Old Age

Intelligence is irrelevant to a happy old age

Intelligence may lead to a better paid job and quality of life but, in old age, cleverness has no effect on happiness, new research suggests.

A happy old age is what many people spend their lives preparing for, aiming for financial security and good health in their dotage. But one thing people need not worry about, it seems, is how clever they are. A study of more than 400 pensioners reveals that cognitive ability is unrelated to happiness in old age.

The Scottish research looked at a group of 416 people born in 1921, who underwent intelligence tests at the ages of 11 and 79. At the age of 80, the group was also sent a “satisfaction with life” questionnaire, which had them assess their current level of happiness.

“We found no association between levels of mental ability and reported happiness, which is quite surprising because intelligence is highly valued in our society,” says Alan Gow, who carried out the research with colleagues at the University of Edinburgh, UK.

Different lives

Participants were asked to respond to five statements about their happiness and give a rating on a scale of 1 to 7 according to how strongly they agreed. The statements referred mainly to their current life, but also asked if, given the chance, they would like to have done anything differently with their lives.

Previous studies have shown that people who possess attributes regarded as desirable by modern Western society, such as intelligence, money or sporting talent are rewarded with higher social status, a better paid job and a more comfortable standard of living.

Higher social standing has also been linked to increased happiness. However, Gow and his co-authors suggest that intelligent people may also be more concerned about achievement and more aware of alternative lifestyles, which may lead to dissatisfaction.

Thursday, August 27, 2009

oldage changes

As we grow older, our body experiences physical changes. The changes that come in you with age are dependent on many factors like lifestyle, disease and environmental factors. These changes can be worked upon to alter your ageing process. People age differently so what is true for one may not be for another. However, there are some changes that are common to ageing.

With age skin becomes much drier, less elastic and fragile. Skin becomes drier and wrinkles appear. Due to less production of natural oils the skin tends to bruise easily and age spots occur. Skin also experiences a reduced ability to regulate body temperature by losing or retaining heat.

This makes older people more and more inclined to the effects of heat and cold. Hair becomes gray and thin. The effect of thinning is especially more prominent in men. Exposure to the sun play a major role in ageing of skin. So the more you are exposed to the sun, more are the chances of the damage to the skin. Skin cancer is a concern and its risk becomes higher once you reach an age of 65. With ageing teeth may began to fall out. Though most of the adults can keep their teeth. But the teeth and gums become susceptible to infections because of lesser production of saliva. Dry mouth is a common problem. Teeth become brittle and can break easily.

Thursday, August 13, 2009

Grandparenting

In most of the families in India, both the parents are employed due to economic necessity or due to the desire and willingness to work. So the children need someone to look after them when the parents are not around. But that is not all. The elders should take on the role of an active grandparent, and not only give the grandchildren love and affection but also instil in them a sense of responsibility, moral values and teach them to face the world and its realities.

In today's world, Indians have spread out far and wide and this has created a huge physical distance between the grandparent and the grandchild. But they can always keep in touch by telephone or by writing letters. In this context, e-mail is the greatest link. Elders need not own a computer. There are internet (computer) centres all over India. It is quite easy to learn basic computing and e-mail. providing much needed self-assurance that their near and dear are only a few clicks away.

As parents, the elders have given their children their life, educated them and most often enabled them to earn a decent living. Whatever maybe the social problem, youngsters must realize that they should care for their parents and the other elders in the family.

Elders should first of all make an effort to understand the socio-economic conditions, careers and family of their children. They should try to adjust and not interfere in the day to day affairs and problems of their children's family. Unless asked, they should patiently refrain from giving advice. They should not compare the attitude of the youngsters of today with their own attitude when they were young.
They could try to assist in the day to day affairs of the family, like taking the grandchildren to school, doing the bank work or paying the bills. Interaction with the grandchildren most often refreshes the minds of the elders and infact delays the ageing process.
Though some people prefer to be left alone, solitude is one of the main problems for elders.