2023-10-18 18:47:34
In Okinawa, a purple potato called beni imo is the predominant food in the diet of elderly women. The Japanese island is, for National Geographic researcher Dan Buettner, one of the concentration points for long-lived people. What do they do to live so long and be healthy? He asks himself in the Netflix docuseries, “Live 100 Years,” where he travels in four chapters to different blue zones of the world to discover the secret of a long, healthy life, without diseases or disabilities.
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Umeto Yamashito, 101, is standing, smiling, dancing around her friends, who watch her shake her arms and balance a rather large bottle on her head. “If I want to reach her age, what would you recommend?” Buettner asks the elderly woman. “Always have fun. Don’t get angry. Have fun with everyone and make everyone happy. “I never get angry,” she replies. However, in this docuseries, the secrets of longevity in health go far beyond the advice of the Japanese noblewoman.
Dan Buether is a National Geographic researcher and a leading author of books on blue zones. Blue Zones is the organization that sought to lead the inhabitants of the United States to live longer and healthier lives. In the fourth episode of the series, he delves into more information regarding his project.
Each episode, Buettner speaks with the oldest people in five places around the world: Okinawa in Japan, Sardinia in Italy, Loma Linda in California, Ikaria Island in Greece, and the Nicoya Peninsula in Costa Rica. With the support of public health researchers and interviews with senior officials, such as former Foreign Minister Chan Heng Chee or former Costa Rican President José María Figueres, discover what local foods are available, obtain more information regarding caring for relationships between friends and as a couple of the local people, recognizes the physical activity of cooking in the field or climbing the stairs, how important it is to have a reason for life at a late age, among other aspects, the fundamentals that an elderly person needs to feel part of a place or an tribe.
This circle indicates the aspects of life that Dan Buettner observed in the long-lived people of the cities where he visited. It is summarized in four spaces: moving naturally, perspective, eating wisely and connection.
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WHAT IS OLD AGE IN PERU?
This is an image of a family from Cajamarca.
Latin America does not have a great life expectancy. According to data from the United Nations Organization until 2021 collected by Bloomberg Line, Chile has the highest life expectancy with 78.9 years. That of Peru is at 72.4 years, although the National Center for Strategic Planning (Ceplan) is more optimistic when giving a prognosis of 83 years in Peruvian elderly by 2050.
If we were talking regarding potatoes, as happens in Okinawa, Peruvians would pleasantly gain many points to be a blue zone in a country with a great variety of these tubers. However, as we saw in the docuseries, the importance of a full old age also involves mental health and daily habits as much as food.
“In Peru, we often treat the elderly like children,” the psychologist Almudena Pérez Tello. “We no longer let them do things and that disables them, because what is not used atrophies. Some people treat the elderly as if they were children and, with ‘good intentions’, they are not allowed to do many things that they are capable of. Leaving them aside at work even ages them. In many cultures, older people are considered wise and are the ones who make the most important decisions.”
THE ‘IKIGAY’ AND RETIREMENT
Elderly people from Okinawa decide to be in a group to help each other emotionally and financially.
“I would ask centenarians: what is your ikigai?” says an elderly Japanese man in the documentary series. “It is a kind of mission. A sense of purpose. I believe it is the main factor for the spiritual health of the elderly. If we lose it, we die,” adds the member of a civilization that does not prioritize retirement so much, because, following turning 60 or 70, they still keep their mind and body busy.
“I have studied for a long time the psychological aspects of people when they retire,” comments Peruvian psychogerontologist Carlos Orosco. “A great difficulty is this change in the role that the elderly can play in a community. It is seen at the beginning of the documentary, when the old woman is surrounded by her family. This has to be reinforced, because otherwise there may be a distancing in interpersonal relationships. And the other thing is that they have a life project, where they feel a responsibility.”
We tell grandparents: “don’t worry,” and people don’t know it’s a mistake. Orosco warns regarding the stereotypes that exist regarding older adults, such as rest. “We misunderstand what it means to rest. We think it is doing nothing. In the documentary, all the people are active and want to do various things that belong to their interests. In Peru and many other areas, we rather prevent the elderly from becoming overstimulated,” he comments.
TIPS FOR OLDER ADULTS
This is an image from the Netflix documentary, “Live 100 Years.”
Of the more than 15 key points of the Netflix documentary series “Living 100 years”, Almudena Pérez Tello and Carlos Orosco applaud the following lifestyle habits of older people and give some advice so that the elderly at home can lead a better life. healthier emotionally and physically.
Eat wisely: foods of plant origin and eat moderately. Constant natural movement: manual activity, gardening, walks, etc. Have an adequate vision of the world: the development of purpose, spirituality and the way you relax. Be careful with stereotypes: phrases like “don’t worry” can invalidate the emotions of older adults. Get involved in community activities, for example, where they can exercise or do art. If you know or there is an older adult at home, the rest of the people You must recognize his wisdom and speak to him with respect.
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