Issue link: https://www.ifoldsflip.com/i/633498
16 LIVE IT UP! FRIDAY, JANUARY 29, 2016 SANTA CRUZ SENTINEL OLDERHOOD 50-101+ Terry Ballantyne, REALTOR ® Sereno Group Real Estate www.terryballantyne.com (831) 588-8485 CalBRE# 01257150 NavigatingOlderhood.com on Facebook at: facebook.com/mapsforaging Modern Olderhood: Changing the Conversation Your hands hold power and magic. Use them for good. When Real Estate Meets Real Life, I Can Help Let's hope it is the state altering power of touch! While even our touch receptors start to betray us in our 20s, diminishing by about 1% a year, our centenarians still appreciate a good (but gentle please) hug. Many of your friends may have lost a spouse and that sense of touch is always missed, even if they don't mention it. If they were warring spouses, then they were suffering a deficit of touch even before that loss. David Linden and Martha Thomas of AARP reported this interesting fact: "When it comes to touch, giving can be even better than receiving: In one study, Field had a group of volunteers with an average age of 70 get massages three times a week. Then the same volunteers massaged infants in a shelter for three weeks. Both activities produced benefits, but after massaging the babies, the group reported stress hormones, took fewer trips to the doctor and had higher levels of social interactions." This is probably why extended family contact is so good for everyone. Grandma holds the baby; the baby and Gramma get the power of touch, Baby is more socialized, and Mom gets a rest. We used to live in a world bordered by our family and how we conducted ourselves within that group mattered a lot, and we got a lot of nurturing, physical and emotional, as well as affirmation. In our speed of light, screen-based modern lives, less local family and/or involved family means less feedback, so make a conscious point in the coming year to be fearless about affection. Hug, hold hands, link arms, kiss cheeks, hey, even a chest bump or two! It will do you good. What's in the Cards for You? By Terry Ballantyne, REALTOR® Sereno Group