Two Things You Need to Know

It seems likely that we will [experience][endure][incur][enjoy] much of our elding in and around Newport.  It is where we live, and where we intend to live for some time.  However, there is a chance that eventually we will seek [warmer][safer][cheaper] climes in which to complete the journey.

Should you be inclined to do your elding elsewhere than your current where, there are two very important things to learn about the new where before you move there:  A good general practitioner/gerontologist physician THAT IS ACCEPTING NEW PATIENTS, and the menu of available social and elder services of which you may need to avail.

The first may be the most difficult, as there is an acute shortage of GP's and Gerontologists.  Many are already overwhelmed, and with cuts in Medicare and Medicaid payments they can neither afford nor handle more work.  Lots of people are getting old.  Lots of med students are going into specialties that pay better.  The Affordable Care Act will not likely solve this dilema any time soon.  So, carefully survey the market and find a doc BEFORE you move.  Don't forget a dentist as well. 

Once you find the doc, s/he may be able to help with the other item.  There are lots of social services organizations around that help with elder issues.  For example, here is a description of our local Child and Family Services:


Our experienced elder care specialists will talk to you honestly and confidentially about your loved one’s situation. Whatever your need


home care services
respite care
adult day services
dealing with depression or neglect
home delivered meals
crime victim support
housing advice
We can provide or arrange for respectful, reliable care. You can count on our support.


Free in-home mental health care
Don’t let lack of transportation or inability to pay prevent your loved one from getting proper care for depression, anxiety, substance abuse, and other issues. Call (401) 848-4185 to see if you or your loved one qualifies.


Question about your health insurance?
Our trained volunteer State Health Insurance Program (SHIP) counselors can meet with Medicare beneficiaries and caregivers to answer any questions or concerns you have about health insurance or bills.


Living independently longer
We can help make staying home possible for your loved one. Our certified nursing assistants and homemakers, overseen by an experienced Nurse Supervisor, can assist with:


light housekeeping
shopping
personal care
meal preparation
errands
Friendly Visitors
Our volunteers visit the homebound elderly or those who are handicapped, to provide companionship and caring support. Volunteers will write a letter, play cards, chat or even drive you to a medical appointment.

Notice that they provide or help locate help with insurance questions, independent living, even snow removal.  It may be good to find these kinds of resources well before you need them.  One excellent way to get to know the providers is to volunteer.  Child & Family is a 501(c)(3), so they are dependent on grants, donations and volunteers.

Michael

Yummy!

So, at whatever elder hostel you may end up, ask to see the menu.  Lets don't settle for geezer food.

Thriving Gut Bacteria Linked To Good
Health
by ALLISON AUBREY
08:52 pm
July 15, 2012
There's no magic elixir for healthy
aging, but here's one more thing to add
to the list: good gut health.
A study published in the latest issue of
Nature finds diet may be key to
promoting diverse communities of
beneficial bacteria in the guts of older
people.
To evaluate this, researchers analyzed
the microbiota, or gut bacteria, of 178
older folks, mostly in their 70s and
80s.
Some of the people were living in their
own homes, and their diets were rich in fiber, fruits, vegetables, grains, poultry and
fish.
Others were living in long­term care facilities or nursing homes where the typical
diet was much less varied. "Mashed potato and porridge were the only staples in
this diet type that were consumed daily," explains Paul O'Toole of the Alimentary
Pharmabiotic Centre at University College Cork in Ireland. Meals were
supplemented with puddings, cookies and sugar­sweetened beverages such as tea.
O'Toole's team found that people living independently, who had the most diverse
diets, also had more varied gut bacteria. And they also scored better on clinical
tests measuring frailty and cognitive function. In other words, "they were healthier
older people," says O'Toole.
There may be many factors at play here, but O'Toole thinks diet is key. "We were
surprised that the correlations between microbiota and health came out so
strongly," O'Toole says.
There's an explosion of research into the gut microbiome as scientists fine­tune
methods to analyze bacteria in the gut, and with that comes an emerging body of
evidence that diversity of gut bacteria is important.
"What we're only now beginning to realize is that there's very close interaction
between the bacteria within GI tract and human health and disease," says Ilseung
Cho, a gastroenterologist at NYU School of Medicine.
Beneficial bacteria do a lot for us, says Cho. They help with digestion, help our
bodies make vitamins, and also likely help support a strong immune system.
But they also have to compete with the harmful bacteria. That's why we want a
variety of the good kind in our guts.
"If you have a lot of diversity and one bacteria that's doing something good is
iStockphoto.com
Eating plenty of fruits and vegetables is important for gut
health, especially in aging adults.7/23/12 Thriving Gut Bacteria Linked To Good Health : Shots ‑ Health Blog : NPR
www.npr.org/blogs/health/2012/07/16/156745291/thriving‑gut‑bacteria‑linked‑to‑good‑health?ft=3&f=11… 2/2
food and nutrition immune system bacteria aging
knocked out," explains Cho, "then you may have other bacteria that can compensate
for that loss."
These new findings are not proof that diverse microbiota lead to better health. But
experts say this paper is important because it establishes a link.
"Is it really that diet is altering the health of individuals through altering the gut
microbiota?" asks Gary Wu of the University of Pennsylvania. "Or is it that people
who are not as well tend to be housed in long­term care facilities?" It's possible that
the lack of bacterial diversity isn't the cause of illness, but a sign of sickness.
Wu says it will take additional studies to unravel cause and effect. Nonetheless, he
says, this new Nature paper is intriguing.
"I think there's growing evidence that diet is very important in regulating the
composition of the gut microbes," says Wu.

Attitudes (Gratitude in Particular)

Here is a quote from "True Secret to Success" in Inc. Magazine by Geoffrey James.  The context of the article is on how success in both business and life is related to fostering positive attitudes.

"I'm utterly convinced that the key to lifelong success is the regular exercise of a single emotional muscle: gratitude.  People who approach life with a sense of gratitude are constantly aware of what's wonderful in their life. Because they enjoy the fruits of their successes, they seek out more success. And when things don't go as planned, people who are grateful can put failure into perspective. "


He goes on to pose a way to reinforce a sense of gratitude by practicing, every night, to record in writing the day's events that fostered good feelings, either for you or for someone around you.  By making this practice habit (there it is again!), we become trained to have a positive outlook on life, an important aspect of both physical and mental health as we eld.  "The more regularly you practice this exercise, the stronger its effects."  In other words, make a positive outlook a habit.  


I know I am harping on this a lot, but the more I study the effects of aging, the more convinced I am that fostering good mental habits now will improve the quality of life later.  It won't solve every problem, but it will help deal with the unsolvable ones and perhaps protect us from the unexpected.  


So, while I look forward to being a curmudgeon, I am determined to remain a happy curmudgeon, surrounded by other happy old farts.  You know who you are.


Michael