Among the featured topics included in this series is “Caring For Aging Parents Who Cared For You”. This conversation focuses on the challenge of caring for a loved one as they age, a role many will unexpectedly be forced to play. The guests on this topic are author Jane Gross who wrote “A Bittersweet Season- Caring for our Aging Parents and Ourselves” (a novel about caring for her ailing mother), Beatriz Terrazas (author of “My Mother’s Brain”- a blog on a Latino Family’s story about Alzheimer’s), and John Farley who edits and co-writes the Speakeasy column in The Wall Street Journal.

Another great topic covered by the series is on the realities of retirement, titled “Advice For the Golden Years: ‘Don’t Ever Retire Mentally’. A memorable quote that stood out to us was from 83 year old, Krishna Roy, who said “Don’t ever retire mentally. Keep your mind alive.” This is sound advice since a recent poll by NPR, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the Yale School of Public health shows that 39% of retirees say their health is worse after retirement compared with 13% of non-retirees expectations for life after work. It is clear that this series is not only going to talk about death but also an active and engaged retirement among several related topics.

Here is an interesting website also put together through NPR; End of Life explores death in America and provides several useful links. The site provides transcripts on various topics surrounding death, resources for people with life-threatening diseases and their families and caregivers, as well as links to selected mediums on death and dying, hospice, death and caregiving, retirement, and much more. Enjoy!

According to the Pew Research Center’s Internet & American Life Project, social networking among people 65 and older increased by 100 percent between April 2009 and May 2010. The center found that the internet is a way in which physically isolated seniors can connect with friends and family even if they are aging in place and physically isolated.

Stanford Professor Laura Carstensen, the director of Stanford University’s Center on Longevity, says that “social networking is providing more and more to be an entrance into technology for older adults.” As independence among seniors starts to decline, more are experiencing social isolation, loneliness and depression especially those living away from family and in assisted living homes. Several studies have found that internet use among older adults was associated with a 30% decrease in depressive symptoms among those who use the internet regularly.

While Facebook can help a senior stay socially connected it does not facilitate meaningful face-to-face interactions. It is not a substitute for face-to-face companionship for seniors. That’s why Engage As You Age is here to facilitate meaningful activity-focused companionship for seniors. We’ve found that companions for seniors make a difference that Facebook can’t compete with.

A few other things to consider about Facebook and seniors. Do the grandchildren of seniors want their grandparents to see their pictures and comments online? Perhaps Facebook would connect seniors to aspects of their grandchildren and children’s lives that they wouldn’t want to see. What do you think about Facebook and seniors? Is it the cure for loneliness and seniors?

Along the same lines as the two aforementioned studies, a 2011 study published in the Journal of Psychology and Aging found that being a musician may contribute to better hearing in old age by delaying some of the age-related changes in central auditory processing especially if elderly musicians are using their auditory systems on a regular basis. In other words “use it or lose it.”

Engage As You Age often works with older adults and socially isolated seniors by bringing music and music lessons to their homes;  allowing them to age in place. While we’re certainly not as helpful as a hearing aid, we’ve found that when paired with one we bring a lot of joy to isolated seniors.  So even if you haven’t been a musician your whole life, there are several benefits for older adults who engage in activities that stimulate the senses at any age. According to a study by a USC professor some benefits of seniors engaging include the prevention of health decline that comes with old age such as memory loss, hearing loss, and physical inability.

Beer is determined to combat the pernicious effects of social isolation and has $348,000 (courtesy of the Australian Research Council) to investigate what programs work, don’t work and why. He plans on studying 900 Australian seniors evaluate social programs for seniors and figure out what models should be embraced and what should be eliminated.

“Up to 20 percent of the Australian aged population is socially isolated and we have a rapidly aging population. If you are socially isolated, it will have a huge impact on your health and place a huge burden on society as a whole and the individual” said Beer.

Beer’s assertion that 20% of seniors in Australia are socially isolated rings true to our ears at Engage As You Age. Our rough estimate is that 20-25% of seniors in the San Francisco Bay Area are socially isolated. Whether they live in a San Francisco assisted living facility or nursing home or choose to age in place, many seniors in San Francisco (and throughout the Bay Area) are isolated because of physical, cognitive and/or emotional reasons. It’s the seniors who are stuck in their rooms (in assisted living facilities or their own homes) or who have dementia or parkinson’s and have a hard time connecting with other seniors. That’s why we’re here–to provide companionship for seniors that are socially isolated.

The stats that jump out at you are that Americans spend roughly $7300 annually on medicine while Canadians spend $2700 per head and Britons come in at $2000. Bortz, a physician for over 50 years (and a prime example of someone engaging as they age!), argues that the financial interests of drug and biotech companies have “distorted the healthcare system” and put us in this predicament.

In Next Medicine, Bortz calls for a new medical system based upon rigorous science and not corporate interests. He argues that the corporate interests that are distorting our healthcare system have created an medical environment in which treatment is financially rewarded instead of prevention. Dollars go into fixing problems instead of trying to prevent them (causing us to spend such large and ineffectual sums of money on healthcare).

At Engage As You Age we regularly see firsthand the benefits of proactive approaches to preventing health issues and also sadly see the significant costs associated with reactive treatments. If you know someone that is lonely, isolated and/or depressed it is imperative that you proactively find ways to socially connect and engage them. There are numerous studies that point towards the health benefits associated with being socially engaged.

Contact us today if you’d like to learn more about the benefits of social engagement. Come to Avenidas this Tuesday if you’d like to hear Dr. Bortz discuss his most recent book highlighting the benefits of prevention (compared to simply reacting and treating).

Dr. Bortz’s talk will take place at 2 pm at 450 Bryant Street in Palo Alto, CA.

The conference will focus on current research on dementia and Alzheimer’s and examine different dementia care options and explore homecare, caregiving and other community resources for seniors that are being used to try and slow the progression of the diseases. This conference sounds like a great opportunity for family caregivers, eldercare specialists, homecare and caregiving owners and anyone else interested in learning more about dementia.

Benefits May Go Beyond Just Hearing

The title of this blog post sort of sounds like a vegetable soup of unhealthy ingredients for a senior. Hearing loss, social isolation, anxiety and depression all came together in the findings of a study conducted by the Seniors Research Group (an alliance between the National Council on Aging and Market Strategies Inc.). The good news is that a hearing aid could potentially go a long way towards reducing social isolation, anxiety, and depression in seniors.

The aforementioned 1999 study surveyed 2,300 hearing-impaired adults over the age of 50 and found that those with untreated hearing loss were more likely to report having anxiety, paranoia and depression. Those without hearing aids were also found to participate in organized social activities. The large sample size of 2,300 hearing-impaired seniors was augmented by 2,090 close family members or friends of the participants being asked a parallel set of questions.

“This study debunks the myth that untreated hearing loss in older persons is a harmless condition,” said James Firman, President and CEO of the National Council on Aging. Hearing loss isn’t a rare occurrence amongst seniors. In fact, it is one of the most prevalent chronic conditions in the United States. According to the American Academy of Audiology over 9 million Americans over the age of 65 have hearing loss and 3 out of 5 of them do not wear hearing aids!

The findings certainly sync with what Engage As You Age sees and hears out in the field on a daily basis. Over the weekend I was at an assisted living facility in San Francisco and met with one of its residents who expressed an interest in being paired up with one of our activity specialists. This assisted living resident told me that she had a hard time hearing (even with her hearing aid) and that often made it difficult for her to participate in activities at her assisted living facility in San Francisco. This social isolation led to this senior feeling anxious and depressed.

We’re excited to begin working with this senior and hope to convince her to get her hearing tested again so that she can not only benefit from our one-to-one social visits but also take advantage of some of the activities at her assisted living facility. We’ll keep you posted on how things progress.

Washington University Professor Simine Vazire and three other professors found in their study that those who were happiest engaged in meaningful conversations twice as often as those who were found to be least happy.

In Washington University’s Alumni Magazine, Vazire says that ““The happiest were people who engaged often in more meaningful and substantive discussions, as opposed to those who filled conversations with idle chit-chat and small talk.”

This study reinforces why Engage As You Age does what it does. We see a tremendous need for seniors and elders throughout the San Francisco Bay Area to be happy. We believe that caregivers and homecare works aren’t usually able to engage in meaningful and substantive discussions with seniors. The same person who provides homecare services in San Francisco (or elsewhere) such as physical assistance, medication monitoring and transportation services for seniors isn’t going to engage in conversations about your passions. That’s where we come in.

The event is sponsored by the San Rafael Public Library and is a great opportunity for elders, seniors, baby boomers, caregivers, and anyone else interested in learning about what resources are available for seniors in Marin County. This event is all about the audience so don’t be shy if you have questions about Alzheimer’s, dementia, homecare, assisted living or any other resources for seniors in Marin County.

The talk will be lead by Engage As You Age’s founder Ben Lewis and will feature Tessa ten Tusscher, Kim Schwarcz, Mimi Schrieber, David Kitaen, and Marc Kreissman. This great panel has expertise in geriatric psychiatry, homecare, dementia, Alzheimer’s, long-term care insurance, financial planning, caregiving, fiduciary issues and we’ll also have a few surprise guests that can help fill in the gaps.

Please come if you or a loved one would benefit from learning about resources for seniors in Marin County.

The address is for the event is : 1400 5th Avenue, San Rafael, CA