06-22-2022 Primetime Livnig - Flipbook - Page 28
28 A Special Advertising Section of Baltimore Sun Media Group | Wednesday, June 22, 2022
Mood Indigo, continued from page 6
psychologists of the last hundred years
and author of Maslow’s Hierarchy of
Needs, was the driving force behind
humanistic psychology. He believed that
the good life does not require being in an
actualized state. The good life is striving
toward a goal, toward optimizing our
physical and mental health so that we
can attain well-being and, sometimes,
well-being coupled with wisdom and
acceptance of where we are in life. It’s
our job to optimize what we can.
“A trap to be aware of,” says Young,
“is comparing ourselves to others. When
that occurs, it takes away from our selfcompassion, a remedy for when we
self-criticize or indulge in self-pity. Treat
yourself as compassionately as you treat
others, show the same concern and
caring. Ask yourself, ‘What are the kind
words I would say to others?’ Then use
them on yourself.”
Self-compassion is acknowledging
the emotions we are experiencing. Say,
“Yes, I’m suffering now.” Don’t diminish that emotion, don’t invalidate your
disappointment. But instead, accept the
feelings. This allows one to relate and
empathize with others experiencing the
same or similar challenges.
One important crossroad is the decision around retirement. “Retirement can
be wonderful,” says Young, “if you have
a sense of meaning and purpose, a structure to your life, and a healthy pattern
of living. But if you don’t have a plan in
place for after you’ve left the work force,
or if you still enjoy what you do for a living, it may be best to rethink retirement
until you are truly prepared. For those
who do not have a plan for meaningful
activity on a regular basis and social
connections outside of the workplace,
retirement could contribute to feelings of
anxiety and isolation, which can have a
negative impact on mental health.”
A way to maintain good mental health
surrounding retirement is to get involved
in activities that excite you. Mitchell
Harper’s grandchildren are homeschooled, so he became their physical education teacher, doing classes
via Zoom during the pandemic. Lynn
Andrews maintained a two-day a week
consulting gig with her former employer
Deprescribing and cognition,
continued from page 10
and took on management of a slew of
activities including a book club, a neighborhood group with monthly get-togethers, block parties, outings to theaters and
operas, and a gardening group. When
Arthur Mitchell got bored with his profession, he started a new business in his late
60s and just celebrated the company’s
10-year anniversary. He has no intention
of ever retiring.
“There are many pitfalls that can throw
us off,” Young explains. “Loss, of course,
is a big stressor and it comes in many
forms. Maybe it’s empty nest syndrome,
not a formal diagnosis but very real just
the same. It may cause a loss of identity
for a parent. Or maybe it’s the death of
your partner or spouse, leaving a gaping hole in your life. And as we get older,
we also experience the loss of friends of
decades. When you grieve, it takes time
to acclimate to the changes.
“Although some might think it is inevitable that you would feel depressed with
the losses associated with aging, with
the right approach, it doesn’t have to be
that way. It’s important to fight against
the stigma many feel about seeking mental health assistance, that having mental
health issues is a shortcoming or a sign
of weakness. It is important to embrace
the reality that seeking help is truly a sign
of strength and very positive role modeling for family and friends.”
Young acknowledges that depression
rates have significantly increased during the pandemic, and more people are
seeking help. Especially before vaccines
were widely available, most people were
focused on trying to avoid infection while
at the same time seeking ways to not
be lonely. While many older adults have
suffered losses during the pandemic that
have had a significant impact on their
mental health, it has also been a challenge for some to find the help that they
need given that not everyone accepts
insurances such as Medicare.
Psychology Today (www.psychologytoday.com/us/therapists) has a search
feature so you can find an available local
therapist who accepts Medicare. Maria
Pastorelli started seeing a psychologist
a few months into the pandemic. “I read
through all the biographies and found
several I felt would be a good match. The
woman I eventually chose has been so
helpful with the big issues, but also little
things I tried to ignore from my past. I
can’t believe I didn’t do something like
this years ago. It’s made a huge difference in my life.”
“Everyone needs help,” Young summarizes, “and when we’re willing to seek
it, it helps us personally along with those
around us, destigmatizing the process.
Start with your primary care physician.
There are resources out there that can
help.”
View aging as a potential for growth,
a way to reinvent yourself. It will pay off
in better health for the rest of your life.
An inordinate number of studies and
research support the fact that your attitude on aging can change and improve
your life.
So do something to help yourself.
Don’t let these feelings get the better of
you. Eventually, life will return to some
semblance of normal. You want to be
mentally healthy when it does.
Financially safe,
continued from page 20
ing the phone and a voice on the other end.
That alone should be a signal something is
not kosher.
“You can protect yourself by using technology,” Bonadio recommends. “If you use a
credit card to pay bills, there is built-in fraud
protection. Set notifications on your account;
one alert should be if you’re not present.
We’ve taken the friction out of transactions,
so there’s a false sense of security. You pay
a price for that.”
It used to be that banks knew you and
you knew them. They don’t care anymore
and don’t deserve your loyalty. The exceptions are local ones like the Bank of Glen
Burnie. Bonadio is considering taking on
other victims. “Very few are swindled out of
$175,000. When it happens, it makes you
feel insecure and afraid. That’s not right and
maybe I can help.”
It’s a sad state of affairs when we have to
be on alert every time the phone rings, every
time an ad pops up, every time we receive an
email from a company we do business with,
but we do. Stay safe and do what you can to
protect yourself and those around you.
tions and figure out which educational
tools work best. With older adults who
have multiple chronic conditions, usually
defined as two or more chronic illnesses,
along with the associated medications
for those conditions, the study focused
on doing something with the patients’
PCP, so they sent the PCP information
monthly for a year on deprescribing and
how to have a discussion with patients.
At the same time, prior to an appointment with the PCP, they targeted patients
who were taking more than five different long-term drugs. That population received a brochure designed to
raise awareness of deprescribing so they
could bring up the issue at their appointment with the PCP. They were also reassured that deprescribing can be safe if
done in conjunction with a PCP and they
would still benefit from some of their
medications.
According to an article posted to
JAMA’s website, “Because more than
90% of older individuals are receptive
to discontinuing unnecessary medications when recommended by their clinicians,” the study says, “deprescribing
in the context of a primary care relationship may make it easier for clinicians to
engage patients and family members in
conversations about deprescribing.”
Boyd points out that, “reductions in
medication burden alone can still be
considered a positive outcome of deprescribing if individuals are able to take
fewer medications with no detriment to
their health status. And deprescribing
potentially inappropriate medications is
potentially beneficial regardless of one’s
total number of medications.” She recommends both doctors and patients
choose a specific date to review what
pills they are taking, suggesting the
annual wellness visit as a good time.
As good as our doctors are, we must
still be our own best advocates. Even
if you’re taking only a couple medications, are they PIMs and are they really
necessary? Can some be eliminated?
And make sure you maintain a complete
list of what you take, including over-thecounter supplements, and carry it with
you. Should something happen, having
that list will greatly help those who treat
you and improve the outcome.