labyrinthworld

Now for the good stuff. For those of you not wiped out by the current economic slowdown, Reuters reports on a study that shows that laser treatment can be very effective in removing wrinkles. Although side effects such as lightening or darkening of the skin is associated with the procedure, these side effects always clear up.

Carbon dioxide laser treatment, the gold standard of laser treatment, works by vaporizing mater molecules in and surrounding the cells. The body responds by producing more collagen, which fills in the wrinkles.

Laser treatment allow doctors more control than procedures such as chemical peels and dermabrasion. It has been around for awhile and has been proven to be effective.

By 2015 those 50 and older will represent 45 of the American population. Increasing numbers of these older Americans are choosing to live in age segregated housing where at least one member of the household must be at least 55 and no one under 18 is ever allowed to live there. Estimates are that 12 million Americans will live in age segregated communities in the next decade. This marks a drastic change in the way our society organizes itself. 

Even as the housing market continues to implode, adult communities remain popular. These communities create their own reality. Residents spend their time golfing, line dancing, card games and other social activities.  In the larger more expensive ones, residents get around on carts fixed up to look like expensive cars. Little time is devoted to problems that face the larger world. Even though some communities offer extension classes, these are shunned in favor of more fun activities.

When age segregated communities first came on the horizon no one believed they would take off. But they turned out to be immensely popular. There are a number of reasons why people are drawn to them. One is lower taxes. A far greater reason is that suburbs are alienating and are built around a car culture, which makes it almost impossible to age in place. And because of the large amount of moving Americans engage in (on average, Americans move 12 times during their lifetime), it’s hard to develop a sense of community in the suburbs. There is also the factor of our youth centric culture. 

One of the problems with segregating ourselves from the larger community is that it reinforces negative stereotypes. It also encourages selfishness. In a recent article I read, Sun City, a large older adult’s community defeated 17 school bond measures in 12 years before they de-annexed from the school district. Having raised their own children, they no longer had an interest in the rest of the children in the country. This type of selfish disregard for the needs of the larger community can have disastrous consequences for our country.

These types of conflicts can be dealt with if the residents of age segregated communities are able to find ways to balance conflicting needs even if it means they have to make a sacrifice.     

Check out this slideshow. It chronicles some of the joys of midlife. With our youth obsessed culture, we sometimes need a reminder that midlife can be very rewarding.

The number of multigenerational households in the US has grown by 60% since 1990. The trend where children left behind parents and moved across the country are waning. Today people are entering into shared arrangement. Reasons include death of a spouse, healthcare needs and costs, loss of pension plans and longevity. These issues will increase as baby boomers age. Many boomers have not saved enough for retirement. And then there is the high cost of housing. The foreclosure crisis is expected to cause this trend to increase. Although some of doing it is for cultural reasons for most it’s financial. 

Update. Dara Torres, 41 year-old female swimmer won first place in the 100 meter freestyle, winning a place on the US Olympics team. She beat out the younger and favored swimmers Natalie Coughlin and Lacey Nymeyeruntil.

Torres accomplishment gives hope to all of us middle-aged couch potatoes.

The New York Times recently reported that at age 41 Dara Torres, swimmer is expected to qualify at the Olympic trials next week. It will be her fifth time competing on an Olympic team. She’ll be the oldest female swimmer in the history of the Olympic Games. 
Dara Torres is doing something that most people think is impossible. But according to experts, although her achievements are unusual, they are not as unique as people think.

We assume middle-aged athletes cannot compete at a high level, but that may not be the case. In the Times was a quote from Michael Joyner, a competitive athlete and anesthesiologist at the Mayo Clinic who writes scholarly papers about aging and sports. Joyner said

 “Ted Williams hit .388 when he was 39. Jack Foster did very well in the Olympic marathon when he was 40. Karl Malone earned a triple-double in an N.B.A. game at 40. Jeannie Longo won a French time-trial championship in cycling at age 47.”

Our expectations about what middle aged athletes can and cannot do has to do with our own experiences as nonelite athletes. We notice that as we age our own sporting achievements fall sharply as do those of the people we know. This decline has to do with the fact that our bodies change as we age. Our body composition becomes more fat than muscle mass. Our aerobic capacity and strength also decreases. But the main reason according to experts has to do with a shift in our priorities. As a young high school or college athlete there is not the distraction of jobs or families. But as we grow older our priorities change so that it is on work and family.  Even elite athletes’ priority may shift from wanting to compete at a high level to simply wanting to stay in shape. Experts call this process “hypokinesis.” According to Joel Stager, professor of kinesiology at Indiana University, “A lot of what we assume is aging is just progressive hypokinesis.” Although there is some drop off in ability, its not as great as you might think. Athletes like Dara counter that decline by continuing to train at a high level.

NBC Morning news ran a segment this morning on women and drinking. According to them, Dr. Richard Grucza, a researcher at Washington University Medical Center at Missouri, found that compared to women born ten years earlier, women born between 1954 and 1963 are showing a significant increase in alcohol dependence. This increase remains for the next two birth cohorts. Fifty percent of this increase is with Hispanic and white women.

NBC also reported that Westchester County is seeing an increase in women driving while drunk, often with children in tow. A lot of this drinking is taking place in the afternoon. Experts say that mothers are likely to turn to alcohol because of stress, loneliness, and loss of self esteem.

Our entire medical system is designed for heroics. Its raison d’être is to stop death at any cost. The problem is death eventually comes to us all. While for the young and the healthy aggressive medicine makes sense, this is not necessarily true for the elderly. For them, treatment may offer high risks and limited rewards, resulting in diminished quality of life.

The NYT reports on a movement  called “Slow medicine” that is a response to this type of medicine. Slow medicine is designed to encourage the elderly to think through the costs/benefits of medical action.  Its goal is comfort not cure. The truth is for the elderly many procedures that may make sense for those younger, might carry side effects that diminish their quality of life, and may even hasten their end.

Kendal at Hanover is a retirement community that is affiliated with Dartmouth Medical School. It has become a laboratory for the slow medicine movement. Patients at Kendal may refuse hospitalization, tests, surgery or medication. They are encouraged to take their time and weigh the options before making a decision.  The truth is many illnesses are the result of the decline that is necessarily a part of aging. Some illnesses will inevitably lead to death. Unnecessary heroics only prolong the dying and not the living.

High tech homes are making it easier for the elderly and handicapped to live more independently. Blueroof Technologies, with the support of researchers from local Pittsburgh universities Penn State Greater Allegheny, Carnegie Mellon University’s Quality of Life Technology Center and the University of Pittsburgh are designing and testing homes built using robotic, handicapped, and electronic technology.  The mayor and local leaders from McKeesport have joined with them to form the McKeesport Independence Zone where they’re building 15 to 20 “smart” houses.  There have been a few test homes already built in the Pittsburgh area.

I’m actually excited about these developments, but can’t help but think that the new housing possibilities are the result of the aging baby boom population.  Because of its size, this generation has been uniquely successful in making its needs felt.

My experience with hearing loss has to do with my father-in-law, now deceased.  Mr. O was a sweet, gentle man who worked hard to provide for his family.  About the time of his retirement, he began to experience hearing loss that gradually worsened. This had a profound impact on his social interactions. Whereas previously he had been included in discussions and social interactions, increasingly he was relegated to the sidelines.  It was simply too hard to communicate with him. After awhile it became easier to simply smile and nod when he came into the room. 

I can imagine life must have been lonely for him.  The hearing aid he sometimes used must have been more of a hindrance than a help because it seemed not to make a difference in his life. It’s too late for him, but according to a New York Times report, there may be help on the way for older Americans with hearing loss.

The problem with traditional hearing aids is they provide feedback and overamplify background sound. Their batteries frequently fail. They are taken out at bedtime, and because moisture can trap moisture and pose an infection risk, they have to be taken out before showering. These combined problems discourage people from using them.

A new device that is being tested seems to offer none of those problems. The device is called Lyric, and it is placed close to the eardrum. It is inserted and removed using a small magnet and takes just a few minutes.  It can be worn 24 hrs and the battery can last between 1 and 4 months. So far those using them have nothing but good to say about Lyric. Although, we may not to admit it, this is a product we babyboomers may want to pay attention to.