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Have you heard of...

"The Club" IN THE PLAZA

Men Could Learn From
Women's Lifestyles

BARBARA FITZSIMMONS SPECIAL TO THE JEWISH NEWS

T

An

Adult Day Program

for seniors who need a structured environment

aregvers::

Socializati6M:Opportunities
uality Education;Leisure &
Religious Programs

utritiohal dos
egister Site
Transportition Available
Out trips into the Community

.1Coliftt

Farmer tier,' Adult Day Program Coordinator

tHoisoomopiRo$00 0
- 6/BidititibooPtti6 ,•';' '"'
aple road Pest Bloomfield. MI 4832

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4,44# eme ll* •■ ^i\

MOM SAID SHE LOVED HER

FLOWERS, BUT DAD WISHED HE

NEVER HAD TO MOW THE LAWN

AGAIN. THIS WEEK THEY ARE

GETTING THEIR WISH.

THEY'RE MOVING TO THE

HEATHERWOOD. SHE SAYS SHE'S

GOING TO ENJOY THE FREEDOM

OF DAILY MEALS AND HOUSE-

KEEPING. HE SAYS HE'S GOING

TO ENJOY THE GARDENS AND THE

COURTYARDS, AND NOW

SOMEONE ELSE CAN MOW.

thC

ATHERWOOD

THE DETRO

RETIREMENT COMMUNITY

retirement is
a fReivard...

For information call
Kathy Ostrowski

(810) 350-1777

22800 Crvic CENTER DRIVE
SOUTHFIELD, MICHIGAN

he way gerontologist Roy-
da Crose sees it, the real
gender gap in this country
is about seven years wide.
The average 72-year-old
woman has seven fairly healthy
years ahead of her. The average
72-year-old man is dead. That's
the difference between the aver-
age female and male life spans,
according to census figures.
Why do women generally live
longer than men?
"It ain't fair," may be the re-
frain of some men. But Crose,
who heads the gerontology cen-
ter for the Fisher Institute for
Wellness in Muncie, Ind., says
fairness has little to do with it.
In her new book, Why Women
Live Longer Than Men (Jossey-
Bass, $24), she claims men could
add years to their lives by emu-
lating certain female behaviors
— the same behaviors that keep
women happy, healthy and alive.
"Women tend to be more in-
volved in life; they are more con-
nected to other people," said
Crose, 57, during a recent inter-
view. "They also take better care
of themselves than men do."
Being involved, having close
relationships and tending to
physical health are just three of
the ingredients necessary for a
longer life, Crose said.
Other elements include: hav-
ing diverse interests, maintain-
ing a spiritual life and being
flexible in the face of life's chal-
lenges.
"You need to be adaptable and
engaged in life," Crose said.
She first became interested in
the gender/life-span issue about
15 years ago, when she was di-
recting a Retired Senior Volun-
teer Program in New York City.
"I had many enthusiastic
women volunteers, and almost no
men," she said.
For one thing, there were few-
er senior men around. But per-
haps more important, a lot of
those men were reluctant to vol-
unteer.
Crose received a special grant
to study why men avoided volun-
teerism, and she ended up learn-
ing the answers to that and more.
"Men believe that you should
be paid for what you do," Crose
said. "Because of that, they miss
out on a lot of opportunities in re-
tirement."
Not just opportunities to work,
but opportunities to be with oth-
er people and to feel needed and
purposeful, she said.

Barbara Fitzimmons writes for

Wr>4Pdi.1:7?

Copley News Service.

Senior women, on the other
hand, regularly were caught up
in a happy whirl of volunteerism.
In the years that followed,
Crose researched and found
more reasons for the gender gap.
Of course, there are some fac-
tors men can't change. For in-
stance, males have a higher level
of the hormone testosterone,
which leads them to be more ag-
gressive and take more risks.
That means they are more like-
ly to be killed in accidents.
It is believed men also may
have weaker immune systems.
But, there are other factors
men have the power to change.
If changes were made, the gen-
der gap might shrink to what it
was in 1900. In those days, life
span was shorter in general, but
the average male life span was
47, compared with the average
female life span of 50.
Crose writes about these gen-
der differences in her book:
* Women have diverse inter-
ests and roles in life. While men
put their primary focus on career
in their younger years, women
give equal priority to many roles
— worker, mother, wife, friend,
care-giver, citizen and volunteer.
After retirement, many men
feel lost because their primary
role is gone. Women, however,
are kept busy and engaged by
their other. roles.
Men need to develop interests
outside of work starting when
they are young.
* Women have more inti-
mate relationships. Men often fill
all their intimacy needs with
their wives only, while women
nurture close relationships with
their spouses, children, relatives
and friends.
When a man is widowed, he
may feel devastated and alone,
and his health may suffer. A wid-
ow may be badly shaken, too, but
she often has other close people
to turn to for support, Crose said.
Crose believes men should de-
velop better relationships with
their children and make more
friends.
* Women seek help when they
have health problems. Men, on
the other hand, often deny they
have health problems until their
lives are threatened.
Men are also less likely than
women to watch their weight,
and the resultant weight gain
may cause poor health.
Along those same lines, men
are more likely to smoke ciga-
rettes and drink alcohol, two sub-
stances that can wreak havoc on
health. CI