Octogenarian Tibby Kemp is bouncing into her 90s with the energy of a younger woman.
As scientists try to uncover the secret to ageing better, Tibby is going the distance – rowing, trampolining and performing yoga daily to maintain her health.
She has broken the world record for indoor rowing five times in her 80s, smashing the 500m and 1000m distances.
Aged 88, the Maroochydore senior plans to stay active and live independently well into her ninth decade.
A world-first study involving USC has found that staying active can help halt the onset of frailty, enabling elderly Australians to live longer at home.
Forty seniors from Noosa to Caloundra were recruited as part of the $6.9 million global research project involving 16 universities and institutions across Europe and Asia.
University of the Sunshine Coast neuropsychology researcher Associate Professor Mathew Summers (pictured below right) said participants wore devices such as smart watches which monitored their daily activities, feeding the data into a web-based platform which analysed changes over time.
Seniors were assessed for physical activity, cognitive health, nutrition and moods and were offered tailored programs such as fitness regimes to counteract any problems.
Dr Summers said declining physical activity had a noticeable knock-on effect on people’s happiness, mental ability and social interaction.
“Ageing is a normal process but then there are physical and cognitive changes that can happen and change faster than normal,” he said.
“Physical deterioration can happen because of a decrease in exercise and when you become physically slow you become frailer which leads to you staying at home and then a decline in cognitive function because you are socially isolated.
“It’s a bit of a chicken and egg scenario of which comes first.”
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Dr Summers said about 30 minutes of gentle activity a day could go a long way to stalling the onset of frailty.
“When an older person lives at home, the biggest risk is a fall and the mostly likely trigger is their own physical frailty,” he said.
“By targeting early indicators and halting or reversing the progression of frailty, the ongoing benefit is to reduce their risk of falls and increase their likelihood of living at home for longer period of time with minimal support.”
The Sunshine Coast has a noticeably older population than the Queensland and national average, with 21.5 per cent of residents over the age of 65, according to the 2016 Census.
Tibby Kemp said longevity was in her family but she also followed a consistent daily exercise routine.
She rows on her machine at home, pushing 2000m five days a week, performs yoga stretches and bounces for five minutes on a mini trampoline.
She also keeps her mind active solving puzzles like Sudoku.
“I’m fairly healthy, I don’t have too many problems,” she said.
“I’ve never been treated for blood pressure and my cholesterol is normal. I plan to keep it up.”
She said she had no intention of being placed in a nursing home.
“I wouldn’t like it at all but then again I might get to a stage when I don’t even know where I am so it mightn’t matter,” she laughed.
World’s longest-living people
There are five ‘Blue Zones’ in the world where people are three times more likely than Australians to reach the age of 100:
- Okinawa in Japan
- Sardinia, Italian island
- Ikaria, Greek island
- Nicoya Peninsula in Costa Rica
- Seventh Day Adventist community in Loma Linda, California.
Here’s what these cultures have in common which scientist believe may be responsible for their extra-long lives: They nurture strong social networks, consume a mostly plant-based diet, and incorporate daily, natural physical activity into their lives. They also do not overeat, learning to stop eating before they feel full.
Source: Associate Professor Tim Crowe from Deakin University’s School of Exercise and Nutrition Sciences
