shAARP Talk: Observations from AARP

The Christian Science Monitor's Bright Green Blog takes a look at recent Department of Transportation numbers and an AARP survey that shows people are hopping on their bikes, riding the bus and hittin' the pavement more.

Our own Elinor Ginzler was featured, here's what she had to say about this trend:

Four in 10 said they have used public transportation, walked or ridden a bicycle more frequently since gas prices have risen, according to the AARP poll, which was being released Wednesday.

Elinor Ginzler, AARP's senior vice president for livable communities, said she's concerned that communities don't have adequate sidewalks, bus shelters, bike lanes and public transportation options as more people look for other means to get around.

"More Americans age 50-plus are trying to leave their cars behind but face obstacles as soon as they walk out the door, climb on their bikes or head for the bus," Ginzler said.

Are you going green because of gas prices?

USMagazine has a great slide show of starlets who are beautiful, smart and just happen to be lookin' good at 50!

Congrats ladies!

It was such an important moment for us as AARP to be so visible and present at this Medicare rally at the Capitol. Seeing members from both sides of the aisle come together to assure that important provisions of Medicare are preserved and enhanced for this program was inspiring. Most of all we all became more hopeful that we can work on breaking political gridlock and get back on track to secure our collective well being for our country.

We will all benefit from having physicians receive adequate compensation, seeing that the efficiency and safety of using technology for e-prescribing, assuring that our retired military are also cared for and ultimately - older Americans see an overall improvement in their health care.

A big thanks to our many volunteers who were able to be present in their famous AARP red tee shirts..it was a visual reminder to all of our collective voice.

I've been following the blog MedGadget and they recently announced an offshoot called MedPolitics (a blog that gives a voice to doctors). We're wishing them the best of luck and certainly we'll be following them.

Who woulda knew? AARP reports from the International Alzheimer's Conference in Chicago, where research is being highlighted on the effects of being a older and single. While we posted last month on the fact that older single women aren't the sad, old maids that stereotypes often make them out to be, that doesn't mean that not having a partner can't potentially have an effect on your health. In fact, this new research shows that having a partner midlife had a 50 percent lower risk of having dementia later in life. Some more stats:

• People who were single throughout their lives had double the risk of developing Alzheimer's disease
• People were divorced and stayed divorced from midlife on had triple the risk.
• People who lost a spouse midlife and stayed single had more than a sixfold risk of developing Alzheimer's disease than their married peers.

What author of the study, Krister Håkansson, asks is a good question: "What is it about being in a couples relationship, whether married or not, that is protective? Is it the cognitive and intellectual stimulation that comes with living in a relationship or is it something related to other things, like social or emotional factors?"

Their guess is that it's a social network of friends and family and lack of isolation, which makes sense considering the fact that people who were lifelong singles were "much better off" than those who were divorced or lost a spouse in midlife. (Lifelong singles are guessed to have a better network of family and friends already established.)

The thing that can be upsetting about these kinds of studies is that it seems as if you almost don't have a choice in what happens to you; you get divorced and don't find another spouse, what can you do then? But rather than seeing this study as some impending doom for dementia, we should see it for what the actual implications really seem to be here: that a strong network of close loved ones is what matters in life.

*Picture from Brand New Images/Getty Images

While we're all watching Michael Phelps' historic quest to beat Mark Spitz's record of seven gold medals...

Spitz was in our studios earlier this year talking about life after swimming - and how swimming in the 1972 Munich Olympics was different from today.

Phelps "reminds me of myself," Spitz recently said.

In case you didn't know, Olympic swimmer Dara Torres is unbelievable. At 41, she's the oldest Olympic swimmer ever and on Sunday she became the oldest Olympic swimming medalist of all time. Her first Olympics were in 1984 where she won her first gold and she hasn't stopped since. In addition to being a former model, Torres is also a mother, making her feats in the pool even more amazing. If you're inspired by her story you're not alone and you actually have to opportunity to see her in person. Dara Torres will be appearing at AARP's member event, Life@50, on September 4th with Martina Navratilova so come down to Washington and see her yourself. See ABC's segment on Dara as their "Person of the Week" below:

After winning his 5th gold in Beijing in the 4 x 200 meter freestyle medley (demolishing the competition and the old world record in the process), Michael Phelps stands as the winningest Olympian of all-time with 11 gold medals. So far he has been untouchable in these Olympics. The question is: Is Michael Phelps the best Olympic athlete, or maybe even the best athlete of any kind ever? If he wins his 3 remaining races, some say this is a foregone conclusion, he will have broken Mark Spitz's record for most gold medals in a single Olympic games with 8. At that point it would be hard to make a case against Phelps being the single most dominant athlete of all time. Check him out for yourself and let us know what you think:

If you're at work and need a brain break, check out Ann's space. Ann, a 56 woman from St. Louis, MO explores everything from family to aging on her personal blog. She's poignant, funny and has an interesting perspective on the world. She's been blogging for about a year now (or so say her archives), so check her out!

Everyone knows that eating more fruits and veggies is good for you, right? But, if you're like me, you still don't get enough. Life - and my picky taste buds - always seems to get in the way of advance planning and culinary genius.

That's why I like this new logo that's getting slapped on over a 1,000 products in grocery stores across the country. Anything that has this "Fruit & Veggies More Matters" logo has already met strict nutrition guidelines for fat, sugar, fiber and sodium. Beats trying to do calculations with the complicated nutrition charts on food labels!

Stores that are participating include A&P, Bi-Lo, Kroger, Meijer, Publix, Safeway, Schnuck's, SuperValu, Ukrop's, Wal-Mart, and Weis.

Plus, the website has all kinds of shopping tips, recipes and ways to get the grandkids involved in cooking healthy. Check it out here.

http://www.fruitsandveggiesmorematters.org/

One of the major problems facing America's health care system today is the astronomical cost of treatment. While you might be able to extend your life through major surgery, the tension that results from the stress of medical debt could end up killing you. However, there are several acts (some easier than others) that people can take to lop off some of that debt and pay off their medical expenses.

This BusinessWeek piece is unbelievable. It's titled, "Would We Fire Older Workers If We Could?"

And it's certainly not a joke. Author Liz Ryan asks readers:

We DO love youth culture, here in the U.S. We celebrate fresh thinking and new ideas. Age discrimination claims in employment are on the rise. Are our anti-discrimination laws the only things that are keeping our employers from following the airline's lead and booting the oldest employees? Can new ideas and older talent pools co-exist?

Is she really asking this question? It's as if older folks are in some sort of bubble confined away from the rest of the world, incapable of thinking of fresh ideas. In the "About" part of this section of BusinessWeek, which is titled, "Generational Tension," it says, "Our experts on the millennial workplace, Liz Ryan, David Stillman, and Lynne Lancaster explain how to close the generation gap."

Well I must say, if they're interested in closing that gap, wondering aloud about firing all older employees and implying they have little to offer to the workforce is not going to do it. Rant over.

"Voluntourism" is hotter on the travel trend list than just about any destination these days. But with so many people in need these days, what's a commitment phobe to do? Check these ideas courtesy of DailyCandy.com and AARP:

• Spend two weeks in Costa Rica and help local schoolkids learn English. Read about AARP The Magazine editor Ken Budd's experience here.
• Join Hands Up Holiday for a Yucatan experience that includes helping elderly stay active and independent and beachcombing.
• Visit Belize to snorkel and help protect precious coral reefs or dive with dolphins in Greece with Earthwatch diving and snorkel expeditions.

And for those of you that desire a more pampered jaunt, check out Ritz-Carlton's Give Back Getaways and when the hard work is over you can sink into your luxurious accommodations. They even have one that is helping restore a seniors home in Singapore this October. Sign me up - I can paint, garden and sightsee all in one shot!

Did the 1960 Olympics mirror or even cause major changes in society? In his new book Rome 1960: The Olympics That Changed the World, David Maraniss makes the case that events from that year's Rome games reflected and accelerated the cataclysmic changes that would reverberate throughout the world in the 1960s.

From race relations to the Cold War, Maraniss paints with a broad brush, and makes a strong case that the Olympics that year were not "just" games.

In the clip below Maraniss and Prime Time Radio host Mike Cuthbert discuss Ethiopian runner Abebe Bikila, his amazing story and what it meant for the world watching the 1960 Olympics.

Click here for the full interview with Maraniss and for AARP's Bulletin Today coverage of the 2008 Olympics, click here.