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As far as predicaments go, having an extra room in the house is sort of a champagne problem. Whether your kids have left the nest, you want to redo a rarely-used dining room or youre just looking to update and remodel, this is an opportunity to find a new use for the space.A recent survey found that, overwhelmingly, baby boomers

want to stay in their longtime homes but they have plans to update or remodel, especially when they stop working, according to Better Homes and Gardens. Redoing a room after the kids have left is a very popular choice. An unused room offers endless possibilities. If you dont already have a guest bedroom, convert the space to that. More often than not you already have the bed in the room, so its an easy start and gives your kids a place to stay when they visit. Many people have never had the luxury of a guest room, so they convert the room into a luxury suite. Upgrade the bedding and carry over the design to a coordinated guest bath with new tile and shower curtains. A grandchild would be thrilled with his or her own special room. Create a superhero bedroom complete with their favorite heros flourishes, bedding and maybe a mural. Another idea is to make the room into almost a dormitory, with bunk beds for grandchildren or guests.

Repurpose a spare room to enjoy your hobby or passion or create your own retreat. Like games? Add a poker table and make a game room. Prefer a quiet space? Transform the room into a library with sturdy shelves and a comfortable seating. How about a wine cellar, movie theater or art studio?It may be stereotypical, but an exercise room never goes out of style. A repurposed spare room turned into a home gym with yoga mats, weights, an elliptical machine, a treadmill and a large TV appeal to both a husband and a wife.Another redesign created a hobby room for scrapbooking. Take out the carpet and replace it with vinyl tile that looks like hardwood, that way glue and other messes wipe right up. Adding a media desk for a computer, plenty of storage and a hutch-style desk, as well as a countertop-high table allows the homeowner to scrapbook standing up.Just be sure to discuss your changes with a professional. Ninety-nine percent of the time removing a bedroom from a home will hurt the resale value. If you really want to do it, work with an interior designer to help give you moldings and built-ins that will try to offset the possible reduction in home value. The only bad idea, is to make sure the room doesnt become a storage unit!

SPARE ROOM REDUXHere is several ideas for turning an unused space into a unique solution

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I look forward to being older, when what you look like becomes less and less an issue and what you are is the point. Susan Sarandan

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As the U.S. population ages, more seniors are experiencing head trauma, hip fractures and even death from accidental falls. Simple workouts and regular exercise may hold the best protection against falls in older people.The simple training exercise of catching a weighted medicine ball can improve balance and may help prevent falls in the elderly, according to research at the University of Illinois at Chicago. In another study, published in the Cochrane Library, a repository for independent healthcare information, researchers found that exercises that include some balance and strength training for seniors effectively reduced falls.

The e ects of fallsFalls are the leading cause of injury death among those 65 or older. In 2009, more than 20,000 older adults died from fall injuries, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. In 2010, more than 2 million older adults were treated in emergency rooms for nonfatal falls, and more than 600,000 of these patients were hospitalized, the CDC reported.Falls are not only traumatic for seniors and their families, they

are costly. In 2010, the direct medical cost of falls was almost $30 billion, according to the CDC.Leading a sedentary and inactive lifestyle weakens the body and makes falling more likely, health experts say. When people stop exercising as they get older it leads to poor muscle tone, decreased bone mass, and loss of balance and flexibility. Working to build muscle, stamina and balance can go a long way to keep seniors on their feet.Older adults may also be on medications with side effects that may cause them to lose their balance, or they just might not be able to see things as well as they once did, leading to trips and falls.

Lifting weights, or doing any exercise that uses body weight for resistance, can build muscles and increase stability in older adults, says Dr. Tony Hampton of the Advocate Medical Group in the Chicago suburbs. Seniors should consider gardening and other activities that keep the body limber and in motion as a prevention against falls. Exercises such as yoga or tai chi can be especially helpful.

Other safeguardsBeyond physical conditioning, there are dozens of other ways to prevent falls.Ask your doctor to review your medications to identify medicines that may cause side effects or interactions such as dizziness or drowsiness, Hampton said. Its also important to have an annual eye exam to make sure your eyeglass prescription is up to date.The CDC also recommends making homes safer by reducing trip hazards, adding grab bars inside and outside the tub or shower and next to the toilet, adding railings on both sides of stairways and improving lighting.Also, Hampton said, Seniors should always check with their doctor before beginning a regular exercise program.

Keeping in

SHAPEExercise is the best way

to prevent falls

SAFETY

BY MELISSA ERICKSON | MORE CONTENT NOW

Seniors should consider gardening and other activities that

keep the body limber and in motion as a prevention against falls.

Exercises such as yoga or tai chi can be especially helpful.


Older adults fear the loss of mental abilities more than they fear losing physical abilities, but research shows that mental decline is not inevitable and may even be reversible. Fear of mental decline is often misplaced, said Michael Marsiske, professor of clinical and health psychology at University of Florida College of Public Health and Health Professions.While it is true that, on average, older adults can experience losses in areas like memory, concentration and speed, for the most part such losses have little functional consequence, Marsiske said. Very often even when we experience declines, we have become so proficient at our daily tasks that we dont really notice. Many people fear that small memory losses (forgetting the name of someone we dont know well, forgetting a word, senior moments) are a sign of Alzheimers disease or dementia, but often this is not the case.

Cognitive trainingEnter cognitive training. The brain is like a muscle. The same way physical training improves physical abilities, brain training improves mental abilities, said George W. Rebok, a professor of mental health at Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health. Traditionally, cognitive training was done one-on-one with a trainer or in a group format using guided practice on a set of tasks related to memory, attention or other brain function, Rebok said. Training can also be delivered via workbooks, computer programs and even Internet sites. Many different kinds of cognitive training exist, but most commonly training is aimed at improvement areas like memory, problem solving, attention, reaction time and speed, Marsiske said.Rebok and Marsiske were part of a team that conducted the National Institutes of Health-funded ACTIVE study that showed with as little as 10 one-hour small group sessions with a trainer, people could boost memory performance for up to five years, and their reasoning and speed of processing for up to 10 years.The results also showed that in addition to increasing cognitive function, brain training improved daily living skills

such as taking daily medication, managing finances and preparing meals. Improved cognitive function leads to less difficulty with daily tasks, which allows seniors to live more independently, Rebok said.More recent analysis of state motor vehicle crash records has suggested, in the ACTIVE study, persons who received training in either speed of processing or reasoning showed an approximately 50 percent reduction in motor vehicle crashes, even 10 years after training, Marsiske said.Cognitive training also improves a persons sense of happiness and well-being, the ACTIVE study found. For example, older adults who played video games such as Wii, PlayStation or Xbox reported higher levels of happiness.A National Institutes of Health consensus panel a few years ago concluded that there were no treatments, at this time, known to prevent dementia. The search for ways to earlier diagnose, treat and prevent dementia is a major focus of research around the world, Marsiske said.

Beware claimsCaregivers should beware of inflated claims of popular brain-exercise products, Rebok said. Currently a $300 million worldwide industry, the brain training market has skyrocketed recently and is expected to be worth more than $2 billion by 2015, as the baby boomer generation ages. This business is unregulated, and its claims of cognitive performance improvements often come from producers marketing departments, not from science, Marsiske said.Looking for brain training you can do on your own? Rebok suggests the following: Challenge yourself intellectually on a daily basis. Go for a long walk with a friend and discuss a book youve read. Look at a painting, then look away and try to remember everything in the painting. Memorize the names of the clerks in the local businesses you frequent. Volunteer. Its one way older adults can improve cognitive, physical and social skills, Rebok said. For more information, check out Experience Corps at aarp.org/experience-corps.

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MENTAL HEALTH

MENTAL EXERCISES CAN HELP SENIORS LIVE INDEPENDENTLY FOR LONGER


Many di erent kinds of cognitive training exist, but

most commonly training is aimed at improvement areas like memory, problem solving,

attention, reaction time and speed.

Its not the years in your life that count. Its the life in your years. Abraham Lincoln

Ahen people think of an older driver, they may imagine a white-haired granny who can barely see over the steering wheel, driving more slowly than the traffic around her. Thats an ill-fitting stereotype. Seniors are often safer drivers, more likely to wear seat belts and avoid bad habits of teen drivers like texting or talking on the phone, according to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety.As baby boomers enter the over-65 age bracket at an alarming rate 10,000 each day the concern for older drivers safety and independence is greater now than at any time in our history. Adults 65 and older make up more than 16 percent of all licensed drivers nationwide, and by 2040, it is estimated that 1 in 5 Americans will be 70 or older.Elin Schold Davis, project coordinator for the American Occupational Therapy Associations Older Driver Initiative and an occupational therapist and certified driving rehabilitation specialist, offers some tips for safe driving.

Q: Are aging boomers more at risk for accidents? A: Aging longer is a good thing, but things do change. Cars are easier to drive and technology helps, but there still are limits. Older adults tend to be more fragile, so they sustain injuries more easily, and are more frail, which reduces their odds of recovering from injuries. They are more likely to die in low-severity crashes than younger people.

Q: What are some of the changes that affect driving skills?

A: The big one is vision, then there is flexibility and strength, and also a range of medical conditions/diseases take their toll, the big one being dementia. Healthy life choices may prolong driving as an option. Managing diabetes also protects to the best one can the retina and good vision. To optimize the quickness controlling a vehicle demands, work on improving stamina and flexibility with exercise like walking.

Q: What sorts of adaptive equipment or vehicle modifications are available to keep drivers safe?A: Many! And this solution is too often overlooked. Many physical challenges can be eased or compensated through the use of strategies or the prescription of and training in the use of the right equipment for the individual in their model of car. Driving is dangerous and crashes are costly in injury and money; invest in professional advice and the appropriate equipment. These solutions will compensate for a range of

problems: For sensory impairment in the feet from diabetes or a circulatory condition, install hand controls and drive with the much more skilled and able hands. If you drive one-handed add a steering knob and modify some other controls like the blinker so all is in reach. An expensive modification can make steering possible for a person with severe limitations in shoulders/arm strength or range of motion. A modified seat will accommodate spine deformities or pain when sitting or reaching with arms or legs. Then there are gadgets like the HandyBar to help drivers (and passengers) get in and out of the car, a loop on the seat belt to reduce the twist required to reach it, sunscreen visor extenders to help reduce glare on and on. A word of caution: Devices inside the car might not be crash-tested, and you want to ensure they do not interfere with the function of the seat or seat belt.

Q: Any other tips?A: Manage your driving health and mobility plan as you do finances and housing. If youre lucky to live long enough, the capacity to control a car will change. Daniel J. Foley of the National Institute on Aging projects that living longer means men may outlive their driving life by seven years and women by 10. That means all things staying the same, there will be a few years when driving is no longer safe. Are you ready? Plan ahead dont run out of money and dont run out of transportation.

AUTO MODIFICATIONS CAN EXTEND DRIVE TIME

DRIVINGsafer, longer

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A word of caution: Devices inside the car might not

be crash-tested, and you want to ensure they do not interfere with the function of the seat or seat belt.

Elin Schold Davis

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