivier, 73, dialling in on Zoom to help out. “It is quite hard to find a slot when I’m free,” she laughs.
Ann retired from her management role in further education when she was 60 and believes keeping up an active social life is “absolutely” key to ageing well. “I have had a life-long philosophy: if in doubt, do,” she says. She has friends who have “withdrawn into a corner” as they aged but, although she has had to slow down a little, she keeps positive. “It’s so boring when people grumble about their aches and pains – of course we all have them, but do what you can and just get on with it,” she adds.
Although she’s otherwise in good health, Ann admits she gets more tired than she used to. And while she used to do about 70 lengths of her pool in her 25-minute morning swim, she now manages 30 to 40. “I don’t stress about it,” she says. “I listen to my body and I don’t over-do it.”
When she takes a break from socialising, Ann loves to “potter” in her garden, spend time with her daughter and three grandchildren, or drive to France to see Olivier. The couple got together in 2019 after both losing their beloved spouses, but enjoy living apart. She doesn’t follow a specific diet but she is vegetarian and makes sure she has three full meals a day. “I’ve never smoked but I do like wine,” she laughs.
‘I don’t dwell on old age, I’m just here as long as I can be’ Alice, 87, from London
Alice Portnoy, 87, volunteers at a food bank and plays bridge two to three days a week
Alice, who will shortly turn 88, keeps active going to the theatre and exhibitions, playing bridge and making and selling jewellery, which she shares on her Instagram account, @myjewellerywardrobe.
“I wanted to keep myself busy with something creative and different,” she says. After retiring from her job as a marketing manager in 2006, she initially enjoyed ceramics classes but switched to jewellery around 10 years ago as it was easier to do from home.
Originally from the United States, Alice has lived in London since 1974. She and her husband, 89, have been married for 66 years and have three children and four grandchildren. Alice also volunteers at a food bank one day a week and plays bridge with her husband and friends two to three days a week. “I have a very positive attitude to life,” she says. “I want to keep busy. If there’s a choice between driving and walking, I will walk. I get out every day.”
Although now well, Alice had treatment for breast cancer in 2009. “It was caught early, I’m lucky to be here,” she adds. “We all have aches and pains as we get older, some days I’m tired or don’t feel great, but I want to do as much as I can in life. It really helps to feel positive – I don’t dwell on old age, I’m just here as long as I can be.”
Alice believes cities are the best places for older people to live. “A lot of people think you should move to the country as you get older but I think it’s more important to live somewhere you can get about,” she says. “In a city you can be near medical centres, libraries, cinemas… it’s important to have access to these things.” She feels incredibly lucky to live in London. “We are very fortunate, we have opportunities that not everyone has so I think it’s important to that we embrace them,” she adds.
‘I still get down on the floor with my grandchildren – but now they lift me up’: Tony, 81, and Christine, 79, from London
Tony (81) and Christine Mooney (79) see their four grandchildren between two to four days a week
Tony Mooney, 81, is a retired headteacher but he’s never stopped working. He still privately tutors children studying for GCSEs and A Levels in science and maths. “They keep me going most of the week,” he says.
He and his wife Christine, 79, a retired primary school teacher, enjoy socialising with their neighbours who are in their 20s. “They have a positive approach to life and more liberal views than many people our age,” says Tony. “We go to pub quizzes together – it helps keep our brains active and we make a great team because our knowledge spans generations.”
The couple, from North London, also enjoy going to the cinema, theatre and football matches and are both keen gardeners. Tony keeps up with political news and scientific papers, while Christine likes to visit art galleries, museums and gardens. She is also a member of a poetry group, a wine appreciation group, and a choir.
They see their four grandchildren, aged between four and 15, after school between two and four days a week. And Christine also regularly walks her daughter’s dog, racking up around 8,000 steps a day.
Although still both well for their age, they have had to adapt their social lives around health issues in recent years. Tony has the eye condition macular degeneration, which affects his vision, meaning he can no longer do his favourite hobbies of trout fishing and umpiring cricket matches – he now listens to matches instead.
He gets frustrated that he can no longer remember all of the A Level physics and maths equations by heart – but jokes that this is a feeling likely shared by many students a quarter of his age.
“You do have to change what you do as you get older but that doesn’t mean you can’t still be active,” says Christine, who has mild arthritis in her fingers. “I can’t reach up high with the hedge trimmer any more, but it doesn’t stop me gardening. And I still get down with my grandchildren on the floor – but now they lift me up.”
Both Tony and Christine take statins, medication which helps protect against heart attacks and strokes. They eat plenty of home-grown fruit and vegetables, and have fish twice a week. “I’m happy I can still jog down the road after the grandchildren or dog,” Christine adds.
‘Daytime TV is soul-destroying’: Sylvia, 86, from Hove
Sylvia Holder, 86, says her retirement only lasted a few months before she set up a charity school (Photo: Davin Myers)
“I spend a lot of my time with young people and that has been so stimulating,” says 86-year-old Sylvia Holder when she calls me on WhatsApp from near Chennai, in India.
Sylvia, who lives in Hove, East Sussex, has been travelling to India at least twice a year for decades, after first visiting on a business trip in the late 1980s. The former PR business owner retired when she was 65 but her retirement “only lasted a few months” before she got busy setting up a charity school in a village near Chennai. She launched the Venkat Trust in memory of a boy who she had supported financially throughout his education, but who was killed in a road accident aged 26.
Over the last 21 years, the charity has helped improve the local primary school and build a highly-rated secondary school for 1,000 students. She regularly spends time with the children supported by the charity in India, as well as with her small team in the UK, who are mainly in their 40s. “It’s terribly rewarding,” she says. “It’s very important to me to socialise with younger people.”
She believes staying busy is key to a healthy body and mind in old age. “Daytime TV is soul-destroying,” she says, adding that anyone considering retiring should find volunteer work they enjoy. She also credits her close friend and business partner of 50 years Lindsay, 73, for keeping her feeling young. “She has been there for me through everything, I couldn’t have done it without her,” she adds.
Sylvia, who was widowed 15 years ago, has had to “slow down a bit” as she has got older and now struggles with her balance. “I can’t go down a flight of stairs without something to hold on to anymore and I find travelling more exhausting,” she says.
But she can’t stand it when people moan about ageing. “I hate it when people whinge,” she says. “You can’t do much about it, so just get on with things. I do wish I was younger but I’m not, and it’s much better than the alternative – at least I am still here.”
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