Dr. Howard Tucker has been in practice as a neurologist for more than seven decades, and at 101 and still treating patients, he issued his own prescription for staying in shape.
The Cleveland, Ohio-born physician hasn’t slowed down in his old age and still maintains his professional life simply by delaying retirement.
He even added another professional touchstone to his resume when, at age 60, he decided to attend law school only to pass the Ohio Bar exam seven years later.
His job involves solving problems and making difficult decisions regarding patient care, often drawing on the latest advances in neurology that he constantly researches to keep his brain busy.
And you have a healthy social life, which helps maintain memory and cognitive function. He said he and his wife Sara, an 89-year-old practicing psychiatrist, frequently go out to dinner with neighbors and friends.
Dr. Tucker’s exceptionally long life is due in part to winning the genetic lottery, but also to maintaining a lifestyle that longevity experts who study centenarians consider crucial.
At 101 years old, the energetic Dr. Tucker has been awarded the Guinness World Record for the oldest practicing physician.
Dr. Tucker won a Guinness World Record last year for being the oldest practicing physician.
Many people find purpose and meaning through their jobs, and retirement can put that in jeopardy. This is why Dr. Tucker still sees patients in his office every day from 9 to 6 pm.
He has even been awarded a Guinness World Record for being the oldest practicing physician.
doctor tucker said CNBC: ‘My job requires me to review a number of medical topics and analyze the issues. Keeping up with the latest advances in neurology keeps my brain busy.’
Anticipating a life of leisure in retirement, treating patients day in and day out, brings a great sense of purpose to Dr. Tucker’s life. This sense of purpose is felt uniformly in the so-called Blue Zones, five areas of the world where people regularly live to be 100 years old.
In a 2019 study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, the researchers followed about 7,000 adults over the age of 50 and interviewed them using a questionnaire to classify their life purpose. The researchers assigned purpose-of-life scores based on the participants’ responses and followed up five years later.
They concluded that participants with the lowest purpose-of-life scores were twice as likely to die as those with the highest scores.
Dr Dilip Jeste, an aging expert at the University of California San Diego School of Medicine, recently told DailyMail.com: ‘Retirement is actually a big factor for a lot of people, especially men. Because work defines the purpose in life and when you retire, or when you are forced to retire, the purpose disappears just like that.
And even as the Covid pandemic put the world in a stranglehold, Dr. Tucker didn’t rest. Despite being part of the population cohort most at risk for the worst possible outcomes from covid infection, Dr. Tucker still saw his patients during the crisis.
He said Guinness: ‘I really love what I do, so going to the hospital to treat my patients was a no-brainer.
‘As a doctor, it is my responsibility to take care of my patients. I obviously took the necessary precautions to stay safe and protect myself, but I still went to work like any other day.”
Dr. Tucker has been a practicing neurologist for over 70 years. He also has a law degree and passed the Ohio state bar exam.
Dr. Tucker and his wife Sara, who at 89 is still a practicing psychiatrist, maintain a healthy social circle and enjoy going out to try new restaurants with friends and family. The couple is shown here on their wedding day in 1957.
Being social is also crucial to maintaining a healthy life and getting older. People with strong social connections. tend to live longer, healthier lives. They also have a 50 percent chance increased of survival than those with weaker social relationships.
Dr Tucker said: ‘Unfortunately, at my age, many of my closest friends, family and colleagues have passed away. But I am lucky that my job has allowed me to build relationships with younger colleagues.
‘At least twice a week, we eat with my daughter and her husband and my son and his wife. We also enjoy trying new restaurants with friends and colleagues’.
The benefits of maintaining a social life come from the fact that humans are inherently dependent on relationships with other people. A sense of community, especially in a person’s old age, is paramount.
According to Dr. Carolyn Aldwin, director of the Center for Research on Healthy Aging at Oregon State University: “If you go to any metropolitan area or small town, you can find a donut shop where seniors congregate every day “.
‘Being involved in the community in a good way is really important.’
Dr. Tucker is also an avid reader and is not limited to academic articles and clinical studies promoting the latest advances in neurology. He also gobbles up mystery novels and biographies.
‘Immersing yourself in a good book, fiction or non-fiction, requires your brain to process a lot of new information. I think this is key to keeping your mind sharp,” she said.
Apparently, Dr. Tucker has no plans to retire anytime soon. When asked about this by Guinness last year, the doctor said flatly: ‘My God, no!’
He added: ‘I think retirement is the enemy of longevity. Even in my younger years, I never contemplated retirement.’
