How True...

Life is half spent before we know what it is.
George Herbert

That Sinking Feeling

I am really having a difficult time emotionally these days--extremely depressed and hopeless. Once in a great while there are a few relatively happy hours (no, not that kind of happy hour), but most of the time there is a cry, cry, curl up and die kind of depression and overwhelming fatigue.

An insightful quote about age

“Forty is the old age of youth; fifty is the youth of old age.”--Victor Hugo

Rueful laughs

Q: Where can women over the age of 50 find young, sexy men, who are interested in them?
A: Try a bookstore under fiction

Q: What can a man do while his wife is going through menopause?
A: Keep busy. If you're handy with tools, you can finish the basement. When you are done you will have a place to live.

Q: How can you increase the heart rate of your 50+ year old husband?
A: Tell him you're pregnant.

Q: How can you avoid spotting a wrinkle every time you walk by a mirror?
A: The next time you're in front of a mirror, take off your glasses.

Q: Why should 50+ year old people use valet parking?
A: Valets don't forget where they park your car.

Q: Is it common for 50+ year olds to have problems with short term memory storage?
A: Storing memory is not a problem, retrieving it is a problem.

Q: As people age, do they sleep more soundly?
A: Yes, but usually in the afternoon.

Q: Where do 50+ year olds look for fashionable glasses?
A: Their foreheads.

Q: What is the most common remark made by 50+ year olds when they enter antique stores?
A: "I remember these".

from Bits & Pieces

Walkable neighborhoods & depression risk linked: study

clipped from news.yahoo.com Living in a pedestrian-friendly neighborhood may help shield older men from depression, a new study suggests. Researchers found that among 740 older adults living in the Seattle area, men who lived in more walkable neighborhoods tended to show fewer depression symptoms than men from less walker-friendly areas. Walkable neighborhoods have sidewalks, streets with safe intersections, and stores, restaurants and other destinations within a short distance. In their study, Berke and his colleagues found that men who lived in such areas had lower scores on a standard measure of depression -- even with other factors, like overall health, income and exercise habits, taken into account. if pedestrian-friendly neighborhoods do offer depression protection, that would be important for older adults who are deciding where to live after they retire It could also mean that more senior centers and assisted living facilities should be built in walkable neighborhoods.

Suburban sprawl is not just an environmental issue; this study indicates that it is also mental health issue, particularly for men.

PAWS: pet project helps seniors, too

clipped from news.yahoo.com Living in a pedestrian-friendly neighborhood may help shield older men from depression, a new study suggests. Researchers found that among 740 older adults living in the Seattle area, men who lived in more walkable neighborhoods tended to show fewer depression symptoms than men from less walker-friendly areas. Walkable neighborhoods have sidewalks, streets with safe intersections, and stores, restaurants and other destinations within a short distance. In their study, Berke and his colleagues found that men who lived in such areas had lower scores on a standard measure of depression -- even with other factors, like overall health, income and exercise habits, taken into account. if pedestrian-friendly neighborhoods do offer depression protection, that would be important for older adults who are deciding where to live after they retire It could also mean that more senior centers and assisted living facilities should be built in walkable neighborhoods.

Heartwarming news for a change!

Side note: Ola Carlson, the elderly woman featured in this story, apparently led a wild life. Read the article for the racy details.

Artful Aging? Let's hope so

The point of view expressed in this website is refreshing, and will hopefully help heal the psychological traumas some people experience when they realize they are no longer young in years or appearance.



Changing the American Style of Aging

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Reflection

It is a most mortifying reflection for a man to consider what he has done, compared to what he might have done.
Samuel Johnson