Forum probes Maine’s role in lives of elderly

AUGUSTA – In 5,000 years human aging was never like this.

Prehistoric man was short-lived. By the American Revolution, life expectancy was 35 years. By 1900, life expectancy was 47. Now it’s 76.5 years and moving upward.

“What was the privilege of a few has become the destiny of many,” said Dr. Robert Butler, an expert in geriatrics who won the Pulitzer Prize in 1976 for his book “Why Survive? Being Old in America.”

Butler was among the speakers Monday at the first of two days of meetings for the “Governors’ Conference on Retirement and Aging” at the Augusta Civic Center. The conference, hosted by Gov. Angus King and former Gov. Kenneth Curtis, brought together hundreds of policy-makers, experts and interested individuals to tackle how to make Maine a better place for elders.

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, Maine’s elderly accounted for 13.3 percent of the population in 1990. The Census Bureau predicts, however, that the elderly will have grown to 21.4 percent of Maine’s population by 2025. Nationally, the percentage of the elderly is projected to grow from 12.6 percent to 18.5 percent over the same period.

Maine also is working hard to get more retirees to come to Maine: For every elder leaving the state two are coming, according to state economist Laurie LaChance.

In the new world of longevity, people are living better longer. But they can work to improve their lot even more, Butler said. For instance, while new drugs can do wonders, they are often little better than a good exercise regimen. Others also can help older people manage activities better. For instance, hotels in France could make rooms available for jetlagged people arriving during the day after an overseas flight.

Even as such steps are taken, the changes in the active lives of people once considered old need to be taken into account by changing stereotypes. Butler gave some examples of how the rules are being changed:

. A 101-year-old told him he was disappointed when a doctor’s only information about a painful knee was that he shouldn’t be surprised given his age. “My left knee is also 101 and it doesn’t hurt,” he complained.

. John Glenn went again to space without complication at 76 years old.

“I don’t think children or grandchildren can ever look at their [elders] the same way again,” he said.

Still, even as later life is being redefined by active elders, language stereotypes persist. Behind the scenes, doctors use derogatory terms for older people such as “gomers,” which stands for “get out of my emergency room,” he said. He said everyone, including artists or writers who depict old age, need to find new ways to describe the changing reality of their lives.

Butler also challenged the notion that as the number of elders increases there will be societal problems as the young are forced to support older Americans.

He said this is often calculated by economists as “the dependency ratio.” But he said when you look at both the very young and the old, the total dependency ratio projected for 2050 won’t be unlike 1900.

He said a significant number of people older than 65 are financially able to care for themselves. In addition, more people are being productive longer, he said.

Dependency is less important than overall productivity, he said.

As the conference progressed, two large video screens displayed vignettes of older people in action. Monday, some were shown bicycling, kayaking and canoeing. One older man asks pointedly: “Why in the world would anyone not want to do anything?”

During his presentation, Gov. King said elders can be active by providing much-needed mentoring help to kids. He gave examples of kids who he said don’t have a caring grown-up available to show them connections to each other and society.

King also said people in Maine need to take responsibility for their own well-being.

About 25 percent of health care costs could be reduced if people exercised more, quit smoking and ate responsibly, he said. Obesity is a growing problem for everyone. Kids particularly aren’t outside playing as much as they once did, he said. Such problems can’t be solved by government, he said.

“We have a tremendous amount of control over this among ourselves,” he said.

Butler gave a number of examples where recent studies have shown how exercise has huge health benefits. Even though the pharmaceutical industry has many huge accomplishments, it’s increasingly clear that exercise can be a pill itself, he said.

In some studies, exercise has been shown to be a better drug than some medications used against Type II diabetes, he said. Butler said he’d like to see exercise used in clinical trials against proposed drugs and placebos.

Butler, and other speakers, noted that new studies are also showing direct correlation between exercise and mental functioning. And, he said working to keep mentally active by doing crossword puzzles, playing bridge or interacting socially also has been shown to help keep the mind healthy.

Generally, issues concerning the quality of life as the population ages need more attention, Butler said. Because what is certain is that people are going to live longer, especially with coming advancements in stem cell and genetic research.

“Regarding longevity, we haven’t seen anything yet,” Butler said.