Merlene and Jim Stiles look over the prairie plants and flowers they have in the front yard of their home in order to attract birds. Photos by Eric Johnson/eric.johnson@austindailyherald.com
Bugs to birds for your yard By Deb Nicklay • Photos
by
Eric Johnson
Plants, insects key to attracting birds to your yard
T
he insect world provides the main food source for birds — and unless you have plants and trees that provide the insects or nesting potential, you won’t see many birds in your yard. “We started planting our prairie in 2004,” said Merlene Stiles, referring to herself and her husband, Jim, who worked specifically to plant species that would provide food for birds. Over a decade later, the Stiles’ have a wide variety of prairie plantings, from asters, cone flowers and wild geraniums to allium, cup plants and butterfly weed. The front lawn is lush with other inclusions, including Culver’s root and little bluestem, a tall prairie grass. “I guess you could say we have a little bit of everything,” said Jim, who added he will fill in spots with different annuals from year to year. The New England aster alone can attract 105 larval insects, said Merlene — a bounty for birds. She also makes a clear nectar (three parts water to one part sugar) for her hummingbird feeder. The cup plant, on the other hand, has such strong leaves — that grow from the stem in a tight “cup” — that A nuthatch clings upside down to a tree in the Meyer’s backyard. they can support water from which birds can drink, or toads that can sit in Merlene said while most people to attract the winged friends, the insects them. focus on flowering plants and feeders that trees attract can also be significant.
This story appears in the July-August edition of Austin Living magazine.
White pine, for instance, can be home to over 190 larval insects. But the grandaddy is the sugar maple, which attracts over 280 larval insects, according to the Audubon Society. You’ll also find wild grapes and milkweed in the yard. The grapes are also mega-attractors, while milkweed, as most know, attract monarch butterflies. The birds have found the Stiles’ yard a good place to be. The couple often sees cardinals, robins, chickadees and nuthatches; Merlene was particularly excited to see a pileated woodpecker, the largest of the woodpeckers, pecking away at her sugar maple.
See BIRDS, Page 4B
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Senior Living
FRIDAY, JULY 14, 2017
A special supplement to the AUSTIN DAILY HERALD
5 things that tend to get (much) better as you get older By Karen Banes
FamilyShare via the Associated Press
Not many young adults are looking forward to old age (or even middle age), but they really shouldn’t be dreading it either. There are plenty of things that improve with age — here are just a few of them.
Your happiness
There’s evidence that suggests older people are generally happier than the young. In his book “Deep Work,” author Cal Newport cites an interesting study, where a Stanford psychologist used a functional MRI scanner to observe brain activity in subjects exposed to both negative and positive images. In the younger subjects, the amygdala (the emotional center of the brain) fired up for all images. In elderly test subjects, the amygdala only got excited for the positive images. It was as though, over a long and varied lifetime, they
had trained their brains to filter out the negative and focus on the positive. As Newport put it, “By skillfully managing their attention, they improved t h e i r wo rl d w i t h o u t changing anything concrete about it.”
Your love life
Young love is exciting, but is also often full of unsettling and even traumatic ups and downs — no one likes a bad breakup. As you mature, your relationship often matures along with you into something that’s deeper, more satisfying and more stable. While many young people find dating and relationships as a source of stress, those who are in stable marriages in middle age report higher levels of life satisfaction and lower levels of stress, according to a recent study.
belongs to the elderly — many young people don’t live the healthiest lifestyle. Colle ge life may include a lot of late nights, stress and alcohol. Preventative health (like eating right) and selfcare seem to go out the window in your younger years. Some mental health issues like anxiety are more common in young adults and even things like allergies often improve as we age. Youth can also be a time when we try and “do it all” and invariably overdo at least some of it. It’s not unusual to hear people in middle age remark that they feel better than they did 10 years ago, perhaps as their children grow up, work situations become more secure and they become better at using healthy coping strategies to alleviate stress.
can be full of angst. As Rosalind Wiseman puts it in her bestselling book “Queen Bees and Wannabees”: “Girls’ friendships in adolescence are often intense, confusing, frustrating and humiliating, the joy and security of ‘best friends’ shattered by devastating breakups and betrayals.” As we age, most of our friendships become less intense, less fraught and almost completely devoid of the drama of high school. We also tend to develop the discernment and self-assurance we need to step away from the toxic friendships that don’t support and inspire us, and spend more time with those who truly understand us.
cial instability, working a couple of jobs and worrying about paying tuition. I don’t know too many people who miss the time of minimum wage jobs, crippling college tuition fees and a total lack of experience when it comes to budgeting and personal finance. Over time, we (hopefully) learn to take care of our money better. As we get older, get promotions, and learn more about managing money, our finances often steadily improve. Not every aspect of aging is positive, but there are certainly advantages. It’s worth taking time to appreciate them from time to time.
—Karen Banes, FamilyShareKaren Banes is a freelance writer specializYour finances ing in parenting, lifestyle This isn’t a given, of and entrepreneurship. course. Anyone can have a Contact her at her website Your health and wellfinancial crisis at any age, http://www.karenbanes. being Your friendships but being young is often a com/.or via Twitter where In some ways, health High school friendships time of worrying finan- she tweets as @KarenBanes.
Hints of some steps that may boost brain health in old age Associated Press
WASHINGTON — Are you seeking steps to keep your brain healthy in old age? There are no proven ways to stave off mental decline or dementia, but a new report says there are hints that exercise, controlling blood pressure and some forms of brain training might offer help. Without proof, the government should not begin a public health campaign pushing strategies for aging brain health, the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine said in a report released Thursday. But the public should be told the evidence is “encouraging,” though inconclusive, the report concluded. That way, people can use the information in deciding whether to invest time and money on dif ferent interventions. The three highlighted strategies “do no harm,” said neuroscientist Alan
Leshner, chair man of the National Academies committee. “At least two of them are really good for you” even if the brain link doesn’t pan out. Scientists know that risky changes in the brain begin decades before symptoms of Alzheimer’s and other dementias become apparent, suggesting there’s a window when people might bolster their cognitive health. But the report says Americans face a “bewildering” ar ray of products and strategies promoted for brain health despite little if any rigorous science to back them up. The National Institute on Aging asked the prestigious National Academies to review the field. The committee said three interventions should be more closely studied to prove if they really can help: —Getting high blood pressure under control, especially in middle age. People with hypertension
need treatment anyway to prevent heart disease and strokes. —Increased physical activity. Similar to the blood pressure advice, what’s good for the heart has long been deemed good for the brain. — C o g n i t ive t r a i ning, specific techniques aimed at enhancing reasoning, problem solving, memory and speed of mental processing. While immediate task performance may improve, the committee said it’s not clear whether there’s lasting, meaningful benefit.
This is not merely “brain games” on your computer, Leshner said. The committee isn’t backing those costly computer-based programs. Indeed, the government fined one brain training company last year for misleading consumers. Instead, the best study to date included training done in groups, providing social engagement too. And cognitively stimulating activities include such things as learning a new language, the report noted. “Since generally keeping intellectually active
appears to be good for you, do that,” Leshner advised, and if you’re considering a commercial pro g ram, ask the company to see studies backing it. The Alzheimer’s Association had been awaiting the recommendations, and ag reed that “more research is needed to determine what the optimal interventions should be,” said chief medical of ficer Maria Carrillo. “In the meantime, we recommend that people challenge their brains to maintain brain health.”
After 9 months alone in mountains, lost dog is home Associated Press
BOISE, Idaho — A lost Boise dog is back home after nine months and a brutal winter alone in the Idaho mountains. Mo, an elderly Chesapeake Bay Retriever, wandered away from her owners during a hunting trip last September. Darwin and Cindy Cameron stayed near the tiny hamlet of Horseshoe Bend about 30 miles (48 kilometers) north of Boise for three months looking for Mo. But deep snow and harsh conditions eventually made the search impossible. Dog rescuer Cheri Glankler took in a starving retriever that had collapsed at a nearby ranch last month, the Idaho Statesman reported. Based on the dog’s initial disheveled appearance, it was clear that she had been living on her own in the wild, Glankler said. She posted photos of the dog on Facebook, and word quickly reached the Camerons that Mo may have been found. T he Camerons were initially hesitant to see the dog after receiving so many false alarms before Glankler’s call. Mo had lost her hearing and half her body weight while surviving in the wild, and Glankler warned the couple that she would not be exactly as they remembered her. “They all expect this kind of Disneyland response like you see sometimes in videos when veterans come home,” she said. “And to be perfectly honest, that’s abnormal. People don’t understand that (the dogs) have gone into survival mode.” Despite Mo’s subdued behavior, the Camerons recognized her through her mannerisms and other distinctive details. The couple is thankful to all the people who came forward to make the reunion possible. “The sheriff ’s office, the hunters who set aside their tags and their hunting trips to help look for a lost dog,” Darwin said. “Boy, we’re blessed to have her back.” Glanker became very fond of the now 14-yearold dog during their brief time together and has nicknamed her “The Legend” in honor of all she survived. “Who saved Mo? Mo saved Mo,” Glankler said. “Even here when I would take her out on a lead, she was searching. She knew who she was looking for. She’s incredible.”
A special supplement to the AUSTIN DAILY HERALD
Senior Living
FRIDAY, JULY 14, 2017
3B
Glen Campbell’s last record ‘was therapeutic,’ says daughter Associated Press
NA S H V I L L E , Te n n . — Glen Campbell’s last record, “Adios,” is a swan song for the ailing Grammy-winning perfor mer and TV personality, but his daughter said the recording was also therapeutic for him as well. Campbell, known for his hits such as “Wichita Lineman” and “Gentle on My Mind,” was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease in 2011 after signs of memory loss. His 2011 farewell
tour was captured in a popular Oscar-nominated documentary called “Glen Campbell: I’ ll Be Me,” which won a Grammy for its soundtrack. But shortly after the tour ended in 2012, Campbell’s family knew he might never get another chance to record. “We definitely were seeing a decline, so we wanted him to be able to do this, while he still could,” Ashley Campbell said. “So definitely we didn’t think there
was going to be another album.” The album, released Friday, features songs that Campbell has loved to sing, but never recorded, including songs made famous by Bob Dylan, Linda Ronstadt and Johnny Cash. His longtime banjo player Carl Jackson produced the album, which includes guest vocals from Willie Nelson, Vince Gill as well as his daughter, who is also a musician and singer. “When we recorded it
he could still sing these songs,” said Campbell. “And we could get him into the studio and he had so much joy being in the studio and working with Carl. So it was definitely, I think it was therapeutic for him as well.” These days, the 81-yearold singer is in the late stages of Alzheimer’s and has aphasia, which means he cannot speak or understand speech, according to his daughter. But she said he is happy in a memory
care facility in Nashville. “He is doing so much better than a lot of other people in his position,” Campbell said. “Instead of being scared and confused all the time, he is just happy and loves being around people. And enjoys his desserts and all that. It’s nice to know that we have some kind of bright side in this dark situation.” She said that she still plays music for her dad, even if he doesn’t always understand he’s listening
to music. “But sometimes if you sit there long enough or if he’s in the right head space, he will hear it and enjoy it,” Campbell said. “He will close his eyes and he can kind of feel it. He’ll tap his toes. Or start singing along in some other way. He won’t be singing the song you’re singing but he’ll realize you’re singing and he’ll try to sing with you. So it reaches him sometimes, so it’s definitely worth doing every time.”
Drug shows promise against vision-robbing disease in seniors Associated Press
WASHINGTON — An experimental drug is showing promise against an untreatable eye disease that blinds older adults — and intriguingly, it seems to work in patients who carry a particular gene flaw that fuels the damage to their vision. Age-related macular degeneration, or AMD, is the leading cause of vision loss among seniors, gradually eroding crucial central vision. There are different forms but more than 5 million people worldwide, and a million in the U.S., have an advanced type of so-called “dry” macular degeneration that has no treatment. First patients may notice blurriness when they look straight ahead. Eventually many develop blank spots, becoming legally blind. “These are seniors who are entering their golden years and now they’ve lost the ability to read, watch television, see their loved ones,” said Dr. Rahul Khurana, a retina specialist and spokesman for the American Academy of Ophthalmology. The experimental drug, lampalizumab, aims to slow the destruction of light-sensing cells in the retina, creeping lesions that characterize the stage of dry AMD called “geographic atrophy.” When those cells die, they can’t grow back — the vision loss is irreversible.
rier that keeps such cells away from the retina. But that barrier can break down with age, opening sensitive eye cells to harm from the spillover, explained Genentech immunologist Menno van Lookeren Campagne. Now for the gene connection: Previous studies have linked macular degeneration to gene variations that remove some of that pathway’s natural brakes, so it can become too active. The hypothesis: Genentech’s drug, lampalizumab, essentially offers a backup method for tamping down the immune reaction. An antibody, it works by inhibiting a particular enzyme named factor D that helps power the immune pathway. “We try to reinsert the braking ability,” said study lead author Brian Yaspan, a Genentech senior scientist.
What’s next
Wednesday’s study detected no safety concerns, clearing the way for Genentech and its parent company Roche to open two large-scale studies that aim to prove if the drug works. Results are expected later this year. The current research sheds light on how that long-suspected immune culprit might be working, and is “the first suggestion that there may be a treatment for geographic atrophy coming up in the future,” said National Eye Institute retina specialist Dr. Wai Wong, who What the research found wasn’t involved in the study. “It’s a very, very exciting In an 18-month study of 129 patients, monthly eye study,” said Khurana, the injections of the drug mod- ophthalmologist associaestly slowed worsening of tion’s spokesman, who also the disease when compared wasn’t part of the research. with patients given dummy “From the basic science shots. What’s exciting for perspective, it makes a lot scientists came next, when of sense.” researchers from drugmaker Genentech Inc. took a Health advice for now closer look at exactly who Macular degeneration was being helped. tends to occur after age 60, It turns out that nearly 6 but it sometimes strikes in 10 of the study’s partic- earlier. According to the ipants carry a gene varia- National Eye Institute, it’s tion that makes part of the less common in people who immune system go awry — a exercise regularly, avoid genetic flaw already known smoking, and eat a diet high to increase the risk of get- in green leafy vegetables ting macular degeneration and fish. Symptoms often aren’t noin the first place. Those are the only pa- ticeable early on. But severtients who appeared to ben- al eye tests can detect signs efit from the drug; they had of macular degeneration, 44 percent less eye damage including a dilated eye exam than the untreated patients, and a tool called an Amsler the Genentech team report- grid with straight lines that ed Wednesday in the journal may look wavy if the macuScience Translational Med- la, the center of the retina, icine. While the study is too is harmed. Macular degeneration small to prove if lampalizumab really helps main- patients often are advised to tain vision, that’s a bigger take certain vitamin combidifference than the overall nations that may help stave results suggested. off advanced disease. And it’s important for patients to know what type they have. Why would an While there’s no treatment immune-related gene for the advanced dry form, affect aging eyes? One arm of the immune the “wet” form occurs when system, the complement leaky blood vessels grow unpathway, helps fight infec- der the retina — and there tions by attracting immune are several therapies that can help those patients precells to attack bacteria. Normally, there’s a bar- serve vision.
Simple ways to add physical fitness to your daily routine Brand Point Content
Being resourceful with your daily routine can deliver big payoffs when it comes to increasing your activity level. Incorporating physical fitness into your everyday activities can save you time and also burn calories, and it doesn’t have to take much time or effort. “For many people, the biggest obstacle to getting more exercise is time,” says Danielle Johnson, physical therapist and wellness physical therapist for the Mayo Clinic Healthy Living Program. “People feel stretched between their career, child care demands and family commitments. Thinking of spending an hour extra at the gym may feel overwhelming.” If you don’t have time to fit in a scheduled workout, try using daily tasks to incorporate fitness, Johnson advises. “You’ll still be able to reap the bene-
fits of exercise by using small bouts of movement throughout the day. Two 10-minute walks, a few sets of stairs and some five-minute intervals of bodyweight squats, lunges or push-ups can add up to big health benefits.” Here are some tips to get moving throughout the day:
Turn chores into exercise.
•Mow the lawn or do s o m e g a rd e n i n g . T h e physical benefit is good for your health, plus gardening can enhance your mood, and the food you grow offers great nutritional benefits. •Try bicycling to run errands. Leave the car in the garage and bring out your bike for a quick run to the grocery store. •Turn household cleaning into a mini workout. “For example, mopping floors gives your shoulders and back a workout, and can burn more than
100 calories in just 30 min- or choose a challenging route with hills. utes,” Johnson says. •Take up a new summer Find fitness opportuni- outdoor sport, such as caties with friends. noeing, paddle boarding •Instead of going out or inline skating. •If there’s a cause you for dinner or drinks with friends, do something feel passionate about, try physical, like taking a training to participate walk, going for a bike ride in a run or walk to raise or engaging in a physical funds. •If you play golf, walk activity like tennis or the course and carry your bowling. •Take your dog to the own clubs instead of uspark, or play with them ing a cart and caddy. “Every little bit in your own backyard. A game of fetch is not only counts,” Johnson says. great exercise for your “Research suggests that furry friend - it works as little as 10 minutes of cardiovascular activity your muscles, too. •Join or start a sports can make a big difference team with your friends. in your health and fitness Whether it’s softball, measures. I often equate basketball or soccer, tak- health to putting away ing part in a sport you money for retirement. enjoy will improve both Putting away savings, your physical and mental even in small amounts, will add up big over time. well-being. The same can be said for Stay curious and your health. Investing in improve upon what opportunities to be active, you’re already doing. even for short periods of •Do you already walk time, adds up. The key is daily? Try walking faster to be consistent.”
4B
FRIDAY, JULY 14, 2017
Senior Living
A special supplement to the AUSTIN DAILY HERALD
Hints of some steps that may boost brain health in old age Associated Press
Chuck and Leslie Meyer have groomed their wooded backyard to provide plenty of habitat for their winged visitors. Photos by Eric Johnson/eric.johnson@austindailyherald.com
Birds: ‘We were really lucky’ From Page 1B
comfortable. Songbirds such as cardinals Near the grapes, she has seen cedar and wrens find the area particularly waxwings and goldfinches. appealing, said Chuck. “I sit at the living room window, “And that is the way it is with and love watching them,” she said of her some species,” he said. “Some like this prairie friends. type of area, others might like the wide Just around the block is the home open spaces. Robins would be ones that of Chuck and Leslie Meyer, whose like the more open areas; bluebirds, backyard looks more like a small forest too. And then you have the birds that than an urban property. prefer the marshes, the swamps or the “We were really lucky,” Leslie said, water, like the yellow-throated warbler, to find a lot upon which to build their the red-wing blackbird — and, of home that provided natural beauty course, your egrets and herons.” on the north side. The Meyers have The dead trees are favorites of the multiple feeders for birds, but their great woodpeckers, he said, who nest in the wealth may be in the trees and bushes trunks. they have. Some are native; others have During one day in mid-May, been planted. Chuck counted 12 different species of There is plenty of habitat and food warblers — the Wilson warbler and supply in the Meyer back yard. Mulberry magnolia warbler among them — in bushes, honeysuckle, black cherry trees his backyard; all told, he has counted and bitter nut hickory are plentiful. up to 30 species of birds who have Feeders are filled with black oil sunflower visited. seed; suet (the real stuff) is nearby. One night, he heard a different Hummingbirds, which are plentiful, too, kind of singing, “and I could not figure enjoy nectar at another feeder. it out,” he said. With a bird book The backyard, filled with always nearby, he finally realized what Siberian elm and red oaks, provides a it was: a Carolina wren, a bird rarely sheltering environment for birds who seen in southeastern Minnesota. find the shaded, woodsy space more “That was pretty cool,” he said.
ABOVE RIGHT: An inchworm lowers itself from a grape vine at the Stiles’ home. Worms and other insects are natural lures in getting birds into a yard. ABOVE LEFT: Bright flowers draw insects to the yard of Jim and Merlene Stiles, which in turn lures the birds they like to see. LOWER RIGHT: A hummingbird approaches a feeder attached to the deck of Chuck and Leslie Meyer.
WASHINGTON — Are you seeking steps to keep your brain healthy in old age? There are no proven ways to stave off mental decline or dementia, but a new report says there are hints that exercise, controlling blood pressure and some forms of brain training might offer help. Without proof, the government should not begin a public health campaign pushing strategies for aging brain health, the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine said in a report released Thursday. But the public should be told the evidence is “encouraging,” though inconclusive, the report concluded. That way, people can use the information in deciding whether to invest time and money on different interventions. The three highlighted strategies “do no harm,” said neuroscientist Alan Leshner, chairman of the National Academies committee. “At least two of them are really good for you” even if the brain link doesn’t pan out. Scientists know that risky changes in the brain begin decades before symptoms of Alzheimer’s and other dementias become apparent, suggesting there’s a window when people might bolster their cognitive health. But the report says Americans face a “bewildering” array of products and strategies promoted for brain health despite little if any rigorous science to back them up. The National Institute on Aging asked the prestigious National Academies to review the field. The committee said three interventions should be more closely studied to prove if they really can help: —Getting high blood pressure under control, especially in middle age. People with hypertension need treatment anyway to prevent heart disease and strokes. —Increased physical activity. Similar to the blood pressure advice, what’s good for the heart has long been deemed good for the brain. —Cognitive training, specific techniques aimed at enhancing reasoning, problem solving, memory and speed of mental processing. While immediate task performance may improve, the committee said it’s not clear whether there’s lasting, meaningful benefit. This is not merely “brain games” on your computer, Leshner said. The committee isn’t backing those costly computer-based programs. Indeed, the government fined one brain training company last year for misleading consumers.