SECTION 1 Questions 28-40
Read the text below and answer Questions 28-40.
A Life Half Full: Aging With Optimism
A
As you get older, knees start to hurt, hips start to ache, possibly your lower back too. For years, your joints, muscles, and bones have held up with nothing more than minor scrapes and bruises. Now, however, simply moving brings aches and pains. While it may sound counterproductive, studies have shown that engaging in daily exercise not only helps with trimming the fat, but also strengthens the muscles that can ache for days. This is especially true as you get older. Experts say that while some pain is expected as you age, it is also the body’s way of telling you something.
B
However, acute or chronic pain and debilitating conditions are no joke. When your body is in greater-than-average pain, you should take meticulous care of yourself. To help tired, sore muscles, and joints feel better try soothing with heat, such as a warm shower or bath, a hot water bottle, or a warm cloth. Ice packs can also soothe pain, especially if a joint is inflamed or swelling. Try a cool cloth, cold pack, cold compress wrap, or ice massage. Typically the time for each is 15-20 minutes. Furthermore, practice deep breathing. The benefits of using the breath to soothe yourself cannot be highlighted enough. Slow, quiet breathing helps to relax the body and mind and ease the pain. Aim for about six long, deep breaths per minute. Getting a massage works wonders. Massaging the feet, back and spine, hand, shoulders, and many other areas can alleviate intense pain. Adding warm oil or lotion may also help you relax. Learning to take care of your body as you age will allow you to live a relatively pain-free life.
C
Worldwide, though, as evidence suggests, such demographic cohort as baby boomers - born in the mid-1940s to early 1960s - feels that it is paramount to look and feel young, especially in a society that values youth and vitality. One way to achieve this, according to a recent study, is to take care of one's smile. A study showed that people are most likely to underestimate the age of a person who is smiling. People tend to find smiling faces more attractive, youthful and upbeat. A smile or laugh can make it challenging for an observer to correctly predict a person’s true age. The study suggests that more than half of the people over age 50 believe that a beautiful smile can overcome the effects of aging. The vast majority of adults admit to spending money on hiding or correcting signs of aging. In addition, more than half of them would first invest in dental corrections, rather than on excessive weight loss or plastic surgery.
D
In North America, one element seems to be key for seniors' mental and physical health: optimism. That is the result found by a new survey, which asked Americans of the age 60 and up how they perceive the importance of various wellness traits. Although the survey uncovered many perspectives, the findings suggest a possible link between a “glass half full” mentality and the body's mental and physical health. The older Americans, who rated themselves as very optimistic about aging, tended to be the ones who were most active both physically and socially within their communities. They also reported a much lower number of physically unhealthy days on a monthly average: 2.84 for the most optimistic, compared to 12.55 physically unhealthy days for the least optimistic. The most optimistic also felt on average 12 years younger than their actual age (those who are least optimistic felt on average 7 years older than their actual age).
E
The survey also asked respondents to rate how they feel about the depiction of people age 60 and over in pop culture: in film, television, commercials and so on. Overwhelmingly, the respondents perceived these media portrayals of their own demographic as inaccurate, rating the accuracy level as, on average, 5 or less on a 10-point scale. Those aging Americans who do feel that media accurately portrays them think about aging more than the average and have a higher level of fear about aging than their peers.
F
G
Taken together, these findings feed into growing evidence that suggests that ageism is a social determinant of health and may negatively impact health outcomes for aging Americans as a whole. Societal views and negative media portrayals can cause aging Americans to feel invisible. Worse, these negative perceptions may dampen optimistic outlooks and detrimentally impact their physical and emotional well being. The focus of the survey is to help aging Americans defy stereotypes, age with optimism, and move towards achieving their goals with their pride intact.
Adapted from: Free Articles from ArticlesFactory.com.
Read the text below and answer Questions 28-40.
A Life Half Full: Aging With Optimism
A
As you get older, knees start to hurt, hips start to ache, possibly your lower back too. For years, your joints, muscles, and bones have held up with nothing more than minor scrapes and bruises. Now, however, simply moving brings aches and pains. While it may sound counterproductive, studies have shown that engaging in daily exercise not only helps with trimming the fat, but also strengthens the muscles that can ache for days. This is especially true as you get older. Experts say that while some pain is expected as you age, it is also the body’s way of telling you something.
B
However, acute or chronic pain and debilitating conditions are no joke. When your body is in greater-than-average pain, you should take meticulous care of yourself. To help tired, sore muscles, and joints feel better try soothing with heat, such as a warm shower or bath, a hot water bottle, or a warm cloth. Ice packs can also soothe pain, especially if a joint is inflamed or swelling. Try a cool cloth, cold pack, cold compress wrap, or ice massage. Typically the time for each is 15-20 minutes. Furthermore, practice deep breathing. The benefits of using the breath to soothe yourself cannot be highlighted enough. Slow, quiet breathing helps to relax the body and mind and ease the pain. Aim for about six long, deep breaths per minute. Getting a massage works wonders. Massaging the feet, back and spine, hand, shoulders, and many other areas can alleviate intense pain. Adding warm oil or lotion may also help you relax. Learning to take care of your body as you age will allow you to live a relatively pain-free life.
C
Worldwide, though, as evidence suggests, such demographic cohort as baby boomers - born in the mid-1940s to early 1960s - feels that it is paramount to look and feel young, especially in a society that values youth and vitality. One way to achieve this, according to a recent study, is to take care of one's smile. A study showed that people are most likely to underestimate the age of a person who is smiling. People tend to find smiling faces more attractive, youthful and upbeat. A smile or laugh can make it challenging for an observer to correctly predict a person’s true age. The study suggests that more than half of the people over age 50 believe that a beautiful smile can overcome the effects of aging. The vast majority of adults admit to spending money on hiding or correcting signs of aging. In addition, more than half of them would first invest in dental corrections, rather than on excessive weight loss or plastic surgery.
D
In North America, one element seems to be key for seniors' mental and physical health: optimism. That is the result found by a new survey, which asked Americans of the age 60 and up how they perceive the importance of various wellness traits. Although the survey uncovered many perspectives, the findings suggest a possible link between a “glass half full” mentality and the body's mental and physical health. The older Americans, who rated themselves as very optimistic about aging, tended to be the ones who were most active both physically and socially within their communities. They also reported a much lower number of physically unhealthy days on a monthly average: 2.84 for the most optimistic, compared to 12.55 physically unhealthy days for the least optimistic. The most optimistic also felt on average 12 years younger than their actual age (those who are least optimistic felt on average 7 years older than their actual age).
E
The survey also asked respondents to rate how they feel about the depiction of people age 60 and over in pop culture: in film, television, commercials and so on. Overwhelmingly, the respondents perceived these media portrayals of their own demographic as inaccurate, rating the accuracy level as, on average, 5 or less on a 10-point scale. Those aging Americans who do feel that media accurately portrays them think about aging more than the average and have a higher level of fear about aging than their peers.
F
To elaborate on the above public sentiment, the University of Southern California (USC) took a first-ever look into society’s views of aging in America through the lens of film. The USC study reveals that characters aged 60 and over are underrepresented in film, and that those characters who do appear face demeaning or ageist references. Key findings from the study include:
- Just 11 percent of characters evaluated were aged 60 and over; U.S. Census data shows that 18.5 percent of the population is aged 60 and over.
- Out of 57 films that featured a leading or supporting senior character, 30 featured ageist comments — that’s more than half of the films. Quotes included characters being called “a relic,” “a frail old woman” and “a senile old man.”
- Only 29.1 percent of on-screen characters engaged with technology, whereas 84 percent of aging Americans report that they use the internet weekly.
G
Taken together, these findings feed into growing evidence that suggests that ageism is a social determinant of health and may negatively impact health outcomes for aging Americans as a whole. Societal views and negative media portrayals can cause aging Americans to feel invisible. Worse, these negative perceptions may dampen optimistic outlooks and detrimentally impact their physical and emotional well being. The focus of the survey is to help aging Americans defy stereotypes, age with optimism, and move towards achieving their goals with their pride intact.
Adapted from: Free Articles from ArticlesFactory.com.
