Opinion: From Tom Brady fans to the White House, 80 doesn't seem so old
Is 80 the new 60?
The new hit movie “80 For Brady” features four female actors ranging from 76 to 91 years old in their real lives who bust some dance moves with Billy Porter, party late with gummie-sharing youngsters, and flirt with fTom Brady and Rob Gronkowski. Distinguished Hollywood stars Sally Field, Lily Tomlin, Jane Fonda and Rita Moreno obviously know how to act, but they certainly are believable as rowdily active older women.
Of course, the United States has an 80-year-old president in Democrat Joe Biden. If current Republican front-runner Donald Trump wins a second term, he would turn 80 while in office. Ohio’s Republican governor, Mike DeWine, will be 80 when he completes his second term in four years.
And Hey, Jude! Paul McCartney turned 80 while on tour last summer.
Hamilton County Auditor Dusty Rhodes, who as a WSAI-AM deejay helped bring McCartney and the Beatles to Cincinnati in 1964, will leave office next month at age 83 after serving 32 years.
“My take on the longevity issue is it depends on the individual,” said Rhodes, a Democratic Biden critic who has his doubts about Biden’s mental acuity but noted that his own mother was “sharp as a tack right up until she passed at 93.
“I think people are hesitant to put politicians out to pasture if they appear to be in control and doing a good job," said Rhodes, who didn't seek a ninth term.
So if people think you’re effective at what you do, whether it’s running a public office, singing ‘60s rock ballads in concert or mooning over Tom Brady on screen, a number such as 80 isn’t necessarily a barrier, especially, as Rhodes says about his time as auditor, if you still enjoy what you’re doing.
When The Who frontman Roger Daltrey sang at their TQL Stadium concert here last year, he was 78. Back in 1965, Daltrey snarled in the hit song “My Generation” that “Hope I die before I get old!”
Doubt he feels that way anymore as The Who tours this month in Florida.
Baseball great Satchel Paige, who threw his final pitch as a professional at age 59, used to say: "Age is an issue of mind over matter. If you don't mind, it don't matter."
Might as well get used to it.
People 65 and older are America's fastest-growing group, from some 17 percent of the population in 2020 to a projected 22 percent by 2050. Today's older people are working longer than previous older generations, and they tend to be more prosperous than earlier elders.
With life expectancy increasing, birth rates falling and the last of the Baby Boomers (we like to call it the second-Greatest Generation) aging past 65, the trends will also bring challenges. Ohio has more than 2 million residents 65 and older among some 11.8 million people total. That puts Ohio among the top 10 states in 65 and older residents.
As the aging population nationally strains Social Security and Medicare, states such Ohio will face rising needs for assisted living and health care as dementia and other age-related illnesses increase. The state will also face potential for increased elder abuse and financial exploitation.
Since I'm only a couple more Kroger-sponsored annual Reds calendars away from 70, it's of some comfort that Ohio is looking ahead. The Department of Aging has produced a comprehensive four-year plan anticipating needs,offering solutions, and a lofty goal.
"Ohio will become the best place to age in the nation," declared Ursel J. McCoy, the department's director.
And who knows? In another couple decades, four older female stars might get together and make a movie called "80 For Burrow."
Dan Sewell is a member of The Enquirer's board of contributors. He can be reached at his personal email of dsewellrojos@gmail.com.
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Dan Sewell column: From Brady fans to Biden, 80 doesn't seem so old
