Announcer 1: The views and opinions expressed in to the point are those of the host of the program and its guests.

They do not necessarily reflect the views or opinions of WGTE public media.

Today, we're talking about something that touches every one of us.

How to age better and live longer.

With advances in medicine, nutrition, and community support, growing older doesn't have to mean slowing down.

It can mean living with greater purpose, better health, and more connection.

Joining us is someone who understands this better than almost anyone.

Doctor Rebecca Leibe is vice president for the health and nutrition division at the Area Office on Aging.

Doctor Liebes dedicated her career to helping older adults thrive physically, emotionally and socially.

She brings practical insight into the choices that we can make today that shape the quality of our lives.

Tomorrow, we'll explore the habits that support healthy aging.

The resources available to seniors and families, and the growing body of knowledge showing that longevity is about much more than genetics.

It's about how we live.

I'm Doni Miller, and welcome to the Point.

You can connect with us on our social media pages.

And you know that you can always reach me by email at Doni underscore Miller at WGTE.

Org.

And for this episode and additional extras, please don't hesitate to go to wgte.org.

To that point we have, the most amazing nutritionist, with us this morning who knows everything there is to know about aging healthfully and living a little longer and doing it and doing it in good health.

Quality of life is important.

Well thank you, Doni Yes.

I do make a point of learning as much as I can, but the saying is, the more you know, the more you know.

You don't know.

And so there is a lot out there that I don't know, but this is doctor.

This is doctor Rebecca Levy's with us.

And, you are the vice president for the health and nutrition division at the area Office on Aging.

I think that's important for folks to know about you.

So when we're talking so much these days about healthy living and living longer.

In fact, my mother in law just celebrated her 100th birthday last weekend.

Yeah.

Well, happy happy birthday.

And she has, the most amazing vitality.

And she's good in, in terms of her mental capacity.

But she didn't get there by doing all those bad things that that we all engage in all the time.

So when we talk about better aging, from your point of view, what does that really mean?

Better aging.

Most people want to age without disability or, and they end the vitality.

Having a good outlet.

Outlook on life really helps a lot.

Staying socially connected.

They say that studies show that, being socially isolated is the equivalent of smoking two packs of cigarets a day.

The health effects?

Yes.

So we really want to, stay engaged in the community, do what you can, and, you know, constantly stick with old friends and family, but meet new ones, too.

Yeah.

It's really about doing what you've always done.

In terms of your interests in those sorts of things, isn't it?

But just making sure that that you're not isolating yourself?

Absolutely.

Yes.

You know, everybody's got their own way of, living healthfully and living well.

And as long as you feel like you're doing it the right way.

Now, there are some caveats.

You know, you want to have, you want to have a, fairly nutritious diet, and you want to be physically active and, make sure you get enough sleep at night.

And then drink, drink water.

That's always a big one.

And as we age, we don't always feel thirsty.

So we want to make sure we're still, drinking water.

Yeah.

So we we talk an awful lot about nutrition.

But as you age, does your diet have to change?

What should we be doing differently at 60 than we were doing at 20 in terms of nutrition?

Well, usually we slow down physically, so we don't need as many calories as we did when we were younger.

And that means we have to make every calorie count.

You want every calorie to, you know, have vitamins and minerals and fiber.

And that usually translates to fruits and vegetables.

A few whole grains.

Some legumes.

People are worried about protein, but I, I don't know that we need quite as much protein as where we think we do.

But really focusing on the fruits and vegetables is very important.

Does the craving that you, especially women, seem to get around the ages of 50 and 60?

Does that do those things?

Most of us crave sugar.

Is that a problem for us as we get older?

Should we be watching that kind of intake?

Absolutely.

We definitely need to reduce sugar, oil and salt.

And that's why my three favorite things.

And that's going to help lower, of course, blood sugar, and prevent cholesterol and cardiovascular issues.

And I could also prevent, high blood pressure.

But so, so what you want to do is, is, try to reduce some of that because that is what leads to, you know, hypertension and then high cholesterol and heart disease.

So how much of this is actually related to our choices versus our genetics?

It you talk as though we have real choice in the way we proceed through our lives.

In terms of our, our health.

I mean, genetics and choices are definitely intertwined becau you know, what people call genetics is really their culture, right?

So if you grew up eating a certain way, it you know, obviously you grew up that way.

So your family or your found family or whoever you grew up with is also, eating that way because food is social.

And, that's how we stay connected one of the ways.

But studies show you can change it.

Back in the 50s, there was a physician at Duke University, doctor Kempner, and he put his, diabetic patients on fruit and rice diet only, and he cured their diabetes and reversed kidney disease.

And that was back in the 50s.

Now we fruit and rice, fruit and rice.

So recently, I thought this was very interesting.

There was a, study published in the journal nature, and they put people on an oatmeal diet, one cup of oatmeal three times a day for two days, and it lowered your total cholesterol and LDL cholesterol.

And it that, that that, lowering effect lasted a very long time.

So what we eat is, in fact, as critical as folks like you tell us.

Right.

And it you can you can get similar effects as taking medication.

So you can overcome genetics.

You can overcome culture.

It's not easy.

It's very hard because, you know, food is life and it's the way we live.

So we we celebrate it.

We celebrate.

It's our belief system, everything.

But if you really want to, you can make a huge impact.

You can also make a little impact.

It's dose related.

So, you know, just cutting out some sugar and salt.

But honestly, if you increase the fiber in your diet, you won't have the cravings as much.

Really?

That's true.

So I intend to be that 80 year old in the four inch stilettos.

I, I think that's possible.

It is.

I think that's possible.

So.

But as we age, people seem to think that they don't have to.

That that that isn't possible, that they have to change.

What do you think the common misconception about aging is?

Well, I think as we age, we slow down a little bit and we can kind of push through it a little, or we can just like you said, let us let it succumb to us.

And so if you want to be that 80 year old, you're going to be like stretching your calves and, and, you know, massaging your feet so that you don't get sore when you're wearing your stilettos.

Right?

Yeah.

So, you can do that.

You know, it's and a lot of it is a state of mind exercise important in this process?

Absolutely.

Exercises 100%, weight bearing stretching.

Well, now they're saying that doing using even, you know, weights, even small, light weights to build muscle mass is very critical.

But, also the best exercise is the one that you're willing to do.

So if you're able to walk around the block and you enjoy it, make it a part of your routine.

Do it with a friend.

Say hi to your neighbors as you walk.

But if you're not able to walk around the block, maybe you march in place while you're looking at out the window, or even sit in a chair and do knee lifts and, and, you know, leg lifts, holding soup cans in your, in your arms kind of thing, things you have at home, you don't have to go to a gym, you don't have to.

But if you can, it's definitely helpful.

Certainly in terms of that whole on desire and not to be isolated.

It helps with those kinds of things as well.

In the minute or so we have left in this segment.

I'd like to know, though, your opinion about how often we should exercise.

There's lots of confusion, confusing conversation out there now.

10,000 steps I understand is no longer the standard.

But what is and how often should we engage?

So just like, food, it's dose dependent.

The more you can do, the better.

Now you have to find a point where you're not injuring yourself because some people do go a little overboard.

But if you can do 30 minutes a day every day, that you will see benefits.

Wow.

All right.

Would you stay with me?

We've got lots more to talk about.

Thank you so much.

We're going to go away for a moment, but we'll be right back.

To me, community means connecting to others.

I'm Doni Miller and welcome to the Point.

I love PBS kids.

We're a community committed to education.

Discover new ideas, dive into exciting subjects, and engage with the world around you.

I would send them personally a t shirt.

Crime doesn't pay in the old West End.

Pass it on.

That's how we cleaned up the neighborhood.

Vision loss for people is not the end.

It's the story.

It's the next chapter.

WGTE Public media invites you to get out and play day.

Monday through Friday.

It's the 419 powered by WGTE with Matt Killam, Gretchen DeBacker, I'm Kevin Mullen.

What can people expect on the show?

Give me an hour.

A reminder of why this is a great place to live, work and play.

Where you come to watch, listen and learn.

You can connect with us on our social media pages.

You know that.

You can also email me at Doni Underscore Miller at wget.org.

And for this episode or any others that you might like to see, go to wget.org.

To the point we are talking about how to live longer and how to age better with, Doctor Rebecca Liebe as we went to break talking about the importance of exercise.

We've talked this morning about not isolating.

We've talked about, watching your diet and those interesting studies that you mentioned that I want to talk about again before we go.

Just so people remember that they can change some pretty significant or they can at least have a pretty significant impact on some chronic diseases like that, like diabetes.

But let's talk about mental health and and aging.

Loneliness can be have such an impact on people no matter what your age is.

Is it more significant, though, if you're older?

Well, as we age, we're losing friends.

You know, people are, you know.

Yes.

Leaving us?

Yes.

Unintentionally.

And that that then it's hard to, the you have the loss and then it's hard to find kind of new friends.

And that's where we really need to do the work.

And at the Erie office on Aging, where I work, we have all kinds of, opportunities.

We have some really fun events.

The holiday party at, the premier in December.

We have people squared, you know, dancing and and line dancing and, and just so much fun, so many smiles.

We also do a senior prom where we have, students from Toledo Public Schools that our ushers and, and we crown a, senior prom queen and prom king.

And, we have the, senior safari at the zoo.

We have Spring Fling out at Oceana and all of those have fun entertainment.

We get people up and dancing.

And then we also have, people from the community that set up booths.

And so you can see what resources are out there.

So when you hear about our events, sign up and come because it's really worth your time and you will have fun and engage and meet people and those those events, you're open to anything.

Anyone?

Actually, yes.

Anyone.

Yes.

So it it it seems to me that, people who are losing their friends, as we get older, and that certainly is just the course of this life that we live.

The people who are losing their friends often are unable or don't know that they can reach out to other people.

And that's the best time for them to do that.

Would you agree?

I would agree.

Yeah.

And, you know, some of the other we were talking about activities and we also have evidence based wellness programs at the area office on Aging that we offer so people can sign up to be and a, falls prevention.

We do tai chi moving for better balance.

We do a matter of balance.

We have deep diabetes empowerment and education program, and those are set up so that you bounce ideas off of other people, or you have obstacles that are stopping you from, you know, incorporating health behaviors into your life.

This helps because you see other people and you problem solve with other people in the group.

Another way to engage is at other senior centers and some other places.

We offer a lunchtime meal and you can come in and have a free meal and, the meals are set up to be one third the recommended daily allowance.

So.

So you've done all that work for them?

Yeah.

Myself and the, you know, nutrition, provider, the senior center.

And there is a lot of love that goes into that food and those meals.

So.

Yes, definitely.

And you sit down with people and you eat with other people.

That's got to be such an important intervention in the whole process of mental decline, which is enhanced by being isolated.

Right.

And a lot of times when people are isolated, they forget to eat or food doesn't it doesn't have the same meaning that it did.

So the more you can engage, the better.

Wow.

The, is there transportation for seniors?

And some of the senior centers do offer transportation.

And then, you know, we we do our best to help, work it out.

Right now, we can onl afford, medical transportation.

But, you know, we we do try to, work with Tata to to provide bus passes when we can.

So the, the barriers to, engaging in activities that enhance your, your mental awareness and enhance your, your body's strength are possibly manageable.

And they should call the area Office on Aging to find out more about that.

So many people have parents that are aging and they find themselves in that caretaker role.

Now, they weren't prepared to do, what should they keep in mind when they're working with somebody or caring for somebody who's who's aging?

Well, caregiving is extremely stressful.

Yeah.

So it's very important that you take care of yourself because you can't care for your loved one if you're not doing well.

So you have to take care of yourself first and then your, you know, your loved one.

So what does it mean to take car yourself?

Make sure you're eating well.

Make sure you're sleeping.

Try to manage your stress as best as possible and get some exercise as much as you possibly can.

When it when when would a caretaker understand that the responsibility that they have is beyond what they're capable of managing.

What should they be looking for.

Well we have professionals we have our caregiver support program at the area Office on Aging.

And we also work with Memory Lane Care.

And they have a really nice, evidence based program, and they'll, help, your loved one while you're in the program, figuring out what point you're at or if there's something you can do to take better care of yourself, or if it's time to, you know, do something different.

Yeah, that that brings to mind the notion that we should always be thinking about the fact that our needs are going to change as we get older.

Is there are there any suggestions that you have for planning?

For the getting older?

I mean, should we be looking?

What should we be doing?

Right.

I'm all about prevention.

That's that's what I, I really believe that if you can prevent chronic diseases or if you have a chronic disease, if you can mitigate the effects of the chronic disease, that's going to help the best you can, but, you know, work with your, medical professional and, and just keep doing what, you know, what?

If it's working, keep doing it.

If it's not working, look for something different.

I think it's fair to say that you really want to develop healthy eating habits.

Healthy, exercise habits as early as you can and pursue those throughout your life.

Would that be fair?

That's fair.

But it's never too late.

Thank you.

You can really make a difference wherever you are if you just start doing something, you do make a difference.

That's really good news.

And I hope everybody heard that.

It's never too late to start.

So, for folks who are, listening to you today, what would you say the top three things are?

Top three habits are that they should develop right now if they want to enhance the quality of their lives.

I mean, I'm a dietitian, so I'm going to say healthy eating is is the number one.

Cut out the sugar.

Cut out the sugar.

Cut out the oil.

But I, I don't like to just say cut out.

I like to say increase.

So increase your fruits and vegetable intake.

Increase your legume intake.

Really?

Lentils?

I mean, people say, oh, I don't like beans or I can't tolerate beans or whatever, but lentils most people can tolerate.

So try some lentil soup.

Healthy grains like oatmeal, like, barley.

Most people seem to like barley soup.

So try barley soup unless, you know, you can't for, for reasons.

But.

But for the most part, fruits and vegetables are like the key or the key.

And then number two would be, you know, activity, be as active as you possibly can, you know, without injuring yourself.

And we have a lot of opportunities in our, area.

We have a lot of the YMCA.

That's true.

So, and I don't think that people understand that the programing that's designed for seniors is actually designed for seniors.

So no matter.

So if you're moving a little slowly at home or your hip isn't doing or whatever, the issue is that those issues should not preclude you from joining those activities.

Definitely.

Yeah.

You know, there's chair yoga.

Absolutely.

There's water fitness.

So you have the support of the water.

That makes it a lot of fun.

The cardio drumming seems to be is a lot of fun.

Everybody seems to really enjoy doing that.

And the third, you know, the socialization would be the third.

You know, stay engaged with your friends and your family and try to meet new people where you can.

Yeah.

And don't assume that nothing out there will work for you.

The Area Office on Aging is an amazing resource, and all you have to do is pick up the phone and give them a call, and and they'll tell you exactly what you need to know.

Would you share that number with you?

Sure.

It's (419)382-0624.

And we also have a very, big social media presence.

So we're on Facebook and, LinkedIn and Instagram and people engage with us a lot through Facebook.

We get a lot of comments and, and so forth.

So don't hesitate.

Don't hesitate.

We forgot to mention that depending that most of the activities, many of the activities are without cost.

Correct?

Yeah.

Yes.

Yeah.

Meals are free.

The evidence based wellness programs are free.

Diabetes, empowerment and education.

Tai chi moving for better balance.

A matter of balance.

The falls prevention programs are free.

All free.

Thank you so much for joining us today.

I hope that, you will reach out to the area Office on Aging.

You'll be really, really glad you did, and I will see you next time.

On to the point.

Have a great day.

Announcer 1: The views and opinions expressed in to the point are those of the host of the program and its guests.

They do not necessarily reflect the views or opinions of WGTE public media.

Announcer 2: To the point is supported in part by viewers like you.

Thank you.