In Brief
By Andy Humm
Why Queens Seniors, Like Other Queens Residents, Hate Con Ed
There are still no definitive numbers of how many people were affected during the nine-day-long Con Ed blackout that struck the Borough of Queens during one of July’s most sweltering heat waves. Nor do we know how many of those without power were age 50 or over.
Consolidated Edison – which first said that only 10,000 or so customers, at best (or worst) were affected – had by Friday July 21 (the fifth day of the blackout) raised its figure to 100,000 customers or so. The accuracy of those numbers was further complicated when Con Ed revealed that one “customer” can refer to an entire household, or even to an entire apartment building. What is certain is that the blackout was much more than just a petty annoyance: It was a scary, dangerous power loss which left hundreds of thousands without light, air-conditioning, or phones for days on end. These conditions, intolerable for all, were truly life-threatening for many seniors and homebound elderly, who had no way to cool off, see, or even communicate with the outside world. “This wasn’t just an inconvenience,” said City Councilman Eric Gioia (D-Sunnyside), speaking of seniors without power. “This was an extremely grave situation.”
Through it all, Mayor Michael Bloomberg kept insisting that residents would be reimbursed for any spoiled food. Anyone who has yet to file for reimbursement should call 311, where operators will guide you through a simplified reimbursement-application process. Or if you’re truly a glutton for punishment you could call Con Ed at 800-75-CONED or visit www.conedison.com.
Eating Healthy After 50
The American Institute for Cancer Research has issued a report called Nutrition After Fifty: Tips and Recipes. “Turning 50, 60, 70, or even 80 isn’t what it used to be. Americans are living longer and enjoying life more than ever,” the introduction reminds us cheerily. “This brochure can show you how good nutrition and a healthy lifestyle can add vitality to your years and reduce the risk of cancer and other diseases.” The lengthy report goes on to spotlight many specific health measures that may be familiar, if easier said than done: Focus on plant-based foods, fill up on vegetables and fruit, go light on red meat and fats, keep weight in check, activate your days, etc.
To be fair, the booklet does cover some new ground. Rather than simply repeat the same mantras over and over again, it gives concrete examples of ways to enact these dicta and includes some easy healthy recipes. The full report can be viewed on the Web (and printed out, if you like) by going to http://www.aicr.org/site/PageServer?pagename=pub_nutrition_af and clicking on “Read Online” in the center of the page. Or if you’re not the Web type, you can call AICR’s free Nutrition Hotline (1-800-843-8114; M-F, 9 a.m. - 5 p.m. ET) with nutrition questions. You’ll have to leave a message, but they promise that you will receive a personal callback from a registered dietician within 48 hours.
We Seem to Get More Healthy as Time Goes By
According to a study of American Civil War veterans and their progeny covered extensively in the New York Times (“So Big and Healthy Nowadays That Grandpa Wouldn’t Even Know You,” by Gina Kolata, July 30, 2006), every successive American generation since 1865 has produced a population that lives longer, is more robust, faces fewer diseases, and encounters major chronic diseases later in life than did its predecessors. The dispatch focuses on the work of Dr. Robert W. Fogel of the University of Chicago, who used daily military histories, census manuscripts, public-health records, pension records, doctors’ records, and death certificates to study the health and life spans of Civil War veterans. Dr. Fogel then used some of these same tools, supplemented by interviews and physical exams of living offspring, to create a picture of the general health and life spans of the Civil War veterans as compared to that of their direct descendants. Here is some of what he found:
• People today have fewer chronic illnesses. Among white men ages 50 to 64, significantly less of the population experienced difficulty bending (44 percent in the 1860s vs. 8 pecent in 1984); walking (29 percent in 1860s vs. 10 percent in 1994); joint problems (45 percent in 1860s vs. 20 percent in 1994); heart murmur (28 percent in 1860s vs. 2 percent in 1994); and abnormal breathing sounds because of emphysema, asthma, pneumonia (20 percent in 1860s vs. 3 percent in 1994).
• People today have longer life expectancies. Looking again at white men only, Fogel concluded that the average 20-year- old in 1850 could expect to live to 60; as of 2000, the average 20-year-old could expect to live to 80 or above.
• The average adult male in 1850 was 5 foot 7.4 inches tall and weighed 146 pounds; the average adult American male in 2000 was 5 foot 9.5 inches tall and weighed 191 pounds.
Dr. Fogel concedes that he does not have the definitive answer for why and how these generational health changes occurred, though he does have a theory that the first two years of development are crucial to future health, and that better nutrition and other health care given to infants in modern days versus Civil War times will prove a key factor. (He also disagrees that Civil War veterans were an inherently less healthy lot, his argument being that you actually had to be quite fit to survive that particular war.) What this all means for women and for non-white Americans remains to be seen – a comparable study of those often left-out populations is, surprise, yet to be initiated.
Age, HIV-AIDS, and Medication
According to a new study reported in August’s HealthDay News, HIV/AIDS patients over 50 take their antiretroviral (anti-HIV) medicines much more consistently than younger people do.
The study of 5,000 HIV/AIDS patients in different age brackets showed that those age 50 and above had the best compliance record on taking their medication: 38.8 percent attained “optimal compliance” (i.e., they took 95 percent or more of their medications); 65.4 percent achieved “good adherence” (taking 75 percent or more of their medicines). Younger HIV/AIDS patients ran way behind. Among ages 40 to 49 and 18 to 39, only 33.4 percent and 30.2 percent, respectively, achieved “optimal compliance”; 61.2 percent of the 40-to-49-year-olds and 59.1 perdent of the 18-to-39-year-olds achieved “good compliance.”
What emphasizes the importance of these “compliances” is that people over 50 are believed to have a slower “immunological rebound” (in layman’s terms, are believed to be inherently harder to treat) than are younger HIV/AIDS patients. It is thus especially important for the 50+ patient group to take those medications with consistency.
Plus and Minus on Part D
According to a nationwide survey of seniors released this past July by the Kaiser Family Foundation, the votes on the new Medicare drug plans are in and they are decidedly undecided. Just over a third (34 pecent) of seniors who have used Medicare Part D report encountering a problem, with nearly two in ten (18 percent) having had a “major problem,” as opposed to 16 percent describing their problem(s) as “minor.” Still, eight in ten seniors reported being generally satisfied with the year-old drug plan.
Types of problems cited include not receiving one’s enrollment card, having to switch drugs when the Rx of preference was not covered, having to pay unexpected costs, and having the pharmacy unable to fill a prescription.
The full survey, entitled “Seniors’ Early Experiences With Their Drug Plans,” is on the Web at http://www.kff.org/kaiserpolls/pomr072706pkg.cfm. The Kaiser Family Foundation also offers an entire Web page of links to many helpful and updated Kaiser Family Foundation Guides on Medicare: surveys, explanations, advocacy tips about Medicare in general, the new changes specifically, and much more. This valuable resource is worth a look and can be found on the web at http://www.kff.org/medicare/elderly.cfm.
Who Says Seniors Don’t Date Online?
According to Webmaster and author David Kamau, more and more seniors are turning to the Web to meet possible companions. Kamau argues that using senior dating sites on the Internet saves time and energy in sparing you from neighborhood socials, groups, and clubs where one might hope (often in vain) to meet Mr. or Ms. Right.
There are many Internet dating sites dedicated specifically to people over age 50. Visiting these sites – and not just any old dating site – makes sense in the assurance that there will be no youthful competition on these 50+ locales. One place you can find a list of senior-oriented dating sites is www.e-datecentral.com/personals/seniors.htm, a commercial portal that offers the option of linking to several such sites and services. Or you can do your own wider search by going to www.Google.com and typing in “senior dating sites” or “Where can I find a list of senior dating sites or services?” in the search blank. Then just click “Google search” (just below the text field where you’ve entered your search request) and you’re off. Happy hunting!
Women 55+ Play a Lot of Games (Online)
A company called Hitwise produces a sort of Neilsen rating of the online world. Each day it monitors “how more than 25 million Internet users interact with over 500,000 Websites across 160 industry categories.” Its tracking for this past July produced some interesting figures for seniors, especially regarding female seniors.
According to Hitwise, people over the age of 55 make up 14 percent of the adult Internet population. The top five categories of sites visited by this population (men and women) are: 1) pharmacies; 2) e-greetings; 3) cruises; 4) gambling/games; and 5) entertainment/competitions.
It is perhaps predictable that women over 55 would seek drug/medical advice, send greeting cards, window shop for cruises, and enter award-promising contests online. What the researchers found curious, and what we note here, is the high traffic to online gambling or gaming sites by women 55 and over.
What do they play? The top gaming/gambling sites visited by women 55 and over were: 1) The JigZone (58.62 percent of visitors were women 55+); 2. Atlantis (46.86 percent women 55+); My Way-Games (41.14 percent); Lycos Gamesville (41.14 percent); USATODAY.com-Puzzles (40.07 percent); Slingo (30.97 percent); Uproar (30.24 percent); Game House (28.09 percent); and Big Fish Games (23.49 percent).
Should any NYC Plus reader – male or female, we’re all equal-opportunity here – want to try a hand at any of these games, these are the URLS or online addresses:
The JigZone: www.jigzone.com
Atlantis: www.atlantis.bigfishgames.com
My Way-Games: www.gamesvile.lycos.com
Lycos Gamesville: www.gamesvile.lycos.com
Pogo: www.pogo.com
USATODAY.com-Puzzles: www.puzzles.usatoday.com
Slingo: www.slingo.com
Uproar: www.uproar.com
Game House: www.gamehouse.com
Big Fish Games: www.bigfishgames.com
