Columns

SENIOR POWER: resolved to grow fat

By Helen Rippier Wheeler

Friday May 18, 2012 - 11:11:00 AM

“I am resolved to grow fat, and look young till forty; And then slip out of the world with the first wrinkle and the reputation of five-and twenty.” Flormel, “a maid of honour” in The Maiden Queen (1667), a tragicomedy by John Dryden (1631–1700), said that.

Stella, a well reputed, going on sixty woman of honor who played the church organ, was fat and foolish. She delighted in shopping and candy, seemingly resolved to become obese. He was a lush who left pampered and naïve Stella destitute when he died early. Their mansion was taken over by the Home Owners Loan Corporation, a government agency that attempted to recoup defaulted properties.

When we met in 1935, Stella was transitioning into rooming house manager slash piano teacher. She was allowed to live and give piano lessons in what had been the front parlor and to share the first floor bathroom.

For 8 years, I took 50-cent piano lessons from Stella. In her bathroom, I weighed myself and wondered how she got into the bathtub and onto the scale. From her music stand, I snitched candies. As we sat next to each other at the piano, I was aware that she used a smelly ointment for arthritis compounded by her overweight.

Knee surgery left now-aged Stella immobile. With no family and unable to care for herself, she was incarcerated in a state hospital-- a huge facility generally regarded as an insane asylum and dumping ground for eccentric adults without families.

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Overweight, fat, and obese are differing conditions. They also vary in their relationships to healthy aging.

Obesity is a medical condition. Excess body fat has accumulated to the extent that it may have an adverse effect on health, leading to reduced life expectancy and increased health problems. You can calculate your Body Mass Index, a measure applicable to adults of body fat based on height and weight. Underweight is 18.5; normal weight, 18.5–24.9.

The BMI defines people as overweight (pre-obese) if their BMI is between 25 and 29.9, and obese when it is 30 or greater. Calculate your BMI using the standard calculator on Google. Obesity increases the likelihood of various diseases, particularly heart disease, type 2 diabetes, obstructive sleep apnea, certain types of cancer (e.g. breast after menopause, and colon and rectum), and osteoarthritis.

Overweight is generally defined as having more body fat than is optimally healthy. Excess weight has been observed across all age groups. Being overweight is a common condition where food supplies are plentiful and lifestyles are sedentary. Being only 10 pounds overweight increases the force on one’s knee by 30-60 pounds with each step. Overweight women have nearly 4 times the risk of knee osteoarthritis; for overweight men, the risk is 5 times greater.

The National Association to Advance Fat Acceptance (NAAFA) is a self-described non-profit civil-rights organization in the U.S., dedicated to improving the quality of life for obese persons. NAAFA works to eliminate discrimination based on body size and to provide fat people with the tools for self-empowerment through public education, advocacy and member support. As part of its ongoing campaign, NAAFA also opposes airline policies regarding charging fat people for each seat they use.

"There's good news tonight!" Remember newscaster Gabriel Heatter (1890-1972) of the mellifluous voice and the nightly good news? According to new studies, aging overweight people stay happy. Elderly obese have a slightly lower risk of death, and excess fat may be protective in seniors over age 85!

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NEWS

Senior Power gets around! I’ve received an email from the National Funeral Directors and Morticians Association, Inc. of Union City, Georgia inviting me to come experience the magic of Las Vegas! It’s proud to announce its 75^th Annual National Convention & Exposition which will convene at the Mirage Resort & Casino in August.

On May 16, 2012, you may have been online and attracted by AP’s “More senior living centers in U.S. allow more pets,” or you may have read the article, which appeared on page C - 8 of the San Francisco Chronicle. Unfortunately, this reportage misleads by omission on several points. It may be true that “Hundreds of retirement communities across the country now allow seniors to live with their pets and more and more keep house pets that provide the benefits without the responsibility.” These assisted living facilities, living centers, and skilled nursing homes sound great for some elders and their families. There is, however, no mention of the many low-income and or disabled senior citizens who, if they’re lucky, rent a Section 8 subsidized unit. A Place for Mom, said to be the nation's largest senior living referral service, dedicated to being a comprehensive senior living resource, “aspires to be leader[s] in the senior care industry.” Industry, that is!

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Here are the answers to last week’s Senior Power column questions about hearing loss.

1. True or false? Hearing loss affects 4 of every 5 people age 80+. True

There is general agreement that nearly two-thirds of Americans age 70+ have hearing loss, and about half of all people age 75+ have some age-related hearing loss! Hearing loss affects 4 of every 5 people age 80+. Hearing loss becomes more common with age, affecting 18% of adults 45-64 years old and 30% of adults age 65-74 as well.

2. Why is hearing loss considered one of the “hidden impairments of old age?”

It can begin in early adulthood but usually does not interfere with ability to understand conversation until much later. Although genetically variable, it is a concomitant of aging, distinct from hearing losses caused by noise or disease.

3. T or F? With the aging of baby boomers, the incidence of hearing loss can be expected to decrease. FALSE

It will increase.

4. Does hearing impairment differ from deafness?

Not really—just my opinion.

5. T or F? Hearing loss remains largely untreated.

True

6. #__ % of senior citizens who need hearing devices actually have them.

Only 14% of seniors who need hearing devices actually have them.

7. T or False? Hearing loss can be a cause of a senior’s loss of sense of balance.

True

8. Gradual hearing loss is the most common chronic condition of old age after

hypertension and ______, according to the American Association on Hearing Loss.

arthritis

9. T or F? Research suggests severe hearing loss late in life goes hand in hand with an older adult's risk of dementia.

True

10. T or F? According to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, Viagra and Cialis have been found to cause temporary or permanent hearing loss.

True

11. One of several reasons that older adults who have been tested and who acknowledge that they cannot hear nevertheless hesitate to buy hearing aids is _____.

The technology can overwhelm some older people. Experts contend that some seniors are too proud to acknowledge need for amplification and some too vain to wear hearing aids. Major reasons that older adults do not purchase hearing aids are the considerable cost, and they are not covered by Medicare.

12. “Your hearing is not going to get better—it’s only going to get worse” is a [check one] bromide, cliché, platitude, truism, all of these, none of these.

All of these

13. Age-related hearing loss is called ________ a progressive hearing impairment accompanying aging, typically affecting sensitivity to higher frequencies.

Presbycusis

T or F? Presbycusis usually occurs in both ears.

True – usually.

15. T or F? Medicare pays/reimburses for some but not all hearing aids.

False

16. In what way(s) does an otolaryngologist differ from an audiologist? ____

A physician who is an ear-nose-throat specialist is an otolaryngologist. An audiologist is trained to test hearing and is able to dispense hearing aids.

17. T or F? Age-related hearing loss is progressive, which means it slowly improves. False. It slowly worsens.

18. Hearing-impaired persons usually find [select one:] men's voices easier to hear than women’s, OR women’s voices easier to hear than men’s. _______________

men’s voices easier to hear than women’s___

19. The following are 3 of the factors that can contribute to age-related hearing loss: family history, smoking, and _____________________.

Medications (e.g. some antibiotics and diuretics, likewise Viagra and Cialis). Some medications cause irreversible damage to the ear, and are therefore limited in their use. Some medications may reversibly affect hearing; they include some diuretics, aspirin, NSAIDs, and certain antibiotics. Sedatives significantly increase the risk of falling. Cardiovascular medications can contribute to falls.

20. T or F? Age-related hearing loss tends to run in families.

True

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MARK YOUR CALENDAR: Be sure to confirm. Readers are welcome to share by email news of future events and deadlines that may interest boomers, seniors and elders. Daytime, free, and Bay Area events preferred. pen136@dslextreme.com.

Saturday and Sunday, May 19 and 20. 10 A.M. – 4 P.M. Friends of the Albany Library BOOK SALE. 1247 Marin Ave. For information, email friendsalbany@yahoo.com or phone 510-526-3720. Please do not bring donations during the two weeks prior to the sale.

Monday May 21. 7 P.M. Kensington Library Book Club: Color of the Sea by John Hamamura. Each meeting starts with a poem selected and read by a member with a brief discussion following the reading. New members are always welcome. Free. 61 Arlington Av. 510-524-3043.

Tuesday, May 22. 3 – 4 P.M. Central Berkeley Public Library, 2090 Kittredge St. Tea and Cookies at the Library. A free monthly book club for people who want to share the books they have read. 510-981-6100.

Wednesday, May 23. 12:00 noon - 1:00 PM One-on-One Computer Tutoring: Reservation Required. Albany Library, 1247 Marin Av. Sign up at Reference Desk. 510-526-3720.

Wednesday, May 23. 1:30 P.M. Gray Panthers. North Berkeley Senior Center, 1901 Hearst. 510-981-5190.

Wednesday, May 23. 1:30 - 2:30 PM Great Books Discussion Group: Alexis de Tocqueville's Democracy in America. Group meets on the fourth Wednesday of the month. Rosalie Gonzales facilitates the discussion. Come to one meeting, or all meetings. Books are available at the Library. Contact: Ronnie Davis(510) 526-3720 x16

Sunday, May 27. 130-4:30 P.M. Book Into Film: Betty Smith’s A Tree Grows in Brooklyn at Central Berkeley Public Library, 2090 Kittredge. Read the book at home. Watch the movie together. Discuss the book, film and adaptation as a group. Registration required- call 510-981-6236 to sign up.

Wednesday, May 30. 12 Noon-1 P.M. Playreaders at Central Berkeley Public Library.