Human aging continues to be one of life’s mysteries. Isn’t it amazing how people age differently? I’ve seen seventy year olds going on ninety and ninety year olds going on seventy. We know it’s a combination of many factors that affects human longevity and dictates how you fare during the aging process. Certainly your genes have a lot to do with it, your diet, exercise habits, environment and other factors can dictate whether you have any chance of becoming a centenarian. But we have all met people who don’t have the gene advantage, don’t necessarily eat well, never exercise yet seem to know the secret to human aging. What’s that all about? Could there be another factor that makes the difference?

Meet Sal, a 99 year old gentleman from New York City. Yes, he lost a leg to a vascular problem a few years back but, aside from that, he’s doing amazingly well for someone born in 1908. Think about the remarkable changes in the world that he has experienced! Radio, electricity, automobiles, airplanes, the flu epidemic, television, WWI, the depression, WWII, the Cold War, the space program, computers and on and on and on.

Sal lives with his daughter, who has her own career and life, and the decision was made that Sal could use some extra help. Enter in-home, non-medical companion care. We were privileged to be chosen to help this young man. Upon meeting Sal you would think he was somewhere in his eighties. A full head of hair, clarity of mind and oozing of personality this fellow deserved the best. Having experienced success in the financial world, Sal was used to the best.

We assigned our caregiver, Meredith, who like our other caregivers, thoroughly enjoys helping people. We thought the match would be a good one. Turns out, Sal thinks of Meredith as the “daughter that he always wanted” and Meredith simply adores Mr. Sal. Three days a week she spends time with Sal, listening to his classical music, fixing him his favorite meals, hearing his incredible stories and taking him on excursions. We hear stories of Sal singing and tapping his fingers on the dashboard as he and Meredith travel about. It’s truly hard to believe that in December of 2007, Mr. Sal will be 100 years young!

So, let’s not discount the impact that companionship can have on the human longevity and the aging process. We all need someone to tell our story to … we all need to know someone truly cares. We at Barton Home Care have absolutely no scientific evidence to support our claim but we’ve seen time and time again that a companion who cares can make all the difference in the world.

For more information on home health care, Denver Colorado metro area.

Tom Barton

Owner, Barton Home Care