55 & UpSides
Posts
55 & UpSides #0003: 🏡:Remodeling boom | Pickleball v tennis | New poll

55 & UpSides #0003: 🏡:Remodeling boom | Pickleball v tennis | New poll

Ronnie Mac James
November 8th, 2024

First time reading? Get your free free subscription here. This newsletter’s goal is the extinction of information overload for folks like me who are aged 55 & up. Easily unsubscribe below if you got here by some freak interwebs mishap.

Morning 55&UpSiders,

Here’s what I’m covering for you today in a flash…

A quick visual breakdown about a new flood of home remodeling
Curated topics affecting us & Good News stories
Feature Story: Collision Course: Pickleball vs. Tennis
Today’s Poll
Face The Facts (& do something about ’em)
Hidden alternative solutions for our 55+ crowd
☕Find spelling error in this email & win Dunkin’ gift card code

A Home Renovation Boom Is Coming

Homeowners have delayed home remodeling and repairs due to high interest rates. Today’s lower rates mean the floodgates may fly open soon.

Curated Countdown

🕘  Origin Story Of The Best Invention Ever

🕘  9 Financial Things To Do Before 2024 Ends

🕗  Who First Thought Of Making Hiking Trails?

🕖  The Real Story Behind Black Friday

🕕  North Carolina: Americans Lifting Up Americans

🕔  How Bigfoot Became An American Icon

🕓  96% Of Americans Deficient In This Nutrient (Full Chart Too)

🕒  Love Youth Football But Hate The Brain Risks (Study)

🕑  Adult Kids In Big Debt? (Doom Spending Is One Cause)

🕐  The Real Reason Vitamins Are Named After Letters?

(👇Win “spelling error” contest at end of email👇)

Feature Story

Collision Course: Pickleball vs. Tennis

What’s this about? More tension is rising due to competing for space for tennis courts and pickleball courts…

The problem is...

Limited court availability for both sports
Conversion of tennis courts to pickleball courts
Noise complaints from tennis players about pickleball
Cultural differences between the two sports communities

Why solving this problem's so dang tough

Local governments struggle to accommodate both sports
Converting tennis courts to pickleball is a quick, cheap solution
Building new dedicated pickleball courts requires time & resources
Hard-headed attitudes on both sides

7 organizations that can help you

How you can get involved to help

Advocate for balanced court allocation in your community
Promote cross-sport events & tournaments
Talk to different age groups about the issue
*Not advised? Whacking disagreeable folks with rackets—of any kind😁

Roadblocks

Resistance to change from established tennis communities
Limited funding for new court construction
Noise concerns in residential areas near courts
Misconceptions about each sport's value & difficulty

Upsides & ways to beat roadblocks

Increased overall participation in racket sports
Potential for new hybrid sports & events
Combine both sports’ players to create a fundraiser for new courts
Improved fitness & social opportunities for all ages
Economic benefits for equipment manufacturers & facilities
Opportunity for communities to come together & find creative solutions

5 takeaways

Both sports can coexist with proper planning & resources
Education about court etiquette can reduce conflicts
Cross-sport participation can build understanding
Local government involvement is crucial for fair solutions
Innovative court designs could accommodate both sports

What's your ideal way to spend evenings?

Face The Facts (then punch ’em in the nose)

Know the facts so you can overcome or take advantage of them.

5) 3 million seniors are treated in ERs annually for fall injuries

4) 59% of adults over 65 live with their spouse or partner

3) Older adults are better at handling social conflicts & finding compromises

2) The median income for older adults in 2022 was $29,740

1) In 2024, physicians at Nationwide Children's Hospital reported a 350% increase in lawnmower incidents compared to the same period in 2022 & 2023

👊Let’s punch mower accidents in the nose.

“No-nos” that cause people to get hurt by lawnmowers:

Mowing with people anywhere nearby
Not wearing safety glasses (preferably goggles)
Trying to avoid the weed-whacker by mowing on steep hills
Disabling safety switches
Letting children ride along on the mower with you

Alternative Solutions You May’ve Never Heard Of

Memory loss is aa growing problem. Luckily smart people with tech savvy are working on the problem.

New Solutions to Memory Problems

Temporal Interference Brain Stimulation

It’s non-invasive (thank goodness!). They just stick some electrodes on your scalp to stimulate the brain’s memory center. It’s shown promise in the U.K. & could lead to help for Alzheimer’s patients.

Light & Sound Therapy (Cognito Therapeutics)

A company in Cambridge is using 40-hertz flashes & sounds to stimulate gamma brain waves. No idea how they figured this stuff out but… early positive results show improvement in 77% for the people tested!

Isaac Health Virtual Brain Clinic

These folks are doing good work via in-home & virtual brain health services. I don’t have to tell you that remote access to a neurologist would be a huge help for people 55+, whether it’s you or your parents. There’s not a Brain Doc on every corner in rural areas—know what I mean?

Thanks for reading. Please consider sharing 55 & UpSides with a friend or neighbor. Copy the link here.

Let me know you shared it & I’ll give you a shout-out in a future edition.

🆓Contest: Find the typo in today’s newsletter. Reply to this email with the error. I’ll randomly select a winner from the replies. Prize is a free Dunkin Donuts gift code!☕🍩

The upside’s always worth looking for,

Ronnie Mac James - Writer of 55 & UpSides

P.S. I like sharing some of the old stuff I’ve collected over the years (see below). I’m not an antique hoarder… that’s my story & I’m sticking to it.

Reply

or to participate.