Yes I Can! Yes We Can!

Yes We Can! is a wonderfully positive statement that is circling the globe. I've heard it said in Africa, Europe and the U.S. by people from around the world. It brings renewed hope and knowledge that our personal power intensifies multifold when it becomes collective power with others.

As representatives of the older generations of our world, this affirmation is important to each of us. If you fall into thinking that because you are older you have less to give, you are mistaken. On the contrary, we have much more to contribute to our world, based on experience that we have personally and collectively lived.

Individually we have years of growth, development, knowledge, understanding, giving, receiving, learning, interacting, communicating, participating, teaching, sharing, and wisdom. We are influential and powerful role models.

Collectively we represent an unleashed power bringing all of our expertise, talents, experience and knowledge together.

Think about it. We have been the archetects of recent history. It is our history that has brought us to where we are today, both locally and globally. This is true no matter where we live.

And we have not finished. Each day becomes history as it ends and a new day begins. History is constantly in the making and we, the masters, continue to play a significant role.

Our role will become even stronger as the next generations join us at this « master » level. A larger population of people who have lived our history are becoming new masters each day, bringing their unique combination of experience to our pool of wisdom. Society will look to us to guide more and more as ever greater numbers of us remain active and vital to the home, community, nation and world.

This is why the affirmation, Yes We Can, must first become Yes I Can. Each of us must nourish a positive attitude as we move forward into today's history. Let's use our advantage of age!

Yes I Can furthers a personal positive attitude toward age and aging.

When great enough numbers of us embrace this personal positive attitude, it will become the powerful collective attitude of Yes We Can.

Age is no barrier. It is an advantage.

Make your Yes I Can statements powerful.

Nourish your own positive attitude with the exercise below, because
Yes, You Can.

Exercise:

1. Read the following collective positive affirmations out loud.

• Yes I Can contribute my talents in the areas of humanitities, literature, art, politics, music, technologies, sports,
  
• Yes I Can be a potent role model for others of all ages.
  
• Yes I Can leave a significant legacy for generations not yet born.
  
• Yes I Can share wisdom gained from living.
  
• Yes I Can embrace my age and live it fully.
  
• Yes I Can build new meaningful relationships.
  
• Yes I Can stretch my talents to the wider community and the greater world.
  
• Yes I Can be courageous and outrageous.
  
• Yes I Can be an active player in the economy, politics and social platforms of society.
  
• Yes I Can help form the future.
  
• Yes I Can laugh and love with a positive attitude.
  
• Yes I Can influence the history of today.
  
• Yes I Can accept new challenges.
  
• Yes I Can invent new technologies.
  
• Yes I Can create new businesses.
  
• Yes I Can mentor, guide and advise others.
  
• Yes I Can realize new dreams
  
• Yes I Can pave new paths
  
• Yes I can bring perspective and understanding to new situations.
  
• Yes I can keep a positive attitude of gratitude
  

2. Make this list your own. Any statements on the list that you consider to be collective statements, change to Yes We Can.

3. Add your own Yes I Can positive statements. These should be meaningful to you and spark action.

4. Choose the affirmations that seem right for you; not comfortable, but right. They should be statements that make you stretch and grow and that lead to action.

5. Ask yourself how you can begin to act on the affirmation. Just define a first step and the process begins.

6. Repeat these statements to yourself often, because together Yes We Can.

By Bonnie Lou Fatio of Age Esteem

www.ageesteem.com

The Graying of the Great Powers: Demography and Geopolitics in the 21st Century

This book is a publication of the CSIS Global Aging Initiative, explores how population aging and population decline will constrain the ability of the United States and other developed countries to maintain national and global security over the next few decades. It also examines the security implications of emerging demographic trends in different regions of the developing world. While some political scientists and security experts argue that the forces of demography are pushing the world toward greater peace and stability, this study concludes that they pose growing security threats—and that the period of greatest danger lies just over the horizon in the 2020s.

The Graying of the Great Powers offers the first comprehensive assessment of the geopolitical implications of "global aging"—the dramatic transformation in population age structures and growth rates being brought about by falling fertility and rising longevity worldwide. It describes how demographic trends in the developed world will constrain the ability of the United States and its traditional allies to maintain national and global security in the decades ahead. It also explains how dramatic demographic change in the developing world—from resurgent youth bulges in the Islamic world to premature aging in China and population implosion in Russia—will give rise to serious new security threats. While some argue that global aging is pushing the world toward greater peace and prosperity, The Graying of the Great Powers warns that a period of great geopolitical danger looms just over the horizon. Neither the triumph of multilateralism nor democratic capitalism is assured. The demographic trends of the twenty-first century will challenge the geopolitical assumptions of both the left and the right.

Author:Richard Jackson and Neil Howe

Contributors:Rebecca Strauss and Keisuke Nakashima

Publisher:Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS)

ISBN Number:978-0-89206-532-5 (pb)

Purchase: http://www.csisbookstore.org/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWPROD&ProdID=199

You know you’re getting older when.......

The perception of time is relative. Children view time in the context of a calendar that is divided into days and subdivided into hourly segments for study, play, meals and sleep.

Adults have complicated schedules that consist of appointments and long- term goals. Time to work and time to do everything else.

When we were kids, time seemed to pass so slowly. We counted the interminably long hours and days of school work between the much-awaited weekends. We looked forward to the summer vacations that seemed to be over as soon as they began.

Fun time was always a blur of images. In contrast, work time was deliberate and focused.

As we grew up and graduated from school, we became preoccupied with jobs, careers, and families. All of a sudden, there is never enough time to do everything. It is an endless race against the clock to meet deadlines.

The passing of time is part of the growing (and the aging process). A few fortunate individuals maintain a youthful attitude and manage to preserve their looks. Others welcome age with grace and look good despite the laugh lines and crow’s feet. Character lines, they say. Some people are in denial and reject any visible signs of ageing.

In the spirit of the lunar New Year, let us note some of the unmistakable signs of age. We assure the reader that, with a dose of humor, one does not get older but will definitely feel better.

You know you’re getting older when:

• You peer at the small print of the newspaper.
• Younger people address you with the respectful "po." Little kids ask you to bless them. People give you their seats in a bus or help you cross the street.
• You keep reminiscing about the "good old days." You enjoy living with your memories instead of planning for the future.
• You enjoy revival hits and bands from the 1950s, ’60s and wear fashions from that era.
• You get confused with the names of nephews, nieces, and grandkids.
• You sleep late and wake up very early (even before the cock crows).
• You cannot remember what you were about to say.
• You read the obit pages and you know people who passed away. You attend more wakes and funerals than baby showers, baptisms, and children’s parties.
• Your grandchild graduates from high school and college. You have a great grandchild.
• You believe all the tall tales and incredible sob stories of young damsels (or DIs) in distress.
• You need a hearing aid, walking stick, nurse.
• You try to recapture your lost youth through much younger partners.
• You pant after climbing a few steps or after dancing for five minutes.
• You become intolerant of many little things...noise, loud music, teenagers.
• You attend ruby and golden jubilee reunions.
• You are a wedding sponsor rather than baptismal godparent.
• You start dyeing your hair to cover the silver and gray strands.
• You switch from tennis to golf. You give up scuba diving.
• You start monitoring your blood pressure, sugar and cholesterol levels and compare these numbers with friends. You start having nips, tucks, and Botox shots.
• You give up the fun and wicked things and start acting conventional and mellow. No more adventures. Just safe activities.
• You start taking the blue diamond-shaped pill and brag about its effects.
• You can whistle and brush your teeth at the same time.
• You fall asleep at a party, at the dining table, or in front of the TV and it is not yet midnight.
• You start smelling like a camphor chest, Old Spice and pomade.
• You give up being a free spirit in favor of a sedate, predictable life. You are more conscious about what you wear, what you eat, and where you go.
• You start your stories with "When I was young.... When I was your age.... During my time...."

Age is really a state of mind. What matters is that the individual (of any age group) enjoys life with a positive vibrant attitude and a healthy lifestyle.

Source: http://www.bworldonline.com/BW012609/content.php?id=145

Residential colony for NRI elderly in US

This could be the ultimate dream of young non-resident Indians (NRIs) who have been worrying about the welfare of their parents but not in a position keep them in their US homes. Brihan Maharashtra Mandal (BMM) is planning a residential colony for senior citizens in the US on the lines on Paranjpe Schemes Athashri project in Pune.

The locations being considered for such homes are California, Florida, New Jersey and North Carolina. The US has around three million NRIs.

A final shape to the project is expected to emerge at the four-day annual convention of BMM slated in Philadelphia during the first week of July.

Says Girish Thakar, president of BMM: “These four cities have the best climate in the US. I expect around 200-250 NRIs and investors to turn up for the Philadelphia meet.”

“The project will initially be implemented on pilot basis with about 150-200 apartments. It is expected to cost about Rs 1.5-2 crore per apartment, including the amenities,” he said.

Thakar admits it would be more expensive than keeping the parents of NRIs in India, but said, “The cost will further come down once the project is implemented on a large scale. Moreover, I do not think that NRIs will hang on to the cost part if it means their parents will be able to stay near them, in the US.”

Surabhi Abhyankar, who stays in Toronto, said: “It will be a double bonanza if we can get our parents to the US. Though they keep coming for short visits, I find it risky to leave them alone at my home in Toronto. I would rather keep them in Pune. However, if a project like Athashri that promises amenities for senior citizens comes up in the US, I would be happy.”

But there were those who looked at the concept with some scepticism. Suryakant Warik, a former NRI based in US and presently a resident of Athashri, expressed doubts about the quality of the US project. “I would not like to shift though both of my daughters are staying there. I am not sure whether they will be able to maintain the standard as they are promising. My experience tells me that people forget their promises when money comes into picture,” he said.

Meena Tirodkar, another resident of Athashri, also rejected the idea of shifting to a similar project in the US. “My husband Atmaram and I had been to Germany and the US. However, I am comfortable in India and would like to stay here,” she said.

Source:http://www.indianexpress.com/news/residential-colony-for-elderly-in-us/414873/

Vote for Silver Planet 2008 Silver Star Award

Silver Stars are extraordinary, inspiring seniors who embrace a new view on aging. They are not limited by stereotypical boundaries. These senior Silver Planet Agers live active, fulfilled, informed lives. They reinvent themselves and redefine their work and lifestyles. Read about their extraordinary accomplishments and lives.

The 2008 Silver Star Award will be presented to the Silver Star from 2008 who receives the most online votes. Voting for your favorite Silver Star begins on December 8, 2008, and continues through February 20, 2009. The winner will be announced at the end of February 2009. Only Silver Planet registered users will be able to vote for their favorite Silver Star, so register today.

Who is your favorite Silver Star of 2008?

Vote here:http://www.silverplanet.com/lifestyles/silver-stars/silver-star-awards/silver-planet-2008-silver-star-award-38603

If you have some time on your hands take up Hobbies and Interests

If you have some time on your hands, you may be thinking about taking up a new hobby or developing an existing interest further. As you are no doubt aware, the list of hobbies and interests is endless so this series of pages is not intended to be comprehensive.

What it might do, however, is to help you think about this whole area of your life slightly differently, so that you make the right choices when deciding what to take up. Clearly, we have to enjoy the hobbies that we do – that’s the whole point of them. However, as we get a bit older there is a need for us to do some or all of the following:
· Make the most of our money
· Keep fit physically
· Keep fit mentally
· Maintain or increase our social contacts

Therefore, if our hobbies can help us do these things, so much the better. For example, if you like reading, which is essentially a solitary occupation, try joining a reading group, or book club, which will enable you to meet other people through your reading. Similarly, if you like walking, this will help keep you fit, enable you to meet people if you join a walking group and might even save you some money because you’re not using the car so much!

So we have grouped some examples of hobbies and interests under various headings, not just those shown above, to help you think about what you might do and how you might use them to achieve other ends as well as enjoying them. The headings are not definitive and you might feel you would have used different ones. Sometimes we might stray into the realms of what you might think is voluntary work. Neither of these things matter. The point is that if it helps you think about hobbies and interests in a constructive and useful way, we have succeeded in our objectives.

Some of the things we haven't included are collecting things (anything!), model-making, amateur dramatics, wine and beer making, astronomy, photography, graphology and about a million other hobbies. Please don't be offended if your particular favourite isn't here. Remember that the objective is to get you thinking about the many wonderful hobbies and interests that you can have in later life, not to list each and every one of them.

Read more: http://www.laterlife.com/retirement-c5/retirement-hobbies-and-interests.htm

Capacity Building: Asserting Rights of Older Persons:Workshop in Mumbai

International Federation on Ageing

and

Harmony for Silvers Foundation

Invite you to a one-day workshop on

‘Capacity Building: Asserting Rights of Older Persons’

2009 marks the 10^th anniversary of the National Policy on Older Persons (NPOP), but we are yet to implement the policy effectively. Our one-day workshop will dwell on the prospects of the NPOP; look at other major issues facing senior citizens; and draw up an agenda for the way forward with active initiatives by seniors themselves.

Please join gerontologists, social scientists and active senior citizens’ organisations in this initiative to assist you.

Date: Sunday, 25 January 2009

Venue: Reliance Energy Management Institute (REMI),

Jogeshwari - Vikhroli Link Road,

Opp. SEEPZ North Gate,

Mumbai 400 065

RSVP: Hiren Mehta–(0)93235 51650– hiren.Mehta@harmonyindia.org

Negative Beliefs

Negative and self limiting beliefs can and very often do hold us back in life. These beliefs can stop us from achieving what we most want and need in our lives.

Our limiting beliefs more often than not have been learned as we have gone through life and very often we have bought them with us from childhood. While they don’t serve us well, they are still very personal to each of us. Many people form strong identities from their beliefs, limiting or not and so any negative beliefs can become a deeply ingrained part of their personality one that they carry around with them for years.

Beliefs are personal; they are important and have the ability to define our entire lives. Our beliefs have governed how we have lived in the past, they govern how we are living now and they will govern how we will live our life in the future.

Examples of some negative and limiting beliefs:

* I’m useless, I always have been

* I am an idiot

* I’ll never be a success

* Everyone hates me at work

* I won’t become rich

* My Business will fail

* I’m not clever enough

* I’ll never be able to learn Japanese

* I’ll never get promoted at work

* I’m too fat

These negative and limiting beliefs ultimately serve no real purpose apart from to stop us from having what we want in our lives. They become so entrenched in our minds that we just accept them as normal, never really believing we can do anything about them.

Just one negative belief about yourself, your situation or anything else related to your life can dictate to you the action you take, the behavior you exhibit and the environment where you find yourself.

A negative belief can really make it difficult if you are looking to make a change in your life or accomplish some goal. It becomes your own personal roadblock that stops you dead in your tracks. You accept it and it becomes the way your life is.

Of course everyone is entitled to believe what they want. We have a choice, and we can choose to not accept our limiting beliefs any time we wish. Do you really want to continue creating mind made barriers for yourself?

You may want certain things in your life, you may want more for yourself, your family and even for the world around you, but yet your limiting beliefs never seem to go away, they have always been there and they will always be there in the future. They will remain a fundamental part of who you are unless you do something about it.

Remember that beliefs can be changed, and this is great news when we know we have beliefs that limit us. You probably used to believe in Santa Claus but I bet you don’t anymore. Rest assured that if you want to really change a negative belief you have, it can be done.

One useful strategy to use is to step forward into the future and envisage what will transpire (or not) as a result of the belief you hold.

When we do this we can see just exactly where our negative belief will lead us.

Types of question to ask yourself when taking the negative belief into the future include:

* What will happen later on in the future if you persist with this belief?

* What consequences will occur as a result of this belief?

* What results will or could arise from the initial set of results?

For example:

I’ll never be able to learn Portuguese.

With a belief like this, where will you be in 2 years time? Imagine instead if you start learning Portuguese now, how much of it would you be able to speak in 2 years time?

Do you realize the more you believe this the more this will prevent you from actually learning Portuguese. So eventually over time you will not be able to learn any new languages with a belief like this.

So I guess you can forget about conversing with any Brazilians in their own language when you visit Brazil then?


You could carry on asking similar questions based on what you will be able or not be able to do as a result. Try it with your own negative beliefs and see if your perspective changes.


Source:http://www.createchangeinyourlife.com/category/positive-thinking/

Growning Old in America

“Life and death are important. Don’t suffer them in vain.” Bodhidharma

“Compassion is not religious business; it is human business. It is not luxury, it is essential for our own peace and mental stability; it is essential for human survival.” Dalai Lama

Five million seniors remain in poverty despite the 2008 Social Security Cost of Living Adjustment Announcement. Medicare premiums have skyrocketed 93 percent Since 2001, five times faster than COLA Increases. My mother was looking forward to the 5.8% increase that she was promised like other senior citizens in the Social Security payments. What they failed to tell her was that they were increasing her Medicare costs so much that all she sees of the cost of living increase in $66.00 a month.

$66.00 let’s see how far that can go. She takes 17 prescriptions a day for her heart $66.00 won’t even pay for one months supply of one of them. Gas is back up to $2.00 a gallon. $66.00 wouldn’t even cover the trips to her doctor for one month. The price of groceries keeps going up and up and $66.00 buying at the lowest cost place in town of Aldis wouldn’t cover a months worth of groceries let alone a week. Duke Energy puts her on a payment plan and increases the amount they take out every month. She keeps the house at 68° during the day and 63° at night. Her cat gets so cold she sleeps on the floor heater vents hoping they will come on soon.

This country’s history of treating our senior citizens is appalling. In the Far Eastern cultures the elderly traditionally have been looked on with respect and are cared for in their old age. Here in America we are a throw away society and that includes the elderly when they get to be a burden to our life style. Nursing Homes are over crowded and understaffed. At our hospital here in my small town we have had the local nursing home just drop off patients suffering from dementia with no papers and no idea of where they are or whom they are here to see or even why they are here. It is no wonder why so many senior citizens will hide their poverty in an effort to stay in their own homes even if they are crumbling around their ears.

With the high cost of medicines we are finding a number of elderly are just not taking them any more because they can’t afford them. They try and get through the red tape of Medicare and Medicare replacements and plan D medical and supplemental coverage and it is a nightmare. We had to complain a couple of years ago that elderly patient were being taken for a ride by Humana Health insurance. They had tables set up at Wal-Mart supposedly to let the elderly know about their supplemental coverage for medicines but if fact were enticing these people to give up their Medicare and take the Humana replacement. They aren’t the only company out there doing that. The seniors think they are getting just the drug coverage only to find out that they are stuck for the next year with a replacement that took away their Medicare and are now sticking them with high co pays.

Our government has let the drug companies take advantage of the elderly in their efforts to “privatize” Medicare. They give embarrassingly small cost of living increases and then take most of it away. They ignore the energy companies gouging of the public. They give billions to Wall Street and the corporate jets. You want to see something truly frightening check out what the cost of the war in Iraq at http://www.nationalpriorities.org/costofwar_home and then see how many senior citizens could be helped in your area for what we have thrown away in Iraq.


Our elderly should be our number one resource and treasure. They made it through the Great Depression. They made it through Hitler and World War II. We can learn from them if we choose to do so. While politically my Mom and I are worlds apart, emotionally there is a bond that can never be broken. She deserves more then a $66.00 a month raise and I intend to keep on my political representatives to do something about it. I don’t envy Barak Obama. He has a huge mess to clean up but I do have faith that he will try and do his best for all of us, including the elderly.


Source:http://visionsinsidemymind.blogspot.com/2009/01/growning-old-in-america.html

Canada's over-60 set new focus for educators

As Canada’s baby boomers get closer to senior citizen status, Canadian universities and the students who attend them are recognizing that gerontology - the study of aging - is a growing field that should have solid job prospects for graduates for years to come.

With the economy fluctuating and jobs being shed from one industry to another, students heading into the workforce in the next few years face some uncertain career paths. One thing that won’t change is the fact that Canada now has a record number of people age 65 and over and that number is rising.

According to the 2006 census, there are more than four million seniors living in Canada, and, they are living longer. A longer life expectancy, low fertility rates and the aging baby boom generation are all contributing to Canada’s greying population. By 2026, the number of senior citizens is expected to reach eight million, more than 20 per cent of the population.

The demographic trend is playing out at universities across the country and prompting a trend within the academic world - growing interest among students in gerontology, and the expansion of programs related to the discipline.

“With the aging of the baby boomers, I think it’s clear that this is a growth area,” said Andrew Wister, chair of the gerontology department at Simon Fraser University in Vancouver. “It’s going to build rather rapidly, the need that is, for this kind of training across Canada.”

Gerontology has developed into a discipline in its own right over the last few years, mostly at the graduate level, said Wister. At the undergraduate level, there are college diploma programs related to aging and at universities there are courses in many departments that could give a student a minor in gerontology within their discipline, but it’s not until the post-graduate level where students can really specialize in the area.

There are about a dozen universities where students can get a master’s degree and now several of them have PhD programs. Some fall within broader disciplines such as health studies, or psychology, but PhD programs specifically in gerontology are developing.

Simon Fraser is currently accepting applications for its new PhD program, that will begin next fall.

“I think these degrees are being more and more recognized and that’s really making them very attractive now so I think it’s a new age with respect to training in gerontology,” said Wister.

The University of Waterloo also has a PhD program and one student currently enrolled in it, Norma Jutan, said she’s seen the size of her still-small program at least triple since she began it two years ago with only four other graduate students.

Jutan, 30, said the job prospects in gerontology were a big factor in her decision to pursue her PhD.

“In this economic situation, a lot of areas aren’t hiring at all whereas when you’re going to have 25 per cent of the population over the age of 65, you’re going to have job opportunities. It’s a guarantee,” she said. “Someone has to take care of seniors, someone has to make the policy decisions at the community level to support a quarter of the population that is going to need our support.”

Jutan is a teaching assistant in undergraduate courses at Waterloo and she said younger students are starting to realize that gerontology is a multi-disciplinary field where they can apply their interests in other areas such as health, psychology, social work, recreation, management and policy-making.

There’s a demand for workers on the frontlines, running programs for seniors at community centres, for example, or nurses in long-term care facilities, but according to Thomas Hadjistavropoulos, director of the Centre on Aging and Health at the University of Regina, Canada also needs more experts doing research on the effects of aging.

“Things have been moving in the right direction in many areas,” he said, “but there’s still a tremendous shortage.”

Hadjistavropoulos, a psychology professor, said many research grant organizations are identifying aging issues as priorities, a positive sign for graduate students and other academics in the field.

“Research on aging is expanding tremendously and the growth of research-oriented graduate programs is part of that trend,” he said.

As people realize gerontology is a career choice, programs may become more competitive to get into, said Hadjistavropoulos, but he also expects more schools in Canada to expand their offerings of age-related courses.

Source: http://www.ottawacitizen.com/Canada+over+focus+educators/1143698/story.html

10 Tips for Keeping the Brain Sharp Into 2009

One piece of excellent news in the past year was that brain health seems to be improving among older Americans. A large national survey from the University of Michigan found that over a 10-year-period ending in 2002, memory loss and thinking problems were down significantly among seniors aged 70 and up, from 12.2 percent to 8.7 percent. That’s a change that translates into hundreds of thousands of men and women, though Alzheimer’s is still a top concern for millions worldwide.

Researchers aren’t sure why the decrease in cognitive impairment is occurring, but they suspect that a better educated and more affluent older generation that is less likely to smoke and more likely to eat better and get regular exercise may be helping to keep the brain young. Here’s a roundup of ALZinfo.org Wellness and Prevention stories from the past year that may help set the tone for a brain-healthy new year.

1. Stay Mentally Challenged. Seniors who engage in reading books or newspapers, doing crossword puzzles and word or card games, or who attend adult education classes may be more likely to ward off Alzheimer’s as they age. Researchers at Columbia University in New York found that participation in intellectual and social activities among seniors was associated with fewer cases of Alzheimer’s disease.

2. Practice Good Waist Management. Having a thick middle in the middle years increases the risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease, a study of more than 6,500 adults from Northern California found. Belly fat, in particular, may be bad for the brain. Having a large abdomen increased the risk of dementia regardless of whether someone was normal weight, overweight or obese.

3. Work It. Another study, from Duke University, found that having a job that challenges the intellect may help to keep the mind sharp into old age. And the more complex the job, the better memory and thinking skills held up after retirement. The jobs that proved most beneficial included careers like law, medicine and journalism. But any tasks that required complex organization, decision-making and multi-tasking boosted brain function late into life.

4. Stay in School. Research continues to show that the more years of formal education someone has, the lower the risk of Alzheimer’s disease. Most recently, investigators in Italy showed that men and women who had many years of schooling and who went on to work in demanding jobs were much more likely stay mentally alert into old age. Even though their brains had many of the changes typical of Alzheimer’s disease, education seemed to protect them against memory loss and problems with thinking.

5. Maintain an Active Social Life. Men and women who remained socially connected with friends and family as they aged had sharper memories, a study from the Harvard School of Public Health reported. The findings add to a growing body of evidence that active social engagement is key to keeping the brain fit and lowering the risk of Alzheimer’s among the elderly.

6. Walk for the Brain. Seniors who regularly took walks and engaged in other forms of moderate exercise had a lower risk of developing vascular dementia, a form of memory loss tied to poor blood flow in the brain. Vascular dementia is the second most common form of dementia, after Alzheimer’s disease, and affects a large segment of the senior population. Poor blood flow may also aggravate the memory loss and symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease.

7. Keep Cholesterol in Check. Scientists still aren’t sure whether statins, the popular cholesterol-lowering drugs that are prescribed for heart disease, help protect against Alzheimer’s disease. But they do know that having high cholesterol, at midlife or in later years, can raise the risk of Alzheimer’s and other forms of dementia. And statin drugs are proven fighters against heart attacks and strokes. To help keep cholesterol in check, eat a heart-healthy diet and exercise regularly, and see your doctor to see if you could benefit from a statin medication.

8. Control Blood Pressure. Getting blood pressure under control, an important step for reducing heart disease and stroke, may also help reduce rates of Alzheimer’s as well. And it’s never too late. New findings show that for seniors in their 80s and 90s, lowering blood pressure with antihypertensive medications was good for the brain.

9. Pass the Fish. Once again, research showed that eating tuna and other types of oily fish like salmon, mackerel and anchovies may help lower the risk of memory decline and stroke in healthy older adults. Fish that was baked or broiled, but not fried, appeared to benefit the brain.

10. Surf the Web. Finally, searching the Internet may be good the brain. Researchers at the University of California, Los Angeles, found that surfing the Web triggers key centers in the brain involved in decision-making and complex reasoning and was better for the brain than reading a book. So whether you turn to the Web to e-mail friends, read up on the latest Alzheimer’s disease research, or join the discussion groups at ALZinfo.org, keep coming back for a brain-healthy 2009.

By www.ALZinfo.org , The Alzheimer's Information Site. Reviewed by William J. Netzer, Ph.D., Fisher Center for Alzheimer's Research Foundation at The Rockefeller University.

Vayoshreshtha Samman – 2008 National Award for people working for Elderly Announced

“A longer life provides humans with an opportunity to examine their lives in retrospect, to correct some of their mistakes, to get closer to the truth and to achieve a different understanding of the sense and value of their actions. This may well be the more important contribution of older people to the human community. Especially at this time, after the unprecedented changes that have affected humankind in their lifetime, the reinterpretation of life-stories by the aged should help us all to achieve the urgently needed reorientation of history." -- United Nations - International Plan of Action on Aging.

Senior citizens deserve more respect because of their experience in life. They have to be treated with love and care but in today’s world they are the most neglected and ignored people / segment.Civilization and Society which respects their women,children and Elders will grow and will survive.

To recognize exemplary contribution in the field of Ageing the Minister of Social Justice and Empowerment, India has declared Vayoshreshtha Samman – National Award for people working for Elderly.

This award is to be presented on January 12, 2009 in FICCI Auditorium, Tansen Marg, New Delhi by the Hon’ble Minister of Social Justice & Empowerment Smt. Meira Kumar.

The Vayoshreshtha Samman is a recognition of the compassion, determination creativity and devotion to the cause of Elderly and to honour the relentless and remarkable service to the society and nation.

For 2008 The Vayoshreshtha Samman for Institution Award for Service is given to Nightingales Medical Trust, Bangalore.

The Lifetime Achievement Award for 2008 is been given to Smt. Nirmala Narula - Vice Chairperson ARDSI (Alzheimer’s Related Disorder Society of India) National Office.

We at Silver Inning Foundation Salute this extraordinary people and are very happy for both of them as they are our very good friends and our networking partners.

It is an important time to remind the governments about their pledges to work towards the Millennium Development Goals of helping, among other things, to end hunger and poverty for older persons and people of all ages. Its time to remind people and organisation working for Elderly to come together to serve Elderly and fight for the right of Elderly. Its time to remind the Civil Society to come together and Love, Care and Respect the Elderly. Just to remember one day we all will grow older.

On this occasion let’s take a Pledge to demand Separate Ministry for Elderly and to have constitutional amendment for Rights of Elderly.

"If you associate enough with older people who do enjoy their lives, who are not stored away in any golden ghettos, you will gain a sense of continuity and of the possibility for a full life." - Margaret Mead.

About Nightingales Medical Trust:

Nightingales Medical Trust (NMT) is a Non Government Organization (NGO) dedicated to eldercare in Bangalore, India .They firmly believe that elders should remain an integral part of their family. It began with Dr. Radha S. Murthy and Mr. S. Premkumar Raja teaming up to start the NIGHTINGALES HOME HEALTH SERVICES in January 1996. This innovative service was designed to make the lives of senior citizens easier by providing all possible medical care at their doorstep.

Website: http://www.nightingaleseldercare.com/index.htm

Email: nhhs@bgl.vsnl.net.in

About Nirmala Narula:

Mrs.Nirmala Narula is President ARDSI (Alzheimer’s Related Disorder Society of India) - Delhi Chapter & Vice Chairperson ARDSI National Office. She has dedicated her life for working for the cause of Dementia.

Website: http://www.alzheimersdelhi.org/index.htm

Email: ardsi_dc@hotmail.com