Strange Daze Indeed

Isn't life strange? And wonderful!

  • Home
  • Articles and Reviews
  • Twitter Parties
  • PR
  • Current Giveaways
  • Spring Cleaning Series

#Aging Well – Helping our Parents and Grandparents Navigate a Path to Healthy Living

November 26, 2014 By Debra Pearlstein 21 Comments

aetnalogo

I participated in this program on behalf of Aetna and The Motherhood. All opinions are my own.

Aging is a fact of life, and, like most things that are inevitable, it’s best to try and make friends with it. After all, our attitudes really determine how we live our lives.

My Mom would always tell me as she got older that inside she felt like a young girl. She kept that youthful outlook throughout her life. When she was younger, my Mom loved to sing opera and to dance salsa and jitterbug. She would tell me stories about how she and Dad danced in the streets on their honeymoon in Cuba. She was a hot ticket.

As my Mom got older, she developed some health problems which made it much harder to do the things she loved to do, but, of course, she retained her irrepressible spirit. We would always try to take a walk around the block and stop to look at the ocean. She took a t’ai chi class which she loved and I took it with her. Every weekend, we would go to our favorite seafood restaurant and order something healthy and delicious. Salmon with grilled asparagus was a favorite. She cut out salt and ate more salads. I would take her grocery shopping with me, even if it meant she had to lean more on the cart. She loved Jeopardy and her favorite gift was always more crossword puzzle books. These kept her mind active and young as well.

Parents and grandparents can still stay active, even though it may not be in the same ways as when they were younger. New and healthy foods can be an adventure and one that helps ease inflammation and blood sugar issues.

In short, we can help our elders age gracefully and healthfully.

This fall, Aetna teamed up with Grandparents.com on a new survey of more than 5,000 Grandparents.com members to gauge what matters most to grandparents for healthy living.

aetna1Aetna.com

A group of bloggers were recently invited to a virtual chat with Dr. Randall Krakauer, Vice President and national medical director for Medicare Strategy and Innovation at Aetna. A recognized leader in geriatric care, board certified in internal medicine and rheumatology, Dr. Krakauer is also the proud father of three and grandfather of two. What we learned was interesting and enlightening.

Only one in four Grandparents.com members view themselves as”seniors”and less than half are retired for good. In fact, over one in three are still working either full or part-time.

Ninety percent of grandparents have access to a computer, almost sixty percent have access to a smartphone, and over half of the respondents list overuse of technology as their biggest concern regarding their grandchildren’s future. I don’t blame them. Sometimes when we’re having dinner and the kids are texting one another across the table, I feel the same way!

The most common health conditions reported were high cholesterol, high blood pressure and obesity while only one in five list exercising 30 minutes a day at least three times per week as their most successful health habit. I think this is something we all can work on together. It is a great benefit at any age. If you exercise with your parents or grandparents, they may be more likely to join in.

Regarding top health concerns, cost and chronic disease management were predominant.

If they could do it all over again, about 30 percent say they wish they had started exercising 20 years ago and 40 percent believe that exercise is the hardest health habit to form.

The holidays are a good time to talk and an opportunity to discuss family health history with your parents and relatives and help them make health goals for the year ahead.

We can also help our family members make the most out of Medicare Open Enrollment. The General Open Enrollment period runs from November 15, 2014 to February 15, 2015 and Open Enrollment for Medicare beneficiaries runs from October 15, 2014 to December 7, 2014.

Aetna

Consider preventive services and learn how to make the most of them. If using Medicare, consider other programs that many Medicare plans offer – such as Silver Sneakers.

Be a smart shopper – use resources available on sites such as www.grandparents.com/aetna-survey and AetnaMedicare.com to help make healthy informed decisions for the year ahead.

Above all, show your concern in authentic and helpful ways. This compassion is invaluable as parents and grandparents go through the different stages of life. To know they have your support is everything.

Filed Under: Uncategorized

Comments

  1. Liz Mays says

    November 28, 2014 at 4:02 pm

    My mom is in that stage of life so I really appreciate this article’s timing. When I get home next month, I’ll definitely be having a chat with my siblings on how she stands.

    Reply
  2. Kimberly C. says

    November 29, 2014 at 7:00 am

    I have to say this has made me so thankful that my parents exercise as much as they do. It has also reminded me to do a better job of that myself!

    Reply
  3. Jeanae says

    November 30, 2014 at 1:03 pm

    It is definitely a necessary, although difficult, topic to cover as a parents age.

    Reply
  4. Tammy Litke (@threedifferent) says

    November 30, 2014 at 4:10 pm

    My parents are aging too, I find it hard to believe that my dad will be 77 in January. He’s still in pretty good health, but I know that my siblings and I need to have a conversation on what our game plan should be with my parents should we need to get them physical, mental, emotional and/or financial help in the years ahead.

    Reply
  5. Anne says

    November 30, 2014 at 5:24 pm

    My mom just got a dog and has been getting lots more exercise taking him for walks every day. It is important to stay active and engaged as you get older.

    Reply
  6. Singapore Mum Blog says

    November 30, 2014 at 8:25 pm

    My parents are at this age! It’s so important now to know be prepared and help them age well!

    Reply
  7. Jennifer H says

    November 30, 2014 at 10:06 pm

    Thankfully my parents are not at this stage yet, however I’m glad to see there is help out there once I need it.

    Reply
  8. Kait says

    November 30, 2014 at 11:20 pm

    My parents are still “young” but it’s never too early to be prepared.

    Reply
  9. Kelly @ Texas Type A Mom says

    December 1, 2014 at 12:30 am

    I really hope my parents and grandparents start valuing their health more and heeding this type of advice. I’d love for them to prolong their lives any amount at all!

    Reply
  10. Ty says

    December 1, 2014 at 2:56 am

    My mom’s older but she’s very healthy but it’s always best to be prepared though.

    Reply
  11. Maria Iemma says

    December 14, 2014 at 10:19 am

    I am the caregiver for my mother and I appreciate your ideas and inspiration on how to keep myself and her healthy.

    Reply
  12. Toni Porter says

    December 18, 2014 at 1:50 pm

    Though my mom is not yet a “senior”, I am her caretaker, because she was badly injured in a car accident years ago. She doesn’t need help with everything, but there are things she can’t easily do by herself (it depends day-to-day and how bad her pain is). Physical exercise can be very painful with her various conditions, but she certainly keeps a youthful outlook, and reads and plays crosswords everyday.

    Reply
  13. Kelly says

    January 8, 2015 at 12:44 pm

    I think that we, as a society, just throw away people of a certain age. I was watching the Walton’s and thinking about how different the world was, when Grandparents lived with the families and helped share the wisdom they had learned. I think that we can learn so much from our elders. In addition to helping them remain healthy, we too can learn how to live healthy to avoid some of the pitfalls when we are older. It is a win-win.

    Reply
    • Debra Pearlstein says

      January 8, 2015 at 12:54 pm

      Kelly, I couldn’t agree more! There is so much wisdom and love that we can learn from our elders.

      Reply
  14. David Fultner says

    January 9, 2015 at 1:37 pm

    I think I am living this artcle.

    Reply
  15. Marti Tabora says

    January 12, 2015 at 6:34 am

    I wish I could get my mom to be more active, I feel like it would improve her health and her outlook, but she just doesn’t want to do anything.

    Reply
  16. Kimberly Flickinger says

    January 13, 2015 at 1:13 pm

    This is an excellent post. Thank you so much for sharing!

    Reply
  17. Jo-Ann Brightman says

    February 3, 2015 at 5:47 pm

    I try to take advantage of all seniors can use.

    Reply
  18. Sarah Hayes says

    February 13, 2015 at 1:14 pm

    this is something we are having to think more about lately. thank you for sharing

    Reply
  19. David Fultner says

    May 24, 2015 at 2:46 pm

    This is cool. Thanks for the info.

    Reply
  20. Maryann D. says

    May 26, 2015 at 4:31 pm

    Any advice for aging parents is wonderful for everyone. It is not easy at all when parents are elderly and not in good health. My parents lived into the 90’s so I am lucky for that, but I sadly lost them both within two years of each other. Articles like this are definitely needed.

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Monster Party

Follow by Email

Me In A Nutshell

Artist/writer/curious cat/fashionista/beauty lover/blogger/chicgeek - Gemini - love my friends and family most of all

Giveaways to Enter

...

Follow Me on Pinterest
Follow @MissingLynxx

Reviews and/or Giveaways

Accepting Sponsors for Health, Beauty, Wellness, Food, Entertainment and more. I also love to feature artists, so please contact me anytime. Email: debramp@gmail.com

Follow me on Instagram

Instagram

Current Giveaways

USFamilyGuide.com

Dealspotr

Double Duty Divas

Archives

influnenster-Debra

Copyright © 2023 · Web Hosting By RFE Hosting