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

-Running Hot And Cold: Temperature Sensitivity As You Age

-Find Your Voice: Embracing Voice Activation Technology For Your Home

-Make Your Aging Brain Happy: Exercise For Better Brain Health

-Drive Away: Ride Sharing As A Way To Get To Your Medical Appointments

-Stay Strong: How To Fight Against Muscle Loss

-Ice Queen: Skater Peggy Flemming Fifty Years After Her Gold Medal Performance

-The Last Word

Running Hot And Cold: Temperature Sensitivity As You Age: One minute you’re fanning yourself and the next minute you’re grabbing your sweater- sound familiar? It’s not just women going through menopause who experience extra sensitivity to temperature changes. As you age, there are multiple reasons you may experience temperature fluctuations, including blood flow problems, thinning of the fat under your skin or metabolic rate changes. Depending on your health, there may be a reason to seek medical care for such sensitivities. For example, when you’re feeling cold, it could be due to such concerns as anemia, kidney problems or peripheral artery disease. For further examples and explanation, Read Here. And in the summer, heat sensitivity among seniors is a serious concern, especially with the more frequent and extreme heat waves we’re experiencing. So turn up the AC and find out more Here.

Find Your Voice: Embracing Voice Activation Technology For Your Home: While we often associate cutting-edge technology with younger people, it seems that in the area of voice-activated home technology- such as the Amazon Echo– baby boomers are definitely on board. Recent consumer analysis from Google reports that many of us are welcoming this technology into our homes to assist us with everything from medication reminders to music playlists. In fact, some of us are beginning to embrace these devices as our “electronic relatives” who can answer our questions and keep us company when our flesh and blood are not available. To read more about the growing acceptance of this new technology, Click Here. For a New York Times review comparing the Amazon Echo to the Google Home, Read Here. And these devices may not only provide us individual help but may also assist with our caregiving obligations for others. For some ideas about how to use this technology when caring for a loved one with dementia, check out thisrecent article in Daily Caring. Finally, if you haven’t seen it, and are willing to get a good laugh at what may be your own expense, Click Here to watch this recent Saturday Night Live skit about seniors using the “Amazon Echo Silver.”

Make Your Aging Brain Happy: Exercise For Better Brain Health: Most of us probably know the feeling of both sweat and pleasure that comes from a good physical work out. But what you may not realize is that physical exertion is also making your brain happy- and healthier. New York University neuroscientist Wendy Suzuki has devoted her life’s work to understanding this connection between exercise and the mind, and she’s got some ideas about how to optimize your mood, memory, and mind with the right work out personalized for you. In fact, she’s even in the process of starting up a new company called BrainThrive to create exercise “prescriptions” that will allow you to determine when to exercise, how long to exercise and what are the best work out options for your unique situation. So, if you’re looking to protect your brain against such neurodegenerative diseases as Alzheimer’s, watch Dr. Suzuki explain her work in her recent TED talk Here and pick up a copy of her recent book Here.

Drive Away: Ride Sharing As A Way To Get To Your Medical Appointments: One technology that is more and more becoming a favorite for many seniors is the ride-sharing option- be it Uber orLyft. For those of you with smartphones, hailing a car to take you to an appointment or restaurant can be as easy as clicking a few buttons. And nowUber has announced a step-up in its drive (pun intended!) to become essential to your everyday life. This past week saw the arrival of Uber Health, a new service for hospitals, clinics and other healthcare providers who will be able to contact Uber to order and schedule transport for patients to and from health care appointments. It’s been estimated that over 3.5 million doctor appointments are missed each year due to transportation problems, and Uberaims to tackle that problem, for the benefit of patients and the bottom line of providers. Partnerships with Uber are just getting underway, and clearly this system won’t work for those with significant disabilities or those in need of emergency care, but it should go a long way toward addressing the dilemma of how to get vulnerable patients to their healthcare providers. Read more about this new Uber program Here and see what Lyft is also doing to ease the way for transport to the doctor Here. Finally, you may not yet see it in your area, but down the road, you will eventually see the arrival of driverless cars to shepherd you back and forth. For a sense of what it feels like to ride in a driverless vehicle, Watch Here.

Stay Strong: How To Fight Against Muscle Loss: You may already notice this in yourself: your once strong muscles are beginning to weaken and your ability to carry out your daily activities is diminishing. The technical term for this progressive loss of skeletal muscle is called sarcopeniaand if it progresses without intervention, you may ultimately become frail and unable to live independently on your own. It’s a serious concern in the realm of aging research and there’s even an organization called Aging In Motionwhose members are collectively working to undertake research and find treatments to combat sarcopenia. Weight-bearing exercises can definitely help maintain muscles, and so, too, can a diet that leans heavily toward protein. For some suggestions about what foods and moves to incorporate into your daily plan, Read Here. And with regard to protein, AARP has some specific advice about upping your intake once you reach age 50. So load up your plate, and check out the advice Here.

Ice Queen: Skater Peggy Flemming Fifty Years After Her Gold Medal Performance: The 2018 Olympics just ended and decades from now, athletic stars such as Chloe Kim and Adam Rippon will likely be remembered for their athletic prowess and the way they changed their sports. Fifty years ago, it was skater Peggy Flemming who held that position. Her gold medal-winning skating routine was the first publicly televised in color, and her chartreuse outfit, handsewn by her mother, became part of her iconic profile of grace and elegance on the ice. On the occasion of the 50th anniversary of her historic win, Flemming, now 69, has publicly reflected on its impact on her life and the life she went on to lead following that Olympic performance. For a skate down memory lane, watch Peggy Flemming Here.  For more about her current life, her continued exercise regimen and even a view of her award-winning routine, Click Here.

THE LAST WORD: “Those who think they have not time for bodily exercise will sooner or later have to find time for illness.” Edward Stanley