I just read two fascinating articles about aging, one of which confirmed my deepest hopes and the other of which activated my deepest fears.

I’ll start with the optimistic research: Under the headline, “Study finds slowing of age-related decline in older adults,” ScienceDaily reported on a new study from England which found that “older adults today experience higher levels of physical and mental functioning than previous generations did at the same age.”

The researchers conclude, “the trends were very strong and suggest that, for many people, 70 really may be the new 60.”

The researchers reached this conclusion by examining trends in older people’s functioning—in cognitive abilities, psychological coping, mobility, and sensory capacities. This approach was new, in that previous similar studies usually looked at whether older people were or were not afflicted with disease.

Researchers believe that the higher functioning of older adults is likely due to advances in nutrition, vision, hearing care, and medical science, including procedures such as knee replacement surgery. England, of course, has universal health care, and the US does not, but I would guess that many Americans have probably also benefited from advances in........

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