COTTAGE GROVE SENTINEL February 17, 2016
Strong legs boost brain power
BY MATILDA CHARLES
For the Sentinel
A 10-year British study out of
Kings College found an interesting
correlation between leg strength
and brainpower. In the fi rst-of-its-
kind study, strong legs equated to
cognitive strength down the road.
Female twins between the ages
of 43 and 73 (average age 55)
were recruited for baseline test-
ing, with adjustments made for
various parameters such as socio-
economic status, alcohol drinking,
blood pressure, level of exercise
and more. Memory and learning
were measured at the start of the
study, as were the strength of leg
muscles of both twins. Brain scans
also were taken.
Ten years later the tests were
repeated. Those who’d started and
ended with more muscular legs
showed the best results in memory
and cognitive tests and more brain
volume.
The researchers still don’t know
for certain why they saw these
results. More studies need to be
done, they said, to understand
how aerobics, brain function and
leg muscle power all come togeth-
er, and whether muscle-building
chemicals somehow make their
way to the brain.
While scientists didn’t predict
the outcome, it was not surprising
because they’ve long known that
general exercise can help with
cognitive function.
Until they fi gure out the specif-
ics, one thing is clear: adding more
walking or doing exercises de-
signed to increase leg strength can
help with memory and thinking.
We can run, take dance classes,
lengthen our daily walk and spend
time on a treadmill or rowing ma-
chine at the gym. Even yoga can
help strengthen leg muscles.
For those who aren’t mobile,
seated rowing exercises with a
resistance band can help, as can a
recumbent bicycle.
Consider asking your doctor for
an exercise plan that concentrates
on the leg muscles.
BY MATILDA CHARLES
For the Sentinel
There are 9 million seniors
who are at risk for hunger every
day in America, statistics show.
If you’re a senior over age 60
and you don’t get enough to eat,
there are options.
The Supplemental Nutrition
Assistance Program (SNAP)
can provide an average $126
each month to go toward food.
Check the government section
of your phone book for the lo-
cal offi ce, or see www.fns.usda.
gov/snap.
In some states, as part of
SNAP, you also might be eli-
gible for The Senior Farmers
Markets Nutrition Program
(SFMNP), which will provide a
coupon booklet that can be used
at farmers markets to buy fresh
fruit and vegetables. Informa-
tion is available on the USDA.
gov website.
More and more senior centers
are providing food programs.
Ask about a Senior Grocery
Program in your state, or the lo-
cal food bank. The center also
might host a monthly luncheon,
or perhaps a weekly get-togeth-
er lunch. You’ll make contacts
at any of these events that can
steer you to other local food
programs.
Contact the Council on Aging
(www.ncoa.org) branch in your
state for a full list of programs
you can apply for. Or search on-
line for “senior hunger resourc-
es” in your state.
If you were turned down for
Helping seniors
stay in their homes
BY MATILDA CHARLES
For the Sentinel
Senior Hunger Options
food benefi ts, apply again, es-
pecially if your situation has
changed in any way. If Meals on
Wheels in your area isn’t taking
new clients (many of them don’t
have enough resources nowa-
days), get put on the waiting list
anyway.
Contact churches in your area
to ask about senior meal pro-
grams. Ask your doctor for re-
sources.
Remember: It’s not only OK
to ask for help when you need
it, it’s imperative. To maintain
your health, you need proper
nutrition.
11A
Aging in place. Those are
words dear to the hearts of
many low-income seniors
who fear having to move away
from home when they need
services. The department of
Housing and Urban Develop-
ment (HUD), in collaboration
with the U.S. Department of
Health and Human Services,
is about to give $15 million
in grants to organizations that
can provide services to help
seniors stay in their homes.
Called “Supportive Services
Demonstration for Elderly
Households in HUD-Assist-
ed Multifamily Housing,” it
would work like this:
Existing HUD-assisted se-
nior developments can apply
for three-year grants if they
agree to provide services for
aging in place, transitions to
institutional care, housing sta-
bility, well-being monitoring
and utilization of healthcare,
such as emergency-room vis-
its. The goal would be to avoid
institutional care, the need for
skilled nursing and expensive
trips to the emergency room.
Developments will be re-
Grant Gording, BC-HIS
Jenna Buetow
Board Certifi ed in
Hearing Instrument Sciences
Hearing Consultant
quired to have a full-time,
onsite service coordinator and
a part-time, onsite wellness
nurse to make assessments
and coordinate care and sup-
port services.
The program would be a test
to see if initial plans work and
to evaluate the outcomes of
the demonstration.
A model program was start-
ed in Vermont a few years ago,
and there are many success
stories to show the effective-
ness: An isolated senior who
missed doctor appointments
can now get rides and has
learned to get around indepen-
dently; another with physical
disabilities has been given re-
ferrals to physical therapists; a
depressed senior was recruited
as a volunteer and has become
more social, and so much
more.
These are the types of ser-
vices we need if we’re to stay
in our homes. Those develop-
ment owners who want to ap-
ply have until April 18 to do
so. See www.grants.gov, and
look for FR-5900-N-22.
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F a m n i l e y d
Ow
Keep your
heart happy
Who do you love with all your heart? Turns out the
same people who warm your heart can help keep it
healthy too. They inspire us to stay heart healthy. If
you need more support in your pursuit of heart health,
PeaceHealth is here with screenings, nutrition advice
and teams of specialists who never miss a beat.
Learn more about local heart health
events sponsored by PeaceHealth at
peacehealth.org/heart.
#hearthappy