November 7, 2024 • 44 mins
Of course, we would all like to live to 100 – but there are many challenges along the way. How we cope with these obstacles is the key not only to survival, but most importantly – the ‘Quality of Life’. Join Dr. Jim Polakof as he interviews Dr. Joe Casciani, founder of the Living to 100 Club.
Dr. Casciani has built an inspiring community and resource hub dedicated to helping individuals over 55 navigate the aging journey with resilience, joy, and vitality. With people living longer than ever, Dr. Casciani encourages us to rethink traditional, limiting beliefs about aging and embrace a vibrant, empowered approach to our later years.
Links from the show:
Website: https://livingto100.club/
Better, Longer, & Happier Card Deck https://livingto100.club/blh/
Let's Get Social ...
Visit my website click here
Facebook Click Here
Instagram Click Here
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:05):
How would you like to live to 100 years of age happy
and in good health?
Well, you're about to discoversome secrets on this segment of
Live Healthy Longer, and here'sour host wellness expert, author
and popular podcaster, dr JimPolakoff.
Speaker 2 (00:23):
I'm Dr Jim Polakoff, and welcome to another episode
of Live Healthy Longer.
Now, if you're 55 or older,well, you're halfway there.
Yes, halfway to living 100years or more, but you don't
have to take my word for it.
Instead, you're about to meetmy guest, Dr Joe Cassiani,
(00:53):
founder of the Living to 100Club.
Dr Joe has worked as apsychologist for more than 30
years and his specialty isgeriatric mental health.
In seeing the challenges thatarise as we get older, he
decided to share his discoveriesabout aging successfully, and
he's going to share that withyou Now.
Dr Joe created the Living to100 Club as both a news hub and
(01:14):
a community for those with apassion for healthy aging, both
physically and mentally.
So let's get right to it andmeet this extraordinary man.
Welcome, Dr Joe.
Speaker 3 (01:25):
Cassiani, thank you for the invitation to be on your
program.
I'm looking forward to thisconversation.
Speaker 2 (01:32):
All right?
Well, so are we.
I think you have a lot to offer, and so I want to be sure that
our listeners understand thatfully.
One of the things that you hadmentioned that I think is very
important.
We're talking about stereotypes.
Can we begin by what do you seethe stereotype views about
(01:52):
getting older are?
I mean, there are so many, butI know that people have that
same stereotype image.
What would you describe it?
Speaker 3 (02:14):
Yeah, well, it's as we have heard so many times that
getting older means decline,physical decline, mental decline
, retreat, isolation, and youknow, this stereotype has been
around for many years.
Unfortunately.
I think it's lifting, I thinkit's going away.
I think it's lifting, I thinkit's going away.
But the whole notion thatgetting older would mean a time
to slow down, a time to look atpulling back, my body's going to
get weaker, I'm going to becomedependent, I'm going to be
(02:36):
helpless eventually, I'm goingto be more needy.
And I think that was aprevalent attitude about getting
older up until maybe 15 or 20years ago.
And another component of thatis what we call internalized
(02:56):
ageism.
So it's not just that youngerpeople would see older adults as
this kind of natural decline,but we internalize that, older
adults as this kind of naturaldecline.
But we internalize that andmany people felt they saw
themselves that decline isinevitable, that slowing down,
that retreat, that physical lossis just an inevitable part of
(03:18):
aging and that's just as harmfulas when others see it, as when
we see it ourselves andourselves.
So that's lifting, that's agood thing, it's going away and
there are a lot of people whohave done great work over the
years to dispel those ageiststereotypes.
Speaker 2 (03:34):
Yeah, do you feel I'm just curious with younger
people?
I mean, do you feel this ageismstill exists to a great degree
here in our country, where wefeel that after a certain age
someone's over the hill and theydon't have much more to
contribute?
How prevalent do you think thatis among the youth of our
country?
Speaker 3 (03:54):
Yeah, it's hard to say.
I think it is prevalent, Ithink it's certainly too
prevalent and you know there's alot of reasons for that.
I think that you know,separation from you know,
geographically families are moredispersed than ever and years
ago we would, you know, live inthe same household or be closer
(04:14):
to our grandparents.
And there's a whole focus nowon this multi-generational aging
, multi-generational approach tokind of removing that
stereotype where we could, youknow, get involved with
mentoring young children andolder adults can be volunteers
(04:36):
in school, and there's more of amix, there's more of the center
generational kind ofconversation and older adults
learning from younger adults andvice versa.
So I think there's a whole pushtoward, you know, kind of
removing some of thosestereotypes in the younger
generations about getting older.
Speaker 2 (04:56):
Yeah, and I think it's also important because you
come from a background, as wementioned in the introduction,
as a caregiver.
I mean you've worked withcaregivers, you've trained.
I mean you have a trainingprogram that really is, I think,
a substantial addition to whatwe need here in this country.
But you know, there is thatstereotype.
(05:17):
We both have an Italian heritage, as we discussed earlier, and
in Italy I just know that myfamily members, when we go over
there and we visit and right nowI'm probably one of the older
ones at my age, but even theyoung people have a certain
reverence for those who age,because they feel that there is
a wisdom that they've gained andhopefully, caregivers can
(05:42):
sometimes be a little harsh, Ibelieve can sometimes be a
little harsh.
I believe you know when they'rerun out of patience when
they're helping their oldercounterparts.
So you know, hopefully that ischanging.
I think that's so importantthat I just have seen some
caregivers in action that don'tseem to have the patience that
they really should.
And I know that's something youdo, if I'm right, aside from
(06:04):
your Living 100 Club.
You really work with thesepeople, don't you?
Speaker 3 (06:08):
Yeah, I have.
I've seen that.
I've seen that for many yearsworking in long-term care
settings and a lot of it is thesystemic problem that caregivers
, nurses' aides, cnas, they'rereally overworked and they, you
know, they're assigned verydifficult, very difficult
patients under their care andthey don't have the patience,
(06:32):
they don't have the time, theydon't.
You know I say pay now or paylater.
If you spend a few minutes now,you'll save twice as much time
down the road.
But that's easy to say and it'shard to implement.
I still do training forcaregivers and I hear some of
the same frustrations that theydon't have enough time to really
understand and it's.
I haven't spent any timeoutside of the US, but I've
(06:58):
spent time in a lot of states.
My group practice was in eightstates and I would go to nursing
homes all over and it was justvery clear that patients did not
get the respect and reverencethat they were due, but partly
systemic.
I think yeah.
Speaker 2 (07:20):
So, dr Joe, once we hit that mid-50 mark, what are
the leading challenges in youropinion do we need to prepare
for, especially if we're goingto age in good health and live
independently?
What are some of thosechallenges, you see?
Speaker 3 (07:35):
Yeah, well, we know there are changes physical
changes, cognitive changes thatoccur with normal aging and a
lot of that has to do with, youknow, physical decline of, you
know, our senses, our visualacuity, our hearing declines,
muscle decline, you know,muscles weaken, some
(07:57):
cardiovascular changes and itcan produce high blood pressure.
Our immune system doesn't workas well.
We can't fight off disease andwe don't heal as quickly as when
we were younger.
Cognitively, mentally, there'schanges in our memory, of course
, mostly short-term memory.
Processing speed.
(08:19):
Problem solving might take alittle bit longer, it might be
slower.
There's what we call executivefunctioning planning, decision
making.
Some of that can be impacted byage, not necessarily because
some of the well-retained skillsare in decision making and
planning and problem solving.
(08:40):
But there are also emotionalchanges.
There's some problems managingour emotional regulation.
We don't control emotions.
Now that's not always part ofthe picture.
I think more prominent are thephysical changes, the sensory
(09:01):
loss.
Those are the changes that aremore prominent.
And again it's like how do weprepare and how do we adjust?
And I think it's all aboutadjusting and adapting to these
changes To me.
I talk about successful agingand Living to 100 is great.
(09:22):
That's the name of my businessLiving to 100 Club.
But it's more than adestination.
It's a great goal but we're notall going to make it to 100.
But we can stay positive whiletrying and that's my thing.
Let's maintain the outlook andthe attitude about doing
everything I can to staypositive, get over those
(09:45):
challenges, no matter what getsin the way.
That represents successfulaging to me.
No matter what gets in the way,staying positive.
Speaker 2 (09:54):
And, of course, the quality of life, itself very
important.
If you're going to live longer,you want a quality of life so
you don't have to feel sick oryou don't have to feel that you
need to sit in the corner of aroom and hide because you just
aren't quite as sharp as youused to be.
That positivity is so important.
I think I agree, tim.
So tell us about your Living to100 Club.
(10:17):
I think that's fascinating.
I mean, I'm trying to envisionthe Living to 100 Club and I
mean do you have meetings thatpeople attend?
Or I mean, if we join, are yougoing to assure us that we live
to 100?
Tell us a little bit about it.
Speaker 3 (10:35):
No, I often joke that if I don't make it to 100, I'm
going to ask for a refund on myclub dues.
There you go.
No, it's a virtual club.
I don't have any formalmembership or meetings.
It's really just being, youknow, kind of being connected to
(10:56):
my website and signing up formy email list and newsletters
and podcasts.
But it's all about, you know, Ihave on my business card
education and inspiration aboutaging well.
So it is helping peopleunderstand that there's new
science, there's new tools,there's new evidence about
(11:18):
staying healthy longer, what wecan do to live longer, educating
people about the importance ofour attitude and outlook and,
secondly, offering inspiration,because it's easy to become
discouraged.
It's easy to say, oh gee, youknow, I'm losing my friends, I
(11:38):
have to give up my home, I'vegot to move to another place,
you know, my pet, I can't driveanymore.
It's easy to become reallydiscouraged and cite some
stories about other people whohave, you know, kind of flipped
that switch and let go of thatnegative outlook and shifted to
a positive outlook.
If we have time, I'll tell aquick story about Steve Jobs.
(12:00):
Oh good.
Speaker 2 (12:01):
That's a good one.
Speaker 3 (12:03):
A brilliant engineer, marketing person.
He founded Apple, of course.
Well, I read a biography of himby Walter Isaacson.
And Steve Jobs was adopted.
Right, yes, he was.
He found out he was adopted whenhe was about 10 or 11, and he
was crushed.
He was just devastated.
He said how can my own parents,my own biological mother, give
(12:26):
me up for adoption?
I must be totally worthless.
I can't have any value as aperson.
So Steve's adoptive parentsfound out about that thinking
and he said no, no, no, steve,when we saw you as an infant in
the hospital, you were the mostimportant person to us in the
world.
We couldn't imagine livingwithout you.
So there was Steve Jobs goingfrom I'm the most worthless
(12:51):
person to now I'm the mostimportant person, and the
adoptive parents didn't give himany new skills or talents.
It was that shift, almost likea light switch, that was flipped
and he went from being the mostworthless to now being the most
important.
So I say, a lot of what's goingon in our thinking and our
(13:11):
attitude is so powerful.
So imagine if Steve Jobs neverhad that conversation with his
adoptive parents.
Speaker 2 (13:20):
He could have been very discouraged and lackluster
in what he tried to do.
Speaker 3 (13:24):
Yeah, maybe no Apple, you know, no iPad.
Speaker 2 (13:26):
No Apple.
Speaker 3 (13:28):
No iPhone, we'd all be using Blackberries and Palm
Pine.
A good point, yeah.
Speaker 2 (13:36):
But you're living 100 Club.
Looking into it, looking atyour website and what you've
written about it, it seems to methat you really have community
there.
Even though people aren't partof a club, you really seem to,
shall we say, propel the feelingof community.
Speaker 3 (13:57):
I hope so.
I hope so.
Jim, it's hard to tell, youknow.
I maintain that this, like Isaid, you know it's not a smooth
road and I don't portray havingall the answers about wellness
and you know, proper diet,nutrition and fitness activities
(14:18):
, exercise and fitnessactivities, exercise.
Yeah, we know a lot aboutliving longer and what those
ingredients are and I maintain,well, what happens when we hit
those bumps.
It's not a smooth road.
We have losses, we lose aspouse, we fall and break our
hip, we have a stroke, all kindsof things going on for the
(14:39):
person.
But what impact?
So this theme kind of comesthrough my blogs and comes
through my newsletters and mywriting and my speaking.
I love to speak to seniorgroups but it's this theme about
yeah, we're going to face thesechallenges, but let's learn to
cope with them.
(14:59):
Let's learn ways to deal andovercome the challenge.
That, to me, is, you know, theessence of my Living to 100 Club
.
Speaker 2 (15:08):
Well, that really leads me to you know, I'm
impressed.
You've got a very fascinatingresource that you offer and I
was quite impressed with it.
It's called your Guide to Agingwith Purpose and Positivity.
Now, actually it's a fun guide.
I think it's something we couldall enjoy doing.
I mean, after all, we all enjoyplaying cards.
(15:30):
Of course, it's more than agame.
I think it's an insight intoyourself, but this is a card
game that's designed to help youlive better, longer and
healthier.
So how did you come up withthis idea and why cards?
Speaker 3 (15:44):
How does this?
Speaker 2 (15:44):
work.
Speaker 3 (15:46):
Well, you know, years ago, many years ago, I won a
contract with the CaliforniaDepartment of Aging.
I was awarded a contract mypartner and I and the contract
involved writing a trainingmanual on mental health topics
for nursing homes in California.
So we did this, we wrote themanual and we brought it around
(16:08):
to 30 workshops around the stateand it was really a set of
chapters on different mentalhealth topics for nursing homes.
So we wanted to raise theawareness, raise the
consciousness about theimportance of mental health.
So after I sold my nursing homepractice a few years ago, I
wanted to do something similar.
I wanted to write anothermanual, but this is for people
(16:29):
still living maybe in thecommunity or people living in
senior living settings, higherfunctioning, and I had this
notion of I'll just writeanother training manual.
So I found this graphicdesigner really good, really
great, very talented guy in SanDiego, and we sat down and
(16:50):
planned this you know newproject and he said Joe, people
don't read manuals anymore.
Let's do card decks, let'screate a series of modules on
different themes and I had 10 or12 themes in mind.
So let's create these boxes andthey'll have cards and they can
(17:11):
pull out cards and havedifferent activities or stories
or links to YouTube videos.
So that was the genesis of it.
That was about a year and ahalf ago.
So he created the template, hecreated the boxes and I created
the copy.
I created the text.
(17:32):
I found a good copy editor inMinnesota and I would send her
the content for each card andshe would fit it into the card
size and they're only 4 by 7inches.
But the really unique thingabout the cards is that each
(17:52):
card has a little QR code at thebottom.
Because you can only fit somuch information in two
paragraphs, I would link theoriginal or the source of that
article or video or story to thesource and so people can read
To expand upon what the cardisthad said Exactly so it's wide
(18:14):
open.
Yeah, so people can click on theQR code and go to that and
learn more about it or watch thevideo or hear the interview or
learn a story.
So yeah, and then you know, itjust flowed from there.
We said we're going to havefour sections.
We're going to have one sectionjust on what are called key
(18:35):
thoughts, kind of a short, quicklesson plans.
Anyway, there's four sections.
The first two are really toeducate the person, the user.
Speaker 2 (18:46):
Right, you have four categories.
I believe, yeah, fourcategories right.
The first two key thoughts.
Speaker 3 (18:52):
And then deep dive is more content, more information,
maybe a longer article orwhatever that particular topic
is.
And then three and four.
Speaker 2 (19:07):
Now is the deep dive.
For example, is that moregeared towards mental agility,
to get your mind working so youstay sharper?
Speaker 3 (19:15):
No, it's just more information, jim, it's just.
The first section is moresummary.
The deep dive is more in-depthinformation.
So if people want to, if theywant to learn about this
particular maybe living longeror what healthy lifestyles are
or blue zones they can go to thedeep dive and really expand
(19:37):
their knowledge about that.
That's the knowledge deep divesection.
Speaker 2 (19:42):
Okay.
Speaker 3 (19:42):
And then three and four activities and inspiration.
So it's dependent on how muchyou want.
If you don't want very much, ifyou just want to kind of create
an activity, you go to thatsection.
If you're really interested inlearning more and maybe
developing some knowledge ormaybe preparing for some
knowledge or, you know, maybepreparing for, you know, some
educational career, you can goand get more in-depth
(20:06):
information Can you give us anexample.
Speaker 2 (20:10):
Let's take the inspiration.
We're all looking forinspiration, particularly as we
age Can?
Speaker 3 (20:15):
you give me an example of Sure yeah, so your
listeners can't see this, butI'll go to number one, which is
what we know about living longerand healthier.
So there are 60 cards in thebox, four sections and, just
going to the inspirationalstories, I can give you a couple
(20:35):
of examples.
One is a video of a 92-year-odancer.
She loves tango dancing and thevideo is her and her partner
doing a tango, and you know andthis is not al pacino, correct?
no, remember the movie maybehe's the partner right, but uh,
(20:56):
another one is a video about umKoss.
Joanna passed away recently,but she set a world record at
age 95 as the world's oldestgymnast, and there's a link to
this video of Joanna going forher practice and then performing
(21:17):
.
It's only a short video maybethree or four minutes but this
is the whole notion of let's letgo of that number, let's put
that chronological age in thebackground, because it doesn't
say very much about what aperson should or shouldn't be
doing.
That's my point.
92 year olds can be doing tangodancing and can be doing
(21:43):
gymnastics.
Yes, and I noticed that one ofthe topics is titled 10 Ways to
(22:03):
Build Resilience.
Speaker 2 (22:05):
Can you tell us about that?
Speaker 3 (22:07):
Yeah Well, resilience is really an important and very
important topic and themethat's around a lot these days.
There's a lot of buzz aboutresilience and you know
basically it's can we get backup after we get knocked down?
And what are the ingredients,what makes for a resilient
(22:27):
person?
And that particular card talksabout some of the research and
what scientists have found that.
What goes into, how does theresilient person different from
the non-resilient person andwhat are the qualities and can
this be learned or can it beuncovered?
(22:47):
I think we have these qualitiesinside.
It needs to be tapped and itneeds to be uncovered, just like
our.
You know we call it that fireor grit inside that resilience.
I say we all have it.
Some people have said, no, Idon't have it, I'm done, I don't
have any more.
I can't get up off the mat andI maintain, as long as we're
(23:10):
taking a breath, we can stilltap into that resilience, that
fire, that juice, that energy,that motivation.
Whatever we want to call it,it's always there.
Sometimes people feel like it'sblocked, or you energy, that
motivation, whatever we want tocall it, it's always there.
Sometimes people feel like it'sblocked, or you know it's gone,
it's been used up and I sayit's bottomless, it's always
there.
So that particular card I meanthere's 60 cards in each deck
(23:33):
and that particular card talksabout what are the qualities of
resilience and how can we fosterthat in other people.
Speaker 2 (23:45):
Well, that's important.
Speaker 3 (23:46):
You give a solution.
Your cards not only throwsomething out, but they give a
solution.
Oh, yeah, yeah, here's what.
Here's what we know, here'swhat we found, here's what,
here's what we can do to buildon this and you know?
Just just another example.
Just another example.
(24:07):
There are some cards in thisfirst module on what we know
about living longer the numbersof centenarians in the US.
What's the difference betweenhealthspan and lifespan?
Lifespan is how long we'reliving and healthspan is how
long we're living healthy.
So what's the gap?
Speaker 2 (24:21):
Do you have any statistics on that?
Out of curiosity.
Speaker 3 (24:23):
Well, I'm assuming the lifespan is much longer.
Yeah, the gap is growing, whichis unfortunate.
We've got a longer gap between,you know, health span, that's,
living without disability andthen living.
So the bigger that gap, themore years we have with
disability.
Speaker 2 (24:42):
Exactly so you again offer solutions.
These cards offer solutions asto what you can do to obviously
close that gap, correct?
Speaker 3 (24:52):
Yeah, of course, of course.
And what we've learned fromothers.
You know this first module is Idevote several cards to the
Blue Zones.
What have we learned about thecentenarians living in the Blue
Zone?
Your listeners, most of yourlisteners, have probably heard
of the Blue Zones, and in fiveareas.
Well, now there's six aroundthe world where people,
(25:12):
relatively to relative to thegeneral population, there's more
centenarians.
And what have we learned fromthese centenarians and what are
the characteristics?
They all have very similarlifestyles in these five or six
blue zones.
Speaker 2 (25:28):
Actually, dr Joe, what we're talking about is you
don't.
What the cards are going toreveal is you don't necessarily
need to move to one of theseblue zones to take advantage of
how these people are livinglonger healthy.
You actually give the advice ofwhat you can do where you live
to adopt the same livingstandards correct.
Speaker 3 (25:46):
Yeah, exactly, here's what we've learned.
Here's what we've learned.
All right, we can adopt some ofthese.
I mean, you know, we hear aboutthe ingredients all the time.
It's, you know, the lifestyleof healthy eating, social
engagement, staying connectedwith your community.
(26:07):
One of the importantingredients is having a sense of
meaning and purpose, somethingthat brings a feeling of reward,
you know, puts a smile on yourface when you wake up in the
morning.
The centenarians all have thatsense of meaning.
Maybe it's a hobby, maybe it'sa you know musical instrument,
(26:28):
or maybe it's writing, or maybevolunteering at the community or
the church.
I bought myself a set of drumsabout four years ago.
I've never played a musicalinstrument and during COVID I
said well, you know, maybe.
Anyway I bought some electronicdrums so nobody can hear it
unless you're wearing theheadset.
My wife doesn't get to enjoy mydrumming and my neighbors don't
(26:52):
get to enjoy it, but I love it.
I'm taking live lessons now,but who knows?
I think it's important tochallenge ourselves and to kind
of create new cognitive lessonsand learning new things,
learning a new language, goingback to school.
Those are some of the things inmy cards that you know we've
(27:15):
learned from others about livinglonger and living healthier.
Speaker 2 (27:19):
So once a participant or participants complete all of
the decks, all of the fourcategories, what can they expect
as an end result?
What do you see happening ifsomeone goes through your entire
program?
Speaker 3 (27:34):
Well, a lot of things .
It depends who's using thecards.
I really wrote them for kind ofsenior living communities.
I've been around a number ofthem to see that there are a
number of residents who areengaged and there are also a
number who tend to be morewithdrawn and stay in their
(27:54):
apartments and do notparticipate in all the programs.
I mean, the programs are greatthey really have great yoga
programs and exercise andhistory lessons and you know any
number of really importantactivities but I've seen so many
times where individuals do notparticipate, maybe they're not
(28:15):
so social or maybe they'reuncomfortable in these new
settings.
So one of the decks that Icreated, one of the modules, is
how to increase socialengagement and connection.
Speaker 2 (28:26):
So important for tuning for seniors.
Speaker 3 (28:28):
I think so.
I mean, we've heard about theepidemic of loneliness from the
Surgeon General just last year,who released that report.
Now, that's not to say thatstaying by yourself is
necessarily bad or there's, youknow, psychological problems
with it.
People sometimes just want tobe solo, they want to be
(28:49):
solitary, and that's.
I'm not saying everybody shouldbe social, but if there are
some ways to help a person learnto be more engaged.
So, you know, I talk aboutcoping skills.
One of the modules talks abouthow to deal with setbacks, how
to deal with losses, how tocreate some more effective ways
(29:13):
to cope with these changes.
Ways to cope with these changes.
What can we do about, you know,the whole topic of
neuroplasticity.
I think that's a growing areaof interest and that involves
the science of understandingthat our brain is capable of
(29:36):
growing.
You know, decades ago wethought the brain was static and
if something happened, thatmeant the person's you know
functioning in that area wasdeclining.
Well, we know now that thebrain can create new neural
pathways.
Speaker 2 (29:52):
So someone for example, suffering from a form
of dementia, whether it beAlzheimer's or one of the other
many forms.
Actually, your brain, ratherthan just standing still or
deteriorating, can actuallyexpand to new, shall we say,
(30:14):
certainly a new width to allowmore intelligence to come
forward, or more.
In other words, you canovercome whatever dementia
problem you might have.
Is that what we're learning?
Yeah?
Speaker 3 (30:24):
Well, you know that's a conversation that has to do
more with reversible dementiasversus irreversible dementias
and there's some great researchon what are called modifiable
risk factors for dementia.
Certain conditions like toxinsin the air, certain physical
(30:51):
chronic disease like diabetesand obesity, hearing loss Some
of these conditions cancontribute to dementia that is
marked by confusion and memoryloss and disorientation.
And if we treat thoseconditions that dementia can
(31:12):
remit, it can reverse.
Now, alzheimer's disease Ithink the jury's still out about
reversing Alzheimer's andvascular dementia, lewy body,
frontal, temporal dementiasthose are more disease-related.
The neuroplasticity comes intoplay a lot with, maybe accident
(31:33):
victims, you know, if they'veAccident victims, you know.
That's where we learned aboutbeing able to help a person
learn to kind of move theirright arm after an accident,
when years ago we never believedthat.
So the comment is when thebridge is out, we learn a new
(31:55):
way, a new path.
That's what the brain can doand that's neuroplasticity.
The brain wants novelty andthat's where it comes in for
older adults.
That's why it's so good to takeclasses, to take courses, learn
a new language, learn some newskills.
The brain wants novelty and themore we do that, the healthier
(32:16):
we are.
Speaker 2 (32:17):
So that leads me to a comment that you made and I'd
like you to expound upon it, ifyou would and that is you
contend there is scientificproof that age is only a number.
Tell us about that.
Speaker 3 (32:30):
Yeah, well, that's a good one.
You know, chronological age isthe number of years we've been
around, the number of times youknow the Earth has revolved
around the Sun, andchronological age doesn't change
.
But there are two other ways.
There are at least two otherways to define age and one is
(32:54):
biological age.
That's different fromchronological age.
Biological age refers to howfast our body is aging relative
to our years.
Are our tissues and organs andbody systems aging faster?
That's biological age, andscientists use what are called
(33:17):
biomarkers.
That's biological age, andscientists use what are called
biomarkers.
They can tell from biomarkersis the heart, is the circulatory
system, or is the endocrinesystem or the GI system?
Is that aging faster thannormal?
That's biological age.
And then the third one, whichis, I think, the most important,
(33:37):
is it's health age, and healthage refers to how old we think
we are right, how old we thinkour body is.
So it's a mental thing.
A mental thing, and there's alot of research, jim.
There's a lot of researchshowing people who think they're
younger than theirchronological age are healthier.
(33:59):
They take more actions forpreventive health, they perform
better on tests of memory, theyhave fewer chronic diseases.
So when a person has this kindof positive health age.
They see themselves as 70instead of 80, they are
healthier.
Speaker 2 (34:19):
So you're talking about being proactive, aren't
you?
Speaker 3 (34:22):
Yeah, of course.
Yeah, proactive, and the beliefthat I'm really healthy.
Our beliefs are so powerful.
What we tell to ourselves,what's going on in our heads,
the negatives or the positivesit's so powerful.
(34:42):
I can tell you just a quickexercise that I do in large
groups.
I divide the room into righthalf and left half, or everybody
on the right side.
You're the optimist.
Put your optimism hat on andlook around the room and find
everything that's good about it.
Maybe the plants are healthy,the sunlight's coming in, the
fixtures, the furniture iscomfortable, everything that's
good, all right.
Everybody on the other side ofthe room you're the pessimist.
(35:05):
Put your pessimism hat on, andnow you look around and find
everything that's wrong with theroom, maybe scratches on the
walls or stains on the carpet orsome furniture that's broken.
And then I, you know, reconveneafter a couple of minutes and I
ask for feedback and I get thepositives and I get the
negatives, and then I say look,it's the same room.
What are you looking for?
(35:26):
If you're looking for what'sgood, you're going to find it.
If you're looking for what'swrong, you'll find that too.
And that's how I view ourattitudes about getting older.
There are a lot of things thatwe cannot do anymore, that you
know we regret or lament, butthere's still a lot of things
that we can do.
You know things we don't haveand there's things that we do
(35:51):
have.
So let's focus on the positives, let's focus on what's right
and, yeah, there's things thatwe cannot do anymore, that, yeah
, we can't do anything aboutthat.
But let's put the spotlight onwhat's good about aging.
So that's this notion of health, age and, you know, seeing
ourselves as still capable in somany ways and we can expect
(36:14):
more of ourselves.
You know, maybe the problem isthat we, you know, we believe
getting older means decline andI say let's shift that around.
Maybe getting older meansopportunity and new ways to
enjoy, new ways to, you know,look forward to our future.
Speaker 2 (36:35):
Well before today, I never would have believed we
could find answers in a deck ofcards, but certainly I think you
provided us some good insight.
I really feel that ourlisteners need to know more
about how they can access thesecards, because it's such an
excellent program, such anexcellent stimulant that you're
(36:55):
discussing.
So, dr Joe, tell us exactlywhere do we go to find out more
about, not only more about youand your podcast and things of
that nature, but also about howwe get involved with your cards
and acquire them.
Speaker 3 (37:12):
Sure, yeah, thanks, jim.
You know I have a website thatI, you know, I've kind of
created and it's a collection ofmy articles and my podcasts.
I'm up to about almost 250podcasts now and I love every
one.
I just had you on as my guest.
I love doing so.
People can go to my library.
There's a new landing page newlanding page.
(37:35):
And when you go to my mainwebsite, livingto100.club not
org or com, but livingto100.clubyou can learn all about my
podcasts and my blogs and mypublic speaking.
And there's a new landing pagecalled BLH Better, longer and
(38:02):
Happier.
That's the title of this seriesof 12 modules.
Go to my landing page andyou'll learn about all the
topics, the 12 modules, someexamples.
I got some testimonials and I'mactually working on a new
online store where people can godirectly to the store and learn
about, see some videos, learnabout the content of the cards,
and that's a different address.
(38:24):
That's living2100.solutionsliving2100.solutions that's my
online store and that's right inthe middle of being revised.
So if people come back in aweek probably after November 7th
or so it should be fullycompleted and really a very
(38:45):
pleasing online store.
So, yeah, livingtoanotherclubfor my website and
livingtoanothersolutions for myonline store.
Speaker 2 (38:56):
So you've thrown a few things at us, and how
quickly my listeners are able toassimilate it or write it down.
The good news is that all ofthis information is going to be
available, I should say, on ourwebsite for a healthy longer.
The good thing about that ispeople do access our website to
(39:18):
look for things, because we'vealways got things that are new
and different.
So when they come to thewebsite, they're going to be
able to find all of this, all ofthese links that you've
described, but the main link ifthey want to get to you to begin
with, because that's going tolive to, that's certainly going
to lead to other aspects of whatyou offer.
Speaker 3 (39:38):
Again is say it one more time Livingto100.club.
Speaker 2 (39:45):
Livingto100.club and that's going to really take us
to other places to go correct.
Speaker 3 (39:49):
Yeah, that's the main website and you can go to my
landing page for Better, longerand Happier series.
The second address islivingto100.solutions.
That's the online store and ifpeople want to email me info at
livingto100.club, happy to takeemails and people can reach me
(40:11):
that way too.
Speaker 2 (40:13):
Wonderful, well, very enlightening, and we're
certainly going to be playingcards together, I can see that,
but I thank you so much, dr JoeShasiani, for being our guest.
This has been, again, veryenlightening.
I thank you for your time andagain I'm going to remind our
listeners all you need to do iscome to our website, and all of
(40:34):
the links that Dr Joe hasmentioned are going to be right
there for you.
Speaker 3 (40:42):
Well, you're most welcome, jim, You're most
welcome.
Thanks so much, and Iappreciate your interest in my
new series and I'm reallygrateful for this opportunity to
be on your program.
It means a lot.
Speaker 2 (40:48):
Well, we appreciate you being here and for our
audience, I'll be right backwith you for some aging health
tips.
Speaker 1 (40:57):
For more information about Dr Joe Cassiani and his
Living to 100 Club, visit ourwebsite jamespolakoffcom.
That's James P-O-L-A-K-O-Fcom.
Also at our website, you canfind many excellent, lively
podcasts, as well as discoverthe secrets of living to 100 and
(41:20):
beyond in Dr James Polakoff'snew book Live Healthy Longer
with Dr Jim.
Dr Jim's new book provides youwith insights to preventing
heart disease, cancer andAlzheimer's.
You'll also discover ways tolose weight for good, eliminate
back pain and arthritis, allwhile managing stress.
(41:40):
And, since there's now proof,with intimacy and sexual
fulfillment you can live longerand healthier.
Dr Jim's book has devoted threeexciting, stimulating chapters
on these subjects.
Live Healthy Longer with Dr Jimis now available on Amazon.
Visit Amazoncom For furtherinformation.
(42:02):
Visit our websitejamespolakoffcom.
That's jamespolakoffcom.
Now back to Dr Jim.
Speaker 2 (42:12):
Again, I want to express my appreciation to Dr
Joe Cassiani for joining us and,since we're on the subject, I'd
like to share a few healthyaging tips with you.
First of all, you should befocusing on minimally processed
foods, as close to their naturalform as possible.
Also, it's a good idea to go tofor color-rich fruits like
(42:37):
berries and melons, and when itcomes to veggies, you ought to
be choosing antioxidant-rich,dark leafy greens I'll give you
some examples Kale, spinach andbroccoli.
And pick colorful vegetablessuch as carrots and squash, and
make veggies more appetizing bydrizzling them with olive oil
(42:59):
and sprinkling goat cheeseSometimes the preparation makes
all the difference and choosecalcium for bone, nerve, hormone
and muscle health All of thosethat decline with age.
And finally, fish yes, I meanfish for healthy fats with
omega-3s to protect your bodyagainst disease and support mood
(43:20):
and brain function, and thebest sources for omega-3s come
from fatty fish like salmon,mackerel, sardines and even tuna
.
As I mentioned, you can findmore about healthy eating as we
age in my new book Live HealthyLonger with Dr Jim.
It's available at amazoncom.
(43:42):
So, again, this is Dr JimPolakoff signing off, and I want
to thank you for joining me andbe sure to look for new
episodes of Live Healthy Longer.
Thank you.
How would you like to live to 100 years of age happy
and in good health?
Well, you're about to discoversome secrets on this segment of
Live Healthy Longer, and here'sour host wellness expert, author
and popular podcaster, dr JimPolakoff.
Speaker 2 (00:23):
I'm Dr Jim Polakoff, and welcome to another episode
of Live Healthy Longer.
Now, if you're 55 or older,well, you're halfway there.
Yes, halfway to living 100years or more, but you don't
have to take my word for it.
Instead, you're about to meetmy guest, Dr Joe Cassiani,
(00:53):
founder of the Living to 100Club.
Dr Joe has worked as apsychologist for more than 30
years and his specialty isgeriatric mental health.
In seeing the challenges thatarise as we get older, he
decided to share his discoveriesabout aging successfully, and
he's going to share that withyou Now.
Dr Joe created the Living to100 Club as both a news hub and
(01:14):
a community for those with apassion for healthy aging, both
physically and mentally.
So let's get right to it andmeet this extraordinary man.
Welcome, Dr Joe.
Speaker 3 (01:25):
Cassiani, thank you for the invitation to be on your
program.
I'm looking forward to thisconversation.
Speaker 2 (01:32):
All right?
Well, so are we.
I think you have a lot to offer, and so I want to be sure that
our listeners understand thatfully.
One of the things that you hadmentioned that I think is very
important.
We're talking about stereotypes.
Can we begin by what do you seethe stereotype views about
(01:52):
getting older are?
I mean, there are so many, butI know that people have that
same stereotype image.
What would you describe it?
Speaker 3 (02:14):
Yeah, well, it's as we have heard so many times that
getting older means decline,physical decline, mental decline
, retreat, isolation, and youknow, this stereotype has been
around for many years.
Unfortunately.
I think it's lifting, I thinkit's going away.
I think it's lifting, I thinkit's going away.
But the whole notion thatgetting older would mean a time
to slow down, a time to look atpulling back, my body's going to
get weaker, I'm going to becomedependent, I'm going to be
(02:36):
helpless eventually, I'm goingto be more needy.
And I think that was aprevalent attitude about getting
older up until maybe 15 or 20years ago.
And another component of thatis what we call internalized
(02:56):
ageism.
So it's not just that youngerpeople would see older adults as
this kind of natural decline,but we internalize that, older
adults as this kind of naturaldecline.
But we internalize that andmany people felt they saw
themselves that decline isinevitable, that slowing down,
that retreat, that physical lossis just an inevitable part of
(03:18):
aging and that's just as harmfulas when others see it, as when
we see it ourselves andourselves.
So that's lifting, that's agood thing, it's going away and
there are a lot of people whohave done great work over the
years to dispel those ageiststereotypes.
Speaker 2 (03:34):
Yeah, do you feel I'm just curious with younger
people?
I mean, do you feel this ageismstill exists to a great degree
here in our country, where wefeel that after a certain age
someone's over the hill and theydon't have much more to
contribute?
How prevalent do you think thatis among the youth of our
country?
Speaker 3 (03:54):
Yeah, it's hard to say.
I think it is prevalent, Ithink it's certainly too
prevalent and you know there's alot of reasons for that.
I think that you know,separation from you know,
geographically families are moredispersed than ever and years
ago we would, you know, live inthe same household or be closer
(04:14):
to our grandparents.
And there's a whole focus nowon this multi-generational aging
, multi-generational approach tokind of removing that
stereotype where we could, youknow, get involved with
mentoring young children andolder adults can be volunteers
(04:36):
in school, and there's more of amix, there's more of the center
generational kind ofconversation and older adults
learning from younger adults andvice versa.
So I think there's a whole pushtoward, you know, kind of
removing some of thosestereotypes in the younger
generations about getting older.
Speaker 2 (04:56):
Yeah, and I think it's also important because you
come from a background, as wementioned in the introduction,
as a caregiver.
I mean you've worked withcaregivers, you've trained.
I mean you have a trainingprogram that really is, I think,
a substantial addition to whatwe need here in this country.
But you know, there is thatstereotype.
(05:17):
We both have an Italian heritage, as we discussed earlier, and
in Italy I just know that myfamily members, when we go over
there and we visit and right nowI'm probably one of the older
ones at my age, but even theyoung people have a certain
reverence for those who age,because they feel that there is
a wisdom that they've gained andhopefully, caregivers can
(05:42):
sometimes be a little harsh, Ibelieve can sometimes be a
little harsh.
I believe you know when they'rerun out of patience when
they're helping their oldercounterparts.
So you know, hopefully that ischanging.
I think that's so importantthat I just have seen some
caregivers in action that don'tseem to have the patience that
they really should.
And I know that's something youdo, if I'm right, aside from
(06:04):
your Living 100 Club.
You really work with thesepeople, don't you?
Speaker 3 (06:08):
Yeah, I have.
I've seen that.
I've seen that for many yearsworking in long-term care
settings and a lot of it is thesystemic problem that caregivers
, nurses' aides, cnas, they'rereally overworked and they, you
know, they're assigned verydifficult, very difficult
patients under their care andthey don't have the patience,
(06:32):
they don't have the time, theydon't.
You know I say pay now or paylater.
If you spend a few minutes now,you'll save twice as much time
down the road.
But that's easy to say and it'shard to implement.
I still do training forcaregivers and I hear some of
the same frustrations that theydon't have enough time to really
understand and it's.
I haven't spent any timeoutside of the US, but I've
(06:58):
spent time in a lot of states.
My group practice was in eightstates and I would go to nursing
homes all over and it was justvery clear that patients did not
get the respect and reverencethat they were due, but partly
systemic.
I think yeah.
Speaker 2 (07:20):
So, dr Joe, once we hit that mid-50 mark, what are
the leading challenges in youropinion do we need to prepare
for, especially if we're goingto age in good health and live
independently?
What are some of thosechallenges, you see?
Speaker 3 (07:35):
Yeah, well, we know there are changes physical
changes, cognitive changes thatoccur with normal aging and a
lot of that has to do with, youknow, physical decline of, you
know, our senses, our visualacuity, our hearing declines,
muscle decline, you know,muscles weaken, some
(07:57):
cardiovascular changes and itcan produce high blood pressure.
Our immune system doesn't workas well.
We can't fight off disease andwe don't heal as quickly as when
we were younger.
Cognitively, mentally, there'schanges in our memory, of course
, mostly short-term memory.
Processing speed.
(08:19):
Problem solving might take alittle bit longer, it might be
slower.
There's what we call executivefunctioning planning, decision
making.
Some of that can be impacted byage, not necessarily because
some of the well-retained skillsare in decision making and
planning and problem solving.
(08:40):
But there are also emotionalchanges.
There's some problems managingour emotional regulation.
We don't control emotions.
Now that's not always part ofthe picture.
I think more prominent are thephysical changes, the sensory
(09:01):
loss.
Those are the changes that aremore prominent.
And again it's like how do weprepare and how do we adjust?
And I think it's all aboutadjusting and adapting to these
changes To me.
I talk about successful agingand Living to 100 is great.
(09:22):
That's the name of my businessLiving to 100 Club.
But it's more than adestination.
It's a great goal but we're notall going to make it to 100.
But we can stay positive whiletrying and that's my thing.
Let's maintain the outlook andthe attitude about doing
everything I can to staypositive, get over those
(09:45):
challenges, no matter what getsin the way.
That represents successfulaging to me.
No matter what gets in the way,staying positive.
Speaker 2 (09:54):
And, of course, the quality of life, itself very
important.
If you're going to live longer,you want a quality of life so
you don't have to feel sick oryou don't have to feel that you
need to sit in the corner of aroom and hide because you just
aren't quite as sharp as youused to be.
That positivity is so important.
I think I agree, tim.
So tell us about your Living to100 Club.
(10:17):
I think that's fascinating.
I mean, I'm trying to envisionthe Living to 100 Club and I
mean do you have meetings thatpeople attend?
Or I mean, if we join, are yougoing to assure us that we live
to 100?
Tell us a little bit about it.
Speaker 3 (10:35):
No, I often joke that if I don't make it to 100, I'm
going to ask for a refund on myclub dues.
There you go.
No, it's a virtual club.
I don't have any formalmembership or meetings.
It's really just being, youknow, kind of being connected to
(10:56):
my website and signing up formy email list and newsletters
and podcasts.
But it's all about, you know, Ihave on my business card
education and inspiration aboutaging well.
So it is helping peopleunderstand that there's new
science, there's new tools,there's new evidence about
(11:18):
staying healthy longer, what wecan do to live longer, educating
people about the importance ofour attitude and outlook and,
secondly, offering inspiration,because it's easy to become
discouraged.
It's easy to say, oh gee, youknow, I'm losing my friends, I
(11:38):
have to give up my home, I'vegot to move to another place,
you know, my pet, I can't driveanymore.
It's easy to become reallydiscouraged and cite some
stories about other people whohave, you know, kind of flipped
that switch and let go of thatnegative outlook and shifted to
a positive outlook.
If we have time, I'll tell aquick story about Steve Jobs.
(12:00):
Oh good.
Speaker 2 (12:01):
That's a good one.
Speaker 3 (12:03):
A brilliant engineer, marketing person.
He founded Apple, of course.
Well, I read a biography of himby Walter Isaacson.
And Steve Jobs was adopted.
Right, yes, he was.
He found out he was adopted whenhe was about 10 or 11, and he
was crushed.
He was just devastated.
He said how can my own parents,my own biological mother, give
(12:26):
me up for adoption?
I must be totally worthless.
I can't have any value as aperson.
So Steve's adoptive parentsfound out about that thinking
and he said no, no, no, steve,when we saw you as an infant in
the hospital, you were the mostimportant person to us in the
world.
We couldn't imagine livingwithout you.
So there was Steve Jobs goingfrom I'm the most worthless
(12:51):
person to now I'm the mostimportant person, and the
adoptive parents didn't give himany new skills or talents.
It was that shift, almost likea light switch, that was flipped
and he went from being the mostworthless to now being the most
important.
So I say, a lot of what's goingon in our thinking and our
(13:11):
attitude is so powerful.
So imagine if Steve Jobs neverhad that conversation with his
adoptive parents.
Speaker 2 (13:20):
He could have been very discouraged and lackluster
in what he tried to do.
Speaker 3 (13:24):
Yeah, maybe no Apple, you know, no iPad.
Speaker 2 (13:26):
No Apple.
Speaker 3 (13:28):
No iPhone, we'd all be using Blackberries and Palm
Pine.
A good point, yeah.
Speaker 2 (13:36):
But you're living 100 Club.
Looking into it, looking atyour website and what you've
written about it, it seems to methat you really have community
there.
Even though people aren't partof a club, you really seem to,
shall we say, propel the feelingof community.
Speaker 3 (13:57):
I hope so.
I hope so.
Jim, it's hard to tell, youknow.
I maintain that this, like Isaid, you know it's not a smooth
road and I don't portray havingall the answers about wellness
and you know, proper diet,nutrition and fitness activities
(14:18):
, exercise and fitnessactivities, exercise.
Yeah, we know a lot aboutliving longer and what those
ingredients are and I maintain,well, what happens when we hit
those bumps.
It's not a smooth road.
We have losses, we lose aspouse, we fall and break our
hip, we have a stroke, all kindsof things going on for the
(14:39):
person.
But what impact?
So this theme kind of comesthrough my blogs and comes
through my newsletters and mywriting and my speaking.
I love to speak to seniorgroups but it's this theme about
yeah, we're going to face thesechallenges, but let's learn to
cope with them.
(14:59):
Let's learn ways to deal andovercome the challenge.
That, to me, is, you know, theessence of my Living to 100 Club
.
Speaker 2 (15:08):
Well, that really leads me to you know, I'm
impressed.
You've got a very fascinatingresource that you offer and I
was quite impressed with it.
It's called your Guide to Agingwith Purpose and Positivity.
Now, actually it's a fun guide.
I think it's something we couldall enjoy doing.
I mean, after all, we all enjoyplaying cards.
(15:30):
Of course, it's more than agame.
I think it's an insight intoyourself, but this is a card
game that's designed to help youlive better, longer and
healthier.
So how did you come up withthis idea and why cards?
Speaker 3 (15:44):
How does this?
Speaker 2 (15:44):
work.
Speaker 3 (15:46):
Well, you know, years ago, many years ago, I won a
contract with the CaliforniaDepartment of Aging.
I was awarded a contract mypartner and I and the contract
involved writing a trainingmanual on mental health topics
for nursing homes in California.
So we did this, we wrote themanual and we brought it around
(16:08):
to 30 workshops around the stateand it was really a set of
chapters on different mentalhealth topics for nursing homes.
So we wanted to raise theawareness, raise the
consciousness about theimportance of mental health.
So after I sold my nursing homepractice a few years ago, I
wanted to do something similar.
I wanted to write anothermanual, but this is for people
(16:29):
still living maybe in thecommunity or people living in
senior living settings, higherfunctioning, and I had this
notion of I'll just writeanother training manual.
So I found this graphicdesigner really good, really
great, very talented guy in SanDiego, and we sat down and
(16:50):
planned this you know newproject and he said Joe, people
don't read manuals anymore.
Let's do card decks, let'screate a series of modules on
different themes and I had 10 or12 themes in mind.
So let's create these boxes andthey'll have cards and they can
(17:11):
pull out cards and havedifferent activities or stories
or links to YouTube videos.
So that was the genesis of it.
That was about a year and ahalf ago.
So he created the template, hecreated the boxes and I created
the copy.
I created the text.
(17:32):
I found a good copy editor inMinnesota and I would send her
the content for each card andshe would fit it into the card
size and they're only 4 by 7inches.
But the really unique thingabout the cards is that each
(17:52):
card has a little QR code at thebottom.
Because you can only fit somuch information in two
paragraphs, I would link theoriginal or the source of that
article or video or story to thesource and so people can read
To expand upon what the cardisthad said Exactly so it's wide
(18:14):
open.
Yeah, so people can click on theQR code and go to that and
learn more about it or watch thevideo or hear the interview or
learn a story.
So yeah, and then you know, itjust flowed from there.
We said we're going to havefour sections.
We're going to have one sectionjust on what are called key
(18:35):
thoughts, kind of a short, quicklesson plans.
Anyway, there's four sections.
The first two are really toeducate the person, the user.
Speaker 2 (18:46):
Right, you have four categories.
I believe, yeah, fourcategories right.
The first two key thoughts.
Speaker 3 (18:52):
And then deep dive is more content, more information,
maybe a longer article orwhatever that particular topic
is.
And then three and four.
Speaker 2 (19:07):
Now is the deep dive.
For example, is that moregeared towards mental agility,
to get your mind working so youstay sharper?
Speaker 3 (19:15):
No, it's just more information, jim, it's just.
The first section is moresummary.
The deep dive is more in-depthinformation.
So if people want to, if theywant to learn about this
particular maybe living longeror what healthy lifestyles are
or blue zones they can go to thedeep dive and really expand
(19:37):
their knowledge about that.
That's the knowledge deep divesection.
Speaker 2 (19:42):
Okay.
Speaker 3 (19:42):
And then three and four activities and inspiration.
So it's dependent on how muchyou want.
If you don't want very much, ifyou just want to kind of create
an activity, you go to thatsection.
If you're really interested inlearning more and maybe
developing some knowledge ormaybe preparing for some
knowledge or, you know, maybepreparing for, you know, some
educational career, you can goand get more in-depth
(20:06):
information Can you give us anexample.
Speaker 2 (20:10):
Let's take the inspiration.
We're all looking forinspiration, particularly as we
age Can?
Speaker 3 (20:15):
you give me an example of Sure yeah, so your
listeners can't see this, butI'll go to number one, which is
what we know about living longerand healthier.
So there are 60 cards in thebox, four sections and, just
going to the inspirationalstories, I can give you a couple
(20:35):
of examples.
One is a video of a 92-year-odancer.
She loves tango dancing and thevideo is her and her partner
doing a tango, and you know andthis is not al pacino, correct?
no, remember the movie maybehe's the partner right, but uh,
(20:56):
another one is a video about umKoss.
Joanna passed away recently,but she set a world record at
age 95 as the world's oldestgymnast, and there's a link to
this video of Joanna going forher practice and then performing
(21:17):
.
It's only a short video maybethree or four minutes but this
is the whole notion of let's letgo of that number, let's put
that chronological age in thebackground, because it doesn't
say very much about what aperson should or shouldn't be
doing.
That's my point.
92 year olds can be doing tangodancing and can be doing
(21:43):
gymnastics.
Yes, and I noticed that one ofthe topics is titled 10 Ways to
(22:03):
Build Resilience.
Speaker 2 (22:05):
Can you tell us about that?
Speaker 3 (22:07):
Yeah Well, resilience is really an important and very
important topic and themethat's around a lot these days.
There's a lot of buzz aboutresilience and you know
basically it's can we get backup after we get knocked down?
And what are the ingredients,what makes for a resilient
(22:27):
person?
And that particular card talksabout some of the research and
what scientists have found that.
What goes into, how does theresilient person different from
the non-resilient person andwhat are the qualities and can
this be learned or can it beuncovered?
(22:47):
I think we have these qualitiesinside.
It needs to be tapped and itneeds to be uncovered, just like
our.
You know we call it that fireor grit inside that resilience.
I say we all have it.
Some people have said, no, Idon't have it, I'm done, I don't
have any more.
I can't get up off the mat andI maintain, as long as we're
(23:10):
taking a breath, we can stilltap into that resilience, that
fire, that juice, that energy,that motivation.
Whatever we want to call it,it's always there.
Sometimes people feel like it'sblocked, or you energy, that
motivation, whatever we want tocall it, it's always there.
Sometimes people feel like it'sblocked, or you know it's gone,
it's been used up and I sayit's bottomless, it's always
there.
So that particular card I meanthere's 60 cards in each deck
(23:33):
and that particular card talksabout what are the qualities of
resilience and how can we fosterthat in other people.
Speaker 2 (23:45):
Well, that's important.
Speaker 3 (23:46):
You give a solution.
Your cards not only throwsomething out, but they give a
solution.
Oh, yeah, yeah, here's what.
Here's what we know, here'swhat we found, here's what,
here's what we can do to buildon this and you know?
Just just another example.
Just another example.
(24:07):
There are some cards in thisfirst module on what we know
about living longer the numbersof centenarians in the US.
What's the difference betweenhealthspan and lifespan?
Lifespan is how long we'reliving and healthspan is how
long we're living healthy.
So what's the gap?
Speaker 2 (24:21):
Do you have any statistics on that?
Out of curiosity.
Speaker 3 (24:23):
Well, I'm assuming the lifespan is much longer.
Yeah, the gap is growing, whichis unfortunate.
We've got a longer gap between,you know, health span, that's,
living without disability andthen living.
So the bigger that gap, themore years we have with
disability.
Speaker 2 (24:42):
Exactly so you again offer solutions.
These cards offer solutions asto what you can do to obviously
close that gap, correct?
Speaker 3 (24:52):
Yeah, of course, of course.
And what we've learned fromothers.
You know this first module is Idevote several cards to the
Blue Zones.
What have we learned about thecentenarians living in the Blue
Zone?
Your listeners, most of yourlisteners, have probably heard
of the Blue Zones, and in fiveareas.
Well, now there's six aroundthe world where people,
(25:12):
relatively to relative to thegeneral population, there's more
centenarians.
And what have we learned fromthese centenarians and what are
the characteristics?
They all have very similarlifestyles in these five or six
blue zones.
Speaker 2 (25:28):
Actually, dr Joe, what we're talking about is you
don't.
What the cards are going toreveal is you don't necessarily
need to move to one of theseblue zones to take advantage of
how these people are livinglonger healthy.
You actually give the advice ofwhat you can do where you live
to adopt the same livingstandards correct.
Speaker 3 (25:46):
Yeah, exactly, here's what we've learned.
Here's what we've learned.
All right, we can adopt some ofthese.
I mean, you know, we hear aboutthe ingredients all the time.
It's, you know, the lifestyleof healthy eating, social
engagement, staying connectedwith your community.
(26:07):
One of the importantingredients is having a sense of
meaning and purpose, somethingthat brings a feeling of reward,
you know, puts a smile on yourface when you wake up in the
morning.
The centenarians all have thatsense of meaning.
Maybe it's a hobby, maybe it'sa you know musical instrument,
(26:28):
or maybe it's writing, or maybevolunteering at the community or
the church.
I bought myself a set of drumsabout four years ago.
I've never played a musicalinstrument and during COVID I
said well, you know, maybe.
Anyway I bought some electronicdrums so nobody can hear it
unless you're wearing theheadset.
My wife doesn't get to enjoy mydrumming and my neighbors don't
(26:52):
get to enjoy it, but I love it.
I'm taking live lessons now,but who knows?
I think it's important tochallenge ourselves and to kind
of create new cognitive lessonsand learning new things,
learning a new language, goingback to school.
Those are some of the things inmy cards that you know we've
(27:15):
learned from others about livinglonger and living healthier.
Speaker 2 (27:19):
So once a participant or participants complete all of
the decks, all of the fourcategories, what can they expect
as an end result?
What do you see happening ifsomeone goes through your entire
program?
Speaker 3 (27:34):
Well, a lot of things .
It depends who's using thecards.
I really wrote them for kind ofsenior living communities.
I've been around a number ofthem to see that there are a
number of residents who areengaged and there are also a
number who tend to be morewithdrawn and stay in their
(27:54):
apartments and do notparticipate in all the programs.
I mean, the programs are greatthey really have great yoga
programs and exercise andhistory lessons and you know any
number of really importantactivities but I've seen so many
times where individuals do notparticipate, maybe they're not
(28:15):
so social or maybe they'reuncomfortable in these new
settings.
So one of the decks that Icreated, one of the modules, is
how to increase socialengagement and connection.
Speaker 2 (28:26):
So important for tuning for seniors.
Speaker 3 (28:28):
I think so.
I mean, we've heard about theepidemic of loneliness from the
Surgeon General just last year,who released that report.
Now, that's not to say thatstaying by yourself is
necessarily bad or there's, youknow, psychological problems
with it.
People sometimes just want tobe solo, they want to be
(28:49):
solitary, and that's.
I'm not saying everybody shouldbe social, but if there are
some ways to help a person learnto be more engaged.
So, you know, I talk aboutcoping skills.
One of the modules talks abouthow to deal with setbacks, how
to deal with losses, how tocreate some more effective ways
(29:13):
to cope with these changes.
Ways to cope with these changes.
What can we do about, you know,the whole topic of
neuroplasticity.
I think that's a growing areaof interest and that involves
the science of understandingthat our brain is capable of
(29:36):
growing.
You know, decades ago wethought the brain was static and
if something happened, thatmeant the person's you know
functioning in that area wasdeclining.
Well, we know now that thebrain can create new neural
pathways.
Speaker 2 (29:52):
So someone for example, suffering from a form
of dementia, whether it beAlzheimer's or one of the other
many forms.
Actually, your brain, ratherthan just standing still or
deteriorating, can actuallyexpand to new, shall we say,
(30:14):
certainly a new width to allowmore intelligence to come
forward, or more.
In other words, you canovercome whatever dementia
problem you might have.
Is that what we're learning?
Yeah?
Speaker 3 (30:24):
Well, you know that's a conversation that has to do
more with reversible dementiasversus irreversible dementias
and there's some great researchon what are called modifiable
risk factors for dementia.
Certain conditions like toxinsin the air, certain physical
(30:51):
chronic disease like diabetesand obesity, hearing loss Some
of these conditions cancontribute to dementia that is
marked by confusion and memoryloss and disorientation.
And if we treat thoseconditions that dementia can
(31:12):
remit, it can reverse.
Now, alzheimer's disease Ithink the jury's still out about
reversing Alzheimer's andvascular dementia, lewy body,
frontal, temporal dementiasthose are more disease-related.
The neuroplasticity comes intoplay a lot with, maybe accident
(31:33):
victims, you know, if they'veAccident victims, you know.
That's where we learned aboutbeing able to help a person
learn to kind of move theirright arm after an accident,
when years ago we never believedthat.
So the comment is when thebridge is out, we learn a new
(31:55):
way, a new path.
That's what the brain can doand that's neuroplasticity.
The brain wants novelty andthat's where it comes in for
older adults.
That's why it's so good to takeclasses, to take courses, learn
a new language, learn some newskills.
The brain wants novelty and themore we do that, the healthier
(32:16):
we are.
Speaker 2 (32:17):
So that leads me to a comment that you made and I'd
like you to expound upon it, ifyou would and that is you
contend there is scientificproof that age is only a number.
Tell us about that.
Speaker 3 (32:30):
Yeah, well, that's a good one.
You know, chronological age isthe number of years we've been
around, the number of times youknow the Earth has revolved
around the Sun, andchronological age doesn't change
.
But there are two other ways.
There are at least two otherways to define age and one is
(32:54):
biological age.
That's different fromchronological age.
Biological age refers to howfast our body is aging relative
to our years.
Are our tissues and organs andbody systems aging faster?
That's biological age, andscientists use what are called
(33:17):
biomarkers.
That's biological age, andscientists use what are called
biomarkers.
They can tell from biomarkersis the heart, is the circulatory
system, or is the endocrinesystem or the GI system?
Is that aging faster thannormal?
That's biological age.
And then the third one, whichis, I think, the most important,
(33:37):
is it's health age, and healthage refers to how old we think
we are right, how old we thinkour body is.
So it's a mental thing.
A mental thing, and there's alot of research, jim.
There's a lot of researchshowing people who think they're
younger than theirchronological age are healthier.
(33:59):
They take more actions forpreventive health, they perform
better on tests of memory, theyhave fewer chronic diseases.
So when a person has this kindof positive health age.
They see themselves as 70instead of 80, they are
healthier.
Speaker 2 (34:19):
So you're talking about being proactive, aren't
you?
Speaker 3 (34:22):
Yeah, of course.
Yeah, proactive, and the beliefthat I'm really healthy.
Our beliefs are so powerful.
What we tell to ourselves,what's going on in our heads,
the negatives or the positivesit's so powerful.
(34:42):
I can tell you just a quickexercise that I do in large
groups.
I divide the room into righthalf and left half, or everybody
on the right side.
You're the optimist.
Put your optimism hat on andlook around the room and find
everything that's good about it.
Maybe the plants are healthy,the sunlight's coming in, the
fixtures, the furniture iscomfortable, everything that's
good, all right.
Everybody on the other side ofthe room you're the pessimist.
(35:05):
Put your pessimism hat on, andnow you look around and find
everything that's wrong with theroom, maybe scratches on the
walls or stains on the carpet orsome furniture that's broken.
And then I, you know, reconveneafter a couple of minutes and I
ask for feedback and I get thepositives and I get the
negatives, and then I say look,it's the same room.
What are you looking for?
(35:26):
If you're looking for what'sgood, you're going to find it.
If you're looking for what'swrong, you'll find that too.
And that's how I view ourattitudes about getting older.
There are a lot of things thatwe cannot do anymore, that you
know we regret or lament, butthere's still a lot of things
that we can do.
You know things we don't haveand there's things that we do
(35:51):
have.
So let's focus on the positives, let's focus on what's right
and, yeah, there's things thatwe cannot do anymore, that, yeah
, we can't do anything aboutthat.
But let's put the spotlight onwhat's good about aging.
So that's this notion of health, age and, you know, seeing
ourselves as still capable in somany ways and we can expect
(36:14):
more of ourselves.
You know, maybe the problem isthat we, you know, we believe
getting older means decline andI say let's shift that around.
Maybe getting older meansopportunity and new ways to
enjoy, new ways to, you know,look forward to our future.
Speaker 2 (36:35):
Well before today, I never would have believed we
could find answers in a deck ofcards, but certainly I think you
provided us some good insight.
I really feel that ourlisteners need to know more
about how they can access thesecards, because it's such an
excellent program, such anexcellent stimulant that you're
(36:55):
discussing.
So, dr Joe, tell us exactlywhere do we go to find out more
about, not only more about youand your podcast and things of
that nature, but also about howwe get involved with your cards
and acquire them.
Speaker 3 (37:12):
Sure, yeah, thanks, jim.
You know I have a website thatI, you know, I've kind of
created and it's a collection ofmy articles and my podcasts.
I'm up to about almost 250podcasts now and I love every
one.
I just had you on as my guest.
I love doing so.
People can go to my library.
There's a new landing page newlanding page.
(37:35):
And when you go to my mainwebsite, livingto100.club not
org or com, but livingto100.clubyou can learn all about my
podcasts and my blogs and mypublic speaking.
And there's a new landing pagecalled BLH Better, longer and
(38:02):
Happier.
That's the title of this seriesof 12 modules.
Go to my landing page andyou'll learn about all the
topics, the 12 modules, someexamples.
I got some testimonials and I'mactually working on a new
online store where people can godirectly to the store and learn
about, see some videos, learnabout the content of the cards,
and that's a different address.
(38:24):
That's living2100.solutionsliving2100.solutions that's my
online store and that's right inthe middle of being revised.
So if people come back in aweek probably after November 7th
or so it should be fullycompleted and really a very
(38:45):
pleasing online store.
So, yeah, livingtoanotherclubfor my website and
livingtoanothersolutions for myonline store.
Speaker 2 (38:56):
So you've thrown a few things at us, and how
quickly my listeners are able toassimilate it or write it down.
The good news is that all ofthis information is going to be
available, I should say, on ourwebsite for a healthy longer.
The good thing about that ispeople do access our website to
(39:18):
look for things, because we'vealways got things that are new
and different.
So when they come to thewebsite, they're going to be
able to find all of this, all ofthese links that you've
described, but the main link ifthey want to get to you to begin
with, because that's going tolive to, that's certainly going
to lead to other aspects of whatyou offer.
Speaker 3 (39:38):
Again is say it one more time Livingto100.club.
Speaker 2 (39:45):
Livingto100.club and that's going to really take us
to other places to go correct.
Speaker 3 (39:49):
Yeah, that's the main website and you can go to my
landing page for Better, longerand Happier series.
The second address islivingto100.solutions.
That's the online store and ifpeople want to email me info at
livingto100.club, happy to takeemails and people can reach me
(40:11):
that way too.
Speaker 2 (40:13):
Wonderful, well, very enlightening, and we're
certainly going to be playingcards together, I can see that,
but I thank you so much, dr JoeShasiani, for being our guest.
This has been, again, veryenlightening.
I thank you for your time andagain I'm going to remind our
listeners all you need to do iscome to our website, and all of
(40:34):
the links that Dr Joe hasmentioned are going to be right
there for you.
Speaker 3 (40:42):
Well, you're most welcome, jim, You're most
welcome.
Thanks so much, and Iappreciate your interest in my
new series and I'm reallygrateful for this opportunity to
be on your program.
It means a lot.
Speaker 2 (40:48):
Well, we appreciate you being here and for our
audience, I'll be right backwith you for some aging health
tips.
Speaker 1 (40:57):
For more information about Dr Joe Cassiani and his
Living to 100 Club, visit ourwebsite jamespolakoffcom.
That's James P-O-L-A-K-O-Fcom.
Also at our website, you canfind many excellent, lively
podcasts, as well as discoverthe secrets of living to 100 and
(41:20):
beyond in Dr James Polakoff'snew book Live Healthy Longer
with Dr Jim.
Dr Jim's new book provides youwith insights to preventing
heart disease, cancer andAlzheimer's.
You'll also discover ways tolose weight for good, eliminate
back pain and arthritis, allwhile managing stress.
(41:40):
And, since there's now proof,with intimacy and sexual
fulfillment you can live longerand healthier.
Dr Jim's book has devoted threeexciting, stimulating chapters
on these subjects.
Live Healthy Longer with Dr Jimis now available on Amazon.
Visit Amazoncom For furtherinformation.
(42:02):
Visit our websitejamespolakoffcom.
That's jamespolakoffcom.
Now back to Dr Jim.
Speaker 2 (42:12):
Again, I want to express my appreciation to Dr
Joe Cassiani for joining us and,since we're on the subject, I'd
like to share a few healthyaging tips with you.
First of all, you should befocusing on minimally processed
foods, as close to their naturalform as possible.
Also, it's a good idea to go tofor color-rich fruits like
(42:37):
berries and melons, and when itcomes to veggies, you ought to
be choosing antioxidant-rich,dark leafy greens I'll give you
some examples Kale, spinach andbroccoli.
And pick colorful vegetablessuch as carrots and squash, and
make veggies more appetizing bydrizzling them with olive oil
(42:59):
and sprinkling goat cheeseSometimes the preparation makes
all the difference and choosecalcium for bone, nerve, hormone
and muscle health All of thosethat decline with age.
And finally, fish yes, I meanfish for healthy fats with
omega-3s to protect your bodyagainst disease and support mood
(43:20):
and brain function, and thebest sources for omega-3s come
from fatty fish like salmon,mackerel, sardines and even tuna
.
As I mentioned, you can findmore about healthy eating as we
age in my new book Live HealthyLonger with Dr Jim.
It's available at amazoncom.
(43:42):
So, again, this is Dr JimPolakoff signing off, and I want
to thank you for joining me andbe sure to look for new
episodes of Live Healthy Longer.
Thank you.
Popular Podcasts
Cold Case Files: Miami
Joyce Sapp, 76; Bryan Herrera, 16; and Laurance Webb, 32—three Miami residents whose lives were stolen in brutal, unsolved homicides. Cold Case Files: Miami follows award‑winning radio host and City of Miami Police reserve officer Enrique Santos as he partners with the department’s Cold Case Homicide Unit, determined family members, and the advocates who spend their lives fighting for justice for the victims who can no longer fight for themselves.
24/7 News: The Latest
The latest news in 4 minutes updated every hour, every day.
Crime Junkie
Does hearing about a true crime case always leave you scouring the internet for the truth behind the story? Dive into your next mystery with Crime Junkie. Every Monday, join your host Ashley Flowers as she unravels all the details of infamous and underreported true crime cases with her best friend Brit Prawat. From cold cases to missing persons and heroes in our community who seek justice, Crime Junkie is your destination for theories and stories you won’t hear anywhere else. Whether you're a seasoned true crime enthusiast or new to the genre, you'll find yourself on the edge of your seat awaiting a new episode every Monday. If you can never get enough true crime... Congratulations, you’ve found your people. Follow to join a community of Crime Junkies! Crime Junkie is presented by audiochuck Media Company.