From the Press Association

Study tracks 3,000 people from birth to age 70, and finds surprisingly positive results!

Feelings of well being increase in the seventh decade of life, the longest-running study following the progress of people from birth has shown.

Researchers who quizzed more than 3,000 participants found that approaching 70 can put a spring in your step.

Aged 60 to 64, the volunteers were tested on a range of well being measures including feeling cheerful, confident, optimistic, useful and relaxed.

When they were asked the same questions again at age 69, there was an improvement in all 14 categories that made up the well being scale.

This was despite most of the group experiencing at least one chronic disease including arthritis, diabetes and high blood pressure.

Dr Mai Stafford, from the Medical Research Council Unit for Lifelong Health and Ageing at University College London, said: “What we’ve found is that, on average, levels of well being increased during people’s sixties.

“We found that one in five experienced a substantial increase in well being in later life, although we also found a smaller group who experienced a substantial decline.”

The MRC’s National Survey for Health and Development was launched in March 1946, when thousands of new-born babies were recruited for the study. Article Source

Continuing Education Courses on Aging

Communication with Elders With the increasing number of older people in the United States, it is vital for healthcare professionals to communicate effectively and respectfully with elders. Effective, appropriate communication with elders is important for many reasons. For psychotherapists and other mental health professionals, communication is the foundation of service delivery. Communication is required for assessment of the person prior to treatment. Symptoms are, after all, subjective and must be reported by the person to the clinician. Effective communication also contributes to health literacy; the person’s understanding of her condition, treatment options, and the treatment plan to be followed. A person cannot comply with a treatment program unless the program is communicated clearly enough for the person to understand it. The more effective the communication, the more effective treatment will be – and the more cost effective. Communication also helps the clinician understand the whole person: the emotional, social, and financial realities that affect response to treatment and ability to comply. This course provides an overview of aging changes that affect communication, dysfunctional communication habits to avoid, and strategies for appropriate communication with elders.

Biology of Aging: Research Today for a Healthier Tomorrow What is aging? Can we live long and live well—and are they the same thing? Is aging in our genes? How does our metabolism relate to aging? Can your immune system still defend you as you age? Since the National Institute on Aging was established in 1974, scientists asking just such questions have learned a great deal about the processes associated with the biology of aging. Technology today supports research that years ago would have seemed possible only in a science fiction novel. This course introduces some key areas of research into the biology of aging. Each area is a part of a larger field of scientific inquiry. You can look at each topic individually, or you can step back to see how they fit together, interwoven to help us better understand aging processes. Research on aging is dynamic, constantly evolving based on new discoveries, and so this course also looks ahead to the future, as today’s research provides the strongest hints of things to come.

Spirituality & Adults in Later Life This online course provides an accessible tool kit for health care providers and therapists to use in attending to the spiritual well being – as well as the physical, social, and emotional needs – of older adults in their care. Included are ready-to-use exercises and techniques for promoting spiritual self-awareness in seniors, as well as vignettes from the author’s own years of experience. The author makes a clear distinction between spirituality and religion, emphasizing the importance of helping older adults come to terms with the numerous losses they experience in later life. Among the tools described herein are the spiritual inventory, an assessment of spiritual needs, the value of forgiveness and legacy, a discussion of spiritual deterrents, the importance of cultural sensitivity, and how to promote spiritual growth in a group setting.