Patti's Blog - Advocate for Elders, People with Disabilities and Their Families

How Exercise And Other Activities Beat Back Dementia

Excerpt from: NPR (click for full article)

 

The numbers are pretty grim: More than half of all 85-year-olds suffer some form of .

But here's the good news: Brain researchers say there are ways to boost brain power and stave off problems in memory and thinking.

In other words, brain decline is not necessarily an inevitable part of aging. "It's simply not pre-destined for all human beings," Bryan James tells Shots. He's an epidemiologist at the in Chicago. "Lots of people live into their 90s and even 100s with no symptoms of dementia."

So what can you do to increase the odds? Neuroscientist Art Kramer, who directs the at the University of Illinois, has a number of suggestions. First and foremost, Kramer says, is to exercise. Research shows it's the best thing you can do for your brain.

Kramer did a in which he scanned the brains of 120 older adults, half of whom started a program of moderate aerobic exercise — just 45 minutes, three days a week, mostly walking. After a year, the MRI scans showed that for the aerobic group, the volume of their brains actually increased.

Head-to-Toe Risks for Falls

Excerpt from: The Generation Above Me (click for full article)

 

People will mention that a parent or grandparent has starting falling with frequency.  The cause for such falls can be manifold.  The older adult should see a professional for an assessment since the cause might be difficult for the individual or the caregiver to discern. If the person has fallen twice in six months, it's a problem that needs professional intervention.  

The CDC reports multiple statistics about falls, including this: "Among older adults (those 65 or older), falls are the leading cause of injury death. They are also the most common cause of nonfatal injuries and hospital admissions for trauma" (emphasis added).  One of the most effective means of fall prevention is activity, including strength-bearing exercises that help the muscles, joints, and bones work properly. However, falls can have causes that cannot be addressed through a fitness regime.

Seniors home exercise

Excerpt from: HHS.gov (click for full article)

 

Working out with a safe and sensible exercise DVD can do a senior good. At the University of Illinois, Edward McAuley tested a DVD program that focused on flexibility, toning and balance.

McAuley says most of the 307 seniors stayed with it over the six months of the study, and did about as much work as the program required.  And he says physical tests showed they wound up in better shape.

"For older adults, coupling aerobic activity like brisk walking with activities that improve flexibility, strength and balance, are likely to reap the greatest physical and mental health benefits."

The study in Journals of Gerontology Series A: Biological Sciences and Medical Sciences was supported by the National Institutes of Health.

8 Tips for Relieving Stress Quickly

Excerpt from: Ruhanirabin (click for full article)

 

Stress can come from anywhere.  Work and school, of course, are the main sources of stress for adults, although anything from relationships to taxes could also induce stress.  But work is the most common venue for stress.  Luckily, there are plenty of ways to deal with unpleasant situations and return to a calm state of mind.

Here are some ideas:

Exercise.  

Breath deeply.

Inject some nature into your work-space.

Music

Find a hobby

Personal trainer Bryant Johnson’s clients include two Supreme Court justices

Excerpt from: The Washington Post (click for full article)

 

Personal trainer Bryant Johnson watches his tiny client pump her body up and down on a green yoga mat, spotting her with his hands at her waist in case she falls. As “PBS NewsHour” blares in the background, Johnson counts down the first of two sets of 10 push-ups.

“Way to go, Justice,” cheers the man building the biceps of Ruth Bader Ginsburg.

By day, Johnson is a records manager in the clerk’s office of the District’s federal court, curating obscure files and trying to avoid paper cuts. In the evening, he drives up the hill — Capitol Hill — to do squats with Ginsburg or take punches from her colleague, Justice Elena Kagan, in the Supreme Court’s ground-floor gym.

Middle-aged aerobics and older brains

Excerpt from: HHS.gov (click for full article)

 

A study indicates that people who stay aerobically fit in middle age might be less likely to develop dementia later. At the Cooper Institute in Dallas, researchers saw this in 24 years of data on about 20,000 people. Researcher Laura DeFina:

“With increasing cardiorespiratory fitness levels, there was decreased development of all-cause dementia in later life.”

For instance, people in the fittest 20 percent around age 50 were 36 percent less likely than those in the least-fit 20 percent to be diagnosed with dementia after age 65.

DeFina notes other studies have found better blood flow in brains of fitter people.

The report in Annals of Internal Medicine was supported by the National Institutes of Health.

Can Exercise Improve IQ In People With Down Syndrome?

Excerpt from: Disability (click for full article)

 

The key to improving cognition in those with Down syndrome could be as simple as stepping onto a bike, researchers say.

Using a method called “assisted cycle therapy,” researchers at Arizona State University say they’re seeing improvement in those with Down syndrome. The approach involves rigorous exercise sessions on a specialized stationary bicycle, with a coach encouraging and monitoring the individual with Down syndrome throughout.

A small, pilot study two years ago found that adolescents with the chromosomal disorder were able to process information more quickly and had better manual dexterity even after just one therapy session. In contrast, voluntary exercise did not produce similar results, said Shannon Ringenbach, an associate professor of kinesiology at Arizona State who’s leading the research effort.

Now Ringenbach has a $150,000 federal grant to study the impact of assisted cycle therapy on people with Down syndrome more in-depth.

In an ongoing study, participants attend 30-minute workout sessions three times each week. Families members have indicated that they’ve noticed an increase in talking, interaction and improved mood among those currently participating in the research effort.

Exercise May Help Protect Children From Stress

Excerpt from: The New York Times (click for full article)

 

Physically active children generally report happier moods and fewer symptoms of depression than children who are less active. Now researchers may have found a reason: by one measure, exercise seems to help children cope with stress.

Finnish researchers had 258 8-year-old boys and girls wear accelerometers on their wrists for at least four days that registered the quality and quantity of their physical activity. Their parents used cotton swabs to take saliva samples at various times throughout a single day, which the researchers used to assess levels of cortisol, a hormone typically induced by physical or mental stress.

There was no difference in the cortisol levels at home between children who were active and those who were less active. But when the researchers gave the children a standard psychosocial stress test at a clinic involving arithmetic and storytelling challenges, they found that those who had not engaged in physical activity had raised cortisol levels. The children who had moderate or vigorous physical activity showed relatively no rise in cortisol levels.

Over Age 65: How Much Exercise Do You Need? And What Kind?

Excerpt from: About.com (click for full article)

 

How much exercise do you need to improve and maintain good health? What kind of exercise do you need? The American College of Sports Medicine and the American Heart Association updated their Physical Activity Guidelines in August 2007. These guidelines are for adults over age 65, and for those age 50 to 64 with a chronic condition, such as arthritis.

Fitness Program Helps Children, Adults with Disabilities

Excerpt from: Dexter Patch (click for full article)

 

In an effort to improve the health and wellness options available to persons with intellectual or other developmental disabilities, the St. Louis Center in Chelsea is offering a new program open to residents in Washtenaw County.

The program, titled "Fitness for Life," features one-hour bi-weekly classes focused on movement and coordination drills.

"Fitness for Life provides functional fitness training to increase the physical fitness level of people with disabilities, thereby increasing their capacity to perform normal daily activities more safely and independently," Caitlin Deis, fitness specialist for St. Louis Center said.