MATURE MARKET HEADLINES POSTED 09/08/97
1997 Nutrition Trends Survey Results
80% of Americans believe nutrition impacts their health, yet only 40% say they are doing all they can to achieve a healthful eating plan, according to the American Dietetic Association's (ADA) 1997 Nutrition Trends Survey.
The biggest perceived hurdles to eating well include the fear of giving up foods (40%), confusion or frustration over contradictory nutrition reports (23%), and the belief that a healthful eating style takes too much time (21%).
Another big problem is the growing trend in skipping meals, a trend that snack food manufacturers are profiting from. "Fortunately the reported obstacles to good nutrition can be conquered with a few practical changes that fit individual lifestyles, tastes, and preferences", says registered dietitian, Bettye Nowlin. The ADA suggests the following time-saving tips to help people eat well.
- Eat breakfast. It's easy to take in lots of nutrients from fruits, dairy products, and whole grains with little effort. It will help keep the body fueled for a busy morning.
- Keep low-fat, high fiber snacks handy. A banana in a briefcase or crackers in the cabinets are examples of grab-and-go snacks that give a boost on a busy day.
- Have a grocery store plan. By shopping aimlessly or impulsively people might bypass foods that can add variety and needed nutrients to their eating plan.
- Freeze frame. Prepare and freeze extras of a favorite dish for future meals so cooking won't be a problem on busy days.
- Take advantage of the abundance of healthy food choices. Don't just grab the first thing in sight.
The ADA encourages consumers to seek the nutrition expertise of registered dieticians by calling its referral service at 1-800-366-1655 (weekdays, 9am - 4pm, Central Time) or visit the ADA website at
www.eatright.org
AgeVenture News Service, www.demko.com
BACK TO TOP
Youth Hostel Industry Targets Seniors
Hostelling International - American Youth Hostels (HI-AYH) offers seniors (55-plus) a discounted membership fee of $15 (regular fee is $25). The membership fee is valid for 12 months and includes a free copy of a guide to Hostelling in North America and Canada.
Members receive discounts at restaurants, admission fees to attractions, books, and outdoor equipment. In addition, the HI-AYH membership card is welcomed at 5,000 hostels in 70 countries. The typical overnight cost of a hostel is $8 - $24 in the U.S.
Hostels provide dormitory-style lodging with separate quarters for males and females, fully equipped self-service kitchens, dining areas, and common rooms for relaxing and socializing. Many hostels also have private family and couples rooms which can be reserved in advance. You can visit the HI-AYH website at www.hiayh.org
AgeVenture News Service, www.demko.com
BACK TO TOP
How Adult Children Can Avoid Aged Parent Crisis
Many children of aging parents have never given much thought to their parents' future needs. They're too busy living their own lives, or they're fearful of bringing up the subject because it reminds them that their parents won't be around forever.
"The most difficult step is learning how to intervene gracefully" says Patricia Lynett, chief operating officer of Kelly Assisted Living Services. "Try to approach the situation as family issues, not aging issues". Lynett says there are many topics that need to be covered between children and their parents, but the most important are medical and financial needs.
Medical Needs
- Obtain a list of your parents' doctors. Make sure that one doctor oversees care and checks that medications are not conflicting.
- Determine whether your parents currently need home care assistance.
- Find out where your parents might want to live someday. Do they prefer to move in with family?
- Check out nursing homes before placing a parent there. Also, waiting lists can be lengthy at some of the better nursing homes.
- Have your parents complete a living will so that their preferences for medical treatment are known.
Financial and Legal Needs
- Discover where your parents' legal and financial records are kept.
- Are their Social Security and Medicare payments in order?
- Analyze their insurance coverage for emergency, hospitalization, and long-term health care.
- Decide if your parents need to appoint a power of attorney to handle their financial and personal affairs should they be unable to handle them.
Additional information is available at the Kelly Assisted Living website at: www.kellyservices.com/kal
AgeVenture News Service, www.demko.com
BACK TO TOP
Great Smoky Mountains Lure Senior Travelers
There's a unique attraction located at the foothills of the Great Smoky Mountains in East Tennessee that senior travelers will enjoy. It's Dollywood, Dolly Parton's entertainment park in Pigeon Forge, where visitors will find great music, shows, attractions, crafts, and other mountain traditions.
The Music Mansion Theater stars James Rogers with a combination of music, comedy, song and dance, stage sets and special effects. The Dixie Stampede Dinner and Show offers a 90-minute production show that can be enjoyed during a four-course meal set in an 80,000 square-foot arena featuring 32 teams of skilled riders and magnificent horses.
Dollywood is located 35 miles southeast of Knoxville on I-40 Exit 407. For special senior rates and tours, contact your travel agent or write: Dollywood Information, 1020 Dollywood Lane, Pigeon Forge, TN 37863.
AgeVenture News Service, www.demko.com
BACK TO TOP
Social Security Pension Reforms Work For Brits, Maybe U.S. Too
Politicians in a wealthy Western democracy with a large baby-boom population and unsustainable entitlement programs have done what is still considered politically impossible in the United States ... reform the Social Security system. Even more remarkable is how they did it.
They privatized Social Security, allowing workers to redirect a portion of their payroll-tax burden into stocks, bonds and other private investments. And, the system is working just fine. Almost three-fourths of the workforce has enrolled in private pension plans, workers have an inflation-adjusted median return on their investments of roughly nine percent a year (compared to 2% under the U.S. Social Security system).
Forecasters predict the country will have completely eliminated its national debt ... not deficit, debt ... by the year 2030. Where can American politicians go to learn how to perform a similar feat in the United States? They can ask Great Britain, a country whose economy and culture closely mirror America's, except that Britain was even more wedded to the social welfare state when politicians there decided they had to do something about the looming entitlement disaster.
Source: Louis Enoff and Robert Moffit, The Heritage Foundation. Read more about it at the Heritage Foundation website located at: www.heritage.org
AgeVenture News Service, www.demko.com
BACK TO TOP
View More Headlines
AgeVenture News Service, 21946 Pine Trace, Boca Raton, FL 33428 USA
Dr. David Demko, Editor
E-mail:newsdesk@demko.com
the media may use these headlines
free-of-charge