Good morning and welcome to agebuzz… Headlining today’s topics:

-Kick It Up A Notch: The Benefits of Curry on Memory and Mood

-Let Me In: High Demand For Entry Into A New Research Study

-Coverage Queries: Do I need Long Term Care Insurance?

-Home Care: Preparing Your Home For A Person with Dementia

-Pictures Worth A Thousand Words: Portraits of Senior Athletes

-Listen Up: The New Yorker Radio Hour Talks Home Care

-The Last Word

Kick It Up A Notch: The Benefits of Curry on Memory and Mood: Sometimes a great meal is a memorable event. But did you know that the ingredients of a meal might actually improve your memory? Researchers in Australia have discovered that curcumin, a component found in turmeric and present in curries, may actually help improve memory and attention span in older individuals. While this is just one study, other studies investigating the benefits of curcumin for Alzheimier’s patients are ongoing. So pull out your menu and Read This.

Let Me In: High Demand For Entry Into A New Research Study: Recruiting participants for new research studies can be challenging: those approached are often skeptical, concerned about side effects or unsure about benefits. However, phones have been ringing off the hook from people who want to gain entry to a new study examining the life-extension properties of metformin, a medication for Type 2 Diabetes. Researchers want to investigate whether this drug can be used more generally to slow down aging and prevent aging-related disease. Apparently slowing down aging is an appealing idea. So pick up your phone and Read This.

Coverage Queries: Do I need Long Term Care Insurance? While no one relishes the prospect of needing help in old age, the reality is that 70% of people turning 65 can expect to use some type of extra care in their later years. Such help can run the gamut from a few weekly hours of in-home care to full time residence in a nursing home. Ironically, many of us only realize how expensive that is when we ourselves, or our loved ones, are in a crisis and need help quickly.  So how should you start to think about long term care insurance and whether it’s right for you? Read This.

Home Care: Preparing Your Home For A Person with Dementia: Does this sound like your house? Piles of books and paper teetering on counters, multiple wires tangled in a mess on the floor or cabinets packed to overflowing?  When a person with dementia comes to live in your home, this chaos may not only be confusing, it can also be risky. Streamlining living spaces and determining whether common items can pose a threat are essential chores for anyone housing a person with dementia.  Blogger Mike Good, whose website Together in This is devoted to helping Alzheimer’s caregivers, has published a simple series of checklists to help ensure your home is safe and sound for impaired residents. To view and download his useful e-book on this topic, Read This.

Pictures Worth A Thousand Words: Portraits of Senior Athletes: When Dr. Alex Rotas retired from her academic career, she picked up a camera and very quickly moved on to her next career: photographer of “master” aging athletes and slayer of aging stereotypes.  With her lens trained on older athletes competing in all types of athletic endeavors, Alex Rotas has documented that no matter your age, you can never be counted out. Her gorgeous portraits display the beauty of the human form and the reality of aging in the 21st century. To find out more about Dr. Rotas and her amazing photography, say cheese and Read This.

Listen Up: The New Yorker Radio Hour Talks Home Care: While the beloved cartoons may be absent, the New Yorker Radio Hour, broadcast by WNYC in New York, features many wonderful New Yorker writers speaking with subjects of articles or revealing behind the scenes facets of their stories. Recently this radio program featured two pieces addressing home care.  First, listen to writer Rachel Aviv tell the story of an amazing bond between a disabled patient and her loving home care aide. Next, Executive Editor Dorothy Wickenden interviews Ai-jen Poo, the MacArthur Genius Award winning director of the National Domestic Workers Alliance. Their interview about the need for a broad reconsideration of caregiving as our elderly population grows is a not-to-be missed conversation. Pull up a chair and Listen Here.

THE LAST WORD: “Wisdom doesn’t necessarily come with age.  Sometimes age just shows up by itself.”  Tom Wilson