XUNICEF News and Views

Article shared by Tom McDermott

Today, is THE Day! Jim Mohan We, the Semi-Elderly We grew up in the 40s-50s-60s. We studied in the 50s-60s-70s. We dated in the 50s-60s-70s. We got married and discovered the world in the 60s-70s-80s. We ventured into the 70s-80s. We stabilized in the 90s. We got wiser in the 2000s. And went firmly through the 2010s. Turns out we've lived through NINE different decades.. TWO different centuries... TWO different millennia... We have gone from the telephone with an operator for long-distance calls to video calls to anywhere in the world, we have gone from slides to YouTube, from vinyl records to online music, from handwritten letters to email and WhatsApp.. From live matches on the radio, to black and white TV, and then to HDTV... We went to Blockbuster and now we watch Netflix...We got to know the first computers, punch cards, diskettes and now we have gigabytes and megabytes in hand on our cell phones or iPads... We wore shorts throughout our childhood and then long pan...

Last year many of us thought that the zombies had gone - or at least we hoped so.   We should have known better.  Classic zombie movies should have taught us that you can never kill zombies. They just keep coming.  You can try to burn them, lob grenades at them, cut off their heads, but they always keep coming.   We even tried the 'kill the vampire' move - stake through the heart.  Nothing worked. Such were the COVID zombies - for three years we did all the right things to ward them off. Some of us became hermits, locked ourselves up in our homes, limited our shopping, avoided gatherings and visitors.  We dutifully took the required shots and boosters and wore our masks.  Even then, despite all our precautions, the COVID zombies caught up with many of us. Most of us survived with fairly mild symptoms.  Then we went around telling others, "Oh, it wasn't so bad." Doing so, we ignored all evidence to the contrary - the fact that some did no...

This year’s International Day of Older Persons coincides with the 75th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. To realize the promise of the Declaration, we must do more to protect the dignity and rights of older persons everywhere. Challenges abound. Ageism is rampant in societies. From the COVID-19 pandemic to poverty and climate emergencies, older persons are often among the first victims of crises. Addressing these and other issues is a human rights imperative that will benefit everyone. Older persons are invaluable sources of knowledge and experience and have much to contribute towards peace, sustainable development, and protecting our planet. We must ensure their active engagement, full participation, and essential contributions – including through social and workplace policies built around their specific needs. We must promote lifelong learning, quality healthcare, and digital inclusion. And we must foster intergenerational dialogue and unity. Together, let u...

It’s Never Too Late to Travel the World With Your Best Friend Click here for the original article in the NY Times “It’s Never Too Late” is a series that tells the stories of people who decide to pursue their dreams on their own terms. When Eleanor Hamby and Dr. Sandra Hazelip met more than two decades ago, it was best friends at first sight. They never imagined that, one day, their friendship would be featured on news shows , get joked about on “ Saturday Night Live ” and stop people in their tracks in a Tokyo train station to exclaim, “Oh my God, you’re the TikTok traveling grannies!” Ms. Hamby, 81, and Dr. Hazelip, 82, have inspired people all over the globe with their project “Around the World in 80 Days: At 81 and Still on the Run,” named in homage to Jules Verne’s 19th-century adventure novel . Their travels earlier this year took them from the icy shores of Antarctica to the rocky majesty of the Grand Canyon, and racked up more than a million likes from thousands of followers alo...

This is a wonderful and inspiring story I saw on Facebook. Horst Meet Madam Jeanne Louise Calment, who had the longest confirmed human lifespan of: 122 years, 164 days. Apparently, fate strongly approved of the way she lived her life. She was born in Arles, France, on February 21, 1875. The Eiffel Tower was built when she was 14 years old. It was at this time she met Vincent van Gogh. "He was dirty, badly dressed, and disagreeable," she recalled in an interview given in 1988. When she was 85, she took up fencing, and still rode her bike when she reached 100. At the age of 114, she starred in a film about her life, at age 115 she had an operation on her hip, and at age 117 she gave up smoking, having started at the age of 21 in 1896. She didn't give it up for health reasons; her reason was that she didn't like having to ask someone to help her light a cigarette once she was nearly blind. In 1965, Jeanne was 90 years old and had no heirs. She signed a deal to sell her ...

Here is another in our series of articles for every day life beyond UNICEF, the UN, and particularly for seniors and those of us who are 'getting there' . Not everyone craves a long life, but as the saying goes, "It's better than the alternative".   And all the more attractive as we age.   Of course what most of us seek is not just a long life, but a healthy long life.    Here is one expert's approach, what she calls 'stress fitness' - something like a good strong shot of espresso.   Tom A longevity expert shares the exercise she does to live longer and prevent her body from ‘aging fast’ Short-term stress isn’t always a bad thing. It prepares our mind and body for what we need to do in the moment. Chronic stress , however, is more extreme and consistent — and has toxic effects on your body. As a longevity researcher and psychiatrist , I’ve seen how toxic stress can wear out our cells prematurely and increase the risk of obesity , heart disease ,...

I thought this article would interest some of our peers. I fully agree that what keeps us young and positive is our immediate network of family and friends. I just attended our 50th high school reunion and as if none of us ever grew up, reviving stories of juvenile deeds which still remain secrets to this day. Having gone to a Christian Brothers, all male private high school - one notices that the culture does encourage male bonding and does not bode well with the current times. One question though - is it true that males gossip better??? Lou An 85-year Harvard study on happiness found the No. 1 retirement challenge that 'no one talks about' Click here for the original article In 1938, Harvard researchers embarked on a study that continues to this day to find out: What makes us happy in life? The researchers gathered health records from 724 people from all over the world, asking detailed questions about their lives at two-year intervals. As participants entered mid- and late-...

This is a third in our series of articles which we hope will be of interest to the lives most of us in XUNICEF lead, including those of us who qualify as seniors. For our previous articles in this series click here . As in many industrialized countries, recent economic and social changes in the US are forcing families to reconsider their living arrangements. Not too long ago the concept of the 'nuclear family' was the norm. Kids grew up, moved out, married, and lived their own lives, often far away from parents and other members of the family. The 'seniors' aged in suburban homes, until they needed to 'downsize' and eventually moved into 'senior-living' facilities where they could find easier living and care. This 'nuclear' model of the family has been weakening for many years, but recent changes have accelerated with the pandemic, the high cost of living, and changes in the age pyramid. The older 'baby boomer' age group is large and...

Editor's Note :  This is the second in our series of articles outside our usual flow of news about UNICEF, the UN and children.   Instead, we hope these will be of interest to the lives most of us in XUNICEF  lead, including those of us who qualify as seniors.  If you have ideas or spot articles of interest for other articles or topics, please share them with us. We all know that we 'should' keep moving and maintain our routine exercises, but as we age fewer and fewer of us do so.  We get lazy, go through an illness or a fall and we settle into less and less movement. Even if we maintain our daily stretches and exercises, we ignore the need to go beyond maintaining the status quo - instead, to build strength and agility.   This article describes how a 97 year old took up a strength building routine of resistance training at age 85. The researcher in the article describes the 97 year-old's muscle mass today as 'rock solid'.  She adds,  “...

We are occasionally reminded by readers that our coverage of children, UNICEF, and the UN seldom includes articles of interests to the age group of most retirees.  As one reader put it, "Yes, very interesting, but not something any of us can do much about."   We will try to do more this year to find articles of interest to the lives most of us lead, including those of us who qualify as seniors.  If you have ideas or spot articles of interest, please share them with us. Most of us likely make use of computers and various apps to help us with daily life. It is no surprise that most apps are developed with the widest possible audience in mind, meaning that they aim for the broad middle of the age scale. Those which focus on the needs of older users are fewer. The following list of apps for seniors may be useful to you, even if you do not yet consider yourself 'senior'. Keep in mind, of course, that articles like this one are in effect 'advertisements' for pro...