Health & Wellbeing

By Thomas Korosec

June is National Great Outdoors Month, a time for observing nature and enjoying our surrounding environments. Beginning as a week-long celebration of nature, we now nationally recognize the beautiful countryside, forests and parks of the United States for the entire month of June. This recognition promotes the splendor of our great outdoors and highlights the labors of those who work to preserve nature in our modern world. It raises the awareness of national policies on nature conservation by highlighting the beauty and health benefits of the natural environment.

Austin-area residents can learn how to decide, discuss and document their end-of-life wishes at two events this month.

Since April, new Medicare cards have been hitting mailboxes to combat fraud. The new cards replace the Social Security numbers with a Medicare number unique to each member. Though removing Social Security numbers is a step in the right direction to fight identity theft, con artists have been using this change as an opportunity to take advantage of unsuspecting Medicare members.

65,000 Americans will experience a stroke this month, but fewer than 1 in 5 can correctly identify the signs. Why are strokes a leading cause of adult long-term disability, and who is at risk? We asked survivors, the CEO of the American Stroke Association and several medically licensed stroke support group leaders to find out.

May is ALS Awareness Month, a time where we focus our attention on a disease that affects more than 20,000 Americans at any given time. It is also a time to honor those the disease is affecting, and those we have lost.

May is Mental Health Month and AARP Texas is focusing on people’s mental health as they age. We asked Dr. Jason Schillerstrom, an associate professor at UT Health San Antonio, about what people should know about mental health and the aging process.

As we age, our eyesight and reaction time steadily declines, and in a big city like Austin, the drivers that share the road tend to be less than friendly. Public transportation lessens the risk of vehicular accidents, alleviating the stress of being behind the wheel (especially during rush hour).

The favorite holiday of our proud state falls on Friday, March 2. While a weekend trip to the San Antonio Southside Missions is a popular way to commemorate our state’s independence, as a Texan, you’re probably not too keen on following the herd.

Natural disasters like Hurricane Harvey can create high levels of stress and anxiety for survivors. Research shows most recover but others can suffer psychological disorders like post-tramautic stress disorder, anxiety and depression.