And as an RN, I would never, ever say folks are responsible for their ill health (again, using your words).

Please don’t read things into my post. The entire point of my post was to offer examples countering some of the previous posts that referenced loss of health and functionality with getting older.

And yes, that is the undercurrent of your posting!

My husband and I are both vegans, and have followed Trent’s change to a vegan diet with interest. Re: @Steven’s comment that mentioned Trent’s health issues at a young age. My guess is that Trent will be healthier as he gets older since he is making the kinds of changes that promote health (food choices, exercise choices, having a positive outlook on life, having a strong support network).

My aunt has a saying that hubby and I repeat regularly: You can do anything you did when you were younger when you’re older … you’ll just do it slower. (She’s living proof of that … teaching at a girl’s college in China till she was 82, because she loved the work and loved the girls).

I hope your cousin does well

I agree that it’s foolish to assume that you’ll be as healthy and physically capable at 80 as you are at 30. But it’s also pretty ignorant (and harmful to people with disabilities of all ages) to assume that people with “numerous health issues” are totally worthless and can’t enjoy life at all.

Cancer rates overall are significantly higher for people of older age. Statistically speaking someone in their 70′s is 100 times more likely to be diagnosed with cancer than a teenager. Some forms of cancer can hit you early or at any age, but most cancer victims are older.

Also, arthritis may in some cases–though certainly not always–be age-related, but cancer? Come on.

Waking up to an alarm clock and slogging to a part-time job isn’t an attractive idea at any age. And most of the people in their 80′s and 90′s that I’ve talked to are quite happy to be alive, thank you.

You can be alive and mobile, but arthritis might keep you from doing anything really productive. You can be alive, but maybe your cancer medicine limits your “energetic” time to just 3-4 hours per day. You may be beating it, but you can’t hold down a conventional job like that.

My point is, science and medicine may have found ways to keep us alive into our 80′s and 90′s, but it’s downright ignorant to assume our energy and health levels will be comparable to our youth. The reality is, we’ll still be frail, with numerous health issues. Just because we’re managing to find ways to stay on the green side of the grass a little longer doesn’t mean we won’t have any health problems at all.

Medicine may be able to keep you alive past 85, but from the 86-year olds I’ve talked to, you may not WANT to. Quality of life plummets dramatically in the late-70′s/early-80′s (if you even live that long). Waking up to an alarm clock and slogging to a part-time job (after taking a dozen different pills) is not my idea of an ideal way to spend my twilight years.

I agree with the commenters who say “balance”. Don’t live like there is no tomorrow but don’t live like you will be 150 either.

Save some, enjoy some and share some!

Obviously, 55 is not the new 25, and 90 is not the new 40. That’s just silly. But to have as your goal an abdication from being a productive member of society (however you define productive) so that you can take cruises and play golf is pathetic.