MATURE MARKET HEADLINES 10/16/2000
Retirement Expands Quality of Life Issues
Americans who retire early will spend a quarter of their lives in retirement, according to a new report from the International Longevity Center-USA (ILC-USA). "Twenty or twenty-five years of retirement may sound pretty good to people who have worked hard all their lives, but whether it's good for their health, or the health of the nation, is another matter," says Dr. Robert N. Butler, ILC-USA president and a co-editor of the report entitled "Longevity and Quality of Life: Opportunities and Challenges".
"Inactivity is one of the greatest threats to the physical and mental health of older people," Butler points out. "Most older people would be better off physically, mentally and financially if they could stay in the game a few more years instead of sitting on the bench for the last quarter of their lives."
Dr. Claude Jasmin, president of the International Council for Global Health Progress (ICGHP) agrees that many attitudes towards retirement and retirement policies are out of synch with the real needs and abilities of older people. With life expectancy approaching 80 years of age throughout the industrialized world, and with debilitating illness increasingly delayed until the last years of life, many retirees are perfectly capable of working full-time, or at least part-time.
Despite the adults' ability to remain engaged in the workforce, they are dissuaded from staying on the job, says Jasmin, by outdated policies which steer them into unproductive and often sedentary leisure. The misguidedness of these policies will soon become even more striking, Jasmin believes, as technological progress in the fields of biology, computer technology and robotics makes even more people in their eighties and nineties capable of sustained productivity.
Butler questioned how many healthy men and women would retire as early as they do, if government and business didn't provide so many disincentives to continue working. Recently, Butler acknowledges, the United States took a first step in dismantling these disincentives by revising a policy that discouraged older Americans receiving Social Security benefits from working. "It was a start," Butler admits, "but there's a lot more for the government and the business sector to do to remove the barriers they’ve put in the way of older people who want to continue working."
The conference report, “Longevity and Quality of Life,” is available at a cost of $101.50 plus shipping and handling. Voice-mail: (781) 871-6600. E-mail: kluwer@wkap.com.
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Gift-Giving Tips for Special Older Adults
Choosing gifts for older adults can be a challenge. In recognition of this fact, geriatric nurse practitioner Carolyn Philpot, Saint Louis University Division of Geriatric Medicine, draws on her experience to make recommendations for gifts older adults find appealing.
Philpot emphasizes the need to individualize the gift to match an older adult's activity level, socioeconomic status and interests. The gift of "time", says Philpot, is the favorite of most older people. "Take them to the movies, dinner, a show. Grandkids can give coupons good for raking leaves or cutting the grass or taking them to the barber or beauty salon."
Here's a summary of Philpot's gift ideas based on the older adult's activity level.
- Gifts for Active Adults
Memberships in senior organizations, clothing, computer equipment, cosmetics, exercise outfits, gardening equipment, gift certificates for outings (restaurant, theater, spas, golf).
- Gifts for Sedentary Older Adults
Gift certificates for sedentary activities (movie rentals, music, hairdresser, grocery store), plants, pets, large-print books, lifeline services, TV guide, fruit basket.
- Gifts for Adults with Physical Limitations
Photo albums, lap blankets, letters, personalized quilts, personal care items, fruit basket, time together, escort out to dinner, favorite snacks, seasonal decorations for their rooms.
- Gifts for All Groups of Older Adults
Framed pictures of family members, photo collages, personalized calenders.
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Lifestyle Habits Impact Health Care Costs
Changes in lifestyle and behavior involving exercise, stress, and tobacco use could save employers and managed care organizations money, according to a new study reported by the Center for Advancement of Health. "Health promotion programs that address stress and other high-cost risk factors may be beneficial for employees and sponsoring employers," says R. William Whitmer, President and CEO, Health Enhancement Research Organization.
Whitmer and colleagues examined the health records and health care expenditures of employees of six large companies. These individuals had participated in a health-promotion program for which data were collected on their exercise habits, alcohol and tobacco use, nutrition, weight, cholesterol, stress levels, depression, blood sugar, and blood pressure.
Study participants were categorized as at high or lower risk for each of the 10 factors. Those who fell into the high-risk group for fitness rarely exercised; high risk alcohol users had five or more drinks two or more days a week; and those at high risk from stress rated life as "quite or extremely stressful" and indicated that they weren’t effective in coping with stress.
About 25 percent, or $20 million, of the study participants’ total annual health care expenditures of $80 million were attributable to the 10 health risks. Each of these risks may be modified through lifestyle or behavior changes, and in some cases through medication, according to the study.
Being at high risk for stress-related problems emerged as the costliest risk factor. It accounted for more than $6 million, or 7.9 percent, of total expenditures. Other costly risk factors included being a current or former smoker, being overweight, and having a sedentary lifestyle.
Future research, says the study, should examine the long-term impact of health risks like high stress, excess weight, and a sedentary lifestyle on health care expenditures. Such research should also examine how changes in these risk factors affect expenditures, according to the study. This study was funded by the Health Enhancement Research Organization, Birmingham, Alabama, and The StayWell Company, San Bruno, California.
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Surgical Technique Removes Frown Lines
Permanent improvement of frown lines, the vertical wrinkles that form on the forehead between the eyebrows, can be achieved with a new trans-brow approach, according to a study presented at the Annual Scientific Meeting of the American Society of Plastic Surgeons.
"This technique provides another option for the patient who is not having a brow-lift or does not want to have repeated injections of Botox," says plastic surgeon Dr. Richard H. Bensimon. "It is especially useful for younger patients who have strong frown lines but have not yet developed the heavy creases their parents may have."
The procedure is simple, and can be performed alone or in conjunction with other surgical procedures, says Bensimon. A small incision is made in the eyebrow to expose the glabellar muscles, the muscles on the flat area between the eyebrows. The muscles are separated from the surrounding tissue, avoiding local nerve branches, and removed.
The debaulking of the muscles substantially weakens the frown. Unlike Botox, it does not completely paralyze that area of the face, and the patient is still able to express emotional reactions normally, he added.
The amount of tissue actually removed is small, and the procedure leaves no contour deformity in the brow. Because the glabellar muscle is near the surface of the skin, this technique leaves all of the deeper structures undisturbed. This surgery is appropriate for patients of all ages and both genders who have deep frown lines.
Founded in 1931, the American Society of Plastic Surgeons represents physicians who are certified by the American Board of Plastic Surgery (ABPS). To find an ABPS-cerified plastic surgeon in your area or to learn more about cosmetic and reconstructive surgery, contact the Plastic Surgery Information Service at: 1-888-4-PLASTIC.
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Genes Prevent Health Insurance Coverage
Perfectly healthy people may not be getting the health insurance they need. New genetic screening programs available to insurance companies and employers may make people with a genetic disorder vulnerable to discrimination, even if they show no symptoms of the disease.
Genetic discrimination, a non-issue just a few years ago, has come to the forefront because of advances made in genetic testing. These advances can give us information that can lead to prevention and even to cures. But while genetic testing holds great promise, many Americans fear discrimination by insurance companies because of their genetic makeup and worry about the possible loss of insurance that could ultimately help them get medical treatment.
A study looking at the prevalence of genetic discrimination among people with hemochromatosis, the most common genetic disorder in the United States, is being presented at the annual meeting of the American College of Gastroenterology. Bruce R. Bacon, M.D., director of the division of gastroenterology and hepatology at Saint Louis University School of Medicine, is a co-author of the study.
In hemochromatosis, the body absorbs too much iron. Symptoms usually do not appear until between 40 and 60 years of age. Untreated, the iron builds up to toxic levels, damaging organs and tissues such as the liver, pancreas and heart. But a diagnosis of hemochromatosis is not the only disease that puts people at risk of genetic discrimination. There have been hundreds of cases of genetic discrimination in the past few years against carriers of other diseases such as sickle-cell anemia, Huntington's disease and cystic fibrosis.
More than 25 states have enacted some form of genetic non-discrimination in health insurance legislation. Missouri currently has one such law pending, and Illinois has enacted a law that protects against genetic discrimination in the workplace.
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Pet Popularity Booms As America Ages
Fifty-six percent of Americans own a dog, cat, puppy or kitten, according to a recent Maritz Marketing Research Poll. Of those, 40 percent own a dog, 23 percent own a cat, three percent own a puppy, and three percent own a kitten.
Baby boomers and retirees are especially fond of having a pet around the house. The middle age groups are most likely to own a dog or cat. Sixty-seven percent of 35-54 year olds own a dog, puppy, cat or kitten, compared to 54 percent of 18-24 years olds and 46 percent of those 55 and older.
You may be wondering, just who is man's best friend. Well, the Maritz survey has shed some light on that issue. The following are, according to the poll, the top five breeds of dogs.
- Mutts (mixed breed) 22%
- Labrador 12%
- German Shepherd 9%
- Poodle 6%
- Dalmatian 4%
Sixty-five percent of dog owners have one dog, 24 percent have two, 4 percent have three and 7 percent own four or more canines. As for cat-owners, 49 percent have one feline friend, 27 percent have two, 12 percent have three and 13 percent have four or more cats.
What's behind this pet boom? Well, it's more than just a fad. The major of survey respondents, 59%, agree completely that families with children would benefit from having a dog or a cat. Sixty-one percent of respondents also agree completely that older adults would benefit from having a dog or a cat. Even more, 66%, agree completely that people who live alone would benefit from having a dog or a cat.
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Life Management Strategies During Illness
If getting sick leaves you feeling down, you might want to read a new health consumer book. "Hoping, Coping, and Moping" offers suggestions for dealing with chronic or life-threatening illness. Author Ronna Jevne helps readers look at the effects physical suffering has on one's body, mood, energy, emotions, spirit, loved ones and overall quality of life.
Jevne offers brief summaries of various health situations that help the reader ponder new ways to face illness. Solutions are provided for assisting recovery, promoting a positive attitude, and honing one's coping skills. These situations are organized into helpful sections focusing separately on attitude, your body, health care system, support, emotional health, simplifying your life, your spirit, and living in the present.
Ronna Jevne, PhD, is a health psychologist with 20 years of experience. A professor of Educational Psychology at the University of Alberta, Jevne helped found the Hope Foundation of Alberta, a not-for-profit organization dedicated to enhancing hope for those coping with illness.
"Hoping, Coping, and Moping: managing life when illness makes it tough" by Ronna Jevne (September 2000, $14.95, Health Information Press, Los Angeles) is now available in bookstores.
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Vitamin C Linked to Reduced Stroke Risk
Individuals with high blood levels of vitamin C have significantly reduced risk of stroke, according to a long-term study reported in the October issue of Stroke: Journal of the American Heart Association. Higher intake of fruits, vegetables and other foods rich in vitamin C and potassium have been associated with lower stroke rates in previous studies.
"To my knowledge, this is the first prospective study to make the correlation between vitamin C in the bloodstream and incidence of stroke," says author Tetsuji Yokoyama, M.D., research associate in epidemiology at the Medical Research Institute of Tokyo Medical and Dental University. "The risk of stroke was inversely related to vitamin C in the bloodstream and frequency of vegetable consumption."
The researchers examined 880 men and 1,241 women in rural Japan which were divided into four groups according to the level of vitamin C in their blood. Among the participants, 196 strokes occurred during a 20-year period beginning in 1977. "The risk of stroke was 70 percent higher among those in the lowest quarter than those in the highest," says Yokoyama.
When researchers examined strokes based on the number of days per week the participants ate fruits and vegetables, they found a similar relationship. The clearest association was for vegetable consumption. "The risk of all types of stroke was 58 percent lower among those who consumed vegetables six to seven days per week, compared to those who only consumed them up to two days a week," notes Yokoyama.
Higher concentrations of vitamin C in the blood provided benefits even in patients with other risk factors, such as high blood pressure, heavier alcohol consumption, smoking or lower physical activity. However, these risk factors did reduce the benefits somewhat. The reasons are unclear, but smoking and alcohol may interfere with vitamin C absorption or metabolism. "Thus, we recommend healthy behaviors such as eating fruits and vegetables frequently, not smoking, avoiding excess drinking, and being moderately physically active," Yokoyama says.
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