Are We Giving Up on our Oldest Adults Benefiting from the Internet?
The Digital Have-Not’s – Our Oldest Adults – Closing the Gap
(Click on the link above to read a good summary of this issue written by blogger Laurie Orlov.)
Are we as a society just giving up on the 75+ age group as far as encouraging and teaching them about the valuable information, tools, and community they can find online?
People point out there is scarce funding to reach these people – they are the digital have-not’s. I think they are the digital “would be’s” if there were helpers to teach them about the benefits (connection with friends and family, health information, interesting stories, etc.) of online and to teach them how.
Locally-focused online communities focused on aging, grassroots reviews leading to accountability of service and product providers, social connection, information-sharing… this has to be one answer. Again, with some help to teach how.
Patients with Rare Diseases Jump-Start Research thru Social Media
Patients with “Orphan Diseases” Find Each Other Using Social Media Online & Jump Start Research
People who have “orphan diseases” (extremely rare diseases) often find that their local MD’s know very little about their disease because they may have never encountered it in their practice.
Some patients are taking matters into their own hands and finding each other online through social media to exchange information, experiences, and even spur researchers to do clinical trials.
Here’s one such success story about a young woman with a rare disease who found 70 other patients with her disease from around the world and inspired an MD (Dr. Sharonne Hayes) at Mayo Clinic to undertake new clinical trials.
Listen to the story here on NPR Morning Edition: Patients Find Each Other Online to Jump-Start Medical Research.
Some quotes from the story:
“Hayes set up a virtual patient registry and allowed patients from all over the world submit their medical records and scans online. In the first trial, Mayo enrolled 12 patients — and had to turn people away.
…The rise of social media has allowed patients to do for themselves what researchers like Hayes can’t: spread information about research. Through their personal Facebook pages, chat rooms and message boards, patients are recruiting each other in a kind of virtual word-of-mouth.
“This is not investigator-initiated research, this is patient-initiated research,” Hayes says, “and to a certain extent has been patient-sustained research in the case of our study.”
Mill Valley’s Senior’s Club Going Strong at 17 Years Old – for Boomers & Better!
Mill Valley’s Senior’s Club Going Strong at 17 Years Old – for Boomers & Better!
I suspect that many of you might not know about the Mill Valley Senior’s Club that’s been thriving at the MV Community Center for 11 years now in the new Center (and 6 at the old rec center).
This morning I met with K.C. Wilgenbush, Mill Valley’s Senior Services Coordinator – K.C. is a born-and-raised-in-Marinite who recognized early in her life how much she enjoys being around older adults. She studied and interned in social human services, and is warm, friendly and knowledgable about all sorts of fun events and useful services for Mill Valley older adults.
The Senior’s Club is a friendly group of adults 55+ – currently it has 260 members. The Club bases out of the Rec Center Terrace Room. Membership is not required to participate in the activities in the Senior Terrace Lounge, however a $25 annual membership fee includes a monthly newsletter listing all club activities, trips and special events.
Members meet every day of the week for a range of activities including standards like bridge, poker, bingo and scrabble and newer table games such as rummikub and skip-bo. A lively group of “Crafty Crafters” meets on Mondays and the “Nifty Knitters” meet on Thursdays.
The Senior’s Club is able to take advantage of the entire Community Center premises with classes such as Introductory Tai Chi and (the very popular) Intermediate Tai Chi class, pole walking and“Zumba Gold” (Latin and international dance rhythms) in the large Cascade Room, and Water Walking in the beautiful glassed-in pool.
This fall there will be new classes in:
- Conversational German
- Conversational Italian
- AARP Driver Safety Renewal Course (4 1/2 hrs)
- Lip Reading
- Candle Decorating
- Being an Effective Healthcare Advocate
- Medicare & Baby Boomers
K.C. organizes regular excursions to events such as plays in San Francisco, ballet at the Lesher Center in Walnut Creek, holiday luncheons at the Basque Cultural Center and day trips to places like Bodega Bay and the Glen Ellen Botanical Gardens.
Longer trips include an upcoming overnight trip to the Silver Legacy Hotel in Reno for the “Great Italian Festival”. In the past, the Senior’s Club has traveled together to the Northeast for fall color tours, NYC, and Alaska.
For more information, call K.C. at 415-383-1370, ext 107. You can also find more information online at Mill Valley Community Center “Mature Adult Programs”.
This is a great service provided by K.C. and our Parks & Rec Department!
The Sure Foundation Upon Which I Stand
The Sure Foundation Upon Which I Stand
“The sure foundation upon which I stand
turns out to be the center from which I seek.”
– Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche
When We Walk to the Edge of all the Light We Have
When We Walk to the Edge of all the Light We Have
“When we walk to the edge of all the light we have
And take that step into the darkness of the unknown,
We must believe that one of two things will happen:
There will be something solid for us to stand on,
or we will be taught how to fly.”
What you can do for an older relative you take to an emergency room
What you can do for an older relative you take to an emergency room
Here’s a link to an interesting article on NextAvenue.com (see link below) about the debate over whether Senior-focused Emergency Rooms are a good thing and necessary. Or whether MD’s and nurses just need a lot more training in geriatric care.
“Nationally, there are probably fewer than two dozen senior emergency rooms, says Sue Penoza, director of strategic planning at Trinity Health of Novi, Mich., one of the largest Catholic hospital systems in the United States.
All take older patients, generally anyone 65 and older, who aren’t experiencing potentially life-threatening traumas, like heart attacks or strokes, based on findings from an initial evaluaton in the regular ER. Common conditions seen by the medical staff in these special emergency rooms include falls, hip fractures, generalized weakness, abdominal pain and non-urgent chest pain.
The impetus is a growing understanding that older adults have unique medical needs and vulnerabilities that often aren’t very well served in traditional emergency rooms.”
Whether the Senior ER phenomenon will be a growing trend is unknown. In the meantime, this article describes some simple and important ways that family members can advocate for their loved ones in the ER’s to help make sure they receive better care.
What you can do for an older relative you take to an emergency room:
Make sure you bring your relative’s glasses or hearing aids to the hospital. Once the medical staff in the general ER rule out a life-threatening medical problem, ask if there is someone trained to work with older adults, or if the hospital has a senior ER. Ask nurses and doctors attending to the person what the plan of care is. Ask the medical staff if your relative can have food and water and make sure this happens, if appropriate. Speak up if the person’s needs aren’t being met. Be alert to signs of sudden confusion or disorientation that arise in the ER — these can signal the potential onset of delirium — and let medical staff know if this occurs.
Finding Help and Resources Related to Aging in Marin
Finding Help and Resources Related to Aging in Marin
One of the most common frustrations I hear voiced by baby boomer children of aging parents and from elders themselves in Marin is about how confusing it is to try and find answers and information on resources.
Last week I posted an article about a wonderful, new online senior housing resource we have here in Marin called Lucille’s List.
This week I am listing more local, aging-related, helpful web sites, print publications and telephone help lines provided by North Bay agencies and our county government.
- 457-INFO This is the Division of Aging and Adult Services help line which is staffed on weekdays. You can call and ask questions about anything related to aging in Marin and they will either have answers immediately or find answers and get back to you.
- Choices for Living 2012 This annual publication is another resource produced by Marin’s Division of Aging and Adult Services. In addition to information on specific kinds of housing available for seniors in Marin, there are helpful articles on topics such as how to evaluate a residential care home, evaluating skilled nursing facilities, and information on local housing assistance agencies.
- Whistlestop Directory of Services for Older Adults in Marin County 2012 Every two years, Whistlestop updates their directory listing information about all kinds of services including care managers, counseling services, seniors’ clubs, volunteer opportunities, support groups, financial services, recreation and more.
- The Whistlestop Express This newsletter is packed full of useful information, entertaining articles and local flavor. Download your copy from their website, pick up a copy in the last Friday issue of the Pacific Sun each month, or call them to sign up for a subscription to be mailed to your home.
- Whistlestop also has an Information and Referral “Help Desk” at 415-456-9062 staffed by volunteers who will work to help you find answers and resources.
- Born to Age 2012 This is an annual directory that contains very useful articles on a variety of aging-related topics and listings for most of the resources available to seniors throughout Marin and Sonoma.
- Marin Network of Care: Seniors and People with Disabilities This searchable database is another service provided by the Marin County Division of Aging and Adult Services. Its easy to use format allows readers to search for information on everything from legal services, safety and in-home services to employment, education, end of life and counseling assistance and more.
In addition to these fine resources, I believe there is a need in Marin for an interactive, vibrant online community information and resource exchange web site where grassroots citizens can exchange tips, ideas and personal testimonials about how they are navigating the terrain of growing older in Marin. Perhaps one will emerge in the future.
The Cornell Legacy Project – Short, Heartwarming Video Clips
Cornell Legacy Project
The Cornell Legacy Project has systematically collected practical advice from over 1500 older Americans who have lived through extraordinary experiences and historical events. They offer tips on surviving and thriving despite the challenges we all encounter. The project is based on the work of Cornell University gerontologist Karl Pillemer.
The interviews are focused on “lessons for living”. You can watch some of the wonderful, short video clips with some very wise and insightful octogenarians and nonagenarians on YouTube HERE.
One of the First Elder Abuse Shelters in the US Launches
With elder abuse on the rise, as is all domestic violence in this stressful time of financial struggle, there have been almost no shelters available for elder abuse victims in the entire country. The first elder abuse shelter in Ohio has just launched at Cedar Village Retirement Community.
“For decades, many communities have had shelters for victims of domestic violence. But those shelters do not fully meet the needs of older adults who are victims of abuse, even though the issues may be similar. About a half-dozen shelters for elderly abuse victims exist in nursing homes around the country—including in Connecticut, New Jersey, Rhode Island and Atlanta. The first opened six years ago in New York City.
Research indicates that more than one in ten elders may experience some type of abuse. Only one in five cases is reported. Annual estimates range from 700,000 to 3.5 million victims in the U.S. Elder abuse is defined as intentional or neglectful acts by a caregiver or “trusted” individual that lead to, or may lead to, harm of an elder. Abuse includes physical abuse, neglect, emotional or psychological abuse, verbal abuse and threats, financial abuse and exploitation, sexual abuse and abandonment. “
To read the rest of the article, click here Ohio’s First Elder Abuse Shelter .
Is Marin the New Boca or Scottsdale?
Marin County is the oldest county, population-wise, in California. It is also the fastest aging county in the state.
- Currently 1 in 4 people in Marin are 60 years old or older.
- In about 15 years, it is projected that 1 in 3 people will be 60 or older.
- The change in 60+ population from 2000 to 2010 has been a 41% increase.
- The projected change in 60+ population from 2010 to 2020 will be another 27%.
- The median age in Marin is 45; in Boca Raton it is 43. In Scottsdale, the US city with the oldest median age, it’s 46.
- In 11 areas in Marin, the average age is 51. Dillon Beach has the oldest median age at 58 years old.
The myth is that everybody in Marin is wealthy and well taken care of. This is not true. Many thousands of people in Marin live below the Federal Poverty Level and many more below the Adjusted Elder Index.
Many older people in Marin moved here and bought their homes many years ago when real estate was affordable. Now, they are “house rich and cash poor”. Some choose to sell their homes and move to new, more affordable locations. Some who love their communities in Marin, opt to stay and, if they reject reverse mortgages, are struggling to have enough money for food and medications.
The “silver tsunami” has arrived and is growing larger in Marin. Here is a link to the disturbing Marin County Grand Jury report from 5 years ago that accurately predicted what we see happening now. Aging in Marin – An Essay in Uneasiness .