The World Is Too Much With Me...

Why I have not been blogging much lately....


"THE WORLD IS TOO MUCH WITH US; LATE AND SOON"

THE world is too much with us; late and soon,
Getting and spending, we lay waste our powers:
Little we see in Nature that is ours;
We have given our hearts away, a sordid boon!
The Sea that bares her bosom to the moon;
The winds that will be howling at all hours,
And are up-gathered now like sleeping flowers;
For this, for everything, we are out of tune;
It moves us not.--Great God! I'd rather be
A Pagan suckled in a creed outworn;
So might I, standing on this pleasant lea,
Have glimpses that would make me less forlorn;
Have sight of Proteus rising from the sea;
Or hear old Triton blow his wreathed horn.
--William Wordsworth

from My Medicated Life

from My Medicated Life

from MedlinePlus

Walkable neighborhoods & depression risk linked: study

clipped from news.yahoo.com Living in a pedestrian-friendly neighborhood may help shield older men from depression, a new study suggests. Researchers found that among 740 older adults living in the Seattle area, men who lived in more walkable neighborhoods tended to show fewer depression symptoms than men from less walker-friendly areas. Walkable neighborhoods have sidewalks, streets with safe intersections, and stores, restaurants and other destinations within a short distance. In their study, Berke and his colleagues found that men who lived in such areas had lower scores on a standard measure of depression -- even with other factors, like overall health, income and exercise habits, taken into account. if pedestrian-friendly neighborhoods do offer depression protection, that would be important for older adults who are deciding where to live after they retire It could also mean that more senior centers and assisted living facilities should be built in walkable neighborhoods.

Suburban sprawl is not just an environmental issue; this study indicates that it is also mental health issue, particularly for men.

Older Adults: Depression and Suicide Facts

clipped from www.nimh.nih.gov Older Adults: Depression and Suicide Facts Older Americans are disproportionately likely to die by suicide. Although they comprise only 12 percent of the U.S. population, people age 65 and older accounted for 16 percent of suicide deaths in 2004. 14.3 of every 100,000 people age 65 and older died by suicide in 2004, higher than the rate of about 11 per 100,000 in the general population. Non-Hispanic white men age 85 and older were most likely to die by suicide. They had a rate of 49.8 suicide deaths per 100,000 persons in that age group. Depressive disorder is not a normal part of aging. Emotional experiences of sadness, grief, response to loss, and temporary “blue” moods are normal. Persistent depression that interferes significantly with ability to function is not. IF YOU ARE IN CRISIS AND NEED HELP RIGHT AWAY: Call this toll-free number, available 24 hours a day, every day: 1-800-273-TALK (8255). You will reach the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline, a service available to anyone.

I don't believe that Americans are the only people guilty of neglecting their senior citizens, but I do agree that robbing our older adults of their dignity and leaving them hopeless, to the point of depression and suicide, is shameful. If you take a look at the way many of our seniors are warehoused in nursing homes, waiting to die, you can easily understand why many people opt out of this fate by committing suicide.

On a positive note, there are people working to improve the quality of life of the elderly, helping to keep them in their own homes (where they are happy) yet still monitor their health via technology and homecare services. Also, those who can afford higher quality nursing homes and retirement centers are less likely to suffer the indignities and isolation that create despair and death wishes. We all need to do whatever we can to promote the mental and physical well-being of our seniors; like it or not, we are following in their footsteps.