Post on 18-Dec-2014
description
Super Super VivereVivere
Reflections on Living Long and Reflections on Living Long and
Ageing Well Ageing Well
Dr Maeve Rea
Susie Rea
Outline
• Background and Introduction
• Methodology used
• Structured questions• Structured questions
• Life stories
• Summary points
Background
Nonagenarian
Numbers are Numbers are
growing
Life Expectancy across WorldLife Expectancy across World
Centenarians on the RiseCentenarians on the Rise
Numbers of US Centenarians are expected to rise exponentially between now and
2050.
In 2050
•1 in 10 in Europe
80+ yrs80+ yrs
Survivors, Delayers, EscapersSurvivors, Delayers, Escapers
• ‘survivors’, 42%
‘delayers, 45%• ‘delayers, 45%
• ‘escapers’, 13%
Perls T, Boston
Healthy Healthy
Ageing
‘escaper’
OKINAWA Study
‘Land of ‘Land of
immortals’
Factors which contribute Factors which contribute
to ‘successful ageingto ‘successful ageing’’to ‘successful ageingto ‘successful ageing’’
GEGEnetics of netics of HHealthy ealthy AAgeinggeing-3200 pairs of 90+ brothers and sisters
across Europe-3200 pairs of 90+ brothers and sisters
across EuropeEU-funded study
-Study to look at genes for healthy ageing
Nuclear and mitochondrial Genes
C1 vs C2
Population structure among GEHA studyPopulation structure among GEHA study
Cluster 1
Cluster 2
Cluster 3
Whole Genome ScanWhole Genome Scan
SurvivorsSurvivors
•• SurvivorsSurvivors interest us all.
• They tell us the possibilities for our own
survival.
We are fascinated by the stories of people • We are fascinated by the stories of people
who survive against the odds in difficult or
extreme circumstances.
Isa
• It in my genes
• My father was
102
• I worked hard• I worked hard
• A glass of wine
Belfast Telegraph Saturday 20 January 2010
Bridging Genes and Gerontology
Seeing the world with a different lens
Background hypotheses
• Life stories may help us understand something
of the personhood of the 90 year old
• What makes them a survivor?
• What value system have they adopted?• What value system have they adopted?
• How do they see their past, their future, their
peers?
• What are the common strands of personality
or memory and coping skills with their
siblings, if any?
Visual Images
• We all have a visual image and form which is
part of the story which we tell
• Both are part of our personhood and are • Both are part of our personhood and are
interdependent
• Combining both visual and verbal stories will
enhance the richness of the life story
Methods
GeHA Recruitment
• Italy 5 pairs
• Poland 5 pairs
• Finland 4 pairs and 1 trio
• Northern Ireland 10 pairs and 3 trio
• Greece• Greece
• France
• Belgium
• Germany
• Ukraine
• Denmark
Narrative
• ‘Tell me your life story ‘
• Research teams already knew sibling pairs or trios
• Already had established a rapport with sibling pairs and families
• Sibling pairs or trios who consented loved giving their stories
• Written consent for recording and photographs
Structured Questions
• What age do you feel?
• What do you think makes you a survivor?
• How makes you happy in your life?
• How do you view the future?• How do you view the future?
Northern Ireland
Thomas 94 and Joyce 96
Belfast
Thomas
William at 96 years young, supposes that his
‘plain diet – not too much sweet stuff or sugar’
has been important in his longevity.
Norman at 95 years says that he had
“No junk food”
“ only good food”
Samuel is 95, ‘going on 25’, and considers that he has always
‘been interested in people and interested in life’.
Dorothy in her 93rd year, tells us that she has
‘always made the ‘always made the best of things’
“Father and
mother lived
long”
“I had cousins
Ellie at 100 reports that
“I had cousins
too”
“The men didn’t
live so long”
Kelvin, Sarah and Kathleen
4 siblings
Belfast
Anne, Kathleen, Sarah, Kelvin
What makes you a Survivor?
N IrelandKathleen 92 ‘good health and my daughter living with me’
Kelvin 93 ‘just my genes; my cousin was 99, my aunt in her 90s’
Sarah 94‘ keeping in touch with news and everything’
Grace 94 ‘my father lived to 94’
Jane 95 ‘good food when we were young’
Pauline 95 ‘its my Guardian Angel; she looks after my mishaps’
Mary 99 ‘ hard work, it was hard work’
Ellen 96 ‘ if you work hard you just survive’
Sarah 94 ‘ we hadn’t very much, but our parents were good’
Lilian 100 ‘I just worked on, I didn’t think of myself’
Dorothy 93 ‘It must be my genes; my mother was 90, my aunt 95 and
another one 94 on father’s side’
Thomas 94 ‘ My father lived to 98; good care and attention’
Norman 96 ‘Hard work that’s the secret’
Poland
Pelagia
‘I worked hard; rather hard.
I did not smoke’
JadwigaJadwiga
‘my
grandmother
lived long; I
like to do
crosswords’
Stranilawa
B Bradnaska
What makes you a Survivor?
Poland
Pelagia 93 ‘I worked hard, rather hard; I did not smoke’
Jadwiga 94 ‘my grandmother lived long; I like to do crosswords’
Koldra 93 ‘hard-bitten in work; fed healthy food in the forest’Koldra 93 ‘hard-bitten in work; fed healthy food in the forest’
Marcjanna 94 ‘I tell the priest I drink vodka every day; but it isn’t true!’
Janina 96 ‘joyful; they say I look young’
Fausta 99 ‘don’t know’
Stranilawa 92 ‘I enjoyed a bit of vodka to help me’
Bradnaska 90 ‘ I have always worked; I have been working’
Bologna
Italy
AntoniettaAntonietta 9696
‘Well I feel a
bit old-bit old-
but my head is
still healthy,
even if my legs
aren’t’ so
good’
Antionietta’sAntionietta’s
KitchenKitchen
‘We had cod-‘We had cod-
liver oil to
drink every
morning till
we were 15
or 16’
This is meThis is me
‘One of us
always wants always wants
to be right
But I won’t
tell you which
one!’
AussantaAussanta 9999
‘Getting old
is no fun’is no fun’
’life has
been hard’
Giovanna
Giovanna and Dante
What makes you a Survivor?
ItalyAntonietta93 ‘they gave us cod liver oil to drink, till we were 15 or 16’
Assunta 100 ‘working so hard, heavy jobs’
Augusta 95 ‘Health, a quiet life;I don’t feel melancholy’
Giula 94 ‘working hard, working a lot’
Germana 96 ‘working hard, I had 4 men to look after!’
Fausta 99 ‘don’t know’
Virginia 97 ‘I have been happy, our mother loved us’
Adelma 90 ‘ I have always been healthy; I have been working’
Dante 96 ‘I feel young, I don’t have ill health’
Giovanna 96 ‘I have always lived day by day; I don’t know’
Finland
KarlKarl
‘ the last ‘ the last ‘ the last ‘ the last
package from package from
my mother my mother
saved my life’saved my life’
EVA
‘This is my ‘This is my ‘This is my ‘This is my
country country
I can speak I can speak
Finnish’Finnish’
Hilkka, Pulmu and Maija
What makes you a Survivor?
Finland
Maila 93 ‘hard to say-well genes’
Meeri 98 ‘my father was 91; I have lived to 98’
Hilkka 95 ‘it’s how it plays out and luck’
Pulmu 93 ‘ Heavenly care and strength for each day dawning’
Maija ‘You settle for what comes along’Maija ‘You settle for what comes along’
Matti 94 ‘a joyful character, that doesn’t worry unnecessarily’
Anna 90 ‘I was only ill last summer for the first time’
Laura 91 ‘it might be my fighting spirit’
Sylvie90 ‘it’s no good taking the gloomy view’
Karl 95 ‘ the last package from my mother saved my life’
Eva 92 ‘this is my country now, I can speak Finnish’
Good Health
Genes Physical Activity
Eating well
Social Connections
90 year
old
Smoking
Alcohol
???
Don’t Worry
Luck Mental Activity
old
Survivor
Summary
-Maintain mental and physical health
-Hard work and determination-Eat properly -Good sense of Humour
-Good family and social support
-Choose long-living parents!
Summary
Is this what we see in our sibling pairs who start with a good gene capital, but then build upon this with a common, then build upon this with a common, perhaps good family, life experience and this facilitates their ‘ageing-well profile’?
Can we slowing Ageing ?
Keep healthy, Keep Active
All Photos copyright Susie Rea
http://www.susierea.com/
Broccoli
Green Tea
RED WINE
Kaplan-Meier survival curves for individual subjects with diet score up to 3 and 4 or more
Copyright ©1995 BMJ Publishing Group Ltd.
Trichopoulou, A. et al. BMJ 1995;311:1457-1460
Kaplan-Meier Curves for Number of Healthful Lifestyle Factors
Copyright restrictions may apply.
Knoops, K. T. B. et al. JAMA 2004;292:1433-1439.
Social Integration
SupportSupport
Confucius Temple
Summary
Throughout the interviews, across all the countries, we seem to see
a sense of positivity optimism optimism a self deprecating sense of humouradaptabilitya feisty independence
emerging as the phenotype for the successful ageing personality.
GENESGENES Environment Environment
Behaviours Behaviours
Special thanks to
GEHA teams
in
Italy, Poland, Finland and N IrelandItaly, Poland, Finland and N Ireland
Laura and Elisa and Claudio
Kasia and Ewa
Antii and medical students
Anne and Susie
Digital Stories
• Combine Narrative and Photographs
• 90 year old sibling pairs across Europe
• Powerful empowerment tool for Older People• Powerful empowerment tool for Older People
• Dissemination tool for GEHA and ACUME2
Changing Ageing Partnership(Queens University Initative)
-empowering older people
-enhancing positive attitudes
to ageingto ageing
-giving older people a voice
Questions ?
i.rea@qub.ac.uk