Edwin Fonner,
Jr., DrPH
“Your photos of the 71-year-old runner and the frail elderly woman are a compelling contrast. One might predict that in coming years there will be three categories of the aged – those dying early after years of physical self-neglect, those who are disabled because of accumulated risk factors and unhealthy lifestyles, and a select few in robust health.
Do genetics, lifestyle, literacy or other factors play a role? We don’t really have enough information. While billions are spent on medical care, much for heroic medicine in the last year of life, the surface is yet to be scratched on how these select elderly remain superfit.
Rather than focus on the details of the disease process and declining health, we should pay more attention to “reverse engineering” from these models of good health.
Learning from these fit elderly can significantly influence how scare medical care dollars are spent and promote higher quality of life in later years.” [Back to Main Page]