Senior News Line: Eating healthy leads to staying active

Those with a healthy diet were less likely to develop physical impairments.

By Matilda Charles
| 5:10 a.m. August 4, 2016

Winter Park - Maitland Observer
Neighborhood

Eat healthy now to keep active

Sticking to a healthy diet now may help with mobility as we age. So says a new study that looked at preventing or delaying a physical decline later. Continued physical function equates to continued independent living, so this study needs a close look.

A portion of the Nurses' Health Study looked at diet patterns of 54,762 women and compared their health to the Alternative Healthy Eating Index, checking in with them every four years between 1992 and 2008. Here's what it learned:

• Those with a healthy diet were less likely to develop physical impairments.

• More fruit and vegetables; less sugared drinks, trans fats and sodium; and moderate intake of alcohol equated to reduced physical impairment later.

• Foods with the biggest health impact were oranges, pears, apples, leaf lettuce and walnuts, although an overall healthy diet was more important than individual foods.

The Nurses' Health Study has been ongoing since 1976, and over the years it's revealed a wealth of information about women's health, courtesy of (so far) 275,000 participants.

The Alternative Healthy Eating Index is a dietary guideline used by, among other things, the U.S. Department of Agriculture to monitor the quality of the American diet. The newest version, called the HEI-2010, gives each food value points.

If you need help sorting out what constitutes a healthy diet (especially when it comes to portions), go online to choosemyplate.gov and look around. Did you know: A serving size of apples and oranges are not the same? Or that one slice of bread has the same value as a half cup of cooked pasta? Or that one egg and twelve almonds are equal? I didn't.

Know the signs of senior abuse

More than 20,000 calls are made every day to abuse hotlines. Unfortunately, only one in 14 instances of abuse are reported, so the number of unreported cases is huge.

Domestic abuse can include any of the following if the abuser: prevents you from going to work or to see friends or family; takes money or blocks access to it; destroys property; becomes physically violent; makes threats; belittles your opinions and makes all the decisions; denies any abuse is happening and shifts blame; has a bad temper that explodes and makes you afraid.

However, because of frailty or age, seniors can be at the mercy of caregivers or family members and abuse also can include: being denied food or medication, or overmedicating; being forced to give money to the abuser (seniors, always go into the bank to conduct business so the tellers can get to know you. Bank tellers can be of help if a senior continues to come in to make large withdrawals.); physical or emotional abuse; use of physical force, including restraints or confinement; intentional neglect.

Seniors, ask yourself: Are you giving away money when you don't want to? Are you constantly afraid and feel you're walking on eggshells, fearing a reaction? Are you afraid to ask for your medication or food? Are you blamed for things that aren't your fault? Are you humiliated or ignored or confined? Have you been hit or shoved?

If you answered yes to even one of these questions, there is help. Call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233. Call 911 and say you're being abused. Someone will help you. If you have no phone, flag down the mail carrier or newspaper delivery person or anyone who comes to your door. Tell them you need help.

Working past age 60

What happens when your friends all retire and you don't?

"Women Still at Work: Professionals Over Sixty and On the Job," by Elizabeth F. Fideler, explores why senior women are still working and what happens when we do.

Fideler gathered her research from both surveys and in-depth interviews, comparing generations, economic climates and preferences.

Why are senior women still working? We enjoy what we're doing. We're making contributions. We need the money or the health insurance that comes with the job. We're trying to beef up our retirement nest egg. We get more out of being engaged on a daily basis with real challenges.

What happens when our friends retire and we don't? We miss opportunities for socializing, unless we take matters in hand and organize time together when we are available. We sometimes have to keep repeating answers to the question about why we're still working, and try to explain the sense of accomplishment we get from continuing to work. This can be wearing. Instead, when the friendships no longer fit, look for socializing opportunities in new areas where you don't have to justify what you're doing.

There is one bonus to continuing to work, despite the push to retire. Studies have shown that retiring early can shorten one's life, especially if we've worked for years. Another study of 6,000 participants showed that we'll have a 15 percent lower risk of death if we maintain a purpose in our life and keep working. Anxiety and depression can be a result of retiring when we really don't want to.

If you're considering retiring, take a look at this book before you do. Go online to Amazon.com and you'll find it in paperback, hard copy and for Kindle.