Stop killing the elderly with kindness

This past winter I taught a course titled Physical Activity and
Aging.  It was a fun course, and really drove home an issue that I’ve
known for a while, but hadn’t previously given a lot of thought: the
impact of aging is identical to the detraining that happens in response
to reduced physical activity and/or increased sedentary behaviour.


Aging is associated with reduced fitness, weaker bones, reduced
insulin sensitivity, reduced muscle strength, and reduced balance.  Lack
of physical activity is also associated with all of those things.  This isn’t a coincidence – many (probably most) of the health impacts of aging are not really due to aging at all.


You see, there are 2 types of aging.  Eugeric aging, which you can
think of as “true” aging. The stuff you simply cannot avoid as you get
older (e.g. hearing loss, or reduced eyesight).


But there is also “pathogeric” aging, which refers to pathological
aging (e.g. aging that’s unecessary/unhealthy).  Almost all the really
scary things that we attribute to aging (weak bones, bones, heart,
lungs, etc) falls into this category, and are much more likely to be
caused by too little exercise/too much sitting, rather than aging
itself.


I bring this up because I’m concerned that we are currently killing our elders with kindness.
 We don’t let them carry their dishes to the sink (“Mom, sit down! I
can get that!”).  We won’t let them do chores.  We worry if they have to
go up and down stairs on a daily basis.  We get angry if they go for a
walk without a chaperone.  We force them to sit to conserve their
energy.  All of this flies in the face of evidence, and common sense.
Picture the healthiest older adult that you know – do they spend their
day sitting down, or do they spend their days walking, skiing, or
dancing?  It’s not a coincidence.

» Stop killing the elderly with kindness

Advanced Climate Station Data Shows U.S. In A Cooling Trend | The Daily Caller

Data from America’s most advanced climate monitoring system shows
the U.S. has undergone a cooling trend over the last decade, despite
recent claims by government scientists that warming has accelerated
worldwide during that time.


The U.S. Climate Reference Network was developed by the
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to provide
“high-quality” climate data. The network consists of 114 stations across
the U.S. in areas NOAA expects no development for the next 50 to 100
years.

Advanced Climate Station Data Shows U.S. In A Cooling Trend | The Daily Caller

Pit Bull in San Francisco Dies After Child Accidentally Calls 911

It started with a child playing with a phone and ended with a dead 11-year-old dog. KGO
reports on the unfortunate chain of events last night in San Francisco.
A child apparently called 911, and officers were sent to the family's
Bayview home. The family says their pit bull growled upon seeing the two
officers, who entered via a side alley; Zoey then bit one of the
officer's hands, and "he starts shooting, boom, boom, boom and when he
got done shooting, he shot like six times," a witness tells KGO.


What
bugs the family, who may sue: that they weren't given a chance to
wrangle their dog. "We did say 'stop, we'll get her,'" says Madonna
Stancil. "They didn't give us the chance." It's unclear if the family
asked to get the dog before or after the bites, which they don't
dispute.



Pit Bull in San Francisco Dies After Child Accidentally Calls 911