Dum Vivimus, Vivamus

Dum Vivimus, Vivamus is Latin.  I know this because I took an entire semester of Latin back when I was a freshman in high school.  Latin was already a dead language then but the body was still slightly warm.  That was the semester that I discovered two things about myself: first, that I have no talent for spoken languages; and, second, I can decode patterns really well.  No wonder two of my kids treat English as a second language....but love math. Back to the subject at hand....

This blog is in its infancy and now seems the time to make big decisions.  Dum Vivimus, Vivamus roughly translates to "While we live, let us live!"  It's a celebration in this moment and a challenge to the winds of future changes.

A blog that focuses on senior citizens and those grudgingly or otherwise headed for that status can choose to play it safe, blather about all sorts of ways to avoid risk, eek out the last years in trepidation.

Or we can live.

I've never been a particularly cautious man.  I tried out for the high school football team at 6'2" and 126 pounds - and made the team.  Three years later, I met a pretty girl.  Two weeks later I told her I was going to marry her.  She's been stuck with me ever since.  I've had a dozen jobs doing everything from working in a lumber yard to driving a truck, selling insurance and managing a restaurant.  Now I create my own work in my own business... the ultimate high-wire act.  The kids call me a drama queen because I look at the schedule and will announce, seriously, "After Wednesday, I have no work for the rest of my life."  Then I bust my rear-end and get some work.  And, by the way, I DID build that.

So while this blog is going to look at ways to stay safe, we're also going to explore what we CAN do.  The older I get, the more I realize how fast time moves.  No revelation there, I know but it's one that everybody reaches in their own good time and no amount of telling someone will replace the feeling that settles into the bones when you know life is short.

Because, you know, it is.

Dum Vivimus, Vivamus!

Gratitude 10-3-2012 ~ Some days are easier to feel gratitude...

Nothing like another day filled with things to feel gratitude for. Today it's easy.  I got to visit two grand kids while I picked up some tools I left at their momma's house.  Then the middle daughter and her husband brought by the newest addition to the family.

Youngest daughter grew another half an inch - she's within a finger's width of 6'.  She'd be quite content to stop growing now.  It's messing with her running.  Mid-terms were in and she's pulling great grades on a challenging class schedule.

The morning job involved a client who was just fun to be with and the home was in better shape than normal.

Did a re-inspection that went well.  The only down side was a radon test that was off a bit.

The debates were tonight.  I enjoyed it enormously.

As I said, a day that's easy to feel gratitude.

"Gratitude is the memory of the heart."  ~Jean Baptiste Massieu

Preparing for Winter

Preparing for winter when you're a senior or approaching that time of your life entails a bit more planning than when we were 22 and invincible.  Winter isn't yet snarling and slashing the windows with sleet but it's lurking close by. It's 40 degrees outside this morning and 32 up in Pullman and Moscow.  It won't be long.... A couple of thoughts on winter preparation for those of us not invincible.

Servicing the Furnace

It time.  You should be servicing the furnace at the beginning of every winter before the worst of the weather gets here.  If I've learned anything in a half century, it is that Murphy's Law is the true controlling force of the universe.

If you don't get it serviced and it fails, it will do it at the worst possible time - the day before Thanksgiving or Christmas or during a blizzard.  So, call up your heating company, have them tune it up for the winter and swap the filters so you have a clean one headed into the closed house season.

Arrange for Snow Removal

If you are no longer able to shovel your own sidewalks and steps, get help.  Set it up ahead of time so that when it snows, you're not calling the same person that 47 other people are calling.  Somebody isn't going to get helped if they wait.  Don't let it be you.  Preparing for winter means not waiting until the last second.

By the way, this doesn't have to be a paid service.  I shovel the walkway for Darlene, my neighbor two houses down, every year.  We don't get much snow and I am still pretty fit so it's a task that doesn't overwhelm me.  Talk to your neighbors and your church - see if they would be willing to lend a hand.

Stock Up on Supplies

Earlier this year, large parts of India suffered huge power outages.  The Indians were used to having power outages and were prepared.  We're not nearly so use to outages but we can expect far more of them than in the past.  When the outages hit the East Coast this summer, they were devastating.

Our power transmission system was built in the fifties and sixties.  It's getting old in many places and we haven't done some of the upgrading that would "harden" the power grid and protect it.  It's vulnerable to everything from winter weather to solar flares.  Add to that, we are losing a huge amount of power generation due to EPA regulations and we can expect more outages.

Have extra food on hand that doesn't need to be cooked.  Have a second source of heat in your home.  If you are relying exclusively on electricity, you have the potential to be left shivering in the cold.  As always, you should have extra batteries, working flashlights, a safe supply of all your medications (enough to last at least a week). Preparing for winter means preparing for the unexpected.

Check In

Have a time and day set up to check in with friends or family especially if you are living alone.  If you need to, set up with a service that will check in with you.  Let people know that you are okay.  It won't just potentially save you in an emergency - it will give your loved ones a small measure of peace of mind.  It's hard to admit that we may need a bit of looking after but we all do, to one degree or another.

Do the little things now to make this winter easier to manage.  It wouldn't hurt to hope for an early spring....

Gratitude 10-2-2012

Gratitude. "Courtesies of a small and trivial character are the ones which strike deepest in the grateful and appreciating heart."  ~Henry Clay  Sometimes it isn't the big things that I am most appreciative of but the small ones.  Today the small ones were running hill repeats and then running in deep sand.  I help coach a local Junior High cross country team two days a week, Tuesday and Thursdays.   One of the neat things about small towns is almost anybody can volunteer provided the price - free - is right.  I feel grateful for both the chance to help coach the kids and for the lightness of heart that working with the kids leaves me with.

Along that same line, I have a friend, a former home inspector that I have only met once, who left the business to work with The Church of the Street as the Director of Operations.  I am grateful to know a person who this committed to helping others, passionate in his beliefs.

Work is back up to full steam.  In an industry where many others are having a very hard time, I'm grateful to be busy and in a position to help others even while I plan on how I can move on to my next ventures to help seniors age in place more safely.

Gratitude is the opposite of revenge.  Gratitude is best served warm, with an open heart.

5 Ways to Avoid Knee Replacement Surgery

Yesterday I mentioned that I would give you five ways to avoid knee replacement surgery.  With a cost that can run to $45,000, avoiding this expensive procedure can help both your health as well as your pocketbook.  That said, nothing is guaranteed and, if I was experiencing knee pain, I would strongly consider going to the doctor rather than listening to some blogger.  In other words, I am not a doctor, I don't play one on TV and I didn't stay at Holiday Inn Express.  These 5 ways to avoid knee replacement surgery are a preventative guide that is not intended to replace the doctor of your or the governments' choosing. Tip #1 - Get Up and Move, Everybody!

The first way to help your knees and avoid knee replacement surgery is to actually work with them.  Walk, hike, run, rollerblade.  Healthy activity will strengthen the muscles surrounding the knee and keep all the soft tissues - ligaments, tendons, cartilage - well lubricated and well supplied with blood which increase the rate of nutrient uptake and releases waste products more quickly.  The key is regular but moderate activity.  Be careful to avoid overdoing it.  I warn beginning runners that there are three primary reasons for injuries; too much distance; too much speed work; and, too much stretching.  Exercise but exercise moderation too.

Tip #2 -My Those Carrots Look Tasty!

The second way to avoid knee surgery is to take a close look at your eating habits and your weight.  I know, you're tired of the media, the government and the medical system harping on American's weight and the obesity epidemic.  But I am not talking to everybody else.  Just to you.  And I'm not telling you that you "have to" change your diet.  You're a big boy or girl and you can make up your own mind.  I have gout and I know that I should not drink beer but I do anyway because I like beer.  I don't do it often - pain is a great teacher - but I live with the consequences of my actions.  As you do.

So, think about making small changes to your diet.  I tend to favor a more natural diet high in olive oils and vegetables, moderate in meat, low in grains.  Why?  Because this works for me.  What I avoid is sugar.  All the available evidence indicates that sugar - specifically fructose (here is the definitive book on the subject) - is a major player in the obesity and diabetes problem of this country.  Wheat may be a close second.

Think about changes that you could make and stick with.  Start small and celebrate the successes.  They're your knees - and heart, lungs, etc.

Tip #3 -Remember Saturday Night Live?  Me Neither!

They used to used to run skit that always ended with "take a pill!"  Generally not the best advice but applicable here.  The National Institutes of Health is funding a study to see whether the combination of glucosamine and chondroitin helps repair cartilage. Let's quote the findings, "For a subset of participants with moderate-to-severe pain, glucosamine combined with chondroitin sulfate provided statistically significant pain relief compared with placebo—about 79 percent had a 20 percent or greater reduction..."

If you are already experiencing pain, consider these nutritional supplements.  If you are not, I don't know that they will help.

Tip #4 -Don't Step on My Blue Suede Shoes!

What you wear on your feet can greatly impact your knees.  Nurses have known this for generations as have beat cops (when we still had beat cops) and mailmen.  Quality footwear that provides proper support and cushioning is important to avoiding knee replacement surgery since the goal is to avoid damaging the knees in the first place. Athletic shoes are a good choice.  I like running shoes since I'm a runner but my wife likes a good quality walking shoe.

If you are exercising, especially running, you also need to have shoes that will control lateral or sideways motion of the foot.  This motion, called pronation, is natural but due to years of abusing their feet, many people have excessive pronation.  This can destabilize the knee joint.  Make sure the athletic shoes are fitted by someone that knows what they are doing.

Lastly, avoid high heels as much as possible.  That applies to you too, guys!

Tip #5 -Hey Doc!  It Hurts When I Do This....

If you do start having twinges in your knee, don't be John Wayne.  Get some professional help.  Knee pain tends to grow from a small to large chronic condition in the older adult population.  Most of us are not going to blow out a knee dunking the basketball.  Listen to your body and to your doctor.  The doctor will have a lot more therapy options - steriod shots, botox, electrical stimulation - that you can't do on your own.  Let them help.

___________ So that's the 5 ways to avoid knee replacement surgery.  No single huge do-this-you'll-never-be-broken-again.  Just some common sense advice.  I hope it helps.

Have a truly wonderful day!

The AccuSharp 001 Knife Sharpener

I have been searching for a year for a knife sharpener to put an edge back on my nice knives.  Normally, this is an easy process - break out the phone book, locate the knife guy in town (or scissor lady who can do just as good a job), give him a buzz and drop off the knife.  A couple of days later and viola', a knife that doesn't squash tomatoes or slide off the onion skin. That works - provided you live in a town that has a knife sharpener.  I don't.  I've asked.  Nobody sharpens knives here any more.  They appear to be a dying breed as Walmart or Target churn out ever more cheap knives, the kind that loose their edge faster than a politician breaks a promise, destined for the back of the knife drawer.

Likewise the scissor lady.  Really, how many people still sew?

So I tried using a stone.  If you ever wanted to know how to sharpen knives on a stone, watch the video of Chef Eric Crowley.  It's not nearly as easy as he makes it look and it turns out that I have no talent for the task.  I was satisfied to quit with 9 fingers intact.

The AccuSharp 001 Knife Sharpener

On my next attempt, I hit the jackpot.  The AccuSharp 001 Knife Sharpener (Pictured below) turns out to be a very nice little tool that does a nice job of sharpening.  I have used it on four different knives in the kitchen and the results have been excellent.  The blades regained a nice edge and seems to be holding it.

Important to me, since everything that I review is intended for an older audience, was the safety factor built into the design of this knife sharpener.  To sharpen a knife, you hold the knife in your off hand - in my case, the left - with the blade up.  Simply run the knife sharpener over the blade applying a bit of pressure.  If you listen, you can hear the difference in the blade as the edge comes back.  It makes a hissing sound rather than grating.

Also, the knife sharpener has a plastic handle that protects your hand from the blade even if you should slip while using it.  That little extra degree of safety is nice to have.

If this helps solve your knife sharpener needs, please use the Amazon link below.  I get a couple of pennies for each person that buys from the link and my family will thank you for the help.

Gratitude 10-1-2012

Gratitude, thankfulness, gratefulness, or appreciation is a feeling, from the heart or attitude in acknowledgment of a benefit that one has received or will receive.  ~ Wikipedia I decided that I really should make my gratitude known each day and decided that the more publicly done, the better.  Hence, the daily posting of my personal gratitude.  Please feel free to post things that you are grateful for in the comments.

Today, I feel an enormous amount of gratitude that I am in a position to help my wife - my best friend - as she struggles with her job.  The job, Director of Operations at the local Humane Society, is emotionally one of the hardest I've ever seen and eventually wears even the best and strongest - like my wife - down.

I'm grateful that she has let me be at her side for nearly 32 years now.  This too we shall work through as we have so many others things through the years.

Knee Replacement Surgery Numbers Soar Says JAMA

Knee replacement surgery numbers soar, according to a new study published by the Journal of the American Medical Association.  According to the study, from 1991 to 2010, the incidence of knee replacement surgery increased 161 percent.  This increase seems to be driven by the increase in Medicare patients, which makes sense as the population is aging and seniors are living longer.  Also a factor is a higher usage rate by the general population driven by the exercise industry - more on that below. More worrisome to me is the re-admittance rates to hospitals has increased while the recovery time in hospitals has declined.   Are we sending people home too soon only to have to re-admit them when the complications show up?

Knee replacement surgery, known in the medical field as a total knee arthroplasty or TKA, involves removing the existing weight bearing surfaces of the knee joint to relieve the pain from osteoarthritis in our older population.  In the general population, knee replacement surgery may be performed in response to meniscus tears, cartilage defects, and ligament tears that may cause enough pain to necessitate the surgery.

This is important.  In a time where every element of health care is under debate, a surgery that costs $10,000 to $45,000 whose growth is exploding makes it more likely that the procedure will face limitations not due to its effectiveness but for financial reasons.

One quibble that I have with the Yahoo! News article on the knee replacement surgery study is their statement "Knee joints wear out over time and use; the more physically active a person is -- depending on the type of activity -- the more chances are that one or both knees will develop problems."  While this is part of the conventional wisdom, a study from the J.B. Snow Biomechanics Laboratory at Wake Forest University in November 2008  states "Epidemiologic studies indicate that running reduces the threat of some chronic diseases, decreases disability and pain, and lowers healthcare costs." The problem is not the exercise.  The problem more often is total body weight, a sedentary lifestyle to allows the musculoskeletal system to weaken and poor technique during activities. 

Tomorrow I'll put together a post on some things that you can do to avoid knee replacement surgery.