Active Aging

[LenaHuat]

Hi mojo

John McCain said : "I know my mum wouldn't like me to say this : She's 96 years young".
Biden's mother is 91 years young.
(Biden is the Democratic VP nominee).

[mojo_]

Lena, yeah I saw Biden introduce his mum too - another blessed lady at 91 though she looks more frail than McCain's mother at 96.

I was amazed because people were wondering if 72 yo McCain can last his term if he were to be elected... and here is his mother 96 yrs young and still very much alert and sprightly..

... and then there is 54 yo Cindy who looks half her age

[winston]

“Are there any foods that can energize my 80-year-old father?”

“I am the caregiver of my 80-year-old father. He is diabetic, hypertensive, and experiences dementia, a symptom of his Alzheimer’s.

“My dad is on multiple medications. I carefully plan his meals, but, depending upon his mood, he does not always eat properly or get the rest he needs. So he is typically grouchy, uncooperative, and combative when he wakes up in the morning, late in the evening, and occasionally throughout the day. Also, he is so boring and sedentary that his behavior can be unduly stressful and alienating for me. Moreover, he gives me the impression that he has lost the will to live.

“He can walk - usually with a cane for support. And his brain seems to be okay, because he remembers the names and faces of his friends and relatives. But are there any foods that can energize him?”

Alicia McDonald


===============================================

Dear Alicia,

First, let me say that I really sympathize. You are describing my own father in the last years of his life. This is not a picnic.

Don’t be lulled into thinking that everything’s okay with him “brain-wise” because he remembers family and friends. His brain may not be working on all cylinders, and that may be why he doesn’t interact well with people or have any interest in what’s going on around him. Plus, don’t underestimate the enormous power of medications to produce all sorts of unwanted side effects.

Start by finding a holistically minded MD or a naturopathic doctor and revisit his med list. See what is really essential and what isn’t. If you can get him off ANY of his drugs, do so. And if one of them is a statin drug for high cholesterol, be sure to talk to your doctor about dumping it. “Lowering cholesterol” has absolutely no benefit for a man his age, and may even be a risk factor.

Consider giving him some supplements - notably, COQ10 and L-carnitine, which may help with energy. Consider, too, the super trio for brain health: acetyl-L-carnitine, phosphatidyl serine, and GPC. All of these have been shown to help with memory, thinking, and sharpness.

Your challenge is going to be to get him to eat. People in your father’s age group are frequently under-consuming protein and, thus, vitamin B12, an important vitamin for both energy AND thinking.

Without question, get him on a vitamin D supplement immediately. It’s been shown to increase both mood and physical performance in older adults, not to mention stronger bones.

Try to center his meals on protein (eggs - whole eggs!), grass-fed beef, chicken, turkey, lamb, and - most of all - fish. Both fish and fish oil will be a vital addition to his diet. Fish oil is highly anti-inflammatory, which your father really needs. It also helps with mood (which could help with motivation and engagement). I can’t begin to tell you how important that is.

The less sugar and white stuff (potatoes, bread, cereals, etc.) he eats, the better, though you may not be able to or need to cut them out entirely. But to the extent that you can give him more protein, you’ll be able to energize him more. And don’t skimp on the fat, especially from egg yolks, coconut and coconut oil, olive oil, almond oil, nuts, dried fruit, and even butter.

- Dr. Jonny Bowden

[winston]

No Nursing Home for Me by Jenny Thompson

About 2 years ago my wife and I were on a cruise through the western Mediterranean aboard a Princess liner. At dinner we noticed an elderly lady sitting alone along the rail of the grand stairway in the main dining room. I also noticed that all the staff, ships officers, waiters, busboys, etc., all seemed very familiar with this lady.

I asked our waiter who the lady was, expecting to be told that she owned the line, but he said he only knew that she had been on board for the last four cruises, back to back.

As we left the dining room one evening I caught her eye and stopped to say hello. We chatted and I said, "I understand you've been on this ship for the last four cruises" She replied, "Yes, that's true." I stated, "I don't understand" and she replied, without a pause, "It's cheaper than a nursing home."

So, there will be no nursing home in my future. When I get old and feeble, I am going to get on a Princess Cruise Ship. The average cost for a nursing home is $200 per day. I have checked on reservations at Princess and I can get a long-term discount and senior discount price of $135 per day. That leaves $65 a day for:
Gratuities, which will only be $10 per day.

I will have as many as 10 meals a day if I can waddle to the restaurant, or I can have room service (which means I can have breakfast in bed every day of the week).

Princess has as many as three swimming pools, a workout room, free washers and dryers, and shows every night.
They have free toothpaste and razors, and free soap and shampoo.
They will even treat you like a customer, not a patient. An extra $5 worth of tips will have the entire staff scrambling to help you.
I will get to meet new people every 7 or 14 days.
T.V. broken? Light bulb need changing? Need to have the mattress replaced? No Problem! They will fix everything and apologize for your inconvenience.
Clean sheets and towels every day, and you don't even have to ask for them.
If you fall in the nursing home and break a hip you are on Medicare; if you fall and break a hip on the Princess ship they will upgrade you to a suite for the rest of your life.
Now hold on for the best! Do you want to see South America, the Panama Canal, Tahiti, Australia, New Zealand, Asia, or name where you want to go? Princess will have a ship ready to go.

So don't look for me in a nursing home, just call shore to ship.

[winston]

Senior citizens pursuing education from home: The telephone-based program attracts 500 seniors from across the country

Kathy Leeds grows animated as she describes the courses she is taking this fall, including classes in current events, art and literature. But Leeds will never step foot on a campus or in a classroom. The 79-year-old widow has multiple sclerosis, uses a wheelchair and is confined to her Manhattan apartment. Leeds is one of about 500 people enrolled for the fall semester in a telephone-based educational program for homebound seniors called DOROT University Without Walls, believed to be the largest program of its kind in the country.

(Click here for complete news story) http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/26821219/

[LenaHuat]

Winston's post is really enlightening

No Nursing Home for Me by Jenny Thompson

[winston]

Aging is not good for your health by Jenny Thompson

You know how it goes. Fine print gets finer. The sound of voices becomes blunted. Knees and hips get creaky. Memory plays tricks. The stomach complains.

We all want to live a long life, but does anyone really want to be old?

Actually, the answer appears to be yes. As long as you do it right.

A Yale study, published in 2002, used a long-term survey to follow about 650 people over the age of 50 for several years. Analysis showed that people who had a positive perception of aging lived an average of more than seven years longer than people with a negative perception.

A more recent study, reported this past summer in the journal Psychology and Aging, found that a positive perception of aging among the elderly may actually be quite common.

Researchers at the University of Queensland and University of New South Wales in Australia followed a large group of subjects between the ages of 66 and 91. Another group, ages 18 to 30, was also followed. The Australian team collected data on frequency of social activity and surveyed subjects to assess social satisfaction.

As you might expect, subjects in the younger group engaged in more social activities than the older subjects. Older subjects also tended to spend more time completely alone.

But these additional findings seem to run against the conventional wisdom of our youth- oriented culture:
Older subjects were just as happy with their quieter social lives as younger subjects were with their active lives
Older subjects were more likely to find common experiences uplifting
Older subjects were less likely to become upset over little annoyances
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A little sharpness
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The Yale study I mentioned above was led by Becca Levy, an associate professor of epidemiology, who's about to publish a new study that examines the health effects of negative aging images.

She recently told the New York Times that when older people are constantly exposed to negative ideas of aging – such as "feeble" or "forgetful" – they have higher stress levels, poorer memory, poorer balance, and lower survival rates compared to elderly subjects who aren't treated as if they're ancient relics.

The Times also noted another study that examined the effect of elderspeak on older subjects with dementia.

Calling an older person who you don't know "dear" or "sweetie" may seem considerate, but it's likely to be heard as elderspeak. Using the same tones you might use to talk to a pet or a child is elderspeak. Talking to an older person through a younger companion (as if the elder isn't there) is elderspeak.

Researchers at the University of Kansas found that elderspeak contributes to a "downward spiral" of lowered self-esteem, withdrawal, depression, and a tendency toward dependent behaviors.

All of this is especially upsetting to someone who's losing cognitive function while trying to maintain a semblance of normalcy. In many of these cases, patients who react irritably to elderspeak are sometimes given inadequate care.

Ellen Kirschman – a police psychologist who's nearing 70 – has come up with an interesting way to avoid elderspeak.

Ms. Kirschman told the Times that she avoids condescending treatment by using profanity when she's around people who don't know her. She said, "That makes them think, This is someone to be reckoned with. A little sharpness seems to help."

And it probably adds a few #@$&% years to her life as well.

[LenaHuat]

David Marshall said : "There's nothing good abt ageing "

[blid2def]

Ms. Kirschman told the Times that she avoids condescending treatment by using profanity when she's around people who don't know her. She said, "That makes them think, This is someone to be reckoned with. A little sharpness seems to help."

And it probably adds a few #@$&% years to her life as well.

HAHAHAHA... I like this. I can visualize this in a Joe Pesci type of scene:

Embedded videos have been disabled.
Click to view video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ip2WYXbPuuw

[winston]

You’re Only As Young As You Feel: How to Stay Young at Heart
by David Bohl, Personal Coach

I don’t remember who said “age is only a state of mind,” but I truly believe that. We know getting older is inevitable, but aging doesn’t have to be. Chronologically we age each year, as our physical bodies deteriorate, but mentally how we age is up to us. And even some researchers and others like Deepak Chopra don’t feel our bodies have to age as we expect them to. There is a lot of information being brought to the public on ways we can keep our bodies younger.

To stay young physically, we need to select the best nutrition and exercise. Eating fresh, wholesome foods like fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and lean proteins is a fairly common recipe among most nutritional experts. Staying away from excesses of alcohol, sugar, and caffeine is also a popular remedy for staying young and healthy. And of course, smoking is out of the question. Regular exercise whether it’s engaging in a sport, working out at the gym, or a daily walk will also keep our bodies in better shape than not doing anything energetic.

But our minds are the seat of our ability to stay young at heart. Because our minds control our attitudes, our thoughts, our words, our feelings, and our actions.

If you accept the attitude that you are only as young as you feel, you will act younger, feel younger, and therefore look younger. Your attitude will be upbeat and modern as you stay abreast of current trends, adapt to changes in technology, and keep up with the “younger” generation. Your thoughts can keep you young by being open minded. We show our age when we get fixed in our opinions and perspectives. Stay young by being open, curious, and excited to keep learning.

Our words can also keep us younger longer by adapting to new terminology, giving up archaic phrases from our youth, and interacting with the younger generation. Emotionally you will stay young at heart by releasing rigidity, going with the flow, and following your passions. And your actions keep you young by being adaptable, learning new ways of doing things, and being open to change.

For example, we often learn from our parents and pass what we learn to our children. Wouldn’t it be “cool” if we started learning from our children instead? So instead of always preparing turkey, cranberry sauce, yams, and pumpkin pie on Thanksgiving, ask your children what they want. And start a new tradition of salad, meatballs and spaghetti, and apple pie. Of course, you want to keep it as healthy as possible.

Staying young at heart is also more than just keeping your body healthy and your mind open. You can stay young at heart by coming from your heart in all you do.

Can you do your work from your heart–that is, giving service to your clients and sharing your talents from a place of caring? Can you treat your friends, family, and even strangers with love, kindness, and generosity? And can you love yourself in spite of shortcomings and because you are a truly unique and wonderful being?

Combine your healthy body, flexible mind, and living from your heart and you have a fail proof recipe for staying young at heart–and mind, and body!