Seniors News from Around the World
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Posted by Maryan Pelland Aug 22, 2006 |
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So it looks like the Japanese are catching up with Americans again. According to Japan Times Japanese senior citizens are becoming enamored of motorcycles. The pricier and fancier the ride, the better. Evidently last year's sales of Honda CB1300 series motorcycles topped the 2004 totals by 40%. The big attraction to that particular model? It has a windshield. Almost half the bikes purchased in Japan are bought by people in the age group of 40 to 60, with the over 50 crowd in the lead.
Also from Japan, a research team claims to have made a seeing, hearing and smelling robot that can carry human beings. It's aimed at helping the growing number of elderly people in that country. The robot sort of resembles R2-D2 with a smaller head. It's covered in soft silicone and equipped with sensors that tell it a body's weight and position. It can distinguish eight kinds of smells, which direction a voice comes from, and with sites skills can follow a human face. No, its name is not Rosie, à la the Jetsons -- he's called RI-Man. Japan's growing population of older people, unlike ours, is not a result of the baby boom. It's more a result of declining birthrate and one of the highest life expectancies in the world.
A story in the Hindustan Times says scientists have isolated the gene relating to cognitive decline in aging. The news report came from the Hindustan Times, but the study was done at the University of Pittsburgh. It was headed by Dr. George S. Zubenko,looking for a genetic link to mental acuity up to age 90. The research team nailed down 9 genetic regions that seem to impact successful aging. Some affected men, some affected women, but none seemed to affect both sexes. Looks like someday we may all live well into our hundreds.
From the Hindu News Service comes interesting information about stress. We hear that stress is detrimental to good health, and that's probably true, to an extent. However, a review of results in a number of studies on how stress affects the brain came to this conclusion, according to the news service:
Acute stress seems to enhance immune function and improve memory but chronic stress has the opposite effect and can lead to disorders like depression, diabetes and cognitive impairment in aging. Cumulative stress effects are showing up in people who are under constant stress, like those in caregiver situations or those who suffer from obesity and/or diabetes.
Puerto Rico claims the world's oldest person. Emiliano Mercado del Toro remembers when the U.S. seized Puerto Rico from Spain. That was in his boyhood, in 1898. What's his take on why he lived so long? A healthy diet with no alcoholic beverages. "I never damaged my body with liquor," said Mercado. Oh, and he quit smoking. His 76-year smoking habit ended when he was much younger...90.
Read about:
How Age Changes Your Body from Suite101.com.
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