By Steve Moran

Two crazy, related news stories in the last few weeks — both of which could have significant implications for senior living operators.

An article in The Daily Mail claims the first true antiaging pill could hit the shelves by 2028. Some highlights:

Pills that can help a person reverse the effects of aging could be on the market in the next five years, according to an expert. …

Amazon’s Jeff Bezos is reported to have invested $ 3 billion in life-extension startup Altos Labs. PayPal co-founder Peter Thiel invested in the Methuselah Foundation, which has the goal of making ’90 the new 50′. [My emphasis] …

[Andrew Steele] says: ‘Aging is the greatest humanitarian challenge of all time.’

There are ’20 to 30′ companies developing new drugs known as ‘senolytics’ which kill aging cells in the body, he explained. In mice, these drugs cause elderly animals to become lively and healthy suddenly. …

[Dr. Cathy Slack said,] ‘The goal is to increase the number of years of healthy lifespan rather than extending the late-life period of poor health. … The ultimate goal is really to try and manipulate these systems during human aging to maintain health and quality of life.’

The second article, also in The Daily Mail, is about a Harvard professor by the name of David Sinclair who is claiming that he has “de-aged” himself by 10 years. Some highlights:

  • While he has had 53 birthdays, he says that DNA testing suggests his body is still 43.
  • He says that his calculated biological age has been going down for the past 10 years or more and that he is at a point where he is predicted to live at least a decade longer than he would have if he had done nothing.

The Aging Process and Senior Living

We for sure know a few things: Exercise and a good diet mean living both longer and healthier. The same is true about being around people. There are lots of other things that people are trying and claiming where the jury is still out, when it comes to efficacy. It has tremendous implications for senior living.

On one hand, imagine that a single pill were to in fact make 100 the new 50. It could drastically reduce the need for senior living in the short-term. On the other hand, and this is where it gets crazy exciting, imagine that senior living became a sort of “longevity spa” — a place where people came not to decline in comfort but to actually reverse the aging process.

I would love to hear your thoughts.