Author: AFL Staff
Focus – A Challenge as We Age
Just as you may not run as fast or jump as high as you did as a teenager,your brain’s cognitive power—that is, your ability to learn, remember, and solve problems—slows down with age. You may find it harder to summon once familiar facts or divide your attention among two or more activities or sources of information. These changes affect your ...Read More
The “Best” Exercises There Are: Bar None!
If you’re not an athlete or serious exerciser — and you just want to work out for your health or to fit in your clothes better — the gym scene can be intimidating and overwhelming. What are the best exercises for me? How will I find the time? Just having to walk by treadmills, stationary bikes, and weight machines can be enough to make you he...Read More
Tips for Exercising – Even During a Pandemic
Staying fit can keep you healthy physically, but exercise also boosts your mental and spiritual health, too. During a pandemic, it’s important not to give up on your fitness routine just because you can’t get to the gym, attend an exercise class or play an organized sport. There are lots of ways you can get a good workout at home, and many reasons ...Read More
Keeping Our Skin Healthy – As Time Passes
Your skin goes through many changes as you age. All you need to do is look in the mirror. Aging skin loses fat and becomes thinner and drier. Red and pimply spots can appear on the face (a condition known as rosacea). Spots also can become waxy and pink, particularly around the nose, eyebrows, ear, and hairline (a condition called seborrheic dermat...Read More
Friends Are Breaking Up Over Social Distancing
When one friend takes prevention guidelines more seriously than the other, suspicion, fear, and shame can drive them apart. NOTE: AFL Thanks The Atlantic…and especially, author Ashley Fetters for this article. Staying home whenever possible and limiting up-close interactions with people who don’t live with you is, unquestionably, the correc...Read More
Be AWESOME! Move It!
Spend a lot of time sitting each day? If you’re like most people, more than half of your waking hours are spent parked on a chair or sofa. Even if you dedicate at least 30 minutes a day to structured exercise (such as brisk walking, cycling, or swimming), it’s still important to get up and move for at least a few minutes, many times thr...Read More
Some Thoughts about Reverse Mortgages
QUESTION: What are the pros and cons of reverse mortgages? “Needs to know.” AFL’S ROSEMARIE BOYD ANSWERS: Dear “Needs To Know:” Before I give my opinion on this, I would like to start with a word of caution! This decision is one which should not be made without expert advice! Because much of the decision is a planni...Read More
Heart Issues? Two Important Tips
Have heart disease? Then you probably know what exactly you’re supposed to do: eat wisely, get regular physical activity, keep weight, blood pressure, and blood sugar on target; and if you smoke, quit. But, what you might not know is that sufficient, good-quality sleep and stress control also offer genuine benefits to your heart. Sleep When you wak...Read More
Is A Loved One Losing Capacity? A Way To Tell…
An estate attorney recently noted that when it comes to judging capacity, many compromised folks are very good at hiding their downward trajectory. Little jokes, annoyed denials, push back, turning the tables, and graceful changes in conversation are all part of the repertoire. Also, being forgetful, or other symptoms people want to associate with ...Read More
When Aging Parents Lack Health Insurance
A hospital waiting room is a lousy place to discover that Mom and Dad are broke. Unfortunately, a parent’s health crisis often provides the first warning sign that the folks have made a major financial blunder by dropping or downgrading their Medicare supplement health insurance to save money. “In a lot of cases, this comes up at the la...Read More
Are You Active? Yes, Right, There’s a Pandemic – But….
Some of the best physical activities for your body don’t require a gym or that you get fit enough to run a marathon. Here’s some tips and ideas that can do wonders for your health. They’ll help keep your weight under control, improve your balance and range of motion, strengthen your bones, protect your joints, prevent bladder control problems...Read More
Want to Live Longer? Make It Worthwhile!
Yes, I know. We already do a lot to ensure that we stay in good health so we can enjoy our later years. We eat right, we exercise, and even with a pandemic going on, many of us are getting checkups and screenings as recommended by our doctors. But, did you know, it also makes sense to have some contingency plans for those bumps in the road that w...Read More