Whether planting a garden, enjoying the beauty of your landscape or sitting down to a delicious meal, you have bees, butterflies and other pollinators to thank. These essential members of our ecosystem are responsible for much of the food and beauty we enjoy each day. Unfortunately pesticides and habitat loss are threatening their existence. There… Continue reading Plant a Pollinator Garden and Enjoy the Many Benefits
Author: Sondra Forsyth
Sondra Forsyth is Co-Editor-in-Chief of ThirdAge.com. She is a National Magazine Award winner with scores of major magazine bylines and twelve books to her credit. Her most recent book is “Candida Cleanse: The 21-Day Diet to Beat Yeast and Feel Your Best”. Sondra was Executive Editor at “Ladies’ Home Journal,” Features Editor at “Cosmopolitan,” and Articles Editor at “Bride’s”. A former ballerina, she founded Ballet Ambassadors, an arts-in-education company in New York City, and served as Artistic Director for 16 years.
Sensory Loss Affects 94 Percent of Older Adults
The first study to measure the full spectrum of age-related damage to all five senses found that 94 percent of older adults in the United States have at least one sensory deficit, 38 percent have two, and 28 percent have three, four or five. The study, published in the February 2016 issue of the Journal… Continue reading Sensory Loss Affects 94 Percent of Older Adults
Use of Breast Conservation Surgery for Cancer Decreases
In a study published online by JAMA Surgery on February 17th 2016, Art Sedrakyan, M.D., Ph.D., of Weill Cornell Medical College, New York, and colleagues examined the use of breast conservation surgery (BCS) in New York State and determined rates of reoperation, procedure choice, and the effect of surgeon experience on the odds of a… Continue reading Use of Breast Conservation Surgery for Cancer Decreases
For the Obese, Just 5% Weight Loss = Significant Health Benefits
Those who struggle with obesity, take heart. Losing as little as 5% of your body weight is enough to reap significant health benefits, according to a study published February 22nd 2016 in Cell Metabolism. The randomized controlled trial of 40 obese men and women compared, for the first time, the health outcomes of 5%, 10%,… Continue reading For the Obese, Just 5% Weight Loss = Significant Health Benefits
How to Date a Widow or Widower (It’s Really Not Scary!)
As both a grief recovery expert and a widow with more than her fair share of post-widowhood dating experience, I have been interviewed, written about and presented countless workshops on dating after loss. Since I firmly believe that should a widowed choose it, dating, companionship and love can again be a part of life, I… Continue reading How to Date a Widow or Widower (It’s Really Not Scary!)
Tips for Decorating As a Couple
Moving in together is an important milestone in any couple’s relationship but can bring on some challenges, such as how to make the space their own while incorporating two different personal styles and design tastes. Here are my tips for success: Plan and Get Inspired Together To avoid any conflict or miscommunication, start the process… Continue reading Tips for Decorating As a Couple
Membership in Social Groups After Retirement Linked to Longer Life
Membership in social groups such as book clubs or church groups after retirement is linked to a longer life, with the impact on health and wellbeing similar to that of regular exercise. That is the finding of research published in February 2016 in the online journal BMJ Open. A release from the publishers notes that… Continue reading Membership in Social Groups After Retirement Linked to Longer Life
Solve the Medical Riddle: She Has Been Fainting Often Since She turned 68, Although She Never Passed Out Before That, Fourth Week
Editor’s note: Welcome to our thirdAGE feature that gives you a chance to play medical sleuth as we share the details of what happened when a patient presented with a problem that stumped the physician at first. The first week of this riddle, the patient reported her symptoms to her PCP. The doctor proceeded with… Continue reading Solve the Medical Riddle: She Has Been Fainting Often Since She turned 68, Although She Never Passed Out Before That, Fourth Week
“Invisible Work” Takes Toll on Unpaid Caregivers
Unpaid family and friends who assist older people with disabilities by coordinating doctor appointments and managing medications are significantly more likely to experience emotional, physical and financial difficulties than caregivers who don’t provide this type of support, according to research done at Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health and published February 15th 2016… Continue reading “Invisible Work” Takes Toll on Unpaid Caregivers
Common Antibiotics May Be Linked to Delirium
Antibiotics may be linked more than previously thought, to delirium, a serious disruption in brain function, as well as other brain problems. That is the finding of an article published in online in February 2016 in Neurology, a medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology. A release from the academy explains that delirium causes… Continue reading Common Antibiotics May Be Linked to Delirium
Do You Know How to Wash Your Face?
So many of us have gotten into the routine of absent mindedly washing our faces each morning and night, but are we really taking into consideration a few tiny tricks that can make all the difference in a more effective wash? Washing your face seems like a pretty straightforward practice, right? While a quick splash of water… Continue reading Do You Know How to Wash Your Face?
February Is Low Vision Awareness Month: Tips for Managing Age-Related Vision Loss
As our population ages, the incidence of age-related conditions such as macular degeneration, glaucoma and diabetes is increasing. These conditions may result in vision loss that is not correctable with glasses, medication or surgery. A permanent decrease in visual acuity may make it difficult to complete everyday tasks – this loss of functional vision is called low… Continue reading February Is Low Vision Awareness Month: Tips for Managing Age-Related Vision Loss
Combo Drug May Help Relieve Treatment-Resistant Depression
A clinical trial of an experimental drug for treatment-resistant major depression finds that modulation of the endogenous (inner) opioid system may improve the effectiveness of drugs that target the action of serotonin and related monoamine neurotransmitters. In their paper published online in February 2016 in the American Journal of Psychiatry, a multi-institutional research team reports… Continue reading Combo Drug May Help Relieve Treatment-Resistant Depression
Getting Out of the Hospital Bed Can Improve Stroke Outcomes
In their aim to provide a guideline for healthcare providers about the timing, frequency, and amount of in-hospital mobilization of stroke patients, researchers studied the care and recovery of more than 2,100 patients admitted to a hospital stroke unit. The research was presented at the American Stroke Association’s International Stroke Conference 2016 in February in… Continue reading Getting Out of the Hospital Bed Can Improve Stroke Outcomes
Can You Get Sick From Your Pets?
Americans love their household pets. We treat them like family, kiss their wet noses and share our bowl of ice cream with them. But can we get ill from all of that closeness? Fortunately, you are at much greater risk of contracting an illness from a fellow human than your pet. But there are a… Continue reading Can You Get Sick From Your Pets?
Five Tips to Make Hearing Health Part of Healthy Aging
As people age, it is natural to be more proactive about health. The multitude of recommended screenings and tests that are linked with certain age milestones simplify making healthy aging a priority. However, for the majority of aging people, hearing health is too frequently left out of proactive health planning. For the 37.5 million American… Continue reading Five Tips to Make Hearing Health Part of Healthy Aging
How to Persuade Others Using Gentleness and Patience
Persuading others to see things our way isn’t always easy. No matter how enthusiastic we are about our ideas, motivating others to follow our lead can be like pushing a boulder up a hill. Sometimes, we’re tempted to force matters when we don’t have “buy in” to bring about the changes we want to see.… Continue reading How to Persuade Others Using Gentleness and Patience
Removing Race from Human Genetic Research
A group of scientists is urging colleagues to take a step forward and stop using racial categories when researching and studying human genetics. According to a February 2016 release from Drexel University in Philadelphia, the opening passage of a paper published in Science, written by Drexel School of Public Health’s Michael Yudell, the University of… Continue reading Removing Race from Human Genetic Research