•July 13, 2016•

By Jim Nowlan
NP Guest Columnist

Thoughts of turning 75 in a few weeks recall to me the provocative article by oncologist Ezekiel Emanuel, “Why I Hope to Die at 75” (Atlantic, Oct. 2014).

I entered politics in my early 20s so most of my friends from that era were older and have been biting the dust with regularity. Mortality is circling round.

At the distance of age 57 when he wrote his article, Emanuel was in good health. He thinks by 75 he will have led a full life. After 75, he says, for the vast majority of us creativity and productivity are shot or in sharp decline.

He reports that about half of those living at age 80 have a functional limitation, either physical or mental or both. Emanuel thinks the older years are not the golden years.

Emanuel observes that a century ago we dramatically cut the death rate and infant mortality via clean water and sanitary sewer systems. In the 1930s and beyond, we accomplished more of the same with vaccines for infectious diseases.

But today, he says, most of our health care efforts are focused on the over-60 crowd that suffers expensive chronic problems with heart, lungs and the Big C. He says this hasn’t slowed the aging process so much as it has slowed the dying process.

Emanuel opposes euthanasia and assisted suicide so he doesn’t plan to take his life.     Login or Subscribe to read the rest of this story.