Senior Newsbriefs - Halloween Week

Posted by Maryan Pelland Oct 29, 2006

Here come the snipits for Halloween Week, 2006

There’s a really fascinating piece by Andy Dworkin about of all things, feet! I love his writing style. Witness his first paragraphs:

Wednesday, October 25, 2006

ANDY DWORKIN

"They danced in muddy fields at Woodstock and slogged through Vietnamese jungles. They pushed strollers and climbed corporate ladders by day and danced away evenings of macarena (note from M. Pelland - we happened wayyy before the macarena!) and electric slide. They endured deadly stilettos, saddle shoes, go-go boots, plastic platforms, Earth shoes, jellies and joggers and, perversely, stilettos again. But as baby boomers stride into the senior years, the feet that stood by them so long are wearing out. Toes, straight and true for generations, start to curl. Tendons tear after years of stairs. Arches that stood a hundred million steps fall."

Take a look at the piece if you’re concerned about your tootsies or like good writing.

Michonne Omo of the Journal Courier online wrote a nice piece about how lucky she is to have all four of her grandparents still here. They’re all octogenarians, not unusual by today’s life expectancies. She remembers them spoiling her delightfully when she was a little girl, but also gives a nod to their role modeling. One grandma taught her to respect tradition but follow your own path when you need to.

One grandpa showed her how to live for today, and love doing it. She learned to be active, involved and energetic. She gained strength, creativity and curiosity from the other grandparents. Maybe she doesn’t realize it, but the young woman also developed respect for elders, for family and for herself. I’ll wager none of those homey lessons were intended or orchestrated. Without any effort, we influence the generations that come after us. How’s that for a living legacy to transcend time?

There’s a new series of anti-age skin products coming down the pipeline. I’ve never been a fan of the pyramid-like Herbalife company that makes the stuff. But they claim it’s clinically tested and will do something swell for wrinkles, skin hydration and smoothness. With a large shrug, I pass the info on to you. Product name is Skin Activator—magic ingredient is glucosamine. Question is, do you have to ingest that, or does it work to slather it on? Actualy, I’m rather fond of my wrinkles, having come by them honestly.

The Whitehouse Council on Aging resolved: (Resolution 34) “Expand the definition of minority populations to include — gays, lesbians, bisexuals and transgenders [sic] and seniors with disabilities, and increase federal funding to NIH, CDC, Title 3 and other federal agencies to reduce health disparities and promote health promotion programming for all minority populations.”

A US Newswire Http://www.releases.usnewswire.com story suggests seniors can go a long way to decreasing their chance of getting food-related illness by doing a couple of things. 1. Use a meat thermometer – don’t guess whether or not your meat is cooked properly. 2. Put food away promptly, especially when you’re using small portions. Wrap well and refrigerate -- then chat online, or on the phone, or watch your favorite program. I’d add, sniff the meat you buy before you prepare it. If it doesn’t smell good, or rather, if it smells bad, trash it. And wash your hands and all surfaces thoroughly after handling meat, poultry or fish. Those disinfectant wipes that pop up out of a plastic tub are terrific!

At a home for the elderly, a lovely woman with Alzheimer’s was listening to Art Linkletter as he spoke on the positive aspects of aging. When finished, he walked up to her, gave her a photo of himself and told her she was a terrific audience member. She looked at him, puzzled, and Linkletter said, “You know who I am, don’t you?” Her reply—“No. But go to the front desk and they’ll tell you.”

Food confusion reigns - if you’re not already thoroughly confused about what’s in and what’s out health-wise, here’s a new one. Seems 2.8 servings of vegetables per day can decrease the rate of cognitive change in aging people. The decrease, in a recent study reported in Neurology, was substantial – the speed of decline slowed by half. BUT – fruit has no impact, so tough it up and eat those Brussels sprouts. Someone else studied people and decided curry preserves your brain, too. Maybe….curried broccoli?

Pete Townsend got himself so much press this week that it’s a wonder he isn’t launching a new album or heading off on tour – or maybe he is. Anyway, the old guy ranted about how aging rockers like Crosby, Stills, et al make him sick. He wouldn’t pay to see any of them, including Bob Dylan. They’ll all have to give it up sooner or later (including himself, one might think). He also mentioned that he saw Marlene Dietrich’s last concert – his reaction was that she looked ok under the lights, but you knew it was an 80 year-old woman held together with glue and string. So I guess he won’t be much interested in Cher’s swan song when it comes? BTW – the comments were originally made in Rolling Stone, but have been repeated in dozens of print and 'Net venues since.

That’s about all I have for now, except for this bit – Edward W. Smith, motivational writer, found a study that says positive attitude extends your life. Evidently, you can gain almost 8 years by looking on the brighter side of things. There you have it.