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facebook_logo webDespite the myth that older people can’t manage technology because of cognitive deficits, seniors are flocking to social media at a rapid pace. In fact, Facebook, Twitter, Google+ (and Hangouts), Pinterest and Instagram all note higher rates among adults 65 and older ─ and see seniors as their fastest-growing audience.
Older adults who have had positive experiences on social media have reported elevated moods. An American Psychological Association study found that seniors who spend time on social media sites were more likely to participate in activities that can lead to greater health, such as cooking healthier recipes and finding easier ways to clean and maintain their homes.
The study also indicates that they have lower blood pressure and fewer instances of diabetes, and less negative health habits such as smoking, depression, or disease. This is attributed to the ability for self-education on any number of topics, and remaining in-the-know about the latest technology trends.
Facebook is particularly useful for linking up with loved ones. It makes for more frequent conversations and helps close the generation gap.
Sharing current photos allows seniors to see their grandchildren change and grow and creates a closeness and involvement that may not have existed, especially if the family isn’t living close by. Video chats also are a great way to communicate in real time. There is also the opportunity to relive fond memories or create new ones through postings of photos and home videos.
When a family lives apart, there can be stress and anxiety on both ends. Social media allows seniors and their families an easy way to check in as often as they wish.
This is especially important if the senior is living alone and may experience ill health, a fall, or may not be eating or sleeping well, taking medications, or getting any form of exercise. Family caregivers can use social media to ask critical questions that will let them know what’s occurring in their loved one’s life.
Feeling connected is very important to any senior’s well-being. Social media allows the senior to make plans with others to meet up outside of the home. It also allows seniors who are unable to leave home to socialize online to combat loneliness.
Even if a senior can’t venture out of the home – due to physical limitations, inability to drive, or inclement weather, for example – he or she can always shop online and enjoy the ease of home delivery. In addition, there are lots of money-saving coupons and online sales, which can be especially convenient and sensible for those who are penny-pinchers or on a fixed income.
Some precautions should be taken. Caregivers may want to monitor a senior’s activities to make sure that the loved one is not falling for phishing scams and the like. Caregivers may also want to make sure they are connecting with trustworthy people – especially if they are conversing in chat rooms and through blogs – and make sure they aren’t overspending on items they don’t need.
AARP’s Social Media Education Center can help you find out about how to use specific (and commonly used) social media websites, apps and blogs. Visit http://www.aarp.org/home-family/personal-technology/tek/social-media-education-center/

Source: Comfort Keepers, a provider of in-home care services. Office locations include Federal Way and Bremerton.

srmedia by — February 23, 2016 in Lifestyles

On Dec. 12, the Tapestry Singers performed a free Christmas concert at the Puyallup Public Library. From the opening flute solo by Joe Morris to the last Christmas carol, the performance was perfect. Their zippy renditions of old favorites had the audience tapping their feet.
The group, dressed in their holiday best, stood on the second level of the library, giving guests throughout the building a front row seat for the concert. It was obvious to all in attendance that the singers were enjoying themselves as much as the audience.
Joe Morris was the first member of Tapestry Singers, a not-for-profit group, in 1989.
“Bud Bond, a community activist and real estate broker, came into my business (Puyallup Music Store) and said he was interested in starting an arts association which included a choral group, a stage band and a concert band,” said Morris. “All three groups are still functioning.”
Because they are an artistic group, Tapestry Singers is a member organization of Valley Arts United. They perform throughout the year at retirement centers, and in the spring they perform concerts to benefit Puyallup Food Bank, winding down the year with their holiday concerts ­– one at the Puyallup library and a second one last month on Dec. 13 at United Methodist Church, also in Puyallup.
Accompanist Chris VanBuskirk is a music teacher for K-12 students and says she just loves the music. The group’s director, Suna Chung, is the choir director at Clover Park High School.
Singer Kathy Skipper, who has been with the group since 2009, said Chung is a welcome addition to the group.
“We have always had some good leaders, and every time we lose a leader we think there will never be one that can replace that one,” Skipper said. “Each one is different with different strengths, and Suna is really, really good. We are lucky she wanted the experience of leading a community choir.”
Skipper has sung for many years, and she said the 21-member Tapestry Singers come from different backgrounds.
“Some people have been singing since high school,” she said, adding that the group is warm and friendly.
“I like the fact that we make some really beautiful music together,” she said.
Member Becky Condra has been with the group for 17 years.
“I’ve always been a singer and wanted a choir to sing with. I love Tapestry Singers because they are a community choir and we sing a lot of different kinds of music. The friendships are wonderful,” said Condra.
On Dec. 12, Alice McHugh, who lives in Sumner, arrived bright and early at the library to get a good seat for the concert.
“I have a friend who is in the choir, and they sing a lot of songs that I know. I’ve followed them for quite a few years,” she said.
Sisters Deanna MacKiewcz and Dixie Bame follow their brother, Dwight Griswold, who is a member of the group. They said they try to make most of the performances and always enjoy the music.
Many of the Tapestry Singers have been musical all of their lives.
Condra said she sang in high school and college and went on a USO show tour, spending nine weeks going around Europe.
Another member, Pam Ferrell, who has been with the group for about a year, said, “We are all hobby singers. The group has a family feel.”
The members say they sing for the love of music and for companionship. Morris, who owned the Puyallup Music Store for 30 years, would agree.
“I enjoy the group. Music has been my life all along,” he said.
The group is always looking for new members, said Skipper.
“We meet on Wednesday nights at United Methodist Church from 7 to 9, and anyone can come, sit in on a rehearsal and see if you like us,” Skipper said, adding that anyone interested can call her at 253-848-3087.

Joan Cronk, who authored this article, is a freelance writer.

The Tapestry Singers get ready to perform holiday songs at the Puyallup Public Library. (Joan Cronk/for Senior S)cene
The Tapestry Singers get ready to perform holiday songs at the Puyallup Public Library. (Joan Cronk/for Senior S)cene
srmedia by — February 10, 2016 in Lifestyles

Resolutions are often created around the premise that we’re going to add a new behavior. Certainly it’s good to focus on what we want to create (as opposed to that which we don’t want to). But, if you’re already struggling with your best dietary intentions this New Year and you’re thinking about beating yourself up, let’s encourage each other to reframe it. Let’s call it feedback, not failure.
We know that our dietary choices are often a symptom of a deeper issue. With some curiosity that comes from a more mindful eating approach, we may get some new momentum.
Let’s assume your New Year resolution involved spending more time in the kitchen. Most realize that preparing more of our own food with less reliance on dine-out and processed foods creates a bedrock of nutrition for our self and our family. But, creating new habits to meal-plan, shop and cook takes mental space.
We only have so much mental space in a day. We need to get clear on what we’re spending these precious resources on. Michael Pollan, in his new book “Cooked,” reminds us that we’re spending on average about 27 minutes a day in the kitchen preparing food. Contrast that with how much time we spend on our smart phones or other media. Interestingly, he suggests the increase in watching cooking shows like those on The Food Network over the past decade is linked with our desire for a deeper connection to our own kitchen. It’s a bit of kitchen porn – satisfying our desire to be connected to cooking while we’re sitting in our living room distracting ourselves from how frazzled, unhappy or bored we are.
Having said all of this, I don’t know what the answer is for you. What are the unneeded distractions that are eating up the space in your life, the space needed to create a healthier habit?
For me personally, I have decided I don’t need my smartphone pinging me every other minute about another e-mail delivery. I’ve gone back to checking it on my laptop once or twice a day and have told my friends, family and colleagues to text me if an immediate response is required.
I finally came to this decision when a recent phone crash occurred and, as a result, I immediately felt calmer and more focused. I then read an interesting article about a recent study: Participants’ productivity was decreased by 20 percent simply from having their phone nearby, often pinging them with e-mail. It didn’t matter if the participants checked their e-mail or not. Simply the mental space that it took to decide if they were going to check their phone or not decreased their productivity and concentration toward their task.
Again, you can only know what is taking up the mental space you need to create lasting change. Keep in mind that you may not even be clear what the next steps are in building your healthier life until you remove some distractions. Think subtract before you add. Ask yourself what mental resources you can free up to create the space for change this year.

Kathryn Reed, who wrote this article, is a certified nutritionist and co-founder of Sound Health Connects in Seattle.

Contributing Author by — January 26, 2016 in Lifestyles

When asked, “Do you want to live a long, happy life?” our answer is universally “Yes!” But if asked “Do you want to grow old?”, the answer is a resounding “No!”
The new book, “Happy Healthy…Dead: Why What You Think You Know About Aging Is Wrong and How To Get It Right” (MindLab Publishing), by Dr. Noelle Nelson, is for those who want to leave this life kicking and screaming. Nelson looks at what individuals can do to enjoy their later years to the fullest instead of bemoaning each waking day.
“You really can’t hope to experience a long, happy life without growing older. It’s a fact of life,” says Nelson. “But here’s the problem – our mental picture of life over 75 is pathetic. And over 80, 90, 100–even worse. We like the idea of living a long, happy life, but no one wants to grow old. Old age scares the heck out of us.”
Nelson, a psychologist and author of over a dozen books, wrote “Happy Healthy…Dead” to show readers how to live life starting now, in a way that supports happiness and healthy longevity through their 50s and 60s to their 90s and beyond.
“Happy Healthy…Dead” explains what sets apart those who are enjoying life in their later years from those who complain about every ache and pain. It tells how to retain the exuberance and energy of youth while harnessing wisdom gleaned from experience. It includes extensive scientific research proving how vital our current thoughts, emotions and attitudes are to our ability to live a long, healthy future.
“You may think being happy, optimistic, grateful and appreciative are nice ways to feel, pleasant ways to go about life, but they go far beyond momentary feel-goods,” says Nelson. “They have tremendous consequences for your physical well-being including stress levels, cardiovascular health and longevity. Positive thoughts and emotions may be, in fact, the missing link between you today and a happy, healthy you tomorrow—and tomorrow, and tomorrow.”
Nelson contends that we all have the capacity to live happier and healthy lives as we age. She provides a roadmap through an assortment of tips, tools and techniques for everyday life situations.
“Happy Healthy…Dead” also contains real life, inspiring examples of seniors doing great things, including these centenarians:
• George Blevins has been bowling regularly for 93 years and won the National Senior Games singles tournaments for the over-75 age group at age 100.

• Lillian Weber celebrated her 100th birthday by surpassing her goal of sewing 1,000 dresses for needy children. She sewed 1,051 — all handmade, all personalized.

• Astrid Thoenig celebrated her 100 birthday by going to work, as she has for the last 30 years, at an insurance company in New Jersey.
“Our time on Earth may be finite,” says Nelson, “but nowhere is it written that our last 10, 20 or 30 years must be spent in decline and misery. Why not make sure you’re on the right path, right now, that will bring you the most happiness, health and longevity?”
“Happy Healthy…Dead” is available on Amazon in paperback and on Kindle.

srmedia by — January 12, 2016 in Lifestyles