Dr. Bill Thomas

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February 2008 Archives

February 1, 2008

Power Up Friday: “Away From Her"

The subject matter of this film - a woman in her early 60’s who develops Alzheimer’s disease - may put more than a few people off. But to avoid seeing “Away From Her” would be a mistake. It is simply one of the most beautiful films I have ever seen.

Julie Christie certainly deserves an Oscar for her amazing performance, but Gordon Pinsent is also remarkable as her husband, and Olympia Dukakis puts a special magic into everything she does. Here are my thoughts about the film’s subject matter:

The movie transcends others I have seen on this topic by looking past the usual “movie of the week” portrayal of the illness and discovering the richness of life, rather than the tragedy of disease. In doing so, it instructs us in the art of caring for people with dementia.

We see that a beautiful facility with bright natural light, family-style dining, a variety of programming choices and positive, friendly staff can nevertheless be lacking in the qualities that create home for others. We see the critical importance of preserving ones ability to give care as well as to receive it. We also see a richness of experiential observations from Fiona (Christie) that show that a person with dementia is so much more than a sum of what they can and cannot do.

In spite of her illness, Fiona is able to exhibit grace, wisdom, humor and compassion. She also shows that by letting go and entering the world of the person with Alzheimer’s you can often best reveal the person inside. And the film reaffirms my somewhat unpopular belief that people should not be segregated or stratified based on a disease or level of function.

There is certainly sadness, but it never appears in the places you might expect. Instead it dwells in the complexities of life, love and relationships, rather than in simplistic portrayals of the disease.

Most of all, the film shows the power of love. It reminds us that love is easy and rather common when things are going well, but it is an uncommon love indeed that navigates the rougher waters of life. And the greatest irony is that the wisest words throughout the remarkable script always seem to be spoken by the person with dementia:

“Sometimes there’s something delicious in oblivion.”

“I’m going, but I’m not gone.”

And, “People ought to be in love every single day.”

-- Al Power

Posted by Dr. Bill Thomas on February 1, 2008 7:27 AM |Permalink |Comments (5)

February 4, 2008

TGB's "This Week in Elder News"

[A sample of Elder news from Ronni Bennett at TGB: In this regular Saturday feature you will find links to news items from the preceding week related to elders and aging, along with whatever else catches my fancy that I think you might like to know. Suggestions are welcome with, however, no promises of publication.]

Few of the Democratic presidential candidates have addressed aging issues in the campaign. The Crone Speaks has a good story about where each one stands and how the oldest, Hillary Clinton, who enjoys a large following among elders, is not the best choice. The story was written before John Edwards dropped out of the race. (Hat tip to Naomi Dagen Bloom of A Little Red Hen)

Speaking of the presidential campaign, you can quickly check which candidate holds positions most closely matched to your own with the Candidate Calculator. When I checked mine, the Calculator was dead on. Unfortunately, most of the candidates aren’t in the race any longer.

According to a new study from U.S. and British researchers, middle age is prime time for depression among both men and women. The good news is that if you make it to age 70, you’ll be as happy as you were at age 20. (Hat tip to Chancy of driftwoodinspiration)

According to a new story from The New York Times' excellent reporter on aging issues, Gina Kolata, elders can enjoy better health and maintain muscle strength far into old age if they will just train hard and train often. I don’t mean to make light of this information, but 10Ks and marathons are not in my future.

Brian Retchless, who is the production coordinator for the WGHB Lab in Boston, emailed inviting anyone who has ever cared for an aging relative to submit a short video about how it changed their life and relationships. The best will be included in an April PBS broadcast, Caring For Your Parents. The submission deadline is 22 February, and if you’re interested in participating, there is more information here.

Unlimited spending got us into this new recession and now the government is sending money to taxpayers and encouraging them to spend it which will do more for China than the U.S. It begs the question, who are the morons running this country. Average credit card debt per person is just under $10,000 and the national savings rate is in minus figures. Here’s a little history lesson on how we got where we are today. (6:05 minutes)

Posted by Kavan Peterson on February 4, 2008 9:23 AM |Permalink |Comments (0)

Yes We Can

From Bill and Jude Thomas...

In all of our time traveling the country, meeting and working with people who want to make a difference in the lives of elders and those who care for elders, we have known that there was a larger need, so far unmet.

Our nation needs to remember how and why we came to be as a people, what ideas inspired us and united us.

We saw this short video over the weekend and knew instantly that it was about that larger conversation.

It is the political statement that is most like the philosophy of change that Jude and I hold dear.

www.yeswecansong.com

Please watch it and consider voting for Obama on election day in your state.

The Democratic Party has two strong candidates running for president this year but we think Obama is best suited to meeting the needs of this moment in the shared history of this great nation.

If after you watch the clip you feel moved by the shared promise of its message please consider sending the link to people you know and care about.

Posted by Dr. Bill Thomas on February 4, 2008 10:36 AM |Permalink |Comments (0)

The Crone Speaks...

... and I listen. I might not agree, I do not have to agree, but I'll listen, if I'm smart.

Here's her opening...

Conspicuously missing from the discourse of the presidential campaign is the topic of aging, as Naomi points out here. In fact, if you are specifically looking for the candidates stances on aging issues, you have to go directly to their respective websites, because it does not get much, if any, play in the media. And I find that I really need to address this, in part, because of CNN’s exit polls that say Clinton benefited the most from the over 65 vote. That boggles my mind, because as the oldest front-running candidate, she has said the least on aging issues.

Please consider reading the whole post, it is excellent.

Posted by Dr. Bill Thomas on February 4, 2008 1:35 PM |Permalink |Comments (2)

February 5, 2008

Stop and Look and Listen

ChangingAging reader Lily Jarman-Reisch passes along notice of this interesting YouTube clip. It really highlights how crazy fast the world is becoming and how amazed people are when we "just stop" even for a few minutes. Elders have been talking about the need to stop and think for several millenia now. I am happy to see younger people putting these ideas into circulation as well.

Posted by Dr. Bill Thomas on February 5, 2008 5:44 AM |Permalink |Comments (2)

Now There is No Doubt...

Double dipping is bad...

Keep an eye on the salsa this Super Bowl Sunday: A researcher inspired by a famous "Seinfeld" episode has concluded that double dipping is just plain gross.
Double dipping "is like putting your whole mouth right in the dip," a Clemson University researcher says.

"That's like putting your whole mouth right in the dip!" George Costanza was admonished on the show after he dipped a chip twice at a wake. That's not too far off, said Clemson University professor Paul L. Dawson.

Last year the food microbiologist's undergraduate students examined the effects of double dipping using volunteers, wheat crackers and several sample dips. They found that three to six double dips transferred about 10,000 bacteria from an eater's mouth to the remaining dip sample.

"I was very surprised by the results," Dawson said in a telephone interview Thursday. "I thought there would be very minimal transfer. I didn't think we would be able to detect it."

The professor said the students' research didn't get into the risk behind such a bacteria transfer, but they got the idea.

"I like to say it's like kissing everybody at the party -- if you're double dipping, you're putting some of your bacteria in that dip," Dawson said.

Posted by Dr. Bill Thomas on February 5, 2008 4:02 PM |Permalink |Comments (0)

February 6, 2008

111 Shirtless Men

Posted by Dr. Bill Thomas on February 6, 2008 5:56 AM |Permalink |Comments (1)

February 7, 2008

You Must Remember This...

Social change is slow and fitful but it does make and remake our world. Consider this post from Matthew Yglesiasat the Atlantic Monthly blog. He picks up on a post from on Feministing.com that offers a look inside a now bizarre handbook for managing female employees.

This 1943 article offering tips on how to manage female employees for business driven by WWII exigencies to expand their labor pool is pretty hilarious. Among other things, you've got to stay away from the skinny ones:
3. While there are exceptions, of course, to this rule, general experience indicates that "husky" girls – those who are just a little on the heavy side – are likely to be more even-tempered and efficient than their underweight sisters.

It's always striking to be reminded that though the pace of change often feels frustrating slow when you're working for it, an incredibly amount of progress has actually been made thus far during the lifetimes of the older people alive today.

Posted by Dr. Bill Thomas on February 7, 2008 4:32 PM |Permalink |Comments (0)

February 8, 2008

Talking About Kupuna

I sat down with KGMB9's (Honolulu) own Howard Dicus to talk about "The Genius of Aging" and this is what happened...

Posted by Dr. Bill Thomas on February 8, 2008 6:09 AM |Permalink |Comments (0)

Power Up Friday: Honoring Our Elders

The latest edition of the Administration on Aging's "Profile of Older Americans" has been released. Here are a few highlights:

We are becoming more elder-rich. Older Americans, (those 65 and over), now account for 1 in 8 Americans. Elders have increased 10% over the past ten years, and currently number over 37 million. There are nearly 74,000 centenarians.

Our elder population will "boom" soon. The number of people aged 45 - 64, (tomorrow's elders), increased by 39% in the same period, as our "Baby Boomers" move toward becoming "Elder Boomers".

Elders continue to raise children. Nearly a half million elders have primary responsibility for grandchildren who live with them.

Many elders have little or no "nest egg". Nearly 10% live below the poverty level. A third of all elders derive 90% of their income from Social Security.

Elders are overall better educated. From 1970 - 2006, the number of elders with a high school diploma rose from 28% to 77.5%. About 20% of our current elders hold bachelor's degrees.

Elders' health expenses are high. Out-of-pocket costs averaged $4331 last year, over 12% of their total expenses. About 20% of that ($887) was for medications.

If you went to college, you are doing okay.... Elders with a degree had an increase in median household income from $80,000 to $87,000 over the past 20 years.

But if you didn't finish high school, you probably are doing poorly. Median household income dropped from nearly $30,000 in 1984 to only $28,403 in 2004.

Racial disparities persist. Median incomes are 30% lower in people of color and poverty rates are disproportionately high, especially among older African-American and Hispanic women who live alone (about 40% living in poverty).

"Social capital" remains critical. From Laura Beck, Program Director of Eden At Home: About 80% of home care services are provided by family care partners. This represents about 257 billion dollars in unpaid labor yearly.

Commentary: Other than grandparenting and workforce figures, the report makes no mention of the many gifts we have received, and continue to receive, from this amazing group of people. Debates about rising costs of elder care should be framed within a much larger discussion: How should our society honor its elders?

-- Al Power

Posted by Dr. Bill Thomas on February 8, 2008 9:15 AM |Permalink |Comments (0)

February 9, 2008

The Unusualist...

Raymond Crowe call himself an "unusualist" I'm glad he found his calling...

Here are some technorati links you might find interesting.

Posted by Dr. Bill Thomas on February 9, 2008 5:56 AM |Permalink |Comments (0)

De-Lurk!

Honestly--- de-lurking is fun...

Posted by Dr. Bill Thomas on February 9, 2008 7:54 AM |Permalink |Comments (0)

Power Up Redux: "Away From Her"

[Editor's note: This comment was originally posted by Al Power in response to some fantastic comments on his post about the film "Away From Her." Since it's longer than the original post (and hard to read in the comments section as Naomi pointed out :), I thought it's worth putting up by itself.]

Well, now we're getting somewhere!!

Let me try to explain where I'm coming from in a somewhat coherent way:

First, regarding plot believability (in "Away From Her"), I tried to steer away from those concerns - I could also nitpick some of the details, but I was looking at this movie from a whole different place. I don't see it as overly pretty or rose-colored at all. In fact I think it asks harder questions than "The Savages" did. The latter movie hits the more obvious problems with nursing home care, (all very legitimate), and the family issues rang extremely true to me in that movie, as I have said previously.

"Away From Her", however, touched on areas that I have been wrestling with in my current writings. A major difficulty most people have with my ideas stems from the nature of this disease. It's far easier to make a film that finds hope in coping with, say, cancer or paraplegia without being accused of being Polyanna-ish. But there's something inherently difficult in the concept of losing one's cognitive abilities - people find it much harder to see this as anything but the worst of tragedies. I think we'd all rather lose just about anything than our mental faculties, and many would choose death first.

What I'm trying to say is that it is this very tragic view of Alzheimer's disease that has caused our whole medical and elder care system to treat it purely as tragedy, and to view the person with dementia as fundamentally and irretrievably broken beyond repair.

This has played out in the ways we resort to institutionalized, segregated and programmatic approaches, and resort to medications that we would never rush to use on people in any other state. There is no more disempowered, "abandoned" person in our medical care system than the one with dementia.

As a result, most caregivers don't even bother to, as Fiona said, "try to find a little grace" in a bad situation. And that is what to me is much deeper than The Savages.

It's easy to show a crowded, dingy nursing home with crass lighting, but to show a country club atmosphere with people that say all the right things and still make such incredibly poor choices for those who live there is, to me, a far deeper indictment of how our elder care system needs fixing.

It is this same attitude toward dementia that leads many loved ones to take on the person's disease more as their own personal tragedy, which is what Fiona's husband did. It certainly was a tragedy for him as well, but he kept trying to shake her back to a place her mind could no longer occupy, because he could not find that grace and acceptance of her illness that she had somehow come to terms with in her own way. That is something I see quite often. And his attempts to shake her back to "normalcy" mirror our usual medical approach to people with dementia - it's like pushing a paraplegic out of their chair to try and force them to walk.

And when people fail to respond to our efforts, we medicate them for failing. I liked it that Fiona said that she preferred to sit with Aubrey because "He doesn't confuse me". What I also liked was that Grant finally discovered that the best way to connect to his wife was to go to her place, even if it wasn't his own reality.

This is the core of my work with viewing dementia from an experiential, rather than a neurochemical standpoint, and conforming the environment to the person's needs, rather than trying to force them back into "normal" patterns that no longer exist.

While it certainly doesn't cure the disease, some amazing "blossomings" have resulted - and people often do things that many doctors said were beyond their capability. (There are a few people with dementia who have traveled the world as spokespeople for those with the disease. In her book Dancing With Dementia, patient/author Christine Bryden writes that she has been called a "liar" by neurologists, because she shows a picture of her MRI scan at her talks and they refuse to believe that a woman with such a "swiss cheese" brain appearance can stand up and lecture!)

So ultimately, as crazy as it may sound, I choose to see each person with dementia as a person capable of continued growth, development and engagement with life, in spite of the fact that they have a disease that will, as Grant said, "progress".

And that view informs my out-of-the-box notions of how to care for people with the disease. This is the only movie I've ever seen about dementia that has dared to challenge our conventional view that there is little more than tragedy and loss, and to show the complex capacities that many people maintain well into their disease, (that our usual approach to care unfortunately stifles and suppresses).

What I'm saying may sound hopelessly naive in theory, but when 40% of people with dementia in nursing homes in the US and other developed countries are on antipsychotic drugs and only 7% of mine are, I think there is reason for hope.

Thanks for the responses!

-- Al

Posted by Dr. Bill Thomas on February 9, 2008 12:57 PM |Permalink |Comments (1)

February 10, 2008

What is a Meme?

The ever reliable and interesting Alex M leads us all to an interesting site that explores the value of "intentional community."

The page delivers a nice summary of the core issues.

Spend some time in the Hypertext Bazaar, you'll be glad you did.

I especially liked the video (from TED) posted 1.31.08-- the story about the grandfather really helps explain what elders are all about...

Posted by Dr. Bill Thomas on February 10, 2008 5:45 AM |Permalink |Comments (1)

February 11, 2008

The Audacity of Gloom

Not long ago, I pointed ChangingAging readers to the Yes We Can Song video. I put it forward as an example of the power of ideals, of hope, clearly expressed and shared with others. The story behind that video revolved around a small group of talented people who got together and "mashed up" music, oratory by Barack Obama and images.

Well, one of the things I love about the ability of the internet to put intellectual content creation and distribution into the hands of people is that it begins to counteract the power that is currently held by the vast media conglomerates.

So.

The Yes We Can Song video inspired a group of comedians to create the "audacity of gloom" video and here it is. If you have not seen the original video watch it first, it will make the second video even more funny.

And how about this?

Posted by Dr. Bill Thomas on February 11, 2008 1:47 PM |Permalink |Comments (1)

February 12, 2008

More Than Just Pills

Emily writes to let me know that there is a new study that looks at an integrated approach to depression among elders.

Published in the February issue of the American Journal of Managed Care, the results examine the long-term effects of the IMPACT (Improving Mood - Promoting Access to Collaborative Treatment for Late Life Depression) care model on the health care costs of 551 study participants at Kaiser Permanente of South California and Group Health Cooperative of Puget Sound, enrolled in cooperation with the University of Washington.

The IMPACT treatment model features a depression-care manager (a nurse,
social worker or psychologist) who works with the primary care physician
and a consulting psychiatrist to care for depressed patients in their
primary care clinic. An earlier study, in the Dec. 11, 2003, Journal of
American Medical Association, shows that the model provides powerful
overall health benefits.

Why this study is important:

· Clinical depression affects about 3 million older adults in the
United States and is associated with 50 to 70 percent higher health care
expenses, mostly due to an increased use of medical, not mental health,
services.

· Over a four-year period, patients enrolled in the IMPACT study
had over $3,000 lower total health care costs than those in usual care,
including the roughly $500 cost of the IMPACT depression care program.

· Costs in every category (inpatient and outpatient medical and
mental health services, and total pharmacy costs) were lower in the
patients who were assigned to IMPACT.

Posted by Dr. Bill Thomas on February 12, 2008 9:25 AM |Permalink |Comments (0)

Masters Students Conquer Mountain of Knowledge

I have often noted that the Masters students at Erickson are exceptional people. I am honored to be called their teacher.

Here a are a couple of photos from last weekend's class meeting. The entire group worked together to synthesize the content from the Aging 600 course that I co-taught with Judah Ronch.

Good times!

And here is the product of that combined brain-power.

Posted by Dr. Bill Thomas on February 12, 2008 3:33 PM |Permalink |Comments (2)

February 13, 2008

Hell On Earth

Ruth at Cab Drollery goes strong to the hoop. This is the opening but please do not miss the conclusion.

Verily I say unto you, I missed something in the transition from born again Christian whose favorite philosopher is Jesus Christ to torture advocate violating the laws he swore to enforce.
There will not be a passing of the plate or a healing ceremony to follow.

There was something else in the Bible about a Sermon on the Mount, beginning with the Beatitudes (blessings earned by doing the right thing), which is the crib notes on that message in the New Testament. It was about the poor and unfortunate, not getting rich. I recall that it was about the real object of Christian charity, and there was nothing about rich people being expected to spread the good works if you gave them a big pile of money.

I have this distinct impression that the main character in the New Testament thought it was easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to get into paradise. Guess he saw some of the same kind of logic we're seeing out of this White House justifying stealing from the poor to give to the rich.

Other funny things that have happened to the faith I was raised in, is this association with toughness. The teachings I got included Jesus healing the ear of the Roman soldier that his disciple Peter had just cut off. Waterboarding and sleep deprivation, extreme temperatures, threats, sorry, I missed that part. There is nothing about taking the lives of innocents to advance an abstract concept such as security or democracy, either.

Posted by Dr. Bill Thomas on February 13, 2008 6:39 AM |Permalink |Comments (2)

February 14, 2008

I Like This Book

Crones Don't Whine

by Jean Shinoda Bolen

“ The outer path we take is public knowledge, but the path with heart is an inner one. The two come together when who we are that is seen in the world coincides with who we deeply are. “

Jean Shinoda Bolen

A review...

With her new release, Crones Don't Whine, Jean Shinoda Bolen has given a much-needed boost to old ladies. We've been much maligned over the years, stuck in the rocking chair by the fire (or the heater) with our knitting needles, our socially responsible activities limited to baking cookies for church bazaars. But as Bolen points out, the women's revolution has redefined our roles, and it's now time to elevate the older woman to the status of "crone."

Crone is an old word which, along with hag, has been associated with the image of an ugly shriveled old woman. But the word has been redeemed by feminists now growing old, with a cheerful re-reading of the old stories, beginning with Clarissa Pinkola Estes' Women Who Run With the Wolves, where the archetype of the old woman appears as guide and teacher, and Barbara Walker's book Crone. Menopause is now rightly seen as a cathartic process from which we emerge with a gritty character imbued with self-knowledge, and the word crone is now bestowed as a kind of honorary life credential which implies the many good qualities that do come with satisfied aging.

The whole review is here...

Posted by Dr. Bill Thomas on February 14, 2008 5:21 AM |Permalink |Comments (0)

We Are Too Poor To Afford Childhood and Old Age

I get tired of people saying that we are so poor a nation that we can not afford to care for the young, the old, the sick, the injured and the frail.

Then I ask, "Why are we so poor?"

Posted by Dr. Bill Thomas on February 14, 2008 11:50 AM |Permalink |Comments (0)

February 15, 2008

Power Up Friday: Thinkin' 'bout home edition

Dr. Al Power writes...

A new study has been published in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, and like many studies, it raises some important issues, but does not address some larger concerns. A group of people living in nursing homes (or their proxies) were interviewed regarding whether they could transition back to community living. Fewer than 1 in 4 elders or their proxies felt this was feasible, although nearly half stated a preference to do so. After discussing possibilities for community support, the number who thought they could make such a move increased to 1 in 3. The study concluded that transitioning back to the community is a complex decision and that a systematic approach was needed to help people address this issue. Some questions raised in my mind:
More residents felt they could move back home than their proxies. How much of this is due to the resident being unrealistic, and how much due to families not understanding their elders' wishes?
How many of the elders felt they could not go back home because the institutional system has convinced them that they are helpless and unable to do more for themselves, or make more choices?
The MDS (a quarterly survey which is used to assess people in nursing homes) did not identify all of the people who wanted to move back home. How much more information is missed by our standardized assessments?

The larger question which was not addressed was: What if there were another option: a small non-institutional home for 8-10 elders, with skilled care provided by constant, enlightened universal workers, and visiting doctors and nurses? How many would want to leave then?

The citation is Nishita CM et al., JAGS 2008;56(1):1-7.

Posted by Dr. Bill Thomas on February 15, 2008 6:33 AM |Permalink |Comments (2)

February 18, 2008

GAO Head David Walker is Out

Here is the news...

David M. Walker, head of the Government Accountability Office, announced Friday that he would resign his position effective March 12 to head a new foundation.
Walker, who has served as comptroller general since late 1998, will be president and chief executive officer of the Peter G. Peterson foundation, which GAO said will be dedicated to "seeking and supporting sensible policy solutions to a range of sustainability and transformation challenges."

Walker said Peterson, senior chairman of the Blackstone Group, a financial services firm headquartered in New York, and former Commerce secretary and Council on Foreign Relations chairman, asked him to head the new foundation within the last few months, and he was undecided until very recently.

Why should you care?

The nation's top accountant has watched with growing alarm as the amount of money the country owes has skyrocketed.
"We're underwater to the tune of $50 trillion, and that number is going up three to four trillion a year on autopilot. So we need to start getting serious soon in order to make sure that our future is better than our past," David Walker, the head of the Government Accountability Office, told CNN in a recent interview.

As of March 1, 2007, the federal debt was $8.78 trillion -- $5 trillion of which was treasury bills, bonds and other securities held by entities outside the government.

The figure Walker cites includes future payments that government entitlement programs would have to pay, including $32 trillion owed by Medicare.

Federal spending on Medicare, and also Social Security and Medicaid, will increase dramatically as the programs expand to accommodate the large baby boomer population, Walker said in testimony on January 2007 before the Senate Budget Committee. The baby boomers become eligible in 2008 for Social Security and in 2011 for Medicare.

The increase in federal spending on those programs, along with rising health care costs, and a burgeoning population with longer life expectancies, could make the debt unsustainable over the next 20 years, Walker said.

So, in an attempt to educate Americans about this "long-range problem," Walker has embarked on a national expedition of sorts over the last year, conducting town hall meetings in 19 states on the shape of the federal deficit. He calls it a "fiscal wakeup tour."

Hey we are proud that he brought that tour right to the UMBC campus. Those interested in getting a Fiscal Wakeup can watch the whole show right here:

But the question is -- what's next?

From DailyKos...

The head of the GAO is resigning. That means Bush may get the chance to appoint his successor for a fifteen-year term as the federal government's chief watch dog.

Ouch...

Posted by Dr. Bill Thomas on February 18, 2008 5:52 AM |Permalink |Comments (4)

12 People who Are Changing Aging

Or your retirement, to be exact. The Wall Street Journal over the weekend looked into their crystal ball and profiled 12 folks, including myself, "whose work, in effect, is shaping the future of retirement."

From the Encore section of the WSJ, editor Glenn Ruffenach explains:

One thing we try to do with each issue of Encore is to get you to think about retirement and later life -- how you might spend your time and money. As it turns out, a lot of people are thinking about your retirement, and our cover story tells you what they have in mind.

Kelly Greene, a staff reporter in The Wall Street Journal's Atlanta bureau, asked experts in aging across the country to identify those individuals whose ideas and work are likely to have the biggest impact on the future of retirement. The 12 people she profiles already are pushing their plans out of offices and labs and into older adults' lives. We think it makes for an instructive and fascinating read.

We at ChangingAging.org agree. We'll feature all 12 of the WSJ's profiles over the next couple of weeks. Today -- The Numbers Guy

William Bengen
It's the most frequent question, and biggest concern, for many people approaching retirement: How big a nest egg will I need, and how do I make it last?

William Bengen is working on that.

Mr. Bengen, a certified financial planner in El Cajon, Calif., has already achieved what amounts to rock-star status in the retirement-planning business. His pioneering research in the 1990s gave rise to the "4% rule": Withdraw no more than about 4% a year from your nest egg, and it's highly likely that your savings will last 30 years. That finding has already helped to establish budgets and spending patterns for numerous retirees.

Today, Mr. Bengen, age 60, continues to refine his research. In 2006, he introduced a method of withdrawing funds from nest eggs that tailors the 4% rule to individual circumstances. (It's online at www.fpanet.org/journal. Click on "Past Issues & Articles," then on "Past Issues," and go to August 2006.) And now, he is researching, he says, "the possibility that dividend-paying stocks, particularly those that increase dividends over time, might provide a better retirement resource than the S&P 500." As Mr. Bengen explains: "The thesis is that those have at least as high a total return as S&P 500 stocks, and they have lower volatility.... If you have stocks that don't go down as much in the bear markets, you're better off."

Mr. Bengen doesn't see himself as shaping baby boomers' financial future. He says he simply wants to help his 60 or so clients.

"I was starting to get some clients who were planning for retirement," he recalls, "and they were asking me, 'How much can I take out, and how should I set up my investments?' And I couldn't find a thing substantiated by any research."
-- By Kelly Greene, The Wall Street Journal

Tomorrow -- Harnessing Technology

(Or read ahead here)

Posted by Dr. Bill Thomas on February 18, 2008 12:00 PM |Permalink |Comments (0)

February 19, 2008

AARP U@50 Winners!

UPDATE

Originally Posted Sept. 10, 2007:

I like this...

The "U@50" Challenge has been announced by the
Office of Academic Affairs at AARP and is already
generating great national interest.

U@50 asks those in their twenties to ponder the
question: Where do you see yourself by the time you
turn 50? To answer the question, contestants produce
a one to two minute video sharing their vision of the
future. The winner will receive $5,000 with other
cash prizes for the top five videos chosen.

I look forward to watching the entries--- they should be great.

Well, AARP released the winners last week and I have to say I'm a little disappointed. Of the top five, only Number Two really captured my attention --

Awesome.

Number Five was good for a laugh:

Take a look at the winners here: http://www.youtube.com/uat50

Posted by Dr. Bill Thomas on February 19, 2008 7:17 AM |Permalink |Comments (1)

Sock Puppet Theater...

Smarter than you think!

Posted by Dr. Bill Thomas on February 19, 2008 11:16 AM |Permalink |Comments (0)

12 People Who Are Changing Aging No. 2

[Editors note -- this is a continuation of 12-part feature by The Wall Street Journal profiling "pioneers who are shaping the way Americans will live, work and play in later life."]

Number 2 -- Harnessing Technology

In the mid-1990s, before joining MIT, Prof. Joseph Coughlin was working for a federal contractor, studying the aging population's potential impact on transportation.
"It was like unwrapping an onion," he remembers. "We hadn't thought about housing, [or] the future of work. And we certainly hadn't thought about transportation."

That epiphany led to the creation, in 2000, of AgeLab, where Prof. Coughlin and his colleagues are designing -- and pushing companies to embrace -- technology that will enhance older adults' daily lives.

One of his favorite breakthroughs is a "personal adviser" that Procter & Gamble Co. has licensed, based on AgeLab research, to help food shoppers identify products that are healthy for them. The device, to be attached by supermarkets to their grocery carts, is like a minicomputer with a scanner. Shoppers insert smart cards that contain their dietary particulars. Then, as they shop, they swipe products past the scanner to get the device's opinion. Let's say you're prehypertensive and scan a box of crackers; after reading the bar code, Prof. Coughlin says, the adviser may suggest trying a different product with a lot less salt.

Tomorrow -- Helping People Stay Home.

Posted by Dr. Bill Thomas on February 19, 2008 12:00 PM |Permalink |Comments (0)

February 20, 2008

12 People Who Are Changing Aging No. 3

[Editors note -- this is a continuation of 12-part feature by The Wall Street Journal profiling "pioneers who are shaping the way Americans will live, work and play in later life."]

Number Three: Helping People Stay Home

For no small number of people, aging means losing their independence -- and, eventually, leaving their homes.

Someday, technology being developed by Eric Dishman and his staff at Intel Corp. may help people stay in their homes longer.

Mr. Dishman has focused on ways to assist the elderly since he was a teenager helping care for a grandparent with Alzheimer's disease. Years later, he was working for Microsoft Corp. co-founder Paul Allen on a "nursing home of the future," he says, when someone made an observation that helped alter his approach to the matter completely.

"Someone said, 'I think we asked the wrong question,' " he recalls. " 'It's not how can we make the nursing home better through technology, but how can technology keep people independent?' "

Mr. Dishman, 39, is general manager in charge of product research and innovation for Intel's Digital Health Group. Prototypes emerging from his group's offices and labs have a Jetsons-like feel: a carpet with sensors that may reduce the risk of a fall; a "caller ID on steroids," which shows and tells you who is at the front door and when you last spoke; a system that helps people with memory problems cook for themselves.
-- By Kelly Greene (Photo courtesy The Wall Street Journal)

Tomorrow -- Helping People Leave Home (THIS ONE hits close to home too!)

Posted by Dr. Bill Thomas on February 20, 2008 9:00 AM |Permalink |Comments (1)

February 21, 2008

12 People who Are Changing Aging No. 4

[Editors note -- this is a continuation of 12-part feature by The Wall Street Journal profiling "pioneers who are shaping the way Americans will live, work and play in later life."]

Yesterday, Brenda from MAgS made this excellent comment in response Eric Dishman's laudable efforts to help people live independently:

Staying home is great, and seems to be what everyone wants. But where is the healthcare? In a CCRC, healthcare is available whenever it is needed. At home, unless links have been made in advance, getting healthcare can become a real obstacle to staying put, and people should not be fooled that technology can fully take the place of personal care.

Here's what's at the heart of this debate: Our society judges the worthiness of individuals based almost entirely on their ability to function and act like adults. There's good reason why most folks want to live independently -- failing to live independently is tantamount to failing to be an "adult." The consequences ARE SEVERE. Failing to be an adult can result in loss of home, loss of possessions, having your pets euthanized and ultimately, the loss of freedom, privacy and dignity.

I am keenly interested in the idea of aging in community as a successor to America's increasingly outmoded devotion to Aging in Place. Aging in Place lionizes the private family home as the ONLY legitimate place where older people can and should live. I suppose one could argue that back when we all lived in close proximity to a large network of close blood relatives, aging in place was the natural order of things. But guess what?

The world has changed and our understanding of aging needs to change as well. What people in late life need, in addition to privacy, safety and dignity, is to be part of a real flesh and blood community. The need to be able to participate in a range of meaningful relationships, people (of all ages) need to care and to know that others care about them.

Living alone in a typical detached family dwelling (minus the family) cannot serve this need and that is why I think that Aging in Place is failing us as an organizing concept for the last half of life.

These ideas bring us to the next WSJ Changing Aging profile and a familiar face to the Erickson School family -- John Erickson, founder of Erickson Retirement Communities, who helped launch the Erickson School and continues to be a committed partner in our work. John's genius has, I think, revolved around making the decision to "leave home" into a move toward something -- a vibrant community-- rather than a move away from something-- leaky gutters.

Number Four -- Helping People Leave Home.

In contrast to Mr. Dishman, John Erickson sees a future where millions of Americans leave their homes in later life. And he's preparing your accommodations.

Mr. Erickson, 63, is chairman and chief executive of closely held Erickson Retirement Communities, one of the country's largest developers of continuing-care retirement communities. In a CCRC, residents are guaranteed access to different levels of long-term care as they age.

Starting in Maryland in 1983 with a single facility (a renovated seminary), Mr. Erickson began developing retirement "campuses," where residents, among other activities, can produce their own TV shows. Today, the company has 20 CCRCs with 21,000 residents in 11 states. Mr. Erickson hopes to nearly double that number in five years.

Why should we leave our homes in later life? "Accidents, falls, depression, isolation," Mr. Erickson answers. "That's not what was meant for the last half of retirement."

Beyond housing, Mr. Erickson also may have a hand in shaping what older adults watch on television. In the past two years, he has spent an estimated $100 million building Retirement Living TV, a cable network focused on later life. He also donated $5 million in 2004 to start a professional program at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County, that combines management, policy and aging issues.
-- By Kelly Greene, The Wall Street Journal

Tomorrow -- A Life of Purpose.

Posted by Dr. Bill Thomas on February 21, 2008 10:00 AM |Permalink |Comments (1)

February 22, 2008

Age Games

I caught this comment on a right of center political blog a while ago and have been meaning to blog about it...

"Romney is certainly my choice;however,I do not live in a primary state. Come November I will vote for McCain---never Hillary. Romney is still a young man. Why not Romney for Veep?

Mitt Romney is "still a young man."

How interesting. When was Mitt Romney born?

Our friend the Wikipedia tells us that...

Willard Mitt Romney (born March 12, 1947 in Detroit, Michigan) is an American businessman and politician. Formerly the Governor of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, Romney unsuccessfully ran for the Republican nomination in the 2008 United States presidential election.

There is another presidential candidate who is just about Mitt's age. Guess who.

Hillary Diane Rodham Clinton (born October 26, 1947) is the junior United States Senator from New York, and a candidate for the Democratic nomination in the 2008 presidential election. She is married to Bill Clinton—the 42nd President of the United States—and was the First Lady of the United States from 1993 to 2001.

So Mitt "still a young man" Romney is six month older than Hillary Clinton.

A comment from a different right of center blog tells the tale...

Running in 2012 is not an option. First she’s getting too old and secondly she would be fighting an uphill battle against an incumbent president, be it McCain or Obama, eevn if she won the nomination the 2nd time around. Losing to Obama in 2008 when she was considered to be at the top of her game would doom her, even if Obama loses the general election.

The point I am making has nothing to do with the candidates or their relative merits as politicians. Instead, I think this is an example of how much more difficult our culture makes things for older women, compared with older men. Status, wealth, prestige, honors--- none of those things offer older women any real protection against ageist bigotry.

Posted by Dr. Bill Thomas on February 22, 2008 6:19 AM |Permalink |Comments (2)

12 People who Are Changing Aging -- No. 5

[Editors note -- this is a continuation of 12-part feature by The Wall Street Journal profiling "pioneers who are shaping the way Americans will live, work and play in later life."]

Number Five -- A Life of Purpose

If you find yourself, in your 60s and 70s, immersed in a new career and a new passion -- teaching children to read, for instance, or helping an environmental organization -- you may have Charles Feeney to thank.
Mr. Feeney, 76, is the founding chairman of Atlantic Philanthropies, an international foundation that is committed to disbursing its entire $4 billion endowment by 2020. A large chunk will go to help older adults "live healthier, independent lives with dignity, purpose and meaning," says Brian Hofland, director of Atlantic's international aging program.

The foundation, for instance, has helped fund the Purpose Prize, awards of $100,000 given each year to five "social entrepreneurs" age 60 or older who are tackling some of society's biggest challenges. Civic Ventures, the San Francisco nonprofit that created the Purpose Prize, last year received $10 million from Atlantic Philanthropies in part to stimulate development of "encore careers" for people 50 and older.

Mr. Feeney himself is a bit of a recluse. (He declined to be interviewed for this article.) He doesn't own a house or a car, and when flying, he typically travels coach, says Conor O'Clery, an Irish journalist and biographer of Mr. Feeney. It wasn't until 1997, after Mr. Feeney sold the company he founded (DFS Group, a chain of airport stores), that his sizable charitable efforts became public.

"A lot of what Chuck likes doing is building buildings at universities and hospitals," Mr. O'Clery says. "But more and more, he became concerned with health issues, and I think his interest in aging grew out of that."
-- By Kelly Greene, The Wall Street Journal

Tomorrow -- Staying Mobile.

Posted by Dr. Bill Thomas on February 22, 2008 12:00 PM |Permalink |Comments (0)

Power Up Friday: "I Want To Be Sedated"

A recent issue of “Caring for the Ages” reports that New York State has seen a leveling off of the use of antipsychotic drugs in people with dementia in nursing homes. These drugs, developed for schizophrenia, have also been used to treat behavioral symptoms that can accompany dementia. In 2005, about 32.5% of New York nursing home residents with dementia were on the medications, and in 2006 it dropped slightly to 31.9%. Dr. Christine Teigland of NYAHSA commented that this was hopefully a positive trend, and that a rate of more than 30% “is probably too high”.

No argument here, except that I would replace “probably” with “way, way”. Overall about 40% of people with dementia in nursing homes of the industrialized world are on these drugs. Perhaps we are seeing a moderation of the epidemic use of these drugs, but I remain skeptical. A little background:

As a result of OBRA legislation, by 1996 the use of these drugs dropped to 16% of all people in nursing homes (with or without dementia). Then a new generation of drugs was introduced. These “atypical antipsychotics” were touted as being safer and more effective, and their use began to skyrocket.

By 2000, the number of Medicare recipients on these drugs had nearly doubled, to 28%. From 2000 – 2005, the total number of antipsychotic prescriptions in the country rose from 29 million to nearly 45 million. (The only target population that increased signicantly in that period was the number of people with dementia.)

But the “atypical” drugs have been found to be much less safe and effective than they were originally claimed to be. These new concerns may explain why their use has leveled off in some areas. Will the trend continue?

A recent industry web posting indicates that there are 40 new antipsychotic drugs in the R&D pipeline. The industry seems convinced that these drugs will be a mainstay of treatment for the increasing elder population who will develop dementia. No doubt, this next crop of drugs will also be released with claims of being “safer and more effective”.

Changing the care environment can drastically reduce the use of these sedating and potentially harmful drugs. But that takes a lot of work - it’s much easier to simply give a pill and sedate the behavior. When will we learn that there is no quick fix?

--Al Power

Posted by Kavan Peterson on February 22, 2008 6:15 PM |Permalink |Comments (0)

February 23, 2008

Grannies Are Cool...

This writer from the UK's Guardian seems stunned by the very idea...

"It's probably the most fulfilling, enjoyable and exciting time of my life," says Julie Cooper, 57, whose granddaughters are two and six. "When your own children are little there's always guilt. But with my grand-daughters, it's pure enjoyment. It's wonderful to have a busy, fulfilling professional life. I run an events management company, so I might be organising a conference for 500 one day and a fashion show the next. It's really full on - I'm often still at my laptop at midnight. But any contact with my grandchildren is magical. Hearing Rosie on the phone telling me what she's up to at school is fantastic.

More here

Posted by Dr. Bill Thomas on February 23, 2008 6:05 AM |Permalink |Comments (1)

12 People who Are Changing Aging No. 6

[Editors note -- this is a continuation of 12-part feature by The Wall Street Journal profiling "pioneers who are shaping the way Americans will live, work and play in later life."]

Number Six -- Staying Mobile

For millions of people, driving at some point will become impractical. How, then, to get to the supermarket, or to friends' homes?
A near-tragedy 20 years ago in the life of Katherine Freund is yielding some answers.

In 1988, Ms. Freund's 3-year-old son was hit by a car and nearly killed. The driver was 84 years old. That event sparked an interest in transportation issues that led, in the mid-1990s, to the development of the Independent Transportation Network.

The program offers rides -- round the clock, seven days a week -- to older adults in the Portland, Maine, area. Fees average $8 a trip. Riders can trade in their cars and get credit for travel; volunteer drivers can bank their hours on the road to use later for themselves or family.

Ms. Freund, 57, serves as president and executive director of ITNAmerica, which has grown into a national organization. While in Portland the program provides nearly 17,000 rides a year to about 1,000 members age 65 and older, ITNAmerica now has nine affiliates, which provided almost 26,000 rides last year, and expects to have 40 affiliates by 2010.
--By Kelly Greene, The Wall Street Journal

Tomorrow -- Spreading Financial Literacy.

Posted by Dr. Bill Thomas on February 23, 2008 12:00 PM |Permalink |Comments (0)

February 24, 2008

12 People Who Are Changing Aging -- No. 7

[Editors note -- this is a continuation of 12-part feature by The Wall Street Journal profiling "pioneers who are shaping the way Americans will live, work and play in later life."]

Number Seven -- Spreading Financial Literacy

Sheryl Garrett is on a mission to bring financial planning to the masses.

In the late 1990s, Ms. Garrett, a certified financial planner in Shawnee Mission, Kan., says she came to realize that many middle-class families knew little about managing money and retirement finances -- and couldn't afford to pay for help. Accordingly, instead of tying her fees to commissions or the size of a client's assets (common practices among financial advisers), she decided to charge by the hour.

"It's sort of like going to the dentist," says Ms. Garrett, who is 45. "You don't pay your dentist a retainer -- you pay him for time and expertise."

She soon found herself profiled in financial publications and fielding requests from consumers as far away as Massachusetts and California who wanted to hire her. In response, in July 2000, she launched Garrett Planning Network Inc., which now has almost 300 advisers across the U.S. The certified financial planners pay $7,500 to license the business model. They are required to offer their services exclusively as fiduciaries (meaning they are legally obligated to put their clients' interests first) and on a fee-only basis. Hourly rates are about $175.

Ms. Garrett is also seeking ways to raise financial literacy among the wider public, including possibly through electronic games, a nighttime soap opera or a personal-finance makeover TV show.
-- By Kelly Greene, The Wall Street Journal

Tomorrow -- Keeping Minds in Shape.

Posted by Dr. Bill Thomas on February 24, 2008 12:24 PM |Permalink |Comments (0)

February 25, 2008

12 People Who Are Changing Aging - No. 8

[Editors note -- this is a continuation of 12-part feature by The Wall Street Journal profiling "pioneers who are shaping the way Americans will live, work and play in later life."]

Number Eight -- Keeping Minds in Shape

Michael Merzenich is working to make "brain exercise" as much a part of your routine in retirement as walking or jogging.

As chief scientific officer at Posit Science Corp., a San Francisco software maker, Dr. Merzenich, age 65, is at the forefront of efforts to improve mental health in later life. His interest in the field dates to the mid-1980s, when he was involved in experiments training animals at the University of California, San Francisco.

"We were watching [the animals'] brains change as they acquired skills and abilities," he remembers. Consequently, he began investigating tools that could promote and measure mental fitness in humans.

His first company, Scientific Learning Corp., started in 1996, created software for children struggling with language problems. Posit Science, which Dr. Merzenich founded in 2003, is focused on older adults. Its first product was designed to improve memory and cognition (thinking and processing speed), mainly through listening exercises; this spring, the company plans to release a new brain-training program focused on vision.

Dr. Merzenich, still a neuroscience professor at UCSF and an inventor with more than 50 patents, is working on exercises that support decision making, fine motor control (playing musical instruments, for example), and gross motor control (to help restore balance).
-- By Kelly Greene, The Wall Street Journal

Posted by Dr. Bill Thomas on February 25, 2008 12:26 PM |Permalink |Comments (0)

What the World Needs Now...

Is more of this...

and less of

this

Posted by Dr. Bill Thomas on February 25, 2008 2:13 PM |Permalink |Comments (1)

The Baltimore Sun Shines

Nice article in the Sunday Edition.

It's worth a look.

Posted by Dr. Bill Thomas on February 25, 2008 2:21 PM |Permalink |Comments (2)

February 26, 2008

Density is Good

The always reliable Alex M passes this link on to ChangingAging readers.

A report by the Ontario College of Family Physicians on public health as it relates to development patterns suggests that the greater the density, the fewer the fatalities per 1,000 people, as calculated over 83 United States regions covering two-thirds of the total population.

Contrary to popular belief, the pace and proximity of urban living can actually contribute to more healthful lifestyles, while lower-density communities tend to have a higher incidence of cardiovascular and lung diseases, including asthma in children, as well as cancer, diabetes, obesity, traffic injuries and deaths; these are exacerbated by an increase in air pollution, gridlock and traffic accidents, and by a lack of physical activity. The study recommended that people seek out cities and towns with reliable public transportation systems, bicycle lanes and pedestrian paths, ones that have schools, businesses and stores within walking distance.

Posted by Dr. Bill Thomas on February 26, 2008 6:11 AM |Permalink |Comments (0)

The Green House Project

Thanks to some great national news coverage of the Green House Project here, here and here, we're getting flooded with inquiries from folks interested in learning more. The best place to go to get involved is NCB Capital Impact, a national nonprofit organization that is implementing the $10 million grant from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation to replicate the Green House model nationally.

For information, email us at changingagingATgmailDOTcom.

Posted by Dr. Bill Thomas on February 26, 2008 10:03 AM |Permalink |Comments (0)

12 People Who Are Changing Aging - No. 9

[Editors note -- this is a continuation of 12-part feature by The Wall Street Journal profiling "pioneers who are shaping the way Americans will live, work and play in later life."]

Number Nine -- Senior School Master

Returning to school, in some fashion, is high on many people's to-do lists in retirement. Bernard Osher is helping to build the classrooms and programs you might enter.

Mr. Osher helped his family start Golden West Financial Corp. in the 1960s and created a personal foundation in the 1970s. Today, he is pouring nearly $200 million into what has become known as lifelong learning, or college-based education for older adults.

A native of Biddeford, Maine, Mr. Osher had his first significant exposure to the practice in 2000 during a visit to the Fromm Institute for Lifelong Learning at the University of San Francisco. "I came away very impressed," he says, particularly with "the joy of learning" that he witnessed.

Several months later, a trip to the Senior College at the University of Southern Maine in Portland sealed his interest. The Bernard Osher Foundation made a $2.2 million gift to the Maine program in 2001, allowing the university to expand its peer-taught courses and workshops to more than 1,000 students ages 50 and older. Since then, the foundation has donated $73 million to nearly 120 lifelong-learning institutes on university campuses from Maine to Hawaii. Future grants will be used primarily to augment those programs.
-- By Kelly Greene, The Wall Street Journal

Tomorrow -- Advocate for the Aging.

Posted by Dr. Bill Thomas on February 26, 2008 12:28 PM |Permalink |Comments (0)

February 27, 2008

Obama Courts Middle-Aged and Elderly Women

Love the headline---- not.

But the article is one of the first that addresses a presidential candidate tip-toeing toward addressing aging in anyway.

Aging
Climate Change

These are the two invisible but extra-ordinary issues of this campaign.

Here is the take from the WSJ's Washington Wire...

Nick Timiraos deserves credit for filing the story. I'd like to see much more-- from all the candidates.

At a roundtable event detailing proposals on pension reform and social security, Obama addressed five middle-aged women who described how they have lost their jobs, and he included a thinly veiled criticism of both the Bush and Clinton administrations: “Part of what we’ve seen in this economy over the last 10 years, over the last 20 years, there is a sliver, a segment of the population that is doing extraordinarily well and then you’ve got the rest of folks who are just having a difficult time.”

Obama has made steady gains among middle-aged voters and women in recent weeks. Among women in Wisconsin, Clinton held a five-point advantage, down from her 12-point lead over Obama in New Hampshire.

Posted by Dr. Bill Thomas on February 27, 2008 6:53 AM |Permalink |Comments (1)

12 People Who Are Changing Aging - No. 10

[Editors note -- this is a continuation of 12-part feature by The Wall Street Journal profiling "pioneers who are shaping the way Americans will live, work and play in later life."]

Number Ten -- Advocate for the Aging

John Rother, AARP's policy director, is ultimately responsible for everything that the largest membership group for older Americans advocates at the state and national levels. He is constantly in motion, making about 80 speeches a year around the world and lobbying lawmakers nationwide.

"I've got the best job in Washington," says Mr. Rother, 60, who joined AARP in 1984 after serving as staff director and chief counsel to the Senate Special Committee on Aging.

Health care is his primary focus today. "It's too expensive, and we aren't getting our money's worth," he says. Fixing it "is going to take everything we know how to do -- prevention, better management of chronic care, improving quality, being smarter purchasers as the government and individuals."

In recent years, Mr. Rother has played a role in helping to pass -- or block -- some of the most significant legislation in Congress: the Medicare prescription-drug benefit (not "everything we had hoped it would be, but...certainly better than nothing"); Social Security privatization; and the national do-not-call registry.
-- By Kelly Greene, The Wall Street Journal

Tomorrow -- Urban Planner.

Posted by Dr. Bill Thomas on February 27, 2008 12:30 PM |Permalink |Comments (0)

Garfield Minus Garfield

I find this strangely compelling.

Posted by Dr. Bill Thomas on February 27, 2008 12:52 PM |Permalink |Comments (0)

Elder Wisdom Circle

Ben makes an excellent point....

It's inspiring to see so many elders getting credit for "valuable" societal roles that have been going on without credit for generations. I hope that I, too, can find a way to share my gifts in some productive way in my elderhood. I often wonder about all the unnoticed gifts that are contributed to the backbone of our world culture and think about the tragedy that would ensue should this ever come to a sudden halt. I came across a clever leverage of technology linking up the gifts of 600+ elders from across North America--Elder Wisdom Circle. "The mission of our association is to promote and share elder know-how and accumulated wisdom. We also have a goal of elevating the perceived value and worth of our senior community." It's another great highlight of inspirational content valuing the contribution of elders . . . find them at www.elderwisdomcircle.org

Elder Wisdom Circle

Posted by Dr. Bill Thomas on February 27, 2008 10:55 PM |Permalink |Comments (0)

February 28, 2008

Oh No Aibo!

The blogosphere takes this wacky idea down...

Thirty-eight residents were divided into three groups -- one saw Sparky once a week for 30 minutes, another group had similar visits with Aibo, and a control group saw neither.

"The most surprising thing is they worked almost equally well in terms of alleviating loneliness and causing residents to form attachments," says William A. Banks, M.D., professor of geriatric medicine at St. Louis University. "For those people who can't have a living pet but who would like to have a pet, robotics could address the issue of companionship."

Sorry. But I’m not buying it – either a robot dog, or the research. Either the researchers weren’t real perceptive in watching the interactions, or they chose residents who couldn’t tell the difference.

No way can a mechanical dog – tidy and sterile and convenient as it might be – lead to the same joyful bonding, produce the same therapeutic effects, make an institution feel more homelike, and give its owner the same sense of purpose that a real one does.

And furthermore, to suggest that, possibly, among the elderly, they can is insulting to the elderly – a group I don’t plan to join unless I can bring my dog.

Posted by Dr. Bill Thomas on February 28, 2008 5:38 AM |Permalink |Comments (1)

12 People Who Are Changing Aging - No. 11

[Editors note -- this is a continuation of 12-part feature by The Wall Street Journal profiling "pioneers who are shaping the way Americans will live, work and play in later life."]

I am honored to count John Stewart as a friend and, just to show you how committed he is to learning, growing and changing--- he is also a student in the Aging 600 course that I co-teach with Judah Ronch. By the end of the year, John will be able to add a Masters in Aging Services degree to his impressive list of accomplishments.

Think about how cool it is to have a Masters program that has one of the top leaders in the field of aging as one of its students.

Out of the park baby!

--Dr. Thomas

Number Eleven -- Urban Planner

John P. Stewart is working on a blueprint for making city services receptive to all of the needs of older Americans -- whether in health care, transportation, safety, employment or continuing education. To date, 16 cities have joined in the effort, including Baltimore, New York, Philadelphia, Chicago and Atlanta.
"I was really struck by the fact that we needed to change the way we look at aging services," says Mr. Stewart, who for 32 years worked as a Maryland state health and education administrator, and is now executive director of the Commission on Aging and Retirement Education for the city of Baltimore.

More than 25% of the U.S. work force is over 60 and living healthier lives, Mr. Stewart says. "A lot of people are going to have to work longer."

To focus on the question of what a senior-friendly city should look like, Mr. Stewart helped create a nonprofit think tank, the Baltimore City Center for Urban Aging Services and Policy Development. Issues under study include how to help grandparents who are raising their grandchildren; upgrading community senior centers with fitness equipment and personal trainers; and providing counseling to help cope with poverty and social isolation.

"This 'declinist' theory that people get old and should be put away is insane," says Mr. Stewart, 63. "We can be an asset."
-- By Kelly Greene (photo courtesy of The Wall Street Journal)

Tomorrow -- Reinventing the Nursing Home.

Posted by Dr. Bill Thomas on February 28, 2008 11:34 AM |Permalink |Comments (0)

Just the Facts Ma'am

This just in regarding the lobbying tab for America's (the world's?) largest for profit nursing home trade association...

From the Houston Chronicle

NEW YORK — The American Health Care Association spent about $1.7 million lobbying the government last year on a variety of bills affecting health care.

The AHCA, which represents nursing homes and assisted-living facilities, spent $860,000 in the first half of 2007 and $881,000 in the second half, according to a disclosure form posted Feb. 14 by the Senate's public records office.

The organization also paid Patton Boggs LLP $160,000 in the second half to lobby the government.

The AHCA lobbied on a range of legislation including laws affecting Medicare and Medicaid.

Lobbyists are required to disclose activities that could influence members of the executive and legislative branches, under a federal law enacted in 1995.

Posted by Dr. Bill Thomas on February 28, 2008 3:50 PM |Permalink |Comments (0)

February 29, 2008

Slow Medicine

I am a big fan of "Slow Food."

Now here comes "Slow Medicine"

My Mother, Your Mother
Embracing "Slow Medicine," the Compassionate Approach to Caring for Your Aging Loved Ones.

By Dennis McCullough, M.D. HarperCollins.

Has anyone read this book?

I think I might have called it--- "Gentle Medicine"

Posted by Dr. Bill Thomas on February 29, 2008 6:43 AM |Permalink |Comments (1)

12 People Who Are Changing Aging - No. 12

[Editors note -- this is the piece of a 12-part feature by The Wall Street Journal profiling "pioneers who are shaping the way Americans will live, work and play in later life."]

Number Twelve -- Reinventing the Nursing Home

The spark for William Thomas's work came in 1991 while treating a patient in an upstate New York nursing home. "She grabbed my arm, pulled me down over the bed, looked in my eyes and said, 'I'm so lonely,' " he recalls.
To revitalize the place, he opened the doors to children, brought in parakeets, cats and dogs, and plowed up the grounds for a garden. The effort grew into the Eden Alternative, a nonprofit that has helped more than 500 nursing homes across the country shift their focus to their residents' emotional well-being and away from institutional scheduling.

Today, Dr. Thomas is widely regarded as a leader in efforts nationwide to bring humanity to the end of life. In 1999, while touring the country to promote the Eden Alternative's work and a novel about aging, "I realized that America's nursing homes are getting older faster than we are," he says.

Accordingly, he developed the idea of replacing traditional nursing homes with "Green Houses," cozier facilities centered on big kitchens with technology-laden bedrooms and nursing aides who also serve as housekeepers and companions. To date, there are 35 Green House projects; the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation is helping fund an expansion of the program.

For his next act, Dr. Thomas, 48, wants to become "the Dr. Spock of aging."

"The boomers are creeping toward elderhood, and I aim to help explain [the] terrain," he says. "The 'new' old age [is] a time of strength and growth and development and engagement."
-- By Kelly Greene, The Wall Street Journal

Click here for more information on the Green House Project. Visit the Eden Alternative Web site here: http://www.edenalt.org/

[Photo courtesy of Jim Harrison]

Posted by Dr. Bill Thomas on February 29, 2008 12:37 PM |Permalink |Comments (0)

Old Age: Does It Matter?

Over at DailyKos GrannyDoc has an interesting take on the McCain age issue...

I just saw a flashing screen of a poll on MSNBC in which respondents were asked if John McCain is too old, and Barack Obama is too young, to serve as President. Around 80% of the respondents answered "No" to both questions. I have to disagree. When the question is, "Is John McCain too old to serve", I must state unequivically that indeed, he is.

As both a professional Cognitive Psychologist, and a woman of John's age, I have too much information to accept either the politically correct, anti-agism "good speak", or the unquestioning assumption that a man in his 70's is senile. But, there are serious considerations that will accrue to electing someone for the highest stress job on the planet. He will be starting that job during a period of universally acknowledged, age related, mental and physical decline. This is not trivial.

Here is the full diary--- thoughts?

Posted by Dr. Bill Thomas on February 29, 2008 5:47 PM |Permalink |Comments (0)

Move Baby Move!

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www.movebabymove.com

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February 2008 Archives

February 1, 2008

Power Up Friday: “Away From Her"

Posted by Dr. Bill Thomas on February 1, 2008 7:27 AM |Permalink |Comments (5)

February 4, 2008

TGB's "This Week in Elder News"

Posted by Kavan Peterson on February 4, 2008 9:23 AM |Permalink |Comments (0)

Yes We Can

Posted by Dr. Bill Thomas on February 4, 2008 10:36 AM |Permalink |Comments (0)

The Crone Speaks...

Posted by Dr. Bill Thomas on February 4, 2008 1:35 PM |Permalink |Comments (2)

February 5, 2008

Stop and Look and Listen

Posted by Dr. Bill Thomas on February 5, 2008 5:44 AM |Permalink |Comments (2)

Now There is No Doubt...

Posted by Dr. Bill Thomas on February 5, 2008 4:02 PM |Permalink |Comments (0)

February 6, 2008

111 Shirtless Men

Posted by Dr. Bill Thomas on February 6, 2008 5:56 AM |Permalink |Comments (1)

February 7, 2008

You Must Remember This...

Posted by Dr. Bill Thomas on February 7, 2008 4:32 PM |Permalink |Comments (0)

February 8, 2008

Talking About Kupuna

Posted by Dr. Bill Thomas on February 8, 2008 6:09 AM |Permalink |Comments (0)

Power Up Friday: Honoring Our Elders

Posted by Dr. Bill Thomas on February 8, 2008 9:15 AM |Permalink |Comments (0)

February 9, 2008

The Unusualist...

Posted by Dr. Bill Thomas on February 9, 2008 5:56 AM |Permalink |Comments (0)

De-Lurk!

Posted by Dr. Bill Thomas on February 9, 2008 7:54 AM |Permalink |Comments (0)

Power Up Redux: "Away From Her"

Posted by Dr. Bill Thomas on February 9, 2008 12:57 PM |Permalink |Comments (1)

February 10, 2008

What is a Meme?

Posted by Dr. Bill Thomas on February 10, 2008 5:45 AM |Permalink |Comments (1)

February 11, 2008

The Audacity of Gloom

Posted by Dr. Bill Thomas on February 11, 2008 1:47 PM |Permalink |Comments (1)

February 12, 2008

More Than Just Pills

Posted by Dr. Bill Thomas on February 12, 2008 9:25 AM |Permalink |Comments (0)

Masters Students Conquer Mountain of Knowledge

Posted by Dr. Bill Thomas on February 12, 2008 3:33 PM |Permalink |Comments (2)

February 13, 2008

Hell On Earth

Posted by Dr. Bill Thomas on February 13, 2008 6:39 AM |Permalink |Comments (2)

February 14, 2008

I Like This Book

Posted by Dr. Bill Thomas on February 14, 2008 5:21 AM |Permalink |Comments (0)

We Are Too Poor To Afford Childhood and Old Age

Posted by Dr. Bill Thomas on February 14, 2008 11:50 AM |Permalink |Comments (0)

February 15, 2008

Power Up Friday: Thinkin' 'bout home edition

Posted by Dr. Bill Thomas on February 15, 2008 6:33 AM |Permalink |Comments (2)

February 18, 2008

GAO Head David Walker is Out

Posted by Dr. Bill Thomas on February 18, 2008 5:52 AM |Permalink |Comments (4)

12 People who Are Changing Aging

Posted by Dr. Bill Thomas on February 18, 2008 12:00 PM |Permalink |Comments (0)

February 19, 2008

AARP U@50 Winners!

Posted by Dr. Bill Thomas on February 19, 2008 7:17 AM |Permalink |Comments (1)

Sock Puppet Theater...

Posted by Dr. Bill Thomas on February 19, 2008 11:16 AM |Permalink |Comments (0)

12 People Who Are Changing Aging No. 2