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Page 14 THE EVERETT ADVOCATE – FRIDAY, MARCH 26, 2021 Sa enr Sa y Senior Seni BY JIM MILLER Keeping Your Balance as You Age Dear Savvy Senior, What can you tell me about balance exercises? I’ve fallen a few times over the past year and have read that balance exercises can help me regain my steadiness, but I’m not exactly sure what to do. Unsteady at 70 Dear Unsteady, Most people don’t think much about practicing their balance, but they need to. As we age, our balance declines if it isn’t practiced, which can lead to falls that often result in a broken bone. Every year more than one in four people age 65 and older fall, and the risk increases with age. Here’s what you should know about balance problems, along with some diff erent exercises that can help you improve it. Aging Aff ects Balance Balance is something most people take for granted until it’s challenged by a medical condition, medication or advanced age, which dulls our balance senses and causes most seniors to gradually become less stable on their feet over time. Poor balance can also lead to a vicious cycle of inactivity. You feel a little unsteady, so you curtail certain activities. If you’re inactive, you’re not challenging your balance systems or using your muscles. As a result, both balance and strength suff er. Simple acts like strolling through a grocery store or getting up from a chair become trickier. That shakes your confi dence, so you become even less active. Balance Exercises If you have a balance problem that is not tied to illness, medication or some other specifi c cause, simple exercises can help preserve and improve your balance. Here are four exercises you can do that will help: • One-legged stands: Stand on one foot for 30 seconds, or longer, then switch to the other foot. In the beginning, you might want to have a wall or chair to hold on to. Or, for an extra challenge try closing your eyes, or standing on a throw pillow or Bosu ball (an infl ated rubber disc on a stable platform). • Heel-to-toe walking: Take 20 steps while looking straight ahead. Think of a sobriety test. • Standing up: Without using your hands, get up from a straight-backed chair and sit back down 10 to 20 times. This improves balance and leg strength. • Tai chi: Research has shown that the Asian practice of tai chi – which uses a combination of slow, graceful movements, meditation and deep breathing – can help reduce the risk of falls. For more information on diff erent balance exercises you can do at home, there are a variety of balance and strength exercises and beginner Tai Chi DVDs you can purchase at Amazon.com or through Amazon Prime video. There are also senior fi tness programs, like SilverSneakers (silversneakers.com) and Silver&Fit (silverandfi t.com), that off er online classes that can guide you through a series of exercises you can do at home during the pandemic. See a Doctor I do, however, want to emphasize that if you’ve already fallen, are noticeably dizzy or unsteady, or have a medical condition aff ecting your balance, you need to see a doctor. They might refer you to a physical therapist or to an appropriate balance-training class in your community. It’s also important to know that many medicines and medical conditions – from Parkinson’s disease to diabetes to inner-ear disorders – can aff ect balance. Send your senior questions to: Savvy Senior, P.O. Box 5443, Norman, OK 73070, or visit SavvySenior.org. Jim Miller is a contributor to the NBC Today show and author of “The Savvy Senior” book. nior ior Beacon Hill Roll Call By Bob Katzen A note from Bob Katzen, Publisher of Beacon Hill Roll Call: Join me this Sunday night and every Sunday night between 6 p.m. and 9 p.m. EST for my talk show “The Bob Katzen Baby Boomer and Gen X Show.” Jump in my time capsule and come back to the simpler days of the 1950s, 1960s, 1970s and 1980s. There are many ways you can listen to the show from anywhere in the world: If you have a smart speaker, simply say, “Play WMEX on RADIO.COM” Download the free RADIO.COM app on your phone or tablet Listen online at: www.wmexboston.com Tune into 1510 AM if you still have an AM radio THE HOUSE AND SENATE: Beacon Hill Roll Call records the votes of local representatives and senators from the week of March 15-19. CLIMATE CHANGE (S 9) House 145-14, Senate 39-1, approved and sent to Gov. Charlie Baker a lengthy climate change bill. A key section makes the state’s greenhouse gas emissions reduction goal net zero by 2050. The House and Senate both voted to adopt many of the amendments that Gov. Baker proposed to the original measure approved by the Legislature in February. Other provisions in the measure codify environmental justice provisions into Massachusetts law by defining environmental justice populations and providing new tools and protections for affected neighborhoods; provide $12 million in annual funding for the Massachusetts Clean Energy Center to create a pathway to the clean energy industry for environmental justice populations and minority-owned and women-owned businesses; require an additional 2,400 megawatts of off shore wind and increase the state’s total authorization to 5,600 megawatts; set appliance energy effi ciency standards for a variety of common appliances including plumbing, faucets, computers and commercial appliances and set benchmarks for the adoption of clean energy technologies including electric vehicles, charging stations, solar technology, energy storage and heat pumps. “History has been made today with the passage of the Next-Generation Roadmap bill,” said Rep. Tom Golden (D-Lowell). “The roadmap sets us on a strong course to net zero by 2050 and signifi cantly advances off shore wind, truly representing the best ideas from both chambers. Hats off to the House and the Senate for holding fi rm on ambitious emissions targets.” “Massachusetts leads the nation in reducing carbon emissions, of which there are some measures that I have supported,” said Sen. Ryan Fattman who was the only senator who voted against the measure. “However, this legislation, often described as ‘far reaching’ by the media and economic experts, will ensure the costs of building homes and commercial economic development dramatically increase, making us the most expensive state in the nation to live and do business. In this time of economic recovery from COVID-19, this is not only inadvisable; it is detrimental to the long-term interests of keeping Massachusetts aff ordable and prosperous.” “Today, the Legislature will take an important step toward a cleaner, healthier future by putting the climate bill back on the governor’s desk,” said Ben Hellerstein, State Director for Environment Massachusetts. “I applaud House and Senate leaders for preserving the key elements of last session’s bill, including energy effi ciency standards for appliances, expanded off shore wind procurements, and a requirement for at least 40 percent of Massachusetts’ electricity to come from renewable sources by 2030. If Gov. Baker vetoes the bill, I hope legislators move quickly to override the veto and turn this bill into a law.” A new study by the Beacon Hill Institute says that legislation calling for a net-zero emissions policy by 2050 is fl awed and unrealistic. “In this study, we conclude that this legislation is misconceived,” said co-author David Tuerck, president of the institute. “The ‘absolute zero’ approach embodied in the legislation would be economically ruinous. It would increase costs to the average Massachusetts household to unacceptable levels. If the commonwealth sought to reduce emissions by 100 percent, the price of a gallon of gasoline would have to rise above $14.10.” “The Next-Generation Climate Roadmap Act refl ects the concerns of people of every age, from every part of the state,” tweeted Sen. Mike Barrett (D-Lexington). “There is little doubt the legislation that passed today, if it becomes law, will cost taxpayers and businesses greatly in the future,” said Massachusetts Fiscal Alliance Executive Director Paul Craney. “The only questions that remain are just how much it will cost them and how ordinary, working-class families will be able to pay for it moving forward. Today’s legislation puts ideology ahead of common sense. It asks nearly every resident to make economic sacrifi ces in order to achieve unrealistic and ideologically driven climate goals.” (A “Yes” vote is for the bill. A “No” vote is against it.) Rep. Joseph McGonagle Yes Sen. Sal DiDomenico Yes HELP BUSINESSES AND WORKERS (S 35) Senate 40-0, approved a bill that excludes Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans from being taxed by the state in 2020; excludes $10,200 of unemployment compensation received by an individual with a household income of less than 200 percent of the federal poverty level from gross income for tax purposes; and makes employees eligible for up to fi ve days of paid leave, at their regular rate of pay, capped at $850 per week. Other provisions waive penalties on unemployment insurance taxes; freeze unemployment insurance rates BHRC | SEE PAGE 15

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