I've been working on a product to help families stay more connected with the elderly people in their lives, https://nanagram.co https://nanagram.co. In addition

I've been working on a product to help families stay more connected with the elderly people in their lives, https://nanagram.co https://nanagram.co. In addition to spending a solid amount of time w/ my 94-year-old Grandpa the past couple years the project has been a fascinating journey learning about life after 80. It's so awesome to see an 82 year old guy on his road bike in the video on this article! Susan Pinker has a fascinating Ted talk on the secret to a long life. For years I'd always assumed things like diet and exercise would be the top factors. But according to Pinker social integration is the top factor, even higher than drinking and smoking (which, somehow, are higher than exercise). https://www.ted.com/talks/susan_pinker_the_secret_to_living_longer_may_be_your_social_life https://www.ted.com/talks/susan_pinker_the_secret_to_living_... This study is about endurance cyclists, showing them riding in social groups. Is exercise really the top factor here? Or is it riding in social groups? Maybe it's a combination of both. I've seen the impact regular exercise can have on my own physical and mental health and on my Grandpa's. Past age 90, exercise can become a real challenge. At this stage, my Grandpa has a couple in-home nurses who visit and help him complete various exercises each week, lifting his arms above his head, moving his legs, etc. Other than that, I try and visit him as often as possible. We do simple things, like shop for groceries together, to keep him moving. One of the most eye opening experiences for me on old age was about 18 months ago just after my Grandpa stopped driving at age 93. I started visiting him more and we began a genealogy project of sorts. At first his memory wasn't so great. But after a month or so of regular visits, it was like a fire was ignited. All of the sudden he was reciting incredible facts and figures about the past. He kept up with all the little details in my life better than many of the people I know in my 30s. And there was a new pep in his step. It's rare to live past 90. I'm grateful for every day I get with my grandparents, both 94 and under 30min from me. If you have an older person in your life, I encourage making as much time as possible to visit. There's so much you can learn from them and your visits can have a positive impact on their life too.