Adventurous Aging

We can’t live an Adventurous Aging life – one of vigorous health, passionate purpose, loving relationships, and peaceful fulfillment after age 60 – if we have Dementia, “caused by a number of diseases that gradually destroy nerve cells and damage the brain, resulting in a decline in cognitive functions.” But as we live longer, dementia looms as yet another global crisis.

“Dementia is currently the 7th leading cause of death and one of the major causes of disability and dependency among older people globally,” according to the WHO, with nearly 10 million new cases of every year. While age is the strongest known risk factor for dementia, researchers have found a set of 12 “potentially modifiable risk factors,” according to The Lancet Commission’s 2020 report:
• Less education
• Hypertension
• Hearing impairment
• Smoking
• Obesity
• Depression
• Physical inactivity
• Diabetes
• Low social contact
• Excessive alcohol consumption
• Traumatic brain injury
• Air pollution

“Together the 12 modifiable risk factors account for around 40% of worldwide dementias, which consequently could theoretically be prevented or delayed,” according to The Lancet. “What we currently know is — what’s good for your heart is good for your brain, and that’s because there are a lot of vascular risk factors for dementia,” Timothy Singham, clinical psychologist at the National University of Singapore.

How to cut risks: Here are five key “protective factors” or things people can do to help prevent the onset of dementia:
• Regular physical activity
• Eating healthy
• Building a healthy support network
• Having good sleep hygiene
• Find ways to regulate stress and emotions

“Dementia cases are on the rise — avoid these 12 risks to keep your brain healthy,” by Emestine Siu, CNBC, May 7, 2024.
https://www.cnbc.com/2024/05/08/dementia-is-on-the-rise-here-are-12-risks-to-avoid-.html?utm_source=pocket-newtab-en-us

For more about Adventurous Aging, see my page, https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100082105301582. To chat about how Adventurous Aging coaching can benefit your quality of life, or someone close to you, I'd be glad to speak with you…928-202-0010, Eastern Time.

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Music does wonders for your mood, but did you know it might give your brain a boost, too? In fact, playing music—not just listening to it—has a positive effect on your cognition, even if you’re already showing signs of dementia, new research suggests.

For a meta-analysis published in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, researchers from the University of Pittsburgh examined nine studies with 495 participants over age 65 who have mild cognitive impairment (MCI) or dementia. The studies specifically evaluated older adults with MCI who took part in improvising music, playing existing music, singing, playing instruments, or other forms of music making.

Mild cognitive impairment was defined as “a preclinical state between normal cognitive aging and Alzheimer’s disease.” Dementia, an umbrella term for various age-related cognitive symptoms, was defined as a “debilitating disease that can dramatically alter the cognitive, emotional, and social aspects of a person’s life.”

The finding? Making music has a small but statistically significant effect on cognitive functioning, such as thinking and memory, says lead author Jennie L. Dorris, a Ph.D. student in rehabilitation science and a graduate student researcher in the University of Pittsburgh’s Department of Occupational Therapy.

That’s because playing music works multiple areas of your brain at the same time. “You are coordinating your motor movements with the sounds you hear and the visual patterns of the written music,” explains Dorris. “Music has been called a ‘full-body workout’ for the brain, and we think that it’s unique because it calls on multiple systems at once.”

As a bonus, music-making habits also had a positive effect on mood and quality of life—so go ahead and get musical, no matter your age. “Because we saw a positive effect across all different active music-making activities, we know that people have options and can choose the activity that they prefer,” says Dorris, “Whether it’s singing in a choir, joining a drum circle, or registering for an online music class where you learn how to compose, it’s just important that you are actively participating in the music-making process.”

Adapted from “The Creative Habit That Might Ward Off Dementia Symptoms, Even if You Start Later in Life, by Arielle Weg, May 31, 2021. getpocket.com
https://getpocket.com/explore/item/the-creative-habit-that-might-ward-off-dementia-symptoms-even-if-you-start-later-in-life

Music making is among other art forms that I believe is a vital element to prevent or lessen advanced aging’s mental declines. It can be an important part of the Adventurous Aging approach to a wonderful after age 60. For more about it, see more of the posts on this page, https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100082105301582. To chat about how Adventurous Aging coaching can benefit your quality of life, or someone close to you, I'd be glad to speak with you…928-202-0010, Eastern Time.

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What fun it was to do my five-minute stand-up act as “Merlin the Christmas Wizard” at the Artist Sanctuary of Fort Lauderdale, Florida, December 22. It combined humor related to Merlin’s “history” and the Christmas season, with insights and inspiration regarding practical magic and the art of Adventurous Aging.

Here is the Introduction I suggested: “Late in his 80-year journey, Larry Rosenberg created the persona of Merlin the Wizard – to showcase his colorful life experience, hard-earned wisdom, and joyful creativity. Merlin is a fictional character, but he has fascinated the world since the 12th century when his story was created. In Fort Lauderdale today, Merlin appears as the Christmas Wizard – to enliven and enlighten your Holiday Season.”

Here are Merlin’s riddles and jokes:
• What do you get when you cross a Snow-person with a Vampire? >Frost-bite.
• What did the very-precise English teacher call Santa's Helpers? >Subordinate Clauses.
• What do you get when you breed a Christmas tree and an i-PAD? >A pineapple!
• Christmas is the season when you buy this-year’s gifts with next-year’s money. That is, unless you know a Wizard!
• Santa made a note about what Christmas gifts to give a young Taylor Swift fan. Next to her name, he wrote, “Saw your Instagram pictures, and this year I’ll bring you clothes and a Bible.
• Joan River’s classic comment, “The one thing women don’t want to find in their stockings, on Christmas morning is their husband.

Merlin’s remarks about practical magic and the art of Adventurous Aging:
You might be curious how a Wizard thinks about Magic. We’re skilled in the art of creating illusion … BUT, our real purpose is to discover deeper truths! If you can do that – and I have a $5,000 online course for you! – the results will surprise you!
I’ll tell you the Magical Secret of my long and vigorous life: It’s called Adventurous Aging! That means making your life one exciting and daring adventure after another. Go ahead: Visit Peru. Make sushi rolls. Plant a flower garden. Age Doesn’t Matter. Your Thoughts and Feelings run your life. Age is an illusion! We Are Ageless! Your Heart tells you the Truth … it’s the Mirror that Lies to you!

For more about Adventurous Aging, see the other posts on this page. To chat about how Adventurous Aging coaching can benefit your quality of life, or someone close to you, I'd be glad to speak with you…928-202-0010, Eastern Time.

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What age are you? Your answer to this question has been shown by research to affect our wellness and longevity. Here is an inspirational perspective on the age issue. And, it is compatible with my approach to Adventurous Aging, a mindset and lifestyle coaching system for a full and fulfilling life.

"I asked an elderly woman once what it was like to be old and to know that the majority of her life was now behind her.

She told me that she has been the same age her entire life. She said the voice inside of her head had never aged. She has always just been the same girl. Her mother's daughter. She had always wondered when she would grow up and be an old woman.

She said she watched her body age and her faculties dull but the person she is inside never got tired. She never aged. She never changed.

Remember, our spirits are eternal. Our souls are forever. The next time you encounter an elderly person, look at them and know they are still a child, just as you are still a child and children will always need love, attention and purpose." - Author Unknown

For more about Adventurous Aging, see more of the posts on this page. To chat about how Adventurous Aging coaching can benefit your quality of life, or someone close to you, I'd be glad to speak with you…928-202-0010, Eastern Time.

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