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Sleepy seniors? Not so, study suggests

07 Feb 2010 - Preaching the News for Sunday

“You built up strength within me,” says the psalmist in praise of the Lord this Sunday. While a good night’s sleep is necessary for strength and well-being, a study released Monday indicates older people need less sleep than they may have been led to believe by pharmaceutical companies selling sleep aids. “Healthy aging appears to be associated with reductions in the sleep duration and depth required to maintain daytime alertness,” researchers said. Elizabeth Klerman of Brigham and Women’s Hospital and the Harvard Medical School and her colleague Derk-Jan Dijk of the Surrey Sleep Research Centre in England compared the sleep habits of those over 60 to those under 32. Those studied did not have any sleep disorders and didn’t complain about lack of sleep. Subjects went through various rounds of sleep and wake periods under varying conditions and were tested for sleepiness during the wake periods. The bottom line was that the seniors simply needed less sleep--about 1.5 hours less. Younger subjects slept for an average of 9 hours compared with 7.5 for older people. The results have implications for seniors who think they have insomnia. “There are definitely older people with insomnia,” Klerman said. “However, there may also be some older people who ‘create’ insomnia if they believe that they need 8 to 9 hours of sleep and therefore spend more time in bed [lying awake] than needed . . . . [and] they may start using medications needlessly,” Klerman said. Researchers warn, however, that many people in modern society suffer from sleep deprivation, which can lead to accidents on the job, higher risk of falls, and even death in elderly people. Source: An article by Robin Lloyd for LiveScience

medications senior citizens sleep aids seniors derk-jan dijk elizabeth klerman sleep

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Award gives new meaning to elder care

20 Nov 2011 - Preaching the News for Sunday

In this Sunday’s first reading, the Lord as shepherd promises to “tend my sheep” and “rescue them from every place” A number of older people who might be expected to have their thoughts on a quiet retirement instead are finding innovative ways to make a lasting contribution for the betterment of humankind. Five such people have been named the winners of the sixth annual Purpose Prize, which recognizes the service of people over 60. The prizes are given by Civic Ventures, a San Francisco group that urges older Americans to undertake work that benefits the common good. The $100,000-per-person prizes are paid by Atlantic Philanthropies and the John Templeton Foundation. The winners--selected from more than 1,000 nominations--are free to do what they want with the prize money, but they all said they plan to give their winnings to their organizations, according to Alexandra Kent, director of the Purpose Prize. Kent says the prizes, first awarded in 2006, have already achieved one goal: calling attention to the contributions older people make to society. In October President Barack Obama awarded the Presidential Citizens Medal to 13 people, said Kent, three of whom were former Purpose Prize winners. This year’s winners are making a contribution in a variety of fields. Randal Charlton, 71, became director of TechTown, a Detroit business incubator started in 2004 by Wayne State University which supports 250 companies. Nancy Hughes, 68, established Stove Team International which produces a safe, smokeless stove that requires only a few pieces of kindling to cook a meal. Wanjiru Kamau, 69, started the African Immigrant & Refugee Foundation with $10,000 taken from her retirement account. Jenny Bowen, 66, created Half the Sky to change the way China cares for its orphans. Retired architect Edward Mazria, 70, realized that the construction industry causes about half of all greenhouse-gas emissions. He set out to change that by founding Architecture 2030 with a challenge to builders to reduce energy use and greenhouse gas emissions to “carbon neutral” by 2030. The American Institute of Architects, the U.S. Conference of Mayors, the U.S. Green Building Council, and the National Governors Association adopted this goal and a federal law was enacted to ensure that federal buildings would meet the standards. Source: An article by Noelle Barton for the Chronicle of Philanthropy

senior citizens purpose prize elderly alexandra kent

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Former drug dealer finds a better fit

09 Mar 2014 - Preaching the News for Sunday

In the reading from the Book of Genesis for this Sunday, Eve and Adam discovered that while the fruit from the tree was indeed good for food, pleasing to the eyes, and desirable for gaining wisdom, once she and Adam ate it they felt shame. Turning from temptation to the good has an ex-drug dealer looking at bodies differently.Former drug dealer-turned seniors aerobics instructor Thomas Mickens followed a path in his 20s which included selling cocaine and employing more than 20 people to deal drugs for him in a New York City neighborhood. The former drug kingpin had numerous vehicles and properties he had purchased from his profits of about $2.5 million in four years of drug sales. He was finally stopped by the FBI when a team of agents and narcotics officers from the New York City Police Department showed up at his door and arrested him in 1988. He was eventually convicted and sent to prison.During his time in jail, Mickens mother died. She had been half-paralyzed from a stroke and living in a nursing home where no one helped or motivated her, Mickens said. Also while in prison time he ended up in a facility that housed disabled prisoners. He worked out frequently and then slowly began showing them routines to strengthen their upper bodies. “They were so touched that I helped them,” Mickens said.After Mickens finished his 20-year term, he was paroled in 2008 and began leading two senior-citizen fitness classes per week. Those initial sessions led to work in more than 70 nursing homes and senior centers today where he or his staff provide exercise classes or facilities for seniors.According to a caseworker who knows Mickens, he has a special ability to connect with the elderly—and she was surprised to discover his criminal past. “That somebody could turn so completely around to becoming one of the healthiest people, and inspiring good health and wellness among seniors; it’s like two different people,” said Cathy Cahn, a caseworker with Services Now for Adult Persons. “I said to him, ‘I would have loved to have known you back then,’ and he said, ‘No, you wouldn’t.’ ”Homily hint: Recently Pope Francis observed: “God is in everyone’s life. Even if the life of a person has been a disaster, even if it is destroyed by vices, drugs, or anything else—God is in this person’s life.” The Catholic approach to criminal-justice reform and rehabilitative justice begins with the recognition of the life and dignity of all persons: Those who are victims of crime but also the offenders who have caused harm. See the U.S. Catholic Bishops’ paper from last month on criminal and restorative justice. Source: An article by Jill Caryl Weiner for the New York Times

ex-convicts senior citizens fitness thomas mickens

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