President Biden is 81 years old, Are you too old to run for president? Does his chronological age suggest he won't live out another four years in office? Are claims of cognitive decline justified?
These and other age-related issues have come to the fore this election cycle because, let's face it, Biden (and Trump) are the two oldest presidents in American history. Whoever is elected in 2024 will once again break the presidential longevity record. The question of the president's age is at its peak and shows no signs of slowing down.
These are exactly the wrong questions to ask at the wrong time.
The answers we have seen so far are often colored by politics, influenced by misinformation and misunderstandings, and involve problems such as: ageist images Politicians who perpetuate harmful stereotypes about aging. Importantly, they do not believe in the wonders of human success that have already changed the face of aging.
Aging isn't what it used to be, but we admit that Bette Davis was right.
“Old age is no place for weaklings.”
There is no maturing by sugar coating. Living a long life is like driving a car beyond the warranty period. The longer you drive, the more problems you will encounter. But unlike cars, some aspects of life, including some cognitive abilities, actually improve with age.
Verbal memory, inductive reasoning, and vocabulary increase with age. This is a cognitive skill that is especially important for decision making. It is true that “fluid intelligence” (the ability to learn new ways to solve problems and perform activities quickly and abstractly) declines with age, but “crystallized intelligence“Accumulated knowledge that enables intelligent decision-making” and “tacit knowledge” (practical or practical knowledge learned through experience) increase With age.
Practically speaking, it may take a person of President Biden's age longer to learn how to fly a plane, but he will. less likely to crash compared to younger people. Additionally, public health, medicine, and other scientific fields have already discovered ways to help us adapt to changes in our bodies and minds, making some of the problems associated with aging just a nuisance. I am.
The longevity revolution that began in the 20th century is already changing what it means to get older for Biden's generation and all future generations.Stereotypical image of elderly peoplegreedy nerd”—cutting people out of their lives, burdening their friends and family, and taking a huge toll on society—is a false narrative. The fate of most people reaching old age is not now, and indeed never has been.
These unfortunate scenarios do happen, but they could be just as good as today's over-65s talking about their training routines, mountain climbing, and marathon times. They run companies, compete in sporting events, volunteer, travel the world, care for grandchildren, and often become symbols of society. They are innovators who are often sought after for their wisdom as doctors, lawyers, and other professionals for their insight and experience. They serve as presidents in Congress and the military, and are senior thought leaders in boardrooms around the world.they are common They are happier than people half their age — have many of the same aspirations and goals.
Aging rate revealed at high school reunions
Biological aging — Aging of vital organs (brain, cardiovascular system, lungs, skin, etc.) does not occur at the same pace for everyone. If you attend a high school reunion, it's clear that some people biologically age faster than others. For those who appear to age less easily, this primarily reflects the benefits of genetic, lifestyle, and psychosocial factors, although cosmetics and plastic surgery can affect appearance. Evidence supports the idea that some people's metronome speed slows as they age.
For example, the 2003 Medical Expenditure Panel Study and the 2004 Health and Retirement Study are among the best studies used to examine factors that influence aging. bold statement. A study of their results, co-authored by one of us, shows that a significant proportion of older Americans remain healthy past age 50. Over 85 years old, 56% reported no health-based restrictions on work or household chores, and 28% reported good or very good health.
Facts that defy stereotypes
Many people age like fine wine. We want to enjoy the fruits of longevity, perform our jobs with a very high level of competence and efficiency, and make older generations part of society. most valuable natural resource.
Just before the 2020 presidential election, independent researchers with expertise in aging and longevity Reviewed, Evaluated and Published All of Biden's publicly available medical records. Information evaluated included his family history, behavioral risk factors, medical history, physical examination, laboratory tests and other diagnostic tests including aging-related biomarkers.
The conclusion was that Mr. Biden is in excellent health for a 77-year-old man. His health problems were minimal, his laboratory blood tests reflected those of a healthy young man, and his physical activity was exceptional. He had a long-lived family history without dementia, and his personal medical records showed no evidence of cognitive decline.
Biden's official health status will be reevaluated closer to the next election, but his medical records are publishedSo far, there have been no indications that there have been any major changes in his physical or mental health since he took office.
In 2020, Biden was predicted to have a more than 95 percent chance of surviving his first term as president (about 13 percent better than the average man his age). He currently has a nearly 75 percent chance of surviving a second term (about 10 percent better than the average man his age). Similar, but slightly less favorable, survival prospects exist for Mr. Trump.
A geriatrician who evaluated Biden's medical history in 2020 found evidence suggesting he may be.super ager” – a subgroup of people over 80 who function physically and cognitively at a level common to much younger people.
There is no clinical evidence of President Biden's cognitive decline, despite armchair gerontologists saying otherwise. One might be tempted to conclude that such evidence does not exist, since no extensive series of diagnostic evaluations regarding cognitive function (to our knowledge) have been ordered by the attending physician. If done, something important may be revealed.
But presidents are evaluated by doctors just like everyone else. Cognitive testing is not done unless the doctor suspects a problem or the patient requests it. Even in this case, a cognitive screening test is done first, followed by other more detailed diagnostic evaluations if the screening shows a concerning score. Biden's doctors do not seem to feel that cognitive screening tests are medically necessary, so this is consistent with his family history of a long life without dementia, suggesting that such problems exist. This is evidence that the possibility of doing so is low.
They also misinterpreted Biden's lifelong speech impediment as cognitive decline, misinterpreted a cough as an inability to speak clearly, misinterpreted a change of gates as a severely weakened man, and occasionally misspoken gaffes. It is often mistaken as a sign of mental decline. My own challenges that come with age. This is no reason to ignore or truncate it. It is the recognition that with the privilege of longevity comes change that requires adaptation.
We see them in Biden because he is in the spotlight 24/7. If you shine the same bright light of the media on any of the rest of us, at any age, very few would survive the scrutiny without having a similar negative profile.
the right questions to ask
We are not presumptuous enough to tell our readers what to consider when entering a voting booth. What we can say with confidence is that real age should not be included in it.
President Biden is exhibiting characteristics befitting his super-age status. The evidence so far – evaluated by medical and aging science experts and uninfluenced by politics or quick judgments based on limited information – is that President Biden's real age is It shouldn't be This will hinder his ability to run for a second term.
What matters is how old you are on the inside.
S. Jay Olshanskyis a professor in the School of Public Health at the University of Illinois at Chicago and a research fellow and principal scientist at the University of Chicago Center on Aging and the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine.At Lapetas Solutions Co., Ltd.
ben burns He previously served as Speaker of the Texas House of Representatives from 1965 to 1969 and as the 36th Lieutenant Governor of Texas.
Dr. Bradley WilcoxMD, MS, FGSA is a professor and research director in the Department of Geriatrics, John A. Burns School of Medicine, University of Hawaii at Manoa.
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