Latest news with #Rummikub
Time Magazine
08-05-2025
- Health
- Time Magazine
What My Two 98 Year Old Patients Taught Me About Longevity
Meet my patient Mrs. L. R. She's 98 years young and has never suffered a day of serious illness in her long life. She was referred to me by her primary care physician to assess her heart condition because she had developed swelling in her legs, known as edema. When we first met in the clinic, I noted there was no accompanying family member, so I asked how she got to the medical center. She'd driven herself. I soon learned much more about this exceptionally vibrant, healthy lady who lives alone, has an extensive social network, and enjoys her solitude. Her remarkable health span isn't shared by her family members. Her mother died at 59; her father at 64. Her two brothers died at 43 and 75. Three years prior to our meeting, her husband had died at 97. He had also been quite healthy, with a similar health span profile in contrast to his parents and siblings, who all had chronic diseases and died decades younger. Following her husband's death, Mrs. L. R. got depressed and dropped 30 pounds. She lost her interest in her hobbies of painting and doing 1,000-piece jigsaw puzzles. She did continue to play cards and Rummikub every week with a circle of eight women. One of these friends suggested she move from the house she'd lived in for decades to a senior residence apartment. The move led her to artists, new friends, and an extended social network. This all brought her back to her 'old' self, fully restoring her life's passions and getting back to a healthy weight. The consultation needed to determine why she had some leg edema. Although she had no history of high blood pressure, her heart was thickened on my echocardiogram and her heart muscle function was well beyond the normal range. Her ejection fraction, the proportion of blood squeezed out of the main pumping chamber with each beat, was abnormally high. I diagnosed hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. Her heart had become stiffened and had difficulty relaxing. This accounted for the leg edema, the treating of which was straightforward and was cleared within a few days. Mrs. L. R. exemplifies healthy aging. She is the unusual individual who has escaped all the common age-related diseases, defying what most of us expect from the human aging process. Her extreme health span and longevity, as well as her husband's, do not appear to be related to genetic makeup. Medical scientists don't understand it, but they would conclude, from all we know about the biology of aging and process of elimination, that it's stochastic, a random stroke of good fortune. In marked contrast, let me briefly introduce Mr. R. P., another patient whom I have followed for over 30 years, who is now also 98 and led a relatively healthy lifestyle. At 75, following coronary artery bypass surgery at 62, Mr. R. P. presented with chest pain with exertion. At the time, I placed two stents in one of his bypass grafts that had developed blockages, which stem from buildup of atherosclerosis that limits blood flow. He later developed rapid atrial fibrillation resistant to medications and underwent two ablation procedures to maintain a normal heart rhythm. Years later, he had a shoulder replacement and sustained a small heart attack post-operatively. At 96, he was hospitalized with COVID-19 pneumonia and, despite a prolonged hospitalization, did not develop respiratory failure and fully recovered. Mr. R. P. represents the triumphs of modern medicine. He had severe atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease, but with repeated restoration of blood supply to his heart and aggressive secondary prevention treatment, all was well. He embodies the medical progress we've made with age-related diseases. What's exciting now is that we can accurately forecast heart disease as well as the other major diseases of aging in high-risk individuals many decades earlier and achieve primary prevention, or, at the very least, a marked delay in their appearance. Doctors can't promise to reverse or halt aging itself, but we can promise that the second half of our lives can be much healthier than that of our forebears. This is the type of health span extension that we will be seeing far more commonly in the future owing to the phenomenal advances in lifestyle, cells, genomics, artificial intelligence, drugs, and vaccines. These dimensions all interact with one another: Our lifestyle factors influence our microbiome and cells. Our response to drugs and vaccines is modulated by our genomics and cells, and discovery of new drugs has been enhanced by gene variants and by AI. There are still formidable obstacles—including profound health inequity across the U.S.—but as we move forward, we will inevitably see suppression of age-related diseases that for many is unimaginable right now. It will take years to accomplish the far bolder objective of slowing the aging process itself. But when we do, super agers like Mrs. L. R. and Mr. R. P. will seem like an ordinarily vibrant group of people making valuable contributions to society. I recently turned 70, and I am hopeful that you and I will be among them.
Los Angeles Times
18-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Los Angeles Times
At this swanky L.A party, grab a martini, vibe to music and ... play Rummikub?
On a Saturday night in Beverly Hills, nearly 150 stylish people filter into a grandiose ballroom for an exclusive event. Martinis are flowing and skinny French fries are arriving on small plates. Upbeat music booms over the speakers, and laughter fills the lively space, which is adorned with marble walls, a massive wine cellar and a nearly $2-million Swedish sports car on display. But these guests aren't just here to mingle and sip on fancy cocktails. They're here to play Rummikub. Hosted by friends Marnie Wekselblatt and Laura Galvan, RummiKlub is the latest tabletop game club to pop up in Los Angeles at a time when people, particularly Gen Z and millennials, are seeking alternative ways to connect with others outside of bars and nightclubs. While some people have found community through physical activities such as run clubs, others are gravitating toward gatherings centered on nostalgic games and simpler times. Other popular game clubs include the Venice Backgammon Club; Love, Peace & Spades; Mahjong Mistress; and the L.A. Chess Club. Camber, a popular platform that highlights things to do and places to visit in L.A., occasionally hosts Rummikub events in L.A. as well. About a year ago, after discovering and falling in love with Rummikub — a decades-old tile-based strategy game that's a mix between the card game Rummy and Mahjong — Wekselblatt and Galvan started bringing the game with them to bars around L.A. 'People were always coming up to us like, 'Can I get in? Can I get in?' and we'd literally have crowds of people wanting to play,' says Wekselblatt, 29, an account director. 'And we were like, 'Wait, why don't we build on this momentum and make something bigger?' Wekselblatt and Galvan, who moved to L.A. from New York, hosted their first RummiKlub event in late February at a cozy coffee shop called Bravo Toast in West Hollywood. Fifty people showed up and 40 others were on the waitlist for the sold-out gathering that benefited the Madhappy Foundation's fire-relief efforts. Rachel Friedman, an influencer and host of Sirius XM show 'Dialed In' posted a raving review about RummiKlub on TikTok — saying a lot of 'hot, normal, smart' people attend — which helped spark more interest in the game club. Rummikub was created by Ephraim Hertzano in Romania in the 1940s, when card-playing was outlawed under the Communist regime. The goal of the game, which uses small, domino-like tiles instead of cards, is to be the first player to clear all your tiles from your rack by forming valid combinations of sets (either three or four tiles of the same number in different colors) and runs (three or more consecutive numbers all in the same color). While some people grew up playing this multigenerational game, some folks — particularly Gen Z and millennials like Wekselblatt and Galvan — are just now learning about it. RummiKlub's core audience is a combination of the two age groups. 'Game culture is having a moment,' says Wekselblatt. 'I think this game in particular is trending right now because you can play with multiple people. It's like strategy, it's fun [and] you can still be social while you play. So I think it's unique from the other games and it's easy to learn.' Galvan, 31, says RummiKlub differs from other game clubs because it's adjacent to nightlife but still maintains a nostalgic and wholesome vibe. 'I think people are just craving connection,' says Galvan, who is the director of social media for clothing brand Favorite Daughter. 'People aren't really looking to get wasted and go to a club all night. There needs to be other elements to going out and socializing, especially as you get past the 20-party stage. You can still get dressed up, wear a pointed heel, go out and meet a cute boy, but you're playing a game.' Inside the Beverly Hills RummiKlub event, which had a $50 entry fee, just about everything is branded with RummiKlub's logo, from drink coasters to customized Rummikub sets, to complimentary matches and goodie bags, which are filled with sponsored items like skincare and perfume. All skill levels are welcome to RummiKlub, and most veteran players are eager to teach newbies how to play. An instruction sheet for the game is placed on every table, and the founders walk around the room to help out and answer questions as well. But even if you're not interested in playing Rummikub at all, you can still attend and hang out at the bar where there are RummiKlub-branded decks of cards and puzzles. Once the match is over, guests are invited upstairs to a lounge area, which is fully equipped with a stage and a live DJ, to continue hanging out. Cailen Krasnoff, 29, of Santa Monica, attended the March event with her boyfriend, who's obsessed with the game. 'They are making Rummikub chic,' she says. 'They're making it cool. Rummikub is not a chic game, but they're making it fun.' Mark Adams of Long Beach, who was visiting Gravitas to inquire about becoming a member, stumbled upon RummiKlub's event and decided to hop into the game. 'I grew up playing this game with my aunts,' says Adams. 'It's probably been 20 years since I've played it. We'd stay until 4 a.m. playing it.' He was surprised by the crowd that RummiKlub attracted. 'I'm impressed by how sophisticated the people are that are playing it. It was just a backyard kind of family thing,' he adds. As the demand for their club continues to grow and more people discover or rediscover Rummikub, Wekselblatt and Galvan say they are looking forward to hosting monthly gatherings and collaborating with well-known brands. They also hope to expand RummiKlub to other major places like the Hamptons, New York City and Chicago, they say. The next L.A. event is April 24 at 7:30 p.m. at Gravitas in Beverly Hills. Tickets start at $35 for people who just want to hang and $50 for attendees who want to play Rummikub. 'We want people to leave [RummiKlub] and feel like they just experienced something that was elevated and cool,' says Galvan. 'That they felt confident and got to get dressed up and have a fun night out.'
BBC News
09-03-2025
- Health
- BBC News
Hosting people with dementia "incredibly rewarding"
A dementia day care service has said it needs more people to host small groups in their own homes. The Filo Project, a not-for-profit organisation, works with hosts who welcome people with early to moderate dementia into their home to spend the day are about 25 hosts in Somerset but more are needed to meet growing demand, particularly in Acreman, a host from South Petherton, said: "Dementia can be a really isolating experience, so it's incredibly rewarding to see people grow in confidence and make friends within the group." Ms Acreman added: "My group are renewing old hobbies and interests such as playing Rummikub, enjoying crafts and baking."The Filo Project was set up in 2014 to offer people with dementia a day of activity, company and conversation within a small group that meets weekly. It has supported more than 5,000 older people within their communities across require a largely step-free home with a downstairs toilet and five-door car to transport clients. It is a paid role and training is provided. Jude Pinder, the project's chief operating officer, said: "We don't necessarily need to have people to have previous experience as a carer."It's more important to us that people have got a caring nature, that they're able to weave the magic of making a group come together to have an exciting and fulfilling day."Clients come to the same host every week and it's that consistency that really helps people with dementia grow and flourish."
