SOCIAL WELLNESS

 

It's important to feel needed -- to know that you will have support from family, friends and co-workers in times of need -- and to offer support to others.

Article Summaries

When you address an elderly friend or relative suffering from Alzheimer’s as “dear” or “sweetie,” you might think you're conveying warmth and caring. But according to a study presented at the 2008 Alzheimer's Association International Conference on Alzheimer's Disease, in Chicago, you may actually be doing just the opposite.

When a woman is diagnosed with a serious illness, her first thoughts often go to everyone but herself. It’s not just folklore. New research confirms it. But that’s not always a good thing. Women often need to focus more on getting emotional support than giving it during times of illness.

We want you to enjoy a healthier life. That’s why we’ve teamed up with Jenny Craig to help you create a personalized weight loss plan at a fraction of the price.

No one wants to talk about planning for long-term care, but the simple fact is, the more you have in place ahead of time, the easier it will be if the need to make those decisions arises. You want your family involved, of course, and as families gather for the holidays, now is a great time to bring up the topic.

Attention baby boomers: If you want to build muscle, now is the time to do it. New research shows that strength training can help you build muscle mass to assist in the fight against the debilitating effects of old age—but not after age 80. 

Good cognitive health, like good physical health, doesn’t just happen. It takes some effort. Many older adults mistakenly believe that becoming “senile” or forgetful is a normal part of aging. That’s not necessarily so. Recent scientific research suggests that there are many things you can do to maintain your cognitive health as you age.

Nutritionally speaking, the holidays can be a tough time, especially for families dealing with diabetes. Food is a huge part of the season, and we’re not talking broccoli here. But with a little preparation and some careful planning, anyone—even those with diabetes—can enjoy the holidays and eat healthfully. You can even indulge in some of those not-so-healthy treats. The American Diabetes Association shows you how.

Okay, so you’re not 30 anymore. That doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy a healthy sex life as you age. In fact, new research finds that a satisfying sex life is quite possible no matter what your age. And sexual fulfillment plays an important role in both physical and mental health.

From powerful magnifiers and super-amplified telephones to stylish walking sticks and clever arthritis tools, Gold Violin is the one-stop shop to help you stay active and independent.

If you have diabetes, you know it never takes a vacation. You live with it every day. In November, during National Diabetes Month, diabetes organizations take center stage to focus the world’s attention on the disease. One such group, dLife, offers some great ideas on how you can improve your life while living with diabetes.

The 2007 flu vaccine was an admitted bust. Researchers create each year’s vaccine by guessing, months ahead of time, which three of the many flu strains are likely to cause flu during the upcoming flu season. They guessed wrong in ‘07, leading to an unusually high number of flu cases. What’s in store for the 2008 flu season?

Baby boomers often must shoulder some of the responsibilities of health care for their elderly parents. Nowhere is this truer than with mental health. Growing older presents mental health problems that are unique to seniors. For these specific elder-related issues, it may help seniors or their adult children to consult a geriatric psychiatrist.

Every September, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security sponsors National Preparedness Month, a nationwide effort to encourage Americans to take simple steps to prepare for emergencies in their homes, businesses, and schools. The goal is to increase public awareness about the importance of preparing for emergencies and to encourage individuals to take action.

An active social life may give you more than good friends. It could help you hold onto your memory. A study in the American Journal of Public Health found that American adults age 50 and older who were the most socially active also maintained their memory function about twice as well as those who were socially isolated.

Memory preservation is one of the fastest growing hobbies in America, and Creative Memories, one of the worldwide leaders in memory preservation, is joining with Genworth Financial to provide its Momentum Wellness Program participants free information on album-making activities.

If you or a loved one has diabetes, one of the best things you can do to manage the disease is to learn more about it. A study in the journal Diabetes Care found that taking diabetes classes or visiting a nutritionist might help keep you out of the hospital. It could even save you lots of money.

Perhaps baby boomers can worry just a little bit less about suffering cognitive decline in the coming years. A study in Alzheimer's & Dementia has found that memory loss and thinking problems are becoming less common among older Americans. The reasons for this suggest that you can protect your brain health and prevent cognitive problems as you age.

If you’re planning a summer vacation that includes air travel, make sure you add a doctor’s visit to your pre-trip planning, says the American Geriatrics Society. “It's important for seniors to make their physicians aware of upcoming airplane travel,” Dr. Sharon A. Brangman, an AGS member, said. “Meeting with a physician a week or so before any air travel will allow the doctor to address any immediate concerns and provide the traveler with any necessary medications or other advice to help ensure a safe trip.”

To the surprise of absolutely no one, a new study finds that women who are overweight or obese can reduce their risk of heart disease by exercising more. These results, the researchers conclude, “highlight the importance of counseling all women to participate in increasing amounts of regular physical activity and maintaining a healthy weight to reduce the risk of heart disease.”

Modern technology has a great amount to offer. SeniorNet knows this and wants to make sure you have all of the tools you need to get the most out of the Internet, online learning, and e-mail newsletters.

Growing older may bring with it some unhappy physical developments, but when it comes to happiness, age seems to beat youth by a substantial margin. Generally speaking, the older you are, the happier you are, says a new study published in the April 2008 issue of American Sociological Review.

The research is in: exercising your mind is just as important as exercising your body. A number of brain fitness programs have come onto the market to help individuals stay sharp. Genworth Financial brings you Vigorous Mind, one of the leading organizations in this rapidly-evolving category, to save you 10 percent on My Vigorous Mind, a web-based brain wellness suite.

Each May, the organization Mental Health America, formerly the National Mental Health Association, sponsors Mental Health Month. The goal is to present specific, proven actions you can take to protect and improve your mental health. The theme for this year's observance, “Get Connected,” emphasizes how social support can offset the effects of prolonged stress. And it focuses on the importance of seeking help when feelings of stress become so overwhelming that they interfere with daily living.

You’ve probably seen articles recommending tai chi as a great exercise to help older adults maintain balance and muscle strength. But this ancient Chinese practice is a type of mind-body medicine that also exercises the ways in which emotional, mental, social, spiritual, and behavioral factors can directly affect health, says the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM).

In the nursing home industry, it's long been known that caring for a pet can improve residents' quality of life. A recent article in the online edition of Newsweek reinforced this, reporting, "Research shows that caring for an animal can improve your mental and physical well-being." This can increase longevity in those who've had heart attacks, and even relax and improve the appetites of Alzheimer's patients, the article states. But are there benefits for those in healthier middle age?

Your doctors keep a record of your health history. Any hospital or clinic you visit keeps one too. Now, it’s your turn. Keeping a personal health record (PHR) can help you manage your health care more efficiently. A PHR is especially important if you have a chronic medical condition, such as diabetes, that needs constant and up-to-the-minute attention.

MedicAlert is the original emergency medical information service, founded in 1956. When you join MedicAlert, your medical information—including medications and dosages, physicians, emergency contacts, and allergies—can be entered into a secure database. Through the Genworth Momentum Wellness Program, we have established a special relationship with MedicAlert that means you can receive a first-year membership absolutely free.

Let’s be clear—staying at a healthy weight is one of the best ways to help avoid many life-threatening diseases, including diabetes, heart disease and some forms of cancer. But if you are overweight, being physically fit can still help you live longer. Longer, even, than your thin but unfit friends. 

When you were young, you never forgot your best friend’s name or where you put your glasses. Now, it seems to happen every day. What causes these “senior moments”? And do they signal the beginnings of a more serious brain illness, such as Alzheimer’s disease? New research may have the answer.

According to the American Diabetes Association (ADA), there are 20.8 million people in the U.S. with diabetes, but nearly one-third of them (or 6.2 million Americans) don’t know it. In order to alert all Americans to their potential risk for diabetes, the ADA is sponsoring American Diabetes Alert® Day on March 25, 2008. They have even posted a short, easy on-line Risk Test to calculate your personal risk for the disease.

Has your doctor talked to you about blood pressure control? Specifically, has the doctor stressed how important diet and exercise are in bringing your BP numbers down? If not, you’re not alone. Doctors are less likely to counsel older Americans with high blood pressure on how lifestyle changes can lower their blood pressure than their younger patients.

Concerned about an older family member who lives alone? The QuietCare system lets you watch over your loved one without intruding on his or her privacy. And as a Momentum Wellness participant, you're entitled to a 15 percent discount on QuietCare installation and 10 percent off monthly monitoring.

Science may have finally answered an age-old question: Why we are grumpy after a bad night’s sleep. It appears that a lack of ZZZZ’s causes our brains to overreact to negative emotional experiences.

 

Top of page