Pediatric health Archive

Being resilient is a skill you can learn and sharpen, and it's never too late to give it a try.

 Image: © Ariel Skelley/Thinkstock

The ability to bounce back from stress or adversity is important throughout life, especially in our older years. That's when we face many transitions, such as health problems; job, income, and home changes; the loss of loved ones; and isolation or separation from friends, grown children, and grandchildren. How we adjust to these changes helps determine what life will look like moving forward. "Many people are living longer, and we want to make the most of these years so people can thrive," says Laura Malloy, the Successful Aging program director at the Harvard-affiliated Benson-Henry Institute for Mind Body Medicine.

The benefits of resilience

Coping with stress in a positive way is known as resilience, and it has many health benefits. It's associated with longevity, lower rates of depression, and greater satisfaction with life. "There's a sense of control, and it helps people feel more positive in general," Malloy says.

On call

 Image: © Digital Vision/Thinkstock

Q. I have been seeing a lot about brain training programs to improve memory. Do they really work?

A. Brain training programs promise to preserve cognitive abilities, but so far research has not found they can delay or prevent brain decline.

As many as 10% of children in the US have attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, creating challenges for them as well as teachers, classmates, and family members. Understanding the condition is crucial to treating it successfully.

Once you have taught a child the mechanics of riding a bicycle, the real challenge is teaching them how to ride safely on the streets. Our tips will help instill important safety and awareness practices in your young rider.

Use of mobile devices by children up to age 8 has exploded in recent years. This isn’t necessarily bad, but parents should be aware of how much time their children are spending on devices daily, and make the effort to ensure they are being used responsibly and appropriately.

Spending time every day asking children questions in an open-ended way that encourages them to talk fosters an openness that can help parents know what’s going on in a child’s life outside the home, including any potential bullying issues.

The American Academy of Pediatrics is recommending that parents approach feeding their babies based on signs of hunger and fullness, with the intent of preventing obesity.

Research we're watching

A growing number of older adults are misusing opioids, according to a new report by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The 2014 National Survey on Drug Use and Health showed that the percentage of adults ages 50 and older using heroin or misusing prescription opioids jumped from 1.1% to 2% between 2002 and 2014. In contrast, opioid use in adults ages 18 to 25 dropped from 11.5% to 8.1% over the same period.

Drug use can bring particular risks to the health and well-being of older adults because they are more likely than younger people to have other illnesses and often take medications that can interact with opioids, according Center for Substance Abuse Treatment. "These findings highlight the need for prevention programs for all ages as well as to establish improved evidence-based treatment, screening, and appropriate referral services," Dr. Kimberly Johnson, director for the Center for Substance Abuse Treatment, said in a written statement.