Do the elderly or police need to trained about their encounters?

Today I think we have a heck of a topic to think about. I think we should think about it and read good interventions before they happen in our lives. They will happen if we live old enough.
Do the elderly need to be trained in their encounters with the police?
Looking for picture of older people attacking others only revealed the younger abusing the elder. But older people do strike out. Police are summoned and encounter older people being harmed or harming others. Maybe they are doing something that breaks the law. Abuse of the elderly is a problem, but it is not at all one sided.
With my cerebral palsy I find it more challenging to put on shoes and joint mobility. To get on the ground is a major effort. If I was arrested having my hands tied behind the back getting in and out of a car would be difficult. What I am describing will be a challenge to those you live into their 70’s to 90’s and beyond. When we are older we may get to frail to be handled like we could when we are younger.
A few years back I had a discussion with teens on how they should respond to police. Most teens never really are given information about this. A teen, cop encounter can quickly progress to an ugly, dangerous situation.
Paula Span writes an article, Another Possible Indignity of Age: Arrest for the New York Times where she shares several encounters the elderly have had with police. The link for the article is below.
Older people can be very difficult to deal with. They can be easily injured, frail, fall and be combative as well. These issues are not just for police but family and care takers as well. Old people can strike out and hurt others.

This is not going to end well, but what can we learn?

Fourteen years ago in the baseball playoffs a classic baseball fight occurs. Pictures tell us the problem of engaging the elderly the wrong way. Don Zimmer coach for the Yankees charges out like he always would of done. He is angry at Pedro Martinez. The difference now is he is 72 years old in far less shape to boot. Pedro throws him down and Zimmer is cut and pulled a groin muscle and is taken to the hospital after the game. Nothing can be undone. There is not a redo. But we can learn from the incident. Nobody is ejected in the fight, but everybody knew you don't win throwing down an old man. But what would you do if Zimmer came after you? At my age and condition I am in Zimmer's situation. Tables do turn.
It is fair to let you know what I did. Right or wrong I learned from it. When I was in my early 20’s I

There are consequences if we choose to fight when we are
older.  Sometimes we have no choice. I still have the fire
to do silly things like Zimmer did here. What can I learn? 

was caring for a farmer who was 85. The man was suffering from depression. I knelt down to communicate with him in a gentle way. I was asking what I could do for the old gent when out of the blue with the speed of Ali facing Patterson, the old farmer hits me with a straight right jab sitting in a wheel chair. He hit me square on the nose and soon my nose is gushing with blood everywhere.  I told my mates to continue the intervention and I walked way stunned and unsure if I could continue without blowing my stack.
The farmer was unharmed which I was glad for. His depression was deep and later it was decided he would have to undergo electro shock treatments. For many of them I was assigned to assist in them and help him through it. He took a series of treatments over the next few weeks. His resolve about suicide was broken and mood improved. Shock treatments are not used as often today, but they are still an option when other treatments have failed.
I was determined to work with him because of the hitting incident and He was a nice enough guy. I never approached him from the side again. In talking to him he gave me a line I have used for years. I have asked him, “How you doing Mike?” and he would answer right on cue, “Fair to midland”.

Even though she is smaller and maybe weaker she wins with
a gentle affirmative response.

The old farmer assaulted me, he was frustrated and angry for being in the hospital against his wishes. He just wanted to commit suicide. I was part of a team of medical people who were trying to stop him. I had to step away for practical and emotional issues. We were all laughing about it later. If I hauled off and hit him that would have indicated the worse on my part. No, I learned from the incident and became more aware. I learned to help people on their worse days and had the confidence that we will get through this and we will be all right.
Generally speaking, people with dementia will pick up on anger around them, a lauder voice of care giver that is frustrated and the sufferer of dementia will strike out in anger. Never more truer a line of Scripture, “A gentle answer turns away anger, but a harsh word stirs up wrath.” Prov. 15:1
With dementia and mental illness it is probable the police are the ones who will need to be trained with older people. They have parents, grandparents, they would want care for them. I believe the people in blue want to feel better about how they intervene with older people. Police often meet people on their worse day.
Still many older people still have awareness. Following police instructions and not escalating the situation is good. Communication of current disabilities and problems may also help police handle with care. But if the elderly are a danger to themselves or others, than police need tactics that would be more helpful and safer for the elderly and themselves. Training, reviewing past incidents would probably yield much helpful information.
It is just another factor that aging isn’t easy. Keep walking
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/07/21/health/older-americans-arrests.html?_r=0

Linking an health article with the study on Moderate drinking

I have previously reported on the possible benefits of moderate drinking alcohol for longevity and cardiovascular health. Drinking alcohol beyond moderate drinking only proves detrimental to health. 

Why moderate drinkers (one or two drinks) live longer than nondrinkers is still a puzzle to me. I understand the benefits of red wine on the cardio vascular health and beer on bone health, it is pretty consistent that more than two drinks takes away any of the benefits and proves only detrimental to your health.

Alcohol related to cancer I have not heard of any benefits. How drink he relates to cancer is worth checking out.

In Men's Journal this month, Melaina Juntti reports four beers, or five glasses of wine a week can be linked to a risk of mental decline. Melaina had previously reported the link between cancer and alcohol. I followed up with her articles with the studies she referred to. Men's Journal has had many articles favoring moderate drinking for their audience. 

The UK study about moderate drinking leading to a possible risk a mental decline is a fairly large study over a period of 30 years. As with any study about drinking alcohol there's always a problem with drinkers understating their actual use. The participants of the study since 1985 showed moderate drinkers had a mental decline in function and viewable loss in parts of the brain. These losses have been associated with various types of dementia. 

With the cancer studies and alcohol there seems to be a strong correlation in seven types of cancer that cause 5.8% of all deaths. “There is strong evidence that alcohol causes cancer at seven sites in the body and probably others. Current estimates suggest that alcohol-attributable cancers at these sites make up 5.8% of all cancer deaths world-wide.” 

Liberty trike - Easy to assemble, biking with electric
assistance. 5 speeds up to 11 or 12 miles an hour. 

You can look at the links below yourself and decide for yourself. With heavier drinking there are different mental impairments that we should all be concerned about. If you are a moderate drinker make sure you back that up with just a drink a day and once and while two. If you don’t drink don’t start recommended by lifestyle doctors like Dr, Cooper. 

Will studies like this cause public policy to change? For example in Chicago they are trying to tax sugary drinks to reduce soda pop consumption. Alcohol and tobacco are both heavily taxed. Will alcohol be penalized like the tobacco industry bring back some sort of political prohibition? 

Health changes should be for personal and knowledgable reasons. Life as brief as it is should be enjoyed. Health enthusiasts can be overzealous and legalistic. Our tendency to do these things maybe why I kicked back against political correctness. 

What is healthy? What is beneficial? You are in control of your health. You live your life, your medical team can help you. Your careful reading may give you insights that can guide you. Choice is exactly that. Keep walking  

http://www.mensjournal.com/health-fitness/articles/just-5-drinks-a-week-can-damage-your-brain-w493425?utm_source=mjnewsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_content=daily&utm_campaign=072117_11

http://www.bmj.com/content/bmj/357/bmj.j2353.full.pdf

http://www.mensjournal.com/health-fitness/articles/drinking-can-cause-cancer-what-you-need-to-know-w430950

http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/add.13477/full

Trying new things

In walking with the fat man my physical fitness faces at least three different battles. Along with the diet and weight loss I face what is common to all of us who are getting older a physical fitness for seniors. As we get older we need to build muscle that is harder to do. We have to pay attention to our heart and cardio most days of the week. Maybe for the first time you find movement is harder and increase pain. We have to become more flexible.   

In general we benefit from exercise, (strength training, aerobic exercise, and flexibility). I think it's very important to see our need to do resistance training, and find away to move our bodies 20 to 30 minutes to improve our heart, mind, and body. Many more people have to deal with the inclination to become more sedimentary. Flexibility may be a new issue for a lot of people. But as we age we have problems with our joints, and muscles that will only improve through movement and stretching of some kind. The one signal that we may be getting is pain. There is pain relief through moving and stretching. We may find limitations with pain medication.

We are all at different places so I am showing what I do, but you may have different interests and ways to get moving. I hope to challenge to find real ways that work for you. You are probably doing some pretty cool stuff. Just don't give up and join me in pushing back against aging. Barb is back to In Home Walking in the morning. She does 2 mile walks. She is active all day, but she finds she needs that walk.

Yesterday my theme of movement was resistant training. Using two levels of resistant bands I work for a number of exercises that worked my whole body and a full range of motion. Every 15 minutes or half hour I took a small walking break and a related group of exercise, upper body, lower body in different stations around the house. Later in evening I biked for 20 minutes.

I have look at tai chi as a way of improving my mobility, balance and flexibility. Yesterday I look closely at a routine that I think might be good for me. I will also look at some routines done by senior citizens. In tai chi there is breathing similar to what I learned to relieve anxiety. The motions in tai chi are mostly circular. The routine that I will do more count as 360 steps and over 65 cal for a 9 minutes routine. 

Today I did my first workout and was able to do seven movements before I needed to take a break from my back. Then I finish to routine. As a practice the routine the movements will become more memorized where I can focus on the breathing and balance. My balance will never compete with your balance, but it is good for me to try. Movement side to side and backwards are really good for me.

The theme of my exercise today was walking up steps. My goal is hundred steps. I have already taken 40 steps and after I finish this blog I will take another 40. And then after another break I will take another 20. Later tonight I will bike for 30 minutes.

Tomorrow my theme will be boxing, I plan to do routines there will amount to three rounds of boxing. My break between rounds definitely be a little longer then a minute. In boxing I work at my footwork and balance and in shadowboxing there is no impact to my skeleton. The benefits in these routines help with all three areas I need to work strength training, short exertions of intensity, and flexibility. I also am planning to do two cycles with my TRX program that uses my bodyweight for a full range of motion and strength. Tomorrow I will bike probably 20 minutes.

Walking today in Israel (virtual)

9 flights of stairs would be
good excersize today. 

Today I traveled with Wayne Styles to the site of Tel Megiddo, Israel. 

The virtual Tour went into the historical background of the location. 

And as we walked around he shared many of the things we were looking at. Megiddo was a Canaanite city from the time of Abraham through the time of King Josiah nearing the Babylonian captivity. Each time the city was destroyed it was built-up. You can see the Canaanite gates and the gates that Solomon built. There is a grain silo from the time of Jeroboam. 

From the time of Ahab, who you may of heard of his evil wife Jezebel, or read of the obsessive captain Ahab from the novel Moby Dick. In Megiddo he builds stables or storehouses and an underground tunnel to get to the water source in time of siege. If you went down to the tunnel and back out you would have to travel 183 steps up and down. Dividing up and down by two you have to walk 9 stories up. Of course walking 9 stories down would be easier.

From Megiddo you would have a good view of the Jezreel Valley. Here is location of the

Wayne walking up from the tunnel to water

final battle between good and evil before Jesus returns, Armageddon “the hill of Megiddo” from the book of Revelation. 

It has been over 40 years since I was there. The archaeologist shovel has unearth much more of the site. In modern times, the British defeated the Turks in 1918 at Megiddo. In 1799 Napoleon use the branch of the international highway between Egypt and Iraq much the same way as the ancient pharaohs move their armies. Our own times are you affected buy these ancient sites. 

Can we really believe Biblical prophecy of the end times? Most historical documentaries lean on skepticism. And yet the cycle of war seems to travel back to these locations. The crazy unrest in our world would seem to indicate Wars and rumors of wars will continue. The tour of Megiddo was 13 minutes of interest for me.  Wayne shares how the world influences you or you the world. Intellectual or moral compromise always confronts the believer. Seeing how God influences our lives is most challenging in the time of unbelief. Amidst the ruins gives us pause to this struggle. Keep walking.

Investment in health research will pay off

Steve Farrell PHD writing a post for Cooper Aerobic Institute informs us, “It’s no secret that cancer is the second leading cause of death for women in the U.S., accounting for approximately 275,000 deaths per year. This causes not only a tremendous physical and emotional toll, but also places a significant economic burden on society. Approximately $90 billion is spent each year on the direct costs of cancer such as medication, hospital, physician, and nursing services.”

Cancer no matter the gender is a big deal and the numbers tell us the impact cancer has on our lives. Without a doubt the impact is even greater when cancer hits us personally. 

Since the Fall, Genesis 3, sin and death has ruled over our lives. Work which became harder holds back some of the impact of the fall. For example, you build a home and you are sheltered from the storm. We have learned how to better insulate our homes and in turn that help us endure Extreme cold and heat. 

The investment in discovery of the things it kills us has more than doubled our lifespan. It wasn't easy, it was hard work, it was costly and here we are. There are many things unexplored regarding our health. We have a long way to go unraveling how to repair the brain. We have a long way to go in regard to cancer. Repairing and regenerating our bodies are in the infancy of development. Most things that kill us we have no cures. Our bodies are capable of overcoming things, but most things we put into remission rather than a cure. 

What do we gain when we help those who cannot help themselves? Whether we are looking at the elderly fighting dementia, cancer, cardiovascular diseases, or diabetes it is good to remember that every one of us if we live long enough will be in the same fight. What we learn today will help us tomorrow. We have to be big minded in this way.

Pictured here is an older gentleman suffering from
loneliness. Is he forgotten? It takes work to care.

What did we learn about people with multiple disabilities that cannot earn a living themselves? These things are very costly but there is an amazing benefit that comes from caring for people who cannot care for themselves. 

We learn things and treating extreme conditions bring us unexpected consequences that just may help you in a bad time in your life. What is learned in the costly care of the disabled will lead to discoveries that will help us dealing with the disabilities of aging and disease?

There is a principle found in Matthew 26 that has guided me when I helped people who are either hard to help (an idiot) or have difficult disabilities that take a lot of work. Many of these people are sweethearts, but not all of them. I always kept in mind someone was watching and it did matter. It is easy to help beautiful healthy people. But it is quite another matter when you're helping someone who for whatever reason have no way to pay you back or even to say thanks. 

Was it worth it to help them? I will be honest with you I have debated this. The principle that Jesus gave has often turn the scales for me to help. I doubt many people knew my struggle or why I went ahead and helped. But here was one of the game changers for me: 

Jesus said, ’Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to Me.’

It takes hard work to defeat cancer. It is very costly, but what was the alternative. Progress is being made, there is hope. Keep walking

Today looking at small health studies

Today was my day to travel around the country reading newspapers in looking for news in health. Small size studies have there limits but they may raise good questions.

Before I stepped off into my virtual news travel I read an article from the Chicago Tribune, Is PTSD in our Genes? Like many disorders both physical and mental Science has researched whether or not we are predispose genetically to the illness or not. Here was a study of Holocaust 32 survivors DNA with 22 of their children's DNA at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York. The researchers there found a correlation of PTSD being possibly a factor genetically. In the reporting it was noted that the study was too small and the conclusions may have other explanations. It is an example of reading the article and not just a headline of it. You may draw the wrong conclusion. 

Bruce Carey & Sarah
Love these pictures of
dads with their kids.
Not sure Bruce is keeping up.
One time Bruce and I
carried a girl out of
the wilderness

For example, people who went through the Holocaust and personally suffered; how does that affect them as parents? Would their horrible experiences make them better parents or present more difficulties for them? Is it a problem in their DNA or is the problem in their suffering PTSD which at that time lacked sufficient information, support and treatment? 

In some ways I've had this conversation with my psychiatrists and therapists who cared for me with anxiety, depression, insomnia and PTSD. The cycle of the extreme abuse goes way back in my family history on my fathers side. Is that genetic or is that just learned behavior? There's no way I could rule it out one way or another. My game plan was to end it in my generation. I decided to do this back in my 20s. Did I stop the chain reaction? I think I definitely influenced how my children parent without abuse. Of course, I think they get a lot of credit for it to. 

So this study in the article is too small to make any big statements. But I think it raises good questions.

Mark Huber and David -
Mark and I had some great hikes.

My next stop was the Big Apple and an article by Gretchen Reynolds of the New York Times, for exercise, nothing like the great outdoors. Study was again a small one and looked at two different walks. Both were long walks of three hours. One walk was in the Alps and the second walk was on a treadmill. For me that is a no brainer as to which is better for the body and mind.  They also had a three hour experience where they could lounge around and talk or read, or surf the web. In walking, both experiences improved the mood better than the longing around and surfing the net. Walking in the mountains scored the best in improving mood. If I were predicting the outcome I would have rated the walk outdoors as the best. Personally I don’t do well on the treadmill but for many walking on a tredmill is a good thing to lift the spirits. I know walking does improve mood in general. 

Again the study is too small and there are a lot of factors that could effect outcome. 

Walking on vacation often can motivate our daily walking to be fit enough to take a nice long scenic walk. Finding outdoor walks near by can be a very rewarding experience. Keep walking and keep reading

How do you live a century and be married for 80 years? Some clues are in the writing

Vivian & Donald Hart

I can still hear David's big laugh.

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD) — Two 99-year-olds celebrated their 80th wedding anniversary on Sunday, making them the longest-living couple in the state, according to their family.

How did this couple live so long? I think there are clues in the story.

Isn't that remarkable to live 99 years and be married someone for eighty years. It doesn't happen that often. They were born in 1918 or late 1917. World War I was in progress. They are married in 1937. The country was still in the grip of the depression. Grand Rapids was the city of churches where people did attend.

Hitler, Mussolini, and Japan formed an alliance  that would soon put the war at war. What were their stories during the war? 

Donald Hart and his wife, Vivian, reminisced about the eight decades they’ve spent together while looking through old photo albums Friday in Grand Rapids. But for the couple, the albums are only the tip of the memory iceberg. They are still living at home. They have the health and strength to still be able to do this.

The Harts today

The Harts’ relationship blossomed in the 1930s. Donald Hart was leaving church when a group of “gals from out of town” needed some help home. But just giving out directions wasn’t his style.

“We said, ‘Aw, shoot. Why don’t we just walk you there?’ So we ended up walking them way across town,” he said. “We were just going to [walk] a little ways and then quit, but we ended up going all the way.”

He served in the Air Force and was drafted in World War II before spending more than 20 years at American Seating.

David Hart a Friend and brother from
GRSBM still has hair 

Vivian Hart, a chalk artist and avid reader, is most known for her unwavering love her family — especially her kids.

24 Hour News 8 spoke with the Harts’ oldest and youngest sons, who both touted their parents’ strength, forgiveness, and commitment to their family and church.

For the  Harts, having faith and living it out may be one key in their longevity. They were committed to bring their family up for Christ. They lived out their faith as well as they shared it. They were poor but not impoverished. They were provided with blessing where one of the cornerstones of their home was fun. 

David was one of the early morning crew at the Commons (GRSBM cafe on Campus) having coffee and debating the fine points of theology. David was one who interjected a lot of laughter. He had a good sense of humor. I believe he shared his families' faith and commitment to challenge their children to live for the Lord.

“When I look back on it, I think, ‘Boy, we were really poor,’” eldest son Don Hart said. “When [my dad] first got out of the military, I was 7 years old. We lived in a dinky house — it had been a chicken coop. We didn’t have things, but we had a lot of fun.”

In a life well lived we see that they were creative, reading and art. They cared for their family throughout their life. Words like commitment, strength (to pull through the hard times) and lived out forgiveness (I take it to mean they did not hold grudges and anger.) These are good principles that definite lead to a longer, healthy lives. Even nearly 40 years ago their children were loving their parents and I am sure they helped care for them as Vivian and Donald got older. Love that is returned always is good for our health. Keep walking

The black print is the article from the Grand Rapids newspaper. The blue ink are my musings.