Take a walk together each day. Exercise is good for caregivers, too!
Use exercise videos or check your local TV guide to see if there is a program to help older adults exercise.
Dance to music.
Be realistic about how much activity can be done at one time. Several short “mini-workouts” may be best.
Make sure he or she wears comfortable clothes and shoes that fit well and are made for exercise.
Make sure he or she drinks water or juice after exercise.
Even if the person has trouble walking, they may be able to:

Do simple tasks around the home, such as sweeping and dusting.
Use a stationary bike.
Use soft rubber exercise balls or balloons for stretching or throwing back and forth.
Use stretching bands.
Lift weights or household items such as soup cans.

by Patricia Schallert

There are many seniors among us who have lived and continue to live lives that can be considered “success stories” …. Let’s meet Kathleen Good from CAPS RADIO KPPQ 104.1 FM and see how she sees it.

Kathleen Good, an incredible retiree with a second or maybe third career, is a talk show host at CAPS Media, KPPQ 104.1 FM. (Community Access Partners of San Buenaventura) She attended UW-Madison, Wisconsin and earned a Masters Degree in Rehabilitation Psychology—Special Education.

She worked to set up a first generation of special education resource classrooms. Then reflected that after a life-changing event, she took an opportunity to go to New York that had always intrigued her. While working with learning disabled students in art, she created three-dimensional fiber pieces which were so unusual they found their way into New York galleries and shows and gave her a reason to make the move to New York.

Kathleen moved to London after meeting her husband where she did training for a qualification in psychotherapy/counseling and developed a private practice. Her niche specialty was working with artists who were experiencing creative blocks and unable to move forward with their chosen artistic form.

After a couple of false starts, Kathleen settled less on the idea of retirement and more on working in radio and television. When she discovered CAPS Media, a non-profit in Ventura, Kathleen initially produced funny videos on climate change. When CAPS added a radio service, KPPQ 104.1 FM, she found it to be a great fit for expanding her ideas on women’s equality. To create the show, she used all the experiences gained during years of teaching, counseling, and making art—as well as the technical skills she learned from the master-level CAPS staff.

With no experience in radio at all, she launched “In The Women’s Room” a radio talk show at CAPS Radio dedicated to “educating the public about women’s issues, women’s concerns, and women in the arts.” “In the Women’s Room” exists, Kathleen reflects, to “support and appreciate women.” She hosts guests who give women ideas, expertise, information, and resources about universal issues and concerns.” She is focusing this year on women working in climate mitigation and that includes women in action groups, government entities, and non-profit agencies.

Kathleen feels she lives a happy successful retirement and values the turning points in her life as they created the opportunities that moved her forward. She takes her time producing a show so she is able to do research, consider questions, write and edit, and works hard to get to know her guest so she can get out the very best message to the public

Kathleen responded to my question about lessons she has learned over the years with these thoughts: “I think there is a remedy to every problem or issue if you look long enough. Even problems that can’t be entirely fixed, can be lessened, alleviated or mitigated.” She also believes that movement (stretching and strengthening) is the key to being able to continue with her relevant work. Her day is centered around movement work-outs interspersed with computer time, Zooming and talking!

Editor: If you are a senior, or know of one, who would like to share their retirement, or job, with us let us know at [email protected].

by National Institute on Aging

Many older people don’t sleep well. If you’re always sleepy or you find it hard to get enough sleep at night, it may be time to see a doctor. Waking up every day feeling tired is a sign that you are not getting the rest you need.

Older adults need about the same amount of sleep as all adults—7 to 9 hours each night. But, older people tend to go to sleep earlier and get up earlier than they did when they were younger.

There are many reasons why older people may not get enough sleep at night. Feeling sick or being in pain can make it hard to sleep. Some medicines can keep you awake. No matter the reason, if you don’t get a good night’s sleep, the next day you may:

• Be irritable
• Have memory problems or be forgetful
• Feel depressed
• Have more falls or accidents
• Get a Good Night’s Sleep
• Getting a good night’s sleep infographic icon. Click through for full text.
• Read and share this infographic to get tips on how to get a good night’s sleep.

Being older doesn’t mean you have to be tired all the time. You can do many things to help you get a good night’s sleep. Here are some ideas:

• Follow a regular sleep schedule. Go to sleep and get up at the same time each day, even on weekends or when you are traveling.
• Avoid napping in the late afternoon or evening, if you can. Naps may keep you awake at night.
• Develop a bedtime routine.
• Take time to relax before bedtime each night. Some people read a book, listen to soothing music, or soak in a warm bath.
• Try not to watch television or use your computer, cell phone, or tablet in the bedroom. The light from these devices may make it difficult for you to fall asleep. And alarming or unsettling shows or movies, like horror movies, may keep you awake.
• Keep your bedroom at a comfortable temperature, not too hot or too cold, and as quiet as possible.
• Use low lighting in the evenings and as you prepare for bed.
• Exercise at regular times each day but not within 3 hours of your bedtime.
• Avoid eating large meals close to bedtime—they can keep you awake.
• Stay away from caffeine late in the day. Caffeine (found in coffee, tea, soda, and chocolate) can keep you awake.

Having trouble sleeping can mean you:

• Take a long time to fall asleep
• Wake up many times in the night
• Wake up early and are unable to get back to sleep
• Wake up tired
• Feel very sleepy during the day

Often, being unable to sleep becomes a habit. Some people worry about not sleeping even before they get into bed. This may make it harder to fall asleep and stay asleep.

Some older adults who have trouble sleeping may use over-the-counter sleep aids. Others may use prescription medicines to help them sleep. These medicines may help when used for a short time. But remember, medicines aren’t a cure for insomnia.

Developing healthy habits at bedtime may help you get a good night’s sleep.

Exposure to social stress was associated with accelerated aging of the immune system, according to an NIA-funded study recently published in PNAS. The body’s immune system changes as people age, and there’s large variability in these changes. The study, led by researchers at UCLA, investigated whether social stressors added to immune system decline.

The researchers analyzed data from more than 5,500 people enrolled in the Health and Retirement Study, a long-term, nationally representative study of Americans over age 50. The researchers measured stress by analyzing responses to questions about exposure to various types of social stress, including discrimination, trauma, and other life events, such as unemployment. They also analyzed the participants’ immune profiles — a snapshot of immune system function — by drawing blood and measuring white blood cell levels, specifically T lymphocytes (also called T cells). T cells are an essential part of the immune system and help the body fight off infection.

Results showed that exposure to social stress was associated with a greater proportion of T cells committed only to fighting infections like those already encountered and fewer T cells that could adapt to new challenges, indicative of accelerated immune aging. The association between social stress and T cells was still present even after controlling for education, smoking, drinking, body mass index, and race or ethnicity.

Researchers did find that, after controlling for lifestyle factors such as diet and exercise habits, the connection between stress and accelerated immune aging was not as strong. These findings suggest that improving diet and exercise behaviors in older adults may help offset the immune aging associated with stress.

Increased immune aging is associated with chronic diseases, weakened response to acute infections, increased risk of pneumonia, reduced efficacy of vaccines, and organ system aging. This study provides important insights into the effect of social stress on immune aging, highlighting the key role of health behaviors and social-environmental conditions. It also identifies potential intervention points that may be useful in addressing inequalities in aging.

This research was supported in part by NIA grants U01AG009740 and P30AG017265.