Do you wanna dance?

Our senior group is exploring ideas on how to bring more seniors into our center. One of the ideas that came up is the idea of a dance club once a month. Dancing has been a part of human history for thousands of years. Today, people in every culture can reap the health benefits of dancing, here are some:

A group of Australian researchers found that men and women with mood disorders who participated in a two-week tango instruction program felt less depressed and experienced significant reductions in their levels of stress, anxiety and insomnia.

A few weeks of salsa dance classes can seriously increase an older adult’s strength and balance, according to a study published in the journal Gerontology. “Salsa proved to be a safe and feasible exercise program for older adults,” said the study authors. They also noted the high adherence rate of the program—over 92 percent of participants ended up completing the full eight-week salsa dancing regimen.

Older adults with knee and hip discomfort may be able to swap their pain medications for dancing shoes, a Saint Louis University (SLU) study concluded. After engaging in a 12-week, low-impact dance program, participants with an average age of 80 years old were able to decrease the amount of pain medication they were taking by 39 percent.

People with stable chronic heart failure may derive the same aerobic health advantages from learning how to waltz as they would from more traditional forms of cardiovascular exercise, such as cycling or walking, says a study published in the journal Circulation. Unlike other types of cardiovascular exercise, dancing doesn’t necessarily require specialized equipment or workout settings, making it a much more accessible option for those looking to lower their blood pressure and cholesterol and maintain healthy body weight.

When compared to other leisure activities like playing golf, doing crosswords, reading and cycling, dancing appears to offer the best chance of helping stave off dementia. According to a 21-year study led by the Albert Einstein College of Medicine, aging adults who danced regularly had a 76 percent reduced risk of developing dementia. Experts theorize that dancing is beneficial for our brains because it combines cardiovascular exercise with split-second decision-making that taxes our neural network, forcing it to create new pathways.

Dance is a gentle and painless way to exercise because it engages the mind and body in an enjoyable way that does not feel like exercise. And it causes fewer injuries because its varied movements are less repetitive in nature. Dancing happens to be a universal form of recreation as well. Seniors with conditions like Parkinson’s disease, dementia, cancer, arthritis, asthma and heart disease can all participate. Research into using dance as a therapy for each of these ailments has unearthed a host of advantages and very few risks. However, it’s always important to clear any exercises with a doctor before beginning a new regime, especially for those with pre-existing health conditions.

Dance with your loved one like no one’s watching! The best part is that dancing doesn’t have to include formal classes or training. Simply play some favourite tunes at home and let the music inspire your movement

This is because dance lifts the spirit while benefiting the body, and anyone can learn basic dance moves with some practice. And because it is not dependent upon the season, you can enjoy dancing all year round.

Working past retirement may be good for you?

I saw a headline in a newsletter that intrigued me, it said, “Working past the age of retirement linked to improved physical and mental health” Wow, I thought that is interesting, so I clicked on the link and read the entire headline:” Working past the age of retirement linked to improved physical and mental health depending on the Job”. What an insight.

In a new study published in BMC Public Health, researchers have found that working later in life may be beneficial for some but have adverse effects on individuals in high-demand or low-reward jobs.

Research shows that working, compared to involuntary unemployment, is good for mental health; however, there is little work regarding mental and physical health outcomes for individuals who work past the age of retirement.

Some studies showed that working part-time at an older age is correlated with positive health outcomes. For instance, one study showed that older individuals who worked beyond the age of 62 were less likely to be depressed or experience sleep disturbances, but these results were not significant. After fully adjusting the results, one study found that older women in the UK who worked manual jobs were more likely to have higher depression scores, whereas women who worked professional occupations were not as negatively affected.

The researchers also found that older men who worked were less likely to require long-term care but experienced a decline in daily activities. Older women who worked were less likely to require long-term care and less likely to experience a decline in daily activities.

Overall, both retired and working older women had increased physical functioning difficulties than men. The reviewed study from the United States found increased positive physical outcomes for older individuals who worked average reward jobs, compared to low reward jobs. One study found a positive quality of life as an outcome for older individuals who worked for the purpose of staying active and for enjoyment, but not for those who worked for financial reasons.

The evaluation of an intervention intended to enable a desired work/life balance showed that individuals who had low workability benefitted from the intervention and had increased perceptions of being able to do their job.

The researchers note there were limitations of their work one was that they did not include retired individuals younger than age 64. They also, only studies written in English were used, which may have excluded other relevant work. Finally, they did not include studies focused on the effects of retirement.

The study, “Is working in later life good for your health? A systematic review of health outcomes resulting from extended working lives“, was authored by Susan Baxter, Lindsay Blank, Anna Cantrell, and Elizabeth Goyder.

What is a pension in the USA

Retirement is an anxiety-inducing topic for many. In the US, according to a 2017 census department report, 50% of women and 47% of men between ages 55 to 65 have no retirement savings.

Retirement planning is represented using the three-legged stool metaphor, with each "leg" representing social security, personal savings, and pensions. So, the idea is that if you have all three of those, you're setting yourself up for a good future.

But over time, the retirement stool is leaning heavily toward the personal savings "leg" as increasingly important since social security isn't enough to entirely support retirees — and pension plans are becoming increasingly scarce in the USA as 401(k)s have become the dominant form of employer-sponsored retirement plans.

Pensions are a type of retirement plan where the employer deposits money into it during the employee's time at a company. The amount is calculated based on the employee's salary history and length at the company. Later when the employee retires, the pension offers a monthly source of income until they pass away.

Some especially generous — and especially rare — pensions even offer survivor benefits, which provide the surviving spouse with a percent of the pension money owed to the employee.

The type of retirement plan available to you depends on your employer. Many state and local government jobs, still offer traditional pensions. However, 401(k)s are quickly taking over as the dominant retirement plan for private companies, though traditional pensions are one of several terms that labour unions may fight for in negotiations.

The value of a traditional pension is accrued throughout the employee's time working for an employer, "so the longer you work, the bigger your payoff is going to be," Parks says. The value of a pension also takes the employee's pay into consideration as well as the expected growth rate of the company.

Once an employee works at a company long enough, they become vested in their pension, which means they are guaranteed the money in their pension regardless of their position at the company — even if they get fired or move companies. Vesting is a gradual process, so if you work a few years at a company, you can become partially vested in a pension.

Some employees may not be aware that they became partially vested in their pension at a company. If you worked at a company with a pension for a few years, it may be worth your time when you retire to call back and ask if you have any money from a pension, you were vested in.

Pensions are usually either unfunded or funded: which indicates how a company is planning to pay for the pension. Money from a funded pension comes out of a pool of invested money that the employer sets aside specifically for pensions. Meanwhile, unfunded pensions are paid out directly from the company.

Here's the main difference between pensions and 401(k)s: a 401(k) is a defined-contribution plan where both employer and employee can contribute to the account and invest funds to save for retirement. A pension is a defined-benefit plan that's sponsored by the employer that offers benefits based on salary and employment history at the company. So essentially pensions are plans where the employers are set up with higher costs and investment risks. 

 

Happiness is...

Retirement for many brings happiness, but while happiness can be characterized by feelings of joy, gratitude, and contentment, how we achieve this feeling is entirely unique. For some, being happy can seem like a fleeting concept, a fading feeling brought on by success or good fortune. For others, cultivating happiness from within is the worthiest pursuit, whether it’s by slowing down and appreciating the present moment, developing a meditation practice, or reconnecting to your purpose. To quote the German-Swiss poet Herman Hesse, “Happiness is a how; not a what. A talent, not an object.”

Many of history’s greatest minds, from the ancient Greeks to modern thinkers, have meditated on the root of happiness and made some striking observations that may make you stop and think. Through these words of wisdom, a common thread to happiness just might be found — or perhaps many different threads can be weaved together to form your own personal tapestry. Below is some food for thought on happiness.

The foolish man seeks happiness in the distance, the wise grows it under his feet. – James Oppenheim

Happiness is when what you think, what you say, and what you do are in harmony. – Mahatma Gandhi

Make up your minds that happiness depends on being free, and freedom depends on being courageous. – Pericles

Happiness is not a goal…it’s a by-product. – Eleanor Roosevelt

I don’t want a job. I have eight acres of fields outside the city wall, enough for vegetables and grain. I also have an acre and a half of farmland nearby, which gives me enough silk and hemp. Strumming my zithers is enough to give me pleasure, studying Tao with you is enough to make me happy. I don’t want a job. – Yan Hui, a disciple of Confucius

Happiness is not something readymade. It comes from your own actions.

– Dalai Lama

We tend to forget that happiness doesn't come as a result of getting something we don't have, but rather of recognizing and appreciating what we do have. – Frederick Koenig

Don’t wait around for other people to be happy for you. Any happiness you get you’ve got to make yourself. – Alice Walker

Sometimes your joy is the source of your smile, but sometimes your smile can be the source of your joy. – Thich Nhat Hanh

Happiness depends upon ourselves. – Aristotle

Those who are not looking for happiness are the most likely to find it, because those who are searching forget that the surest way to be happy is to seek happiness for others. – Martin Luther King Jr.

Many persons have a wrong idea of what constitutes true happiness. It is not attained through self-gratification but through fidelity to a worthy purpose.  – Helen Keller

Success is getting what you want, happiness is wanting what you get.

– W. P. Kinsella

The happiness of your life depends upon the quality of your thoughts.

– Marcus Aurelius

The present moment is filled with joy and happiness. If you are attentive, you will see it. – Thich Nhat Hanh

All happiness depends on courage and work. – Honoré de Balzac

True happiness is to enjoy the present, without anxious dependence upon the future.  – Seneca

Happiness in this world, when it comes, comes incidentally. Make it the object of pursuit, and it leads us a wild-goose chase, and is never attained. Follow some other object, and very possibly we may find that we have caught happiness without dreaming of it. – Nathaniel Hawthorne

Happiness is something that multiplies when it is divided. – Paulo Coelho

Genuine happiness can only be achieved when we transform our way of life from the unthinking pursuit of pleasure to one committed to enriching our inner lives, when we focus on 'being more' rather than simply having more. – Daisaku Ikeda

Happiness consists more in small conveniences or pleasures that occur every day, than in great pieces of good fortune that happen but seldom to a man in the course of his life. – Benjamin Franklin

Happiness exists on earth, and it is won through prudent exercise of reason, knowledge of the harmony of the universe, and constant practice of generosity.

– José Martí

Of all the means to insure happiness throughout the whole life, by far the most important is the acquisition of friends. – Epicurus

The only way to be truly happy is to make others happy. – William Carlos Williams

Many people think excitement is happiness…. But when you are excited you are not peaceful. True happiness is based on peace. – Thich Nhat Hanh