Are we prepared to live longer than the previous system imagined? With this question, renowned communicators Flor Ortega and Flor Cogley welcomed ‘Transition to Healthy Aging’, a key episode of “A tu salud Mujer Podcast”. HERE you can listen to the podcast.
In an insightful and revealing conversation, Dr. Paulina Lopera, a Panamanian doctor specializing in geriatrics and gerontology, demystified old age and presented a roadmap for what she calls “preventive geriatrics”.
Click on the photo to listen to the podcast
For Flor Ortega and Flor Cogley, whose careers have been pillars in integral wellness communication, this episode is not just another interview.
It is a call to action for a society that, according to the figures, will have more long-lived people than births by 2050.
Old age is not a disease: The power of autonomy
Dr. Lopera began by breaking one of the heaviest stigmas in our culture: the idea that getting old is synonymous with being sick.
“Aging healthily does not mean not having any chronic disease. It means that you are going to reach a stage of life where you are still going to be able to decide, move freely and participate in society’s decisions,” the expert explained.
For the drivers, this approach shifts the narrative from one of “fear” to one of “preparedness.”
According to Dr. Lopera, the key is to maintain autonomy, the ability to decide and think for oneself, regardless of whether one suffers from hypertension or diabetes.
Muscle and brain: The pillars that we neglect at age 30
One of the most technical and necessary moments of the talk was the explanation of the physiological reserve.
The doctor warned that the process of “aging poorly” usually begins decades before the age of 60.
Muscle decline: From the age of 30, we lose muscle mass at a rate of 1% to 2% per decade. However, by the time we reach 60, strength dissipates at an alarming rate of up to 15% per year. “That muscle that is, is weakening,” she noted, urging women to view exercise as a long-term investment.
Cognitive speed: The brain also changes. The speed of processing slows down between 10% and 20% when reaching 65 years of age. Given this, Dr. Lopera was blunt with practical advice for Flor Ortega and Flor Cogley’s audience: “Staying at home watching television is not an option; the brain needs neuroplasticity through new languages, music or volunteering”.
Loneliness: The invisible “smoke” that kills
Flor Ortega and Flor Cogley delved into the social aspect, touching the fiber of isolation.
Dr. Lopera presented shocking data: chronic loneliness is today a geriatric syndrome with a mortality comparable to smoking a pack of cigarettes a day.
“Mental health is not an add-on, it is a pillar if you want to age well,” Lopera said.
He called for the healing of family ties and the cultivation of social circles, since loneliness not only saddens, but also accelerates cardiovascular and cognitive deterioration.
An obsolete system for a new reality
The interview also addressed a critical angle on the design of our cities and pension systems.
Dr. Lopera denounced that we live in an environment designed only for young people. “Have they tested whether a senior citizen can cross a traffic light in the 20 seconds they are given?” she questioned.
This “planning crisis” demands that society recognize the elderly not as a burden, but as a productive and wise force that still has much to contribute.
The final message: To accompany is not to control.
To close this masterful encounter in A tu salud Mujer, Dr. Lopera left a message of reconciliation.
She invited women to “embrace gray hair and wisdom” and families to change the way they care.
“Companionship is not control. Love that person, listen to their wishes and ask uncomfortable questions instead of taking everything for granted.”
With this episode, Flor Ortega and Flor Cogley reaffirm their commitment to offer information that not only educates, but also saves lives by promoting an autonomous, independent and, above all, connected old age.
The Transition to Healthy Aging episode is now available on all audio platforms, such as Spotify and Apple Podcasts, where you can also find other titles such as Medicine with a Head and Reborn in Grief.
Filed under: Transition to healthy aging
