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. …

• Photos (1)

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 …

• Photos (1)

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 …

• Photos (1)

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 …

• Photos (1)

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…

• Photos (1)

Notes from Youville: On Creativity and Health

Seniors can take advantage of many health benefits related to a connection to creativity, and it’s never too late to get in touch with your inner muse. If you’ve stayed away from the arts in earlier life, you may be ripe with material just waiting for its

In 2007, Lonnie Sue Johnson’s life was turned upside down by illness. A rare form of viral encephalitis struck without any warning, wiping out her memory and ability to speak. After months of slow progress, Lonnie Sue asked for a pen and paper. She had been an artist all of her life, and her doctors and family discovered that in spite of severe cognitive impairment limiting her speech, she was still able to draw.   Lonnie Sue’s story is exceptional, but it can be seen as a parable of the healing power of art. Creative expression, in its various forms, can foster healing and self-renewal in people from all walks of life. Whether you draw, sing, paint, sculpt, write poems or dance, chances are that your creative passion will bring you not …

• Photos (1)

Notes from Youville: Health Benefits Through Volunteering

“Everybody can be great because everybody can serve." —Martin Luther King, Jr.

  Every Tuesday, Youville resident “Mary” volunteers at a local soup kitchen. She and her fellow volunteers spend three hours preparing meals for the homeless. This weekly routine is rich with personal history for Mary. She has made and maintained many close friendships through her volunteer work, some of whom she has worked with for 20 years. Now in her 80s, she still looks forward to seeing her friends at the soup kitchen and making a positive difference in the lives of so many. For Mary, community service is rooted in her church upbringing. She has never thought twice about serving others. In addition to her work in the soup kitchen, she participates regularly in volunteer activities at Youville and elsewhere in the community. She may …

• Photos (1)