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America's Hidden Network
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- Written by J.J.
There's an underground network in this country that's utilized by our over 65 population and it's called side street driving. Criss crossing cities and towns these networks go unnoticed by the millions who use side streets only to find the nearest freeway on-ramp. Those drivers want the fastest route between A and B while the side street network seeks the safest passage to and from their destination.
I first became aware of this network in a conversation with my mother about a friend whose driving skills concerned me. Wasn't she worried about riding with her? That's when I learned that they didn't travel the freeways, no, not anymore. They crossed town on side streets driving 35 and 40 thereby minimizing the quick decisions drivers need to make and maximizing safety by reducing speed. I ran into the network again in a conversation with an older friend who wanted to know how to get to our meeting place using the back roads. She stopped driving the freeway years ago. Too fast. Too dangerous.
The side street network is one way aging America is coping with the challenges that affect driving ability in our mobile society but Google "side street drivers" and you'll come up with nothing. This busy network runs totally under the radar in our lives creeping through school zones and stopping behind garbage trucks and busses on their way to important meetings and appointments; trading time for added assurance of arriving safely.
By no means is everyone over 65 a member of this network. Absolutely not. AAA, the American Automobile Association, reminds us that older drivers hold a wealth of experience and a range of driving abilities. They also remind us that by the age of 65 many contend with slower reflexes and changes in vision. Some will have the added challenge of hearing problems or medications that affect driving. For that reason, AAA offers help analyzing our ability to drive as well as lots of information on how aging affects our driving skills and how to stay safe behind the wheel. Check it out!
The next time you find yourself pulling up to a stop sign at the intersection of two side streets think about the network of people who travel these roads for greater safety. Driving is a complex skill and aging in a mobile nation is a challenge. How will you recognize the changes that affect your driving and what will you do to safeguard your driving trips? There are resources and existing networks to help you make the transition. Look around. Aging and traveling safely may even take you down some interesting new roads.
It seems like there was something I was going to tell you
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- Written by J.J.
Maybe you're taking care of an aging parent and you've heard this line before, "It seems like there was something I was going to tell you..." Maybe you've been hearing yourself say that! Forgetfulness happens to everyone but, if you're like me, you begin to wonder, as you age, what kind of forgetfulness should concern you. Or, if, like me, you're around other people experiencing forgetfullness then perhaps there are days when you wonder how you can strengthen your patience.
It's one thing to help someone else with a problem and quite another to grapple with it yourself. If you're questioning your own forgetfulness you might experience a phase of rationalization. Here are the rationalizations I go through when forgetfulness happens in my life: 1) There's too much going on, 2) I need more sleep, 3) It must not have been important enough to remember, 4) It happened a long time ago 5) It will come back to me. I do have a better memory when I'm getting enough sleep, feeling calm and less busy, and placing focus on things that need to be recalled but if I'm having trouble remembering something I can't necessarily rely on remembering it later. Sometimes the memory is just gone. Example: a scrap of paper found in my wallet reads: Carl- 352-9927. "Carl" I say to myself over and over. What on earth was this about? Know what I mean?
Maybe you don't know what I mean! The possibility that we're alone in our experiences of forgetfulness is one worry in a whole set of fears associated with memory loss that can lead to increasing social isolation. Frequent forgetting can separate us from enjoying memories with others or cause us to try to hide our lost recall. If you forget alot or are around someone else's forgetfulness you may have begun to consider how profoundly our lives and identities hinge on shared memories. Failing to remember that beautiful day last year or the hilarious moment on a past vacation can be vexing for the person searching for memory but it may call into question something as fundamental as the mutuality of the moment for the friend or partner who experienced those events with you. "Can't you remember that? I thought you'd never forget," your partner may say dejectedly, hurtfully.
If memory loss is troubling you or someone you care about there are great online resources to help you decide what kind of forgetfulness may be progressive and cause for concern. If someone you care about is having memory loss and you need to develop more patience try to step back from your own reactions and consider the fears and rationalizations that underlie forgetfulness. Take a deep breath. Memory loss is a condition that demands our understanding. Statements that begin with intent and wither from missing information are, at root, attempts to communicate, reach out, connect, and interact so be gentle with yourself and with people you love. Remembering is about sharing our lives and memories, forgetting is an invitation to exercise caring and compassion.
Creativity And The Link To Your Health
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- Written by J.J.
If you've incorporated exercise into your life to improve your health-- wonderful. Now, tap into your creativity to further strengthen your wellness. A study sponsored by the National Endowment For the Arts (NEA) in 2006 found that those of us 65 and older who attended a professionally taught weekly cultural arts program experienced less medication usage, fewer needs for doctor visits, and improved mental health.
The NEA study specifically evaluated the benefits of committing to an organized arts class but look around and within. Don't all kinds of creative pursuits generate energy, satisfaction, and happiness? We may be aging but our imagination and creativity remains youthful and exciting. Exercising the world of our minds is as important as taking walks or doing aerobics.
Habits, conformity, repetition of stories, and the defense of our own expertise have all contributed to weakening our connection to creativity. The initial challenge, if you haven't been expressing your creativity, may be in accessing and nurturing this inner resource. Begin to tune into your imagination by simply taking a new road home, talking to someone different, reading a new book or magazine. Become as agressive about altering your routines as you are about checking your mail or e-mail and notice the new energy and ideas you garner from the change.
I'm advocating creativity as a boost for health but who knows-- you may find a new career or gain recognition when you delve into your mind's resources. Data from UC Davis suggests that novelists and students of loosely defined or ambiguous subjects peak creatively in late middle age. So dust off those old journals, invest in a set of pastels, open a new textbook on physics, or realize that invention you've been thinking about for years! Tone up your mind like you tone your body and ride the waves of creative expression to a healthier and more satisfying life.
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