MSI Press Blog

  The following excerpt comes from Old and On Hold (Cooper) -- (editor's note: while this book -- and a dozen others - - were written for the days of the pandemic, to help with various unique circumstances we all experienced at that time. some of the advice in it is good in general for circumstances that occur as the aging process kicks in, so we have maintained the book for sale at the MSI Press webstore ) Making Up for Missing Religious and Recreational Gatherings We had interests before the pandemic and still have the same interests now except we may not be able to participate in our callings and interests. If we are active in a religion and regularly attend gatherings, we likely experience spiritual solace and a sense of belonging with others. Our plan will include staying in contact with our religious community leaders to help maintain connection, especially around providing explanations and understandings of this world crisis. How many of us are devoted followers of sport...

  Excerpt from Old and On Hold   Eating through a Pandemic The food supply chain has been turned upside down, creating unusual problems wherein some farmers are tossing milk or burying vegetables while people are lined up at food banks without adequate supplies of food. As of this writing ,we are being told that meat processing has been affected by plant workers being struck with COVID-19. A threat of meat shortage can create food insecurity and the desire to hoard which, of course, requires a way to store larger quantities of food. People without means, including elderly on fixed incomes living in small spaces, can’t hoard. We can expect that grocers will put some limits on the amount bought just as stores did with toilet paper and paper towels. I thank my grocer every time I go in for the effort to provide and, in some cases, “police” our good intentions for the good of all. Stress and boredom are triggers for overindulging. Sugary and salty foods offer temporary satisfactio...

  This month's featured author is Bertha Cooper. Her book, Women, We're Only Old Once , won the Phoenix award for best new voice in health and fitness,  She also contributed a book to our pandemic series, Old and On Hold . Bravo, Bertha!  Want to know more about Bertha? Check out her biography: Bertha Cooper earned a BSN degree in nursing (University of WA) and entered the profession the same year as Medicare, a coincidence destined to define her career in non-traditional ways. She began her career in public health and moved into a management position early in her career–the beginning of a long career in management and administration in an expanding array of health care delivery innovations. She worked in public health, home health, long-term care, hospice and acute care. Every one of those positions involved quality, safety, and effective health care for the elderly. She became a reasonable voice and passionate advocate for patient-centered services across the continuum ...

  Today's back story is about the book,  Old and On Hold  by Bertha Cooper . From the publisher The story behind this book and 14 others like it share one important thing in common: they came out during the pandemic. Not only did they come out at that time, but they were planned as a set of books (by various MSI Press authors with special expertise related to various aspects of the pandemic). Bertha, who had earned the recognition as "best new voice in health and fitness" with her book, Women, We're Only Old Once , knew a lot about aging, and older folks were particularly hard hit by COVID at that time.  Many of the insights in the book are true even now. After all, many retirees get caught holding in place for many reasons, not just the pandemic. Some useful thoughts and insights shared in this book are true at any time. Book available at 25% discount with code FF25 at msipress.com/shop. Read more about Bertha and her books HERE . Sign up for the MSI Press LLC newsl...

  We just released an incomparable and comprehensive book on growing old with grace and smarts.  With over ten years of growing into an old woman with the help of her friends, Bertha Cooper knows whereof she writes. In this book you will learn that growing old is not the slow death of our personalities, our bodies, or our relevance to the world. Someday, it will happen, but not yet! Feel the wisdom below the years we've lived and the power that comes with making our own choices about our aging selves.  Women, We're Only Old Once  offers explanations for natural changes that occur while aging and transitions we must make as we age. Women can be relieved to learn that having less endurance or word-finding problems are not signs of disease. Women are empowered to put their energy and spirit where it counts on their journey in this important phase of life. More information about the book can be found HERE .  Bertha was born and raised in Seattle WA long before Micro...

  Difficult Relationships That Take More of a Toll As We Age Long-standing relationships that are chronically stressful begin to take a greater toll as we age. We know that chronic stress and mental anguish have a greater impact on our physical bodies as we age. Making a final attempt to mend difficult relationships or to let go and to stop obsessing about them becomes an essential task when you are on the cusp of old age. Mental distress robs us of valuable time and energy we need or want for other pursuits so it becomes essential to pick our stresses. Difficult relationships are not those friendships that seem to have a natural ebb and flow and enter and leave a life. Most of us have countless relationships that we can pick up after years. Difficult relationships, on the other hand, become tiresome, unbalanced, and demanding. If resolving a difficult relationship were easy, we would have done it long ago. However, we somehow have gotten entangled in old feelings, responses, hurts...

  The following is an excerpt from Women, We're Only Old Once: Keep What You Can, Let Go of What You Can't, Enjoy What You Have Left . What’s Really Happening to Our Face and Skin?  “Everything is just breaking down … it just is,” Dr. Haycox told me matter-of-factly in her captivating English accent.(personal interview 11/04/10). Skin is the largest organ of our body and the first to show the signs of aging. Just like our vital internal organs, skin is regenerating at a slower pace; unlike our internal organs, we can see it. Of course, a life without skin is unimaginable, but it is lost on most of us that the skin is a complex organ without which we would not have protection, body temperature control, pain or pleasure sensations, hair, and padding. We also wouldn’t have the body contours and structure that shape our faces, our expressions, and bodies.  Skin is flexible and accommodating of thin figures and obese figures, although once skin is stretched over an obese buil...