To help older adults get motivated about physical activity, the National Institute on Aging has published a free 100-page exercise guide that gives concrete examples of exercises that can benefit seniors the most. It also provides activity and progress charts as well as nutrition information.

I found the booklet, which is easy to read and full of illustrations, interesting and very useful.

It can be difficult for older adults to begin new exercise programs. Often, they fear injury or are alienated by youth-oriented gyms and fitness centers. But exercising can be the single most important thing adults of any age can do to improve their health.

The guide is titled “Exercise: A Guide from the National Institute on Aging” and can be downloaded for from the Web at www.nia.nih.gov/HealthInformation/Publications/ExerciseGuide.

Here’s what the guide will show you:

• Endurance exercises. They will increase your breathing and heart rate. They improve the health of your heart, lungs, and circulatory system. Having more endurance not only helps keep you healthier; it can also improve your stamina for the tasks you need to do to live and do things on your own — climbing stairs and grocery shopping, for example.

• Strength exercises. They will help you build muscles and make you stronger. They give you more strength to do things on your own. Even very small increases in muscle can make a big difference in ability, especially for frail people. Strength exercises also increase your metabolism, helping to keep your weight and blood sugar in check.

• Balance exercises. They will help prevent a common problem in older adults: falls. Falling is a major cause of broken hips and other injuries that often lead to disability and loss of independence. Some balance exercises build up your leg muscles; others require you to do simple activities like briefly standing on one leg.

• Flexibility exercises. They will help keep your body limber by stretching your muscles and the tissues that hold your body’s structures in place. Physical therapists and other health professionals recommend certain stretching exercises to help patients recover from injuries and to prevent injuries from happening in the first place. Flexibility also may play a part in preventing falls.
It will be up to you to choose what types of exercise you want to follow. One thing is sure: you’ll benefit a great deal by following any of the suggested exercises.

Some people may not know New York is third in the nation in the number of older adults, according to the U.S. Census.

It trails California and Florida as having the most elderly population in the country.

More than 3.4 million New Yorkers were age 60 or older in 2007 of a population of about 19.3 million. The graying of the population can also be seen through a different set of data. Fifty-eight counties (out of 62) saw their median age increase between 2000 and 2007. At the same time, according to the Census, the number of younger people (15-44-year-olds) has decreased in 42 counties.

This brings daunting challenges — and opportunities.

Some of the problems:

• Medicare and Medicaid costs. New York state’s cost of Medicare and Medicaid will continue to rise, creating more problems for a government that already faces a large budget deficit.

• Infra-structure. With a growing aging population, the state will need to handle issues associated with affordable housing that is outfitted to serve the needs of frail and disabled older people; will have to provide more long-term care services, better transportation services and more overall services for the elderly.

• Pressure on healthcare industry. Older people, even when they are healthy, make up the largest block of health service consumers. They are more likely to need personal assistance with everyday activities, which increase with age. The industry will have to be better equipped to handle this surge of older adults.
Some of the opportunities:

• Local spending. The current generation of older people is relatively more affluent than previous ones. They help fuel the economy through their spending.

• Employment. With a large pool of retired people, the job market may benefit from hiring those who are still seeking employment. Employers can have a larger pool from which to hire and in general older workers are more experienced and more reliable.

• Volunteer work. Older people represent a great resource when it comes to volunteer work, and the percentage of those doing that has grown in recent years.

The Census says this graying of the population will only accelerate from now on. By 2030, it says, nearly one in five U.S. residents will be 65 and older. The challenge now is to create more opportunities so that this large segment of the population can continue making a difference.

Readers may recall all the media frenzy late last year about what was billed as a “tsunami wave” of Baby Boomers flooding the offices of Social Security everywhere.

It was estimated that 77 million would become eligible to retire within years and that 10,000 people a day would be eligible to apply for benefits beginning in January this year.

Well, that “tsunami” was a very little one and has gone largely unnoticed. Fact is, people have not retired in droves as was previously expected. Working longer has become a trend that’s likely to continue in the near future Why? Experts point to four main reasons:

• Drastic fall of the stock market, 401(k)s and other types of investments, depleting whatever money Baby Boomers had for their retirement;

• Decline in home values;

• High prices of oil and gas, which have taken a big chunk out of people’s income.

• Employers cut back on retiree healthcare coverage and traditional pensions

Certainly, a shift is under way. In the first four months of 2008 about 30 percent of 65- to 69-year-olds were either employed or looking for work, up sharply from 24 percent in the last business-cycle peak in 2000, according to Labor Department figures.

“Retirement on hold,” reads a headline in the July-August issue of the AARP Bulletin. The cover story discusses how Baby Boomers are sticking to their jobs or looking for new ones in order to make ends meet.

An AARP survey in April found that nearly one in five people aged 55-60, and about one in four aged 45-54, planned to delay retirement because of the economic downturn. Nearly one in three people aged 45 – 54 blamed postponing their retirement on falling home values, among other reasons; 18 percent of those aged 55 – 64 said the same.

David Certner, AARP legislative policy director, is quoted in the AARP Bulletin story as saying it’s no surprise that people are pessimistic about their retirement security. “The stock market volatility has become even more important to many in or nearing retirement who rely on their own pensions, such as 401 (k)s, that put investment risk on individuals. So retirement security rises and fall with the market.”

The consolation? Americans are living longer and healthier lives. The only thing is they have to work a little longer to enjoy full retirement. 

Wagner Dotto, Editor & Publisher, Editor@CNYHealth.com