We will find the recipe for a good old age

Older people in nursing homes sit in front of the television screen hour after hour. Can Helgetun research help fewer people feel this way?

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I roll up my wife mine in the living room of the nursing home and places it in a free space in the semicircle in front of the television.

Those who do not sit to play have their eyes fixed on one place in the room. No gaze reaches the television screen. Apart from the sound of the television, the room is completely silent. This is how they sit hour after hour, only interrupted by daily routines.

It is not just my spouse who needs help dressing and undressing, feeding and changing diapers. The youngest are in their early seventies. All of them have in common the dependence of care and nursing. Nursing staff cannot do more for them than they actually do.

After the visit in nursing home, I go directly to the Senior Group board meeting in Bergen and Hordaland Turlag. I am especially invited to get to know the group better.

The energy in the meeting is high and the laughter is loose.

The average age of the board meeting participants is slightly lower than the average age of nursing home residents, but the contrasts are stark.

Not everyone is like that luck have a good old age. Life can be unfair. But the chances of good health in adulthood are probably greater with the right lifestyle. The challenge is finding the right recipe.

A few years ago I took a trip to Sardinia, where I stayed mainly on the coast. If he had heard of “The Blue Zones” at that time, he probably would have gone up to the mountains, to the province of Nuoro. In this area, there are three times more centenarians than anywhere else on the planet.

Life expectancy is sensational high, also among men. Those who live here have a particularly strong immune system against diseases such as dementia, cancer, cardiovascular problems.

There are four other similar areas in the world where life expectancy is equally high, in Japan, California, Costa Rica, and Greece.

The common characteristics of those who live in these areas are that they have an active lifestyle, have good social relationships and have a commitment that gives meaning to life.

They eat moderately with food, preferably of plant origin, they do not smoke and have a cautious relationship with alcohol. There is reason to believe that not only do they live long, but they are functional, respected, and have a high quality of life even in old age.

In Helgetun in Sædalen older people have now lived there for about a year and a half. This is a project sponsored by GC Rieber Funds that can associate the Nuoro model. The idea is that the residents of the 31 state-of-the-art apartments with a life cycle standard complement and take care of each other. It should be safe to grow old.

Here are common areas where good neighbors can gather for dinner or in other settings. Residents have the opportunity to contribute to the running of the nearest kindergarten, be a support contact for one of those living in the Helgeseter housing association or work with the animals on the farm. Those with green fingers can plant their own herb garden in the greenhouse.

In addition, there are a number of other opportunities for activities such as walks around the area, line gymnastics, choir, and dancing. The idea is that nobody feels alone or worthless. Everyone can contribute to the community.

The feeling of dominance is stimulated. Little attention is paid to passive reception of services.

Now there are long waiting lists for those who want to enter to live. GC Rieber Funds also have plans for other projects, such as apartment buildings for older people who are more liked in more urban areas.

Perhaps a courtyard with accommodation for seniors and students can be of mutual benefit and joy?

Now that the Helgetun project has been resolved, the Center for Geriatrics and Disease Medicine, UiB, is ready to begin a study in which residents are followed for several years and compared to other older people who live in a more traditional.

The center has been equipped specifically for the thesis, including by establishing a versatile composite user panel that will work with researchers.

Perhaps it is possible through research to find the Norwegian variant of the Nuoro model? Perhaps the research can come up with a recipe with tips on ingredients that can help fewer of us end up in the semicircle around the television at the nursing home, or lengthen our journey there?

Anyway I’m sure that the study will contribute to a greater focus on lifestyles that can lead to a good quality of life in the later chapters of life.

I myself belong to the target group and, as an employee of the center, I am fortunate to have the opportunity to contribute.