The idea that our brains decline as we age is in itself in decline. Studies reported in a new edition of the neurology book Progress in Brain Research suggest that for most of us as we age, our attention widens in focus. This, combined with the fact that we have more information to remember, makes it more difficult to recall small bits of information like a phone number or name. Yet it is this very accumulation of information that helps us become "wiser" as we age: by transferring
Monthly Archives: July 2008
Brain Games
By Shae Hadden | Bio
An overwhelming concern with mental fitness seems obvious from the plethora of “brain games” geared to ‘older’ people. This fascination with keeping our minds and our memories intact is admirable considering that we will probably need our faculties for a lot longer than any previous generation. From sudoku to crosswords, challenging video games to virtual realities, we have many options to choose from. Each offers different challenges for our key brain functions:
Boomers Tackling Malaria
Bill Gates, Nobel-prize winner Dr. Peter Agre, and management consultant Rob Mathers have taken on ‘encore’ careers focused on tackling malaria. According to Marc Freedman, author of Encore: Finding Work that Matters in the Second Half of Life, sees the last few decades of our life as a new life stage, one in which
Boomer Boredom
By Jim Selman | Bio
Of
all the complaints and fears we hear that are associated with aging,
the number one is boredom. After a lifetime of activity and
accomplishment, it is incredible how many of us move into “elderland”
only to discover that we’re unsatisfied and bored. How can this be?
Granted that we might not be as spry as we once were and some of our
libidos are lackluster, but goodness gracious, do we really expect our
circumstances to make
Polarity
By Jim Selman | Bio
Either/or.This way of thinking about and relating to life is one of the most persistent and difficult aspects of our culture. Everything is either this or that. And if it isn’t this, it must be that.
We are either independent or dependent.
We are either the part or the whole.
We can be unified and whole or we can be fragmented and incomplete.
If something isn’t true, it must be false.
If something isn’t wrong, then it is right.
And on it goes….
This either/or mode of observing
Not So Different Online
According to a new study released by the Center for the Digital Future and AARP, Americans 50+ are closing the digital divide with online behaviors similar to much younger users (those under 20). Older citizens not only use websites for information, but they also use social networking, gaming and news channels in ever-increasing numbers. Key findings of the study include:
=&0=&. More than twice as many 50+ Americans than users under 20 check news online (42% compared to 18%) =&1=&. More older users log in daily or several times a day (58% vs. 47%). Forty-six percent of users under 50 and users over 70 use the internet to maintain their social relationships. Seventy percent of members 50+ and 58% of members under 20 reported their online communities were very or extremely important to them. =&2=&Multigenerational or Intergenerational?
By Shae Hadden | Bio
Traditionally, a generation was defined as the time between the birth
of parents and the birth of their offspring (about 30 years). Recently,
however, a more accurate definition would be a group of people born and
shaped by a particular span of time. The eras of Generations X, Y and Z
span much less than two decades each. And every generation experiences
life from a different perspective including changing societal values,
technologies and
Working to Die
The Japanese Labour Board ruled earlier this month that the death in January 2006 of a 45-year-old senior Chief Engineer on the Toyota Camry Hybrid Project was "karoshi" (death by overwork). He had been working more than 80 hours of overtime a month, including evenings and weekends, and making frequent business trips overseas. He died of a heart attack the day before he was to travel to the Detroit Auto Show to promote the hybrid car. Toyota has issued a statement that it would step
Lighten Up
By Jim Selman | Bio
The 1970s in the USA may not have been the ‘Age of Enlightenment’, but it was certainly the ‘Age of the Pursuit of Enlightenment’. The Esalen Institute was in its hey day, the est training was blowing everyone’s mind, and authentic Indian yogis were in demand. We thought the Age of Aquarius was really here and that peace and love were just a few years away.
Maybe we were naïve, but it was a good time when young people were trying hard to be better people and
Virtual Giving
By Shae Hadden | Bio
Usually we think of the inevitable convergence of technologies as being beneficial for the majority of people using them. Take the introduction of video to the internet, or the internet to the cell phone, for example. As soon as we discover something that works that people want, then the advertisers and marketers are on the bandwagon, looking for opportunities to sell within the new medium. What has me shaking my head today is the obvious marketing spin on ‘virtual gifts’,