Alcohol and Older Adults What You Don’t Know – Smilecast 63
Alcohol and Older Adults What You Don’t Know
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Older People with Positive Outlook on Aging Recover Better – Smilecast 62
Older People with Positive Outlook on Aging More Likely to Recover from Disability
Lead researcher Becca R. Levy and Yale colleagues showed that, of two groups with differing views of aging, the individuals in the positive age stereotype group were 44 percent more likely to recover from a severe disability. Participants included 598 individuals who were at least 70 years old and free of disability at the start of the study. They were selected from a health plan in greater New Haven, Connecticut.
The association between positive age stereotypes and recovery from disability in older persons has not been previously studied. The findings suggest that interventions to promote positive age stereotypes could extend independent living later in life.
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Moderate Alcohol Consumption Helps You Live Longer Without Dementia
Moderate alcohol consumption helps people live longer without cognitive impairments.
This is according to a University of California San Diego School of Medicine-led study in findings published in the August issue of the Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease.
Previous studies have found a correlation between moderate alcohol intake and longevity. “This study is unique because we considered men and women’s cognitive health at late age and found that alcohol consumption is not only associated with reduced mortality, but with greater chances of remaining cognitively healthy into older age,” said senior author Linda McEvoy, an associate professor at UC San Diego School of Medicine.
In particular, the researchers found that among men and women 85 and older, individuals who consumed “moderate to heavy” amounts of alcohol five to seven days a week were twice as likely to be cognitively healthy than non-drinkers. Cognitive health was assessed every four years over the course of the 29-year study, using a standard dementia screening test known as the Mini Mental State Examination.
Drinking was categorized as moderate, heavy or excessive using gender and age-specific guidelines established by the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism. By its definition, moderate drinking involves consuming up to one alcoholic beverage a day for adult women of any age and men aged 65 and older; and up to two drinks a day for adult men under age 65. Heavy drinking is defined as up to three alcoholic beverages per day for women of any adult age and men 65 and older; and four drinks a day for adult men under 65. Drinking more than these amounts is categorized as excessive.
“It is important to point out that there were very few individuals in our study who drank to excess, so our study does not show how excessive or binge-type drinking may affect longevity and cognitive health in aging,” McEvoy said. Long-term excessive alcohol intake is known to cause alcohol-related dementia.
The researchers said the study does not suggest drinking is responsible for increased longevity and cognitive health. Alcohol consumption, particularly of wine, is associated with higher incomes and education levels, which in turn are associated with lower rates of smoking, lower rates of mental illness and better access to health care.
The UC San Diego School of Medicine research team adjusted the statistical analyses to remove confounding variables, such as smoking or obesity, but noted the study is based only on statistical relationships between different demographic factors, behaviors and health outcomes. There remain on-going debates about whether and how alcohol impacts lifespan or potentially protects against cognitive impairments with age.
One of the study’s advantages, however, is that the data derive from a relatively homogenous population in a geographically well-defined area. All of the 1,344 older adults (728 women; 616 men) who participated in the study are from Rancho Bernardo, a white-collar, middle-to-upper-middle-class suburb in San Diego County. More than 99 percent of the study participants, tracked from 1984 to 2013, are Caucasian with at least some college education.
“This study shows that moderate drinking may be part of a healthy lifestyle to maintain cognitive fitness in aging,” said lead author Erin Richard, a graduate student in the Joint San Diego State University/UC San Diego Doctoral Program in Public Health. “However, it is not a recommendation for everyone to drink. Some people have health problems that are made worse by alcohol, and others cannot limit their drinking to only a glass or two per day. For these people, drinking can have negative consequences.”
I know a lot of friends who will appreciate that their alcohol consumption is on par!
RETHINKING THE AGING PROCESS: 5 STEPS TO CONSCIOUS AGING
RETHINKING THE AGING PROCESS: 5 STEPS TO CONSCIOUS AGING from Sixty and Me
As part of my Caregiver Smile Summit, I have had the pleasure of interviewing more than 50 experts in the health, aging and caregiving fields. Dr. Maria Zayas, a practicing psychologist and a faculty member of the Psychology Department at Brenau University, is one of those experts. Together we explored the topic of conscious aging.
Caregivers Are People Too – Respect Them
With the population living longer and healthier lives, it often happens that partners are thrust into a caregiving situation when they themselves are in their 50s and 60s.
Caregivers are beginning to deal with the aging process for themselves and need to be conscious of their own needs. Dr. Zayas shares that this is a time for people to reflect on their life and look at their legacy. She urges people not to lose sight of that in the midst of a caregiving situation.
It’s Deeper Than Having Purpose – We’re the Stewards of Our Society
We know that in certain countries and cultures societies do not place a lot of value on older citizens. Yet in many indigenous cultures, elders are revered. Certainly, purpose is important to maintain that value in society. But Dr. Zayas cautions that purpose alone is not enough.
Yes, being a caregiver is an important commitment. On a larger level, however, she says that being older brings with it a responsibility to be stewards – sages even – for our society.
Conscious aging is meant to bring the idea of sages back to western cultures and realize the gems we have in our oldest citizens. After all, they can contribute in ways younger people cannot.
Rethinking the Aging Process Starts with Awareness, Slowing Down, Taking Inventory
I once had a colleague put me through an exercise. At the time, I was wavering in my sense of accomplishment, self-worth, etc. He had me stop and reflect on my life and accomplishments and actually write them down.
Taking the time to do it was essential. After three pages of typewritten notes, I had a deeper sense of who I was as a person and how I had evolved.
Taking the time to really know yourself, positions you to better understand what it is that you can contribute to society now as a mentor/sage. Unfortunately, not many people realize their worth to society until the very end of life, when there is little they can do about it.
Pass It Down and Pay It Forward Consciously
This kind of “life review” accomplishes many things. It helps you bring closure to issues and truly become insightful with what you can contribute. It sets you up to strategically contribute to society.
Dr. Zayas also says that once you are at this place of being able to pay it forward, it is best to work with other people in your community who are struggling with the same issues and desires to contribute.
I don’t have far to look than to my colleagues in the Dementia Action Alliance who have early onset dementia. Still capable of many things, and certainly conscious of where they have been, they are using their collective abilities together to advance society’s understanding and behavior toward people with dementia.
Manage Your Stress So You Have Energy for the Journey
As a caregiver to my mom, my doctor was concerned about my stress level. I was too, but I was also concerned with my life’s work of educating people about aging issues and helping health care providers be more person-centered.
I had to work hard every day to lower my stress and remember my mission. You can’t do that unless you are consciously paying attention. It’s as simple and complex as awareness.
Caregiving is certainly a gift, and looking at it that way can help you be more fully conscious of the opportunity. It can easily become the time when you not only get to know mom or dad better, but also resolve issues, learn from your elders, and in turn, be able to share even more life lessons with others.
Part of conscious aging is also about being inclusive, valuing all beliefs and cultures and moving ahead together.
Dr. Zayas says you can reach this level of consciousness through many paths: Work with mentors. Read books. Yes, it’s even OK to seek counseling.
Google “conscious aging.” There are online groups you can join. Just take the first step. It’s our responsibility to leave this world in better shape than we found it. We have not finished our story just because we finished our time in the workforce.
Do you think that society puts a value on its older citizens? Have you ever done a personal life review to assess in a conscious way the things you have accomplished? What are you doing to experience positive aging? Please share your thoughts below.
