• Differences Concerning Longevity

• A Long Life Span or a Long Health Span?

• The Key to Longevity

• What Is “Normal Aging?”

• Distress and Eustress

• How Much of Aging and Life Span Is Genetic?

• How Genes Promote Health and Protect Against Aging – Up until the Reproductive Years

• Do Our Genes Age and Kill Us

• Epigenetics, Aging, and Life Span

• Are Some Animals Immortal and Never Die from Old Age?

• Are Human Body Cells Immortal and Divide Forever?

• Three Theories of Aging?

• Biology of Aging

• The Aging Body

Part 2

• Organs and Organ Systems That Age But So Not Reduce Life Span

• Organs and Organ Systems That Age and Can Reduce Life Span

• The Aging Brain

• Can Some Brain Functions Resist Aging and Even Improve with Aging?

• Normal Brain Aging, Age- Associated Memory Impairment, and Mild Cognitive Impairment

• Why Do We Live Twice As Long As We Did 150 Years Ago?

• The “Super Agers”

• The Secret to a Long Health Span

Learning Objectives

1. Describe how the biopsychosocial model of health and how disease impacts aging, health, life span, and longevity.
2. Explain the dfferences between normal aging and age-related disease and their effects on life span and longevity, including periodontal disease.
3. Describe the effects of genetics, epigenetics, and the environment on aging.
4. Describe how the body and brain age at the cellular, tissue, organ, and organ system levels.
5. Explain the causes of recent increases in life expectancy in the world and the United States.
6. Describe the “super-ager” centenarians who have the longest and healthiest lives among all people.
7. List the ten bio-psycho-social behavioral choices that everyone can do to extend health and life spans.
8. Describe how the information in this course can be utilized to improve patient care and patient outcomes.
9. Describe, for this course, the implications for dentistry, mental health, nursing, and other healthcare professions.