Columbus, Oh

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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.

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.     

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

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 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.

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.

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.