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MATURE MARKET HEADLINES POSTED 3/19/99
Nearsighted Cure Is Not Too Far AwaySure you've seen them before. But chances are they can't see you back. I'm talking about those nearsighted folks who squint their way through life. Looking as though they're in pain as their faces wince and contort in order to see ... well, in order to see just about anything or anyone. I'm talking about the very, very nearsighted. You know, those people you see on the street asking a mailbox or telephone pole for directions. Don't laugh. They're sitting behind the steering wheel of their car while they do it.Funny thing is, the number of the four-eyed people is rapidly increasing as millions and millions of baby boomers get ever closer to the over-the-hill mark. Just about the only problem greater than the boomers' vision is their vanity. They don't like the inconvenience much less the look of eyeglasses. At first, they opted for contact lenses. Then there's Photorefractive Keratectomy (PRK) which, according to the American Academy of Ophthalmology (AAO), is an outpatient corneal surgery that can reduce or correct mild to moderate myopia. This is done by use of a laser which precisely reshapes the cornea. The goal of PRK is to reduce or eliminate dependency on glasses or contact lenses. The result of PRK seem respectable. The AAO says that most of the people who have had PRK report they no longer need to wear glasses or contacts. In a large clinical trial, two-thirds of the patients who had PRK can see 20/20 or better without corrective lenses. 95% can see at least 20/40, well enough to pass a driver's test. Like I said, respectable results. But science hasn't stopped with PRK. Researchers have developed an even better vision for vision care. Take a look. Results of a recent study show "phakic anterior chamber intraocular lenses" (IOLs for short) may offer advantages over laser surgery for correcting refractive errors, especially high levels of nearsightedness. The IOLs were implanted into the anterior chamber, the fluid-filled space inside the eye between the iris and the innermost corneal surface. The 160 patients who participated in the study from Spain were monitored for up to seven years following the surgery for complications. The study was published in the March 1999 issue of Ophthalmology, the journal of the American Academy of Ophthalmology. According to the study's authors, although controversial, this procedure "offers well-defined advantages as a refractive surgical technique due to its simplicity, potential reversibility and the precision and stability of the refractive correction." The procedure provides an option for people with high levels of nearsightedness who tend to experience problems with night vision, regression of refractive correction and poor optical quality following refractive laser surgery. According to Douglas Koch, M.D., professor of ophthalmology at the Cullen Eye Institute, Baylor College of Medicine, this study is important because a large number of people were involved and the follow-up period was significant. "The results are positive," Dr. Koch said, "but some of the complications need further monitoring." Complications included:
See related articles in the AgeVenture archives. Is Nearsightedness Surgery Shortsighted? These Symptoms Indicate Vision Problems Corneal Modifications (see "Aging America" newsletter, AUG 98, item 12) AgeVenture News Service, www.demko.com BACK TO TOP Cognitive Conquest of Cranial CorrosionContinuous cognitive stimulation, commonly called learning, may help sustain mental fitness and delay the onset of symptoms in progressive, degenerative brain diseases such as alzheimer's disease, say researchers at the Saint Louis University School of Medicine (SLUSM). We already knew that the lack of childhood education was related to alzheimer's in later life, says SLUSM Professor Robin Eastwood, M.D. "However, we wanted to test whether this relationship held beyond childhood, to formal education in the adult years."Education is believed to create a "neurological reserve" that kicks in and takes over functioning for the areas of the brain damaged by dementia. In addition, education may create a "cognitive reserve" that provides people with better coping strategies for contending with the processing problems caused by dementia. It is believed that both these mechanisms help delay the expression of symptoms of dementia and alzheimer's. The SLUSM research study included 86 Jesuit priests, ages 60-98, who had from zero to 23 years of formal postsecondary education. The Jesuits have a long tradition of intellectual pursuits. They were chosen because they represent a homogeneous group whose members are, on average, highly educated. SLUSM researchers state that "there should have been at least ten cases of alzheimer's disease", yet only one case was found. There were only a few cases of vascular dementia and mild memory impairment. Findings showed that those with less postsecondary education had higher odds of having dementia than those with more postsecondary education. The SLUSM researchers conclude that education may be viewed as a continuous process in its relationship to alzheimer's risk, an on-going process that extends into the adult years. Hmmm. Does this mean that continuing education may soon become a deductible health insurance expense? Could be. My guess is that continued research will transform today's speculation into tomorrow's reality. See you in the classroom. See related articles in the AgeVenture archives. Hypertension May Erode Mental Functioning Keeping Mature Minds Mentally Alert Link to Alzheimer's Linked to Strokes AgeVenture News Service, www.demko.com BACK TO TOP Longevity Fostered by Faith and FriendshipKeep the faith and you'll live longer, say scientists. The University of California-Berkeley scientists who studied eight thousand men and women found that death rates were two to three times lower for those who had social ties such as healthy relationships and deep religious beliefs. The study, reported in the March 1999 issue of New Choices magazine, sheds some interesting light on why some adults live longer. I guess you could say that longevity isn't just a matter of smart genes and dumb luck.Friends help you live longer for a variety of reasons, say the UC-B scientists. For one thing, talking to a good friend can help you handle stress well, which is a major key to successful aging. Stress exacerbates diseases such as asthma, diabetes, some forms of arthritis, intestinal disorders, viral infections, heart attacks, and cancer. People often say, "My spouse is my best friend," and that's also healthy, says New Choices. In one classic report, researchers studied 10,000 men for five years to see who would develop the chest pains of angina. Men with major risk factors for heart disease, such as high cholesterol, high blood pressure, and diabetes, were considered 20 times more likely to experience chest pain than those without these risk factors. Ironically, some "high-risk" men avoided angina. Ironic unless you consider that these high-risk men were lucky enough to have a "support factor", loving wives. The "faith factor" has been repeatedly linked with higher self-esteem, less depression, and better physical health, notes New Choices. In one study at Dartmouth Medical School, 230 men and women scheduled for open-heart surgery were asked how religious they were and whether or not they trusted in God's healing powers. Six months after surgery, 21 people had died, but not one of those who had professed deep religious beliefs was in this group. In addition, other studies confirm that spiritually active people tend to have lower blood pressure. See related articles in the AgeVenture archives. Elder, Boomer, & GenX Views on God Eldercare Trend: "Nearer My God To Thee" Religious Are More Faithful to Ways of Wellness AgeVenture News Service, www.demko.com BACK TO TOP Flu Due to Many but Too Few Do VaccineIn case you haven't noticed, "baby, it's cold outside". And, since the flu season is upon us, many elders are due for a flu vaccination. But too many of those who are due, don't get vaccinated. That's tragic considering the illness and flu-related death rates among the elderly. This situation is unacceptable because the nation has the resources, the know-how, and a plan for prevention. Take a look.Healthcare providers are getting poor grades, Cs and Ds, when it comes to caring for the grandparent generation, says the National Coalition for Adult Immunization (NCAI). This is bad news for those over age 65, who are by definition more vulnerable to flu and pneumococcal diseases, particularly during the winter months when epidemics are more likely. The two diseases account for 60,000 deaths in the United States each year, most of them among the elderly. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the nationwide average for vaccination of children (19-35 months) was 90 percent, compared to 45-65 percent for the 65-plus population. To make matters worse, hospitals and long-term care facilities, where disease outbreaks are potentially deadly, have been slow to institute standing orders that mandate routine administration of flu and pneumococcal vaccines, says NCAI Chairman, Gregory Poland. Despite the fact that flu and pneumococcal disease together are the nation's fifth leading cause of death among those 65 and older, the elderly usually don't need proof of vaccinations to get into Senior Center programs and long term care facilities. In contrast, most public schools require proof of immunizations before children start kindergarten. Maybe it's time we looked at a comparable requirement for seniors, says Poland. The Centers for Disease Control recommends that pneumococcal vaccine be given annually to everyone over age 65 and to those two years of age and older with certain underlying medical conditions, including weakened immune systems. Pneumococcal vaccination is usually given only once in a lifetime for those 65 and older. Those who were vaccinated before they were 65 should be re-vaccinated after five years, says the CDC. Such a campaign seems practical because the pneumococcal vaccine is 100 percent reimbursable through Medicare Part B. The CDC also recommends the vaccination for healthcare workers and employees of eldercare facilities who come in contact with patients. The National Coalition for Adult Immunization, headquartered in Bethesda, Maryland, is an umbrella organization of more than 100 medical, voluntary, government and corporate healthcare organizations committed to improving the immunization status of adults. See related articles in the AgeVenture archives. Won Flu Over The Elder Nest? Vaccine Helps Immune System Fight Cancer HCFA Champions Quality Elder Care in Nursing Homes AgeVenture News Service, www.demko.com BACK TO TOP School Still Cool say Boomerang CoedsNow there's three things certain in life. Death, taxes, and trends set by boomers. Yep, they're at it again. The boomers are changing yet another American institution, the college campus. America's 80 million baby boomers have such an affect on society that just about everything they do becomes a trend. And some of the trends they set are so new and precedent-setting that you've got to invent new terms just to describe what the boomers are up to. I call this trend "boomerang coeds". That's right. Remember the time way back when the most joyous occasion in life was "school's out for ever". Why that very phrase catapulted songwriter Alice Cooper to cult status when his "School's Out For Ever" song hit the airwaves and tapped the pulse of baby boomer sentiment at that time. Well, as yet another songwriter liked to say, "The times are a'chang'in". Just when you think you've figured out the boomer mind, the boomers don't mind fooling you. In this case, they've done another classic boomer about-face. They're heading back to school. I wonder if professors will be glad to see'm?Researchers at the University of Michigan (Go Wolverines) provide some interesting insights on which boomers are returning to school, and why they're coming back. Take a look. An empty nest is not nearly as powerful as a divorce in leading midlife women to start or finish a college education. That's one of the findings of a University of Michigan study of factors influencing the chances that men and women between the ages of 35 and 53 will start college or finish earning a college degree. "The transitions which have the strongest effects on a woman's return to school are connected to changes in her marital status, not her childbearing history," says U-M sociologist Deborah Carr. Older, "non-traditional" students comprise a rapidly growing share of college enrollment, Carr points out. National statistics show that between 1970 and 1990, enrollment of full-time students age 25 and older grew by 164 percent, compared with just 18 percent among younger students. "The increase is even more marked for women and for students age 40 and older," Carr notes. "The number of female college students age 25 and older increased by 477 percent between 1970 and 1990, and the number of students age 40 and older increased by 235 percent." In addition to divorce, Carr and co-author Jennifer Sheridan, a sociologist at the University of Wisconsin, examined the effect of several other common, midlife family and work transitions, including the death of a spouse, remarriage, having one's youngest child start school at age 6, having an "empty nest" when one's youngest child leaves home at age 18, taking care of an ailing or aging family member or friend, and involuntary loss of one's career or longest-held job. Among the key findings:
What, exactly, can we make of all this boomerang coed stuff? Guess it's time to pull Alice out of retirement and press him to pen yet another ballad for our times. This time it's "School's Cool For Ever". Okay, maybe it won't sell a million copies. But you did hear it first here at AgeVenture. See related articles in the AgeVenture archives. Boomer Couples Cling to Role Stereotypes Boomers Drive Adventure Travel Trend Boomer Retirement: hell no, we won't go AgeVenture News Service, www.demko.com BACK TO TOP |
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