Seniors: Some interesting “other stuff”

Don’t delay surgery after hip fracture

Delaying surgery after a hip fracture can seriously delay recovery, according to Scientific American Consumer Health. Most surgeries to reposition the hip bone after fracture should occur within 24 to 48 hours after injury. Doctors may delay up to 72 hours if other health conditions must be stabilized.

Delaying surgery means longer immobility, which has its own health consequences. Among them, blood clots in the legs or lungs, which are the leading cause of death post hip injury. “Studies show that surgical repair performed in the first 24 to 48 hours after injury can reduce the risk of death within one year,” according to the journal. “It’s also associated with reduced pain and a shorter hospital stay.”

Good blood pressure equals good brain function

Controlling blood pressure is one of the most straight-forward ways of preventing one form of cognitive decline. According to Duke Medicine Health News, high blood pressure can lead to tiny strokes in the brain, a condition called vascular dementia. These little strokes take a toll on memory, reasoning, judgment and a general decline in thought processes. Controlling blood pressure also reduces the risk of major cardiovascular problems. So, it seems, what is good for the heart is good for the brain.

No coffee

Don’t drink coffee before a fasting blood glucose test. Caffeine is quickly absorbed into the bloodstream and your glucose levels could change in response to even black coffee. The best, most accurate results come from complete fasting, according to Duke Medicine Health News.

These seniors make major contributions after retirement

You probably know people who retired then spent their lives working on special projects. Some people take up art, some do free consulting, others change their world.

The Purpose Prize honors those in the latter category, people who at age 50 or older begin a progressive social project that makes a difference. More than 1,000 people are nominated annually for the prize, which offers cash awards. From this number, a few dozen become Purpose Prize fellows. The key is discovering an innovative approach to an important social problem, according to encore.org.

Among recent honorees:

• Belle Michelson, a former science teacher who became an Episcopal priest and founded Dancing with the Spirit. The program connects children and elders through music.
• Samuel Lupin, a doctor, started Housecalls for the Homebound. The organization has brought medical care to more than 4,000 patients in the New York City area.
• Laurie Ahern, a former journalist, founded Disability Rights to fight the practice of putting children with disabilities in institutions.

Switch jobs in your 50s for a longer career, study says

Switching jobs late in life might be the key to a longer career, according to Boston College’s Center for Retirement Research. But the key is switching job voluntarily. Those who were laid off late in life had difficulty finding new jobs. Those who switched jobs voluntarily worked longer, increasingly the likelihood of still working at age 65 by 20 percent.

About 44 percent of the population is still working at age 65, according to a University of Michigan study. No matter what level of education or type of job, all workers worked longer if they switched jobs in their 50s. About 41 percent of people who switched jobs did so most often to reduce stress. But stress didn’t have a significant effect one when people retired, the study found.

Other factors are at play, too. People who still had a mortgage at age 60 were 10 percent more likely to be working at age 65. In fact, more people now reach retirement with a mortgage than in previous decades, possibly because of differing attitudes toward debt.