As you grow older, if you continue eating the same types and amounts of food but do not become more active, you will probably gain weight. That’s because your metabolism (how your body gets energy from food) can slow with age, and your body composition (amount of fat and muscle) may be different from when you were younger.

The energy your body gets from the nutrients in the food you eat is measured as calories. As a rule of thumb, the more calories you eat, the more active you have to be to maintain your weight. Likewise, the reverse is also true—the more active you are, the more calories you need. As you age, your body might need less food for energy, but it still needs the same amount of nutrients.

Many things can affect your weight, including genetics, age, gender, lifestyle, family habits and culture, sleep, and even where you live and work. Some of these factors can make it hard to lose weight or keep weight off.

But being active and choosing healthy foods has health benefits for everyone—no matter your age or weight. It’s important to choose nutrient-dense foods and be active at least 150 minutes per week.

Aim for at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic activity each week. You don’t have to do that all at once—break it up over the whole week, however you like. If you can’t do this much activity right away, try to be as physically active as you can. Doing something is better than doing nothing at all.

The benefits of exercise aren’t just about weight. Regular exercise can make it easier for you to do daily activities, participate in outings, drive, keep up with grandchildren, avoid falls, and stay independent.

You don’t have to spend a lot of money joining a gym or hiring a personal trainer. Think about the kinds of physical activities that you enjoy—for example, walking, running, bicycling, gardening, housecleaning, swimming, or dancing. Try to make time to do what you enjoy on most days of the week. And then increase how long you do it,or add another fun activity.

Learn more about exercise and physical activity from NIA’s Go4Life, which offers a variety of free, evidence-based resources for older adults in one convenient spot.

For More Information on Maintaining a Healthy Weight

President’s Council on Sports, Fitness & Nutrition

1-240-276-9567

[email protected]

www.fitness.gov

U.S. Department of Agriculture

1-202-720-2791

www.usda.gov

National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK)

1-800-860-8747 (toll-free)

1-866-569-1162 (TTY/toll-free)

[email protected]

www.niddk.nih.gov

National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute

1-301-592-8573

[email protected]

www.nhlbi.nih.gov

Executive Director, Eric Terrill, and Director of Business Development, Ronald Agulto of The Lexington Assisted Living in Ventura are very pleased to invite the senior community to an afternoon of dancing and music, with the possibility of romance for those so inclined.

The Valentine’s Day Sweetheart Dance & Social will take place on Friday, February 14, 2020 from 2:00pm until 4:30pm. at The Lexington Assisted Living, located at 5440 Ralston St., Ventura.

Dancing, appetizers and specialty drinks are on tap at this afternoon event for those who attend. Live entertainment will be provided by professional singer/songwriter, recording artist and multi-instrumentalist Bob Bishop. Bishop will be performing a wide variety of R&B, Rock, Classic Rock and Blues.

R.S.V.P. before February 11, 2020 to [email protected].

For more information or driving directions please telephone The Lexington at (805) 644-6710.

www.LexingtonLiving.net.

by Patty Jenkins

The Ventura Parkinson’s Disease Support Group is pleased to invite our Members, Friends and the Public to attend our second meeting of the New Year on February 12, 2020 from 12:30PM to 2:30PM at Ventura City Hall’s Community Meeting Room (#202 ). We are pleased to have the Ventura County Area Agency on Aging join us with an overview and presentations of their program “A Matter of Balance” and also their Nutrition Program to help us improve the quality of our lives as we face the many challenges of Parkinson’s Disease including aging!

Jannette Jauregui, Public Information Officer for the Ventura County Area Agency on Aging, (VCAAA) will provide us with a quick overview of the many services provided by the VCAAA that can benefit all of us.

Carol Vaughn, Fall Prevention Program Instructor of the VCAAA, will give us an overview of their “A Matter of Balance” classes which are designed for those 60 and older who may be more inactive than active and have poor balance. It is also for those who are at risk for falling, may also have experienced a fall and/or may have developed a fear of falling. The goal of this easy-to-do exercise regimen is to improve balance, strength, flexibility, and self-confidence. The VCAAA Fall Prevention Program strives to assist adults to maintain their independence at home.

Patti Jaeger is a Registered Dietitian with the VCAAA Senior Nutrition Program. She will give us information and an overview of their free nutrition counseling services and classes available to Ventura County residents as part of an effort to promote healthy living among older adults. Nutrition counseling services and classes include personalized one-on-one or group settings with a registered dietitian and a focus on healthy eating and variety of other individualized concerns.

The Ventura Parkinson’s Disease Support Group welcomes the public along with those who find themselves navigating the challenges of Parkinson’s Disease and other neurological conditions. Hand-out resources available at every meeting. We are an independent and volunteer-organized group not affiliated with any other organization or group. For more information and detailed directions to our meetings, please call Patty at 805-766-6070.

Scammers are pretending to be government employees. Scammers will try to scare you and trick you into giving them your personal information and money. They may threaten you or your family and may demand immediate payment to avoid arrest or other legal action.

Don’t be fooled!
If you receive a suspicious call:
1. Hang up!

2. Do not give them money or personal information!

3. Report the scam at OIG.SSA.GOV!

The call or email says there is a problem with your Social Security Number or account.

Someone asking you to pay a fine or debt with retail gift cards, wire transfers, pre-paid debit cards, internet currency, or by mailing cash.

Scammers pretend they’re from Social Security or another government agency. Caller ID or documents sent by email may look official but they are not.

Callers threaten you with arrest or other legal action.

Social Security may call you in some situations but will never:

Threaten you
Suspend your Social Security Number
Demand immediate payment from you
Require payment by cash, gift card, pre-paid debit card, or wire transfer
Ask for gift card numbers over the phone or to wire or mail cash

Protect yourself, friends and family!

If you receive a questionable call, hang up and report it at oig.ssa.gov
Don’t be embarrassed to report financial loss or sharing information
Learn more at oig.ssa.gov/scam
Share this information with others

The Ventura County Area Agency on Aging and the AARP Foundation are partnering to offer tax preparation services to residents of Ventura County. This service is free and available to anyone of low to moderate income and may be especially suited to those 50 and older. Services are available beginning February 3.

To receive services, individuals must bring all necessary documentation, including applicable Social Security cards, a photo ID, a copy of 2018 tax returns, and 2019 documents showing income from all sources including wages, Social Security, interest, dividends, investments, self-employment and pensions.

For individuals that itemize deductions, please provide total figures for each category of deduction, including medical, charitable contributions, property tax, and mortgage interest. Any individual that received a health insurance statement (Form 1095-A, 1095-B or 1095-C), is asked to also bring the required documentation. Volunteers are unable to prepare returns for married taxpayers who file separate returns, or for taxpayers with rental property income. Volunteers are also unable to prepare out-of-state tax returns.

AARP representatives will be available on Mondays and Wednesdays from 12 p.m. – 4 p.m. through April 15 at the VCAAA offices located at 646 County Square Drive in Ventura. No appointment is necessary, and participants are not required to be AARP members. This location is accessible to individuals with disabilities.

The AARP Foundation operates the AARP Tax-Aide program under a cooperative agreement with the IRS. To help you complete your tax forms, AARP’s trained and IRS-certified volunteers will see personal information that you give them about you and your finances. This information is strictly confidential. We will not share your information with anyone except as necessary to accurately file your tax returns or as otherwise required by law. AARP Foundation Tax-Aide has more than 5,000 locations in neighborhood libraries, malls, banks, community centers and senior centers. There’s no fee and no sales pitch for other services and AARP membership is not required. 

The Ventura County Area Agency on Aging, an agency of the County of Ventura, is the principal agency in Ventura County charged with the responsibility to promote the development and implementation of a comprehensive coordinated system of care that enables older individuals, people with disabilities, and their caregivers to live in a community-based setting and to advocate for the needs of those 60 years of age and older in the county, providing leadership and promoting citizen involvement in the planning process as well as in the delivery of services.

People with better cardiovascular health at age 50 may be less likely than those with poor cardiovascular health to develop dementia later in life. The findings, published in BMJ, suggest that middle-aged adults may be able to reduce their risk of dementia by controlling high blood pressure and cholesterol and avoiding other risk factors for heart disease and stroke.

Because previous studies suggested a link between cardiovascular risk factors and cognitive decline, researchers at INSERM in Paris and at University College London examined cardiovascular risk factors 25 years before a diagnosis of dementia in Britain’s Whitehall II study, supported in part by NIA.

At the beginning of the study, the 7,899 participants did not have cardiovascular disease or dementia. The researchers used the American Heart Association’s Life Simple 7 measures to categorize each participant’s cardiovascular health at age 50 as poor, intermediate or optimal. The measures included smoking, diet, physical activity, body mass index, blood sugar level, cholesterol and blood pressure.

By examining health records, the researchers found that 347 participants developed dementia over the 25-year study period. Individuals with optimal and intermediate cardiovascular health were less likely to develop dementia than those with poor cardiovascular health, the researchers found.

The same researchers also examined magnetic resonance images of the brain from 708 participants in the Whitehall II study. Compared with those with poor cardiovascular health at age 50, those with intermediate and optimal cardiovascular health scores had larger brain volume 20 years later. This finding suggests that those with poor cardiovascular health at midlife may be more likely to have reduced brain volume in their later years. In people with dementia, especially from Alzheimer’s, the volume of brain tissue shrinks.

These results are important because they suggest that even small improvements in cardiovascular health at midlife could not only reduce heart disease but also benefit cognitive health many years later. More research is needed to identify how heart-related risk factors before and after age 50 may increase the chance of developing dementia and what the ideal interventions would be in middle age or later life.

This research was funded in part by NIA grants R01AG056477 and R01AG034454.

The Dietary Guidelines describes three USDA Food Patterns, each of which includes slight variations in amounts recommended from different food groups. For example, people 50 or older following the Healthy U.S.-Style Eating Pattern choose foods every day from the following:

Vegetables—2 to 3 cups

Fruits—1½ to 2 cups

Grains—5 to 8 ounces

Dairy —3 cups (fat-free or low-fat)

Protein foods—5 to 6½ ounces

Oils—5 to 7 teaspoons

Does this mean you have to measure or weigh everything you eat? Not really. Some people find it helps to measure things carefully at first, but once you get used to your new eating plan, strict measuring probably won’t be necessary. But, what exactly is a serving? And is that different from a portion?

A “serving size” is a standard amount of a food, such as a cup or an ounce. Serving sizes can help you when choosing foods and when comparing like items while shopping, but they are not recommendations for how much of a certain food to eat.

The term “portion” means how much of a food you are served or how much you eat. A portion size can vary from meal to meal. For example, at home you may serve yourself two small pancakes in one portion, but at a restaurant, you may get a large stack of pancakes as one portion. A portion size may also be bigger than a serving size. For example, the serving size on the Nutrition Facts label for your favorite cereal may be 1 cup, but you may pour yourself 1½ cups in a bowl.

Portion size can be a problem when eating out. To keep your portion sizes under control, try ordering one or two small appetizers instead of a large entrée. Or, you could share an entrée with a friend, or eat just half and ask for a take-out container for the rest. Put the leftovers in the fridge as soon as possible. Then enjoy them the next day for lunch or dinner.

Being physically active with your family is a great way to stay healthy and make exercise fun. And being physically active can be more fun when you’re with someone you love.

Whether you play team sports with the entire family or take brisk walks with your spouse, child, or grandchild, you’ll be rewarded with improved health and time spent together.

Grandparents and grandchildren playing basketball together and smiling

Family gatherings are the perfect time for team sports and outdoor activities.

Choose teams for softball, basketball, or kickball.

Sign up for family tournaments to play tennis, bowling, or volleyball.

Go biking, jogging, or hiking at a nearby park.

If you live near water, try sailing, canoeing, or rafting.

Family members can make great exercise buddies.

Take yoga or water aerobics classes.

Ping pong is fun for a twosome or a foursome.

Our pets are family, too! Brisk walks with a canine buddy are healthy for both of you.

Be Active with Your Grandchildren!

Build a healthy lifestyle that includes your grandchildren. Start being active together when your grandchildren are young. Pretty soon, it will be a regular part of your life and theirs! Go4Life has activity ideas for children of all ages:

Infants and Toddlers

• Take them for walks in the stroller and rides on your bike. Don’t forget your helmets.
• Play games that get your bodies moving—Wheels on the Bus, Pretend We’re Animals, and Hide-and-Seek.
• Sign up for baby yoga or exercise classes.
• Try baby-friendly swimming classes.

School-Aged Children

• Walk to the park and push their swing.
• Jump rope together.
• Build a fort—indoors or out.
• Play catch, kickball, basketball, or soccer.
• Go swimming or biking together.
• Play a video fitness game together and see who wins!

Teens and Young Adults

• Participate in activities that interest them. Try hiking, skating, or tennis.
• Go golfing or swimming. Invite them to join you in physical activities that require two people, such as tennis or ping pong.
• Ask them to help you in the garden or with heavy-duty household chores.

If you’ve had Medicare Part B (Medical Insurance) for longer than 12 months, you can get a yearly “Wellness” visit once every 12 months to develop or update a personalized prevention plan. Your provider may also perform a cognitive impairment assessment.

Your costs in Original Medicare

You pay nothing for this visit if your doctor or other qualified health care provider accepts assignment.

The Part B deductible doesn’t apply.

However, you may have to pay coinsurance, and the Part B deductible may apply if:

Your doctor or other health care provider performs additional tests or services during the same visit.

These additional tests or services aren’t covered under the preventive benefits.

What it is

The cognitive impairment assessment is performed to look for signs of Alzheimer’s disease or dementia.

The personalized prevention plan is designed to help prevent disease and disability based on your current health and risk factors. Your provider will ask you to fill out a questionnaire, called a “Health Risk Assessment,” as part of this visit. Answering these questions can help you and your provider develop a personalized prevention plan to help you stay healthy and get the most out of your visit. It can also include:

A review of your medical and family history.

Developing or updating a list of current providers and prescriptions.

Height, weight, blood pressure, and other routine measurements.

Detection of any cognitive impairment.

Personalized health advice.

A list of risk factors and treatment options for you.

A screening schedule (like a checklist) for appropriate preventive services. Get details about coverage for screenings, shots, and other preventive services.

Advance care planning