Is staying sharp a casualty of aging? Many of us have had the experience of forgetting where we left our car keys or difficulty recalling someone’s phone number.  Sometimes these incidents can just be annoying, and may be due to fatigue or stress. It may be easy to think that as we get older, remembering even simple things like a phone number will fall by the wayside.  However, there is plenty of research to support the notion that losing one’s brain power does not have to be inevitable.  Here are a few simple steps for staying sharp that may yield remarkable results:

Tips for Staying Sharp

Exercise As You Are Able: Although it is well known that physical exercise is important for the health of the body, it also helps keep our brains sharp. Two studies presented at the 2011 Alzheimer’s Association International Conference in Paris added to the growing body of research suggesting that exercise can help protect your brain against mental decline. In fact, researchers from the Conference found that a brisk 30-minute daily walk can delay mental aging by five to seven years! If walking is too difficult, try doing breathing and “chair” exercises which can also be tremendously beneficial. Staying sharp means staying fit.

Stimulate Your Brain: The more you use your brain, the stronger and more agile it will be. Crossword puzzles, reading about new topics, or learning a new skill are great ways to keep your mind sharp. This also holds true when it comes to social activities. Staying sharp is helped by quality time spent with friends and loved ones, which can be wonderful for brain health as it often reduces stress and depression.

Eat a Healthier Diet: Eating a diet of fresh fruits, vegetables, and lean proteins provides your brain with the vitamins and amino acids it needs to stay healthy. Eating a healthy diet also reduces the risk of high blood pressure, diabetes and other health conditions that contribute to cognitive decline. Staying sharp can be delicious!

Try to Stay More Organized: It is hard to stay focused in a cluttered space. Donate items you don’t need, send junk mail directly to the recycling bin, and file bills and receipts as soon as you are done with them. Many people find it helpful to write appointments on a calendar and maintain a to-do list. You may even sense a boost in confidence as you start to check things off the list! Staying sharp might mean simplifying.

Find Ways to Give Back: Volunteering offers opportunities to meet new people and learn new skills.  However, giving back can also provide a sense of purpose which, in turn, can improve overall mental health.

For more insights about brain health and staying sharp, take a look at the Dana Foundation’s website at www.dana.org

Staying sharp mentally as we age may be a challenge, but hopefully this article, first published in AARP Maine’s The Maine Point,  has introduced you to some of the things we can all do to help keep our brains focused and our memories intact.

Jane Margesson, AARP Maine Communications Director

This article is reprinted with permission from Maine Senior Guide.

Elderly people( people 65 years and older) are more prone to heat stress than younger people for several reasons:

• elderly people do not adjust as well to sudden changes in temperature.
• Elderly are more likely to have a chronic medical condition that changes normal body responses to heat.
• they are more likely to take prescription medicines that impair the body’s ability to regulate its temperature or that inhibit perspiration.

If you have elderly relatives or neighbors, you can help protect themselves from heat-related stress

• visit or call older adults at risk at least twice a day and watch for signs of heat exhaustion or heat stroke.
• encourage them to increase their fluid intake by drinking cool, nonalcoholic beverages regardless of their activity level.   WARNING: if their doctor generally limits the amount of fluid they drink or they are on water pills, ask their doctor how much they should drink while the weather is hot.
• take them to air-conditioned locations if they have transportation problems.

There are many ways to avoid overheating that could lead to heat illness or heat stroke. Staying hydrated, avoiding physical activity and keeping in the shade are all ways to stay healthy in the summer, but sometimes that’s not enough. As we age our circulation decreases and it’s harder for our bodies to deal with extreme temperatures.

It’s important to know the signs of heat exhaustion and heat stroke, as both are even more likely to affect seniors. Seniors do not adjust well to sudden weather changes, and are more likely to have a chronic medical condition that affects how the body deals with heat.

Heat cramps are a warning sign that heat exhaustion or heat stroke is on its way. Not all heat illness is preceded by heat cramps, but if you do get cramps you should take precaution and cool down immediately. Heat cramps are painful muscle spasms that are more common in the legs, but can occur anywhere (abdomen, back, etc.). Once you have cooled down, gently massage and stretch the affected muscles to relieve cramping.

Heat illness can go far beyond cramping. Before reaching heat stroke there are signs of heat exhaustion. Ignoring heat cramps leads to heat exhaustion, which leads to heat stroke. Signs of heat exhaustion include:

• Dizziness
• Headache, faintness, or fatigue
• Pale and clammy skin
• Rapid and weak pulse
• Fast, shallow breathing
• Intense thirst

Signs of Heat Stroke

Heat stroke is the most serious of heat illness, and can be fatal. Symptoms of heat exhaustion should be taken as a warning! The signs of heatstroke include:

• Skin that is hot, dry and flushed but not sweating
• High body temperature (especially 104 degrees or higher)
• Rapid heartbeat
• Confusion
• Nausea and vomiting
• Headache
• Unconsciousness

If you suspect someone is having a heat stroke, call 911 immediately. Get that person into a cool area and make sure they get some fluids. Once lying down, remove excess clothing and put cool washcloths on the face and neck.To cool the person rapidly, immerse the person in a tub of cool( not cold) water; place the person in a cool shower; or if the humidity is low, wrap the person in a cool,wet sheet and fan him or her vigorously. Untreated heat stroke can damage the brain, heart, kidneys and muscles. The longer heat stroke goes untreated, the worse the damage can get, leading to permanent problems or even death.

SeniorsPlus  of Lewiston, the Area Agency on Aging serving Androscoggin, Franklin and Oxford counties is pleased to announce the opening of an office at the Kingfield Town Office the 1st Wednesday of every month starting May 1st.  Office hours will be from 1:30 PM to 4:30 PM.

Call 1-800-427-1241 for an appointment or to speak with Laure Johnson, Elder Services Specialist for Franklin County.

Take Heart: the Importance of Relationships

By Deborah McLean, principal, Maine Senior Guide

In business, there’s an accepted truism: we do business with people we know, like and trust. It’s all about relationships and expectations. Now it turns out that’s true on the home front, too. It literally helps your heart to engage with other people.

There’s been a lot of research on the link between stress and heart disease, especially when there are other risks like high cholesterol levels, smoking, physical inactivity and overweight. More recently, researchers have recognized that positive thinking and a focus on being happy can have positive effects on heart health.

A positive attitude lessens stress, and that’s really helpful. But more than that, looking on the bright side and actively trying to generate positive feelings can actually make you healthier, according to Harvard associate professor Laura Kubzansky. According to Kubzansky, the heart is more than a pump. Like other bodily organs, it can send messages to the brain. She explained that research showed heart rhythm patterns become more erratic with feelings like anger, frustration, anxiety and insecurity, which stress our bodies, drain energy and block our ability to think clearly.

Positive emotions, like happiness and compassion, cause differences in heart rhythm that are interpreted to lessen stress responses.

How can we consciously generate positive emotions and self-regulate stress? Exercise, eating well, getting enough sleep, and recalling happy memories help generate positive feelings. Feeling appreciation is also a positive-emotion generator. Doing more of what makes you feel good is good for you!

Being close to family and friends and sharing both positive and negative emotions can lessen stress and increase feelings of well-being. Because loneliness is a risk factor in many diseases, strong relationships can help with everything from heart health to age-related diseases. Family and friends help us stay healthy. Pets do, too, because caring for something else triggers positive emotions.

If positive emotions buffer stress, what can you do on purpose?

• Nurture your relationships with people. Spend time on them with visits and phone calls (not just Facebook comments!)

• Make new friends, perhaps with a new activity like tai chi, yoga or swimming that also increases exercise

• Focus on positive things and practice active listening

• Be generous and consciously help others

• Make it a personal goal to get 7-8 hours of sleep a night

During times of grief or stress, take especially good care of yourself (and your loved ones.) Pay special attention to rest, diet and healthy exercise, and haul out the happy memories at every opportunity. Stress cardiomyopathy (which happens more frequently to women) is an actual situational heart disease. It’s what causes people to “die of a broken heart.” Use your ability to self-calm to restore your emotional balance, even if it only lasts a few minutes at a time. Every positive emotion helps your heart.

Reprinted with permission from Maine Senior Guide.

 

 

 

Seniors Plus will be offering free classes to those caring for family members with dementia.

Classes will be held in March at Franklin Memorial Hospital in Farmington on Mondays for 6 weeks, starting 3/11/13, 5:30 to 7:30 pm.  Classes will also be held in June at the Rangeley Town Office on Fridays, starting 6/7/2013, 2 to 4 pm.

During this 6 week workshop, you will have the opportunity to learn how to take care of yourself and reduce stress and learn how to communicate more easily with your loved one to make both of your days better.  It is important to plan to attend all six classes.  There is no charge.

For more info, interested folks may contact Laure Johnson, Elder Services Specialist, Franklin County Outreach at 1-800-427-1214 Ext. 3712.

The AARP is issuing a warning about an apparent phone scam in Maine in which callers are fraudulently identifying themselves as AARP representatives.

Residents say that callers are asking for personal information including a phone number, address and banking information in order to send them their new AARP cards.

Fairpoint Communications and Maine law enforcement agencies have launched a campaign to stop telephone scammers operating out of Jamaica from swindling money from elderly residents.

FairPoint officials said con artists are calling from a Jamaica area code and telling their intended victims that they have won a Jamaican lottery prize or a car, but need to pay money upfront to cash in.

“In many cases the scammer befriends the victim, going as far as professing their love,intent to marry or even praying with them,” said FairPoint Senior Manager of Security Larry Caruso in a written release. ” Once a victim is scammed out of money for the first time, the scammers work to get more and more money, including access to bank accounts and credit card information.” If the victim says they are out of money, the threats begin. ” It becomes belligerent, aggressive, saying we’re going to turn you into the FBI and it can even threaten physical harm to some points” said Mike Smith of FairPoint Communications.To help convince people that they are credible, the scammers may read newspaper obituaries to identify recent widows, and tell them to wire funds to cover insurance expenses.  They may also use Google Earth to identify victims’ houses to issue realistic-seeming threats, consumer advocates explained.

FairPoint is now partnering with AARP and law enforcement to warn seniors about phone calls from the 876 area code. For more information on the Jamaican scams originating in area code 876, visit Beware of 876.

Last November you received a warning from Maine Attorney General William Schneider about automated phone calls from companies claiming to want to help you lower credit card interest rates, and ask for your credit and debit card numbers, then use that personal information to hack into and clean out your accounts. The A.G. is advising Mainers who get these robo-calls to hang up and contact the Attorney General’s Consumer Protection Hotline at (207) 626-8849. AARP reports that in the over 50’s population, only 20% use cellphones as their primary calling devices, making the home telephone a prime target for robo-calling. Caller ID can help screen your calls before answering.

Maine’s Office of Securities has also encouraged seniors and caregivers to report possible financial or investment exploitation of elders in Maine. Financial scams victimize 1 out of every 5 people over the age of 65. Don’t let it happen to you. In Maine, call toll free 1-877-624-8551 or click on the link for more information. With W-2 forms and other tax documents containing personal information and Social Security numbers being mailed out during January each year, Identity Thieves are active so we all need to be vigilant.

Maine Fraud Protection Alliance DASH Program in Southern Maine was established to warn and protect consumers from various financial fraud tactics employed. The alliance suggests the use of the acronym DASH  to help protect consumers from fraud attempts: D – delete unsolicited emails, A – ask to see permits from door-to-door sales people, S – shred junk mail and H – hang up on unsolicited phone calls. Click on the link for more details.  

October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Early detection is still the best way to fight breast cancer. The Healthy Community of Greater Franklin County hosted a number of breast cancer awareness events throughout the Western Maine region last year. Breast health education, mammogram scheduling assistance and how to obtain free mammograms are some of the services offered through the Healthy Community Coalition. For more information call Jennifer McCormack, RN, at HCC office, 779-2926 or toll free at 1-800-525-3136. Women without insurance who do not meet the income threshold to qualify for a free mammogram through the Maine Breast Cancer and Cervical Health Program, may qualify through another funding source. Call Jennifer McCormack for more information.