There are few topics more controversial than addictive behaviors and the defensiveness an addict or user might display when confronted with his or her behavior. There are many behaviors and substances that people get a habit for and I have written here about gambling, marijuana and some others. Now I think it is time to address a pervasive and misunderstood dependency we all run into in our daily lives. I mean Chocolate.
There are scholarly papers published on the psychoactive, mood altering effects and aphrodisiac properties of the cacao bean. Anandamide is a powerful chemical our brain produces to regulate mood and appetite. It occurs in chocolate. Caffeine is also present. So is tryptophan. The combination of stimulant and sedative effects may produce a unique mental state in a sensitive consumer.
The other effects are from flavonoids which seem to protect the heart and blood vessels. Chocolate, especially the dark variety is not particularly sticky. This means it doesn’t stick well to the surface of teeth. It is not a decay promoter. Phenylethelamine is the chemical that produces the feeling of love in the brain. This may be why the affection for chocolate is so passionate.
There have been a few centenarians who have been fond of chocolate but they seem to prefer the dark variety. The sugary milk chocolate popular in the US may contribute to weight and metabolic problems. Overall though, I would say a daily dose would do most people some good. It isn’t illegal and won’t make driving dangerous.
With Halloween only two months away, it may be time for some of you seniors to start stocking up on trick or treats and begin planning that costume! Don’t be shy, it’s for your health!
Monday, September 17, 2007
Saturday, September 8, 2007
movin' on
As regular readers know, I scour the news for information on issues that relate to the seniors in the local community. Problems, solutions and situations to which they will relate. On the other hand… Last month there was a story on one of the news services about a 61 year-old man in Italy who was reportedly misbehaving to the point that his mother, with whom he still lives, cut off his allowance and took away his house keys. When the police were called on to intervene he complained about the food and his meager allowance. Mom complained about the “boy’s” late hours and poor attitude.
In parts of Europe it has become quite the fashion for men to stay in the parents home until they marry in their thirties. I don’t know of too many parallel circumstances in the local population. I know of a few cases where an unmarried son might live with an aging parent to share expenses and enjoy the familiar routine but this is an exception in the U.S.
It was more normal in past generations for the youngest daughter to stay at home to care for the parents in the later years of their lives, and that sacrifice of independence was part of the culture that focused on the family as an ongoing organism. The family was a priority. Mainstream American culture has been more and more concerned with the focus on individual freedoms. The person, not the family is now the central value of the culture. This grew from the framing of the government to serve the people, rather than the people serving the government or crown, as in the old country.
As we grow more diverse, and the assumptions of our culture evolve, we may see an increase in farsighted planning from Asian ancestor/descendant focus, or authority/ responsibility role definition from Middle Eastern influences. Wherever we go from here, one thing seems certain. That Italian guy should’ve moved out a long time ago.
In parts of Europe it has become quite the fashion for men to stay in the parents home until they marry in their thirties. I don’t know of too many parallel circumstances in the local population. I know of a few cases where an unmarried son might live with an aging parent to share expenses and enjoy the familiar routine but this is an exception in the U.S.
It was more normal in past generations for the youngest daughter to stay at home to care for the parents in the later years of their lives, and that sacrifice of independence was part of the culture that focused on the family as an ongoing organism. The family was a priority. Mainstream American culture has been more and more concerned with the focus on individual freedoms. The person, not the family is now the central value of the culture. This grew from the framing of the government to serve the people, rather than the people serving the government or crown, as in the old country.
As we grow more diverse, and the assumptions of our culture evolve, we may see an increase in farsighted planning from Asian ancestor/descendant focus, or authority/ responsibility role definition from Middle Eastern influences. Wherever we go from here, one thing seems certain. That Italian guy should’ve moved out a long time ago.
Monday, August 27, 2007
There is a topic I feel it is necessary to discuss here, however because this is a family newspaper, I will do so without saying what I mean. I value openness and one of my missions is to “make the covert overt” but this topic is still a bit delicate. There seems to be some denial in society about where the baby boom came from. If you look at it straight on, it’s pretty obvious that the silent generation was being quiet so they wouldn’t get caught. Now that they are in their seventies and older, we somehow maintain the illusion that because we never saw them being intimate, they weren’t then and aren’t now. The AARP survey done on intimate behavior was done almost ten years ago. They found that older adults think about it quite often, and those who have an opportunity do it quite often. I’m sure that widowed women and men, and those who may have been out of circulation for a long time are as shy, awkward and unsure as any teenager or middle-aged divorcee trying to date without practice. But the one thing we know for sure about humans is that despite whatever obstacles they find, they find a way to get close.
If you are a family member or caregiver to an older adult, keep in mind they need privacy and atmosphere too, and remember my constant advice- take the oldest older adults to community events, how else are they going to hook up?
Now about the issue of concern. Just because you can’t … be with child…doesn’t make you immune to infection. There are some bad bugs out there! Virus that destroy your immune system, the classic STDs are still going around, and evolving into drug resistant strains. Use appropriate barriers to protect yourself and your partner. Get tested. Be safe. For gosh sakes! You’re a role model!
If you are a family member or caregiver to an older adult, keep in mind they need privacy and atmosphere too, and remember my constant advice- take the oldest older adults to community events, how else are they going to hook up?
Now about the issue of concern. Just because you can’t … be with child…doesn’t make you immune to infection. There are some bad bugs out there! Virus that destroy your immune system, the classic STDs are still going around, and evolving into drug resistant strains. Use appropriate barriers to protect yourself and your partner. Get tested. Be safe. For gosh sakes! You’re a role model!
Suicide Statistics
v The Elderly make up 12.3% of the population, They account for almost 17 % of all suicides.
v Suicidology.org Elderly Suicide Fact Sheet
v The rate of suicide for older adults for 2002
was 15.6 per 100,000
v Suicidology.org Elderly Suicide Fact Sheet
v There was one older adult suicide every 95 minutes.
v There were about 15 older adult suicides each day,
v resulting in 5,548 suicides in 2002 among those 65 and older.
v Suicidology.org Elderly Suicide Fact Sheet
v Older white males were at the highest risk with a rate of approximately 35 per 100,000 each year.
v White men > 85 Years old were greatest risk of all age-gender-race groups with rate of 51.1 per 100,000.
v That is 4.6 times the current rate for all age groups 11.0 per 100,000.
v Suicidology.org Elderly Suicide Fact Sheet
v 85% of older adult suicides were male, the number of male suicides in late life was 5.5 times greater than for female suicides.
v Suicidology.org Elderly Suicide Fact Sheet
Suicide Intervention
v Ask the “S” word
v Listen for details…
– Is there a plan?
– Is there history?
– What are their resources?
First aid for suicidality…
v Make a plan for safety based on the details.
v Stay with the person at risk until there is a safe disposition.
v Suicidology.org Elderly Suicide Fact Sheet
v The rate of suicide for older adults for 2002
was 15.6 per 100,000
v Suicidology.org Elderly Suicide Fact Sheet
v There was one older adult suicide every 95 minutes.
v There were about 15 older adult suicides each day,
v resulting in 5,548 suicides in 2002 among those 65 and older.
v Suicidology.org Elderly Suicide Fact Sheet
v Older white males were at the highest risk with a rate of approximately 35 per 100,000 each year.
v White men > 85 Years old were greatest risk of all age-gender-race groups with rate of 51.1 per 100,000.
v That is 4.6 times the current rate for all age groups 11.0 per 100,000.
v Suicidology.org Elderly Suicide Fact Sheet
v 85% of older adult suicides were male, the number of male suicides in late life was 5.5 times greater than for female suicides.
v Suicidology.org Elderly Suicide Fact Sheet
Suicide Intervention
v Ask the “S” word
v Listen for details…
– Is there a plan?
– Is there history?
– What are their resources?
First aid for suicidality…
v Make a plan for safety based on the details.
v Stay with the person at risk until there is a safe disposition.
It’s always being advised that older adults learn new skills and have ongoing goals to maintain both physical health and prevent mood and memory problems. There are always challenges we meant to pursue when we have the time to devote to a new hobby. They’re talking about a study that was provoked by a new age record for climbing Mount Everest. The new record is a 71 year-old Japanese man. The old record was a 70 year-old Japanese man.
The Professor who did the study was looking at what he called the Kareem Abdul-Jabbar effect. This refers to the phenomenon of a more experienced player using his smarts to compete at the same level as younger, stronger players. Getting smarter with experience gives an advantage! We all compensate for decline in physical prowess with better judgment, improved strategy and more accurate tactics. And there is constant evidence to refute the adage about old dogs and new tricks. It takes longer for an older learner to process words spoken to him than for a younger learner, but having decades of adapting to change makes it more likely an elder has rehearsed a change that a younger person might struggle with as a novice.
Unfortunately this doesn’t seem to apply on the mountain. The common wisdom is that an older climber is more cautious and can afford better equipment. The science shows that less than half as many climbers over 60 complete the climb and more than three times as many older climbers die on the mountain.
Now the reader may take this as a caution against mountain climbing over 60. I will paraphrase a park ranger I heard speak at the Grand Canyon awhile back. Would you rather your grandchild tells her friends “My Grandma died in that old folks home” or “My grandma died climbing the world’s highest mountain?”
The Professor who did the study was looking at what he called the Kareem Abdul-Jabbar effect. This refers to the phenomenon of a more experienced player using his smarts to compete at the same level as younger, stronger players. Getting smarter with experience gives an advantage! We all compensate for decline in physical prowess with better judgment, improved strategy and more accurate tactics. And there is constant evidence to refute the adage about old dogs and new tricks. It takes longer for an older learner to process words spoken to him than for a younger learner, but having decades of adapting to change makes it more likely an elder has rehearsed a change that a younger person might struggle with as a novice.
Unfortunately this doesn’t seem to apply on the mountain. The common wisdom is that an older climber is more cautious and can afford better equipment. The science shows that less than half as many climbers over 60 complete the climb and more than three times as many older climbers die on the mountain.
Now the reader may take this as a caution against mountain climbing over 60. I will paraphrase a park ranger I heard speak at the Grand Canyon awhile back. Would you rather your grandchild tells her friends “My Grandma died in that old folks home” or “My grandma died climbing the world’s highest mountain?”
Marijuana pt 2
On August 1 a study was published in England that shows an increase for Psychosis among older adults who have smoked marijuana at any age. And it seems that the more you smoked, the greater the risk. They were very careful to eliminate “confounding factors” that would otherwise explain the differences. It comes Well it’s very early in my column’s life span to start retracting my statements but I feel like this is worth mentioning. I was on the fence about the biology of marijuana use in my previous writing, more worried about the legal consequences. I have spent too many hours on the phone trying to find a rehab program for an eighty-year-old man who has court ordered treatment but won’t be able to handle the rigors of a program designed for thirty year olds.
down to this… if you smoke grass you are more vulnerable later in life to getting thought disorders, delusions and hallucinations. You might know someone who has a fixed belief in something that doesn’t fit in the culture and no one else can make sense of. Jealous ideas, people stealing unimportant items and returning them, being monitored by neighbors for unknown reasons or because one is secretly very special, these are delusions. If someone sees, hears or feels something that isn’t there, it’s an hallucination.
The treatments available for psychosis are still a little rough. The older medications will sometimes produce symptoms that look like Parkinson’s Disease, the newer ones often cause weight gain and metabolic syndrome leading to diabetes. These side effects are nearly always preferred to suffering with the symptoms, but they are still unpleasant. My opinion on medical marijuana is shifting. I think the science would suggest using marijuana for a serious, potentially life threatening condition like appetite disturbance and chemotherapy would be worth the risk. The chance it might prevent Alzheimer’s Disease is not worth the risk. Getting high to watch cartoons is definitely not worth the risk. The bottom line would still be the same as my previous writing. It’s a bad idea to drive to bingo with 200 pounds of smoke in the trunk of your car.
down to this… if you smoke grass you are more vulnerable later in life to getting thought disorders, delusions and hallucinations. You might know someone who has a fixed belief in something that doesn’t fit in the culture and no one else can make sense of. Jealous ideas, people stealing unimportant items and returning them, being monitored by neighbors for unknown reasons or because one is secretly very special, these are delusions. If someone sees, hears or feels something that isn’t there, it’s an hallucination.
The treatments available for psychosis are still a little rough. The older medications will sometimes produce symptoms that look like Parkinson’s Disease, the newer ones often cause weight gain and metabolic syndrome leading to diabetes. These side effects are nearly always preferred to suffering with the symptoms, but they are still unpleasant. My opinion on medical marijuana is shifting. I think the science would suggest using marijuana for a serious, potentially life threatening condition like appetite disturbance and chemotherapy would be worth the risk. The chance it might prevent Alzheimer’s Disease is not worth the risk. Getting high to watch cartoons is definitely not worth the risk. The bottom line would still be the same as my previous writing. It’s a bad idea to drive to bingo with 200 pounds of smoke in the trunk of your car.
Wednesday, August 22, 2007
I read the other day about the benefits of weight training for older adults. The study suggested that doing resistance training can be good for you at any age, even after a heart attack or other health challenge. Meeting goals of being able to lift a grandchild or do the gardening are the reasons cited. High intensity walking is touted as a preventive for high blood pressure and to tone the thigh muscles. Another article talked about an 84 year old woman who made her first parachute jump.
Having a goal to work towards is important for any age. When the usual milestones of ambition have been passed, it might be hard to identify those goals. I saw George Burns when he was 99 years old. He had a goal of working in Vegas on his 100th birthday. He lived to 100 but wasn’t able to work, and passed shortly after. I met a man a few years ago who had quit smoking at 105 years old, I suppose not wanting to shorten his life. There are annual stories of yet another group of elderly ladies posing for a nude calendar to raise funds for charity. There are always new things to achieve, but if “survival” is the only goal, it is the one thing we all ultimately fail to do. A concrete, measurable, reasonable goal is most likely to keep you motivated and progressing.
In that theme, I will repeat two more headlines published on the same day. You decide if they are related. “JAVELINS KEPT AWAY FROM TRACK FOR SENIOR CITIZEN EVENT” & “ WHEN TO LET GO? MEDICINE’S TOP DILEMMA.”
Having a goal to work towards is important for any age. When the usual milestones of ambition have been passed, it might be hard to identify those goals. I saw George Burns when he was 99 years old. He had a goal of working in Vegas on his 100th birthday. He lived to 100 but wasn’t able to work, and passed shortly after. I met a man a few years ago who had quit smoking at 105 years old, I suppose not wanting to shorten his life. There are annual stories of yet another group of elderly ladies posing for a nude calendar to raise funds for charity. There are always new things to achieve, but if “survival” is the only goal, it is the one thing we all ultimately fail to do. A concrete, measurable, reasonable goal is most likely to keep you motivated and progressing.
In that theme, I will repeat two more headlines published on the same day. You decide if they are related. “JAVELINS KEPT AWAY FROM TRACK FOR SENIOR CITIZEN EVENT” & “ WHEN TO LET GO? MEDICINE’S TOP DILEMMA.”
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