EMOTIONAL / SPIRITUAL WELLNESS

 

A positive outlook is invaluable.  Feeling emotionally secure and positive about yourself, and having the internal resources to cope with and improve difficult situations can go a long way in dealing with the stress and challenges that we all face.

Article Summaries

We are currently in the midst of a worldwide economic crisis that has put stress on just about everyone’s financial situation. And that has also meant a surge in mental health issues, says the American Psychiatric Association. A sudden, catastrophic event such as a home foreclosure, job layoff, or severe economic loss can leave people feeling desperate, profoundly depressed, and unable to see a way out. During these tough times, we all need to be on guard for signs of serious mental health problems, the APA warns.

Baby boomers often must shoulder some of the responsibilities of health care for their elderly parents. Nowhere is this truer than with mental health. Growing older presents mental health problems that are unique to seniors. For these specific elder-related issues, it may help seniors or their adult children to consult a geriatric psychiatrist.

This fall, more than 200,000 men and women across the nation will be on the move. They will be taking part in a Memory Walk®, the Alzheimer’s Association’s signature event to raise awareness and funds. Genworth Financial is pleased and proud to be the presenting national sponsor for these important events. And we encourage all Momentum Wellness Program participants to strap on their sneakers, get some exercise and help raise money for Alzheimer care, support and research.

An active social life may give you more than good friends. It could help you hold onto your memory. A study in the American Journal of Public Health found that American adults age 50 and older who were the most socially active also maintained their memory function about twice as well as those who were socially isolated.

Memory preservation is one of the fastest growing hobbies in America, and Creative Memories, one of the worldwide leaders in memory preservation, is joining with Genworth Financial to provide its Momentum Wellness Program participants free information on album-making activities.

If you’re planning a summer vacation that includes air travel, make sure you add a doctor’s visit to your pre-trip planning, says the American Geriatrics Society. “It's important for seniors to make their physicians aware of upcoming airplane travel,” Dr. Sharon A. Brangman, an AGS member, said. “Meeting with a physician a week or so before any air travel will allow the doctor to address any immediate concerns and provide the traveler with any necessary medications or other advice to help ensure a safe trip.”

Growing older may bring with it some unhappy physical developments, but when it comes to happiness, age seems to beat youth by a substantial margin. Generally speaking, the older you are, the happier you are, says a new study published in the April 2008 issue of American Sociological Review.

The research is in: exercising your mind is just as important as exercising your body. A number of brain fitness programs have come onto the market to help individuals stay sharp. Genworth Financial brings you Vigorous Mind, one of the leading organizations in this rapidly-evolving category, to save you 10 percent on My Vigorous Mind, a web-based brain wellness suite.

Each May, the organization Mental Health America, formerly the National Mental Health Association, sponsors Mental Health Month. The goal is to present specific, proven actions you can take to protect and improve your mental health. The theme for this year's observance, “Get Connected,” emphasizes how social support can offset the effects of prolonged stress. And it focuses on the importance of seeking help when feelings of stress become so overwhelming that they interfere with daily living.

You’ve probably seen articles recommending tai chi as a great exercise to help older adults maintain balance and muscle strength. But this ancient Chinese practice is a type of mind-body medicine that also exercises the ways in which emotional, mental, social, spiritual, and behavioral factors can directly affect health, says the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM).

Your doctors keep a record of your health history. Any hospital or clinic you visit keeps one too. Now, it’s your turn. Keeping a personal health record (PHR) can help you manage your health care more efficiently. A PHR is especially important if you have a chronic medical condition, such as diabetes, that needs constant and up-to-the-minute attention.

According to the American Diabetes Association (ADA), there are 20.8 million people in the U.S. with diabetes, but nearly one-third of them (or 6.2 million Americans) don’t know it. In order to alert all Americans to their potential risk for diabetes, the ADA is sponsoring American Diabetes Alert® Day on March 25, 2008. They have even posted a short, easy on-line Risk Test to calculate your personal risk for the disease.

Concerned about an older family member who lives alone? The QuietCare system lets you watch over your loved one without intruding on his or her privacy. And as a Momentum Wellness participant, you're entitled to a 15 percent discount on QuietCare installation and 10 percent off monthly monitoring.

Science may have finally answered an age-old question: Why we are grumpy after a bad night’s sleep. It appears that a lack of ZZZZ’s causes our brains to overreact to negative emotional experiences.

All couples fight. But two recent studies have shown that fighting between spouses–both how they fight and how often they fight–may have a profound impact on their health.

Anyone who has gone through cancer treatment knows it takes its toll on the entire family. A new study confirms the emotional impact cancer can have on the patient’s spouse.

With more young mothers now in the workforce, more grandparents are stepping up to help care for their grandchildren. Past research has suggested that such caregiving can exact a toll on grandma’s or grandpa’s overall health. But a new study of almost 13,000 grandparents shows otherwise.

You’re irritable, anxious or tense. You can’t seem to concentrate on anything. You’re sad, you’re angry, you’re exhausted—in fact, you’re all these things within the span of five minutes. There are a number of health issues that could be causing your emotional distress. One of them is menopause.

You scream at the guy who cuts you off in traffic. You slam the phone down on the telemarketers who call during dinner. You curse out the umpires at your grandkids’ Little League games. So what? They deserve it, you think. Maybe they do. But what is all that anger doing to you and your loved ones?

Caregiver stress is more than just a catchphrase. It’s a recognized medical problem. Caregivers are at increased risk of depression, anemia, arthritis, ulcers, heart trouble, diabetes, and other serious illnesses. The Alzheimer’s Association suggests looking out for these specific warning signs:

 

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