William Scott, who is about to turn 85, plans his busy days months ahead. At 5:30 every morning, he prepares what he calls his “A to Z schedule,” planning how he’ll take on the world. He lectures on double-decker buses touring Chicago, serves on community advisory boards and takes advantage of everything his city has to offer. “There isn't anyone from the mayor to the governor whose meetings I don't tend to be in the first row to ask questions,” he says, “and they all know me by sight.”
Seeming to defy the effects of age, Scott is considered a superager — someone 80 or older with the cognitive abilities of someone about 30 years younger. Researchers are studying Scott and other superagers hoping to unlock their secrets and help the rest of us maintain brain health and avoid dementia as we grow older.
