You want a friend? Get a dog!

Harry Truman said that — sort of. He said Washington, D.C., was a mean place and you should not expect to have real friends. Maybe a dog would fill the space.

Indeed, a dog will “fill the space.” Folks who are living without family and friends as part of daily life have space — an empty space. When the impact becomes inhibiting, the clinical term is depression; a fancy word for being glum, a lot. The causes are often loneliness, lack of positive response to our existence by other people, boredom, and useless self‑absorption.

For most of us, the life cycle is thus: learn to walk, learn to socialize, make friends, make a family, protect and raise the family — every second of the day.
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One of the best-kept secrets in the Twin Cities is, ironically, all about talking. Let’s go ahead and spill this secret — loudly. In fact, how about if we broadcast it? After all, we are talking about The Pavek Museum of Broadcasting in St. Louis Park. Hosting one of the finest collections of antique radio, television, and broadcast equipment anywhere, the Pavek has gained international recognition for its continuing efforts in preserving and documenting the history of an industry that has made monumental changes in the fabric of modern life.

When you begin your tour, you do so from a mockup radio studio built into the museum and donated by KDUZ 1260 radio, Hutchinson, Minnesota. The Hutchinson station donated the consoles, tape player, turntables, and mic to
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You’re never too old to be a mentor or to find a mentor. There is a common misunderstanding about mentors: they don’t have to be all-knowing experts; they just have to know what the mentee needs to learn. That’s why late-life seems meant for mentoring.

Good mentors share their experience, pass on hard-earned skills and knowledge, cheerlead, and offer friendship. Senior citizens have the time, life experience, knowledge base, patience, perspective, and empathy to perform these functions well.

In turn, many older people enjoy mentoring because it adds interest, purpose, and meaning to their lives. Best of all, recent research at Johns Hopkins establishes that mentoring supports and strengthens cognitive and memory functions in elders. This
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Whether it’s January 1st or the day after another birthday, I think it’s important to reassess our lives on a regular basis. No matter your age, taking stock at least once a year and planning ahead for the future is worth doing. Why? Because there is one thing constant in this world and that is change. Not only will changes continue to come into our lives — we also keep changing as we age. Here are some ideas to get you started.

1. Take stock of your personal belongings.

Review all of your belongings — from the items in your kitchen cabinet to the clothes in your closet. Ask yourself if each of these things still has a purpose in your life. If not, think about passing the item on to someone who can use it. My rule
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According to trend tracking website Springwise.com, two U.S. companies have together designed a shoe specifically targeted at Alzheimer’s sufferers: it has a miniature GPS tracking device embedded in the heel.

Inspired by a high profile missing child case, Patrick Bertagna, chief executive of GTX Corp, created the shoe originally as a means of locating children easily and conveniently. The idea evolved when it became apparent that tracking devices typically used to locate people suffering from Alzheimer’s were being rejected by the wearers, usually because they did not recognize them or were suspicious of the devices. GTX Corp partnered with footwear company Aetrex to create shoes that will allow for a small tracking device to be placed inside a cavity within the
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Our bodies cannot produce vitamin B-12, but it is essential to our cellular functions. What the body needs, it gets from our diet. Animal products are the only natural dietary source of significant amounts of B-12, so we get all our body needs by eating meat, poultry, fish, and dairy products. Since many cereals and other foods are now fortified with B-12, even vegetarians have no trouble getting a plentiful supply.

If dietary supply is not the problem, why are about 10% of older adults deficient in vitamin B-12? It’s because some people have digestive abnormalities that prevent ingested B-12 from getting into the bloodstream. The most common digestive problem leading to B-12 deficiency is lack of stomach acid. Stomach acid is required to release B-12 from ingested
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If you have ever experienced a ringing, buzzing, or even roaring in your ears, then you know what it’s like to have tinnitus. For an estimated 50 million Americans, tinnitus doesn’t permanently go away. It can be so annoying that it can lead to fatigue, stress, sleep problems, concentration troubles, anxiety, and depression. The good news is that new options exist for contending with tinnitus.

A common cause of tinnitus is exposure to loud sounds, which can damage the sensory cells of the inner ear. Tinnitus has also been associated with ear infections, aging, excessive ear wax, high blood pressure, and even sensory nerve disorders. Activities that may cause tinnitus include smoking, drinking alcohol or caffeine, and taking excessive amounts of aspirin or
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The Guild of Catholic Women, a nonprofit organization with a 106-year legacy of caring for the marginalized in St. Paul, recently voted on their final dissolution and distribution of assets. The board’s leadership cited an aging membership and many missions completed. “So we are celebrating the life of this truly magnificent organization, even as it matures and changes. The Guild of Catholic Women will be gone, the work it has done will move forward,” said Alison Enestvedt, president and director, at the final meeting.

At its end, the Guild had about 200 members, and leaves two endowment funds to continue the work it has done for over a century. One endowment will be designated for Guild Inc., a nonprofit agency which provides housing and counseling services
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Locally-made, handmade Pashen bars are 100 percent pure, organic, preservative- and gluten-free — and adhere to a strict “raw food” method of preparation. What’s “raw” food, you might wonder. In a nutshell, not cooked. With locally harvested honey, pumpkin seeds, almond better and other delicious ingredients, you will reap the benefits of a healthful product and enjoy the convenience of being able to toss it in a bag or pocket to go.

612-399-6888, mypashen.com or find it at local establishments such as Peoples Organic Café in Edina and Seward Co-op in Minneapolis, about
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The Minnesota Board on Aging has published the 2012 edition of  Health Care Choices for Minnesotans on Medicare. The 192-page booklet is full of information about Medicare enrollment, Medicare supplements, health plans, Medicare Part D prescription drug plans, Medicare savings programs, Medicare Advantage plans and Special Need Plans, Minnesota Long-Term Care Partnership insurance, other long-term care options and much more. It is the only comprehensive, objective statewide publication available that provides information about all Medicare options for Minnesotans.

The book also contains information about long-term care planning, fraud alerts and how to find needed resources; information on the new One Stop Shop for Seniors; and information for Medicare beneficiaries of all a
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For our fourth and final chapter on the brain, I harbored high hopes of wowing you with the freshest of facts about maintaining and even enhancing our cognitive capabilities. My dreams of glory drifted downward into gloom and despair, however, for I quickly learned that brain fitness is so trendy that it is almost as sought after as weight loss. Hints, tips, and pointers about how to keep our minds supple and springy are so ubiquitous that they virtually splatter the media like a rainy day’s mud on boots.

The cover of a nature magazine assures me that if I inhale the fresh air of the northwoods, my senses will sharpen and my mind will become more acute. The Internet news lists seven foods that will plump up my neurons if I eat enough of them; and an entire shelf at my
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I always like to start the New Year with a positive mind and a hopeful heart that things will be better. It’s a little harder this year in light of the continuing recession, the campaign rhetoric, and the media barrage. Nevertheless, I persist and occasionally even dare to dream of the impossible — changes so unlikely that … well, let me give you a few examples.

I’d like to see a CEO from a company having a mediocre year or an athlete having a bad year offer to forgo the bonus or renegotiate his contract, giving something back for not meeting expectations. If they’re already making millions, it seems to me they could give one or two back for the good of the team. Think of the good will that would generate — for Joe Mauer, for instance.
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I have been trying very hard to exercise. I don’t like to exercise — never have. I don’t mind shoveling the driveway or raking the lawn, however; purposeful movement is really appealing to me. I like walking my dog. But after a bad experience with aerobic exercise in the early ’80s which involved my kicking left when everyone else was kicking right I pretty much gave up.

Last fall, when a girlfriend announced she was going to try Zumba, a quasi-dance/exercise class, I thought … well, if she can do it … and I signed myself up. It has been pretty tough because just looking at myself in the mirror as I hop around is really difficult. And those off beat dance moves? Ridiculous. But my instructor is so adorable and so enthusiastic it’s
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From time to time I’ve asked for input on a particular subject I’d like to write about. The subjects have been varied and miscellaneous, but always about “stuff” from the past.

Your replies have been helpful and often filled with fascinating details. They’ve identified the poets of unusual poems I’d heard years ago and loved. They shared memories of the Mudball ice cream treat, Uncle Sam mailbox, and other long-gone novelties from my childhood. They shed light on unique businesses, like the Leaves Tea Room, Patricia Stevens Modeling School, and Hope Chest Co. that once flourished in the Twin Cities.

This time a St. Paul craft store, called “Nellie B’s,” is in question.  

My friend Alice Marshall
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