idealawg

Blog Glob: Can Memory Loss Be Prevented?

Excerpt:

Memory is among the least understood areas of neuroscience, and the sad truth is that there is no magic pill or potion at present that will prevent our parents’ minds from failing. But a panel of 30 experts from the United States and Europe recently issued a consensus statement on what we do know about maintaining brain fitness (which includes not only memory, but also reasoning, attention and speed of processing). The verdict was that three things are crucial: physical exercise, mental challenges and good health habits in general.

But wait! What about the supplements and software programs we’ve been stocking up on? “There’s a lot of snake oil out there,” warned Dr. Laura Carstensen, director of the Center on Longevity at Stanford University, who co-chaired the panel. In short, don’t count on supplements. (The rationale behind ginkgo biloba is plausible, but there is no scientific evidence it works.) Steer clear of anything that promises to prevent Alzheimer’s disease. ... And look skeptically on software programs. (Most improve performance only on the games themselves, not mental function in general.)

Instead, Dr. Carstensen said, get moving. Exercise may sound like an impractical way to boost Mom’s cognition when her energy levels are dwindling. But multiple studies show it helps. In a study published

Should we change our assumptions about elders? Do we know as much as we think we do? Should we say no to aging?

When reading this blog post about elders and mediation, I was reminded of the new book Counterclockwise: Mindful Health and the Power of Possibility. The author Dr. Ellen Langer details the problems with mindless assumptions about such topics as aging. She also talks about the power of professionals, who operate on those assumptions, to create a self-fulfilling prophecy. She says" Certainty is a cruel mindset."

Dr. Langer discusses at length the certain and sure assumptions we have about aging. She believes these mindless assumptions can take away control and hope. From "Just Say No to Aging?" (Newsweek):

Langer and her Harvard colleagues have been running ... experiments for decades, and the accumulated weight of the evidence is convincing. Her theory, argued in her new book, "Counterclockwise," is that we are all victims of our own stereotypes about aging and health. We mindlessly accept negative cultural cues about disease and old age, and these cues shape

Boomers in the Bar: New division for older lawyers

From "Bar association launches division for older attorneys" (Pacific Business News):

The Hawaii State Bar Association is launching a new senior counsel division aimed at getting Hawaii’s seasoned lawyers more involved in social and professional activities.

More than half of the bar association’s 7,164 members are age 50 or older. One of the goals behind establishing the new division is to leverage their knowledge and expertise for future generations of lawyers, said Lyn Flanigan, executive director of the Hawaii State Bar Association.

Also, it will finally give the attorneys, most of whom built up 25-year legal careers in Hawaii, a forum to share war stories, participate in community service projects or simply stay engaged with colleagues.

...

[Retired Big Island Judge Riki May] Amano said the division is generating buzz among Baby Boomer lawyers, many of whom are now eager to engage in bar association activities and projects after years of never having participated.

How to save your brain: Playing computer games or taking a walk?

An article about whether computerized brain games are effective in brain fitness appeared today in Scientific American. Looks like the jury is still out on the computer games but we know that alternatives do work. (See below for many suggestions on free ways to achieve good brain performance.) From "Brain Games: Do They Really Work?":

Several studies have already demonstrated that exercise and socialization in later life have positive effects on cognition, and both of these are as easy as taking a walk and calling a friend. Even the simple act of practicing juggling for a week increases gray matter in brain areas involved in visual and motor activity (even if you never become very good at juggling!). What, then, is the rationale for using expensive brain games, which are essentially solitary activities that require you to shell out the bucks, sit on your gluteus maximus, stare at a screen and exercise little more than your index finger as it pushes the button on the mouse? The immediate answer is that we don’t know. We simply cannot say

NPR airs show about elder mediation

As much as I dislike calling it "elder mediation," I know mediation between generations can be relationship-saving and very helpful,often healing, to families. Yesterday NPR had a program on these kinds of family disputes and the mediators that can assist in their resolution. From NPR:

They are disputes that can split apart families: Mom's left a pot on the stove again, so her daughters want her to give up her house. Dad's got more scrapes on his car, so his kids want to take away the car keys. Now there's a new option for families: Call in an elder mediator, like Rikk Larsen.

Larsen comes in as a neutral third party to help families negotiate difficult situations and choices.

He talks about one case where an elderly father was getting forgetful and wasn't paying his monthly bills. His children — who lived far away — found out when the father's heat and electricity were turned off. But the elderly man got angry when the kids tried to help.

"Dad simply didn't want any of his kids to know how much money he had and how his finances were organized," says Larsen, and things were getting worse. One son insisted on going to court to get his

"A Coming of Old Age Story" - An interview of Ira Rosofsky, author of NASTY, BRUTISH AND LONG

Introduction:

It's a fact of life that most of us want to avoid.  As life expectancy increases, more and more people will find themselves living into extreme old age--and with that, the physical and mental struggles that come along.  That also means more of us in nursing homes, or assisted care situations, unable to fully take care of oursselves.  It's something the baby boom generation is grappling with now as their parents grow old, and as they plan ahead for their own later years.

Today we’re talking with Ira Rosofsky, author of Nasty, Brutish, and Long: Adventures in Old Age and the World of Eldercare. Rosofsky is a New Haven psychologist, who's spent thousands of hours in nursing homes around the state. His new book has been called a “coming of old-age story.” It's a look at the culture and industry of caregiving.

Listen to the interview here.

Some articles for lawyers considering a career change

From Recovering Lawyer Examiner, several articles about career transition. I do not like the label "recovering lawyer" because it seems to indicate the practice of law is a disease or an affliction. Nevertheless, those of you thinking of making a career switch may find some useful tips in these articles. They are written by Jennifer Loud, a Denverite; most curious as I have neither met nor heard of her. I hope to remedy that because she looks like someone with whom I would like to connect. Any of you met her?

The articles . . .

• "Should I stay or should I go? Deciding if you should leave the law"
• "What does boxing have to do with career change for lawyers?"
• "Top 5 things you must be doing if you are a lawyer serious about changing careers in 2009"
• "Has your ego been blocking your success? When lawyers let their ego get in the way of career change"

Enjoy.

New book: Another one on designing your own funeral

Grave Expectations: Planning the End Like There's No Tomorrow is what the title says: A book on how to plan your end-of-life event. Since I have written a book on that topic too, I like to follow what comes out on funeral designing. When I wrote my book over a decade ago, many people thought I was eccentric at best. Now that boomers are getting a tad bit older, I am guessing we will see more create-your-own-funeral books being published.

Click for a list of benefits of planning your own funeral.

Read an excerpt from the new book at "Funky funeral? ‘Recipes’ for your remains" (msnbc.com).

Note (added January 27, 2009, 11:30 AM Mountain): The book's Web site.

Now here's an example of what "elder mediation" should mean

"Elder mediation" as we have begun to use it here in the US is demeaning to the older person. I have already blogged about that. (See too the comment to my post from Canadian Arnold Zeman.) Take a look at how "elder mediation" is used in Ethiopia. It refers to mediation done by elders bringing to the conflict their experience and wisdom! Think about that. What has happened here that elders are a problem instead of facilitators of solutions? Perhaps a cultural self-fulfilling prophecy?

Using mind maps for the challenges and dilemmas you confront with aging parents

David Solie's book How to Say It to Seniors: Closing the Communication Gap with Our Elders is one that I recommend frequently. Just this week, I urged my sister to read the book. At his blog Aging Parents Insights, Solie presents an innovative way of communicating with aging parents: Mind maps. Excerpt from his post:

The goal was to provide the adult children with a way to visually show their parents the type of decisions that would have to made if things fell apart. They simply told their parents they would “do their best” when things fell apart and gave them a copy of the mind map. These are the things we are going to have to decide with or without you they said. No scolding. No lecturing.

A few weeks later their parents brought up the mind map. They has some questions. It was a start.

We are all visual people. Check lists, brochures, and passionate pleas may fall on deaf ears. But a mind map lays out the interconnecting parts, a global view of the complexity that lies ahead.

Click to see the mind map this family created. Double click it to enlarge it. This would be an excellent tool for many generation mediations, don't you think? (Why I am not saying "elder mediation" but instead "generation mediation".) Here are many idealawg posts on what I previously tagged as "elder mediation."