Hopkins Launches the Human Aging Project

Improving the health span and life trajectory of older adults

This story first appeared in the Planning Matters Winter 2021 Issue.

Thanks to the generosity of several donors, we have recently launched the Human Aging Project (HAP), an organizational effort that aims to improve the health span and life trajectory of older adults. Based in the Division of Geriatric Medicine and Gerontology, HAP uniquely bridges biological, engineering, and social approaches to facilitate the development of new clinical practices and behavioral patterns.

Although plans for HAP were underway long before the coronavirus hit, the pandemic has underscored the need to improve the health care for the most vulnerable subset of older adults. Indeed, it has also highlighted the frailty and resiliency-focused research that we have done for many years, including studying how illness and other stressors in older adults can drive frailty and functional and cognitive decline.

By now, most have heard about the importance of masks and physical distancing in protecting us against COVID-19 and the acceleration of frailty and other conditions. Older adults often want to know what measures we can take daily to fight frailty if faced with another stressor, whether it’s pneumonia or surgery.

• Stay active. Doing regular activity — walking, following an exercise video, and optimizing muscle strength — is helpful not only to muscles but also the immune system.
• Eat better. Strive for a balanced diet that includes good protein (almonds, eggs, fish) and avoids simple carbohydrates (soft drinks, packaged cookies).
• Build brain power. Learn a new skill, like a different language. You may not master it, and it may sound terrible, but challenging your brain in new ways helps to protect cognition.
• Cultivate social connections. Many older adults have built up knowledge and skillsets that are underutilized. Finding meaningful ways to bridge your experiences back to society and engage in activities that are useful to other people improves health and well-being.

For more information, please contact Anne Kennan at the Fund for Johns Hopkins Medicine, at 410-550-9890 or akennan1@jhmi.edu.