Notes from Youville

Notes from Youville: Why You Should Take Sleep Seriously

'A well spent day brings happy sleep' -- Leonardo da Vinci

  According to the Division of Sleep Medicine at Harvard Medical School, most adults need at least 8 hours of sleep per night in order to function at full capacity during the day. But research from the Centers for Disease Control shows that a third of U.S. adults get less than 7 hours of sleep per night. And a whopping 38 percent of adults surveyed reported falling asleep unintentionally during the day within the past month. The group surveyed by the CDC was mostly younger, working adults. Sleep deprivation affects seniors even more than it does younger adults. Untreated medical conditions and chronic aches and pains play a disruptive role in the senior sleep cycle. Other lifestyle factors such as use of electronics, smoking, alcohol and …

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Notes from Youville

Notes from Youville: How All Seniors Can Benefit from Volunteering

For seniors who are still active and independent, community service can help maintain social connections after retirement.

In an article posted here last May, we discussed the health benefits of volunteering. This April, in honor of National Volunteer Month, we take another look at ways that all seniors – even those with physical or cognitive impairment – can benefit from offering a helping hand to others.  For seniors who are still active and independent, community service can help maintain social connections after retirement. Studies have confirmed that volunteers over the age of 65 have healthier hearts and a lower mortality rate than non-volunteers in the same age range. Additionally, these volunteers suffer less from depression. The Corporation for National and Community Service found that seniors benefit more from volunteering than any other group. …

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Notes from Youville

Notes from Youville: How Seniors Benefit from Social Media

On Keeping in touch, and how seniors can benefit from the use of social media.

  Last year, New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg was chatting with a group of seniors in the conference room at the Selfhelp Benjamin Rosenthal Senior Center in Queens. Well, strictly speaking, not everybody involved was “in” the conference room.  A few participants, peering in from a large screen, were able to join the conversation from their bedrooms and watch from their own computers as the mayor spoke.  “We all think that technology is just for the young people,” said Bloomberg at the time. “That’s not true. Seniors have a need and they look for ways to solve their problems, and technology in many cases is the answer.”   For those watching from their personal computers, the statement rang true. They were participating in the conversation …

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Notes from Youville: Seniors and Romance

As we live healthier, longer lives, we enjoy by extension healthier, longer love lives. And that means new trends in romance, like more unmarried seniors living together as couples and more seniors exploring online dating.

  Last fall, near the end of two performances at Youville House and Youville Place, professional storyteller Norah Dooley asked residents to recount their first kiss. At both performances, the room filled with giggles as people approached the microphone to share their memories. One resident recalled kissing his wife while under water. When Dooley remarked, “I’ve never done that. How is it?” the man simply replied, “You ought to try it!” Memory always seems to perk up when recalling the key moments from our earliest romances. But what if Dooley had also asked residents to recount their most recent kiss? Would the room have filled with as many giggles and stories? Just as we have distinct memories of our earliest feelings of affection, we …

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Notes from Youville

Notes from Youville: Body Language, The Healing Power of Dance

'Let us read, and let us dance; these two amusements will never do any harm to the world' -- Voltaire

  Dancing has brought us together, at all stages of life; for our most joyous celebrations and landmark experiences. You may not recall every detail about your senior year of high school, but no doubt you remember the words to the songs you danced to at your prom. If the details of your wedding ceremony are a bit blurry, you probably remember the first dance you shared with your spouse. Dance has provided nearly every culture on earth with its own unique means of celebration and expression. Like language, this ancient physical form of expression puts on a different face from one culture to the next. A seasoned polka dancer would likely run into trouble if asked to perform a tap dance, and the most skilled ballerina might be at a loss if …

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Have You Heard of Lexington at Home?

Now in its fifth year, Lexington at Home wants to tell, in brief, something of its story – and to extend an open invitation to all who might be interested to learn more and perhaps join an existing Chapter or help in creating a new one.

The following information was provided on behalf of Lexington at Home.  Lexington at Home is derived partially from the concept behind the nation-wide movement called “naturally occurring retirement communities.” That is, people who want to remain in their own homes for as long as is feasible. These people find that the support of age-mate companionship, a helping hand when needed, and information regarding resources all conspire to make this concept work. Most of the “at homes” around the country are organized on what is called a concierge model, directed by a paid staff whose jobs are to find and/or provide services for the members. Given this fiscal responsibility, the organization must have a membership of at least 200 to 300 (each …

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Notes from Youville

Notes from Youville: To Drive or Not to Drive: A Safety Guide

The decision of when the time is right to stop driving can be a complicated and emotional one, as people struggle with issues of losing independence and satisfying the wishes of family members

After a series of medical complications affecting his mobility, one Youville House resident decided to give up driving and donate his car. He no longer has to deal with the costs of car maintenance, gas, insurance or other expenses related to car ownership.  The choice to give up driving is not always so easy. An estimated 600,000 seniors a year must stop driving due to changes in health and other age-related factors. We all age at a different pace, and while some of us may still be driving into our 90s, others are pressured to give up the keys much earlier. The decision can be a complicated and emotional one, as people struggle with issues of losing independence and satisfying the wishes of family members. How do you know when the time …

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Notes from Youville

Notes from Youville: Storytelling: A Natural History

'Their story, yours and mine -- it’s what we all carry with us on this trip we take, and we owe it to each other to respect our stories and learn from them'—William Carlos Williams

  Throughout human history, our lives have been enriched by the tales we’ve shared with one another. Even today, with so many advanced, high-tech entertainment options, we still find pleasure in the simple act of telling and hearing stories with friends and family. When and how did our tale-telling habits begin?   Because storytelling is likely as old as language itself, we can’t say for sure when the first storyteller enchanted his first audience. The question, “When was the first story,” unanswerable by science, demands its own story. But some experts believe that such unanswerable questions may have been precisely what led to our first storytelling efforts. Our ancient relatives (the theory goes), at a loss for how to explain some …

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Notes from Youville

Notes from Youville: Understanding Alzheimer's Disease

With no clear cause and no known cure, staying active and educated for now appears the best defense against the effects of Alzheimer's.

  Youville House resident Anna Pier is no stranger to Alzheimer’s disease. She cared for her husband throughout his long struggle with the disease, and also saw it claim the life of her sister in law. In September, Anna participated in the “Walk to End Alzheimer’s,” an event in which she has taken part since 2009. Organized by the Alzheimer’s Association, the “Walk” has spread to more than 600 communities nationwide, helping to fund significant advances in our knowledge of Alzheimer’s. But there’s still a long way to go, and no one is more aware of the need for progress in Alzheimer’s care and research than Anna.  “We still don’t really understand how the disease works,” she says. “I do this not just for people in my generation, but also …

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Notes from Youville: Simple Superfoods

Just because you've eaten them -- and pronounced their names correctly -- for years, doesn't make them any less "super."

Walk into a health food store and you’ll likely see all kinds of exotic, hard-to-pronounce products on the shelves: foods with names Iike “quinoa”, “goji” or “kombucha,” each product harvested from a far off land and promising extraordinary health benefits. Most of these foods pack in unusually high amounts of essential nutrients, earning them a place in the catalogue of “superfoods.” But what you eat doesn’t have to come from a specialty store or an exotic climate to be great for you. Many “ordinary” foods you’ve eaten your entire life are today considered among the healthiest options by health experts. These old favorites pack in unusually high amounts of vitamins, antioxidants, omega 3s, protein and other good stuff. They are available…

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