Archive for the ‘Aging’ Category
The Major Problem . . .
. . . facing the development of
AI (artificial intelligence) is that
we’ll neve be able to overcome
natural stupidity.
Self-Image Usually Unclear
Many an old fogey walks away from a mirror muttering about not recognizing the image they just saw. But a lot of folks don’t recognize themselves as other people see them.
You may think you’ve spent a lot of effort to become a good listener. You’ve become so good you often know what people are going to say before they say it. So, to help them along, you rudely interrupt them and finish what they were going to say for them.
What about the chap who claims to be open to change and welcomes new ideas and developments as they take hold in society? At the same time, they keep reminding everyone loudly about the good old days.
You might think your good at conflict resolution, of helping to bring feuding relatives, coworkers, neighbors or colleagues together. They may see you just as a meddling, intrusive or bossy interloper who tries to impose your mores and morals on everybody else.
I Used To Think . . .
. . . I was indecisive,
but now I’m not so sure.
Seniors Straining Economic Support
There were slightly more than 900 million people – about 12 percent — around the world aged 60 years and older in 2015. This number is expected to increase to 1.4 billion by 2030, an increase of more than 16 percent. By 2050, one out of five people – 2.1 billion scattered all over the globe — will be 60 or older.
Almost 90 percent of the Japanese believe this is a problem. Only one out of four Americans think this way. Since most of these people will be out of the work force, they will have to have fashioned their own retirement plans or be supported by somebody. Most people in most countries think the government should take care of its elderly. This socialism brush could be wider than anticipated and affect how the nations of the world are governed in the near future.
This rapidly aging population is creating an unprecedented set of problems, including a rapidly spreading and more diverse set of diseases, increased spending of time and money on health and long-term care, labor shortages, and steadily rising inflation chewing away at old-age income. Adding calluses to the problem is the fact that Social Security payments will probably be lowered when the surplus in the trust fund is depleted. The $2.9 trillion in reserves reported in 2020 is expected to be spent by 2034 – a year earlier than previously estimated.
When that happens, benefits payments will probably be slashed by about 25 percent if adjustments aren’t made in the meantime. This is happening because the millennium surge into the retirement age and the dwindling labor force that has Social Security support deducted from their paychecks. Simply, fewer workers will be paying for more Social Security recipients. While every elected official in Washington and every economist in the country knows the problem exists, no one has made any moves to fix any part of it.
One Of My Neighbors Here . . .
. . .looked surprised
when I told her
she drew her eyebrows too high.
Gray Divorce On The Rise
While the overall divorce rate has been declining over the last couple of decades, the one group bucking this trend is older couples in long-term marriages. The marital-splitting rate for couples older than 50 years of age has doubled since the 1990s and has tripled for those older than 65, according to reports by the Washington, DC-based Pew Research Center.
There are several reasons for this surge in gray divorce.
We’re living longer and couples are splitting rather than spending an additional 20 or 30 years with a spouse they no longer like. More women have become high earners over the years and no longer facc daunting economic problems if they decide to go it alone. Many couples decide to give up on an unhappy union after the children leave the nest.
This phenomenon is not restricted to the U.S. In Canada, the only age group registering an increase in the rate of divorce are folks older than 50. The divorce rate among “silver surfers” in the U.K has doubled since the turn of the century and the Japanese call gray divorce the “retired husband syndrome.”
Help Someone . . .
. . .out of trouble
and they’ll remember you
every time
they get back into trouble.
Aging Body Loses Temperature Control
The threat of hypothermia – when your internal body temperature slips below 95 degrees Fahrenheit – exists year around for folks whose age slips by 65 years. Most people are aware that they have to wrap up during frigid winter weather to avoid this condition, but seniors can still fall victim in air-conditioned buildings during the heat of summer.
Interior thermostats set between 60 degrees and 70 degrees can be dangerous for older folk so they should dress accordingly all year. Wear layers of clothing at all times. It’s easier to doff a coat or jacket than to shiver without one. Always wear a hat or cap and keep gloves handy. Take off any wet clothing and stay out of the wind, both of which can cause your body temperature to drop quickly.
If You Think . . .
. . .life is giving you melons,
you might be dyslexic.
Look After Eye Strain
Many parts of your body don’t work as well after your 50 as they did before you strolled through the half-century mark. A common but overlooked problem is dry eye, which results in itchy and burning eyes. The irritation often is caused by lowered tear production, which decreases with aging and can be exacerbated among snowbirds who spend their winters in dry desert climates.
Long sessions at your computer, driving, and watching television are also among the causes. Over-the-counter eye drops can alleviate the condition readily but you should have your eyes medically examined to determine proper treatment.
Another common complaint by the over-50 crowd is “floaters and flashes.” Floaters resemble black spots or cobwebs wandering through your eye and can be constant or episodic. Flashes, which also are episodic, are brief flashes of light. Both normally are harmless but should be checked because they can signal a detached retina, which can lead to blindness.
Getting To Be . . .
. . . an old fart, I was told over the years,
makes you more patient,
but I’ve come to believe
I just don’t give a shit.
By Fyllis Hockman
Mature Life Features
The last 18 miles of the road leading to the Monteverde Cloud Forest in Costa Rica takes more than 1½ hour to navigate because it is full of ruts and potholes by design. The locals don’t repair it because that would make it too easy for tourists to visit. But that Cloud Forest is really worth seeing.
So what exactly is a cloud forest? The non-technical explanation is plenty of clouds and rain result in every inch of the trees being covered by growing green things called epiphytes. Half of all the vegetation in this forest lives on the tops of trees, creating a sea of emerald and jade and olive and lime under an opaque canopy.
Traversing a series of hanging bridges gave us a birds-eye view of the forest very different than that from the ground. And zip-lining over the tree tops added an adrenaline rush that topped our environmental appreciation.
Martha Campbell, the daughter of one of the original Quaker settlers of Monteverde in 1951, provided some historical context to the Cloud Forest community that survived its beginning without plumbing, electricity and phone by cattle ranching. She bemoans the large influx of tourists of the past two decades that means “more job opportunities, but also more cars, maybe more crime and I just miss the simple life we used to have.”
This enormously rich ecosystem supports 7 percent of the world’s plant and animal diversity in only 0.1 percent of the earth’s surface.
Think About It . . .
. . .after a few short weeks in captivity,
dolphins train people
to stand at the edge of the pool
and toss fish at them.
Heel Pain Follows Aging
As fat grams and low-fat foods consume Americans’ thinking about the cuisine they love, there’s a
part of the body that can’t function without significant fat. The heel and ball of the foot require
healthy fatty deposits for shock absorption to cushion the impact of walking and exercise. The
heel hits the ground with a force 10 to 15 percent above body weight, according to the American College of Foot and Ankle Surgeons.
Heel pain is natural for seniors because there’s loss of muscle tone and atrophy of the foot’s fatty
deposits. This is no excuse to go out and splurge on ice cream sundaes because there’s nothing people can eat to replenish fat on the bottom of their feet. It’s just something people need to be aware of as they
age.
Tablemate . . .
. . . said the newly arrived lady
was a bookkeeper for a dozen years
before moving here.
She had our concierge return it to the library.
Hedonism Can Boost Longevity
Indulging in wine, chocolate and sweet snacks in moderation can actually help increase your
longevity, according to a British psychopharmacologist.
Dr. David Warburton of Reading University in Reading, England, said, “These substances have
a mild effect on the pleasure pathways of the brain, resulting in the improvement of mood. A good
mood lessens stress and helps strengthen the immune system. And research shows that people
who are happy on a regular basis are healthier and live longer.”
Warburton does not advocate giving up exercise and sound nutrition. But he does encourage
more leeway for indulging in life’s small delights. “I really worry that the health-conscious world
may be going overboard,” he says. “A too-severe, restrictive approach to pleasure produces a climate that encourages negative emotions and, ultimately, poorer health. You might say that we are advocating a life of moderate hedonism.”
If The Head Of Ikea . . .
. . . ever gets elected president of Sweden,
I wonder how long it will take
to put his cabinet together.
Move Quickly to Reclaim Identity
More than 9 million cases of identity theft are estimated to occur each year and adults older than 60 — married women especially — are among the most likely victims. You can minimize the consequences of identity fraud if you act quickly should your important
documents or numbers, such as Social Security, credit cards or bank accounts, fall into someone else’s hands.
Your first step is to call the police and ask for a crime report. Attach copies of the report to letters you will send to credit-card companies and banks.
Replace your credit and debit cards with news ones, with new numbers, and close your checking account, too, and open a new one.
Check your credit report with Equifax, Experian and TransUnion for unfamiliar charges and ask that you be contacted if anyone tries to establish credit in your name.
Apropos Of Nothing . . .
. . .do you think
if cannibals ate a clown,
it would taste funny?
Getting Fatter Not Inevitable With Aging
Contrary to popular wisdom, getting fatter is not inevitable for those over 50.
The weight most of us put on after 50 results more from overeating and under-exercising than
from any ‘natural’ aging process, according to a report out o Vanderbilt University.
However, nutritional needs and metabolism do change after 50.
For instance, coping well with stress is an effective way to combat “apple” fat, which is the type
of excess weight most tend to gain after 50. Apple fat is the kind deep in the upper torso and
around the waist that leaves you round like an apple. This type of fat distribution has been linked
to heart disease, high blood pressure, diabetes, and, in women, to breast cancer.
Developing a repertoire of nonfattening stress-relievers, such as doing crossword puzzles or phoning an old friend or praying and meditating or getting a weekly massage, is recommended to prevent
stress from redistributing even more fat to your middle.
Mature Life Features 