Episode 19: The Average Woman Spends 14 Years in Poor Health. You Can Change That
The Retirement Navigator
On average, a woman spends the last 14 years of her life in poor health. In this episode, Kwame speaks with Maddy Dychtwald, co-founder of Age Wave and author of Ageless Aging, who has spent more than 40 years studying longer lives. She says that number is not fixed.
Maddy explains the difference between lifespan, healthspan and "brainspan," and points to research suggesting that up to 85 to 90 percent of our health and well-being comes down to lifestyle and environment, not genes. She shares the low-cost habits that matter most, from building muscle to getting deep sleep to staying connected. She also walks through Age Wave's new study on financial caregiving, which found that 32 million Americans help pay for someone else's care, at an average of $8,737 a year and 109 hours a month.
This matters because a longer life only pays off if the extra years are good ones. It's never too late to start, and the conversations you have now can change what those years look like.
Key Topics Covered
- Why women live about 5 to 6 years longer than men on average, but not more of those years in good health
- What "brainspan" is, and why what's good for the heart is also good for the brain
- What ageless aging really means, and what it doesn't
- Why muscle loss can begin as early as your late 30s, and why strength training at home counts
- Why deep sleep and real food matter for your brain
- Why being alone and being lonely are not the same thing
- What financial caregiving is, and what the "generosity paradox" means for your own retirement
- How the sandwich generation gets squeezed, and how caregiving affects Social Security, pensions and careers
- Why you should retire to something, not from something
- Purpose with a big P and purpose with a little P, and why both count
Who This Episode Is For
This episode is for anyone in their 50s, 60s or 70s who wants the extra years to be healthy ones, and for anyone who wonders whether it's too late to start. It's also for adult children helping to pay for a parent's care, who may not realize what it is costing their own retirement.
Why This Matters Now
People are spending 20 to 30 years in retirement, and most plans only cover the money. Maddy's advice is to stop planning only for how long you might live, and start planning for the life you actually want to live.
Resources Mentioned
- Age Wave: agewave.com
- The Financial Impact of Caregiving (Age Wave, Edward Jones and The Harris Poll): https://agewave.com/what-we-do/landmark-research-and-consulting/research-studies/the-financial-impact-of-caregiving/
- Ageless Aging: A Woman's Guide to Increasing Healthspan, Brainspan, and Lifespan, by Maddy Dychtwald
Guest Bio
Maddy Dychtwald is the co-founder of Age Wave, a research and consulting firm that studies the social, lifestyle and economic side of longer lives. She has led more than 25 research studies on longevity, aging, retirement, finances, caregiving and wellness. She is a national bestselling author of 4 books, including Ageless Aging, published in 12 languages. She is a co-founder of the nonprofit Women Against Alzheimer's and a lead partner in Portfolia's Active Aging & Longevity Fund.
Find Maddy
- Her page on our website: https://retirementnavigator.co/guest/maddy-dychtwald/
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/maddydychtwald/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/maddydychtwald/
Chapters
00:00 What You Will Take Away
02:37 Meet Maddy and Age Wave
04:36 Women Live Longer, but Not Healthier
05:54 The Last 14 Years, and Brainspan
08:11 What Ageless Aging Really Means
10:18 Is It Too Late at 50, 60 or 70?
11:14 Build Muscle
12:05 Protect Your Brain: Real Food and Deep Sleep
13:35 Relationships and Loneliness
14:32 Living Alone and Aging in Place
17:21 Financial Caregiving
20:38 The Sandwich Generation
21:55 The Generosity Paradox
23:36 What Caregiving Costs Your Own Retirement
26:50 Planning for a 30-Year Retirement
27:55 Retire to Something, Not From Something
29:39 Purpose Is Not Optional
32:18 Purpose With a Big P and a Little P
33:34 Have the Hard Conversations
More From Us
- More retirement guidance: https://benefitsinsider.co
- Join Benefits Insider Circle on Skool: https://www.skool.com/benefits-insider/about
Retirement Navigator is educational and is not financial, legal, tax or medical advice. Guests speak for themselves. Figures are the guest's, from the research she cites.
