.
My family recently lost our matriarch – my grandmother, Nana, who was 102 years old. It was a sad event, but also cause for celebrating a life extraordinarily well lived.
For me, her passing prompted reflection about how her way of life can inform the development and support of longevity-enhancing communities across the United States and around the world.
You see, Nana truly LIVED her life. She was healthy and vibrant well past her 100th birthday. As her grandson, I hope robust genes played a role, but I know we owe her experience to more than just genes. Her longevity didn’t happen by chance, or by accident.
Nana was mindful about everything. She was petite, with a fist half the size of mine. She used her fist to measure the meals she placed on her plate: a fistful of greens, vegetables, protein, whole grains, fruit. She knew portioning modest amounts of fresh, nutrient rich food was the healthiest way – and, better yet, the most flavorful and enjoyable way – to set her table.
She spent much of her time outdoors, from Cairo where she raised her family, to the United States where she became a proud citizen, to the coastal regions and mountain villages of Lebanon where she lived her later years. In each of her homes around the globe, she was an enthusiastic member of tight-knit, supportive communities. She lived in the gardens, along the sidewalks, and in the green spaces and public places around the homes of her friends and neighbors.
She walked to local markets, selecting fresh produce and lean proteins from nearby farms, returning home with only as much as she could carry to serve that evening. That’s “Farm to Table” at its most effective.
She remained engaged – always seeking new experiences and gathering generations of family around to draw strength from their energy and to share her wisdom from walking the earth for so many years. As she neared 100, she began a “romance” with an 85-year-old suitor. Talk about staying engaged!
She prayed frequently, which both calmed and invigorated her. Whether one is religious or not, life must have purpose to be sustained. She knew that instinctively, and I learned it from her.
Indeed, I’ve learned a lot about purpose. For nearly 30 years, my team has developed sophisticated medical facilities across the United States. Our intense and passionate focus on improving the human experience using real estate has helped people return to health faster than they otherwise would have. We’ve won 55 awards for that work, but more importantly, we’ve made a positive difference in many lives.
But with Nana’s help, I learned that for all the good we do in healthcare, we’ve missed an opportunity to do more – to do better. I realized that healthCARE happens when HEALTH has failed. Many places around the world have failed to do the foundational work of illness prevention, which can reduce human suffering and avoid costs which can be so catastrophic to families, communities and economies.
Consider that in the United States, 75% of the $3 trillion spent annually on healthcare goes to mitigate chronic, preventable ailments. Unhealthy weight and obesity, in particular – which plague two-thirds of adults and one-third of children – are linked to four out of the top five leading causes of death.
The United States spends more than twice as much on healthcare as other developed nations, yet was dead last in a 2014 study measuring quality of care in 11 countries as defined by access, efficiency, equity and healthy living. Scores were notably poor on infant mortality and productive years past age 60 – two key “healthy living” indicators.
Sadly – indeed, shockingly – public health experts now warn that failure to prevent illnesses associated with inactivity and food intake could make the current generation the first to live shorter lives than their parents. I can’t think of a statistic that demands action more urgently than that.
Lest we think this problem is limited to developed countries, the World Health Organization reports that obesity has more than doubled worldwide since 1980 and that most of the world’s population currently live in countries where obesity kills more people than undernourishment. National Institutes of Health Director Francis Collins has observed that chronic diseases are the fastest growing causes of death and disability around the globe and adds that urbanization can aggravate the problem; growth in personal purchasing power can enable the choices that raise the risk of chronic disease.
Add to these lifestyle factors the results of scientific studies showing that a baby is born today with 250 potentially harmful chemicals in his bloodstream because of the air his mother breathes at home and work. Consider that we spend 90 percent of our time indoors, where air quality is up to five times worse than it is outside. Why? Less expensive building materials, which can be the most hazardous, are chosen all too often; and regulations haven’t kept up with materials that off-gas noxious chemicals. These materials, along with conditioned air, have done to our buildings what processed food and sugar have done to our bodies. They’ve made us sick.
My purpose now is to use my firm’s resources and knowledge to keep people out of medical buildings – to use better practices in real estate development, construction and community engagement to do it; and to create more centenarians like Nana in the process. How? By providing a thriving mix of office, residential, retail and recreational uses; selecting healthier building materials; orienting buildings for health-enhancing light harvesting, and positioning them to encourage walking and cycling; supporting purveyors of fresh food; creating natural opportunities for exercise and engagement; and programming places and activities for interaction with nature and friends, colleagues and family.
It’s a complicated and expensive form of real estate development – no question. But there are plenty of companies making the investment. The reasons are not entirely altruistic, nor can they be if this commitment is to be sustainable. These communities are in high demand in places where people can afford them, which can make them lucrative for developers. But if we develop them only for those who can afford high rents, we’ve missed the chance to spread health-enhancing benefits to all populations.
On the civic side, forward-thinking city leaders know that the economic vibrancy of their communities is directly linked to the physical health of their citizens. Healthy people are the engines of financial growth, innovation, education and progress.
That’s why some of the most exciting projects involve creative partnerships with cities contributing land in need of revitalization and offering incentives to private developers who, in turn, commit to including best urban planning and design practices in mixed-use neighborhoods that meet municipal goals: things like mixed-income housing and lower priced office environments to encourage entrepreneurialism and innovation; sustainable building and site practices to reduce natural resource depletion and dependency on overburdened city services; and public spaces for art, culture and recreation – all of which enhance the overall health and well-being of every society.
This work requires visionary leadership and passionate execution from all players. The Urban Land Institute has been studying and promoting the design of healthy places and working to improve health along busy corridors like the one that borders one of our projects in Nashville, Tennessee. On a global scale, the United Nations in 2015 recognized the importance of equitable, nutritious and healthy community development as the top three of its 17 Sustainable Development Goals.
We need every commercial developer, municipality, nonprofit and NGO involved in community development to work on these issues. In doing our part, we’re focusing on cleaning up indoor environments and making the lifestyle changes that can end chronic disease easier than the alternative choices. We believe that is the only way to catalyze the knowledge most people already have, but many have not acted upon. Namely, that we need to eat better and move more.
We are inspired to do this work by our “Nanas” – our grandparents and parents – and we’re called to do it for our kids and grandkids. Because every generation deserves to live longer than the one that came before.
That’s what human advancement is all about – it’s who we are, and it’s why we are here.
About the author: Jean-Claude Saada is Chairman and CEO of Cambridge Holdings.
The views presented in this article are the author’s own and do not necessarily represent the views of any other organization.
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In Pursuit of Longevity: Lessons from Nana
Portrait of a beautiful old lady in an elegant old-fashioned clothes. Vintage style.|
May 17, 2016
My family recently lost our matriarch – my grandmother, Nana, who was 102 years old. It was a sad event, but also cause for celebrating a life extraordinarily well lived.
For me, her passing prompted reflection about how her way of life can inform the development and support of longevity-enhancing communities across the United States and around the world.
You see, Nana truly LIVED her life. She was healthy and vibrant well past her 100th birthday. As her grandson, I hope robust genes played a role, but I know we owe her experience to more than just genes. Her longevity didn’t happen by chance, or by accident.
Nana was mindful about everything. She was petite, with a fist half the size of mine. She used her fist to measure the meals she placed on her plate: a fistful of greens, vegetables, protein, whole grains, fruit. She knew portioning modest amounts of fresh, nutrient rich food was the healthiest way – and, better yet, the most flavorful and enjoyable way – to set her table.
She spent much of her time outdoors, from Cairo where she raised her family, to the United States where she became a proud citizen, to the coastal regions and mountain villages of Lebanon where she lived her later years. In each of her homes around the globe, she was an enthusiastic member of tight-knit, supportive communities. She lived in the gardens, along the sidewalks, and in the green spaces and public places around the homes of her friends and neighbors.
She walked to local markets, selecting fresh produce and lean proteins from nearby farms, returning home with only as much as she could carry to serve that evening. That’s “Farm to Table” at its most effective.
She remained engaged – always seeking new experiences and gathering generations of family around to draw strength from their energy and to share her wisdom from walking the earth for so many years. As she neared 100, she began a “romance” with an 85-year-old suitor. Talk about staying engaged!
She prayed frequently, which both calmed and invigorated her. Whether one is religious or not, life must have purpose to be sustained. She knew that instinctively, and I learned it from her.
Indeed, I’ve learned a lot about purpose. For nearly 30 years, my team has developed sophisticated medical facilities across the United States. Our intense and passionate focus on improving the human experience using real estate has helped people return to health faster than they otherwise would have. We’ve won 55 awards for that work, but more importantly, we’ve made a positive difference in many lives.
But with Nana’s help, I learned that for all the good we do in healthcare, we’ve missed an opportunity to do more – to do better. I realized that healthCARE happens when HEALTH has failed. Many places around the world have failed to do the foundational work of illness prevention, which can reduce human suffering and avoid costs which can be so catastrophic to families, communities and economies.
Consider that in the United States, 75% of the $3 trillion spent annually on healthcare goes to mitigate chronic, preventable ailments. Unhealthy weight and obesity, in particular – which plague two-thirds of adults and one-third of children – are linked to four out of the top five leading causes of death.
The United States spends more than twice as much on healthcare as other developed nations, yet was dead last in a 2014 study measuring quality of care in 11 countries as defined by access, efficiency, equity and healthy living. Scores were notably poor on infant mortality and productive years past age 60 – two key “healthy living” indicators.
Sadly – indeed, shockingly – public health experts now warn that failure to prevent illnesses associated with inactivity and food intake could make the current generation the first to live shorter lives than their parents. I can’t think of a statistic that demands action more urgently than that.
Lest we think this problem is limited to developed countries, the World Health Organization reports that obesity has more than doubled worldwide since 1980 and that most of the world’s population currently live in countries where obesity kills more people than undernourishment. National Institutes of Health Director Francis Collins has observed that chronic diseases are the fastest growing causes of death and disability around the globe and adds that urbanization can aggravate the problem; growth in personal purchasing power can enable the choices that raise the risk of chronic disease.
Add to these lifestyle factors the results of scientific studies showing that a baby is born today with 250 potentially harmful chemicals in his bloodstream because of the air his mother breathes at home and work. Consider that we spend 90 percent of our time indoors, where air quality is up to five times worse than it is outside. Why? Less expensive building materials, which can be the most hazardous, are chosen all too often; and regulations haven’t kept up with materials that off-gas noxious chemicals. These materials, along with conditioned air, have done to our buildings what processed food and sugar have done to our bodies. They’ve made us sick.
My purpose now is to use my firm’s resources and knowledge to keep people out of medical buildings – to use better practices in real estate development, construction and community engagement to do it; and to create more centenarians like Nana in the process. How? By providing a thriving mix of office, residential, retail and recreational uses; selecting healthier building materials; orienting buildings for health-enhancing light harvesting, and positioning them to encourage walking and cycling; supporting purveyors of fresh food; creating natural opportunities for exercise and engagement; and programming places and activities for interaction with nature and friends, colleagues and family.
It’s a complicated and expensive form of real estate development – no question. But there are plenty of companies making the investment. The reasons are not entirely altruistic, nor can they be if this commitment is to be sustainable. These communities are in high demand in places where people can afford them, which can make them lucrative for developers. But if we develop them only for those who can afford high rents, we’ve missed the chance to spread health-enhancing benefits to all populations.
On the civic side, forward-thinking city leaders know that the economic vibrancy of their communities is directly linked to the physical health of their citizens. Healthy people are the engines of financial growth, innovation, education and progress.
That’s why some of the most exciting projects involve creative partnerships with cities contributing land in need of revitalization and offering incentives to private developers who, in turn, commit to including best urban planning and design practices in mixed-use neighborhoods that meet municipal goals: things like mixed-income housing and lower priced office environments to encourage entrepreneurialism and innovation; sustainable building and site practices to reduce natural resource depletion and dependency on overburdened city services; and public spaces for art, culture and recreation – all of which enhance the overall health and well-being of every society.
This work requires visionary leadership and passionate execution from all players. The Urban Land Institute has been studying and promoting the design of healthy places and working to improve health along busy corridors like the one that borders one of our projects in Nashville, Tennessee. On a global scale, the United Nations in 2015 recognized the importance of equitable, nutritious and healthy community development as the top three of its 17 Sustainable Development Goals.
We need every commercial developer, municipality, nonprofit and NGO involved in community development to work on these issues. In doing our part, we’re focusing on cleaning up indoor environments and making the lifestyle changes that can end chronic disease easier than the alternative choices. We believe that is the only way to catalyze the knowledge most people already have, but many have not acted upon. Namely, that we need to eat better and move more.
We are inspired to do this work by our “Nanas” – our grandparents and parents – and we’re called to do it for our kids and grandkids. Because every generation deserves to live longer than the one that came before.
That’s what human advancement is all about – it’s who we are, and it’s why we are here.
About the author: Jean-Claude Saada is Chairman and CEO of Cambridge Holdings.
The views presented in this article are the author’s own and do not necessarily represent the views of any other organization.
