Archive for February 2013
5 Myths about Exercise and Older Adults
February 25, 2013
Myth 1: There’s no point to exercising. I’m going to get old anyway.
Fact: Exercise and strength training helps you look and feel younger and stay active longer. Regular physical activity lowers your risk for a variety of conditions, including Alzheimer’s and dementia, heart disease, diabetes, colon cancer, high blood pressure, and obesity.
Myth 2: Elderly people shouldn’t exercise. They should save their strength and rest.
Fact: Research shows that a sedentary lifestyle is unhealthy for the elderly. Period. Inactivity often causes seniors to lose the ability to do things on their own and can lead to more hospitalizations, doctor visits, and use of medicines for illnesses.
Myth 3: Exercise puts me at risk of falling down.
Fact: Regular exercise, by building strength and stamina, prevents loss of bone mass and improves balance, actually reducing your risk of falling.
Myth 4: It’s too late. I’m already too old to start exercising
Fact: You’re never too old to exercise! If you’ve never exercised before, or it’s been a while, start with light walking and other gentle activities.
Myth 5: I’m disabled. I can’t exercise sitting down.
Fact: Chair-bound people face special challenges but can lift light weights, stretch, and do chair aerobics to increase range of motion, improve muscle tone, and promote cardiovascular health.
For more information, please visit www.healthguide.org
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Knowing the Basics – What is Alzheimer’s?
February 21, 2013
According to the Alzheimer’s Association, Alzheimer’s is a type of dementia that causes problems with memory, thinking and behavior. Often times the symptoms develop slowly and get worse over the course of time, becoming so severe that they interfere with daily tasks. It is not a normal part of aging, and though the greatest known risk factor is increasing age, the majority of people are over 65 years old.
Alzheimer’s gets worse with time, as it is a progressive diseases. Most people live on average eight years after their symptoms become noticeable, but survival can range from four to 20 years, depending on health conditions and age.
There is no cure of Alzheimer’s, but treatments for symptoms are available and research continues. And although treatment will not stop the progress of the disease, it does temporarily slow the worsening of symptoms and improves the quality of life for those along their journey of memory loss.
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“Dear Abby” – A Voice for Alzheimer’s
February 18, 2013
Pauline Philips, the woman we all knew as “Dear Abby”, was never afraid of bringing difficult topics in front of the public for discussion, including Alzheimer’s disease.
In 1980, long before her own diagnosis with Alzheimer’s disease, she put dementia in the spotlight when she published a letter from a woman searching for guidance, whose 60-year-old husband had was suffering from memory loss.
Pauline responded to the women by directing her towards the Alzheimer’s Association – an organization that at that time, was a newly formed group. They helped provide assistance to people with the disease and their families, as well as raise awareness and advocate for state and federal help. They also worked to increase government funding for research.
Pauline spent many years bringing the topic to readers across the country, and in 15 years after she put Alzheimer’s on the map, she began showing signs of the disease.
The difference she made was profound. She encouraged people to talk about the disease and she helped to change and shape lives through information. She also let those living in fear of the Alzheimer’s know they were not alone, and by spreading awareness, she was a fundamental part of increasing the research budget from 2 million in 1980 and 450 million today.
For more information please visit the Alzheimer’s Association website, at www.alz.org.