Old So What

  Dark   chocolate that is at least 70% cocoa. Blueberries Pumpkin seeds and Tumeric Curcumin

  be smart and get it taped up, otherwise it will heal looking like a roller coaster (like mine did).

  On dry foods, such as tuna or chicken, always have a glass of water nearby to supply moisture. (This simple rule has helped me many times.)

  If you watch some ads you may get a taste of what not to do, as for instance in the bathroom redo commercial,  complete with a sing-song delivery as the speaker’s voice goes up at the end of each and every sentence (to drive the listeners truly nuts!). Also, speak clearly and enunciate each word. Unlike the commercial done by a faux children’s band where (I must admit that this was quite an achievement), the little lead actor did the entire recording without moving his lips or jaws! And, this is important, if the audience cannot remember the name of the product or service right after viewing the commercial, then technically that ad is a dud, a failure.  An award-winning professional in the industry told me that.  He should have called it "Commercial-Making 101." ) 

  You will survive Menopause, honest, even though it may not seem like it right now. You should take something to help you with the symptoms, which can be:        Hot flashes,        Excessive perspiring (including Night-Sweats),        Excessive bleeding. I took an over-the-counter product for hot flashes, but I don’t know if this item even exists today. However, do a little research and try one of the products available now. I did not take any hormone replacement. I can tell you what I did and you can ask your doctor for advice, but remember these are YOUR decisions to make. I am not a medical person; I make no specific suggestions, except to say that getting something (or someone) to help is probably a good idea. In my menopause memories, I can recall many evenings coming home after work, and the tail end of the trip was on a trolley. I was fatigued, which worsens symptoms...

  To leave jars of things, such as mayonnaise, too near the edge of counters. Why I started to do this I haven’t a clue.   Just another one of life’s mysteries. But that’s how the oily stuff got all over the carpet, never to be removed completely, anyway, by me. So, keep track in the kitchen or wherever.   Items on the edge almost always find their way to the floor. They like it better there.

 It's easy to help friends and love ones with what they need, whether it's doctor's appointments or home chores. But when it comes to our own life, we put things off and procrastinate.  How often have you said, "I'll do it next week," only for months to go by and the issue is left unresolved? The more we help and care for others, the more we tend to neglect ourselves. My advice: would you allow your loved one to put off a doctor's appointment or live with any issue longer than they needed to? NO! So do yourself a favor, and train yourself to make time to focus on improving your own life. Even if you need to think that you are doing it because the other person wants you to, you will be better off in the end. 

  To not go near your front door, side or rear door for that matter. I do this by making a buzzer noise when she gets too close to any exit. I try to make the sound nasty enough to dissuade her, but not so bad as to scare her to death. It works, but you must be consistent in doing this.

  Here’s where I suggest that you ask your doctor first. And remind you that I am not a medical person or physical therapist, just passing along what works for me. Then with his/her OK, Pass GO and proceed to YouTube to research some exercises for Balance . Keep looking until you find some that you like enough to do on-and-off all day, every day.   Try them out. Hold on to the kitchen counter while you practice. I don’t like them either BUT they’re much better than falling down all the time, which gets old quick. Apparently, you have to retrain your body to know its place in space.   Not outer space but this space, your space (according to a physical therapist with a channel on YouTube.) What do you think? Is it worth a try? Write back and let me know.   Oh, and remember to lift up your feet.

  Apparently on my car, for example, if the steering wheel is not left in the straight position , when the ignition is turned off, the car may refuse to start.  The key will not even go all the way into the ignition which seems locked. To remedy this occurrence should it happen to you, just try to turn the steering wheel.   It may not appear to move but the attempt, the pushing back and forth on the wheel, will solve the problem; the key will go in and the car will start. I learned this on the phone from a very knowledgeable agent at AAA! Followed up by the confirmation of the head mechanic at my car dealership.

Let's face it, at some point we will all be faced with a doctor's appointment that will change our lives. This can be scary and completely overwhelming, but this tip can and will make things easier. Choose a close friend or family member to go to the doctor's office with you and be in the room when you hear the news. This "second set of ears" matters! While you are focused on the questions, "will I be okay," and "what do I do now," the other person can focus on what the doctor or nurse is saying. They can even take notes! While explaining the next steps in the course of action, most medical professionals will use examples of how others patients adapted to their new way of life, and those examples are important too and will not appear in the visit summary. "What did they say could help?" "What foods should I avoid specifically?" The other person can help you fill in the blanks of any parts you missed. Together you will have a...

  I had a brilliant idea the other day. But you’ll never see it. Why… Because I didn’t write it down, and forgot it. This has happened annoyingly often to me. That’s why I urge you to keep pen and paper near by both during the day and at night. Don’t lose those pearls of your wisdom.

 Here are a few of the words of advice I tell my elderly cousin often. Take your time . When you are rushing to finish a task and your mind is drifting, you are more likely to loose your balance or drop something. Focus on one thing at a time. If you are easily distracted or trying to do too much at once, try to focus on the just one thing at a time. This will lead to better outcomes and less trouble. Tell yourself "good job!" If you don't have someone around to compliment you, then you have to compliment yourself. A simple reminder that you can do something regardless of how simple, will boost your confidence and independence. 

  About 36,000,000 older adults fall every year. Well, this didn’t just happen. And I think that the brain tries to eliminate the memory of pain, but to be honest, it actually wasn’t as painful as I would have expected. Now having said that… After I fell down the cellar steps, not because something in my body snapped or through lack of calcium, but simply because I reached for a banister that wasn’t as long as I thought, and I had at the time lost my sense of balance due to dehydration. I laid there thinking that I hope I could get up again quickly so I could forget the whole unfortunate event.   But no such luck because any movement on my part led to an unexpected sharp pain. I looked up and saw this spider looking back from near the stairs, surveying the scene and looking as if it was considering the possibilities. Before it got too far into its plans, I decided to get up. I couldn’t.   So, sitting up was the next option. No one was coming back to my house for...

  Sometimes you can just plunge right in and do something. You haven’t done it before, but you do have the general idea.   So go ahead. Give it a try! This happened to me just the other day. It was no big deal. But you know I did feel proud of myself afterwards.

  Think of germs as if they were rice when washing your hands. It’s sticky and you have to really scrub down to get rid of them. (A doctor told me that.)

  When you’re feeling overwhelmed and don’t want to do something BUT something must be done now—start by doing a little; then take a break; and then do some more; then another break; then do some more work on the chore until you’re all done. Taking a break gives you a workable goal and a reward all in one.

  All I can say is:   get this if you’re tired of your walker making a lot of embarrassing noise. They work! They come in different sizes to fit the width of the shaft of the walker. The box says that these optimize walker performance & stability. You’re going to have to measure the shaft; order this from Amazon OR wherever you choose; and then when they arrive, attach the set of two to the rear legs of the walker. It’s really easy.   If I can do it, so can you! Please Note:   The curved end of the skis should face forward to keep any rugs down. And, of course, the skis replace the plastic tips that originally came on the walker itself. No, I don’t get anything for this recommendation to you except that the gentleman who stopped me outside the post office to tell me, would be glad that I’m passing this tip along to you. Now go out and tell someone else.

  I am definitely NOT a therapist or medical technician of ANY kind. The advice I offer is simply what works for me—coming from a past history of falling many times (including down the cellar steps [and breaking my hip in the process]). How I Try NOT To Fall: C lear the area around your bed so that it’s a No-Fall zone. Do not turn around in any way that is not SLOW, this includes full and half circles. Use a bed rail for adults (secured by your mattress).    When getting out of bed at all times, hold on to the bed rail, rise then wait   Wait to get your balance, your equilibrium, your sense of where you are and where you are going. Put all pet toys in one corner of every room (away from where you walk) OR if your pet moves them around, put them away at night. Be aware of where you cat or dog, or whatever, is.   (Under your feet or about to trip you is not a good location.) Have night lights as you go.   Remove small rugs.   It’s either them or you....