In a city with a reputation as being young, we got a question about where all of Austin’s older people are.
aging
Turning 45
It feels like a milestone birthday. Perhaps fully “over the hill” but not yet to the next decade. This Typewriter Rodeo poem celebrates 45 for what it can be.
Age and Perception
A listener asked a question about why it is that we can feel a lot younger than we are. This prompted Two Guys on Your Head, Dr. Art Markman, and Dr. Bob Duke to explore the psychology of how we perceive age.
Texas Standard: October 18, 2021
Raise your hands if you knew there was an election on November 2. Do you know about the constitutional amendments on the ballot? Some help- today on the Texas Standard.
Eight proposed constitutional amendments in front of voters statewide next month. We’ll look at some of the top line proposals.
Also, billions in COVID relief money- how are Texas lawmakers using those dollars?
A longtime NPR journalist sharing her journey of what it means to become a parent to your parents.
And the struggles some school districts face trying to comply with a law designed to push back against what’s called critical race theory.
Getting Older
Though its effects can feel less than glamorous at times, getting older is a privilege. That was the inspiration of this Typewriter Rodeo poem. The idea came to us via listener request in honor of a father who turned 70 this year.
Texas Standard: March 11, 2021
Texas Governor Greg Abbott was once Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott. What would the AG think of the Governor?? We’ll explore. Also, the stimulus package and how big Texans and little Texans could benefit from it. Plus ERCOT and the gray area in which it operates. It’s a non-profit but it looks like, works like and functions like a government agency. So why not comply with open records requests? And Twitter is 15 now and 15 year old girls in Texas should have a quinceañera. So we are throwing Twitter one. But we’re also asking is it time to start acting like a grown up? Those stories and more today on the Texas Standard:
Texas Standard: November 14, 2019
A fact finding process in an era of fake news: do the facts still matter? We’ll look at some Texas takeaways from the impeachment hearing so far. Also, new guidelines for how the state tabulates ballots. Are we getting early warning signals about problems for 2020? We’ll take a look. Plus, what can dogs tell humans about aging? And our tech expert Omar gallaga on winners and losers in the early volleys of the new streaming wars. All of that and a whole lot more today on the Texas Standard:
Who Is This Woman Who Helps Older Austinites Stay Socially Connected?
The aging population is growing fast in Austin. So Becky Rhodes said we should meet a couple trying to keep seniors active in the community.
Texas Standard: January 28, 2019
Another Presidential Tweetstorm, this time with a Texas twist: one suggesting widespread voter fraud. We’ll take a closer look at the claim and the source. Also, a Texas city won national attention for becoming the first to go with 100% renewable electricity. Now some are asking did the city pay too high a price? We’ll take a look. And chaos in Venezuela leading to uncertainty in Texas: we’ll hear why. Also, the Corpus Christi caller times warns: what you don’t know about a particular routine government procedure can hurt you. The paper’s opinion editor explains plus a whole lot more today on the Texas Standard:
Texas Standard: December 30, 2016
The number of U-S police officers who died in the line of duty at a five-year high. Texas by far lost the most. How that’s affecting those still serving. Also, a price surge, long lines and shortages: the gas crisis going on just south of the border. And extending our quality of life with the help of robots. How artificial intelligence can help the aging. And a look back at Texas’s role in the civil rights movement and what community organizers can learn from it. Plus, sweet or unsweet? It’s a question Texans are used to, we’ll explore the history. And how an NBA rookie broke barriers with the Houston Rockets this week. Those stories and a whole lot more on today’s Texas Standard:
Texas Standard: July 10, 2015
How hot is too hot for the US Constitution? 150 degrees, perhaps? A new ruling may turn up the heat on Texas prison officials, that’s today on the Texas standard.
A Brownsville judge tells the head of homeland security and four other immigration officials to come to his south Texas courtroom, or face contempt charges. We’ll explore why and what’s at really at stake.
How’s business after the epic biker battle in Waco? You might be surprised- we were. Also, why Texans aren’t giving up on love even as they get older…Those stories, the week in politics, and much more…
Higher Ed: Aging and Learning
Remember that early 1990’s television show Doogie Howser, M.D. about a brilliant teenage doctor? Doogie had graduated from college by the age of ten and had become a doctor at 14. Ok, that may be a little extreme, but is it possible that young people could learn that much that early in life? In this episode of KUT’s podcast Higher Ed, Jennifer Stayton and Southwestern University President Dr. Ed Burger discuss some of the commonly held assumptions about age and learning. Most of us associate learning with school. And most of us associate attending school with certain ages and stages of life. Ed and Jennifer discuss the proposition that chronological age is not necessarily related to the ability to learn. What is? Listen on to find out, and to hear this week’s new math puzzler; it’s an especially good one if you happen to be headed to the beach.
How To Protect Your Brain As You Age
Whether we like it or not, time marches on. And as it does, we age.
One of the most challenging realities for everyone to face in life is that we are all, inevitably, destined to grow old (if we’re lucky, that is).
Aging correlates to a steady decline of functional abilities, both physical and mental. Memory and cognition peak in our early twenties, and we begin a very slow, steady decline of those functions as we near our senior years.
After age 80, many bodily functions – including brain function – seem to have reached the average limit of their operation. So what can we do to preserve our brains for as long as possible?
You know what they say: use it or lose it. The more you think now, the more you will be able to think later, as you age. Activities that are interactive and intellectually rewarding, like having good conversations with people, are not only enjoyable – they’re also good for your brain.
The next time you spend too long talking to someone, lost in a good conversation, there’s your excuse – you were exercising your brain. And by the same token, physical activity and fitness help preserve brain function. After all, your brain is a part of your body – so you have to take care of your body to take care of your brain.
So: think a lot, move a lot, and live a lot if you want to live longer. Drs. Art Markman and Bob Duke give you more of the details.
You’re only as old as you feel: Continued activity – both physical and mental – protects you as you age.
KUT Weekend – January 10, 2014
Teen pregnancy in Dove Springs….helping seniors cope with depression…and can Texas save Sriracha sauce? Those stories and more in this edition of KUT Weekend!