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:

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.

Hormone Imbalance

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, osteoporosis, coronary heart disease and loss of libido.

Excess Calcification

Calcium ions are transported into and out of cells through calcium channels into the membrane. Aging disrupts this process and the result is excess calcium in the cells of the brain, heart valves and arterial walls that can lead to arteriosclerosis and Alzheimer’s.

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

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 aging humans, excessive levels of dangerous cytokines your cosmic address at the end of your life? are produced that cause the immune system to turn on its host and create auto-immune diseases,, such as allergies, It’s probably the easiest and least onerous part of your lupus, anemia, rheumatoid heart disease and arthritis. estate planning to make a list of all your possessions and 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; maybe your best friend would appreciate your gadgets or garden tools. You have made your Last Will and Testament? Good. That takes care of your estate, your possessions and financial accounts and settles your preferences. Or does it?

Estate Planning

Planning for the dissolution and distribution of your estate is not that cumbersome but you need to take a few things into 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’m a War Baby as opposed to a Baby Boomer, which I hope will not invalidate anything I have to contribute

to a column entitled Boomer Corner. Such generational

categories are helpful and fun, if not demographically Security or National Insurance numbers and make sure you or geographically exact. As a War Baby (1939-45), tell your family or carers where to find them. This includes vintage 1944, I was born in Britain, as was my elder passwords so your online accounts can be accessed. Other brother. In his case in 1940. My American cousin, if I practical directives should address the paying of any taxes had had one, born in the same year as my brother, due, utility bills, recurring payments or donations. Any time would not have been a War Baby at all. He would have a major change occurs in your life, make sure your will and to have been called something else, as the US did not last directives reflect it.

enter WW2 until 1941. My wife on the other hand, born in 1946, was very much in the fi rst wave of Baby Boomerdom, or what later came to be described as End-of-life preferences the “Me generation” - don’t ask me why.

Now that the estate portion of your bounty is settled, have The Baby Boomer cohort lasted 18 years until 1964 and if you given a thought to the other end-of-life decisions you popular music is a large part of what defi nes a generation, need to make while still, as they say, of sound and competent as I believe it does, it was the War Babies and the Baby mind? What about drawing up a Living Will that will instruct Boomers who, through the 1950s, 60s and 70s, brought your nearest and dearest how you want to be cared for us the rock music and radical social change of the era. when you are no longer in a position to verbalise coherent And later, alas – it must be owned, the neo-liberal and conservative claw-back that took place as they aged, prospered and put on weight. The Gen X’ers (1965-76) thoughts? Remember there are very important instructions in regards to your end of life preferences that simply do not and the Millennials (1977-95) are the ones who created belong in a Last Will and Testament since that document will and brought us into an online world and... to the brink of not be read until after your death. a post-human future. With all that under the belt, where the Centennials (1996 onward) will lead us... we can only wait and see. Whatever that future is - War Baby through Centennial - it is something we have all brung upon ourselves... and the rest of the planet. If early retirement can be taken aged 50, often the case nowadays as the middle-aged seek new occupations more in keeping with the people they have become, then a 50-year old man or woman relocating to Bali today would have been born in 1968, a soixante-huitard at birth and a gilet jaune at his or her “re-birth”, you could say. And - dare one hope, a portent of more equitable days to come. Boomer Corner with the exception of myself, a male War Baby, currently comprises four Boomer ladies who could hardly be better qualifi ed to explore and relay to the Bali Advertiser readership the ins and outs of forging an extended and pleasant stay in Bali. Ines Wynn, largely responsible for birthing the concept, ably set out the parameters; Ibu Kat, tellingly addressed the problem of medical insurance, which weighs heavy on so many of us; Susan Tereba movingly recounts her experience taking care of her husband with Alzheimer’s in Bali; and Shari, who gave the best steer possible on going grey gracefully, courtesy of Canggu Max. The western way to do that is to draw up an Advance Take Ibu Kat’s piece on medical insurance for example. Directive, a legal and binding document that outlines your Her report is quite chilling and the younger we take aboard wishes if you become incapacitated due to illness or injury. the realities of how this industry operates the better it will It sets forth the specific life- supporting or prolonging go for us down the pike.The message is, choose early - measures you would like applied -or not- like resuscitation and choose carefully, making sure there a no horrors or CPR, or whether to end all life-saving measures. Your embedded in the small print to swag you when you hit wishes should be written down and the document given to your 70’s. That requires informed research and don’t the people most likely to be close at the time of your demise. forget - portability. Then, having consulted a trusted professional (Kat mentioned several) get yourself and your family aboard. 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 It’s wise to check out your own country’s national health up in. If you wish to be an organ donor here in Indonesia entitlements for its expatriates too, if they have one. you can register with Komite Transplantasi National (the Some, like France with its CFE, will provide overseas National Transplant Committee) or the Eye Bank (Bank essential coverage at very reasonable rates which, with a Mata Indonesia) ahead of time and stipulate that in your small top up from the private sector, can give you directive.

coverage that equals the best anywhere. By this I mean, no age increases, no exclusions or loadings for pre-existing conditions, plus emergency evacuation. A major heart operation costing over US$100,000 in Singapore will cost under Euro 40,000 in Germany or France. If you are an Australian, it’s a no-brainer. Australia has one of the best public health services there is (and what’s more, the service itself is in robust good health, unlike the venerable NHS in Britain or the Bolshevik tendency that affl icts the French system ). As noted, swank new hospitals do not a good health service make. There are good doctors here and there are times when the art of medicine combined with long experience can work as well, if not better than the science of it. But are there enough such doctors? How is it that we see the same doctors’ names appearing on the practitioner boards in so many different hospitals in Bali? Do they have the modern diagnostic equipment needed and when they do, are the technicians available to operate and translate the results effectively? I doubt it. My wife’s pulmonary specialist salivates visibly when he sees the standard and detail of X-rays she brings back from Singapore. And 18 months ago, I don’t know about now, there was only one holter heart monitor, a wearable device used to measure heart beat over a 24hour period, available on the entire island. For the uninsured and those with limited resources you can fi nd good treatment from an experienced doctor here who will, if he’s doing he’s job properly, tell you if he can treat you successfully here or if you should go elsewhere for diagnosis and treatment. In which case, hospitals in Bangkok, Penang and India are where you need to look. For diagnostic purposes only, the Raffl es Centre in Singapore is hard to beat. Unless you are covered or are very wealthy, do not get yourself admitted in Singapore, if it can be avoided. Once you are, the costs are eye-watering. For all of us, insured or not, disease prevention is by far the best option. That means a healthy life style in terms of exercise and diet. Therapeutically, clinical nutrition is the great scandal and shame of modern medicine, in that it is relegated to the closet. Eating well will keep you healthy and properly applied can cure or alleviate many chronic conditions. Real food is by far the best option but effective supplementation under expert direction can work wonders. However there are snags. First you need to know that what your taking is 1) any good, and 2) if your taking it in the right amount to do you any good. And lastly 3) supplementation and most of the alternative treatments prescribed by a qualifi ed integrative MD may be cost-effective but they are not cheap and often not covered by insurance. The biggest snag here is that it is next to impossible to purchase any of the formulations that can help you in Bali. As in most countries, in the past Indonesia allowed you to import nutrititional supplements by post providing they were for personal consumption and in a reasonable quantity, not for re-sale. A reasonable supply was considered to be three months worth. The import tax was minimal. Regretably there was a ministerial land grab recently on behalf of customs department at the expense of the national postal service and now no nutritional supplements are allowed to enter the country and must be sent back to place of origin. You can’t even ‘ransom’ them at any price. They are in fact treated as if they’re pharmaceuticals , which means they cannot be imported until each individual ingredient in a formulation has been approved by BPOM, the regulatory body. This is a lengthy and expensive process and not an option for individuals. It is a misapplied restrictive practice that in theory is intended to protect us from the import of unregulated pharmaceuticals. Until a less corporate or a more user-friendly regime prevails, the only practical option is to bring in the supplements you need yourself, or to set up an informal ring among friends and acquaintances so you can assist each other when you return from overseas trips. As Ines Wynn says when introducing the column, she hopes there can be a lively interaction and exchange of useful information developing in and around Boomer Corner. In a world that is already heavily infl uenced by manipulative algorithms, in ways we are only now beginning to perceive, an open-hearted sharing among BA readers as to their knowledge and experience of Bali is a one good way of fi ghting back. A lively exchange of information and views alongside this column and hopefully online would not only be an organic and valuable resource but a refreshing change.

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.

Don’t wait to put your affairs in order. Now, while you are 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.

Don’t wait until life’s inevitable loops throw you a curve and beat you to it.

Oxidative Stress

Free radicals are unstable molecules that have been implicated in most diseases associated with aging. Antioxidants have become popular supplements to protect against free-radical-induced cell damage, but few people take the proper combination of antioxidant supplements needed to do any good. By Adrian By Shari By Ines Wynn By Shari

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