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in the News ...
Baby Boomers turn 60.
2006 marks 60 years after the first babies of the Baby Boom generation were born. Of the 3.4 million babies born in the US in 1946, 2.8 turned 59 in 2005. There are now 78.2 million Baby Boomers cresting the wave of babies born between 1946 and 1964.
"Baby boomers literally think they're going to die before they get old," says J. Walker Smith, president of Yankelovich Partners, the polling company, which found in one study that boomers defined "old age" as starting three years after the average American was dead.
"We don't expect to die-we expect to be cured," says Ross, [an] Illinois teacher.
The impact this population wave has had on the economy, politics, and culture of America is unmatched. This year, they step across the traditional threshold of "senior citizen" status and continue to break molds and redefine the possibilities of healthy aging.
SOURCE: Turning 60, Newsweek
Read More:
Boomers: The New America
"Oldest Baby Boomers Turn 60", US Census Bureau
BOOMERNET :: The Baby Boomers' Surfing Center
The Georgia Coalition of Healthy Aging
PRESS RELEASE
DHR Launches the Gorgia Coalition of Healthy Aging
ATLANTA (GA) - The Department of Human Resources Division of Aging Services (DAS) is launching the Georgia Coalition of Healthy Aging (GCHA), a collaboration of public, private and non-profit organizations whose mission is to promote a common vision for healthy aging. GCHA will have its first meeting April 27, 2006, from 8:00 a.m. to 12 noon in the James H. "Sloppy" Floyd Building at 1 Martin Luther King Jr. Drive, 20th floor, Empire Room, Atlanta, Georgia.
"Our success in sustaining the health and wellbeing of our communities will depend on leaders from across the public and private sectors coming together to create partnerships that support healthy aging for all Georgians. No one organization, public or private, can accomplish this alone," said Maria Greene, director of DAS.
Georgia's rapidly growing population of older people, including Baby Boomers, will likely create demand for more services and supports than public and privately funded programs can provide. The lack of access to adequate, affordable healthcare; poor health literacy; and threats to funding of social and healthcare programs potentially affect the quality of life in later years.
DAS and the Aging Network are responsible for administering nutrition and wellness programs within the state of Georgia. These programs are aimed at reducing nutritional risks and increasing the ability of older adults to perform everyday activities and remain living in their own homes. Activities are focused on health promotion and disease prevention, with services designed to improve health status, increase functional abilities, promote safety at home, avoid or delay problems caused by chronic diseases and enhance quality of life.
You can be a part of this exciting new venture by joining with other leaders from across the state who share your concern and commitment to making a difference and creating a better Georgia for everyone.
For more information, please contact Sudha Reddy at 404-657-5316, email: sureddy@dhr.state.ga.us, or Gwenyth Johnson at 404-657-8779, email: gjohnson@dhr.state.ga.us.
Lifestyle Changes Can Help Older Hispanics
Manage Diabetes
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
NATIONAL INSTITUTES OF HEALTH
NIH News National Institute on Aging (NIA)
http://www.nia.nih.gov/
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Tuesday, April 18, 2006
CONTACT:
Kendra Gaskins, 301-565-0770 Ext. 247
Lifestyle Changes Can Help Older Hispanics Manage Diabetes
Diabetes is one of the most serious health issues facing older Hispanics in the United States. On average, Hispanic Americans are almost twice as likely to have diabetes as non-Hispanic whites and to develop complications such as heart disease, high blood pressure, blindness, and kidney disease. Diabetes is the fourth leading cause of death among Hispanics age 65 and older. The good news is that careful control of blood glucose, blood pressure, and cholesterol can help prevent or delay diabetes and its complications.
Type 2 diabetes is the most common form of diabetes in older Hispanics. This type of diabetes tends to run in families, but other factors add to the risk. For example, being over-weight and inactive can sometimes lead to diabetes in people who are at risk.
Diabetes can be prevented in people who are at increased risk and even in those who have a condition called pre-diabetes. People with pre-diabetes have blood glucose levels that are higher than normal but not yet high enough for a diagnosis of diabetes. They are more likely to develop diabetes within 10 years and are more likely to have a heart attack or stroke. People with pre-diabetes can sharply lower their chances of developing diabetes through modest weight loss with diet and exercise. Changes in diet and exercise also are effective in curbing the development of diabetes in older people.
The National Institute on Aging (NIA) is offering a free fact sheet in Spanish with information on preventing, detecting, and treating diabetes. To order a free copy of "La diabetes en las personas mayores: una enfermedad que usted puede controlar", call 1-800-222-2225 weekdays between 8:30 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. Eastern time. A Spanish-speaking information specialist is available to respond to calls. You also can order this and other Spanish publications on healthy aging on the NIA website at www.nia.nih.gov.
The NIA, part of the National Institutes of Health of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, leads the Federal effort supporting and conducting research on aging and the special needs of older people. The Institute is committed to making health information available to older Hispanic Americans and their families.
The National Institutes of Health (NIH) -- "The Nation's Medical Research Agency" -- includes 27 Institutes and Centers and is a component of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. It is the primary federal agency for conducting and supporting basic, clinical and translational medical research, and it investigates the causes, treatments, and cures for both common and rare diseases. For more information about NIH and its programs, visit http://www.nih.gov/.
Download press release (PDF)
Control Your Diabetes. For Life (PDF) , National Diabetes Education Program
Pandemic Flu
Preparedness:
UPDATE
Review an update on what the CDC is doing to prepare for a possible H5N1 influenza pandemic.
Download update.
Visit website.
Take Charge Tips
Eat Healthy
Recent research studies have shown that high blood pressure can be lowered by following a eating plan that is low in saturated fat, cholesterol, and total fat, and is built around fruits, vegetables, and lowfat dairy foods. A plan that will help lower high blood pressure also includes whole grain foods, fish, poultry, and nuts. To be effective meals are low in red meat, sweets, and sugar-containing beverages. Meals are rich in magnesium, potassium, and calcium, as well as protein and fiber. This plan is called the Dash Diet - Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension.
Learn more about the DASH Diet and take take action to lower your high blood pressure today!
Download the DASH Diet guidelines.
Be Active
Sometimes people stop being active as they get older because they think they will get hurt; maybe even break a hip. Sometimes people stop being active because it aggravates other health problems like arthritic joints.
It is good for people to stay active all of their lives. Being active helps prevent common health problems of aging. The strength and stamina maintained from exercise helps people stay independent throughout life. And regular activity can be a great way to manage mild to moderate depression.
Dr. William Boritz, who penned, "Anti-Aging Advice: 99 Steps to 100" suggests that people consider exercise as regular an activity as brushing our teeth or bathing. In other words, physical activity is just another daily activity that keeps us healthy.
More information:
SOURCE: Anti-Aging Advice: 99 Steps to 100 by Walter M. Bortz, M.D. Step 85: Be Strong.
Get Checked
May 14 - 20 is National Women's Health Week. A highlight of that week is Monday, Women's Check-Up Day. Take this important opportunity to check in on your health.
Official website.
Learn more about the tests women should have and how often to schedule them.
Be Smoke Free
It's National High Blood Pressure Education Month. Smoking has a direct effect on your blood pressure. The nicotine in cigarettes constricts blood vessels so, when you smoke, your heart has to pump harder to move blood through those vessels. If you have high blood pressure, and you smoke, May is the time to take action to Be Smoke Free.
Be Positive
Who said growing older means going dormant? Where is it written that growing older means the party is over? And do you really believe that you can't teach old dogs new tricks?
How about daring to challenge those "old" ideas? Step 23 of Walter M. Boritz's Anti-Aging Advice: 99 Steps to 100, charges people to "have the guts to grow old." The way you do that, he explains, is to take risks. Step out of your comfort zone and learn to do the things you wanted to do when you didn't have time. Take the trips you have always dreamed about. Plant that garden you kept thinking about while you were cooped up in office looking out on a sunny day. Take a chance on a new friendship and stop into a coffee shop and say "hi" to the person in front of you in line.
Boritz reminds us that, "The only way the tortoise gets ahead is by sticking its neck out." The tortoise takes a risk and assumes the best. Risk taking is a way to positively, and boldly, go where you have not been before, and expect to succeed.
SOURCE: Anti-Aging Advice: 99 Steps to 100 by Walter M. Bortz, M.D. Step 23: Take risks.
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