3. Healthy Adults Maintain a Healthy Libido.
While activity may slow, it doesn’t stop. Research reported in the New England Journal of Medicine examined sexual activity in people between 57 and 85 years of age.
Authors found that while overall health is a prominent factor in older people maintaining regular sexual activity, those in good health were going strong well into their 80s.
4. From Generation to Generation
Being an active part in grandchildren’s lives is wonderful for all three generations. Grandparents can enjoy the children without the primary responsibility; parents have built-in loving, willing, and free baby-sitters; and children benefit most of all with the connection that this special relationship can form.
A study performed at Johns Hopkins University found that children whose regular daily caregiver is a grandparent are 50 percent less likely to get hurt while in her/his care than in another setting.
5. Better Decisions
There is a big difference between knowledge and wisdom; one can be learned but the other must be earned. One series of tests requiring concrete decision-making by groups of people segregated by age reflected that those in the older group scored better, presumably because there is a much wealthier basis for those decisions from experience and accumulated knowledge. Perspective and problem-solving skills are more important than academics.
My father-in-law used to say, “getting old sucks”. He passed away at 69 from congestive heart failure. Had his attitude been different, his health would have been better; his diet more conducive to feeling good; his activities more fun; his outlook on life and living more positive; and his relationships with his children and grandchildren more rewarding.
Not to pick on him—he was a good man—but his example is illustrative of how important it is to see the good in the journey of life on which we all embark. It’s not all great but there is much more to celebrate than to mourn.