Commentary: The Joy of Aging

#1625c
David F. Maas
Given 13-Nov-21; 12 minutes

description: (hide)

In Proverbs 20:29, we read “The glory of the young is their strength; the gray hair of experience is the splendor of the old.” In Proverbs 16:31, we learn that this blessing of wisdom and understanding in the elderly comes with conditions. “The silver-haired head is a crown of glory if it is found in the way of righteousness” (which the Amplified Bible clarifies as moral and spiritual rectitude in every area and relation). Job 12:12 reminds us that “Wisdom is with aged men (as well as women) and with length of days, understanding."

Following Mark Schindler’s sermon last week, “Think on These Things,” Dave Maas has decided to speak on something that is true, noble, just, pure, lovely, of good report, virtuous, and praiseworthy (referencing Philippians 4:8). Occasionally, Kim Myers chooses to address the pre-teen, teen, and post-teen audiences with encouraging advice. Today, I would like to address the age 50, 60, 70, 80, and the 90-year-old crowd—the middle age and senior age group—with positive news that should put smiles on all of our faces.

Many of us have felt intimidated by the teenager’s superior tech savvy which sometimes make some of us feel like over-the-hill has-beens ready for permanent positions in the rocking chair or hammock. Shortly before the Feast, James Beaubelle forwarded to me an article he had received from his sister titled “The Brain of an Elderly Person,” which put to rest some concerns in this 77-year-old about my occasional tendency not to find the correct word on the tip of my tongue or to forget a name that should have been there in a millisecond.

The Director of the George Washington University College of Medicine argues that

The brain of an elderly person is much more plastic than is commonly believed. At this age, the interaction of the right and left hemispheres of the brain [namely, the creative and the critical] become harmonious, which vastly expands our creative possibilities. That is why among people over sixty you can find many personalities who have just started their creative activities. Giuseppe Verdi did his greatest work at the age of 82. Of course, the brain is no longer as fast as it was in youth. However, it wins in flexibility. That is why, with age, we are more likely to make the right decisions and are less exposed to negative emotions. The peak of human intellectual activity occurs at about 70 years old, when the brain begins to work at full strength.

The biggest factor promoting memory and recall is the myelin insulating layer or sheath protecting the nerves, made up of protein and fatty substances, allowing electrical impulses to travel freely and efficiently along the nerve cells. Over time, the amount of myelin in the brain increases, a substance that facilitates the rapid passage of signals between neurons. Due to this, intellectual abilities are increased by 300% compared to the average. And the peak of active production of this substance falls on 60-80 years of age. After we reach the age of 60, we are able to use the critical and creative hemispheres of the brain simultaneously, solving increasingly more complex problems.

Dr. Bruce Yanker, professor of genetics and co-director of the Paul Glenn Laboratories for the Biological Mechanisms of Aging at Harvard Medical School, maintains that in seniors, both sides of the brain—the creative and critical—share the thinking task equally, stating that while it may take seniors a little longer to get to the solution, they are probably better at inductive and spatial reasoning than they were in their youth. Professor Monchi Uri from the University of Montreal believes that the “brain of an elderly person chooses the least energy-intensive path, cutting unnecessary and leaving only the right options for solving the problem.”

Studies were conducted pairing young and elderly participants. In her article “Some Brain Functions May Improve With Age,” Sharon Reynolds describes computerized tests of three aspects of attention conducted by the National Institute on Aging measuring 1) responding to incoming information (alerting). 2) moving attention to a particular location (orienting). 3) executive control-or the ability to ignore distractions and focus on the task at hand. In two out of the three categories, the elderly significantly outperformed their youthful counterparts by wide numerical margins. Older participants had increased efficiency in their ability to orient attention toward different objects. They were also better at ignoring distractions than younger participants.

In her article, “The Aging Brain and Accepting What we Really Know About It,” Jill Schlesinger identifies characteristics of elderly brains which actually outperform their youthful counterparts:

• Inductive Reasoning: Older people are better at making judgment calls and are more likely to reach correct conclusions when given information.

• Verbal Abilities: You continue to expand your vocabulary and hone your language skills past middle age.

• Spatial Reasoning: Older individuals are more likely to score higher on spatial quizzes in their 50s and 60s.

• Basic Math: That is right, since you have been doing it for so many years you can do some fast math.

• Accentuating the Positive: The part of the brain responsible for emotions—the amygdala—is not as responsive to negativity in older adults. This leads to seniors brooding less than their younger counterparts.

In short, we are still learning about the aging brain and how cognitive function can be maintained as we age. Now let us look at the features of the brain at the age of 60-80. They are really rosy. The neurons of the brain do not die off, as everyone around them says. Connections between them simply disappear if a person does not engage in mental work. Absent-mindedness and forgetfulness appear due to an overabundance of information. Therefore, you do not need to focus your whole life on unnecessary trifles. Beginning at the age of 60, a person, when making decisions, uses not one hemisphere at the same time, like young people, but both.

If a person leads a healthy lifestyle, moves, has a feasible physical activity, and has full mental activity, intellectual abilities do not decrease with age, but only grow, reaching a peak by the age of 80-90 years. Remember, Moses lived to 120 will full mental capacity. Remember, Aaron lived to 135 with full mental capacity. Remember, Abraham lived to 175 with full mental capacity. I hope for all my brothers and sisters approaching age 60, 70, 80, or 90, that you have been bolstered or encouraged by these findings.

As we close this commentary today, please listen to Psalm 92:12-14: “The righteous shall flourish like a palm tree, he shall grow like a cedar in Lebanon. Those who are planted in the house of the Lord shall flourish in the courts of God. They shall still bear fruit in old age; they shall be fresh and flourishing.”

DFM/jjm/drm