MYTHS ABOUT AGING

1. MYTHS ABOUTAGING Presented by Comfort Keepers

2. WHAT DOES AGING MEAN? • Aging isn't just "getting old.". • We all know people over age 65 who differ widely in their ability to get around. • Some run marathons in their eighties and others are so debilitated by illness that just getting up in the morning is a major effort. • How do we explain these differences?

3. WHAT DOES AGING MEAN? TRUE OR FALSE: Your chronological age and your biological age will always be the same.

4. WHAT DOES AGING MEAN? FALSE! • Aging is not about counting birthdays. • It is about physical, biological, emotional, and social changes that affect your overall health.

5. WHAT DOES AGING MEAN? • If your body changes enough that you look, feel, and function differently than when you were younger, age may be overtaking you. • How you look is sometimes an indicator of you biological age, but appearances often can be deceptive.

6. WHAT ARE SOME OF THE MYTHS OF AGING?

7. TRUE OR FALSE? • The older you get the less sleep you need. • As your body changes with age so does your personality. • Intelligence declines with age • Most older people live alone. • Most people will become "senile" if they live long enough

8. TRUE OR FALSE? • Physical strength tends to decline in old age • Most seniors limit their travel to be closer to home. • Most older adults have not interest in, or capacity for sexual relations • People tend to become more religious with age. • People tend to change their driving habits as they age • Many older people are preoccupied with death

9. sick, frail, irreversibly ill, disabled, weak, no sexual activity ugliness mental decline – unable to learn mental illness, demented, unhappy, passive Isolated, alone unable to recover lost functioning Useless, unproductive, a burden, needy MYTHS OF AGING

10. ANOTHER MYTH: THE WISE ONE

11. WHAT DO MYTHS DO? • Affect attitudes and actions – for example, perpetuates the attitude that the elderly are a burden on society and devalues their contribution • Fosters “Ageism” • Denigrates individuals - viewed as objects, not human beings

12. CONSEQUENCES OF AGEISM • more easily denied dignity, fair treatment, opportunities and rights • blamed for consuming public resources • subjected to abuse and other cruelty • experience, skill and knowledge lost to society

13. CONSEQUENCES OF AGEISM • Can result in being misdiagnosed or denied treatment—”old” • A lack of knowledge about the aging process leads to the under-treatment for conditions such as • Hearing Loss • Chronic Pain • Heart disease

14. HOW CAN YOU AGE SUCCESSFULLY?

15. WHAT DOES SUCCESSFUL AGING LOOK LIKE? • good health, low risk of disease and disability • high mental and physical functioning • social, and psychological well-being • active engagement with life

16. SIGNS OF AGING - PHYSICAL • Pain • Joint swelling/stiffness • Poor balance • Body strength, energy, and speed decreases • Blood pressure increases • Kidney function decreases • Change in sleep patterns • Change in eating patterns. Significant weight loss or gain

17. SIGNS OF AGING - SOCIAL • Loss of interest in activities • Declining invitations to go out, refusing to see family and friends • Isolation • Inability to enjoy activities or experiences that normally give pleasure.

18. SIGNS OF AGING – MENTAL FUNCTIONS • Process information slower • Poorer recall of memory on demand of such things as names, numbers, or locations. • Reaction time decreases • Increased forgetfulness, repeating self, confusion and crying

19. SIGNS OF AGING – VISION AND HEARING • Age brings changes that can weaken your eyes, making reading in particular more difficult • Hearing problems can include: • Mistake words in a conversation, miss musical notes at a concert, or leave a ringing doorbell unanswered.

20. AGING SUCCESSFULLY Enrich your body and mind by: • healthy eating • exercising your body • exercising your brain • staying socially active

21. HEALTHY EATING • what you consume on a daily basis has a major impact on how well your body regenerates itself. • no more than 2,200 calories/day, but not less than 1500 calories/day • being overweight increases your risk for: • heart disease • diabetes • high blood pressure

22. HEALTHY EATING Eat: • fresh and unprocessed food • less fat • more protein • more fiber Avoid: • refined carbohydrates and sugar • salt

23. HEALTHY EATING & MEMORY • A balanced diet enhances memory • Research recently conducted at Tufts University found men aged 50+, with low levels of the B vitamins, were outperformed on memory tests by men with higher levels of vitamin B.

24. DAILY EXERCISE HELPS: • Cut the risk of dying by more than 20 percent • Maintain a positive outlook on life • Increase memory • Maintain sharp mental ability

25. EXERCISE HELPS PREVENT: • Heart disease • Obesity • High blood pressure • Type 2 diabetes • Osteoporosis (thinning bones)

26. EXERCISE “Most older people, even the very old and weak, have the capacity to increase their muscle strength, balance, walking ability and overall aerobic power.“ Robert Kahn, PhD, 81, of the University of Michigan, co-author of "Successful Aging" (Pantheon, 1998)

27. TYPES OF EXERCISE • Aerobic exercise: • walking • dancing • gardening • Weight bearing exercises and weight lifting can increase muscle mass, or decrease the rate of loss. • Stretching: keeps muscles relaxed, but active, and joints flexible.

28. SOCIAL SUPPORT • Isolation is a powerful risk factor for poor health. • Social support - such as emotional, physical, and personal contact - has direct positive effects on health. • Social support can buffer or reduce some health-related effects of aging • Those with strong social support require less pain medication after surgery

29. STAY SOCIALLY ACTIVE BY: • personal visits with friends and family • being involved at churches, clubs, seniors centres • volunteering • regular telephone or email contact

30. EXERCISE YOUR BRAIN • A team of Princeton University psychologists found that adults continue to grow new brain cells throughout life. • Exercising your brain can increase your mental functioning • Memory training and practice can help to improve short-term memory in older people • Memory loss can be reversed by personal strategies such as daily memory checks and regular mental exercises

31. EXERCISE YOUR BRAIN BY: • reading, • stimulating conversation • word games and mental exercises • crosswords and sudoku puzzles • card games • music – singing, playing, listening • auditing a course at a university or college

32. Add Life to Years, Not Years to Life!