_ Parenting Helping Grown Kids Can Boost Mental Health By article All the negative press about “boomerang kids” aside, helping your adult children in various ways may actually be an antidote to depression as you age. That’s the finding of a team of researchers at Penn State, the University of Texas at Austin and the University of Michigan. The results are published in the February 2014 issue of The Gerontologist.
_ Mental & Emotional Health Health-Care Coverage: A Tragic Exception By Jane Farrell article By Michelle Andrews, Kaiser Health News Dealing with the aftermath of a suicide or attempted suicide is stressful enough. But some health plans make a harrowing experience worse by refusing to cover medical costs for injuries that are related to suicide—even though experts say that in many cases such exclusions aren't permitted under federal law. Yet patients or their loved ones often don't realize that.
_ Will Brain Training Make You Smarter? By article By Deane Alban Last year over $1 billion was spent on brain training programs, making this an exploding new industry. But do brain training programs live up to the hype? Are they worth the time and money spent? Do the benefits gained translate to better overall brain function?
_ Heart Health Spousal Supportiveness = Better Heart Health By Jane Farrell article Supportiveness from a spouse can help people fare better in their overall cardiovascular health, according to a new study. The findings, by researchers from the University of Utah, show that when partners perceive the support they get from each other as ambivalent – sometimes helpful, sometimes stressful – their levels of coronary artery calcification (CAC) tend to be high. The findings were published in Psychological Science, a journal of the Association for Psychological Science.
_ Pain Management Beating Pain with Mindfulness Training By article A new intervention called Mindfulness-Oriented Recovery Enhancement, or MORE, trains people to respond differently to pain, stress and opioid-related cues University of Utah researcher Eric Garland developed the treatment, which has been shown to not only lower pain but also decrease prescription opioid misuse among chronic pain patients. The study was published published online February 3rd 2014 in the Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology.
_ Apologizing After a Caregiving Blowup By Jane Farrell article Caregiving, even during the best of times, can be stressful. Family members and friends who are clueless about the realities of caregiving, often add to the stress by offering "advice," which sounds to you like criticism rather than help. You're a good person and likely they are, too, so you stuff your irritation, bite back a sarcastic response and let the comments or actions pass – this time.
6 Ways to Prevent Irritable Male Syndrome from Ruining Your Holidays By blog The time between Thanksgiving and New Years can be wonderfully joyful and it can also be stressful and irritating. Everyone can feel a bit overwhelmed with things to do, celebrations to attend, and family to please. Getting irritable occasionally is part of being human, but getting locked into a pattern of negativity and anger can cause problems for men and the families that love them. What Is Irritable Male Syndrome (IMS)?
Why Men Never Remember and Women Never Forget By Jane Farrell blog “Men and women think differently, approach problems differently, emphasize the importance of things differently, and experience the world around us through entirely different lenses,” says Marianne J. Legato, M.D., Founder of the Foundation for Gender Specific Medicine and author of numerous books on men and women including, Why Men Never Remember and Women Never Forget.
Mental & Emotional Health What We've Learned On ThirdAge Forums By Jane Farrell article Join the discussions of thirdage.com articles and other topics on our Forum. Click on the orange FORUMS link on the subjects banner at the top of our home page or click the “Join the Conversation!” link at the bottom of most articles. Take a look at the funny, wise and wonderful conversations you’ve been missing:
Well-being How Doing Good Helps You By Sondra Forsyth article Like a lot of Boomers these days, you may be leading a full and fairly stressful life. Here's a counterintuitive way to make yourself feel better both emotionally and physically. Add one more item to your To Do list: volunteering. And if you're retired with a little leisure on your hands, filling the void with projects that reach out to others is a scientifically proven way to boost your morale and your immune system at the same time.