Midriff bulge linked to heightened risk of physical frailty in older age
NewsMedicalLife Sciences - Carrying far too much weight, including a midriff bulge, from mid-life onwards, is linked to a heightened risk of physical frailty in older age, finds research published in the open access journal BMJ Open.
How to Make a Caregiving Plan (So It’s Ready When You Need It)
NYTimes - There are around 53 million unpaid caregivers in the United States, and their experiences don’t typically start with a detailed plan and a committed team. A partner is rushed to the hospital, or a spontaneous visit to a parent’s house reveals a bare fridge and stacks of unopened mail. Seemingly overnight, caregivers can find themselves alone and overwhelmed, careening toward burnout and exhaustion.
Creating a plan won’t protect against every potential curveball. But carving out time before illness strikes to discuss wishes, assess resources, organize medical documents and, ultimately, outline responsibilities can make a fraught process a little less harrowing.
Mindfulness exercises can be as effective as anxiety drugs, study shows
WAPO - Practicing mindfulness to relieve anxiety can be just as effective as medication, new research shows.
Here’s how gardening can improve your health
WAPO - Those who garden look forward to the season of seed packets and plantings, careful tending and abundant harvests. But research indicates another reason to eagerly anticipate gardening: improving your health.
A study in the journal the Lancet Planetary Health found that people who participate in community gardening programs eat more fiber and get more physical activity than their counterparts who don’t garden. Both of these factors are associated with better health.
AARP Says Gig Work on the Rise Among Older Adults as Demand for Workplace Flexibility Grows
Sierra Sun Times - Many older workers are no longer settling for stressful working conditions or fully in-person jobs, finds a new AARP survey of adults age 40 and older. The
COVID-19 pandemic has caused a shift in attitudes about work, with more people prioritizing work-life balance and making workplace flexibility as a job prerequisite.
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Why do so many older adults choose Medicare Advantage?
AP - In 2022, 48% of Medicare beneficiaries were enrolled in Medicare Advantage plans instead of original Medicare, and experts predict that number will be higher in 2023.
Medicare Advantage plans are offered by private insurers and bundle Medicare benefits in a way many people find appealing — but they also limit care to network providers , often require preapproval to see specialists and can saddle beneficiaries with high out-of-pocket costs for serious conditions.
Observation - one of the best articles I have read on the topic.
Family caregivers provide 2 extra ‘shifts’ of care per week per resident in assisted living: study
McKnight’s - Informal caregivers provide two extra “shifts” of care per resident weekly in assisted living communities, equating to 65 hours per month per resident, according to the authors of a study recently published in Health Affairs.
The findings challenge the assumption that a move into assisted living reduces the burden of care on a resident’s family and friends. The authors conclude that it is time to reconsider long-term care policies to support informal caregivers through payment and formal training.
Observation - It’s not just about policies to support family caregivers, it’s about staffing in senior living. Address that. Sure, it’s hard to get people. But assisted living, don’t cry poor. Your residents pay thousands of dollars per month, your activity people have no budget, and your underlying for-profit companies are making a killing.
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Raising minimum wage 10% would avert 15,000 nursing deaths yearly: study
McKnight’s - “While minimum wages could improve quality by attracting more productive workers or incentivizing greater effort, quality may worsen if employers instead reduce staffing,” wrote author Kristi Ruffini, an assistant professor at the McCourt School of Public Policy at Georgetown University.
Observation - Good luck with that!
New study finds 6 ways to slow memory decline and lower dementia risk
WAPO - Eating a balanced diet, exercising the mind and body regularly, having regular contact with others, and not drinking or smoking — these six “healthy lifestyle factors” were associated with better cognitive outcomes in older adults, in a large Chinese study conducted over a decade and published in the BMJ on Wednesday.
Observation - I cover these in my Meaning of Life keynote.
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