You can avoid injuries and still keep fit if you follow these rules
By Linda Melone, CSCS for Next Avenue
Working out the same way in your 50s as you did in your 30s sets you up for a world of hurt. Changes in flexibility, muscular strength, bone density and recovery time make injuries more likely if you don’t adjust accordingly.
In fact, you may be better off skipping some exercises altogether.
“Obviously, there are no absolutes because people are built differently,” says Benjamin Butts, director of rehabilitation services and performance therapy at Providence Saint John’s Health Center in Santa Monica, Calif. “With all exercise, make sure you have the flexibility and range of motion to be able to perform the exercise using proper form. And only increase weight and repetitions incrementally over time to ensure you are able to handle the new stress.”
In general, experts suggest avoiding the following exercises if you are over 50:
Leg extension machine
This exercise involves extending the legs up out in front of you with resistance in front of your ankles while in a seated position. It targets the quadriceps in front of the thighs.
“This exercise puts an unnecessary stress over the knee cap area, causing wear and tear,” Butts says. Instead, do multidirectional (forward and side) lunges or squats.
Back extension on a Roman chair
The Roman chair back-strengthening exercise involves bending forward from the waist with your thighs supported, where you use your lower back muscles to pull yourself back up. “This move can cause issues for you if you have lumbar (lower back) instability or stenosis,” Butts says. Stick with planks and quadrupeds for core strength instead.
Pull-downs or pull-ups behind the head
These challenging exercises work primarily the back as well as the biceps and involve pulling a bar behind the head. Behind-the-neck pull-downs use a machine that requires the exerciser to lean forward and pull a bar down behind the neck; in pull-ups you lift yourself up to a stationary bar also behind the neck.
“They put an unnecessary amount of stress on the front of your shoulder, leading to potential shoulder injuries,” Butts says. Safer and equally effective alternatives include pull-ups or pull-downs in front of, not behind, the head.
Plyometric exercises
Plyometrics or “jump training” involves explosive movements and includes exercises such as box jumps and depth jumps, popularized by CrossFit, for example.
“They are great exercises for adding strength and explosive power,” says Dr. Luga Podesta, sports medicine physician at Kerlan-Jobe Orthopaedic Clinic in Los Angeles, Calif. “However, they can be dangerous if they’re not performed correctly or if the person does not have enough base muscle strength to perform the exercises. They place tremendous stress across the body parts and joints.”
You need a little of these fast twitch-type exercises, though, since we lose these muscle fibers with age, says Tom Holland, exercise physiologist and author of Beat the Gym.
“Doing plyometrics one day a week on a low platform (six inches) can be a good compromise. It’s a gray area, where you need to challenge yourself but you can still stay injury-free,” notes Holland. Only attempt these explosive exercises under close guidance with a trainer experienced in plyometrics and sports training.
Overhead presses
Lifting weights straight overhead such as in a military press or dumbbell press (both shoulder exercises) places tremendous stress across the shoulders and rotator cuff tendons, Podesta says. Since rotator cuff injuries are most common after age 60, substitute lateral shoulder raises or front raises in place of overhead presses.
Heavy weights
Lifting weights to see how much you can bench gives you bragging rights in your younger years but loses its relevance as you age, Holland says.
“There’s no reason to go super heavy and be able to get only four to six repetitions,” he says. For the greatest strength benefits within a safe range, aim for a weight where you can get 10 reps, where the last couple reps are challenging, Holland says.
Sprinting
While it’s a good idea to periodically increase your workout intensity, adding sprints to a running or jogging routine could put you at greater risk for injury after 50, Holland says.
“Some people can do a 7-minute mile after age 50, but most benefit more from a slow and steady pace,” he says. Sprinting, especially without an extended warm-up, comes with a much greater risk of injury as we age. “The faster the speed, the greater the chance of pulling a muscle or developing some other lower-body injury,” Holland says.
“In general, I recommend all exercises in moderation,” Podesta says. “Plus, you need to consider any underlying medical condition before making specific recommendations.” Lighter weights using combined motions, such as squats versus leg extensions, work best, versus single joint movements that are not as functional.
Next Avenue contributor Linda Melone is a California-based freelance writer specializing in health, fitness and wellness for women over 50.
© Twin Cities Public Television – 2016. All rights reserved.
Since the process is partly psychological, here's how to prepare
By Harriet Edleson for Next Avenue
Credit: Getty Images
If you’re ready to move to a smaller space or think you might want to downsize in the not-too-distant future, take a deep breath and start planning.
It’s a much bigger task than you’ll ever imagine, partly because the process entails far more than just deciding which possessions to keep and which to toss.
Most people acquire things over a lifetime — one decade, year, month or day at a time. Through the years, possessions from clothes to decorative arts can accumulate: Flexible Flyer sleds tucked away in the basement crawl space; bridesmaid’s or flower girl dresses stored in closets; Valentines, birthday cards and other personal correspondence stashed in night table drawers.
Why We Won’t Toss
Why have we accumulated so much and refused to toss so little? “People took pleasure in the things they used, cared for and valued,” said Gary W. Small, director of the UCLA Longevity Center and president of the American Society for Geriatric Psychiatry. But keeping all those things can become, frankly, a burden. “It overtakes your life,” Small noted.
Trying to sort and toss possessions is a deeply psychological task as much as a decluttering one. It means, in a way, dismantling a life that once was and no longer is, at least not in the same way. We hang onto things that remind us of a pleasant time. Sorting through old letters from friends or family members is “pleasure for a moment,” Small said. “It’s a momentary experience.”
When lightening your load, emotions come into play. Some are sweet and others are less so, including the often hidden feelings within us that rise to the surface, reminding us of the past and of the limits of life itself. Seeing items you haven’t thought of or seen in a while can trigger sweet memories of times past or of loved ones no longer alive.
Dealing With Mortality and Balance
The difficulty of dismissing stuff can be rooted in mortality and the realization that no one lives forever. At a certain point in life, there is more past than future, and that, in itself, can be daunting. “We’re all mortal,” Small said. “The issue is balance. You can’t hold onto all things. One of the upsides to downsizing is it allows us to live more in the present.”
It’s preferable to start shedding possessions in your 50s or 60s, rather than waiting until you are older when you may be less healthy, strong and mentally acute, experts say.
“We’re at greater risk for cognitive decline at 85 than at 65,” Small said. Specifically, he noted, at 65, the risk of cognitive decline is 10 percent, while at 85, it’s 50 percent. And according to the Alzheimer’s Association, 11 percent of people 65 and older have Alzheimer’s disease, but 32 percent age 85 and older do; 82 percent of people with Alzheimer’s are 75 or older.
Some Aren’t Sentimental
Some boomers, of course, aren’t sentimental about hanging onto family possessions. “Baby boomers don’t care mostly,” said Deborah Heiser, an applied developmental psychologist based in Great Neck, N.Y., and co-editor of the book, Spiritual Assessment and Intervention with Older Adults: Current Directions and Applications. For many, the attitude is “new home, new me,” Heiser said. “It’s freeing — liberating in a way.”
The best way to complete the task is to do it in a systematic way, maybe over a period of as long as two years, leaving sufficient time to evaluate, sort, send to relatives, give away, sell or hire a professional to help with any and all of it.
It’s “one closet at a time, one drawer at a time, so as not to be overwhelmed,” Small said.
The Storage Solution
If you’ll no longer have room for certain possessions that are meaningful to you or another family member, you might want to store them until you — or a relative — have the space, said Dana Tydings, owner of Tydings Design in Laytonsville, Md. Figure on paying between $40 to $300 a month for storage, depending on the size and location of the unit.
Going the storage route can also be a good idea for items you feel ambivalent about. Sometimes the best solution is to postpone a final decision until you’ve comfortably settled in your new space. In that case, “put items in storage for a few months and relax and revisit it,” Heiser said.
Just bear in mind, renting a storage locker might mean taking a risk. Even if storage is “climate-controlled and you have insurance, [the items] may not come out the same way” as they went in, Tydings said.
In the end, people are more comfortable with downsizing when they are in control of how they’ll live the next chapter of their life as opposed to waiting until they’re unable to rid themselves of their possessions. The more control you have over what you’ll keep and what you’ll discard, the greater likelihood you’ll love your new life.
© Twin Cities Public Television – 2016. All rights reserved.
8 tips to prevent careless, sometimes costly, mistakes
By Caroline Mayer for Next Avenue
There are times — many, in fact — when I love online banking.
Then there are other times when I find it so frustrating — and costly — that I think maybe I should pull the virtual plug. That’s because I make careless mistakes in paying my bills.
Maybe you do, too. If so, I’d like to spare you some of the same pain, so I’m here to offer tips to help you avoid similar banking frustrations.
But first: How do I love online banking? Let me count the ways.
What I Love About Online Banking
First, there’s the ease of being able to check my balance at any time of day or night on my computer or smartphone. I also adore online banking’s simple bill-paying features. At one sitting, I can arrange my payments and schedule them for different days, often weeks in advance, closer to the due dates.
And just last week, my bank launched a mobile phone app that lets me deposit a check simply by taking a photo of the front and (after I endorse it) back. Zap, zip and it’s done.
What I Don’t Love About Online Banking
What’s not to love about online banking? Unfortunately, I’ve learned the hard way that it can sometimes be my nemesis. Three examples:
The forgotten click. Once, in my rush to complete a batch of electronic payments, I neglected to click the “schedule payments now” button. I discovered the error when the next batch of bills came due — with outstanding balances and penalty fees. (Fortunately, I got the fees waived after explaining the error; but if I made this faux pay again, I don’t think the companies would be so accommodating.)
The water torture. A few months ago, our public utility notified us that they were about to cut off our water since we hadn’t paid our quarterly bill. Turns out I’d entered the date for a month after it was due, so the payment failed to arrive.
Unfortunately, I didn’t open the notice until 5:15 pm. on a Friday, after the utility’s office closed. So I nervously sweated out the error over the weekend. When the office opened on Monday, I went there to pay my bill.
Beyond my blues — Verizon. Once I sent my electronic payment for Verizon Wireless to my Verizon landline account. I discovered the mistake when the next Verizon Wireless bill arrived past due and with a penalty. I quickly paid up and asked Verizon to return my money from the landline account, but the company said I had to wait 60 (!!) days to get it. Grrr.
Those mistakes are nothing compared to a friend who sent her health insurer $254,600 electronically for a $254.60 bill. You guessed it: she misplaced a decimal point. Fortunately, the insurer caught the mistake, notified her and never deposited the money. Still, the thought that it could have prompted both of us to have all sorts of nightmarish thoughts of bounced checks, overdraft fees and penalties.
Which is why I’m writing this column, hoping to teach myself, and you, valuable lessons.
Ease of Making Mistakes
As Nessa Feddis, a senior vice president at the American Bankers Association, notes, “it is very easy in this electronic world to get caught up and move quickly, hit the send button before we mean to. We all need to take time, pause — and make sure the transaction is accurate.”
The odds of a making mistake are small, says Sol Nasisi, president of the bank-comparison site Bestcashcow.com. Generally, about 0.18 percent of online bill payments are challenged for mistakes. (That number, of course, doesn’t include the ones consumers catch and deal with on their own). But 0.18 percent translates into millions of flubs when you consider that are billions of online payments each year.
How Banks Can Help
Nasisi and Feddis say banks can often help sort out the mistakes, especially if payments never arrive but the bank’s records show they’ve been made.
“That’s the easy one,” says Nasisi. “Banks will get on the phone to help resolve the issue. The harder task is unwinding the error if a customer sent the wrong amount or paid the wrong person.”
That’s why Feddis advises consumers who’ve made an online banking mistake to contact the company that received the money and try to work out a solution. It’s not always easy. Nasisi says some firms — notably mortgage companies — often balk at refunding money, “reluctant to relinquish the cash once they have it.”
8 Tips to Avoid Problems
Here are eight more tips from Nasisi and Feddis to avoid online banking snafus:
1. Pay attention to what you’re doing. Don’t pay bills at midnight after a long day or while chatting with a friend or when you’re also trying to make dinner. Make your transactions when you’re wide awake and not distracted.
2. Make sure you can read the electronic screen. To avoid entering the wrong number or a misplaced decimal, enlarge the font if you need to and if your online banking system lets you.
If you can’t read your mobile phone’s screen or often make typos with its keyboard, use another device with a larger screen and keyboard to make payments.
3. Start slowly. If you’re new to online banking, or your bank offers new electronic payment features, begin by conducting only a few transactions at a time. That way, you’ll get accustomed to the process. Increase your transactions as you get comfortable.
4. Simplify your payment screen. If you’ve been banking online for years, odds are you have some old accounts on your bank account’s payment list. Delete them if you no longer need them. That reduces the clutter and the chance that you’ll click on the wrong account.
5. Set up automatic payments. If you know you’ll owe the same amount to the same company every month (for, say, your mortgage or car loan), arrange to have the payments sent automatically at the date you specify. Similarly, if you’re willing to cede control to your lender, you can ask it to initiate the payment and debit your account.
Just be sure to stay on top of your checking account and ensure you’ll have enough in it when the debits are made.
6. Slow down. Review your transactions for accuracy when you enter them and then again just before you click “send.” You may also want to print out or email the transactions to yourself before finalizing them to be certain the decimal places are in the right place.
7. Sign up for your bank’s email alert system if it has one. This way, you’ll be notified when your payment is made. While the alert won’t prevent a mistake, it may help you catch one sooner.
8. Monitor your online account regularly to make sure it’s correct. Do this at least monthly (when your bank statement comes in the mail or online). Feddis also encourages online banking customers to keep an old-fashioned paper ledger or register to help spot any questionable transactions or mistakes.
Online Security Concerns
Finally, be careful about your online security when you bank online. Hacks happen.
In 2011, for example, more than 360,000 Citibank accounts were hacked accounting for more than $2.7 million in losses. (Fortunately, U.S. banking rules limit a consumer’s liability for fraud to $50 in these cases; many banks waive even that liability.)
So, make sure your computer has the latest virus protection; don’t access your account from a public wi-fi system and change your passwords regularly.
And watch out for emails from what looks to be your bank; they could be phishing scams from con artists trying to gain access to your bank-account information. When in doubt, contact the bank.
© Twin Cities Public Television – 2016. All rights reserved.
Some lines waive single supplements and single cabins are less rare
By Irene S. Levine for Next Avenue
Caption: Anchored Cruise Ship, St. Lucia
If you’re a boomer considering cruising by yourself — whether because you’re single or your spouse can’t or won’t travel — you may have some anxieties about it. They might run the gamut from wondering if you’ll be the only one traveling alone to concerns about making conversation with a table full of strangers each evening (or listening to them).
But there are quite a few reasons why cruising solo may be more appealing, and less expensive, than in the past. Boomers represent more than 50 percent of cruisers overall, according to Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA), the cruise industry trade organization, and some CLIA members say as many as 10 percent of their passengers are solo travelers.
“We’ve seen a jump in solo travelers,” says Priscilla O’Reilly of Grand Circle Cruise Line, which owns and operates a fleet of 15 small ships and riverboats. “Today, solo travelers represent one out of four passengers on our line, up from one out of five only five years ago.”
Predictably, both large cruise ships and riverboats are expanding their efforts to woo this growing market segment.
An important note: Many people confuse solo cruising with themed singles cruises. Solo cruisers opt to travel alone and aren’t necessarily interested in connecting socially with other single people. “Singles cruises” are organized to connect singles with other unmarried people for romance or friendship.
Why Cruising Can Be Ideal
Cruising eliminates many of the hassles typically associated with travel, which can be more stressful when you’re alone:
- Passengers aren’t burdened with the logistics of arranging for hotels, excursions and transfers.
- Cabins are a “home away from home” for the entire length of the journey; you pack and unpack once.
- Cruisers experience the safety and security of being part of a group — with plenty of crew onboard to tend to their needs — but can also spend time alone.
- All-inclusive pricing on some lines helps control costs and can add convenience; no reaching for your wallet each time you want a snack or drink.
Chuck Flagg, who owns a Cruise Holidays franchise outside Atlanta, says he sees solo travelers checking destinations off their bucket lists. Cruises can make a travel goal easy. “This ranges from seeing the tulips blossom in Holland, to visiting the Galapagos Islands, to Russian River cruising to setting foot on Antarctica,” Flagg says.
A Growth in Single Rooms
Historically, one of the biggest barriers to solo cruising has been the “singles supplement,” a hefty surcharge imposed on single travelers. “The cruise industry, as a rule, bases pricing on two people in a stateroom,” Flagg says. The normal supplement is 200 percent of the cruise fare.
But with a growth of single travelers, the industry is changing.
For one, single cabins are becoming more common. Norwegian Cruise Line has been a pioneer in designing cabins for solo cruisers. The modern 100-square-foot studio staterooms with showers are specifically designed for singles; they open to a common lounge area — a virtual living room where passengers can meet for a drink, watch TV or chat.
Cunard added single staterooms with oversized windows on its refurbished Queen Elizabeth. Riverboat cruises, another growing area, also offer single cabins on some ships.
Experts recommend solo cruisers book early. Because the number of single staterooms (on cruise ships and riverboats) is limited, these cabins often sell out quickly.
Comparison Shop on Single Supplements
If you do book a double cabin, you may relish the extra space. But it comes at a price. Check around, because single supplements vary widely.
“I have seen everything from the supplement being waived in the case of some river cruise lines to ones as low as 150 percent of the per person rate,” says Flagg. “Lower rates often appear about 45 days before sailing,” he says.
Luxury, all-inclusive Crystal Cruises offers one of the lowest single-supplement rates in the industry, starting from 125 percent to 175 percent, based on stateroom category. A few times a year, Crystal offers even lower, time-limited Solo Traveler Book Now Fares. Norwegian Cruise Lines also offers special rates or reduced supplements from time to time.
On Holland America Line cruises, depending on the itinerary and stateroom category, single guests can book a double stateroom for 150 to 200 percent of the double-occupancy fare.
For 2014, Grand Circle allocated 1,160 cabins for solos, about two-thirds of them on Grand Circle’s five most popular destinations. The line charges no single supplement on three 50-passenger ships and offers reduced supplements on other itineraries.
Escorted tour operator Abercrombie & Kent also has a Solo Savings program to court solo travelers on selected departures.
Social Media for Sharing
While sharing a cabin compromises privacy, it allows solo cruisers to take advantage of per person/double occupancy rates. So some lines and travel agents help pair unrelated same-gender adults.
Some travelers take to their own social media outlets to buddy up and reduce costs.
Flexibility to Be With Others or Be Alone
Cruising affords the flexibility of being with others or being alone. On large ships, there’s always a quiet lounge or spot on the deck to retreat to with a book. When solo travelers want company, there are opportunities to make new friends with singles and couples, both on the ship and on excursions.
Meals can be ideal opportunities to meet new people. Many cruise ships have moved to “open seating,” allowing guests to dine whenever they want, as long as the dining room is open.
On large ships, guests can eat at large tables (with other singles or with mixed groups) or small ones, ask to be seated alone or opt for the solitude of room service.
Crystal Cruises has a Table for Eight program that seats singles together at specialty restaurants.
On riverboats, seating is usually unassigned and the small number of passengers encourages mingling. Solo guests can ask to be seated with other singles or table hop from meal to meal to find kindred spirits. Viking River Cruises even provides “conversation starter” cards at each table to break the ice.
Some Social Direction
Small-group excursions also tend to be social. “We train all of our program directors [guides] and ship staff to be on the lookout for solo travelers and to engage them from their first day with us,” says O’Reilly of Grand Circle. “We include free time for independent exploration throughout the cruise or tour and our program directors make sure solo travelers have a buddy or group of new friends to go off exploring with [if they want company], or else they, themselves, may accompany solo travelers, if desired.”
Many lines host welcome receptions, dinners and other special meet-ups or events for solo cruisers. On some lines, solos don’t even have to worry about not having a dance partner. Male dancer/hosts have been on many cruise lines for years, but now Crystal Cruises has introduced female dance partners for single men.
Social media has made solo cruising even more social. “If you want to meet people, join a Cruise Critic Roll Call before you board and you’ll start making friends before you sail,” says Carolyn Spencer Brown, the Cruise Critic site’s editor-in-chief.
Although you’re likely to feel comfortable as a solo cruiser, don’t be surprised if you cultivate a new friendship or find a travel companion for your next voyage.
Online Resource for Solo Cruisers
Interested in doing a little research before you go?
The Cruise Critic Community Forum for Solo Travelers allows travelers to share tips and advice, such as which ships to choose, which excursions are best and tips for open seating at dinner.
Irene S. Levine is a psychologist, lifestyle and travel journalist, and member of the Society of American Travel Writers who produces MoreTimeToTravel.com, a blog offering advice and inspiration for travelers over 50.
© Twin Cities Public Television – 2016. All rights reserved.
Why some are proactive, but others are afraid to be
By Juliette Fairley for Next Avenue
Credit: Thinkstock
An increasing number of banks and credit unions are implementing fraud-prevention initiatives to prepare for the onslaught of aging Americans expected to develop Alzheimer’s disease.
They are training tellers “to flag potential suspicious behavior, such as coercion by family members, frequent withdrawals of large sums of money in a short period of time or transferring large sums of money,” said Ramsay Alwin, vice president of economic security at the National Council on Aging in Washington, D.C.
This proactive work is likely to benefit older customers as well as the financial institutions. By 2025, the number of people age 65 and older with Alzheimer’s is estimated to reach 7.1 million — a 40 percent increase from today’s 5.1 million, according to the Alzheimer’s Association.
Why Scammers Target Elderly Bank Customers
“They [the elderly] have retirement savings that fraudsters want, which makes the aging population more vulnerable if they are not aware of the latest scams out there,” said Roger Nettie, senior consultant of risk management for the CUNA Mutual Group, a credit union insurer in Madison, Wis. “Credit union members that fall for scams, unfortunately, are usually stuck with their own loss.”
Bank managers, tellers and associates are being taught to report their suspicions to Adult Protective Services, Legal Aid, state attorneys general and, in some cases, even the local police.
But their employers are legally limited in what they can do to keep customers in the early stages of dementia or Alzheimer’s safe from financial abuse. That’s because privacy laws, which vary from state to state, can prevent financial institutions from aiding scam victims.
“The unfortunate reality banks must consider is that one family member could take legal action when a bank informs another family member of fraud in the event that an account is styled as only a single account,” said Scott Mullen, principal with North Highland, a management consulting company that works with the largest banks and credit unions. “There needs to be a mechanism in place, such as a power of attorney on file, which allows the bank to release information.”
What Citibank Is Doing
Among the top 10 largest retail banks nationwide, Citibank is breaking out as a leader in actively monitoring the activities of elderly customers for potential fraud.
“Citibank has put in place internal controls that spot patterns of suspicious account activity, such as several large withdrawals, which may indicate that an elder customer has been the target of fraud,” said Fred Schebesta, CEO of Finder, a financial-comparison website. “Other banks may have equivalent programs in place, however they do not appear to be actively promoting them.”
A Citibank spokesman told Next Avenue in an email: “The protection of our clients’ accounts is our chief priority, and we take all potential instances of fraud, including elder abuse, very seriously. When elder abuse is suspected, Citi files all appropriate reports with the relevant state and/or local authorities and conducts its own internal investigation in the matter… With regard to privacy, we adhere to all relevant laws while working with government agencies to protect against fraud.”
Regional Banks and Credit Unions
But according to the National Community Reinvestment Coalition, no bank it surveyed has yet to create a national, uniformed, clear or well-developed structure for serving the needs of a growing older adult population. Regional banks and credit unions, it says, are at the forefront of this emerging trend.
The National Council on Aging (NCOA) also gives thumbs up to the work that credit unions are doing to keep older customers safe.
“We have found that the community development credit unions, in particular, are well positioned to qualify for an age-friendly seal of approval,” said NCOA’s Alwin.
Although an age-friendly seal of approval has yet to be developed, First Financial Bankshares in Texas did receive the American Bankers Association Community Commitment Award this year for its partnership with the Abilene Police Department, the Better Business Bureau and Adult Protective Services.
The regional bank’s Financial Exploitation Education Program, which focuses on the elderly, has saved customers $100 million and has led to 50 arrests at the teller line since May 2014. The program is now active in all 70 First Financial branches, covering more than 700 miles.
The key to its successful elder fraud initiative is preventing fraudulent checks from being cashed or deposited and empowering tellers to report suspected fraud to the authorities.
What’s Holding Back Some Banks
Alwin expects to see more banks and credit unions provide similar protection, though not immediately. “There’s a trend around recognizing and monitoring suspicious behavior, but it will take longer to implement systems, and for these programs to catch fire nationwide, partly due to inherent legalities and privacy concerns,” she said.
In the meantime, one way you can help protect your elderly parent is to create a joint account with him or her. “The bank is allowed, and expected by law, to give access to the second person listed under the joint account,” Mullen said.
But be extremely careful before you grant anyone else permission to share an account with your mother or father. “The second person has full access to money in the account, so the choice of a joint account holder becomes very important,” Mullen noted.
© Twin Cities Public Television – 2016. All rights reserved.
Research on animals suggests we could improve humans' healthy lifespan
By Filipe Sierra for Next Avenue
Credit: Thinkstock
Editor’s note: This article is part of Next Avenue’s 2015 Influencers in Aging project honoring 50 people changing how we age and think about aging.
No, we cannot “prevent aging”… but what if we could delay it?
Unfortunately, the deterioration that comes with aging is part of a fundamental aspect of the universe, so it cannot be eliminated. Recent research suggests, however, that the rate of deterioration is indeed malleable, at least in many different animal models. So why not in people?
Aging itself is the major risk factor for most chronic diseases and conditions. We know that cholesterol, obesity and high blood pressure are major risk factors for cardiovascular disease. Yet it is well documented that these pale in comparison to the risk of merely increased age. The same is true for Alzheimer’s disease, cancer and most other chronic conditions.
The fact that aging underlies the risk for all these diseases explains why older people rarely get only one disease or debilitating condition: Comorbidity (the co-occurrence of more than one disease or disabling condition) is the rule, not the exception!
It follows, then, that by delaying aging, we could address all of these diseases at once, leading to better overall health.
Can We Delay Aging?
This is the basic premise of a new field of research called geroscience. But there’s an obvious catch: Can we do it?
We’ve known for a long time that we can hold off the ravages of aging — we can maintain physical function and reduce risk of a number of diseases, for example — by exercise, a healthy diet, a positive attitude and other behaviors. However, translating these good habits into mass changes in behavior in the population has been elusive.
So, can we use our limited understanding of the mechanisms by which these habits promote good health to mimic their effects at the molecular level and thus improve quality of life as we get old? In flies, worms, and mice (and even yeast), scientists can increase lifespan by a variety of dietary, genetic and pharmacological interventions.
The fact that these interventions work in species across the animal kingdom makes scientists hopeful that they will also work in people. Preliminary attempts are showing promise, but it is too early to implement or to advocate for any such interventions in humans.
Healthspan, Not Lifespan
What would be the benefits?
Traditionally, research on aging has focused on longevity, but we all recognize that longevity without health is a hollow goal. As the field has matured, we are paying more attention to healthspan — the proportion of lifespan spent in reasonably good health.
Many of the interventions identified in animals lead to improved healthspan. Not only do the animals die later, they die with fewer diseases and debilitating conditions than their control counterparts. This suggests that, at least in mice and other species, it might be possible to attain the Holy Grail of aging research: compression of morbidity.
When will people benefit from this?
It is definitely too early to say, which is why I have refrained from even mentioning the interventions that work in animals. So, despite the thriving industry of “anti-aging” treatments, nothing that we know of today has been shown to prevent or delay the aging process in people. Thus, the current generation may not benefit from this groundbreaking research. But maybe our children and grandchildren will.
© Twin Cities Public Television – 2016. All rights reserved.
By Roberto Muñiz
At Parker, we are in the final stages of our most recent five-year strategic plan, and at the same time have begun strategizing to move forward with our vision for the next ten years. While we have many questions to answer and many more to ask, the one I think about a lot is “is ten years too long?”
Planning for the future is an oxymoron because, how can you plan for something you know little about? We can collect data, identify opportunities, watch for trends, keep an eye on technology, and ask people what they want – and then ask them again.
We have to get comfortable with the notion that the services we provide today may look and feel very different in just a few short years. And they may look and feel different in another few short years again, because with each wave of aging consumers comes new needs, desires, and demands. And if we don’t offer what they want or need – they will figure it out for themselves.
So is ten years too long? Five years? Two? I believe that there isn’t a set timeline for strategic planning. It’s a process, not a goal. I think of strategic planning as a verb, not a noun.
Do we need to check in as we move forward with plans? Absolutely. Will we ensure that our mission of care and compassion remains intact? Of course. Do we need to be flexible as we assess what’s working well and what needs to be changed? Always. Do we pause? Sometimes. Do we stop? Never.
So let me start this blog over. Here at Parker, we continue with our strategic planning. . . .
This Influencer In Aging says changes are vital as the nation gets older
By Ai-jen Poo for Next Avenue
Editor’s note: This article is part of Next Avenue’s 2015 Influencers in Aging project honoring 50 people changing how we age and think about aging. Here, Ai-jen Poo, one of the Influencers, discusses the importance of caring for our nation’s caregivers.
Every day, at least 10,000 Americans turn 65. When we imagine the future, most of us envision ourselves living life on our own terms, in our homes and communities, connected to the people we love, even as we become more frail. As Atul Gawande, Next Avenue’s 2015 Influencer of the Year, so eloquently put it, we want to continue to be “the authors of our own stories” as we age.
Yet, most of us don’t have a plan to make that happen, and we as a nation don’t have a plan, either. Our family caregivers are overstretched and our care workforce is underpaid; both are undervalued. Families are pushed into poverty to pay for care. What we have in place simply isn’t sufficient to meet the growing need for care and supportive services in our country.
A New System
Living well in the future will require a fundamental change in our nation’s approach to caregiving. We need a system that supports caregivers, incentivizes professional caregivers to join and stay in the care workforce and helps us all afford the quality care we deserve.
Leadership for this change can and must come from those of us who are feeling the pressure directly. Between the millions living in multi-generational households, family caregivers and professional caregivers, there are at least 100 million of us who are directly affected by the need for care. We know first-hand what’s needed and that the status quo is unsustainable.
Caring Across Generations
Caring Across Generations is the campaign I co-lead with Sarita Gupta, herself a sandwich-generation caregiver and working mom. It is bringing us together across the country, to be the authors of a new caregiving story in America and shift how our nation values caregiving relationships once and for all.
Just like we once invested in building railways and highways, we must now invest in systems and infrastructure to support caregiving. We can offer more support to family caregivers, including paid family leave, Social Security caregiver credits and respite care to prevent burnout. We can make quality care more affordable. We can build a strong care workforce by ensuring that professional caregivers receive livable wages and benefits.
All these improvements to our caregiving system are completely within reach, if we put our voices and our votes behind it.
Making Progress
One important way to take steps forward is to offer states the resources they need to design and test innovative caregiving solutions, which is one of the reasons why I am excited about a proposal we are working on with U.S. Sen. Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii). The Living Independently for Extended Time (LIFETIME) Act will establish an Innovation Fund, a federal grant program providing support to states to develop and implement long-term care solutions and pilot programs.
In 2015, several states, with the support of Caring Across Generations, have already taken critical first steps to transform our caregiving infrastructure:
- Washington approved resources for a study on how the state will finance long-term care.
- Colorado created a strategic planning group to identify challenges faced by Colorado’s aging population and to recommend a response.
- In Hawaii, the Long Term Care Commission recommended the establishment of a publicly funded long-term care insurance program for working families — the first such program in the U.S. This proposal will be discussed in the Legislature in 2016.
We can bring caregiving into the 21st century, where care and those who provide it are fundamentally valued. We just need to come together as the caring majority we truly represent and make it inevitable.
© Twin Cities Public Television – 2016. All rights reserved.
Follow these rules now to prevent a family war later
By Patrick O’Brien for Next Avenue
Credit: Thinkstock
It is your worst nightmare. You’ve passed away, and now your adult children no longer speak to each other. Circumstances around your death have destroyed the family you spent your life building. As the CEO and co-founder of Executor.org, I’ve seen this all too often.
But this terrible scenario is preventable, if you plan properly.
My Family’s Sad Experience
Unfortunately, squabbling among grown kids surrounding the death of a parent happens frequently because their mothers and fathers fail to take the basic steps necessary to minimize the upheaval. I know. I became an expert on this topic at a young age. I watched as both my parents’ families became permanently splintered surrounding their parents’ deaths. In each case, some siblings never spoke to each other again.
In my family, as in many, one of the children was required to step up and become a primary caregiver late in a parent’s life, a difficult “volunteer” job requiring time and sacrifice for that individual and his or her family.
When Family Caregivers Expect More
When you add spouses of these caregivers to the mix and factor in the sacrifices they often make as their husband or wife takes on this additional responsibility, the equation can become quickly combustible. The hard work the caregiver puts in often skews his or her family’s perspectives on how they should be treated when the estate’s assets are divided.
Plus, if the aging parent begins giving the caregiver things that would otherwise be part of the estate at death, this can be viewed as a sign to the other beneficiaries that the parent will favor the caregiver when it’s time to settle the estate.
5 Rules to Prevent an Inheritance War
You can stave off an inheritance war after your death by following these five rules while you’re alive:
1. Communicate early and often. Talk to your adult children about your estate wishes, and about any changes to them as you age. There are benefits to starting this process as early as their 20s — even earlier if you have serious health issues.
Having conversations about who’ll get what and why can eliminate surprises later and give your children a chance to process your intentions. If you think it’s appropriate to give more to the grown child who will likely be caring for you in your later years, make that wish known to all of your children, not just the caregiving child.
If your family is local, this is a good conversation to have after a Sunday night family dinner. Just avoid having the talk during the holidays, if possible.
There’s no easy way to broach the topic. It’s often best to start by saying that you’d really like to talk about a difficult subject because you believe it’s in the best interest of the family.
Of course, you also should document your wishes in your will.
2. Get input from your children. Ask if any items you own hold special meaning to them. Something as simple as an old baseball mitt may be of much more interest to one of your children than you anticipated. It is better to have the issues surface now while you’re still available to explain the rationale for your decisions.
After you get the input, take time to digest the opinions that were shared before making any final decisions, particularly if the items have great differences in economic value or if you think there may be potential disagreement. When you decide how to distribute items of interest, it is generally a good idea to document this in your will.
3. Be fair. That ring collection of yours may be worth a great deal. If possible, try to get an appraisal for anything that might have significant economic value. Being fair can also mean making sure each of your children receives a collection of items from your estate of similar monetary value, not just sentimental value.
4. Be detailed about your plans. Taking the approach that “my children will figure all this out” without your providing detailed instructions in your will might not lead to a harmonious distribution of your assets.
While your children may not be satisfied with the choices you’ve made, they will be less likely to blame their siblings because they’ll know the allocations were what you wanted.
5. Write a letter to your children to be read when the will is shared. This letter is not to say who gets what; that should be outlined in your legal documents. This letter is to tell your children you loved them and tried your best to be fair in this process. It can go a long way in reminding them to move past the fact that they didn’t get the piece of furniture they wanted from your estate.
Remind them in this letter that family goes a lot deeper than possessions and that you hope they will remember that fact.
© Twin Cities Public Television – 2016. All rights reserved.
You can do more than you think – but planning is essential
By Barbara and Jim Twardowski for Next Avenue
Credit: Thinkstock
Jackie Witt always feels a little anxious before she travels. The 31-year-old can barely climb steps, finds walking long distances difficult, and can’t lift more than five pounds.
Witt, who has visited France and Ireland, has central core disease, which causes muscle weakness. “Because of my disability, I want to know everything I’m going to be faced with while traveling, which obviously isn’t possible,” she said.
One of her most difficult travel days was waiting for a ferry in Ireland during low tide. The only way to reach the boat was a perilous descent across moss-laden stone steps without a railing. A fellow passenger and Witt’s mother stood on either side of her as she navigated the slippery path. On the last step, a crew member picked Witt up and deposited her onto the deck.
“Even if we don’t necessarily see places the same way someone without a disability does, it’s so worth getting out there,” she said.
Three out of every 10 Americans with a disability traveled outside the continental United States within the last five years, according to a 2015 national survey by the Open Doors Organization (ODO). Experts predict the demand for accessible travel will only increase as the boomer generation ages.
While there are bound to be some snags you can’t anticipate if you’re disabled, it is possible to minimize them with careful planning.
Here are seven tips for making the most of your next adventure:
1. Choose the Right Destination
“People might be surprised to learn you can take an accessible trip to Machu Picchu, the Galapagos Islands or the Amazon rainforest,” said Timothy Holtz, the group travel coordinator for Flying Wheels Travel, an agency specializing in accessible trips. On his recent travels, Holtz saw the addition of ramps at temples in Japan, a wheelchair stair climber lift at the Acropolis in Athens and an elevator at the Roman Forum.
The world is a big place and many destinations are making huge strides to become barrier-free. Just last year, Germany launched a nationwide accessibility standard and certification program. The country is heavily promoting nearly 185 accessible things to do and places to visit in its online brochure.
Cities that are hundreds of years old will naturally be more difficult to navigate. But don’t make the mistake of assuming a destination is inaccessible. Instead, consult with a travel agent, especially when considering a multi-country trip or cruise.
2. Do Your Research
Individuals who opt to orchestrate their own trips will need to ask specific questions. For example, inquire about the width of hotel elevator doors; some are not wide enough for a wheelchair. When booking a cruise, review the cruise line’s policies regarding accessibility; some require passengers with disabilities to travel with a companion.
Begin researching destinations by visiting official tourism offices online. Be aware the terminology varies from one place to another. When conducting Internet searches, try a variety of terms, such as “handicapped,” “barrier-free,” “disabled,” “reduced mobility” and “special needs.”
3. Hire a Pro
Planning a trip abroad is a time-consuming task. Specialized travel agencies can book flights, cruises, accommodations, tours, shore excursions and transportation. Some will even arrange for a travel companion, rental of medical equipment and the purchase of travel insurance.
Before hiring an accessible travel agent, ask about his or her experience.
John Sage, the founder of two accessible travel companies — one focused on Europe (Sage Traveling) and one on the Caribbean (Accessible Caribbean Vacations) — spends days scouting destinations. Sage, who was injured in a snow skiing accident and uses a wheelchair, has visited 42 countries on four continents. Common obstacles he finds in foreign countries include a lack of ramps at curbs, steps at the entrance to buildings and narrow bathroom doors.
His thorough first-hand exploration informs clients on details like how many feet it is from their hotel to the nearest bus stop, routes that avoid cobblestones, and how to access the elevator at the Eiffel Tower.
4. Prepare for Air Travel
One of the biggest hurdles for people with mobility disabilities is flying. Maneuvering large airports, carrying medical equipment and navigating security can be exhausting. Passengers needing extra assistance should inform the airline when booking a reservation and upon arrival at the airport.
Most airlines board wheelchair users first, but these passengers will exit the plane last. Allow plenty of extra time to catch connecting flights —90 minutes is usually sufficient. Wheelchairs and scooters are frequently damaged by baggage handlers; to prevent this, carry any detachable parts, such as a seat cushion, onto the plane.
5. Book Hotels Wisely
Make room reservations early at hotels located in the city center and near major sights.
“You are competing with the rest of the people who have disabilities from around the world for a handful of rooms. The longer you wait, the worse the location and you’ll have to take a bus or taxi to see the attractions,” said Sage, whose Sage Traveling business typically reserves European hotels nine months in advance.
6. Plan How You’ll Get Around
Transporting mobility devices usually requires getting around in an accessible vehicle. In London, where the black cabs come with small ramps built into the floorboards, it’s fairly easy to hail an accessible taxi. Other destinations may have only a small number of accessible taxis and frequently must be booked 24 hours or even days in advance.
Typically, subways are not a good choice for wheelchair users, since elevators are nonexistent or inoperable. Many cities do have accessible city buses with ramps, though.
7. Be Flexible
Traveling has given Witt a new feeling of independence. Along the way, she’s learned it’s OK to ask others — even strangers — for assistance.
“Having a disability makes you resourceful and you learn to adapt to your physical environment,” she said. Now, she knows traveling requires pacing herself. Sometimes, she opts to stay on the tour bus and view the sights from afar.
“I’m stressed before I go, but I feel really good when I get back — I’ve seen the world,” she said.
© Twin Cities Public Television – 2016. All rights reserved.