The Power to Learn Longer
"The aging mind holds sizeable potential for new learning," say Paul Baltes and Jacqui Smith in their keynote from the Valencia Forum. These researchers from the Max Planck Institute for Human Development in Berlin, Germany, highlighted several points of "good news for the third age (young old)," including:
* Substantial latent potential for better fitness (physical, mental) in old age.
* Successive cohorts (generations) show gains in physical and mental fitness.
* Evidence of cognitive-emotional reserves of the aging mind.
* High levels of emotional and personal well-being (self-plasticity).
* Effective strategies to master the gains and losses of late life.

See also this short article on mental fitness.