Page 24 | Wednesday, October 16, 2013
MERCER ISLAND REPORTER | www.mi-reporter.com
Let’s hear it for our Island clergy tions on Mercer Island. For those who look to these as shepherds of the flock, The eleventh chap- these players are “hall of ter of The Epistle to the famers.” With uniform Hebrews is often referred allegiance, they take their to as the “Hall of Faith.” cuts day-in and day-out. The names of spiritual No, not every sermon or heroes embraced by Jews homily is a home run, but and Christians they are are listed. truth-tellers Among those On Faith and caregiants of the faith givers who are Abraham, seek to live Sarah, Jacob, out the valJoseph, Moses, ues of the Rahab and Kingdom of David. It’s like God as they a walk through understand C o op e rstow n . it. Pastor Greg Each name O c to b e r invites reflection is Clergy and gratitude for exemplary service to God Appreciation Month. As and humankind. such, it is an appropriate I have compiled my season to harvest the fruit own list of faith leaders. that spiritual leaders in our Matthew, Mark, John, lives have evidenced. It is a Peter, Paul, Deanna, perfect time to acknowlPatrick, Chuck, Julie, edge our gratitude through Yechezkel, Jay, Ken, Sheri tangible expressions such and Lao. These individuals as handwritten notes, are the pastors and rabbis emails, phone calls or invifrom the various congregaBy Pastor Greg Asimakoupoulos
tations to lunch. Why not take time to reflect on the personal investment your rabbi made in your son’s life in preparation for his Bar Mitzvah? What about the creative ways your minister captured your student’s interest prior to their first communion or confirmation? Think back to those difficult days when your spouse was packing his or her bags for Heaven. Remember how your pastor sat with you in anticipation of the day of your loved one’s departure? Perhaps your spiritual guide counseled you through a difficult time in your marriage or graced you with unconditional love when your marriage failed.
Our local clergy are those unsung heroes who provide lyrics of faith and a melody of hope when the soundtrack of our lives lacks harmony and is dominated by discord. Having been a parish pastor for three decades, I understand how easy it is to wonder if your efforts really matter or are making any lasting difference. Now that I am a chaplain, I am able to see the clergy in our communit y from a different point of view. I consider it a privilege to serve alongside them as an extension of their caregiving. I tip my cap to these people of the cloth! This month I invite you to do the same. Pastor Greg is the chaplain at Covenant Shores.
“Each name invites reflection and gratitude for exemplary service to God and humankind.”
Rotary students of the month for October Mercer Island High School seniors Sara Lindquist and Kevin Bernstein were named the Rotary Islanders of October at the Rotary Club luncheon on Oct. 8. Lindquist is a volleyball team captain at MIHS, where she is also the president and cofounder of PETRI: A Sara Science Club Lindquist for Girls, a Bridges leader, and Honor Society member. she has served as an ambassador for the Hugh O’Brien leadership program and as a state representative for the Washington Intercollegiate Athletic Association. She has participated in a service and learning trip to Guatemala with Common Hope and volunteered with the Center for Mission Services, helping the homeless and building homes in Mexico with the
Mercer Island Presbyterian Church. She has competed in the International Barbershop Quartet Competition. The daughter of Tom and Juli Lindquist, she will be attending Dartmouth College. Bernstein is the founder and president of the AntiBully Club, which consists of high school students who instruct and counsel elementary students about preventing bullying. Bernstein has traveled to Thailand and Peru, where he has done community service including teaching and veterinary assistance, manual labor, infrastructure work, farming, helping orphans, and creating a potential economic opportunity to help poor families. He is a National H o n o r S ociety member and Bridges leader. The son of Neal and Leslie Bernstein, he plans to enter a career Kevin in law or Bernstein finance after attending a liberal arts school.
Studies on slowing aging process begin to appear Healthy aging could be the next frontier of medical research, study suggests
tancy is rising faster than total life expectancy, leaving the number of years that one can expect to live in good health unchanged or diminished,” wrote Dr. Dana P. Goldman, a professor of public health and Rather than spending pharmaceutical economall of their time fighting ics at the University of diseases, medical researchSouthern California and ers should focus more on lead author of the study how we can enable an aging report. “If population to stay we can healthy for as long age more On Health as possible, acslowly, we cording to a study can delay conducted by some the onset of the country’s top and prouniversities (http:// gression content.healthafof many fairs.org/condisabling tent/32/10/1698. diseases abstract). Timi Gustafson R.D. simultaneRethinking our ously.” priorities in terms In 2009, of medical goals is becomthe latest year for which ing imperative, simply data (www.aoa.gov/Aging_ because of demographic Statistics/) is available, the developments, the study number of Americans 65 authors said. Populations years and older was close around the world enjoy to 40 million. By 2030, it prospects of longevity will be about 72 million, unheard of only a few gentwice as many as in 2000. erations ago. Yet, overall If even a small percenthealth conditions of the age of the elderly could be aging are not improving as kept in reasonably good much. health, it would make a “In the last half century, significant difference, not major life expectancy gains only in quality of life but were driven by finding also in expenditures for ways to reduce mortality health care and entitlement from fatal diseases. But programs. now disabled life expec“Delayed aging could
increase life expectancy by an additional 2.2 years, most of which would be spent in good health. The economic value of delayed aging is estimated to be $7.1 trillion over 50 years,” the study report concluded. In their assessment, the researchers emphasize that slowing the aging process at least in parts of the population is a realistic goal that should be pursued sooner rather than later. In place of combating individual diseases, they recommend large-scale measures of prevention. A greater focus on early prevention is also supported by many health care organizations, including the American Heart Association (AHA) and the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics (AND). In an article recently published in the AHA journal, “Circulation,” the authors call on doctors and other health care professionals to include lifestyle changes more aggressively in their treatment regimens. “We’re talking about a paradigm shift from treating biomarkers — [e.g.] the physical indicators of a person’s risk for heart disease — to helping people change unhealthy behaviors such as smoking,
unhealthy body weight, poor diet quality and lack of physical activity,” wrote lead author Dr. Bonnie Spring, a professor of preventive medicine, psychiatry and behavioral sciences at Northwestern University. Taking proactive steps for the prevention of chronic diseases is also recommended as the most effective and affordable method of health care by the leading organization of dietitians and nutritionists, especially through dietary intervention. None of these insights are new, of course. That an apple a day can keep the doctor away is an old mantra. What seems to be increasingly changing now, however, is the belief that health care only means treating illnesses after they occur. That wasn’t always the case. For example, in ancient China, people paid their doctors as long as they were well, and stopped paying the moment when they fell ill. That way, doctors benefited from their patients’ health, not their sickness. Food for thought. Timi Gustafson R.D. is a registered dietitian. Find her at www.timigustafson.com.