Work-out to join the Aussie centenarian club
Australian centenarians – 100 years plus – total around 3,150 (800 men and 2350 women) and these numbers are set to explode to 12,000 by 2020 and 50,000 by 2050.
According to a report in the Medical Journal of Australia this makes centenarians the fastest growing age segment of the Australian population through increasing by 8.5% each year which gives Australia one of the highest proportions of 100-pluses in the world along with the United States, Norway and Sardinia in Italy.
The journal report states that Australia has been adding to longer functional living through medical improvements such as joint replacements, cataract surgery, and hearing aids and through making health care more accessible, designing better old-age housing, and making public transport more accessible for the elderly.
The downside is still that the human body can’t last forever and degenerative conditions such as arthritis, heart disease, fading vision and hearing, thinning bones, and declining mental abilities continue regardless.
But the journal recommends a few positive moves to get to the 100 club in good shape. They include a balanced diet with plenty of fruit and vegetables and moderate red meat intake, regular exercise of at least 30 minutes most days, non-smoking and limited drinking, and regular checkups to discuss health issues with the GP.
Also strongly recommended are being careful when moving around including getting in and out of cars, keeping up social networks through visiting family and friends regularly, keeping an active mind through newspapers, magazines, and books, and enquiring about social services that are available such as home help, home nursing, and meals on wheels.
