CELEBRATE GOOD TIMES!
May is Older American's Month, Singing with Strangers, Drink More Water To Stay Focused
Hiya Friends!
Did you know that May is officially Older Americans Month (OAM)? Me neither. Guess I fell asleep at the switch this time around, but do not despair! We still have a few days to celebrate being older and bolder.
Like me, you might be wondering what the heck Older Americans Month is all about anyway? Well, I did a little research and here’s what I found out: In 1963, only 17 million people (!!) reached the age of 65 in the US, and 1/3 of those folks were living in poverty. To address concerns about this overlooked segment of the population, President John F. Kennedy met with the National Council of Senior Citizens. Together they established May as Older Americans Month — previously known as Senior Citizen’s Month—to celebrate older adults and their contributions to society. Since then, every POTUS has issued a formal proclamation for OAM.
So how does one celebrate OAM? Should we all dance the Charleston and drop words like spiffy and skedaddle into our conversations? According to the Administration for Community Living (ACL.GOV), the theme of OAM this year is “Powered by Connection, which recognizes the profound impact that meaningful relationships and social connections have on our health and well-being.” If you click on this ACL link, the org offers suggestions of how to observe OAM such as sharing facts about the importance of social connections and honoring older adults who make/made an important impact on the world. Fortunately, I’m always celebrating older adults at In With The Old and, without even knowing about OAM, I packed in a lot of social connections in May. I started out by attending a friend’s 1964-themed birthday party at the World-Famous Madonna Inn (stay tuned for more details there), then I celebrated Jared’s graduation from college (so proud of him!), went to see the band, Madness who I’ve loved since my youth, and Tito Puente Jr., who played all of his dad’s hits and reminded me of my father.
YOU GOTTA’ HAVE HEART
My mother-in-law lives in a 55+ building nearby and the residents recently formed a singing group. I love to sing and asked if I (as a non-resident) could join. The consensus was, “the more the merrier.” I’ve gone twice now and though it’s a pretty slapdash affair, it’s a joyful experience. Yes, slapdash1 is another word you should drop into conversation to honor OAM.
The singing group meets in a common area at the 55+ building and we singers sit in a circle with binders full of song lyrics. I’m about twenty to thirty years younger than most of the folks present, which is just the way I like it. The songs are listed in alphabetical order and yet, it takes a while for everyone to get on the same page. There also tends to be some dispute over the accuracy of the song lyrics. I’d say about 30% of our time is spent flipping though pages and arguing, but eventually, singing happens.
During my last visit, we muddled through Consider Yourself, from the musical, Oliver and another song called Happiness Runs in a Circular Motion. My mother-in-law wanted to sing You’ve Gotta Have Heart from Damn Yankees, so I printed out the lyrics and brought a bunch of copies. And yes, some of the lyrics didn’t pass muster because “you can’t trust the Internet.”
Mostly, we sang these songs a cappella though one fellow did strum a guitar for Happiness Runs In a Circular Motion. That man revealed that he’d worked as a psychiatrist with a specialty in hallucinations because his mother had been institutionalized when he was a boy and he wanted to understand, and help her. He admitted that he’d sampled lots of drugs in the name of research and said, “there aren’t many I haven’t tried.” He also met Tim Leary.
Another woman, who’d performed as a singer in her day and tried to keep tempo by clapping a hand against her thigh, told us to pray for her niece. “She just got her PHD in ornithology and she’s never worked a day in her life. She’s never had a single job, ever. Who’s going to hire her?” 🤣 Later, this woman mentioned that she sings Karaoke on Mondays with other older adults at a nearby center and invited me along. This is my dream! Stay tuned for a full report.
Now, I’ll admit, our group doesn’t sound professional. We’ll never make it to old Broadway. But most of us aren’t there to sing well. We want to have fun and singing is a blast. It also provides a bunch of health benefits, especially as we age.
Don’t take my word for it. Listen to the experts:
“Singing is one of the mega-mechanisms we use for bonding,” said Robin Dunbar, a professor of evolutionary psychology at the University of Oxford. “Singing in the shower gives you a bit of an uplift, but when doing it communally, there’s something about the synchrony of singing that creates this massive endorphin uplift.”
Dunbar believes the prolonged exhalation involved in singing stresses the lungs and chest wall, activating the release of endorphins. The effect is amplified in choirs, and at events such as carol concerts, by the sense of vocal synchrony.
The mental health benefits of singing are beyond doubt. Fancourt, who studies the health benefits of singing and other arts, said singing supported emotional regulation, equipping us to deal better with life’s challenges. It takes our mind off problems, gives us an outlet to vent our frustrations, and helps us build a sense of self. “That sense of identity supports you in your day-to-day life,” Fancourt said. “When things are going badly at work, you rely on other parts of life to support you. If things are going well in other domains, it supports how you cope.”2
If you’re interested in joining a singing group near you, check out Encore Creativity “the nation’s largest choral arts organization for adults 55 and over. With over 40 ensembles (and growing!) nationwide, and over 1500 singers ages 55 to 99, Encore is a leading organization in the field of creative aging.” They have virtual options available as well as in-person events. More info here.
STAY HYDRATED TO IMPROVE FOCUS!
Here’s some not great news: Older adults and middle-aged folks are 20% to 30% more prone to dehydration due immobility, heat exposure, and something called impaired thirst mechanism. I don’t know about you, but I have a hard time staying hydrated and drinking enough water. My problem is, I’m often distracted, trying to multitask and complete tasks. By the time I realize I haven’t had a single drop of water, half the day is gone. How I’m still standing and not a desiccated corpse I can’t explain. Well, a new study conducted by the American Journal of Human Biology has concluded that I’m probably distracted because I’m dehydrated!
During each assessment, study participants completed surveys and four neurological tests that measured their inhibition, working memory, cognitive flexibility and sustained attention. The researchers found that the more dehydrated the participant, the worse they did on the sustained attention task.
"This suggests that if a person is, on a daily basis, drinking less water than their body needs, it may take them slightly longer to complete certain long tasks with slightly more errors," Rosinger said.
"It is important that older adults drink water regularly," Rosinger said. "This will improve their ability to maintain sustained attention, and it might give them a boost when they're at work when they're reading that email from a colleague that drones on and on but includes action items or when they are just doing an intense version of the daily crossword with their friends."
Holy moly! So how much water are we supposed to drink?
The U.S. National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine determined that an adequate daily fluid intake is:
About 15.5 cups (3.7 liters) of fluids a day for men
About 11.5 cups (2.7 liters) of fluids a day for women
To prevent dehydration and make sure your body has the fluids it needs, make water your beverage of choice. It's a good idea to drink a glass of water:
With each meal and between meals
Before, during and after exercise
If you feel thirsty
Of course if you’re exercising or in a hot climate, you will likely need more. Hope this info was as helpful to you as it was to me
Okay. That’s a wrap for today. If you enjoyed today’s post, hit the ❤️ button, leave a comment, or tell a friend.
In case you’re dying to hear some unprofessional singers attempt “You Gotta Have Heart”, I’m posting a wee audio clip from our group below. There’s a bit of chatter at the beginning. Remember, we only sing for fun. Don’t judge!
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From Miriam Webster: An early recorded use of slapdash comes from 17th-century British poet and dramatist John Dryden, who used it as an adverb in his play The Kind Keeper. "Down I put the notes slap-dash," he wrote. The Oxford English Dictionary defines this sense, in part, as "with, or as with, a slap and a dash," perhaps suggesting the notion of an action (such as painting) performed with quick, imprecise movements. The adjective slapdash is familiar today describing something done in a hasty, careless, or haphazard manner.
Drinking water as I desperately try to get both "Celebrate" and "Consider Yourself" out of my brain! 😂😂😂
Terrific post, Hilary and I too was a Madness fan as a kid so it's great to see Suggs making an appearance. I saw his one-man show a few years ago and it was great fun.
After your comments about drinking about water I am going to place glasses of water all around the house and drink from them as I pass. I am hopeless at this so it's good to get your reminder.
The piece about the choir was hilarious. Music is magic. I once volunteered at a local care home for people with severe disabilities. I used to take my guitar and play for the residents. There was a man with an acquired brain injury who was nonverbal. He could only manage a few noises, no words, and he loved music and would always come in his wheelchair and listen when I played. Once I started playing a song from the '60s that he liked and I was astonished to see him singing along. I never underestimate the power of music. When my grandfather had a severe stroke and had trouble speaking he could always sing along to the radio.
Thank you for a fantastic post.