Table of Contents
Title
Contents
Introduction
About This Book
Foolish Assumptions
How This Book Is Organized
Icons Used in This Book
Where to Go from Here
Part I : The Mental and Physical Aspects of Living Longer
Chapter 1: What in the World Is Aging Anyway?
Being “Old” Is New
Defining Aging
Three Sturdy Strategies to Help You Live Longer
Understanding the Three Components of Health
Chapter 2: Getting Good Healthcare
Understanding the Medical System
Understanding Disease and Minimizing Your Risk
Searching for Your Ideal Healthcare Team
What to Tell Your New Doctor
Alternatives to the Doctor-Patient Model
Taking a Health Exam
Chapter 3: Exercising to Keep Your Health for Life
Viewing Exercise as a Must, Not an Option
Use It Or Lose It: The Disuse Syndrome
Exercising Your Way to a Healthier You
Deciding on an Exercise Program that’s Right for You
Chapter 4: Fueling Your Future with Good Food!
You Are What You Eat
Starting Out: The Best Food Plan for You
Losing Weight
Potentially Bad Stuff: Coffee, Soft Drinks, Alcohol, and Cholesterol
Chapter 5: Getting Your R&R
The Need for Sleep and Relaxation
Making Time for a Little R&R
Getting a Good Night’s Sleep
Chapter 6: Using Alternative Medicine and Exercise Techniques
Discovering the Difference: Conventional vs. Alternative
The Budding of Alternative Medicine
Sorting Between Good and Bad Therapies
Choosing Alternatives Wisely
Hitting the Mat: Meditation, Yoga, and Other Alternative Exercise Techniques
Part II : The Psychological Aspects of Living Longer
Chapter 7: Maintaining Your Brain Power and Engaging in Life “Sense-ibly”
Interacting with Others Through Our Senses
Taking Hold of Your Senses as You Age
Keeping Your Windows to the World Wide Open
Maintaining Creativity as We Age
Cultivating Creativity
Chapter 8: Living to Work or Working to Live?
What’s This Thing Called Work?
Paying Your Way in Life
Avoiding Four Common Retirement Traps
Staying Active and Challenged upon Retirement
Chapter 9: Sex Matters
Exposing the Lie
Handling Sexual Difficulties
Keeping the Flame Alive
Sex Can Extend Your Life
Chapter 10: Building Your Last Nest
Grappling with the New Mobility
Making the Big Location Decision
Staying in Your Home in Later Years
Life Beyond Home: Assisted Living
Handling the Nursing Home Decision
End-of-Life Care
Part III : Handling a Health Crisis
Chapter 11: Understanding Your Role in an Emergency Situation
First Things First: Your Primary Care Physician’s Role
Deciding If It’s an Emergency or Not
Navigating the ER Successfully
Using the Urgent Care Center as an In Between Step
Chapter 12: Making the Hospital Work for You
The New Hospital in the New Millennium
Aging Patients in the Hospital
Taking Charge: An Insider’s Guide to a Hospital Stay
Chapter 13: Surgery and the Older Patient
Big Trends in Surgery
Knowing When to Say “Yes” to Surgery
When Surgery is Necessary: Shopping for a Surgeon
Having Surgery As an Older Patient
Part IV : The Part of Tens
Chapter 14: Ten Keys to a Long, Healthy Life
Creating Your Own Road Map to Life
Using It, Not Losing It
Eating Well to Live Well
Getting Enough Rest
Getting Involved
Staying Optimistic
Finding Meaning in Life
Staying in Control
Embracing Responsibility
Accepting Aging as a Normal Part of Life
Chapter 15: Ten Reasons to Get Moving
Writing the Master Prescription
Keeping Cash in the Bank
Breathing Easier
Making Yourself Strong
Staying Loose
Getting Balanced
Avoiding “Oh, My Aching Back!”
Hurting from Arthritis? Exercise!
Keeping a Healthy Mind
Knowing the Simple Basics
Chapter 16: Ten Best Anti-Aging Diet Tips
Getting a Perspective on Carbomania
Watching Fat Intake
Being Pro-protein
Roughing It
Knowing Your Vitamins
Drinking Fluids
Taking Minerals
Consuming Alcohol
Eating Just the Right Amount
Spicing It up with Variety
Chapter 17: Ten Ways to Use, Not Lose, Your Mind
Working Your Brain as a Muscle
Hitting the Road
Drawing from Your Experience and Wisdom
Managing Stress and Keeping Cool
Being a Life-Long Learner
Earning Your Good Citizen Stripes
Staying Creative
Being Sense-able
Fighting Alzheimer’s Disease
Revering Memory
Chapter 18: Ten Guidelines for Taking Medications Safely
Trying to Simplify, Simplify, Simplify
Knowing When to Stop Taking a Medicine
Knowing When to Continue Taking a Medicine
Taking the Lowest Dose Possible
Updating Your Prescriptions
Keeping Your Drug History Current
Staying Aware of Possible Drug Interactions
Measuring Your Drug Levels
Taking Medications as Directed
Minimizing the Number of Doses
Part V : Appendixes
Appendix A: A Guide to Medicines
How Drugs Work
New Drugs and Old Patients
How Medicine Affects Older People Differently
A Brief Course in Common Drugs
Drugs and the “Placebo Effect”
Appendix B: Common Conditions and Treatments
