Last week in one of my wellness classes, we had a physical therapist come in to demonstrate some techniques for getting up from a fall. Before she left, she had volunteers sit in a chair, cross their arms over their chest, and then stand. The challenge was to sit, stand fully, and sit back down as many times as possible in …
I’m not like most people. I realize that. When it comes to attitudes about aging, I really don’t fit in with the majority. While most people I know avoid the topic, I am obsessed with everything to do with aging. Even when I am with folks who either work in the field of aging or who are older themselves—most of the …
A new television series, “Feud,” starts its first season with an examination of the challenges faced by two aging movie stars. Bette Davis is played by Susan Sarandon and Joan Crawford is played by Jessica Lange. The result is a stunning example of art imitating life. As aging actresses play two aging actresses from a generation before, a bright light is …
A survey of AARP members shows that 87% of people 50 and older are very concerned about keeping their mental abilities. If that includes you, there’s hope. First, a recent study shows that the overall number of cases of dementia (including Alzheimer’s) in the 65-plus population dropped from 11.9% in 2000 to 8.8% in 2012. Second, there are things you can …
It’s a natural response after you’ve been hurt to take time to heal. But too much of a good thing can be bad for you. Whether it’s a knee injury or a lost job, there’s a time to rest and a time to push on. On the rare occasion that I come down with the flu, I like spending a few days …
We inherit our genes from our parents. That genetic material is stored in our cells in chromosomes. Like the plastic tips on shoelaces, each end of our chromosomes is protected by tips called telomeres. We have the ability to delay age-related disease and slow the process of our aging by protecting those tips. Telomeres get shorter as we get older, and …
Good health becomes more important as we age. That’s why last Sunday, while much of the world was watching the Super Bowl, I watched the movie “Concussion.” It’s the true story of a doctor trying to make the world aware of the serious brain damage being done to football players. Professional football players use their heads as battering rams. Even though …
Did you know that your hand grip strength is an indicator of future disability? Flipping through a journal of gerontology, I found an article describing an interesting experiment. Many studies show that how a person thinks or feels about age actually impacts their health. This study was unusual in that it had mostly female participants. And the results were encouraging. The …
A recent AARP email grabbed my attention and I ended up reading several of their Disrupt Aging blog posts. One introduced a term that creatively captures the concept of age discrimination: “gray-cial profiling.” According to the January 18 post, at least two major companies are guilty of this offense. First, there is the tech giant Google, which has my favorite web …
Sometimes we flounder in an effort to figure out who we are at this stage of life. As someone who has always been driven, who always sought challenging work and opportunities to advance, this time of life has thrown me a curve ball. It seems that much of what I had used to identify myself is falling away. Joan Chittister writes …
