Los Angeles Jewish Home

Few things convey as much freedom and self-sufficiency as being able to drive a car. And especially in Southern California, driving can be more of a necessity than a luxury.

As we age, however, our driving abilities may change. To minimize safety risks to ourselves and others, it’s wise to understand how aging affects our driving and learn strategies that can help us continue driving well into our senior years.

Physical Factors
According to the Automobile Association of America (AAA), seniors are safe drivers compared to other age groups because they wear seatbelts, observe speed limits, and tend to avoid drinking and driving.

On the other hand, seniors face physical challenges that can impair driving. “Older drivers may have eyesight or hearing issues that affect their driving,” says John Beringer, Sr., California State Coordinator for the AARP Driver Safety Program. “Also, reflexes and responses are slower – it takes longer to transmit information from the eyes to the brain and from the brain to the muscles.”

Mobility may also be affected. For example, neck pain or stiffness can impair being able to look over your shoulder. Leg pain might make it difficult to move your foot from the gas pedal to the brake pedal.

Medication can also impact driving performance. More than 75% of people over age 65 take at least one medication.

Taking the following steps can help minimize potential physical problems associated with driving:

• Get your vision and hearing checked annually
• Have regular check-ups and talk to your doctor about how your physical condition and medications might affect your driving ability
• Choose a car with automatic transmission, power steering and power brakes
• Do exercises to improve your flexibility

Rules of the Road
AAA and AARP both offer driving classes for older adults. “A lot of what we cover involves reviewing and reminding drivers what they knew 30 years ago,” says Beringer. “Also, many older folks learned to drive from their parents, not from a driving instructor. So they may have learned some bad habits.”

Here are some safe driving strategies, many of which apply regardless of age:

• Leave enough space between your car and the car in front of you.
• Scan far down the road continuously so you can anticipate future problems.
• Minimize distractions inside your car, such as music volume.
• Plan your route before you get in the car.
• Minimize left turns. Drivers age 65 and older are disproportionately involved in crashes involving left-hand turns. Use designated left-hand turn lanes, or make three right turns to avoid making the left.
• Try to avoid busy highways and congested traffic.
• Consider getting a car with reverse monitoring and back-up cameras, blind-spot warning systems and other crash-avoidance technologies.

Relinquishing the Reins
There may come a time when it’s no longer safe to remain behind the wheel.

“Indications that it’s time to stop driving include getting lost on roads you should know, being told repeatedly by passengers that you missed a stop sign or finding scrapes on your car that you weren’t aware of getting,” says AARP’s Beringer.

He stresses that the age to stop driving can vary greatly. “I had an 89 year-old woman in my class with all of her faculties, and a 57-year-old that I wouldn’t want to be on the road with,” says Beringer. “We don’t age at the same rate.”

If you are concerned about someone else’s driving ability -- for example a parent’s -- join your parent as a passenger for several trips and at different times in order to get a good sense of his or her driving performance.

Encourage your parent to check his or her skills by taking a self-rating program (such as this one from the Automobile Association’s Foundation for Traffic Safety) or getting assessed by a professional such as a doctor, rehab clinic or geriatric care service.

Get a sense of your parent’s transportation needs and come up with options such as:

• Using local public and private transportation options. Try out these services with your parent in order to determine which are convenient and easy to use. 
• Offering to do the driving yourself.
• Hiring a trusted friend or neighbor who needs a little extra cash.

When possible, broach the subject before the need arises. Try to come up with a “game plan” you and your parent can agree on ahead of time.

And be empathetic: You wouldn’t want to lose your ability to drive, and neither does your parent. Keep the focus on your parent remaining safe while still getting where he or she needs to go.

Labels: AAA, Aging, Automobiles, Driving, For the Body, Nancy Sokoler Steiner, Seniors

We all want to be heard – to be acknowledged and understood. This is true for people regardless of age, and certainly applies to seniors. Yet when it comes to speaking with older people, we sometimes go about it the wrong way.

“Part of the problem stems from the loss of the communal society of our grandparents and great-grandparents, where old adults were part of the matrix of life ... All this has left us unfamiliar and unschooled in how older adults think and communicate,” says David Solie, MS, in an article entitled, “The 7 Common Mistakes Professionals Make Communicating with Seniors.”

However, there are ways to improve our communication with elders. They include recognizing physical needs, modifying our communication style and gaining an understanding of psychological issues.

Physical Factors
Devorah Small-Teyer, M.S.W., Director of Social Services for the Los Angeles Jewish Home’s Joyce Eisenberg-Keifer Medical Center, notes that simply accommodating hearing or sight issues can enhance conversation.

“Sometimes a hearing aide battery needs to replaced or amplified ear phones need to be provided,” she says. “It’s important to approach someone with hearing or vision problems from the front, speak to them face-to-face, and use hand gestures when appropriate. Make eye contact, put on a smile and address them respectfully by name to get their attention.”

Small-Teyer offers several more helpful strategies:

• Be patient. Don’t rush or force the conversation.
• Try not to finish others’ sentences. Give people time to form their responses
• Speak slowly, clearly and at a reasonable volume. Don’t mumble, but don’t shout, either.
• Try to minimize distractions, such as a television playing in the room, while conversing.

We may also make the false assumption that a slow response indicates a slow mind, but that is not necessarily the case. Increased processing time does not reflect a decline in reasoning skills or verbal ability.

Common Courtesies
In the age of multi-tasking, many of us may be tempted to check our phones for text messages or emails during a conversation. But this can feel disrespectful to the person we’re talking to. Seniors who don’t use this technology are especially likely to infer that we aren’t really interested in what they have to say.

Good communicators go beyond just understanding the information being conveyed. They also understand how the speaker feels about what he or she is saying. Try to repeat what the speaker has said, using your own words. And when it’s your turn to speak, communicate in a way the listener can understand.

Avoid “elderspeak,” the patronizing way of talking to seniors that sounds like baby talk. While it may seem like a way to show affection and encouragement, it feels condescending and infantilizing to the recipient. In fact, research shows that elderspeak can actually interfere with communication and foster contention rather than cooperation.

What’s Really Going On
David Solie, who wrote the article on seven communication mistakes, is also the author of How to Say It to Seniors, Closing the Communication Gap with Our Elders. He posits that seniors have unique developmental agendas. Just as toddlers and teens must work to develop identity and independence, Solie argues, seniors also have developmental needs. The mission of older adults, he says, is to maintain control over their lives in the face of loss and to discover their legacy – what will live on after them.

Solie believes this explains some of the communication styles we tend to negatively associate with the elderly, such as wandering from subject to subject, repeating stories, postponing decisions, or going on tangents.

“Such verbal behavior can be frustrating to us, because we haven’t learned to appreciate the tasks on their agendas,” he writes. “After all, we’re at the top of our game. We need to … cross off as many items as possible every single day. That process makes the middle aged feel powerful and in control… But elderly people have different motivators.”

We always run the risk of miscommunicating. But using patience, courtesy and clarity – regardless of the age of our audience -- will greatly increase the chance for success.

Labels: Communication, For the Mind, Nancy Sokoler Steiner, Seniors

Frank Sinatra made it sound easy when he crooned, “Forget your troubles c’mon get happy/ You better chase all your cares away.”

Yet happiness can seem quite elusive. Can we make ourselves happy? And is happiness really such a worthy goal?

Positive psychology is the field of psychology that looks at the science behind what makes people thrive. It has yielded research suggesting we can, indeed, boost our levels of happiness. At the same time, there’s no single key to achieving it.

Rather than a key to happiness, a better analogy would be a recipe, Ed Diener, Ph.D., Professor of Psychology at the University of Illinois, explains on his website. “Most good recipes call for quite a few ingredients. Some are absolutely essential, and others are merely helpful,” he writes. “You need to have multiple ingredients put together in the right way.”

Psychologists are quick to point out that no one can expect to be happy all the time, and different things make different people happy. Nevertheless, most people’s recipes for happiness include the following crucial ingredients:

Connecting With Others
“If I wanted to predict your happiness, and I could know only one thing about you, I wouldn’t want to know your gender, religion, health, or income,” says Harvard Professor of Psychology Daniel Gilbert in an interview in The Harvard Business Review. “I’d want to know about your social network --- about your friends and family and the strength of your bonds with them.”

These bonds with friends and family improve our sense of wellbeing and help us weather difficult times. They also confer physical benefits. Having a network of social connections appears to increase our immunity to infection, lower our risk of heart disease and reduce mental decline as we get older.

Pursuing Meaningful Activities
Having challenging -- but achievable – goals can give our lives direction, purpose and a sense of satisfaction. In fact, working towards the goal may be as important to our happiness as reaching the goal itself.

Professor Gilbert, author of Stumbling on Happiness, suggests that we also pay more attention to what our minds are doing. “When you wake up on a Saturday morning and ask, ‘What am I going to do today?’ the answer is usually about where you’ll take your body – to the beach to the kids’ soccer practice, for a run. You ought to ask, ‘What am I going to do with my mind today?’”

Cultivating Gratitude
Many researchers note the importance of gratitude – noticing and appreciating the good things in our lives. Sonja Lyubomirsky, Ph.D., Professor of Psychology at U.C. Riverside and author of The How of Happiness, found that students who spent 15 minutes a week for eight weeks writing letters about experiences they were grateful for showed increased levels of happiness immediately after the eight week period. The effect persisted six months later.

U.C. Davis Professor of Psychology Robert Emmons found similar results: Subjects who kept gratitude journals on a weekly basis exercised more regularly, reported fewer physical symptoms, felt better about their lives as a whole, and were more optimistic about the upcoming week compared to those who recorded problems or neutral life events. Emmons details his research in the book Thanks: How Practicing Gratitude Can Make You Happier.

Lending a Hand
Helping others boosts happiness, provides a sense of meaning and increases our feelings of competence. Social connection is a key ingredient to happiness, and helping others is one way to create that connection. A study published in the Journal of Health Psychology found that regular volunteerism decreased mortality rates by 40 percent, although it is not clear whether those who volunteered were in better health to start with.

Taking Care of Your Body
Being active is important for both physical and mental health. Regular physical activity helps maintain thinking and judgment skills. When we exercise, our brain releases chemicals -- including endorphins, adrenaline, serotonin and dopamine – that help reduce anxiety and improve mood. Exercise may also help us sleep better, which positively affects our mood. Meditation is another means of reducing stress and improving moods. And of course, a healthy diet keeps the body fueled and keeps sugar levels constant.

Although it may take some work to be happy, it appears to be worth the effort. Dr. Diener lists a host of benefits that seem to be associated with happy people, including stronger immune systems, longer lives, greater success and better coping skills. And perhaps achieving happiness may not be as elusive a goal as we might think. As Dr. Lyubomirsky says, “It just takes commitment and effort -- as with any meaningful goal in life.”

Labels: For the Spirit, Happiness, Nancy Sokoler Steiner

When it comes to aging well, we’re all looking for the magical fountain of youth that will keep us healthy and vigorous well into our senior years.

It turns out there really is a tried-and-true method for aging well physically, mentally and spiritually. It’s not magic, and it takes effort, but it can add years to your life, help keep your brain fit, and boost your mood.

The secret formula: regular exercise and a healthy diet.

“Only thirty percent of how you age is determined by your genes,” says David Heber, M.D., Ph.D., Director of the UCLA Center for Human Nutrition. “The other seventy percent is in your hands.”

For example, he notes, Asians who live in China and Japan typically have low rates of cancer and diabetes. However, once they come to the U.S. and adopt our dietary habits, their rates dramatically increase.

Physical Activity

Active people are half as likely to develop heart disease than those who are inactive. They are less likely to develop diabetes and osteoporosis; make fewer visits to the doctor and the hospital; and take fewer medications. Unfortunately, more than half of Americans age 65 and over are inactive.

“Exercise of the right types can maintain muscle mass … which improves overall metabolism, puts less stress on your pancreas, and helps you achieve a healthier body,” says Dr. Heber.

Here’s the catch: You need to do physical activity regularly in order for it to work. By scheduling time for physical activity and making it part of your regular day, you are more likely to stick to a routine. You don’t need to join a gym: Lift two-pound weights while you watch TV or walk the entire mall when you go shopping.

Be sure to include these different types of exercise, each of which provides unique benefits:

• Endurance activities are those that make you breathe hard, like dancing, swimming, biking, or running. Build up to at least 30 minutes of endurance activity most days of the week. You can break the 30 minutes into shorter sessions.
• Strength exercises involve lifting weights. This helps build muscles and strengthens bones.
• Balance activities help improve balance and prevent falls. Your doctor can show you some exercises to do on one foot to improve balance. Here are some examples: http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/balance-exercises/SM00049
• Flexibility activities generally refer to stretching, which can improve your freedom of movement.

Diet

The other part of the equation is diet. Studies show that following a healthy diet can reduce the risk of osteoporosis, high blood pressure, heart diseases, and certain cancers. What does a healthy diet look like? At least half of your plate should consist of fruits and vegetables. Eat a variety of colors of produce in order to take full advantage of what Dr. Heber refers to as “nature’s pharmacy.”

In ancient times, Dr. Heber notes, our diets were filled with fruits and vegetables. These foods contain chemical compounds that protect us against cell damage and disease. However, modern food processing has removed many of these compounds from our diets.

The part of our plate not filled with fruits and vegetables should include a combination of low-fat dairy products, grains – at least half of them whole grains – and lean protein such as fish or chicken. Nuts and beans also count as protein.

We need some fat in our diets, but not all fats are created equal. Red meat and full-fat dairy products -- such as cheese, milk, ice cream and butter – contain trans and saturated fats, which increase the risk for certain diseases. Monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats, on the other hand, are good for the body. They are found in such foods as salmon, nuts and seeds, plant oils, and avocadoes.

Dr. Heber says that most of us consume more sugar than we realize because many of the processed foods we eat contain high fructose corn syrup. Soft drinks are a major source of “empty” calories. Thirty-three percent of the sugar consumed in the average American diet comes from soft drinks.

The secret’s out: For a healthy body, exercise regularly and choose foods wisely.

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Here’s one more powerhouse tip for aging healthfully: Get preventive health screenings and appropriate vaccinations. Here are guidelines for women and men:
http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/007463.htm
http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/007466.htm.

Always check with your physician before beginning a diet or exercise program.

Labels: Balance, David Heber, Diet, Endurance, Exercise, Flexibility, For the Body, Nancy Sokoler Steiner, Physical Activity, Strength

We know there are concrete steps we can take to improve our physical health and prevent or decrease the chances of developing certain illnesses. This is true for our mental health as well.

To keep our minds fit, we need to follow the same key strategies for keeping our bodies healthy: get regular physical exercise and eat a healthy diet. In addition, we need to engage in activities designed to ‘exercise’ and ‘nourish’ our brains.

Get Physical

“Of all the lifestyle habits that may protect your brain health, the scientific evidence is most compelling for the effects of regular physical conditioning,” says Gary Small, M.D., Director of the UCLA Longevity Center in his book The Alzheimer’s Prevention Program. “Recent research shows that people who engage in moderate physical activity have a 40 percent lower risk for developing Alzheimer’s disease.”

Small cites a Harvard study of more than 18,000 women which found that walking briskly for a total of 90 minutes a week – about 15 minutes per day – was enough to delay cognitive decline and reduce possible risk for future Alzheimer’s disease.

Physical activity causes the heart to pump more blood, which reaches all the body’s muscles and organs — including the brain. Increased blood flow in the brain appears to reverse cellular deterioration associated with aging.

Aerobic activity isn’t the only type of physical activity to positively affect the brain. Strength training also seems to promote brain function by increasing the heart’s efficiency in supplying blood to the brain and boosting specific brain functions involving complex reasoning and attention skills. Balance training also shows benefits to memory and other cognitive abilities.

Choose Food Wisely

“What we eat affects our mental function and may be critical to maintaining brain health,” says Dr. Small.

A healthy diet benefits both the body and the brain by helping to keep inflammation in check. Although inflammation is usually a health-promoting process, chronic inflammation fuels many age-related illnesses, including cancer, heart disease, and Alzheimer’s disease.

Health-promoting foods such as fruits, vegetables, fish, whole grains, and legumes fight inflammation, as do many herbs and spices.

Lawrence C. Katz, Ph.D., a professor of neurobiology at Duke University, says “brain exercise” can help develop new connections in the brain. “The mental decline most people experience is not due to the steady death of nerve cells,” he says in an American Psychological Association publication article. Rather, the cause is atrophy of connections between nerve cells in the brain. Routine behaviors can contribute to this atrophy, while novel experiences can help strengthen neural connections.

Train Your Brain

Just as the body needs exercise, so does the brain. Learning stimulates the growth of new brain cells. By challenging the brain, we can increase the number of brain cells and grow the number of connections between those cells. The key is to keep the stimulation varied. So while it’s good to exercise your brain by doing crossword puzzles, for example, you should combine that with different types of mental challenges such as Sudoku or other brain teasers. Taking classes and learning new skills are also ways to “exercise” the brain.

“Practicing basic memory methods sharpens memory capacity, slows age-related decline and helps maintain peak memory function,” says Small. His research at UCLA has found that using simple memory techniques can activate and strengthen specific neural circuits in the area of the brain involved with memory processing.

“As we learn memory enhancement skills, neural activity increases as the brain recruits neighboring circuits to solve tasks,” says Small. “With practice, the brain develops more efficient strategies for both learning and recall.”

Reduce Stress

Constant stress releases cortisol in the brain, which weakens memory. Meditation can reduce harmful stress hormones by shifting the focus of our attention. Lack of sleep can cause stress, while getting adequate sleep reduces chronic inflammation, improves memory and helps us to be more resilient in dealing with stressful events.

Reach Out to Others

Establishing and maintaining relationships with others is another way to help the brain. “Social interactions boost cognitive ability,” says Dr. Small. “Becoming and staying socially engaged may reduce your risk for dementia by as much as 60 percent.”

Having or finding a purpose can also help us stay sharp. A Rush University Medical Center study of more than 950 older adults found that those who had clear intentions and goals were less likely to develop Alzheimer’s over the subsequent seven years.

Research from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health found that engaging in volunteer activities may boost brain function. Researchers found that after six months of volunteering, the participants demonstrated significant increases in brain activity in regions important to cognitive function.

Keeping the mind fit should be a lifelong priority, and is a pursuit that can greatly influence the quality of our lives in our later years. The Healthy Brain Initiative, a project sponsored by the Centers for Disease Control and the Alzheimer’s Association to promote cognitive health, makes a great argument for maintaining good mental health: “Having a clear, active mind at any age is important, but as we get older it can mean the difference between dependent and independent living.”

Labels: Brain Games, Cognitive Exercise, Cognitive Fitness, Diet, Exercise, Fitness, For the Mind, Gary Small, Nancy Sokoler Steiner, Stress

By Nancy Sokoler Steiner

Music expresses that which cannot be said and on which it is impossible to be silent.
~Victor Hugo

One of music's most striking powers can be seen in its impact on individuals with Alzheimer's and other forms of dementia. A dramatic example of this effect is found on a viral YouTube video featuring an elderly Alzheimer's patient named Henry. At first, Henry is slumped over in his chair, his head bent forward, his speech condensed. Then an aide gives him an iPod. The moment Henry starts listening, he becomes instantly animated: his face lights up and he begins to move his arms and legs. After his headphones are removed, he talks about his love of jazz, and sings lyrics from a favorite song.

Later in the same video, neurologist and author Oliver Sacks comments on Henry's response. "In some sense, Henry is restored to himself," says Sacks. "He remembered who he is and has reacquired his identity for a while through the power of music."

While music doesn't always evoke reactions as extreme as Henry's, it does seem to engage even the most unresponsive of individuals. That is one reason music plays a major role in the Los Angeles Jewish Home's skilled nursing and dementia care.

Susan Leitch, community manager of the Goldenberg·Ziman Special Care Center and Max Factor Family Foundation Building, notes that music is played throughout the day, and carefully chosen to set the tone and help cue residents. For example, calm, relaxing music is played in the evening to signal winding down of the day.

Music is also used more formally in music therapy sessions for skilled nursing and dementia care residents. Music therapist Cindy McGee facilitates sessions twice a week. These sessions, she says, are not sing-alongs; they are therapeutic interventions with specific goals.

One goal, called reality orientation, aims to bring participants who may not be aware of their surroundings into the present moment. Another is to aid recall and reminiscence by evoking thoughts and memories associated with the music.

During music therapy, says McGee, "participants will mention the name of a relative or tell a story they normally can't remember. It allows them to connect to something outside themselves."

As a recent session, McGee played Somewhere Over the Rainbow, and residents sang along. She asked them who sang the song, and passed around a photo of the Wizard of Oz cast. After several of them pointed to Dorothy, McGee asked them to name the movie.

"What would you ask the Wizard for?" she later queried the group.

"Good health," answered one.

"A good looking guy," said another.

Whether in the background or in a formal setting, music evokes a response. That response may be as subtle as the tapping of a foot, as dramatic as the transformation of YouTube's Henry, or as familiar as the desire for romance.

The beauty of music, it seems, is it's universal appeal. As Susan Leitch says, "Music involves everyone. It doesn't matter what level of function you're at."

Labels: Alzheimer's, Dementia, For the Spirit, Music, Nancy Sokoler Steiner, Therapy, YouTube

By Nancy Sokoler Steiner

"Music gives a soul to the universe, wings to the mind, flight to the imagination and life to everything." — Plato

Sometimes, the things we like aren’t so good for us. Fortunately, that isn’t the case with music. It doesn’t have any calories, can often be obtained for free, and doesn’t require any special skills or abilities to be enjoyed.

In fact, music has shown a host of benefits, both physical and emotional. That’s one of the reasons it plays such a large role at the Los Angeles Jewish Home.

In terms of physiological changes, a Cochrane Review study (a study which looks at many studies) found that music reduces pain, sometimes enough to decrease required dosages of pain medication. Studies with cancer patients have shown that music therapy decreases heart rate, respiratory rate and blood pressure. And researchers in Europe have found that exposure to music can both raise the levels of antibodies and lower the amount of stress hormone levels.

Studies on the emotional impact of music show similar benefits. One study done with college students, for example, found that listening to music conferred more positive emotions. Not only that, but the music intensified already positive emotions.

“We humans know instinctively that music has primal power,” says Elena Mannes in her book The Power of Music: Pioneering Discoveries in the New Science of Song (Walker & Company, 2011). “Historians and anthropologists have yet to discover a culture without music.”

Los Angeles Jewish Home Resident Tess Friedman, 87, describes music this way: “It elates me.”

Friedman joined the Home’s choir when she came here four years ago. “It’s a way to not let yourself be old and to forget about aging,” she says about singing. “You can change your whole attitude and behavior for the day.”

Caryl Geiger, Activities Director for Residential Care, sees this effect among many residents. Professionally trained in piano and voice, Geiger directs the Home’s choir. “Everybody leaves [practice] happier than when they came in,” she says.

Lee Zuckerman, 89, was delighted to rediscover the joy of song when he joined the choir six months ago. He’s always enjoyed music – his son even became a composer – but hadn’t sung since he was in his high school choir. “I love music. I feel joy when I sing.”

But you don’t have to sing in order to experience music at the Home. In addition to enjoying the choir’s performances, residents can take advantage of a variety of musical offerings. Concerts are offered almost every Sunday afternoon, and there are also programs on Jewish music and regular sing-alongs. In addition, violist and music historian Joel Lish presents weekly music appreciation classes.

“All levels of residents respond to the music,” says Lish, founder and director of the Palisades Symphony. “Some sing along, clap to the rhythm or even play along on an imaginary instrument.”

Music will always be an integral component at the Jewish Home. As author and researcher Elena Mannes says, “Anyone who has been transported by Bach or Mozart, moved to weep by a national anthem or hymn, stirred to dance by a rock rhythm, or transported in time by the notes of a pop tune from the past knows the power of music.”

Labels: Aging, Feature Articles, For the Spirit, Healthy Aging, Music, Nancy Sokoler Steiner, Seniors

By Nancy Sokoler Steiner

You don’t remember bumping into anything, but there it is: A big, angry-looking purple bruise on your forearm. How did it get there, and why do bruises like that seem to be popping up on your arms and legs more frequently as you age?

“These kinds of bruises, referred to as solar purpura, may start occurring in your 50’s, and become more common as time passes,” says David E. Sawcer, MD, PhD, Assistant Professor of Clinical Dermatology in the Keck School of Medicine at USC. “They happen closer to the surface of the skin than other bruises, and are not usually caused by trauma.”

Bruises come from injury to the small blood vessels (capillaries) near the skin’s surface. Blood leaks from the capillaries and remains trapped under the skin. Normal bruises are usually tender, change colors, and go away after a week or two. Solar purpura, on the other hand, don’t hurt, and often get darker, progressing from red to deep purple before they fade. They can take several weeks to disappear.

Why it Happens

As our skin ages, its structure begins to weaken. The outer skin layers grow thinner and the capillary walls become more fragile. At the same time, the layer of fat under the skin thins, providing less padding and insulation.

“Day-to-day activity is enough to cause solar purpura,” says Dr. Sawcer. “The capillaries in the skin are more easily damaged because they become thinner and less protected.”

Although bruising can’t be avoided, sun exposure worsens it by weakening the skin. Also, blood-thinning medications, such as Coumadin and aspirin, contribute to bruising by slowing the blood’s ability to clot. Corticosteroids, prescribed for a variety of conditions including rheumatoid arthritis and asthma, cause thinning of the skin, which also promotes bruising.

On rare occasions, bruising may indicate medical conditions such as clotting or coagulation disorders. If your bruises are painful, you experience abnormal bleeding in other areas, or you start bruising when you’re ill, be sure to see your physician. If you see bruising on a loved one and worry about physical abuse, you should know that bruising caused by abuse tends to appear on different parts of the body -- such as the face, neck, back and chest – rather than on the hands, arms and legs. Still, it’s a good idea to talk to your loved one if you have any concerns.

What Can You Do

Sun exposure makes the skin weaken more quickly, so protecting yourself from the sun can help delay this process. Keeping skin well moisturized can also lessen bruising. Do both at one time by using a moisturizer with sunscreen.

The most effective treatment for bruises is time. Eventually, the body reabsorbs the blood, and the bruise disappears. Cosmetics may help hide bruises in the meantime.

“People tend to be concerned about bruises because they’re deeply colored and look serious,” says Dr. Sawcer. “But despite their appearance, they’re generally not something to worry about.”

Labels: Aging, Bruise, Bruising, Feature Articles, For the Body, Healthy Aging, Nancy Sokoler Steiner, Skin, Solar Purpura