Community Update (11/15/24)

Wellness

Medicare Open Enrollment Season

Medicare Open Enrollment runs from October 15 to December 7. Take some time to ensure that your Medicare Prescription Drug coverage is right for you. Your needs change and plan offerings change each year so it is important to do an annual “checkup.” Arlington offers free Medicare counseling from well-trained volunteers through VICAP (Virginia Insurance Counseling and Assistance Program). Learn how to use the Medicare Plan finder and other tools to maximize savings. Please sign up by visiting this website, emailing Medicarehelp@arlingtonva.us or calling 703-228-1725.

Vaccines and Covid-19 test

Please be alert to the need to get your vaccines; talk with your doctor or pharmacist if you have questions.

A November Review by Joan Smith

When I stepped outside this morning to collect the newspapers, I was struck by a sudden feeling of wellness. The sky was blue, birds were singing, beautiful orange and red leaves were falling, and the world felt calm. Perhaps a good time to turn attention inward, do a scan of “how I am doing” physically, mentally, and emotionally.

Stress takes a toll on a body and mind, and it necessitates attending to activities that normalize oneself, getting back our equilibrium, and also attending to any problems that seem to be cropping up.

Undertaking healthy physical activity is a priority at this time.  Taking walks, especially in a park or tree area is most beneficial; I have written before about the advantages of “shinrin-yoku”, which translates from Japanese into “forest bathing”. Not physically challenging, it is more a relaxation while taking in the forest with all five senses.  Research has boomed on this over the last while, since determining that shinrin-yoku seems to reduce blood pressure and reduce hormones involved in diabetes and obesity, and lower depressive and anxiety symptoms. But, add to this a longer walk, and voila! stronger body, better balance, and glowing cheeks.

Physical activity can provide additional benefits, such as social benefits, and is pleasurable especially in a group, and can promote self-confidence, knowing you can do this and even more. These factors then affect everything you do after, and may encourage you to even seek additional activities.

Cognitive decline seems always to be a looming threat as we all age. But the more we know about our own status, plus know ways to avoid or slow down decline, the better we can take control of our lives and futures. A Washington Post article on Aug. 13, 2024 reminds us that cognitive screening tests are not a diagnosis, but instead indicate where one is at that moment in time. An annual battery of tests can measure and track cognitive function (orientation, registration, attention/calculation, recall, and language), and we now know of many ways to address any deficits.

Preventing or slowing decline comes in many forms. Certainly, we know that physical activity plays a huge part in this. Stimulating the brain with new or novel things has shown benefits; doing Wordle, crossword and jigsaw puzzles, water aerobics, learning new parts in a chorus singing group (such as Encore), volunteer work to help others, learning a new language or playing a new instrument; there are many simple tools that are good for your brain, at any point in life! (AARP Bulletin, June 2024).

And here is a very important one— keeping your blood pressure in the normal/healthy zone! The Washington Post (Nov 5, 2024), in the Brain Matters column, points out that hypertension (high blood pressure) is the most common, and preventable risk factor for developing dementia, even decades later! While researchers do not fully understand the direct relationship, they have evidence that there is a relationship between hypertension and dementia.

So, on this fabulous fall day, below a blue sky, fluffy clouds and falling golden leaves, I urge us all to take positive steps toward our futures. Take a walk, and practice “shinrin-yoku” while you breathe deeply and contemplate the positives in your life. Commit to staying active, seek group socialization either as a participant or a volunteer, eat healthier, do that puzzle, laugh loud and deep every day, talk to friends.

And contemplate holidays that are on the horizon, and start planning to bake/cook/eat/enjoy!!