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POPSThe Greying of Canada Will there be a national strategy to cope with the massive numbers of aging Canadians or creation of a national home-care program for seniors? "The older we get, it seems, the longer we want to live – and, indeed, are living. Like almost every other developed country, Canada is greying, big-time, as the population bulge known as baby boomers closes in on senior status, with the first wave turning 65 in 2011. They will live longer than their forebears; not only has Canadian life expectancy doubled in the past century, to 82 for men and 85 for women, but many more of us will live to be 100." "I tell old people: you have to pay attention to what you like, what gives you pleasure. I love clothes. I love food. I still cut out recipes even though I can't cook any more. I love to read. If you love reading, you've got it for life. I'm grateful to my friends and my children. I know there are grand gardens around the city but I couldn't be happier with my little garden."
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POPSIndia: No Country for Old People? A thoughtful look at the realities of aging in India. The author constructively writes: "Maybe it is also time to stop expecting everything from the government and popularize the concept of volunteer work and harness the resources of a neighborhood to get some services in place. Students in their holidays could perhaps teach the older generation the use of computers, and who is better placed than neighbors to keep an eye on the safety of the seniors." We all should strive to look after one another, especially our vulnerable ones.
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POPSMiddle age truly depressing says study They were amazed at the constancy, but it is not inevitable. The fact that it is the half way point may be a factor, and the fact that many dreams of youth are no longer possible eg too old to repay a home loan. No doubt there are those who have had more realistic dreams. Experience can shatter many illusions. There is the bright side in that after a point people can realize they are too old to dream, and start living each day as though it is a bonus. What worries me is after being classified as depression, there can be a determination to classify it as an 'illness' or a 'syndrome' that can be remedied with medication, to the point where people become depressed without the medications (which can often be addictive) Often the only thing that is needed is time. After realizing you're 'over the hill' it is a matter of accepting the inevitable, and making the most of the ride.
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POPSMost older adults have brain disease: study Older persons can often handle one pathology in their brain, but the burden of more than one pathology may tip them over the threshold of clinical dementia Therefore, prevention of not only Alzheimer's disease but these other pathologies, particularly stroke and those things that may increase the risk of stroke, like high blood pressure, high cholesterol, cigarette smoking, obesity, "are likely to significantly decrease the prevalence of dementia
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POPS1 in 7 Americans Age 71 & Older Has Dementia: NIH study As this affects not only those with dementia, but their families and communities as well, we need to get busy and find ways to delay progression or prevent dementia--ways other than increasing our chances of dying young via promoting & provoking war, ignoring malnutrition and stressing our children to the point of suicide...
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POPSStudy: Vision linked to mental decline in seniors Good news for the nearsighted, but not so good for those who are farsighted.* Guess we all should try hard to stay mentally active. Fortunately I find that clipping and writing remarks & comments is mentally stimulating! (for me, anyway ;)) *corrected...thank you, Satchemo
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POPSPatients Can't Recall Their Medications To Tell Doctors I can tell you from experience, not only couldn't my mother name the drugs she was taking, she was not taking them as prescribed. I investigated this when her behavior first started to change and show signs of dementia. Why is this important? Is my belief that if my mother had been taking her hypertension drugs as prescribed she would be much healthier today and the onset and development of her Alzheimer's might have been delayed.
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POPSAARP looks after graying music lovers Interesting look at how boomers continue to affect the music industry to the point where even AARP is catering to boomer tastes in music radio (counter to commercial radio which is struggling "to connect with younger listeners who find most of their music online"). a bit more from the source: "At Amazon.com, the five best-selling artists in the online merchant's history are the Beatles, U2, Norah Jones, Johnny Cash and Diana Krall. The top five sellers last year included Bruce Springsteen, Bob Dylan and Andrea Bocelli — all staples of the boomer crowd"
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POPSGuide for Caregivers: what you need to know to provide for your loved one
Good list of resources, with descriptions and links: Administration on Aging (aoa.gov): Provides caregivers and their parents information on various services including elder rights. Area Agency on Aging: This government program provides a national network of social services. See n4a.org (National Association of Area Agencies on Aging) or call 800-677-1116 for your local agency. Family Caregiver Alliance (caregiver.org): Offers programs at national, state and local levels to support caregivers. AARP (aarp.org): for people age 50 and older; provides numerous benefits to members. Eldercare Locator (eldercare.gov): A service of the U.S. Admin. on Aging; links caregivers with senior services. Medicare Rights (medicare rights.org): Independent source of health-care info and assistance for people with Medicare. National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization (nhpco.org): Offers information on end-of-life issues and state-specific advance directives.
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POPSPlans for end-of-life medical care?: study Planning ahead for medical care at life's end--who does, who doesn't, and who should? This study asked questions of people in their mid to late 60's, but IMO younger people need a plan, too. Just look at poor Terri Schiavo, who collapsed at age 26 in 1990 and, having never regained consciousness, was finally allowed to die at age 41 just two years ago. Study data came from the Wisconsin Longitudinal Study (WLS), a unique 50-year study of more than 10,000 men and women, now in their mid-60s, who graduated from Wisconsin high schools in 1957. Over 7000 of the WLS participants provided info, via phone interviews and mail questionnaires, regarding their plans for end-of-life care. The results aren't surprising. The researchers' next question to explore: "Does end-of-life planning do any good" The assumption now is that having a DPAHC will reduce family suffering and ensure the loved one's wishes are carried out. But the true effectiveness of people's choices has yet to be examined."
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POPSTruly the end of retirement When cultures beileved to treasure their elders start putting pensioners to work, that can't be good news. Japan's population, as many in the West, is growing older, and its pensioners threaten to bankrupt their economies. But what of the elders who are to frail to make money? Euthanasia? Soylent green?
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POPSWhen to have a child, if ever: The impact in later life The results of this research: "Early mothers were the least satisfied and most depressed of all four groups, while delayed or late mothers were the most satisfied with their lives and the happiest." "All other things being equal, the childless women were about as satisfied and happy with their lives as the on-time mothers." "In mid-life, being married or having a partner has a greater impact on a woman's well-being than whether or not she has children" This study suggests that childless women are just as likely to experience psychological well-being later in life as women who have children when they are between 19 and 24, and end up happier than women who have children before age 19, so having children is no guarantee of greater happiness in your old age. Motherhood isn't likely to make you happier later in life unless you delay having children until age 25 or after. It also points to our need for loving relationships as we age in order to feel happy.
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POPSPAWS: pet project helps seniors, too Heartwarming news for a change! Side note: Ola Carlson, the elderly woman featured in this story, apparently led a wild life. Read the article for the racy details. :D
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POPSNew Interactive Television to Help Patients and Elderly In addition to monitoring patients' vital signs, an "interactive dosifier" feature creates reminders that pop up on the television so that people don't forget to take their medication. Patients can send messages to their doctor via the TV set also. Another innovative way to help elderly people remain in their homes instead of uprooting them and warehousing them in nursing homes and retirement centers. This gives me hope. I had planned to be set adrift on an ice floe when the time came that I could no longer live at home, but with global warming that plan may have to be scrapped. Perhaps this telemedicine will be a viable alternative.
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POPSWhy intersections are often deadly for older drivers Rearch that corroborates what many of us already suspected was true, based on our own observations. "Researchers looked at intersection crashes in Connecticut from August 2003 to October 2004 and interviewed at-fault drivers to determine what led to the collision. The researchers analyzed answers for age-related trends, comparing three groups — drivers 35-54, 70-79 and 80 plus."
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POPSSolution Helps Keep Seniors At Home "It's a good example of how people working around the country at the grass-roots level can change the way a whole big bureaucratic program works," says Dr. Mark McClellan, former chief of Medicaid.
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