Conference Presentation, Panel, Fireside Chat
Prescription for a Longer (and Healthier) Life
Milken InstitutePaul Irving, Freda Lewis-Hall, Becca Levy, Loretta DiPietro, Patricia Boyle, Jeff Hogan, Byron Boston, Laura Ladd
- Older individuals with positive age stereotypes are projected to have a 7.5-year survival advantage, experience a significantly slower 10-year decline in hippocampal volume, and face a 50% lower likelihood of cardiovascular events after age 60.
- Low-intensity 15-minute exercise after meals is expected to significantly lower blood glucose levels for the rest of the day in older adults, while exercise applied to counteract biological decline is anticipated to extend the time before individuals cross the disability threshold.
- A five-year delay in the onset of Alzheimer's disease is predicted to reduce total cases by millions despite a dramatic near-term increase in incidence driven by an aging population.
- Behavioral factors including cognitive activity, physical activity, social engagement, and a sense of purpose are expected to buffer against Alzheimer's development and slow the rate of cognitive decline by 30 to 40 percent.
- Cultural and legal shifts are anticipated to include older workers generating an estimated $8 trillion in economic prosperity, the U.S. signing a UN human rights convention, and grassroots "aging-in-place village" organizations becoming more politically organized and capable.
- Significant gaps in resource allocation are expected to persist, with disease prevention receiving just over 4% of the federal budget and the National Institute on Aging pay lines remaining the lowest relative to other institutes.
- The translation of medical research into public policy and culture is projected to remain slow, potentially taking 30 years from initial evidence to widespread implementation, while 90% of the federal budget remains allocated to treatment and care.
- Risk literacy training is expected to assist populations in distinguishing between perceived risks like terrorism and true absolute risks such as Alzheimer's or heart disease to better allocate resources.
- Biological and demographic outlooks suggest some debate regarding life extension ranging from 4 to 5 years to potentially 200 years, though the incidence of chronic, debilitating diseases is expected to rise with age.
- Perceptions of old age are anticipated to vary by cohort, with those aged 18 to 29 perceiving it 30 years away, those aged 30 to 44 perceiving it 25 years away, and those aged 45 to 59 perceiving it 13 years away.
- Preventive interventions and workplace designs are expected to include maternal exercise profiles affecting childhood outcomes like obesity, standing desks and strategic printer placement to promote movement, and workplace cultures that encourage sufficient sleep and stress reduction.
- Medical education is expected to slowly evolve toward holistic, team-based training emphasizing nutrition and the whole body, while children as young as three or four are expected to have already adopted cultural beliefs about aging.
- Specific risks include smoking-related illnesses causing deaths 25 years earlier among people with mental illnesses, whose smoking rates are two to three times higher than the general population, and the projection that Alzheimer's and other dementias could break the healthcare systems in the U.S. and China first without changes.
- Future outcomes may be influenced by pet ownership encouraging purpose and engagement, and a new Pfizer platform called "Get Old" aimed at galvanizing conversations regarding cultural attitudes toward aging.