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Activities like taking regular walks in the park produce measurable gains in quality of life [image: by kevin_p ~ via Morguefile http://mrg.bz/erThmx]

Active social, spiritual and physical life keeps seniors healthy

Small, healthy lifestyle changes and involvement in meaningful activities – going beyond just diet and exercise – are critical to healthy ageing, according to a new study from the University of Southern California.

Between 2004 and 2009 more than 200 individuals aged 60 and older were helped, over six month periods, to make small, sustainable changes in their routines (such as visiting a museum with a friend once a week or taking regular walks in the park or engaging in community-based activities) that led to measurable gains in quality of life, including lower rates of depression and better reported satisfaction with life.

The program participants were compared to a control group that did not receive the intervention and the results published in the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health.

Though the two groups started out roughly equivalent, the intervention group showed significant improvement in reported bodily pain and depression while improving vitality, social function, mental health and overall life satisfaction.

Lesser, though still measurable, gains were made in general health and physical abilities.

At the end of the first phase of the trial, the control group was provided with the same treatment that had been given to the intervention group – and made identical progress.

The key say researchers was engaging seniors in activities they enjoyed, as this meant they would keep doing them over the longer term. The older adult participants were described as “well” because they were living in the community, not in a skilled nursing facility or other institutional setting.

Medical care for seniors often revolves around treating an illness once it has arisen.  This study validates the notion of simple, practical prevention.  Making positive changes in how we live each day, and sustaining those changes over the long term is, it seems, critical for maintaining independence and healthy ageing.