Positive aging: Old, happy and healthy | DW English

This is me and this is my mother. There are nearly 40 years between us. I'd like to be like her when I get old. An 81-year-old who's full of beans. Sure, I could come over here every day and do my gymnastics in the park. People in Germany are getting older. And as long as their health holds out, they continue to be active as they age. How old do you feel? Oh, that's a tough question. I usually ask people how old they think I am. But how old do I feel? I'd say mid-60s or so. Certainly not as old as I really am, thank goodness. What's your life motto? My motto in life is to try to not come to a standstill. Stay active. Continue to look for and experience new things. When you come across something new, don't think, oh, you don't need to try that, it's not worth it at your age. But just give it a go. That attitude makes people like my mother attractive for many companies. These so-called youthful seniors want to lead independent lives, and that means they're an important part of consumer society. And they're not averse to modern technology. Do you see how the colors are changing? That happens a lot on the internet. When you swipe over something with the mouse and the color changes, then you know you can click on it. It's like a button you can push. Okay, but it's not doing anything. Why isn't it reacting? My mother's generally unfazed even when things get complicated. I'm pretty persistent. Once I've started something and feel I need to learn how to do it, then I stick with it until I can, even if it's difficult. And I have to swear at myself a little. I say, Biggie, don't be stupid, just keep on trying. I give myself a little pep talk, and that usually works. For my mother, taking trips is a way of staying active in old age. Travel-loving seniors have become a lucrative market for tour operators. Special travel clubs offer package tours for them. My mother's happy to spend her money on that and make her remaining years pleasant. I don't spend much time dwelling on the future. Who knows what might happen in a week or in six months? I try not to think about that too much. I don't feel old, and I hope that's the way it stays for a while. Living in the here and now. I think that's a good attitude to have at any age.