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

-You Can’t Take It With You…Or Can You? Prescription Meds And Travel

-State Your Case: The Healthiest States For Aging

-Friends In Deed: Creating Friendly Communities For Dementia Sufferers

-Stay Vertical And Move Forward: Advice From An Occupational Therapist

-Comic Relief: Meet The Alzheimer’s Philanthropy, “Hilarity For Charity”

-Piano Lessons: A Master Toy Piano Player Tells All

-The Last Word

You Can’t Take It With You…Or Can You? Prescription Meds and Travel: Travel these days often means long lines and delays. It’s valuable to plan ahead to minimize as many barriers to smooth sailing as possible- that includes items in your luggage that can delay exit or entry from one country to another. Prescription medications fall into that category. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has advice about travelling with prescription medications, and how to avoid problems with security and regulations in other countries. For example, some medications, or usages, while legal in one country are not in others… Or bringing medical devices on board a plane may take extra negotiation or advance planning. To get info and advice about this potentially tricky topic, Watch This.

State Your Case: The Healthiest States For Aging:  Is geography destiny? Does where you live determine how healthy you are? According to the latest rankings, the healthiest seniors live in New England. Using 35 measures in a comprehensive study of senior population health, Massachusetts seniors are the healthiest in the US, with Vermont and New Hampshire following right behind. Their measures top the charts regarding such indicators as lower hip fracture rates, increasing physical activity and flu shots. Nationally, positive trends for healthy aging include fewer preventable hospitalizations, increased hospice use and decreased smoking rates. Curious where your state stands in the rankings? Read This.

Friends In Deed: Creating Friendly Communities For Dementia Sufferers: When someone receives a diagnosis of dementia, fear and isolation can quickly loom large. Will my loved one need to move out of her home? How will she manage her day to day affairs? Who will look out for her if I can’t be around? These are legitimate concerns which can lead to unnecessary limitations on the person diagnosed and enormous stress for caregivers. To address these challenges, a new initiative has been started: Dementia Friendly America (DFA).  With support and funding from some of the leading dementia and advocacy organizations in the country, the mission of DFA is to educate and train local community groups and individuals so that those with dementia and their caregivers will find support and compassion as they go about their everyday lives. To find out about DFA and how you can embrace their work in your own neighborhood, Read This.

Stay Vertical And Move Forward: Advice From An Occupational Therapist: For Barbara Knickerbocker Beskind, a nationally renowned occupational therapist in her early 90’s, good physical health isn’t just a matter of good luck or genes. For her, and those she treats, the advice is clear: It’s all about bone density and balance, and that being proactive from an early age can really pay off. Her basic prescription? Good posture and a brisk 30 minute walk every day. A strong gait and good balance go a long way toward avoiding falls and injuries as you grow older. So stand up straight and Read This.

Comic Relief: Meet The Alzheimer’s Philanthropy, “Hilarity For Charity”: When you think of the comedian Seth Rogen, your image of him likely involves an immature yet hilarious man resisting the responsibilities of adulthood. In real life, however, Rogen and his wife have lived with the tragedy of early-onset Alzheimer’s for the past several years. Rogen’s mother in law was diagnosed at age 55 and is now completely debilitated and care-dependent. In response, the Rogen family has created “Hilarity for Charity,” a philanthropic not for profit aimed at supporting families dealing with Alzheimer’s, as well as basic scientific research. The organization also increases Alzheimer’s awareness among college students, who have worked to raise funds for this organization. So while you’re waiting to stream Knocked Up on Netflix, Read This.

Piano Lessons: A Master Toy Piano Player Tells All: 70 year old classical musician Margaret Leng Tan has devoted her life to being a serious musician, becoming the first woman to earn a doctorate from Juilliard in 1971. Yet her mastery of the toy piano, hardly a conventional choice, has led her on an unconventional musical path. Highly influenced by the avant garde musician John Cage, Tan made her Lincoln Center debut on the toy piano in 1993. She has played around the world, including Carnegie Hall, and she continues to find new inspiration and musical ambition with this highly unusual calling. To hear her talk about her music, and listen to her play, Watch This.

THE LAST WORD: “Don’t let aging get you down. It’s too hard to get back up.” John Wagner