Social media helps seniors stay connected

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social media
pinterest.com

Social media complements face-to-face interactions for residents

by Lisa Price, M.D., McKnight’s Senior Living
March 20, 2017
“No matter where older adults live — in their own homes or in a senior living community — there’s an excellent chance that they have access to social media. Ten years ago, few of those aged 65 years or more used social networking sites such as Facebook. By 2015, 35% were online, and this number is only expected to increase.

A recent study published in the journal PNAS found that Facebook interaction among older adults is doing more than just helping them while away the time.

Loneliness in older adults

Older adults often report they are lonely and feel isolated in their lives and in the communities in which they live. An Archives of Internal Medicine article found that 43% of those aged 60 or more reported feeling lonely. Delving into the numbers, researchers were able to pinpoint two issues facing older adults: 32% reported lacking companionship, and 25% said they felt left out.

Face-to-face interaction long has been the gold standard for socializing, decreasing loneliness and isolation in older adults. Our culture is fast-paced and ever-changing, and our means of communicating is changing along with it. Researchers have taken notice of the continuing growth of social media, the ubiquitous nature of smartphones and tablets that help people connect to the internet, and the fact that people around the world easily can interact through the technology.”

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Lisa Price, M.D., is chief medical officer at Denver-based InnovAge, a provider of health and wellness services for older adults in California, Colorado and New Mexico. She was a private practice geriatrician for 11 years and then attended on the Acute Care of the Elderly service and taught quality improvement at the University of Colorado.

Tips for eating healthy as we age

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Since retiring almost two years ago, I have noticed that my daily habits do not include healthy eating or eating as often as I should.  My calorie intake should be different now that I am not as active as when I was teaching high school students full time and I am aging. I hope the following tips help you as they did me.

healthy eatingHealthy Eating after 50

from The National Institute on Aging

“Choosing healthy foods is a smart thing to do—no matter how old you are!

Here are some tips to get you started:

  • Eat many different colors and types of vegetables and fruits.
  • Make sure at least half of your grains are whole grains.
  • Eat only small amounts of solid fats and foods with added sugars. Limit saturated fat (found mostly in foods that come from animals) and trans fats (found in foods like store-bought baked goods and some margarines).
  • Eat “good” (poly- and monounsaturated) fats, like those found in seeds, nuts, avocados, and fatty fish like salmon. Any fats added in cooking should come from olive, canola, corn, or vegetable oil.
  • Eat seafood twice a week. Small fish, like sardines or trout, or farm-raised fish (check the label) contain less mercury than large fish, like tuna. Mercury can be harmful.

How Many Calories Do People over Age 50 Need Each Day?

A woman: Who is not physically active needs about 1,600 calories

A woman: Who is somewhat active needs about 1,800 calories

A woman: Who has an active lifestyle needs about 2,000-2,200 calories

A man: Who is not physically active needs about 2,000 calories

A man: Who is somewhat active needs about 2,200-2,400 calories

A man: Who has an active lifestyle needs about 2,400-2,800 calories

Here’s a tip: Aim for at least 150 minutes (2½ hours) of physical activity each week. Ten-minute sessions several times a day on most days are fine.”

Read more and download comprehensive Age Page – Healthy Eating After 50 brochure

Need dental work?

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dental workGet Dental Work Before You Retire

by Kim Blanton, Squared Away Blog

March 9, 2017

“Caps, gum surgeries, implants, dental exotica – all kinds of things can and do go wrong in retirees’ mouths.

dental workBut dental coverage also drops sharply for older Americans, because when people retire, they give up their employer’s dental insurance. Without it, retirees needing dental work can face an unexpected, mini financial crisis.

Medicare does not cover routine dental procedures, a fact that a majority of working baby boomers are unaware of. But most seniors also aren’t covered through a spouse or under, say, a union dental insurance plan for retirees. The private dental insurance market is their only option for care, and very few purchase it.

Uninsured older Americans shell out $1,126 annually, on average, for dental work, which is $400 more than people with coverage spend. Out-of-pocket costs can be much higher in a year when extensive work is required.

There is also a hidden cost to not being covered.  Failing to deal with dental problems can cause other serious illnesses, from malnutrition to heart trouble.”

Read more about getting dental work

Lonely or socially isolated?

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social isolation
DREAMSTIME

Social isolation does not mean mom is lonely: Caregiver SOS

The two terms are not interchangeable, but it is important to find out why senior doesn’t want to leave the house.

By Nira Rittenberg, Special to The Star
March 20, 2017

“Mom lives in a small town north of me. Since dad died, she doesn’t want to go out. Her arthritis is bad. I see her when possible but feel badly that she is alone. She says she is fine?

It is critical to understand the difference between social isolation and loneliness. We hear in the news about how seniors are prone to both these issues. The truth is, the language is not interchangeable.

Loneliness is a subjective state. The person may feel a sense of unhappiness or distress from not having people around enough or not having fulfilling social contact. They may feel they will be rejected or they may have poor self-esteem.

Social isolation occurs when the person does not have enough people to socialize with. People can feel lonely (their own perception) even in a highly social environment. The concept is related to depression, but not all people who are lonely are depressed.

Social isolation is defined as a lack of rewarding social relationships. A 2012 Statistics Canada Report stated that almost 25 per cent of seniors’ wished for more social participation.”

Read about factors which bring about social isolation

Nira Rittenberg is an occupational therapist who specializes in geriatrics and dementia care at Baycrest Health Sciences Centre and in private practice. She is co-author of Dementia A Caregiver’s Guide.

2016 Aging Stats Report

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Older Americans 2016: Key Indicators of Well-Being

2016 Aging Stats Report

“This report provides the latest data on the 41 key indicators selected by the Forum (on Aging Related Statistics) to portray aspects of the lives of older Americans and their families. It is divided into six subject areas: population, economics, health status, health risks and behaviors, health care, and environment.”

Download the Full 2016 Aging Stats Report (PDF)

Highlights from the 2016 Aging Stats Report can be found on page 19.

Download Individual Sections Format
Population XLS
Economics XLS
Environment XLS
Health Status XLS
Health Risks & Behaviors XLS
Health Care XLS
Special Feature: Informal Caregiving XLS
Figures PPTX

John Ylvisaker wrote a song which God sings to all of us

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Yesterday, I attended my weekly Bible study at Redeemer Lutheran Church in Fort Collins, CO.  Tim Runtsch, senior pastor, always starts us off with a song.  Yesterday, he gave us a partial history to the song we were about to sing, “I Was There to Hear Your Borning Cry,” written by John Carl Ylvisaker.

Ylvisaker, of Waverly, Iowa, passed away at the age of 79 from complications of Multiple System Atrophy and cancer on March 9, 2017.  His sweet song of God’s love is often sung at baptisms, confirmations and sometimes funerals. The borning cry refers to the first cry a baby makes after he or she is born.  In memory of John Carl Ylvisaker, here are the lyrics to his beautiful and timeless song:

John Ylvisaker
John Carl Ylvisaker 1937-2017

“I was there to hear your borning cry,
I’ll be there when you are old.
I rejoiced the day you were baptized,
to see your life unfold.

I was there when you were but a child,
with a faith to suit you well;
In a blaze of light you wandered off
to find where demons dwell.

When you heard the wonder of the Word
I was there to cheer you on;
You were raised to praise the living Lord,
to whom you now belong.

If you find someone to share your time
and you join your hearts as one,
I’ll be there to make your verses rhyme
from dusk ’till rising sun.

In the middle ages of your life,
not too old, no longer young,
I’ll be there to guide you through the night,
complete what I’ve begun.

When the evening gently closes in,
and you shut your weary eyes,
I’ll be there as I have always been
with just one more surprise.

I was there to hear your borning cry,
I’ll be there when you are old.
I rejoiced the day you were baptized,
to see your life unfold.”

 

Considering a job change?

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The Benefits of Late-career Job Changesjob change

by Kim Blanton, Squared Away Blog

March 23, 2017

“Finding a new job in one’s 50s is not that easy to pull off, and it’s risky if the new employer doesn’t work out.  But there’s a silver lining for people who can make the change to a job they feel is better: they work longer than those who don’t make a move.

A new study by the Center for Retirement Research, which supports this blog, finds the probability that older workers remain in the labor force until they’re 65 increases considerably – by 9 percentage points – if they voluntarily made a job change sometime during their 50s.

This lends credence to other research showing that when older workers voluntarily find a new employer, they often experience more job satisfaction and less on-the-job stress, which makes it easier to resist retiring.

The benefits from changing jobs are both psychic and practical.

More than half of U.S. workers haven’t saved enough.  A few more years of work increases your monthly Social Security, reduces the number of years an under-saver has to finance in retirement, and gives retirement savings accounts a little more time to accumulate investment earnings.”

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