A Healthy Lifespan

Writing about the health insurance decision made me think about the most important insurance decisions - how to stay healthy during an extended lifespan. When I was born, I could expect to live 66.7 years. I've already beaten that by 3 years. A male born today can expect to live to 73.5, a female, 79.3.  Health changes in the last 69 years means people are likely to live almost 7 years longer.  The hardest year for survival before the elder years is the first year - having made it to 69, I can expect to live another 14.3 years (age 83), if I am like most males (my birth gender). I am transgender, and have been on female hormones - had I been born female, I could expect another 16.7 years (85). But I am not typical: I am white, English speaking, native-born, highly educated, have a well-paying job with good health care, and I have never smoked. Having those characteristics, I have a 50% chance of living to 93. 

What will my life be like at 93? About 11% of the younger adult population (age 21 to 64), and about a quarter (24.3%) of people in my age cohort (65 to 74) have disabilities. But this rate nearly doubles among those over 74 (45.9%). I sometimes describe myself as "temporarily able" - someday the slings and arrows of life are likely to catch up to me. 

What can I do to keep disability and illness at bay for the longest possible time? They say you can't change your genetics, but genetics can warn you of possible illnesses that can be prevented. If I'm alive in 3 years I will have outlived both of my parents. I've outlived both of my maternal grandparents. My paternal grandparents lived well into their 70s. The family curses on my mother's side appear to be diabetes and heart disease, on my dad's side, depression and alcohol abuse. 

I am living in a miraculous time. I have been on statin drugs for the last 30 years to keep high cholesterol at bay, and I try to follow a Mediterranean diet. I take an ACE-inhibitor for high blood pressure, and Xarelto to prevent blood clots. I use a CPAP machine to help with sleep apnea, a condition which untreated creates a high risk of stroke. Most of these prevention tools did not exist in my grandparents' time. 

Some of these conditions are likely due to my weight. I am about 40 pounds over what is "normal weight" for my height. I love food - but I eat too much and I'm too sedentary. 

My job involves a lot of sitting - a lot of typing reports. I've had leg pains from time to time, starting 30 years ago, but worsening last year when I had what my doctor called "sciatica". After six weeks and intense pain making walking difficult  I now have a set of physical therapy exercises which take about 20 minutes in the morning and 10 minutes at night.  And I have been pain-free for the last six months. 

I know evidence is limited on whether mental games can prevent dementia, but I play games every day: the Times mini crossword, Wordle, Connections, Spelling Bee, and Apple News’ Quartiles.  I do these because they are fun. They only exercise one specific ability: crystallized, or verbal ability, the one ability that grows in later life.  I need to do more visual-spatial games, more fluid reasoning problem solving games, and games that stretch my working memory  

(Note to self: If I want to go on photographic walking tours of Paris next October, I need to keep up my PT, keep on walking daily, eat smart portions of healthy food, and keep thinking how great the future can be.)