I guess it is a matter of perspective. I never thought of myself as being old until I read an English paper of my youngest son when he was 14. He clearly defined in the paper, that a person was really old when they turned 40; I was 47 at the time. Society and tradition have arbitrarily defined age 65 as the line between middle and old age. As I get older, 65 seems pretty young to be old.

Aging is experienced by every person and every living organism. So ready or not, here it comes. Even though we are living longer than we did at the turn of the 20th century, physical capabilities generally decline after about 30 years of age. There really are no rules to aging, as we will all age differently. It might be wise to pay attention to Mom and Dad; you will most likely inherit their genetic predispositions. For example, if both Mom and Dad developed high blood pressure at age 50, you may too.

The good news is that by controlling weight through healthy eating and remaining physically active, the rate of decline is significantly influenced. A recent study gives rise to nutrigenomics – meaning that our genes and diet are related and how the nutrients we consume impact our genes.

There is no question that we may have more health problems as we get older, but there is a large percentage of those 65 and older who are relatively healthy, vigorous, and who enjoy a high quality of life.  Stay tuned to learn more about how healthy eating is defined, and how it can affect your business in regards to resident satisfaction, family satisfaction and employee satisfaction.