Some new studies are reporting that walking can help mitigate Alzheimer's and dementia: http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/national/191794_walk22.html

I walk several times a week, but I'm only getting more forgetful... I wonder if I'm doing it wrong...

Seriously, though. That is good news. More incentive to not buy a car.

I walk 2 miles every day. I love walking :)

Seriously, though. That is good news. More incentive to not buy a car.

:up: My husband started a new job this week and he is now taking the car, so I am left without one. At first we thought we would have to buy a second car for me to run errands, but we decided against it. The benefits of NOT having it far outweigh the downfalls: we get to save money (no car payment, insurance, gas, tabs, oil changes), save on pollution, I get to stay fit, and now I see that I won't get Alzheimers and dementia!

Yeah. I have to admit, though, one car to share would be better. I'd like to have the option for things like groceries and taking my cat to a surgical center across town. That's at least an hour on two different buses for my wife, dragging around x-rays and a backpack. Then she still had to get to work, which is twice as far away from the surgical center as our home, so that sucks. Otherwise, we don't mind public transportation and, on occasion, prefer it.

Just as an idea, would it be possible for you two to rent a car for a week? When we were car-free for a few months, we also used taxis quite a bit.

This isn't very surprising to me. It seems the oldest people with the healthiest minds seem to always have good health and fitness.

A weekly news magazine (I'm thinking it was Newsweek) recently had a several page article on people who live to be over 100 years old. The article made it really clear that all of those people were very healthy and active (such as the man in Japan who was still farming by hand every day!)

I wonder if it cure demented people....
*GB

hey epski, you should see if LA has a "car share" or "car co-op" program in place. vancouver does and i have some friends who use it with great success. you pay a refundable "join fee", and then you can book a car to use for any length of time from a few hours up to a week. i think you can even book one longer if you make special arrangements. you pay a low hourly rate (which varies depending on how much you use the car per month) plus a few cents per kilometer you drive, and you are only responsible for making sure the gas tank is full and the car is clean every time you drop it off. and drop-off/pick-up points are always very close to major train stations and bus stops.

Last month we had to put my mother in a dementia hostel. (My sister calls it a home for the terminally bewildered :confused: ). I went to visit her today and gosh, I really do not want to end up like that. I already walk about 45 mins most days. This article is added incentive to walk on the days when I can't be bothered.

Just as an idea, would it be possible for you two to rent a car for a week? When we were car-free for a few months, we also used taxis quite a bit.

With the cost of this surgery for my cats ruptured ligament, we can't afford anything right now.

hey epski, you should see if LA has a "car share" or "car co-op" program in place.

There is one, but it's actually cheaper and more convenient to grab a cab on an as-needed basis, or to even take the bus (another bonus: you don't have to worry about parking or parking tickets). Public transportation is part of our regular routine, and we have monthly passes, so there's no extra cost. The pick-up centers for the cars are out of the way, so it's like adding a whole extra errand into our day, which we simply don't have time for.

http://www.flexcar.com/losangeles/default.asp
http://www.flexcar.com/losangeles/pricing.asp

Hooray for buses! The parking issue is a big deal in Seattle! It's so much easier to take the bus. :yes: