Seniors

Alzheimer's overwhelmingly negative brand associations have made it difficult to galvanize public support demanding effective treatments and prevention.

I have big news to report!!! Debra Rapoport has started an Etsy store where she will be selling several of her incredible handmade hats and embellishments. She is working on getting new higher res pics up very soon, but if you want to a quick peek to see what's in store CLICK HERE.

A small experiment finds that family members are more comfortable with the phrase "allow a natural death."

Many aging adults avoid exercise because they are afraid of being injured. Little do they realize that the actual danger lies in becoming too sedentary. As we age, our bones, joints, and muscles naturally begin to deteriorate as cells gradually die off, making us more frail and prone to serious injuries. The only way to combat the aging process is by exercising, which encourages the body to produce new cells and increase muscle and bone density. Fortunately, it is never too late to start an exercise regime and improve your fitness: “In one study, life expectancy was increased even in persons who did not begin exercising regularly until 75 years of age.” No matter your age, fitness level, or mobility limitations, there are low-impact exercises that can improve mobility and promote a healthy life. Find out more about how exercise can positively affect many areas of your life: Increasing Balance & Preventing Falls Falls are an all too common occurrence among seniors and even the slightest of slips can have catastrophic consequences for older Americans. Over 40% of people who suffer a hip fracture are unable to return home to live independently. In addition, 25% of seniors who suffer a fall pass away shortly after their injury. Simple balance exercises and resistance training can strengthen stabilizer muscles that aid in balance and ultimately help prevent falls and potentially fatal injuries. Research has found that practicing tai chi is especially helpful to seniors. This ancient form of exercise has its roots in martial arts and involves slow, deliberate movements. Practitioners methodically transition between poses while concentrating on their breathing, emphasizing the mind/body connection. This form of exercise is especially helpful to seniors because it is low impact that reduces stress and improves balance and flexibility. Prevent or Delay Disease Aging naturally causes a loss in bone density that can result in Osteoporosis, Arthritis, and other diseases, especially in adults who have additional risk factors. While most people associate exercise with losing fat and gaining muscle, strength and resistance training also affect bone density. As you engage in challenging exercises, your body responds by increasing blood flow and creating cells that add new layers of bone growth. This increases bone density and strength, actually making it harder to incur fractures and breaks. Without exercise, cells will continue to die without being replaced, resulting in weakened bones. In addition to low-impact cardiovascular exercise, seniors should incorporate weight bearing movements into their exercise routine. This doesn’t mean slinging around massive weights at the gym. Even powerwalking and dancing can have a beneficial impact on bone density that can help prevent or delay the onset of Osteoporosis and other bone and joint related diseases. Combat Depression & Dementia In addition to having physical benefits, exercise can also affect your emotional and mental well-being. Getting older can mean facing a combination of major life changes and stressors all at once. Dealing with the loss of loved ones, a decrease in mobility, and a lack of purpose, can make seniors especially prone to depression. Research shows that older adults experience clinical depression at over twice the rate of the rest of the population. Exercise can be the most valuable tool seniors have when it comes to boosting their mood and fighting depression. In fact, for some patients, regular exercise is just as effective as anti-depressant medications. Research has also proven that there is a direct link between a strong body and a strong mind. Lack of physical activity can cause cognitive decline and increased instances of dementia and Alzheimer disease. However, if you engage in regular physical activity, you can lower your risk of dementia by 24%. Just 30 minutes of exercise a day can significantly improve your mood and cognitive abilities, thus ensuring a better qua

This is a guest post by Dave, who is also looking to retire no later than 45, but unlike Tim has no kids and doesn’t want any. Dave is from Ontario and is working towards his CGA certification. I hate to admit it, but I’m forgetful sometimes. There are days when I leave the house and for some reason, forget to lock the door. The crime rate in my city is fairly low, so the risk of theft is minimal, but it’s probably not one of my best ideas. My wife and I laugh when we stop to think what we would really lose if someone came in and emptied our house of everything we owned. Our condominium insurance covers the contents of our house for $20,000 – we would have a hard time spending half that amount of money to replace clothes, furniture and electronics stuff. Most of the money we spend in a year (from reviewing our “non-fixed” expenses) is traveling, driving around the province to visit friends and family. Our spending around the house is minimal, at best – other than attempting to increase her clothes collection. My TV is over 10 years old, and I dread moving it around (it’s a beast). Our furniture is serviceable and comfortable and works for us. When we started down an Early Retirement path, we knew we would have to prioritize our spending away from typical “luxury” items to shift that money to paying down all debt and eventually ending up with enough money invested to be financially independent. If all goes well, we will achieve financial independence by the time I’m 45 (11 years from now). Besides our house, our personal balance sheet shows very little in the way of assets. Everything we own can be replaced with a few calls to Kijiji sellers. I have maintained my “student” lifestyle, which does provide a certain level of freedom – a lack of attachment to “stuff” has definitely assisted significantly in our financial plans. If anything, we would probably enjoy our home more if we emptied it all out and started over again. My wife and I talk about all of the things we could spend money on, and prioritize away from items that we didn’t care about and spend as little as we can on things that do. I think our decisions are a little different than a conventional household because we have a significantly shorter window available to us to achieve the financial goal, which forces us to optimize much more. I’m not really sure whether my spending patterns would be a lot different without setting the goal I did, but I find having even a moderate goal in mind forces me to think and make do with what I have, whether it’s a conscious decision or not. What kind of stuff do you just stop caring about in order to increase your saving level?

One refreshing aspect of the book is that seniors living at Pine Haven are not pigeon-holed into typical stereotypes of older adults often depicted in the media.

In case some of you haven't already discovered Jonathan's blog (and bookmarked it in your feed readers!), he's just written and illustrated a new post about a great teacher from his past. Since I know many of you are also great teachers, or are eternally grateful to those you had, you might enjoy it.

(you can click all Tweets to enlarge) As many of my regular readers know, I have nearly been run off the road several times for my (old, obsolete) Obama bumper stickers... and I did not even vote for Obama in 2012 (voted for Green Party candidate Jill Stein instead). Nonetheless, those scary bumper stickers remain, because I refuse to be intimidated, and my car is old besides (but paid for!). Thus, when I saw the Twitter hashtag #WhenIseeaObamabumpersticker (excuse bad grammar, but what did you expect?), I admit that I reacted very strongly to the right-wing, racist bullies who came out of the woodwork to trumpet their bullying... the kind of bullying I have been dealing with for 5 years now. Not surprisingly, they are damned proud of themselves. When called on it, haha, it's suddenly all a 'joke'--although at least some of them admit they are dead serious. I know that the people who have repeatedly tried to run me off the road, tailgate me dangerously on interstates while shooting the bird, etc, are/were VERY serious, not at all joking. And as they angrily pass me, they often show me their Dubya/Romney/anti-abortion/pro-NRA/anti-gay marriage (et. al.) bumper stickers as well--just in case there is any question WHY they feel moved to behave like maniacs. Needless to say, I have never tried to run any of THEM off the road, nor flip them off, nor in any way act like a goon simply because they disagree with ME. Nor would I. But then, I am not a bully, and I have never understood the psychology of bullies. They really would have been quite at home in the old Soviet Union, which jailed all dissenters. They value ideological lockstep. Further, I noticed that when I checked out several of these people's self-descriptions... virtually all of them claim to be BIBLE-BELIEVING CHRISTIANS! Do you believe?!? (well, of course you do) They trash the poor while claiming to believe in the Messiah who said Blessed are the poor and the poor we always have with us. The Messiah who said, as ye do to the least of these, so have you done to me. The One who said, The Last shall be first. When I dared comment on this gross theological discrepancy, they found it amusing and re-tweeted me. HAHA!--this bitch expects me to actually LIVE WHAT I CLAIM TO BELIEVE, IS THAT FUNNY OR WHAT?! Yes, I suppose it is.

Eric in his garden (Parc Baldwin community garden, early May.) Pen and watercolor, 9"x 6".  Click image for larger view.This was the scene in the community garden in early May, a couple of weeks ago. I spent several evenings on this illustration; one to do the drawing and a couple of others working on the color. The fence on the left separates our garden from a large community swimming pool. It's still too cold in Montreal to swim, but work crews have been cleaning the pool to get it ready to fill, probably in early June. I'll try to do an illustration later on of the many people enjoying the pool - on hot days it gets absolutely packed, and the two side of the fence make an amusing contrast. We've planted a lot of flowering vines and tall plants along the fence, to make this aspect of urban life more pleasant for everyone, bathers and gardeners alike.