My parents are 74, not taking any meds, but my mother has had Multiple Sclerosis for 50 years, and she is one fall away from breaking something.

However it's my father, who is in physically good health, who acts like he's at death's door. He has health anxiety and refuses to do anything about it. At some point we're pretty sure his anxiety will morph into dementia. His life has gotten very small, he has difficulty sorting his papers and stuff in his home, he doesn't want to try anything new, and his previously legendary calm has turned into being very quiet with some outbursts... but he still passed a dementia test with flying colors. His brain works perfectly well if presented with a problem he wants to solve, however. It's that nowadays he doesn't seem to want anything apart from getting his groceries and thinking up imaginary ailments.

Doing anything with them is getting more difficult, because we need to make sure my mother doesn't fall, and we can't do anything with my father if he gets too anxious.

It's a little irritating, because I can see where it's leading us, and I want so badly for them to see that they only have a few years left to travel and enjoy something other than their 4 walls...

OP

I don't think a lack of meds equates to better health. Up thread, one elderly relative was not on meds but died of a heart attack. Maybe if they'd been on meds they would be alive? We don't know, and we don't know if people have regular checkups or not.

Strength training can help.
Not eating the Standard American Diet of sugar and processed food can also help.

Years of life contributes to health for good or bad later -- with a dash of genetics affecting outcomes, too.

Family hobby genealogist here - my maternal side has relatives very significantly living into their late 80s/90s over 150 years ago! So unusual for their time that most sites place an asterisk by their death dates indicating that this is verifiable/mot a mistake/typo!

My mom died a few days shy of her 87th birthday (although born with a heart condition and was a “heart patient” for the last 20 years of her life).

Anonymous wrote:Both of my parents have never had prescriptions. I'm 53 and never taken anything more than ibuprofen. I hope genetics are on my side.

THe doc gave my mom "a little something". I didn't fill the prescription. Have no idea what it was.

My mom is about to turn 78 and only takes an annual Fosamax injection for osteoporosis. She had cancer in her 60s.

My mom is very healthy and active at 80, but she has been on meds for about 20 years. But managing those conditions has allowed her to stay very healthy and active. She is a ball of energy so is always out and about and usually averages 15k steps a day in the warmer months. My father has a degenerative disorder that is genetic and not at all related to lifestyle. He was always healthy and active until the disease progressed. Meds gave him extra years of activity and independence -‘D health that he otherwise wouldn’t have had.

Anonymous wrote:In my vast experience as a critical care, nurse, east Asians are way over, represented in this group compared to any other demographic

Food as medicine is real

Anonymous wrote:My parents. Minimal meds. Early 80s. My mother is a cancer survivor. They travel internationally and still live in my childhood home. I attribute their survival to luck, interaction with various friendship cohorts, and they stay very physically active (not in the exercise sense - in the physical movement sense).

This. I just posted about exercising adults before saw this and it’s better answer- physical movement/active. Doesn’t have to be marathon runner but need to be moving.

Yes but know where to look for them- you meet them on ski lifts in the back bowls in Utah or hiking the 14ers in Colorado, running in Washington, surfing in California, dancing in NY or outside in Maine….. they can be anywhere but my take is what all have in common is they are active.

Anonymous wrote:My dad had no health issues until he was 90 when he needed cataract surgery. At 92, he now has to take blood thinners, and his hearing is going. He is underweight - painfully so. However, his mind is still all there. Up until he was like 85ish, he was still pretty active. He has an engineering mind, and he built himself a table saw. He picked up a bucket full of soaking wet towels and moved it from the bathroom to the yard.

His mother died at 85. One of his sisters died at 95 or 96. I think my dad will make it to like 99.

Oh, and he never exercises, and he smoked till he was 70. I think it's just genes, and maybe he's just too ornery to die.

My dad had no health issues until he was 90 when he needed cataract surgery. At 92, he now has to take blood thinners, and his hearing is going. He is underweight - painfully so. However, his mind is still all there. Up until he was like 85ish, he was still pretty active. He has an engineering mind, and he built himself a table saw. He picked up a bucket full of soaking wet towels and moved it from the bathroom to the yard.

His mother died at 85. One of his sisters died at 95 or 96. I think my dad will make it to like 99.

My parents. Minimal meds. Early 80s. My mother is a cancer survivor. They travel internationally and still live in my childhood home. I attribute their survival to luck, interaction with various friendship cohorts, and they stay very physically active (not in the exercise sense - in the physical movement sense).

My dad is 78 and takes only blood pressure medication. My Grandmother (his mom) is 101 and takes only blood pressure medication. My MIL is 78 and takes no medication and has no health issues.

Anonymous wrote:My parents in law, spouse’s older siblings, and a number of older cousins on my side of the family. All are of European background, mostly British Isles. They’re all a pretty healthy bunch, just lucky in terms of the genetics they got.

Do they live an unhealthy lifestyle or why do you think it's luck, as opposed to lifestyle?

My mom at 83. She has walked 10,000+ steps a day since she was 40 and gave up smoking. So her whole life hasn't been super healthy. She also had colon cancer at 65.

But I've watched her generation closely. You can't stop horrific stuff like cancer, but those of her friends and family who exercised regularly have, by far, had the most mobile senior years. My mom is just now developing high blood pressure but the doctor hasn't recommended meds yet. Although they may be in her future. I personally think that's amazing.