Prof. Dr. Nevzat Tarhan noted that a condition called "super old age" emerges in older people who use their brains correctly, and said, "A person is 80 years old, but he is extremely intelligent, extremely energetic, and has a great power of reasoning. Mimar Sinan also built his greatest work after the age of 80."
Üsküdar University Founding Rector, Psychiatrist Prof. Dr. Nevzat Tarhan shared his evaluations on the recently emerging concept of "super old age".
Age-related concepts should be used correctly
Stating that the concept of the psychology of aging is misused and the correct one is the psychology of aging, Prof. Dr. Nevzat Tarhan said, "It is correct to call it aging instead of the word aging. These are very important approaches in terms of giving the right meaning to old age. Because a child starts aging as soon as he/she is born. There are telomeres on the cells that show how many times they will divide and multiply, and they start to decrease. There is a genetic dimension related to DNA here. There are cell deaths planned for it in the body. Aging is such that there are 150 trillion cells in our body, each cell generates one and a half volts of electricity. And out of 150 trillion cells, only 150 billion are in the brain. Although its weight is two percent, the brain uses 25 percent of the oxygen and glucose entering the body."
65% of aging is related to lifestyle
Pointing out that brain-related abilities come to the fore in old age, Prof. Dr. Nevzat Tarhan said, "Western civilization and modernism have contributed a lot to the physical health of human beings. Physical diseases are treated better, average life expectancy has increased. The average life expectancy has increased from 45 years to 75s and 80s. There is a tremendous improvement. Our physical health is good, we can treat many diseases more easily, but modernism has failed in mental health, it cannot produce solutions. There has been a huge increase in Alzheimer's in older people. There is a lot of research on Alzheimer's. There are diversified genes related to Alzheimer's, but the role of these genes is around 30-40 percent. 65 percent of aging is related to lifestyle."
The concept of super old age is on the agenda
Prof. Dr. Nevzat Tarhan said that aging is known as epigenetics in genetics and continued his words as follows "Epigenetics is the quantum of genetics. This is very closely related to the use of one's brain. People who use their brains correctly develop what is called super old age. The concept of super old age is currently being talked about. Who is super old? A person is 80 years old, but they are extremely intelligent, energetic and have a great power of judgment. There are such people. For example, Mimar Sinan the Architect did his greatest work after the age of 80. Some people are being investigated as to why this happens. There are some concepts for healthy aging. Each age has its pros, cons, skills gained and lost. We can be more successful and happier in old age, and this is related to the issues that older people attach importance to and invest in."
Take 5 thousand steps a day
Stating that an individual can be super old if he/she has the right philosophy of life, Tarhan said, "What does a person need to have in order to be super old? For example, the first one is a brain-friendly lifestyle. A lifestyle needs to be created together with nutrition. For example, when people retire, it is as if they retired from life, not from their profession. However, one cannot retire from life. When a person retires, he or she switches his or her interests from work to other fields, with these new interests, the person attaches positive meaning and manages to be healthy by bringing new perspectives to life. Maintaining physical activity is not only beneficial for physical health but also for brain health. No matter who you are, you should try to take 5,000 steps. The use of body muscles has an indirect benefit to the brain."
Brain should be developed with new experiences
Prof. Dr. Nevzat Tarhan stated that the brain can be exercised more by being open to new experiences and continued his words as follows
"If a person is going home, he/she should not always take the same route, if he/she reads books, he/she should not always read the same genres, he/she should not always watch the same television program. People who make changes in their activities, who make opposites collide in their brains, age less, and because they are open to new experiences, the brain produces growth factor. When it produces this factor, the hippocampus region, one of the stem cells in the brain, produces new stem cells. There are stem cells in our bodies at any age, but there needs to be a lifestyle that activates stem cells. A monotonous and sedentary life without stimulation, always the same style, is something that atrophies the stem cells in the brain. Ibn Khaldun has a very important saying; 'The human brain is like a millstone. The millstone rotates continuously. If you don't put wheat or anything that can be ground into the rotating millstone, it starts to grind itself. This is a very interesting observation. Therefore, it is necessary to add new information to the brain."
The experience of older people should be utilized
Stating that the elderly had to stay at home within the scope of pandemic measures, Prof. Dr. Nevzat Tarhan said, "Alzheimer's was triggered during the pandemic period, rheumatism diseases increased in the elderly. It is necessary to benefit from their life experiences and chat with them. The best thing the elderly can do is to be happy by sharing their knowledge, experience and wisdom with people. Modernism has taught us to be happy by consuming. The biggest problem in the Western world right now is loneliness. They cannot find a solution to the problem of loneliness. As a society, we are a society that loves warm relationships. We are a mobile society, so we should not lose these characteristics."
It is natural for the elderly to experience fear and anxiety
Stating that it is natural for elderly people to experience the anxiety and fear of falling from grace and being dependent on others, Tarhan said, "It is very important especially for the honorable elderly who have lived without needing anyone. If a person has value judgments, earns with his/her labor and lives with dignity, it is not possible for that person to be in need of others and fall into a bad situation in terms of cause and effect. For example, there is a fear of spending money in old age. He shuts himself down and becomes a great defense. He is lying on a huge fortune but he never uses it. However, the more he gives, the happier he will be and the happier others will be."
Fear of death is the only reality without exception
Prof. Dr. Nevzat Tarhan said, "The fear of death is the only reality in life that has no exceptions. Everything has an exception. There is an exception to all laws. There is an answer to the question 'Why do evils exist?' but there is no answer to the question 'Why does life exist? Is death evil or not? If an elderly person has the right philosophy of life, he does not see death as an enemy. Death is an inevitable end of life. There are things human beings can afford and things they cannot afford. There are things he can change and things he cannot change. Death is something that a person cannot change."
