_ Mental & Emotional Health 7 Tips to Maintain Class and Control Through Any Life Challenge By Sondra Forsyth article By Sherrie Campbell PhD We all have moments when we don't love how we responded to a situation or how we acted. When you are grounded in who you are, you have a certain essence where people can feel that not much can shake you. To be elegant essentially means that you know who you are and are grounded and comfortable in that person. Many of us are emotionally out of control, lacking presence of mind, allowing life to take us on an emotional roller coaster where we feel crazy and at the mercy of our life situations, people, and emotions.
_ Osteoporosis Surgery to Repair Hip Fracture Saves Billions of $ By Sondra Forsyth article Each year, more than 300,000 Americans -- primarily adults over age 65 -- sustain a hip fracture, a debilitating injury that can diminish life quality and expectancy and result in lost work days and substantial, long-term financial costs to patients, families, insurers and government agencies. Surgery, which is the primary treatment for hip fractures, successfully reduces mortality risk and improves physical function. However, little has been known about the procedure's value and return on investment.
_ Caregiving 5 Questions About Long-Distance Caregiving By Sondra Forsyth article What is long-distance caregiving? It can be helping Aunt Lilly sort through her medical bills or thinking about how to make the most of a weekend visit with Mom. It can include checking the references of an aide whoΓÇÖs been hired to help your grandfather or trying to take the pressure off your sister who lives in the same town as both your aging parents and her aging in-laws. Here, from the National Institute on Aging, are the answers to five key questions about long-distance caregiving:
_ Caregiving Daughters, Not Sons, Are the Caregivers By Sondra Forsyth article Researchers at Princeton University found women appear to provide as much elderly parent care as they can, while men contribute as little as possible. The study was presented in August 2014 at at the 109th Annual Meeting of the American Sociological Association in San Francisco.
_ Mental & Emotional Health Older Adults Weathered the Recession Well By Sondra Forsyth article The "Great Recession" may have put a dent in many older adults' pocketbooks, but a study presented at the 109th Annual Meeting of the American Sociological Association in August 2014 in San Francisco found that more than 40 percent reported a decrease in "financial strain" between 2006 and 2010.
_ Mental & Emotional Health Risky Work Scenarios Make Women Anxious & Less Competent By Sondra Forsyth article Risky situations at work increase anxiety for women and hurt their job performance, according to a study done at Stanford University and presented at the 109th Annual Meeting of the American Sociological Association in August 2014 in San Francisco. On the other hand, study author Susan R. Fisk found that anxiety did not raise anxiety levels for men and that menΓÇÖs job performance was unaffected.
_ 5 Emotions to Watch Out for In Your Relationship with Money By Jane Farrell article By Meriflor Toneatto Everyone has a relationship with money, but for women, itΓÇÖs much more fraught with emotion. When we avoid and ignore those emotions, we allow them to quietly guide our decision-making ΓÇô which inevitably holds us back. Understanding our emotions, fears and doubts about money and how they affect our behavior can help us heal them so we can experience financial and personal freedom. For women, money is an emotional currency. ItΓÇÖs tied to our sense of self-worth and self-confidence, and our feelings of safety and security.
_ The Mathematics of Happiness By Jane Farrell article Scientists have developed a mathematical model to measure happiness, and that may eventually lead to better treatments for mood disorders. Researchers from University College London used the equation to analyze the happiness of more than 18,000 people worldwide. As a result, they found that moment-by-moment happiness is due not only to how well things are going but whether they are going better than a person expected.
_ Aging Well Caregiving 3 Tips for Choosing an Assisted-Living HomeΓÇ¿ for Your Parents By Sondra Forsyth article By Peder Johnsen Seventy percent of people age 65 and older will need long-term care at some point in their lives, according to a 2014 study by CareScout, a division of Genworth Financial Services. But that doesnΓÇÖt mean they have to sacrifice quality of life. In fact, a person who needs some assistance with day-to-day living will often find he or she is much happier in a good assisted-living community with an atmosphere that reminds them of their former home.
_ Aging Well ThereΓÇÖs No Place Like Home ΓÇô For Growing Old By Sondra Forsyth article ΓÇ£The stairs are getting so hard to climb.ΓÇ¥ ΓÇ£Since my wife died, I just open a can of soup for dinner.ΓÇ¥ ΓÇ£IΓÇÖve lived here 40 years. No other place will seem like home.ΓÇ¥ These are common issues for older people. And, you may share the often-heard wishΓÇöΓÇ£I want to stay in my own home!ΓÇ¥ The good news is that with the right help you might be able to do just that.
_ Money Matters The Documents Every Woman Should Have By Jane Farrell article ThereΓÇÖs more to managing your money than the shoebox filled with crumpled receipts under your bed. According to Patrice C. Washington, Money Maven of the Steve Harvey Morning Show, organizing paperwork and keeping track of financial and legal documents is imperative to your financial well-being. ΓÇ£It is hard to stay on top of your finances if documents are scattered about,ΓÇ¥ Washington says. ΓÇ£On top of that, many women donΓÇÖt know which types of documents they need or even where to start.ΓÇ¥
_ Stress-Free Living Health Issues Stress Americans the Most By Sondra Forsyth article Reports of great a deal of stress are more than twice as common among people in poor health, according to an NPR/Robert Wood Johnson Foundation/Harvard School of Public Health (HSPH) poll released ton July 8th 2014. The survey examined the role of stress in Americans' lives and found that about half of the public (49%) reported that they had a major stressful event or experience in the past year. Nearly half (43%) reported that the most stressful experiences related to health.
_ Pain Management A New Means to Erase Pain By Sondra Forsyth article A study published in the July 2104 issue of Nature Neuroscience by Yves De Koninck and Robert Bonin, two researchers at Université Laval in Quebec, reveals that it is possible to relieve pain hypersensitivity using a counterintuitive method that involves rekindling pain so that it can subsequently be erased. This discovery could lead to novel means to alleviate chronic pain.
Mental & Emotional Health How to Put Your Inner Child in Time-Out By Sondra Forsyth article By Steven Jay Fogel The human brain is a wonder of the universe, but our understanding of it can seem contradictory. On the one hand, weΓÇÖre often told of those crucial years that our brain develops in childhood, when weΓÇÖre rapidly progressing in development of our language and other skills, and our preadolescent and teenage years, when our brains undergo a sort of second Big Bang of learning.
_ Aging Well Caregiving Medical Care Long-Term Care Must Be Improved By Sondra Forsyth article As millions of Americans struggle to help loved ones with dementia, policymakers should consider more ways to improve long-term services and supports for the soaring numbers of people with the debilitating condition and their caregivers, according to a new RAND Corporation study done in June 2014. Thereport also offers possible ways to achieve those goals.
_ Aging Well Discussing Sensitive Subjects With Your Doctor By Sondra Forsyth article Much of the communication between doctor and patient is personal. To have a good partnership with your doctor, it is important to talk about sensitive subjects, like sex or memory problems, even if you are embarrassed or uncomfortable.
Back to School After 50? By blog I work with many women who are experiencing career burnout, entering the empty nest, or recently divorced, and who are looking for a new way to be productive, fulfilled and financially stable. Often they ask ΓÇ£Should I go back to school?ΓÇ¥ Or ΓÇ£Is it too late for me to finish my college degree?ΓÇ¥ Let me first address that word should. Many of us live our lives in accordance with what we think we should be doing, not what we want to do.
Aging Well Seniors Have Roomies, Too By Jane Farrell article By Judy Santamaria, MSPH Most of us know that loneliness isn't good for us -- but as we age, many of us find our circle of friends and family diminishing in size for various reasons. Sometimes consciously, sometimes not, loneliness can creep in, and begin to affect our spirits in a less-than-healthy way. Recently, I've been hearing about some really interesting ways seniors are stacking the deck in their own favor to combat loneliness associated with aging, and I wanted to share a few of them with you here.