Lifestyle

I understand the pain of social isolation well. On July 2nd, I celebrated completing my ninth year of sobriety. I was addicted to alcohol and the more I drank, the more isolated I became and the more I lied to myself about everything. Since I was still functioning, it couldn’t be that serious. I had an image in my mind of what a problem drinker looked like (someone in ragged clothes passed out in the median of the road in the middle of the day holding an empty bottle in a paper bag) and there was no way that was me. Alcohol is a depressant. Drinking to feel better was the biggest lie of all- the more I drank, the darker life became.

With summer in full swing, we have had a taste of hot days with high humidity. For many who are not water drinkers, dehydration can easily become a concern.

In the last few years, insurance companies have begun adding new extra benefits to their Medicare Advantage plans. While most have included some form of hearing, dental, and vision coverage for years, many now offer an over-the-counter allowance for qualifying purchases. Some even have special discounts or coupons for food. A number of people who have these benefits aren’t using them- because they aren’t aware that their plan includes them!

Remember the old Garmin Navigation systems that we would use in our vehicles? We would put in the address of our desired destination and the system would navigate us to that spot. If we missed a turn, there would be a voice that would immediately announce “RE-CALCULATING.” That not only made it obvious that you made an error, but to everyone else riding along in your vehicle! By alerting us immediately, however, we were able to get “back on track” and focused on reaching our final destination.

In my last column, I mentioned a training I had attended with information from the Alzheimer’s Association. One statistic really stood out and I’ve been thinking a lot about its significance. “Up to 40% of dementia cases could be prevented or delayed by targeting modifiable risk factors.” While certain risk factors like age, genetics, race, and gender are non-modifiable, some small shifts in our lifestyles can lead to healthy habits which lower the risk of developing cognitive decline.

Years ago when I directed the singing group One Accord out of Clara City, we would end our season the end of April. This was a very smart idea as those who participated would become extremely busy in May with prom events, spring sporting events (whether as a participant or a spectator), spring concerts, awards banquets, etc. The month of May was always jammed packed with activities and events – concluding with the Memorial Day program and studying for final tests. The end of the school year always seemed hectic! For those families with a graduating senior, there probably was a party to plan, food to prepare, and house projects to complete. (I remember my dad installed a new kitchen sink in our farmhouse the day of my sister’s Baccalaureate – and we had neighbors and friends coming over that same evening to celebrate! Probably wasn’t exactly the timing my mom had in mind!)