High BMI as a senior, can have a negative impact on cognition

The following is from Medical News Today and was published in October 2016

There are plenty of reasons it's important to maintain a healthy weight, and now you can add one more to the list: It may be good for your brain.

Researchers from the University of Arizona have found that having a higher body mass index, or Body Mass Index (BM!), can negatively impact cognitive functioning in older adults.

"The higher your BMI, the more your inflammation goes up," said Kyle Bourassa, lead author of the study, which is published in the journal Brain, Behavior and Immunity. "Prior research has found that inflammation - particularly in the brain - can negatively impact brain function and cognition."

Previous studies also have linked higher BMI - an index of body fat based on height and weight - to lower cognitive functioning. But how and why the two are connected was far less clear.

"We saw this effect, but it's a black box. What goes in between?" said Bourassa, a UA psychology doctoral student. "Establishing what biologically plausible mechanisms explain this association is important to be able to intervene later."

Bourassa and his co-author, UA psychology professor David Sbarra, analyzed data from the English Longitudinal Study of Aging, which includes over 12 years' worth of information on the health, well-being and social and economic circumstances of the English population age 50 and older.

Using two separate samples from the study - one of about 9,000 people and one of about 12,500 - researchers looked at aging adults over a six-year period. They had information on study participants' BMI, inflammation and cognition, and they found the same outcome in both samples.

"The higher participants' body mass at the first time point in the study," Bourassa said, "the greater the change in their CRP levels over the next four years. CRP stands for C-reactive protein, which is a marker in the blood of systemic inflammation in your body. Change in CRP over four years then predicted change in cognition six years after the start of the study. The body mass of these people predicted their cognitive decline through their levels of systemic inflammation."

The findings support existing literature linking inflammation to cognitive decline and take it a step further by illuminating the important role of body mass in the equation.

Sbarra added a word of caution in trying to understand the findings.

"The findings provide a clear and integrative account of how BMI is associated with cognitive decline through systemic inflammation, but we need to remember that these are only correlational findings," he said. "Of course, correlation does not equal causation. The findings suggest a mechanistic pathway, but we cannot confirm causality until we reduce body mass experimentally, then examine the downstream effects on inflammation and cognition."

"Experimental studies finding whether reducing inflammation also improves cognition would be the gold standard to establish that this is a causal effect," Bourassa added.

Cognitive decline is a normal part of aging, even in healthy adults, and can have a significant impact on quality of life. The current research may provide valuable insights for possible interventions and new research directions in that area.

"If you have high inflammation, in the future we may suggest using anti-inflammatories not just to bring down your inflammation but to hopefully also help with your cognition," Bourassa said.

Of course, maintaining a healthy weight is also good for overall health, he added.

"Having a lower body mass is just good for you, period. It's good for your health and good for your brain," Bourassa said.

Ageing Well

Recommendations for action: Ageing Well by Peggy Edwards, Consultant on Ageing at the Council for Senior Citizens Conference 2016

You can learn more at this website: http://grandmothersadvocacy.org/

1.    Combat stereotypes of seniors and aging in our culture and inform people about the diversity there is among seniors.

2.    Recognize the potential for isolation and loneliness for seniors who live alone and provide interventions that reduce isolation.

3.    Provide more support to informal caregivers (e.g. respite and day care) and consult with them about their needs. Pay attention to “sandwich generation” carers who are looking after multiple generations at the same time.

4.    Provide adequate and flexible in-home care services in the community (including some non-personal care supports such as house cleaning) so that seniors can “age in place” in their later years.

5.    Address issues in residential care, including staff shortages, lack privacy, and overmedication. Make the maintenance of “quality of life” the main goal of care and accommodation in the last few years of life.

6.    Address the problem of affordability and access to oral health, eye care and nutritious foods for low-income seniors.

7.    Recognize and support the (unpaid) care that grandparents provide to children.

8.    Communicate appropriately with seniors. Engage and listen to seniors of all ages. Provide information in-person and by phone in addition to electronic communication.

9.    Support intergenerational policies, programs, and practices based on “village” planning, not silos between age groups. Reach out and collaborate with younger generations, mentor and role model, and build advocacy and capacity together.

10. Support research and programs that use technology to enhance the health and well-being of older adults and enable them to continue to live independently.

11. Support story-telling with seniors (in all forms) that break down stereotypes, record lived history, demonstrate the resilience of seniors and share wisdom, and experience across generations.

12. Support a new more flexible life course paradigm that:

•       allows people to go in and out of learning, work, caregiving and leisure at different times throughout the life course

•       embrace a human rights approach that concentrates on reducing inequities, particularly among our most vulnerable seniors

•       creates an intergenerational community of caring that encourages boys and men to take on key roles and responsibilities, and that provides policies and programs that support parents and family caregivers.

13. Acknowledge and celebrate seniors’ contributions in informal caregiving, voluntarism, and activism.

Happy 150th Birthday Canada

Canada Day celebrates the birthday of Canada. 150 years ago, On July 1, 1867, Canada became a new federation with its own constitution by signing the Constitution Act - formerly known as the British North America Act.

Community-driven projects form the basis for the celebrations of Canada’s 150th anniversary of Confederation.

Communities all across the country are celebrating today and highlighting regional talent and expertise, as well as the various facets of Canada’s diversity. Projects include festivals, youth exchanges and forums, cultural projects and works of art.

Join the celebration, it’s happening in your community too! Here is a partial list of what is happening in BC today.

• Alberni Valley Chamber of Commerce - Tri-Conic Challenge
• Association des francophones des Kootenays Ouest - Théâtre bilingue de marionnettes de pionniers francophones de la C.B. (in french only)
• Centre for Indo Canadian Studies (University of Fraser Valley) – (Dis) Enfranchisement: 1907-1947 The Forty Year Struggle.
• City of Fort St. John - Canada 150 Mural Mosaic
• Corporation of the City of White Rock - The Journey: Celebrating 150 Years
• District of Port Hardy - Local First Nations History Murals
• Inclusion BC Foundation Society - BC Disability Pride Celebration and Parade
• Le Cercle des Canadiens Français de Prince George - Construction d'un canot d'écorce dans le cadre du 150ème du Canada (in french Only)
• Pacific Salmon Foundation - UNINTERRUPTED
• Peace-Liard Regional Arts Council - Alaska Highway Punk Art Project
• SCBC Stewardship Centre for BC Society - Celebrating Stewardship, Creating Stewardship Legacies
• The Corporation of the City of Duncan - Carving a Connection in Cowichan - A Commemorative Totem for Canada's 150th
• Vancouver Native Housing Society - The Kanata Project

Questions to ask in your 50's about Retirement Planning

Retirement planning is not just about finding the money to live. That is important, but as my mother told me, you really don’t need as much money in retirement as they tell you. I believed her. Before settling into a new life as a retiree, there are the practical realities, of course: money, location, health care. Once those are arranged, however, what comes next?

One of the most important areas to plan for when you are planning for retirement is the answer to this question: Do you have a reason to get up in the morning? In addition to this important question, here are some others that you should consider as you move toward a viable retirement plan. The questions are mostly short but hardly simple. There are many others and the hard part is that no one can answer for you. Here are a few:

Purpose Questions:

•               What do I want to do with my time now?

•               What will get me out of bed each morning?

•               Do you have special interests and hobbies? If so, have you included these costs in your monthly expenses?

•               What gives me pleasure?

•               What do I most care about?

•               Can I use my career experience in new ways now?

•               What's been missing from my life?

•               What have I always dreamed about doing?

•               What gives me a sense of purpose?

•               What and who are most important to me?

•               What does an ideal day look like?

Questions about where you will live

•               Do you know the date you plan to retire?

•               Where do you plan on living?

•               Are you staying in your home?

•               Will you be downsizing?

Money Questions

·       Do you have a handle on your monthly living expenses? Can you list them exactly?

·       Do you have an emergency fund?

o   If not what amount of money will you need to set aside to build your cash emergency fund?

·       What is the amount of Social Security benefit you will be receiving?

o   When will it start?

·       What is the total amount of all your retirement savings?

·       Do you know what required minimum distributions are?

·       Do you realise that your investment risk profile needs to be re-evaluated as a retiree?

·       Do you plan on earning income during your early retirement years? If so how will you do this by working part-time, or doing consulting or pursuing an income generating hobby?

Health Questions

•               Are you healthy?

•               Do you have a Chronic Illness or Do you currently have special health issues that need consideration? If so have you planned on how these will be looked after?

•               Do you have long-term disability insurance?

End of Life Planning

•               Do you have life insurance?

•               Do you have a will?

•               Do you know the importance of having a Power of Attorney for medical and financial matters?

If you start your retirement planning process early and take it step by step, making it a priority project, as if your future life depends on it — which it does — you just might be living your dream during your retirement years.

There are a couple of resources that may help you to feel more relaxed about financial planning. The first book by Ralph Warner (founder of Nolo Press): "Get a Life: You don't need a million to retire well."

http://www.powells.com/book/get-a-life-9781413300840/62-0

Money for retirement doesn't matter? Well, not exactly. Warner puts a different spin on how to prepare for retirement by recognising that a sensible savings plan is important, but the real keys to a successful retirement are good health, spiritual life, relationships with family and friends, and having interesting things to do.

Some of the author's main points are: (1) The difference between a happy, fulfilling retirement and "waiting for the undertaker" is not money but quality of life -- family, friends, good health, and meaningful activities that give you a reason to get up in the morning. (2) It's possible to estimate fairly accurately how much money you'll need to live on after you retire, and in most cases, it's nowhere near the "70% of your present income" that the doom-Sayers insist that you need to maintain your present lifestyle. The author tells readers how to access a free set of "retirement calculators" on the Nolo Press web site to assist them in financial planning, and that alone is worth the price of the book. I have linked to the calculators here, but you should still read or buy the book.

The second resource is a book by Harold Pollack and Helaine Olen called "The Index Card: Why personal finance doesn't have to be complicated."

http://www.powells.com/book/index-card-why-personal-finance-doesnt-have-to-be-complicated-9780143130529/62-0

This book will empower you. Personal Finance is marketed to us with wild and entertaining stock-picking shows on Television and by the Big Banks as something that is complicated. As shown in this book it is not complicated. As the title indicates, Olen's and Pollack's answer fits on an Index Card.

1.           Strive to save 10%-20% of your income.

2.           Pay your credit cards off every month (and minimise other debt).

3.          Maximise your 401(k) and other tax-advantaged savings accounts.

4.          Never buy or sell individual stocks.

5.          Buy inexpensive well-diversified indexed mutual funds and exchange-traded funds.

6.          Hire a fee-based fiduciary (avoid commission-based financial salespeople).

7.          Wait to buy only as much home as you can afford  (remember homes are usually highly-leveraged investments with high maintenance costs).

8.          Buy term life insurance, auto-insurance (especially liability), home insurance or renter's insurance, and disability insurance.

9.          Support the social safety net (government programs,  such as Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, and student loans, because 96% of American depend on such programs for financial assistance, even though  40% deny obtaining help from the government.)

10.      Keep doing the first 9.