The Magic Of Aging

"We don't stop living because we grow old; we grow old because we stop living Do you wake up feeling like a truck hit you every morning? Be open with others, set youself free by sharing a few of your life experiences, dreams, frustrations, fears, triumphs, goals, and resource.

Before you attempt any task, try to figure out how to finish your tasks to plan is to succeed

Able-bodied or disabled, performing daily tasks generally help people with functional disabilities leading more independent lives. Take a moment to think how you're blessed, fortunate, and lucky that we yet lived to see another day.

Having a disability doesn't mean health and fitness isn't important to you; on the contrary, a focus on these two key factors will help you ensure the greatest level of independence and quality of life. So you're in a disability mobility chair? NO EXCUSE

The sit down relaxing exercises below help with back movements and firming your spine

1. Come halfway forward on your chair Shoulders back chin slightly parallel to the floor, and lift the head up Inhale, roll the shoulders forward, up, back, and down Align the knees directly above the ankles, place the palms of the hands on the knees Hold your breath for a little while exhale and relax

2. The Twist: inhale, then while exhaling place the left hand on the right knee, twist around to the right and place your right hand on the chair close to your buttock. Inhale and exhale 3times Repeat to the other side.

3. Meditate: Sit with an upright spine for two minutes, focusing the mind's attention on breathing as it flows in and out.

Arthritis:

Count me among those with arthritis; it affects the musculoskeletal system and the joints specifically. Older people most often have osteoarthritis, or rheumatoid arthritis,

"You can't choose whether you'll get arthritis, but you can take steps to minimize its impact on your life. Causes of pain include physical problems weakness or tense muscles, stress, depression and fatigue, and exercise is one effective way to break this cycle.

Arthritis can affect the whole body and damage virtually any organ or system: heart, lungs, kidneys, blood vessels, and skin. It cost millions of people their health, physical abilities and, in many cases, independence.

Rheumatoid arthritis is an immune system disease; the immune system keeps out or destroys bacteria or viruses. The object of the attack is the lining of the joints. This continues to damage joints more over time. The damage done can become very severe.

Smokers with knee arthritis suffer quicker joint loss than non-smokers with the condition. smokers had more pain and were more than twice as likely to show significant cartilage loss in the joint. Identify the warning signs: swelling in one or more joints; early morning stiffness; recurring pain and/or tenderness in one or more joints; inability to move a joint normally; redness, warmth in a joint; unexplained weight loss, fever, weakness, combined with joint pain, and symptoms that last more than two weeks."

"You should inform your doctor of all medications and dosage and determine the need for each one, using each as prescribed and reporting the effects." Also, go to bed at the same time every night and get up at the same time every day, even on weekends. "Avoid caffeine, including chocolate, for four hours before bedtime and avoid alcohol near bed time.

Most of all, if you have a sleep disorder, like sleep apnea, treatment can make a real impact on your pain."

As for any difficult emotion such as depression," Understanding the tie between pain and mood will help with difficult emotions," Keep active when you have pain; tell friends and family you're in pain. A request for help isn't being dependent; it's a direct, and honest. Remember, pain is related closely to stress and depression. Reducing them will ease pain."

McCartney has created a Top 10 List to "stay rejuvenated from arthritis pain.

1. Learn how fluids are absorbed.
2. Eat healthy foods and follow a balanced diet plan.
3. Exercise environmental control; make your home user-friendly.
4. Exercise to improve flexibility and strength.
5. Rest and sleep well.
6. Form a support team.
7. Communicate any changes.
8. Don't ignore pain; listen to your body.
9. Be patient.
10. Make an action plan and problem-solving techniques.

How Stroke Affects Us

Women are uniquely impacted by stroke in several ways. Twice as many women die from strokes than from breast cancer every year, In fact, women represent more than half of all stroke survivors,

We need to better understand stroke risks, prevention and treatment.

"It's important to recognize that 80 percent of strokes are preventable.

Women tend to have strokes later in life than men, and for this reason, their strokes often are more devastating. Women are more likely to die from a stroke. They're more likely to become disabled and they're more likely to have trouble thinking

Since women typically are older when they have their first stroke, they are more likely to have other health problems Lacking the proper support at home, female stroke survivors are more often transferred from the hospital to a nursing home.

Hormone replacement therapy also increases a woman's stroke risk Even younger women need to pay attention to their risks for stroke. Know your risk factors for stroke and be able to recognized stroke symptoms in yourself.

Toning and stretching muscles, works to balance every system of the body and reduces stress All you need is the willingness to learn.

Yoga is a great stress reliever, and activates the nervous system the gentle flow of breath and movement calms the mind, increases blood circulation, improves strength, reduces muscle tension, and enhances respiration.

Deep breathing reminds our bodies of what it feels like to deeply relax." And once we relax, we become more clear-headed and productive.

For people with disabilities, yoga offers additional benefits, such as developing self-esteem; improving communication, listening, and relationship skills; and helping people discover their unique qualities in a non-competitive atmosphere.

Almost any yoga pose can be modified to be practiced in a chair, Any style of chair can be used for yoga, though a sturdy armless chair works best. Some wheelchair, has arm and leg rests that may be removed.

How we use words determines the effectiveness of our teaching and the messages we give to ourselves." Focusing on abilities and avoiding attention on problems and limitations yields the best results from yoga, or any practice.

Stress Busters and relaxation

In our modern world of relationships, responsibilities, and commitments, we are inevitably caught up in psychological stress. Unrelenting stress can become a threat to both our physical and emotional well-being..

But in today's busy world, we often need a little help reminding our bodies what it's like to feel relaxed and calm. You might prefer to try something active like going for a walk or a run, or lying down and deeply relaxing the body to let go of tension.

Walking, running, rowing, or biking, preferably outdoors, puts physical and mental distance between you and the stress-causing environment. Massage relaxes your muscles as well as your mind. While it's nice to treat yourself to a massage session, you don't have to visit a spa to enjoy massage Ease away stress by gently massaging your scalp with circular motions of your fingertips for 15 to 20 seconds; make circular motions with the pads of your first two fingers and gently squeeze and release the muscles between your neck and shoulders they are common areas for holding tension.

Music can be used throughout your day to reduce stress and increase enjoyment from any activity. Pick background music for the morning to set the tone of your day; play energizing music when cleaning or cooking, and listen to soothing music to relax yourself before bed. As the body relaxes, so does the mind.

Thoughts create our reality, while some thoughts escalate stress levels, others can lower them. Whenever you find yourself thinking stress-provoking thoughts, try countering them with feel-good thoughts.

Aromatherapy oils are compounds extracted from seeds and flowers, roots and barks, and fruits and resins of plants. Chamomile, lavender, orange and sandalwood oil are especially good for combating tension and stress. Try adding a few drops of essential oil to bath water or massage oil, using a diffuser to disperse the scent into the air, or simply put a drop of essential oil on a tissue and keeping it with you to sniff whenever you need to relax.

Laughter! the best medicine of all.

Learning to smile and laugh again reduces stress by releasing pain killing, It also helps keep things in perspective. Laughter is also thought to stimulate the nervous system and strengthen the heart and immune system. Watch a laughter-inducing movie, get together with humorous friends,. Even fake laughter causes the body to respond as if the laughter is real, so practice laughing for five minutes every day and fake it 'til you make it.

Aquatic therapy is a relatively new phenomenon. It increases circulation, improves heart rate, increases range of motion, decreases blood pressure, and increases digestive movement. The properties of the water, such as its buoyancy, allow dynamic exercises in a safe environment.

The Magic of Ageing Changing

Ageing is one of the most significant changes facing World wide At age 60 years, most people have retired from paid work yet women can expect another 25 years of life and men another 20 years the older population over coming decades. Ageing experiences vary considerably between social groups and individuals and it is essential that every country embraces the opportunities as well as meets the challenges of ageing. There is great scope to reduce the negative effects of biological decline through individual action supported by economic, social and physical environments. Confrontation of negative attitudes towards ageing is fundamental to positive, informed actions by Australian society and individuals.

It will generate the innovative, multidisciplinary approaches necessary to understand ageing people, relations between age groups, and the economic, social, and policy contexts that shape ageing experiences.

A survey was held for both the attitudes towards the aged in the community generally, and the specific opinions and response of the aged population themselves towards their lifestyle and problems. There are three data sets for this survey: an attitudinal survey of a sample of the general population; a survey of people aged 55 years and over in private dwellings; and a smaller survey of older people living in nursing homes and hostels for the aged.

The impetus for this study came from questions about the ways in which drug-related problems among elderly patients were identified and treated. An investigation of patterns of use of alcohol, tobacco and psychotropic medication by hospital patients aged over 65, problems related to their substance use and the patterns of recognition and referral for these problems

. The research has a number of specific objectives. These include:

1. Determination of levels of health and functional status of an older population and to track the changes in these characteristics over time.
2. Identification of factors which promote and maintain health and wellbeing in an ageing population.
3. Identification of risk factors for major morbid conditions and social, behavioural and other problems among an ageing population.
4. Analysis of the effects on transitions in health and functional status of age, gender, different patterns of comorbidity, availability and nature of informal and formal support arrangements, social and economic circumstances, health care provision and utilisation and other variables of interest.
5. Assessment of the effects of disease processes on functional status and the demand for health care services and both informal and formal long-term care.
6. Examination of the patterns of the need for and the utilisation of informal and formal sources of long-term care as they relate to social support networks, economic and housing conditions, care-giving arrangements and the availability of appropriate services.
7. Examination of mortality outcomes in the light of changes in health and functional status, medical interventions, self-assessed health, social networks and individual characteristics.

The inclusion of both survey and clinical components makes it possible to link objective clinical measures with details of the lifestyle, attitudes and personal histories of respondents.

This survey focused on people's patterns and places of drinking, and their knowledge and attitudes towards strategies aimed at minimising harm within the licensed drinking environment. The study had four main aims: first, to examine how types of drinking setting are related to different patterns of alcohol use and alcohol related problems; second, to discover the level of knowledge of laws relating to the sale and consumption of alcohol; third, to determine people's attitudes to the concept of server responsibility and server liability; and, fourth, to establish the level of community support for prevention initiatives targetted toward licensed drinking settings.

'Serious fall injuries from slipping, tripping or stumbling made up 34% of fall injury incidents, and serious falls frequently involved a fracture' Ms Bradley said.

Overall, females had higher life and health expectancies than males, in both the years with disability and the years free from disability, although these gaps were much smaller at older ages. Disability and ageing seem to go together-and both are set to climb significantly in the next six years and beyond, according to a report released today by the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare.

Ageing is one of the most significant changes facing Australia. It is essential that Australia embraces the opportunities as well as meets the challenges of ageing. The ARC/NHMRC Research Network in Ageing Well sits squarely in the National Research Priority area 'Ageing Well, Ageing Productively'.

It will generate innovative, multidisciplinary approaches necessary to understand ageing people, relations between age groups, and the economic, social, and policy contexts that shape ageing experiences. It will bring together established and early career researchers and end-point users, forming a unique network that generates and implements research agendas and translate and apply findings to national goals

Reverential Fear

Fear has it's own physiology
Primor responses to threaten us
The Quicken Heart beats. The sweaty palms

The panic that chokes in the throat
Making time seem to stand still
To flee danger To Survive

The only thing we have to fear
Is fear itself
It is the ultimate evil or a gateway of life to share

The violent flashbacks
The over whelming pain and trauma
The related symptoms we felt at the time of threat

Don't let fear consume you
Control it until you are safe

Fear by memory Fear takes form
Becoming a thing that lives
Long after death

Fear is so powerful
It cannot be escaped
But it can be Destroyed