Home Health Care: Navigating Racial and Cultural Differences By blog Roz, now 95 years old, spent all her life in Westchester County in the company of Jewish people like herself. She was not strictly religious, but she grew up in a time and place when, as she said, "like associated with like." She still recalls one evening, some 70 years ago, when she went on her first and only date with a non-Jewish boy. "I felt like the whole town was watching and judging," she said.
Injury Prevention & Treatment Pain Pain Management Repetitive Stress Injuries: Beyond Carpal Tunnel By Sondra Forsyth article By Sondra Forsyth
_ Men Really Are More Forgetful Than Women By article If your husband is absent-minded and forgets your wedding anniversary or the name of your new neighbor, don't worry. You’re not the only one with a forgetful man in the house, according to a Norwegian study published in the journal BMC Psychology.
_ Hospitals Can Learn from Hospices By article Training hospital and nursing home staff in the basics of palliative care can make the last days of a dying patient’s life as comfortable and dignified as possible, according to F. Amos Bailey of the Birmingham Veterans Affairs Medical Center and the University of Alabama at Birmingham. Bailey is the leader of a study¹ that showed the value of introducing palliative care strategies, typical of hospices, within the setting of Veterans Affairs Medical Centers.
Fibromyalgia and Alternative Treatments By Jane Farrell article http://dirline.nlm.nih.gov/Fibromyalgia, a collection of painful symptoms that may be linked with anxiety and depression, is often difficult to diagnose and to treat.
_ Aging Well Enjoy Life and Be Healthier By Jane Farrell article When it comes to a positive attitude and the quality of life in older age, there really is a connection, according to a new study. Researchers whose findings were published in the CMAJ (Canadian Medical Association Journal) found that the benefits of enjoying life include faster walking speeds and better physical function in daily activities. The investigators looked at 3,199 men and women aged 60 or over who were residents of England.
The Joys of a Birthday Morning on Facebook By Sondra Forsyth blog When I booted my computer early on the morning of January 14th 2014, I went straight to my Facebook timeline. Sure enough, the birthday wishes had already begun to arrive. What a joy to be in touch with such a diverse group of people! I had long since lost touch with many of them before I started to use Facebook at the end of 2008. In a very real sense, the hundreds of people who are my Facebook friends give me the invaluable benefits of social support -- the buzz phrase for having frequent contact with people you care about and who care about you.
Pen-and-Paper Test to Spot Early Alzheimer's By article The Self-Administered Gerocognitive Examination (SAGE test), which takes less than 15 minutes to complete, is a reliable tool for evaluating cognitive abilities. Findings by researchers at The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center confirm the feasibility and efficiency of the tool for community screening of large numbers of people. The study is published in the January 2014 issue of The Journal of Neuropsychiatry and Clinical Neurosciences.
In Praise of a (Mostly) Undocumented Christmas By Sondra Forsyth blog From the vantage point of the second week of January 2014, I’m reflecting on how very much I enjoyed the Christmas of 2013 once I let go of my self-appointed role as the family videographer. The year my first grandchild was born, 2008, I bought a Flip camera and a lightweight tripod and spent my entire holiday visit capturing every possible moment for posterity. When I wasn’t staring at the little screen and exhorting everyone to smile or say something worth recording, I was busy downloading the scenes to my laptop.
Nutrition Guidelines Needed for Full-Service Restaurants By article You avoid fast food chains and patronize full-service chains instead, so you’re eating healthy. Right? Maybe not. According to a study done at Drexel University and the University of Pennsylvania, food served at full-service restaurant chains is typically high in calories, saturated fat, and sodium. The team maintains that standard definitions are needed for ''healthy choice'' tags and for entrées targeted to vulnerable age groups. The article was published in the January 2014 issue of the Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior foods
_ Glaucoma Senior Health Vision Health What You Must Know About Glaucoma By Sondra Forsyth article By Sondra Forsyth In April of 2013, I went for my annual eye exam. I’ve worn glasses or contacts for distance correction ever since elementary school but over the years, other than the usual age-related need for “readers”, I’ve never had any vision problems. This time, though, I saw a look of concern flash across the optometrist’s face when she did the test for ocular pressure. “Is something wrong?” I asked.
_ Heart Health Survival Tips for Heart-Attack Season By Jane Farrell article Snow shoveling is great exercise, but if you’re over a certain age or have health problems, it could prove deadly unless you protect yourself.
Sex and Depression: A Gender-Specific Approach to Healing By Jane Farrell blog Depression runs in my family. I became aware of that fact when my father took an overdose of sleeping pills when I was five years old. Growing up I had little understanding of what had happened or why he was hospitalized and disappeared from our lives. But I did grow up with a hunger to understand depression and a terror that I would become depressed myself and face my own suicidal demons.
Two Fears That Are Bad for Your Health By blog If you suffer from chronic health problems, your distress may be rooted in the fear of poverty and the fear of criticism. These two terrorists can keep you stuck in a job or business you hate, and relationships that drain the life out of you. To get past these gatekeepers to healthy living, confront your fears head on. Once you look at what you fear and why, you can take the action that moves fear out of the way.
Breast Cancer Health Close-Up: Stage IV Breast Cancer By Jane Farrell article By Judy Kirkwood Editor's note: October is Breast Cancer Month. This article is ThirdAge's contribution to awareness about a form of breast cancer that is seldom discussed and is underfunded even though a third of patients have it. Read on for the courageous story of one of those patients and learn how easy it can be for you to help the cause.
_ Retirement Why I'm Taking Early Retirement By Jane Farrell article By Judy Kirkwood For me, the sixties are more fabulous than the fifties. For one thing, beginning at age 59 1/2, as a sneak preview, you can access your IRA savings – if you have any -- with no penalty other than the regular tax (do it before and you’re hit with an additional 10 percent penalty). At age 62 you can apply to receive early Social Security benefits. At 65, we have Medicare and can perhaps drop our expensive healthcare insurance if we’ve been paying privately – depending on who is elected and what happens in Congress.