Shake your salt habit :

You can adapt to a low-sodium diet faster than you think, reports the Journal of the American Dietetic Association. Researchers had 354 volunteers follow three diets for 30 days each. One contained 1,200 milligrams of sodium per day, one 2,300 mg (within the recommended amount), and one 3,500 mg (the amount most U.S. adults get). Afterward, subjects were willing to continue the 2,300 milligram diet rather than return to a high sodium diet. Americans may associate good taste with lots of salt - until they make a habit of eating lower sodium foods and realize the taste doesn’t tank. Start by cutting out 50 milligrams per week (that’s your Friday Coke), says lead study author Eva Obarzanek, Ph.D., R.D.

Folic acid, calcium, vitamin D and omega-3s can keep you vibrant. 

Five nutrients can help older adults live independently longer and folic acid can reduce birth defects, in a new study by The Lewin Group (an independent healthcare cost-analysis firm in Falls Church, Virginia, serving the U.S. government and industry). Researchers reviewed the scientific literature on six nutrients - calcium with vitamin D, omega-3 fatty acids, lutein with zeaxanthin, and folic acid - and concluded that many high-quality studies show clear relationships between the supplements and better health. Study authors stated, “A growing body of scientific research is beginning to provide important clues about how diet choices affect health.”

Doctors cited evidence that 1,200 mg of calcium with vitamin D per day reduced bone loss and hip fractures in the elderly, cut hospital trips to repair the hip and reduced stays at skilled nursing care facilities.

Focusing on heart studies, researchers found that 1,800 mg of omega-3s per day effectively cut the risk of coronary events including heart attack, restricted heart blood flow, fat and calcium deposits on blood-vessel walls, inflammation and blockages.

Lutein and zeaxanthin - the yellow-colored antioxidants that collect in the eye and protect vision - are essential nutrients that must come from the diet. Researchers determined that taking 6-10mg of lutein with zeaxanthin per day significantly reduced the risk of going blind in the center of the field of vision (age-related macular degeneration or AMD), a major cause of older adults losing the ability to live independently. Doctors believe poor vision causes 18% of all hip fractures.

If one-quarter of the 44 million U.S. women of child-bearing age who do not take folic acid began taking 400 mcg of folic acid per day, 600 babies could be born without neural tube defects, researchers stated.

If those at risk for bone, heart, eye and birth diseases took these supplements during the five years from 2008 to 2012, researchers project $24 billion in health savings to Medicare and other insurers.

Save 15% When You Choose Amtrak

Amtrak travelers 62 years of age and over receive a 15% discount on the best available adult rail fare on most Amtrak trains. Take advantage of the Amtrak senior discount to see more of what America has to offer. Start planning your next trip today.

Please note that this discount does not apply to:

• Sleeper accommodations
• The Auto Train
• Weekday Acela Express service

Valid proof of age is required. Additional restrictions may apply.

Seniors are also eligible to receive a 10% discount on the purchase of North America Rail Pass, providing an affordable way to see the United States and Canada.

A priest, a rabbi and a chicken walk into a bar . . . You’ve heard the jokes but did you know they could actually be saving your life?  It’s true, improves both your physical and mental health.  So don’t give up on your silliness just yet.

When we are stressed, we produce hormones that disrupt the balance of our immune system. Laughing lessens that production and instead produces more gamma-interferon t-cells, or disease fighting cells. Laughter occurs when a negatively charged electrical impulse is sent through the cerebral cortex - but why we laugh is much more complex.  It involves several parts of your brain and also your body depending on the extent of gesturing or jiggling that your chuckling incurs.  From mild giggling to doubled up, eye tearing hysteria, you are  aerobically benefitted through lowered blood pressure, thus reducing your chance of a heart attack or stroke and increased oxygen intake improving your brains capability to retain and process information.

When people hear laughter, it releases a neurotransmitter to their brain that responds by triggering other neural circuits to generate more laughter. It’s contagious!

So add 20 minutes of comedy to your daily exercise regime and laugh yourself healthy.  If you can’t manage that, at least smile to release some endorphins.  if you don’t feel like smiling, then fake it until you make it. Just the mere physical act of curling your mouth up and a little squint to the eyes will release all sorts of happy hormones dancing through your body and before you know it you actually ARE happy!

An older person’s likelihood of entering a nursing home or other long-term care facility is particularly high immediately after the death of a spouse, new research indicates.

There could be various reasons for this, Elina Nihtila, of the department of sociology at the University of Helsinki, Finland, who led the research, told Reuters Health.

“It may be related to the loss of social and instrumental support, in the form of care and help with daily activities such as help in cooking, cleaning, and shopping formerly shared with the deceased spouse,” Nihtila said.

“Second, grief and spousal loss may cause various symptoms, such as depression and anxiety, loss of appetite, sleep disturbances, fatigue and loss of concentration that could increase the need for institutional care.” She added. “Furthermore, grief may cause increased susceptibility to physical diseases.”

The research team analyzed how the death of a spouse affects the likelihood of entering institutionalized care among nearly 141,000 Finnish adults aged 65 and older. All of them were living with a spouse at the beginning of the study and were followed for five years.

“The data were unique in that they covered a large number of persons bereaved during the follow-up and gave the dates of bereavement and of first admission into institutional care,” Nihtila and colleagues explain in the American Journal of Public Health.

Results showed that the risk of entering long-term institutional care was higher among older adults who had lost their spouse than among those living with their spouse. “The excess risk of institutionalization was highest during the first month after the spouse’s death - more than three times higher among both men and women - and decreased with time from bereavement, stabilizing at approximately 20% to 50% higher over 1 to 5 years,” Nihtila noted.

The researcher thinks home help services “should be targeted to the bereaved immediately after a spouse’s death to reduce the need for institutional care.”

SOURCE: American Journal of Public Health, July 2008 (online May 29, 2008).

New York, May 20 : We’ve always had a sense that the elderly are more at peace with themselves. Now a scientific study confirms this :

The study, by University of Texas researchers, contends this is because aging is associated with more positive than negative emotions, more passive than active emotions.

The study, by Catherine Ross and John Mirowsky of the university’s Population Research Centre, examined 1,450 responses from an earlier survey to report that participants over 60 had more feelings of ease and contentment than those younger.

The study, published in the journal Social Science and Medicine, differs from previous research on ageing and emotions which have focused on negatives like depression.

“The passive/positive combination reveals that contentment, calm and ease are some of the most common emotions people feel as they age,” Ross said. “Emotions that are both active and negative, such as anxiety and anger, are especially unlikely among the elderly.”

Participants responded to range of statements such as “On how many days in the past seven days have you… felt sad, felt lonely, felt worried, felt angry, felt calm, felt at ease, felt contented, felt happy, felt excited about something, felt proud, felt embarrassed, felt ashamed”.

The researchers then grouped the emotions in four categories: active, passive, positive and negative.

Secondary findings reveal women had more negative than positive emotions, and more passive than active emotions than men. Also, participants with higher income and education levels had significantly more positive emotions than those with lower income and education levels.

It is never too late to find love. Just because you are 65 or older doesn’t mean you cannot date and find a meaningful relationship. In fact, by going out there and finding that special someone, you are doing a great deal of good for yourself. You don’t have to stop having fun because of your age! Now is just as good a time as any to go out and meet new people and rekindle your love life.

Finding other singles

If you take the time to look, there are plenty of ways to meet fellow single seniors in your community or elsewhere. Community centers generally organize socials for seniors to get together and mingle. What are your hobbies? By joining groups or clubs that bring people together with similar interests, you can potentially find a fellow member who you could end up going out with for a cup of coffee.

But your community isn’t the only resource you have for finding a date. If you are reading this article, chances are you know your way around a computer. Nowadays there are plenty of online dating websites where you can browse fellow singles and fellow singles can browse you, allowing you to ensure compatibility even before you meet up in person. Don’t be afraid to give it a shot – the internet, when used properly, is a great resource for getting in touch with people you could see yourself forming a wonderful relationship with.

The dating scene

Let’s face it – no matter what your age, no matter how experienced you are with the dating scene, it is never easy to escape the first-date jitters, especially if you haven’t done it in years.  So try and put your first date in an environment that will ease the tension between the two of you. Lunches are generally better than dinners as dinners tend to be more intimate settings. If the two of you have a shared interest, try and involve that in what you plan on doing. Both book fans? Go to a public reading.  Music lovers? An outdoor concert or a jazz club can be nice. Don’t be afraid to be interesting with the setting of your first date. If you make it interesting you are more likely to stimulate some conversation between the two of you. Consider suggesting a group date, too – by involving more people you may be more familiar with, conversation can run smoothly.

Also be sure to have an exit strategy. There is no need to continue a date if your date makes you feel uncomfortable. Have a friend know where you are and make sure he or she will pick up their phone if you want to leave and need someone to pick you up.

Taking the first step in senior dating is not always easy. It is something people might typically shy away from. But remember that there is no need to be shy. It’s your life, and if you want to be happy and find a meaningful relationship, it’s up to you to make it happen.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration on Monday, April 21, approved a heart assist device with a novel design that is the first to mechanically support the weakened heart of a small-sized adult man or woman with heart failure who is at risk of dying while awaiting a heart transplant.

Heart assist devices are surgically implanted mechanical pumps that help the heart’s ventricle do its work of pumping blood to the rest of the body. Previous models were too large to be placed in the upper abdomen of some women and small-sized men.

But the Thoratec HeartMate II Left Ventricular Assist System employs a first-of-a-kind design. Instead of the standard pulsatile pump that simulates the action of the heart, the device uses a continuous flow pump that constantly moves blood with a single moving part, a spinning rotor.

This allows the device to be slimmed down to a mere three inches in length and a weight of approximately one pound.

“The HeartMate II is an important advance in mechanical heart technology,” said Daniel Schultz, M.D., director of FDA’s Center for Devices and Radiological Health. “Until now, some heart transplant candidates have been underserved due to the large size of previously approved heart assist devices.”

An electrical cable that powers the blood pump passes through the patient’s skin to an external controller that the patient wears on his or her waist. The controller is powered either by batteries or connected to an electrical power outlet.

Blood flow is set through the pump based on the patient’s need, and the controller monitors pump performance, sounding alarms if it detects dangerous conditions or a possible malfunction. The system can operate on two external batteries, allowing the patient to move freely for up to three hours.

In a clinical study of 126 patients at 26 transplant centers, 57 percent of patients with the HeartMate II survived to heart transplant, which is comparable to the survival of patients treated with currently approved heart assist devices.

The product’s manufacturer, Thoratec Corporation of Pleasanton, Calif., is required to conduct a post-approval study to further evaluate the HeartMate II’s performance during commercialization.

Cost: $5*

This funny, touching, and inspiring one-hour play with music explores the lives of real New Yorkers - our memories, dreams, stumbles, triumphs and everyday miracles. Roots&Branches Intergenerational Theater brings elder and young actors together to challenge stereotypes about age and aging, as they forge new links from generation to generation. The Roots&Branches Theater is pleased to offer a special matinée rate to SeniorPlanet subscribers of $5 (free to groups of 10 or more). Be sure to mention SP when you make your reservations! For more info and full performance schedule, please click here.

Location:
Hudson Guild Theater
441 W. 26th St.