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Healthwatch
4 dys
32
Picture this: you're with friends in an unfamiliar forest using only a map and a compass to guide you to an upcoming checkpoint. There are no cell phones or GPS gadgets to help, just good old brainpower fueled by a sense of adventure as you wind through leafy trees and dappled sunlight.
This is not an excursion to a campsite or a treasure hunt. It's a navigation sport called orienteering — a fun way to get outside, exercise, and maybe even help fight cognitive decline, according to a 2023 study.
What is orienteering?
Orienteering combines map and compass reading with exercise. Competitors ("orienteers") race against a clock to reach checkpoints in outdoor settings that can range from city parks to remote areas with mountains, lakes, rivers, or snowy fields.
"You can go out in a group or on your own. You get a very detailed map and navigate your way to checkpoints that record your time electronically," says Clinton Morse, national communications manager with Orienteering USA, the national governing body for the sport in the United States.
Because orienteers are racing the clock, they might run on trails, hike up hills, or scramble around boulders. That's for foot-orienteering events. There are also orienteering events with courses geared for mountain biking, cross-country skiing, or canoeing.
How might orienteering affect thinking skills?
A small 2023 study published online in PLoS One found a potential link between orienteering and sharp thinking skills.
Researchers asked 158 healthy people, ages 18 to 87, about their health, activities, navigation abilities, and memory. About half of the participants had varying levels of orienteering experience. The other participants were physically active but weren't orienteers.
Compared with study participants who didn't engage in orienteering, those who were orienteers reported
The study was observational — that is, not a true experiment — and thus didn't prove that orienteering boosted people's thinking skills. But the link might be plausible.
"Aerobic exercise releases chemicals in the brain that foster the growth of new brain cells. And when you use a map and connect it to landmarks, you stimulate growth between brain cells," says Dr. Andrew Budson, lecturer in neurology at Harvard Medical School and chief of cognitive and behavioral neurology at VA Boston Healthcare System.
Where can you find orienteering opportunities?
There are about 70 orienteering clubs across the United States, and many more around the world (the sport is extremely popular in Europe). To find an orienteering event in your area, use the club finder tool offered by Orienteering USA.
How can you get started with orienteering?
People of all ages and athletic levels can take part, because orienteering courses vary from local parks to wilderness experiences. Costs are about $7 to $10 per person for local events, or $25 to $40 per person for national events, plus any travel and lodging expenses.
To make orienteering easy at first, Morse suggests going with a group and taking things slowly on a short novice course. "You don't have to race," he says. "Some people do this recreationally to enjoy the challenge of completing a course at their own pace."
The trickiest part is learning to read the map. Morse's advice:
Tips for safe and enjoyable orienteering events:
Once you learn the basics of orienteering, you can make it more physically challenging (and a better workout) by going faster and trying to beat your previous times, or by signing up for a more advanced course that's longer and requires more exertion and speed.
And no matter which event you take part in, enjoy the adventure. "You're not just following a path, you're solving puzzles while being immersed in nature," Morse says. "It's a great way to experience the outdoors."
Source: Harvard Health Publishing
Investopedia
2 dys
26
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Consumer sentiment dropped for the fourth consecutive month in July as high prices continued to weigh down optimism about the economy.
The consumer sentiment index fell in July, declining more than two index points to 66.0, according to data released Friday from the University of Michigan. It’s the lowest reading for the index since November and short of the increase economists predicted.
“The index remains low, historically consistent with a recession, and seemingly inconsistent with the pace of economic growth and strength of the job market,” wrote Dante DeAntonio, economist at Moody’s Analytics.
The way Americans feel about the economy has been at odds with the country's financial growth so far this year. As high prices continue to squeeze household budgets, shoppers feel inflation more acutely than a slowing but strong job market or bullish stock sentiment.
Sentiment has improved from the lows seen when inflation peaked in 2022 but still has not returned to pre-pandemic levels.
“Although sentiment is more than 30% above the trough from June 2022, it remains stubbornly subdued,” said Survey Director Joanne Hsu.
Consumers' feelings about future inflation continued to improve, despite their dour thoughts on current high prices.
They predict inflation will be 2.9% this time next year, a smaller number than previously predicted. That was the second month in a row expectations fell and is similar to pre-pandemic predictions.
“Nearly half of consumers still object to the impact of high prices, even as they expect inflation to continue moderating in the years ahead,” Hsu said.
Long-term inflation expectations also moved lower. Five years from now, consumers expect inflation to be 2.9%, less than what they anticipated in June.
Federal Reserve officials closely watch consumer inflation expectations, which can give indications on the path that prices will take in the future.
"Inflation remains a drag on consumer spirits, though that may finally change in the months ahead if inflation continues to fall, and real wage growth remains strong,” wrote Robert Frick, Navy Federal Credit Union corporate economist.
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Healthwatch
3 dys
26
Part 1 of a two-part series on making decisions about driving as we age. Read Part 2 here.
When my grandmother repeatedly clipped the mailbox backing out of her driveway, she always had a ready explanation: "the sun was in my eyes" or "your grandfather distracted me." Our family knew we needed to take action. But no one wanted to be the one to ask her to stop driving. She was fiercely independent, didn't agree that her driving was a problem, and didn't appreciate our concerns.
Maybe there's a similar story unfolding in your family. Or maybe you're starting to wonder about your own skills. As part one in a two-part series, this post aims to help people understand red flags to watch for, and why driving abilities change as people age. It also describes a few ways to improve impaired driving, and challenges to navigate.
A second post will address ways to strike a balance that respects dignity — and safety — while providing action plans for older drivers and their families.
How safe are older drivers on the road?
Unsafe drivers can be any age, particularly when drinking is involved. But fatal traffic accidents have risen in both young drivers and older drivers, according to data from the National Safety Council:
While younger drivers may be inexperienced or more likely to be distracted or reckless, older drivers often overestimate their driving abilities. That may be one reason many unsafe older drivers continue to drive despite failing driving skills.
Per mile driven, the rate of motor vehicle accidents is higher for drivers ages 80 and older than for almost every other age group, according to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. Only the youngest drivers have higher rates. And the rate of fatal motor vehicle accidents per mile driven is higher for drivers aged 85 and older than for every other age group.
These statistics reflect the reality that an older driver may not be the only one injured or killed in a crash — occupants in one or more vehicles may be, too. And then there are pedestrians and cyclists at risk.
Clearly, the stakes are high when any unsafe driver is on the road. For older drivers with waning driving skills, it's important to recognize the problem and understand why it's happening. The following four steps are a good start.
1. Seeing any red flags?
As people get older, driving skills may decline so slowly that it's not obvious worrisome changes are happening. Even when mishaps and near-misses occur, there are so many possible contributors — especially other drivers — that it may not be clear that the older driver was at fault.
Red flags that might mean an older person is an unsafe driver include:
2. Why do driving skills tend to wane with age?
While people of advanced age can safely drive (and many do!), driving skills may wane due to:
3. What can — and can't — be reversed to improve driving?
Some changes that impair driving can be reversed or a workaround can be found. For example, if driving is impaired due to cataracts, cataract surgery can restore vision and improve driving. If night driving is difficult, it's best to drive only during the day. If memory problems are starting to arise, it may still be possible to drive safely in more limited circumstances.
Driving problems due to advanced dementia or a major stroke affecting judgment and physical skills are much less likely to improve.
4. Accept that conversations about not driving are challenging
If there is no simple way to reverse or work around declining driving skills, accept that there will be many challenges to navigate, whether you're the older driver or a family member.
Challenges facing the driver:
Challenges facing the family:
Finding a path forward
As for my grandmother, none of us knew what to say. Should we try to get her to agree to stop driving entirely or let her ease into the idea over time? Maybe she could stop driving at night or limit her driving to short distances. Should we bring it to the attention of her doctor and let them direct the next steps? Or should we take an even harder step and report her to the authorities?
If you're asking similar questions — or if you're starting to wonder about your own driving abilities — you may feel strongly that it's important to respect individual preferences, dignity, and independence. Yet you also want to protect everyone from harm.
What are the best ways to strike a balance? Can you test and improve how an older driver is doing behind the wheel? Can you navigate tough conversations in ways that allow room for both independence and safety? These are the subjects to be tackled in Part 2.
Source: Harvard Health Publishing
Gistlegit
6 dys
20
In a development that has sparked widespread awe and astonishment across social media platforms, Divine Johnson-Suleman (DJS), the biological daughter of renowned Nigerian televangelist Apostle Johnson Suleman, has captivated the online community with a profound display of what many are hailing as an extraordinary manifestation of divine power Of God.
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Instablog9ja
11 hrs
17
Nigeria’s inflation rate rose to 34.19 percent in June 2024 — up from 33.95 percent in May, TheCable is reporting.
The data is captured in the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) in its consumer price index (CPI) report for June, released on Monday.
The CPI measures the rate of change in prices of goods and services. According to the bureau, food inflation also surged to 40.87 percent in the month under review as prices of food and non-alcoholic beverages continued to surge.
NBS said the headline inflation rate in June showed an increase of “0.24% points when compared to the May 2024 headline inflation rate”. “On a year-on-year basis, the headline inflation rate was 11.40% points higher compared to the rate recorded in June 2023, which was 22.79%,” the NBS said. “This shows that the headline inflation rate (year-on-year basis) increased in the month of June 2024 when compared to the same month in the preceding year (i.e. June 2023). Furthermore, on a month-on-month basis, the headline inflation rate in June 2024 was 2.31%, which was 0.17% higher than the rate recorded in May 2024 (2.14%). This means that in the month of June 2024, the rate of increase in the average price level is higher than the rate of increase in the average price level in May 2024.”
NBS further said the food inflation rate in June 2024 was 40.87 percent on a year-on-year basis — a 15.62 percent uptick compared to the rate recorded in June 2023 (25.25 percent). This, the bureau said, was caused by increases in prices of items such as millet whole grain, garri, guinea corn, bread and cereals class, yam, groundnut oil, palm oil, and catfish. “On a month-on-month basis, the Food inflation rate in June 2024 was 2.55% which shows a 0.26% increase compared to the rate recorded in May 2024 (2.28%),” the bureau said.
“The rise in food inflation on a month-on-month basis was caused by the rise in the rate of increase in the average prices of groundnut oil, palm oil, etc (oil & fats class), water yam, coco yam, cassava, etc (potatoes, yam & other tubers class), tobacco, catfish fresh, croaker, mudfish fresh, snail, etc, (Fish Class). The average annual rate of Food inflation for the twelve months ending June 2024 over the previous twelve-month average was 35.35%, which was an 11.31% points increase from the average annual rate of change recorded in June 2023 (24.03%).”
The report also said Edo (47.34 percent), Kogi (46.37 percent), and Cross River (45.28 percent) states spent more on food in June, while Nasarawa (34.31 percent), Bauchi (34.78 percent) and Adamawa (35.96 percent), recorded the slowest rise in food inflation on a year-on-year basis. On the other hand, Yobe (4.75%), Adamawa (4.74%), and Taraba (4.12%) states had the highest food inflation month-on-month.
NBS said states such asNasarawa (0.14 percent), Kano (0.96 percent) and Lagos (1.25 percent) recorded the slowest rise in food inflation on a month-on-month basis.
Instablog9ja
4 dys
17
A Vlogger has made a shocking revelation by saying that if their partners use apps to track their periods then it means they are having sexual relations with another man.
