The Age, 16/2/18

We’ve all heard that exercise is good for you. Did you know that it’s as true for older people as it is for any age group? You’re never too old to get moving, get stronger, and improve your health.
Fitting exercise and physical activity into your day can enhance your life in so many ways. Regular physical activity can improve your balance and boost or maintain your strength and fitness. It may also improve your mood and help you manage or lessen the impact of conditions like diabetes, heart disease, osteoporosis, and depression.
Despite these proven benefits, exercise and physical activity rates among older people are surprisingly low. Only about 30% of people ages 45 to 64 say they engage in regular leisure-time physical activity. This falls to 15% of those between the ages of 65 and 74 and 5% of people age 85 and older.
Experts recommend four types of exercise for older adults: endurance, balance, strength, and flexibility. Brisk walking, dancing, and other endurance exercises improve the health of your heart, lungs, and circulatory system. These exercises can make it easier for you to mow the lawn, climb stairs, and do other daily activities. Strength exercises include lifting weights or using resistance bands. They can increase muscle strength to help with activities such as carrying groceries or lifting grandchildren. Balance exercises can help prevent falls—a major health risk for older adults. Stretching, or flexibility exercises, can give you more freedom of movement for bending to tie your shoes or looking over your shoulder as you back out of the driveway.
“Even if you haven’t been active previously, it’s important to get started and stay active,” says Dr. Richard J. Hodes, director of NIH’s National Institute on Aging. “We know that people want to live independently for as long as they possibly can. By exercising regularly and including more physical activity in their daily routine, older people can preserve their physical function, which is key to doing the everyday things they want to do.”
To help you get started and keep moving, NIH brought together some of the nation’s leading experts on aging, exercise, and motivation. They developed a guide to exercise for older adults. The guide serves as the basis for a national exercise and physical activity campaign for people ages 50 and older. It’s called Go4Life.
“Older adults can exercise safely, even those who have physical limitations,” Hodes says. “Go4Life is based on studies showing the benefits of exercise and physical activity for older people, including those with chronic health conditions.”
Go4Life exercises are designed to be done safely at home without special equipment or clothing. The free book Exercise & Physical Activity: Your Everyday Guide from the National Institute on Aging is the core resource for the campaign. Other free materials, such as tip sheets, are also available. Workout to Go, a mini exercise guide, shows you how you can be active anytime, anywhere.
To learn more, visit the Go4Life website at go4life.nia.nih.gov. You’ll find exercises, success stories, and tips to help you stay motivated. Or call 1-800-222-2225, or e-mail niaic@nia.nih.gov(link sends e-mail).

I spent my 68th birthday on an exam table at the doctor’s office, squinting at my X-rays on the wall and listening to the man in the white jacket talk about why my left knee has betrayed me.

​It buckles when I go up and down stairs, yelps loudly when I try to cross my legs, and jolts me awake from a deep sleep if I accidentally shift positions and bump it. The discomfort was enough for me to choose to spend my birthday in the company of the nice knee doctor.

MORE:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com.au/entry/trick-to-aging-ignore-it_us_5a6b7bdee4b01fbbefb190f8

A longitudinal study, published Thursday in the journal Diabetologia, followed 5,189 people over 10 years and found that people with high blood sugar had a faster rate of cognitive decline than those with normal blood sugar—whether or not their blood-sugar level technically made them diabetic. In other words, the higher the blood sugar, the faster the cognitive decline.
MORE: 
https://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2018/01/the-startling-link-between-sugar-and-alzheimers/551528/?utm_source=fbb

​This paper outlines some of the key issues in regard to the transfer of care for frail older people between providers, with a particular focus on the person returning home. It aims to identify core principles which should be present regardless of local variations in service provision and directs the reader to a number of resources available to support their processes and service development.
​MORE: 
http://www.bgs.org.uk/good-practice-guides/resources/goodpractice/gpgdischarge

You already know the choice of where you live affects your wellness and longevity. And you also know it’s easier to talk with your family when you’ve already thought things through for yourself. So, to prepare to make an informed, proactive choice about whether you’d rather stay in your current home or move to a retirement community, start here with these questions.

Questions to consider before deciding to age in place:

• Would you rather be alone most of the time, or do you want easily available access to companions and social activities? While aging in place can be a solitary experience, a retirement community minimizes solitude. Choose which you’ll be most comfortable with over the long term.
• If you and your family decide aging in place is the best choice, will you still have reasonable access to senior organizations, volunteerism or other socializing activities outside your home? Isolation is a serious health risk for seniors.
• Do you have family and friends who can reach your home quickly, any time of day or night, if you have an urgent need that occurs between caregiver visits? Having a ready back–up plan is a necessity, because you never know when you’ll need to fill gaps between caregiver visits.
• Is your home aging-friendly? If not, can you afford to make aging-friendly modifications?Think about bathroom renovations, zero-step entries, improved lighting and widened doorways. Needed modifications like these can be costly.
• When you’re no longer comfortable or confident behind the wheel, what will you do about transportation? Lack of easy access to transportation can result in escalating problems, including isolation, missed medical appointments and lagging nutrition. How will you get around after you hang up the keys?
• Will your budget support around-the-clock home care if it becomes necessary? While most older adults believe they’ll never need long-term care, research proves about 70% of us will need care at some point in our lives. And with the average hourly cost for caregivers at about $19 to $20 per hour, serious consideration of the prospect now is sensible.

Questions to consider before deciding to move to a retirement community:

• Do you prefer to know help is nearby if you need it? Senior living communities combine independence with security.
• Would you rather not worry about home maintenance and repairs? The prospect of a lifestyle with diminished homeownership responsibilities motivates many to make a move to senior living.
• Are your adult children and other loved ones living nearby where they can help with hiring, screening and scheduling caregivers for you in your home? A senior living community manages the care you receive in the community – from services and amenities in your independent lifestyle and throughout the continuum of care.
• Are you still growing? A senior living community will make it easy to stretch body and mind daily, with convenient access to a host of activities.
• Could you see yourself leaving at least some of the cooking and cleanup to someone else?Well-balanced meals served restaurant-style in the dining room are a perk most communities offer.
• Do you feel safe in your neighborhood? Do family and friends worry about your safety? Senior living communities offer round-the-clock security staffed by people who’ll know you by name and watch out for you. Getting away for the holidays? They’ll watch over your residence while you’re away.
• Will you need transportation for errands or appointments? Most senior living communities offer some type of transportation service – either regularly scheduled or as needed.
• Are you concerned about managing your medications? Professional medication management is commonly offered to residents of assisted living and memory care communities.
• Do you ever worry about becoming a burden to your family? The move to a senior living community takes care of that. In fact, residents often say their move is a gift to their adult children, who can thereafter be confident that Mom and Dad are safe and happy, with a plan for the what-ifs.

Take your time. Think through the questions. Where you live matters. When it’s time to talk things over with your family, you’ll be ready to make a thoughtful decision – and the right choice for you.
Sources:

• Genworth 2016 Cost of Care Survey
• 2011 AgeWave and Vi Senior Living Report

​www.whereyoulivematters.org/15-questions-to-ask-yourself-about-aging-at-home/

"It can be difficult to realise when we're becoming overheated so it's important to be aware of the warning signs, and don't ignore them once they start, as deterioration can be rapid."
Here are some tips for staying cool:

• Pay attention to weather reports and prevent the heat getting in: Temperatures above 37°C are particularly dangerous. Act early to prevent heat stress on days when the temperature is predicted to rise above 30°C by closing windows and blinds once the outside air is warmer than indoors.
• Avoid exposure: Stay out of the sun if possible. If not, wear a shirt, hat, sunglasses and sunscreen. Sunburn will affect your body's ability to cope with the heat.
• Cool off: Take a cool shower or tepid bath if you're feeling hot and flustered, soak your feet in cold water, and keep a spray bottle full of water handy to regularly mist yourself.
• Dress comfortably: Lose, light-weight clothing helps your body stay cool. Light-coloured clothing reflects heat and sunlight.
• Drink water, lots of it: By the time you feel thirsty your body is already dehydrating, so keep drinking fluids even if you don't feel thirsty. Avoid alcohol.
• Seek air conditioning: If you don't have air conditioning at home, spend the day somewhere that does, like a library, cinema or shopping centre. If you do have an air conditioner at home, make sure it has been serviced. Fans will also help you stay cool, but only if they're blowing directly on you.
• Lay off the hot drinks and caffeine in particular: Try iced tea or an affogato instead
• Take note of the colour of your urine: brown or dark yellow urine suggests dehydration.

If you're suffering heat stress, call for help! Don't wait until it's too late. Symptoms of heat stress include extremely heavy sweating, headache and vomiting, confusion and swollen tongue.