As part of my Caregiver Smile Summit, I have had the pleasure of interviewing more than 50 experts in the health, aging and caregiving fields. Dr. Maria Zayas, a practicing psychologist and a faculty member of the Psychology Department at Brenau University, is one of those experts. Together we explored the topic of conscious aging.

Caregivers Are People Too – Respect Them

With the population living longer and healthier lives, it often happens that partners are thrust into a caregiving situation when they themselves are in their 50s and 60s.

Caregivers are beginning to deal with the aging process for themselves and need to be conscious of their own needs. Dr. Zayas shares that this is a time for people to reflect on their life and look at their legacy. She urges people not to lose sight of that in the midst of a caregiving situation.

It’s Deeper Than Having Purpose – We’re the Stewards of Our Society

We know that in certain countries and cultures societies do not place a lot of value on older citizens. Yet in many indigenous cultures, elders are revered. Certainly, purpose is important to maintain that value in society. But Dr. Zayas cautions that purpose alone is not enough.

Yes, being a caregiver is an important commitment. On a larger level, however, she says that being older brings with it a responsibility to be stewards – sages even – for our society.

Conscious aging is meant to bring the idea of sages back to western cultures and realize the gems we have in our oldest citizens. After all, they can contribute in ways younger people cannot.

Rethinking the Aging Process Starts with Awareness, Slowing Down, Taking Inventory

I once had a colleague put me through an exercise. At the time, I was wavering in my sense of accomplishment, self-worth, etc. He had me stop and reflect on my life and accomplishments and actually write them down.

Taking the time to do it was essential. After three pages of typewritten notes, I had a deeper sense of who I was as a person and how I had evolved.

Taking the time to really know yourself, positions you to better understand what it is that you can contribute to society now as a mentor/sage. Unfortunately, not many people realize their worth to society until the very end of life, when there is little they can do about it.

Pass It Down and Pay It Forward Consciously

This kind of “life review” accomplishes many things. It helps you bring closure to issues and truly become insightful with what you can contribute. It sets you up to strategically contribute to society.

Dr. Zayas also says that once you are at this place of being able to pay it forward, it is best to work with other people in your community who are struggling with the same issues and desires to contribute.

I don’t have far to look than to my colleagues in the Dementia Action Alliance who have early onset dementia. Still capable of many things, and certainly conscious of where they have been, they are using their collective abilities together to advance society’s understanding and behavior toward people with dementia.

Manage Your Stress So You Have Energy for the Journey

As a caregiver to my mom, my doctor was concerned about my stress level. I was too, but I was also concerned with my life’s work of educating people about aging issues and helping health care providers be more person-centered.

I had to work hard every day to lower my stress and remember my mission. You can’t do that unless you are consciously paying attention. It’s as simple and complex as awareness.

Caregiving is certainly a gift, and looking at it that way can help you be more fully conscious of the opportunity. It can easily become the time when you not only get to know mom or dad better, but also resolve issues, learn from your elders, and in turn, be able to share even more life lessons with others.

Part of conscious aging is also about being inclusive, valuing all beliefs and cultures and moving ahead together.

Dr. Zayas says you can reach this level of consciousness through many paths: Work with mentors. Read books. Yes, it’s even OK to seek counseling.

Google “conscious aging.” There are online groups you can join. Just take the first step. It’s our responsibility to leave this world in better shape than we found it. We have not finished our story just because we finished our time in the workforce.

Do you think that society puts a value on its older citizens? Have you ever done a personal life review to assess in a conscious way the things you have accomplished? What are you doing to experience positive aging? Please share your thoughts below.

Tiffany Moon’s Mesh Swimsuit Dress on Instagram

Real Housewives of Dallas Instagram Fashion 2020

Although she hasn’t graced our TV screens just yet, there’s no questioning the fact that new Real Housewife of Dallas Tiffany Moon is already making a serious splash on the ‘Gram, like with this super chic, mesh swimsuit dress we saw her recently wearing on vacay staycay (yes, that’s her house). And if it’s any indicator of what’s to come from her next season on RHOD, needless to say this newbie will be meshing very well with us.

Fashionably,

Faryn

Click Here to Shop Her PatBo Dress on Sale

Click Here to Shop Her Avara Hat

Photo & Hat Info: @TiffanyMoonMD

Originally posted at: Tiffany Moon’s Mesh Swimsuit Dress

Tracy Tutor’s Green Pencil Skirt

Million Dollar Listing LA Season 12 Episode 4 Fashion

Epic and incredible views can always expected on Million Dollar Listing LA. And I’m not just referring to the landscapes out of the windows of luxury homes, I’m referring to Tracy Tutor’s outfits. And tonight’s green pencil skirt and white sweater caught my eye right away. Tracy has a knack for creating business looks that also seem comfortable and are always stylish. So per usual, she’s totally sold us on her property and her look.

Sincerely Stylish,

Jess

Click Here To See Her Sold Out Victoria Beckham Green Skirt

Click Here To Read About Her White Cold Shoulder Sweater

Originally posted at: Tracy Tutor’s Green Pencil Skirt

We love tiny tattoos and celebs love them, too. Stars including Kendall Jenner and Hailey Bieber have a few of ’em. So, when we saw Kylie Jenner’s Stormi tattoo photos, we know the trend isn’t going anywhere. Jenner also has a few tattoos—well, more than a few, and most of them are red. We think she has around nine, including “sanity” written phonetically on her hip, a heart on the back of her arm and the name of her grandmother Mary Jo, also on her arm. Eagle-eyed fans spotted her newest tattoo on her forearm and knew right away it was a nod to her daughter, Stormi.

Jenner’s tattoo reads “4:43,” it looks like in black ink. This was the time Stormi was born on February 1, 2018. Of course, this isn’t her first tattoo for her daughter. She and Travis Scott have matching “Stormi” tattoos on their triceps. It’s obvious how important their baby is to them. (Not that she’s a baby anymore. She’s talking now!)

Source: Instagram

Jenner and Scott have another matching tattoo that might be a nod to Stormi: a tiny butterfly on each of their legs. Or it would be a reference to Scott’s song “Butterfly Effect,” which came out in 2017 around the time they started dating. Jenner seems to be especially into matching tats with the important people in her life. She also has an “m” on her finger with then-best friend Jordyn Woods. And the tiny “t” on her ankle for then-boyfriend Tyga? She changed it to read “LA,” which is a lot more accurate to her life now.

If you’d like to see upfront-and-personal the face of the fastest-growing group of people at risk for opioid addiction and abuse, look in your bathroom mirror. While it may be comforting to believe that drug addiction affects mostly people who are “not like us,” the truth is a little different.

As boomer women, we are part of an increasingly expanding group of people who take painkillers for all the right reasons and follow our doctors’ instructions. The issue then, is that we may find ourselves unable to stop taking them or suffering horrible side effects.

These opioid painkillers come in a variety of forms and formulations. Some of the more common ones include oxycodone (such as OxyContin), hydrocodone (such as Vicodin) and morphine.

Fentanyl is a synthetic opioid that is significantly more powerful than other types of opioids. This drug is approved for severe pain relief, such as for patients with advanced cancer. The Center for Disease Control and Prevention reports it is about 50 to 100 times stronger than morphine.

How Big a Problem is Opioid Misuse?

Prescription sales of opioids in the U.S. have reached a level to where every American adult, literally, can have a bottle of these pills in their home.

What is even more worrisome is that while there has been more than a three-fold increase in prescriptions, Americans overall are not reporting more pain. If people are not experiencing more pain, why has the use of opioids increased?

A big reason for this is overprescribing by well-intentioned doctors. Another could be that previously addicted patients develop strategies for continuing their supply. These strategies include going to multiple doctors and pharmacies. And, sometimes, you may have been misdiagnosed and prescribed opioids when you didn’t really need them.

Another staggering statistic is that, according to the CDC, the number of deaths due to abuse or misuse of opioids continues to rise. To give you an example of how serious this problem is, between 1999 and 2014, annual death rates for opioids more than doubled from 6.1 per 100,000 to 14.7 per 100,000.

Despite efforts to address this opioid epidemic, the CDC reports that death rates continue to rise. Statistics between 2010 and 2014 show a steady increase from 38,329 to 47,055 annually.

We also need to consider the loss of quality of life, the expense and the emotional toll of this abuse to boomers and their families.

Looking more closely at the boomer group, the federal government reports that more than 6 out of every 1,000 Medicare patients have some type of opioid abuse or misuse. In contrast, only 1 out of every 1,000 patients covered by private insurance abuse or misuse opioids.

Data show that one-third of Medicare patients receive at least one prescription a year for the most commonly abused opioids. This is data we cannot afford to ignore.

Boomers at Higher Risk for Opioid Addiction

According to various studies, the likelihood that we will abuse opioids or take them longer than needed increases after the third day of use and rises rapidly from that point on. Let that sink in – after only three days of taking an opioid painkiller, you run a high risk of abuse or addiction.

Increasing this risk are several factors that are specific to boomers. These include the following:

#One

We take more medications for more diseases or conditions than younger people do. In fact, we account for almost a third of prescription drug use in the United States. This increases the chances that we may make mistakes when taking our meds, which can translate into harmful drug interactions.

#Two

As we get older, our bodies may eliminate medications more slowly. This means opioids and other medications can build-up to unsafe levels in our bodies rather quickly. What may be a typical dose for a younger person could prove dangerous, addictive or even fatal to us.

#Three

Boomers may have higher rates of pain than younger people. This increases our probability of being prescribed opioids, sometimes even when we don’t really need them. Unfortunately, the more we have and take, the higher our risk of abuse or addiction.

#Four

As boomer women, we have an even higher risk of opioid abuse and addiction than do boomer men. While studies are still being done on why this is happening, initial explanations include our preference for taking psychoactive drugs to help us deal with painful life events such as widowhood or forced isolation and loneliness.

Boomer men, in comparison, have a greater tendency to use and abuse alcohol as a coping mechanism.

Some Steps to Minimize Opioid Side Affects and Addiction Risk

There are a few simple things we can do to minimize our risk of developing opioid abuse or addiction.

Talk with Your Doctor About Avoiding Opioid Addiction

Let your doctor know which prescription and over-the-counter medications you are taking. Ask if there would be interactions with the opioid painkiller you’re being prescribed. Make sure to learn about possible side effects and how to best manage them.

Limit Your Use

All research makes it clear that you should take any opioid painkiller for the shortest possible time. The ideal would be three days (the threshold for abuse and addition).

So, ask your doctor to give you the least amount necessary, use them as directed, and then move to non-opioid pain medicines. Of course, if you are battling cancer or another chronic disease, talk with your pain management expert for advice and support.

Use One Pharmacy

In addition to being more convenient, having all your medications filled at the same pharmacy makes it easier to track your use. Also, this is a simple way for your healthcare providers to know what and how much of it you are taking.

Follow Directions Carefully

Don’t mix-and-match your pain medications on your own or take them with alcohol or medications such as sleeping pills, muscle relaxants or tranquilizers. You also should not increase your dosage if you feel they are not working. Talk with your doctor first, and get their recommendation.

You should also talk with a competent doctor or healthcare provider about using minerals as a second line of defense (or as an adjunct) to prescription pain medicines.

Magnesium, for example, can be a huge help in managing the perception of pain. It has anti-nociceptive effects, which means it can keep a sensory receptor for pain from overreacting when it sends pain signals to the brain.

Spinach, pumpkin seeds, yogurt or kefir, almonds and black beans are good sources of magnesium. Another mineral to keep in mind is zinc. Animal studies suggest it may even help with opioid withdrawal and addiction.

Keep in mind that taking opioid painkillers may also remove vital nutrients from your body. So be sure to have your healthcare provider check your vitamin, mineral and other nutrient levels if you are going to be taking these medications for more than a couple of days.

Your best approach is to try non-opioid painkiller and non-pharmacological options first, and if these don’t work, then take the smallest effective opioid painkiller dose for the shortest possible time.

What is your experience with taking opioid painkillers for either acute or chronic pain? What steps have you taken to minimize your risk of abuse or addiction? Have you experienced either and how did you deal with it? Tell us about it. Please join the conversation.

Editor’s note: Nothing in this article should be considered medical advice. Always consult a doctor before making any changes to your diet, medical plan, or exercise routine.