An “Elevator Talk”

GUEST COLUMNIST

Who says no one reads the newspaper?
After writing an article where I
revealed some of my “aging secrets”, I
have had some very interesting
conversations and several invitations
to speak to groups – creating
somewhat of a challenge.
Can I condense years of experience
and research into a ten-minute talk on
the complexities of aging? There are
so many issues of economics, politics,
medicine and maladies, as well as
advice about nutrition, exercise,
volunteerism and spirituality that I
could write a book or teach a course.
Actually, I have done that already, but
all that knowledge base transmits to a
pretty simple formula I call The Aging
Self-Fulfilling Prophecy, which I will
use for my “elevator give my talks.
I begin with a handout silhouette of a
woman entitled “What Do You See?”
The reverse image may be viewed as
either an old hag or a beauty queen.
Then I tell a tale of two wolves passed
on by an old Cherokee chief to his
grandson about a battle that goes on
inside people. He said, "My son, the
battle is between 2 wolves. One is
Evil. It is anger, envy, sorrow, regret,
greed, arrogance, self-pity, guilt,
resentment, inferiority, lies, false
pride, superiority, and ego. The other
is Good. It is joy, peace, love, hope,
serenity, humility, kindness,
benevolence, empathy, generosity,
truth, compassion and faith."
The grandson sat by the fire thinking
about it for a long time and then finally
asked his grandfather, "Which wolf wins?”
The old Cherokee simply replied, "The
one you feed." And so it is with one’s
perspective on aging.
At a recent family gathering in the hills of
Vermont, my sister, upon reading the my
article, found meaning in the quote of my
outlook: “When you are looking from the
inside out, you don’t see the wrinkles;
your body begins to break down over time,
but if you have the spirit to stay on top of
that, you can live to a ripe old age with a
high quality of life”.
When a young person once asked me how
I felt about being old, I was delighted to
have the opportunity to teach a little about
the difference between aging and “getting
old”. Decisions we make earlier in life
have an impact on our older age so it is
important for all of us, but especially
young people to think and act with aging
in mind. It matters what you take into your
body, mind, and spirit at any age, but
practicing healthy fitness at a young age is
an investment in one’s future.
The results of an 80-year Harvard Adult
Development study of the physical and
emotional lives of 824 men and women,
begun in the 1920’s on folks from their
teen years into their eighties, verify that
we control how well we age. The study
director, Dr. George Vaillant, records his
findings in the book Aging Well:
Surprising Guideposts to a Happier Life
from the Landmark Harvard Study of
Adult Development (Little/Brown 2002).
It comes as no surprise to me that there is
no magic in his “secrets to a long happy
life”, because the seven keys to aging well
are already on my list:
• Not Smoking or Quitting Early
• The Ability to Take Life’s Ups and
Downs in Stride
March 2009
Volume 4, Issue 3
EngAGING NH NEWS
EngAGING NH
9 Eagle Drive
Bedford, NH
March 2009
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2
• Absence of Alcohol Abuse
• Healthy Weight
• Solid Marriage
• Physical Activity
• Years of Education
The Harvard study concludes with
a powerful aging wellness
challenge –“living with a full heart
is vital to successful aging. This
means that you open your heart to
the world and everyone in it;
hoping and planning for the
future; being grateful, forgiving
and optimistic; being empathetic,
that is having the ability to see the
world as it seems to the other
person; and having the capacity to
reach out to do things with other
people”.
We are all role models and need to
think about our own philosophy of
aging. For me, the gift of older age
is that I am very comfortable and
confident with my life. I don’t
despair over that old person that
lives in my mirror, but embrace
the aging outlook of an
anonymous email writer:
”I would never trade my amazing
friends, my wonderful life, my
loving family for less gray hair or
a flatter belly. As I've aged, I've
become kinder to myself, and less
critical of myself. I've become my
own friend. I don't chide myself
for overeating or other extravagant
behavior. I have seen too many
dear friends leave this world too
soon, before they understood the
great freedom that comes with
aging. Old age is a gift - I like
being old. It has set me free. I like
the person I have become. I am
not going to live forever, but while
I am still here, I will not waste
time lamenting what could have
been, or worrying about what will
be. And now I can eat dessert
every single day!”
Guest Columnist Owen R.
Houghton is a geriatric
consultant, a member of the
Monadnock Senior Advocates and
Chair of the NH State Committee
on Aging. His regular column in
the Keene Sentinel focuses on
issues of aging well. Contact him
at: nohoughton@myfairpoint.net
Social Security Solvent
To the Editor:
Thank you for the very
informative article on Social
Security in your February 2009
ENH newsletter. Professor Gorin
is to be commended for helping us
to better understand that the crisis
in the Social Security program is
largely manufactured.
However, it does seem important
to clarify that the Social Security
Trust Fund will not run out of
money in 2049. At that time, the
Fund may be able to meet only
84% of its obligations. This
projection is based on certain
assumptions that may be faulty,
namely that there will be a
reduction in the number of
workers paying in to the system.
These assumptions do not account
for immigration, nor do they allow
for an increase in the birth rate.
In any event, there are reasonable
solutions available to address the
issue. These include taxing all
wages, including those above
$90,000 per year; including all
workers in the program; imposing
a slight increase in the
contribution rate for both
employers and employees; and
changing the formula for
calculating the annual cost of
living increase.
(http://tiny.cc/NSDsz) None
involve a reduction in benefits.
I hope that these notes are helpful
to our readers.
CWD
Home Heating Costs
It is expect that heating season,
2008-'09, prices will continue to
rise next fall and winter for 2009-
'10. Estimates range from $2.75 to
$3.25. Unfortunately, as the
economy improves, oil prices will
go higher. Last season, dealers
took a beating during the days of
$4.70 pre-buys. Therefore they are
drastically tightening up their
contracts. Look over your
proposed pre-buy contracts closely
before signing; once you sign, you
are probably locked in.
Weatherization
The Office of Energy and
Planning (OEP) announced the
availability of stimulus money to
assist with weatherization. For
details go to www.nh.gov/oep. We
will continue to monitor and bring
you updates.
News You Can Use
PLEASE NOTE:
ENH welcomes all points of
view and invites you to
submit your thoughts to:
lcamst38@peoplepc.com
Your Letters
March 2009
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3
Social Security Stimulus
Individuals receiving Social
Security (including disability
payments), Supplemental Security
Income (SSI), Railroad Retirement
Act benefits, and Veterans
Administration benefits are
eligible for a $250 stimulus
payment. A person meeting the
criteria for more than one type of
stimulus payment will receive
only one.
If both partners of a married
couple are receiving benefits, each
will receive a check. The checks
will be sent automatically by the
agencies. Delivery is expected to
be completed by the end of May
2009, although they are apparently
ahead of schedule at this time.
NOTE: Working individuals
are eligible for a $400 payment.
Therefore, seniors who also
receive Social Security benefits
are advised to ask their payroll
departments to change their
withholding so it reflects only
$150. ($400 tax credit - $250
check + $150 withholding)
Time Banking/Antrim
You may have seen the coverage
of the ‘Time Banking” on
WMUR’s Chronicle last week.
The citizens of Antrim are
participating in a project of
donating their skills into a pool of
services.
Skills may professional or not.
Pet sitting, errands, drive someone
to an appointment, roofing,
carpentry, etc—all have equal
value in this Bank. An hour given
is an hour earned.
This idea has been around for
awhile, known as the “Time
Dollar” program. Now is a great
time to encourage such efforts!
Is your group or community
involved in a project that helps
people to remain in their homes?
Tells us about it!
Eyeglasses
AAA members may receive a
discount on glasses from Lens
Crafters. Be sure to ask if you are
eligible.
Blood Sugar & Forgetfulness
“Senior Moments” the term we
toss around to cover those times
when we just can’t seem to
remember what we going to say or
where we put those keys is just a
sign of the aging brain. Another
aging fact is that blood sugar
levels tend to rise.
Researchers using MRI scans
reviewed the images of 181
subjects age 65 and older with no
history of dementia. They found
that elevated sugar levels impaired
the function of that section of the
brain associated with memory.
The body’s ability to breakdown
blood glucose is connected to the
amount of exercise. Once again,
diet and exercise are key factors in
overall health, regardless of age.
Herbs and Bacteria
A derivative of coconut oil known
as Lauricidin has been shown to
inactivate harmful bacteria in the
body without affecting the good.
Approved by the FDA it is being
used to treat a number of bacterial
infection related diseases
including oral and genital herpes,
Epstein-Barr, Chronic Fatigue,
Mono, HIV, Hepatitis C, measles,
influenza, leukemia and MRSA.
Long Term Care Cause
Created
HB 380 Establishing a Long Term
Care Commission was tabled and
replaced by the establishment of a
caucus. The Caucus, chaired by
Rep. Kate Miller, met March 31
and got off to a promising start.
Summit participants Rep. Alida
Millham (Guilford) and Rep.
James Pilliod (Belmont) attended
the organizational meeting. Other
representatives in attendance
included Joan Schultz (Nashua),
Tom Donovan (Claremont), Cindy
Rosenthal (Nashua), and John
Cebrowski (Bedford). If a
representative from your area did
not attend, please let them know
about this crucial effort.
ENH was represented by Board
Members Carol Currier and
Barbara Salvatore. In addition,
summit participants Judy Pilliod
and Tim Gormley and summit
organizers Michelle Winchester,
JD, Carol Stamatakis, JD, and
Judith Jones, JD provided
suggestions and guidance to the
discussion.
Open to the public, the next
meeting is scheduled for Monday,
April 20 at 3pm in room 205 of
the Legislative Office Building. A
Health & Wellness
Community Updates
Legislative Updates
March 2009
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4
special thanks to Rep. Miller for
her efforts to address this
important issue.
THE BIRDMAN
When I mention ‘The Birdman’
some of you will immediately
think of Steve the Birdman from
the Wild Bird Depot who is our
local expert on our feathered
friends. Those of you who are
musical and who are old enough
will think of the great jazz alto
saxophonist Charlie Parker who
Flo Cummins (our local Queen of
Real Estate) knew very well.
Those of you who are basketball
minded probably think of the
Celtic’s Great -- Larry Bird. It’s
Larry who I have in mind.
Larry was an unusual player in
that although he was not the
tallest, the fastest, the biggest, or
the fanciest player on the court ---
many of us still considered him to
be the best player out there. When
asked what made him so great –
Larry would answer that it was
because he always went to where
he knew the ball was going to go.
It was as though Larry was always
seeing 3 seconds into the future. In
basketball those 3 seconds are the
difference between being good
and being great!
Recently, I was a Panelist at
Eldercare 2009, a conference for
families and older adults called.
My job was to address Aging
Issues and Trends, but instead of
focusing on the laundry list of
changes happening, I used the
time to get people thinking about
“Why” things are changing the
way that they are.
We have come to what Malcom
Gladwell calls a “Tipping Point”.
Think of an old fashion roller
coaster where the cars are slowly
raised to the top and once that top
is crested – they go flying down!
Right now we are approaching the
top–and soon changes are going to
come fast and furious– but not for
the reasons that you might think.
Historically, the older generation
set the standards for expectations
that following generations would
then in turn change and adjust.
Those days are gone! The days of
incremental change in the
retirement world
are gone! Today
we are getting a
look over the top
of that roller
coaster; today a
Larry Bird is
looking ahead and
seeing not more
of the same, but
something very different. Once we
get to that ‘tipping point’ nothing
will be the same.
The huge numbers of Baby
Boomers are some 15 years away
from moving to retirement
communities, but they are shaping
the decisions that their parents are
making today! The Boomers are
demanding that the retirement
world provide their parents with
what the Boomers are going to
want for themselves. Instead of a
gradual change, we are going to
have wholesale change and we are
going to have it in a hurry.
As a society, we have moved from
defensive retirement–based on the
needs of retirement age people to
provide security for health
problems and financial protection–
to one that is proactive–driven by
the desire to not only protect, but
to enhance one’s lifestyle in a
financially conservative manner.
This is a very big change. At the
Conference a gentleman, who I
guess is a lot closer to 90 than I
am to 40, stopped by to talk. Here
was a guy who clearly had a
number of significant medical
problems. Even though he was
interested in retirement
communities he never asked one
question about healthcare support
or special services. He was only
interested in
learning what was
available in the
form of intellectual
activity! He knew
how manage his
physical problems;
he was interested
in knowing about
what kinds of
things would be
available to help keep himself
active, socially and intellectually.
He wanted to know about
language courses and book clubs
and not about special diets.
This is a great guy, and a great
example of how people are
looking for very different things
today, than they were just a couple
of years ago. The Boomers are
shaping the face of not only their
own retirement, but the face of
their own parents’ retirement as
well and it is happening faster than
any of us dared to predict.
Being a Boomer myself, I think
that it is a wonderful thing. For too
long, retirement has been focused
We have truly reached
a ‘tipping point’ that
means that not only
will the future be
different, but that it
will be suddenly and
dramatically different.
Purposeful Living
March 2009
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on how to protect oneself from
inevitable decline, instead of
focusing on the truly unlimited
opportunities that abound.
Retirement isn’t about grabbing a
seat in God’s Waiting Room; it is
about putting yourself in a
situation to grow, to learn, to serve
and to have fun.
So let me take a Larry Bird
perspective and say that in order to
meet the needs of the future, we
need to go where the ball is going
and not where it is or has been.
We have truly reached a ‘tipping
point’ that means that not only
will the future be different, but
that it will be suddenly and
dramatically different.
Hold on tight because the ride is
just starting to get interesting. Age
Well.
Howard Chandler has worked in
elder services for over 35 years
and is Vice-President of Meredith
Bay Colony Club along with being
a Partner of White Mountain
Eldercare Solutions. Your
comments are always appreciated.
chandler@metrocast.net
No matter where you look these
days you will see books and
articles on how to create change in
your life. What they all seem to
have in common is a progression
of stages that begins with
identifying what you don’t want.
(Some call this the
revolting/revolution stage). The
second stage is to know what you
do want (clearly and precisely
stated), and the third stage is the
“saboteur”. We’ve all been there;
think about one thing that you
want and 5 things pop up as to
why it can’t be.
Or in the case of the legislative
process, need it, want it, can’t
afford it.
At the Long Term Care Caucus
meeting, chair Rep. Kate Miller
asked if a long term care system
included services and supports in
addition to medical care. This is
an excellent question, and perhaps
the most critical issue on the table.
The Time Banking project in
Antrim is a perfect example of
how local efforts can become the
backbone of a support network
that is part of a long term care
initiative without becoming a
financial burden to the State
budget. Of course we need to look
at the medical and related
systems/structures that serve an
aging population. But we also
need to move beyond the Saboteur
stage into ways that investigate
what we can do together to create
and sustain livable communities
for all citizens.
Participants in the Summit
indicated several issues affecting
all NH residents, but the one issue
everyone agreed that they would
be willing to work on was just
that—the commuity. As we go
through this process with the
caucus, make your voice heard.
Let us know how we can best
represent you.
This newsletter is our main tool
for communicating, linking, and
sharing. We continue to expand
regular features. We welcome
suggestions and comments from
our readers on what they find most
helpful. Guest editorials and
reader’s letter’s are welcome.
If the issues addressed here and
other local, state and/or national
issues concern you, think about
getting together a small group of
like-minded people to discuss
them. Think about how you might,
individually or together, address
them. Consider sharing your ideas
with us. You can make a
difference!
And, PLEASE--share this
newsletter with family, friends,
neighbors and others in your
community.
Board Notes
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