Exciting press coverage of how familiar music enlivens and soothes impaired elders in assisted living and memory-care makes me wonder about the health benefits of performing music, or performing on stage. So I googled it. Sure enough, “Research has shown that the arts have the amazing capacity to increase social engagement and improve health, cognitive functioning, quality of life, and longevity,” according to the National Endowment for the Arts. As I write this, the National Center for Creative Aging is hosting its annual conference in Washington DC; according to its website, “Studies show that those over 65 involved in art programs have fewer doctor visits and take less medication.” Case in point: the effervescent joy and poise evident on stage in front of Oakland’s City Hall earlier this month during a live medley of '60s-era protest songs and love ditties performed by Oakland’s own StageBridge theater company. StageBridge is the country’s most well-known senior theater company. Growing in popularity and influence, “senior theatre” is enjoying a nationwide boom. Sign up for the StageBridge newsletter and try to catch one of their shows! According to the Senior Theatre Resource Center in Portland, Oregon, there are some 770 senior theatre companies in the U.S. (an increase from 79 in 1999). Senior Theatre performers range in age from 50 to 90+, with the majority in their 60s and 70s. Not only seasoned performers make this scene. It's ideal for people who have never acted before or did so in the past. That’s because Senior Theater incorporates techniques designed to accommodate a range of abilities, and scripts and repertoire reflecting the rich life experiences of those who have been ‘round the block a few times. For example, scripts feature mostly older characters in situations based on occurrences in older persons’ lives. Productions span multiple genres, including plays, follies, variety shows, and musicals, ranging from low-cost to extravagant staging. The East Bay’s own award-winning, nationally acclaimed StageBridge is the pioneer in this field. StageBridge debuted in 1978 as an acting class at a senior center. Today, with more than 100 members (average age, 70), StageBridge creates and produces theatrical works for multigenerational audiences to showcase the rich, varied experiences of older adults. Every year the members stage several hundred performances, presented at schools, senior centers, and assisted-living communities in the East Bay and beyond. Most of StageBridge’s performance material is original, commissioned from local playwrights. Headquartered in an historic church across the street from Oakland's Whole Foods market, Stagebridge also offers classes and workshops on acting, storytelling, playwriting, singing, and improvisation; matinee school performances providing specialized messages to students; and even summer camps for older adults. Fees are sliding scale. Regardless of whether one has a physical disability, or struggles with memorizing lines or even speaking, the focus is on developing participants’ talents and offering a creative and social opportunity. The flexibility and adaptability inherent in senior theater make all the world a stage. Some performers memorize their lines, others read from cards. Some have physical limitations and use canes and walkers on stage. Some performers try to avoid going on stage with a walker or cane; I read an AgingWell magazine article on StageBridge that said: “One lung-cancer patient … hid her oxygen tank beneath a humongous skirt.” Whether you're interested in performing or helping to stage plays, follies, variety shows, or musicals, senior theater provides a fantastic way to challenge your abilities, meet people, and savor the special team spirit that characterizes the theatrical production experience. If going to Oakland isn’t feasible, maybe you can place an ad in your community newspaper to create your own senior theater group. Dozens of senior-savvy scripts and production materials are available for affordable fees from ArtAge’s Senior Theater Resource Center. Break a leg! Metaphorically speaking, of course.
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As baby boomers age and our elderly population increases, I am helping more and more families find assisted living for loved ones living with cognitive impairment. With them in mind, and in honor of Older Americans’ Month, I’m sharing news for enhancing brain fitness. A brilliant team of researchers recently published a report in Alzheimer's & Dementia (Journal of the Alzheimer's Association) documenting a specific diet that could significantly lower the risk of developing Alzheimer's disease, even if the diet is not meticulously followed. Here’s the new brain diet:
Nutritional epidemiologist Martha Clare Morris, PhD, and colleagues developed this cleverly acronymed dining program, dubbed the MIND diet. MIND stands for ”Mediterranean-DASH Intervention for Neurodegenerative Delay" (and DASH stands for Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension, found to reduce risk of cardiovascular problems that lead to heart attacks and strokes.) The MIND diet encompasses 10 "brain-healthy food groups" -- green leafy vegetables, other vegetables, nuts, berries, beans, whole grains, fish, poultry, olive oil and wine -- and 5 UNHEALTHY groups: red meats; butter and stick margarine; cheese (darn it!), pastries and sweets (sigh), and fried or fast food. We're told to limit unhealthy foods to less than 1 tablespoon of butter per day, and less than 1 serving each PER WEEK of cheese, fried food, and/or fast food. (Limiting cheese is going to be tough for me, I adore smoked mozzarella.) But here's my motivation: the study showed that this diet lowered the risk of Alzheimer’s by as much as 53 percent in participants who adhered rigorously to the diet, and by about 35 percent in those who followed it moderately well. "With late-onset Alzheimer’s, genetic risk factors are a small piece of the picture," Dr. Morris said, pointing out that past studies suggest that what we eat may play a significant role in determining who gets Alzheimer's and who doesn't. The study enlisted nearly a thousand volunteers already participating in the ongoing Rush Memory and Aging Project, which began in 1997. Dr. Morris said, “The results need to be confirmed by other investigators in different populations and also through randomized trials,” emphasizing that is the best way to establish a cause-and-effect relationship between the MIND diet and reductions in the incidence of Alzheimer's disease. That said, her team’s study showed that the longer a person eats the MIND diet, the less risk that person will have of developing Alzheimer’s disease. As is the case with health-related habits, Dr. Morris said, "You'll be healthier if you've been doing the right thing for a long time.” Meditation is good for the gray matter“Mindfulness” is a buzzword these days. Media pundits are chanting in unison about the beneficial effects of meditation. Makes sense that researchers are exploring the impact of meditation on people who have been doing it regularly and frequently for years.
Scientists at UCLA’s Brain Mapping Center recently compared 50 people who had mediated for years with 50 who didn’t. People in both groups showed a loss of gray matter as they aged. Among those who meditated, the volume of gray matter did not decline as much as the ones who didn’t meditate. The gray matter is the tissue that’s packed with neurons. Researchers were surprised by the magnitude of the difference: a widespread effect of meditation that encompassed regions throughout the entire brain. Each group in the study was made up of 28 men and 22 women ranging in age from 24 to 77. Those who meditated had been doing so for four to 46 years, with an average of 20 years. Although the findings suggest a loss of brain tissue with increasing age regardless of meditation practice— they also suggest that large parts of the gray matter in the brains of those who meditated seemed to be better preserved. The researchers caution that they cannot draw a direct, causal connection between meditation and preserving gray matter in the brain. Genetic brain differences and other factors (such as diet and exercise routines) may affect those who were studied. “Still, our results are promising,” UCLA neurologist Dr. Eileen Luders said. “Accumulating scientific evidence that meditation has brain-altering capabilities might ultimately allow for an effective translation from research to practice.” Original Research: “Forever Young(er): potential age-defying effects of long-term meditation on gray matter atrophy” by Eileen Luders, Nicolas Cherbuin and Florian Kurth in Frontiers in Psychology, January 21, 2015. |
AuthorLinda Jacobson, Eldercare Consumer Advocate & Technologist • Guide to assisted living communities • tech educator • neuroscience enthusiast Archives
September 2019
CategoriesAll Alternate Therapies Consumer Concerns Culture & Lifestyle Dementia Care Diet & Nutrition Health & Wellness Technologies For Better Aging |
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