Today, people are living longer. According to the World Health Organization, by 2030, one in six people will be 60 years of age or older. In 2020, the number of people aged 60 and older outnumbered children younger than five years. Moreover, the number of persons aged 80 or older is expected to triple between 2020 and 2050 to reach 426 million, the World Health Organization says.

Did you know there is an entire field of medicine focused on how best to treat older people? This is the subject of our newest podcast, Secrets to Living Better While Growing Older. So, we sat down with Dr. Jeremy Jacobs, chair of the Geriatric and Rehabilitation Complex at the Hadassah Medical Organization.

He shares the secrets to a longer life: physical activity, a good diet, stress reduction and meaning. As we learn in the podcast, good medical care from a young age could prevent as much as 40 percent of dementia — and much more.

Dr. Jacobs says addressing visual and hearing loss, depression and cardiovascular risk factors, as well as exercising and eating right, could keep dementia away.

He also talks about a recent study he published looking at the effect of optimism on aging.

How happy you are and how much you are still anticipating and planning for future events are both strong predictors of longevity, Dr. Jacobs says.

Listeners will also hear: How can you avoid complications from taking too many drugs? What are the ways to ward off mental health issues in older age? Is geriatric care ready for artificial intelligence or other new tools? How much of longevity is genetics? And much, much more.

Further learning:

• Older People Who Get Out Live Longer
• Hadassah Scientists Say Optimism Leads to Longevity Even After 85

"Hadassah On Call: New Frontiers in Medicine" is a production of Hadassah, The Women's Zionist Organization of America. Hadassah enhances the health of people around the world through medical education, care and research innovations at the Hadassah Medical Organization. For more information on the latest advances in medicine please head over to hadassah.org.

Subscribe to our podcast on Apple Podcast, Google Play, or your favorite podcast app. If you haven't already, please leave us a review. It only takes a minute and when you do it helps others discover "Hadassah on Call."

The show is hosted by Maayan Hoffman and produced by the team at the Hadassah offices in both New York and Israel.

Read a transcript of the episode.

This episode includes promotions for:

Our recent episode with Dr. Zev Davidovics & Dr. Ari Benson
If you are enjoying this episode, you’ll want to check out our previous episode with Dr. Zev Davidovics, senior pediatric gastroenterologist in the Pediatric Gastroenterology Unit of HMO's Pediatrics Division and Dr. Ari Benson, senior physician in the advanced endoscopy unit of the Institute of Gastroenterology and Hepatology at Hadassah Medical Organization.

They're breaking down treatment, risks, and what to avoid with inflammatory bowel diseases from the adult and child perspective.

You can find that episode of "Hadassah On Call" on Apple Podcasts, Google Play, or wherever you get your podcast. Or on the web at  hadassah.org/hadassahoncall.

Giving Matters Series
For more than a century, Hadassah has empowered women to live healthier lives. Helping women in the US put their own health front and center among their priorities is a cornerstone of Hadassah's mission.

To show our appreciation for your support, the first 100 donors to the "100 Days of Summer" appeal will receive TWO FREE VIDEO RECIPES (both heart-healthy and Israel-inspired).

For more information visit go.hadassah.org/summerpodcast.