Meadows, Robin :

Research update Aging baby boomers to challenge Golden State alifornia is about to be hit by an â?? age wave â?쳌 ( see page 189 ) , the 30 % living in or near poverty and of people 60 years and over . Elders are the 50 % with disabilities . In addition , Latino and Cprojected to account for an unprecedented black seniors may be at higher risk for Alzheimerâ??s one - fifth of the stateâ??s population in just a decade , disease ( see box ) . according to the 2009 â?? 2013 California State Plan on Optimal aging Aging , straining the already thinly - stretched ser - But getting older does not have to mean deterio - vices for senior citizens . UC research and outreach rating mental and physical health . â?? The aging pro - are helping Californians fulfill the promise of their cess is plastic , â?쳌 says Carolyn Aldwin , former UC golden years ( see page 195 ) . Davis professor ofhuman development , who is now â?? Silver tsunami â?쳌 Driven by aging baby boomers and longer life Minority outreach and Alzheimerâ??s disease spans , this â?? silver tsunami â?쳌 is expected to swell the The risk of Alzheimerâ??s disease increases with stateâ??s elderly population by 40 % to nearly 9 million advanced age and cardiovascular disease , by 2020 and to double it from the current 6.4 mil - and while the first is color blind , the second is lion to 11.5 million by 2030 . Elders â?? greatest needs not . Blacks are more likely to have high blood will include transportation so they can maintain in - pressure ( hypertension ) and Latinos are more dependence and avoid isolation , caregivers so they likely to have diabetes , which increases the risk can stay in their homes ( see page 201 ) , and health of hypertension . But does this translate into a care for the mental and physical ailments that can greater likelihood of Alzheimerâ??s disease ? come with age . These needs can be exacerbated in Study results are mixed and researchers rural areas . â?? As the elderly have to stop driving at the UC Davis Alzheimerâ??s Disease Center due to vision and health problems , how will they are investigating what relationship exists , if get to doctor appointments and senior centers ? â?쳌 any . The most common form of dementia ( or asks Beth A . Ober , UC Davis professor of human cognitive decline ) , Alzheimerâ??s disease causes development . memory loss , disorientation and personality Within the elderly population , those 85 years changes . and over are more likely to have severe disabili - â?? We study healthy aging and cognitive im - ties and chronic conditions such as heart disease , pairment in minorities , â?쳌 says Charles DeCarli , diabetes and dementia . These so - called â?? old - old â?쳌 Alzheimerâ??s Disease Center director . â?? Our goal will more than triple in California from the current is understanding their special needs . â?쳌 roughly 600,000 to nearly 3 million by 2050 , and The Center conducts minority outreach more than three - fifths will be women due to their Seniors who exercise regularly throughout the Central Valley as well as in longer life expectancies . Other particularly at - risk are less susceptible the Oakland area , taking the unique approach elders include the 20 % with limited English skills to many common of sending representatives into communities illnesses . rather than the typical approach of expecting residents to come to a clinic . â?? If you go out into the community and talk to people , that breaks down barriers and they are more willing to come to the clinic , â?쳌 DeCarli says . Latinos are among the fastest - growing segments of Californiaâ??s elderly population , increasing the urgency of providing effective outreach to minorities . Besides helping recruit a more representa - tive sample for the Centerâ??s study , this com - munity outreach teaches minority elders and Aging caregivers about dementia . â?? Itâ??s good for the in - on dividuals attending and will ultimately benefit Administration the whole population , â?쳌 DeCarli says . â?? R . Meadows http : / / californiaagriculture.ucanr.org â?¢ OCTOBER â?? DECEMBER 2010 165 Ganthavorn Chutima we age , says UC Davis â?? Ober . Other ways to protect brain function and memory include having an ac - tive social life and keeping your mind active , for example by learning a new language ( see page 174 ) . Elder care During UCCEâ??s â?? Make Food Safe for at Oregon State University , Corvallis . â?? Dementia , Outreach is key to helping elders age optimally , Seniors â?쳌 workshop osteoporosis , cardiovascular disease and the like including teaching their caregivers what they for grandparents at the California Family are not inevitable . â?쳌 need . Most elder caregivers are family members , Life Center in Hemet , How we age is primarily affected by how we but about one - fifth are registered with and paid a Glo - Germ Hand live . â?? Surprisingly , just a few factors affect aging in for by In - Home Supportive Services ( IHSS ) , state - Washing Kit was used to demonstrate how many different organ systems , â?쳌 says Aldwin , an ed - funded county programs for low - income seniors . well a participant itor of the 2007 book Handbook of Health Psychology IHSS caregivers help with the essentials of daily cleaned her hands . and Aging ( Guilford Press ) . The keys are not smok - living from housekeeping to meal preparation to ing , good nutrition and regular exercise : personal care . â?? Unfortunately , there is no stan - dardized training for registered caregivers , â?쳌 says Smoking â?¢ tobacco increases the risk of a host of Gloria Barrett , former director of UC Cooperative illnesses from lung cancer and heart disease to Extension ( UCCE ) , Sacramento County osteoporosis and dementia . This is partly be - To help close this gap , IHSS and UCCE devel - cause smoking damages collagen , the primary oped a training program based on a survey of protein found in connective tissue throughout about 1,000 registered caregivers in Sacramento . our bodies . Besides being a health threat , col - â?? Many are of limited income and education , and lagen damage causes wrinkles that make people they represent diverse cultural and ethnic groups , â?쳌 look more aged . Barrett says . A casualty of county budget cuts , the Poor â?¢ nutrition can lead to glucose intolerance training was offered in English , Spanish , Hmong and ultimately diabetes , which can cause high and Russian , and covered a wide range of needs , blood pressure , cardiovascular disease and from promoting mental and physical health to iden - nerve damage . In contrast , diets rich in whole tifying the signs of dementia to preventing falls , grains , fruits and vegetables provide nutrients the leading cause of injury and death in elders . The vital to organ function as well as antioxidants curriculum includes basics such as how to prepare that protect against aging at the cellular level nutritious meals and remove spoiled food from ( see page 167 ) . refrigerators . â?? This program was fairly unique , â?쳌 Barrett says . â?? In other areas of the state , there may Exercise â?¢ benefits lung and cardiovascular health , not have been any training at all . â?쳌 and may protect against colon cancer . In ad - And soon , there may also be a dearth of regis - dition , seniors who exercise regularly are less tered caregivers . â?? The state plans to cut or elimi - susceptible to catching nate IHSS services , â?쳌 Barrett says . To close the colds , and weight - bearing $ 18 billion dollar budget gap projected for 2010 - For more information exercise helps counteract 2011 , the Governorâ??s office has proposed cutting the California Department of Aging osteoporosis . IHSS budget by $ 750 million , according to the state http : / / www.aging.ca.gov Another key to op - Legislative Analystâ??s Office . This is about half of California State Plan on Aging 2009 - 2013 timal aging is how we the programâ??s current budget and would jeopardize http : / / www.aging.ca.gov / legislation / California_State_ handle stress ( see page services to hundreds of thousands of the seniors Plan_on_Aging_AoA_2009 - 2013_06 - 30 - 2009 . pdf 183 ) . â?? Elders can be more currently participating statewide . Optimal Aging vulnerable to stress physi - Regardless of who provides the care , Californiaâ??s http : / / groups.ucanr.org / elderly / documents / Aging_ Issues5831 . pdf ologically , â?쳌 Aldwin says . growing elder population will intensify the need â?? But people can also for caregiver training . â?? We need to provide training develop appraisal and even if family members take over most of the care - coping strategies that allow them to become more giving , â?쳌 Barrett says . â?? Itâ??s important that this type resilient with age . â?쳌 Good nutrition , regular exercise of work continue . â?쳌 and reducing stress are also good for our brains as â?? Robin Meadows 166 CALIFORNIA AGRICULTURE â?¢ VOLUME 64 , NUMBER 4