Smart Senior

Cookware

 

Does anyone cook anymore? I must admit that cooking isn’t my favorite activity now that my family is smaller and time seems more precious than ever.   As a senior there are so many dietary do’s and don’t that it is hard to come up with new and interesting recipes, despite being bombarded with specialty cookbooks.  Restricted diets aren’t the only reasons for waning interest though.  Carpal Tunnel Syndrome and Degenerative Joint Disease have made my hands considerably weaker and this makes wielding a cast iron skillet quite a challenge.

 

Gina Roberts-Gray (Arthritis Today, fall 2009) examined and wrote about some new lightweight offerings designed to save your joints from heavy lifting.  These new versions of the classics are not only lighter in weight, but they cook more efficiently and require less scrubbing.

 

Favorites examined included:

 

Emile Henry Flame Top Cookware (ceramic with fitted lids and large handles) seen at (www.emilehenryusa.com).

 

T-Fal Cookware (a nine-piece, light weight, non-stick stainless steel set) seen at (www.walmart.com)

 

Cuisinart GreenGourmet Cookware (lightweight, eco-friendly requiring less energy to maintain cooking temperatures), see at (www.cuisinart.com)

 

Iron Chef Challenger Cookware Set (light weight cast iron cookware that weighs half as much as the traditional with glass lids and oversized handles, seen at (www.foodnetworkstore.com)

 

Hamilton Beach 4 quart stainless multi-cooker which makes boiling, steaming, straining and draining easier (www.hamiltonbeach.com)

 

 

We are heading into fall and that means the holidays are looming. 

Holiday

mean more cooking but it also means that you can post your holiday wish list on the refrigerator door.  Items like these just might make cooking fun again!

Computer for Seniors

 

I love modern technology.  I have been using a computer for a number of years but must admit that I am a still a little timid when I am trying to learn how to do something new.  I have taken classes at the senior center, enjoyed a video course and even have a very good set of handbooks by Rebecca Sharp Comer aimed at answering senior computer questions, but I am still in awe when I watch my daughter solve computer problems with the tap of a key.   I call on my daughter whenever I want to try something new like creating links or writing articles for an on-line magazine, but it would be nice to be master these things on my own.

 

The latest Arthritis Today magazine ran an advertisement about a computer developed by MyGait called Go Computer that caught my eye. This particular model has been designed for seniors and does its best to demystify the mysterious.

 

My understanding is that part of the package deal is that they do all of the maintenance for you by remote control.  You don’t have to worry about it slowing down, crashing, or even have to deal with spam and viruses. Take the computer out of the box and plug it in, what could be easier than that? 

 

The display is easy to read and simple to navigate.  No icons, tool bars or confusing computer jargon, just follow the green GO button.  It boasts one touch screen magnification, a large over-sized keyboard and a trackball mouse that is easy for arthritic hands to maneuver.

 

Bring the world to your fingertips.  Read and research and communicate and have fun.  You are never too old to learn.  If my computer guru didn’t live just a few miles away, I would be the first in line to try this model.  Check out: (www.theGocomputer.com)  and let know what you think.  

 

 

Nutrition: Senior Focus

 

I exercised a great deal of constraint today when I opted for an apple instead of a bag of chips with my restaurant lunch.  I didn’t want an apple over chips but I did it because I knew it was the right choice for me.  I have worked with seniors for 16 years and one of my observations is that many of them make poor nutritional choices.  The excuse is that things don’t taste as good as they used to.  It’s true that an apple or a serving of veggies isn’t as tasty as a hot fudge sundae, but sometimes we have to learn to enjoy things that are good for us.   As kids we didn’t get to have dessert until we ate our meat and vegetables and our standard reason was to say “just because.”  The shoe is on the other foot now, but waning appetites make habits a little harder to change and we can’t force grown-ups to do things that they don’t want to do.

 

You know that we all grew up hearing the adage about “an apple a day keeping the doctor away,” but statistics show that the average consumer eats only one apple a week.  An article by Marsha McCulloch MS. RD. LD. In Heart Healthy magazine (fall 2009) tells us that this old adage may indeed have some scientific basis.  This is good news, right?  Apples even taste kind of good.

 

Apples, it seems are one of the best sources of the powerful antioxidants phenolic and phytostanols, which are big words that represent quite magical qualities.  Studies have been done that show that eating an apple a day can lower cholesterol, improve bowel function, decrease the risk of stroke, decreases the risk of prostate caner, type ii diabetes, asthma and even improve memory.   Sounds like good medicine to me.

 

To get full nutritional benefits you should eat at least one fresh apple a day.  You can refrigerate apples for 3-5 weeks in your crisper drawer so no problem keeping them on hand.  There a dozens of varieties to choose from, each with slightly different qualities and yes, it is good to eat the peel too.

 

It is easy to find ways to include an apple in your diet. You can core and slice them to add to sandwiches, make thin matchstick slices to add to tuna, sauté them or add them to salads.  There is applesauce, which is tasty on its own but can also be used as a substitute for butter in baking, and you can add chunks of apple to yogurt, bake them, dip them, eat dried as a snack or even dip slices in chocolate.  The article also discussed gadgets (such as corers, slicers and peelers) to make preparation easier.  So, no excuses accepted.  An apple a day is much better for you than downing another pill.  Smart seniors know that good nutrition is one of the keys if you want a healthy independent lifestyle.

 

 

 

 

Clothes

 

  Many stores have eliminated stylish clothing lines for older women, despite the growing market.   What gives?  Women 60 and above still want attractive fashionable clothing.  It isn’t just a matter of availability though.  We all want to look nice but many of us just don’t know what to wear to achieve this objective without spending a fortune or second guessing which generation we want to identify with. 

 

There have been a number of books published recently about fashion for older women, but they all revolve around the idea of dressing to look younger.  Unfortunately this isn’t quite the look we are going for, because you have to admit that there comes a time when nothing is going to make you look younger.  Fashionable, stylish, and attractive is doable, but once you reach the point where comments about how good you look are tempered by the words “for your age,” you sort of get the idea.

 

There is nothing wrong with out age!  Vicky Katz Whitaker (Creators News Service) wrote an article for The Herald a few months ago called “Dress Your Age,” that discussed some ways to look good at any age.

 

There is nothing wrong with being trendy, unless you get carried away and try to dress like Britney Speaks instead of like Audrey Hepburn.  Ah, Audrey Hepburn…that is what we should be going for. 

 

Learn what looks good on you and stick to the lines that flatter your figure.  The real secret is having your clothes tailored to fit you perfectly.  Spend your money on having the tailoring done right, instead of paying for expensive name brands that may not be perfect for you.

 

She also suggested shopping in the right places.  Department stores are more apt to cater to wider appeal than the trendy specialty stores.  Accessories can make a difference so concentrate on the little things that will add a bit of panache.

 

Light colors soften so think lighter when choosing hair color, make-up and clothing.  As you get older you can stop fussing with your hair so a shorter cut is often recommended. Experts suggest layering and wearing complimentary colors.  The author recommended a complementary colored tee shirt under a sweater or open cotton shirt, and look for pleated front slacks or shorts so that the waist isn’t too tight.

 

Skin and hair lighten as we get older so it good to remember that beige and neutral colors make us look washed out.  Now is the time to indulge your whimsy for color and opt for pastels and other rich colors.  Generous cuts are more comfortable as skin gets thinner and weight redistributes.  Fashion designers have refused to recognize us, but keep in mind that a tailor just might be your best friend.  Ms. Whitaker also mentioned a website that markets shirts for seniors that I intend to check out (www.shirts4seniors.com) right now and I really hadn’t thought of the tailoring aspect before but can certainly see merit in her suggestions.  There may be hope for us yet.

 

Brain Games and Driving

 

I read two articles in one day about brain games to improve driving capabilities, which is telling us that brain fitness exercises have become big business.  The articles are primarily aimed at seniors because it is believed that as people age, the capacity to grasp and act on what the eyes see slows down considerably. (W. Mossberg, The Wall Street Journal) and R. Seven (

Seattle

Times) on August 13, 2009.

 

Brain fitness computer programs are pushing the idea that they can hone your cognitive skills by training the brain to think and react faster.  PositScience (positscience.com) has designed a computer game that exercises the brain systems involved with divided attention and useful fields of vision.  The focus is on training the brain to think and react faster by creating a series of exercises.

Both authors tested the software and agreed that the premise was pretty sound, but were not willing to endorse because it takes constant practice rather than just a test drive to know how effective the product would be.  These endorsements, of course, would have to come from the scientists doing the testing or from consumers interested enough to try them.  However, they both could see the merits, thought the games were fun and challenging, and it made sense that anything that could help you notice and track things you see accurately could not be a bad thing.

 

Driving safely and exercising the brain are topics that have been under scrutiny and of great interest to seniors for years and will continue to be so as we strive for functional independence.

Activity (Senior Focus)

 

Physical activity is good for you.  We all know that, but if fitness has never been your cup of tea and you just can’t seem to get started, this could be tough.  People come up with all kinds of excuse.  There is always that time issue and then there are the sore knees that make it hard to get down on the floor, always something.

 

You are retired now so what could possibly be more important than taking care of your body and maintaining your independence?  What if you fell down and those same knees and lack of endurance made it impossible to get up again?

 

What if your doctor wrote an activity prescription?  Think of exercise as a pill.  What if a pill could improve your blood sugar readings, lower your blood pressure, improve cholesterol and help you lose weight, and what if a pill could do all of those things without any side effects.  What do you think of that? 

 

Unfortunately, such a pill doesn’t exist.  Stephanie Karpinske, R.D. wrote an interesting article called The Activity Prescription for Diabetic Living magazine (fall 2009) that emphasized that you could get all of those benefits for free, from one source:  regular physical activity.  Doctors discuss the importance of exercise with their patients on every visit but maybe if they wrote it out on a prescription pad more people would take it seriously.  By not addressing exercise as a health issue they are implying that it isn’t very important. 

 

A prescription needs to be specific whether talking about how many pills to take or how many steps to take.  A mix of aerobic exercise and strength training is best.  Find an exercise that you enjoy but even then you should increase your intensity as you get stronger.  For example:  wear a pedometer.  See how many steps you take on an average day and start increasing by 500 steps each day until you reach 10,000 (one foot in front of the other).  Exercise can make a difference and you owe it to yourself to be healthy, active and independent.  We can’t afford not to do this.  The most important member of your health care team is “you.”

 

 

Retirement Planning: Passion and Purpose

 

Many people don’t think beyond financial security when they plan for retirement.  However, if you don’t want to wake up the “morning after” your retirement party staring into an empty void, you need to plan for this stage of your life as carefully as you did when starting out on earlier ventures.

 

An active mind and an active body are every bit as important as an active bank account, if you are going to embrace retirement living head on.  Both physical and mental fitness are important if you want a successful retirement, so it stands to reason that you had better develop a passion or at least a commitment to taking care of yourself.

 

 It is time to find something that will engages your all.  Your younger days were filled with passion and purpose that revolved around school, marriage, family, job and financial security.  Now is your time, but the planning isn’t over.  If you give it some thought you can make these the best years of your life.

   

Your second commitment probably centers on a desire to give something back to community.  Lofty ambition, but we all would like to think that we can do something to make the world a better place.  Having a passion for some kind of volunteer work is good, but think beyond just spending a couple of hours a week here and there. Find something that you can really get involved with.  Last week we talked about leisure and while leisure focuses around having fun, being passionate about something gives you a sense of purpose.  The actually process of working toward something is what challenges you and gives you a reason for being here at all.

 

If you want to be sure that you don’t drift into a purposeless passage of time, you need to make plans.  Take a look at the rest of your life and figure out how you want to spend it.  A long retirement of just filling your time can lead to depression and missed opportunities.  Lacking passion and purpose are what make you feel old.  It is not too late to accomplish things or have goals.  The point is that you should never stop evolving; you should never stop striving to be a newer and better version of yourself.  For the first time in your life you have the time to reach beyond yourself.

 

Recommended

Reading

:  “Retirement Rx,” by Frederick T. Fraunfelder, M.D.

Depression: Mental Health in the Senior Population

 

Symptoms of depression occur in 15% of people 65-79 and the incidence increases as you get older.  The sad part is that the onset is so insidious that caregivers and even family members fail to recognize that anything is wrong.

 

Retirement and aging are all about change.  You are not alone if you feel depressed and overwhelmed. Temporary depression, after a loss, is normal.  The key word is temporary, but if multiple symptoms present and last for more than a few weeks, you should suspect that you may be heading toward a major depression.  Seek professional guidance.   Your health care team will point you in the right direction.  No one is going to think you are crazy if you seek professional counseling, support groups and/or drug therapy. 

 

Drug therapy alone is not the answer.  Before popping a pill, try some less invasive techniques to get you back on track.   Your physical and mental well-being is closely related and your doctor will want to screen you thoroughly before making recommendations.

 

A positive attitude is important.  You need to want to get better and you need to be willing to work hard to regain your self esteem. Finding and pursuing things to feel passionate about is an effective weapon against depression.  It is important that you recognize symptoms of depression and seek help before you get to the point where you don’t care about yourself or anything else.

 

Classic signs of depression:

• Apathy
• Weight changes
• Appetite changes
• Sleep disturbances
• Sluggishness
• Guilt
• Feelings of Worthlessness
• Poor concentration
• Thoughts of death or suicide

 

Life is too short to waste time being depressed. You are not alone and there are other people out there willing to help you get your life back on track.

 

 

Retirement Planning

 

Learning how to enjoy your leisure time should be right up there at the top of your  list when it comes to planning for retirement.  The focus has always been on financial security and that has been drummed into us since we entered the work force. Now it is time to learn that there are other aspects of retirement to think about.

 

Okay, you have retired.  You have been looking forward to this moment for a very long time.  You have a long to-do list that you have been compiling for years.  You know, all of those projects that you have been putting off until you have more time.  The first few months are filled with busyness as you attack your list with gusto, but what happens when that first rush is over and you are wondering what you are going to do with all of this free time.

 

Leisure is an important element of successful retirement.  Ideally you had time to cultivate some interests before you retired, but if you were too rushed or too busy with actual living it isn’t too late to start now.  Start cultivating interests now by researching some ways to get involved in them.

 

Leisure time doesn’t just mean sitting around with your feet up.  You need both mental and physical workouts to keep your mind and body alert and functioning.  It is also important to do something that is fun. Every project doesn’t have to be vitally important, although having something far reaching to be passionate about is a good thing too.

 

Leisure is about pleasure and relaxation.  So much of our lives have been wrapped around work that it is difficult to let go.  If this is the case, perhaps a part time job would be the most fulfilling thing for you, but start looking for other ways to bring meaning to your life.

 

Look in the newspaper for interesting activities and make a list of the ones that might be of interest to you.   There are literacy programs, genealogy studies, training for a marathon, computer literacy, shelter programs, bird watching, neighborhood block watch and more.  Don’t forget to include social support groups.  Try art classes, card clubs, hobby clubs, dinner clubs, book clubs, fitness classes and sports.  Include things that not only stimulate your mind but your body as well.  Frederick T. Fraunfelder, M.D. in his excellent book “Retirement Rx,” (2008) sums it up when he urges you to think of leisure as pleasure and retirement as that “someday” you have been talking about for so many years.  That some day is now; don’t let your days slip by in obscurity. Plan your leisure as well as every other aspect of retirement and go for it!  Fun and fulfillment aren’t going to come to you.  It is up to you to seek them out.