items of interest

with contributions from Edward Cornish, Ron Taffel

Today's older citizens continue to do good in their communities even when they reach their eighties, writer Martha Frase-Blunt reports. Indeed, some cities would be hard-pressed without these lively and committed volunteers. What's even better is that the seniors themselves reap benefits, as Nathan Billing, a geriatric psychiatrist and author of Growing Older and Wiser points out in Frase-Blunt's report:

"There is no question that being stimulated, whether socially or intellectually, is beneficial for quality of life in old age, if not for longevity. ... Active people are less depressed and preserve more of their day-to-day functioning if they are engaged in the world."

Marcia Ory, chief of behavioral medicine and public health at the National Institute on Aging in Bethesda, Maryland, notes, "Health is the intersection of mental and physical. What hurts older adults is others who tell them ... 'You should rest, relax, and try not to hurt yourself. ... Even if you are in a wheelchair or less mobile, it doesn't mean you have to be housebound. ... If you have a good attitude about what you can do at an older age, you can be more emotionally connected and physically active."

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