Mid Rivers Newsmagazine 5-5-21

22 I MATURE FOCUS I
May 5, 2021
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News & Notes
By LISA RUSSELL
Pandemic pets
Families with young children haven’t
been the only Americans to get in on the
trend of adopting a new dog or cat during
the COVID-19 pandemic. According to
the most recent National Poll on Healthy
Aging, 10% of older adults between the
ages of 50 and 80 also added a new pet to
their households between March 2020 and
January 2021.
That number was an even higher 16%
among older people who have at least one
child or teen living with them, the survey
showed.
In all, 59% of people age 50 to 80 who
completed the nationally representative
poll in January 2021 said they are pet
owners. Of that number, 17% said they had
gotten at least one pet since the pandemic
began, although the survey did not ask if
this was their first pet or an additional pet.
Pet ownership was higher in the 2021
survey among people aged 50 to 64,
women, those who are employed and those
living in single-family detached homes, as
well as white adults.
The new survey data was an update to
a previous report published in April 2019.
Older adults who participated in that
survey said having a pet helps them enjoy
life, have a sense of purpose, reduce stress,
and stick to a routine. Dog owners in particular
said their pet helps them stay more
physically active.
Among older adults living alone or in
self-reported fair or poor health when they
participated in the 2019 poll, nearly 75%
said their pet helped them cope with physical
or emotional symptoms.
The percentage of those living alone who
said their household includes a pet rose by
12 percentage points between the 2019 and
2021 surveys, reflecting the important role
of pets as companions for older adults –
More older women may be overcoming their
reservations about letting their hair go gray,
according to a recent small study.
A new survey shows that 10% of older adults
have acquired a new pet since the COVID-19
pandemic began.
(Source: Adobe Stock)
which became especially critical during the
pandemic, according to the report’s authors.
The risks of going gray
During recent lockdowns, some older
women who were unable to visit their hairdressers
– and who weren’t leaving home
much anyway – decided to let their hair go
“natural,” which meant going gray.
This trend appears to have accelerated a
change that was already happening among
many women over 50, according to British
researchers. Using input from members of
two Facebook groups focused on women
making the transition from coloring their
hair to embracing their natural silver tones,
University of Exeter scientists explored
some of society’s common attitudes
toward women’s natural aging processes …
and how some older women are pushing
back against these attitudes.
Many women participating in the groups
said they perceived a risk in allowing their
natural gray hair to show, the researchers
found. That risk stemmed from negative
consequences they said they had
commonly experienced after going gray,
such as being ignored, talked down to, or
viewed as less competent.
Unfortunately, some group participants
also reported being chastised – including
by some of their own family members and
friends – for “letting themselves go.”
Many said making the transition to gray
hair helped them to feel more natural and
more authentic, however. This was especially
true if they felt supported by friends
and loved ones in their decision.
“We are all constrained by society’s
norms and expectations when it comes
to appearance, but expectations are more
rigorous for women – especially older
women,” explained lead author Vanessa
Cecil, of the University of Exeter. “The
‘old woman’ is an undesirable character in
(Source: Adobe Stock) See MATURE FOCUS, page 25