WASHINGTON (News Blaze/Daily News), April 24, 2008:
The Home Safety Council, the only national nonprofit organization solely dedicated to preventing unintentional home injuries, applauds today's enactment of the Safety of Seniors Act. The bill, signed into law by President Bush yesterday, comes at a critical time when each year, one in three Americans age 65 and older falls and about 30 percent of those who fall require medical treatment.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Atlanta, it costs more than $19 billion annually to treat the elderly for the effects of falls.
This Public Law 110-202 will develop effective public and professional education strategies to raise awareness about elder falls, encourage research to identify at-risk populations and evaluate falls interventions, and support demonstration projects aimed at preventing falls among older Americans.
Patricia Adkins, Chief Operating Officer of the Home Safety Council, applauded "the enactment of an important law that will help keep millions of older Americans safe from falls-related injuries."
Additional Funding Needed
Based on CDC figures, more than $19 billion annually is spent on treating the elderly for the adverse effects of falls: $12 billion for hospitalization, $4 billion for emergency department visits, and $3 billion for outpatient care. Most of these expenses are paid for by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services through Medicare. It is projected that direct treatment costs from elder falls will escalate to $43.8 billion annually by 2020.
According to Adkins, the enactment of the Safety of Seniors Act is an important first step in helping older Americans and it should be followed by appropriating additional funding for the CDC's falls prevention budget.
"If we are to make a meaningful difference for older adults, we must communicate to Congress and the White House that more resources are needed to adopt programs that are working," said Adkins. "Trying to solve a $19 billion problem with a $1 million budget does not make sense. Our older Americans deserve better."
Earlier this year, the Falls Free Coalition Advocacy Work Group and 25 national policy organizations called on Congress to add $20.7 million in Fiscal Year 2009 for CDC's National Center for Injury Prevention and Control to address the growing, large-scale problem of falls among older Americans.
SOURCE Home Safety Council
Copyright © 2008, NewsBlaze, Daily News
U.K.: Getting paid to drink
A pint is pulled at a pub in central London. REUTERS/Dylan MartinezLONDON (Reuters), April 24, 2008:
Found: drinking companions to join elderly gentleman for a friendly beer at his local pub.
Mike Hammond was bombarded with offers after advertising in his village post office for someone to accompany his 88-year-old father Jack on visits to a southern England pub from a nursing home.
He offered the lucky winner 7 pounds ($14) an hour plus expenses and, after sifting through the applicants, decided on a job-share. Drinking duties are to be divided between a retired doctor and a former military man.
"Dad's now going to be going down to the pub several times a week -- three with his new friends and twice with me," Mike Hammond told The Times on Thursday. "I want to give him some of his old life back."
By Paul Majendie
Editing by Paul Casciato
© Thomson Reuters 2008
UNITED ARAB EMIRATES: Abu Dhabi Conference Looks at Role of Elderly in Society
DUBAI, UAE (GulfNews), April 24, 2008:
By Eman Mohammed, Abu Dhabi Deputy Editor
The Abu Dhabi International Conference on Ageing currently being held at Emirates Palace will look at ways to fully integrate the elderly into society.
The conference was opened on Tuesday night by Her Highness Shaikha Fatima Bint Mubarak, Chairperson of the UAE General Women's Union. The conference is being held under the patronage of General Shaikh Mohammad Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces. It is organised by the Family Development Foundation.
Shaikha Fatima said ageing has become an important matter and it was important to hold a conference on the aged in the context of other programmes worldwide aimed at them.
The number of elderly people is increasing because of, among other reasons, better medical care, she said.
Also present at the inauguration of the conference were Shaikh Hamed Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Chief of the Abu Dhabi Crown Prince's Court and President of the Higher Committee for the Specialised Economic Zones, and Dr Maitha Salem Al Shamsi, Minister of State, who spoke on behalf of Shaikha Fatima.
Growing numbers
"Global statistics show the number of elderly people is growing.
"The number of elderly people worldwide was 590 million at the end of the 20th century and will reach more than a billion by 2025," Shaikha Fatima said.
"The United Arab Emirates under the leadership of President His Highness Shaikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan increased social contributions for elderly people in 2005, and His Highness Shaikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, has a special interest in residences for the aged."
She said this was a continuation of the path set by the late Shaikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan, father of the nation.
Shaikha Fatima expressed her hope that the conference would succeed, and said she hoped it would produce valuable recommendations about caring for elderly people.
"Supporting and encouraging scientific research about the elderly will greatly improve society. Aged people should be cared for and should be an integral part of society, the family and the country," she said.
The three-day conference is highlighting traditional Islamic and Arab values in caring for the elderly and look at the best ways to fully integrate them in society.
According to statistics the elderly (people over 60), make up five per of the population.
Life expectancy in the UAE has risen to 81 years for women and 76 years for men.
She hoped the conference would produce valuable recommendations about caring for elderly people.
© Al Nisr Publishing LLC 2007
By Eman Mohammed, Abu Dhabi Deputy Editor
The Abu Dhabi International Conference on Ageing currently being held at Emirates Palace will look at ways to fully integrate the elderly into society.
The conference was opened on Tuesday night by Her Highness Shaikha Fatima Bint Mubarak, Chairperson of the UAE General Women's Union. The conference is being held under the patronage of General Shaikh Mohammad Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces. It is organised by the Family Development Foundation.
Shaikha Fatima said ageing has become an important matter and it was important to hold a conference on the aged in the context of other programmes worldwide aimed at them.
The number of elderly people is increasing because of, among other reasons, better medical care, she said.
Also present at the inauguration of the conference were Shaikh Hamed Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Chief of the Abu Dhabi Crown Prince's Court and President of the Higher Committee for the Specialised Economic Zones, and Dr Maitha Salem Al Shamsi, Minister of State, who spoke on behalf of Shaikha Fatima.
Growing numbers
"Global statistics show the number of elderly people is growing.
"The number of elderly people worldwide was 590 million at the end of the 20th century and will reach more than a billion by 2025," Shaikha Fatima said.
"The United Arab Emirates under the leadership of President His Highness Shaikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan increased social contributions for elderly people in 2005, and His Highness Shaikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, has a special interest in residences for the aged."
She said this was a continuation of the path set by the late Shaikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan, father of the nation.
Shaikha Fatima expressed her hope that the conference would succeed, and said she hoped it would produce valuable recommendations about caring for elderly people.
"Supporting and encouraging scientific research about the elderly will greatly improve society. Aged people should be cared for and should be an integral part of society, the family and the country," she said.
The three-day conference is highlighting traditional Islamic and Arab values in caring for the elderly and look at the best ways to fully integrate them in society.
According to statistics the elderly (people over 60), make up five per of the population.
Life expectancy in the UAE has risen to 81 years for women and 76 years for men.
She hoped the conference would produce valuable recommendations about caring for elderly people.
© Al Nisr Publishing LLC 2007
JAPAN: Praise as good as cash to brain, finds study
A child plays inside a model brain in a file photo. REUTERS/Claro Cortes IV
CHICAGO (Reuters), April 24, 2008:
Paying people a compliment appears to activate the same reward center in the brain as paying them cash, Japanese researchers said on Wednesday.
They said the study offers scientific support for the long-held assumption that people get a psychological boost from having a good reputation.
"We found that these seemingly different kinds of rewards -- a good reputation versus money -- are biologically coded by the same neural structure, the striatum," said Dr. Norihiro Sadato of the Japanese National Institute for Physiological Sciences in Okazaki, Japan.
"This provides the biological basis of our everyday experience that personal reputation is felt as rewards," Sadato said in an e-mail.
Sadato's team studied 19 healthy people using a brain imaging technique known as functional magnetic resonance imaging, or fMRI.
In one set of experiments, people played a gambling game in which they were told one of three cards would yield a payout. The researchers then monitored the brain activity triggered when the subjects got a cash reward.
In a second set of experiments, people were told they were being evaluated by strangers based on information from a personality questionnaire and a video they had made.
The researchers then monitored reactions to these staged evaluations -- including when the subjects thought strangers had paid them a compliment.
'NEED TO BELONG'
Both kinds of rewards triggered activity in a reward-related area of the brain. Sadato said the finding represents an important first step toward explaining complex human social behaviors such as altruism.
The fact that the social reward is biologically coded suggests that "the need to belong ... is essential for humans," said Sadato, whose study appears in the journal Neuron.
A similar study in the same journal by Caroline Zink of the National Institute of Mental Health and colleagues found the same brain region was active when people were processing information about social status.
They said the finding might have implications on how social standing affects behavior and health.
The researchers created an artificial social hierarchy in which 72 participants played an interactive computer game for money.
Participants were assigned a social status they were told was based on their playing skill. Researchers monitored their brain activity as the participants were shown pictures of inferior and superior players who were supposedly playing the game in different rooms.
Zink and colleagues saw increased activity in the brain's reward center when people won money or saw their social standing rise.
"The processing of hierarchical information seems to be hard-wired ... underscoring how important it is for us," Zink said in a statement.
By Julie Steenhuysen
Editing by Xavier Briand
© Thomson Reuters 2008
MALAYSIA: Nutritionists jump to defend starfruit
KUALA LUMPUR (New Straits Times), April 24, 2008:
By Nisha Sabanayagam
They were unanimous in challenging a medical expert's opinion that the fruit was dangerous to renal failure patients because of the presence of a neurotoxin and a high level of oxalic acid.
The experts said the poisoning of an elderly Malaysian visiting China was most likely due to pesticide contamination.
The level of freshness also needs to be checked, they said.
A medical expert with University Malaya Medical Centre told a press conference on Tuesday that the fruit could be harmful to renal patients.
Professor Dr Tan Si Yen was commenting on retiree Tang Gon Seang, 66, from Butterworth, who went into a seizure in China after allegedly eating some starfruit.
He was admitted to the Shenzhen general hospital on March 29 where he eventually slipped into a coma.
A specialist there diagnosed his condition as being caused by the starfruit he had eaten.
"You have to be taking a large amount of starfruit and abusing your body with the oxalate (to suffer renal failure)," said pharmacist and holistic medicine expert Datuk Dr M. Rajen.
Oxalate is found in a lot of food and generally healthy people would have no problem with it, he said.
Dr Rajen said such statements that starfruit could be life-threatening may cause a "fear campaign" against the fruit.
He conceded that there could be "the odd case" where people with renal problems eating starfruit suffered severe adverse reactions but one should be clear of the source of the reaction.
He added that other factors should be looked into such as the usage of chemical fertilisers and whether the fruit was fresh or preserved.
Dr Rajen also dismissed the claim that starfruit contained a neurotoxin because if it did, "a lot more people would be affected by eating fresh starfruit".
Nutrition Society of Malaysia president Dr Tee E Siong agreed that it would take high levels of oxalate, even with kidney patients, to cause such a reaction as in the case of Tang.
"It is very unlikely, although one should analyse the case further," he said.
Raw leafy green vegetables such as ulam contain a higher level of oxalate than starfruit, he added.
President of the Malaysian Dietary Supplement Association Jagdev Singh said there had been two reports of severe toxicity problems caused by starfruit with kidney patients in Brazil and Taiwan.
However, he said, it did not necessarily mean that they were due to the oxalates as spinach contains more oxalates than starfruit and kidney patients do not seem to have problems with spinach.
"More research is needed and the issue of pesticide presence has to be ruled out.
"Also, the fruit in these cases could be a subspecies of the starfruit found here."
Jagdev Singh also said that it was highly unlikely that starfruit contained neurotoxins.
A Google search for "starfruit poisoning" refers to the American-based medical website, www.pubmed.gov, stating the fruit contains neurotoxins and oxalate. Oxalate can lead to kidney stones but, once again, local experts agreed it would take large amounts and many years to lead to such a condition.
Copyright © 2007 NST Online
By Nisha Sabanayagam
They were unanimous in challenging a medical expert's opinion that the fruit was dangerous to renal failure patients because of the presence of a neurotoxin and a high level of oxalic acid.
The experts said the poisoning of an elderly Malaysian visiting China was most likely due to pesticide contamination.
The level of freshness also needs to be checked, they said.
A medical expert with University Malaya Medical Centre told a press conference on Tuesday that the fruit could be harmful to renal patients.
Professor Dr Tan Si Yen was commenting on retiree Tang Gon Seang, 66, from Butterworth, who went into a seizure in China after allegedly eating some starfruit.
He was admitted to the Shenzhen general hospital on March 29 where he eventually slipped into a coma.
A specialist there diagnosed his condition as being caused by the starfruit he had eaten.
"You have to be taking a large amount of starfruit and abusing your body with the oxalate (to suffer renal failure)," said pharmacist and holistic medicine expert Datuk Dr M. Rajen.
Oxalate is found in a lot of food and generally healthy people would have no problem with it, he said.
Dr Rajen said such statements that starfruit could be life-threatening may cause a "fear campaign" against the fruit.
He conceded that there could be "the odd case" where people with renal problems eating starfruit suffered severe adverse reactions but one should be clear of the source of the reaction.
He added that other factors should be looked into such as the usage of chemical fertilisers and whether the fruit was fresh or preserved.
Dr Rajen also dismissed the claim that starfruit contained a neurotoxin because if it did, "a lot more people would be affected by eating fresh starfruit".
Nutrition Society of Malaysia president Dr Tee E Siong agreed that it would take high levels of oxalate, even with kidney patients, to cause such a reaction as in the case of Tang.
"It is very unlikely, although one should analyse the case further," he said.
Raw leafy green vegetables such as ulam contain a higher level of oxalate than starfruit, he added.
President of the Malaysian Dietary Supplement Association Jagdev Singh said there had been two reports of severe toxicity problems caused by starfruit with kidney patients in Brazil and Taiwan.
However, he said, it did not necessarily mean that they were due to the oxalates as spinach contains more oxalates than starfruit and kidney patients do not seem to have problems with spinach.
"More research is needed and the issue of pesticide presence has to be ruled out.
"Also, the fruit in these cases could be a subspecies of the starfruit found here."
Jagdev Singh also said that it was highly unlikely that starfruit contained neurotoxins.
A Google search for "starfruit poisoning" refers to the American-based medical website, www.pubmed.gov, stating the fruit contains neurotoxins and oxalate. Oxalate can lead to kidney stones but, once again, local experts agreed it would take large amounts and many years to lead to such a condition.
Copyright © 2007 NST Online
CZECH REPUBLIC: OECD says Czechs need pension, health reforms due to ageing
PRAGUE (Czech Happenings), April 24, 2008:
The Czech Republic should reform its pension and health care systems in connection with population ageing to prevent threatening debts, the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) said in its report.
The OECD praised the reforms of the Czech right-wing coalition government of Mirek Topolanek (Civic Democrats, ODS). It recommended that retirement age be raised and patients pay more for health care services.
The Czech Republic will face two stages of fast ageing by the mid of the 21st century, OECD says, citing a U.N. prognosis, according to which two waves of baby- boomers will be retiring from the early 2010s to the early 2020s and from mid 2030s to 2050.
OECD Secretary General Angel Gurria indicated that the pension system might collapse if retirement age does not rise to 66 or 67.
The pension age has already been raised in the Czech Republic to 63. Czech Labour Minister Petr Necas (ODS) proposed that it be further raised to 65. The government- proposed bill is now being discussed in the lower house.
The OECD says the Czech Republic should make a final decision on a more radical pension reform if it wants people to receive pensions at higher levels than those securing only minimum sustenance.
The OECD report warns that the government's plan to move a part of people's pension savings to funds would critically lower the sums going to the state pension system.
The voluntary pension schemes should be made more attractive, the report says.
It appreciates the health care measures taken under Health Minister Tomas Julinek (ODS) who introduced fees in Czech health care as of January.
The Czech Constitutional Court is now dealing with the complaint against the fees filed by the opposition Social Democrats (CSSD).
Within the health care reform, the government will have to decide on the scope of health care services covered from public budgets, the report says.
It considers the transformation of health insurance companies into business companies a key issue.
However, the report says OECD countries have had only limited experience with such a health care reform and close monitoring and measures preventing negative impacts are therefore necessary.
The Czech labour market needs to be reformed, too, the OECD says, mentioning a more liberal Labour Code, lower tax burden, more accessible part-time jobs among the desirable changes.
Work and family should be more harmonised, the report says. Its authors believe that maternity leave should not last longer than two years or even less.
As of January, Czech parents may choose whether to go on maternity leave for two, three or four years.
The OECD supports the introduction of tuition fees at Czech universities.
Education Minister Ondrej Liska (Greens) says though the current government will not introduce tuition fees, it is necessary to discuss the issue.
The OECD report points out that the OECD average is 26 percent of university graduates among the population, while in the Czech Republic it is only 13 percent.
The Czech Republic should motivate people to work because limited manpower may threaten economic development. The country should give jobs also to senior citizens and reform its migration policy to attract foreign job seekers.
In this context, the report supports the government's plan to introduce a system of green cards for foreigners. The plan is now discuss by the lower house.
The Czech leftist opposition and labour unions criticise most measures adopted by Topolanek's government.
Author: ČTK
Copyright (c) 1995-2008 Neris s.r.o.
The Czech Republic should reform its pension and health care systems in connection with population ageing to prevent threatening debts, the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) said in its report.
The OECD praised the reforms of the Czech right-wing coalition government of Mirek Topolanek (Civic Democrats, ODS). It recommended that retirement age be raised and patients pay more for health care services.
The Czech Republic will face two stages of fast ageing by the mid of the 21st century, OECD says, citing a U.N. prognosis, according to which two waves of baby- boomers will be retiring from the early 2010s to the early 2020s and from mid 2030s to 2050.
OECD Secretary General Angel Gurria indicated that the pension system might collapse if retirement age does not rise to 66 or 67.
The pension age has already been raised in the Czech Republic to 63. Czech Labour Minister Petr Necas (ODS) proposed that it be further raised to 65. The government- proposed bill is now being discussed in the lower house.
The OECD says the Czech Republic should make a final decision on a more radical pension reform if it wants people to receive pensions at higher levels than those securing only minimum sustenance.
The OECD report warns that the government's plan to move a part of people's pension savings to funds would critically lower the sums going to the state pension system.
The voluntary pension schemes should be made more attractive, the report says.
It appreciates the health care measures taken under Health Minister Tomas Julinek (ODS) who introduced fees in Czech health care as of January.
The Czech Constitutional Court is now dealing with the complaint against the fees filed by the opposition Social Democrats (CSSD).
Within the health care reform, the government will have to decide on the scope of health care services covered from public budgets, the report says.
It considers the transformation of health insurance companies into business companies a key issue.
However, the report says OECD countries have had only limited experience with such a health care reform and close monitoring and measures preventing negative impacts are therefore necessary.
The Czech labour market needs to be reformed, too, the OECD says, mentioning a more liberal Labour Code, lower tax burden, more accessible part-time jobs among the desirable changes.
Work and family should be more harmonised, the report says. Its authors believe that maternity leave should not last longer than two years or even less.
As of January, Czech parents may choose whether to go on maternity leave for two, three or four years.
The OECD supports the introduction of tuition fees at Czech universities.
Education Minister Ondrej Liska (Greens) says though the current government will not introduce tuition fees, it is necessary to discuss the issue.
The OECD report points out that the OECD average is 26 percent of university graduates among the population, while in the Czech Republic it is only 13 percent.
The Czech Republic should motivate people to work because limited manpower may threaten economic development. The country should give jobs also to senior citizens and reform its migration policy to attract foreign job seekers.
In this context, the report supports the government's plan to introduce a system of green cards for foreigners. The plan is now discuss by the lower house.
The Czech leftist opposition and labour unions criticise most measures adopted by Topolanek's government.
Author: ČTK
Copyright (c) 1995-2008 Neris s.r.o.
SOUTH AFRICA: Exercise, nutrition can halt ageing
SOWETO, Johannesburg, South Africa (The Sowetan), April 24, 2008:
GOOD LIFE
Khanyi Nkosi
Growing old and wrinkled is one stage that women dread and would do anything to hold on to their youthful look.
Most have tried every available anti-ageing product in an effort to remain young.
Our in-house nutrition specialist, Mali Ramara, says lack of physical activity and unhealthy lifestyle contribute to the ageing of women before their time.
However, hormonal changes that develop as women grow older is a process that cannot be avoided, but should rather be embraced.
Here is a breakdown of what happens during the ageing process. Nutrition and exercise can slow down ageing.
Body changes during ageing stage:
* Skin changes: wrinkles, bags under eyes, double chin, thinner, drier and looser skin.
* Body fat increases, loss of muscle mass, reduced muscle strength and endurance.
* Reduced cardio-respiratory system – meaning the ability of the heart, lungs, blood vessels to pump blood, utilise oxygen and send nutrients to the body is reduced.
* Digestive system slows down.
Exercises that reduce the effect of ageing: walking, swimming, jogging, cycling, running, aerobics, dancing, stair climbing.
Drink lots of water. Include herbal tea in your routine. Dilute your juice and reduce alcohol, tea and coffee.
Eat food that includes red, orange and yellow vegetables.
© Avusa Limited.
GOOD LIFE
Khanyi Nkosi
Growing old and wrinkled is one stage that women dread and would do anything to hold on to their youthful look.
Most have tried every available anti-ageing product in an effort to remain young.
Our in-house nutrition specialist, Mali Ramara, says lack of physical activity and unhealthy lifestyle contribute to the ageing of women before their time.
However, hormonal changes that develop as women grow older is a process that cannot be avoided, but should rather be embraced.
Here is a breakdown of what happens during the ageing process. Nutrition and exercise can slow down ageing.
Body changes during ageing stage:
* Skin changes: wrinkles, bags under eyes, double chin, thinner, drier and looser skin.
* Body fat increases, loss of muscle mass, reduced muscle strength and endurance.
* Reduced cardio-respiratory system – meaning the ability of the heart, lungs, blood vessels to pump blood, utilise oxygen and send nutrients to the body is reduced.
* Digestive system slows down.
Exercises that reduce the effect of ageing: walking, swimming, jogging, cycling, running, aerobics, dancing, stair climbing.
Drink lots of water. Include herbal tea in your routine. Dilute your juice and reduce alcohol, tea and coffee.
Eat food that includes red, orange and yellow vegetables.
© Avusa Limited.
SWITZERLAND: Novartis celebrates Community Partnership Day worldwide
BASEL, Switzerland (Novartis), April 23, 2008:
Thousands of Novartis associates worldwide are taking part tomorrow in the company's Community Partnership Day by engaging in volunteer activities to benefit people in their local communities. This year marks the 12th Community Partnership Day, established to commemorate the creation of Novartis in 1996.
About 10,000 associates worldwide joined in the event in 2007, engaging in volunteer work for a wide range of charitable causes, according to Novartis International AG.
Thousands of Novartis associates worldwide are taking part tomorrow in the company's Community Partnership Day by engaging in volunteer activities to benefit people in their local communities. This year marks the 12th Community Partnership Day, established to commemorate the creation of Novartis in 1996.
About 10,000 associates worldwide joined in the event in 2007, engaging in volunteer work for a wide range of charitable causes, according to Novartis International AG.
SWITZERLAND: Leaming and Longevity - Critical Thinking
Learned flies die young
LONDON, England (The Economist), April 24, 2008
YOU do not usually get something for nothing. Now a new study reveals that the evolution of an improved learning ability could come at a particularly high price: an earlier death.
Past experiments have demonstrated that it is relatively easy through selective breeding to make rats, honey bees and—that great favourite of researchers—fruit flies a lot better at learning. Animals that are better learners should be more competitive and thus over time come to dominate a population by natural selection. But improved learning ability does not get selected amongst these animals in the wild. No one really understands why.
Tadeusz Kawecki and his colleagues at the University of Fribourg in Switzerland have measured the effects of improved learning on the lives of fruit flies. The flies were given two different fruits as egg laying sites. One of these was laced with a bitter additive that could be detected only on contact. The flies were then given the same fruit but without an additive. Flies that avoided the fruit which had been bitter were deemed to have learned from their experience. Their offspring were reared and the experiment was run again.
After repeating the experiment for 30 generations, the offspring of the learned flies were compared with normal flies. The researchers report in a forthcoming edition of Evolution that although learning ability could be bred into a population of fruit flies, it shortened their lives by 15%. When the researchers compared their learned flies to colonies selectively bred to live long lives, they found even greater differences. Whereas learned flies had reduced life spans, the long-lived flies learned less well than even average flies.
The authors suggest that evolving an improved learning ability may require a greater investment in the nervous system which diverts resources away from processes that stave off ageing. However, Dr Kawecki thinks the effect could also be a by-product of greater brain activity increasing the production of reactive oxygen particles, which can increase oxidation in the body and damage health.
No one knows whether the phenomenon holds true for other animals. So biologists, at least, still have a lot to learn.
Copyright © The Economist Newspaper Limited 2008.
LONDON, England (The Economist), April 24, 2008
YOU do not usually get something for nothing. Now a new study reveals that the evolution of an improved learning ability could come at a particularly high price: an earlier death.
Past experiments have demonstrated that it is relatively easy through selective breeding to make rats, honey bees and—that great favourite of researchers—fruit flies a lot better at learning. Animals that are better learners should be more competitive and thus over time come to dominate a population by natural selection. But improved learning ability does not get selected amongst these animals in the wild. No one really understands why.
Tadeusz Kawecki and his colleagues at the University of Fribourg in Switzerland have measured the effects of improved learning on the lives of fruit flies. The flies were given two different fruits as egg laying sites. One of these was laced with a bitter additive that could be detected only on contact. The flies were then given the same fruit but without an additive. Flies that avoided the fruit which had been bitter were deemed to have learned from their experience. Their offspring were reared and the experiment was run again.
After repeating the experiment for 30 generations, the offspring of the learned flies were compared with normal flies. The researchers report in a forthcoming edition of Evolution that although learning ability could be bred into a population of fruit flies, it shortened their lives by 15%. When the researchers compared their learned flies to colonies selectively bred to live long lives, they found even greater differences. Whereas learned flies had reduced life spans, the long-lived flies learned less well than even average flies.
The authors suggest that evolving an improved learning ability may require a greater investment in the nervous system which diverts resources away from processes that stave off ageing. However, Dr Kawecki thinks the effect could also be a by-product of greater brain activity increasing the production of reactive oxygen particles, which can increase oxidation in the body and damage health.
No one knows whether the phenomenon holds true for other animals. So biologists, at least, still have a lot to learn.
Copyright © The Economist Newspaper Limited 2008.
CHINA: World's Largest Internet -Using Population
An Internet cafe in China's northwestern Qinghai province. China has surpassed the United States to become the world's largest Internet-using population, reaching 221 million by the end of February, state media said on Thursday.
REUTERS/Simon Zo/Files
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
BEIJING (Reuters), April 24, 2008:
China has surpassed the United States to become the world's largest Internet-using population, reaching 221 million by the end of February, state media said on Thursday.
The number of Internet users in China was 210 million at the end of last year, only 5 million fewer than the U.S. Internet users then, Xinhua news agency said, quoting the China Internet Network Information Centre.
"Despite a rapidly increasing Internet population, the proportion of Internet users among the total population was still lower than the global average level," Xinhua quoted the Information Ministry as saying.
The proportion was 16 percent at the end of 2007, compared with 19.1 percent for the world average.
Internet censorship is common in China, where the government employs an elaborate system of filters and tens of thousands of human monitors to survey surfing habits, surgically clipping sensitive content.
But the Internet has most recently become an important tool in countering anti-China protest dogging the Olympic torch relay with an outpouring of nationalism and indignation.
Report by Nick Macfie
Editing by David Fox
© Thomson Reuters 2008
CHINA: Volunteers can bank their hours of work, get repaid when they become elderly
BEIJING, China (Beijing News), April 24, 2008:
Volunteers in Longtan community of Chongwen district in Beijing will get rewards for their work—being served when they become elderly.
According to the community's new volunteering system adopted this March, each volunteer has his or her own "account" and can deposit the time they spent serving the elderly in the community. When they themselves reach 60 years old, they can get service for as long as the time they have volunteered.
The win-win system has attracted 500 volunteers since its trial run four months ago, adding a total of 3,500 hours of service time to their accounts.
The system will also rate the services of the volunteers and award the excellent ones with honored titles, said the Beijing News.
"We have no restriction on age. Everyone can register to become a volunteer as long as you are healthy." said a staff member at the Longtan neighborhood committee.
The service includes cleaning, cooking and chatting with the elderly.
There are 67,862 elderly in Chongwen district, making up 19.6% of its total population, the report said.
Source: China.org.con
Volunteers in Longtan community of Chongwen district in Beijing will get rewards for their work—being served when they become elderly.
According to the community's new volunteering system adopted this March, each volunteer has his or her own "account" and can deposit the time they spent serving the elderly in the community. When they themselves reach 60 years old, they can get service for as long as the time they have volunteered.
The win-win system has attracted 500 volunteers since its trial run four months ago, adding a total of 3,500 hours of service time to their accounts.
The system will also rate the services of the volunteers and award the excellent ones with honored titles, said the Beijing News.
"We have no restriction on age. Everyone can register to become a volunteer as long as you are healthy." said a staff member at the Longtan neighborhood committee.
The service includes cleaning, cooking and chatting with the elderly.
There are 67,862 elderly in Chongwen district, making up 19.6% of its total population, the report said.
Source: China.org.con
USA: Innovative doctor receives iconic honor
President Bush talks with Dr. Michael DeBakey during ceremony honoring the famed heart doctor with the Congressional Gold Medal.By Brendan McKenna
Dallas Morning News, April 24, 2008
WASHINGTON — Houston heart surgeon Michael DeBakey, a pioneer of lifesaving bypass surgery, received the nation's highest civilian honor awarded by Congress on Wednesday.
DeBakey, 99, was awarded the Congressional Gold Medal for a lifetime of achievement in medicine, including his cardiac-surgery advances, helping create the military's Mobile Army Surgical Hospitals, or MASH units, and inventing many medical devices and procedures.
President Bush, bestowing the award in a Capitol Rotunda ceremony, noted that the award has rarely been given to scientists. But those Congress recognized are "iconic," including Thomas Edison and Jonas Salk, who developed the polio vaccine.
"Today we gather to recognize that Michael DeBakey's name belongs among them," Bush said.
Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison, R-Texas, who has pushed for DeBakey to receive the honor since 2004, called the doctor a "legend in the field of medicine."
DeBakey urged Congress to consider the model of the Veterans Administration, which provides higher-quality care at lower costs than many other medical services.
"There must be something about what they are doing that we can use to expand health care for the needy," he said.
Material from The Associated Press is included in this report.
Copyright © 2008 The Seattle Times Company
USA: Human working memory holds 3 to 4 things
COLUMBIA, Missouri (UPI), April 24, 2008:
The average person can keep just three or four things in their "working memory" or conscious mind at one time, U.S. researchers say.
The University of Missouri researchers say the finding may lead to better ways to assess and help people with attention-deficit and focus difficulties, improve classroom performance and enhance test scores.
"Most people believe the human mind is incredibly complex," Jeff Rouder said in a statement. "We found that every person has the capacity to hold a certain number of objects in his or her mind."
Limits in working memory are important because working memory is the mental process of holding information in a short-term, readily accessible, easily manipulated form where it can be combined, rearranged and stored more productively, Rouder says.
Working memory is closely related to attention because it requires attention to hold a number of items in mind at once. People with high-working memory capacity have more focus. Those with a lower attention span are more easily distracted, Rouder says.
The findings are published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
© 2008 United Press International, Inc
The average person can keep just three or four things in their "working memory" or conscious mind at one time, U.S. researchers say.
The University of Missouri researchers say the finding may lead to better ways to assess and help people with attention-deficit and focus difficulties, improve classroom performance and enhance test scores.
"Most people believe the human mind is incredibly complex," Jeff Rouder said in a statement. "We found that every person has the capacity to hold a certain number of objects in his or her mind."
Limits in working memory are important because working memory is the mental process of holding information in a short-term, readily accessible, easily manipulated form where it can be combined, rearranged and stored more productively, Rouder says.
Working memory is closely related to attention because it requires attention to hold a number of items in mind at once. People with high-working memory capacity have more focus. Those with a lower attention span are more easily distracted, Rouder says.
The findings are published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
© 2008 United Press International, Inc
AUSTRALIA: Grains and Legumes - Ideal Weight Control
Australian research has found that people who want to lose weight or avoid weight gain should consume plenty of wholegrain cereals and legumes while controlling their overall energy intake.
WOLLONGONG, NSW, AUSTRALIA (Go-Grains Newsletter), April 24, 2008:
After assessing 556 studies published in the scientific literature during the last 25 years, the researchers found a diet high in wholegrains has a strong link with lower body mass index (BMI), smaller waist circumference and a reduced risk of being overweight.
They also found that a diet high in wholegrains and legumes can actually help reduce weight gain, and that significant weight loss is achievable with energy controlled diets that are high in cereals and legumes.
The National Centre of Excellence in Functional Foods at the University of Wollongong conducted the review of international scientific literature to determine the role of grains and legumes in the prevention and management of overweight and obesity.
Study leader Associate Professor Peter Williams said the findings will be of interest to Australians who may be concerned that high intakes of grains such as cereals, bread, rice and pasta could lead to weight gain.
“One of the most popular diet myths in recent times is that grains, and the carbohydrates they contain, provide excess energy to the body and are therefore fattening,” Prof Williams said.
“So we set out to establish what the science actually says about that question.”
Professor Williams’ review of the literature found this belief about grain foods and weight gain is not supported by scientific evidence. In fact, the opposite was found to be true - a high intake of grain-based foods is actually linked with healthy weight management.
“The vast majority of Australians should be enjoying a diet high in wholegrain foods because grains and wholegrain foods not only contribute to good overall health, the evidence is they also help maintain a healthy weight,” Prof Williams said.
A number of studies in the research review found that higher grain intakes were associated with lower total energy intakes, likely due to the higher fibre content of diets high in wholegrains and legumes.
Professor Williams said there are a number of ways in which wholegrain foods and fibre can affect energy balance, including energy density, palatability, hormonal effects and the effect of satiety or ‘fullness’ caused by these foods.
“It’s clear from the research that, regardless of the exact mechanism or combination of factors involved, significant weight loss is achievable with energy controlled diets that are high in cereals and legumes,” Professor Williams said.
Source: Nutrition Reviews
HUNGARY: Hungarians seize chances for early retirement with high pensions
.
BUDAPEST, Hungary (Portfolio.hu), April 24, 2008:
Hungarians retire extremely early in European comparison and then they become effectively inactive, an international survey conducted by the GFK Group on a commission by the AXA Group showed on Thursday.
The good news is that pensions in Hungary are relatively high in European terms, while the people do not believe this will remain this way for very long.
This is coupled with a very low willingness to save, which unfortunately tends to emerge rather late, around the age of 50. It makes the situation even worse that Hungarians are very little aware of the available savings products, AXA said.
The representative survey, which involved 26 countries last year, was the first carried out in Hungary in July 2007 and involved 300 economically active workers and 300 pensioners. The researchers wanted to find out how people prepare for their retirement, how they feel about being retired and whether they start saving for retirement on time. The survey allows for international comparison and the findings are noteworthy in a Hungarian perspective as well.
In Hungary, two thirds of the economically active population retire prior to the official age of retirement and 80% of the workers retire voluntarily - according to a GFK survey commissioned by the AXA Group.
This extraordinarily high ratio of early retirements puts Hungary to the 2nd worst place among the surveyed 26 countries, in contrast to the average of 50% in the EU and Central and Eastern Europe.
The ratio of those who retire and receive a pension larger than or the same as their former salary is the highest in Hungary, nearly 50%, against 38% in Central Europe and 32% in Europe.
It is also true, however, that economically active Hungarians are not so much optimistic about anymore, given their expectations on their future pension are somewhere around the European average. They apparently sense already that the favourable situation (the high level of replacement rate) cannot last forever.
According to one finding of the survey, Hungarians tend to be much more pessimistic about their future retired life than the European average. Many of them associate retirement with poverty, illness and loneliness and little more than 50% of them think positively about this age, associating retirement mainly with free time, travelling and serenity.
39% of the active respondents plan to continue work after the retiring age, which is less than the European average. Despite this, only around 10% of them actually earn money while being a pensioner, which is roughly the same as the European average.
It is clear from the survey, which is representative for the entire population, that very few Hungarians, only about 4% of the economically active workers support the idea of increasing the age of retirement. The Central European average in this respect is 11%, and this figure is even higher in countries where the population has already faced the consequences of aging societies.
Two Mature Caucasian Men. © Polka Dot Images / SuperStock
While most of the active workers in Europe plan to spend their retired age travelling, being with the family and doing other free time activities, Hungarian pensioners, mainly due to their limited financial resources, spend most of their time doing work round the house like gardening or DIY, looking after the family and continuing work.
Blurred ideas
It turns out from the international survey that 29% of the respondents in Hungary have an idea about how much pension they will get, which is in line with the Central European average. The younger the respondent, the lower this ratio is. Only 15% of those younger than 45 years of age are aware of the expected amount of their pension.
Although, as a result of increments in pension benefits, about a third of the Hungarian pensioners draw a monthly pension higher than their former salary, about HUF 27,000 is missing from the HUF 100,000, which is sufficient for a pensioner's living expenses up to necessary minimum per month.
The situation is just the opposite in many countries in a European comparison because in many countries pensioners are able to put aside money from their pension for savings. In the CEE region this is also true of the Czechs and the situation in Slovakia and Poland is more favourable than the 27% deficit in Hungary.
The deficit that pensioners have to cope with in Slovakia and Poland respectively is only 5% and 16% of the amount needed for a living.
The survey findings point out that, despite the uncertainty and the lower standard of living in retirement which is anticipated by about 50% of the people, less than one third of Hungarians take mindful care of their pensions during the active years at work, as opposed to the 52% average in the CEE region.
Responsible and conscious self-reliance
While many people in Western Europe start preparing financially for old age in the middle of their twenties, at the time of their first job, marriage or the birth of their first child, taking the advice of financial experts and on the impact of tax reforms, then most Hungarians only realise the significance of preparation for old age only when they turn 50, or when they experience serious financial difficulty, an illness or an accident.
The of conscious action begins to be taken three years later than the CEE and five years later than the European average, as late as around the age of 38.
Those who have some savings say that they usually put aside a relatively small amount of their income, especially in comparison to the European average. This can partly be a consequence of low salaries, and partly because most respondents regard compulsory pension payments as a government tax rather than saving.
There is a huge uncertainty regarding the ways of pension savings. Nearly twice as many Hungarians as the European average are unaware of such basic concepts as risk, yield and saving period so they cannot choose between saving instruments offering high yield for high risk and relatively low yield for balanced risk.
In summary, it is clear from the survey that very few Hungarians are optimistic about their old age in retirement. Both the economically active respondents and the pensioners are of the opinion that women tend to be more prepared for retirement both psychologically and financially and they tend to live a healthier and more active retired life.
SOURCE: Portfolio.hu report
© 2002-2008 Portfolio.hu
BUDAPEST, Hungary (Portfolio.hu), April 24, 2008:
Hungarians retire extremely early in European comparison and then they become effectively inactive, an international survey conducted by the GFK Group on a commission by the AXA Group showed on Thursday.
The good news is that pensions in Hungary are relatively high in European terms, while the people do not believe this will remain this way for very long.
This is coupled with a very low willingness to save, which unfortunately tends to emerge rather late, around the age of 50. It makes the situation even worse that Hungarians are very little aware of the available savings products, AXA said.
The representative survey, which involved 26 countries last year, was the first carried out in Hungary in July 2007 and involved 300 economically active workers and 300 pensioners. The researchers wanted to find out how people prepare for their retirement, how they feel about being retired and whether they start saving for retirement on time. The survey allows for international comparison and the findings are noteworthy in a Hungarian perspective as well.
In Hungary, two thirds of the economically active population retire prior to the official age of retirement and 80% of the workers retire voluntarily - according to a GFK survey commissioned by the AXA Group.
This extraordinarily high ratio of early retirements puts Hungary to the 2nd worst place among the surveyed 26 countries, in contrast to the average of 50% in the EU and Central and Eastern Europe.
The ratio of those who retire and receive a pension larger than or the same as their former salary is the highest in Hungary, nearly 50%, against 38% in Central Europe and 32% in Europe.
It is also true, however, that economically active Hungarians are not so much optimistic about anymore, given their expectations on their future pension are somewhere around the European average. They apparently sense already that the favourable situation (the high level of replacement rate) cannot last forever.
According to one finding of the survey, Hungarians tend to be much more pessimistic about their future retired life than the European average. Many of them associate retirement with poverty, illness and loneliness and little more than 50% of them think positively about this age, associating retirement mainly with free time, travelling and serenity.
39% of the active respondents plan to continue work after the retiring age, which is less than the European average. Despite this, only around 10% of them actually earn money while being a pensioner, which is roughly the same as the European average.
It is clear from the survey, which is representative for the entire population, that very few Hungarians, only about 4% of the economically active workers support the idea of increasing the age of retirement. The Central European average in this respect is 11%, and this figure is even higher in countries where the population has already faced the consequences of aging societies.
Two Mature Caucasian Men. © Polka Dot Images / SuperStockWhile most of the active workers in Europe plan to spend their retired age travelling, being with the family and doing other free time activities, Hungarian pensioners, mainly due to their limited financial resources, spend most of their time doing work round the house like gardening or DIY, looking after the family and continuing work.
Blurred ideas
It turns out from the international survey that 29% of the respondents in Hungary have an idea about how much pension they will get, which is in line with the Central European average. The younger the respondent, the lower this ratio is. Only 15% of those younger than 45 years of age are aware of the expected amount of their pension.
Although, as a result of increments in pension benefits, about a third of the Hungarian pensioners draw a monthly pension higher than their former salary, about HUF 27,000 is missing from the HUF 100,000, which is sufficient for a pensioner's living expenses up to necessary minimum per month.
The situation is just the opposite in many countries in a European comparison because in many countries pensioners are able to put aside money from their pension for savings. In the CEE region this is also true of the Czechs and the situation in Slovakia and Poland is more favourable than the 27% deficit in Hungary.
The deficit that pensioners have to cope with in Slovakia and Poland respectively is only 5% and 16% of the amount needed for a living.
The survey findings point out that, despite the uncertainty and the lower standard of living in retirement which is anticipated by about 50% of the people, less than one third of Hungarians take mindful care of their pensions during the active years at work, as opposed to the 52% average in the CEE region.
Responsible and conscious self-reliance
While many people in Western Europe start preparing financially for old age in the middle of their twenties, at the time of their first job, marriage or the birth of their first child, taking the advice of financial experts and on the impact of tax reforms, then most Hungarians only realise the significance of preparation for old age only when they turn 50, or when they experience serious financial difficulty, an illness or an accident.
The of conscious action begins to be taken three years later than the CEE and five years later than the European average, as late as around the age of 38.
Those who have some savings say that they usually put aside a relatively small amount of their income, especially in comparison to the European average. This can partly be a consequence of low salaries, and partly because most respondents regard compulsory pension payments as a government tax rather than saving.
There is a huge uncertainty regarding the ways of pension savings. Nearly twice as many Hungarians as the European average are unaware of such basic concepts as risk, yield and saving period so they cannot choose between saving instruments offering high yield for high risk and relatively low yield for balanced risk.
In summary, it is clear from the survey that very few Hungarians are optimistic about their old age in retirement. Both the economically active respondents and the pensioners are of the opinion that women tend to be more prepared for retirement both psychologically and financially and they tend to live a healthier and more active retired life.
SOURCE: Portfolio.hu report
© 2002-2008 Portfolio.hu
USA: 111-year-old Breuning is world's 28th oldest person
TEN MONTHS AGO: Walter Breuning, one of America's oldest men at 110, throws out the ceremonial first pitch during the Great Falls White Sox Pioneer League season opener against the Billings Mustangs in Centene Stadium in Great Falls, Mont., Tuesday, June 19, 2007. Great Falls resident Breuning, who was born in Minnesota in 1896, says baseball has been a big part of his life. "When I was about 10 years old or so, all of us kids used to choose up sides and play baseball," he said. AP Photo by Robin Loznak
GREAT FALLS, Montana (Great Falls Tribune),
April 23, 2008:
By Eric Newhouse
Tribune Projects Editor
At age 111, Great Falls' Walter Breuning is officially a supercentenarian and ranked the 28th oldest person in the world, according to the Gerontology Research Group.
He's also the second oldest living American male, following George Francis of California, who is 107 days older. Both were born in 1896, Francis on June 6 and Breuning on September 21.
"If you keep your mind busy and if you keep your body busy, I guess you're just going to keep going," Breuning said philosophically as he waited for lunch Tuesday in the Rainbow Retirement Community.
According to the Inglewood, California-based Gerontology Research Group, which verifies reports of extreme ages, only 75 living people — 64 women and 11 men — qualify as supercentenarians, or people living to be 110 or more.
"Look around this place," said Breuning, gesturing around the restaurant. "It's mostly women. All the men are gone."
The world's oldest person is American Edna Parker of Indiana, who was born on April 20, 1893, and turned 115 on Sunday with a birthday celebration at which 115 helium-filled balloons were released into the sky.
Dressed in a blue and white polka dot dress with a pearl necklace, she clutched a red rose during the ceremony.
"We don't know why she's lived so long," said her 59-year-old grandson Don Parker. "But she's never been a worrier and she's always been a thin person, so maybe that has something to do with it."
Her two sisters also lived to advanced ages: Georgia died at 99, while Opal lived to 88.
"Longevity is the family history," said Dr. Nir Barzilai, director of the Albert Einstein College of Medicine's Institute for Aging Research in New York, noting that good genes and a healthy lifestyle are keys to longevity.
That doesn't seem true of Breuning, whose mother died at age 46 and whose father died at 50. "My mom had an operation that didn't work out, and my dad basically drank himself to death. My brothers and sisters — two brothers and two sisters — all passed away at about 75," he said.
Another positive characteristic might be a strong work ethic. "I had to leave school and go to work when I was 14," Breuning said. "I was making $2.50 a week scraping out trays in a bakery back about 1910."
Dr. Tom Perls, an aging specialist from the New England Centenarian Study at Boston University, said people who don't worry appear to live longer than others. His studies on about 1,500 centenarians show "they tend to manage their stress better than the rest of us," Perls said.
And that's a characteristic of Breuning, who was dressed Tuesday in his trademark pinstriped blue suit and neatly knotted tie. "My goodness," he beamed. "I couldn't feel any better!"
The Associated Press contributed to this story.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
AMERICA'S OLDEST RESIDENTS
According to the Gerontology Research Group, which verifies reports of extreme ages, about half of the world's 30 oldest people live in the United States. Here's a list of the oldest Americans, their rankings in the world, and their birth dates.
For more information, check out the group's Web site of supercentenarians at www.grg.org/Adams/E.HTM
1. Edna Parker, Indiana April 20, 1893 (115)
3. Gertrude Baines, California April 6, 1894 (114)
5. Catherine Hagel, Minnesota Nov. 28, 1894 (113)
6. Beatrice Farve, Georgia, April 30, 1895 (112)
8. Mary J. Ray, New Hampshire May 17, 1895 (112)
10. Olivia P. Thomas, New York June 29, 1895 (112)
11. Neva Morris, Iowa Aug. 3, 1895 (112)
14. Maggie Renfro, Louisiana Nov. 14, 1895 (112)
19. Daisey Baily, Michigan March 30, 1896 (112)
21. C. Letitia Lawson, Iowa April 10, 1896 (112)
23. George Francis, California June 6, 1896 (111)
24. Eunice Sanborn, Texas July 20, 1896 (111)
25. Florence Busch, Wisconsin Aug. 13, 1896 (111)
26. Besse Cooper, Georgia Aug. 26, 1896 (111)
27. Berta Rosenberg, New York Sept. 5, 1896 (111)
28. Walter Breuning, Montana Sept. 21, 1896 (111)
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Copyright ©2008 The Great Falls Tribune.
INDIA: Madhya Pradesh to punish children who dump parents
BHOPAL, Madhya Pradesh (IANS), April 23, 2008:
The Madhya Pradesh government will penalise offspring who abandon their parents and guardians forcing them to live in old age homes.
"A meeting of the state level committee constituted to amend the state's old age policy held Tuesday resolved to identify senior citizens evicted by their children, and provide them old age pension and penalise the children who discard their parents after getting police cases registered against them," said an officer of the Women and Child Development (WCD) department.
The meeting, presided over by WCD Minister Kusum Mehdele, also discussed effects of the policy for senior citizens, its constitutional provisions, main areas of mediation and its implementation.
It was also decided to identify aged widows having no income or property and solely dependent on others.
The government proposes drafting a separate policy for their welfare.
Mehdele directed constitution of a sub-committee to prepare the final draft within two months after amending the Senior Citizens Act and the state's proposed old age policy.
The minister also said the government was soon going to hold a Vriddhajan Panchayat (panchayat of senior citizens).
IANS
The Madhya Pradesh government will penalise offspring who abandon their parents and guardians forcing them to live in old age homes.
"A meeting of the state level committee constituted to amend the state's old age policy held Tuesday resolved to identify senior citizens evicted by their children, and provide them old age pension and penalise the children who discard their parents after getting police cases registered against them," said an officer of the Women and Child Development (WCD) department.
The meeting, presided over by WCD Minister Kusum Mehdele, also discussed effects of the policy for senior citizens, its constitutional provisions, main areas of mediation and its implementation.
It was also decided to identify aged widows having no income or property and solely dependent on others.
The government proposes drafting a separate policy for their welfare.
Mehdele directed constitution of a sub-committee to prepare the final draft within two months after amending the Senior Citizens Act and the state's proposed old age policy.
The minister also said the government was soon going to hold a Vriddhajan Panchayat (panchayat of senior citizens).
IANS
U.K.: Anger over arthritis drug refusal
Rheumatoid arthritis can be extremely debilitatingLONDON, England (BBC News), April 23, 2008:
Campaigners have condemned a health watchdog's final decision not to recommend a new drug for severe rheumatoid arthritis for NHS use.
The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence, said abatacept was not good value for money.
The National Rheumatoid Arthritis Society, whose appeal was rejected, described the decision as "short sighted and perverse".
Drug maker Bristol-Myers Squibb claimed 3,500 UK patients could have benefited.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"For many patients, abatacept provides their last chance of controlling the disease"
Ailsa Bosworth
National Rheumatoid Arthritis Society
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
There are an estimated 400,000 people in the UK with rheumatoid arthritis, a disease in which inflammation attacks the joints.
Approximately 40,000 have a severe form of the disease, and while there are a succession of drugs which offer some control over the disease in many cases, a small number of patients do not respond to these.
Some experts say that, for them, abatacept, under its trade name Orencia, offers a "last chance" of improving their quality of life.
However, it costs at least £9,000 a year, and NICE, which makes decisions covering NHS authorities in England and Wales, ruled last year that it did not offer enough benefit to justify the cost.
This week, a second NICE appraisal committee agreed with that verdict.
'Kick in the teeth'
Dr Andrew Dillon, NICE's chief executive, said that it had approved a succession of rheumatoid arthritis drugs, giving people access to "effective treatments", and said that people currently being given abatacept would be allowed to continue therapy.
Dr Andrew Bamji, the president of the British Society for Rheumatology, said that it was a "disappointing decision".
"NICE is effectively denying desperate patients any last hope of remission from their disease. This decision is like a kick in the teeth for a group of severely disabled patients."
National Rheumatoid Arthritis Society chief executive Ailsa Bosworth said that the decision condemned some patients to a "lifetime of misery". "For many patients, abatacept provides their last chance of controlling the disease.
"Without this drug, people with severe rheumatoid arthritis will have to return to medicines they have already failed on or will have to take large doses of steroids which are associated with extremely unacceptable side effects.
"We believe this is a perverse and very short-sighted decision by NICE."
Professor Alan Silman, medical director of the Arthritis Research Campaign, said the NICE decision was disappointing - but not surprising. He said: "Abatacept offers a novel approach to treating severe RA patients and in clinical trials it has been shown to be effective when other new agents have failed.
"It was rejected on the grounds of high cost, but what needs to be done now is to identify the patients for whom this drug would be effective - both clinically and cost effective.
"We believe there should be a place for this drug in the range of options available to doctors in treating RA patients
INDIA: Finance Bill provision to define charity has NGOs concerned
Economy and Politics
The clause has been designed to target ‘paper charities’, or for-profit organizations that exploit tax shelters
Samanth Subramanian
NEW DELHI (LiveMint The Wall Street Journal), April 23, 2008:
A clause in the 2008 Finance Bill designed to target “paper charities” — for-profit organizations that exploit tax shelters for non-governmental organizations (NGOs) — has sparked fears of restrictions in the NGO community at large.
Aid check: HelpAge's health care service in Vrindavan. NGOs say the proposed change will come in the way of their capacity to raise resources and is against the policy which encourages them to stand on their feet.
The clause seeks to clear the ambiguity in defining charity. Until now, charity, as defined by the Income-tax Act, covered relief to the poor, education, medical relief, and a fourth area that included the “advancement of any other object of general utility.”
This fourth limb has proven to be vulnerable to misuse since almost any project can be argued to advance public good.
The provision, to take effect from 1 April 2009, limits the scope of the phrase. Laid out in the third chapter of the Bill, which brings the Budget recommendations before Parliament, the clause states: “Provided that the advancement of any other object of general public utility shall not be a charitable purpose, if it involves the carrying on of any activity in the nature of trade, commerce or business…”
Under this, an NGO’s revenue-generating activities that do not contribute specifically towards relief of the poor, education or medical relief could be stripped of any protection from taxation.
“This is a broad-spectrum antibiotic, whereas they should be using a more specific treatment,” said Paresh Tewary, chief executive of Voluntary Action Network India, an association of Indian voluntary organizations.
Earlier this week, Tewary led a four-member group into a meeting with revenue secretary P.V. Bhide to present a memorandum and request an amendment to the proposal. The memorandum says the proviso goes against the spirit of the national policy on the voluntary sector, which encourages NGOs to stand on their feet and “categorically safeguard their autonomy”.
The impact of the proviso is likely to be felt by organizations such as HelpAge India, a non-profit advocacy for the elderly. Its chief executive, Mathew Cherian, was an understandably nervous member of Tewary’s delegation.
HelpAge produces greeting cards and year planners to generate revenues. But since it works for the health care of the elderly, its activities fall under the generic fourth category of the definition. Cherian is worried that a by-the-letter interpretation of the clause would curtail an important revenue stream for it.
One solution, according to Kamal Kant Jaswal, a former secretary to the government, would be for the government to identify specific unacceptable activities and phrase the proviso accordingly. As director of Common Cause, which works for public causes, Jaswal was also part of the delegation. The fourth member of the delegation was Sanjay Agarwal of chartered accountancy firm Sanjay Aditya and Associates.
“The government should examine which bodies should be allowed to register for the tax shelter and which don’t qualify,” Jaswal said. “This is a broadside. The collateral damage will be immense.”
The memorandum urges: “(Voluntary organizations) need to be encouraged to supplement their resources… In view of the proposed amendment, these organizations would be reluctant to venture into this domain, otherwise their capacity to raise resources through donations will be impaired, since their tax exemption status is directly linked with their registration…”
The proviso came on the heels of the promise of stricter oversight in the national policy on the voluntary sector, released last May. At the time, Montek Singh Ahluwalia, deputy chairman of the Planning Commission, had proposed tighter administrative and penal procedures to prevent misuse of NGO tax incentives.
Copyright © 2007 HT Media
The clause has been designed to target ‘paper charities’, or for-profit organizations that exploit tax shelters
Samanth Subramanian
NEW DELHI (LiveMint The Wall Street Journal), April 23, 2008:
A clause in the 2008 Finance Bill designed to target “paper charities” — for-profit organizations that exploit tax shelters for non-governmental organizations (NGOs) — has sparked fears of restrictions in the NGO community at large.
Aid check: HelpAge's health care service in Vrindavan. NGOs say the proposed change will come in the way of their capacity to raise resources and is against the policy which encourages them to stand on their feet.The clause seeks to clear the ambiguity in defining charity. Until now, charity, as defined by the Income-tax Act, covered relief to the poor, education, medical relief, and a fourth area that included the “advancement of any other object of general utility.”
This fourth limb has proven to be vulnerable to misuse since almost any project can be argued to advance public good.
The provision, to take effect from 1 April 2009, limits the scope of the phrase. Laid out in the third chapter of the Bill, which brings the Budget recommendations before Parliament, the clause states: “Provided that the advancement of any other object of general public utility shall not be a charitable purpose, if it involves the carrying on of any activity in the nature of trade, commerce or business…”
Under this, an NGO’s revenue-generating activities that do not contribute specifically towards relief of the poor, education or medical relief could be stripped of any protection from taxation.
“This is a broad-spectrum antibiotic, whereas they should be using a more specific treatment,” said Paresh Tewary, chief executive of Voluntary Action Network India, an association of Indian voluntary organizations.
Earlier this week, Tewary led a four-member group into a meeting with revenue secretary P.V. Bhide to present a memorandum and request an amendment to the proposal. The memorandum says the proviso goes against the spirit of the national policy on the voluntary sector, which encourages NGOs to stand on their feet and “categorically safeguard their autonomy”.
The impact of the proviso is likely to be felt by organizations such as HelpAge India, a non-profit advocacy for the elderly. Its chief executive, Mathew Cherian, was an understandably nervous member of Tewary’s delegation.
HelpAge produces greeting cards and year planners to generate revenues. But since it works for the health care of the elderly, its activities fall under the generic fourth category of the definition. Cherian is worried that a by-the-letter interpretation of the clause would curtail an important revenue stream for it.
One solution, according to Kamal Kant Jaswal, a former secretary to the government, would be for the government to identify specific unacceptable activities and phrase the proviso accordingly. As director of Common Cause, which works for public causes, Jaswal was also part of the delegation. The fourth member of the delegation was Sanjay Agarwal of chartered accountancy firm Sanjay Aditya and Associates.
“The government should examine which bodies should be allowed to register for the tax shelter and which don’t qualify,” Jaswal said. “This is a broadside. The collateral damage will be immense.”
The memorandum urges: “(Voluntary organizations) need to be encouraged to supplement their resources… In view of the proposed amendment, these organizations would be reluctant to venture into this domain, otherwise their capacity to raise resources through donations will be impaired, since their tax exemption status is directly linked with their registration…”
The proviso came on the heels of the promise of stricter oversight in the national policy on the voluntary sector, released last May. At the time, Montek Singh Ahluwalia, deputy chairman of the Planning Commission, had proposed tighter administrative and penal procedures to prevent misuse of NGO tax incentives.
Copyright © 2007 HT Media
USA: How Healthy Can You Get On Diet Alone?
Healthy Living
By Allison Van Dusen
NEW YORK (Forbes), April 23, 2008
For any number of reasons, far too many Americans are sedentary.
An estimated 14.2% of the population spends less than 10 minutes a week on moderately intense activities, such as walking and vacuuming, or vigorous ones, such as running, according to 2005 statistics from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. A quarter of Americans say they're not performing any physical activity during their free time.
All of this sitting on the couch or behind a desk is undoubtedly contributing to the country's rising health care costs--but does a lack of exercise necessarily mean we're unhealthy?
Quiz: How Healthy Can You Get On Diet Alone?
Every day, we're bombarded with new reports about how crucial it is to our good health to consume more heart-healthy omega-3 fatty acids (found in fish) and cut the trans fats (e.g., doughnuts, french fries). While, of course, you should exercise, if you're not, you may be wondering just how far a focus on diet alone can take you.
Many experts agree that diet may play a bigger role than exercise when it comes to shedding pounds. However, the most effective method of weight loss tends to be a combination of exercise and a decrease in your overall caloric intake, says Dr. Donald D. Hensrud, medical editor in chief of Mayo Clinic Healthy Weight for Everybody.
Eating right also is an essential part of reducing your risk of chronic disease. Watching how much saturated and trans fats you consume may lower your low-density lipoprotein (LDL or "bad cholesterol"), one of the major causes of clogged arteries. Likewise, following a diet similar to the Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) eating plan has been shown to lower blood pressure and cut the risk of coronary heart disease and stroke. Based on findings by the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute, DASH is low in animal protein, moderate in low-fat dairy and high in plant proteins, fruits and vegetables.
And avoiding foods high in refined carbohydrates, such as white bread and rice, and instead opting for more vegetables and fruits, can help protect against several forms of cancer, such as those affecting the stomach, lungs, pancreas and prostate, according to the American Institute for Cancer Research.
Some research, though most of it has been done on animals, also suggests that a severely reduced-calorie diet may increase longevity.
Complements of Exercise
But don't get so comfortable in your desk chair yet. As important as eating smart is, experts say the health benefits are greater when combined with physical activity.
Regular exercise can increase high-density lipoprotein (HDL, "good cholesterol"), another component of lowering the risk of heart disease, says Stacey Snelling, a registered dietitian and an associate professor at American University in the Department of Health and Fitness. While diet is one way to address high blood pressure, exercise will also help by making your heart stronger, allowing it to pump more blood with less effort.
If you're concerned about diseases like cancer, for instance, you're far better off keeping up your activity level, since exercise can help keep hormone levels healthy and strengthen the immune system.
What You're Missing
Beyond missing out on these benefits, experts say dieting without an eye toward exercise has a host of other drawbacks.
A 2006 study funded by the National Institutes of Health showed that overweight people in their 50s and 60s who dropped pounds via diet alone also lost muscle mass, strength and aerobic capacity. Those who jogged or biked--no strength training was involved--maintained their strength and muscle mass, as well as increased their aerobic capacity.
"If people are keeping their weight under control strictly by dieting, they might be compromising their muscular strength and function," says Edward Weiss, lead author of the study and assistant professor of nutrition and dietetics at Saint Louis University's Doisy College of Health Sciences.
What works for you: diet, exercise or both? Weigh in. Add your thoughts in the Reader Comments section below.
Losing weight through dietary changes alone also won't affect your body composition, so while you'll weigh less, you'll still have the same percentage of body fat. Strengthening exercises, while they might not result in rapid weight loss, will help improve your muscle-to-fat ratio, says Cedric Bryant, chief science officer for the American Council on Exercise. Since a pound of muscle takes up less volume than a pound of fat, you'll see a difference over time.
"It'll have a pretty profound effect on how you look and fit in your clothing," Bryant says.
Additionally, exercise can improve your mood, increase energy levels and is considered crucial to keeping off the pounds you've shed, according to the National Weight Control Registry.
Exercise is also important because, as we age, we slow down, and our spontaneous physical activity decreases. (Think of the difference between the movement of a 6-year-old boy and an 80-year-old man.) We also lose about 1% of our muscle mass each year, which slows metabolism, Hensrud says. If you're not exercising, eating the same amount of healthy food will translate into weight gain over time.
Bottom Line
If you can't find time to hit the gym, health experts say you're much better off finding ways to sneak short bursts of activity into your day rather than give up altogether.
Need a kick in the pants? Bryant suggests asking your doctor to perform a full blood workup at your next physical to see how well a sedentary lifestyle is working for you.
And, conversely, if you're one of those people who exercise so you can eat whatever you want, know that you're probably not as healthy as you think, either.
"Exercise and diet is always going to be the best strategy," Weiss says. "If you're good with one, that doesn't mean you can brush off the other."
© 2008 Forbes.com LLC™
AUSTRALIA: Knowing when to turn off
Work-life balance guru Linda Duxbury.SYDNEY, NSW (Sydney Morning Herald),
April 23, 2008
By Lucinda Schmidt
Five years ago, work-life balance expert Linda Duxbury devised a new email holiday message. "I'm away and I won't be checking my emails. On my return on [insert date], I'll delete my in-basket. Please resend your email after that date."
"I'm either working or I'm not working," says Duxbury, 53, a professor at Carleton University's Sprott School of Business in Ottawa, Canada. She is a renowned authority on the work-family juggle, after conducting groundbreaking studies of 33,000 Canadians in 1991 and another 37,000 in 2001.
Duxbury recently visited Sydney and Melbourne to present the findings of a study, with Beaton Consulting, of about 13,000 Australians working in professions including laWork-life balance guru Linda Duxbury.
, accounting and engineering.
"What's very clear from the data is that Australia has worse balance problems than Canada," she says. "There's a workload issue, with more than half the respondents working more than 48 hours a week."
The issue that really shocked her was the effect on women, who are waiting longer to have fewer children. The worst off, she found, were professional women who worked part-time because of family responsibilities. "Where Australia is very different from Canada is the huge reliance on part-time work, especially females," says Duxbury, whose mother is
Australian and who considers Australia her second home. "But they don't reduce their hours that much."
Duxbury concedes the findings apply to her. She waited until she got tenure at Carleton University, aged 36, before quickly having her only child, a daughter now aged 17.
She works 55-60 hours a week - but has strict rules to segment her work and family life. She never works on weekends or holidays and once a month the family takes a three-day weekend and goes away. She has no BlackBerry or mobile phone and doesn't answer calls during dinner.
"I work hard, then I don't work hard," she says. "I have a pretty tight separation between work and family."
Duxbury's route to work-family balance guru came via seven years studying chemical engineering. But she realised her true interest was in people and psychology. After a flirtation with social work ("too wishy-washy"), she decided business management would be a happy medium.
After she received two grants in 1991 to study the effect on family life of "teleworking" - where people took office work home on computer discs to complete in the evenings - she interviewed 33,000 Canadians and prepared what was then the largest data set in the world on work-life balance, detailing stress, prescription drug misuse and multiple doctors' visits.
"I thought people who ran companies just didn't get it. But I found very quickly that they don't actually care about the moral case for change, they only care about the bottom line."
Duxbury's similar study of 37,000 Canadians in 2001 was also grim.
"Everyone was saying, 'We've done work-life balance', but things had deteriorated dramatically," she says.
Now, in a tightening labour market and with Duxbury's data showing how employees' work-life imbalance affects the bottom line, she says Canada has turned the corner. "The really striking thing is that men have become more like women. Men under 45 don't want to be like their fathers, they want to see more of their kids and many are also caring for elderly parents."
THE BIG QUESTIONS
Biggest break
In my career, it was getting funding in 1991. It allowed us to do this incredibly pivotal study [on the work-life balance of 33,000 people]. Personally, it was marrying someone who lets me be what I want to be.
Biggest achievement
My daughter [Annie, 17]. It sounds corny but she's a really grounded person who is nice to older people. She's a daughter I'm proud of. In academia, it was becoming a full professor, in 1998. That's a big deal.
Biggest regret
That I didn't go to Tibet when I was in China in 1985. And I probably would have liked to have two children.
Best investment
My daughter's a huge investment. She's our only child. We've invested a lot of money, time, energy and love.
Worst investment
Most people would say the seven years I studied engineering. I don't see it as a big mistake.
Attitude to money
It's nice to have. I always say to my students "have some screw-off money". Make sure you have enough so that if you're really miserable you can walk away. Money is control.
Personal philosophy
Don't count on you being here tomorrow or someone you love being here tomorrow. My brother was killed in a car accident at 23. [For me] that was a life-changing experience.
Best advice
From my dad: If people walk all over you, whose fault is it - theirs for walking on you or yours for lying there? I don't put up with crap.
Copyright © 2008. Fairfax Digital
INDIA: Senior citizens to form anti-corruption committee
IMPHAL, Manipur (The Imphal Free Press), April 23, 2008:
Senior Citizens for Society, Manipur will form an anti-corruption committee, it was resolved at a symposium on ‘Rampant corruption in Manipur - problems and remedies" held today at the Manipur Press Club in Imphal.
Today’s symposium was opened with lighting of ceremonial lamps by N Benoy Singh, president of the society. In the welcome address L Sadananda Singh, general secretary of the SCS, said the organisation was over three years old and was not only for the welfare of the senior citizens but also to guide against social problems. The main aim of the society was to make a road map for the future generations. The SCS is not a pressure group but aims to give guidelines to solve the social illness, he said.
Dr. M Nara Singh, coordinator, said the Prime Minister, home minister and other ministers of the Central government believed in the work of the senior citizens society. On many occasions senior citizens were called to give their suggestions on Manipur's problems.
The SCS, an effective and able organisation, is pioneering a movement against corruption which is the main cause of Manipur’s sufferings today.
“On this occasion we resolve to fight corruption. The young should be inspired by the senior citizens movement,” he said.
Copyright 2001-2003 KanglaOnline
Senior Citizens for Society, Manipur will form an anti-corruption committee, it was resolved at a symposium on ‘Rampant corruption in Manipur - problems and remedies" held today at the Manipur Press Club in Imphal.
Today’s symposium was opened with lighting of ceremonial lamps by N Benoy Singh, president of the society. In the welcome address L Sadananda Singh, general secretary of the SCS, said the organisation was over three years old and was not only for the welfare of the senior citizens but also to guide against social problems. The main aim of the society was to make a road map for the future generations. The SCS is not a pressure group but aims to give guidelines to solve the social illness, he said.
Dr. M Nara Singh, coordinator, said the Prime Minister, home minister and other ministers of the Central government believed in the work of the senior citizens society. On many occasions senior citizens were called to give their suggestions on Manipur's problems.
The SCS, an effective and able organisation, is pioneering a movement against corruption which is the main cause of Manipur’s sufferings today.
“On this occasion we resolve to fight corruption. The young should be inspired by the senior citizens movement,” he said.
Copyright 2001-2003 KanglaOnline
CHINA: Elderly man in coma after eating starfruit
Teoh Thian Lye with a photo of Tang Gon Seang. KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (New Straits Times), April 23, 2008:
A retired assistant headmaster has been in a coma in a hospital in Shenzhen province in China for the past three weeks, allegedly after eating starfruit.
Tang Gon Seang, 66, from Butterworth, had gone there on February 18 with his wife Teoh Hui Fong, 58, to visit their son who works there as an engineer. He was admitted to the Shenzhen general hospital on March 29 after falling unconscious.
Tang, formerly an assistant headmaster at SRJK (C) Kwong Hwa in Butterworth, slipped into a coma soon after being admitted to the intensive care unit of the hospital. A specialist there diagnosed his condition as being caused by the starfruit he had eaten.
Relating the incident at the MCA public services and complaints department yesterday was Tang's brother in-law Teoh Thian Lye, 55.
Teoh said his sister (Hui Fong) later found out that there were more than 10 patients at the hospital who had suffered similar symptoms after eating starfruit.
"We are puzzled over what caused him to fall so ill," said Thian Lye, adding that even doctors were baffled.
According to an American-based medical website, www.pubmed.gov, starfruit had been reported as containing neurotoxins that often cause severe neurological complications in patients with chronic renal disease.
Common clinical characteristics of the reported cases include persistent hiccups, consciousness disturbance and coma.
However, Hui Fong claimed that Tang did not suffer from kidney complications or any illness prior to their trip to China.
The family have exhausted their savings to support Tang's medical bills which have amounted to more than RM50,000. Thian Lye said attempts to transfer Tang to a hospital here have also failed as he is too ill to travel.
"I hope there will be a way to bring my brother-in-law back here to continue his treatment.
"I also want to warn those travelling overseas to beware of the things they eat."
By V. Shuman
Copyright © 2007 NST Online
USA: Vets' Lawsuit Opens Door on Suicides, Poor Care
RIGHTS
By Aaron Glantz
SAN FRANCISCO (IPS), April 22, 2008:
The United States government does such a bad job of caring for wounded war veterans, advocates told a federal judge here Monday, that 18 veterans commit suicide every week.
"The suicide problem is out of control," said Gordon Erspamer, an attorney representing the groups Veterans for Common Sense and Veterans United for Truth in a class action lawsuit against the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). "Our veterans deserve better."
Erspamer's comments came in opening arguments for what is expected to be a week-long trial, the first class action brought on behalf of 1.7 million Iraq and Afghanistan war veterans.
Early arguments were punctuated by allegations top government officials deliberately deceived the U.S. public about the number of veterans attempting suicide.
In one e-mail made public during the trial, the head of the VA's Mental Health division, Dr. Ira Katz, advised a media spokesperson not to tell reporters 1,000 veterans receiving care at the VA try to kill themselves every month.
Read on
Copyright © 2008 IPS-Inter Press Service
By Aaron Glantz
SAN FRANCISCO (IPS), April 22, 2008:
The United States government does such a bad job of caring for wounded war veterans, advocates told a federal judge here Monday, that 18 veterans commit suicide every week.
"The suicide problem is out of control," said Gordon Erspamer, an attorney representing the groups Veterans for Common Sense and Veterans United for Truth in a class action lawsuit against the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). "Our veterans deserve better."
Erspamer's comments came in opening arguments for what is expected to be a week-long trial, the first class action brought on behalf of 1.7 million Iraq and Afghanistan war veterans.
Early arguments were punctuated by allegations top government officials deliberately deceived the U.S. public about the number of veterans attempting suicide.
In one e-mail made public during the trial, the head of the VA's Mental Health division, Dr. Ira Katz, advised a media spokesperson not to tell reporters 1,000 veterans receiving care at the VA try to kill themselves every month.
Read on
Copyright © 2008 IPS-Inter Press Service
NETHERLANDS: Antipsychotic Drugs Linked to Pneumonia in Elderly
Mechanism unclear, but nursing home study says risk greatest week after meds begin
WASHINGTON DC (US News & World Report), April 22, 2008:
Nursing home patients who take antipsychotic drugs are 60 percent more likely to develop pneumonia in the short term than those who don't take the drugs, a new study shows, according to HealthDay.
The risk is greatest during the first week after patients start taking the medications and gradually decreases, say Dutch researchers.
"The risk of developing pneumonia is not associated with long-term use, but is the highest shortly after starting the drug," said study authors Dr. Rob van Marum and Dr. Wilma Knol. They warned that "all antipsychotic drugs may be associated with pneumonia in elderly patients."
This is the first study to show an association between pneumonia risk and the use of antipsychotic drugs, which are frequently used to treat psychosis and behavioral problems in elderly patients with dementia and delirium.
The study was published in the current issue of the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society.
More research is needed to identify the underlying mechanism behind this association, said the researchers, who added that doctors should monitor elderly patients for signs of sedation after they start taking antipsychotic drugs and should carefully weigh the possible risks before they prescribe antipsychotic drugs for elderly patients.
Up to 40 percent of nursing home residents may be prescribed antipsychotics, according to the study authors. They noted that, in more than half of those cases, antipsychotics are prescribed for inappropriate reasons. The drugs are often used to treat behavioral problems in dementia patients, but evidence shows these drugs have limited effectiveness in these patients.
In addition, recent research has shown that the use of antipsychotic drugs in elderly patients is associated with an increased risk of illness and death.
More information:
The American College of Physicians has more about antipsychotic drug use and death in dementia patients.
Copyright © 2008 ScoutNews, LLC. All rights reserved.
WASHINGTON DC (US News & World Report), April 22, 2008:
Nursing home patients who take antipsychotic drugs are 60 percent more likely to develop pneumonia in the short term than those who don't take the drugs, a new study shows, according to HealthDay.
The risk is greatest during the first week after patients start taking the medications and gradually decreases, say Dutch researchers.
"The risk of developing pneumonia is not associated with long-term use, but is the highest shortly after starting the drug," said study authors Dr. Rob van Marum and Dr. Wilma Knol. They warned that "all antipsychotic drugs may be associated with pneumonia in elderly patients."
This is the first study to show an association between pneumonia risk and the use of antipsychotic drugs, which are frequently used to treat psychosis and behavioral problems in elderly patients with dementia and delirium.
The study was published in the current issue of the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society.
More research is needed to identify the underlying mechanism behind this association, said the researchers, who added that doctors should monitor elderly patients for signs of sedation after they start taking antipsychotic drugs and should carefully weigh the possible risks before they prescribe antipsychotic drugs for elderly patients.
Up to 40 percent of nursing home residents may be prescribed antipsychotics, according to the study authors. They noted that, in more than half of those cases, antipsychotics are prescribed for inappropriate reasons. The drugs are often used to treat behavioral problems in dementia patients, but evidence shows these drugs have limited effectiveness in these patients.
In addition, recent research has shown that the use of antipsychotic drugs in elderly patients is associated with an increased risk of illness and death.
More information:
The American College of Physicians has more about antipsychotic drug use and death in dementia patients.
Copyright © 2008 ScoutNews, LLC. All rights reserved.
U.K.: Pensioner on 4mph scooter halts 70mph traffic
An elderly man on a motorised scooter was stopped by police as he travelled along a busy dual carriageway at 4mph.LONDON, England (Telegraph),
April 22, 2008:
Motorists on the A19 near Middlesbrough dialled 999 after swerving to avoid the man, who was thought to have been on the major route for two miles before he was stopped.
With his legs wrapped in a blanket against the evening chill and a wicker shopping basket attached to the front of his scooter, the man, who was not named, caused a huge tailback of traffic on Sunday evening.
"I couldn't believe what I was seeing," said Stuart Hopley, a motorist. The old guy was tootling along at about 4mph, with everybody else doing 70mph and beeping at him. It's quite amusing to think about it now, but at the time the consequences could have been horrific."
Motability menace: Telegraph TV takes to the streets to track down the rogue OAPs terrorising Rugby city centre
The man was stopped on the flyover at Portrack Lane, near Stockton.
A spokesman for Cleveland police said: "The gentleman was rather confused, but said he was trying to get to Billingham, which was four miles away.
"The officers got him off the dual carriageway and set him on his way along a cycle path."
© Telegraph Media Group Limited 2008
USA: Longevity quest moves slowly from lab to life
Don't bank on anti-aging pills anytime soon — unless you're a worm
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Secrets of a centenarian
Sadie Kaplan is one of 450 centenarians who are lending their genes to a scientific study of the causes of aging.
But she and her family members say they have yet to unravel the mystery of Kaplan’s very long life.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
By JoNel Aleccia
Health writer, MSNBC
April 22, 2008
At 104 and counting, Sadie Kaplan has achieved the lifespan so many of us say we want, without ever popping a pill or lifting a finger to pursue longevity.
The secret behind her long, healthy life remains a mystery to the New York matriarch, belle of the local Jewish senior center, who still lives in her own apartment and likes to sneak past well-meaning neighbors for a solo dinner at the nearby Popeyes chicken joint.
“I keep myself so occupied, I haven’t time to get old,” she tells her children.
Daughter Fran Marton says family members feel blessed, but a little surprised, to have had Kaplan around so long. “It started to dawn on me when she was in her 90s that she was unusual,” says Marton, the youngest of five siblings who range in age from 62 to 80. “She has survived just everybody, miraculously.”
But to researchers who have studied Kaplan and other centenarians, her longevity is less a miracle than the key to a scientific puzzle. When Kaplan agreed four years ago to enroll in the Longevity Genes Project run by the Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University, she joined the oldest of the old willing to supply some answers.
In March, for instance, Kaplan’s biological information was part of a study that showed short women may have a genetic mutation linked to long life. (In her prime, Kaplan was 5 feet, 2 inches; now she barely tops 5 feet, her daughter says.) The researchers, who are studying some 450 Ashkenazi Jews ages 95 and older, also have found that centenarians and their offspring have far more HDL cholesterol — the "good" kind — than other people, and that the size of their HDL proteins is larger than normal. And they've used genes from Kaplan and others to detect longevity markers that not only allow people to live longer, but appear to increase mental agility and protect against dementia.
Human studies of people like Kaplan plus laboratory work with yeast, worms, flies and rodents are propelling scientists closer to understanding what causes aging, how to delay it — and how to translate such progress from the lab to real life.
Continue reading
© 2008 Microsoft
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Secrets of a centenarianSadie Kaplan is one of 450 centenarians who are lending their genes to a scientific study of the causes of aging.
But she and her family members say they have yet to unravel the mystery of Kaplan’s very long life.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
By JoNel Aleccia
Health writer, MSNBC
April 22, 2008
At 104 and counting, Sadie Kaplan has achieved the lifespan so many of us say we want, without ever popping a pill or lifting a finger to pursue longevity.
The secret behind her long, healthy life remains a mystery to the New York matriarch, belle of the local Jewish senior center, who still lives in her own apartment and likes to sneak past well-meaning neighbors for a solo dinner at the nearby Popeyes chicken joint.
“I keep myself so occupied, I haven’t time to get old,” she tells her children.
Daughter Fran Marton says family members feel blessed, but a little surprised, to have had Kaplan around so long. “It started to dawn on me when she was in her 90s that she was unusual,” says Marton, the youngest of five siblings who range in age from 62 to 80. “She has survived just everybody, miraculously.”
But to researchers who have studied Kaplan and other centenarians, her longevity is less a miracle than the key to a scientific puzzle. When Kaplan agreed four years ago to enroll in the Longevity Genes Project run by the Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University, she joined the oldest of the old willing to supply some answers.
In March, for instance, Kaplan’s biological information was part of a study that showed short women may have a genetic mutation linked to long life. (In her prime, Kaplan was 5 feet, 2 inches; now she barely tops 5 feet, her daughter says.) The researchers, who are studying some 450 Ashkenazi Jews ages 95 and older, also have found that centenarians and their offspring have far more HDL cholesterol — the "good" kind — than other people, and that the size of their HDL proteins is larger than normal. And they've used genes from Kaplan and others to detect longevity markers that not only allow people to live longer, but appear to increase mental agility and protect against dementia.
Human studies of people like Kaplan plus laboratory work with yeast, worms, flies and rodents are propelling scientists closer to understanding what causes aging, how to delay it — and how to translate such progress from the lab to real life.
Continue reading
© 2008 Microsoft
JAPAN: Ageing Population, Declining Work Force Threaten To Shrink Labour Force
TOKYO (United Press International), April 22, 2008:
Japan's twin problems of aging population and declining birth rate threaten to shrink its labor force by a third by 2050, officials said.
A government paper warned Tuesday the labor force could plunge to 42.28 million from 66.57 million in 2006 without the labor participation of women and elderly people, Kyodo news service reported.
The report said the labor force population would shrink to 55.84 million by 2030. However, the decline could be smaller and the figure could be sustained at about 61.80 million if steps are taken to promote the labor participation of all those who are willing to work.
The government wants to boost the employment rate of women ages 25-44 to 69 to 72 percent by 2017 from the current 64.9 percent, and that of people ages 60-64 to 60 to 61 percent from 52.6 percent.
In 2006, the nation's total fertility rate, or the average number of children born to a woman between ages 15 and 49, stood at 1.32 -- only slightly better than the record low of 1.26 set the previous year.
© 2008 United Press International.
Japan's twin problems of aging population and declining birth rate threaten to shrink its labor force by a third by 2050, officials said.
A government paper warned Tuesday the labor force could plunge to 42.28 million from 66.57 million in 2006 without the labor participation of women and elderly people, Kyodo news service reported.
The report said the labor force population would shrink to 55.84 million by 2030. However, the decline could be smaller and the figure could be sustained at about 61.80 million if steps are taken to promote the labor participation of all those who are willing to work.
The government wants to boost the employment rate of women ages 25-44 to 69 to 72 percent by 2017 from the current 64.9 percent, and that of people ages 60-64 to 60 to 61 percent from 52.6 percent.
In 2006, the nation's total fertility rate, or the average number of children born to a woman between ages 15 and 49, stood at 1.32 -- only slightly better than the record low of 1.26 set the previous year.
© 2008 United Press International.
USA: Humanity's Greatest Scam - Old Age
HUNTSVILLE, Texas (The Houstonian), April 22, 2008:
OPINION
By Chet Gassett
Chet Gassett discusses the importance of savoring one's youth. He is preparing for the end of his glorious years as a teenager to end. Onward to 40.
As my 20th birthday rapidly approaches, I have been quietly lamenting it. It's not that I'm going to die, the world's going to end or even that I'm going to be simultaneously struck by lightning and mauled by a Kodiak. It's that, I'm no longer going to be able to use, "…but I'm only a teenager," as an excuse any longer. I will officially be an adult.
While stewing over the 20th Anniversary of Chet, my girlfriend stumbled upon a Weblog post entitled, "15 Things it Took Me Over 50 Years to Learn" by Dave Barry. One of his maxims stuck out to me, especially, because it was on the topic of birthdays. Barry said, "There comes a time when you should stop expecting other people to make a big deal about your birthday. That time is age eleven."
It's undeniably true; after that age, no one really cares when your birthday is, except perhaps your closest friends and immediate family. Co-workers only remember it if you work at a company which posts such events on the weekly calendar. Other than that, no one really cares. This doesn't really bother me, to be completely honest with you. However, it's an important lesson for some people, because they have not yet learned that no one cares.
I've decided that every adult, including my parents, that I came in contact with as a child is a liar. I remember looking up to adults, and even teenagers, as a child and thinking, "Wow, I can't wait to grow up." Man, was I delusional. I know that I am not the only person to ever think like that, so fess up now if you're one of us!
The adults in my life always made being an adult look so cool! They got to stay up as late as the wanted. They could eat whatever, whenever they wanted. They could drive! Nor did they have to go to stupid, boring school. The list could potentially go on forever. However, it is at the ripe old age of 19 that I have decided to debunk the awesomeness of adulthood for children everywhere before it is too late.
Being an adult is nowhere near as glorious as I once thought it would be. Okay, yes I can drive, stay out late, I don't have to go to school and I get to feed myself, but I'd rather not do any of that. Driving is actually very monotonous, and is not as much fun after you've been doing it for four years. Staying out late is good and all, but you still have to get up early in the morning, and being tired makes your day miserable. I choose to go to school, because working full-time sucks. Also, now that I'm an adult, I am paying for my own tuition, books, rent, bills, car insurance and lien. Trust me, life was so much better whenever you had someone making decisions and paying for everything you needed to survive.
For all of you children out there, go find Peter Pan! He is your only hope! For all of you that are already adults, I'm sorry. I'm currently devising a plan to be eight-years-old again. Then again, when I think about it, I've had more fun in the past two years than ever before! I think I would rather just be a professional college student, who doesn't age and has an eternal full-ride scholarship.
Yeah, that would make life perfect.
© 2008 Houstonian Online
OPINION
By Chet Gassett
Chet Gassett discusses the importance of savoring one's youth. He is preparing for the end of his glorious years as a teenager to end. Onward to 40.
As my 20th birthday rapidly approaches, I have been quietly lamenting it. It's not that I'm going to die, the world's going to end or even that I'm going to be simultaneously struck by lightning and mauled by a Kodiak. It's that, I'm no longer going to be able to use, "…but I'm only a teenager," as an excuse any longer. I will officially be an adult.
While stewing over the 20th Anniversary of Chet, my girlfriend stumbled upon a Weblog post entitled, "15 Things it Took Me Over 50 Years to Learn" by Dave Barry. One of his maxims stuck out to me, especially, because it was on the topic of birthdays. Barry said, "There comes a time when you should stop expecting other people to make a big deal about your birthday. That time is age eleven."
It's undeniably true; after that age, no one really cares when your birthday is, except perhaps your closest friends and immediate family. Co-workers only remember it if you work at a company which posts such events on the weekly calendar. Other than that, no one really cares. This doesn't really bother me, to be completely honest with you. However, it's an important lesson for some people, because they have not yet learned that no one cares.
I've decided that every adult, including my parents, that I came in contact with as a child is a liar. I remember looking up to adults, and even teenagers, as a child and thinking, "Wow, I can't wait to grow up." Man, was I delusional. I know that I am not the only person to ever think like that, so fess up now if you're one of us!
The adults in my life always made being an adult look so cool! They got to stay up as late as the wanted. They could eat whatever, whenever they wanted. They could drive! Nor did they have to go to stupid, boring school. The list could potentially go on forever. However, it is at the ripe old age of 19 that I have decided to debunk the awesomeness of adulthood for children everywhere before it is too late.
Being an adult is nowhere near as glorious as I once thought it would be. Okay, yes I can drive, stay out late, I don't have to go to school and I get to feed myself, but I'd rather not do any of that. Driving is actually very monotonous, and is not as much fun after you've been doing it for four years. Staying out late is good and all, but you still have to get up early in the morning, and being tired makes your day miserable. I choose to go to school, because working full-time sucks. Also, now that I'm an adult, I am paying for my own tuition, books, rent, bills, car insurance and lien. Trust me, life was so much better whenever you had someone making decisions and paying for everything you needed to survive.
For all of you children out there, go find Peter Pan! He is your only hope! For all of you that are already adults, I'm sorry. I'm currently devising a plan to be eight-years-old again. Then again, when I think about it, I've had more fun in the past two years than ever before! I think I would rather just be a professional college student, who doesn't age and has an eternal full-ride scholarship.
Yeah, that would make life perfect.
© 2008 Houstonian Online
INDIA: State plans action against families evicting seniors
BHOPAL, Madhya Pradesh (IndiaPost), April 22, 2008:
Posted by Yasha Sharma
Senior citizens of wealthy families who have been evicted from their homes by children or family members and are living in Old Age Homes would be identified. Such old people would given Old Age Pension and their offspring or family members would be penalised after filing cases against them for evicting the old people.
This decision was taken at a meeting of the state level committee constituted for amending the proposed Old Age Policy. The meeting held at the Mantralaya was presided over by Woman and Child Development Minister Ms Kusum Mehdele. A sub-committee would prepare the final draft after amending Senior Citizens Act and state's proposed Old Age Policy. The committee would prepare a final draft within two months in the light of suggestions made by the members and discussions with them.
Ms Mehdele convened the first meeting of the sub-committee on May 12.
Source: The India Post
Posted by Yasha Sharma
Senior citizens of wealthy families who have been evicted from their homes by children or family members and are living in Old Age Homes would be identified. Such old people would given Old Age Pension and their offspring or family members would be penalised after filing cases against them for evicting the old people.
This decision was taken at a meeting of the state level committee constituted for amending the proposed Old Age Policy. The meeting held at the Mantralaya was presided over by Woman and Child Development Minister Ms Kusum Mehdele. A sub-committee would prepare the final draft after amending Senior Citizens Act and state's proposed Old Age Policy. The committee would prepare a final draft within two months in the light of suggestions made by the members and discussions with them.
Ms Mehdele convened the first meeting of the sub-committee on May 12.
Source: The India Post
UNITED ARAB EMIRATES: 'Care for Elderly People in the UAE' focuses on Need to Support the Aging
ABU DHABI, UAE (Khaleej Times), April 22, 2008:
The Centre for Information Affairs has published a new study, titled "Care for Elderly People in the United Arab Emirates," to mark the Abu Dhabi International Conference for Aging in Abu Dhabi.
The event is being held under the chairmanship of Shaikha Fatima bint Mubarak, Higher Chairwoman of the Family Development Foundation.
The study touches upon the comprehensive vision of the President, His Highness Shaikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan that encompasses all aspects of human life, and extends its care to all social categories, specially the elderly.
The study indicates that the happiness of citizens and their prosperity takes up a big part of Shaikh Khalifa's speeches and discourses, as citizens are the highest goal in the process of economic and social development.
The study also analyses the various issues related to the care of elderly people, introducing the status of the elderly people in international conventions as well as in the UAE legislations. It highlights some of the efforts and programmes undertaken for the elderly.
Copyright © 2008 Khaleej Times
The Centre for Information Affairs has published a new study, titled "Care for Elderly People in the United Arab Emirates," to mark the Abu Dhabi International Conference for Aging in Abu Dhabi.
The event is being held under the chairmanship of Shaikha Fatima bint Mubarak, Higher Chairwoman of the Family Development Foundation.
The study touches upon the comprehensive vision of the President, His Highness Shaikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan that encompasses all aspects of human life, and extends its care to all social categories, specially the elderly.
The study indicates that the happiness of citizens and their prosperity takes up a big part of Shaikh Khalifa's speeches and discourses, as citizens are the highest goal in the process of economic and social development.
The study also analyses the various issues related to the care of elderly people, introducing the status of the elderly people in international conventions as well as in the UAE legislations. It highlights some of the efforts and programmes undertaken for the elderly.
Copyright © 2008 Khaleej Times
UNITED ARAB EMIRATES: Abu Dhabi International Aging Conference 2008 Begins April 22
ABU DHABI (Arabian Business), April 22, 2008:
The Second Abu Dhabi International Aging Conference 2008 is being held here April 22 thru 24, 2008. The Conference is being held under the patronage of His Highness General Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Abu Dhabi Crown Prince� and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces and the Chairmanship of Her Highness Sheikha Fatima Bint Mubarak, Higher Chairwoman of the Family Development Foundation The Conference is aimed at highlighting the importance given by Islam and social morals to aging people, showing the best means to activate their role and incorporate them into society, and offer them psychiatric and social services.
The Conference is further aimed at reviewing international experiences on care for the elderly and any preventive actions that can be taken by people approaching old age.
The Conference will also tackle issues such as senility, latest scientific discoveries on senility (Aging), senility of mind and soul, and healthy life styles.
USA: Silicon Valley life expectancy has jumped 72 to 80 since 1961
SAN JOSE, Ca (Mercury News), April 22, 2008:
Maybe your exorbitant mortgage bill is worth it after all.
Silicon Valley residents have one of the highest life expectancy rates in the nation, with the average baby born in 1999 on track to live to 80, according to research appearing in today's edition of the journal PLoS Medicine. On average, that's eight years longer than their grandparents might live.
Meanwhile, in Phillips County, Ark., where you can get a mansion for less than $250,000 - and tornadoes are not unheard of - residents are lucky if they live to blow out 70 candles on their birthday cake.
In a sweeping, county-by-county look at life spans, scientists found that not all areas are created equal when it comes to residents enjoying a lengthy and healthy life. Although federal data indicates that life expectancy is continuing to rise across the country as a whole, the new report shows it is actually declining or stagnating in hundreds of counties across the country, partly because of the declining health of women.
Life expectancy hasn't fallen since "the Spanish flu epidemic of 1918," said Dr. Christopher Murray, a co-author of the study and director of the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation at the University of Washington. "How on earth can this be happening when we have all these advances in medical technology?"
Researchers point to increasing obesity and diabetes rates as well as higher mortality from lung cancer for some explanations on why life spans are foundering in the deep South and Appalachia, especially for women.
While women are still likely to live, on average, more than five years longer than men, the researchers determined the gap between the sexes is steadily narrowing.
Nearly one-fifth of women in this country had their life expectancy fall or stay the same between 1961 and 1999, compared with just 4 percent of males, the study found - something that shocked its authors.
"We've had decades and decades of continued steady progress in health. This is the first time we've found things are getting worse for a large group of American women," Murray said. "It's not what you would expect to see."
While that does not yet apply to Bay Area women, researchers cautioned that it could.
Despite our fondness of salad bars and Pilates sessions, the region is not immune to the problems that are reducing life spans in other parts of the country, Murray said. Even here, there has been an increase in the number of middle-aged and older women who develop lung cancer, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and diabetes.
Still, Bay Area residents are doing something right.
Santa Clara County residents are now expected to live, on average, 80.26 years - about eight years longer than people living here two generations ago. The rates are similarly high in San Mateo and Marin counties, with the average life expectancy hitting 80.29 years and 80.84 years, respectively. In Alameda, Contra Costa and San Francisco counties, the average is about 78 years.
Nutrition, exercise, education, income level and access to health care can certainly boost a person's life span. The study's authors said the downward trend in life expectancy in some counties may also be a sign that it is time to rethink the American health care system.
But other scientists stressed that there is likely not one primary cause.
It isn't like a game of dominoes, where you "flick one and they all go tumbling," said Paul Terry, an assistant professor of epidemiology at Emory University in Atlanta.
Causes vary in different parts of the country, and each region typically has a number of reasons for the lagging life expectancy rates, Terry said.
Still, he is optimistic that the country's overall life expectancy rate - which hit 77.8 years in 2004 - won't reverse course.
"Life expectancy may perhaps level off somewhat for a while," he said. "What we do know from the past, however, is that the next lifestyle or medical innovation that increases life expectancy may be just around the corner."
It can't get here soon enough, some believe. As it is, among major industrialized nations, the United States doesn't even break the top 30 when it comes to average life expectancy. The residents of Japan, Singapore and France (not to mention Andorra and Macau) have greater longevity than we do.
But it's not just about longevity, said Robert Anderson, chief of the mortality statistics branch for the National Center for Health Statistics. He worried that medical advances will ultimately let unhealthy people live longer.
"We may be able to keep these people alive with drugs and medical treatment," he said, "but their quality of life isn't going to be very good."
By Julie Sevrens Lyons
jlyons@mercurynews.com
Copyright 2008 San Jose Mercury News
Maybe your exorbitant mortgage bill is worth it after all.
Silicon Valley residents have one of the highest life expectancy rates in the nation, with the average baby born in 1999 on track to live to 80, according to research appearing in today's edition of the journal PLoS Medicine. On average, that's eight years longer than their grandparents might live.
Meanwhile, in Phillips County, Ark., where you can get a mansion for less than $250,000 - and tornadoes are not unheard of - residents are lucky if they live to blow out 70 candles on their birthday cake.
In a sweeping, county-by-county look at life spans, scientists found that not all areas are created equal when it comes to residents enjoying a lengthy and healthy life. Although federal data indicates that life expectancy is continuing to rise across the country as a whole, the new report shows it is actually declining or stagnating in hundreds of counties across the country, partly because of the declining health of women.
Life expectancy hasn't fallen since "the Spanish flu epidemic of 1918," said Dr. Christopher Murray, a co-author of the study and director of the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation at the University of Washington. "How on earth can this be happening when we have all these advances in medical technology?"
Researchers point to increasing obesity and diabetes rates as well as higher mortality from lung cancer for some explanations on why life spans are foundering in the deep South and Appalachia, especially for women.
While women are still likely to live, on average, more than five years longer than men, the researchers determined the gap between the sexes is steadily narrowing.
Nearly one-fifth of women in this country had their life expectancy fall or stay the same between 1961 and 1999, compared with just 4 percent of males, the study found - something that shocked its authors.
"We've had decades and decades of continued steady progress in health. This is the first time we've found things are getting worse for a large group of American women," Murray said. "It's not what you would expect to see."
While that does not yet apply to Bay Area women, researchers cautioned that it could.
Despite our fondness of salad bars and Pilates sessions, the region is not immune to the problems that are reducing life spans in other parts of the country, Murray said. Even here, there has been an increase in the number of middle-aged and older women who develop lung cancer, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and diabetes.
Still, Bay Area residents are doing something right.
Santa Clara County residents are now expected to live, on average, 80.26 years - about eight years longer than people living here two generations ago. The rates are similarly high in San Mateo and Marin counties, with the average life expectancy hitting 80.29 years and 80.84 years, respectively. In Alameda, Contra Costa and San Francisco counties, the average is about 78 years.
Nutrition, exercise, education, income level and access to health care can certainly boost a person's life span. The study's authors said the downward trend in life expectancy in some counties may also be a sign that it is time to rethink the American health care system.
But other scientists stressed that there is likely not one primary cause.
It isn't like a game of dominoes, where you "flick one and they all go tumbling," said Paul Terry, an assistant professor of epidemiology at Emory University in Atlanta.
Causes vary in different parts of the country, and each region typically has a number of reasons for the lagging life expectancy rates, Terry said.
Still, he is optimistic that the country's overall life expectancy rate - which hit 77.8 years in 2004 - won't reverse course.
"Life expectancy may perhaps level off somewhat for a while," he said. "What we do know from the past, however, is that the next lifestyle or medical innovation that increases life expectancy may be just around the corner."
It can't get here soon enough, some believe. As it is, among major industrialized nations, the United States doesn't even break the top 30 when it comes to average life expectancy. The residents of Japan, Singapore and France (not to mention Andorra and Macau) have greater longevity than we do.
But it's not just about longevity, said Robert Anderson, chief of the mortality statistics branch for the National Center for Health Statistics. He worried that medical advances will ultimately let unhealthy people live longer.
"We may be able to keep these people alive with drugs and medical treatment," he said, "but their quality of life isn't going to be very good."
By Julie Sevrens Lyons
jlyons@mercurynews.com
Copyright 2008 San Jose Mercury News
INDIA: Nine people over 50 years killed in India every day
NEW DELHI (IANS), April 22, 2008:
At least nine people aged 50 years and above are murdered and many more fall prey to heinous crimes across the country every day, áccording to official figures released Tuesday.
The National Crime Record Bureau (NCRB) released data that reports 3,368 murder cases of senior citizens and those over 50 were registered across the police stations in India, up from 3,215 in 2005.
In 2004, a total of 3,149 such cases had come to light.
The figures, tabled in the Lok Sabha by India's Minister of State for Home Radhika V. Selvi, showed that a total of 275 cases of culpable homicide not amounting to murder were registered in 2006.
There were 333 such cases in 2005 and 356 in 2004.
The national capital region, where 17 (11 male and six female) senior citizens were murdered last year also witnessed an increase in the number of crimes against the elderly.
In 2007, there were at least 17 murders with elderly people as victims in the capital. The figure was 12 in 2006 and 16 in 2005. Upto Feb 15 this year, one senior person has fallen prey to killers.
The attempt to murder cases, however, remained low with only one instance in 2007. In 2006, such cases were two in comparison to five in 2005.
Instances of robbery and dacoity against senior citizens also showed a downward trend. In 2007, nine cases were registered against 10 and 15 in 2006 and 2005 respectively.
Ms. Selvi informed the house that Delhi Police have taken a number of steps for safety and welfare of senior citizens in the capital.
(IANS)
At least nine people aged 50 years and above are murdered and many more fall prey to heinous crimes across the country every day, áccording to official figures released Tuesday.
The National Crime Record Bureau (NCRB) released data that reports 3,368 murder cases of senior citizens and those over 50 were registered across the police stations in India, up from 3,215 in 2005.
In 2004, a total of 3,149 such cases had come to light.
The figures, tabled in the Lok Sabha by India's Minister of State for Home Radhika V. Selvi, showed that a total of 275 cases of culpable homicide not amounting to murder were registered in 2006.
There were 333 such cases in 2005 and 356 in 2004.
The national capital region, where 17 (11 male and six female) senior citizens were murdered last year also witnessed an increase in the number of crimes against the elderly.
In 2007, there were at least 17 murders with elderly people as victims in the capital. The figure was 12 in 2006 and 16 in 2005. Upto Feb 15 this year, one senior person has fallen prey to killers.
The attempt to murder cases, however, remained low with only one instance in 2007. In 2006, such cases were two in comparison to five in 2005.
Instances of robbery and dacoity against senior citizens also showed a downward trend. In 2007, nine cases were registered against 10 and 15 in 2006 and 2005 respectively.
Ms. Selvi informed the house that Delhi Police have taken a number of steps for safety and welfare of senior citizens in the capital.
(IANS)
GERMANY: Thieving German Granny Fools Police
GUTERSLOH, Germany (Spiegel, Berlin), April 22, 2008:
An 80-year-old lady trying to steal engine oil from a store in Germany collapsed as soon as she was nabbed by the store detective, but walked out of the hospital in a miraculous recovery shortly after being rushed there by helicopter. Police said the cunning pensioner is a repeat offender.
An elderly lady caught stealing car parts and engine oil in a German store fainted in an apparent bid to escape justice and was taken by helicopter to hospital where an examination found she was perfectly all right, police said.
"The lady was released from hospital. As her personal details still hadn't been taken down, she was questioned by police officers," police in the western town of Gütersloh said in a statement. "She was reluctant to give her name and only revealed it after being asked repeatedly," police said in a statement.
"It turned out that she was an 80-year-old pensioner from Detmold who has come to the attention of the police in similar cases before." The lady is being charged with attempted shoplifting.
cro
© SPIEGEL ONLINE 2008
An 80-year-old lady trying to steal engine oil from a store in Germany collapsed as soon as she was nabbed by the store detective, but walked out of the hospital in a miraculous recovery shortly after being rushed there by helicopter. Police said the cunning pensioner is a repeat offender.
An elderly lady caught stealing car parts and engine oil in a German store fainted in an apparent bid to escape justice and was taken by helicopter to hospital where an examination found she was perfectly all right, police said.
"The lady was released from hospital. As her personal details still hadn't been taken down, she was questioned by police officers," police in the western town of Gütersloh said in a statement. "She was reluctant to give her name and only revealed it after being asked repeatedly," police said in a statement.
"It turned out that she was an 80-year-old pensioner from Detmold who has come to the attention of the police in similar cases before." The lady is being charged with attempted shoplifting.
cro
© SPIEGEL ONLINE 2008
EUROPE: Elder Abuse is theme of short video film
Social Affairs
VALLADOLID, Spain (EuroAlert), April 22, 2008:
The Directorate General for Employment, Social Affairs and Equal Opportunities has produced three new video news releases. They all address social issues which are currently high on the agenda.
A video on the gender pay gap in Europe explains the problem and shows how a number of EU countries are taking actions to try to end discrimination against women in the workplace. On average women earn 15% less than men throughout the European Union. In some sectors, such as clothing manufacture, this pay gap can rise as high as 86%. To address the continuing disparities in pay between women and men, a higher awareness of this issue is necessary among all parties involved.
The clip "Protecting the dignity of our older people" throws light on the abuse of elderly people, which has become a serious problem in our society. Almost half (47%) of people across the EU consider the phenomenon to be widespread in their country – and the challenge is only likely to increase with time as Europeans get older. The film shows good examples of tackling poor treatment, neglect and abuse of dependent elderly and preventing similar abuse in the future.
Tackling child poverty and breaking the transmission of poverty and exclusion from one generation to the next features high on the European Union’s political agenda. Child poverty is recognised as a multi-dimensional problem which requires urgent integrated actions across a wide range of social, economic and cultural policies. Almost 20% of European youngsters are at risk of poverty – a higher rate than the adult population. The video news release shows areas in the EU where child poverty is a prevailing problem, but where some encouraging action is also taking place.
The films have been broadcasted on Europe by Satellite and have been placed in their shorter 3-minute versions on EUTube - the European Commission's channel on popular video-sharing website YouTube.
Copyright ©1998-2008 Gateway S.C.S.,SL
VALLADOLID, Spain (EuroAlert), April 22, 2008:
The Directorate General for Employment, Social Affairs and Equal Opportunities has produced three new video news releases. They all address social issues which are currently high on the agenda.
A video on the gender pay gap in Europe explains the problem and shows how a number of EU countries are taking actions to try to end discrimination against women in the workplace. On average women earn 15% less than men throughout the European Union. In some sectors, such as clothing manufacture, this pay gap can rise as high as 86%. To address the continuing disparities in pay between women and men, a higher awareness of this issue is necessary among all parties involved.
The clip "Protecting the dignity of our older people" throws light on the abuse of elderly people, which has become a serious problem in our society. Almost half (47%) of people across the EU consider the phenomenon to be widespread in their country – and the challenge is only likely to increase with time as Europeans get older. The film shows good examples of tackling poor treatment, neglect and abuse of dependent elderly and preventing similar abuse in the future.
Tackling child poverty and breaking the transmission of poverty and exclusion from one generation to the next features high on the European Union’s political agenda. Child poverty is recognised as a multi-dimensional problem which requires urgent integrated actions across a wide range of social, economic and cultural policies. Almost 20% of European youngsters are at risk of poverty – a higher rate than the adult population. The video news release shows areas in the EU where child poverty is a prevailing problem, but where some encouraging action is also taking place.
The films have been broadcasted on Europe by Satellite and have been placed in their shorter 3-minute versions on EUTube - the European Commission's channel on popular video-sharing website YouTube.
Copyright ©1998-2008 Gateway S.C.S.,SL
EMIRATES: Study Published on Care for Elderly People in UAE
.
ABU DHABI, United Arab Emirates / Emirates News Agency WAM / April 22, 2008
The Centre for Information Affairs has published a new study entitled 'Care for Elderly People in the United Arab Emirates'. The study coincides with the 'Abu Dhabi International Conference for Aging' to be held in Abu Dhabi between 22-24 April 22 and 24 under the Chairmanship of HH Sheikha Fatima Bint Mubarak, Supreme Chairwoman of the Family Development Foundation.
The study sheds light on the comprehensive vision of H.H. President Sheikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan that encompasses all aspects of human life, and extends its care to all social categories, especially the elderly.
The study also analyzes the various issues related to the care of elderly people, introducing the status of the elderly people in international conventions as well as in the UAE legislations. It highlights some of the efforts and programs addressed to this category of people. It spotlights the institutional services implemented for the care of the elderly people by governmental as well as private institutions.
Source: Emirates News Agency, WAM
ABU DHABI, United Arab Emirates / Emirates News Agency WAM / April 22, 2008
The Centre for Information Affairs has published a new study entitled 'Care for Elderly People in the United Arab Emirates'. The study coincides with the 'Abu Dhabi International Conference for Aging' to be held in Abu Dhabi between 22-24 April 22 and 24 under the Chairmanship of HH Sheikha Fatima Bint Mubarak, Supreme Chairwoman of the Family Development Foundation.
The study sheds light on the comprehensive vision of H.H. President Sheikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan that encompasses all aspects of human life, and extends its care to all social categories, especially the elderly.
The study also analyzes the various issues related to the care of elderly people, introducing the status of the elderly people in international conventions as well as in the UAE legislations. It highlights some of the efforts and programs addressed to this category of people. It spotlights the institutional services implemented for the care of the elderly people by governmental as well as private institutions.
Source: Emirates News Agency, WAM
USA: A Conversation With The Smiling Professor of Happiness
In Conversation with
CLAUDIA DREIFUS
NEW YORK (New York Times), April 22, 2008:
At Harvard, the social psychologist Daniel Gilbert is known as Professor Happiness. That is because the 50-year-old researcher directs a laboratory studying the nature of human happiness.
Dr. Gilbert’s “Stumbling on Happiness” was a New York Times paperback best seller for 23 weeks and won the 2007 Royal Society Prize for Science Books.
Dr. Daniel Gilbert.
By C.J. Gunther for The New York Times
Q. HOW DID YOU STUMBLE ONTO YOUR AREA OF STUDY?
A. It was something that happened to me roughly 13 years ago. I spent the first decade of my career studying what psychologists call “the fundamental attribution error,” which is about how people have the tendency to ignore the power of external situations to determine human behavior.
Why do many people, for instance, believe the uneducated are stupid?
I’d have been content to work on this for many more years, but some things happened in my own life.
Within a short period of time, my mentor passed away, my mother died, my marriage fell apart and my teenage son developed problems in school. What I soon found was that as bad as my situation was, it wasn’t devastating. I went on.
One day, I had lunch with a friend who was also going through difficult times. I told him: “If you’d have asked me a year ago how I’d deal with all this, I’d have predicted that I couldn’t get out of bed in the morning.”
He nodded and added, “Are we the only people who could be so wrong in predicting how we’d respond to extreme stress?”
That got me thinking. I wondered: How accurately do people predict their emotional reactions to future events?
Q. HOW DOES THAT RELATE TO UNDERSTANDING HAPPINESS?
A. Because if we can’t predict how we’d react in the future, we can’t set realistic goals for ourselves or figure out how to reach to them.
What we’ve been seeing in my lab, over and over again, is that people have an inability to predict what will make us happy — or unhappy. If you can’t tell which futures are better than others, it’s hard to find happiness. The truth is, bad things don’t affect us as profoundly as we expect them to. That’s true of good things, too. We adapt very quickly to either.
So the good news is that going blind is not going to make you as unhappy as you think it will. The bad news is that winning the lottery will not make you as happy as you expect.
Q. ARE YOU SAYING THAT PEOPLE ARE HAPPY WITH WHATEVER CARDS ARE DEALT TO THEM?
A. As a species, we tend to be moderately happy with whatever we get. If you take a scale that goes from zero to 100, people, generally, report their happiness at about 75. We keep trying to get to 100. Sometimes, we get there. But we don’t stay long.
We certainly fear the things that would get us down to 20 or 10 — the death of a loved one, the end of a relationship, a serious challenge to our health. But when those things happen, most of us will return to our emotional baselines more quickly than we’d predict. Humans are wildly resilient.
Q. DO MOST OF US HARBOR UNREASONABLE NOTIONS OF WHAT HAPPINESS IS?
A. Inaccurate, flawed ideas. Few of us can accurately gauge how we will feel tomorrow or next week. That’s why when you go to the supermarket on an empty stomach, you’ll buy too much, and if you shop after a big meal, you’ll buy too little.
Another factor that makes it difficult to forecast our future happiness is that most of us are rationalizers. We expect to feel devastated if our spouse leaves us or if we get passed over for a big promotion at work.
But when things like that do happen, it’s soon, “She never was right for me,” or “I actually need more free time for my family.” People have remarkable talent for finding ways to soften the impact of negative events. Thus they mistakenly expect such blows to be much more devastating than they turn out to be.
Q. SO, IF WE DIDN’T HAVE THESE MECHANISMS, WOULD WE BE TOO DEPRESSED TO GO ON?
A. There may be something to that. People who are clinically depressed often seem to lack the ability to reframe events. That suggests that if the rest of us didn’t have this, we might be depressed as well.
Q. AS THE AUTHOR OF A BEST SELLER ABOUT HAPPINESS, DO YOU HAVE ANY ADVICE ON HOW PEOPLE CAN ACHIEVE IT?
A. I’m not Dr. Phil.
We know that the best predictor of human happiness is human relationships and the amount of time that people spend with family and friends.
We know that it’s significantly more important than money and somewhat more important than health. That’s what the data shows. The interesting thing is that people will sacrifice social relationships to get other things that won’t make them as happy — money. That’s what I mean when I say people should do “wise shopping” for happiness.
Another thing we know from studies is that people tend to take more pleasure in experiences than in things. So if you have “x” amount of dollars to spend on a vacation or a good meal or movies, it will get you more happiness than a durable good or an object. One reason for this is that experiences tend to be shared with other people and objects usually aren’t.
Q. HAVE YOU JUST EXPRESSED A VERY ANTI-AMERICAN IDEA?
A. Oh, you can spend lots of money on experiences. People think a car will last and that’s why it will bring you happiness. But it doesn’t. It gets old and decays. But experiences don’t. You’ll “always have Paris” — and that’s exactly what Bogart meant when he said it to Ingrid Bergman. But will you always have a washing machine? No.
Today, I’m going to Dallas to meet my wife and I’m flying first class, which is ridiculously expensive. But the experience will be far more delightful than a new suit. Another way I follow what I’ve learned from data is that I don’t chase dollars now that I have enough of them, because I know that it will take a very large amount of money to increase my happiness by a small amount.
You couldn’t pay me $100,000 to miss a play date with my granddaughters.
And that’s not because I’m rich. That’s because I know that a hundred grand won’t make me as happy as nurturing my relationship with my granddaughters will.
Q. SO YOU HOLD WITH THE NOTION THAT “MONEY CAN’T BUY YOU HAPPINESS”?
A. I wouldn’t say that. The data says that with the poor, a little money can buy a lot of happiness. If you’re rich, a lot of money can buy you a little more happiness. But in both cases, money does it.
Q. ARE YOU, DAN GILBERT, HAPPY?
A. I am. I think good things are happening to me and will continue. I am not optimistic about the rest of the species, but I’m so blessed, it’s almost scary. I’m sorry to disappoint you, but I have a wildly sunny disposition. I love to laugh. My book is full of jokes.
Copyright 2008 The New York Times Company
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Seniors World Chronicle adds:
Extract From
STUMBLING ON HAPPINESS
What would you do right now if you learned that you were going to die in ten minutes? Would you race upstairs and light that Marlboro you've been hiding in your sock drawer since the Ford administration?
Daniel Gilbert
Photo © Marilynn Oliphant
Would you waltz into your boss's office and present him with a detailed description of his personal defects? Would you drive out to that steakhouse near the new mall and order a T-bone, medium rare, with an extra side of the really bad cholesterol?
Hard to say, of course, but of all the things you might do in your final ten minutes, it's a pretty safe bet that few of them are things you actually did today
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
CLAUDIA DREIFUS
NEW YORK (New York Times), April 22, 2008:
At Harvard, the social psychologist Daniel Gilbert is known as Professor Happiness. That is because the 50-year-old researcher directs a laboratory studying the nature of human happiness.
Dr. Gilbert’s “Stumbling on Happiness” was a New York Times paperback best seller for 23 weeks and won the 2007 Royal Society Prize for Science Books.
Dr. Daniel Gilbert. By C.J. Gunther for The New York Times
Q. HOW DID YOU STUMBLE ONTO YOUR AREA OF STUDY?
A. It was something that happened to me roughly 13 years ago. I spent the first decade of my career studying what psychologists call “the fundamental attribution error,” which is about how people have the tendency to ignore the power of external situations to determine human behavior.
Why do many people, for instance, believe the uneducated are stupid?
I’d have been content to work on this for many more years, but some things happened in my own life.
Within a short period of time, my mentor passed away, my mother died, my marriage fell apart and my teenage son developed problems in school. What I soon found was that as bad as my situation was, it wasn’t devastating. I went on.
One day, I had lunch with a friend who was also going through difficult times. I told him: “If you’d have asked me a year ago how I’d deal with all this, I’d have predicted that I couldn’t get out of bed in the morning.”
He nodded and added, “Are we the only people who could be so wrong in predicting how we’d respond to extreme stress?”
That got me thinking. I wondered: How accurately do people predict their emotional reactions to future events?
Q. HOW DOES THAT RELATE TO UNDERSTANDING HAPPINESS?
A. Because if we can’t predict how we’d react in the future, we can’t set realistic goals for ourselves or figure out how to reach to them.
What we’ve been seeing in my lab, over and over again, is that people have an inability to predict what will make us happy — or unhappy. If you can’t tell which futures are better than others, it’s hard to find happiness. The truth is, bad things don’t affect us as profoundly as we expect them to. That’s true of good things, too. We adapt very quickly to either.
So the good news is that going blind is not going to make you as unhappy as you think it will. The bad news is that winning the lottery will not make you as happy as you expect.
Q. ARE YOU SAYING THAT PEOPLE ARE HAPPY WITH WHATEVER CARDS ARE DEALT TO THEM?
A. As a species, we tend to be moderately happy with whatever we get. If you take a scale that goes from zero to 100, people, generally, report their happiness at about 75. We keep trying to get to 100. Sometimes, we get there. But we don’t stay long.
We certainly fear the things that would get us down to 20 or 10 — the death of a loved one, the end of a relationship, a serious challenge to our health. But when those things happen, most of us will return to our emotional baselines more quickly than we’d predict. Humans are wildly resilient.
Q. DO MOST OF US HARBOR UNREASONABLE NOTIONS OF WHAT HAPPINESS IS?
A. Inaccurate, flawed ideas. Few of us can accurately gauge how we will feel tomorrow or next week. That’s why when you go to the supermarket on an empty stomach, you’ll buy too much, and if you shop after a big meal, you’ll buy too little.
Another factor that makes it difficult to forecast our future happiness is that most of us are rationalizers. We expect to feel devastated if our spouse leaves us or if we get passed over for a big promotion at work.
But when things like that do happen, it’s soon, “She never was right for me,” or “I actually need more free time for my family.” People have remarkable talent for finding ways to soften the impact of negative events. Thus they mistakenly expect such blows to be much more devastating than they turn out to be.
Q. SO, IF WE DIDN’T HAVE THESE MECHANISMS, WOULD WE BE TOO DEPRESSED TO GO ON?
A. There may be something to that. People who are clinically depressed often seem to lack the ability to reframe events. That suggests that if the rest of us didn’t have this, we might be depressed as well.
Q. AS THE AUTHOR OF A BEST SELLER ABOUT HAPPINESS, DO YOU HAVE ANY ADVICE ON HOW PEOPLE CAN ACHIEVE IT?
A. I’m not Dr. Phil.
We know that the best predictor of human happiness is human relationships and the amount of time that people spend with family and friends.
We know that it’s significantly more important than money and somewhat more important than health. That’s what the data shows. The interesting thing is that people will sacrifice social relationships to get other things that won’t make them as happy — money. That’s what I mean when I say people should do “wise shopping” for happiness.
Another thing we know from studies is that people tend to take more pleasure in experiences than in things. So if you have “x” amount of dollars to spend on a vacation or a good meal or movies, it will get you more happiness than a durable good or an object. One reason for this is that experiences tend to be shared with other people and objects usually aren’t.
Q. HAVE YOU JUST EXPRESSED A VERY ANTI-AMERICAN IDEA?
A. Oh, you can spend lots of money on experiences. People think a car will last and that’s why it will bring you happiness. But it doesn’t. It gets old and decays. But experiences don’t. You’ll “always have Paris” — and that’s exactly what Bogart meant when he said it to Ingrid Bergman. But will you always have a washing machine? No.
Today, I’m going to Dallas to meet my wife and I’m flying first class, which is ridiculously expensive. But the experience will be far more delightful than a new suit. Another way I follow what I’ve learned from data is that I don’t chase dollars now that I have enough of them, because I know that it will take a very large amount of money to increase my happiness by a small amount.
You couldn’t pay me $100,000 to miss a play date with my granddaughters.
And that’s not because I’m rich. That’s because I know that a hundred grand won’t make me as happy as nurturing my relationship with my granddaughters will.
Q. SO YOU HOLD WITH THE NOTION THAT “MONEY CAN’T BUY YOU HAPPINESS”?
A. I wouldn’t say that. The data says that with the poor, a little money can buy a lot of happiness. If you’re rich, a lot of money can buy you a little more happiness. But in both cases, money does it.
Q. ARE YOU, DAN GILBERT, HAPPY?
A. I am. I think good things are happening to me and will continue. I am not optimistic about the rest of the species, but I’m so blessed, it’s almost scary. I’m sorry to disappoint you, but I have a wildly sunny disposition. I love to laugh. My book is full of jokes.
Copyright 2008 The New York Times Company
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Seniors World Chronicle adds:
Extract From
STUMBLING ON HAPPINESS
What would you do right now if you learned that you were going to die in ten minutes? Would you race upstairs and light that Marlboro you've been hiding in your sock drawer since the Ford administration? 
Daniel Gilbert
Photo © Marilynn Oliphant
Would you waltz into your boss's office and present him with a detailed description of his personal defects? Would you drive out to that steakhouse near the new mall and order a T-bone, medium rare, with an extra side of the really bad cholesterol?
Hard to say, of course, but of all the things you might do in your final ten minutes, it's a pretty safe bet that few of them are things you actually did today
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
JAPAN: 24% suffer some form of mental ills
Large-scale national study highlights depression, alcohol addiction, anxiety disorders
By AKIRA OGAWA
Kyodo News
TOKYO (The Japan Times), April 22, 2008:
Twenty-four percent of Japanese have suffered mental illnesses such as depression, alcohol abuse or addiction, but only 30 percent of them consulted a doctor.
These alarming mental health statistics were revealed in a recent large-scale nationwide investigation that a Health, Labor and Welfare Ministry research team carried out, led by Norito Kawakami, a University of Tokyo professor.
As part of an international research project initiated by the World Health Organization, the team conducted a survey and received responses from about 4,100 people aged 20 and older in 11 cities and towns in six prefectures from 2002 to 2006. In all, about 85,000 people in 17 countries were surveyed in the WHO project.
The municipalities involved were Tendo and Kaminoyama, Yamagata Prefecture; Sano, Tochigi Prefecture; Isogo Ward, Yokohama; Okayama and Tamano, Okayama Prefecture; Nagasaki; and Kushikino and the towns of Higashiichiki and Fukiage, Kagoshima Prefecture.
The percentage of Japanese mental illness patients was one-third that in the United States, half that in France and the Netherlands, and the same number as in Germany and France.
"The prevalent rate in Japan might have been lower because Japanese replied with reserve," Kawakami said.
"The social loss from mental illness is larger than from physical disorders," Kawakami said. "The problem is the lower consultation rate, and early checkups are encouraged."
There have been few full-scale investigations into mental illness in Japan so far. This latest investigation was conducted with specially trained investigators interviewing people.
Except for schizophrenia and developmental disorders that can only be diagnosed by medical specialists, the investigators checked patients for depression and other mood disorders, morbid fear and other anxiety disorders, and alcohol abuse and other addictions.
Of those investigated, 24 percent were found to have suffered from psychological disorders sometime in their lives. Those suffering from alcohol abuse and addiction accounted for 10 percent of the total, the highest, followed by those suffering from depression, at 6 percent, and anxiety disorders, at 3 percent.
Only 30 percent of those surveyed had consulted doctors, and less than 30 percent of those suffering from depression had checkups — conspicuously low rates among advanced countries with a high average income.
Checkups are liable to be delayed because, one person said, "I can take care of myself."
A second answered, "I don't know where to go." A third replied, "I don't want other people to know about my illness," and a fourth said, "I didn't think there is an effect."
The investigators said the problem is a lack of knowledge and information about mental health, and general prejudice about the issue.
It was also found that many people surveyed consulted with general practitioners. The investigation team is calling for tieups between general practitioners and psychiatrists in providing medical care to mentally ill patients.
More than 30,000 Japanese have committed suicide each year since 1998, and the investigation found that 10 percent of those surveyed had seriously considered suicide.
In the survey, people with depression and other mood disorders were found mostly among those aged 34 or younger.
The trend of sharp increases in depression among young people is conspicuous in Japan and China.
"This may be because of inept human relations with weakening social links and the progression of a lower birthrate," Kawakami said.
The risk factors for depression are domestic violence in childhood, fear of social interaction, minor mental disorders and physical diseases.
"Required for mental health are a wide variety of lifelong measures in regional communities and workplaces," a team investigator said.
(C) The Japan Times Ltd.
By AKIRA OGAWA
Kyodo News
TOKYO (The Japan Times), April 22, 2008:
Twenty-four percent of Japanese have suffered mental illnesses such as depression, alcohol abuse or addiction, but only 30 percent of them consulted a doctor.
These alarming mental health statistics were revealed in a recent large-scale nationwide investigation that a Health, Labor and Welfare Ministry research team carried out, led by Norito Kawakami, a University of Tokyo professor.
As part of an international research project initiated by the World Health Organization, the team conducted a survey and received responses from about 4,100 people aged 20 and older in 11 cities and towns in six prefectures from 2002 to 2006. In all, about 85,000 people in 17 countries were surveyed in the WHO project.
The municipalities involved were Tendo and Kaminoyama, Yamagata Prefecture; Sano, Tochigi Prefecture; Isogo Ward, Yokohama; Okayama and Tamano, Okayama Prefecture; Nagasaki; and Kushikino and the towns of Higashiichiki and Fukiage, Kagoshima Prefecture.
The percentage of Japanese mental illness patients was one-third that in the United States, half that in France and the Netherlands, and the same number as in Germany and France.
"The prevalent rate in Japan might have been lower because Japanese replied with reserve," Kawakami said.
"The social loss from mental illness is larger than from physical disorders," Kawakami said. "The problem is the lower consultation rate, and early checkups are encouraged."
There have been few full-scale investigations into mental illness in Japan so far. This latest investigation was conducted with specially trained investigators interviewing people.
Except for schizophrenia and developmental disorders that can only be diagnosed by medical specialists, the investigators checked patients for depression and other mood disorders, morbid fear and other anxiety disorders, and alcohol abuse and other addictions.
Of those investigated, 24 percent were found to have suffered from psychological disorders sometime in their lives. Those suffering from alcohol abuse and addiction accounted for 10 percent of the total, the highest, followed by those suffering from depression, at 6 percent, and anxiety disorders, at 3 percent.
Only 30 percent of those surveyed had consulted doctors, and less than 30 percent of those suffering from depression had checkups — conspicuously low rates among advanced countries with a high average income.
Checkups are liable to be delayed because, one person said, "I can take care of myself."
A second answered, "I don't know where to go." A third replied, "I don't want other people to know about my illness," and a fourth said, "I didn't think there is an effect."
The investigators said the problem is a lack of knowledge and information about mental health, and general prejudice about the issue.
It was also found that many people surveyed consulted with general practitioners. The investigation team is calling for tieups between general practitioners and psychiatrists in providing medical care to mentally ill patients.
More than 30,000 Japanese have committed suicide each year since 1998, and the investigation found that 10 percent of those surveyed had seriously considered suicide.
In the survey, people with depression and other mood disorders were found mostly among those aged 34 or younger.
The trend of sharp increases in depression among young people is conspicuous in Japan and China.
"This may be because of inept human relations with weakening social links and the progression of a lower birthrate," Kawakami said.
The risk factors for depression are domestic violence in childhood, fear of social interaction, minor mental disorders and physical diseases.
"Required for mental health are a wide variety of lifelong measures in regional communities and workplaces," a team investigator said.
(C) The Japan Times Ltd.
INDIA: This bank offers a ' handholding' reverse mortgage
BANGALORE (Mangalorean.com), April 22, 2008:
Vijaya Bank, the Bangalore-based public sector Bank, today launched its Reverse Mortgage Loan scheme for citizens aged over 60 years owning a self-acquired and self-occupied residence. The loan is also available to married couple jointly, subject to one of the spouses being above 60 years of age.
The scheme is a handholding facility, which seeks to help the senior citizens to derive a regular stream of cash flow to support themselves in their old age. It is suited to meet the cash requirements of the senior citizens for variety of purposes and provides regular monthly cash flow support towards supplementing their other income or to meet their regular expenses on livelihood.
The borrower also has the option of availing a part of the loan as lumpsum component. However the same is capped at 30% of the discounted value of the loan amount, towards meeting medical expenses or expenses on other emergencies, or for renovation and improvement of the property or even for take over of the subsisting liability against the property.
The minimum amount of loan under the scheme is Rs.2 lakh whereas the maximum amount is pegged at Rs.100 lakh. The bank has priced the scheme at a highly competitive fixed interest rate of 10.5% which shall be reset once every 5 years. The loan will be available for a minimum tenure of 7 years with a maximum tenure of 15 years. The scheme provides for further extension of the period at the end of the original tenure subject to the then prevailing value of the property and the needs of the surviving borrower. The borrower can foreclose the liability at any time during the tenure of the loan without any charges. On death of the borrowers during the currency of the loan, the legal heirs of the borrower have the option to pay the loan amount and take possession of the property.
Vijaya Bank, the Bangalore-based public sector Bank, today launched its Reverse Mortgage Loan scheme for citizens aged over 60 years owning a self-acquired and self-occupied residence. The loan is also available to married couple jointly, subject to one of the spouses being above 60 years of age.
The scheme is a handholding facility, which seeks to help the senior citizens to derive a regular stream of cash flow to support themselves in their old age. It is suited to meet the cash requirements of the senior citizens for variety of purposes and provides regular monthly cash flow support towards supplementing their other income or to meet their regular expenses on livelihood.
The borrower also has the option of availing a part of the loan as lumpsum component. However the same is capped at 30% of the discounted value of the loan amount, towards meeting medical expenses or expenses on other emergencies, or for renovation and improvement of the property or even for take over of the subsisting liability against the property.
The minimum amount of loan under the scheme is Rs.2 lakh whereas the maximum amount is pegged at Rs.100 lakh. The bank has priced the scheme at a highly competitive fixed interest rate of 10.5% which shall be reset once every 5 years. The loan will be available for a minimum tenure of 7 years with a maximum tenure of 15 years. The scheme provides for further extension of the period at the end of the original tenure subject to the then prevailing value of the property and the needs of the surviving borrower. The borrower can foreclose the liability at any time during the tenure of the loan without any charges. On death of the borrowers during the currency of the loan, the legal heirs of the borrower have the option to pay the loan amount and take possession of the property.
INDIA: Gujarat industrialists to build five-star old-age home
Zydus, Adani and Torrent donate for project on outskirts of Ahmedabad
NEW DELHI (Business Standard), April 22, 2008:
Ila Parikh / New Delhi
Leading industrialists of Gujarat have joined hands to construct a state-of-the-art old-age home near Ahmedabad. Pankaj Patel, chairman, Zydus Healthcare, Sudhir Mehta of the Torrent group and Gautam Adani, chairman, Adani group, among others, have got together for the project, which will come up on the outskirts of the city.
Patel has already donated 38,000 square yards of land near Sanskardham in Ghuma, about two kilometers from Ahmedabad. “It will be a world-class project,” said Girish Dani, a Ficci member, who is closely involved with the venture.
“The 200-room old-age home will have four-bed as well as two-bed rooms. It will have all the facilities including a medical centre, a multi-functional hall, activity room and a temple,” said Apurva Amin, the architect designing the project.
According to Dani, there’s an urgent requirement for such a project in Gujarat since more and more people are emigrating leaving the older members of the family back home. “Often, the older generation finds it difficult to adjust to the lifestyle in a foreign country,” he said, adding that at other times, visas and relevant permissions are hard to come by.
The affluent Non Resident Indians (NRIs) who have left their parents back home will be the target customers for the old-age home. The rich NRIs can afford the five-star luxuries for their parents who are happy to live in India but could do with better infrastructure, said Dani.
The old-age home venture is yet to be named though spiritual leader Moraribapu, who’s discourses attract no less than 500,000-700,000 people at a time, will lay the foundation stone of the project within two weeks. While Dani did not divulge the exact project cost, he said a large number of donors have approached them for donations.
Business Standard Ltd. Copyright
NEW DELHI (Business Standard), April 22, 2008:
Ila Parikh / New Delhi
Leading industrialists of Gujarat have joined hands to construct a state-of-the-art old-age home near Ahmedabad. Pankaj Patel, chairman, Zydus Healthcare, Sudhir Mehta of the Torrent group and Gautam Adani, chairman, Adani group, among others, have got together for the project, which will come up on the outskirts of the city.
Patel has already donated 38,000 square yards of land near Sanskardham in Ghuma, about two kilometers from Ahmedabad. “It will be a world-class project,” said Girish Dani, a Ficci member, who is closely involved with the venture.
“The 200-room old-age home will have four-bed as well as two-bed rooms. It will have all the facilities including a medical centre, a multi-functional hall, activity room and a temple,” said Apurva Amin, the architect designing the project.
According to Dani, there’s an urgent requirement for such a project in Gujarat since more and more people are emigrating leaving the older members of the family back home. “Often, the older generation finds it difficult to adjust to the lifestyle in a foreign country,” he said, adding that at other times, visas and relevant permissions are hard to come by.
The affluent Non Resident Indians (NRIs) who have left their parents back home will be the target customers for the old-age home. The rich NRIs can afford the five-star luxuries for their parents who are happy to live in India but could do with better infrastructure, said Dani.
The old-age home venture is yet to be named though spiritual leader Moraribapu, who’s discourses attract no less than 500,000-700,000 people at a time, will lay the foundation stone of the project within two weeks. While Dani did not divulge the exact project cost, he said a large number of donors have approached them for donations.
Business Standard Ltd. Copyright
EUROPE: Rural Europe Left Behind on the Net
The EC says while many now have access to the Internet, 40% of Europeans do not use it at all, with urban residents more fully connected
By Leigh Phillips
BRUSSELS (Business Week), April 22, 2008:
Out of the half a billion EU citizens, more than 250 million regularly use the internet, according to newly released figures.
A European Commission report on the results so far for i2010, the EU's digital-led strategy for growth and jobs, further showed that of this number, 80 percent have access to some form of broadband connection.
Additionally, says the report—released on Friday (18 April) some 60 percent of public services in the EU are fully available online, with two thirds of schools and half of doctors making use of high-speed internet connections.
"It is a welcome change of political direction that today, information and communications technologies, the main driver of European growth, are being promoted by all 27 EU member states in their national policies," said Viviane Reding, EU information society commissioner.
"However, some parts of the EU are still lagging behind and are not fully connected," she warned.
The report notes that nearly 40 percent of Europeans do not use the internet at all. While in Denmark only 13 percent of the population do not use the internet, Romania is at the other end of the scale with 69 percent of its population offline.
The report notes that the EU-wide average for DSL broadband penetration is nearly 90 percent (DSL networks are used by 80 percent of EU broadband subscribers, and so are used as a proxy by the report's analysts for broadband more generally, although cable and wireless broadband services do also exist).
However, the report also says that figures for national broadband coverage also "hide a gap between rural and urban areas in several countries," noting that full coverage remains a challenge in a number of countries.
Greece, Slovakia, Latvia, Italy, Poland, Lithuania and Germany show "a large gap", between coverage in urban and rural areas.
Germany has a broadband coverage rate of 94 percent overall, but only 58 percent of rural areas have access to high-speed internet.
Greece, with its island geography comes in last on both scores, with under 20 percent of the country being serviced with broadband, and only ten percent having access in rural areas.
Wherever this rural-urban split happens, it is due to difficulties and increased costs involved with the provision of new technologies to areas with challenging topographies and population densities that make offering these services unattractive to companies that sell internet access.
UNI Telecom, the international union federation representing telecoms workers, argues that this is where the market liberalisation in the telecommunications sector is shown to fail, as private firms cherry-pick urban, population-dense and wealthy areas to build service infrastructure.
In the past, they argue, public service provision would have used the 'postage stamp' model where profitable urban areas subsidise the more expensive provision of service to rural areas.
The current situation however leaves rural, remote and poor areas with substandard service or even none at all, says the union. Urban zones with high concentrations of elderly citizens, who can have less of an interest in the internet, are also sometimes underserved.
A commission spokesperson conceded that this is the case, but countered that this is why EU rules on state aid permit public financing or partnerships to deliver broadband or other new technologies to such areas, ensuring universal service provision.
Provided by EUobserver
Copyright 2000-2008 by The McGraw-Hill Companies Inc
By Leigh Phillips
BRUSSELS (Business Week), April 22, 2008:Out of the half a billion EU citizens, more than 250 million regularly use the internet, according to newly released figures.
A European Commission report on the results so far for i2010, the EU's digital-led strategy for growth and jobs, further showed that of this number, 80 percent have access to some form of broadband connection.
Additionally, says the report—released on Friday (18 April) some 60 percent of public services in the EU are fully available online, with two thirds of schools and half of doctors making use of high-speed internet connections.
"It is a welcome change of political direction that today, information and communications technologies, the main driver of European growth, are being promoted by all 27 EU member states in their national policies," said Viviane Reding, EU information society commissioner.
"However, some parts of the EU are still lagging behind and are not fully connected," she warned.
The report notes that nearly 40 percent of Europeans do not use the internet at all. While in Denmark only 13 percent of the population do not use the internet, Romania is at the other end of the scale with 69 percent of its population offline.
The report notes that the EU-wide average for DSL broadband penetration is nearly 90 percent (DSL networks are used by 80 percent of EU broadband subscribers, and so are used as a proxy by the report's analysts for broadband more generally, although cable and wireless broadband services do also exist).
However, the report also says that figures for national broadband coverage also "hide a gap between rural and urban areas in several countries," noting that full coverage remains a challenge in a number of countries.
Greece, Slovakia, Latvia, Italy, Poland, Lithuania and Germany show "a large gap", between coverage in urban and rural areas.
Germany has a broadband coverage rate of 94 percent overall, but only 58 percent of rural areas have access to high-speed internet.
Greece, with its island geography comes in last on both scores, with under 20 percent of the country being serviced with broadband, and only ten percent having access in rural areas.
Wherever this rural-urban split happens, it is due to difficulties and increased costs involved with the provision of new technologies to areas with challenging topographies and population densities that make offering these services unattractive to companies that sell internet access.
UNI Telecom, the international union federation representing telecoms workers, argues that this is where the market liberalisation in the telecommunications sector is shown to fail, as private firms cherry-pick urban, population-dense and wealthy areas to build service infrastructure.
In the past, they argue, public service provision would have used the 'postage stamp' model where profitable urban areas subsidise the more expensive provision of service to rural areas.
The current situation however leaves rural, remote and poor areas with substandard service or even none at all, says the union. Urban zones with high concentrations of elderly citizens, who can have less of an interest in the internet, are also sometimes underserved.
A commission spokesperson conceded that this is the case, but countered that this is why EU rules on state aid permit public financing or partnerships to deliver broadband or other new technologies to such areas, ensuring universal service provision.
Provided by EUobserver
Copyright 2000-2008 by The McGraw-Hill Companies Inc
USA: Mammography May Be Beneficial To All Women, Regardless Of Age
CHEVY CHASE, MD (ScienceDaily), April 21, 2008:
According to researchers at The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center, mammography, the gold-standard for breast cancer screening and early detection, has shown to significantly reduce the risk of being diagnosed with advanced stage breast cancer in women over the age of 80, an age group currently without clear guidelines recommending regular screenings.
The study, published online today (April 21) in the Journal of Clinical Oncology (JCO), is the first to specifically assess the screening modality in women older than 80. It's estimated that approximately 17 percent of breast cancers are diagnosed in women older than 80, and only about one-fifth of women in this age group have routine mammograms.
According to the study's senior author, Gildy Babiera, M.D., the need for this study evolved as she began to notice a growing number of women who were 80-years-old and older in her clinic.
"With an increasing number of people living longer, there's a real dilemma regarding how best to manage the care of breast cancer patients 80 years of age and older, taking into account both their comorbidities and their account their quality of life," said Babiera, associate professor in the Department of Surgical Oncology.
This research follows other M. D. Anderson studies looking at complications associated with surgery and treatment tolerability in elderly patients.
The American Cancer Society recommends annual mammography screening for women starting at age 40 with no age limit for women in good health. Other organizations that recommend screening guidelines differ both in age ceilings as well as how often mammograms should be conducted in older women.
Babiera, Brian Badgwell, M.D., a fellow in M. D. Anderson's Department of Surgical Oncology, and their colleagues used information from the National Cancer Institute SEER (Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results) database, the authoritative source of information on cancer incidence and survival in the United States. The researchers analyzed SEER data for the years 1996-2002, and looked at mammography rates in the five years prior to diagnosis.
In total, 12,358 women over age 80 were analyzed. Patients were stratified into nonusers (women who did not have mammograms), 49 percent; irregular users (women who had one or two mammograms), 29 percent; and regular users (women who had three or more mammograms.), 22 percent.
Sixty-eight percent of regular users were more likely to be diagnosed with early disease, stage I while nonusers and irregular users more often were diagnosed with stages II, III or IV, 56 percent and 33 percent respectively.
Five-year survival rate was 94 percent in regular users, compared to 88 percent in irregular users and 82 percent in nonusers. Despite these rates, the researchers were not able to find an increase in overall survival because those getting mammograms were healthier and, therefore, more likely to live longer, said Badgwell, the study's first author.
"For example, in our study, we showed a 12 percent decrease in the risk of breast cancer death for each mammogram. However, in the women who received mammograms, we also showed a 12 percent decrease in non-breast cancer death, thereby showing the bias for women who were healthy and receiving mammograms," said Badgwell.
Babiera and Badgwell acknowledge their studies limitations but feel this type of retrospective data may be the best that can be obtained because it's unlikely a randomized control trial could ever be conducted.
"Now that we have this data and we know that mammography improves survival in the younger population, it would be difficult to conduct a randomized trial and stratify women of any age to a control group to not receive mammography," said Badgwell.
Instead, the researchers stress that physicians should review each woman's situation personally to determine if a mammogram is in her best interest, and if she is found to have breast cancer, could her quality of life be managed appropriately.
"Finding breast cancer early in this age group may not result in survival benefit and it may even increase unnecessary angst in elderly women with other ailments. On the other hand, if the woman is otherwise healthy and could be a surgical candidate, should breast cancer be found by a routine mammogram, perhaps she could be offered less invasive treatment and spared from toxic therapies given to women diagnosed with advanced breast cancer," said Babiera.
In addition to Badgwell and Babiera, other authors on the all-M. D. Anderson study include: Gabriel Hortobagyi, M.D., Sharon Giordano, M.D., Shenying Fang and Zhigang Z. Duan all in the Department of Breast Medical Oncology; Isabelle Bedrosian, M.D., Henry Kuerer, M.D., Ph.D., and Kelly Hunt, M.D., all in the Department of Surgical Oncology.
Adapted from materials provided by University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center.
Copyright © 1995-2008 ScienceDaily LLC
According to researchers at The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center, mammography, the gold-standard for breast cancer screening and early detection, has shown to significantly reduce the risk of being diagnosed with advanced stage breast cancer in women over the age of 80, an age group currently without clear guidelines recommending regular screenings.
The study, published online today (April 21) in the Journal of Clinical Oncology (JCO), is the first to specifically assess the screening modality in women older than 80. It's estimated that approximately 17 percent of breast cancers are diagnosed in women older than 80, and only about one-fifth of women in this age group have routine mammograms.
According to the study's senior author, Gildy Babiera, M.D., the need for this study evolved as she began to notice a growing number of women who were 80-years-old and older in her clinic.
"With an increasing number of people living longer, there's a real dilemma regarding how best to manage the care of breast cancer patients 80 years of age and older, taking into account both their comorbidities and their account their quality of life," said Babiera, associate professor in the Department of Surgical Oncology.
This research follows other M. D. Anderson studies looking at complications associated with surgery and treatment tolerability in elderly patients.
The American Cancer Society recommends annual mammography screening for women starting at age 40 with no age limit for women in good health. Other organizations that recommend screening guidelines differ both in age ceilings as well as how often mammograms should be conducted in older women.
Babiera, Brian Badgwell, M.D., a fellow in M. D. Anderson's Department of Surgical Oncology, and their colleagues used information from the National Cancer Institute SEER (Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results) database, the authoritative source of information on cancer incidence and survival in the United States. The researchers analyzed SEER data for the years 1996-2002, and looked at mammography rates in the five years prior to diagnosis.
In total, 12,358 women over age 80 were analyzed. Patients were stratified into nonusers (women who did not have mammograms), 49 percent; irregular users (women who had one or two mammograms), 29 percent; and regular users (women who had three or more mammograms.), 22 percent.
Sixty-eight percent of regular users were more likely to be diagnosed with early disease, stage I while nonusers and irregular users more often were diagnosed with stages II, III or IV, 56 percent and 33 percent respectively.
Five-year survival rate was 94 percent in regular users, compared to 88 percent in irregular users and 82 percent in nonusers. Despite these rates, the researchers were not able to find an increase in overall survival because those getting mammograms were healthier and, therefore, more likely to live longer, said Badgwell, the study's first author.
"For example, in our study, we showed a 12 percent decrease in the risk of breast cancer death for each mammogram. However, in the women who received mammograms, we also showed a 12 percent decrease in non-breast cancer death, thereby showing the bias for women who were healthy and receiving mammograms," said Badgwell.
Babiera and Badgwell acknowledge their studies limitations but feel this type of retrospective data may be the best that can be obtained because it's unlikely a randomized control trial could ever be conducted.
"Now that we have this data and we know that mammography improves survival in the younger population, it would be difficult to conduct a randomized trial and stratify women of any age to a control group to not receive mammography," said Badgwell.
Instead, the researchers stress that physicians should review each woman's situation personally to determine if a mammogram is in her best interest, and if she is found to have breast cancer, could her quality of life be managed appropriately.
"Finding breast cancer early in this age group may not result in survival benefit and it may even increase unnecessary angst in elderly women with other ailments. On the other hand, if the woman is otherwise healthy and could be a surgical candidate, should breast cancer be found by a routine mammogram, perhaps she could be offered less invasive treatment and spared from toxic therapies given to women diagnosed with advanced breast cancer," said Babiera.
In addition to Badgwell and Babiera, other authors on the all-M. D. Anderson study include: Gabriel Hortobagyi, M.D., Sharon Giordano, M.D., Shenying Fang and Zhigang Z. Duan all in the Department of Breast Medical Oncology; Isabelle Bedrosian, M.D., Henry Kuerer, M.D., Ph.D., and Kelly Hunt, M.D., all in the Department of Surgical Oncology.
Adapted from materials provided by University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center.
Copyright © 1995-2008 ScienceDaily LLC
CUBA: Specialised Medical Services for Elderly People
HABANA, Cuba (Cuba Headlines), April 21, 2008:
Specialized medical services for Cuban elderly people are part of a nationwide strategy aimed at improving their quality of life. That policy benefits 231 centenarians who live in the eastern province of Santiago de Cuba, it is reported today.
Local authorities noted that 44 geriatric teams treat those people at more than 1,300 elderly clubs, where senior citizens do physical exercises.
They also benefit from 21 homes, where senior citizens who have no family can stay temporarily or permanently.
In addition, that group of the Cuban population also benefits from 38 physical rehabilitation wards built in the province over the past four years.
Doctors are promoting preventive campaigns against high blood pressure and unhealthy habits that increase the incidence of diseases as people get older.
By Nesy
(PL)
Copyright 2006-2007 CUBA HEADLINES DIGITAL EDITION.
Specialized medical services for Cuban elderly people are part of a nationwide strategy aimed at improving their quality of life. That policy benefits 231 centenarians who live in the eastern province of Santiago de Cuba, it is reported today.
Local authorities noted that 44 geriatric teams treat those people at more than 1,300 elderly clubs, where senior citizens do physical exercises.They also benefit from 21 homes, where senior citizens who have no family can stay temporarily or permanently.
In addition, that group of the Cuban population also benefits from 38 physical rehabilitation wards built in the province over the past four years.
Doctors are promoting preventive campaigns against high blood pressure and unhealthy habits that increase the incidence of diseases as people get older.
By Nesy
(PL)
Copyright 2006-2007 CUBA HEADLINES DIGITAL EDITION.
NETHERLANDS: Exercise helps boost brainpower in elderly
UTRECHT, Netherlands (UPI), April 21, 2008:
A Dutch review of studies indicates aerobic exercise may give older adults a boost in brainpower.
The review, published in The Cochrane Library, evaluated 11 randomized controlled trials in the United States, France and Sweden, involving 670 adults age 55 and over.
The researchers at the University of Applied Sciences, in Utrecht, the Netherlands, found eight of the studies found participation in aerobic exercise programs increased participants' VO2 max -- an indicator of respiratory endurance -- by 14 percent and improvements in cardiorespiratory fitness coincided with improvements in cognitive function.
"Improvements in cognition as a result of improvements in cardiovascular fitness are being explained by improvements in cerebral blood flow, leading to increased brain metabolism which, in turn, stimulates the production of neurotransmitters and formation of new synapses," review leader Maaike Angevaren said in a statement.
"At the same time, improved cardiovascular fitness could lead to a decline in cardiovascular disease" she said, which is" proven to negatively affect cognition."
© 2008 United Press International.
A Dutch review of studies indicates aerobic exercise may give older adults a boost in brainpower.
The review, published in The Cochrane Library, evaluated 11 randomized controlled trials in the United States, France and Sweden, involving 670 adults age 55 and over.
The researchers at the University of Applied Sciences, in Utrecht, the Netherlands, found eight of the studies found participation in aerobic exercise programs increased participants' VO2 max -- an indicator of respiratory endurance -- by 14 percent and improvements in cardiorespiratory fitness coincided with improvements in cognitive function.
"Improvements in cognition as a result of improvements in cardiovascular fitness are being explained by improvements in cerebral blood flow, leading to increased brain metabolism which, in turn, stimulates the production of neurotransmitters and formation of new synapses," review leader Maaike Angevaren said in a statement.
"At the same time, improved cardiovascular fitness could lead to a decline in cardiovascular disease" she said, which is" proven to negatively affect cognition."
© 2008 United Press International.
AUSTRALIA: New Police Unit Will Handle Family Violence
SUNBURY, Victoria, Australia (Sunbury Leader), April 21, 2008:
By Simon Craig
CARERS who abuse the elderly will be targeted by a proposed new police unit being set up to tackle family violence.
Hume police are planning to establish a taskforce to confront the city's chronic family violence problem.
Family violence figures in Hume are expected to reach new highs this year, driven in part by a greater willingness to report the problem.
Hume Insp Eoghan McDonald said the four to six-officer unit would confront family violence in all its forms.
Insp McDonald said research revealed violence against older people in Australia, either by their children or a paid career, was a growing issue. But the extent of the problem was difficult to gauge.
While health and social workers are obliged to report suspected child abuse, there is no such requirement for suspected attacks on the elderly.
"Abuse of the elderly is well recognised among the health services," Insp McDonald said. "We have to be far more analytical in our responses to these problems."
Dianella Community Health family services director Suzy Pinchen welcomed any action to confront family violence.
"There's an issue of elderly abuse but most of what we hear is anecdotal," she said.
"We also hear about violence between siblings, and of teenagers abusing their parents, particularly their mothers.
"We are not just talking about physical abuse, there's financial and emotional abuse. Women and children are being deprived of income and access to food."
Ms Pinchen said she believed social isolation was the "critical" trigger for family violence.
Copyright 2006 Leader Community Newspapers
By Simon Craig
CARERS who abuse the elderly will be targeted by a proposed new police unit being set up to tackle family violence.
Hume police are planning to establish a taskforce to confront the city's chronic family violence problem.
Family violence figures in Hume are expected to reach new highs this year, driven in part by a greater willingness to report the problem.
Hume Insp Eoghan McDonald said the four to six-officer unit would confront family violence in all its forms.
Insp McDonald said research revealed violence against older people in Australia, either by their children or a paid career, was a growing issue. But the extent of the problem was difficult to gauge.
While health and social workers are obliged to report suspected child abuse, there is no such requirement for suspected attacks on the elderly.
"Abuse of the elderly is well recognised among the health services," Insp McDonald said. "We have to be far more analytical in our responses to these problems."
Dianella Community Health family services director Suzy Pinchen welcomed any action to confront family violence.
"There's an issue of elderly abuse but most of what we hear is anecdotal," she said.
"We also hear about violence between siblings, and of teenagers abusing their parents, particularly their mothers.
"We are not just talking about physical abuse, there's financial and emotional abuse. Women and children are being deprived of income and access to food."
Ms Pinchen said she believed social isolation was the "critical" trigger for family violence.
Copyright 2006 Leader Community Newspapers
MALAYSIA: For educationist Sim Mow Yu, old is gold
Nonagenarian Datuk Sim Mow Yu lives out that adage
MALACCA (The Star), April 21, 2008:
By MAJORIE CHIEW
maj@thestar.com.my
TREASURE of the community. Those words, beautifully written in Chinese calligraphy, adorn a plaque strategically placed above the family altar in the humble abode of Chinese educationist Datuk Sim Mow Yu in Malacca.
The calligraphy, etched in gold on a black plaque, was a gift to Sim on his 95th Chinese birthday last year. It was the highest tribute to a nonagenarian who has fought for the rights of Chinese education.
The plaque takes its place of pride for all to see. There are many other calligraphy plaques given to Sim, an accomplished calligrapher.
Wall of fame: Datuk Sim Mow Yu in the living room of his home in Malacca, where plaques and photos adorn the walls. – Pictures by UU BAN / The Star
Sim was born in Malacca on July 20, 1913. His father and grandmother came from Fukien, China. His name Mow Yu means “honouring Guan Yu” (a Chinese deity). His grandfather was a scholar in the Qing Dynasty and his father, Sim Hong Paik, one of Sun Yat-sen’s followers.
Sim made many sacrifices for Chinese education when he was head of Jiao Zong (the United Chinese Teachers Association) for over 28 years.
In 1933, he became a teacher after founding the Seng Cheong Night School in Malacca, the country’s longest-standing private Chinese school. He was headmaster of the night school from 1945 until his retirement in 2002. He was also headmaster of SRJK (C) Ping Ming in Malacca, for 27 years.
Tribute: These characters mean ‘Treasure of the community’, referring to Sim Mow Yu.
In 2003, Sim won a place in the Malaysia Book of Records for being the longest-serving school principal for 57 years; 20,000 pupils received their education under his tutelage. In his hometown, Sim is more than a household name; he is a familiar face. He is well-respected and people from every nook and corner know him.
“Everybody knows me,” says Sim, who was happy to meet us when Star Two visited him for an interview. Sim’s movements were slow; because of his weak legs, he uses a walking stick.
“Even though he is not a politician, many people know him for his role and influence in Chinese education,” says Kay Keok, 60, his second daughter and sixth child among nine siblings.
Of her father’s achievements, the retired bank officer says: “He strives to save the Chinese culture and language in the country so that their importance is not diminished.
Today, the Chinese language has become a common medium of communication. He has done a lot for Chinese education in the country.”
Filial piety: ‘Confucius taught (people) to be cautious and care for the elderly until they are old or gone. Even after their demise, they must remember them.’
In 1966, Sim, who was then deputy chief of MCA Youth Wing, was expelled from the party “for fighting for Chinese language to be one of the official languages of Malaya,” says Kay Keok, who acted as interpreter for her father who felt more at ease conversing in Mandarin.
”He was arrested under the Sedition Act in the 1970s over the issue of Chinese education. In 1987, he objected to the Education Ministry’s decision (Anwar Ibrahim was then Education Minister) for appointing (some 100 senior assistants and principals) who were non-Chinese educated to hold administrative posts in vernacular Chinese schools.”
Sim was among over 100 promoters of Chinese education, who were arrested that year under the Internal Security Act in Operasi Lallang. He was detained for two years.
“Last August, Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim came with Tian Chua (a Malaccan) to visit me,” interjects Sim. Apparently, Tian Chua came with his father to approach Sim to write the Chinese characters for PKR (which is Kung Chen Tang in Mandarin). Tian Chua’s father, a rice dealer in Malacca, knows Sim very well. Kay Keok explains that Anwar “had come to pay respects” to her father who is revered by the Chinese community.
Sim’s four-room house in Jalan Bandar Hilir, Malacca, is a hive of activity. “Every day, I get lots of visitors (including his children and their families, friends and well-wishers),” says Sim.
The nonagenarian has six sons and three daughters. Five of his children live in Malacca, while the others are in Johor, Kuala Lumpur and Palembang in Indonesia. Sim lost his third child, a daughter, due to illness in 1998. His wife passed away in 2004.
Sim’s extended family numbers 700 and is now in its fifth generation. He has 24 grandchildren and 25 great-grandchildren.
Some 300 families came together to celebrate his 95th Chinese birthday last year.
Sim’s children in Malacca take turns to stay with him on a weekly basis. Treasured photographs add colour to various sections of the house. There were a couple of family photographs, a photo of Sim as a young man, a photo of Sun Yat-sen and one which he took with Ma Ying-jeou (now Taiwan’s president-elect) 14 years ago.
“Every month, there is a family dinner a la potluck style in this house. After the meal, we sing together,” Sim says.
He is not fussy about food; he eats whatever is put on the table, says Kay Keok.
A simple man, he used to ride his trusty old bicycle all over Malacca. The bicycle has been his main mode of transport for as long as he can remember. It is still parked in the compound.
Artist Yang Liew Nan from Klang vividly captured Sim’s trademark style of going about town in his bicycle in a painting which he presented to Sim on his 90th birthday.
Asked about his secrets to long life, Sim says: “I have no longevity secrets. My mother was a strong woman who lived to a ripe old age of 101. She gave me good genes. My father passed away at 77; at that time, he was considered to have lived to a good, old age.”
Despite his age, Sim still practises calligraphy whenever he feels like it. He says it helps to bring out his inner qi (life force). Sim, who has three calligraphy books, likens calligraphy to “taking health supplements”.
He still keeps a diary, something he has been doing for the past 40 years.
These days, when he is in the mood, Sim plays the organ. “It is a health-promoting exercise. Legs are paddling, fingers dance on the keyboard, eyes focus on the music notes, ears are attentive while I sing and play my organ,” says Sim.
“When I sing, qi comes out through my mouth.”
Honouring parents
OF THE 100 Chinese values, filial piety is the one of the most significant in Chinese culture, says Chinese educationist Datuk Sim Mow Yu, who is a Buddhist and Confucianist.
In ancient times, Chinese emperors emphasised the importance of filial piety and even went down on their knees to pay respects to their departed elders.
“Confucius, the sage of China, wrote a book on filial piety. He had 3,000 students.
He taught everyone to practise filial piety,” he says. “Confucius taught them to be cautious and care for the elderly until they are old or gone. Even after their demise, they must remember them.
“In China, when Confucius passed away, his followers guarded his grave for three years to show their filial piety.”
The Chinese instil the importance of filial piety in their children from a very young age. That is why they are able to live together in harmony for generations.
In the old days, the Chinese would never allow their parents to be taken care of by others. There were no old folks’ homes too during that time. In Eastern culture, children and grandchildren are relied upon to fulfil their obligations of looking after the elderly.
Sim as a young man
Ask if the younger generation was deemed “sinful” for sending their elderly parents to old folks’ homes and nursing centres, Sim was non-judgmental. He tries to understand what it is like to be in their shoes.
“Some have no choice,” he says, resigned to the fact that some career-minded children have to work and are unable to care for their elderly parents.
Changing times have also affected the way elderly parents are being treated. ”With extended families, the grandchildren can spend time with their grandparents, and the family is more closely knit.
There is more warmth in such households,” says Sim.
He seems resigned to the fact that Western influence has also brought about a shift in cultural practice.
“If elderly parents are sent to old folks home, the children must visit them frequently and show them love. They should not just pack them off to such centres and forget about them.”
Copyright © 1995-2008 Star Publications (M) Bhd
MALACCA (The Star), April 21, 2008:
By MAJORIE CHIEW
maj@thestar.com.my
TREASURE of the community. Those words, beautifully written in Chinese calligraphy, adorn a plaque strategically placed above the family altar in the humble abode of Chinese educationist Datuk Sim Mow Yu in Malacca.
The calligraphy, etched in gold on a black plaque, was a gift to Sim on his 95th Chinese birthday last year. It was the highest tribute to a nonagenarian who has fought for the rights of Chinese education.
The plaque takes its place of pride for all to see. There are many other calligraphy plaques given to Sim, an accomplished calligrapher.
Wall of fame: Datuk Sim Mow Yu in the living room of his home in Malacca, where plaques and photos adorn the walls. – Pictures by UU BAN / The Star
Sim was born in Malacca on July 20, 1913. His father and grandmother came from Fukien, China. His name Mow Yu means “honouring Guan Yu” (a Chinese deity). His grandfather was a scholar in the Qing Dynasty and his father, Sim Hong Paik, one of Sun Yat-sen’s followers.
Sim made many sacrifices for Chinese education when he was head of Jiao Zong (the United Chinese Teachers Association) for over 28 years.
In 1933, he became a teacher after founding the Seng Cheong Night School in Malacca, the country’s longest-standing private Chinese school. He was headmaster of the night school from 1945 until his retirement in 2002. He was also headmaster of SRJK (C) Ping Ming in Malacca, for 27 years.
Tribute: These characters mean ‘Treasure of the community’, referring to Sim Mow Yu.In 2003, Sim won a place in the Malaysia Book of Records for being the longest-serving school principal for 57 years; 20,000 pupils received their education under his tutelage. In his hometown, Sim is more than a household name; he is a familiar face. He is well-respected and people from every nook and corner know him.
“Everybody knows me,” says Sim, who was happy to meet us when Star Two visited him for an interview. Sim’s movements were slow; because of his weak legs, he uses a walking stick.
“Even though he is not a politician, many people know him for his role and influence in Chinese education,” says Kay Keok, 60, his second daughter and sixth child among nine siblings.
Of her father’s achievements, the retired bank officer says: “He strives to save the Chinese culture and language in the country so that their importance is not diminished.
Today, the Chinese language has become a common medium of communication. He has done a lot for Chinese education in the country.”
Filial piety: ‘Confucius taught (people) to be cautious and care for the elderly until they are old or gone. Even after their demise, they must remember them.’In 1966, Sim, who was then deputy chief of MCA Youth Wing, was expelled from the party “for fighting for Chinese language to be one of the official languages of Malaya,” says Kay Keok, who acted as interpreter for her father who felt more at ease conversing in Mandarin.
”He was arrested under the Sedition Act in the 1970s over the issue of Chinese education. In 1987, he objected to the Education Ministry’s decision (Anwar Ibrahim was then Education Minister) for appointing (some 100 senior assistants and principals) who were non-Chinese educated to hold administrative posts in vernacular Chinese schools.”
Sim was among over 100 promoters of Chinese education, who were arrested that year under the Internal Security Act in Operasi Lallang. He was detained for two years.
“Last August, Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim came with Tian Chua (a Malaccan) to visit me,” interjects Sim. Apparently, Tian Chua came with his father to approach Sim to write the Chinese characters for PKR (which is Kung Chen Tang in Mandarin). Tian Chua’s father, a rice dealer in Malacca, knows Sim very well. Kay Keok explains that Anwar “had come to pay respects” to her father who is revered by the Chinese community.
Sim’s four-room house in Jalan Bandar Hilir, Malacca, is a hive of activity. “Every day, I get lots of visitors (including his children and their families, friends and well-wishers),” says Sim.
The nonagenarian has six sons and three daughters. Five of his children live in Malacca, while the others are in Johor, Kuala Lumpur and Palembang in Indonesia. Sim lost his third child, a daughter, due to illness in 1998. His wife passed away in 2004.
Sim’s extended family numbers 700 and is now in its fifth generation. He has 24 grandchildren and 25 great-grandchildren.
Some 300 families came together to celebrate his 95th Chinese birthday last year.Sim’s children in Malacca take turns to stay with him on a weekly basis. Treasured photographs add colour to various sections of the house. There were a couple of family photographs, a photo of Sim as a young man, a photo of Sun Yat-sen and one which he took with Ma Ying-jeou (now Taiwan’s president-elect) 14 years ago.
“Every month, there is a family dinner a la potluck style in this house. After the meal, we sing together,” Sim says.
He is not fussy about food; he eats whatever is put on the table, says Kay Keok.
A simple man, he used to ride his trusty old bicycle all over Malacca. The bicycle has been his main mode of transport for as long as he can remember. It is still parked in the compound.
Artist Yang Liew Nan from Klang vividly captured Sim’s trademark style of going about town in his bicycle in a painting which he presented to Sim on his 90th birthday.
Asked about his secrets to long life, Sim says: “I have no longevity secrets. My mother was a strong woman who lived to a ripe old age of 101. She gave me good genes. My father passed away at 77; at that time, he was considered to have lived to a good, old age.”
Despite his age, Sim still practises calligraphy whenever he feels like it. He says it helps to bring out his inner qi (life force). Sim, who has three calligraphy books, likens calligraphy to “taking health supplements”.
He still keeps a diary, something he has been doing for the past 40 years.
These days, when he is in the mood, Sim plays the organ. “It is a health-promoting exercise. Legs are paddling, fingers dance on the keyboard, eyes focus on the music notes, ears are attentive while I sing and play my organ,” says Sim.
“When I sing, qi comes out through my mouth.”
Honouring parents
OF THE 100 Chinese values, filial piety is the one of the most significant in Chinese culture, says Chinese educationist Datuk Sim Mow Yu, who is a Buddhist and Confucianist.
In ancient times, Chinese emperors emphasised the importance of filial piety and even went down on their knees to pay respects to their departed elders.
“Confucius, the sage of China, wrote a book on filial piety. He had 3,000 students.
He taught everyone to practise filial piety,” he says. “Confucius taught them to be cautious and care for the elderly until they are old or gone. Even after their demise, they must remember them.
“In China, when Confucius passed away, his followers guarded his grave for three years to show their filial piety.”
The Chinese instil the importance of filial piety in their children from a very young age. That is why they are able to live together in harmony for generations.
In the old days, the Chinese would never allow their parents to be taken care of by others. There were no old folks’ homes too during that time. In Eastern culture, children and grandchildren are relied upon to fulfil their obligations of looking after the elderly.
Sim as a young manAsk if the younger generation was deemed “sinful” for sending their elderly parents to old folks’ homes and nursing centres, Sim was non-judgmental. He tries to understand what it is like to be in their shoes.
“Some have no choice,” he says, resigned to the fact that some career-minded children have to work and are unable to care for their elderly parents.
Changing times have also affected the way elderly parents are being treated. ”With extended families, the grandchildren can spend time with their grandparents, and the family is more closely knit.
There is more warmth in such households,” says Sim.
He seems resigned to the fact that Western influence has also brought about a shift in cultural practice.
“If elderly parents are sent to old folks home, the children must visit them frequently and show them love. They should not just pack them off to such centres and forget about them.”
Copyright © 1995-2008 Star Publications (M) Bhd
WORLD: Ottawa to host international meet on Elder Abuse
TORONTO, Canada (INPEA), April 21, 2008:
The International Network for Prevention of Elder Abuse (INPEA) and its partners invite you to join us June 16-17, 2008 in Ottawa, Canada for a two day conference focused on learning and understanding about elder abuse and the importance of the 1991 UN Principles for Older Persons.
The conference is the centrepiece of activities taking place around the globe to raise awareness of elder abuse. Other events include cultural, educational, art and social activities. All are designed to increase understanding that elder abuse is a social and human rights issue that can be prevented.
INPEA has designed a Resource Tool Kit to assist individuals and groups to participate in this global event. To access this Resource Tool Kit, go to: www.inpea.net
For more information on World Elder Abuse Awareness Day, please visit: www.inpea.net
World Elder Abuse Awareness Day Steering Committee Contacts:
Chair: Elizabeth Podnieks
Co–chairs: Gloria Gutman and Lynn McDonald
Secretary: Christen Erlingsson
E-mail: christen.erlingsson@hik.se
HUNGARY: Thousands join Critical Mass bicycle ride in Budapest
BUDAPEST, Hungary (NewsCuts.com), April 21, 2008:
Budapest hosted a wide range of environmental programmes to mark Earth Day this weekend, and 8,000 cyclists participated in a ride to promote safe cycling, organisers told MTI.
The event, dubbed Critical Mass, kicked off with participants lifting their bikes in the air at 1630 on Sunday, among them Dutch Ambassador to Hungary Ronald Alexander Mollinger, who accepted an invitation to officially start the ride.
The rally is organised bi-annually in Budapest since 2004, and each year has seen growth in the number of participants. With a record number of just under 50,000 people on wheels attending last year, organisers drove the message home to politicians about Budapest's need to freshen up its views about city transport.
This year's route started at Deak ter in central Budapest, cross Elizabeth bridge to the other side of the river, return via the Chain bridge and follow Andrassy Boulevard and finished in the City Park near Heroes' Square around 1800.
More than two dozen large cities in Hungary organised a Critical Mass ride of their own on Sunday.
Some of the 8,000 cyclists participating
in a Critical Mass Bicycle ride
in Budapest. Picture of the Day
from THE FIRST POST, London, England,
April 21, 2008. Photo: Bela Szandelsky.
© Copyright Dennis Publishing Limited
Budapest hosted a wide range of environmental programmes to mark Earth Day this weekend, and 8,000 cyclists participated in a ride to promote safe cycling, organisers told MTI.
The event, dubbed Critical Mass, kicked off with participants lifting their bikes in the air at 1630 on Sunday, among them Dutch Ambassador to Hungary Ronald Alexander Mollinger, who accepted an invitation to officially start the ride.
The rally is organised bi-annually in Budapest since 2004, and each year has seen growth in the number of participants. With a record number of just under 50,000 people on wheels attending last year, organisers drove the message home to politicians about Budapest's need to freshen up its views about city transport.
This year's route started at Deak ter in central Budapest, cross Elizabeth bridge to the other side of the river, return via the Chain bridge and follow Andrassy Boulevard and finished in the City Park near Heroes' Square around 1800.
More than two dozen large cities in Hungary organised a Critical Mass ride of their own on Sunday.
Some of the 8,000 cyclists participating
in a Critical Mass Bicycle ride
in Budapest. Picture of the Day
from THE FIRST POST, London, England,
April 21, 2008. Photo: Bela Szandelsky.
© Copyright Dennis Publishing Limited
U.K.: Prize Fighter Doris Lessing Is Still Raging
LONDON, England (Telegraph), April 21, 2008:
By Nigel Farndale
At 88, Doris Lessing is still raging - at communists, war, Mrs Thatcher, the 'bloody Swedes' who awarded her the Nobel Prize... but most of her venom is reserved for the subject of what she says will be her final book - her mother. She talks to Nigel Farndale. Portrait by Reme Campos
It takes Doris Lessing just four minutes to come out with something, if not actually controversial, then at least unexpected. It's about Hitler. She says she understands him. This from a former member of the Communist Party. (She left in 1956, the year of Khrushchev's speech to the 20th Congress, the one in which he denounced Stalin.) We are talking, I should explain, about Erich Maria Remarque, the author of All Quiet on the Western Front. She recently read another of his books, about three German soldiers who, like Hitler, return from the Great War to the economic chaos of the Weimar Republic. 'They see people carting millions of marks around in wheelbarrows and, being old comrades, they stand by each other. And as you read that you suddenly understand Hitler.'
Doris Lessing: 'I'll be pleased when I'm dead. That will let me off worrying about all these wars'.
She's not condoning Hitler, of course, merely explaining his early popularit y. I mention her comment to show her endearingly cavalier way with language. She doesn't care what people might think. She is past caring. And there is a greatness to this lack of care. How many 88-year-olds do you know who have become a worldwide phenomenon on YouTube, for example? She did, last year, when the press descended on the house in West Hampstead where she has lived for the past 30 years, the house in which we are sitting now. As she emerged from a black cab with her son, Peter, who, eccentrically, was wearing a boa of fresh onions around his neck, she was told she had just won the Nobel Prize for Literature and was asked for a comment. This was the first she had heard of it, yet she was heroically unimpressed. 'Oh Christ,' she said, waving the question away. 'I couldn't care less...I've won all the prizes in Europe, every bloody one.'
She was more gracious later, saying all the right things, but now when I ask about that Nobel moment she reverts to form. 'Who are these people? They're a bunch of bloody Swedes.'
'They sell a lot of dynamite, Doris,' Peter says. He has shuffled in to say hello, wearing a tea cosy on his head. He lives here, debilitated by diabetes. They had been returning from the hospital on that day of the Nobel announcement.
'This is my son,' Doris says, unnecessarily.
'The other one being dead.' Peter adds, equally unnecessarily. (Her elder son, John, a coffee farmer in Zimbabwe, died of a heart attack in 1992.)
'Why have you got a tea cosy on your head, Peter?'
'Because I've got a cold, Doris.'
The answer seems to satisfy her. 'Anyway,' she says, turning back to me, 'the whole thing is a joke. The Nobel Prize is run by a self-perpetuated committee. They vote for themselves and get the world's publishing industry to jump to their tune. I know several people who have won and you don't do anything else for a year but Nobel. They are always coming out with new torments for me. Downstairs there are 500 things I have to sign for them.'
After I was buzzed into the house, I had indeed passed many boxes on my way up the stairs. I had also seen Peter at the end of a corridor, sitting at the kitchen table in his pyjamas. He nonchalantly, wordlessly, pointed a thumb in the direction of the sitting-room. That was where I found his mother, who is 5ft tall, with a soft, creased face, framed with grey tendrils that escape from a carelessly assembled bun.
The room, by the way, is everything you would hope a literary giant's sitting-room might be: splendidly chaotic, more like a junk shop. Someone once said that Lessing seemed to camp out in her own home. There are stacks of books, some teetering precariously, a globe, a tray of nick-nacks, African masks, oil paintings, rugs rucked up on the floor. She lives in here now, sleeping on a red sofa because her backache, caused by osteoporosis, makes it difficult for her to sleep on a bed. She shares the sofa with her huge cat, Yum-Yum, the name taken from The Mikado. 'One day I'll fall over Yum-Yum and have to be carted off to hospital,' she says, stroking the cat. Lessing is clear-minded and clear-voiced, but she does seem to gnaw at words, biting them, talking through gritted teeth like Clare Short. It gives even her moments of frivolity a certain sternness.
This most prolific and unconventional of writers has written the novel she claims will be her last (she has done more than 50 and 'enough is enough'). The first half of Alfred & Emily is a novella about how life might have turned out for her parents had it not been for the First World War. The second half is a biography of her parents. Her mother was a nurse during the war. 'She was warm-hearted but insensitive,' Lessing says. 'Nursing the wounded must have been hell. They would arrive by the lorry load, some already dead. That must have torn her up. It took me a long time to allow her that.'
Read on....
© Copyright of Telegraph Media Group Limited 2008
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Seniors World Chronicle adds:
Alfred and Emily
Year First Published: 2008
First Published by: Fourth Estate
Category: Novel
This Edition: British First Edition
ISBN: 978-0007233458
From the book jacket:
I think my father's rage at the trenches took me over, when I was very young, and has never left me. Do children feel their parents' emotions? Yes, we do, and it is a legacy I could have done without. What is the use of it? It is as if that old war is in my own memory, my own consciousness.
By Nigel Farndale
At 88, Doris Lessing is still raging - at communists, war, Mrs Thatcher, the 'bloody Swedes' who awarded her the Nobel Prize... but most of her venom is reserved for the subject of what she says will be her final book - her mother. She talks to Nigel Farndale. Portrait by Reme Campos
It takes Doris Lessing just four minutes to come out with something, if not actually controversial, then at least unexpected. It's about Hitler. She says she understands him. This from a former member of the Communist Party. (She left in 1956, the year of Khrushchev's speech to the 20th Congress, the one in which he denounced Stalin.) We are talking, I should explain, about Erich Maria Remarque, the author of All Quiet on the Western Front. She recently read another of his books, about three German soldiers who, like Hitler, return from the Great War to the economic chaos of the Weimar Republic. 'They see people carting millions of marks around in wheelbarrows and, being old comrades, they stand by each other. And as you read that you suddenly understand Hitler.'
Doris Lessing: 'I'll be pleased when I'm dead. That will let me off worrying about all these wars'. She's not condoning Hitler, of course, merely explaining his early popularit y. I mention her comment to show her endearingly cavalier way with language. She doesn't care what people might think. She is past caring. And there is a greatness to this lack of care. How many 88-year-olds do you know who have become a worldwide phenomenon on YouTube, for example? She did, last year, when the press descended on the house in West Hampstead where she has lived for the past 30 years, the house in which we are sitting now. As she emerged from a black cab with her son, Peter, who, eccentrically, was wearing a boa of fresh onions around his neck, she was told she had just won the Nobel Prize for Literature and was asked for a comment. This was the first she had heard of it, yet she was heroically unimpressed. 'Oh Christ,' she said, waving the question away. 'I couldn't care less...I've won all the prizes in Europe, every bloody one.'
She was more gracious later, saying all the right things, but now when I ask about that Nobel moment she reverts to form. 'Who are these people? They're a bunch of bloody Swedes.'
'They sell a lot of dynamite, Doris,' Peter says. He has shuffled in to say hello, wearing a tea cosy on his head. He lives here, debilitated by diabetes. They had been returning from the hospital on that day of the Nobel announcement.
'This is my son,' Doris says, unnecessarily.
'The other one being dead.' Peter adds, equally unnecessarily. (Her elder son, John, a coffee farmer in Zimbabwe, died of a heart attack in 1992.)
'Why have you got a tea cosy on your head, Peter?'
'Because I've got a cold, Doris.'
The answer seems to satisfy her. 'Anyway,' she says, turning back to me, 'the whole thing is a joke. The Nobel Prize is run by a self-perpetuated committee. They vote for themselves and get the world's publishing industry to jump to their tune. I know several people who have won and you don't do anything else for a year but Nobel. They are always coming out with new torments for me. Downstairs there are 500 things I have to sign for them.'
After I was buzzed into the house, I had indeed passed many boxes on my way up the stairs. I had also seen Peter at the end of a corridor, sitting at the kitchen table in his pyjamas. He nonchalantly, wordlessly, pointed a thumb in the direction of the sitting-room. That was where I found his mother, who is 5ft tall, with a soft, creased face, framed with grey tendrils that escape from a carelessly assembled bun.
The room, by the way, is everything you would hope a literary giant's sitting-room might be: splendidly chaotic, more like a junk shop. Someone once said that Lessing seemed to camp out in her own home. There are stacks of books, some teetering precariously, a globe, a tray of nick-nacks, African masks, oil paintings, rugs rucked up on the floor. She lives in here now, sleeping on a red sofa because her backache, caused by osteoporosis, makes it difficult for her to sleep on a bed. She shares the sofa with her huge cat, Yum-Yum, the name taken from The Mikado. 'One day I'll fall over Yum-Yum and have to be carted off to hospital,' she says, stroking the cat. Lessing is clear-minded and clear-voiced, but she does seem to gnaw at words, biting them, talking through gritted teeth like Clare Short. It gives even her moments of frivolity a certain sternness.
This most prolific and unconventional of writers has written the novel she claims will be her last (she has done more than 50 and 'enough is enough'). The first half of Alfred & Emily is a novella about how life might have turned out for her parents had it not been for the First World War. The second half is a biography of her parents. Her mother was a nurse during the war. 'She was warm-hearted but insensitive,' Lessing says. 'Nursing the wounded must have been hell. They would arrive by the lorry load, some already dead. That must have torn her up. It took me a long time to allow her that.'
Read on....
© Copyright of Telegraph Media Group Limited 2008
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Seniors World Chronicle adds:
Alfred and EmilyYear First Published: 2008
First Published by: Fourth Estate
Category: Novel
This Edition: British First Edition
ISBN: 978-0007233458
From the book jacket:
I think my father's rage at the trenches took me over, when I was very young, and has never left me. Do children feel their parents' emotions? Yes, we do, and it is a legacy I could have done without. What is the use of it? It is as if that old war is in my own memory, my own consciousness.
AUSTRALIA: A helpful dose of prevention
MURRAY BRIDGE, South Australia (Murray Valley Standard), April 21, 2008:
Murray Bridge chemists are trying to cut down the number of elderly people who overdose or mix the wrong medications.
A blister pack system is now on offer, which means pharmacy customers can have their tablets measured into individual breakfast, lunch, dinner and bedtime doses, to stop any confusion.
Helpful: Murray Bridge pharmacist Viet Tran looks at dose administration aid.
More than 140,000 hospital admissions nationally each year are thought to be related to the medicines people take, according to the Pharmaceutical Society of Australia.
Society president Grant Kardachi said there needed to be increased use of dose administration aids.
“Because of their age older Australians are more at risk from incidents relating to poor medication management,” he said.
Mr Kardachi said one in two older Australians fail to take their medication as prescribed, which can render preventative medications useless.
“The result can be an entirely avoidable life threatening emergency,” he said.
The society reported people over 65 were the biggest users of medicines and because of their age were more at risk of side effects and medication incidents.
Murray Bridge pharmacist Viet Tran said patients would often be confused after choosing a generic brand, which looked different to the original drug.
Mr Tran said the blister pack system had been effective in easing the confusion around medications.
“It’s just easier for them to manage (their medication),” he said.
Copyright © 2008. Fairfax Digital
Murray Bridge chemists are trying to cut down the number of elderly people who overdose or mix the wrong medications.
A blister pack system is now on offer, which means pharmacy customers can have their tablets measured into individual breakfast, lunch, dinner and bedtime doses, to stop any confusion.
Helpful: Murray Bridge pharmacist Viet Tran looks at dose administration aid.More than 140,000 hospital admissions nationally each year are thought to be related to the medicines people take, according to the Pharmaceutical Society of Australia.
Society president Grant Kardachi said there needed to be increased use of dose administration aids.
“Because of their age older Australians are more at risk from incidents relating to poor medication management,” he said.
Mr Kardachi said one in two older Australians fail to take their medication as prescribed, which can render preventative medications useless.
“The result can be an entirely avoidable life threatening emergency,” he said.
The society reported people over 65 were the biggest users of medicines and because of their age were more at risk of side effects and medication incidents.
Murray Bridge pharmacist Viet Tran said patients would often be confused after choosing a generic brand, which looked different to the original drug.
Mr Tran said the blister pack system had been effective in easing the confusion around medications.
“It’s just easier for them to manage (their medication),” he said.
Copyright © 2008. Fairfax Digital
AUSTRALIA: The hazards of meal skipping
LEEDERVILLE, Perth (SuperLiving), April 21, 2008:
By Kristie Batten
IF YOU thought skipping a meal was no big deal, think again. Groundbreaking new research has found skipping a meal increases the chances of developing cardiovascular disease.
Researchers at the Beltsville Human Nutrition Research Center and the National Institute on Aging in the US are the first to report the health effects of skipping a meal.
For the study, volunteers participated in two eight-week meal treatment periods. Volunteers were divided into one of two groups during each treatment period and either consumed all their required weight maintenance calories in one meal or in three meals a day.
The study showed consuming a one meal per day diet rather than the traditional three meals a day is feasible for a short duration.
However, despite a slight decrease in weight and body fat, volunteers who ate one meal per day had significant increases in total cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol or bad cholesterol, and in blood pressure, compared to when they ate three meals a day.
Further analysis of the study showed that when the volunteers skipped meals, they had higher blood sugar levels, higher and more sustained elevations in blood sugar concentrations, and a delayed response to the body’s insulin compared to when they ate all three meals.
Dietitians Association of Australia (DAA) spokeswoman Denise Griffiths adds that nutrition and health go hand in hand and it is a well-balanced diet that keeps us healthy.
“The importance of three meals is if you skip a meal you’re not going to get all of the nutrients in your day, so you’re not going to have eaten enough food to get the nutrients you require,” she said.
“In the long term, skipping meals can have health consequences from a nutrient point of view. Good nutrition is a way to avoid obesity, diabetes and heart disease.”
Griffiths added people often skip meals to help aid weight loss but do not realise the health dangers associated with missing a meal.
“People think that by cutting down meals or skipping meals, their kilojoule intake for the day is going to be less,” she said.
“They find it helps with weight loss, but the danger with that is that you’re not going to get enough food that gives you all the adequate vitamins and minerals and nutrients that you need to stay healthy.
“Each meal has a role of providing a range of nutrients for the body and if you miss meals, that’s what you’re missing out on.”
The DAA recommends dietary guidelines to help people choose foods for a healthy life.
The guide suggests enjoying a wide variety of nutritious foods and limiting foods high in fat and sugar:
* Eat plenty of vegetables, legumes and fruits.
* Eat plenty of cereals (including breads, rice, pasta and noodles), preferably wholegrain.
* Include lean meat, fish and poultry.
* Include milks, yoghurts and cheeses – reduced-fat varieties should be chosen where possible.
* Drink plenty of water.
* Limit saturated fat and moderate total fat intake.
* Choose foods low in salt.
* Limit your alcohol intake if you choose to drink.
* Consume only moderate amounts of sugar and foods containing added sugars.
Where to find out more
Visit the DAA website at www.daa.asn.au
Full findings of the study are published in the April 2008 edition of the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.
© 2007 Aspermont Limited
By Kristie Batten
IF YOU thought skipping a meal was no big deal, think again. Groundbreaking new research has found skipping a meal increases the chances of developing cardiovascular disease.
Researchers at the Beltsville Human Nutrition Research Center and the National Institute on Aging in the US are the first to report the health effects of skipping a meal.
For the study, volunteers participated in two eight-week meal treatment periods. Volunteers were divided into one of two groups during each treatment period and either consumed all their required weight maintenance calories in one meal or in three meals a day.
The study showed consuming a one meal per day diet rather than the traditional three meals a day is feasible for a short duration.
However, despite a slight decrease in weight and body fat, volunteers who ate one meal per day had significant increases in total cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol or bad cholesterol, and in blood pressure, compared to when they ate three meals a day.
Further analysis of the study showed that when the volunteers skipped meals, they had higher blood sugar levels, higher and more sustained elevations in blood sugar concentrations, and a delayed response to the body’s insulin compared to when they ate all three meals.
Dietitians Association of Australia (DAA) spokeswoman Denise Griffiths adds that nutrition and health go hand in hand and it is a well-balanced diet that keeps us healthy.
“The importance of three meals is if you skip a meal you’re not going to get all of the nutrients in your day, so you’re not going to have eaten enough food to get the nutrients you require,” she said.
“In the long term, skipping meals can have health consequences from a nutrient point of view. Good nutrition is a way to avoid obesity, diabetes and heart disease.”
Griffiths added people often skip meals to help aid weight loss but do not realise the health dangers associated with missing a meal.
“People think that by cutting down meals or skipping meals, their kilojoule intake for the day is going to be less,” she said.
“They find it helps with weight loss, but the danger with that is that you’re not going to get enough food that gives you all the adequate vitamins and minerals and nutrients that you need to stay healthy.
“Each meal has a role of providing a range of nutrients for the body and if you miss meals, that’s what you’re missing out on.”
The DAA recommends dietary guidelines to help people choose foods for a healthy life.
The guide suggests enjoying a wide variety of nutritious foods and limiting foods high in fat and sugar:
* Eat plenty of vegetables, legumes and fruits.
* Eat plenty of cereals (including breads, rice, pasta and noodles), preferably wholegrain.
* Include lean meat, fish and poultry.
* Include milks, yoghurts and cheeses – reduced-fat varieties should be chosen where possible.
* Drink plenty of water.
* Limit saturated fat and moderate total fat intake.
* Choose foods low in salt.
* Limit your alcohol intake if you choose to drink.
* Consume only moderate amounts of sugar and foods containing added sugars.
Where to find out more
Visit the DAA website at www.daa.asn.au
Full findings of the study are published in the April 2008 edition of the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.
© 2007 Aspermont Limited
CHINA: Like sand in Old Sheng's bowl, so are the days of our lives
LIVING IN CHINA
BEIJING, China (China Daily), April 21, 2008:
When I first started in journalism on Sydney's Daily Telegraph more than 20 years ago, the editor led us new cadets into his office and then pointed out his window. "There are 4 million people in this city and everybody has a story to tell," he boomed.
In China, there are more than a billion stories to tell, so where do we begin?
Expats have the privilege to hear so many interesting tales and my friends back home are always fascinated when I banter about the days of our China lives.
There is one guy in Chongqing who probably doesn't want his story told. The city is bubbling like one of its famous spicy hotpot dishes and construction sites are spilling across everywhere.
When the job is done, workers pack up and move to the next site. This was the case one morning when a bulldozer started to knock down a makeshift toilet. The driver pushed the toilet about 6 meters before onlookers screamed for him to stop.
The man inside the toilet was not seriously injured, but he was so terrified that onlookers had to help him do up his pants. The poor bloke was obviously a passer-by, as every worker on site had been warned of the doomed port-a-loo.
A middle-aged Nanjing couple want everybody to know their story. They have written to the Guinness Book of Records to register themselves as the most similar couple on the planet.
The husband, surnamed Yu, and his wife, Jiang, first met playing badminton, which is coincidence No 1. Both were born in the same ward of the same hospital on the same day. They studied the same major at the same school and now work in the same industry. They have the same blood type; share a passion for spicy food and have moles identical in size and position.
What's funny is they wrote an official media statement about their similarities and called a press conference. And what's even funnier is the newspaper ran the story.
Then there is a story about old Sheng, a 60-year-old man in Jiangxi province who claims he cured malignant tumors in the tissue of his fat cells by eating sand for 18 years.
"I suffered from the pain of the sarcomas and ulcer, and was forced to give up my job. I badly needed a drastic remedy," said Sheng. He hatched the scheme after watching Approaching Science, a program on CCTV. "I ate a spoonful of the sand, washed it down with water and then chewed through another. I actually really enjoyed the taste," he said.
Two years later, tests showed that Sheng's tumors had shrunk. Medical experts suspected Sheng might also suffer from parorexia, an abnormal appetite, which inspires a craving for items unsuitable for eating.
Like sand through the hourglass, so are the days of our lives. Expat life can be challenging but when I hear about these people I just love living here.
Copyright © China.org.cn
BEIJING, China (China Daily), April 21, 2008:
When I first started in journalism on Sydney's Daily Telegraph more than 20 years ago, the editor led us new cadets into his office and then pointed out his window. "There are 4 million people in this city and everybody has a story to tell," he boomed.
In China, there are more than a billion stories to tell, so where do we begin?
Expats have the privilege to hear so many interesting tales and my friends back home are always fascinated when I banter about the days of our China lives.
There is one guy in Chongqing who probably doesn't want his story told. The city is bubbling like one of its famous spicy hotpot dishes and construction sites are spilling across everywhere.
When the job is done, workers pack up and move to the next site. This was the case one morning when a bulldozer started to knock down a makeshift toilet. The driver pushed the toilet about 6 meters before onlookers screamed for him to stop.
The man inside the toilet was not seriously injured, but he was so terrified that onlookers had to help him do up his pants. The poor bloke was obviously a passer-by, as every worker on site had been warned of the doomed port-a-loo.
A middle-aged Nanjing couple want everybody to know their story. They have written to the Guinness Book of Records to register themselves as the most similar couple on the planet.
The husband, surnamed Yu, and his wife, Jiang, first met playing badminton, which is coincidence No 1. Both were born in the same ward of the same hospital on the same day. They studied the same major at the same school and now work in the same industry. They have the same blood type; share a passion for spicy food and have moles identical in size and position.
What's funny is they wrote an official media statement about their similarities and called a press conference. And what's even funnier is the newspaper ran the story.
Then there is a story about old Sheng, a 60-year-old man in Jiangxi province who claims he cured malignant tumors in the tissue of his fat cells by eating sand for 18 years.
"I suffered from the pain of the sarcomas and ulcer, and was forced to give up my job. I badly needed a drastic remedy," said Sheng. He hatched the scheme after watching Approaching Science, a program on CCTV. "I ate a spoonful of the sand, washed it down with water and then chewed through another. I actually really enjoyed the taste," he said.
Two years later, tests showed that Sheng's tumors had shrunk. Medical experts suspected Sheng might also suffer from parorexia, an abnormal appetite, which inspires a craving for items unsuitable for eating.
Like sand through the hourglass, so are the days of our lives. Expat life can be challenging but when I hear about these people I just love living here.
Copyright © China.org.cn
WORLD: World Elder Abuse Awareness 2008 - AARP To Host Online Global Forum
Location:Online
Date/Time:June 1, 2008 - June 16, 2008
Throughout the world, abuse and neglect of older persons has been largely under-recognized or under-treated as an unspoken problem. Today, it is increasingly being seen as an important problem but may also be likely to grow as many countries experience rapidly aging populations. Similar to other types of violence, abuse of the elderly includes physical, financial, sexual and psychological abuse, as well as neglect.
On June 16, 2008, we will observe the 3rd Annual World Elder Abuse Awareness Day (WEAAD). In recognition of this important event, AARP International is hosting a two-week online forum of experts from around the world. The aim of this online dialogue is to promote a better understanding of abuse and neglect of older persons by facilitating a global discussion among key national experts to raise awareness of the cultural, social, economic and demographic processes affecting elder abuse and neglect. Be sure to visit www.aarpinternational.org/weaad08 from June 1 through June 16, 2008 to read insights shared by experts and raise your own questions on policy issues related to elder abuse. Naomi Karp, Strategic Policy Advisor at AARP's Public Policy Institute will facilitate this discussion.
For more information about the 3rd Annual World Elder Abuse Awareness Day, visit the International Network for the Prevention of Elder Abuse (INPEA) website at: www.inpea.net
USA: Reverse Mortgage - Latest niche product offers a new option
EVERETT, Washington (HeraldNet), April 20, 2008:
The soft national housing market and chaotic mortgage environment have sent lenders and investors back to the drawing board in an effort to come up with new ideas and produce an alternative to corral new business.
The latest niche product designed to tap the billions of dollars of equity tied up in seniors' primary residences has spread not only to second homes but also to residential rentals and commercial properties.
Equity Key (www.equitykey.com) has rolled out an equity-share option that differs from a reverse mortgage in that the program does not charge interest on money taken out of the home. Instead, the option gives Equity Key an equal share in the future appreciation of the property (primary residences, rental or commercial) based on its present market value.
The concept is similar to the Rex Agreement, another new equity-sharing vehicle that also claims a share of future appreciation. The main differences are that the Rex Agreement has no age restriction while Equity Key is aimed at homeowners between the ages of 65 and 85. The Rex Agreement is for primary residences and is not available for second homes and investment properties at this time.
According to Equity Key, it pays the property owner a specific lump sum (approximately 12 percent to 15 percent of the property's value) or an annual recurring payment in the approximate amount of 0.9 percent to 2.4 percent of the home's value. In exchange, Equity Key splits any future appreciation on a 50-50 basis with the property owner. The owner retains the equity he or she has accumulated.
When the owner moves out or dies, Equity Key sells the property, and the accumulated equity (all the equity the owner had prior to the Equity Key transaction plus 50 percent of what has accumulated subsequently) goes to the owner's heirs. The homeowner's estate has the first right of refusal to purchase the property at the current market value, according to the company.
Here's how equity-sharing agreements work in a typical situation. Let's assume a home is valued at $500,000 and the owner signs an equity share for a $50,000 advance. If the house sells seven years later for $600,000, the equity sharing company gets $100,000 -- $50,000 in repayment and half of the $100,000, the home's appreciation since the deal was signed. If the value is flat after seven years, the sharing company gets only $50,000.
If the house's value decreases by $100,000 or more, the sharing company and the homeowner would share the loss equally -- $50,000 each. The equity-sharing company would receive no money upon the sale while the homeowner would be liable for the remaining $50,000 of loss.
Owners must continue to maintain the property, keep taxes, insurance and any mortgage payments current and not exceed the agreed upon limit on the total principal amount of any loans that may be secured by the home.
Providers of reverse mortgage alternatives are betting they will draw customers because of their fewer upfront fees and costs and the absence of an interest-bearing mortgage. The big unknown is the future value of the home. Regardless of the peaks or valleys of appreciation, the owner will owe the equity sharing firm 50 percent of the value from the time the agreement was signed until the property is sold.
Reverse mortgages funds can be distributed either in a lump sum, regular monthly payments, line of credit or in a combination of those options. When the house is sold, or the last remaining borrower dies or moves out of the home, the loan amount plus the accrued interest is due and repaid. The borrower can't owe more than the value of the home. There are no restrictions on how reverse mortgage funds are used.
If Equity Key acquires the property at the end of the agreement term, it will charge an acquisition cost equal to your actual third-party costs to sell it. This cost will not be greater than 8 percent of the fair-market value of the house at that time of the sale.
In order to participate, homeowners must be in good health and able to qualify for a life insurance policy. Ineligible homeowners include smokers, those with Type 1 diabetes and others who've had recent bouts with cancer. Equity Key takes out an insurance policy to protect its interests in case the homeowner dies before the company recovers its initial investment. If the owner does not meet the Equity Key requirements, the $300 application fee is refunded.
If you plan to tap in to any property equity -- primary residence, second home or rental -- do so wisely and with the help of professional advice. Depending upon your particular circumstances, one way might be better than another.
By Tom Kelly
© 2008 The Daily Herald Co., Everett, WA.
The soft national housing market and chaotic mortgage environment have sent lenders and investors back to the drawing board in an effort to come up with new ideas and produce an alternative to corral new business.
The latest niche product designed to tap the billions of dollars of equity tied up in seniors' primary residences has spread not only to second homes but also to residential rentals and commercial properties.
Equity Key (www.equitykey.com) has rolled out an equity-share option that differs from a reverse mortgage in that the program does not charge interest on money taken out of the home. Instead, the option gives Equity Key an equal share in the future appreciation of the property (primary residences, rental or commercial) based on its present market value.
The concept is similar to the Rex Agreement, another new equity-sharing vehicle that also claims a share of future appreciation. The main differences are that the Rex Agreement has no age restriction while Equity Key is aimed at homeowners between the ages of 65 and 85. The Rex Agreement is for primary residences and is not available for second homes and investment properties at this time.
According to Equity Key, it pays the property owner a specific lump sum (approximately 12 percent to 15 percent of the property's value) or an annual recurring payment in the approximate amount of 0.9 percent to 2.4 percent of the home's value. In exchange, Equity Key splits any future appreciation on a 50-50 basis with the property owner. The owner retains the equity he or she has accumulated.
When the owner moves out or dies, Equity Key sells the property, and the accumulated equity (all the equity the owner had prior to the Equity Key transaction plus 50 percent of what has accumulated subsequently) goes to the owner's heirs. The homeowner's estate has the first right of refusal to purchase the property at the current market value, according to the company.
Here's how equity-sharing agreements work in a typical situation. Let's assume a home is valued at $500,000 and the owner signs an equity share for a $50,000 advance. If the house sells seven years later for $600,000, the equity sharing company gets $100,000 -- $50,000 in repayment and half of the $100,000, the home's appreciation since the deal was signed. If the value is flat after seven years, the sharing company gets only $50,000.
If the house's value decreases by $100,000 or more, the sharing company and the homeowner would share the loss equally -- $50,000 each. The equity-sharing company would receive no money upon the sale while the homeowner would be liable for the remaining $50,000 of loss.
Owners must continue to maintain the property, keep taxes, insurance and any mortgage payments current and not exceed the agreed upon limit on the total principal amount of any loans that may be secured by the home.
Providers of reverse mortgage alternatives are betting they will draw customers because of their fewer upfront fees and costs and the absence of an interest-bearing mortgage. The big unknown is the future value of the home. Regardless of the peaks or valleys of appreciation, the owner will owe the equity sharing firm 50 percent of the value from the time the agreement was signed until the property is sold.
Reverse mortgages funds can be distributed either in a lump sum, regular monthly payments, line of credit or in a combination of those options. When the house is sold, or the last remaining borrower dies or moves out of the home, the loan amount plus the accrued interest is due and repaid. The borrower can't owe more than the value of the home. There are no restrictions on how reverse mortgage funds are used.
If Equity Key acquires the property at the end of the agreement term, it will charge an acquisition cost equal to your actual third-party costs to sell it. This cost will not be greater than 8 percent of the fair-market value of the house at that time of the sale.
In order to participate, homeowners must be in good health and able to qualify for a life insurance policy. Ineligible homeowners include smokers, those with Type 1 diabetes and others who've had recent bouts with cancer. Equity Key takes out an insurance policy to protect its interests in case the homeowner dies before the company recovers its initial investment. If the owner does not meet the Equity Key requirements, the $300 application fee is refunded.
If you plan to tap in to any property equity -- primary residence, second home or rental -- do so wisely and with the help of professional advice. Depending upon your particular circumstances, one way might be better than another.
By Tom Kelly
© 2008 The Daily Herald Co., Everett, WA.
TURKEY: İstanbulites get fit for free at parks across the city
ISTANBUL, Turkey (Today's Zaman), April 20, 2008:
This spring it is quite common to observe men and women exercising in the early hours of the day at parks all across Istanbul that have been outfitted with fitness equipment by the İstanbul Metropolitan Municipality.
"I have been exercising for the last four years, but I started using the equipment placed at parks around a year ago. Earlier I had severe pain in my neck and shoulders. Since I started exercising at this park, my pains have subsided to a great extent," noted İbrahim Dilbilir, a retired teacher, speaking to Sunday's Zaman.
The İstanbul Metropolitan Municipality first equipped a park in the Kadıköy district with fitness equipment in 2006 with the objective of encouraging locals to exercise on a regular basis. When that park became quite popular among İstanbulites, the municipality decided to turn its initiative into a full-blown campaign and has so far equipped a total of 140 parks with fitness equipment.
It aims to install fitness equipment in around 100 more parks all across İstanbul by the end of this year.
"In the past, I used to go for a walk for a certain period of time everyday in order not to gain weight, but I still suffered from pain in my neck and shoulders. Then our municipality outfitted our park with fitness equipment. Since I started exercising there, pain is mostly a thing of the past and I feel great," remarked Dilbilir.
Dilbilir starts his exercise routine at 9 every morning. He feels the parks have advantages over fitness centers. "Fitness centers are generally situated in basements and lack fresh air. One needs to take deep breaths, preferably of fresh air, while exercising, but it is not possible to do so in fitness centers. When I exercise at this park, I can feel the fresh air invigorating my lungs."
Fuat Zeki Yıldırım, another citizen who regularly exercises at one of the "healthy life parks," said he overcame his health problems after he started exercising on a daily basis. "I am 65. I suffered from hypertension and severe backaches. For the last year and a half, I have been coming to this park regularly to exercise early in the morning. I first take a walk and then use the fitness equipment. It is great to exercise in the fresh air," he noted.
A wide variety of fitness equipment, from rowing machines to exercise bikes and treadmills to elliptical trainers, is available at these parks.
Some exercise buffs, however, complain that there are no trainers at most of these parks to show them how to use the fitness equipment in a proper manner.
"I suffer from diabetes and my doctor has advised me to lose weight. I have been exercising for at least an hour every day since January. I also try to work out on the gym equipment at our fitness park, but I find it difficult to use," noted Mukadder Kahveci, a 54-year-old housewife.
Kahveci, emphasizing that many of her friends who exercise at the same park complain about the absence of an expert to show them the right way to use the equipment, said they would exercise in a more effective manner if they had a trainer to guide them.
"We want to use the gym equipment here but are afraid of hurting ourselves. A trainer can show us how to use the equipment," she reiterated.
Seyfi Timur, a body building and fitness expert, explained the dangers of using fitness equipment without being properly informed. "If the equipment is used without the guidance of an expert, it may pose threats to one's health and safety." The gym equipment placed in parks should be examined to see whether it is appropriate for human health, he said.
Timur noted that if used improperly such equipment could adversely affect one's cardiac rhythm. It would be best to be guided by an expert while exercising at such parks," he said. Timur said people are right to want fresh air while exercising.
"There is no regulation or law under which fitness centers must be inspected for compliance with standards of hygiene. But recently there was an initiative introduced that would require fitness centers to meet such standards. This policy is expected to go into effect in the next few months. There will be pecuniary fees and other sanctions to encourage fitness centers to comply with the standards," he added.
Professor Ömer Kozan, secretary-general of the Turkish Society of Cardiology (TKD), warned the public to undergo a full medical check before starting an exercise program. "We witness so many deaths from heart attacks, triggered by intensive exercise without knowing about one's health condition," he noted.
Opportunity to socialize
Exercising at healthy life parks is also considered an opportunity to socialize, especially by elderly people.
"I come to this park early in the morning and witness dozens of people almost competing with one another to use gym equipment on weekdays. I cannot describe the number of people on weekends. Old and young people exercise together. It is a great opportunity to make new friends and exchange ideas on a wide variety of issues," said Hasan Kadirler, a 62-year-old retired restaurant owner. He said many people had become close friends after they started exercising at the same park.
"People from different financial or social status get to know each other. They advise each other on various issues and share so many things. It is great to be here," added Kadirler.
Domestically produced equipment
Fatma Başeğmez, director general of Global Park -- which won last year's tender launched by the İstanbul Metropolitan Municipality for equipping parks with fitness equipment, said all gym equipment placed at the parks had been designed and produced in Turkey.
"We also export fitness equipment to a wide variety of countries such as France, Germany, Australia, Holland and Romania," she noted.
Başeğmez, noting that the interest shown in healthy life parks by citizens is increasing each day, said the İstanbul Metropolitan Municipality aims to outfit more parks with fitness equipment in the next few years.
"Equipment at these parks is not as high-tech as that at fitness centers, but it meets the needs of our citizens. We design the equipment to withstand winter and summer conditions. There is something for people of all ages," remarked Başeğmez.
The equipment at these parks does not pose a threat to people's health. "There are trainers to show how to use the equipment at many parks. At parks where such trainers are not available the equipment has illustrated instructions on usage. It is all quite safe," she added.
BETÜL AKKAYA İSTANBUL
This spring it is quite common to observe men and women exercising in the early hours of the day at parks all across Istanbul that have been outfitted with fitness equipment by the İstanbul Metropolitan Municipality.
"I have been exercising for the last four years, but I started using the equipment placed at parks around a year ago. Earlier I had severe pain in my neck and shoulders. Since I started exercising at this park, my pains have subsided to a great extent," noted İbrahim Dilbilir, a retired teacher, speaking to Sunday's Zaman.The İstanbul Metropolitan Municipality first equipped a park in the Kadıköy district with fitness equipment in 2006 with the objective of encouraging locals to exercise on a regular basis. When that park became quite popular among İstanbulites, the municipality decided to turn its initiative into a full-blown campaign and has so far equipped a total of 140 parks with fitness equipment.
It aims to install fitness equipment in around 100 more parks all across İstanbul by the end of this year.
"In the past, I used to go for a walk for a certain period of time everyday in order not to gain weight, but I still suffered from pain in my neck and shoulders. Then our municipality outfitted our park with fitness equipment. Since I started exercising there, pain is mostly a thing of the past and I feel great," remarked Dilbilir.
Dilbilir starts his exercise routine at 9 every morning. He feels the parks have advantages over fitness centers. "Fitness centers are generally situated in basements and lack fresh air. One needs to take deep breaths, preferably of fresh air, while exercising, but it is not possible to do so in fitness centers. When I exercise at this park, I can feel the fresh air invigorating my lungs."
Fuat Zeki Yıldırım, another citizen who regularly exercises at one of the "healthy life parks," said he overcame his health problems after he started exercising on a daily basis. "I am 65. I suffered from hypertension and severe backaches. For the last year and a half, I have been coming to this park regularly to exercise early in the morning. I first take a walk and then use the fitness equipment. It is great to exercise in the fresh air," he noted.
A wide variety of fitness equipment, from rowing machines to exercise bikes and treadmills to elliptical trainers, is available at these parks.
Some exercise buffs, however, complain that there are no trainers at most of these parks to show them how to use the fitness equipment in a proper manner.
"I suffer from diabetes and my doctor has advised me to lose weight. I have been exercising for at least an hour every day since January. I also try to work out on the gym equipment at our fitness park, but I find it difficult to use," noted Mukadder Kahveci, a 54-year-old housewife.
Kahveci, emphasizing that many of her friends who exercise at the same park complain about the absence of an expert to show them the right way to use the equipment, said they would exercise in a more effective manner if they had a trainer to guide them.
"We want to use the gym equipment here but are afraid of hurting ourselves. A trainer can show us how to use the equipment," she reiterated.
Seyfi Timur, a body building and fitness expert, explained the dangers of using fitness equipment without being properly informed. "If the equipment is used without the guidance of an expert, it may pose threats to one's health and safety." The gym equipment placed in parks should be examined to see whether it is appropriate for human health, he said.
Timur noted that if used improperly such equipment could adversely affect one's cardiac rhythm. It would be best to be guided by an expert while exercising at such parks," he said. Timur said people are right to want fresh air while exercising.
"There is no regulation or law under which fitness centers must be inspected for compliance with standards of hygiene. But recently there was an initiative introduced that would require fitness centers to meet such standards. This policy is expected to go into effect in the next few months. There will be pecuniary fees and other sanctions to encourage fitness centers to comply with the standards," he added.
Professor Ömer Kozan, secretary-general of the Turkish Society of Cardiology (TKD), warned the public to undergo a full medical check before starting an exercise program. "We witness so many deaths from heart attacks, triggered by intensive exercise without knowing about one's health condition," he noted.
Opportunity to socialize
Exercising at healthy life parks is also considered an opportunity to socialize, especially by elderly people.
"I come to this park early in the morning and witness dozens of people almost competing with one another to use gym equipment on weekdays. I cannot describe the number of people on weekends. Old and young people exercise together. It is a great opportunity to make new friends and exchange ideas on a wide variety of issues," said Hasan Kadirler, a 62-year-old retired restaurant owner. He said many people had become close friends after they started exercising at the same park.
"People from different financial or social status get to know each other. They advise each other on various issues and share so many things. It is great to be here," added Kadirler.
Domestically produced equipment
Fatma Başeğmez, director general of Global Park -- which won last year's tender launched by the İstanbul Metropolitan Municipality for equipping parks with fitness equipment, said all gym equipment placed at the parks had been designed and produced in Turkey.
"We also export fitness equipment to a wide variety of countries such as France, Germany, Australia, Holland and Romania," she noted.
Başeğmez, noting that the interest shown in healthy life parks by citizens is increasing each day, said the İstanbul Metropolitan Municipality aims to outfit more parks with fitness equipment in the next few years.
"Equipment at these parks is not as high-tech as that at fitness centers, but it meets the needs of our citizens. We design the equipment to withstand winter and summer conditions. There is something for people of all ages," remarked Başeğmez.
The equipment at these parks does not pose a threat to people's health. "There are trainers to show how to use the equipment at many parks. At parks where such trainers are not available the equipment has illustrated instructions on usage. It is all quite safe," she added.
BETÜL AKKAYA İSTANBUL
USA: Slimming down customers' pockets
OutFront
Foot in Mouth
Heidi Brown 05.05.08
Ultimate Cash Machine
Your Pain, Their Gain
In the sucker-born-every-minute category, here comes another "alternative health product" that is doing a good job at slimming down consumers' pocketbooks. Chiropractors, massage therapists and naturopaths are charging up to $50 per session for clients to soak their feet in a plastic tub of salty, electrified water and then watch as the water turns yellow, brown, then green. Believers (and some makers of these contraptions, which go for anywhere from $250 to $2,450) say the water turns dirty as nasty toxins leave the body's organs. They claim this method can cure fatigue, acne and yeast infections. The foot-detox machines, sold under such names as Cygnus Aqua-Cleanse, Ionic Spa and IonCleanse, are widely available via the Internet, including through the healthy-living company Gaiam (nasdaq: GAIA - news - people ) in Boulder, Colo. A Major Difference, a Denver company, says it has sold some 10,000 of the units since 2002.
That dirty water? That's from the electricity reacting with the salt in the water, plus oils and dirt on the feet. "Scientists know what comes out of the feet--sweat," says Stephen Barrett, a retired psychiatrist who crusades to debunk medical myths. For further visual evidence, check out a YouTube video that features a man "detoxing" an organic carrot from his garden; the water in the footbath turns the same color as your average foot might.
© 2008 Forbes.com LLC™
Foot in Mouth
Heidi Brown 05.05.08
Ultimate Cash MachineYour Pain, Their Gain
In the sucker-born-every-minute category, here comes another "alternative health product" that is doing a good job at slimming down consumers' pocketbooks. Chiropractors, massage therapists and naturopaths are charging up to $50 per session for clients to soak their feet in a plastic tub of salty, electrified water and then watch as the water turns yellow, brown, then green. Believers (and some makers of these contraptions, which go for anywhere from $250 to $2,450) say the water turns dirty as nasty toxins leave the body's organs. They claim this method can cure fatigue, acne and yeast infections. The foot-detox machines, sold under such names as Cygnus Aqua-Cleanse, Ionic Spa and IonCleanse, are widely available via the Internet, including through the healthy-living company Gaiam (nasdaq: GAIA - news - people ) in Boulder, Colo. A Major Difference, a Denver company, says it has sold some 10,000 of the units since 2002.
That dirty water? That's from the electricity reacting with the salt in the water, plus oils and dirt on the feet. "Scientists know what comes out of the feet--sweat," says Stephen Barrett, a retired psychiatrist who crusades to debunk medical myths. For further visual evidence, check out a YouTube video that features a man "detoxing" an organic carrot from his garden; the water in the footbath turns the same color as your average foot might.
© 2008 Forbes.com LLC™
JAPAN: Tokyo offers free pizza to lure pensioners from their cars
TOKYO, Japan (The Independent on Sunday, UK), April 20, 2008:
Like many proud men, Seichi Koyama bristles when his driving skills are questioned. "I'm confident I can drive well," he told Japanese TV, brandishing his clean licence and telling the viewing millions that he has never had an accident or been penalised.
It's quite a claim, for Mr Koyama is 102 years old, and his licence was awarded more than 80 years ago.
Not all Japanese pensioners operate their cars as safely as Tokyo's oldest driver. Last month, a woman in her 70s ploughed into a group of pedestrians, leaving a child in a coma, one of several horrific car accidents involving the elderly. Drivers aged 65 or over caused about 7,000 accidents in Tokyo last year, a two-and-a-half-fold rise in a decade. More than 1,000 pensioners die every year in driving accidents in Japan.
With one of the fastest-ageing populations on the planet, Japan is struggling to deal with a growing army of pensioners.
The demographic tsunami is even lapping at the shores of Tokyo Disneyland. The theme park has just introduced a special over-60s pass. A spokesman said that the "Flowers and Trees Tour" attraction had been added to the Disney roster because "older people like flowers and gardening".
The government fears that the elderly threaten carnage on Japan's busy roads. About 300,000 older drivers may have dementia, say the Japanese police.
As examinations for over-75s from next year will not cure the problem – many hide dementia symptoms – the Tokyo government has turned to shopping incentives to lure the elderly from their cars. From this month, pensioners are eligible for discounts from pizza stores, hotels and amusement parks in return for giving up their driving licences. The novel police plan has enlisted the support of about 40 Tokyo businesses, including the upmarket Imperial Hotel.
The police have so far baulked at imposing an upper age limit on the driving licence and focused instead on developing tests to weed out unfit drivers.
At 102, however, Mr Koyama feels his time has finally come. "It's a point of pride to be qualified to drive and I'd like to continue," he said. "But I guess I'll return my licence."
By David McNeill
The Independent On Sunday, London, UK
Like many proud men, Seichi Koyama bristles when his driving skills are questioned. "I'm confident I can drive well," he told Japanese TV, brandishing his clean licence and telling the viewing millions that he has never had an accident or been penalised.
It's quite a claim, for Mr Koyama is 102 years old, and his licence was awarded more than 80 years ago.
Not all Japanese pensioners operate their cars as safely as Tokyo's oldest driver. Last month, a woman in her 70s ploughed into a group of pedestrians, leaving a child in a coma, one of several horrific car accidents involving the elderly. Drivers aged 65 or over caused about 7,000 accidents in Tokyo last year, a two-and-a-half-fold rise in a decade. More than 1,000 pensioners die every year in driving accidents in Japan.
With one of the fastest-ageing populations on the planet, Japan is struggling to deal with a growing army of pensioners.
The demographic tsunami is even lapping at the shores of Tokyo Disneyland. The theme park has just introduced a special over-60s pass. A spokesman said that the "Flowers and Trees Tour" attraction had been added to the Disney roster because "older people like flowers and gardening".
The government fears that the elderly threaten carnage on Japan's busy roads. About 300,000 older drivers may have dementia, say the Japanese police.
As examinations for over-75s from next year will not cure the problem – many hide dementia symptoms – the Tokyo government has turned to shopping incentives to lure the elderly from their cars. From this month, pensioners are eligible for discounts from pizza stores, hotels and amusement parks in return for giving up their driving licences. The novel police plan has enlisted the support of about 40 Tokyo businesses, including the upmarket Imperial Hotel.
The police have so far baulked at imposing an upper age limit on the driving licence and focused instead on developing tests to weed out unfit drivers.
At 102, however, Mr Koyama feels his time has finally come. "It's a point of pride to be qualified to drive and I'd like to continue," he said. "But I guess I'll return my licence."
By David McNeill
The Independent On Sunday, London, UK
BOLIVIA: Older Women In Rural Communities Suffer Greatest Discrimination, Says Report
LA PAZ, Bolivia (HelpAge International) April 20, 2008:
HelpAge International, Latin America, has submitted a report on Older Women’s Rights In Rural Bolivia to the 40th session of the Committee on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW).
The experience of HelpAge International and its partners has been that older women in Bolivia face discrimination on the basis of their gender, age, poverty and race. Older women are more likely than older men to live alone and without support, to have the burden of care for dependents, to experience violence and to be denied their rights to social security, security in old age, health and representation.
Older women and men are disproportionately poor in Bolivia, South America’s poorest country, with a Human Development ranking of 1177 and a GDP per capita of $27208. In terms of the gender disparity, its gender-related development index (GDI) is 99.4% of the value of its HDI and its gender empowerment measure (GEM) ranks 67th out of 94 countries, with a value of 0.5009.
More than 63% of the older people in Bolivia live in poverty, compared to 58.6% for the general population. Twenty-three percent of the Bolivian population live on less than a dollar a day, whereas approximately 36% of older people in Bolivia live on less than US$1 per day, 12 with poverty indices significantly higher in the rural older population.
Read more
Contact:HelpAge International,
La Paz, Bolivia:
Fiona Clark, Director of Policy and Programmes. E-mail: fclark@helpagela.org
Bridget Sleap,
Policy Officer.
E-mail: bsleap@helpage.org
USA: Chic centres house services for elderly
.
LIGHTENING THE LOAD: Many nonprofit groups are looking for cheaper offices to provide services to the elderly.
Picture: Kathrine Muick-Mere
------------------------------------------------------------
‘There’s a sense of
community that doesn’t exist
in a normal building’
------------------------------------------------------------
Cities create quality spaces for use by nonprofit organisations
NEW YORK (New York Times), April 20, 2008:
Boston Senior Home Care, which provides services for the elderly and disabled, got a rude awakening when it began searching for new office space last year.
The nonprofit group wanted to stay near its urban constituents and public transportation.
But with the city’s commercial real estate market at a historic high, affordable rental property was difficult to find and the spaces it could afford were often sub-standard.
“Some of the buildings would have been just terrible for our staff, and price was absolutely an issue,” said executive director Linda George.
Instead, Boston Senior Home Care moved in January to attractive, contemporary, high-quality offices in the city’s financial district, at a rate George considers “a very fair deal”.
The recently renovated space is part of a building called the Nonprofit Centre, which exclusively houses “progressive social change” organisations that work to correct societal problems.
It is one of about 150 such centres nationwide: multi-tenant, incubator-like spaces operated primarily for nonprofit organisations (NPOs), which benefit from affordable rents, secure leases, a collaborative environment and increased visibility.
Many of the centres are in modern buildings in prime downtown areas, and some offer shared equipment such as photocopiers and printers, as well as programmes like yoga and lunch-time seminars.
And in hot real estate markets they are helping to solve a common lament of many NPOs: that the cost of commercial real estate is driving them out of the cities and communities they serve.
“The market for commercial real estate and rentals in the last two years has been skyrocketing, which means that for nonprofit groups that negotiated favourable leases five or six years ago, it’s going to cost them significantly more to stay put when those leases come up for renewal,” said Jonathan Spack, who operates the Nonprofit Centre.
“Our tenants know the rent is not going to be jacked up wildly at the end of the lease if the market happens to be hot,” Spack said, “and there’s a sense of community that doesn’t exist in a normal building.”
Volatile rents are a perennial concern for NPOs, which are sometimes forced to vacate office space during real estate booms. As a result, many nonprofit groups are looking for cheaper offices.
By moving to the Nonprofit Centre on South Street, which rents for 5 to 10 less per square foot than similar commercial properties, the organisation still has easy access to those communities. The Nonprofit Centre is one of two buildings in Massachusetts that are dedicated to providing shared space for NPOs. The other is Boston TeamWorks in Dorchester, which houses multiple youth-sports organisations.
Three more centres are in development statewide — in Northampton, Truro and Lynn.
The nine-floor building has many of the same amenities as pricier commercial spaces, such as a meeting room with video-conferencing facilities, a landscaped courtyard and round-the-clock security. Because most of the building is tax-exempt, its roughly two dozen tenants — they range from the Centre for Legal Aid Education to the Green Restaurant Association to Easter Seals Massachusetts to the World Society for the Protection of Animals — don’t face escalating lease costs as real estate taxes increase.
It’s also a “green building” with high-efficiency heating, cooling and lighting systems, environmentally friendly paint and carpeting, and amenities such as indoor bike racks and showers.
Tenants don’t sacrifice aesthetics either: the architecturally distinctive brick building — built in 1899 and listed on the National Register of Historic Places — has lots of natural light, funky paint colours and even a grandfather clock chiming in the marble lobby.
Roughly 10% of the building is shared space in which very small or start-up groups can pay a flat monthly fee ranging from 400 to 900 to rent as little as a desk.
Instead of having to commit to multi-year leases, shared tenants sign one-year licence agreements that include Internet access, electricity, access to hi-tech meeting space and a shared photocopier, printer and fax machine.
“We looked at a lot of buildings and this one was by far the superior building for the rent,” said George of Boston Senior Home Care. “And we loved the atmosphere of a whole family of NPOs, with everybody having similar goals and missions.”
© 2008 The New York Times
LIGHTENING THE LOAD: Many nonprofit groups are looking for cheaper offices to provide services to the elderly. Picture: Kathrine Muick-Mere
------------------------------------------------------------
‘There’s a sense of
community that doesn’t exist
in a normal building’
------------------------------------------------------------
Cities create quality spaces for use by nonprofit organisations
NEW YORK (New York Times), April 20, 2008:
Boston Senior Home Care, which provides services for the elderly and disabled, got a rude awakening when it began searching for new office space last year.
The nonprofit group wanted to stay near its urban constituents and public transportation.
But with the city’s commercial real estate market at a historic high, affordable rental property was difficult to find and the spaces it could afford were often sub-standard.
“Some of the buildings would have been just terrible for our staff, and price was absolutely an issue,” said executive director Linda George.
Instead, Boston Senior Home Care moved in January to attractive, contemporary, high-quality offices in the city’s financial district, at a rate George considers “a very fair deal”.
The recently renovated space is part of a building called the Nonprofit Centre, which exclusively houses “progressive social change” organisations that work to correct societal problems.
It is one of about 150 such centres nationwide: multi-tenant, incubator-like spaces operated primarily for nonprofit organisations (NPOs), which benefit from affordable rents, secure leases, a collaborative environment and increased visibility.
Many of the centres are in modern buildings in prime downtown areas, and some offer shared equipment such as photocopiers and printers, as well as programmes like yoga and lunch-time seminars.
And in hot real estate markets they are helping to solve a common lament of many NPOs: that the cost of commercial real estate is driving them out of the cities and communities they serve.
“The market for commercial real estate and rentals in the last two years has been skyrocketing, which means that for nonprofit groups that negotiated favourable leases five or six years ago, it’s going to cost them significantly more to stay put when those leases come up for renewal,” said Jonathan Spack, who operates the Nonprofit Centre.
“Our tenants know the rent is not going to be jacked up wildly at the end of the lease if the market happens to be hot,” Spack said, “and there’s a sense of community that doesn’t exist in a normal building.”
Volatile rents are a perennial concern for NPOs, which are sometimes forced to vacate office space during real estate booms. As a result, many nonprofit groups are looking for cheaper offices.
By moving to the Nonprofit Centre on South Street, which rents for 5 to 10 less per square foot than similar commercial properties, the organisation still has easy access to those communities. The Nonprofit Centre is one of two buildings in Massachusetts that are dedicated to providing shared space for NPOs. The other is Boston TeamWorks in Dorchester, which houses multiple youth-sports organisations.
Three more centres are in development statewide — in Northampton, Truro and Lynn.
The nine-floor building has many of the same amenities as pricier commercial spaces, such as a meeting room with video-conferencing facilities, a landscaped courtyard and round-the-clock security. Because most of the building is tax-exempt, its roughly two dozen tenants — they range from the Centre for Legal Aid Education to the Green Restaurant Association to Easter Seals Massachusetts to the World Society for the Protection of Animals — don’t face escalating lease costs as real estate taxes increase.
It’s also a “green building” with high-efficiency heating, cooling and lighting systems, environmentally friendly paint and carpeting, and amenities such as indoor bike racks and showers.
Tenants don’t sacrifice aesthetics either: the architecturally distinctive brick building — built in 1899 and listed on the National Register of Historic Places — has lots of natural light, funky paint colours and even a grandfather clock chiming in the marble lobby.
Roughly 10% of the building is shared space in which very small or start-up groups can pay a flat monthly fee ranging from 400 to 900 to rent as little as a desk.
Instead of having to commit to multi-year leases, shared tenants sign one-year licence agreements that include Internet access, electricity, access to hi-tech meeting space and a shared photocopier, printer and fax machine.
“We looked at a lot of buildings and this one was by far the superior building for the rent,” said George of Boston Senior Home Care. “And we loved the atmosphere of a whole family of NPOs, with everybody having similar goals and missions.”
© 2008 The New York Times
JAPAN: The challenges of an aging society
TOKYO, Japan (The Japan Times), April 20, 2008:
BOOKS
POPULATION DECLINE AND AGEING IN JAPAN:
THE SOCIAL CONSEQUENCES
by Florian Coulmas.
Routledge: London, 2007,
167 pp., $150 (cloth)
Florian Coulmas, a longtime contributor to the Japan Times and director of the German Institute for Japanese Studies in Tokyo, packs a lot of information and insights into this slim and pricey volume.
He describes Japan's post-WWI population dynamics and the relentless march toward a "hyper-aged society." He argues that social aging stems from urbanization, industrialization and modernization, and that it augurs tectonic social consequences.
Demographic pressures are forcing the government to, "face challenges concerning intergenerational fairness and social cohesion, a shrinking labor force and economic growth, pension funds and public fiscal sustainability, and a new relationship between the state and non-state organizations and their involvement in education, care-giving and other social services.
"Japanese, with good reason, are worried about how to maintain their standard of living in a hyper-aged society while also striking a balance on social security that does not overly burden the young, stifle the economy or incur too much hardship on the elderly."
Coulmas stresses that Japan is not just getting older, but rather that an aging population is causing fundamental social transformations. Nowhere is this more evident than in intergenerational relations.
Coulmas writes, "As the economic rationality of intergenerational co-residence becomes less compelling, a shift in emphasis from vertical inter-generational to horizontal intra-generational relations becomes apparent, the conjugal family making inroads at the expense of the traditional stem family."
Individualism, according to the author, is steadily gaining importance in Japan while mutual support among family members is declining.
He writes, "It is a paradox of Japanese society in the early 21st century that ligatures inside and outside the family are weakening just as their importance is increasing for the only growing population group, the elderly. This paradox generates pressure for the professionalization of care for the frail and elderly."
Healthy senior citizens also face growing isolation as social networks erode with friends and neighbors dying or moving away. Senior citizens clubs are partially filling the void, but Coulmas sees more hope in age-integrated facilities — combining senior citizen centers with nursery schools — to create more opportunities for seniors to interact with children.
Volunteerism also provides an opportunity for healthy elderly to forge new social networks. Remarkably, social networks have rapidly evolved from a private matter to a socialized concern involving initiatives from government, business and NPOs, a trend that seems likely to gain momentum.
Population aging also takes a toll at the other end of the spectrum as more families rear only one child. Coulmas points out that reducing family size is not just about the economic costs of child-rearing, but rather reflects changing lifestyle attitudes. The growing numbers of lonely children of contemporary Japan are consequence of these changes and in turn are creating new patterns of socialization and interaction. He writes, "Both the otaku and hikkikomori are children of this society."
The only child syndrome means that more Japanese are growing up in pampered conditions with limited social skills. He adds, "Their face-to-face communication skills are often underdeveloped. Headphones clamped to their heads, they prefer to communicate with others by means of electronic devices."
The author holds out little hope for population decline countermeasures. He notes the connection between changing patterns of women's labor force participation and fertility, pointing out that as more women entered the paid formal sector it became more difficult to harmonize the demands of work and family.
Consequently, women are choosing to avoid or postpone marriage and limit childbearing due to the opportunity costs.
However, it is worth noting that some countries are experiencing a fertility recovery despite increases in women's labor force participation rates. In these countries, more family-friendly policies by the state and employers help women better balance work and family, and have helped to stem the fertility decline.
There does seem great scope in Japan to adopt more family-friendly policies and institutional arrangements. These must be comprehensive because, as Coulmas observes, "the combination of long working hours, increased job insecurity, anxiety about their own retirement benefits in future and care for elderly parents makes them opt against children." Unfortunately, current policy prescriptions are often contradictory and inconsistent, reflecting prevailing ambivalence.
Do immigrants hold the key to defusing Japan's demographic time-bomb?
Coulmas limns the public discourse about immigration, noting widespread reluctance to open the gates despite rising needs. Rather than mass immigration, he sees more hope in a, "human resource development and circulation model" that would spare Japan the social costs and cultural clashes that have plagued other developed countries while addressing Japan's labor and skill shortages. However, he notes that immigration policy is not high on the government's agenda.
This is a timely and thoughtful examination of population aging in Japan, a nation already grappling with complex policy challenges that will eventually confront other developed nations.
It may seem expensive at nearly $1 a page, but it is a rewarding investment and valuable barometer.
Jeff Kingston is director of Asian Studies at Temple University, Japan campus.
Copyright(C) 2008 The Japan Times Online
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Summary
This book presents a comprehensive analysis of one of the most pressing challenges facing Japan today: population decline and ageing.
It argues that social ageing is a phenomenon that follows in the wake of industrialization, urbanization and social modernization, bringing about changes in values, institutions, social structures, economic activity, technology and culture, and posing many challenges for the countries affected. Focusing on the experience of Japan, the author explores:
* how Japan has recognized the emerging problems relatively early because during the past half century population ageing has been more rapid in Japan than in any other country
* how all of Japanese society is affected by social ageing, not just certain substructures and institutions, and explains its complex causes, describes the resulting challenges and analyses the solutions under consideration to deal with it
* the nature of Japan's population dynamics since 1920, and argues that Japan is rapidly moving in the direction of a 'hyperaged society' in which those sixty-five or older account for twenty-five per cent of the total population
* the implications for family structures and other social networks, gender roles and employment patterns, health care and welfare provision, pension systems, immigration policy, consumer and voting behaviour and the cultural reactions and ramifications of social ageing.
Table of Contents
1. Facts and Discourses 2. The Problem of Generations and the Structure of Society 3. Social Networks 4. The Lonely Child 5. Women and Men at Work 6. The Socialisation of Care 7. 'Mature' Customers 8. Longevity Risk and Pension Funds 9. Government of the Elderly, by the Elderly and for the Elderly 10. Limits to Ageing? 11. Foreigners Welcome? 12. Population Ageing and Social Change
Reviews
'a thoughtful and stimulating analysis of Japan's hyper-aging society; a serious book about a critically important subject.' - Jeff Kingston, The Japan Times
BOOKS
POPULATION DECLINE AND AGEING IN JAPAN:
THE SOCIAL CONSEQUENCES
by Florian Coulmas.
Routledge: London, 2007,
167 pp., $150 (cloth)
Florian Coulmas, a longtime contributor to the Japan Times and director of the German Institute for Japanese Studies in Tokyo, packs a lot of information and insights into this slim and pricey volume.
He describes Japan's post-WWI population dynamics and the relentless march toward a "hyper-aged society." He argues that social aging stems from urbanization, industrialization and modernization, and that it augurs tectonic social consequences.
Demographic pressures are forcing the government to, "face challenges concerning intergenerational fairness and social cohesion, a shrinking labor force and economic growth, pension funds and public fiscal sustainability, and a new relationship between the state and non-state organizations and their involvement in education, care-giving and other social services.
"Japanese, with good reason, are worried about how to maintain their standard of living in a hyper-aged society while also striking a balance on social security that does not overly burden the young, stifle the economy or incur too much hardship on the elderly."
Coulmas stresses that Japan is not just getting older, but rather that an aging population is causing fundamental social transformations. Nowhere is this more evident than in intergenerational relations.
Coulmas writes, "As the economic rationality of intergenerational co-residence becomes less compelling, a shift in emphasis from vertical inter-generational to horizontal intra-generational relations becomes apparent, the conjugal family making inroads at the expense of the traditional stem family."
Individualism, according to the author, is steadily gaining importance in Japan while mutual support among family members is declining.
He writes, "It is a paradox of Japanese society in the early 21st century that ligatures inside and outside the family are weakening just as their importance is increasing for the only growing population group, the elderly. This paradox generates pressure for the professionalization of care for the frail and elderly."
Healthy senior citizens also face growing isolation as social networks erode with friends and neighbors dying or moving away. Senior citizens clubs are partially filling the void, but Coulmas sees more hope in age-integrated facilities — combining senior citizen centers with nursery schools — to create more opportunities for seniors to interact with children.
Volunteerism also provides an opportunity for healthy elderly to forge new social networks. Remarkably, social networks have rapidly evolved from a private matter to a socialized concern involving initiatives from government, business and NPOs, a trend that seems likely to gain momentum.
Population aging also takes a toll at the other end of the spectrum as more families rear only one child. Coulmas points out that reducing family size is not just about the economic costs of child-rearing, but rather reflects changing lifestyle attitudes. The growing numbers of lonely children of contemporary Japan are consequence of these changes and in turn are creating new patterns of socialization and interaction. He writes, "Both the otaku and hikkikomori are children of this society."
The only child syndrome means that more Japanese are growing up in pampered conditions with limited social skills. He adds, "Their face-to-face communication skills are often underdeveloped. Headphones clamped to their heads, they prefer to communicate with others by means of electronic devices."
The author holds out little hope for population decline countermeasures. He notes the connection between changing patterns of women's labor force participation and fertility, pointing out that as more women entered the paid formal sector it became more difficult to harmonize the demands of work and family.
Consequently, women are choosing to avoid or postpone marriage and limit childbearing due to the opportunity costs.
However, it is worth noting that some countries are experiencing a fertility recovery despite increases in women's labor force participation rates. In these countries, more family-friendly policies by the state and employers help women better balance work and family, and have helped to stem the fertility decline.
There does seem great scope in Japan to adopt more family-friendly policies and institutional arrangements. These must be comprehensive because, as Coulmas observes, "the combination of long working hours, increased job insecurity, anxiety about their own retirement benefits in future and care for elderly parents makes them opt against children." Unfortunately, current policy prescriptions are often contradictory and inconsistent, reflecting prevailing ambivalence.
Do immigrants hold the key to defusing Japan's demographic time-bomb?
Coulmas limns the public discourse about immigration, noting widespread reluctance to open the gates despite rising needs. Rather than mass immigration, he sees more hope in a, "human resource development and circulation model" that would spare Japan the social costs and cultural clashes that have plagued other developed countries while addressing Japan's labor and skill shortages. However, he notes that immigration policy is not high on the government's agenda.
This is a timely and thoughtful examination of population aging in Japan, a nation already grappling with complex policy challenges that will eventually confront other developed nations.
It may seem expensive at nearly $1 a page, but it is a rewarding investment and valuable barometer.
Jeff Kingston is director of Asian Studies at Temple University, Japan campus.
Copyright(C) 2008 The Japan Times Online
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Summary
This book presents a comprehensive analysis of one of the most pressing challenges facing Japan today: population decline and ageing.
It argues that social ageing is a phenomenon that follows in the wake of industrialization, urbanization and social modernization, bringing about changes in values, institutions, social structures, economic activity, technology and culture, and posing many challenges for the countries affected. Focusing on the experience of Japan, the author explores:
* how Japan has recognized the emerging problems relatively early because during the past half century population ageing has been more rapid in Japan than in any other country
* how all of Japanese society is affected by social ageing, not just certain substructures and institutions, and explains its complex causes, describes the resulting challenges and analyses the solutions under consideration to deal with it
* the nature of Japan's population dynamics since 1920, and argues that Japan is rapidly moving in the direction of a 'hyperaged society' in which those sixty-five or older account for twenty-five per cent of the total population
* the implications for family structures and other social networks, gender roles and employment patterns, health care and welfare provision, pension systems, immigration policy, consumer and voting behaviour and the cultural reactions and ramifications of social ageing.
Table of Contents1. Facts and Discourses 2. The Problem of Generations and the Structure of Society 3. Social Networks 4. The Lonely Child 5. Women and Men at Work 6. The Socialisation of Care 7. 'Mature' Customers 8. Longevity Risk and Pension Funds 9. Government of the Elderly, by the Elderly and for the Elderly 10. Limits to Ageing? 11. Foreigners Welcome? 12. Population Ageing and Social Change
Reviews
'a thoughtful and stimulating analysis of Japan's hyper-aging society; a serious book about a critically important subject.' - Jeff Kingston, The Japan Times
FRANCE: Germaine Tillion ' A Beautiful Life,' Dies Aged 100
Germaine Tillion
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
PARIS (AFP), April 20, 2008:
French anthropologist, feminist, resistance fighter, concentration camp survivor, Algeria peacemaker and writer Germaine Tillion died Saturday aged 100, the chairman of the foundation named after her announced.
Her acts were an inspiration to French President Nicolas Sarkozy, who told her in a letter marking her centenary in May 2007 of his wish to bestow on her "the affection of the entire nation".
"Anthropology, feminism, of course, the Resistance, deportation, the fight for social justice, the war in Algeria, but also so many books, so many research works ... It is not possible for me to evoke here every aspect of such a beautiful and important life," Sarkozy added.
Born to a prosperous family in mountainous central France on May 30, 1907, Tillion trained as an anthropologist in the 1930s and cultivated a life-long interest in Algeria.
"Anthropology gave me lucidity," she wrote in later life. "It taught me from the very beginning to be respectful of other cultures."
Between 1934 and 1940, she made four trips to Algeria, travelling on horseback and camping with Berber nomads as she gathered her firsthand observations.
But it was her wartime experiences that first brought her to wider public attention as a founding member of the "Museum of Mankind" intellectual resistance network at the start of German Occupation during World War II.
In 1942 she was betrayed by a priest working for the Gestapo and arrested at the Paris' Gare de Lyon station.
At the same time her mother -- also in the group -- was picked up for hiding a British airman, and the two were sent to the all-woman concentration camp of Ravensbruck in late 1943.
Tillion used her academic training as a tool for survival, treating the camp as a case-study for observation -- and after the war bringing out two definitive books on Ravensbruck.
Some 50,000 out of 132,000 inmates died from fatigue and disease as well as lethal injection and gassing -- with Tillion's own mother sent to the gas chamber in 1945.
She was also the author of an operetta, "Le Verfugbar aux Enfers" (The Camp-Worker goes to Hell).
Written in October 1944, it lay forgotten in a drawer for some 60 years before being premiered to thousands of people to mark her centenary.
After the war, Tillion returned to Algeria and at the request of the French government mediated during the years of crisis and war.
She created social centres for displaced rural Muslims, and in 1957, at the height of the battle of Algiers -- which led to the country's independence from France -- negotiated a ceasefire during one secret meeting with the regional military commander.
Tillion was one of France's most decorated people, being one of just five women awarded the Grand Cross of the Legion d'honneur.
She was also honoured with her country's wartime cross and Resistance medals, and Germany granted her the title of Commander of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic in 2004.
In nominating her, Germany said Tillion was "a great European" and "an exceptional person."
Amongst many more honours, she received the Prix mondial Cino Del Duca for her lifetime's work.
Tillion also wrote two autobiographies, but her seminal work remains "The Republic of Cousins: Women's Oppression in Mediterranean Society," in which she examined the social position of women across North Africa and along much of the Mediterranean's eastern shore.
She revealed to readers in France and beyond of how the "crime of honour" -- in which a woman suspected of having violated a stringent code of sexual behaviour was murdered by members of her own family -- was rarely punished severely.
Copyright © 2008 AFP.
USA: "The Woods Are Lovely, Dark and Deep"
"The Woods Are Lovely, Dark and Deep"A novel about Robert Frost finds the man turning to poetry when all else fails.
Reviewed by Peter Behrens
Washington Post
Sunday, April 20, 2008;
FALL OF FROST
By Brian Hall
Viking. 340 pp. $25.95
Americans of a certain age might remember Robert Frost as the white-haired codger at JFK's inauguration, a very old New Frontiersman struggling against the January cold and sunlight to read a poem composed for the occasion. Between the glare and the paper-rattling wind, the old man wasn't up to the task. Finally, he folded his pages and extemporized, in an elder's quaver, lines long since committed to memory. All in all, it was an edgy, brave performance.
In Fall of Frost, a novel, Brian Hall presents a vision of Robert Frost as an unsuccessful farmer, tormented father, distanced husband and, most of all, a poet who deals always with the hard pith of things. Hall's themes, like Frost's, are major: love, death, the anarchy of living, the tragedy implicit in creating children and poems. This is a book about a man confronting the world and struggling to make sense, through his work, of what he cannot otherwise grasp. Like Frost's poetry, Hall's novel is pungent, deceptively simple and magnificently sad.
The story operates the way an old man's memory might, moving back and forth in time through 128 small chapters, each set in a particular place at a specific time. The restlessness of these almost staccato chunks is occasionally confusing, moving as they do from "Moscow 1962" to "The Derry Farm, New Hampshire 1902" with many other stops along the way. But the disjointed structure allows a feeling of intimacy, the sense of inhabiting a restless mind.
It is no news that biographical fiction can sometimes bring a reader closer to a life than biography is able to do. It helps when the novel is a savory pleasure to read, as Fall of Frost is. In an afterword Hall insists his fictional Frost is constructed around a strong armature of fact, and sources for scenes, for the tenor of relationships, even for dialogue are earnestly discussed in chapter notes at the end of the book. The novel contains some earlier Frost poems and bits of later poems, but the author also notes that he was denied permission to include more than fragments of verse written after 1922 because the copyright protection will not end "until 2018 at the earliest (and perhaps not even then, given the interest of powerful corporations in extending copyright)." This must have been frustrating, but it doesn't compromise Hall's powerful and convincing portrait of the poet.
In one chapter, "San Francisco, California, March 1874," the poet's memories of his mother's stories are all that remain from the rough house where Frost happened to be born. His life finds its own ground in his ancestral New England, on the New Hampshire farm where he tries to sustain his family. "Derry Farm" chapters seeded throughout the book detail the stoic, self-indulgent life the poet lived in the early 1900s and in periods thereafter, with a wife and a brood of brooding children, writing poems all night and getting out of his bed at 11 o'clock in the morning. Late risings prove to neighbors what he suspects already: Despite chickens, vegetable gardens and hay-mowings, the poet is no farmer. Meanwhile, the lives and fates of those children, their suicides, mental illnesses and early deaths, become lodes of guilt. Hall wonders, "Did he replace the love of his children, whom death could touch, with the love of words?"
Other chapter headings -- "Little Iddens, Ledington, Gloucestershire, England, August 26, 1914"; "Gagra, Georgian S.S.R., Friday, September 7, 1962" -- suggest the scope of Frost's life and of this novel. The Georgian chapters spin around a weird trip the elderly poet took just a few weeks before the Cuban Missile Crisis, after Soviet Ambassador Dobrynin delivered an invitation from Chairman Khrushchev to visit the Soviet Union. Frost is convinced he can talk man-to-man with this earthy son of the soil and convince Khrushchev to cool the Cold War by giving up East Berlin: "Just cut the Knot," he tells the Soviet leader. "Relent. Graciously give, and prove your strength by giving."
This is the poet in near-dotage, his mighty vanity and the sound of his own voice misleading him into a diplomatic game that confuses everyone. Hall slyly places us within Khrushchev's mind, which is chewing over the obscure "meaning" of Frost's message: Frost "talked about how the U.S. and Russia could avoid a stalemate. . . . Khrushchev would love a stalemate. If only! . . . Why didn't the old man say something about Cuba? He's in Kennedy's inner circle, must be getting instructions every day."
Robert Frost was a lyric poet whose poetry did not fit easily into any canon. Never popular with the avant-garde, he enjoyed early success and remained a public figure for almost half a century, approved and fed by institutions and acolytes. Despite the applause, in Hall's telling the man never gets what he needs. He keeps buying and selling those stony New England farms, searching for the right ground, and the poetry keeps spilling out of him. Robert Frost, June 1955 (AP)
Hall's Robert Frost is poet of loneliness, a lyric naturalist and barely a romantic, altogether a significantly more dangerous voice than the Old Man of the Mountains mythology suggests. In the novel, the poet armors himself with ersatz New England folksiness whenever he's tired, lazy or scared. But this is a performance and never has much to do with the actual work, which is anything but naive or rustic. At one point, late in his life, he muses on Thomas Hardy: "The avant-gardists spurned him, but he didn't care. He was the main army. He had his castle and his art and his stonemason's heart that sweated tears from its own coldness."The American poet might also be describing himself. ·
Peter Behrens is the author of "The Law of Dreams."
© Copyright 1996-2008 The Washington Post Company
SRI LANKA: After 50 years, he finally tastes freedom and justice
P.P. James with his cousin’s granddaughter.
He says his old village still feels familiar, but it is
filled with loss. Nearly everyone James knew has died.
Gemunu Amarasinghe / Associated Press.
P.P. James was put away for a crime he didn't commit.
His ordeal has become a cause celebre.
HIPAUWA, Sri Lanka (Associated Press - Los Angeles Times), April 19, 2008:
Age may have slowed him, but P.P. James wakes up early every day to head into the fields and harvest rice.
The short, wiry 84-year-old pulls a worn red baseball cap over his tousled gray hair, hikes up his sarong and, with quiet determination, swings his scythe through the stalks, methodically cutting his way across the field. While those far younger rest in the shade, he plods on, insistent that no more time be wasted -- he has already had half a century stolen from him.
Starting over at 84Arrested for killing his father late one night in 1958, James was ruled mentally ill by a judge, sent to an asylum for the criminally insane -- and forgotten.
Decades after his doctors pronounced him cured, he remained trapped in a criminal justice nightmare. The hospital could release him only to prison authorities, who could pick him up only under a court order. The courts never called for him because they couldn't find his file.
Most of his relatives abandoned him, believing he was crazy.
James never stood trial, never even had a bail hearing, yet he spent 50 years of his life a prisoner.
He was saved by an illness, set free into a world he barely recognized.
James has become a hero on the Indian Ocean island of Sri Lanka, and his ordeal a source of deep embarrassment over the bloated, inefficient bureaucracies it has revealed.
President Mahinda Rajapaksa gave him $5,000 to make up for his troubles, but a psychiatrist at the asylum where James was held says others are trapped in the same legal limbo, including one man who has been there even longer than James.
Longing for some of his lost years, James wishes he had been convicted of murdering his father. At least then, he would have been freed after 15 or 20 years in prison.
But a conviction would have been unlikely.
His father was still alive.
Bountiful youth
As a child in Hipauwa, a village 55 miles east of Colombo, James seemed destined for a blessed life.
His grandfather was the local government representative, giving him far greater wealth, power and land than his neighbors. James remembers harvests so bountiful that his grandfather needed elephants to haul in the rice.
James expected to inherit much of his family's land and live a comfortable life tending his fields.
An errant coconut changed all that when he was 12.
He says the falling fruit hit his head so hard that his nose bled for a week. It hurt to speak, he was plagued by headaches and became forgetful.
He began acting erratically and would disappear for months at a time.
At 15, he joined the railroad and got the tattoos of a mermaid and a cobra coiled around a dagger that still adorn his arms. But he quit after a few months and says he became a Buddhist monk, but left the temple after a close call with a wild elephant.
Sometimes, he says, he would go into a trance and start walking, for hours or even days. He once hiked to Sri Lanka's northernmost village, Point Pedro, a rugged trek of more than 140 miles.
At 18 he lost his beloved grandfather. The death plunged him into despair.
His relatives came to think of him as a madman. They tried to marry him off to a disgraced cousin, but he refused. The spurned woman's parents never forgave him.
James' mother ran away when he was a child, and his father was a notorious drinker and moonshiner who, after remarrying, shunned his old family.
One night in 1958, James, 34, walked past his father's house and thought he saw blood on the grass. He says he looked up and saw a man, presumably a customer of his father's coconut and honey liquor, flashing a knife.
Fearing his father had been stabbed, he ran to the nearest home -- which belonged to the father of the spurned daughter -- and alerted the police, but the officers did not find any blood. The father, still bitter over the failed marriage attempt, told police that James was insane. The officers beat James and arrested him, James said.
The details of what happened next are lost to hazy memories and the mists of time. James' father really had been stabbed by an unknown assailant, but police accused James of doing it and didn't wait to see if anyone had actually died.
Before James could even be charged, a judge ruled him mentally ill and sent him for treatment to Angoda Hospital in Colombo.
He would not emerge for 50 years.
Tough persona
The criminals in his ward were so violent that some had to be chained to their beds, James said. To avoid attack, James became a hunter, beating up inmates just to look tough.
He was given injections, pills and electroshock therapy, he says, and spent his days eating, playing board games and sleeping off the effects of the medication.
After a few years, the doctors said James was better and moved him to a less harsh ward with other recovered patients.
He began working, weaving chairs, then scaling fish in the kitchen, tending the hospital's vegetable garden and rice paddies.
His only visitors over the years were his uncle and another relative. He says they began questioning why he hadn't been freed. Hospital officials said they needed prison authorities to collect him, and the prison system said it needed a request from the court. The court appeared to have lost the case file.
His father, perhaps the only one who might have cleared up the confusion, never came. He died in 1981, 23 years after James' arrest for his murder. The uncle who occasionally visited died 15 years ago.
Dr. Neil Fernando, a psychiatrist who inherited James' case at the hospital, said the patient had recovered long ago and the courts were informed but never replied.
There are at least half a dozen other patients at the hospital's criminal ward in the same situation, Fernando said, including one who has spent 55 years in the asylum though he recovered decades ago.
"This is part and parcel of our system here, not only in the legal side but on the civilian side as well, patients who have been brought in and forgotten about," he said.
As the years passed, James grew to accept his fate: He would never again be free.
Then, late last year, he contracted an eye ailment. Decades after disappearing into a legal black hole, he suddenly reappeared in the justice system.
Prison officials were forced to transfer him to another hospital for treatment and began questioning who this prisoner was. He was given a date for his long-delayed day in court and assigned lawyers.
His legal team discovered his old case file, but it contained only two documents -- the court order sending him to the asylum and a 30-year-old doctor's report saying he was cured, said lawyer Rohan Premaratne. There was no police report explaining his arrest and none of the nearly 600 monthly status reports the hospital should have filed.
One day a prison guard overheard James telling his story to fellow inmates. The guard turned out to be the son of the man who had accompanied James' uncle on his visits.
The guard relayed the story to other stunned relatives.
"We had never heard of him," said P.P. Jayawardane, his uncle's son.
In a show of support, his family came to his bail hearing, bringing James' father's death certificate. James was released on bail in January and moved in with Jayawardane, in Hipauwa, his boyhood village.
A month later, 50 years after his arrest, his case was dismissed.
James was finally free.
Changed world
In Hipauwa, the footpaths are now roads. The 100 houses of mud walls and thatch roofs have grown to 350 homes of brick and concrete. Villagers who once rode oxcarts now have cars and motorcycles.
Everyone has cellphones, which James, barely familiar with the invention, refers to as "calls." He says he is not too shocked by the changes; he watched the world evolving on the hospital's TV.
With its farmers, grazing cows and palm orchards bordered by overgrown forests, the village still feels familiar. But now it is filled with loss.
Nearly everyone James knew has died. His uncle's house, where he spent so many years, has been abandoned.
Soon after his release, James visited his land -- his rice paddies, coconut groves and a patch of forest filled with valuable timber -- and discovered it had been stolen by his extended family, who forged his name and sold it off, he said.
His dream of working his own fields was over.
So he obsesses over Jayawardane's paddies instead.
After a morning of harvesting, he watches the sky turn gray and frets about the rice stalks lying in the field to dry.
"It's a shame that the rain comes down just on the day we harvest," he says. His cousin laughs and tells him not to worry.
Craving privacy after years in a dorm, he has moved into a mud and thatch hut behind Jayawardane's house as he waits for a small two-room brick cottage to be completed.
Now he is famous in his village and admired throughout the country. For now, he just wants to spend his last years in peace, working the fields, this time as a free man.
He says he is not bitter, that half a century in jail was simply his fate. He doesn't blame the government, the hospital or even his father for his ordeal. In the end, he says, he has only himself to blame.
"I should have fought harder to get myself out," he said.
Copyright 2008 Los Angeles Times
USA: Among the Oldsters At Play
BOOKS
Among the Oldsters at Play
'Active Adults' in Retirement: Golf, Dancing and the Adventures of Mr. Midnight
By GLENN RUFFENACH
Wall Street Journal, April 19, 2008
Leisureville
By Andrew D. Blechman
Atlantic Monthly, 244 pages, $25
To the list of Really Big Problems in this country, Andrew Blechman wishes to add . . . the spread of retirement communities.
That's right. For those of us unaware of the threat posed by real-estate developments where older adults live in neighborhoods with other older adults, Mr. Blechman sounds the alarm in "Leisureville: Adventures in America's Retirement Utopias."
Mr. Blechman writes that untold numbers of retirees are "abandoning the communities that once paid for and nurtured them and their families" and are opting for a life of "perpetual self-gratification." (Read: golf, tennis and sex, according to Mr. Blechman. Lots of sex.) In doing so, he argues, these "sybaritic seniors" are cheating the rest of us -- forsaking an obligation to share their time and talents and "further loosening the ties that bind our nation."
Perhaps so, but such fulminating doesn't quite convince. As Mr. Blechman showed in "Pigeons" (2006), an agreeable portrait of a much-maligned bird, he is a thorough reporter -- and his reporting here reveals that older adults, in fact, have perfectly good reasons for settling in "age-segregated" communities (as Mr. Blechman prefers to call them). What's more, these communities, which he fears will blanket the country someday, might already contain the seeds of their own demise.
"Leisureville," a first-person account, begins when Mr. Blechman, who is "under 40," learns that his newly retired neighbors are selling their house and moving to The Villages, a sprawling retirement community in central Florida. His surprise at the couple's decision -- they live in a "charming" New England town -- turns to dismay as the neighbors offer tidbits about their new surroundings. At The Villages, where some residents tool through the streets in $25,000 golf carts, the focus is on leisure -- without the company of children, who are almost nowhere to be found. Kids may visit, but their stays are limited to a total of 30 days a year.
The child-free-zone details are too much for Mr. Blechman. "How could two bright individuals," he asks, "be drawn to something as seemingly ridiculous as The Villages?" When the couple, after settling in Florida, invite him to visit -- suggesting, conveniently, that he might want "to write a book" about life in a retirement community -- Mr. Blechman adds some argyle socks to his wardrobe and heads south.
What he finds, in chapters that alternate between days at The Villages and a look at the retirement-housing industry, is "enhanced reality." Perfect homes sit on perfect streets, where hedges higher than four feet are prohibited (as are trick-or-treaters at Halloween), driveway lights turn on and off at the same designated time, and even lawn sprinklers appear to move in unison. As if to confirm Mr. Blechman's Orwellian theme, The Villages' TV network, radio station and newspaper pump out a steady diet of feel-good news.
--------------------------------------------------
BOOK EXCERPT
Read an excerpt
from "Leisureville:
Adventures in America's Retirement Utopias.
--------------------------------------------------
"Residents, or at least the ones encountered by the author, "appear blissfully calm and cheery." And why not? Like most "active-adult" communities today, The Villages is a sort of residential resort, where swimming pools, golf courses and fitness centers are plentiful. With golf carts at the ready, homeowners move briskly from one recreational activity to the next: bowling, line dancing, swimming, billiards, golf and a never-ending series of parties. And then there is the sex: Mr. Blechman has the misfortune -- at least for readers -- of meeting "Chet," better known in The Villages as "Mr. Midnight." For whatever reason, the author becomes fixated on Chet and fills page after tedious page with his carnal feats.
That retirees regard every day as Saturday is bad enough, in Mr. Blechman's eyes. What really rankles, though, is their indifference -- again, in his view -- to the world beyond The Villages. Exhibit No. 1: Residents vote overwhelmingly against a half-penny sales tax to help fund local schools. At which point, Mr. Blechman asks: "Whatever happened to the idea -- perhaps naïve -- that we're all in this together, that we have an obligation to the generations that come after us?"
Mr. Blechman is clearly impassioned about closing the generational divide. But as his interviews make clear, the chasm is just fine with many residents, who are hardly sequestering themselves in the name of golf and trimmed hedges. They want to feel safe; they want to live someplace affordable and easy to navigate. And perhaps most important, they want companionship. In one of several poignant scenes, Pat, who shares a home in The Villages with her sister, tells Mr. Blechman: "I don't feel threatened like I did back in Boston. Back home, I'd be stuck in the house, scared. Here I can go down to the [town] square by myself, listen to the music, see people dancing, go home and I feel like I did something. And it didn't cost me a dime."
Mr. Blechman also finds evidence that retirement communities, for all his worries about their inexorable growth, could soon be "dinosaurs," as one marketing expert puts it. In particular, baby boomers may be reluctant to embrace communities like The Villages -- the generation that never wanted to grow up might shun places that would expose them as not-young. And as the developments' populations (typically on fixed incomes) grow older, "age-segregated" communities could end up "de-segregating" in order to attract new residents and to help defray the rising cost of municipal services.
Mr. Blechman isn't the first youngish author to get the idea that living among the (retired) natives might provide interesting fodder for a book. In 2005, Rodney Rothman, a former writer for "Late Show With David Letterman," published "Early Bird," describing his stay -- he was 28 at the time -- in Century Village, a retirement community in Florida. Full of humor and humanity, Mr. Rothman's book captures the sort of place where many of us might choose to live one day. For those who prefer a darker view of sunny retirement, there's always "Leisureville" to make them feel uneasy.
Mr. Ruffenach is a reporter and editor for The Wall Street Journal in Atlanta and the editor of Encore, the Journal's guide to retirement planning and living.
Copyright © 2008 Dow Jones & Company, Inc
Among the Oldsters at Play
'Active Adults' in Retirement: Golf, Dancing and the Adventures of Mr. Midnight
By GLENN RUFFENACH
Wall Street Journal, April 19, 2008
Leisureville
By Andrew D. Blechman
Atlantic Monthly, 244 pages, $25
To the list of Really Big Problems in this country, Andrew Blechman wishes to add . . . the spread of retirement communities.
That's right. For those of us unaware of the threat posed by real-estate developments where older adults live in neighborhoods with other older adults, Mr. Blechman sounds the alarm in "Leisureville: Adventures in America's Retirement Utopias."
Mr. Blechman writes that untold numbers of retirees are "abandoning the communities that once paid for and nurtured them and their families" and are opting for a life of "perpetual self-gratification." (Read: golf, tennis and sex, according to Mr. Blechman. Lots of sex.) In doing so, he argues, these "sybaritic seniors" are cheating the rest of us -- forsaking an obligation to share their time and talents and "further loosening the ties that bind our nation."Perhaps so, but such fulminating doesn't quite convince. As Mr. Blechman showed in "Pigeons" (2006), an agreeable portrait of a much-maligned bird, he is a thorough reporter -- and his reporting here reveals that older adults, in fact, have perfectly good reasons for settling in "age-segregated" communities (as Mr. Blechman prefers to call them). What's more, these communities, which he fears will blanket the country someday, might already contain the seeds of their own demise.
"Leisureville," a first-person account, begins when Mr. Blechman, who is "under 40," learns that his newly retired neighbors are selling their house and moving to The Villages, a sprawling retirement community in central Florida. His surprise at the couple's decision -- they live in a "charming" New England town -- turns to dismay as the neighbors offer tidbits about their new surroundings. At The Villages, where some residents tool through the streets in $25,000 golf carts, the focus is on leisure -- without the company of children, who are almost nowhere to be found. Kids may visit, but their stays are limited to a total of 30 days a year.
The child-free-zone details are too much for Mr. Blechman. "How could two bright individuals," he asks, "be drawn to something as seemingly ridiculous as The Villages?" When the couple, after settling in Florida, invite him to visit -- suggesting, conveniently, that he might want "to write a book" about life in a retirement community -- Mr. Blechman adds some argyle socks to his wardrobe and heads south.
What he finds, in chapters that alternate between days at The Villages and a look at the retirement-housing industry, is "enhanced reality." Perfect homes sit on perfect streets, where hedges higher than four feet are prohibited (as are trick-or-treaters at Halloween), driveway lights turn on and off at the same designated time, and even lawn sprinklers appear to move in unison. As if to confirm Mr. Blechman's Orwellian theme, The Villages' TV network, radio station and newspaper pump out a steady diet of feel-good news.
--------------------------------------------------
BOOK EXCERPT
Read an excerpt from "Leisureville:
Adventures in America's Retirement Utopias.
--------------------------------------------------
"Residents, or at least the ones encountered by the author, "appear blissfully calm and cheery." And why not? Like most "active-adult" communities today, The Villages is a sort of residential resort, where swimming pools, golf courses and fitness centers are plentiful. With golf carts at the ready, homeowners move briskly from one recreational activity to the next: bowling, line dancing, swimming, billiards, golf and a never-ending series of parties. And then there is the sex: Mr. Blechman has the misfortune -- at least for readers -- of meeting "Chet," better known in The Villages as "Mr. Midnight." For whatever reason, the author becomes fixated on Chet and fills page after tedious page with his carnal feats.
That retirees regard every day as Saturday is bad enough, in Mr. Blechman's eyes. What really rankles, though, is their indifference -- again, in his view -- to the world beyond The Villages. Exhibit No. 1: Residents vote overwhelmingly against a half-penny sales tax to help fund local schools. At which point, Mr. Blechman asks: "Whatever happened to the idea -- perhaps naïve -- that we're all in this together, that we have an obligation to the generations that come after us?"
Mr. Blechman is clearly impassioned about closing the generational divide. But as his interviews make clear, the chasm is just fine with many residents, who are hardly sequestering themselves in the name of golf and trimmed hedges. They want to feel safe; they want to live someplace affordable and easy to navigate. And perhaps most important, they want companionship. In one of several poignant scenes, Pat, who shares a home in The Villages with her sister, tells Mr. Blechman: "I don't feel threatened like I did back in Boston. Back home, I'd be stuck in the house, scared. Here I can go down to the [town] square by myself, listen to the music, see people dancing, go home and I feel like I did something. And it didn't cost me a dime."Mr. Blechman also finds evidence that retirement communities, for all his worries about their inexorable growth, could soon be "dinosaurs," as one marketing expert puts it. In particular, baby boomers may be reluctant to embrace communities like The Villages -- the generation that never wanted to grow up might shun places that would expose them as not-young. And as the developments' populations (typically on fixed incomes) grow older, "age-segregated" communities could end up "de-segregating" in order to attract new residents and to help defray the rising cost of municipal services.
Mr. Blechman isn't the first youngish author to get the idea that living among the (retired) natives might provide interesting fodder for a book. In 2005, Rodney Rothman, a former writer for "Late Show With David Letterman," published "Early Bird," describing his stay -- he was 28 at the time -- in Century Village, a retirement community in Florida. Full of humor and humanity, Mr. Rothman's book captures the sort of place where many of us might choose to live one day. For those who prefer a darker view of sunny retirement, there's always "Leisureville" to make them feel uneasy.
Mr. Ruffenach is a reporter and editor for The Wall Street Journal in Atlanta and the editor of Encore, the Journal's guide to retirement planning and living.
Copyright © 2008 Dow Jones & Company, Inc
NEW ZEALAND: Funeral directors in short supply
WELLINGTON (OneNews), April 19, 2008:A dire shortage of funeral directors has the industry on edge.
The number of funeral directors is down and with the population profile ageing things aren't looking too flash.
The Funeral Directors' Association of New Zealand (FDANZ) says resources are being stretched as funerals become more time-consuming.
"They are more of an event as families want video and power point presentations or other special arrangements when they say their farewells. There are now more speakers at funerals. Organising this takes more time and the services are much longer than they were," says FDANZ President Neil Little.
Added to that Little says the industry is suffering from a skills shortage and high turnover of staff.
"The way things are going we will have too few experienced people to readily cope when the mortality escalation occurs," says Little.
About 30,000 people die in New Zealand each year and that is expected to jump by about a third in coming years.
FDANZ says running waiting lists for funerals is not something that people want to do
"In some services sectors waiting lists are grudgingly accepted. It is not the wish of our profession that such circumstances should extend to the funeral industry" says Little.
The FDANZ has surveyed its members for possible solutions and hopes to be able to attract back people who have left the industry as well as encouraging others into it.
Source: ONE News/Newstalk ZB
CHINA: No laughing, it's Chinglish
Linguistic cleansing is ridding Beijing of its unintentionally hilarious English translations, writes Karen Halabi.
BEIJING (Sydney Morning Herald), April 19, 2008:
Chinese authorities are close to completing a linguistic cleansing that began last year when Beijing launched a campaign to rid the city of bad English and stop the world laughing. The official site of the Chinese Olympic Committee and China Youth Daily both report work is progressing well to ensure Beijing's signs are grammatically correct in time for the Olympics.
Shanghai, which is preparing to host the World Expo in 2010, has also announced plans to follow Beijing's lead and improve its English-language environment.
By the start of this year, Beijing authorities had corrected 6530 English signs in the capital's central districts and were focusing the campaign on all major public places, including the city's restaurants.
The signs range from the seemingly tactless "Deformed Man", outside toilets for the disabled, to the hysterical "Show Mercy to the Slender Grass" on park lawns. Or there is the restroom sign that reads "Genitl Emen", the "Membrane Supermarket", "Yelling Dental Clinic" and the emergency exits at Beijing airport which read "No entry on peacetime".
For the past year, 10 teams of linguistic monitors have patrolled the city's parks, museums, subway stations and other public places searching for gaffes to fix in an attempt to stamp out linguistic transgressions known as Chinglish.
Accordingly, the brightly neon-lit "Dongda Hospital for Anus and Intestine Disease" in Beijing has been changed to the new "Hospital of Proctology"" and the "Ethnic Minorities Park" is no longer named "Racist Park".
The city has replaced thousands of road signs that carried bewildering instructions, such as a sign on Beijing's Avenue of Eternal Peace that warns of a dangerous footpath with the words: "To Take Notice of Safe; the Slippery are Very Crafty" (translation: "Be careful, slippery").
These translations arise because many Chinese words express concepts obliquely and can be interpreted in multiple ways. Problems range from word-for-word translation of characters into English, to improper omission and misspellings.
The group behind the effort, called the Beijing Speaks Foreign Languages Program, is headed by Chen Lin, an elderly language professor who acts as its language police chief.
Xinhua News Agency reports Professor Chen as saying: "We want everything to be correct, Beijing will have thousands of visitors coming. We don't want anyone laughing at us."
However, China Youth Daily reports the head of the Olympic Organising Committee admits the committee faces many difficulties in consigning Chinglish to history, particularly in correcting the English translations used by private businesses.
And, as Xinhua reports, it surely won't be possible to eradicate all signs of Chinglish, particularly those on restaurant menus such as "bean curd with feeling", or "special fumed fish". A dish made of young chicken is translated into "young chicken without sex" and menus frequently list items such as "corrugated iron beef", "chop the strange fish" and "government abuse chicken".
Several websites have been set up listing humorous examples of mistranslation and tourists regularly post photographs of Chinglish on internet sites such as www.chinglish.de and www.pocopico.com.
Copyright © 2008. The Sydney Morning Herald.
CANADA: Old enough to die, Old enough to drink
LONDON, Ontario (London Free Press), April 19, 2008:
The debate over the legal drinking age seems endless.
Can young people handle their liquor? When do they become old enough to drink responsibly? At what age do they know their judgment can be impaired by alcohol?
The obvious answer, in some cases, is never. Adults have proven that time and again.
Now, on the heels of a move by the Middlesex-London health unit board last month to raise Ontario's legal drinking age comes one from south of the border to do just the opposite.
The health unit board was split on the decision to recommend Ontario raise the limit to 21. The members are all well aware the drinking age was lowered from 21 to 18 in 1971, then increased to 19 in 1978 after complaints too many high school students were getting drunk.
They know also that alcohol is a factor in 6,000 deaths a year in Canada, including injuries from falls, drunk driving collisions, assaults and drownings.
And we're all well aware of the economic costs.
But as Premier Dalton McGuinty said in rejecting the recommendation, even current laws do little to stop under-age teens from drinking.
Responsible or not, it is widespread among high-school students. It's uncertain whether any law would change that. And the only result might be keeping youths out of legal drinking establishments, where, arguably, they may be more safe than the various alternatives.
That is certainly the case in many instances in the United States, where some jurisdictions are considering lowering the legal drinking age from the current 21.
And one of the arguments in favour of it sounds familiar: "If you can take a shot on the battlefield you ought to be able to take a shot of beer legally," said Fletcher Smith, a proponent of change in South Carolina.
Canada, too, has already lost soldiers in Afghanistan old enough to die in battle, but too young to drink if the legal age was 21.
By Paul Berton
Copyright © 2006, Canoe Inc.
The debate over the legal drinking age seems endless.
Can young people handle their liquor? When do they become old enough to drink responsibly? At what age do they know their judgment can be impaired by alcohol?
The obvious answer, in some cases, is never. Adults have proven that time and again.
Now, on the heels of a move by the Middlesex-London health unit board last month to raise Ontario's legal drinking age comes one from south of the border to do just the opposite.
The health unit board was split on the decision to recommend Ontario raise the limit to 21. The members are all well aware the drinking age was lowered from 21 to 18 in 1971, then increased to 19 in 1978 after complaints too many high school students were getting drunk.
They know also that alcohol is a factor in 6,000 deaths a year in Canada, including injuries from falls, drunk driving collisions, assaults and drownings.
And we're all well aware of the economic costs.
But as Premier Dalton McGuinty said in rejecting the recommendation, even current laws do little to stop under-age teens from drinking.
Responsible or not, it is widespread among high-school students. It's uncertain whether any law would change that. And the only result might be keeping youths out of legal drinking establishments, where, arguably, they may be more safe than the various alternatives.
That is certainly the case in many instances in the United States, where some jurisdictions are considering lowering the legal drinking age from the current 21.
And one of the arguments in favour of it sounds familiar: "If you can take a shot on the battlefield you ought to be able to take a shot of beer legally," said Fletcher Smith, a proponent of change in South Carolina.
Canada, too, has already lost soldiers in Afghanistan old enough to die in battle, but too young to drink if the legal age was 21.
By Paul Berton
Copyright © 2006, Canoe Inc.
JAPAN: Health insurance for those aged over 75 fails to reach thousands after April 1 launch
TOKYO (The Japan Times), April 19, 2008:
EDITORIAL
Health insurance chaos
The new health insurance scheme for people aged 75 or over that began April 1 has been thrown into confusion due to the central and local governments' failure to adequately prepare. New health insurance cards failed to reach some 63,000 people in time, and chaos continues even though the health ministry told prefectural governments to ask hospitals to accept elderly people still waiting for new cards. If the problem is not resolved soon, it could undermine the people's trust in the nation's social welfare system.
Under the new scheme, premiums paid by pensioners are withdrawn at the source in principle. But many people complain that the new system reduces their income. Some people even feel that the scheme is designed to abandon the elderly. A Kyodo News survey also found that 64 municipalities in 19 prefectures withdrew premiums from the wrong people or deducted incorrect amounts.
The health ministry has said that the new scheme will decrease the financial burden of low-income people, while increasing the burden shouldered by high-income people. But in some areas like Tokyo, Yokohama, Kobe and Hiroshima, the amount paid by low-income people is likely to increase because local measures to lower their costs in the health insurance scheme for the self-employed or unemployed do not apply under the new plan. Under the new scheme a patient can opt for a system under which he or she pays a uniform ¥600 a month and receives tests and treatment for certain types of chronic diseases. But there is no guarantee that patients will receive adequate tests and treatment since the doctor, who receives a fixed remuneration of ¥6,000, may restrict tests and treatment to avoid financial losses.
If necessary, the government should not hesitate to drastically alter the new health insurance scheme. The medical costs for people aged 75 or over are estimated to increase from ¥11 trillion in 2006 to ¥30 trillion in 2025. Lawmakers should seriously discuss the future shape of the nation's medical services, including who will pay how much.
Copyright(C) 2008 The Japan Times
EDITORIAL
Health insurance chaos
The new health insurance scheme for people aged 75 or over that began April 1 has been thrown into confusion due to the central and local governments' failure to adequately prepare. New health insurance cards failed to reach some 63,000 people in time, and chaos continues even though the health ministry told prefectural governments to ask hospitals to accept elderly people still waiting for new cards. If the problem is not resolved soon, it could undermine the people's trust in the nation's social welfare system.
Under the new scheme, premiums paid by pensioners are withdrawn at the source in principle. But many people complain that the new system reduces their income. Some people even feel that the scheme is designed to abandon the elderly. A Kyodo News survey also found that 64 municipalities in 19 prefectures withdrew premiums from the wrong people or deducted incorrect amounts.
The health ministry has said that the new scheme will decrease the financial burden of low-income people, while increasing the burden shouldered by high-income people. But in some areas like Tokyo, Yokohama, Kobe and Hiroshima, the amount paid by low-income people is likely to increase because local measures to lower their costs in the health insurance scheme for the self-employed or unemployed do not apply under the new plan. Under the new scheme a patient can opt for a system under which he or she pays a uniform ¥600 a month and receives tests and treatment for certain types of chronic diseases. But there is no guarantee that patients will receive adequate tests and treatment since the doctor, who receives a fixed remuneration of ¥6,000, may restrict tests and treatment to avoid financial losses.
If necessary, the government should not hesitate to drastically alter the new health insurance scheme. The medical costs for people aged 75 or over are estimated to increase from ¥11 trillion in 2006 to ¥30 trillion in 2025. Lawmakers should seriously discuss the future shape of the nation's medical services, including who will pay how much.
Copyright(C) 2008 The Japan Times
INDIA: The old & the beautiful
As they say, every day is a bonus for them. Precisely why they live every moment. At an age when their peers are talking death and disease, they are taking lessons in ballroom dancing and learning computing skills. Shruba Mukherjee meets a few good men and women for whom age is just a state of mind
BANGALORE, Karnataka (Deccan Herald), April 19, 2008:
They are all senior citizens, who have crossed the age of 60, but are still full of positive energy and keen to make a contribution to society so that no one dares write them off.
Thus not only 67-year-old B K Trehan keeps himself engaged by giving consultancy on corporate stress management and effective retirement plans, he is also the yoga teacher to the members of the local Resident Welfare Association. His day starts at 4-30 in the morning. A chemical engineer by training he is also a prolific writer and already has two titles to his credit — one on yoga and the other one titled ‘Retired, but not tired’.
“There should be an official age for retirement as otherwise the younger generation will not get an opportunity. But one must develop a hobby or hobbies at a young age so that one can keep oneself engaged. Making a contribution brings recognition and that is important for the mental well-being of any individual,” he says.
Butt of jokes
But recognition did not come easily to retired Accountant professional P K Chatterjee, who tried hard to pick up computer skills to brush up his love for numbers.
He ignored the steady stream of jokes from his grandchildren, nephew and niece on struggling hard to become a ‘tech-savvy grandfather’ and also continuous nagging from wife Alaka, who feared that her husband’s back pain would become acute if he continues his training lessons too long.
As nobody came forward to literally “teach him a lesson” Mr Chatterjee fiddled with the keyboard in his own way. He would type out something on the screen, press a wrong key and then the file would be deleted. Then he would call up his son-in-law, his only supporter, to find out what went wrong and how to rectify it. Notwithstanding the hefty telephone bills, he would continue his lessons following instructions coming on the phone and then would religiously note them down.
It is not only keeping oneself engaged in some meaningful manner that keeps the zest for life intact, the seniors feel that it is also important to remain “a socially useful commodity.”
And 88-year-old Dr Kalyan Bagchi takes this idea quite seriously by working on useful projects for the elderly through his Society for Gerontological Research. The not-for-profit organisation set up by this former World Health Organisation Adviser conducts seminars and workshops on relevant issues like dementia, Alzheimer’s Disease and brings out publications such as Diet and Ageing, Music Therapy in Treating Elders etc.
Himself a diabetic and suffering from hypertension, Dr Bagchi still tours across the country and abroad to lecture on problems affecting the elderly and also collects data for his project on the care of elderly in rural areas. Seeing their positive attitude towards life one might be tempted to think that life has always been kind to them, but that is certainly not true.
Positive mantra
Take the case of 73-year-old Dr Prabha Manchanda, who had to walk out of an abusive marriage at a young age with the responsibility of bringing up two sons single-handedly.
As if that was not enough, a partner and close associate in her nursing home project cheated her, inflicting huge financial losses. And yet she does not have any regrets.
“Life has taken away something from me, but at the same time, it has given me so many things — respect, social standing and love from my patients,” she says. Any mantra for being so positive about life? “One should look for happiness within one’s own self. Whenever I feel low I just move out of my house, go to a multiplex, eat ice cream and watch a movie,” she says with a hearty laugh.
Dr Manchanda recognises that it is her ability to make friends — be it at the choir where she sings or at her ballroom dancing classes — that has kept her going and she feels that the seniors do need a strong network of friends for sharing their joys and woes and also to ward off loneliness.
“One should not expect that family members including children, would always be there to share your feelings and to give you company. You have brought them up because that was your responsibility, not because you expected them to do something for you in return,” she says.
Social interaction
Mr Trehan’s wife Indu has some useful tips when it comes to social interaction, specially for those who are living alone.
“Speak to your chowkidar, gardener, or any one and ask them about their problems — how their children are doing at their studies, whether they have enough warm clothes for the winter and so on. You will be a much-sought-after person and never feel that you are socially redundant,” she says adding that this feeling of not being ‘useful any more’ saps the positive attitude.
The 64-year-microbiologist has not only practiced what she has preached, she has also started writing songs to express her feelings of service both to mankind and God.
“I have already composed 35 songs and I will publish them in a collection when I have 50. It is a great feeling when people appreciate my songs and even ask for copies of the lyrics,” she says. In fact, experts in gerontological research feel that the very idea of efficiency declining with old age is a myth.
Says Dr Bhupinder Zutshi, who is teaching at the Centre for the Study of Regional Development, Jawaharlal Nehru University, Delhi that studies show only a negligible loss of cognitive function in people under 70 and hence they can be assets as they are already trained, experienced and willing workers.
Arguing in favour of re-employment of the senior citizens, Dr Zutshi said 80 per cent of the most worthwhile new production ideas are produced by employees aged over 50.
“In fact, older workers are just as adaptable to new changes as their young colleagues, but they need to understand the reason for change and are more likely to ask ‘why’?” he says.
Dr Zutshi also points out that the total sick days per year of older workers is lower than other age groups.“Here the secret is, take your medicine if you have any ailment and then just forget about it,” says Dr Manchanda.
“Do not make any complaint and life will not have any complaint against you either,” she adds.
Simple dietary rules for healthy ageing
* Keep body weight down, preferably slightly lower than the desired weight.
* Do not take two heavy meals (lunch and dinner) as is the common practice in adults. Three meals are preferable with reduced quantity in each meal. Breakfast, early light lunch, afternoon tea with some snacks and early light dinner is a desirable pattern.
* Avoid fatty, fried and heavily spiced foods as these are difficult to digest.
* Avoid red meat and eggs since these foods consumed in old age increase the risk of coronary artery disease.
* Take more calcium and milk, milk products like curd, paneer and home-made cheese are good sources of calcium.
* Take more fruits and vegetables like tomato, orange, papaya and water melon as these are rich in vitamins.
* Fish and chicken are helpful in maintaining body tissues.
* Increase intake of liquids and drink more water, soup, fruit juice and milk regularly.
* Avoid skipping meals.
* Smoking and alcohol to be avoided as far as possible.
Copyright 2007, The Printers (Mysore) Private Ltd.
BANGALORE, Karnataka (Deccan Herald), April 19, 2008:
They are all senior citizens, who have crossed the age of 60, but are still full of positive energy and keen to make a contribution to society so that no one dares write them off. Thus not only 67-year-old B K Trehan keeps himself engaged by giving consultancy on corporate stress management and effective retirement plans, he is also the yoga teacher to the members of the local Resident Welfare Association. His day starts at 4-30 in the morning. A chemical engineer by training he is also a prolific writer and already has two titles to his credit — one on yoga and the other one titled ‘Retired, but not tired’.
“There should be an official age for retirement as otherwise the younger generation will not get an opportunity. But one must develop a hobby or hobbies at a young age so that one can keep oneself engaged. Making a contribution brings recognition and that is important for the mental well-being of any individual,” he says.
Butt of jokes
But recognition did not come easily to retired Accountant professional P K Chatterjee, who tried hard to pick up computer skills to brush up his love for numbers.
He ignored the steady stream of jokes from his grandchildren, nephew and niece on struggling hard to become a ‘tech-savvy grandfather’ and also continuous nagging from wife Alaka, who feared that her husband’s back pain would become acute if he continues his training lessons too long.
As nobody came forward to literally “teach him a lesson” Mr Chatterjee fiddled with the keyboard in his own way. He would type out something on the screen, press a wrong key and then the file would be deleted. Then he would call up his son-in-law, his only supporter, to find out what went wrong and how to rectify it. Notwithstanding the hefty telephone bills, he would continue his lessons following instructions coming on the phone and then would religiously note them down.
It is not only keeping oneself engaged in some meaningful manner that keeps the zest for life intact, the seniors feel that it is also important to remain “a socially useful commodity.”
And 88-year-old Dr Kalyan Bagchi takes this idea quite seriously by working on useful projects for the elderly through his Society for Gerontological Research. The not-for-profit organisation set up by this former World Health Organisation Adviser conducts seminars and workshops on relevant issues like dementia, Alzheimer’s Disease and brings out publications such as Diet and Ageing, Music Therapy in Treating Elders etc.
Himself a diabetic and suffering from hypertension, Dr Bagchi still tours across the country and abroad to lecture on problems affecting the elderly and also collects data for his project on the care of elderly in rural areas. Seeing their positive attitude towards life one might be tempted to think that life has always been kind to them, but that is certainly not true.
Positive mantra
Take the case of 73-year-old Dr Prabha Manchanda, who had to walk out of an abusive marriage at a young age with the responsibility of bringing up two sons single-handedly.
As if that was not enough, a partner and close associate in her nursing home project cheated her, inflicting huge financial losses. And yet she does not have any regrets.
“Life has taken away something from me, but at the same time, it has given me so many things — respect, social standing and love from my patients,” she says. Any mantra for being so positive about life? “One should look for happiness within one’s own self. Whenever I feel low I just move out of my house, go to a multiplex, eat ice cream and watch a movie,” she says with a hearty laugh.
Dr Manchanda recognises that it is her ability to make friends — be it at the choir where she sings or at her ballroom dancing classes — that has kept her going and she feels that the seniors do need a strong network of friends for sharing their joys and woes and also to ward off loneliness.
“One should not expect that family members including children, would always be there to share your feelings and to give you company. You have brought them up because that was your responsibility, not because you expected them to do something for you in return,” she says.
Social interaction
Mr Trehan’s wife Indu has some useful tips when it comes to social interaction, specially for those who are living alone.
“Speak to your chowkidar, gardener, or any one and ask them about their problems — how their children are doing at their studies, whether they have enough warm clothes for the winter and so on. You will be a much-sought-after person and never feel that you are socially redundant,” she says adding that this feeling of not being ‘useful any more’ saps the positive attitude.
The 64-year-microbiologist has not only practiced what she has preached, she has also started writing songs to express her feelings of service both to mankind and God.
“I have already composed 35 songs and I will publish them in a collection when I have 50. It is a great feeling when people appreciate my songs and even ask for copies of the lyrics,” she says. In fact, experts in gerontological research feel that the very idea of efficiency declining with old age is a myth.
Says Dr Bhupinder Zutshi, who is teaching at the Centre for the Study of Regional Development, Jawaharlal Nehru University, Delhi that studies show only a negligible loss of cognitive function in people under 70 and hence they can be assets as they are already trained, experienced and willing workers.
Arguing in favour of re-employment of the senior citizens, Dr Zutshi said 80 per cent of the most worthwhile new production ideas are produced by employees aged over 50.
“In fact, older workers are just as adaptable to new changes as their young colleagues, but they need to understand the reason for change and are more likely to ask ‘why’?” he says.
Dr Zutshi also points out that the total sick days per year of older workers is lower than other age groups.“Here the secret is, take your medicine if you have any ailment and then just forget about it,” says Dr Manchanda.
“Do not make any complaint and life will not have any complaint against you either,” she adds.
Simple dietary rules for healthy ageing
* Keep body weight down, preferably slightly lower than the desired weight.
* Do not take two heavy meals (lunch and dinner) as is the common practice in adults. Three meals are preferable with reduced quantity in each meal. Breakfast, early light lunch, afternoon tea with some snacks and early light dinner is a desirable pattern.
* Avoid fatty, fried and heavily spiced foods as these are difficult to digest.
* Avoid red meat and eggs since these foods consumed in old age increase the risk of coronary artery disease.
* Take more calcium and milk, milk products like curd, paneer and home-made cheese are good sources of calcium.
* Take more fruits and vegetables like tomato, orange, papaya and water melon as these are rich in vitamins.
* Fish and chicken are helpful in maintaining body tissues.
* Increase intake of liquids and drink more water, soup, fruit juice and milk regularly.
* Avoid skipping meals.
* Smoking and alcohol to be avoided as far as possible.
Copyright 2007, The Printers (Mysore) Private Ltd.
INDIA: Seniors show solidarity to restore order in public places
MUMBAI (Rediff iland), April 19, 2008Mr. Krishnaraj Rao, Spokesman, Sahasi Padyatri reports:
Our quiet protest on April 12, met with great success. Thanks to the organizing efforts of the Dignity Foundation's Voice of Dignity, the Dada Dadi Park, Borivli Dahisar Jagrut Manch and other organizations.
Some 64 to 73 senior citizens participated in our pedestrian protest, wherein we demarcated a 6-foot pedestrian lane at the centre of Northwestern Mumbai's main trunk route, the SV Road, with white paint. Between 5 and 6.30 pm, a human chain was formed with a long strip of white cloth several hundred metres long. Around 30 pickets and placards were held to inform the passersby of their right to walk smoothly and safely on the road, and around 2,000 pamphlets in all languages -- Gujarati, Marathi, Hindi and English -- were distributed.
The pedestrian movement is rapidly growing, and that passersby on foot and in vehicles, overwhelmingly agree with us that the pedestrian is the most neglected part of this city. Many people phone and SMS us to voice their support, and to invite us to carry out peaceful protest in their own area. During our Satyagraha, a lot of passersby voluntarily join in our human chain, hold up placards and distribute pamphlets. We also get a lot of support from surrounding shopkeepers.
The rationale of seniors' silent protest
A road is a road, a footpath is a footpath, a shop is a shop, and a bazaar is a bazaar. Is this really so difficult to implement dedicated-use facilities for citizens?
The megacity has forgotten all norms and the municipal corporation deserts its sense of maryada, and wilfully refuses to distinguish between road, bazaar, shop, mosque, temple and footpath? What does one say when the policing system has deserted its responsibility to safeguard the boundaries between roads, footpaths and bazaars?
Maryada is a sense of limits and boundaries. It is also a sense of shame -- of feeling ashamed when wrongdoings are committed. Sad to say, our "city fathers" as they are called have lost all maryada in both senses of the word.
In these confused, directionless and amoral times, senior citizens are taking the lead to restore some order in public lives and public spaces to begin a return to maryada and an orderly, decent civic life.
Copyright © 2008 Rediff.com India Limited
USA: Movies for Grownups® Awards 2008
WASHINGTON (AARP Webletter), April 18, 2008:Tired of teen-slanted plotlines taking over the movie world? Looking for something with a little more substance? Read Bill Newcott’s take on this year’s best films for grownups.
Click here to continue.
Photo by Dave Lauridsen
Copyright 1995-2008, AARP.
USA: With Age Comes Happiness, Research Shows
Study Dispels Myth That Older People Aren't Happy;
Lowered Expectations Are Key
George O'Hare, 81, a retired Sears manager from Willowbrook, Ill., is seen at his home April 16, 2008. According to new eye-opening research, the happiest Americans are the oldest, and older adults are much more socially active than the stereotype of the lonely senior suggests.
The research rings true for O'Hare, who is active with church, AARP and does motivational speaking. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)
CHICAGO (CBS News - AP), April 18, 2008:
Newsflash for rock stars and teenagers: It turns out everything doesn't go downhill as we age - the golden years really are golden.
That's according to eye-opening research that found the happiest Americans are the oldest, and older adults are more socially active than the stereotype of the lonely senior suggests.
The two go hand-in-hand - being social can help keep away the blues.
"The good news is that with age comes happiness," said study author Yang Yang, a University of Chicago sociologist. "Life gets better in one's perception as one ages."
A certain amount of distress in old age is inevitable, including aches, pains and deaths of loved ones and friends. But older people generally have learned to be more content with what they have than younger adults, Yang said.
This is partly because older people have learned to lower their expectations and accept their achievements, said Duke University aging expert Linda George. An older person may realize "it's fine that I was a schoolteacher and not a Nobel prize winner."
George, who was not involved in the new study, believes the research is important because the general public continues to think that "late life is far from the best stage of life and they don't look forward to it."
Yang's findings are based on periodic face-to-face interviews with a nationally representative sample of Americans from 1972 to 2004. About 28,000 people aged 18 to 88 took part.
There were ups and downs in overall happiness levels during the study, generally corresponding with good and bad economic times. But at every stage, older Americans were the happiest.
While younger blacks and poor people tended to be less happy than whites and wealthier people, those differences faded as people aged.
In general, the odds of being happy increased 5 percent with every 10 years of age.
Overall, about 33 percent of Americans reported being very happy at age 88, versus about 24 percent of those age 18 to their early 20s. And throughout the study years, most Americans reported being very happy or pretty happy; less than 20 percent said they were not too happy.
A separate University of Chicago study found that about 75 percent of people aged 57 to 85 engage in one or more social activities at least every week. Those include socializing with neighbors, attending religious services, volunteering or going to group meetings.
Contentment as far as I'm concerned comes with old age ... because you accept things the way they are.
Ilse Siegler, retired nurse manager Those in their 80s were twice as likely as those in their 50s to do at least one of these activities.
Both studies appear in April's American Sociological Review.
"People's social circles do tend to shrink a little as they age - that is mainly where that stereotype comes from, but that image of the isolated elderly really falls apart when we broaden our definition of what social connection is," said study co-author Benjamin Cornwell, also a University of Chicago researcher.
The research rings true for 81-year-old George O'Hare, a retired Sears manager in Willowbrook, Ill. He's active with church, AARP and does motivational speaking, too. His wife is still living, and he's close to his three sons and four grandchildren.
"I'm very happy because I've made friends that are still living," O'Hare said. "I like to go out and speak in schools about motivation."
"Happiness is getting out and being with people, and that's why I recommend it," he said.
Ilse Siegler, an 84-year-old retired nurse manager in Chicago, has a slightly different perspective. Her husband died 35 years ago; she still misses him everyday.
She has vision problems and has slowed down with age. Yet, she still swims, runs a social group in her condo building, volunteers in a retirement home and is active with her temple. These all help "make life more enjoyable," she said.
While Siegler said these aren't the happiest years of her life, she's content.
"Contentment as far as I'm concerned comes with old age ... because you accept things the way they are," she said. "You know that nothing is perfect."
Cornwell's nationally representative study was based on in-home interviews with 3,005 people in 2005-06. While it didn't include nursing home residents, only about 4 percent of Americans aged 75 to 84 are in nursing homes, Cornwell said.
It's all good news for the aging population. However, Yang's study also found that baby boomers were the least happy. They could end up living the unfortunate old-age stereotype if they can't let go of their achievement-driven mind-set, said George, the Duke aging expert.
So far, baby boomers aren't lowering their aspirations at the same rate earlier generations did. "They still seem to believe that they should have it all," George said. "They're still thinking about having a retirement that's going to let them do everything they haven't done yet."
Previous research also has shown that mid-life tends to be the most stressful time, said Cornell University sociologist Elaine Wethington. "Everyone's asking you to do things and you have a lot to do. You're less happy because you feel hassled."
The new studies show "if you can make it through that," there's light at the end of the tunnel, Wethington said.
© MMVIII, The Associated Press.
Lowered Expectations Are Key
George O'Hare, 81, a retired Sears manager from Willowbrook, Ill., is seen at his home April 16, 2008. According to new eye-opening research, the happiest Americans are the oldest, and older adults are much more socially active than the stereotype of the lonely senior suggests. The research rings true for O'Hare, who is active with church, AARP and does motivational speaking. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)
CHICAGO (CBS News - AP), April 18, 2008:
Newsflash for rock stars and teenagers: It turns out everything doesn't go downhill as we age - the golden years really are golden.
That's according to eye-opening research that found the happiest Americans are the oldest, and older adults are more socially active than the stereotype of the lonely senior suggests.
The two go hand-in-hand - being social can help keep away the blues.
"The good news is that with age comes happiness," said study author Yang Yang, a University of Chicago sociologist. "Life gets better in one's perception as one ages."
A certain amount of distress in old age is inevitable, including aches, pains and deaths of loved ones and friends. But older people generally have learned to be more content with what they have than younger adults, Yang said.
This is partly because older people have learned to lower their expectations and accept their achievements, said Duke University aging expert Linda George. An older person may realize "it's fine that I was a schoolteacher and not a Nobel prize winner."
George, who was not involved in the new study, believes the research is important because the general public continues to think that "late life is far from the best stage of life and they don't look forward to it."
Yang's findings are based on periodic face-to-face interviews with a nationally representative sample of Americans from 1972 to 2004. About 28,000 people aged 18 to 88 took part.
There were ups and downs in overall happiness levels during the study, generally corresponding with good and bad economic times. But at every stage, older Americans were the happiest.
While younger blacks and poor people tended to be less happy than whites and wealthier people, those differences faded as people aged.
In general, the odds of being happy increased 5 percent with every 10 years of age.
Overall, about 33 percent of Americans reported being very happy at age 88, versus about 24 percent of those age 18 to their early 20s. And throughout the study years, most Americans reported being very happy or pretty happy; less than 20 percent said they were not too happy.
A separate University of Chicago study found that about 75 percent of people aged 57 to 85 engage in one or more social activities at least every week. Those include socializing with neighbors, attending religious services, volunteering or going to group meetings.
Contentment as far as I'm concerned comes with old age ... because you accept things the way they are.
Ilse Siegler, retired nurse manager Those in their 80s were twice as likely as those in their 50s to do at least one of these activities.
Both studies appear in April's American Sociological Review.
"People's social circles do tend to shrink a little as they age - that is mainly where that stereotype comes from, but that image of the isolated elderly really falls apart when we broaden our definition of what social connection is," said study co-author Benjamin Cornwell, also a University of Chicago researcher.
The research rings true for 81-year-old George O'Hare, a retired Sears manager in Willowbrook, Ill. He's active with church, AARP and does motivational speaking, too. His wife is still living, and he's close to his three sons and four grandchildren.
"I'm very happy because I've made friends that are still living," O'Hare said. "I like to go out and speak in schools about motivation."
"Happiness is getting out and being with people, and that's why I recommend it," he said.
Ilse Siegler, an 84-year-old retired nurse manager in Chicago, has a slightly different perspective. Her husband died 35 years ago; she still misses him everyday.
She has vision problems and has slowed down with age. Yet, she still swims, runs a social group in her condo building, volunteers in a retirement home and is active with her temple. These all help "make life more enjoyable," she said.
While Siegler said these aren't the happiest years of her life, she's content.
"Contentment as far as I'm concerned comes with old age ... because you accept things the way they are," she said. "You know that nothing is perfect."
Cornwell's nationally representative study was based on in-home interviews with 3,005 people in 2005-06. While it didn't include nursing home residents, only about 4 percent of Americans aged 75 to 84 are in nursing homes, Cornwell said.
It's all good news for the aging population. However, Yang's study also found that baby boomers were the least happy. They could end up living the unfortunate old-age stereotype if they can't let go of their achievement-driven mind-set, said George, the Duke aging expert.
So far, baby boomers aren't lowering their aspirations at the same rate earlier generations did. "They still seem to believe that they should have it all," George said. "They're still thinking about having a retirement that's going to let them do everything they haven't done yet."
Previous research also has shown that mid-life tends to be the most stressful time, said Cornell University sociologist Elaine Wethington. "Everyone's asking you to do things and you have a lot to do. You're less happy because you feel hassled."
The new studies show "if you can make it through that," there's light at the end of the tunnel, Wethington said.
© MMVIII, The Associated Press.
ITALY: "What are you starin' at?"
LECCO, Italy (Reuters), April 18, 2008: An Italian man was given a suspended jail sentence for staring too intensely at a woman sitting in front of him on a train.
REUTERS/Alessia Pierdomenico
A judge sentenced the man in his 30s, whose name was not revealed, to 10 days in prison and a 40 euro ($63) fine after a 55-year old woman filed a complaint for sexual harassment.
His lawyer said on Friday he would appeal the sentence. The court will explain its verdict later.
The two met on two separate occasions in 2005 on a commuter train going from Lecco, a town in northern Italy, to Milan.
The first time, the man sat next to the woman but she felt he had moved too close for comfort. The next day, the man sat in front of the same woman and according to her complaint, stared at her for the whole journey.
The two did not speak.
By Silvia Aloisi
Edited by Catherine Evans
© Thomson Reuters 2008
CHINA: Arm-azing 88 disabled in Beijing spectacle
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PICTURE THIS: Cheng Cheng, member of China Disabled People's Performing Art Troupe, leads a performance in Beijing, April 18, 2008. All 88 performers have a hearing impairment, visual impairment or some other physical disability. Photo: AFP. © SPIEGEL ONLINE 2008
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NETHERLANDS : Breast checks 'benefit over-70s'
Mammograms are used to detect breast tumoursLONDON, England (BBC News),
April 18, 2008:
Screening women in their early 70s for breast cancer does save lives, a Dutch study of over 860,000 women suggests.
The research, detailed at the European Breast Cancer Conference in Berlin, showed deaths fell by 30% after the upper age limit was extended.
Even though cancer risk increases with age, experts have been divided over whether the over-70s should be checked.
In the UK, there are plans to raise the upper age limit for routine screening from 70 to 73 by 2012.
The Netherlands extended its programme to cover women up to 75 in 1998.
----------------------------------------------------
"The screening has started to have a
statistically significant effect"
Jacques Fracheboud, Erasmus Medical Center
---------------------------------------------------
The researchers from the Erasmus Medical Center in Rotterdam looked at breast cancer deaths from 2003 - estimating that the effect of the screening extension would be seen by then.
They found there was a steady decline in deaths from breast cancer in women aged 75 to 79 - the age group where improvements in survival would be seen.
Between 1986 and 1997 the average was 166 deaths per 100,000 women, while in 2006 it was 117 per 100,000 - a fall of almost 30%.
'Request a check'
Jacques Fracheboud, who led the research, said: "The reduction in breast cancer mortality shows that the screening has started to have a statistically significant effect."
The study also found that more women aged 70 to 74 were sent for further checks after screening, compared with those aged 50 to 69 - and a higher proportion of the older age group were confirmed to have breast cancer.
Mr Fracheboud said: "It is easier to find cancer in older women due to their breast tissue being less dense."
But he added: "There is not necessarily an argument for continuing screening beyond 75 because many tumours found at this stage are slow-growing and may never reach the stage of causing a problem."
-----------------------------------------------------
" The risk of developing breast cancer
increases with age "
Dr Alexis Willett, Breakthrough Breast Cancer
-----------------------------------------------------
A spokeswoman for the NHS Cancer Screening Programmes said: "At present, women are invited for screening seven times at three yearly intervals between 50 and 70 years.
"This will gradually be extended to nine screening rounds between the ages of 47 and 73 by 2012, with a guarantee that women will have their first screening by the age of 50.
"Over 200,000 more women will be screened each year as a result."
She said older women were not currently invited in for checks because there was not conclusive evidence that was beneficial.
But she added: "All women attending their final invited breast screening are encouraged to book another appointment in three years' time, if they wish to."
Liz Carroll, clinical nurse specialist at the charity Breast Cancer Care, welcomed the raising of the upper age limit to 73, but said: "Much more must be done now to encourage women in every community to take up invitations to regular screenings and to request screening after 70."
Dr Alexis Willett, of Breakthrough Breast Cancer said: "The risk of developing breast cancer increases with age, which is why we encourage all women over 50 to attend NHS breast screening appointments when invited and for women over 70 to request their own appointment via their GP."
BBC © MMVIII
WORLD: 12 Necessities We Can Do Without
Necessities We Can Do Without
Elizabeth Corcoran
FORBES
April 18, 2008
BURLINGAME, California - Charles Darwin would have had a field day with today's technology.
When he touched down in the Galapagos Islands in September 1835, Darwin scooped up a menagerie of finches, iguanas, rocks, plants and such. His data gathering was quick and dirty: He spent only nine days stuffing his crates with Galapagos samples and neglected to label them precisely. But he wound up with a powerful idea: Any species could mutate and evolve in response to their environmental conditions. Within the past few decades, other scientists have painstakingly documented how changing levels of food, water and other elements could cause finches to mutate in just a generation or two.
Technology, by contrast, mutates even more quickly, and we're adapting right along with it. The things we couldn't live or work without only a few years ago are now only valuable for their scrap metal. And get ready for more change. Think your laptop is essential? Guess again. Chances are that before long, you'll be tempted to give up that five-pounder for a nifty ultra-mini PC that slides into a satchel or your purse
In Pictures: 12 Necessities We Can Do Without
The managers of Xerox's famed Xerox Palo Alto Research Center back in the 1970s were among the first to articulate what brought about spurts of innovation and change in technology: Pick the biggest "resource constraint"--or the most expensive component in a system--and imagine what would happen if that became virtually free. Once upon a time, transistors cost at least a few pennies apiece. Now Intel stuffs close to a trillion transistors onto a chip that sells for only a few hundred dollars. Remember when long-distance telephone calls were expensive? Voice-over-Internet Protocol has made those chats free too.
Those kinds of innovations have meant that the gear once considered essential can be scrapped. Ready to say goodbye to your old desk phone? Even your answering machine, once an absolutely essential element of modern life, is giving way to services that companies administer in the computing "cloud"--meaning that companies are willing to store your information in enormous computer farms that you'll never see and serve it up just when you need it.
Instead of paying for a word processing system, Google Docs will let you write files and save them into the great Google cloud, where you can collect them later or send them to others. Google has even added software that lets you synchronize your Google Docs on your laptop so that you can use them in places where a network doesn't yet reach--say, on a plane.
Semiconductors continue to stuff more electronics--and thus, more processing power--onto their chips. That means that the overall devices themselves can shrink. Apple's latest generations of iPods, for instance, can be even slimmer than the original because the company no longer needs to use even a tiny disk drive but can instead stuff all those digital songs and pictures into semiconductor chips.
Novel software applications can also help cut down on the number of devices that you need, or at least, that you need to manage. Many people who carry around a cellphone haven't quite given up their office phone or even their home phone. That means technology hasn't simplified their lives; it's just multiplied the number of machines they need to answer or check for messages. Here's where software can come in: The founders of GrandCentral, a Freemont, Calif.-based start-up that was acquired by Google in 2007, created a service that redirects calls from multiple phones to a single number. No matter which of your many numbers someone calls, the calls are redirected to one number. That means you only have to worry about one phone number--and one voice mail.
Other companies are trying to apply that kind of shrink mentality to software too. For instance, to find the location of a local coffee shop, you can go to your PC, pull up your Web browser, and in a half-dozen clicks or so on a search engine, you can find a nearby coffee shop. (It helps, of course, to know your own location.)
Mike McCue, who runs Mountain View, Calif.-based TellMe, now a division of Microsoft, thinks that's too many clicks. Instead, TellMe has been developing voice recognition software that uses global positioning technology to find locations. Here's how it works: Call TellMe and ask for a Starbucks. The service starts by figuring out where you are. Then it searches Web directories for what you want. Finally, it gives you a list and a map of the nearest Starbucks. No clicks involved.
From McCue's point of view, devices should have just one button--and no stacks of menus that you have page through. "You say what you want, and we'll get the information you need," McCue says.
And that's how you really reduce the number of gadgets that you once thought that you needed.
In Pictures: 12 Necessities We Can Do Without
© 2008 Forbes.com LLC™
Elizabeth Corcoran
FORBES
April 18, 2008
BURLINGAME, California - Charles Darwin would have had a field day with today's technology.
When he touched down in the Galapagos Islands in September 1835, Darwin scooped up a menagerie of finches, iguanas, rocks, plants and such. His data gathering was quick and dirty: He spent only nine days stuffing his crates with Galapagos samples and neglected to label them precisely. But he wound up with a powerful idea: Any species could mutate and evolve in response to their environmental conditions. Within the past few decades, other scientists have painstakingly documented how changing levels of food, water and other elements could cause finches to mutate in just a generation or two.
Technology, by contrast, mutates even more quickly, and we're adapting right along with it. The things we couldn't live or work without only a few years ago are now only valuable for their scrap metal. And get ready for more change. Think your laptop is essential? Guess again. Chances are that before long, you'll be tempted to give up that five-pounder for a nifty ultra-mini PC that slides into a satchel or your purse
In Pictures: 12 Necessities We Can Do Without
The managers of Xerox's famed Xerox Palo Alto Research Center back in the 1970s were among the first to articulate what brought about spurts of innovation and change in technology: Pick the biggest "resource constraint"--or the most expensive component in a system--and imagine what would happen if that became virtually free. Once upon a time, transistors cost at least a few pennies apiece. Now Intel stuffs close to a trillion transistors onto a chip that sells for only a few hundred dollars. Remember when long-distance telephone calls were expensive? Voice-over-Internet Protocol has made those chats free too. Those kinds of innovations have meant that the gear once considered essential can be scrapped. Ready to say goodbye to your old desk phone? Even your answering machine, once an absolutely essential element of modern life, is giving way to services that companies administer in the computing "cloud"--meaning that companies are willing to store your information in enormous computer farms that you'll never see and serve it up just when you need it.
Instead of paying for a word processing system, Google Docs will let you write files and save them into the great Google cloud, where you can collect them later or send them to others. Google has even added software that lets you synchronize your Google Docs on your laptop so that you can use them in places where a network doesn't yet reach--say, on a plane.
Semiconductors continue to stuff more electronics--and thus, more processing power--onto their chips. That means that the overall devices themselves can shrink. Apple's latest generations of iPods, for instance, can be even slimmer than the original because the company no longer needs to use even a tiny disk drive but can instead stuff all those digital songs and pictures into semiconductor chips.
Novel software applications can also help cut down on the number of devices that you need, or at least, that you need to manage. Many people who carry around a cellphone haven't quite given up their office phone or even their home phone. That means technology hasn't simplified their lives; it's just multiplied the number of machines they need to answer or check for messages. Here's where software can come in: The founders of GrandCentral, a Freemont, Calif.-based start-up that was acquired by Google in 2007, created a service that redirects calls from multiple phones to a single number. No matter which of your many numbers someone calls, the calls are redirected to one number. That means you only have to worry about one phone number--and one voice mail.
Other companies are trying to apply that kind of shrink mentality to software too. For instance, to find the location of a local coffee shop, you can go to your PC, pull up your Web browser, and in a half-dozen clicks or so on a search engine, you can find a nearby coffee shop. (It helps, of course, to know your own location.)
Mike McCue, who runs Mountain View, Calif.-based TellMe, now a division of Microsoft, thinks that's too many clicks. Instead, TellMe has been developing voice recognition software that uses global positioning technology to find locations. Here's how it works: Call TellMe and ask for a Starbucks. The service starts by figuring out where you are. Then it searches Web directories for what you want. Finally, it gives you a list and a map of the nearest Starbucks. No clicks involved.
From McCue's point of view, devices should have just one button--and no stacks of menus that you have page through. "You say what you want, and we'll get the information you need," McCue says.
And that's how you really reduce the number of gadgets that you once thought that you needed.
In Pictures: 12 Necessities We Can Do Without
© 2008 Forbes.com LLC™
USA: Hip And Knee Replacements On The Rise
Researchers Say Obesity, Arthritis And Aging Population Are Behind The Trend
NEW YORK (CBS News - WebMD), April 18, 2008:
The number of hip and knee replacements performed in the U.S. could skyrocket in the next seven years, researchers warn, placing an enormous burden on America's already beleaguered health care system.
An increase in obesity and arthritis-combined with a larger elderly population-has prompted a steep rise in these surgeries. Seventy-six million Americans reach retirement age this year, and many baby boomers are right behind them. Since arthritis is more common in older adults, experts predict more and more cases of arthritis in the coming years.
Arthritis affects more than 46 million Americans; it can cause joint pain, stiffness, and swelling. While more common in older adults, arthritis isn't simply an effect of aging. Carrying extra weight also increases a person's risk for arthritis. Maintaining a healthy weight could make you less likely to develop arthritis.
Joint replacement surgery is a popular treatment option for those with severe, debilitating arthritis that causes significant pain or greatly limits their ability to move.
Using data from joint replacement cases in the U.S. from 1997 and 2004, researcher Sunny Kim, Ph.D., with the Robert Stempel School of Public Health at Florida International University, analyzed the increase in the number of surgeries and their cost.
Her research shows:
Hip replacements increased 37 percent and knee replacements increased 53 percent in 2004 compared with 2000.
* Hip and knee replacement increased significantly among those aged 45-64.
* Medicare paid for most procedures.
* Private insurance payments had steeper increases.
Kim published her findings in the April 14 issue of Arthritis Care & Research. She writes that 600,000 hip replacements and 1.4 million knee replacements could be performed in the year 2015 if current trends persist.
"Public health education is critically important to reduce the proportion of people who are overweight as well as to manage arthritis at earlier stages," she says in a news release. "At the same time, given the steeply increasing trends of joint replacements and the expected number of joint revisions needed, the health care community should be prepared for this upcoming demand of surgical loads and its economic burden on government and private insurance systems."
By Kelli Stacy
Reviewed by Louise Chang
©2005-2008 WebMD, LLC.
NEW YORK (CBS News - WebMD), April 18, 2008:The number of hip and knee replacements performed in the U.S. could skyrocket in the next seven years, researchers warn, placing an enormous burden on America's already beleaguered health care system.
An increase in obesity and arthritis-combined with a larger elderly population-has prompted a steep rise in these surgeries. Seventy-six million Americans reach retirement age this year, and many baby boomers are right behind them. Since arthritis is more common in older adults, experts predict more and more cases of arthritis in the coming years.
Arthritis affects more than 46 million Americans; it can cause joint pain, stiffness, and swelling. While more common in older adults, arthritis isn't simply an effect of aging. Carrying extra weight also increases a person's risk for arthritis. Maintaining a healthy weight could make you less likely to develop arthritis.
Joint replacement surgery is a popular treatment option for those with severe, debilitating arthritis that causes significant pain or greatly limits their ability to move.
Using data from joint replacement cases in the U.S. from 1997 and 2004, researcher Sunny Kim, Ph.D., with the Robert Stempel School of Public Health at Florida International University, analyzed the increase in the number of surgeries and their cost.
Her research shows:
Hip replacements increased 37 percent and knee replacements increased 53 percent in 2004 compared with 2000.
* Hip and knee replacement increased significantly among those aged 45-64.
* Medicare paid for most procedures.
* Private insurance payments had steeper increases.
Kim published her findings in the April 14 issue of Arthritis Care & Research. She writes that 600,000 hip replacements and 1.4 million knee replacements could be performed in the year 2015 if current trends persist.
"Public health education is critically important to reduce the proportion of people who are overweight as well as to manage arthritis at earlier stages," she says in a news release. "At the same time, given the steeply increasing trends of joint replacements and the expected number of joint revisions needed, the health care community should be prepared for this upcoming demand of surgical loads and its economic burden on government and private insurance systems."
By Kelli Stacy
Reviewed by Louise Chang
©2005-2008 WebMD, LLC.
USA: Birthday Bash Thrown for World's Oldest Person
SHELBYVILLE, IN (The Indianapolis Star), April 18, 2008:
A birthday celebration was held this morning for Edna Parker, The Guinness World Record holder as the World’s Oldest Person.
Born on April 20, 1893, Parker, who lives at the Heritage House Convalescent Center in Shelbyville, IN turns 115 on Sunday. Guinness confirmed this week that Parker is the world’s oldest person -- she is 143 days older than Portugal’s Maria De Jesus, according to the Gerontology Research Group, which tracks Supercentenarians.
Surrounded by family, friends and well-wishers, Parker patiently sat in her wheelchair, her legs covered in a blanket, as she received gifts from Franklin College President Jay Moseley, Shelbyville Mayor Scott Furgeson, Gov. Mitch Daniels’ Assistant and a Representative of U.S. Rep. Dan Burton.
A 1911 graduate of Franklin College, Parker gave up her teaching career for the life of a farmer’s wife. After her husband, Earl, died in 1945, Parker stayed on their Shelby County farm for decades, eventually leaving when she was 99.
At this morning’s party, tables were decorated with trinkets Parker has received over the years, including a scrapbook that contained letters from President Bush and first lady Laura Bush, a Guinness Certificate and a mini Colts banner. Her picture even graces a box of Wheaties cereal.
AP Photo/Darron Cummings
Family members credit Parker’s faith -- she’s been a member of Mount Gilead Baptist Church in Smithland since 1925 -- and her work ethic as reasons for her longevity. “She’s not a person who has done anything spectacular, but she has lived a long life,” said grandson Don Parker, 59, a Shelby County farmer. “It’s a celebration, and a great experience for Shelby County and the state of Indiana.
The Gerontology Research Group in California reports that only 75 living people -- 64 women and 11 men -- are 110 or older.
ON THE INTERNET
* Los Angeles Gerontology Research Group - http://www.grg.org
* New England Centenarian Study: http://www.bumc.bu.edu/centenarian
A birthday celebration was held this morning for Edna Parker, The Guinness World Record holder as the World’s Oldest Person.
Born on April 20, 1893, Parker, who lives at the Heritage House Convalescent Center in Shelbyville, IN turns 115 on Sunday. Guinness confirmed this week that Parker is the world’s oldest person -- she is 143 days older than Portugal’s Maria De Jesus, according to the Gerontology Research Group, which tracks Supercentenarians.
Surrounded by family, friends and well-wishers, Parker patiently sat in her wheelchair, her legs covered in a blanket, as she received gifts from Franklin College President Jay Moseley, Shelbyville Mayor Scott Furgeson, Gov. Mitch Daniels’ Assistant and a Representative of U.S. Rep. Dan Burton.
A 1911 graduate of Franklin College, Parker gave up her teaching career for the life of a farmer’s wife. After her husband, Earl, died in 1945, Parker stayed on their Shelby County farm for decades, eventually leaving when she was 99.
At this morning’s party, tables were decorated with trinkets Parker has received over the years, including a scrapbook that contained letters from President Bush and first lady Laura Bush, a Guinness Certificate and a mini Colts banner. Her picture even graces a box of Wheaties cereal.AP Photo/Darron Cummings
Family members credit Parker’s faith -- she’s been a member of Mount Gilead Baptist Church in Smithland since 1925 -- and her work ethic as reasons for her longevity. “She’s not a person who has done anything spectacular, but she has lived a long life,” said grandson Don Parker, 59, a Shelby County farmer. “It’s a celebration, and a great experience for Shelby County and the state of Indiana.
The Gerontology Research Group in California reports that only 75 living people -- 64 women and 11 men -- are 110 or older.
ON THE INTERNET
* Los Angeles Gerontology Research Group - http://www.grg.org
* New England Centenarian Study: http://www.bumc.bu.edu/centenarian
BELGIUM: Breast cancers behave differently before and after the age of 70
BERLIN, Germany (EurekAlert), April 18, 2008:
Researchers in Belgium have discovered that increasing age affects the way breast cancer behaves. As women approach the age of 70, they become less likely to be diagnosed with aggressive tumours that have spread to the lymph nodes. But after 70, the cancer is increasingly likely to spread, particularly if the tumours are small.
Until now, there has been conflicting evidence on aging and lymph node involvement and this study is the first to show clearly how the link between the two changes before and after the age of 70.
Professor Hans Wildiers told the 6th European Breast Cancer Conference (EBCC-6) in Berlin Friday, that he suspects that women older than 70 have decreased immune defence mechanisms, which are less able to deal with tumours that are likely to metastasise to other sites in the body.
“The effect of age of lymph node positivity is not straightforward. There seems to be a different effect between women aged up to 70 years and women older than 70. For the younger group of women, age appears to have a negative effect on lymph node status – the older they become, the less likely the cancer is to have spread to the lymph nodes. For the older group of women (aged over 70), age appears to influence lymph node status in the opposite way – the older they become, the more likely they are to have cancer cells in the lymph nodes if the tumour is small,” said Prof Wildiers, who is adjunct head of clinic in the department of general medical oncology at the Multidisciplinary Breast Centre, University Hospitals Leuven, Belgium.
“There is an interaction between age and tumour size, suggesting that, up to the age of 70, age mainly has a positive effect on lymph node status for older women with small tumours. A likely explanation is that breast tumours metastasise less frequently to lymph nodes with increasing age due to the decreased biological aggressiveness in these tumours. On the other hand, over the age of 70, if the tumours have the potential to metastasise to lymph nodes, this occurs more rapidly in smaller tumours and this might be related to decreased immune defence mechanisms in elderly patients.”
Prof Wildiers and his colleagues investigated 2,227 women who had been treated for breast cancer between 2000 and 2006 at the University Hospitals Leuven. Then they compared the results with a separate database of over 11,000 breast cancer patients on the Eindhoven Cancer Registry.
They found that for women aged 70 or younger, increasing age was associated with a decreased prevalence of cancer spreading to the lymph nodes. The women’s risk of having positive lymph nodes decreased by 13% for every decade they aged, up to age 70.
Once aged 70 and over, the odds of lymph node involvement doubled with every 10-year increase in age for women who had tumours that were no bigger than 15mm across. If the tumours were larger than 42-43 mm, then risk of lymph node involvement continued to decrease.
Prof Wildiers said: “We know that the elderly have depressed immune defences, and, therefore, it is possible that these decreased defences are unable to prevent invasion of the lymph nodes by metastases in a subset of breast tumours in elderly women. Although breast cancer survival in older women appears to be similar to survival in the general population irrespective of disease status, it might well be that there is a balance in the elderly between, on the one hand, a less aggressive type of tumour, and, on the other hand, their decreased immunological defences.”
He said the findings supported the idea that there are two types of tumour in elderly women: ones that are slow-growing and don’t invade the lymph nodes even if the tumours are larger, and ones that are aggressive and metastasise very early to the lymph nodes. Women with slow-growing tumours might benefit from less aggressive treatment, while the smaller tumours in the women aged over 70 might need to be treated more aggressively.
“Further research now needs to be conducted into the role the immune system plays in lymph node invasion,” he concluded.
Copyright ©2008 by AAAS, The Science Society.
Researchers in Belgium have discovered that increasing age affects the way breast cancer behaves. As women approach the age of 70, they become less likely to be diagnosed with aggressive tumours that have spread to the lymph nodes. But after 70, the cancer is increasingly likely to spread, particularly if the tumours are small.
Until now, there has been conflicting evidence on aging and lymph node involvement and this study is the first to show clearly how the link between the two changes before and after the age of 70.
Professor Hans Wildiers told the 6th European Breast Cancer Conference (EBCC-6) in Berlin Friday, that he suspects that women older than 70 have decreased immune defence mechanisms, which are less able to deal with tumours that are likely to metastasise to other sites in the body.
“The effect of age of lymph node positivity is not straightforward. There seems to be a different effect between women aged up to 70 years and women older than 70. For the younger group of women, age appears to have a negative effect on lymph node status – the older they become, the less likely the cancer is to have spread to the lymph nodes. For the older group of women (aged over 70), age appears to influence lymph node status in the opposite way – the older they become, the more likely they are to have cancer cells in the lymph nodes if the tumour is small,” said Prof Wildiers, who is adjunct head of clinic in the department of general medical oncology at the Multidisciplinary Breast Centre, University Hospitals Leuven, Belgium.
“There is an interaction between age and tumour size, suggesting that, up to the age of 70, age mainly has a positive effect on lymph node status for older women with small tumours. A likely explanation is that breast tumours metastasise less frequently to lymph nodes with increasing age due to the decreased biological aggressiveness in these tumours. On the other hand, over the age of 70, if the tumours have the potential to metastasise to lymph nodes, this occurs more rapidly in smaller tumours and this might be related to decreased immune defence mechanisms in elderly patients.”
Prof Wildiers and his colleagues investigated 2,227 women who had been treated for breast cancer between 2000 and 2006 at the University Hospitals Leuven. Then they compared the results with a separate database of over 11,000 breast cancer patients on the Eindhoven Cancer Registry.
They found that for women aged 70 or younger, increasing age was associated with a decreased prevalence of cancer spreading to the lymph nodes. The women’s risk of having positive lymph nodes decreased by 13% for every decade they aged, up to age 70.
Once aged 70 and over, the odds of lymph node involvement doubled with every 10-year increase in age for women who had tumours that were no bigger than 15mm across. If the tumours were larger than 42-43 mm, then risk of lymph node involvement continued to decrease.
Prof Wildiers said: “We know that the elderly have depressed immune defences, and, therefore, it is possible that these decreased defences are unable to prevent invasion of the lymph nodes by metastases in a subset of breast tumours in elderly women. Although breast cancer survival in older women appears to be similar to survival in the general population irrespective of disease status, it might well be that there is a balance in the elderly between, on the one hand, a less aggressive type of tumour, and, on the other hand, their decreased immunological defences.”
He said the findings supported the idea that there are two types of tumour in elderly women: ones that are slow-growing and don’t invade the lymph nodes even if the tumours are larger, and ones that are aggressive and metastasise very early to the lymph nodes. Women with slow-growing tumours might benefit from less aggressive treatment, while the smaller tumours in the women aged over 70 might need to be treated more aggressively.
“Further research now needs to be conducted into the role the immune system plays in lymph node invasion,” he concluded.
Copyright ©2008 by AAAS, The Science Society.
AUSTRALIA: Great-grandpa proposes
WARWICK, Queensland (Warwick Daily News), April 18, 2008:
By GEMMA BLAIR
JOHN Parsons and Lola Davis prove you're never too old to fall in love and get married.
Mr Parsons, 75, and Mrs Davis, 68, who met on March 26, were engaged within two weeks and are now planning their wedding.
"He's a fast mover isn't he?" Mrs Davis laughed about her fiancé who is also a great-grandfather.
Both Mr Parsons and Mrs Davis have lost partners in the past.
Mrs Davis was married for 42 years before her husband died of an illness four years ago and Mr Parsons lost his first wife of 38 years to cancer in 1994.
They met each other through an advertisement in the newspaper.
"We just clicked and fell in love," Mrs Davis said.
"I felt like I knew him all my life."
"We knew straight away," Mr Parsons added.
Mrs Davis has five grown-up children and Mr Parsons has four. Mrs Davis said her children were happy she had found love again.
"They told me 'It's your life mum do whatever you want to do'," she said.
A true romantic, Mr Parsons even took Mrs Davis's daughter and three grandchildren along when they went to buy the engagement ring.
Mrs Davis, who lives in Brisbane, is now preparing to make the move to Mr Parson's house at Yangan, which he built 30 years ago.
"Lola has fallen in love it," Mr Parsons said.
But Mrs Davis said one problem of making the move was that they had two of everything.
"We have two sets of pots, two vacuum cleaners..." she said.
Mr Parsons and Mrs Davis said they were open to finding love at their age because they wanted companionship.
"You get very lonely and you need a partner," Mr Parsons said.
"We're happy, we're just two old geriatrics together," Mrs Davis said.
They said they would get married as soon as they could arrange it.
© APN News & Media Ltd 2008.
By GEMMA BLAIR
JOHN Parsons and Lola Davis prove you're never too old to fall in love and get married.
Mr Parsons, 75, and Mrs Davis, 68, who met on March 26, were engaged within two weeks and are now planning their wedding.
"He's a fast mover isn't he?" Mrs Davis laughed about her fiancé who is also a great-grandfather.
Both Mr Parsons and Mrs Davis have lost partners in the past.
Mrs Davis was married for 42 years before her husband died of an illness four years ago and Mr Parsons lost his first wife of 38 years to cancer in 1994.
They met each other through an advertisement in the newspaper.
"We just clicked and fell in love," Mrs Davis said.
"I felt like I knew him all my life."
"We knew straight away," Mr Parsons added.
Mrs Davis has five grown-up children and Mr Parsons has four. Mrs Davis said her children were happy she had found love again.
"They told me 'It's your life mum do whatever you want to do'," she said.
A true romantic, Mr Parsons even took Mrs Davis's daughter and three grandchildren along when they went to buy the engagement ring.
Mrs Davis, who lives in Brisbane, is now preparing to make the move to Mr Parson's house at Yangan, which he built 30 years ago.
"Lola has fallen in love it," Mr Parsons said.
But Mrs Davis said one problem of making the move was that they had two of everything.
"We have two sets of pots, two vacuum cleaners..." she said.
Mr Parsons and Mrs Davis said they were open to finding love at their age because they wanted companionship.
"You get very lonely and you need a partner," Mr Parsons said.
"We're happy, we're just two old geriatrics together," Mrs Davis said.
They said they would get married as soon as they could arrange it.
© APN News & Media Ltd 2008.
U.K.: Blind and deaf pensioner in signature row
Joan Hopton, who is deaf and blind, has not been able to collect her pension for over a yearLONDON, England (Telegraph), April 18, 2008:
A blind and deaf woman has been forced to live off her savings for almost a year because the Post Office will not let her withdraw her pension as her signature does not match the one in its records.
Joan Hopton, 81, of Cheltenham, Glos, lost her pension card in May last year. However, when she applied for a new one she was told by the company that it could not be issued because the name on the bottom of the letter did not match her original signature.
She used to collect a pension of £104 a week and is now owed about £4,000 since she lost her card.
Despite repeated attempts by members of her family to come to some arrangement with Post Office Ltd the company will not let her access the money.
When Mrs Hopton's daughter, Jennifer Lewis, contacted the company they told her to get her mother to call them in person to try to come to some arrangement. However, Mrs Hopton cannot use the telephone because she is deaf.
The family have subsequently been told that they must write a letter to Post Office Ltd to officially close the pension account so it can be set up in either one of Mrs Hopton's daughter's names.
Mrs Lewis said: "It is disgusting. My mother is blind and deaf so it might not be exactly the same but you could still tell it was her signature.
"It is not as if we are trying to steal money and put it in my mum's bank account. It is her money."
A Post Office spokesman said: "We are very sorry to learn of the problems Mrs Hopton has had with her account. A member of our high profile case team will contact her shortly to try to find a speedy solution."
By Sophie Borland
© Copyright of Telegraph Media Group Limited 2008
USA: Older Men More Likely to Have Memory Problems Than Older Women
CBS/iStockphotoHEALTH: WebMD
Men vs. Women:
Whose Memory Is Worse?
Study Shows Older Men More Likely to
Have Memory Problems Than Older Women
NEW YORK (CBS News), April 18, 2008:
Men have a reputation for having a bad memory, forgetting birthdays or anniversaries -- or so the stereotype goes. Now, a new study lends some science to the stereotype, at least for older men.
Men 70-plus are more likely than women in that age range to have memory problems and other cognitive impairments, according to researchers from the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesotta, who presented the finding this week at the American Academy of Neurology 60th annual conference in Chicago.
The research team evaluated what is known as mild cognitive impairment, a transition stage between normal cognitive functioning and dementia, in 1,969 men and women ages 70 to 89. Having mild cognitive impairment increases the risk of getting Alzheimer's disease over the next few years, but not everyone with mild cognitive impairment gets Alzheimer's.
"We found that the prevalence of mild cognitive impairment was higher in men than in women," says Rosebud Roberts, MD, an associate professor of epidemiology at Mayo Clinic and a study co-investigator.
Men were 1.6 times as likely as women to have the cognitive problems, she says.
Men, Women, and Memory
Previous studies have tried to evaluate which sex has the better memory. But the research looking at sex differences in memory and other cognitive function has yielded mixed results, Roberts tells WebMD.
"Some studies have reported sex differences in mild cognitive impairment," she says, "but the reports have been inconsistent."
Roberts and her colleagues randomly selected residents from Olmsted County, Minn., who were ages 70 to 89 at the start of the study in 2004. The researchers administered cognitive tests, had a physician examine them, and interviewed them.
The researchers also talked to someone who knew each participant well, such as their spouse, to ask about cognitive functioning. Then they classified them as having normal cognition, mild impairment, or dementia.
In all, 16.7% had mild cognitive impairment, Roberts found. Men were 1.6 times more likely than women to have mild cognitive impairment, even after factoring in such variables as age and marital status.
Interpreting the Findings
The new findings are at odds with some studies that have concluded women have more dementia than men, Roberts says. She isn't certain how to interpret the findings thoroughly yet. The findings may suggest that men have a delayed progression from mild impairment to dementia or that women stay in the mild-impairment transition phase more briefly, progressing more quickly than men do to dementia, she says.
The risk factors for mild impairment (such as advancing age) may be different for men, she also speculates, or they may occur at different phases of life for men than for women.
"A person with mild cognitive impairment might have problems with memory, making decisions, or problem solving, or problems with language, like finding a [right] word," Roberts says.
These difficulties are "not severe enough to affect social functioning or work," she says. "It's not something you would notice if you didn't live closely with them."
Second Opinion
The study is scientifically sound, according to Sam Gandy, MD, PhD, chairman of the medical and scientific advisory council for the Alzheimer's Association, who reviewed the study for WebMD.
But the increased risk found in the study for men should be put in perspective, he says. For instance, carrying a gene known as the apoE4 allele boosts the risk of getting Alzheimer's, he says. "The gender effects still take a back seat to the genetic effects [of getting dementia] in terms of magnitude," he says.
Both men and women can improve their lifestyles to reduce their risk of dementia, says Gandy. He cites a recent study in which having belly fat as an adult boosted the risk of dementia later.
As for recommendations [to reduce risk], for now, diet and lifestyle remain the mainstays," he says. The Alzheimer's Association recommends staying active mentally, socially, and physically, as well as adopting a "brain-healthy" diet.
To qualify as brain-healthy, a diet should be low in fat and cholesterol and be rich in dark vegetables and fruits.
By Kathleen Doheny
Reviewed by Louise Chang
© 2005-2008 WebMD, LLC.
U.K.: Exodus Shows Little Sign Of Slowing
LONDON, England (Telegraph), April 18, 2008:
Any idea that the exodus from Britain of those settling abroad might be waning appears wildly premature.
The latest survey predicts 1.8 million Britons retiring abroad by 2025 and 3.3 million by 2050.
The survey, on behalf of NatWest International, provides further evidence that the majority of those making the lifestyle change do not look back.
Nine in 10 expats said they enjoyed better quality of life and six in 10 said they did not intend to return to the UK.
Canada was rated the best country to emigrate to, followed by New Zealand and Portugal.
However, beneath the glitz lurked a less happy picture. Three quarters of those surveyed admitted to feeling homesick some or all the time, missing friends, the British culture and sense of humour.
What the survey might usefully have expanded on are health concerns, especially among older expatriates.
Many of those retiring to the sun are doing so at a time when body and brain begin to disintegrate at increasing speed. Local provision of healthcare may be either inadequate or inaccessible to the expatriate.
The language barrier can loom large. Hospital practices may disturb - the National Health Service in Britain has its critics but patients do not generally rely on relatives bringing in lunch, which is routine in some Mediterranean states.
Canada was the most popular destination in the survey
Most expatriates can benefit from medical insurance. For others it is a must. Unless expats are guaranteed full access to healthcare in their adopted state, and standards there are acceptable, skipping cover is flirting with disaster.
Distress and financial hardship can strike when expats are denied care expected as a right. Since NHS access rules were tightened in 2004, the individual who seeks to return to the UK for "free" treatment may also be in for a disappointment.
Just like its continental neighbours, Britain has clamped down on "health tourists". France, the Netherlands, Spain and several Swiss cantons have taken similar steps.
However, these countries offer generally excellent medical services, with hospital-acquired infections much less common than on NHS wards. The gap is recognised by insurers.
David Pryor, senior executive director at MediCare International points to "consistently better" healthcare across much of Western Europe compared to Britain. He said: "The French are rightly proud of their healthcare system and it is still true that access to specialists is quicker, waiting times for operations are lower and certainly hospitals and clinics are cleaner."
Insurers have responded by offering schemes aimed at people who spend most of their lives in continental Europe but a proportion in their home state - in many cases the UK. Limiting the scope helps limit the premium.
As the name implies, Exeter Friendly Society's Spain Residents Plan is mainly restricted to treatment within the country, but limited benefits apply in UK. A 40-year-old would pay €60.67 a month and a 45-year-old would pay €70.76 a month.
Another plan aimed at Spain's burgeoning expat community is Bupa International's Health Plan Complete. It gives comprehensive acute cover in Spain and another, designated, European country.
Obviously, policyholders tend to select their home country as their designated state. But this is not essential. Unusually, the plan differentiates between genders. A man aged 40-45 would pay €76.90 a month and a woman 40-45 would pay €103.70 a month.
Beyond Europe, in the Middle East and the "White" Commonwealth expatriates are being asked to prove they will not burden overstretched national health services.
People who emigrate to Australasia and North America are unlikely to get a visa if they are seen as likely to take more from the economy than they put into it. Mandatory health cover is one solution. In Australia, medical insurance premiums attract substantial tax breaks.
Most top spots for emigration in the Natwest survey offer quality of care that makes medical repatriation benefit unnecessary. However, once you move beyond the developed world, repatriation and/or air carriage assumes vital importance.
Assistance companies, contracted to insurers, specialise in emergency medicine. Their job is to get the patient to a suitable hospital with minimal delay.
Their responsibilities may go further than the purely medical. For instance, during the recent inter-tribal strife in Kenya, an American policyholder whose wife's ethnicity put her at risk, faced the threat of extreme violence.
The insurer's assistance company organised an armed police team to escort the couple to the local airport and then on to a safe haven in Nairobi.
© Copyright of Telegraph Media Group Limited 2008
Any idea that the exodus from Britain of those settling abroad might be waning appears wildly premature.
The latest survey predicts 1.8 million Britons retiring abroad by 2025 and 3.3 million by 2050.
The survey, on behalf of NatWest International, provides further evidence that the majority of those making the lifestyle change do not look back.
Nine in 10 expats said they enjoyed better quality of life and six in 10 said they did not intend to return to the UK.
Canada was rated the best country to emigrate to, followed by New Zealand and Portugal.
However, beneath the glitz lurked a less happy picture. Three quarters of those surveyed admitted to feeling homesick some or all the time, missing friends, the British culture and sense of humour.
What the survey might usefully have expanded on are health concerns, especially among older expatriates.
Many of those retiring to the sun are doing so at a time when body and brain begin to disintegrate at increasing speed. Local provision of healthcare may be either inadequate or inaccessible to the expatriate.
The language barrier can loom large. Hospital practices may disturb - the National Health Service in Britain has its critics but patients do not generally rely on relatives bringing in lunch, which is routine in some Mediterranean states.
Canada was the most popular destination in the survey
Most expatriates can benefit from medical insurance. For others it is a must. Unless expats are guaranteed full access to healthcare in their adopted state, and standards there are acceptable, skipping cover is flirting with disaster.
Distress and financial hardship can strike when expats are denied care expected as a right. Since NHS access rules were tightened in 2004, the individual who seeks to return to the UK for "free" treatment may also be in for a disappointment.
Just like its continental neighbours, Britain has clamped down on "health tourists". France, the Netherlands, Spain and several Swiss cantons have taken similar steps.
However, these countries offer generally excellent medical services, with hospital-acquired infections much less common than on NHS wards. The gap is recognised by insurers.
David Pryor, senior executive director at MediCare International points to "consistently better" healthcare across much of Western Europe compared to Britain. He said: "The French are rightly proud of their healthcare system and it is still true that access to specialists is quicker, waiting times for operations are lower and certainly hospitals and clinics are cleaner."
Insurers have responded by offering schemes aimed at people who spend most of their lives in continental Europe but a proportion in their home state - in many cases the UK. Limiting the scope helps limit the premium.
As the name implies, Exeter Friendly Society's Spain Residents Plan is mainly restricted to treatment within the country, but limited benefits apply in UK. A 40-year-old would pay €60.67 a month and a 45-year-old would pay €70.76 a month.
Another plan aimed at Spain's burgeoning expat community is Bupa International's Health Plan Complete. It gives comprehensive acute cover in Spain and another, designated, European country.
Obviously, policyholders tend to select their home country as their designated state. But this is not essential. Unusually, the plan differentiates between genders. A man aged 40-45 would pay €76.90 a month and a woman 40-45 would pay €103.70 a month.
Beyond Europe, in the Middle East and the "White" Commonwealth expatriates are being asked to prove they will not burden overstretched national health services.
People who emigrate to Australasia and North America are unlikely to get a visa if they are seen as likely to take more from the economy than they put into it. Mandatory health cover is one solution. In Australia, medical insurance premiums attract substantial tax breaks.
Most top spots for emigration in the Natwest survey offer quality of care that makes medical repatriation benefit unnecessary. However, once you move beyond the developed world, repatriation and/or air carriage assumes vital importance.
Assistance companies, contracted to insurers, specialise in emergency medicine. Their job is to get the patient to a suitable hospital with minimal delay.
Their responsibilities may go further than the purely medical. For instance, during the recent inter-tribal strife in Kenya, an American policyholder whose wife's ethnicity put her at risk, faced the threat of extreme violence.
The insurer's assistance company organised an armed police team to escort the couple to the local airport and then on to a safe haven in Nairobi.
© Copyright of Telegraph Media Group Limited 2008
EUROPE: 40 percent of Europeans never use the Internet
BRUSSELS, Belgium (International Herald Tribune - UPI), April 18, 2008:
Europe is home to some of the most Internet-savvy nations in the world: the Netherlands, Denmark and Finland.
But 40 percent of European Union citizens never use the Internet at all, the European Commission said Friday, meaning many people risk being left behind as more public and commercial services go online.
About two-thirds of Romanians, Bulgarians and Greeks are strangers to the online world while nearly all the adult population of richer nations like Denmark and the Netherlands have their fingers on the Internet pulse.
Elderly people, those out of work and those with less education are more likely to be off-line, an EU report said, telling European governments to work harder to close the gaps.
Internet use — and both the price and technology available to customers — varies widely across Europe. The European Commission blames governments for not doing enough to open up the market by forcing former state telecoms monopolies to face competition that would reduce prices and get more people online.
More developed broadband markets offer faster speeds at lower prices, it said. EU newcomer nations, mostly in eastern Europe, tend to get a worse deal.
In Slovakia, customers have to pay at least €49 (US$77) for broadband access with a download speed of 1 megabyte per second. In the Netherlands, prices start at €14 (US$22), the report says.
The EU wants to raise access to high-speed broadband Internet from 20 percent of the EU population today to 30 percent by 2010.
It warned that migration to faster Internet services is sluggish and said it will have to set out rules on how to improve investment in next-generation networks. The EU also wants to clarify shoppers' online rights in an effort to boost online commerce.
Copyright © 2008 the International Herald Tribune
Europe is home to some of the most Internet-savvy nations in the world: the Netherlands, Denmark and Finland.
But 40 percent of European Union citizens never use the Internet at all, the European Commission said Friday, meaning many people risk being left behind as more public and commercial services go online.
About two-thirds of Romanians, Bulgarians and Greeks are strangers to the online world while nearly all the adult population of richer nations like Denmark and the Netherlands have their fingers on the Internet pulse.
Elderly people, those out of work and those with less education are more likely to be off-line, an EU report said, telling European governments to work harder to close the gaps.
Internet use — and both the price and technology available to customers — varies widely across Europe. The European Commission blames governments for not doing enough to open up the market by forcing former state telecoms monopolies to face competition that would reduce prices and get more people online.
More developed broadband markets offer faster speeds at lower prices, it said. EU newcomer nations, mostly in eastern Europe, tend to get a worse deal.
In Slovakia, customers have to pay at least €49 (US$77) for broadband access with a download speed of 1 megabyte per second. In the Netherlands, prices start at €14 (US$22), the report says.
The EU wants to raise access to high-speed broadband Internet from 20 percent of the EU population today to 30 percent by 2010.
It warned that migration to faster Internet services is sluggish and said it will have to set out rules on how to improve investment in next-generation networks. The EU also wants to clarify shoppers' online rights in an effort to boost online commerce.
Copyright © 2008 the International Herald Tribune
SINGAPORE: Politician, 82, Speaks of 'Powerlessness of the People'
Mr Joshua B. Jeyaretnam, who turned 82 in January, said that he will contest the next parliamentary election, due by 2011, if his health permits. PHOTO: REUTERS
SINGAPORE (The Straits Times),
April 18, 2008:
By Jeremy Au Yong
VETERAN politician J.B. Jeyaretnam announced his return to politics on Friday by launching a blistering attack on the Government.
Out of the political arena from 2001 to last year, his press conference on Friday was a pent-up list of grievances covering everything from the brain drain, taxes, the income gap and ministerial salaries as well as injustices he perceived in the judiciary.
The primary complaint running through his hour-long speech though was what he called the 'powerlessness of our people'.
The Government, he charged, has caused 'a complete diminution, a negation of (the people's) human dignity'.
The new political party he is setting up will, he said, 'educate', 'energise' and 'empower' people to 'see the need to do something themselves instead of telling me all the time 'We can't do anything'.'
The 82-year-old became a bankrupt in 2001 after failing to pay some $600,000 in damages in lost defamation suits. He also resigned from the Workers' Party (WP) after a spat with Mr Low Thia Khiang.
Discharged as a bankrupt in May last year, he has since been free to rejoin the political fray. He also started practising law again from an office in Smith Street.
On Friday, he formally announced his intention to set up the Reform Party.
An application to register the party was submitted to the Registrar of Societies on Thursday. The approval process, he said, will take two months.
Copyright © 2007 Singapore Press Holdings Ltd. Co.
INDIA: Senior citizens now have a reason to rest assured, post retirement
CHENNAI (The Hindu Business Line), April 18, 2008:Till a year ago, senior citizens had no option but to pay exorbitant medical bills if they were hospitalised. Now they have a reason to rest assured, post-retirement, reports Swapna Majumdar.
Photo by A. Roy Chowdhury
Rest insured: The Varishta Bima Yojana is a medical policy designed for citizens above 60 years.
Sunita Kapoor, 72, has just renewed her Varishta Bima Yojana, a health insurance for senior citizens, for the second year. She is thanking her lucky stars that she took the insurance because when she was suddenly hospitalised some months later she didn’t have to worry about the high cost of the treatment. This, says Sunita, a widow, probably contributed more to her recovery than anything else.
In fact, the number of senior citizens taking this policy, the first of its kind in the country, has doubled in the last six months and is expected to further increase with the tax concessions announced in the recent Budget.
Introduced by the National Insurance Company (NIC) and in December 2006, the Varishta policy has been specially designed for above 60 years. At present, standard medical policies are offered only up to the age of 60.
“VBY is for persons in the 60-80 age bracket and can be extended to 90 years on a renewal basis. Approximately 3,177 seniors have signed up in the last six months which is double the existing number. But we are expecting this number to rise with the recent tax benefits announced for those insuring their parents’ health,” says Subir Bhattacharyya, NIC.
The special feature of this policy is that the elderly who were covered under a health insurance for three continuous years prior to taking the VBY can switch over to this policy without any medical check-up and with continuity of benefits. Additionally, any ailment prior to taking the insurance, that is any pre-existing disease, would be covered after one claim-free year.
Several critical illnesses like cancer, renal failure (failure of both kidneys), stroke, multiple sclerosis and coronary artery surgery are also covered. It also encompasses major organ transplants like kidney, lung, pancreas and bone marrow, as well as paralysis and blindness for an extra premium.
Sunita was fortunate the VBY was available at a time when she needed it the most. Till a year ago, senior citizens had no option but to pay exorbitant medical bills if they were hospitalised. This is because the elderly have been denied health insurance as they are not considered a commercial proposition after the age of 60 years. Women — already victims of neglect and discrimination on account of gender, widowhood and age — have been affected the worst.
With women expected to constitute 51 per cent of the population of older persons of 100 million by the end of this decade, because of the increase in their life expectancy, health insurance is vital, says Mathew Cherian, chief executive, HelpAge India, a NGO working for the elderly.
Cover for all?
“Although we talk about health for all, the old — men and women — have never been a priority. Approximately all of them suffer from age-related ailments. The VBY gives them an option to seek medical assistance when they need it,” he says.
Sutasom Sen, the first person to sign up for VBY, was 75 when he took the policy. “I knew no other company would give me insurance at that age. I had insurance until I retired in 1991. Since I was always in good health I didn’t think it was needed after retirement. But after my children told me about this scheme, I realised I should not take my good health for granted,” says Sen.
Bhawarilal Sanei, 65, has both blood pressure and diabetes. He knew that he would always need some kind of medical treatment and is happy that he has a medical cover for another 25 years.
“Pre-existing diabetes and hypertension can be covered from inception on payment of additional premium at the rate of 10 per cent for either hypertension or diabetes and 20 per cent for hypertension and diabetes for first year of the policy. In addition, since elderly women are more likely to suffer from knee pain, knee replacement is also covered,” says Bhattacharyya.
Even while expressing satisfaction about certain features of VBY, most seniors feel the premium rates are steep. At present the rates for insurance of Rs 3 lakh (inclusive of critical illness) range between Rs 6,187 and Rs 9,178 for the age bands 60-65 and 76-80 years respectively.
Suggestions given to the Union Government earlier this month by a committee on senior citizens’ health insurance instituted by the Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority include recommendations for standardisation of premium rates instead of varying it according to age. It has also suggested formation of a health insurance pool to take care of claims of high-risk senior citizens, especially those above 80 years.
In a country where every six out of 10 elderly fall below the poverty line, it remains to be seen whether the Government finds the elderly important enough to accept these suggestions.
Copyright © 2008, The Hindu Business Line.
SOUTH AFRICA: The Elderly Are Going Hungry
CAPE TOWN, South Africa (Daily News), April 17, 2008:
By Lyse Comins
Many South African pensioners are on the verge of malnourishment and starvation because of escalating food prices and can no longer afford even basic items, old age associations and consumer groups have warned.
National consumer groups have urged the government to listen to the plight of consumers, especially the poor, and take immediate action to arrest rising food prices.
Items like frozen chicken portions, meat cuts, pilchards in tomato sauce and cooking oil, once considered staples in pensioners' shopping baskets have become unaffordable luxuries which only the fortunate few purchase very occasionally.
Even private pensioners have adjusted their grocery spending as a result of the higher petrol price and food inflation, which according to the National Agricultural Marketing Council's (NAMC) most recent report was 13,4 percent in January.
'I look for specials all the time to survive'
There is worldwide concern at rising food prices. In recent days World Bank president Robert Zoellick warned that a doubling of food prices over the past three years could potentially push 100-million people in low-income countries deeper into poverty.
Basic food prices have risen sharply in recent months, sparking violent protests in many countries, including Haiti, Egypt, Cameroon, Ivory Coast, Mauritania, Ethiopia, Madagascar, the Philippines and Indonesia.
The Congress of South African Trade Unions (Cosatu) has warned of similar riots here and is planning protests to draw attention to rising food prices. The union wants a reduction in the price of bread as a refund for price collusion by some companies and would ask for a zero value added tax rating on basic foods, as well as subsidies for the poor.
Chatsworth pensioner Garaunagiee Govindamma, 68, is one of the lucky few to enjoy two meals a day at the Durban Association for the Aged, but she still struggles to survive on her R940 a month old age pension.
"It is quite hard because I rent an outbuilding for R600 a month and I have to buy food with the rest of my money. Oil is too expensive and rice, sugar and flour, which are the most important things, are more expensive. Chicken and mutton is very expensive so I don't buy a lot. I eat mostly vegetables."
'I eat mostly vegetables and have cut down on meat, even canned pilchards are a luxury now'
Rose Nhleko, 60, of Umlazi and her husband both receive a state pension which they use to support themselves and their granddaughter. They are struggling to make ends meet.
"Everything is so expensive. I used to use oil a lot before, but not since the price went up. I sometimes keep fat from meat to use. I look for specials all the time to survive. Often we only buy items that are on special."
Durban Association for the Aged chairwoman Parbathy Naidoo said pensioners are finding it increasingly difficult to survive on their meagre pensions. She too has had to drop many items from her grocery list.
"I buy only what I have to; rice, oil, bread. I eat mostly vegetables and have cut down on meat, even canned pilchards are a luxury now," Naidoo said.
The Association for the Aged spokeswoman Femida Shaman said the elderly were getting by "with great difficulty" but she feared the worst was yet to come as prices were still rising.
"The price of oil is absolutely shocking and it's just the tip of the iceberg, we will be seeing people malnourished and not eating at all. A basket of groceries alone comes to nothing less than R1 200 and the elderly still have to pay rent, doctors and for medicine."
According to the NAMC survey, over the past year the price of maize went up 28 percent, bread 16,21 percent, oil 66,01 percent, fresh milk 37,92 percent and pilchards in tomato sauce increased by 11,15 percent.
A ton of wheat now costs R4 000 and the price of maize, although Vat-free, has almost doubled to R1 950 a ton since March 2006.
National Consumer Forum Chairman Thami Bolani said pensioners had sought assistance from the organisation.
National Consumer Union chairwoman Ina Wilken said high food prices were "getting out of hand".
"The fact that Cosatu is staging strikes and marches should give a clear indication of how people on the ground are feeling. There is no other way to get government's attention, because it feels as if nobody is listening. The consumers of South Africa are saying enough is enough, something must be done and soon," said Wilken.
© 2008 Independent Online.
By Lyse Comins
Many South African pensioners are on the verge of malnourishment and starvation because of escalating food prices and can no longer afford even basic items, old age associations and consumer groups have warned.
National consumer groups have urged the government to listen to the plight of consumers, especially the poor, and take immediate action to arrest rising food prices.
Items like frozen chicken portions, meat cuts, pilchards in tomato sauce and cooking oil, once considered staples in pensioners' shopping baskets have become unaffordable luxuries which only the fortunate few purchase very occasionally.
Even private pensioners have adjusted their grocery spending as a result of the higher petrol price and food inflation, which according to the National Agricultural Marketing Council's (NAMC) most recent report was 13,4 percent in January.
'I look for specials all the time to survive'
There is worldwide concern at rising food prices. In recent days World Bank president Robert Zoellick warned that a doubling of food prices over the past three years could potentially push 100-million people in low-income countries deeper into poverty.
Basic food prices have risen sharply in recent months, sparking violent protests in many countries, including Haiti, Egypt, Cameroon, Ivory Coast, Mauritania, Ethiopia, Madagascar, the Philippines and Indonesia.
The Congress of South African Trade Unions (Cosatu) has warned of similar riots here and is planning protests to draw attention to rising food prices. The union wants a reduction in the price of bread as a refund for price collusion by some companies and would ask for a zero value added tax rating on basic foods, as well as subsidies for the poor.
Chatsworth pensioner Garaunagiee Govindamma, 68, is one of the lucky few to enjoy two meals a day at the Durban Association for the Aged, but she still struggles to survive on her R940 a month old age pension.
"It is quite hard because I rent an outbuilding for R600 a month and I have to buy food with the rest of my money. Oil is too expensive and rice, sugar and flour, which are the most important things, are more expensive. Chicken and mutton is very expensive so I don't buy a lot. I eat mostly vegetables."
'I eat mostly vegetables and have cut down on meat, even canned pilchards are a luxury now'
Rose Nhleko, 60, of Umlazi and her husband both receive a state pension which they use to support themselves and their granddaughter. They are struggling to make ends meet.
"Everything is so expensive. I used to use oil a lot before, but not since the price went up. I sometimes keep fat from meat to use. I look for specials all the time to survive. Often we only buy items that are on special."
Durban Association for the Aged chairwoman Parbathy Naidoo said pensioners are finding it increasingly difficult to survive on their meagre pensions. She too has had to drop many items from her grocery list.
"I buy only what I have to; rice, oil, bread. I eat mostly vegetables and have cut down on meat, even canned pilchards are a luxury now," Naidoo said.
The Association for the Aged spokeswoman Femida Shaman said the elderly were getting by "with great difficulty" but she feared the worst was yet to come as prices were still rising.
"The price of oil is absolutely shocking and it's just the tip of the iceberg, we will be seeing people malnourished and not eating at all. A basket of groceries alone comes to nothing less than R1 200 and the elderly still have to pay rent, doctors and for medicine."
According to the NAMC survey, over the past year the price of maize went up 28 percent, bread 16,21 percent, oil 66,01 percent, fresh milk 37,92 percent and pilchards in tomato sauce increased by 11,15 percent.
A ton of wheat now costs R4 000 and the price of maize, although Vat-free, has almost doubled to R1 950 a ton since March 2006.
National Consumer Forum Chairman Thami Bolani said pensioners had sought assistance from the organisation.
National Consumer Union chairwoman Ina Wilken said high food prices were "getting out of hand".
"The fact that Cosatu is staging strikes and marches should give a clear indication of how people on the ground are feeling. There is no other way to get government's attention, because it feels as if nobody is listening. The consumers of South Africa are saying enough is enough, something must be done and soon," said Wilken.
© 2008 Independent Online.
USA: Age No Factor For Brick's 97-Year-Old First Time Novelist
Brick, NJ resident Harry Bernstein has won international acclaim for his first novel. He is 97 years old. Photo courtesy: Ballantine Books.BRICK, New Jersey (The Brick Times), April 17, 2008:
"Mr. Bernstein's heart-wrenching memoir, describes two cultures cohabiting uneasily, prey to misunderstandings that distort lives on both sides. It is a world of pain and prejudice, evoked in spare, restrained prose that brilliantly illuminates a time, a place and a family struggling valiantly to beat impossible odds …"
- Excerpt from New York Times book review (April 2007) of Harry Bernstein's novel "The Invisible Wall: A Love Story That Broke Barriers"
Such literary accolades have come in droves for the 97-yearold Harry Bernstein, a resident of Brick's Greenbriar retirement community since 1973.
For his accomplishments, Bernstein has received a $40,000 Guggenheim Fellowship and was recently honored in New York City as a recipient of the 2008 Christopher Awards, bestowed upon authors who embody a spiritual journey in their work. Having your first novel published is a monumental accomplishment for any writer. When the feat occurs when you're over 90 years old, it's even more special.
"It was an interesting story to tell, and it's gotten terrific reviews all over the lot - every part of the country and abroad," said author Harry Bernstein, who was 93 years old when he began his book, which was published last year by Ballantine Books.
Right from its debut, the novel was an immediate success, with international publications in England, Italy, Sweden, Germany, Norway and Finland, just to name a few.
Told through the eyes of Bernstein as a child, the autobiographical story takes readers back to the street where he and his family lived in Lancashire, England during World War I.
"It was an unusual kind of street," Bernstein explained. "On one side lived Christians, and on the other side lived Jews. It was like two enemy camps facing each other. You just didn't cross over from one side to the other- the only thing the two sides had in common was the poverty."
Despite their theological and cultural difference, Bernstein said there were times during the war when the two sides were drawn together.
"If a telegram came saying the husband, or brother or so of one person living there had been killed in the war, then both sides flocked over to console and sympathize, and do whatever they could for the other one," he said. "It didn't matter then if you were a Jew or a Christian."
The "invisible wall" describes the symbolic separation existing between the two sides, said Bernstein, calling it a personal story of sacrifice, poverty, violence and love.
In picking a subject matter for a novel, Bernstein reflected on his entire life and the memories which helped shaped the man he's become.
"I selected one as far back in the past as I could go because that was the best way to get away from the present," he said.
Following the war, Bernstein and his family moved to the United States of America in 1922 when he was 12 years old.
"The story ends with my mother's dream that someday we'd go to America, because America was the panacea for all the ailments of life," he said. "It was a country where we believed everything was wonderful, there'd be no more poverty, and there'd be no more two sides of the street, and nothing at all like that."
During their first year as residents, Bernstein and his family were dazzled by the America's amenities.
"We found to be sure that there were things here that we never had before," said Bernstein. "My God, we had electric lights, a toilet inside the house, a bathtub and all the simple things people take for granted, but for her (Bernstein's mother), this was all part of the dream that seemed to be coming true."
Unfortunately, the joy didn't last long, Bernstein lamented, as the Great Depression lurked around the corner, ready to pounce.
"We found that the poverty that we fled from in England had followed us to America too," he said.
Years of impoverished conditions and an abusive father took their toll, Bernstein admits, however life soon smiled upon him at the age of 24, when he attended a dance social and met his future wife, Ruby.
"My marriage to her made a completely different life, a much happier one for me," he said.
While he was an avid writer all his life, Bernstein said he didn't even begin writing his published novel until Ruby's death from Leukemia six years ago - his most painful memory.
"We had been married for 60 or 70 years, and it was one of those very rare, happy marriages that lasted," said Bernstein. "I was pretty badly broken up over it. I went through a period of grief where there didn't seem to be any end to it, and I just had to do something, so I turned to writing."
Getting his thoughts onto the page proved to be a much needed therapeutic experience for Bernstein.
"I had written all my life, although not successfully," he said. "Whenever I did write though, I found that it absorbed me completely, and I forgot where I was and what kind of a world I was living in, so I thought perhaps I should try it again."
After dozens of literary awards and critical acclaim, Bernstein said he appreciates all of the honors, but only wished his wife were still here to share in his success.
"To this day, I still can't accept it fully. I just can't," he said of her death. "I don't believe in a here-after. Some of my neighbors have consoled me and say 'she's up there in heaven waiting for me and smiling', but I don't think that's so. But I do know that if I die - and that should happen very shortly since I'm going to be 98 (years old) soon - I can say that at least I won't have to endure the misery of living without her."
For Bernstein, his love of Ruby will live on long after he's gone, in the memories he's presented on the page.
"Some of the readers who've written to me have mentioned her as an inspiring figure," he said proudly. "The book is dedicated to her memory."
To further expound on their lifelong love, Bernstein is now in the process of completing his third book, which has already been purchased by Random House. His upcoming title is based on their relationship and his contemplative reflection on their shared lives over the past century.
For all his success late in life, Bernstein admits it's bittersweet without the love of his life being a part of it all.
"I think she would've been so proud," he said. "She really did believe in me as a writer, which wasn't so true of most people."
It was Ruby who constantly supported Bernstein in his literary endeavors, even when nobody else did.
"I had a number of short stories published in little magazine, as they were called in those days," he said. One of Bernstein's stories had been read by the former editor of book publisher Simon & Schuster.
"He wrote to me and told me that if I ever write a novel, he'd be glad to read it and consider it," said Bernstein. "As soon as Ruby and I got married, I settled down to write that novel, and I did write it- but it was lousy."
Despite getting rejected in his first attempt, Bernstein was offered a job as a reader of manuscripts and screenplays for the studios of Metro-Goldwyn Mayer. Some of the raw scripts included those written firsthand by legendary authors John Steinbeck and Truman Capote.
"The only problem was that I had so much reading to do that there wasn't nearly enough time to write," he said. "But it did at least boost my ego a little bit, and I didn't have to depend on my wife to support me."
Bernstein will be speaking about his novel and his life at the Toms River branch headquarters of the Ocean County Library on Saturday, May 3 at 2 p.m.
For aspiring authors of all ages, Bernstein says his advice is simple.
"My advice is not to give up, not to pay too much attention to the rejection slips you get," he said. "It's how you feel yourself about your work. If you really, truly enjoy writing, you should just do it whether you submit it for publication or not."
Bernstein is positive proof that in the end, persistence pays off, but in the end, the journey is perhaps more important than anything else.
"It's the most satisfying thing in the whole world: to create characters, to bring them back to life, the people you've known, loved and seen," he said. "There's nothing as good … and if it doesn't happen that you become some great writer, it's not such a big deal, it really isn't."
By Keith Hagarty
Copyright by Micromedia Publications, Inc
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