Boomer Corner

My good friend Alexander Everett died in 2005 aged 85 on his ranch in Oregon. It wasn’t really a ranch, more like an Ark. Alexander just liked to hang out with animals, certainly not eat them. Hewas an educationalist and an English eccentric much influenced by Rudolf Steiner and Huxley’s Perennial Philosophy, who decamped to Oregon in the 1960s becoming a leading figure in the personal development movement that became popular at that time. As a young man he had been crippled by polio but claimed to have cured himself. He was, he told me a member of the 120 Club, all of whom committed themselves to live to be over 120 years old. Alas, Alexander didn’t make it. He died 35 years short aged 85, which is respectable.

Somewhere around the age of 18 or 19 our bodies cease developing and from that moment on the various body clocks that comprise what is us, start their remoseless countdown to our eventual demise. How long we last from that point on depends on good luck, our genes, our lifestyle and how much money we have. The process doesn’t usually start to manifest visibly until our mid-30s or so and, given good genes, psychologically we don’t usually start to feel old until our early 70s. Here’s what we’re all up against:

If not Immortality what about The 120 Club?

Who will end up with your books and your tchotskes, your gadgets and your garden tools when you change your cosmic address at the end of your life?

It’s probably the easiest and least onerous part of your estate planning to make a list of all your possessions and Hormone Imbalance decide who will get the stuff you have accumulated all these years. Will Junior get your porno movie collection? Your daughter might like some jewellery or family heirlooms; Trillions of cells in the human body are synchronised to function by chemical signals called hormones. Aging creates hormonal imbalance that can lead to depression, maybe your best friend would appreciate your gadgets or osteoporosis, coronary heart disease and loss of libido. garden tools. You have made your Last Will and Testament? Good. That takes care of your estate, your possessions and Excess Calcification financial accounts and settles your preferences. Or does it? Calcium ions are transported into and out of cells through Estate Planning calcium channels into the membrane. Aging disrupts this process and the result is excess calcium in the cells of the Planning for the dissolution and distribution of your estate is brain, heart valves and arterial walls that can lead to not that cumbersome but you need to take a few things into arteriosclerosis and Alzheimer’s. account, especially if you have property or a foot in two countries. Besides the bequests and provisions your last will and testament should appoint an executor who will take care of administrative and financial matters such as liquidating bank and investment accounts, your pension or retirement accounts, ensuring your assets go to the proper beneficiaries, paying any debts or taxes. It could also include selling your home or terminating your lease. And with foreign property rights restricted in Indonesia, be sure you don’t leave behind a can of worms your executor will have to deal with. Even if you have little in the way of assets or possessions, you should have a simple will because if you die intestate the legal system in your location will decide who gets your assets, no matter how massive or meager. Things are more complicated if you are the parent or guardian of a minor child, have an informally adopted or sponsored child and there’s no document stating what you want to bequeath them or who will care for them after your demise. By the same token, are you making some provisions for your faithful staff who may lose their jobs and probably have no retirement or financial cushion to fall back on? Another thing to consider is to make sure that your will does not contradict the account beneficiaries named on your retirement accounts, life insurance policies and the like. The person listed as the beneficiary on each of those policies will get the money even if your will says otherwise. Make sure your beneficiary designations are up to date and sync with any other legal provisions you have made. It pays to review the beneficiaries on all your accounts. You may not be ready to die and in fact may yet have a long bout of life ahead of you but remember that things change, people come and go in your life and situations alter. Be sure these changes are updated in your will. Including your will, make a list of critical documents that the will’s executor will need to settle your estate like your insurance policies, bank and investment account statements, credit and debit cards, pension and tax documents and pertinent information like your Social

Planning for the End of Your Life I took an Internet test to see what my life expectancy

would be. The test asked a lot of questions about life

habits, history of disease in the family, and even Security or National Insurance numbers and make sure you education. After I’d answered all the questions I tell your family or carers where to find them. This includes clicked the Calculate-Life-Expectancy button at the passwords so your online accounts can be accessed. Other bottom of the page. Barring any accidents, I could practical directives should address the paying of any taxes live to 94.3 years old. That’s way longer than I due, utility bills, recurring payments or donations. Any time a major change occurs in your life, make sure your will and expected and about when my land contract is up. last directives reflect it. The question for us all is not how long can we live, but End-of-life preferences how can we live a long and healthy life? Now that the estate portion of your bounty is settled, have Some Sobering Statistics you given a thought to the other end-of-life decisions you need to make while still, as they say, of sound and competent mind? What about drawing up a Living Will that will instruct The sobering part of this is that by age 80 we have a your nearest and dearest how you want to be cared for 30% chance of getting dementia and by 85 it’s almost a when you are no longer in a position to verbalise coherent 50% chance of getting some type of dementia whether thoughts? Remember there are very important instructions it’s from Alzheimer’s (AD), Huntington’s, Parkinson’s, in regards to your end of life preferences that simply do not Creutzfeldt-Jakob, vascular dementia, stroke, or other belong in a Last Will and Testament since that document will not be read until after your death. diseases. That’s pretty scary to me since my husband, Bob, had Alzheimer’s for 14 years. He passed away unable to feed or toilet himself, walk, or remember our life together. He could barely speak and when he did, he mostly made no sense at all. The Alzheimer’s Association states that someone in the US develops Alzheimer’s every 65 seconds. The report also says that 5.8 million people in the US alone are living with the disease. Less than 4% of those are under the age of 65. The western way to do that is to draw up an Advance Directive, a legal and binding document that outlines your wishes if you become incapacitated due to illness or injury. It sets forth the specific life- supporting or prolonging measures you would like applied -or not- like resuscitation or CPR, or whether to end all life-saving measures. Your wishes should be written down and the document given to the people most likely to be close at the time of your demise. You should not leave these agonizing decisions to others. These instructions should include the type of care you wish to have, the medical team and the hospital you want to end up in. If you wish to be an organ donor here in Indonesia you can register with Komite Transplantasi National (the National Transplant Committee) or the Eye Bank (Bank Mata Indonesia) ahead of time and stipulate that in your directive.

Chronic Inflammation

Aging people suffer an epidemic of outward inflammatory diseases such as arthritis, but chronic inflammation also damages brain cells, arterial walls, heart valves and other structures in the body. Heart attack, stroke, heart valve failure, and Alzheimer’s have all been linked to the chronic inflammatory cascade.

Glycosylation

Diabetics age prematurely, but even non-diabetics suffer from this chemical reaction, where protein molecules bind to glucose molecules forming non-functioning structures. Glycosylation is most evident in senile dementia, stiffening of the arteries, and degenerative diseases of the eye.

Methylation Deficit

Our cellular DNA requires constant enzymatic action for maintenance and repair. Aging cripples methylation metabolism causing DNA damage that can manifest as cancer, liver damage and brain cell degeneration.

Mitochondrial Energy Depletion

The cellular energy powerhouse, the mitochondria, requires a complex series of chemicals to maintain critical functions such as transporting nutrients through the cell membrane and purging the cell of toxic debris. Mitochondrial depletion lead to congestive heart failure, muscle weakness, fatigue and neurological disease.

Embracing our Brains

Despite these statistics, I fi nd dwelling on them makes for too many anxious or sleepless nights. For me, it’s important to know the facts but not be controlled by them. Instead I choose to live with a positive attitude and a healthy lifestyle. How about you? Are you motivated to make changes in your lifestyle to stave off dementia? Not sure how to do this? There’s no single way to delay or prevent dementia, but there are actions that may help reduce your risk.

What You Can Do

The Alzheimer’s Organization suggests ways to give yourself a better chance of doing just that. And the number one item is not a surprise. Here it comes (and I know you might not want to hear this) – exercise. I’ve been reading an increasing amount of articles on the importance of exercise in our elder years. Scientifi c studies show an association between physical activity and reduced risk of cognitive decline. You don’t have to go to the gym like I do. You can choose whatever you enjoy doing as long as it gets your heart rate up for 30 to 45 minutes at a time, several days a week. This increases blood fl ow to the brain and body. Start out slowly, but start! And work your way up to the optimal time. I fi nd it diffi cult to get myself out of the offi ce and to the gym because there’s always work to do and I love my work, but once I get there, I feel great – especially when the workout is over! While I’m on the elliptical and treadmill machines, I study a foreign language so I’m exercising my brain as well as my body. It also takes the tedium out of going nowhere fast. And learning something new happens to be another recommendation of the Alzheimer’s Organization for staving off dementia. If you’re under a doctor’s care, be sure to check your exercise regime with the doc before starting.

Fatty Acid Imbalance

The body requires essential fatty acids to maintain cell energy output. Aging causes alterations in the enzymes required to convert dietary fats into specific fatty acids the body requires. The effect of fatty acid imbalance manifests as irregular heartbeat, joint degeneration, low energy, hyper-coagulation, dry skin and a host of other conditions.

DNA Mutation

Numerous synthetic and natural compounds mutate cellular DNA and cause cancer cells to form. Aging cells lose their DNA gene repair mechanisms and the result is DNA genetic damage causes cells to proliferate out of control, i.e., turn into cancer cells.

Immune Dysfunction

For a variety of reasons, the aging immune system loses its ability to attack bacteria, viruses and cancer cells. In aging humans, excessive levels of dangerous cytokines are produced that cause the immune system to turn on its host and create auto-immune diseases,, such as allergies, lupus, anemia, rheumatoid heart disease and arthritis.

Food, Glorious Food

Another action the Alzheimer’s Organization suggests is eating a heart healthy diet that not only helps your brain but also reduces your risk of cardiovascular disease and stroke. One of the best ways to do this is to eat more vegetables. I’m not talking about plain steamed or boiled veggies but deliciously prepared vegetables, satisfying vegetables. You can fi nd a lot of sumptuous recipes on Pinterest or check out my old column, Food Glorious Food, still on the Bali Advertiser website:https://www. baliadvertiser.biz/category/discontinued_columns/foodglorious/ The same risk factors for obesity, high blood pressure and diabetes can negatively impact your cognitive health. I’m a fi rm believer in not denying myself the food I love, but rather in lowering the portion size, and of course eating those vegetables. Evidence shows that smoking increases the risk of mental decline and quitting can decrease your risk to the same as someone who doesn’t smoke. Not getting enough sleep can also impact you brain’s cognitive function. There have been recent studies that connect sleep apnea to cognitive decline. Have you noticed on the nights you get enough sleep, everything seems clearer? Take care of your mental health. Some studies link a history of depression with increased risk of cognitive decline, so seek treatment if you have symptoms of depression, anxiety or other mental health concerns. And try to manage stress. The Alzheimer’s Association suggests staying socially active. See friends. Join groups. Play games. Volunteer. Just get your butt out of the house and see people! Yes, even you introverts. If I’m going to live to that 94.3 years, I want to do it with style, verve, energy, a continuing desire to learn, a sense of wonder, a group of close friends, and, oh yes, with humor. Embracing my brain, cherishing it and treating it right, go a long way to attaining those goals.

Your instructions should also indicate your wishes for preferred last rites, burial, cremation or repatriation preferences, appoint a funeral service and a trusted relative or friend who agrees to take care of all that. Also don’t forget to leave behind a list of family and friends you want notified. ‘Next of kin’ may not be near if you have Non-Digestive Enzyme Imbalance family in another country. Indonesian Immigration and Internal cellular functions depend on multiple enzymatic your consulate also need to be informed. reactions occurring with precise timing. Aging causes enzyme disturbances in the brain and liver, which result in And now for the big caveat: Remember that every country severe neurological diseases such as Parkinson’s or has its own norms and regulations when it comes to persistent memory loss. Impaired liver function results in durable health care and appointing a health care proxy. If toxic damage to every cell in the body. you plan to die in Indonesia you are well advised to inform yourself of the practices here. In fact, a quick survey Digestive Enzyme Deficit among a few Bali lawyers reveals that unfortunately, the

Indonesian law system does not recognise a Living Will. The aging pancreas often fails to secrete enough digestive However, you can draw up a private statement letter enzymes, while the aging liver does not secrete enough regarding your medical directives and wishes on how bile acids. The results are the chronic digestive problems medical personnel should treat you in case of a lethal many face as they age. condition. This statement letter only indicates your wishes and does not have the strong enforcement capacity like a

Excitotoxicity will. It behoves you to discuss these matters with your private physician now and see where you stand. The aging brain loses control of its release of neurotransmitters such as glutamate and dopamine, and this results In the end it doesn’t really matter - or does it to you? in devastating brain cell damage and destruction. Statistics claim that nearly half of people age 55 and older don’t have a will. I bet the percentage is even higher for

Circulatory Deficit not having a Living Will. Yet it is important to document your end-of-life preferences and communicate those to

Microcapillary flow of blood to the brain, your family and/or the people that are likely to be near you eye and skin is impaired as a part of at that crucial time. Putting a plan in place for things like normal aging. The result is that disorders medical care and funeral arrangements helps ensure that of the eye (such as cataract, macular upon your death, your wishes are carried out and that degeneration, glaucoma) are the No.1 family squabbles are avoided over your dead body. In age-related degenerative disease. Major terms of funeral arrangements, you can leave the and mini-strokes are common problems arrangements to a competent service like Antara Bangsa associated with circulatory deficit to the Funeral Services. Expats in Bali concur they are very brain. good and take care of the details. Oxidative Stress Don’t wait to put your affairs in order. Now, while you are Free radicals are unstable molecules that have been implicated in most diseases associated with aging. Antioxidants have become popular supplements to still hale and healthy and still have control of your belongings and the execution of your last wishes, is the best time to put some order in your end of life preferences. protect against free-radical-induced cell damage, but few Don’t wait until life’s inevitable loops throw you a curve and people take the proper combination of antioxidant beat you to it. You can read more about dementia in Susan’s book – supplements needed to do any good. Piece by Piece: Love in the Land of Alzheimer’s, available at Ganesha Bookstore or on Amazon.

By Adrian By Shari By Ines Wynn By Shari By Susan Tereba

The Boomer Corner is a column dedicated to people over 60 living in Bali. Its mandate is to cover topics, practicalities, activities, issues, concerns and events related to senior life in Bali. We welcome suggestions from readers. E-mail us at : Baliboomers@gmail.com The Boomer Corner is a column dedicated to people over 60 living in Bali. Its mandate is to cover topics, practicalities, activities, issues, concerns and events related to senior life in Bali. We welcome suggestions from readers. E-mail us at : Baliboomers@gmail.com The Boomer Corner is a column dedicated to people over 60 living in Bali. Its mandate is to cover topics, practicalities, activities, issues, concerns and events related to senior life in Bali. We welcome suggestions from readers. E-mail us at : Baliboomers@gmail.com The Boomer Corner is a column dedicated to people over 60 living in Bali. Its mandate is to cover topics, practicalities, activities, issues, concerns and events related to senior life in Bali. We welcome suggestions from readers. E-mail us at : Baliboomers@gmail.com The Boomer Corner is a column dedicated to people over 60 living in Bali. Its mandate is to cover topics, practicalities, activities, issues, concerns and events related to senior life in Bali. We welcome suggestions from readers. E-mail us at : Baliboomers@gmail.com Copyright © 2019 Boomer Corner You can read all past articles of Boomer Corner at www.BaliAdvertiser.biz Copyright © 2019 Boomer Corner You can read all past articles of Boomer Corner at www.BaliAdvertiser.biz Copyright © 2020 Boomer Corner You can read all past articles of Boomer Corner at www.BaliAdvertiser.biz Copyright © 2019 Boomer Corner You can read all past articles of Boomer Corner at www.BaliAdvertiser.biz Copyright © 2022 Boomer Corner You can read all past articles of Boomer Corner at www.BaliAdvertiser.biz