Aging Untold: Why walking is a step toward healthy aging
(Aging Untold) — On this episode of Aging Untold, we share practical ways to walk smarter, improve stability and boost your stamina with every step.
We also discuss what it really means when an aging loved one refuses medical treatment and how families can navigate that choice with compassion and support.
Then, a survivor shares his journey with ocular melanoma, underscoring the eye exam that can catch rare conditions early.
Why walking is a step toward healthy aging
Walking, even in short bursts, is a tool for healthy aging.
Dr. Rhea Rogers, a board-certified physician, said walking reflects the health of the entire body, and it can also provide clues to neurological issues.
Walking draws on muscle strength, balance, heart health and oxygenation, she said.
Aging well coach Katherine Ambrose said mobility is tied to independence.
“Gerontologist “Sam” Cradduck says that people who have difficulties with walking should still try to keep their legs moving with foot or leg pumps. Muscle loss can happen quickly, even in healthy older adults.
When a loved one refuses treatment: What families need to know
Hearing that an aging loved one is refusing medical treatment can be difficult.
Rather than push back, aging expert Amy O’Rourke says to slow down, take a deep breath and listen to figure out what they are afraid of, trying to avoid or fighting for.
Rogers said the person is sometimes looking at the medications along with the side effects and weighing all those different things.
The Aging Untold experts said families should make sure a loved one’s decision is based on accurate understanding, not a misconception.
Man raises awareness about rare cancer with soccer-themed prosthetic eye
Ocular melanoma affects only five or six out of every million people each year. Ryan Gibson is one of them.
When he lost his right eye to the rare cancer, the decision before him was whether to blend in with a normal-looking prosthetic or make a statement. Gibson chose to make a statement.
He uses his prosthetic eye as a conversation starter to raise awareness about ocular melanoma.
Cafe trains refugees, trafficking survivors in D.C. kitchen
At Emma’s Torch, a cafe and culinary school in Washington, D.C., students learn food preparation skills under timed kitchen conditions. The students are refugees, exiles and survivors of human trafficking.
Kerry Brodie founded the social justice nonprofit to help the students with self-advocacy skills, English classes, resume writing, interview prep and more.
The organization is named after Emma Lazarus, who wrote the words inscribed at the base of the Statue of Liberty: “Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free.”
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