Add days to lives or life to days?

[Guest guest]

Hi All,

See:

Harefuah. 2003 Dec;142(12):841-3, 877.

[Longevity in gerontology and in Judaism--quantity years or quality

years?]

[Article in Hebrew]

Jaul E.

In this day and age, we have been granted longevity--both a blessing

and a

curse. Longevity has resulted in new diseases, illnesses and long-term

disabilities due to the shift from death caused by acute infectious

diseases and

by chronic diseases such as cancer, cardiac and vascular diseases, to

morbidity

caused by chronic cases of arthritis, Alzheimer's and sensory

disabilities--auditory and visual. Chronic diseases are characterized

by

long-term illness and result in escalating reduction in functioning,

with an

increase in the elderly person's dependence on his family or society.

What do we

mean when we say 'longevity'? Do we add days to our lives or perhaps

life to our

days? What can we expect? How do we achieve longevity? I have looked

into the

Torah, into the words of the Sages and into the findings of geriatric

research.

I have found that, both in gerontology, and in the words of the

Sages, longevity

is accompanied by quality of life. In gerontology, 'quality of life'

is measured

as being active and independent, including the ability to carry out

routine

daily activities (ADL). Katz and his colleagues have used the

terms 'active life

expectancy' and 'dependent life expectancy'. The ability to predict

active life

expectancy is no less important than predicting mortality, and

particularly how

to achieve active life expectancy. The Sages praise longevity,

accompanied by

wisdom: " In the elderly, wisdom, and in wisdom, long life' (Job). In

addition,

they say: 'For longevity and years of life and peace shall be granted

to you'

(Proverbs), to teach the blessing of longevity accompanied by wisdom.

To achieve

longevity, one should maintain regular habits that reduce the risk of

illness

such as physical exercise, a balanced diet, no smoking, and have a

relaxed

attitude to self-importance and to financial matters, while

emphasizing the

routine and stable elements of one's daily life.

PMID: 14702752 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]