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If you
believe much of what you hear and see about aging,
it's not a pretty picture. The true story is that
much of the decline that's presented as inevitable
simply isn't. Good health, exercise and using your
mind in active and creative pursuits can help keep
your body and your mind flexible and strong. In
this issue of Engage we present a different
picture, one of a 91 year old woman with a clear
mind, thanks to the attentiveness of her
daughters. And we offer options for staying well
in your own home and your own community. Enjoy,
and continue engaging with your life.
We
hope you will share Engage with your
family and friends.
Sincerely,
Institute
on Aging
Helping
Bay Area Seniors Live Independently
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When It Isn't Really Senility
from Robin
Marantz Henig, The NY Times' New Old Age Blog
 When
Jane Simpson's 91 year old mother started showing
signs of memory loss, her family assumed it was a
gradual, but natural, part of aging. Saddened but
not alarmed, they accepted the loss until Ms.
Simpson read a short article about the side
effects of a certain bladder control drug called
Ditropan, which include severe memory loss.
Recalling that her mother was taking
this Ditropan, Ms. Simpson and her sister had
their mother switched to an alternative drug.
Within a few months their mother's mental
confusion eased.
Mental confusion and
memory loss are often disregarded in older
patients as part of the inevitable decline
associated with aging. But many cases of such loss
may be attributed to medical conditions ranging
from urinary tract infections to the flu, and also
to side effects from many commonly used
medications. Side effect are often reversible, as
in Ms. Simpson's mother's case. After changing her
mother's medications, Ms. Simpson recalls, "we
felt that we had our mother
back."
Read
more... | |
How to Select a Home
Care Provider
By Cheri Jackson, Director,
IOA's Older Adults Care Management
 After the age of 65, you have a 71.8%
chance of needing some form of home care. More of
us are living longer, and the management of
chronic illness such as heart disease, arthritis
and osteoporosis is becoming an integral part of
our lives. At least 90% of us, given the
option, would prefer to live at home our entire
lives, but how do we even start a search for
quality care for ourselves or someone we
love? Some questions should be asked
before contacting any provider of home care,
including the client's preference for a
caregiver's personality (e.g., would he/she get
along better with a quieter person who stays in
the background or someone who will remain close by
and converse more?), duties the person will
perform, hours of care needed and whether a
live-in is more appropriate, and an organization's
years of experience and reputation in the
community. Working with a
professional agency can offer some real
advantages. There is a great deal of
confusion about differences between hiring a
caregiver privately (the client is the employer),
locating one from a referral agency (the client is
also the employer), and finding one who works for
a full service home care agency. If there isn't a
family member or capable friend nearby who can
navigate the complexities of designing a care plan
and setting up home care, a professional care
manager is an excellent option. Read more...Learn more IOA's Older Adults Care
Management. |
Community
Events
Essentials of Senior
Fitness
Designed to provide concrete
tips and suggestions for older adults on how to
incorporate exercise into everyday life. You
are invited to join a Clinical Exercise
Physiologist to explore not only general fitness
recommendations, but also how exercise is
beneficial for health conditions specific to
seniors such as osteoporosis, coronary artery
disease, back pain and
osteoarthritis.
When: Friday,
April 17, 2pm - 3:30pm
Where:
2100 Webster Street, Suite 106
San Francisco,
CA
Cost: Free (sugg. donation
$10)
For more information & to
pre-register, call 415-923-3155.
Richmond Community Health
Festival
Free clinical services,
entertainment, arts and crafts as well as
medication review will be provided to community
members free of charge. Meet State Senator Leland
Yee and Supervisor Eric Mar.
When: Saturday, April 18th,
10:00am - 3:00pm
Where: 215
18th Avenue
San Francisco, CA
Cost: Free
Free yoga classes for students of every
level.
When: Every Tuesday at
6:30pm and 7:30pm
Where:
Richmond Village Beacon
on the campus of George
Washington High School
30th Avenue & Anza
St.
San Francisco, CA
Cost: Free
For more
information contact Mila at
415-750-8554.
Seniors Moving to Better
Health
Join "Always Active" FREE
exercise program for seniors. Fall prevention,
strength and flexibility training. Free wellness
plan. Drop-ins welcome
When:
Mondays: 10-11:00am & Wednesdays: 9:30-10:30am
Where: St James Community
Learning Center
4620 California Street @ 8th
Avenue
San Francisco, CA
Cost: Free
For more
information call
415-752-0139.
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ENCOURAGE
Dear
Encourage,
I am noticing that at times, I have
difficulty remembering names and finding the word
I want to use in a sentence. I was concerned
enough to talk with my doctor who gave me some
tests for my memory, thinking, and judgment and
she concluded that I was "fine," and not to worry
because I did not have dementia. It was a relief
to hear this news, but the problems still remain
and bother me. Is there anything I can do to
improve my "brain
power?"
Sincerely,
A Loss
for
Words
Dear A Loss for
Words,
In today's society, we are all
familiar with the benefits of maintaining
"physical" health- running, bicycling, weight
training, aerobic classes- and focus much energy
in achieving goals related to our bodies. However,
there is a tendency to neglect the importance of
exercising the mind, stimulating thought, and
keeping our brains mentally toned and fit. Current
research shows that cognitive decline is not an
inevitable part of the aging process. In fact, the
hippocampus, the area of the brain which is
important in the acquisition of new memories and
information has the capacity to regenerate. This
is important new information because there was a
time when scientists believed that the brain was
not capable of regeneration or of growing
dendrites (nerve extensions).
The
good news is that you have more control than you
may think over your "brain power." The way to
preserve and enhance your memory is to USE IT! To
increase "mental sweating," stay engaged in life
by reading, writing, taking a class, attending
workshops, listening to or playing music, meeting
new people, and deepening relationships with
friends.
Researchers have identified the
following to be essential components to keeping
your brain and body healthy as you age:
Physical Exercise
Mediterranean-like
Diet
Social Engagement
Intellectual
Stimulation
Stress
Reduction
Do you have a question about
engaging with life as a senior? Send it our way.
Please note, questions may be printed but will be
kept strictly anonymous. Click here to email us.
Responses are provided by IOA's Janet L.
Meiselman,
PsyD.
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Every month we highlight a family
tradition, such as a recipe, a craft, or a cultural
holiday. Please suggest a tradition from
your family!
This month's family
tradition:
Orthodox Easter April 19,
2009  In Greece and Russia, Easter
is a day of joyful celebration of life, and tradtional
egg cracking games add to the fun. In
the Greek tradition, friends and neighbors crack
their eggs against one another's, end to end, until only
one whole egg remains.
In the Russian game, children line up at the
top of a hill and roll their eggs down, with the aim of
keeping their egg intact while breaking their opponents'
eggs.
We'd like to feature part of your heritage.
Share a recipe, tradition or family story. We'd love to
print it!
Click
here to email
us.
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