_ Money Matters Is It Smart To Buy A Condo? By Jane Farrell article Editor’s Note: As we get older, many of us think about downsizing from a house to a condo, because it’s easier to manage our lives in a simpler place. And we’d like to save as much money on home repairs as possible, because fixed incomes and Medicare don’t cover all essential expenses. Sometimes, though, the decision to buy or lease a condo isn’t as clear-cut as you’d like. Here, from a top expert, are some smart questions to ask yourself before making a move.
I Want To Take The Alzheimer's Test By blog Last night I had trouble getting to sleep. Tossing and turning, I attempted to clear my thoughts, but my brain had other ideas. My mind was on an instant replay loop: A new study reveals researchers have developed a blood test that will predict if a healthy person — someone with no symptoms — is likely to develop Alzheimer’s disease within the next few years. The study focused on people over 70 and was about 90 percent accurate.
_ Sleep Health Get Back to Sleep - Without Drugs By Jane Farrell article From the Cleveland Clinic We’ve all been there. You are wide awake at 3 a.m., your mind racing with a rising sense of panic about the difficult day ahead if you don’t fall back to sleep. What you’re experiencing is a type of insomnia, says sleep disorders specialist Harneet Walia, MD, DABSM, of Cleveland Clinic’s Sleep Disorders Center.
Marriage 9 Tips for Emotional Intimacy By Jane Farrell article By Paul Dunion When I ask a couple in couples counseling, "So, tell me about the current status of your intimacy,” they inevitably start talking about their sex life. When I proceed to explain I am interested in their emotional intimacy, the male quickly turns his gaze toward his wife and the female typically speaks of the loneliness and isolation she experiences in the marriage. She may not know exactly what, but she does know something is missing in the marriage.
_ Mental & Emotional Health Suppressing Unwanted Memories By article Researchers at the University of Cambridge and the Medical Research Council Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit in the UK have shown that suppressing unwanted memories reduces their unconscious influences on subsequent behavior. The team has also shed light on how this process happens in the brain.
Moving My Feet By blog Part of being optimistic is keeping one's head pointed toward the sun, one's feet moving forward." A Facebook friend recommended a workout fitness tracking bracelet called fit-bit. I received mine for Christmas, and I LOVE it!! I think the quote above should be their slogan, or at least I made it mine while I am working out.
Focus and Manifestation By blog I learned far too late in life that what I focus on grows! When I start really looking for something I usually find it. Not always in the form that I expected, but these days I can usually manifest what I decide is a priority for me. Why is this? Because focus leads to creativity. Finding the courage to make a solid commitment to any goal, focuses your mind and body. Because you have found a focus, your mind and body will now seek out solutions everywhere. Our minds are amazing that way!
_ Tips for Turning Your March Madness into March Happiness By article By Jaime Kulaga, Ph.D., LMHC There’s a lot of hype about March Madness, and if you’re an NCAA fan (or married to one) you know it well. But I’d rather think in terms of March Happiness: training mind and body, just as those basketball players train, to remain positive even when faced with stress, sadness, and the cyclicality of life. You can create a habit of happiness.
_ Exercise Exercise and Chronic Disease: Get the Facts By Jane Farrell article From the Mayo Clinic If you have a chronic disease — such as heart disease, diabetes, asthma, or back or joint pain — exercise can have important health benefits. However, it's crucial to talk to your doctor before starting an exercise routine. He or she might have advice on what exercises are safe and any precautions you might need to take while exercising. How can exercise improve a chronic condition? Regular exercise can help you manage symptoms and improve your health. For example:
Sundown Syndrome And A Breath of Fresh Air By blog Editor's Note: As many of our readers know, Sundowning (or Sundown Syndrome) sometimes affects people who have Alzheimer's disease and dementia. Rita Altman, VP of Memory Care for Sunrise Senior Living, is an expert and recently put some of her expert tips on how to respond to symptoms of Sundowning to "virtual" paper in the form of a blog. Rita writes that you should, "observe for emotions and behaviors, Look for the unmet need, Respond with empathy, Don't forget about vitamin D and Maintain a routine." For additional insight and detail around these tips, we've posted Rita's original blog below.
Aging Well Beauty & Style Exercise The Secrets to Banishing Back Fat By article By Soriyya Bawa When it comes to anti-aging fitness, the back area can sometimes be one of the hardest areas to tone. According to anti-aging fitness gurus, a lot of women forget to include the muscles in their upper and middle back in their total body workouts, resulting in poor posture and the visible appearance of back fat. Poor lifestyle habits and ill-fitting clothing often contribute further to the problem.
Best Practices for Successful Online Dating at Midlife and Beyond By blog Online dating can be intimidating, especially for those of you who have been out of the dating game for a while. You may wonder if it’s safe, how comfortable you feel competing in such an open forum, how you will handle potential rejection, or how you will feel if you don’t any attention at all. All these concerns are valid. You no doubt feel more vulnerable than you did at 16. Here are my best practices for successful online dating. 1) Do keep it light
_ There is No Beating the Breathalyzer By article St. Patrick’s day will be here soon and parades are already happening in many communities around the country. Because this is a celebration typically associated with quaffing green beer or otherwise imbibing, The American Chemical Society wants to remind you that you need a designated driver if you’ll be drinking. A release from the society says that when it comes to have a breathalyzer test, ”If you think you can beat it, think again; chemistry will land you in cuffs.”
5 Steps to Get Out of Your Rut By blog The more I talk to women from all walks of life, the more I hear “I feel like I am stuck in a rut, spinning my wheels with no way to get out.” Too many women over 50 feel like they are driving aimlessly through life with no purpose or plan. Loneliness, depression and a sense of hopelessness take over, and instead of enjoying the freedoms of life after 50, they sink deeper into the quicksand of despair.
10 Things You Should Expect From Your Doctor By article By David Longworth, MDof the Cleveland Clinic You just waited two hours for a doctor who’s running late. Once in the office, the doctor zips through a jargon-filled speech, orders a test, writes a prescription and sends you on your way. You leave in a cloud of confusion, realizing that you never even asked a question.
_ Memory Loss Could Someday Be Reversed By Jane Farrell article Researchers have made a discovery that may make age-related memory loss a thing of the past. The drug can’t be used by humans yet, but scientists from the University of Florida are developing compounds that could eventually help adults who have memory trouble but are not suffering from Alzheimer’s or dementia.
_ Heart Health Anger and Heart Attacks By Jane Farrell article For some people, anger could literally be a killer. A new study has found that there’s a nearly fivefold increase in heart attack risk in the two hours following an outburst. “There has been a lot of research on anger; we already know it can be unhealthy, but we wanted to quantify the risk, not just for heart attack, but for other potentially lethal cardiovascular events as well,” said lead author Elizabeth Mostofsky, MPH, ScD, a post-doctoral fellow in the cardiovascular epidemiological unit at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center.