Pssst! What’s the secret to aging well? - Baycrest shares its expertise in forum for aging boomers

Toronto, ONT – What's the secret to aging well? Baycrest Centre for Geriatric Care has been caring for the very old for close to a century and has a pretty good take on what the younger set – the boomers – need to do to achieve a long, healthy life.

Baycrest will share its expertise in Aging Well Starts Now – a one-day forum on Sunday, April 10 for “boomers and beyond” who are feeling the creaks and stresses of time and looking for practical strategies to maintain good health.

“We're all getting older and we want to find out how to do it better,” says 57-year-old Lesley Miller, chair of the Baycrest volunteer committee who organized the forum.

“The secret to aging well is about common sense in how we manage our busy lives and protect our most precious assets – our physical and mental health. There are many changes we can start making today that will pay off in better health tomorrow. There's no time to waste! We've invited a top-notch group of experts to help us get started.”

The forum will include keynote morning presentations from memory and mood doctors, along with a light-hearted luncheon address, “Laughter is the Jest Medicine”, by Toronto family physician and author Dr. Mel Borins.

Registrants can also choose two workshops to attend during the day. The topics include:

Boosting Good Stress/Minimizing Bad Stress: Survival Tips
“Where are my %#@! Keys?” – Keeping Your Memory Sharp
Good Health Through Easy Exercise
Conventional Medicine and Alternative Approaches
How Does The Caregiver Get a Break? Finding Balance
Exploding The Myth of Easy Change – Beware of False Promises
How To Ask 10 Questions In 5 Minutes With Your Doctor

Registration for Aging Well Starts Now is $80 and includes parking and lunch. To register, contact Baycrest at (416) 785-2500, ext. 3005, or email: startingnow@sympatico.ca

For more information on this press release, please call:
Kelly Connelly
Media Relations
Baycrest
(416) 785-2432, kconnelly@baycrest.org

A sneak preview of some of the presenters and the expertise they will share at Aging Well Starts Now:

“Laughter is the Jest Medicine”
Luncheon speaker Dr. Mel Borins, family physician and author of
“Go Away – Just for the Health of It”
Many of us suffer from a laugh deficiency disorder. We take ourselves too seriously. Laughter decreases stress and tension, discharges hostility, connects people and even strengthens the will to live. When a person laughs at a problem, the problem ceases to exist in its original form and becomes more manageable. Try to take a two-week break from sadness, fear and violence (stop watching the nightly news!), read only funny books and watch only funny movies and TV shows. Set up a joke area in your home with funny books, tapes and videos. Seek refuge in that space whenever life gets too serious.

“Exploding the Myth of Easy Change”
Workshop speaker Dr. Janet Polivy, Professor, Dept. of Psychology, University of Toronto
How many of us stick with our New Year's resolutions to stop smoking, lose weight, spend less, or study more? Let's face it, we're all easy prey for the False Hope Syndrome. Ads in magazines and on television tell us that making self changes are easy, fast and take little effort! Advertising bombards us with these impossibilities, but the reality is that self change takes work, time and commitment. The trick is to be honest with ourselves and ask: What rewards are actually achievable and what will it really take to get there?

“How Does the Caregiver Get a Break?”
Workshop speaker Linda Jackson,
Director of Social Work and Community Services, Baycrest Centre
It's not always easy to find time for yourself when you're caring for a frail relative – but it's absolutely essential if you want to stay well and maintain a balanced life. Ahhh, it's easier said than done. True, but I'll tell you how to find the supports you need so you're in a position to get a break and feel good about it. It's helpful to have a whole community behind you when you are a caregiver – don't go it alone.

“How To Maximize The Time With Your Doctor – Asking 10 Questions in 5 Minutes!”
Workshop speaker Dr. Sid Feldman, Head of Dept. of Family Medicine, Baycrest Centre
The most common complaint from patients is that their visits with the good doctor are too quick and don't allow for meaningful discussion about health issues. I have a prescription for how to get the most out of your doctor's visit. It starts with planning ahead – but that's just the beginning. I have a lot more tips to pass on to help you and your physician maximize your time together.

Special thanks to AM740 Prime Time Radio and Toronto Community News for providing sponsorship for this special event.