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December 2008 Archives

December 1, 2008

A Week At Work

Among the reasons I value the aging of America (and the world) is that Elderhood provides a useful, and critical, vantage point from which to view the doings of adults. The video below offers an "elders' eye view" of a workweek. The busyness of business is highlighted by the time lapse photography. Below the video I have posted some of the comments that viewers of this video have left on its Youtube page.



Comments posted about this video...

Questions:

1)Why is there no cleaning crew after hours?

2) What's up with the white, open shirt down to your navel on (I presume) Wednesday? Are you an Englishman? Because the unbuttoned-shirt-to-your-navel is so very English. (No offense.)

3) Why are you so coy about what it is you do? It's not like you work for MI5.

Kind regards,

imh0



3 outfits in 5 days? For the sake of the people sitting around you I hope you shower.


Brilliant. I have Aids and am unemployed, but my life is richer than this.


haha! brilliant.

I especially like the segments (there's one about 35 seconds in) where you appear to be eating paper. Very greedily.

Is that a big part of the role?

Posted by Dr. Bill Thomas on December 1, 2008 5:41 AM |Permalink |Comments (0)

Monkhouse Monday

Eat your way out of Alzheimers

In yesterday’s Sunday paper there was a report from the annual conference of the Society for Neuroscience (sfn.org). New discoveries say that amyloid-beta-proteins "float“ freely and block“ neural synapses, the good news is that the well-known "plaques“ are actually good, because they "soak“ up some of these proteins.

The even better news is that in absence of a vaccination or medication one can drink red wine, eat oily fish and lots of curries, exercise, rest and avoid stress to escape Alzheimers.
While reading this an old saying came to my mind, a recommendation for a long and healthy life:
Feel hungry once a day (..and then eat oily fish with curry and drink red wine)
Be out of breath once a day (..from some exercise you like to do)
Laugh once a day (...when relaxing with friends)
That’s it for today, I am off to talk to our wine-merchant and the guy from the Indian curry shop. I am off on foot, of course.

Christa Monkhouse

Posted by Dr. Bill Thomas on December 1, 2008 7:37 AM |Permalink |Comments (0)

December 2, 2008

The Rubber Hand Illusion

I am deeply opposed to the "declinist" vision of aging because it damages both our society's vision of elders and the way older people view themselves. Dr. Judah Ronch recently forwarded to me a fascinating published study that shows how the use of declinist language to describe age and aging fosters direct, measurable and highly negative changes among young people who use such terms.

Why should mere words matter so much?

The tendency of the human brain to carry out self-fulfilling prophecies is much more powerful than is commonly supposed.

The "Rubber Hand Illusion" illustrates the power of suggestion at work with ordinary people...



Beware of expectations for they can easily become realities.


Posted by Dr. Bill Thomas on December 2, 2008 5:07 AM |Permalink |Comments (1)

Sam is Guest Blogging Aging 100

2:30 - Reflecting on how he felt at this time of year in the time of our lives.
2:40 - Conflict between generations will increase as the economy goes more into a recession. Collection of aging, anti-aging, anti-anti-aging, and developmental aging. Changing the course from AGNG100 to AMP100 because aging is a black flag.
2:45 - Older people are presented in an unfavorable light if presented at all in younger children's books which lead to anti-aging movement. This is a great point, think of Cinderella the wicked step mother. Older people are letting the thought of getting old be taken negatively by trying to change how they look. Crone is a withered old hag, women are giving this name to other women to hold it proud as a push back against the anti-aging impulse.
2:50 - People who stop or reverse aging that can't stop it or reverse it for themselves. Final frontier of anti-aging is the radical life extension people, people that think they will live unlimited lives (the fountain of youth). Radical calorie restriction will lead to living longer but you'll be hungry all the time lose more weight then comfortable, will be cold all the time.
2:55 - Maximum life span oldest known 120 y/o. Genes that make you young can have reverse consequences on you when your in your 110's. Genetically the human organism should have only a 120 year life span.
3:00 - Wrinkles will appear on schedule and show about the life the person have lived.
Greek Myth about aging - Goddess of the Dawn of the Day Eos had a thing for mortal men and was in love with Tithinis Prince of Troy, asked Zeus to make him immortal, she notices a grey hair then he got older and older (he got really old), so she turned him into a locust
Second Greek Myth - Goddess of the moon Saline also loved the mortal men, one night she fell in love with a Greek shepherd, Amnion, and Zeus made him immortal, gave him the opportunity to stay for ever young, and perpetual sleep.
3:15 - Whole body ages at roughly the same rate over the many decades that are aging which is over the age of 28. Aging starts in your late 20's the speed stays consistent forever, what makes people different is how much age people have accumulated. Aging is an intrinsic process. If you want to live a life you are going to age. Parallel between Myths and the Caloric Restrictions live longer without

Posted by Dr. Bill Thomas on December 2, 2008 2:31 PM |Permalink |Comments (0)

December 3, 2008

Face Lift

Here is something that is new to me. The opening of a show of sculpted objects was videotaped, then edited and set to music so that the opening is now part of the artists's work.

Like the soundtrack, our culture never stops reminding us that the pursuit of physical beauty is a "duty" for women.

Here is the artist's website...

Posted by Dr. Bill Thomas on December 3, 2008 5:21 AM |Permalink |Comments (2)

December 4, 2008

Immersion


Human elders have a millenia long win streak when it comes to transmitting culture across the generations. They have a proven ability to immerse young people in the stories, the legends and the ways of their people.

Now they are being challenged and the competition is formidable.

Here is the new immersion.

(The film maker aimed his camera at children as they watched music videos and played video games.)

What, our elders ask, lies ahead?

Posted by Dr. Bill Thomas on December 4, 2008 5:34 AM |Permalink |Comments (1)

December 5, 2008

Let's Play "How Old is the Celebrity!"

Sylvester_Stallone.jpg

Sylvester Stallone: How Old Is He?

Eli Manning is one of the most talked about men in New York and the World after beating the undefeated Patriots in this years Super Bowl.

Paula Abdul has parlayed her initial choreographer success into singing, jewelry designing, acting, and now being the face of ‘American Idol.’

Tom Brady has quarterbacked the New England Patriots to three Super Bowl wins. He’s dating supermodel Gisele and has the striking looks which has landed him countless endorsement deals. I’m convinced most people would trade years off their life to live in Tom’s world for just a few.

Ric “The Nature Boy” Flair wrestles for both SmackDown and Raw. He is one of most well known wrestlers in the world, starting his career in the early 1980s. Flair has numerous world championships over his long career. Over the years, he has taken many extended breaks but recently announced her would “never retire” from wrestling.

Sylvester Stallone is the epitome of being a “man’s man.” The Rocky and Rambo movies are his claim to fame, and at “over the hill status” the man just keeps on making them. And why not? The franchises at the end of the decade were billion dollar franchises internationally.


Find the Answers Here

Posted by Dr. Bill Thomas on December 5, 2008 5:26 AM |Permalink |Comments (0)

Power Up Friday

Thanks to my tai chi instructor, Lisa O'Shea, (lisachiATqigongrochesterDOTcom), for passing this one on:

Insomnia is an increasing problem in our society among people of all ages. Because of age-related changes in sleep, many older people complain of insomnia. And many of them, unfortunately, are prescribed sleeping pills that may do more harm than good.

There are many non-drug approaches to insomnia. First and foremost is to educate people about the normal changes in sleep patterns and needs that occur with age. Second is to educate people in the various aspects of good "sleep hygiene". Is there anything that works better than that?

Apparently, tai chi does. UCLA's David Geffen School of Medicine published a study,
which looked at the effects of tai chi on sleep in older adults.

Over 100 community-dwelling adults with moderate sleep complaints, ranging from age 59 to 86, were randomized into two groups. One group was given extensive instruction on good sleep hygiene and the other was enrolled in a tai chi program - 40 minutes of tai chi instruction or health education, three times a week, for 16 weeks. Standardized sleep assessments were done at the beginning, and 9 weeks after the programs ended.

Guess who did better? The tai chi group had a 63% rate of significant responders, compared with 32% in the education group. There was improvement in several sleep subsets and no increase in use of sleeping pills. The results are comparable to other behavioral therapies.

It is theorized that both the meditative, breath-focused nature of the activity and the aerobic component contribute to the benefit. Chinese medicine would suggest additional mechanisms, regarding balance of yin/yang, organ vitality and chi flow. Either way, it works!


Posted by Dr. Bill Thomas on December 5, 2008 5:49 AM |Permalink |Comments (0)

December 8, 2008

Yellow Flag

Emi Kiyota writes...

A small town in Miyazaki, Japan started a “Yellow handkerchief campaign,” to watch over elders in their community.

This approach is quite simple and very low cost. Yellow handkerchiefs on a bamboo stick were distributed to 120 households where elders live alone in this town. When elders get up in the morning, they display a yellow handkerchief at the entrance. Then, bring it into their houses in the evening. If the handkerchief is not displayed outside in the morning, neighbors visit the house and check on the elder.

A 78 year old woman who lives by herself commented that “I feel safe and protected by neighbors who constantly check to see whether or not my yellow handkerchief is displayed at my entrance. Their kindness motivates me to wake up in the morning everyday.”

Yellow.jpg


This simple system is working well and it has now expanded to 810 households. Moreover, many towns are considering introducing this system.

Japan has been known as a “high-tech” country, but technologies can be confusing and sometime costly to implement a “surveillance system” for elders. It may even raise an ethical concern about violating privacy of individuals. I was so glad to find this human scale social support system that helps, not only, to enable elders to remain in their home safely, but also, to naturally connect elders with neighbors with such a simple solution.

This is also quite an effective way to give elders a sense of control to regulate the boundary of privacy, because neighbors would simply respect their privacy in the house when the handkerchief is displayed outside. Moreover, the yellow handkerchief gives opportunities for neighbors to start conversations with elders in non-threatening ways.

Posted by Dr. Bill Thomas on December 8, 2008 3:48 PM |Permalink |Comments (5)

December 9, 2008

The African Violet Queen


The power of suggestion, when used as a force for good, can change the world for the better.



This video deals with hypnosis but hypnosis is based on an intensified understanding of the power of suggestion.

Small changes can generate huge rewards.


Posted by Dr. Bill Thomas on December 9, 2008 5:45 AM |Permalink |Comments (0)

Monkhouse Tuesday: Oma – one more time

A few blogs ago I wrote about my mother, Oma, the MIP (most important person. Oma is a “title” my mother wears with great pride). I got quite a few comments from people who have had the same experiences and I also received some personal e-mails. Thank you readers, for posting your comments on a matter so close to our hearts.

Reading previous posts by Bill Thomas I noticed that the current US President Elect called his grandmother “Toots”, my husband (from Canada) used to call his grandmother “Nanu” (a two year old grandchild’s version of Grandma). Readers are invited to contribute their real life version of “Grandma” (and of course Grandpa) to our little vocabulary, as a starting point of countering elderspeak.

-- Christa Monkhouse

Posted by Kavan Peterson on December 9, 2008 10:19 AM |Permalink |Comments (0)

December 10, 2008

How I Look 10 Years Younger For Under 10 Bucks

I understand that the burden of ageism falls far more heavily on women than men.
I understand that rational people want to avoid exposure to age-related bigotry.
I understand that taking steps to maintain healthy looking skin is a good thing.

My comments below should not be seen as criticism of people (men and women alike) who want to "look better." That's cool.

Not so cool are the hucksters who want to make a quick buck off of other people's fears.

Now, on to a real life testimonial!

I decided to share my story because I know there are tons of people out there who want to look younger and can't afford cosmetic surgery. There are tons of bogus products out there, and I found two that actually work. You can read my story below.

Dr. T: This is a fake blog. It is actually an extended online advertisement. Buy my product or pay for expensive cosmetic surgery--- Classic Either Or Fallacy! "Tons of Bogus products?" True. Including these products.


How Everything Started

It is not something that I really feel comfortable talking about, but I went through a bout of depression right after I hit my mid-40s.

Dr. T: Yeah not too comfortable. The person (I think it was written be a middle aged male advertising copy writer) is obviously comfortable enough to publish it on the INTERNETS!

I don't really know how to explain how I felt, but I became very self-concious [sic] about how I was aging. It seemed like every morning I woke up and saw a new line in my face. I even went through a period of contemplating cosmetic surgery, botox, restalyne, I looked into all of it. It [sic] just couldn't afford it.

Dr. T: Wow. Cue the violins.

So once I decided that cosmetic surgery was not for me, I went on a mission to find the best possible wrinkle cream without spending hundreds of dollars. My hopes were not high. Lol.

Dr. T: lol? OK maybe it was written by a 14 year old.

I stumbled upon the "anti-wrinkle" holy grail two months ago. I found a couple of companies called Lift SP and Ageless Skin Cream. I found that a lot of people have gotten good results from these products individually, but I didn't find anyone who had decided to combine them in a daily regiment. I always wanted to be a groundbreaker.
Here's how I decided on these 2 products.

Dr. T: If this kind of "evidence" persuades you, dear reader, I have a bridge you really ought to consider buying from me.

I choose to try Lift SP first because:

- A Board-Certified plastic surgeon created it.
- There is no chemical peels or abrasive techniques.
- You get a whole kit for a 4 dollar shipping charge.
- It is a natural and healthy solution.


Dr. T: HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA

And I settled on the Ageless Skin Serum because:

- It was awarded the #1 Skin Product.
- It helps reduce fine lines and prevent deepening wrinkles.
- It contains moisturizers to prevent dry skin.
- They also offer a free kit ...I'm a sucker for freebies lol!


Dr. T: OK now my brain is starting to hurt.


What Happened Next.

The Ageless stuff arrived first, the LiftSP package actually came 3 days later. I was actually impressed with the packaging, I was expecting to get some kinda repackaged lotion or something. Before I used either of the kits, I decided to take a before picture, so I could really measure my results.

before.jpg This is Before Photoshopping


after.jpg This is After Photoshopping

Dr. T: This is the person who just a couple of paragraphs ago was ashamed to even mention her "problem" now she's conducting "clinical research" and posting a photo of her pruney old wrinkled face on the internet! Ummm. No.

Everything was in place. I had chosen my wrinkle products carefully, I took my before picture - I was ready to go.

I put the LiftSp on for the first time on a Monday night. I applied it only my problem areas - my laugh lines, my crows feet. I can say for sure that there was a definite tingling feeling after I let it soak in. I decided to go to sleep and let it work its wonders while I slumbered.

Dr. T: She slumbered, slumbered I tell you!

I woke up early the next morning and practically ran to the mirror. I was almost positive that my wrinkles would have melted away overnight. Then I looked in the mirror.

Nothing had changed.

Dr. T: OK, that last sentence is true.


But I didn't give up....

Despite my epic first night failure, I didn't give up. I decided to keep using the LiftSP every night and use the Ageless Skin kit every morning. It took about 3 days of using both kits before I noticed results. But, boy did I get some results.

You saw the before and after pictures above, I look at least 10 years younger. Well...maybe I am a little biased, but I definitely got rid of a ton of lines and wrinkles! I kept using both of the kits until every single drop of cream was gone. And I'll let you in on a secret, I actually ordered another free trial of each in my husbands name!! No rules against that....shhhh. ;)

Dr. T: My question is why the "husband" isn't using the stuff to get rid of his "laugh lines."


I really hope that everyone that reads my little wrinkle blog is able to achieve results at least half as good as mine. I think anyone would be happy with that. Thanks to everyone for all the support, and remember you are never too old to feel young.

Dr. T: JSM--- "Just Shoot Me." That's how I'm feeling. Gotta take a shower after reading this dreck. Or, in the Immortal phrasing of actor James Carey...

"Laaaa Hewwww. Zaaaaa. Haaaar."

Posted by Dr. Bill Thomas on December 10, 2008 12:17 PM |Permalink |Comments (2)

Top Comment: Younger on 0$ a day...


Commenter Kort writes...


How I ACT 10 years younger for $0.
Hi, Bill. Thought provaking day 12/1; thanks for your insights. I re-caught up with your blog. I don't know if you're familiar with Ellen (?) Langer's work (Langer, E. J. (1989). Mindfullness. Cambridge, MA: DaCapo Press, Perseus Books Group.) but your recent post reminded me of a study she did with 2 groups of 80 somethings.

The control group spent a week in reminiscing activities in a retreat setting. The treatment group spent a week imagining, talking and acting as though they were 10 years younger. The results showed significantly improved cognitive functioning, strength and post in the treatment group! I've tried it and it works. Might be some overlap with the hypnosis thread, but truly startling when you think about it: choosing to think you're over the hill is a self-fulfilling prophesy.

Ageism rears its ugly head yet again!

Posted by Dr. Bill Thomas on December 10, 2008 1:01 PM |Permalink |Comments (0)

Smoke Signals


Janice Blanchard writes...

Emi Kiyota’s Monday post on the Yellow Flag experiment is a wonderful example of a simple “social software” solution to aging in community. We call this informal communication between neighbors “smoke signals” one of the oldest forms of non-verbal communication to transmit information. Smoke signals can be pre-arranged, as in the case of the yellow flag, but often are based on neighbors observing each others daily habits and responding when the patterns are interrupted. For example, turning on the porch light at night and turning it off in the morning, taking out the trash or bringing in the daily paper by a certain time are all ways neighbors informally watch out for each other. In neighborhoods where neighborliness is not a natural occurrence or people simply are at a lost of how to be helpful without being intrusive, more formalized systems such as the yellow flag can be a great way to invite caring for one another and to begin building social capital. For example, in a Denver high rise apartment building, within a short period of time two elders died in their apartments and it was days before anyone knew. In one of the cases, the elder may have lived had he received care within 24 hours. For other elders living alone, this was one of their greatest fears. The resident council came up with the idea of hanging door hangers on the outside of the door at night and taking them in the next morning. If by 10:00 am the door hanger is still there, neighbors knock on the door and contact management if the door is not answered. This (re)creates a system by which neighbors can help neighbors without feeling meddling, while empowering elders to let others know when they need help.

smoke.jpg

What are your smoke signals?
Cheers – Janice Blanchard

Posted by Dr. Bill Thomas on December 10, 2008 5:52 PM |Permalink |Comments (0)

December 11, 2008

Scam Alert


I googled "Lift SP" and found that plenty of people are aware that this is a scam.

In addition to the cream being worthless, the company uses customer orders to place multiple credit card charges...

The Rip Off Report has plenty of complaints about them.

This company is a big scam. They are stealing from credit card and bank accounts. They also do not ship product. I am a senior and don't have much money after paying my rent. I have already lost my home and car in a flood and recuperating from hip surgery so this is really devastating to me. I hope filing this report will help prosecute and put this company out of business.

Anonymous
North Mankato, Minnesota
U.S.A.

Posted by Dr. Bill Thomas on December 11, 2008 1:41 PM |Permalink |Comments (1)

December 12, 2008

Power Up Friday

As we plan our first Green Houses at St. John's, we are looking very closely at the issue of light. As this paper makes abundantly clear, the lighting in most nursing homes is anything but! Most homes have insufficient lighting, both for general navigation and specific activities. Most also have severe problems with glare, due to improper light placement and poor color/surface choices.

Increased light is needed as people age, both in nursing homes and in the larger community. At 65, we need about three times the light of a young person; at 85, as much as five times the amount. Inadequate light is a major contributor to functional dependence and poor quality of life.

Unfortunately, State and Federal standards for lighting are inadequate to the task. In addition, lighting levels are monitored by surveyors and staff who are mostly younger adults, and do not see the environment "through the eyes of the elder".

Another critical consideration is to give every person an opportunity to experience natural light on a daily basis. The quality and intensity of natural light is a key factor in setting our biorhythms, and studies have shown a significant decrease in sleep quality when elders move into a nursing home. Sunlight also increases serotonin, (one of the "feel good" brain chemicals), and is important for vitamin D production for healthy bones.

A Japanese study showed that elders who had direct sun on their face and hands for 15 minutes a day, on an average of 236 clear days per year, had 84% fewer fractures than the control group.

Let there be light!

Posted by Dr. Bill Thomas on December 12, 2008 5:42 AM |Permalink |Comments (0)

SNOW STORM SPECIAL


I was scheduled to be teaching a Masters' class at UMBC's Erickson School this afternoon.

Mother Nature, however, had different ideas. I am snowed in in Ithaca and I will be conducting the class via

iChat and the ChangingAging Blog.

We are going to be integrating the topics that have been covered in Aging 600.

I think it will be fun. Get ready for a whole slew of posts on a wide range of topics and take some time to read the comments.

For readers who have been considering joining the Erickson School's Masters Program, this event just might be the thing to persuade you that we really are educating the next generation of leaders in the wide open field of aging services.

The fireworks starts at 3:00 pm eastern time.

Dr. Bill Thomas

Posted by Dr. Bill Thomas on December 12, 2008 11:14 AM |Permalink |Comments (0)

My Live Blog of the Snow Storm Special

12:01 Working on the technical details for the class. The big goal is to help people to connect the range of ideas that we talked about during the semester. Hope it works!


12:27 Getting prepped for the technical rehearsal that starts at 12:45. Fingers crossed.


1:45 Technical issues solved! Great job by the E-School Team.

1:53 Seven minutes to Show Time

2:23 The students are hard at work

2:29 David Sachs is hanging out in the back of the classroom

3:03 Students hard at work. Great buzz in the room.

3:33 First blog posts on line soon

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

Against Declinism

Declinism vs. Developmentalism

“Are the old really human beings?”
 Simone De Beauvoir

Back in the 60s when De Beauvoir asked this question, she answered it by examining how the old were viewed in many cultures. In the US she found that they were invisible and treated as less than human, making her an early articulator of the declinist view of aging.

Here is a poem in which one woman cries out to be seen, affirming De Beauvoir’s observations.

See Me

What do you see, nurses, what do you see?
Are you thinking, when you look at me --
A crabby old woman, not very wise,
Uncertain of habit, with far-away eyes,
Who dribbles her food and makes no reply,
When you say in a loud voice -- "I do wish you'd try."

Who seems not to notice the things that you do,
And forever is losing a stocking or shoe,
Who unresisting or not, lets you do as you will,
With bathing and feeding, the long day to fill.

Is that what you're thinking, is that what you see?
Then open your eyes, nurse, you're looking at ME...
I'll tell you who I am, as I sit here so still;
As I rise at your bidding, as I eat at your will.

I'm a small child of ten with a father and mother,
Brothers and sisters, who love one another,
A young girl of sixteen with wings on her feet.
Dreaming that soon now a lover she'll meet;
A bride soon at twenty -- my heart gives a leap,
Remembering the vows that I promised to keep;
At twenty-five now I have young of my own,
Who need me to build a secure, happy home;
A woman of thirty, my young now grow fast,
Bound to each other with ties that should last;
At forty, my young sons have grown and are gone,
But my man's beside me to see I don't mourn;
At fifty once more babies play 'round my knee,
Again we know children, my loved one and me.

Dark days are upon me, my husband is dead,
I look at the future, I shudder with dread,
For my young are all rearing young of their own,
And I think of the years and the love that I've known;
I'm an old woman now and nature is cruel --
'Tis her jest to make old age look like a fool.

The body is crumbled, grace and vigor depart,
There is now a stone where once I had a heart,
But inside this old carcass a young girl still dwells,
And now and again my battered heart swells.

I remember the joys, I remember the pain,
And I'm loving and living life over again,
I think of the years, all too few -- gone too fast,
And accept the stark fact that nothing can last --
So I open your eyes, nurses, open and see,
Not a crabby old woman, look closer, nurses -- see ME!

This poem was found among the possessions of an elderly lady who died in the geriatric ward of a hospital. No information is available concerning her -- who she was or when she died. Reprinted from the "Assessment and Alternatives Help Guide" prepared by the Colorado Foundation for Medical Care.



The protagonist is asking to be seen as a human being, which is a developmental point of view. She is treated as one of many like her, who need to be fed and clothed but are not recognized as still living. We advocate for a new cultural view of aging which recognizes that human beings don’t stop growing and learning until they die. This view is called developmentalism. The following poem appeared in a book by Leon Zuckrow, a 91-year-old in a senior community who exemplifies the developmental view.

Expected—the despair,
the sigh and tears and moans
because she has gone where
body is stripped to bones.
Yet?—silliness? laughter?
frivolity? and mirth?—
so scandalous after
that consignment to earth!
But she decrees it! Then,
when I come from above
we are masters again
of joy as well as love.
In revelry, not grief,
she and I will resume,
robbing time, that old thief,
as a new bride and groom.

Nancy, Mary, Carolyn and Boo Group 1

Posted by Dr. Bill Thomas on December 12, 2008 12:02 PM |Permalink |Comments (0)

The Art and Artifacts of Change

Our world is shifting from one that idolizes adulthood towards one that understands and embraces elderhood. We don’t have a choice because our society is aging more rapidly than ever before. Surely we could take the comfortable road to superficial change. Artifacts are only as good the values and norms they represent (like a mission statement collecting dust or wallpaper that doesn’t change behavior or the pets that come to visit once a week). These represent concrete, visual artifacts that are not guided by values and norms. But we have other ideas for change…

Example: The Ericksonville Community Intentional Library decided it wanted to be more user-friendly for their community elders.

graph.jpg


Values (Language)
All staff, volunteers and community members participated in a discussion about what they wanted their library to be. The result was new mission and values statements that reflected their well intentions.

Norms (Behaviors)
The library staff created policies and procedure for the employees, a customer service credo and code of conduct for users.

Artifacts (Symbols)
To put their words and behaviors into action, they renovated – added ramps, improved lighting, lowered the shelves and widened the aisles. They also purchased touch screen computers, large print books and books on tape. They also created a community room for book clubs, discussions and such with universally friendly furniture .

Posted by Dr. Bill Thomas on December 12, 2008 12:04 PM |Permalink |Comments (0)

Parens Patriae and Surplus Safety

Once upon a time.in a deep, dark suburb, there was a home for
Elders
called the Earhart Green House. Living among the Elders was a
woman named
Amelia, who was 100 years old, had lived at Earhart for many
years, and
had been a riveter in an airplane factory during WWI. Amelia had
long
dreamed of taking to the air. Then one day, while cruising the
web, she
came upon a YouTube video clip of a younger woman who had sky
dived for
charity. Amelia know is her heart that this was her destiny
before earning
her ultimate wings. Being under the care of the state, she
e-mailed her
Guardian, Ms. Helen No, asking her about the possibility of
skydiving.
Here is how the conversation went:


" You can't be serious - do I need to refer to Dr. Rashid for
neuron psych
referral? I am concerned about your safety, plus how would we
pay this?"
Amelia responds saying, " I feel that I can make this decision
and would
like your support. Also, I have asked John, our Activity
Director, about
this. John told me that his sister, Jess Jecan, who owns a sky
diving
school in the area, and she said she has been looking for an
opportunity
to demonstrate how safe the sport is by offering a free class in
diving to
an Elder. Plus, we could use it as a fundraiser to close the gap
in our
budget due to the recent market collapse."

So, it came to pass that Amelia took to the air with Jess, where
they flew
the friendly skies and had a safe landing. Helen, for her part,
came to
see that Amelia and Elder like her, want to grow and experience
life and
that even with the known limitation imposed by the state (Parens
Patrea),
that creative solutions are possible.

See Amelia's inspiration.

Posted by Dr. Bill Thomas on December 12, 2008 12:06 PM |Permalink |Comments (2)

Watson and Spock

HEADLINE: A Blended Approach to Caregiving: based on a developmental approach towards elders and those who work with elders

In our Aging 600 course we explored the views of famous childrearing doctors, John B. Watson and Benjamin M. Spock and paralleled how we treat our elders today. We discovered through our discussions that finding a balance in these approaches was both necessary and essential to ensuring that elders can continue to prosper and thrive in their environment while feeling secure in taking risks.
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Watson Views
• Rigid scheduling (eat, bathe, go to bed; formulas;)
• Not touchy feely
• Emotion between child and parent is unhealthy: let them cry – not expressive; not touchy feely
• Behaviorist
• Predict and control actions
• Reduce thinking; just action
• Conditioned responses (fear, rage, love – Albert)
• Behaviorism is the study of what people do
• Stimulus is a response and that is what causes relationship
• Conditioning is learning to react to the environment
• Anti-kiss, anti-touch
• Parents are incompetent
babyws.jpg

Spock
• Pro-touch
• Pro-affection
• Children prosper by mind-body connection
• Pay less attention to experts; trust your instincts
• Rebelled against his harsh, rigid parents
• Father of permissiveness

Best of both worlds:
• With regard to organizations, which behaviors in which situations are beneficial
• How can you find the best seat on the bus for each type
• Good Behavior would foster consistent values for the organization and the customer and all other stakeholders
• Watson model is efficient – needed to run an organization
• Behaviors should nurture growth without excess risk
• Watson systematic approach allows us to create a roadmap and framework for putting in place our instinctual values
• Trusting our instincts allow us to enhance quality of life through relationship building via touch, talk, smell, ya da ya da ya


Posted by Dr. Bill Thomas on December 12, 2008 12:08 PM |Permalink |Comments (1)

Bizarro

Based on the comic strip character of the same name, Bizarro was the antithesis of “Superman,” famous super hero of the 1950’s. Created by Otto Binder and artist George Papp, the concept of “Bizarro” means using opposite and twisted logic to explore new ideas, gain new perspectives of commonly held beliefs and assumptions. Taking any concept, turning it upside down, backwards and inside out, the mind begins to create new ideas that run counter to the original thought. One begins to view something in a different way.

“Bizarro thinking” is a tool introduced and used in AGING 600 to help students reframe their conformist, traditional thinking and widely held beliefs surrounding aging.

A recent example of looking at aging from a Bizarro perspective can be seen in this Kaiser Permanente commercial:

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Posted by Dr. Bill Thomas on December 12, 2008 12:09 PM |Permalink |Comments (2)

King Lear's Family Values

Remember when you were a teenager and you thought that there was absolutely NO WAY your parents could understand how life really is? For those of us who grew up in the 80s, the angst is best represented by this Will Smith video.

It was much the same for the Lear family, only this time the daughters weren't teenagers... they were fully grown (and ostensibly) mature. The oldest two were dead set in their belief that Dad just couldn't understand how the contemporary world works.

To them, dad just didn’t understand that the young, the “savvy” and the powerful should be left to make the decisions. The young should inherit the earth. These two daughters valued short-term gain and did not respect the experience and wisdom of their elder.

But then there was the black sheep of the family, Cordelia, who valued honesty and self-determination for herself and her father. In the immortal words of Cookie Monster, “one of these things is not like the other.”

Posted by Dr. Bill Thomas on December 12, 2008 12:18 PM |Permalink |Comments (2)

The Ripening

Elders Bring More to the Table than they take away..aging in
society as a net positive

Given the baby boomers tsunami like numbers and supposed burden
to
society, their aging process is occurring in an environment
built by their
efforts and achievements. Its important to remember that they
were babies
once, and they were taken care of in a world without all of the
technology, efficiencies, and advancements that are a part of
their
legacy. To consider the aging population to be a burden on our
society is ridiculous.

Elders very well may save the world through what they offer to
younger
generations, in wisdom, in practical solutions, in sharing their
stories
and world view.

Recognizing that we will all be in their shoes, if we make it,
will help
contribute to our analysis of "their" net value.

Seeking wisdom from our elders will help us then guide the next
generation. And someday we just might be our own
grandpa/grandma.

Monica, Betty, Aileen

Posted by Dr. Bill Thomas on December 12, 2008 12:55 PM |Permalink |Comments (2)

Meld, Merge, Mosaic

The Aging 600 students wrecked house at the Erickson School over the weekend.

Here are some photos of their attempt to map the concepts that make up the course.

Useful creative thinking is founded on making speculative leaps between novel concepts.

Here are some shots of the whiteboard where the class was making connections.

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More fun here...

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Truly Bizzaro...

IMG_0029.jpg


Posted by Dr. Bill Thomas on December 12, 2008 3:09 PM |Permalink |Comments (1)

December 15, 2008

Monkhouse Mondays: The Alternative Nobel Prize

I was present in Zürich last Thursday evening, when one of the 2008 awards recipients Dr. Monika Hauser, the founder of Medica Mondiale made a compelling speech before a large audience at Zürich University.

It is Dr. Hauser’s courage and persistence who changed the global perception of raping women in warfare from „something that happens“ to „war crime“ which is currently prosecuted at DeHague in the Netherlands. Medica Mondiale helps restore raped women and girls’ dignity, social integration and ensure education, networking and their livelhood.

Mr. Jakob von Uexkuell also spoke, he said when he founded the award in 1980, he was wondering why we live with problems we can solve. He cites Albert Einstein who had said that a really good idea can be recognized by the fact that ist realisation seems impossible at first sight.

Over 120 award recipients from more than 50 countries have shown that we can solve problems if there is a vision and the persistence to follow it through. After that, there is no going back, minds are changed, perceptions altered forever.

Changing the perception of ageing and the way we perceive old people is just another problem to be solved in the making, thanks to the vision and persistence of Dr. Bill Thomas.

-- Christa Monkhouse

Posted by Kavan Peterson on December 15, 2008 4:19 PM |Permalink |Comments (0)

Japan: Robot Nation

Japan, the world's second largest economy, is facing a demographic crisis that will shrink the population dramatically. The Japanese aren't having babies, and the country won't accept immigrants to help bolster the population. But Japan may have a unique solution --- Robots!

Video after the jump. You have to see it to believe it. I have two words for the Japanese: Good luck.

-- Kavan Peterson

Posted by Kavan Peterson on December 15, 2008 4:22 PM |Permalink |Comments (0)

December 16, 2008

Ben's Adventure

My name is Ben Cornthwaite. I am a Licensed Nursing Home Administrator at a CCRC in Northern Virginia where I am responsible for the day-to-day operations of a 180-person nursing home and a 104-person Assisted Living facility. Throughout my four years here, I have learned and observed many things that we do extraordinarily well as well as things that require significant change. I continue to seek feedback from residents, families and staff in many areas in an effort to continue to make our home a better place to live and work. My latest attempt to better understand the key issues involved moving into the building that I manage for 7 consecutive days (and nights)!

Happy.jpg

My life as a resident began with a new name, Happy Sunshine. I simulated an experience similar to the profile of many everyday residents which included the following:
· Surgically repaired fractured hip (requiring the use of a wheelchair)
· Bladder incontinence (requiring the use of an adult brief)
· Visual impairment—courtesy of my Creator
· Total assistance from staff to perform all Activities of Daily Living
· 7 medications (M&M’s J)

My experience included eating all meals in the dining room, taking showers in the neighborhood bathing spas, participating in resident activities, participating in physical and occupational therapy, signing the new resident contract, dependence on staff members to respond to my call light, medical monitoring of my vital signs and weight, and consultation from the doctor, dietician, nurse, therapists, social worker and activities staff. Clearly the staff knows me, so my experience was most likely different than the average experience. However, I now can say that I have a new perspective on what it means to be a resident of my community. Additionally, I found new meaning in just what it takes for the staff to produce the exceptional outcomes that we expect of them each and every day.

Overall, my experience was very revealing—by in large very positive. I encountered many wonderful people doing many wonderful things. Additionally, I found some experiences to be frustrating and difficult. Although there are many actionable items of changes that I will make as a direct result of my greater understanding, there is one profound issue that I encountered that has brought new importance to my day-to-day management. The most revealing experience for me was not my own disability, rather, the disability that we create in our own design. Specifically, the disability that residents in wheelchairs face is profound and utterly unacceptable in creating and maintaining home. The following are plans to address this very important issue:

Our community’s Executive Team has agreed to spend one day in a wheelchair on campus to encounter accessibility obstacles throughout a normal day. It is my hope that this experience will provide all the information necessary for the interdisciplinary team to agree to urgently and strategically implement changes on our campus.
I will pitch to our Executive Director that our campus shuttle schedule should be delayed 10 additional minutes to allow for adequate time to pick up residents in wheelchairs. Currently, our shuttles do not pick up residents utilizing wheelchairs—despite being equipped with wheelchair lifts.

Resident bathroom doors will be equipped with dual-swing hinges to allow the door to swing freely in both directions—this will allow residents in wheelchairs the independence required to utilize the bathroom without staff assistance
Resident bathrooms in long-term care have been evaluated by an architect to shorten one of the walls which will allow for a wider doorway—this will grant residents greater ability to get in and out of the bathroom independently. In fact, we are evaluating removing the door all together and providing a curtain for privacy since these are all private rooms.

Standard room furniture will be evaluated and positioned in a more wheelchair-friendly design allowing residents full access to the useable square-footage in their room. We will also encourage residents to bring in their own furniture that may be more suitable to their needs. Our company’s designer has worked with me on creating this design.

Every wheelchair that is issued will come equipped with a pressure-relieving cushion as standard—wheelchair seats without cushions are cruel and unusual punishment!
I have challenged my Administrator peers at 10 other campuses to also commit to living at least one week in their own facility, thus igniting operational change
I have challenged key corporate leaders within the organization to also gain a first-hand experience at one of our campuses, thus igniting company changes
I have challenged my Administrator and professional peers across the country to commit to living at least one week in their own facility, thus igniting culture change

I have come to realize that the heart of the problems that I faced was mostly due to ageist and declinist thought. To me, it is rather simple to address the cosmetic features that promote significant obstacles to our residents in wheelchairs; however, it is now apparent to me that the real issue at hand is changing a profession’s mindset. We need to consider resident growth and ability in our design and operation—not the inverse of decline and disability. I will do my job different each day as a result of my learned experience—I carry my resident ID band with me each day as a reminder for what I must not forget. Specifically, I will do my part to empower my team and others around me to also confront ageism and declinist thought each and every day.

Throughout my experience, I saw, felt, and heard great satisfaction in the care that is being delivered, despite the frustrations that I also experienced. As the Administrator, I can only imagine that this lesson will allow me to continue to be a better leader for the place we call home. I believe that everyone deserves a little Sunshine.

More here...

Posted by Dr. Bill Thomas on December 16, 2008 3:06 PM |Permalink |Comments (1)

December 17, 2008

Blanchard WinsDays

Snow Angels – The Neighborly Thing to Do.

A White Christmas loses its romantic appeal when the base layer begins accumulation in mid-December. Just a couple inches of snow can be a mountain of difficulty for the person with mobility challenges. Adding to the challenge of getting out of the driveway, most cities have requirements that snow be removed from sidewalks within a 24 hour period.

So what is the aging in community solution to helping snowbound frail neighbors? A neighbors helping neighbors snow removal program. Snow removal for older adults or others facing health challenges can be a block by block grassroots effort or a more formalized citywide program such as the Boulder, Colorado Icebusters or Hamilton, Ontario Snow Angels which pairs up community volunteers with seniors and persons with disabilities for a winter season.

In Denver, Colorado the Aging in Community Network is pairing up with the Colorado Neighborhood Resource Center and other community partners to design a community based snow removal program for frail elders and persons with disabilities with the outcome being a “how to” manual for other communities to replicate the project, from liability waivers to volunteer recruitment strategies.

jb1217.jpg

How do frail elders in your community cope with snow removal?
Cheers – Janice Blanchard

Posted by Dr. Bill Thomas on December 17, 2008 7:13 AM |Permalink |Comments (0)

December 19, 2008

Power Up Friday

Last Sunday's NY Times Magazine ran their annual "Year in Ideas" feature.

The cover showed the iconic photo of Einstein sticking his tongue out at the camera, suggesting that not all ideas are equally great. For example the Dog Feces DNA Test Squad can discover who isn't picking up after their pets, (assuming you have a DNA data base for the neighborhood dogs, and assuming you care enough to collect the various perpetrators' poop samples for testing...)

One that caught my eye was the latest in hip fracture prevention from the Japanese company Prop:
AL2.JPEG

This vest / fanny pack unit has motion sensors that cause air bags to inflate in 1/10 second when a fall is detected, in an effort to protect the neck and hips.

Dr. Mary Tinetti was a neighbor of mine during our post-graduate years in Rochester, and no doubt used her observations of our house parties to become a leading expert in falls at Yale. She reminded the Times that many people have rejected hip pads in the past, due to their aesthetic appearance, (as in "Honey, does this inflatable vest make me look fat?"). She also cautioned that the resulting 'bounce' might be as harmful to frail bones as the fall itself.

Other concerns that occur to me are whether accidental mis-firings occur, if the airbags need to be "re-charged", and how practical that would be in a person who falls frequently. This contraption retails for $1400.
AL.JPEG
Keep working at it guys, but meanwhile, keep in mind that falls are usually a symptom of a variety of underlying factors. Identifying and treating these risk factors remains the key to prevention. Even more important is to convince all those young women who drink diet soda in the school cafeteria that they are in a critical phase of bone modeling. Otherwise, we'll need to buy millions of these suckers in the coming decades!

I'll close with the trailer for Woody Allen's "Sleeper", which devised the very first "fracture prevention outfit":


Happy Holidays!!


Posted by Dr. Bill Thomas on December 19, 2008 8:34 AM |Permalink |Comments (0)

December 22, 2008

Monkhouse Monday

Care assistants and mirror neurons – the science base for caring


I always enjoy teaching Eden to the so-called care assistants, women of all ages who are the most important caregivers in many nursing homes, often they have little status and struggle to sustain their families on their low pay. They are considered „untrained“, even the youngest nurse is a better „thinker“, so the assumption, better able to provide „good“ care.

This time – after re-reading the book* below, I was able to give the care assistants the neuroscientific evidence base for caring and the genuine concern they have for the old people they care for. A caring attitude and genuine caring are "contagious“. Mirror neurons, that is watching someone’s caring actions, recruits the same neural structure as actually giving care. Observing good care leads to good care, empathy and love activate regions in the right brain.
Good care can change the whole world for older people who receive it and it is a wonderful role model for newcomers into care.

The care assistants were very interested in hearing that there was a science base to their everyday work. Maybe the walked out a little bit prouder of what they are doing, into the cool winter afternoon, home to their loved ones, preparing for Christmas.

I wish all the readers to take time for feelings, love and empathy over Christmas. I will be back on this blog on January 12th, 2009.

Frohe Weihnachten und einen guten Rutsch ins Neue Jahr!

*Damasio, A.R. (1994) Descartes’ Error: Emotion,
Reason and the Human Brain, Putnam

Posted by Dr. Bill Thomas on December 22, 2008 8:48 AM |Permalink |Comments (0)

December 23, 2008

My Hometown


Front page news around here...

Nearly 75 competitors from across the region braved the fallout from Friday's storm and converged on Ithaca's Farmer's Market for a taste of swede victory at the annual International Rutabaga Curling Competition.

Market vendors ended the season in traditionally fun fashion — by dressing up in ridiculous costumes, inviting customers to throw vegetables along the floor and broadcasting the roll-by-roll commentary, peppered with fun culinary facts.

What began as a bit of fun release for bored vendors 11 years ago has escalated into a full-out event that raises hundreds of dollars for charity and attracts hundreds of spectators to Steamboat Landing in the dead of winter.

For the uninitiated, the International Rutabaga Curling Competition involves the rolling of the large root vegetable — the cross between a cabbage and a turnip, sometimes called a swede — along a 79-foot stretch of floor, aiming for a cone at the end.

Loosely based on the rules of the official Scottish ice sport of curling, the Ithaca game originated in 1997 with the hurling of a frozen chicken. Feeling mischievous, market vendor Steve Sierigk was loudly pondering the potential pitching distance of produce when he inspired a customer to throw a recently-purchased chicken down the aisles. Potatoes, cinnamon rolls, cabbages and loaves of bread soon followed, and the sport was born.

As Scottish-attired referee Will Sellers of Ithaca explained, it takes a certain amount of skill to control an over-exuberant rutabaga, likely to roll beyond the periphery of the court and often ruled “oot” of play.

“Eye-to-arm coordination is key, as is the appropriate war cry to inspire the rutabaga,” he said. “Aerodynamics also has an influence. Square rutabagas do not roll so well, which is why it is especially important that you don't step over the line, or your rutabaga will be shredded.”

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More Here...

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

December 24, 2008

Tis the Season


I have a feeling we are all in for a change...

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Posted by Dr. Bill Thomas on December 24, 2008 2:31 PM |Permalink |Comments (1)

December 27, 2008

Here We Go!

Allergan Inc., the company that makes Botox, announced on Friday that it has staked its claim in the eyelash enhancement market.

In a news release, the Irvine, Calif.-based company said it had received the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's blessing to market Latisse, the first prescription medication that makes lashes grow longer, thicker and darker. Once it reaches the market in March, annual sales of Latisse are expected to be somewhere in the neighborhood of $500 million.

A daily treatment, Latisse is applied to the base of the upper eyelid and the full effect is seen in 16 weeks. Once treatment is stopped, lashes will slowly return to normal, the company said in the release. The primary ingredient in Latisse, bimatoprost, is a prostaglandin analog that is present in hair and is thought to help in the development and regrowth of hair follicles. The company did warn that the medication should not be applied to the lower eyelid, and that any other part of the body that was exposed to Latisse might show hair growth. Allergan also noted that the eyelashes on each lid might not grow the exact same way.

More Here

Posted by Dr. Bill Thomas on December 27, 2008 10:12 PM |Permalink |Comments (1)

December 29, 2008

Waste Not Want Not

Matt Yglesias has a very insightful post on waste in health care.

BTW he is a great blogger, very much worth keeping an eye on his blog.


He writes...


There’s a real lack of understanding in this country of the extent of the problem of medical waste and what I guess you’d have to call doctors’ incompetence. Uwe Reinhardt has a great post laying much of this out including the striking fact that “on average, American patients receive the recommended treatment for their condition only slightly more than 50 percent of the time.”

The structure of Medicare allows us to do pretty solid apples-to-apples comparisons of what different hospitals are spending on treatment, and the evidence is clear that the hospital-to-hospital variance is costs is large, and in quality is also pretty big, but the differences seem uncorrelated:

According to the Dartmouth researchers, if physicians with relatively higher cost preferred practice styles could be induced to embrace the preferred practice styles of their equally effective but lower-cost colleagues, overall per-capita Medicare spending probably could be reduced by at least 30 percent without harming patients, and similarly for commercially insured younger Americans. How can a nation that routinely wails over its high cost of health care ignore such important research?

I’ve been watching a lot of House re-runs lately, and they’re a striking encapsulation of part of what’s wrong with the way Americans think about medicine. Dr House is unfailingly portrayed as a bad person but a fantastic doctor and the medical ideal is seen to be that of the brilliant explorer-hero who does what it takes to solve the most difficult cases. An alternative model would see the doctor as a kind of custodian of public health. A general practitioner who develops an effective method of nudging people toward quitting smoking or exercising more during his brief post-checkup chats would save many more lives at dramatically lower cost than would all of Dr House’s heroics.

And of course most doctors in the real world aren’t like genius television characters — unleash them from concerns about cost-efficacy and imbue them with a heroic self-conception and they don’t even give you costly-but-effective medicine. Almost half the time they don’t even do the right treatment.

Posted by Dr. Bill Thomas on December 29, 2008 1:37 PM |Permalink |Comments (0)

©2007 Erickson School