Senior News Line: Yes, you need a hobby

Hobbies can help keep us physically and mentally fit, and there are plenty of them to choose from. If you've recently retired, you might not even know where to begin. Here are some ideas to get you started.

For the physically active, explore outdoor photography, yoga, woodworking, metal detecting, ballroom dance, golf or indoor swimming at the Y. While you're there, check out the Y's offering of fitness classes for seniors.

For those who'd rather sit at a table or computer, those boxes of memorabilia will give you plenty of items to begin your own scrapbook. (Add stories and poetry, or photos to pass down to the next family generations.) Try online chess or other games for brain stretching. Start a collection, or expand one you dabbled at before, such as coins or stamps. Consider ham radio, and talk to the world.

Even if you don't think you can paint or draw, taking a class will give you a start. (Remember that Georgia O'Keeffe painted into her 90s.) Writing a daily or weekly blog post on an online forum of your own can give you a voice to express your opinions. Stories, poetry or even a novel are at your fingertips. Take a computer class that will teach you how to create and save files, if that's where you need to begin.

Still don't know where to start? Make a list of things that interest you and expand from there. If you're good at sewing or painting, see if your skills are needed by the local theater group. If a line-dance class sounds good, try that. If you've going to travel, take a foreign-language class.

Bonus: You don't have to limit yourself to one hobby. For the most fun, combine active and sitting activities.

Rude Surgeon Should Raise Red Flags

Surgeons who are rude or disrespectful can result in patients having postoperative complications, a recent study in the JAMA Surgery journal concluded.

The two-year study was a big one, involving 32,125 patients. Researchers examined the records of all those patients, looking for patterns of medical complications within 30 days of surgery. They correlated Patient Advocacy Reporting data from patients and family members who had complained about rude behavior with the data from patients who experienced surgical complication, medical complications or readmission.

The end result: nearly 14 percent of those patients had complications such as surgical-site infections, pulmonary or renal conditions, stroke, urinary tract infections and more. Each complaint in the preceding two years increased the chances of a patient experiencing complications.

The problem extends to more than the doctor being brusque or rude to a patient. If a doctor acts that way toward a nurse, anesthesiologist or any member of the medical staff, that person might be hesitant to speak up if something seems suspect during the surgery.

Of course, malpractice is a big worry for doctors and hospitals. Part of this study was to point out to high-risk doctors just how their interpersonal behaviors, with patients as well as medical staff, can cause negative physical outcomes that can lead to those lawsuits.

So, what can you do as a patient? It's tempting to read comments that patients leave in doctor-rating websites. Know, however, that the worst doctors can get glowing online reports, real or not. Your best bet is to schedule a consultation with your potential surgeon. Ask a lot of questions. A good doctor should be glad to have an informed patient and will happily tell you what you want to know without belittling you or being rude.

(c) 2017 King Features Synd., Inc.