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"Am I being too sensitive?": Woman's dilemma after partner forgets 60th birthday

<p>A woman has shared her dilemma on how to approach her partner of 30 years, after he forgot her 60th birthday. </p> <p>"It's my 60th birthday today, and my partner of 30 years has not acknowledged it. Should I tell him?" she titled her post on Reddit. </p> <p>"It's my actual birthday today, and whilst we have planned a big party for next weekend, when I woke up this morning I expected a 'Happy Birthday!' and a smile," she continued. </p> <p>"I didn't get anything. He started my coffee but he does that almost every morning.</p> <p>"At first I thought maybe he forgot but now I am thinking that he thinks he doesn't have to say anything because we are having a big party this weekend. </p> <p>"Am I being too sensitive? Should I tell him? If so, how?" she asked in her post. </p> <p>Hundreds of Reddit users took to the comments to share their thoughts on how to approach the situation, with a few sharing crafty solutions of their own. </p> <p>"I'd make a joke of it. 'I can't believe they moved my birthday!' Or 'I saw on the TV we should ask easy questions to check for dementia- I'll ask you first, when's my birthday?'" one user playfully suggested. </p> <p>"I'm going to say the absolute minimum I'd expect for ANY birthday is my wife wishing me a Happy Birthday. Don't let it fester and ruin your day - just ask him about it" another added. </p> <p>One user saw the bright side of things and said:  "He's handed you the best birthday present of all - the opportunity to use this against him for the next twenty years.</p> <p>"I'd be rubbing my hands with glee. Happy Birthday!" </p> <p>"Happy Birthday. Go out and buy a large cake. Eat it all yourself. Nobody need ever know" to which she responded: "there is a Costco not that far away. Go big or go home." </p> <p>Another Redditor came up with an elaborate plan on how she could get her partner's attention. </p> <p>"Purchase this 'Acknowledge Me' t-shirt of WWE wrestle Roman Reigns. Then write 'Birthday' on a piece of card and use some tape to stick on the t-shirt. 'Acknowledge Me Birthday.' Then just wear it around the house," they said. </p> <p>The woman was onboard with the plan, but luckily she didn't need to apply any of their crafty solutions and shared an update. </p> <p>"He just came up to my home office and gave me a big hug, admitting he had forgotten because he was so focussed on both work and next weekend's party," she wrote. </p> <p>"He apologised sheepishly, which was exactly the best outcome possible. Now I have both my birthday acknowledged as well as a fine story and/or bit of ammo to be saved for another day.</p> <p>"So there you go. I've cancelled the 'acknowledge me' t-shirt order, and shall now share my Costco cake with him instead of eating it from across the table, glaring.</p> <p>"Thank you everyone for the very fine passive aggressive suggestions which made me smile. Much appreciated!"</p> <p><em>Image: Getty</em></p> <p> </p>

Relationships

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"Did you forget?": Nicole Kidman hounded by angry fans

<p>Nicole Kidman, the famous Aussie star with a Hollywood career spanning four decades, has found herself embroiled in controversy after she proudly announced her collaboration with fashion house Balenciaga.</p> <p>The announcement, made via Instagram, featured Kidman showcasing the brand's latest designs during their Fall 2024 show in Los Angeles. However, the excitement from Kidman was met with a swift and vehement response from fans who couldn't overlook the brand's troubling past.</p> <p>Balenciaga had <a href="https://www.oversixty.co.nz/lifestyle/beauty-style/why-people-are-calling-for-nicole-kidman-to-be-cancelled" target="_blank" rel="noopener">previously come under fire</a> for a controversial photoshoot that sparked widespread criticism and accusations of "paedophilia" and "child exploitation". The offending campaign featured children clad in bondage harnesses and costumes, causing an immediate uproar online. The hashtag #cancelBalenciaga trended across social media platforms at the time, putting immense pressure on the fashion brand to issue an apology.</p> <p>Despite the global backlash last year, Kidman's recent association with Balenciaga has reignited the flames of discontent. Fans flooded the comments section of her Instagram post with expressions of disappointment and frustration. One user implored Kidman, stating, "Seriously? Come on Nic. You're better than this. UGH." Another echoed the sentiment, saying, "No. You too. Did you forget? This designer has been cancelled. They promote ads the public didn't want. It was wrong."</p> <p>The criticism did not stop there, with another fan expressing their disappointment: "Well, that's disappointing, but not surprising, really." Another comment labelled Kidman's decision as "disgusting", highlighting the continued disapproval of Balenciaga's controversial past.</p> <p>This incident raises questions about celebrities' responsibilities when endorsing brands and the impact of their choices on public opinion. Kidman, who has previously shared her approach to online criticism, has made it clear that her preference is to avoid such feedback to maintain creative freedom.</p> <p>In a recent interview, she revealed, "Don't tell me, I don't really want to know – it will stop me doing what I want to do." Kidman acknowledged the existence of hurtful comments but emphasised her commitment to staying true to her choices.</p> <p>While Kidman's determination to navigate her career with a focus on personal choices and creative freedom is understandable, her association with a brand that has faced severe backlash for controversial practices inevitably places her in the centre of a heated public debate. </p> <p>As the controversy unfolds, it remains to be seen how Kidman will address the mounting criticism and whether this incident will prompt a response from Balenciaga.</p> <p><em>Images: Instagram</em></p>

Beauty & Style

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Is it normal to forget words while speaking? And when can it spell a problem?

<p><em><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/greig-de-zubicaray-1468234">Greig de Zubicaray</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/queensland-university-of-technology-847">Queensland University of Technology</a></em></p> <p>We’ve all experienced that moment mid-sentence when we just can’t find the word we want to use, even though we’re certain we know it.</p> <p>Why does this universal problem among speakers happen?</p> <p>And when can word-finding difficulties indicate something serious?</p> <p>Everyone will experience an occasional word-finding difficulty, but if they happen very often with a broad range of words, names and numbers, this could be a sign of a neurological disorder.</p> <h2>The steps involved in speaking</h2> <p>Producing spoken words involves several <a href="https://doi.org/10.1093/oxfordhb/9780190672027.013.19">stages of processing</a>.</p> <p>These include:</p> <ol> <li> <p>identifying the intended meaning</p> </li> <li> <p>selecting the right word from the “mental lexicon” (a mental dictionary of the speaker’s vocabulary)</p> </li> <li> <p>retrieving its sound pattern (called its “form”)</p> </li> <li> <p>executing the movements of the speech organs for articulating it.</p> </li> </ol> <p>Word-finding difficulties can potentially arise at each of these stages of processing.</p> <p>When a healthy speaker can’t retrieve a word from their lexicon despite the feeling of knowing it, this is called a “tip-of-the-tongue” phenomenon by language scientists.</p> <p>Often, the frustrated speaker will try to give a bit of information about their intended word’s meaning, “you know, that thing you hit a nail with”, or its spelling, “it starts with an <em>H</em>!”.</p> <p>Tip-of-the-tongue states are relatively common and are a type of speech error that occurs primarily during retrieval of the sound pattern of a word (step three above).</p> <h2>What can affect word finding?</h2> <p>Word-finding difficulties occur at all ages but they do happen more often as we get older. In older adults, they can cause frustration and anxiety about the possibility of developing dementia. But they’re not always a cause for concern.</p> <p>One way researchers investigate word-finding difficulties is to ask people to keep a diary to record how often and in what context they occur. <a href="https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2015.01190/full">Diary studies</a> have shown that some word types, such as names of people and places, concrete nouns (things, such as “dog” or “building”) and abstract nouns (concepts, such as “beauty” or “truth”), are more likely to result in tip-of-the-tongue states compared with verbs and adjectives.</p> <p>Less frequently used words are also more likely to result in tip-of-the-tongue states. It’s thought this is because they have weaker connections between their meanings and their sound patterns than more frequently used words.</p> <p>Laboratory studies have also shown tip-of-the-tongue states are more likely to occur under <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/13825585.2019.1641177">socially stressful</a> conditions when speakers are told they are being evaluated, regardless of their age. Many people report having experienced tip-of-the-tongue problems during job interviews.</p> <h2>When could it spell more serious issues?</h2> <p>More frequent failures with a broader range of words, names and numbers are likely to indicate more serious issues.</p> <p>When this happens, language scientists use the terms “anomia” or “<a href="https://www.aphasia.com/aphasia-library/aphasia-types/anomic-aphasia/">anomic aphasia</a>” to describe the condition, which can be associated with brain damage due to stroke, tumours, head injury or dementia such as Alzheimer’s disease.</p> <p>Recently, the actor Bruce Willis’s family <a href="https://edition.cnn.com/2023/02/16/health/frontotemporal-dementia-definition-symptoms-wellness/index.html">revealed</a> he has been diagnosed with a degenerative disorder known as primary progressive aphasia, for which one of the earliest symptoms is word-finding difficulties rather than memory loss.</p> <p>Primary progressive aphasia is typically associated with frontotemporal or Alzheimer’s dementias, although it can be associated with other <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3637977/">pathologies</a>.</p> <p>Anomic aphasia can arise due to problems occurring at different stages of speech production. An assessment by a clinical neuropsychologist or speech pathologist can help clarify which processing stage is affected and how serious the problem might be.</p> <p>For example, if a person is unable to name a picture of a common object such as a hammer, a clinical neuropsychologist or speech pathologist will ask them to describe what the object is used for (the individual might then say “it’s something you hit things with” or “it’s a tool”).</p> <p>If they can’t, they will be asked to gesture or mime how it’s used. They might also be provided with a cue or prompt, such as the first letter (<em>h</em>) or syllable (<em>ham</em>).</p> <p>Most people with anomic aphasia benefit greatly from being prompted, indicating they are mostly experiencing problems with later stages of retrieving word forms and motor aspects of speech.</p> <p>But if they’re unable to describe or mime the object’s use, and cueing does not help, this is likely to indicate an actual loss of word knowledge or meaning. This is typically a sign of a more serious issue such as primary progressive aphasia.</p> <p><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neuroimaging">Imaging studies</a> in healthy adults and people with anomic aphasia have shown different areas of the brain are responsible for their word-finding difficulties.</p> <p>In <a href="https://direct.mit.edu/jocn/article-abstract/35/1/111/113588/Neural-Correlates-of-Naturally-Occurring-Speech">healthy adults</a>, occasional failures to name a picture of a common object are linked with changes in activity in brain regions that control motor aspects of speech, suggesting a spontaneous problem with articulation rather than a loss of word knowledge.</p> <p>In anomia due to primary progressive aphasia, brain regions that process word meanings show a loss of nerve cells and connections or <em><a href="https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0148707">atrophy</a></em>.</p> <p>Although anomic aphasia is common after strokes to the left hemisphere of the brain, the associated word-finding difficulties do not appear to be distinguishable by <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0010945215003299">specific areas</a>.</p> <p>There are <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/02687030244000563">treatments</a> available for anomic aphasia. These will often involve speech pathologists training the individual on naming tasks using different kinds of cues or prompts to help retrieve words. The cues can be various meaningful features of objects and ideas, or sound features of words, or a combination of both. <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S002199241730014X">Smart tablet</a> and phone apps also show promise when used to complement therapy with home-based practice.</p> <p>The type of cue used for treatment is determined by the nature of the person’s impairment. Successful treatment is associated with changes in activity in <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0093934X14000054">brain regions</a> known to support speech production. Unfortunately, there is no effective treatment for primary progressive aphasia, although <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/13607863.2019.1617246">some studies</a> have suggested speech therapy can produce temporary benefits.</p> <p>If you’re concerned about your word-finding difficulties or those of a loved one, you can consult your GP for a referral to a clinical neuropsychologist or a speech pathologist. <img style="border: none !important; box-shadow: none !important; margin: 0 !important; max-height: 1px !important; max-width: 1px !important; min-height: 1px !important; min-width: 1px !important; opacity: 0 !important; outline: none !important; padding: 0 !important;" src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/212852/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" /></p> <p><em><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/greig-de-zubicaray-1468234">Greig de Zubicaray</a>, Professor of Neuropsychology, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/queensland-university-of-technology-847">Queensland University of Technology</a></em></p> <p><em>Image credits: Getty </em><em>Images </em></p> <p><em>This article is republished from <a href="https://theconversation.com">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/is-it-normal-to-forget-words-while-speaking-and-when-can-it-spell-a-problem-212852">original article</a>.</em></p>

Mind

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"Shameful": Betting company slammed for 9-11 themed "Never Forget" promo

<p>DraftKings, a prominent sports betting company in the US, has found itself in hot water on social media this past Monday when it featured a parlay with a 9/11 theme on its mobile app – on the 22nd anniversary of the infamous terror attacks of September 11.</p> <p>Social media users were quick to share screenshots of the DraftKings app late on Sunday night, revealing a parlay named "Never Forget". This special parlay entailed wagering on the New York Mets, New York Yankees, and New York Jets to secure victories on Monday, marking the 22nd anniversary of the tragic terrorist attacks on the World Trade Centre.</p> <p>The parlay's description urged users to "Bet these New York teams to win tonight on 9/11," drawing sharp criticism from the online community. Many expressed their disapproval of DraftKings seemingly attempting to profit from the solemn occasion.</p> <p>The parlay remained accessible on the app throughout Sunday night and into Monday morning, further fuelling public discontent over the sports betting company's decision.</p> <p>However, DraftKings eventually removed the parlay on Monday and issued an official apology for its inclusion. Their statement read, "We sincerely apologise for the featured parlay that was shared briefly in commemoration of 9/11. We respect the significance of this day for our country and especially for the families of those who were directly affected."</p> <p>Bret Eagleson, who leads the 9/11 Justice organisation, an advocacy group representing families and first responders, strongly condemned DraftKings' offer as "tone-deaf".</p> <p>Eagleson, whose father, Bruce, tragically lost his life in the World Trade Centre attacks, emphasised to the Associate Press: "It is shameful to use the national tragedy of 9/11 to promote a business. We need accountability, justice, and closure, not self-interest and shameless promotion."</p> <p>DraftKings did not disclose how many individuals placed bets as a result of the 9/11-themed offer, leaving questions unanswered regarding the status of those wagers - whether they remain valid or if they have been cancelled.</p> <p><em>Images: Twitter (X)</em></p>

Legal

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9 medical reasons your short-term memory is getting worse

<p><strong>What is short-term memory?</strong></p> <p>Short-term memory is the type of memory you need to accomplish your immediate goals, explains Dr Patrick Lyden, chair of the department of neurology at Cedars-Sinai Hospital. That may be working your way through tasks during the workday, remembering someone’s name, email, or phone number, or recalling where you tossed your keys when you got home.</p> <p><strong>Where is it located in the brain?</strong></p> <p>When someone rattles off their phone number, you file it away in brain circuits that include the hippocampus (your memory centre) and the amygdala (your emotional hub). Depending on how important the short-term memory item may be (your address, someone you call all the time), it can be converted into long-term memory, says Dr Lyden.</p> <p><strong>How does short-term memory work?</strong></p> <p>Short-term memory isn’t just about being able to quickly recall new info; there are three phases. “You have to register the information, store the information, and retrieve the information,” says Dr Lyden. Registering means that you’re paying attention in the first place. Storing the info means you’ve filed it away in your brain. Retrieval is the ability to access the memory again. Any of these steps can break down, he says.</p> <p><strong>Is your memory okay?</strong></p> <p>Many people assume they have a memory problem when the explanation is something else entirely, says Dr Lyden. Maybe you’re not paying attention because you’re gazing at your phone or texting, for example. The first step to figuring out if something is going on is to “pay closer attention,” he says. Repeat the new information three times to commit it to memory.</p> <p><strong>When it may be time to worry</strong></p> <p>If you can’t pass the “pay attention test” despite repeating the information, your next step, advises Dr Lyden, is to determine if your problem is storing new memories or retrieving them. If you’re having a problem remembering a new acquaintance’s name, ask them to give you three choices – like Carrie, Lauren, or Janet. If your problem is storing new memories, you won’t be able to remember. But if your problem is retrieval, you’ll remember that her name is Janet once you hear the correct name.</p> <p>Having trouble with retrieving a short-term memory isn’t as serious as being unable to store them. “The storage problem is a serious problem, and you should see a neurologist,” he says.</p> <p><strong>Inactivity</strong></p> <p>Blood flow is good for your brain – it keeps it young. “Exercising boosts blood flow to your brain. If you stay active, you’ll have a better memory,” says Dr Daniel G. Amen, author of <em>Memory Rescue: Supercharge Your Brain, Reverse Memory Loss, and Remember What Matters Most</em>. Dr Lyden suggests daily exercise and it doesn’t have to be intense. “A one-kilometre run daily is better than a 10-kilometre run one day a week,” he says.</p> <p><strong>Substance abuse</strong></p> <p>According to Dr Amen, marijuana a toxin that impairs memory. “Marijuana lowers every area of the brain and ages it. On average, pot smokers have brains three years older than non-smokers,” he says. Alcohol abuse can also harm your memory.</p> <p><strong>Mental health conditions</strong></p> <p>People tend to miss their own depression. But if you’re suffering from depression, anxiety, or chronic stress, get help or your memory can also pay the price. “These conditions may all hurt the brain,” says Dr Amen. Getting relief will not only improve your life and outlook but save your brain.</p> <p><strong>Lack of sleep</strong></p> <p>When considering short-term memory loss causes, poor sleep is a big one. “If you don’t sleep seven hours a night or more, you’ll be in trouble. Your brain cleans itself at night. When you don’t get enough, it’s like the garbage collectors didn’t come to clean up,” says Dr Amen.</p> <p><strong>Dementia</strong></p> <p>Before you panic, there’s some good news: “The vast majority of people who are healthy will not have a degenerative neurological condition causing short-term memory loss,” says Dr Lyden. But dementia or Alzheimer’s is a possibility in some groups. If you’re over 60 and have risk factors like diabetes, high blood pressure, or obesity, then you may be more prone to problems and need to be evaluated, he says.</p> <p><strong>Medication</strong></p> <p>If you lead a healthy lifestyle, eat right, exercise, and go easy on alcohol and other substances that can harm memory, yet you still feel like your memory if failing, talk to your doctor about your medications – prescription and over-the-counter, advises Dr Lyden. Cholesterol drugs, painkillers, high blood pressure pills, and sleeping pills are among the drugs that can trigger memory issues.</p> <p><strong>Hypothyroidism</strong></p> <p>When you have an under-active thyroid, everything in your body runs slower. Your digestion will slow and you can become constipated; cell growth slows and can lead to hair loss; your metabolism becomes sluggish, triggering weight gain. And you may be plagued by muddied thinking or forgetfulness. Often, medication to restore thyroid hormones can help alleviate symptoms and help you feel better all over.</p> <p><strong>A poor diet</strong></p> <p>Inflammation is bad for your body and your brain. “The higher the inflammation levels in your body, the worse your memory will be,” says Dr Amen. Eating an anti-inflammatory diet, like the Mediterranean diet, and avoiding foods that increase it (highly processed foods, loads of sugar) is key. He also recommends taking fish oil and probiotics.</p> <p><strong>Lyme disease</strong></p> <p>Lyme disease is transmitted through a tick bite, and causes early symptoms like fever, chills, headache, and fatigue, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Later on, without treatment, some people also may notice short-term memory problems. Dr Amen points out this may include trouble with attention, focus, and organisation. Keep in mind that the types of tick that carry the bacteria are not native to Australia and it’s not likely you can catch Lyme disease in Australia.</p> <p><strong>When to seek help</strong></p> <p>Along with the self-test mentioned earlier, think about how you perceive your short-term memory. Ask yourself: Is it getting progressively worse? Is it worse than 10 years ago? Are other people noticing a problem? “Those are things you should take seriously,” says Dr Amen.</p> <p><em>Image credits: Getty Images</em></p> <p><em>This article originally appeared on <a href="https://www.readersdigest.co.nz/healthsmart/9-medical-reasons-your-short-term-memory-is-getting-worse-2?pages=1" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Reader's Digest</a>. </em></p>

Mind

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“A letter that someone will never forget”: Charles’ $43,000 job offer

<p dir="ltr">Charles and Camilla have put out a call for help with their royal duties, searching for a passionate wordsmith to pen responses to the thousands of letters they receive each year. </p> <p dir="ltr">Their request comes in the form of a one-year contract <a href="https://theroyalhousehold.tal.net/vx/lang-en-GB/mobile-0/appcentre-1/brand-3/candidate/so/pm/1/pl/4/opp/2849-Assistant-Correspondence-Officer/en-GB">posted to the palace’s official website</a>, for an individual to “support the important work of The King and The Royal Family”. Coincidentally, the position advertises a start date of May 2023 - the same month in which King Charles III’s coronation will take place. </p> <p dir="ltr">The royals are offering a wage slightly above the United Kingdom’s minimum wage of 10.42 GBP (~19.45 AUD) per hour, with prospective writers looking at an hourly rate of 11.79 (~22.01) on top of the advertised “benefits”.</p> <p dir="ltr">According to the job listing, the ideal candidate is someone who dreams of “drafting a letter that someone will never forget” as part of a like minded team committed to supporting the royal family and engaging with the public. </p> <p dir="ltr">“Thousands of letters addressed to The Monarch and Royal Family are received every year,” the ad explains. “Working as part of the Correspondence team, your challenge will be to ensure that each one receives a timely and well composed response.</p> <p dir="ltr">“Every day you will respond to letters sent by the public regarding social, community and national matters, drafting bespoke responses to answer varying and often unique queries.”</p> <p dir="ltr">Reportedly, the letters sent in one year to the late Queen Elizabeth II amounted to around 70,000, so it’s no small surprise that the family have opted to call in reinforcements to make sure each one receives a thoughtfully crafted response. </p> <p dir="ltr">“It's working in a team with a shared and unique purpose,” the website notes, “engaging with the public whilst supporting The King's role. This is what makes working for The Royal Household so exceptional … Recording and monitoring all correspondence, you'll be proud of the number of letters you handle and this will drive you to deliver consistently high standards.</p> <p dir="ltr">“In this way, you will help to support the important work of The King and The Royal Family.”</p> <p dir="ltr">Unsurprisingly, the ad calls for someone who is confident in their ability to process large volumes of work according to strict deadlines, and who preferably has previous experience in administrative duties. “Excellent written and verbal communication skills” are, of course, a given. </p> <p dir="ltr">The listing hints at a digital sidekick, noting that applications should “have strong IT skills” that they can apply to “bespoke systems”, as well as a “keen eye for detail” to deliver their work quickly and accurately. </p> <p dir="ltr">Most of all, however, enjoyment in a team-based environment is crucial, while an interest in current affairs couldn’t hurt - especially in such a “truly unique environment”. </p> <p dir="ltr"><em>Images: Getty</em></p>

Money & Banking

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The part of your teeth you’ve been forgetting to brush

<p>Like so many things in life, brushing your teeth is a matter of quality over quantity. There’s no point in brushing your teeth four times a day if you’re doing it the wrong way.</p> <p>Jessica Hilburg, DDS and associate dean for clinical affairs at the NYC College of Dentistry, was recently asked by the Huffington Post about the most-common errors people make when they give their mouth the old once-over.</p> <p>"Sometimes people forget to brush the insides of their teeth, the surfaces that face the tongue and the palate," Hilburg said. "Sometimes people forget these areas because we don't see them when we look in the mirror. Food and plaque can buildup in these areas so it's just as important to brush there as it is on the front of our teeth where we can easily see."</p> <p>Hilburg added not brushing your teeth long enough or using the wrong amount of pressure while brushing your teeth is equally incorrect and can ultimately be damaging.</p> <p>"Applying too much pressure while brushing could damage gums and be abrasive to the teeth," she said. "Applying too little pressure while brushing just isn't as effective and will not remove the plaque as well as using gentle pressure. (Also) just rubbing the toothbrush back and forth in long strokes will not do as good a job as the short strokes because the short strokes allow you to get in between the teeth much better."</p> <p>She added, "The 'right amount of pressure' is pressure that feels comfortable, does not crush the bristles of the toothbrush (too much pressure) and of course leaves your teeth feeling and looking clean."</p> <p>What are your thoughts?</p> <p><em>Image: Getty</em></p>

Caring

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20 little things everyone forgets to clean – but shouldn’t

<p>We’re all doing our best to keep our homes clean these days. However, there are things even the most experienced cleaner can forget to clean. For example, did you know that your keyboards are a hotbed of bacteria? Or when was the last time you cleaned your shower curtain? To make sure your house is as clean as it can be, here are the 20 little things everyone forgets to clean.</p> <p><strong>Refrigerator</strong></p> <p>Your fridge could make you sick if you don’t clean it every once in a while. NSF International swabbed 20 kitchens as part of its 2013 Household Germ Study, and two of the germiest places were the vegetable and meat compartments in refrigerators. First, unplug the fridge and empty it out. Toss old containers and expired food, and wipe everything down with multipurpose spray. Soak drawers in warm water and scrub them clean with dish soap.</p> <p><strong>Pillows</strong></p> <p>Yes, you can place down and fibrefill pillows in the washing machine. Wash two at a time following the instructions on the care label. Otherwise, warm water on a gentle cycle will do the trick. The same settings work for your comforter (which can also use a washing).</p> <p><strong>Windowsills and window tracks</strong></p> <p>It’s easy to tell when your windows are dirty, but windowsills and tracks often go unnoticed. Dust away any loose dirt and dead bugs (or use a vacuum with a brush attachment). Use a spray bottle of white vinegar to spray the area and let it sit for a minute. Wipe with paper towels and use Q-Tips for those hard-to-reach areas.</p> <p><strong>Kitchen drawers and cabinets</strong></p> <p>It’s probably a good idea to keep the places you store all your food and dishes clean, right? Empty them out (preferably one at a time to avoid unnecessary clutter), toss expired food, and wipe everything down. Before returning everything to its rightful place, see if there’s any dishware you haven’t used all year. It would probably be better off donated.</p> <p><strong>Outdoor furniture</strong></p> <p>Make sure your outdoor furniture looks good as new before you start using it – nobody wants to sit on a dirty seat, or worse, a spider!</p> <p><strong>Garage </strong></p> <p>Organising your garage is just as important as actually cleaning it. You’d be amazed how much stuff accumulates in there over time – and how much you actually don’t need.</p> <p><strong>Shower curtain</strong></p> <p>Soap scum and mildew stains are haunting your shower curtain, but it doesn’t take long to clean them.</p> <p><strong>All the cards in your wallet</strong></p> <p>You use them almost every day, probably without thinking of how many times you touch them and how few times you’ve actually cleaned them. One in 10 bank cards were contaminated with faecal matter, according to a 2012 study. Wipe the card with a damp cloth or anti-bacterial wipe, then gently scrub the magnetic strip with an eraser.</p> <p><strong>Keys</strong></p> <p>Keys are another item you use daily, so they can definitely use a wash. To keep them clean and prevent rust, scrub with lemon and salt and rinse with dish soap. If they’re already rusty, soak them in a vinegar and water mixture for 20 minutes, rinse, then put them back in for another 30 minutes. This ensures the rust comes out completely.</p> <p><strong>Garbage bins</strong></p> <p>Its name implies that garbage bins are supposed to be dirty, but washing them out with a hose every once in a while will make taking out the rubbish a slightly less painful chore.</p> <p><strong>Doorknobs</strong></p> <p>Considering how many people are constantly touching them, knobs and drawer handles aren’t cleaned nearly often enough. Take a few minutes and wipe down the most touched knobs in your house.</p> <p><strong>Area rugs</strong></p> <p>Vacuuming rugs is easy enough to remember, but lift them up and you’ll find a whole lot of dirt and dust hiding in plain sight.</p> <p><strong>Small appliances</strong></p> <p>This includes microwaves, toasters, blenders, coffee pots, and any other small cooking appliances in the kitchen. Give each one a thorough cleaning, then be sure to clean underneath them as well.</p> <p><strong>Toys</strong></p> <p>Your child’s rubber ducky is a sneakily perfect location for mould. Take necessary precautions to prevent and remove mould on any bath toys. For that large bin of dolls and plastic trains, enlist your kids to help. Spend an afternoon going through toy bins, separating ones they want to keep and ones to donate and clean each toy before putting it back.</p> <p><strong>Computer and TV screens</strong></p> <p>First things first: make sure your devices are turned off and cooled off before you start cleaning. Wipe away dust and loose dirt with a soft cloth. Dip that cloth into a solution equal parts water and isopropyl alcohol and wring it out (it should be damp, but not wet). Gently wipe the screen and dry with a second cloth.</p> <p><strong>Reusable grocery and laundry bags</strong></p> <p>Think of all the places these bags have been: the floor, the boot of your car, the kitchen bench, the table at the laundromat. It’s time to give them a good cleaning. Throw them in the washing machine on a hot water regular cycle with the rest of your clothes. It can go in the dryer, too.</p> <p><strong>Reusable water bottles</strong></p> <p>You’re helping the environment. You’re staying hydrated. Now use your reusable water bottle to stay healthy and add it to your next load of dirty dishes.</p> <p><strong>Keyboards</strong></p> <p>When was the last time you cleaned your keyboard? If you can’t remember when it might be time to get on that. Keyboards can be home to staphylococcus aureus, a type of bacteria that can cause potentially serious infections in humans, according to a 2018 study published in the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health.</p> <p><strong>Showerhead</strong></p> <p>The next time you’re cleaning your bathroom, make sure you give special attention to your shower head. The bacteria commonly found on shower heads led to an increased risk of respiratory illnesses, according to 2018 research by the American Society for Microbiology. In fact, bacteria found on showerheads even led to an increased prevalence of lung disease according to the research.</p> <p><strong>Sink trap</strong></p> <p>Most of us know probably know that bathroom sinks are not the cleanest of surfaces. But did you know exactly how dirty your sink trap was? Sink traps caused an outbreak of antibiotic-resistant bacteria at an Israeli hospital, according to research published in Infection Control &amp; Hospital Epidemiology in 2018. Now, you certainly don’t want that happening in your own home.</p> <p><em>Image credits: Getty Images</em></p> <p><em>This article originally appeared on <a href="https://www.readersdigest.co.nz/food-home-garden/20-little-things-everyone-forgets-to-clean-but-shouldnt?pages=1" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Reader's Digest</a>. </em></p>

Home & Garden

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Forget plastic surgery! These 7 makeup tricks could completely transform your features

<p><strong>Nose contouring instead of a nose job</strong></p> <p>If you find your nose too big, too wide, or too something else, get ready to transform it with contouring. For the uninitiated, contouring is the process of strategically placing bright concealer or highlighter on areas you want to catch light, making them more pronounced, and darker products on places where you want to create shadows, making them less noticeable. </p> <p>There are specific contouring techniques for each nose shape, but in every case, you’ll want to apply concealer that’s two shades lighter than your skin tone to the bridge of your nose, and a greyish-brown or dark taupe colour (a powder or liquid) to cover bumps, wide nostrils, or hook shapes. Always blend the light and dark colours into place using a beauty blender sponge or a rechargeable makeup brush, which evenly disperses granules of makeup in thin, even layers for an airbrush-like finish. The results are like an instant nose job – no surgery required!</p> <p><strong>Strategic eyeliner instead of an eye lift</strong></p> <p>Oh, the wonders of a good eyeliner. Whether your eyes are too small, too big, too down-turned or too something else, applying eyeliner in the proper style and colour is the perfect way to visibly alter their shape. To open up the eyes, adding white liner to the lower lash line creates an optical illusion as it acts as a continuation of your eyes, making them look bigger. </p> <p>For down-turned eyes, nothing works better than a reverse cat eye in black liner. For hooded lids, apply smokey eyeliner to enhance the outer corners for the illusion of lift.</p> <p><strong>Shading cheekbones instead of fillers</strong></p> <p>Women have been turning to pricey injectable fillers to fake supermodel cheekbones, but there’s a much easier – and cheaper – way. For this no-fuss three-step process, all you need is your trusty contour kit (foundation that is two shades lighter than your skin tone, plus a base that is two shades darker), which you will use to outline and highlight the apples of your cheeks. </p> <p>First apply the one-shade lighter cream foundation on your cheekbones to draw light; then apply the two-shades darker base below the cheekbones to help those areas recede. Finish with a pop of pink or peach on the apples of your cheeks, and dab a few drops of liquid highlighter at the top of cheekbones. Blend, et voila – Hollywood cheekbones.</p> <p><strong>Smoothing foundation instead of botox</strong></p> <p>Many foundations are prone to caking, cracking and flaking, which are likely to make any wrinkles and blemishes more noticeable instead of concealing them. If you want your face to look younger, one of the easiest ways is by smoothing skin. </p> <p>That means starting with a primer, which smooths the canvas of your face, like a painter would spackle and prime walls before applying colour. Follow with a satin foundation for a silky smooth, practically Photoshopped face.</p> <p><strong>Overlining lips instead of injectable plumpers</strong></p> <p>Less is definitely more here, but this tiny adjustment will make a huge difference in the appearance of your lips. The trick is to first apply a neutral-coloured, matte lip liner all over your lips; then trace slightly outside the lines. Don’t venture more than a few millimetres beyond your natural lip line, as that looks too obvious (and a little scary). </p> <p>You can also strategically choose the areas you want to overline, like the cupid’s bow or bottom lip instead of the entire rim. Once you’ve overlined, apply your favourite matte lipstick not only to your lips, but onto the overlined area as well. A matte finish will hide the line you’ve added, whereas shiny lipstick emphasises it.</p> <p><strong>Chisel your chin with powder instead of surgery</strong></p> <p>If your jawline isn’t quite as sharp as you’d like, shaping powder is an easy way to get more definition. Take a greyish-brown powder (nothing too orange) and apply it along your jaw line from behind your ear all the way down to the tip of your chin. </p> <p>Repeat this application on the other side of your jaw. Blend the powder down your neck so that there aren’t any noticeable lines or colour differences. You’ll absolutely love the look of your sharp new bone structure.</p> <p><strong>Slim your silhouette</strong></p> <p>Though some celebrities manage to rock a round face, the rest of us can feel insecure about so-called chipmunk cheeks. A great way to slim your face is to use a contour stick and bronzer to hollow out the cheeks, then apply blush and highlighter above the bronzer to make your cheekbones more pronounced. </p> <p>This will not only elongate your face shape, but will give you those model-like chiselled cheeks.</p> <p><em>Image credits: Getty Images</em></p> <p><em>This article originally appeared on <a href="https://www.readersdigest.co.nz/healthsmart/beauty/forget-plastic-surgery-these-7-makeup-tricks-could-completely-transform-your-features" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Reader's Digest</a>.</em></p>

Beauty & Style

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8 ordinary things you don’t realise are messing with your brain

<p><strong>Doors</strong></p> <p><span>Ever walk into a room with some purpose in mind, only to completely forget what that purpose was? Turns out, doors themselves are to blame for these strange memory lapses. Psychologists at the University of Notre Dame have discovered that passing through a doorway triggers what’s known as an event boundary in the mind, separating one set of thoughts and memories from the next. Your brain files away the thoughts you had in the previous room and prepares a blank slate for the new locale.</span></p> <p><strong>Beeps</strong></p> <p><span>If you can’t concentrate during the irritating sound of a truck reversing, blame the brain baffle on an evolutionary glitch. Natural sounds are created from a transfer of energy (say, a stick hitting a drum) and gradually dissipate, and our perceptual system has evolved to use that decay of sound to figure out what made it and where it came from. But beeps don’t typically change or fade away over time, so our brains have trouble keeping up.</span></p> <p><strong>Wide-open spaces</strong></p> <p><span>We walk in circles when we traverse terrain devoid of landmarks, such as the desert. Even though we’d swear we’re walking in a straight line, we actually curve around in loops as tight as 20 metres in diameter. German research from the Max Planck Institute for Biological Cybernetics reveals why: with every step a walker takes, a small deviation arises in the brain’s balance (vestibular) or body awareness (proprioceptive) systems. These deviations accumulate to send that individual veering around in ever-tighter circles. But they don’t occur when we can recalibrate our sense of direction, using a nearby building or mountain, for instance.</span></p> <p><strong>Attractiveness</strong></p> <p><span>We say ‘don’t judge a book by its cover’, but unfortunately, our brains tend to do just that. In what’s known as the ‘halo effect’, a single positive quality in a person can dupe our brain into thinking that person has many good qualities, even if we don’t know them at all. For instance, when we find someone physically attractive, we may also automatically have the impression that he or she is smart, kind, funny, etc. This is by far the most common example of the ‘halo effect’, to the extent that the effect is also known as ‘the physical attractiveness stereotype’. This has a lot to do with celebrities, and why we feel like we ‘know’ them when we really don’t.</span></p> <p><strong>Being up high</strong></p> <p><span>For many people, being at a certain height, especially for the first time, creates a surreal sensation of detachment. This is known as the ‘breakaway phenomenon’. “You feel as if you’re disconnected from the Earth, literally, even though you’re in a building or an aeroplane,” says Dr James Giordano, a neurology and biochemistry professor at Georgetown University Medical Center. Though some experience this sensation at the top of a tall building, or on a balcony, it’s most commonly felt while flying. This sensation is totally separate from fear of heights; in fact, it makes some people feel very calm and peaceful. “Some people actually enjoy the way that feels; others, it makes them uncomfortable,” says Dr Giordano.</span></p> <p><strong>That one time you ate bad chicken</strong></p> <p><span>If you’ve ever wondered why one bad experience can ruin something for you, blame your brain. A single unpleasant experience with food, in particular, can taint the taste of that food in your mind, even if you actually really enjoy it. This is known as the ‘Garcia Effect’, because of a scientist named Dr John Garcia who tested it on rats. If you experienced nausea or sickness shortly after eating something (whether or not the food itself is what made you sick), you’ll likely develop what’s known as a taste aversion to that food. This triggers your brain to be hesitant about consuming it again, even if it’s a food you love. Unsurprisingly, this occurs frequently with a certain type of alcohol or even a non-alcoholic mixer.</span></p> <p><strong>Arrows</strong></p> <p><span>Though they seem straightforward, arrows have the potential to trip up our brains quite a bit. They can distort our perceptions of distance, direction and length; in fact, two popular optical illusions use arrows to trick the mind. One is the ‘Muller-Lyer illusion’, which takes three lines of equal length and uses arrowheads to make them appear different lengths. The other, the ‘Flanker task’, is more interactive; it shows you a screen with several arrows on it and makes you select the direction that the middle arrow is pointing. (It’s harder than it sounds!) The arrows that are not in the centre are ‘irrelevant stimuli’, distracting your brain by pointing in different directions.</span></p> <p><strong>A bargain</strong></p> <p><span>Salespeople can fool your brain into thinking you want a product you really don’t. According to Dr Deborah Searcy of Florida Atlantic University, retailers use this sneaky trick all the time: they tell you the price of an item and try to get you to buy it. If you say that price is too much, they’ll offer you a lower one. Because your mind has been ‘anchored’ around the higher price, you think you’re getting a great deal, and you’re more likely to buy the item. But, if the salesperson had offered you the lower price right off the bat, chances are you wouldn’t have bought the product. Your brain is duped by the allure of a good deal.</span></p> <p><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">Written by Meghan Jones and Natalie Wolchover. This article first appeared in </span><a rel="noopener" href="https://www.readersdigest.co.nz/true-stories-lifestyle/science-technology/8-ordinary-things-you-dont-realise-are-messing-with-your-brain" target="_blank"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Reader’s Digest</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">. For more of what you love from the world’s best-loved magazine, </span><a rel="noopener" href="http://readersdigest.innovations.co.nz/c/readersdigestemailsubscribe?utm_source=over60&amp;utm_medium=articles&amp;utm_campaign=RDSUB&amp;keycode=WRA87V" target="_blank"><span style="font-weight: 400;">here’s our best subscription offer.</span></a></em></p> <p><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">Image: Getty Images</span></em></p> <p><img style="width: 100px !important; height: 100px !important;" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/7820640/1.png" alt="" data-udi="umb://media/f30947086c8e47b89cb076eb5bb9b3e2" /></p>

Mind

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Noel Gallagher admits to forgetting classic Oasis lyrics on stage

<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Oasis frontman Noel Gallagher has admitted he often forgets lyrics to his classic songs while performing on stage. </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">He confessed that sometimes he has to “make s*** up” when he forgets the lyrics mid-song in front of his adoring fans. </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Noel said he stumbles over the words in the band's biggest hits, including Don’t Look Back in Anger, which spent several weeks atop the charts after its release in 1996.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">During a conversation with </span><span style="font-weight: 400;">The Sun</span><span style="font-weight: 400;"> newspaper, he said, </span><span style="font-weight: 400;">“Brain freeze, I get it. I get them when I’m doing gigs to 70,000 people.”</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“As the next line is coming I think, ‘Seriously, what is the next line to this song?’ You’re thinking, ‘I genuinely don’t know what it is’.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“Somehow it falls out of the sky. But sometimes I just have to make s*** up,” he said.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The rockstar also branded musicians who regularly cover hits by Bob Dylan as dull. </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Noel, who is currently compiling a covers project of his own making, said, “Everybody does Bob Dylan covers albums — it’s boring.”</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The rocker is working on a unique covers album, after he said he wouldn’t care if he never wrote an original song again.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">He insists he would “be happy with what he’s done” with his extensive catalogue that has won over fans all around the world. </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">His covers album will have a unique spin on hits by Burt Bacharach and The Smiths that Noel recorded in his own home studio. </span></p> <p><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">Image credit: Getty Images</span></em></p>

Music

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Why we become more forgetful with age – and what you can do about it

<p> <span></span>How is it that we are able to remember some events in great detail whereas other memories seem to fade away over time? Our memory changes with age, so that we may have a memory slip on a trip to fetch something from the next room, but we’re still able to recall important events from history with great detail. But why?</p> <p>One important aspect of memory formation and retention is the associations we build between the information we later try to remember and other details. For example, when and where the event took place, who was there, or the feelings we felt at the time. These details not only help us as clues to search our memory, but they also allow the mental time travel we all experience when we recall those detailed memories, so that it feels like we can relive an experience in our minds.</p> <p>Scientists refer to this experience as recollection, and some distinguish it from familiarity, which refers to the general feeling that we have experienced something before, but are not quite able to put our finger on all of the <a href="https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/quirks-memory/201208/nagging-feeling-familiarity-face">details of the event</a>. For example, you see someone at the supermarket or on public transport who instantly seems very familiar, but you cannot recall who they are.</p> <p>The experience of familiarity is very fast – you can quickly detect that you may know the person – but recollecting the details of who they are comes a bit more slowly (hopefully before they approach you). This is an example of how the processes differ on a subjective, or what’s called a phenomenological, level.</p> <p><strong>What's going on in the brain</strong></p> <p>Apart from the behavioural and phenomenological differences that make the familiarity versus recollection of a face seem distinct from each other, research <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17636547">has also indicated</a> that different areas of the brain underlie the phenomena. The hippocampus, within the medial temporal lobes of the brain, is strongly involved in forming the associations that help to give rise to recollection, whereas the nearby perirhinal and entorhinal cortices appear to be more important for familiarity.</p> <p>Research has shown that the ability to retrieve details of an event and the phenomenological experience of recollection decline as people get older, whereas familiarity remains relatively the same <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19100756">regardless of age</a>. Studies have also shown that the structural integrity of the hippocampus <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15703252">declines</a> with increased age, whereas the entorhinal cortex showed minimal changes in volume. In other words, areas of the brain such as the hippocampus that are important for recollection tend to decline in volume, whereas the areas that support familiarity remain more intact as people get older.</p> <p>Scientists also know that memory does not work as a flawless tape-recorder: it is often the case that we not only forget information, but also misremember it, even if we feel as if we recollect an experience vividly and accurately. That older adults are increasingly unable to retrieve specific details of an event means they could be more susceptible to <a href="http://www.scholarpedia.org/article/False_memory">experiencing false memory</a>.</p> <p><strong>How to stop memories from slipping</strong></p> <p>So what can be done to deter or reverse these changes in older age? While there is no magical pill or super food that can protect us, research suggests a number of strategies that can help ameliorate some of the more difficult impacts of ageing on our memories.</p> <p>One popular suggested solution is to do as many crosswords and sudoku puzzles as possible. It is a perfectly intuitive idea: if we think of the brain like a muscle, then we should exercise that muscle as much as possible to keep it sharp and fit. Yet, so far there is scant evidence to support this belief.</p> <p>At best, you can expect to get very good at doing crosswords and sudoku, but the transfer of those skills to other kinds of abilities that are further away, such as being better able to reason abstractly or remember more information, <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26082279">is less supported</a> by research evidence. So, you should certainly keep doing crosswords if you enjoy doing them, but do not believe or <a href="http://www.psychologicalscience.org/publications/brain-training.html">buy into the hype</a> that such brain training will ward off cognitive decline or dementia.</p> <p><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/149112/original/image-20161207-18057-1e9o4i4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;fit=clip" alt="" /> <span class="caption">Exercising the mind.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">jgolby/shutterstock.com</span></span></p> <p>The method more likely to help is to simply engage in more physical exercise, particularly aerobic exercise. The <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12661673">research</a> regarding the benefits of exercise not only to your physical health but also to your mental health and abilities is much more settled than that of brain training. This does not have to be strenuous exercise that involves running marathons. Something as simple as brisk walking, or anything that gets your heart pumping and causes you to break a sweat, shows strong benefits to your memory performance. <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21282661">Research</a> has also indicated that areas of the brain such as the hippocampus which are important for memory show increases in volume as a result of aerobic exercise.</p> <p>So the best advice for improving your memory is to use that half hour you might have spent doing a sudoku puzzle to go for a nice walk with a friend instead.<!-- Below is The Conversation's page counter tag. Please DO NOT REMOVE. --><img style="border: none !important; box-shadow: none !important; margin: 0 !important; max-height: 1px !important; max-width: 1px !important; min-height: 1px !important; min-width: 1px !important; opacity: 0 !important; outline: none !important; padding: 0 !important; text-shadow: none !important;" src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/70102/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" /><!-- End of code. If you don't see any code above, please get new code from the Advanced tab after you click the republish button. The page counter does not collect any personal data. More info: https://theconversation.com/republishing-guidelines --></p> <p><span><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/vanessa-loaiza-321785">Vanessa Loaiza</a>, Lecturer, Department of Pyschology, <em><a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/university-of-essex-1291">University of Essex</a></em></span></p> <p>This article is republished from <a href="https://theconversation.com">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a rel="noopener" href="https://theconversation.com/why-we-become-more-forgetful-with-age-and-what-you-can-do-about-it-70102" target="_blank">original article</a>.</p>

Mind

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Forget more compulsory super: Here are 5 ways to actually boost retirement incomes

<p>This morning the Grattan Institute releases its <a href="https://grattan.edu.au/">submission</a> to the government’s <a href="https://treasury.gov.au/review/retirement-income-review">retirement incomes review</a>, a review called in anticipation of five annual increases in compulsory superannuation contributions, scheduled to begin in July 2021.</p> <p>Our research shows the super increases aren’t necessary. For most Australians, retirement incomes are <a href="https://theconversation.com/why-we-should-worry-less-about-retirement-and-leave-super-at-9-5-106237">already adequate</a>. Since higher super contributions will come <a href="https://theconversation.com/think-superannuation-comes-from-employers-pockets-it-comes-from-yours-130797">at the expense of wages</a>, the scheduled increases should be abandoned.</p> <p>But there are big problems the review will need to confront.</p> <p>Here are <a href="https://grattan.edu.au/">five changes</a> that would tackle them.</p> <h2>1. Boost rent assistance</h2> <p><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/317733/original/file-20200228-24685-y74ele.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=237&amp;fit=clip" alt="" /> <span class="caption"></span></p> <p>While most Australians are comfortable in retirement, the system is failing too many poorer Australians, especially low-income women and retirees who rent.</p> <p>Senior Australians who rent privately are more likely to suffer financial stress than homeowners or renters in public housing. And it will get worse because young Australians on lower incomes are <a href="https://theconversation.com/three-charts-on-poorer-australians-bearing-the-brunt-of-rising-housing-costs-87003">less likely</a> to own homes than in the past.</p> <p>The government’s priority should be boosting <a href="https://www.servicesaustralia.gov.au/individuals/services/centrelink/rent-assistance/how-much-you-can-get">rent assistance</a>, which has not kept pace with rent increases. Raising rent assistance by 40%, or roughly A$1,400 a year for singles, would cost just $300 million a year if it applied to pensioners, and another $1 billion a year if extended to other renters.</p> <p>A common concern is that boosting rent assistance would lead to higher rents. But that’s unlikely: households would not be required to spend any of the extra income on rent, and <a href="https://theconversation.com/rudds-rental-affordability-scheme-was-a-1-billion-gift-to-developers-abbott-was-right-to-axe-it-122854">most would not</a>.</p> <h2>2. Ease the age pension asset test</h2> <p><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/317738/original/file-20200228-24664-1yln6g.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=237&amp;fit=clip" alt="" /> <span class="caption"></span></p> <p>While retirement incomes are adequate for most retirees, the age pension <a href="https://www.servicesaustralia.gov.au/individuals/services/centrelink/age-pension/how-much-you-can-get">assets test</a> excessively penalises people who save more for their retirement.</p> <p>Before January 1, 2017 retirees with assets above the threshold lost $1.50 of pension per fortnight for every $1,000 of assets above the threshold. In 2017 the Coalition lifted the threshold but also lifted the withdrawal rate to $3 of pension per fortnight for each $1,000 of assets.</p> <p>The changes resulted in very high effective marginal tax rates on retirement savings, so much so that a typical worker who saves an extra $1000 at age 40 increases their retirement income by only $25 each year, or $658 over 26 years of retirement, which is a <a href="https://grattan.edu.au/report/money-in-retirement/">negative return</a> on money saved for decades.</p> <p>The age pension withdrawal rate should be cut to $2.25 per fortnight for each $1,000 of assets above the threshold. This would cost the budget about $750 million a year.</p> <p>For middle and high-income workers, this change would have a bigger impact on retirement incomes per government dollar expended than boosting compulsory super.</p> <h2>3. Boost Newstart</h2> <p><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/317734/original/file-20200228-24685-1m16m5p.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=237&amp;fit=clip" alt="" /> <span class="caption"></span></p> <p><a href="https://www.servicesaustralia.gov.au/individuals/services/centrelink/newstart-allowance">Newstart</a>, together with the disability support pension, provides an important safety net for Australians who are unable to work right through to retirement age.</p> <p>Yet while the <a href="https://www.servicesaustralia.gov.au/individuals/services/centrelink/age-pension">age pension</a> and <a href="https://www.servicesaustralia.gov.au/individuals/services/centrelink/disability-support-pension">disability support pension</a> are indexed to wages, Newstart is not. It only climbs in line with inflation. It should be increased by $75 a week and then indexed to wages going forward.</p> <p>This would <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2018/sep/17/push-to-raise-newstart-allowance-by-75-a-week">cost a lot</a> but it would help the <a href="https://theconversation.com/5-charts-on-what-a-newstart-recipient-really-looks-like-125937">growing legions</a> of older Australians, many of them women, who find themselves among the long-term unemployed in the years leading up to retirement, or are forced to retire early. And it would lift many more younger Australians out of poverty.</p> <h2>4. Include the home in the pension assets test</h2> <p><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/317739/original/file-20200228-24701-1urtm3l.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=237&amp;fit=clip" alt="" /> <span class="caption"></span></p> <p><a href="https://www.smh.com.au/national/soaring-cost-of-housing-for-poorest-australians-is-driving-inequality-grattan-institute-20190906-p52ot2.html">Falling rates of home ownership</a> mean we are at risk of creating an underclass of retirees who rent.</p> <p>And our retirement incomes system makes this worse by favouring homeowners over renters. Once a person is retired, their home is <a href="https://www.servicesaustralia.gov.au/individuals/services/centrelink/age-pension/how-much-you-can-get/assets-test/assets#assetstestlimits">treated differently</a> to their other assets. Which is why <a href="https://www.theaustralian.com.au/nation/politics/elderly-in-1mplus-homes-raking-in-63bn-in-pensions/news-story/30cbe2423577d46f5489ec39b673f8f4">$6 billion</a> in pension payments go to people with homes worth more than $1 million.</p> <p>It’s time for more of the value of the family home to be included in the pension assets test. Counting more of the home above some threshold (such as $500,000) would be fairer and would save the budget up to $2 billion a year.</p> <p>No pensioner would be forced to leave their home. Pensioners with valuable homes could continue to stay at home and receive the pension under the Government’s <a href="https://www.servicesaustralia.gov.au/individuals/services/centrelink/pension-loans-scheme">pension loans scheme</a>, which recovers debts only when homes are eventually sold.</p> <h2>5. Fix super tax breaks</h2> <p><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/317743/original/file-20200228-24676-1whwfak.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=237&amp;fit=clip" alt="" /> <span class="caption"></span></p> <p>Superannuation tax breaks <a href="https://treasury.gov.au/sites/default/files/2020-01/complete_tbvs_web.pdf">cost a lot</a> – tens of billions each year in foregone revenue, with half the benefits flowing to the top one fifth of income earners, who already have enough resources to fund their retirements.</p> <p>And the costs are set to climb further as super balances climb. The cost of the earnings concessions alone is set to climb from $17.4 billion to $20.8 billion over the next four years.</p> <p>Three reforms would keep them in check.</p> <ul> <li> <p>Voluntary contributions from pretax income should be limited to $11,000 a year. This would save the budget about $1.7 billion a year.</p> </li> <li> <p>Contributions from post-tax income should be limited to $250,000 over a lifetime, or to $50,000 a year. It won’t save the budget much in the short term, but in the longer term it will plug a large hole in the tax system.</p> </li> <li> <p>Earnings in retirement – currently untaxed for people with <a href="https://www.ato.gov.au/Individuals/Super/Withdrawing-and-using-your-super/Transfer-balance-cap/">superannuation balances less than $1.6 million</a> – should be taxed at 15%, the same as super earnings before retirement. Doing so would save the budget about $2 billion per year at first, and much more in future.</p> </li> </ul> <p>These changes to super taxes free up money to help Australians who need help without hurting the retirement prospects of middle Australians.</p> <p>Australia’s retirement incomes system works well, but there are things that need fixing.</p> <p>The reforms we propose would make retirement fairer, save taxpayers’ money, and ensure that all Australians can enjoy a comfortable retirement free from poverty.</p> <p> </p> <p><span><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/brendan-coates-154644">Brendan Coates</a>, Program Director, Household Finances, <em><a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/grattan-institute-1168">Grattan Institute</a></em> and <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/jonathan-nolan-575166">Jonathan Nolan</a>, Associate, <em><a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/grattan-institute-1168">Grattan Institute</a></em></span></p> <p>This article is republished from <a href="https://theconversation.com">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/forget-more-compulsory-super-here-are-5-ways-to-actually-boost-retirement-incomes-132655">original article</a>.</p>

Retirement Income

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How often do people forget things about one another?

<p>A new acquaintance needs to be reminded of your name while you are having a conversation. A colleague forgets your plan to meet for coffee and schedules a conflicting meeting. A friend books a table for the two of you at a restaurant but it slips her mind that you don’t like sushi.</p> <p>We have all been on the receiving end of another person’s memory failure, and have forgotten important things about people ourselves. Until recently, however, we haven’t been able to understand these experiences and their consequences with much beyond anecdotes. My research group decided to change that.</p> <p>We undertook a <a href="http://psycnet.apa.org/record/2018-39692-001">systematic study</a> of the experience of being forgotten. We wanted to find out what a typical experience looks like – who is involved, what gets forgotten, and how often it happens to people. We also wondered how people were affected and whether there was any measurable impact on the relationship afterwards.</p> <p>To find out, we used a combination of methods. In one strand, we asked about 50 people to keep a daily diary over two weeks. They had to record all occasions in which they were forgotten and give some details about the experience when it happened.</p> <p>In another strand, we constructed social interactions in our laboratory in which another 50 participants discovered that someone else had forgotten most of the details of a previous conversation. We then recorded how it made them feel. Finally, we showed several hundred people stories in which someone was forgotten or remembered. We asked for their reaction and what they thought of the people involved.</p> <p><strong>What we found</strong></p> <p>One of our most surprising discoveries was how frequently things about people were forgotten. On average, our diary keepers reported being forgotten about seven times over a two week period – once every other day. And it wasn’t only people who had just met one another; people were forgotten with similar frequency by acquaintances, co-workers, classmates, flatmates and friends.</p> <p>The type of memory failure did depend on who was doing the forgetting. Complete failures of recognition were relatively rare (9%), and limited mainly to new or casual types of relationships. Personal details were forgotten most often (48%), especially in less close types of relationships such as acquaintances.</p> <p>In closer relationships such as friendships, people most often forgot something about past interactions or shared experiences (26% of all the memory failures). For example, one participant recorded a close friend telling her a story about a party that the participant had also attended. Closer relationships also provided the most examples of people forgetting obligations or promises (“I had a ‘date’ on Skype today with my boyfriend but he forgot”). This type of forgetting was relatively rare overall (8%), however.</p> <p>Another surprise was that people tended to be very understanding about memory lapses. They usually made an excuse for the forgetter – “She met too many people in the last couple of days.” Only in about one in five instances did a person explicitly link the memory failure to a lack of investment in them or the information, such as saying “I don’t think she found the place where I am from to be interesting or worth remembering.”</p> <p><strong>What it means</strong></p> <p>So do you need to worry about forgetting during social interaction? In the minority of cases where people explain memory failure through a lack of investment, the answer is obviously yes. As you might expect, these instances made people feel substantially less important and less close to the person who forgot them.</p> <p>Yet even in the majority of cases where people excused the forgetter, there was still some negative effect on the relationship. Despite providing excuses, people tended to feel a little less important and close to the person as a result. In short, people are usually very understanding about memory failures, but they do still hurt a bit.</p> <p>So might it improve our relationships if we made more effort to remember things about people? We think it probably would. In preliminary follow-up work, we have found that prompting participants to make clear that they remember the details of a past social interaction improved their ability to communicate that they care about others. We can’t yet say with certainty how effective bolstering memory might be for improving social interaction, but it is definitely better than forgetting people.<!-- Below is The Conversation's page counter tag. Please DO NOT REMOVE. --><img style="border: none !important; box-shadow: none !important; margin: 0 !important; max-height: 1px !important; max-width: 1px !important; min-height: 1px !important; min-width: 1px !important; opacity: 0 !important; outline: none !important; padding: 0 !important; text-shadow: none !important;" src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/103494/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" /><!-- End of code. If you don't see any code above, please get new code from the Advanced tab after you click the republish button. The page counter does not collect any personal data. More info: http://theconversation.com/republishing-guidelines --></p> <p><em>Written by <span>Devin Ray, Lecturer in Psychology, University of Aberdeen</span>. Republished with permission of </em><a rel="noopener" href="https://theconversation.com/how-often-do-people-forget-things-about-one-another-we-decided-to-find-out-103494" target="_blank"><em>The Conversation</em></a><em>.</em></p>

Relationships

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Is my forgetfulness normal?

<p>We all forget things from time to time. For example, how many of us have walked into a room only to forget why we went there in the first place? Or forgotten the name of a new acquaintance only moments after they’ve introduced themselves? These are common experiences, but if these memory lapses turn persistent or progressive it could be a sign of something else.</p> <p><em>“A person with forgetfulness may lose their car keys, but a person with dementia may lose their car keys and then forget what the car keys are actually used for,”</em> explains Alzheimer’s Australia CEO, Carol Bennett. Alzheimer’s disease is the most common form of dementia and affects 80 per cent of people with dementia. While memory loss is the most common symptom of dementia, other symptoms may include confusion, personality change, apathy and withdrawal or an inability to perform everyday tasks.</p> <p>According to Bennett, dementia will present itself in many different ways and symptoms may vary between individuals. <em>“For some people it won’t be memory loss, rather they may experience visual-spatial differences. For example, someone with dementia may put their glass down under the table or above the table and drop the glass. They may misjudge stairs, because they lose their capacity to judge physical space,”</em> she said.</p> <p><strong>Early signs of alzheimer’s disease</strong><br />Alzheimer’s Australia advise some warning signs include:</p> <p>1. Remembering events, words, names or objects: A person with dementia may progressively forget common words or names and may even forget part or all of an event. In healthy people, there may be the occasional lapse but words are usually on the tip of the tongue and memories are vague, rather than completely forgotten.</p> <p>2. Understanding stories: Dementia causes a decline in the ability to follow story lines in TV shows, films, books or any other storytelling form of entertainment.</p> <p>3. Performing everyday tasks: In someone with dementia, everyday tasks like dressing and cooking can become quite arduous, whereas a healthy person will not have any difficulty unless physically impaired.</p> <p>4. Following directions: Healthy people should be able to follow written and verbal directions without any difficulty. Someone with dementia, on the other hand, is increasingly unable to follow these cues.</p> <p><a href="https://fightdementia.org.au/">Read the full checklist on the Alzheimer’s Australia website.</a></p> <p><strong>Younger onset dementia</strong><br />While dementia is more common in people over 65, sadly there are more than 24,000 Australians in their 30s, 40s, 50s and early 60s affected by the disease.</p> <p><em>“Dementia in the under 65s is often misdiagnosed. There’s a lack of information, even among health professionals,”</em> adds Bennett. One theory is that people with younger onset dementia tend to present with problem solving and behavioural issues, and as a result, these individuals can be mistakenly diagnosed with depression.</p> <p>There are different types of dementia and symptoms are variable. However, if you or a loved one is worried, see a GP or ask for a referral to a neurologist who can complete a series of medical and psychological tests to determine the cause. Your doctor may talk to you about your medical history, perform cognitive, psychiatric and/or neuropsychological testing, or request blood and urine tests to screen for illnesses which could be responsible for dementia-like symptoms.</p> <p>Bennett explains, when it comes to younger onset dementia, early intervention is key.<em> “Early diagnosis makes a huge difference to the outcome. Unfortunately it is a very progressive condition, especially in younger onset where it tends to progressive more quickly. The sooner you can provide support the better. Early intervention keeps people out of hospital and residential aged care,”</em> she adds.</p> <p><strong>Preventing dementia: help at hand</strong><br /><em>“There isn’t a one size fits all, it’s about keeping your mind active,”</em> advises Bennett. In fact, experts say that the changes in the brain that lead to dementia begin up to 15-20 years before symptoms first appear. Lifestyle changes, such as keeping physically active, eating the right foods and challenging the mind, all reduce the risk.</p> <p><a href="https://www.wyza.com.au/lifestyle/health-wellbeing/six-ways-to-keep-your-mind-sharp.aspx">Click here</a> for six fun and simple ways to reduce your risk for dementia and keep your mind sharper for longer. </p> <p>Alzheimer’s Australia has also developed a Brainy App, which can help determine your ‘brain health’ and assist you with completing brainy activities using a score system. Download the free app <a href="http://yourbrainmatters.org.au/a-little-help/brainyapp">here</a>.</p> <p>Ready for something new? Take the Your Brain Matters 21 challenge! Always dreamt of speaking Spanish, learning the violin or finally mastering a soufflé? Keeping your mind active by doing new things is a fun way to establish brain healthy habits visit: <a href="http://yourbrainmatters.org.au/challenge">Your brain matters</a>.</p> <p>You can also call the National Dementia Helpline on 1800 100 500 for support and advice regarding health, financial and counselling services in your area.</p> <p><em>Written by Mahsa Fratantoni. Republished with permission of <a href="https://www.wyza.com.au/articles/health/wellbeing/is-my-forgetfulness-normal.aspx">Wyza.com.au.</a></em></p>

Retirement Life

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Mother forgets baby at airport – plane forced to turn around mid-flight

<p>A bizarre incident where her mother left her baby behind at the airport happened in Saudia Arabia last week, <a href="https://gulfnews.com/world/gulf/saudi/flight-emergency-i-forgot-my-baby-at-the-airport-1.1552291090943"><em>Gulf News</em></a> reported.</p> <p>The flight was forced to turn around mid-flight once the mother realised that her baby was left behind in the boarding area of the terminal.</p> <p>A video has since gone viral, where the pilot is requesting permission to head back to the airport. The Air Traffic Control operators are caught by surprise and were trying to figure out the protocol for the incident.</p> <p><iframe width="600" height="413" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/U3t8NYYWMKY" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen=""></iframe></p> <p>“May God be with us. Can we come back or what?” the pilot was heard talking to an air traffic controller.</p> <p>“This flight is requesting to come back … a passenger forgot her baby in the waiting area, the poor thing," one of the air controllers says.</p> <p>The pilot is then asked to clarify the issue, to which he quickly replies:</p> <p>"We told you, a passenger left her baby in the terminal and refuses to continue the flight."</p> <p>The air controllers realise that the best decision is to let the plane turn back so the mother can retrieve her child.</p> <p>“OK, head back to the gate. This is totally a new one for us!”</p> <p>The mother and child were reunited at the airport, according to <a href="https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2019/03/12/flight-malaysia-forced-turn-around-mother-leaves-baby-airport/">The Telegraph UK</a> although it's unknown why the child was left behind in the first place.</p> <p>Have you heard of this happening before? Let us know in the comments.</p>

Travel Trouble

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The parts of the home you’re forgetting to clean – according to a professional cleaner

<p>It’s the kind of advice you need, but don’t want, to hear:  What tiny nooks of the home are you forgetting to clean, and what are the subsequent hygiene issues associated with them?</p> <p>Of course, most floors get a mop and tables a wipe. But for every bench that demands a wash after dinner, there’s an equally-as-deserving shower curtain that has spent months, perhaps years, crunched in a corner and draped in festering human gunk.</p> <p>And therein lies the great inequality of all: not all parts of the home are made equal with regards to the ones we are willing to clean.</p> <p>In a recent <a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/AskReddit/comments/8qfm3u/professional_house_cleaners_of_reddit_what_do/">Reddit</a> thread that generated more than 7000 comments, professional cleaners shared the parts of the home most likely to be neglected when it comes to cleaning.</p> <p>According to the owner of professional cleaning service <a href="https://www.maidinmelbourne.com.au/">Maid in Melbourne</a>, Rita Dossis, the thread is “very accurate”.</p> <p>“Many of these things that you would assume people would be doing, they are not. Sometimes they look at the bigger picture and don’t notice the little things that need doing,” she says.</p> <p>We’ve summarised some of the most commonly ignored parts of the home, with Dossis telling us exactly what happens when they are left untouched for extended periods of time.</p> <p><strong>Mould in bathrooms, on walls and around windows</strong></p> <p>“There are spores that are not good for you,” Dossis says. “You need bleach to get rid of these and you should be keeping on top of it as they only multiply.”</p> <p>While it’s a simple tip, Dossis says not enough people are “opening [their] windows to get fresh air through the property” to avoid a build-up of mould.</p> <p><strong>Cleaning around door and cupboard handles and light switches </strong></p> <p>Considering how many hands are touching handles and light switches, it’s little surprise this one made the top of the list.</p> <p>“A simple quick wipe with a damp cloth [fixes] it up and is easier to maintain,” Dossis says.</p> <p><strong>Filters on your rangehood</strong></p> <p>When it comes to cleaning the filters on a rangehood, Dossis says they seem to fall in the old “out of sight, out of mind” bucket.</p> <p>“Put them through your dishwasher, they come out sparkling. If not [the] dishwasher, fill your sink with boiling hot water and detergent and then soak.”</p> <p><strong>Shower</strong></p> <p>A shower might clean you, but it certainly doesn’t clean itself, with Dossis noting it’s one of the most neglected parts of the home.</p> <p>“Clean this at least fortnightly, it keeps mould at bay and is much more pleasant to step into a clean shower. We had a client who thought his shower glass was opaque, after we cleaned it [spending over one hour on it] he called us to say he had not realised the glass was clear.”</p> <p><strong>Toothbrush holders</strong></p> <p>“Give it a good clean regularly, you don’t want to be putting your toothbrush into something that is breeding,” Dossis says.</p> <p>Shower curtains</p> <p>According to the professional cleaners of Reddit, shower curtains are one of the most neglected parts of the home when it comes to cleaning.</p> <p>“That’s the accumulation of body oils and fluids that has splashed off your body. You can disinfect and make a bathroom sparkle, however, the stench off the ripe curtain…,” the thread reads.</p> <p><strong>The dish drying rack</strong></p> <p>The dish drying rack, and particularly the bottom of it, is rarely considered in a major house clean.</p> <p>“Check the bottom of it,” Dossis suggests, saying, “soap scum and mould builds up”.</p> <p>“Replace your sponge regularly and wash your tea towels weekly,” she says. “Just because it does not look dirty doesn’t mean it’s not.”</p> <p><strong>Microwaves</strong></p> <p>Depending on how often you are using them, microwaves are also commonly forgotten when it comes to cleaning.</p> <p>Dossis says cleaning them takes only a handful of minutes.</p> <p>“Get a small bowl, put about one cup of water in it with maybe ½ cup white vinegar and then put on high for 4-5 minutes. Leave it for about 10-15 minutes, then open the door and wipe it out.</p> <p>“It’s quick, easy and gets rid of everything. If you use your microwave regularly just do this every few days. If you have put something in and it has splattered everywhere, clean it right then and there.”</p> <p><em>Written by Zara McDonald. Republished with permission of <span><strong><a href="https://www.domain.com.au/">Domain.com.au.</a></strong></span> </em></p>

Home & Garden

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Family forget 5-year-old daughter at airport

<p>Reminiscent of the famous film <em>Home Alone</em>, a 5-year-old child was left stranded at an airport after her parents forgot to take her with them.</p> <p>The child was abandoned at Stuttgart Airport, which is claimed to be one of Germany’s busiest locations, on Monday.</p> <p>Police say that travellers noticed the young girl wandering around with no accompanying adult as she looked confused and lost.</p> <p>While countless announcements were made through the airport's intercom system, her parents failed to show up to retrieve their daughter.</p> <p>Authorities had no other choice but to take the child to the police station where they received a phone call from her concerned mother.</p> <p>When asked how the situation managed to happen, she explained that after coming home from a family holiday, the couple headed home in two separate cars.</p> <p>According to police, both parents were under the assumption that the other had their daughter.</p> <p>“The five-year-old was eventually safely picked up by her father,” said a police spokesperson.</p> <p>The sequence of events reminded those online of the film <em>Home Alone</em>, where a child by the name of Kevin McCallister is left alone in New York after his parents forget to take him to Paris with them.</p> <p>“Honey, are the children with you? A simple and self-explanatory sentence!” said one social media user.</p> <p>“This can happen to any mother who knows how lively children can be. People who have no children should not have a say here. No mother does this deliberately,” said another.</p> <p>Do you think the situation could have been avoided? Let us know in the comments below.</p>

Travel Trouble