Greetings and may this blog find you in amazing health 💪 with your Medicare insurance coverage 🏥 working properly this Labor Day Weekend. I sure hope you get outside and enjoy the last days of summer with family and friends.
For Medicare questions, quotes, or quandaries, email Gray@TheBig65.com or book a time on my calendar and we’ll get it sorted.
Well, yours truly is happy as a clam to be home again and working from my office. Special thanks to client Mike for painting this portrait of Plato and me and the beautiful mountains of Colorado.
Starbucks cards for the first three people to name the mountains in the picture.
Of course my wife Q isn’t back home yet. She’s still exploring the wilds of Madagascar and having the adventure of her life. I’m fairly certain she’ll be coming home… eventually, right Quantz 🙏❤️?
She’s still making up for thirty plus years at a desk and she’s earned every moment of this journey. As Wayne Dyer used to say, “don’t die with the music inside.”
For each of us, living an authentic life has a different definition. For Plato, it’s chasing the squirrels and the racoons (and hopefully protecting the five remaining peaches) and snuggling as much as possible.
For me, it’s all about staying connected to family, friends, and clients. It’s also about spending time outside, drinking coffee in the back yard, and preparing to harvest the honey and the grapes.
Whatever a meaningful life means to you, I haven’t spoken with anyone yet who wants dementia to be part of the equation. We can’t control all of the risk factors leading to dementia, but…
Current research shows that there are several effective strategies to reduce the risks of cognitive decline. That means we have some control over the speed of decline and the quality of our lives.
Here’s a breakdown of the key findings and actionable steps we can take to maintain cognitive health.
Physical Activity: Regular exercise is one of the most effective ways to prevent cognitive decline. It improves blood flow to the brain, reduces the risk of cardiovascular issues, and helps maintain overall brain health.
You don’t have to climb a mountain to see the sunset, but a walk around the block is easy and you never know who you’ll meet on the way.
Mental Stimulation: Keeping your brain active through learning, puzzles, reading, or engaging in new hobbies can help build cognitive reserve, which protects against dementia.
Q told me the animal below is called a fossa. It’s only found in Madagascar, a cross between a mongoose and a cat and it hunts lemurs. Do you think it’d keep the squirrels out of my backyard?
Social Interaction: Staying socially engaged helps reduce stress, fosters mental health, and keeps your brain active.
The more time we are isolated from others, the more brittle we become. Connecting with others through church, volunteering, family time, or travel rewires the brain and creates new neural pathways. Remarkably neuroplasticity can continue as we age if we find opportunities to stay connected.
Healthy Diet: A diet rich in vegetables, fruits, whole grains, and healthy fats (like the Mediterranean diet) supports brain health.
I’m fairly certain my little brother Haas released this fish back to the river, but he eats a super healthy diet based on the food he catches and the plants he grows on his farm.
Here’s my favorite breakfast: black coffee, a slice of Dave’s bread with avocado, and a few pecans and avocados. You’re gonna laugh at this, but I chose to give up honey (for a while) because my triglycerides shot up this year.
Oh well, we’ll see if a few months of a sugar free diet changes the numbers, keep your fingers crossed. I guess that means I’ll have more honey for you guys!
Sleep: Quality sleep is crucial for brain health. It allows the brain to clear out toxins that accumulate during the day.
Are you doing everything you can to get a good night’s sleep? Here’s an article on cognitive shuffling, a technique that has proven very effective in helping people sleep.
Of course you could do what Brian and Denise do: they take sleep lessons from Miles. Now that’s a cute dog!
Stress Management: Chronic stress can damage the brain. Techniques like mindfulness, meditation, and yoga can help reduce stress.
Another great way to reduce stress is to be like Mark and go fishing with your buddies. These fellas hit their limit of Redfish in Matagorda Bay. Looks like good times to me.
Avoiding Tobacco and Excessive Alcohol: Smoking and heavy drinking are linked to a higher risk of dementia. The saddest news is that even one drink a day causes brain atrophy 😔🍷. Just remember my father’s favorite saying: everything in moderation, even moderation.
Regular Health Check-ups: Managing conditions like diabetes, hypertension, and high cholesterol can reduce dementia risk. Leverage the benefits in your Medicare Supplement plans and in your Medicare Advantage plans. That’s why we have them.
We don’t have to be perfect, we just have to try to do our best.
Take it from our son, Airman Nicholas: small improvements over a long period of a time will make a huge difference.
Keep squeezing the juice out of life and look for ways to help others!
If family or friends need help… referrals are the lifeblood of my business.
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Medicare questions or problems?
Book a time on my calendar or email Gray, Gray@theBig65.com.
Let us know what’s going on and please send pictures :).
Karl Bruns-Kyler
(877) 850-0211
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Karl Bruns-Kyler is a Medicare insurance broker and independent Medicare agent licensed to help Medicare recipients in thirty states around the country, including:
Alabama
Arizona
Arkansas
California
Colorado
Connecticut
Florida
Georgia
Idaho
Indiana
Iowa
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Maryland
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The Big 65 Medicare Insurance Services does not offer every plan available in your area. Currently, we represent 10 organizations that offer 50 products in your area. Please contact Medicare.gov or 1-800-MEDICARE to get information on all of your options.
