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

-Nuts And Bolts: New Research Highlights The Value Of Snacking On Almonds

-At Will: How To Choose The Executor Of Your Will

-Set The Stage: A Framework For Figuring Out Where You Are Heading In Life

-Clear The Clutter And Make Some Money: What To Do With Those Stacks Of Old Magazines

-What’s It Really Like: One Woman’s Experience With Dementia

-Further Viewing: Additional Video To Help You Understand The Effects Of Dementia

-The Last Word

Nuts And Bolts: New Research Highlights The Value Of Snacking On Almonds: You probably know by now that snacking on nuts is part of a heart healthy diet. But new research, just published in the Journal of Nutrition, takes this advice to another level when it comes to almonds. We’ve known that almonds contain healthy fats, fiber and vitamin E, and that they help lower your LDL, or “bad” cholesterol, level. But now researchers have also discovered that almonds help your HDL, or “good” cholesterol, in the task of clearing cholesterol out of arteries and helping in the process of breaking it down to eliminate it. This new study found that when switching out one high carb snack, such as a muffin, with a handful of almonds instead, the study participants had higher levels and better functioning of their HDL. So reach into that bag of almonds, and check out the new research Here.

At Will: How To Choose The Executor Of Your Will: Most people know that it’s important to have a will in place- getting your affairs in order is a valuable way to make sure your wishes about your property and possessions are respected, and it certainly makes life easier for your survivors. What you may not realize is that the person you appoint in your will to be the executor of your estate may have significant responsibilities carrying out the terms you set forth. It can be a big job, and things can go well or not, often depending upon the person you select as executor. That’s why you need to take a look at the advice just published in Kiplinger, detailing the traits you need to consider when choosing who should fill this role for you. While you may think the choice is obvious, the best person for the job may actually be someone you haven’t considered. Check out their tips for choosing an executor Here. And for a more general guide to estate planning, peruse this thoughtful list of great resources Here.

Set The Stage: A Framework For Figuring Out Where You Are Heading In Life: Maybe you have a hazy concept of how your later years will unfold- retirement in the not too distant future, maybe some travel or finding new hobbies, if you have the financial luxury to do so. But, as we all know, life unfolds in mysterious ways with lots of bumps and bruises along the way. Nonetheless, having a framework to set some realistic goals can be helpful, and there’s a new book out that may assist you through this process.How Do I Get There From Here: Planning For Retirement When The Old Rules Don’t Apply is written by consultant and organizational psychologist George Schofield, who has developed a framework for your post-50 life while acknowledging that each of us takes a different path to arrive at our later years. Schofield describes what he calls 3 overlapping periods of post 50 life- New Freedom, New Horizons and New Simplicity- but he acknowledges that we are all pioneers in this new era of extended longevity. Read more about his theories Here and check in at his personal website Here.

Clear The Clutter And Make Some Money: What To Do With Those Stacks Of Old Magazines: Whether due to prescience or hoarding tendencies, many of us grew up in households, and perhaps continue this in our own homes, where stacks of magazines were left to pile up. Did our parents know that someday these piles might become re-categorized as “vintage” and thus be much more valuable than their original cost? Recently, the website Fashionista, a site for devotees of fashion and the fashion world, ran a piece about the potential value of all those old Vogues and Harper’s Bazaars that may still be down in your basement. Turns out there’s a market for buying and selling these old volumes- and converting the stacks into cold hard cash. Check out the possibilities by reading Here. And if you’re in the process of downsizing or cleaning out a loved one’s home, and come across numerous stacks of all sorts of stuff, check out the suggestions for selling the items you want to discard by Reading Here.

What’s It Really Like: One Woman’s Experience With Dementia: It’s not often that we get insight from someone suffering from dementia, particularly someone as articulate as Gerda Saunders. Ms. Saunders, 67, a retired professor from the University of Utah, began a journal 6 years ago when given the diagnosis of cerebral microvascular disease, a precursor of dementia. That journal is now a book, entitled Memory’s Last Breath: Field Notes on My Dementia. As she continues to cope with this debilitating disease, Ms. Saunders finds new joys and insights into her family, herself and what life means to her. You can listen to an interview of Ms. Saunders by Mary Harris on a segment of the Leonard Lopate Show Here. And for more information about this courageous woman’s journey, check out her own personal website Here.

Further Viewing: Additional Video To Help You Understand The Effects Of Dementia: While the stories of people like Gerda Saunders are critical for enhancing our understanding of what it’s like to experience dementia, The Social Care Institute For Excellence, a British support agency that improves the quality of care and support services for adults and children, has come out with a video that helps you literally see the world through the eyes and perspective of someone suffering from dementia. It’s a confusing and confounding video- which is precisely the point. This brief film provides important clarity about how challenging it is to navigate every day life when dementia begins to rob you of the essential skills we normally take for granted. Watch this disturbing but indispensable video Here. And for further clarity about how dementia can literally alter and diminish your eyesight and field of vision, watch and read Here.

THE LAST WORD: “Our very lives depend on the ethics of strangers, and most of us are always strangers to other people.” Bill Moyers