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

-On The Shelf: New And Useful Books To Consider

-Broken Hearted: The Hidden Vulnerabilities Of Pacemakers

-Age Explain: What Are Supercentenarians And How Can You Become One?

-Kitchen Aid: Products For The Aging Cook

-Assisted Living: Setting Goals Regardless of Age

-Crisis Or Celebration: How Will We Deal With The New Norm Of An Aging Society

-The Last Word

On The Shelf: New And Useful Books To Consider: Heading into summer, it’s common for many of us to grab a new book or two as we make our way to the beach or countryside. While it’s easy to pick the latest romance novels or “chick-lit” best sellers, it’s also valuable to consider books that help you improve yourself or your circumstances. So consider the following: Don’t Eat This If You’re Taking That: The Hidden Risks Of Mixing Food And Medicine, newly published by nutrition and scientific experts Madelyn and John Fernstrom. The book provides up-to-date guidance on the various ways medications can be altered or rendered ineffective by the foods you eat. Or, what about the wide array of books now out, both fiction and non-fiction, that portray a positive path for growing older. Examples of such books can be found Here. So crack open a book and happy reading!

Broken Hearted: The Hidden Vulnerabilities Of Pacemakers: You may be aware of recent news stories that “smart,” internet-connected devices in your home could be hacked by malicious outsiders. Or perhaps you read about the recent ransom attack of IT systems around the world, including the British health care system. Scary stuff, yet it all seems removed from our day-to-day lives. But for those of us who have implanted personal devices, specifically pacemakers, this can be a deadly serious concern. A new report in Quartz spells out the details of how implanted pacemakers can be vulnerable to hacking through external monitoring devices or programming electronics. Via the internet, these pacemakers communicate with, and send data to, doctors as a means of adjusting and controlling the implants. What would happen if hackers gained access to this data and control? As this article reveals, the implications are frightening. If you need more motivation to take care of your health and heart, and avoid the need for a pacemaker, this may be it. If you already have a pacemaker, this is surely something to discuss with your physician. To read the details of this potential concern, Read Here.

Age Explain: What Are Supercentenarians And How Can You Become One?: We all know that people are living longer than ever these days. But do you know about supercentenarians? According to Wikipedia, these are the few but growing number of individuals who have lived to at least the age of 110. While this is clearly pushing the boundaries of human longevity, scientists are hard at work determining what allows for such a long life and whether this is attainable for more people. Apparently, it’s becoming more clear that small but targeted lifestyle changes may help put you on this path and that, for example, supplements to your diet may have great impact. Whether you, in fact, want to live that long a life is another matter. But if you’re curious about the latest scientific thinking and research endeavors trying to get you there, Read Here.

Kitchen Aid: Products For The Aging Cook: Cooking can be one of the great joys in life- or, one of the growing number of frustrations if your hands aren’t quite as nimble as they used to be or your aching back or legs make it harder to stand for a long time. Moreover, mistakes in the kitchen may ruin your meal and could be dangerous. But there are plenty of products on the market to keep you safe, and satiated, for whatever recipe you want to tackle. Over at Daily Caring, you’ll find a list of new gadgets that help you chop, open, peel and prepare, all with a little more ease and convenience (no matter what your age!). So pull out that cookbook and Click Here.

Assisted Living: Setting Goals Regardless of Age: We’ve all heard of the “bucket list” concept: Creating a list of places or pursuits you’d like to accomplish before it’s too late. But whether you can realize these goals often depends not only on the strength of your desires but the reality of your circumstances. Enter David Tosetto, owner and operator of two assisted living facilities in New York State, who’s encouraged residents of his facilities to dream big, and has committed himself to supporting these dreams and making things happen. Whether it’s starting to take college classes at age 92 or finally getting behind the controls of a plane at age 97, Tosetto has inspired his residents to set adventurous goals, regardless of their age. Find out more about Tosetto, and these soaring seniors, by Reading Here. And for those late in their lives who can no longer physically take on these sorts of experiences, but still have the desire to explore, read about new virtual reality options Here.

Crisis Or Celebration: How Will We Deal With The New Norm Of An Aging Society: Growing older is a personal journey for each of us. But as they say, no man is an island. As you’re growing older, so too are those around you. We are rapidly approaching the point where 1/3 of our population will be over the age of 65. This will have a profound impact on our society, and could be cause for celebration, or crisis, depending upon how we plan for and embrace this new phenomenon. But first we have to acknowledge and discuss this demographic explosion. Enter The Aging America Project, a multi-media, collaborative project designed to stimulate a national dialogue about the planning and programs we’ll need around the country to do this right. One important way to get the dialogue going is the airing of a one-hour documentary in late June on public television stations across the country. It’s called Coming of Age in Aging America, and you can watch the trailer Here.  And you can listen to a podcast with the film’s documentary film maker, Christine Herbes-Sommers, Here.

THE LAST WORD: “A man ninety years old was asked to what he attributed his longevity. “I reckon,” he said with a twinkle in his eye, “it’s because most nights I went to bed and slept, when I should have sat up and worried.” -Garson Kanin