Apex Rehabilitation Care Center

No curmudgeon here, but just one harried boomer, who’s watching life’s intrusions chip, chipping away… One upside of travel used to be the “turn off your mobile phones” announcement, and now, it appears one’s conscience gets no time – off from calorie counting. Regulators’ appetite for calorie counts is about to extend beyond restaurants to include airplanes, movie theaters and convenience stores. The government wants calorie listings posted to make it easier for consumers to select healthier options…and I just want to be left alone.

Sure, I watch what I eat – but I’ll do it on my time & my watch. Though initially appreciative of the health-care overhaul enacted in March that had restaurants post calories, resentment started creeping in on the very rare occasions I was about to succumb. One chocolate chip cookie with my Dunkin Donuts coffee would certainly not wreak havoc on this body… until, I espied the 600 plus calories affixed to that slot.

I know. An airplane is the last place you want their food offerings, but I wish Big Brother would keep its elbows out of my less than roomy aisle seat!

Health advocates say the change could be a powerful tool in fighting the obesity epidemic, a top initiative in Washington since first lady Michelle Obama made childhood obesity her signature cause in February.

Come to think of it…Michelle can stay away too!

One of the first rules of marketing and advertising is to understand and target the audience your product is intended to reach. Seems pretty straightforward, but sometimes the path to the promised land, or targeted audience, is a winding one.

If you are a Mad Men fan, you watched this week as two advertisers debated how best to sell Pond’s Cold Cream. Although the client said they were interested in appealing to younger women the veteran ad guy wanted to use “dames” from the movies in their ads – Barbara Stanwyck or someone similar – utilizing the argument that young women look up to older women. His backup plan was to promise that either a) Girls who used Pond’s would land a husband or b) Girls who didn’t wouldn’t.

The female copywriter felt strongly that he was on the wrong track. I would have to agree.

Clearly things were a little different in the early 60s because these days, we are constantly presented with images of barely-adult girls showing us how wrinkle free, flat bellied and fabulous we could be if we only used the latest greatest youth elixir.

Or, maybe they are wrinkle free and fabulous because they are 17. Just saying.

So do younger women want to be older? Or do older women want to be younger?
The answer is both and neither.

Younger women want to revel in their youth, even while they look forward to their adulthood. They want more responsibility – but only the responsibilities they want. They want to be taken seriously, but not too seriously.

Older woman look back fondly on their youth, but most don’t want to go back there. Wouldn’t go back there on a bet. They want to look like they did when they were younger, but keep all of the knowledge and experience they have gained along the way. They love the richness of what they have experienced, but want to remember (at least sort of) what it was like to be wide-eyed and ready to take on the world.

They want similar things, but they want them in entirely different ways.

I recently read this fascinating article that talked about how assuming that 50 year-olds want to be 30 year-olds is a huge mistake. Many of us may want to look and feel like 30 year-olds. But we don’t particularly want to act or think like them.

One of my friends jokes with her 4-year-old daughter she is going to trade her in for two 2-year-olds. Targeting 25 year-olds to appeal to 50 year-olds makes just about the same amount of sense.

The best way to reach either of these audiences is to reinforce what is great about how they are right now and how your product can make the most of that. Don’t assume that one group aspires to be the other and that a single message will reach both

youth, women, old, young, adulthood, target

Living longer is, as Martha Stewart would say, “A good thing.” Living longer and maintaining a high quality of life through those later years is a really good thing and a recent report from the Federal Interagency Forum on Aging-Related Statistics says that this is exactly what older Americans can expect.
Of course, that long and healthy life comes along with a hefty price tag in terms of medical care and prescription drugs. Alas, there is no proverbial free lunch here. But the extra years are a nice bonus!
The report, called “Older Americans 2010: Key Indicators of Well-Being,” looked at 37 health indicators, including economic status, income, housing, illness, and physical activity in people over age 65. Data for the study came from a variety of government agencies, including the National Institute on Aging, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, and the Department of Veteran’s Affairs.
A few of the key findings of the report include:
• Seniors with no chronic health conditions spend about $5,000 a year on health care, while those living with multiple chronic health conditions are spending closer to $25,000 per year.
• Luckily only about 5% of seniors report that they delay getting medical care due to costs, and less than 3% report difficulty getting care.
• The largest component of healthcare costs was hospital and physician spending, following by long-term care facilities, then prescription drug cost.
• Prescription costs for seniors increased from about $600 in 1992 t o over $2000 in 2004. By 2006 more than half of out of pocket health spending for seniors was for prescriptions.
• Seniors report slightly more hospitalizations, but shorter in-patient stays. They also say they are visiting the doctor’s office slightly more frequently.
The good news is that a person who is 65 today can expect to live until about 83, four years longer than life expectancy in the 1960s. And those four years are likely to be better ones as functional limitations are less problematic and health later in life is improving all the time.
All of this adds up to more motivation than ever to fund your retirement account! Your years may be long, but those bills might be high! Plan now and you’ll be able to make the most of the extra time later!

A little while ago, we learned that extra body fat was correlated with smaller brain volume and possibly linked to increased rates of Alzheimer’s disease. Across the city, ice cream spoons were sadly set aside. Not that anyone wanted to be overweight, but being overweight and hopelessly confused was just more than we could bear.

Now in the latest, “Health Findings You Can’t Do Anything About” News, comes evidence that those with large heads are less likely to suffer the ravages of Alzheimer’s disease, ostensibly because they possess a vast storehouse of spare brain cells.

This is great news if you have a freakishly large head. Sure, it makes makes wearing a stylish hat all but an impossibility, but now you can rest assured that your brain has potentially been stockpiling cells for later in life when you need a few extras. Lucky you!

However, for those of you with normally proportioned heads, this news is of little value as there is essentially nothing you can do to change the size of your brain or the number of cells piled up in there. No brain-building exercise machine that will be offered on late night television. No neuron multiplication diet that will bulk up your cerebellum.

Most brain growth occurs before the age of 6. Any differential in growing that storeroom of spare cells would need to be accomplished in the pre-school years. Factors leading to optimal brain growth would include genetics, nutrition, general good health, and avoiding injury.

The average head circumference is 56 centimeters (and the weight of the average human head is 8 pounds – thank you, “Jerry MacGuire”). A head bigger than the average could be less impacted by brain atrophy, while smaller brains with less grey matter to spare might be more susceptible to damage.

Excuse me while I go find my tape measure, I want to see how big my extra stash of memory is! How do you measure up?

806,000 hip and knee implants were performed in the US in 2007 – that’s double the amount done a decade earlier. However, a 2007 study demonstrates that 7% of Medicare patients who underwent a hip replacement required another replacement hip within seven and a half years. That number, small as it sounds, translates into thousands of patients who eventually need a “do over”. A joint surgery involves risk, pain, convalescence, rehab and medical expenses; no one wants to go through that more than once if necessary.

A National Joint Replacement Registry helps reduce the rate of failed procedures by keeping a database of information that keys in surgeons to problematic implants, and provides insight as to how to avoid mess ups. According to Dr. Daniel Berry, chief of orthopedic surgery at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn, “Every country that has developed a registry has been able to reduce failure rates significantly.” Sweden is one case in point.

The newly formed American Joint Replacement Registry is still in its nascent stage and has started collecting data. Its goal is to improve the quality, outcomes, and cost-effectiveness of total joint replacement (TJR) surgeries through the achievement of four objectives:

1. Establish an infrastructure and a uniform system for the collecting device information and monitoring outcomes of TJR throughout the U.S.;

2. Identify patients who may need follow-up evaluation thereby increasing patient safety;

3. Create real-time survivorship curve in order to detect poorly performing implants;

4. Establish a uniform system that can be used to define the epidemiology of TJR for outcomes research to improve the quality and outcomes of patient care.

Until we have access to solid facts from the U.S. Registry, there are some proactive steps you can take if you are in the market for a new joint.

– Go with a highly experienced surgeon in a busy hospital; don’t look for the best deal. Ask for recommendations. A 2004 study published in The Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery found that patients receiving knee replacements from doctors who performed more than 50 of the procedures a year had fewer complications than patients whose surgeons did 12 procedures or fewer a year.

A similar trend was documented with hospital volume. Patients at hospitals that performed more than 200 knee replacements a year fared better than patients at hospitals that performed 25 or fewer.

– A joint replacement is not for everyone. Some arthritic problems are better served with medication, and surgery may be too risky for those who have uncontrolled high blood pressure or another serious chronic condition.

– Research the joint implant that your surgeon recommends. Find out how well it has performed in others and if there are known complications. Some implants are somewhat controversial and may cause tissue and bone damage; newer doesn’t necessarily mean better. If the hospital has its own registry, ask to review the data.

– Educate yourself as to what the surgery entails. The American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeon’s patient information Web site, orthoinfo.org is very helpful.

– Prepare your recovery in advance. Arrange for the necessary support upon your return home, and make sure you have all the help you need. It is crucial not to overexert yourself during your initial healing period.

According to Jarett Berry, a cardiologist at University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas, one must be vigilant about keeping physically active. Yes, in what they used to call “Middle Age.”  Wasn’t that the time we thought would be a little slower, a tad less “vigorous,” an entitlement to ease up a bit? Not if you want to hit 85 says the good Dr. “If you are fit in mid-life, you double your chance of surviving to 85.”

Dr. Berry’s findings, presented last week in San Francisco at the American Heart Association’s Annual Epidemiology and Prevention Conference, are based on an analysis of 1,765 men and women who had physical examinations performed during the 1970’s and 1980’s at the Cooper Institute, the Dallas-based birthplace of the aerobics movement. Put another way: If you’re not fit in your 50’s, your projected life span “is eight years shorter than if you are fit,” Dr. Berry says.

So regular exercise is the most cogent weapon we have to ward off illness and fight disease- as it results in lower blood pressure, healthier cholesterol, and lower blood sugar.

Rest assured… there is a silver lining to all this before you start jogging, digging ditches, or playing singles tennis:  Studies also indicate that exercise’s greatest impact occurs when individuals move from a sedentary lifestyle to embarking on regular moderate exercise regimens.

That’s encouraging. You go, Girl!

Stress is a part and parcel of our frenetic lives, but chronic stress is not what the doctor ordered. Too much stress hikes up your blood pressure, causes body inflammation and can result in heart problems.

So what do we do to slow down? Here are some ways to manage your stress.

• Be realistic about your goals and keep things simple. If you offer to host the annual family Holiday party, don’t go over the top and self cater the entire thing. Take-out side dishes and salads are great fill-ins.

• Express your thoughts in writing. Keeping a journal, blog or diary can be very therapeutic. And if you are not keen of the pen, try recording yourself via a digital voice or video recorder.

• Incorporate some form of exercise into your day and be consistent about it. You don’t have to run the marathon; take a walk with a friend, join the pool at the local Y or shoot some hoops with your kids.

• Massages are the ultimate relaxant. If you don’t believe me, try one for yourself. An aside, did you know that despite the gloomy economy – massage therapy has remained quite popular according to a recent survey from the American Massage Therapy Association?

• Find out if your workplace has any stress-fighting resources in place. Many Employee-Assistance Programs (EAP), wellness programs or health plans provide confidential personal stress-relief plans.

With the number of U.S. seniors with Alzheimer’s skyrocketing, much research is underway to determine how to stave off this mental deterioration, keeping people physically and mentally sound as they age.

A recent report in the December Journals of Gerontology: Medical Sciences found that older women who volunteered for Experience Corps – tutoring elementary school children, had increased brain activity  in regions important to cognitive function after a period of six months.

What was exciting about these results, is that it shows a direct correlation between community-based programs and improved cognitive functions. Until now, much study has been done on the brain-boosting power of cognitive, physical and social leisure activities, but little was known about the effectiveness of community-based service.

“This finding is best captured by a personal observation from one of the volunteers, who stated that ‘it [Experience Corps] removed the cobwebs from my brain.” wrote Michelle C. Carlson, of Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.

The seventeen women enrolled in this study were low-income African-Americans with little education, aged 65 and older, and deemed high-risk for cognitive declines, based on a mental state evaluation. Eight of the women actually participated in the tutoring program in Baltimore elementary schools, while the other nine served as the control.

Via functional magnetic resonance imaging, researchers assessed neural activity in the brain prior to the volunteering experience, and again after six months. Based on the fMRI assessment, the women who actively participated in Experience Corps saw improvements in mental function compared with those in the control group.

There you have it, doing your civic duty and assisting others is highly rewarding to all participants. These meaningful activities seem to be more enriching than highly stimulating activities performed alone

There is a definite association between “covert coping” in the face of unfair treatment in the workplace. Men who tend to walk away from conflict at work could be setting themselves up for a myocardial infarction and cardiac death.

In a prospective study of Swedish workers, those who used “covert coping” techniques when they felt they had been unfairly treated were more likely to have an MI or die of ischemic heart disease. Constanze Leineweber, PhD, of Stockholm University in Sweden, and colleagues  in the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health, expanded on research indicating  that covert coping – or  walking away from a conflict and dealing with the anger “indirectly and introvertly” – increases cardiovascular risk factors. They cautioned that the study didn’t pin down a causal relationship between covert coping and cardiovascular disease. Instead, they said, it raises “an interesting hypothesis, which needs to be confirmed or refuted by future studies.” The researchers analyzed data from a long-running prospective cohort study in Stockholm, the Work, Lipids, and Fibrinogen study, dubbed WOLF for short.

Covert coping was measured by questionnaire, in which the participant was asked about how he or she dealt with unfair treatment from either a boss or a fellow worker. The questionnaire did not measure whether or not the participant experienced unfair treatment at work nor how often covert coping mechanisms were used.

The participants were asked whether they sometimes, often, seldom, or never:

Let things pass without saying anything
Walk away
Feel bad — developing a headache, for instance
Get into a bad temper at home

The results yielded a covert coping score that could range from 8 to 32; the researchers stratified covert coping as low if the score was 8 through 14, medium if it was 15 through 18, and high if it was 19 or more.

They also categorized immediate responses – to the first two options – as low, medium, or high.

Compared with those who had low covert coping scores, the researchers found:

When the unfair treatment came from a boss, those who sometimes or often walked away were three times as likely to have an MI or ischemic death. (The hazard ratio was 3.05, with a 95% confidence interval from 1.23 to 7.58.).

Letting things pass showed a nonsignificant trend to more cardiovascular outcomes for those who did so more often. When the unfair treatment came from a co-worker, the pattern was similar, except that those who said they seldom walked away also had a significant risk for cardiovascular outcomes. The hazard ratio for those who seldom walked away was 4.08, compared with 4.45 for those who said they did so sometimes or often. Both ratios were statistically significant. Neither of the delayed reactions had any association with cardiovascular outcomes – feeling bad or becoming ill-tempered at home – either for unfair treatment from a boss or a co-worker.

Future research, Leineweber and colleagues said, should look at “whether interventions designed to reduce covert coping would alter risk of myocardial infarction and cardiac death.”

The current recession is taking a toll on the mental health of the ranks of unemployed and underemployed. The risk of severe depression is four times greater for those without a job than those who are working – according to a recent national survey conducted by Mental Health America, the National Alliance on Mental Illness and the Depression Is Real Coalition. And those people still lucky enough to be employed, but who were coerced into reduced hours or pay cuts, were twice as likely to have symptoms.

The findings were released during Mental Illness Awareness Week that recently took place on Oct. 4-10.

According to Michael J. Fitzpatrick, Executive Director of the National Alliance on Mental Illness, “Unemployment today stands at almost 10 percent. Nationwide, we face a mental health crisis as well as an economic crisis.”

Approximately 15 million U.S. adults (5 percent to 8 percent of the adult population) are affected by major depression each year, and only 50% seek treatment, regardless of their economic or employment situation the survey found.