Archive for the ‘people’ Category
Sunday, August 29th, 2010
Most Baby Boomers now need glasses to read almost anything. My big thrill with my e-reader was that I could pump up the type to a place where I didn’t need my glasses. Downside? Only a paragraph per page. Along with diminished eyesight, receding hairlines, and other body parts that always worked better, now we have to worry about declining taste buds. We have about 10,000 taste buds as adults, we lose some, and the ones that remain grow less sensitive (unless your my aunt reacting to spicy food). And more bad news, your sense of smell also diminishes, for some people with sinus issues, as early as age 50.
So what? According to this article in the Miami Herald “ When food becomes less appealing, seniors tend to eat smaller meals or skip them altogether. They begin to lose weight, which can lead to frailty.
“Since it doesn’t happen overnight, it’s not always noticeable at first,” says Dr. Kent Holtorf, who specializes in age-management medicine at The Holtorf Medical Center in San Francisco. “Usually, if they talk about it when they come in, they’ll mention it as a secondary symptom.”
Among the factors that exacerbate the loss of taste perception are smoking, neurological diseases such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s and medications including antibiotics, chemotherapy drugs and some arthritis remedies. Dietary restrictions to deal with hypertension and diabetes further complicate meal prep.”
What to do?
- Add flavor. Using any kinds of herbs and spices will always help even if it’s as simple as a few grinds of pepper. Many spices, like turmeric, ginger, and cinnamon have other holistic healing benefits in addition to adding flavor.
- Lemon or lime juice adds a nice acidic touch, as will flavored vinegars, like balsamic. When you watch chefs at work, they’re always adding something acidic. Try it. I make almost all my salad dressing with lemon juice instead of (or along with) vinegar.
- I personally don’t have issues with salt, but if you do, try a salt substitute like Mrs Dash, or Jane’s Krazy Mixed Up Salt (which does have salt mixed with other seasonings).
- When my aunt isn’t around, a dash of hot sauce or sriracha (if you don’t know about this, check it out, Asian section of the grocery), goes a long way.
- If I’m wearing my locavore hat, fresh, local and seasonal always tastes better that out of season and flavorless.
- Don’t forget that setting a nice table, and plating the food well always helps.
What other ideas do you have to make meals more appetizing?
Check out this week’s Blogging Boomers Carnival. Great cat photo for you feline lovers out there.
Tags: Baby Boomers, body parts, diminished eyesight, receding hairline, sense of smell, spicy food, taste buds
Posted in aging, people, seniors | No Comments »
Monday, July 26th, 2010
What do you think is the number one site used in divorce cases involving infidelity? What happens when lettuce runs amok? Where else could you find the answers to these and other burning issues for Boomers, but the Blogging Boomers Carnival? I’m hosting this week and invite you to check out and comment on:
Family law attorneys say the number one site most often used as evidence in divorce cases involving infidelity is Facebook. Read about it at LifeTwo.com.
Over at Contemporary Retirement, Ann reports on a new study that suggests that it’s friends, and not children or grandchildren, that could be the key to a happy retirement.
SoBabyBoomer tells us about two boomers, concerned with surviving their individual career challenges in a declining economy, visit the library to discuss how to proceed with their phased retirement.
As it turns out, the medicinal properties of THC found in cannabis or marijuana go far beyond soothing pain and nausea. They may even cure cancer someday! Learn more here.
A trip down Memory Lane with The Boomer Chronicles. My fab RV trip down South.
It used to be easy. Wear red shoes with a red purse. How things have changed! Get the scoop on the modern rules for co-ordinating your purse and shoes at Fabulous after 40.
Vaboomer has a giant lettuce plant gone amok in her crazy garden. Help!
Janet Wendy at Gen Plus has fallen in love all over again…with an Android. The Droid X by Motorola, to be exact.
And I’ve got another blog,the Accidental Locavore, check it out and see what I’m cooking and eating that’s local and fresh. This week’s farmbasket was loaded with tomatoes, corn, and lots of other goodies.
Tags: Boomers, career challenges, cure cancer, Facebook, hosting, infidelity, lettuce, local and fresh, lovavore, medicinal properties, retirement, RV trip
Posted in boomers, business, family, health, memories, people | 2 Comments »
Thursday, July 15th, 2010
It’s hurricane season, and depending on where you live, it’s a cause for preparation, or just another couple of months on the calendar. Well, no matter where you live, hurricane season is a great reason to safeguard all your important papers (and if you have a business, do it for the business too). My friend, CPA, Linda Hamilton offers the following tips:
Create a Backup Set of Records Electronically. Taxpayers should keep a set of backup records in a safe place. The backup should be stored away from the original set.
- Keeping a backup set of records – including, for example, bank statements, tax returns, insurance policies, etc. – is easier now that many financial institutions provide statements and documents electronically, and much financial information is available on the Internet.
- You might also want to add copies of your passport, drivers licence, even credit cards.
- Even if the original records are provided only on paper, they can be scanned, which converts them to a digital format.
- Once documents are in electronic form, taxpayers can download them to a backup storage device, like an external hard drive, thumb drive, or burn them onto a CD or DVD.
- Taxpayers should consider online backup, which is the only way to ensure data is fully protected. With online backup, files are stored in another region of the country – so if a hurricane or other natural disaster occurs, documents remain safe (I use Carbonite).
- Document Valuables. Another step a taxpayer can take to prepare for disaster is to photograph or videotape the contents of his or her home, especially items of higher value. A photographic record can help prove the market value of items for insurance and casualty loss claims. Photos and videos should be stored with a friend or family member who lives outside the area, or can also be stored online. Putting the videos on YouTube, is probably not a great idea…
- Update Emergency Plans. Emergency plans should be reviewed annually. Personal and business situations change over time, as do preparedness needs.
- Don’t put it off. The next rainy day, is a good day to do it.
And don’t forget this week’s Blogging Boomers Carnival. Where else can you get info on everything from PSA tests to why you should be on LinkedIn?
Tags: backup set of records, bank statements, financial information, hurricane season, insurance policies, tax returns
Posted in aging, boomers, business, crisis, people, taxes | 1 Comment »
Friday, July 9th, 2010
It’s probably the most important body part you have, but when was the last time you worked out your brain? And, no, trying to remember where the Weather Channel moved on your cable system, doesn’t count. If you’re like most of us Boomers, the thought of losing your mind, could cause you to, well, lose it. We’re obsessed with crossword puzzles, Sudoku, and Scrabble, but I would guess that very few of us actually make time to work out our brains. Even if you believe that you can’t teach an old dog new tricks, exercising your noggin can’t hurt. The most important thing is to get started, and keep at it. Sounds like exercising anything, doesn’t it? There are a lot of companies working in this space, as Baby Boomers age, the market is growing with them. I met some of the people behind Posit Science at a Boomer conference, and recently have been in touch with one of their Internet marketing analysts, Eric. He’s sent me a couple of the games to try out…pretty interesting, and a little scary. Check them out here:
How did you do? I’ll share if you do.
If you want another way to work out your brain, check out this week’s Blogging Boomer’s Carnival!
Tags: Baby Boomers, crossword puzzles, exercise, losing your mind, Scrabble, Sudoku
Posted in Alzheimers, aging, boomers, dementia, exercise, people | 1 Comment »
Friday, June 25th, 2010
Why is it that most families are reluctant to discuss family health histories? A good friend of mine died last year from prostate cancer. He got it at a pretty early age, and at a pretty advanced stage. When he was finally diagnosed, it turns out that there was a long family history of the men in his family having and dying from prostate cancer, going back at least three generations. But nobody talked about it, and so my friend was never warned in time to start getting himself tested at an even earlier age.
- Side note: there was a fascinating study recently about using dogs to detect prostate cancer. Turns out there’s something in the urine, that trained dogs can smell. So if a dog keeps sniffing around an embarrassing area, maybe it’s time for a check-up.
In my own family, I bet there’s a history of depression, that no one has ever talked about. I’ve suffered from it, and think my father suffers from it. But we’re WASP’s so we don’t talk about it (until now). I know that my father’s mother had arthritis, and it looks like my mother has it in her hands. My doctor told me years ago that I had signs of early arthritis in my hands, but once again, no one talks about it.
Recently, my husband was told he has a “tiny bit of diabetes” and he should watch his weight and diet. You’ve probably already figured out what comes next. Yes, he has a family history of diabetes, and he knows it, but the extent of his knowledge, unknown.
So, how do we start this conversation?
Don’t forget to check out this week’s Blogging Boomers Carnival, it’s the last one before the 4th of July!
Tags: arthritis, diagnosis, family history, history of depression, prostate cancer, tests
Posted in Diabetes, aging, boomers, caregiving, family, health, men, parents, people | No Comments »
Thursday, June 17th, 2010
If it's so easy, why am I so overwhelmed?
Have you ever read the Oprah Magazine? I subscribed a few months ago, mostly because it was $5 a year from Amazon. When I finally got around to reading the May issue, I was struck by the number of columns that dealt with spirituality, and self improvement. It made me wonder why women seem to need to improve their inner beings every 5 minutes or every other page. The other thing I started to think about was where men go to get in touch with their inner selves. You sure wouldn’t find an issue of Sports Illustrated giving tips on improving anything but your luck in the fantasy leagues. Maybe Men’s Health, (no, that’s all about performance)?
- So do men get in touch with their inner beings?
- Where do they go for inspiration?
- Do you think they get it from watching their favorite team get trounced by their rivals?
- Do women give it to them by osmosis?
- What if they’re on their own?
- Why do women seem to need it so much more then men?
I posed the question to a few people, some men, some women. The most serene person I know reminded me that most of the top spiritual books are written by men (my theory: they know where the money is and that most self-help book are bought by women). She thinks that men read more of this than you might think, and most of the classes she’s been to have had just as many guys as women. Someone else told me that a lot of men aren’t spiritual until they go through a 12 step program. When I threw it up to my husband, he said that he always finds truth in music, and that he became self aware through therapy.
- But how much self awareness is enough and when is it too much?
- If you shirk from it does that make you less of a person?
- What does it mean if you find it in every other page of a magazine?
- If it’s so easy to put your life on the right track, why don’t we?
Just this week, through books and magazines, I’ve been invited to “wake up to reality” by asking four questions, to make my life a success by following The Success Principals, to reject self-loathing and treat myself with the “kindness and respect you would show your best friend”, to make the right thing the easy thing to do, etc. etc, and it’s only Monday! What do you think?
Don’t forget this week Blogging Boomers Carnival. There are some great posts, including donating your body to science.
Tags: 12 step programs, fantasy leagues, inner being, Oprah, self improvement, spirituality, Sports Illustrated
Posted in boomers, goals, men, people | 10 Comments »
Friday, April 30th, 2010
She’s at it again! Friday morning Oprah was on every talk show pushing her pledge to have everyone stop texting, or using their cell phones in the car. Since this blog was originally posted, I’ve noticed more and more people driving and texting. The scariest was coming back from LA where everyone is driving at 80 MPH on the freeway, and texting!
- Sign the no phone zone agreement
- Stop using your cell phone in the car
- Use a hands-free device or better still, pull over to have a conversation
- Don’t check your e-mail or text when you’re stuck in traffic or stopped at a light
Weeks ago, I was listening to the Oprah show, when she started talking about making her car, and every car in America, a no phone zone. That means (depending on your level of participation), no texting, only hands-free use, or just plain not using your phone while driving. Then she had her hands free to autograph a Chrysler…
I’m certainly down with no texting, and hands free in a car, but there are definitely times when having a cell phone in the car could be important, as my parents recent adventure being stuck by the side of the Mass Pike for almost an hour in the winter, with no cell phone proved. But the texting and driving thing, I don’t understand at all! How can you possibly think you can type and drive a car? If you think you can, besides the fact that you’re wrong, and there are too many deadly accidents to prove it, what is SO urgent, that you would put so many lives in danger? And if it is that urgent, should you even be behind the wheel of a car?
Years ago when I bought a sports-car (yes, middle aged women do it too), I took a two day driving course at Skip Barber, the scariest part of it wasn’t doing 360′s on the skid pad, but in the classroom when the instructor told us that people’s driving skills peak at 5000 miles, and go downhill from there. When did you hit 5000 miles?
And if you’d like to sign Oprah’s no phone pledge, click here.
This week’s Blogging Boomers Carnival is being hosted by the Baby Boomer Entrepreneur. Andrea always has great tips! Be sure to check it out.
Tags: cell phones, driving course, No Phone Zone, Oprah, texting and driving, using cell phones in the car
Posted in driving, family, people | 4 Comments »
Thursday, April 22nd, 2010
Well, that's one way to clean your refrigerator.
Now that you’ve had time to spring clean your documents, closets, etc, you’ve probably built up an appetite. Not so fast. How about taking a look at one of the most used and least cleaned items in your house…the refrigerator. My guess is that unless you’ve experienced a prolonged power failure, you’re like most people in the US and haven’t tackled that large appliance in the kitchen for a long time. According to an article in the Wall Street Journal,”Most Americans clean their fridges only once or twice a year.” And here’s an idea I find really amazing, people are supposed to clean their refrigerators before they go grocery shopping! From the same article a 2005 Whirlpool survey found that “33% said they don’t spend any time cleaning the refrigerator before grocery shopping”. OK, but that means 66% do! My idea of cleaning it before I go grocery shopping is to check to see if we have butter and onions. What about you?
Once it’s clean, or not, then there’s the problem of how we put stuff in it. “Four years ago, in an effort to understand how people organize their fridges, Sub-Zero bought a week’s worth of groceries and asked a group of 12 customers to put away the items in refrigerators at the company’s research facilities in Madison, Wis.”
“What ensued was chaos. People put meat and soda cans in the crisper drawers, which have a temperature and humidity meant for veggies. They put their milk in shelves on the door. While the door shelves seem to be a perfect fit for a carton of milk, Sub-Zero says the area is the worst place to store dairy products because it’s the warmest part of the fridge. And most folks had no clue what to do with the special cheese compartment.” There’s an area I have down perfectly, which is probably why my fridge smells every time you open the door. I have started putting the milk on the shelf instead of the door.
Now if you really want to go for the gold, how about doing your parents’ refrigerator? Not that brave are you? My parents always have at least six cottage cheese containers in theirs, and you can bet that not one of them contain cottage cheese (yes, Dad this blog is about you). My friend Leslie swears that the best day of her childhood was the day they started dating milk.
What science experiments live in the back of your refrigerator? What’s the worst thing you’ve ever pulled out of that Sub-Zero?
Don’t forget this week’s Blogging Boomers Carnival. Barbara Weibel, intrepid traveler, hosts from somewhere on this continent, check in to see where’s she’s been.
Tags: grocery shopping, refridgerator, science experiments, spring cleaning, Sub-Zero
Posted in boomers, cleaning, family, parents, people | 1 Comment »
Friday, April 9th, 2010
This year along with gleefully putting away the scarves, gloves and snow shovels, why not make part of your spring cleaning taking a careful look at insurance policies, wills and health care directives? Often things in your life have changed since you first created these documents. What situations have changed for you? Are all your directives still valid, or is someone you haven’t spoken to in years still your executor? Isn’t spring a perfect time to dust off those documents, and rethink your priorities?
Since I sold my company 5 years ago, first we got rid of the partners life insurance. Now, I’m looking at my disability policies. Should they be changed to long term care as that might be more relevant to my life going forward, or were they written long enough ago that they’re too good to give up? Mind you, if you are disabled, according to a recent GMA investigation, you might find yourself being tracked by the insurance company. Isn’t it always amazing that you pay so much for insurance, and they’re so loathe to pay it back to you? Maybe the answer is to cover your bets, and keep most of the disability and add some long term care. What do you think?
Then, I’m making an appointment with my attorney to review my will, health care proxy, etc. to make sure they’re all up to date, and still the way I want them. At the same time I’m going to review my beneficiaries, and update those retirement plans and insurance policies. Remember the blog from a few weeks ago? Maybe this time I’ll even get my husband to finish and sign his (hint, hint).
What documents do you have that could use a little spring cleaning?
Don’t forget the other Blogging Boomers, this week’s carnival is hosted by So Baby Boomer.
Tags: insurance policies, review your will, spring cleaning, update retirement plans
Posted in Insurance, boomers, business, cleaning, legal, people, will | 1 Comment »
