5 Things Men Fear Most About Aging

It starts with sex and goes downhill from there.

By Paula Spencer Scott, Caring.com senior editor

Worried about getting old? Who isn't -- except perhaps those who are already unmistakably there. Survey after survey shows the elderly are more content with life, less depressed, and less fearful of death than the young.

"I'm a lot more sanguine and comfortable about aging at 76 than I was at 56," says George Vaillant, professor of psychiatry at Harvard Medical School who codirects its Study of Adult Development.

In the meantime, though? Guys in midlife harbor plenty of fears when they peer ahead. (Women have their own, slightly different set of aging fears).

Among men's top fears about getting older:

5 Easy Memory Aids That Can Help Anyone

Whether the problem is cognitive impairment or normal aging, try these assists.

By Paula Spencer Scott, Caring.com senior editor

Having problems remembering to take pills, buy grocery items, or make appointments? 

Everyone experiences memory problems sometimes. Memory experts often recommend the following simple aids to people with mild cognitive impairment or early symptoms of dementia. But anybody (including harried caregivers!) who's ever forgotten something important can benefit.

1. A GPS system

Violent dreams can be warning sign

As if nightmares weren't bad enough, a rare sleep disorder causes people to act out their dreams, sometimes with violent thrashes, kicks and screams. Such violent dreams may be an early sign of brain disorders down the line, including Parkinson's disease and dementia, according to research published online July 28, 2010, in the journal Neurology. The results suggest the incipient stages of these neurodegenerative disorders might begin decades before a person, or doctor, knows it. [Read full story] 

Credit: Dreamstime

Violent Dreams May Presage Brain Disorders Decades Later

Jeanna Bryner

A rare sleep disorder in which people act out their dreams, sometimes with violent thrashes, kicks and screams, may be an early sign of brain disorders down the line, including Parkinson's disease and dementia, a new study suggests.

5 Things Men Fear Most About Aging

What Your Handshake Says About Your Health

By The Editors of Prevention | Secrets to Your Success 

If you want to know what your risk of dementia and stroke will be down the line, new research finds that surprisingly simple tests today could give you the answer. 

The handshake test How's your grip? Not only is a firm handshake a sign of confidence, but doctors say it may be a barometer of your health, too. Researchers followed nearly 2,500 men and women for more than a decade, according to new research presented at the American Academy of Neurology's 64th Annual Meeting, and linked the risk of dementia and stroke to how strong their handshakes were at the beginning of the study. Having a stronger grip was associated with a 42 percent lower risk of stroke in people over age 65 compared with other study participants with flimsier grasps. What's the connection? "Vascular problems in the brain manifest themselves in a wide variety of ways," says study author Erica Camargo, MD, of the Boston Medical Center. The suspicion is that if your grip is particularly weak, it could be a sign that your overall cardiovascular health isn't in the best shape, she says. 
Boost Brain Power All-Day Long 
The walking report Are you a speed demon or more of a stroller? If people think you're a New Yorker simply by the speed of your stride, you're in luck. The same study found that those who walked at a brisk clip had a much lower risk of developing dementia than their tortoise-paced counterparts. Those with a slower walking speed in middle age were one and a half times more likely to develop dementia. "Walking speed can be a great test of general frailty, and since walking is not exactly simple (you have to look where you're going and plan ahead) the time it takes you to process this information can be a measurement of how damaged the brain is," says Dr. Camargo. 

Sneaky Stroke Symptoms 

The sleeping quiz Snooze with one eye open? You could be at risk for memory problems later on. According to a new study from Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, people who wake up more than five times per hour are more likely to have amyloid plaque build up in their brain, which is thought to be a precursor to Alzheimer's disease. Even if you think you get in a full eight hours every night, don't be so sure: Although most study participants were physically in bed for eight hours, the average amount of sleep people actually got was closer to six and a half hours-and 25 percent of the participants had evidence of amyloid plaques. 

20 Ways to Sleep Better Every Night 

--By Molly Raisch, Prevention  

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Alzheimers Support – Debilitating Disease

Alzheimer’s Support – What is Alzheimer’s Disease?
Alzheimer’s disease is a form of dementia, a brain disorder that seriously affects a person’s ability to perform daily activities, and is most common among older people. The area of the brain that controls thought, memory, and language is affected by this condition. Alzheimer’s disease is named after the German doctor Alois Alzheimer. In the year 1906, Dr. Alzheimer noticed changes in the brain tissue of a woman who had died of an unusual mental illness. He found abnormal clumps, which are now called amyloid plaques, and tangled bundles of fibers, which are now called neurofibrillary tangles. Today, these are the signs of what is called AD (Alzheimer’s Disease).

Along with these plaques and tangled fibers, scientists have also discovered other areas of the brain that are affected. There is a loss of nerve cells within in the brain vital to memory and other mental abilities. The levels of chemicals that carry complex messages back and forth between the nerve cells are lower than those in a person who does not have AD. Therefore, AD may disrupt normal thinking and memory by blocking these messages between nerve cells.

Alzheimer’s Support – What are the Symptoms and Stages?
Normal aging can play tricks on diagnosing Alzheimer’s symptoms. Many people look healthy, but they are having trouble making sense of the world around them. Some of the Alzheimer’s symptoms are memory loss and changes in speech; confusion about the location of familiar places; taking longer to finish routine, daily tasks; difficulty with simple math problems and related issues like handling money, paying bills, or balancing a checkbook; poor judgment that leads to bad decisions; mood and personality changes; and increased anxiety.

As time goes on, the damaging process occurring in the brain worsens and spreads to other areas that control language, reasoning, sensory processing, and thought. The Alzheimer’s disease stages become more pronounced and behavioral problems can start to occur. In the last stage, damage to the brain’s nerve cells is widespread. Many times, the patient dies of other illnesses, such as pneumonia.

Alzheimer’s Support – How to Give Alzheimer’s Care?
If the patient is not cared for by a facility, the family member or caregiver assures that the patient is receiving the needed support. A person suffering from this disease needs plenty of time to organize his thoughts and put them together in order to communicate with his caretaker. Therefore, the caretaker must be patient, and not interrupt while waiting for a response or statement.

Sufferers also need familiarity and repetition in their daily lives. Because of the illness, they become confused and disoriented, so their belongings should always he placed in an easy-to-remember place. Along with that, there should be a daily schedule for the patient to follow.

In the final stages of Alzheimer’s, caretakers should make sure the patient is exposed to music. Studies have shown that music plays a very important part in the quality of their life. Music accesses various parts of the brain, and the combination of language and music, as in song, offers a greater chance of activating neurological pathways that are still in tact. Patients are able to retain musical perception, and they are likely to remember all the words to a song, although they cannot put a coherent sentence together.

Music is also a way to remind or introduce your loved-one to Jesus Christ. Playing loved hymns or singing favorite Christian songs with your Alzheimer’s victim can serve three purposes: helping them to trigger brain activity, comforting them by enjoying with them things they can still remember, and reminding them of their safety and security in Jesus. “There is a time for everything, a season for every activity under heaven” (Ecclesiastes 3:1). “Trust in the LORD with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. Seek his will in all you do, and he will direct your paths” (Proverbs 3:5-6). Jesus’ promises might seem distant during times of suffering, but He assures us that He is always here with us, through everything (Matthew 28:20).

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