Self-cooking "breakfast club" supports eat-alone seniors in Japan

Elderly people who live by themselves gather at a monthly cooking club near Tokyo to share the joy of eating together.

ENGLISH.KYODONEWS.NET

Self-cooking "breakfast club" supports eat-alone seniors in Japan

71歲的薩文（Jean-Jacques Savin）乘木桶橫渡大西洋探險

A 71-year-old Frenchman has set sail across the Atlantic Ocean in a large orange barrel.

He hopes to float to the Caribbean by the end of March -- and you can track his journey online.

關於這個網站

EDITION.CNN.COM

Frenchman sets sail across the Atlantic -- in a barrel

法國老人乘木桶橫渡大西洋探險

法國退休老人、探險家讓-雅克·薩文決定使用特殊交通工具——一個膠合板木桶橫渡大西洋。在探險過程中, 這位法國老人自己也成了科研試驗的對象。

（德國之聲中文網）橙色的膠合板木桶長3米，寬2.1米。內部設有睡眠區、休息區、廚具、茶几和一些存儲空間。探險家薩文（Jean-Jacques Savin）可以通過地板上的一個透明孔觀看海中的魚。

現年71歲的這位法國退休老人希望在接下來的三個月裡獨自在這個膠合板木桶中度過。這位昔日的飛行員和跳傘運動員為這次旅行做了幾個月的準備工作。他計劃在三個月後到達加勒比海。"盲目"的旅行

週三（12月26日）, 他從西班牙加那利群島的耶羅島（ el hierro ）起航。起航後他在電話中說："天氣很好"。"我遇到了1米高的海浪，並以每小時2到3公里的速度前進"。他乘坐的表層塗了合成樹脂的膠合板木桶將完全借助海浪和風力漂往目的地。不過，薩文並不知道他會在哪裡登陸。他說："也許在巴巴多斯, 但我認為在一個法國島嶼, 如馬提尼克島或瓜德羅普島可能手續上更簡單一些。"

薩文將帆船運動員邦巴德（Alain Bombard）視為楷模。1952年, 邦巴德乘坐一艘小橡皮艇橫渡大西洋。沒有食物，他就以浮游生物和壓碎的魚為食。據法國廣播公司的報導, 薩文為這次旅行帶了幾升葡萄酒，為的是研究酒精在海上如何老化。不過，為慶祝除夕和一月份的72歲生日，薩文還額外攜帶了一瓶紅葡萄酒和一瓶白葡萄酒。

聖誕節第二天, 他從西班牙加那利群島的耶羅島（ el hierro ）起航

退休老人成試驗對象

薩文還想利用漫長的漂流過程為科學做貢獻: 他為一家研究所帶上了一個測量水流的浮標, 並將自己作為在狹小空間內長時間逗留的孤獨試驗對象。

通過衛星定位系統，人們可以在互聯網上隨時跟踪關注這位冒險家的旅程。

李京慧/凝煉(法新社、德新社)

The Science of Healthy Aging

What are some of the lessons you’ve shared?

There are so many. Some may seem small, but they’re important. For example, Mailman School researchers have been looking at how urban infrastructure and public policy can affect the lives of older city dwellers. We’ve shown that installing more street benches, giving older people free access to public transportation, and inviting them to take classes at local universities and at other institutions through which they can stay engaged can dramatically increase their levels of physical, social, and mental activity, and thereby improve their overall health. These are enormously cost-effective measures that can be implemented in cities around the world. 

And then there are larger-scale interventions. My Mailman colleague Kavita Sivaramakrishnan is now working in India, China, and Kenya to understand culturally relevant approaches to long-term-care programs for older people. We believe that expanding such programs is a critical need, because these and many other developing nations are undergoing social changes similar to those that occurred in the US many decades ago, when grown children began moving far away from their parents and so were no longer available to directly care for them in their later years. China has the most urgent need for new approaches, as a result of its one-child policy.

To get back to the US, what work must still be done here?

We are still in the process of defining what we want our lives to look like in our seventies, eighties, nineties, and beyond. While many people are truly happy retiring and devoting their time to family, hobbies, and leisure, others feel the urge to do more. We know this is true because Experience Corps, along with a handful of other nationwide volunteer programs for older people, always has long waiting lists of would-be participants. I’m an advocate for these programs not because I think doing volunteer work is the only way to age healthfully but because I’ve seen firsthand what it can mean for older people to know that their lives still have a larger purpose. I’ve sat with retired police officers, plumbers, lawyers, corporate CEOs, and others who, after mentoring children, have looked me in the eye and said things like, “This is the most important work I’ve ever done.” That conviction inspires them to get out of bed every day, to walk to a nearby school, and to stay physically and mentally fit. And as a result, a child who might otherwise have dropped out of school goes on to graduate. Two lives are changed. 

We need to design more roles like this for older people, whether that means having them serve as community health advocates, companions for homebound people, or mentors to younger employees at their companies. We need to stop bemoaning the challenges posed by our population’s aging and instead ask ourselves a bold question: how could this transition be great?

Columbia Public Health

Columbia Magazine talked about the secrets to living a longer, healthier, and happier life and why the graying of America may be a good thing with Dean Linda P. Fried.

MAGAZINE.COLUMBIA.EDU

The Science of Healthy Aging