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January 2009 Archives

January 1, 2009

Woooptee Deee Do

Ruth at Cab Drollery catches this article from the NYT...

Starting Jan. 1, the pharmaceutical industry has agreed to a voluntary moratorium on the kind of branded goodies — Viagra pens, Zoloft soap dispensers, Lipitor mugs — that were meant to foster good will and, some would say, encourage doctors to prescribe more of the drugs.
No longer will Merck furnish doctors with purplish adhesive bandages advertising Gardasil, a vaccine against the human papillomavirus. Banished, too, are black T-shirts from Allergan adorned with rhinestones that spell out B-O-T-O-X. So are pens advertising the Sepracor sleep drug Lunesta, in whose barrel floats the brand’s mascot, a somnolent moth.

The new voluntary industry guidelines try to counter the impression that gifts to doctors are intended to unduly influence medicine. The code, drawn up by Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America, an industry group in Washington, bars drug companies from giving doctors branded pens, staplers, flash drives, paperweights, calculators and the like.

She adds (and I agree)...

Well, whooptee-damn-doo. That ought to clear up any claims of impropriety, eh?

Posted by Dr. Bill Thomas on January 1, 2009 1:25 PM |Permalink |Comments (0)

January 2, 2009

Blanchard WinsDays

Active Adult Communities: Legalized Age-Discrimination in Housing

The concept of a Never-Never Land of golf and leisure, inhabited exclusively by adults 50 and older is not new. It started in the 1950s, popularized by real estate developer and marketing genius Del Webb and his social experiment in Arizona, Sun City. Up until ten or so years ago, these retirement enclaves were predominately located in the sun-belt regions of the country, and although marketed to retirees, were not legally age-restricted.

Largely as a result of lobbying efforts from the home building industry, this all changed when age-segregation was codified under the Fair Housing Act with the passage of the Housing for Older Persons Act of 1995, which allowed communities to restrict ownership of housing to persons 50 and older and to prohibit children from living there. In many communities children visiting beyond a certain number of days is a serious offense, which can result in one being forced to move out of the community.

Can you imagine applying such restrictions to any other population? A housing community only for families – anyone over 50 must move out? A housing community only legally inhabitable for Christians or Jews? It sounds –and is – ominous. Human beings do not have a good track record when it comes to segregating certain portions of the population.

“Age-segregated communities” or the more popular acronym “active-adult communities” have proliferated in recent years, far beyond the sun-belt regions. Municipalities are often eager to attract these low-crime and seemingly low-maintenance developments in favor of other types of housing communities. Notably, there have been few critiques from policymakers or aging professionals regarding the spread of these geritiopias and the social policy implications of an increasingly age-segregated society—or what happens when “active adults” become increasingly “less-active elders.”

For an insiders look around today’s age-segregated housing options, check out A Place Called Canterbury: Tales of the New Old Age in America by Dudley Clendinen and Leisureville: Adventures in America's Retirement Utopias by Andrew D. Blechman.

A Place Called Canterbury: Tales of the New Old Age in America Cover

Posted by Dr. Bill Thomas on January 2, 2009 8:37 AM |Permalink |Comments (0)

Power Up Friday

I’m catching up on my end-of-year reading, and have a couple of books to recommend. This week, it’s Malcolm Gladwell’s latest tome, “Outliers: The Story of Success”. This book examines those individuals who do better, (or worse), than most and the factors involved. Surprisingly, he finds that success is only partly a function of determination and innate talent. Other factors play a major role, such as timing, serendipitous connections and culture.

The book explores a variety of topics, such as why all the best young Canadian hockey stars are born early in the year, how Korea turned its dismal airline safety record around by de-emphasizing culture, and why rice paddies have helped Asian students, with no greater IQ or innate ability, to outshine us at math. Interesting and thought-provoking stuff.

Apropos to this blog, Gladwell tells the fascinating story of Italian immigrants from Foggia who settled the small Pennsylvania mining town of Roseto. In the 1950s, with heart disease running rampant, it was discovered that these immigrants weren’t dying as early as everyone else in the nation. A local physician found few residents under 65 with heart disease, which was unheard of at the time. (There was also little crime, no suicide, no ulcer disease; most of them simply were “dying of old age”.)

The famous “Mediterranean diet” didn’t seem to be a factor – most of them had adopted a diet high in saturated fats and were obese. They also smoked, drank and worked in the nearby slate quarries. Immigrants from other cultures who settled the neighboring towns had the usual diseases, as did their Foggian countrymen who settled elsewhere in America. Therefore, genes and the local water supply were not the answer.

What the investigation found was that the key to their robust health lay in the community they had formed. They had multiple generations in one household and their village had a very close, collaborative social structure which had been transplanted in order to help them deal with the pressures of living in a foreign society. This community kept them alive.

Such a discovery flies in the face of the traditional “heart healthy” advice, which puts the onus on an individual’s choices-- diet, exercise, etc. Apparently the larger organism of the community must be healthy as well -- that may be even more important than the individual choices we make!

Next week, I’ll tell you about Carter Williams’ fascinating journey through time.

Posted by Dr. Bill Thomas on January 2, 2009 10:05 AM |Permalink |Comments (1)

Power Up Friday #2

Recent research is stressing the importance of vitamin B12 to brain health. For a long time, we have considered a blood level of less than 200-250 to be borderline, and less than 150 to be deficient.

Recent studies, however, have shown that even with B12 levels in the “low normal” range, there is excess brain atrophy. Vitamin B12 plays an important role in the maintenance of fatty acids that promote healthy neurons and their supportive myelin sheaths.

A UK study, (http://www.vitasearchcom/CP/experts/AVoldiatzoglouAT10-12-08.pdf), of 107 healthy older volunteers, free of cognitive impairment, had their brains scanned repeatedly over a five-year period, as well as yearly physical exams and memory tests. They found excess brain shrinkage, (which has been correlated with cognitive loss), in those who had B12 levels in the lower end of the “normal” range.

While this doesn’t prove cause and effect, it suggests that our acceptable levels of B12 may need to be revised. The authors suggest that we use 300 as our lower limit of normal, and also follow other blood tests, (MMA and homocysteine levels), that are more sensitive to early B12 deficiency states.

B12 is plentiful in meat, fish, dairy products and fortified cereals. Older people with decreased absorption may need supplements, as may some vegans. Certain medications, such as seizure drugs and anti-acid pills, can interfere with B12 absorption as well.

Posted by Dr. Bill Thomas on January 2, 2009 10:09 AM |Permalink |Comments (2)

January 5, 2009

Eden Rocks

This just in...

Westwing Place at Genesis Medical Center, DeWitt is one of the highest-ranked senior care facilities in Iowa, according to rankings of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.

Westwing Place, a 77-bed facility attached to Genesis Medical Center, DeWitt, scored a maximum of five stars in on-site health inspections, five stars in quality measures, four stars in staffing and five stars in overall quality.
"One of the main reasons for our success is the quality of our staff. If your staff takes pride in the job they do and the care they provide, that is going to make a difference in the other areas of quality,'' said De Schmidt, Director of Nursing, Genesis Medical Center, DeWitt. "Our staff truly considers the residents to be their family and they treat the residents that way.''

Westwing Place is a certified Eden Alternative Facility. Eden recognizes care facilities for preventing loneliness, helplessness and boredom by creating a vibrant habitat for seniors. Eden facilities use an enlivened environment with opportunities for residents to care for companion animals, children and plants.

Illini Restorative Care, a 75-bed facility located adjacent to Genesis Medical Center, Illini Campus in Silvis received four stars in health inspections, four stars in staffing, three stars in quality measures and four stars in overall quality.

Talented people, hard work, a commitment to well-being and the right philosophy, these are the things that make quality long-term care a reality.

Congrats!

Posted by Dr. Bill Thomas on January 5, 2009 3:06 PM |Permalink |Comments (0)

Monkhouse Mondays: Happy Birthday Christa!

Changing Aging would like to wish a very happy birthday to Christa Monkhouse!

Posted by Kavan Peterson on January 5, 2009 3:38 PM |Permalink |Comments (0)

Mashup 2008

I love this mashup of the top 25 songs of 2008...

It's worth watching...

Posted by Dr. Bill Thomas on January 5, 2009 7:22 PM |Permalink |Comments (0)

January 6, 2009

Dorothea Johnson Responds...

Dorothea writes in response to Al Power...

Another interesting book that recently came out and addresses similar issues is called Blue Zones. It is a result of a NIH funded study of centenarians among various cultures throughout the world. The author found pockets of cultures that he referred to as "blue zones" where people lived incredibly long and healthy lives in spite of seemingly harsh environments - Costa Rica, Okinawa, Sardinia...
Anyway, the book goes out of its way to figure out common patterns in diet and activities but somehow fails to be convincing. It seemed like, if anything, some of these lifestyles were almost contradictory to each other. The only common theme that emerged out of these far corners of the world had to do with two things - having a purpose in life (a reason to get up in the morning) and strong connection to family, friends and community. While you can't really create a recipe book out of those conclusions (as Dr. Mehmed Oz tried to do), you can certainly adopt these principles in day-to-day living.
I would tell you more except that I just got this overwhelming urge to shut off the computer and join my son for a game of soccer. It's a beautiful Saturday here in Virginia!

Posted by Dr. Bill Thomas on January 6, 2009 9:47 AM |Permalink |Comments (0)

News Mashup

This is very good...

(H/T Al Power)

Posted by Dr. Bill Thomas on January 6, 2009 12:51 PM |Permalink |Comments (0)

January 7, 2009

Blanchard WinsDays

It Takes a Village

It takes a Village to raise a child, AND it takes a Village to care for our elders—so reasoned Susan McWhinney-Morse when she and a group of long-time neighbors in a downtown Boston neighborhood decided they wanted to remain in their own homes and in the neighborhood they loved as they aged, but realized they needed support. Together they created a non-profit organization in 2001, Beacon Hill Village, designed to help older adults stay in their own homes and stay connected to their community. Residents pay $600 a year for an individual or $850 for a couple join; those of modest means can join for a discounted rate.

Membership has multiple benefits, but the centerpiece of the Village plan is a “one call does it all” concierge service that helps residents quickly and safely find the support they want or need. Free services to resident members include transportation to and from the hospital; an advocate who will accompany the senior to medical appointments; someone to drive a member to the bank, the beauty parlor, church; group exercise classes; lectures on issues related to aging and people who will drop by for a visit. Other services such as home maintenance and repair and in-home health care are provided to members from vetted providers, often at a discounted rate.

Beacon Hill Village also provides residents with a number of activities to promote health and wellness among members and social activities to foster friendship and neighborliness. The model is taking off – the office has fielded hundreds of calls to replicate the model and their website now boasts 19 affiliate Villages around the country, with many more unaffiliated groups in formation.

Is there a Village model in your neighborhood?

Cheers,

Janice Blanchard

Posted by Dr. Bill Thomas on January 7, 2009 9:10 AM |Permalink |Comments (1)

Good News about Ageing

The UK is becoming more "elder rich..."

In the space of a week, the writer and long-time editor, Diana Athill, has notched up a brace of distinctions. She received an OBE in the New Year Honours List for services to literature, and last night she won the Biography category of the Costa Book Awards with her memoir, Somewhere Near the End, which makes her a contender for the Book of the Year prize when the results are announced later this month.

Still more remarkable is that Ms Athill recently turned 91. Energetic, appreciative, and – it goes without saying – in possession of all her faculties, she is a one-woman advertisement for Britain's ageing society. A brave and highly regarded editor, she started late as a writer, publishing her first book at the age of 43. She has used her long life to maximum, and enviable, advantage.

In so doing, Ms Athill offers a timely antidote to the doom-mongering consensus that regards an ageing society only as a problem, and an expensive one at that. In the UK, there are now more over-60s in the population than there are under-18s. But I have never quite bought into the idea that longer life-expectancy need be the burden that will bankrupt the state. (You could even argue the opposite, given the mayhem created by a younger generation of risk-taking bankers left to its own devices.)

More Here

The Headline, "An ageing society isn't all bad news" irks me though. It's as if it was a great surprise that there could be value in aging...

Posted by Dr. Bill Thomas on January 7, 2009 11:19 AM |Permalink |Comments (0)

January 9, 2009

Power Up Friday

As promised, this week's book recommendation is "Glorious Adventure", by renowned nursing home reformer Carter Catlett Williams, (c. 2008, Pioneer Network, Rochester, NY, wwwDOTpioneernetworkDOTnet). Here are some of the opening lines:

"My father, Landon Carter Catlett, Jr., a second lieutenant in the U.S. Army Air Service, was killed in a plane crash in Hawaii in 1925 at age 27 when I, his only child, was barely 23 months old....

"I have no memory of my father. For me he was only the man in the pictures on my mother's bureau, a distant icon, not a flesh and blood person...I was aware that my mother had a box of his letters, and once, in my early forties, I looked at a few of them. They made me sad, so I put them back in the box and gave no thought of returning to them again....

"But then came old age, and with it unguarded moments of reflection on earlier parts of my life and, at intervals, surprising moments of awareness."

At age 63, after her mother's funeral, Carter returned to the box and found over 200 letters and postcards her father had written to his family, many concerning the joy of his infant daughter. Carter read, re-read and distilled his rediscovered life into this moving account.

We not only get a close look at an engaging and memorable personality of the early 20th century, but we get a glimpse of the times and a compelling story of life between the wars. The book is also filled with Carter's personal reflections, painted with the palette of over 80 years of wisdom and experience. A wonderful read!

There is also a moving Afterword, written by Wendy Lustbader, that laments the death of letter writing in our society. How much will be lost to future generations when one's expressions of joy are distilled to "LOL" on a text message?

Posted by Dr. Bill Thomas on January 9, 2009 10:08 AM |Permalink |Comments (0)

January 12, 2009

Monkhouse Monday

Choir Singing and the Eden Alternative*

In 2007 the BBC put together a group of pensioners as part of a series of program called Power to the People. As part of the program they formed a choir and made a cover version of The Who’s My Generation that stayed in the top 40 for two weeks.

Eighteen months later they are actively touring the UK and abroad and have released a CD Lust for Life. The group currently has around 50 members with a combined age of 3,700. They are now one of the world’s most famous groups of old-age pensioners with the young@heart chorus from Northampton, Massachusetts coming a close second.

The original aim of the group was to ‘stick it back to the society that has cast them aside’. The act challenges a host of misconceptions of older people and was described by the Times (20 December 2008) as heart-warming, loud, brash and assertive. With the exception of the first these are not adjectives usually associated with the aged. The widespread publicity they have received has stimulated numerous other pensioner choirs as people realise the benefits of singing as a route to companionship, challenge, and self confidence. Singing in choir addresses all three of the Eden Alternative plagues – Loneliness, Helplessness and Boredom.

Christa Monkhouse
*This blog entry has been copied and pasted from the wonderful, concise and insightful Eden-blog written by Paul Bailey, Eden UK trainer and mentor. I liked it so much, so I asked for permission to post it on this blog. More from Eden-UK and Ireland:
http://eden-world.livejournal.com/4958.html

Posted by Dr. Bill Thomas on January 12, 2009 7:27 AM |Permalink |Comments (0)

January 13, 2009

Denmark

Dinner in Copenhagen

Posted by Dr. Bill Thomas on January 13, 2009 2:55 PM |Permalink |Comments (0)

January 15, 2009

From Denmark

A wonderful conference, kicked off by comments by two profound Elders.
Presentations from Iceland, UK, Switzerland, Sweden, Denmark and
Germany. The work is beautiful. I feel great pride in what is
being
accomplished here.

Posted by Dr. Bill Thomas on January 15, 2009 12:04 PM |Permalink |Comments (0)

January 16, 2009

Power Up Friday

I know what you're thinking out there - you are expecting me to
blog about the new Clive Ballard dementia study on
anti-psychotic safety. Well, okay, but that seems too easy.
Let's see if we can get more creative with it...

First, the study. Just published in Lancet Neurology is Dr.
Ballard's three-year, placebo controlled study of anti-psychotic
use in people with dementia. The results show a doubled
mortality of those on the drugs. After three years, two thirds
of those taking the placebo were still alive, versus fewer than
one third on the drugs.

UK officials stressed the need to use these drugs sparingly, and
recommended further education and research into alternate
approaches. Regular readers know that we've been blogging about
these concerns for some time. So where else can we go with this?

Let's look at an unrelated (?) Associated Press item from
January 8th: A group of federal scientists has filed a complaint
with the Obama Administration about gross misconduct within the
FDA. Ricardo Alonso-Zalvidar writes that the group alleges that
"agency managers use intimidation to squelch scientific debate,
leading to the approval of medical devices whose effectiveness
is questionable and which may not be entirely safe... Managers
have ordered, intimidated and coerced FDA experts to modify
scientific evaluations, conclusions and recommendations in
violation of the laws...and to accept clinical and technical
data that is not scientifically valid." Similar FDA complaints
arose a few years ago during the firestorm surrounding the drug
Vioxx.

So let's take a bit of a leap and put these two news items
together:

To me, this is another indictment of a system where careful
science is overshadowed by politics and pharmaceutical profit
motives. Superimpose this on a society that increasingly "looks
to the pill" to create health and well-being, and it's no
surprise that we have bought into such a wrong-headed approach
to behavioral symptoms of dementia.

There's a way out, but it's not easy. It requires that we
continue working to change our view of aging, and to see people
with dementia not as broken people to be "managed", but as whole
people whose needs are unmet by our current approach to care. It
takes creativity, artistry and compassion to truly get "out of
the box" and accomplish this.

Next week, I'll summarize the new paradigm that can take us out
of this vicious circle.

Posted by Dr. Bill Thomas on January 16, 2009 7:46 AM |Permalink |Comments (0)

January 19, 2009

Too Old to Ditch a Plane?

Here is a neat description of ageism offered up by Americablog...

In a story that is already extraordinary in every way, what it especially impressive is pilot Chesley B. "Sully" Sullenberger III and his age. How often does the corporate world throw aside workers who are over 50? In France roughly 55% of those 55 and above are unemployed. My own father was forced into early retirement (at 59) and many friends and family tell me similar stories. Obviously there is an age when the abilities to think quickly start to decline, but the entire US Air team was well under such an age.

This amazing story shows that just because someone is over 55 or even over 50 doesn't mean that they're as useless as the corporate world thinks. It was precisely because of the crews age and experience that the plane made a successful (crash) landing and everyone survived. The co-pilot is 49 (nearing that "dangerous" age for employment) and the flight crew also had decades of experience. Could it be that the corporate world is wrong? Gasp! Maybe there's a lot more talent out there that could be providing even mini miracles or just making business run well but aren't given the chance. What a pity for all of us.

We are leaving for DC in a few hours...

Posted by Dr. Bill Thomas on January 19, 2009 10:07 AM |Permalink |Comments (2)

Monkhouse Monday

2nd Eden Europe Networking Conference in Denmark

It is eight years since I had seen Eden at work at Sherbrooke Community Center in Saskatoon, Canada. A few days later in 2000 I sat down with Bill Thomas in Upstate New York and we agreed that I can bring Eden to Europe. Last week Thursday and Friday Bill and I met again, together with 150 Eden-implementers from Austria, Germany, Switzerland, the UK, the Faroe Islands, Sweden, Iceland and last but not least, a big group from Denmark. Aase Porsmose and Karin Dahl hosted the conference where new learning, thinking, celebrating, cross border networking were made possible by people talking to each other, managing three languages: Danish, German and English. We learned Faroe Island Dancing, savoured Danish cuisine and hospitality, met people who are on the same journey. The conference was opened by speeches from Alice Liber, Switzerland (New panther Club) and Anna Madsen, with her dog Monty, residents of a Danish Eden home. Bill Thomas gave us the history, the current and the future of Eden and many speakers shared their learning and insights.

Eden truly does not educate followers, it educates learners.

One of the most important lessons we learned is the one of close relationships. Aase Porsmose and her husband Vaugn started the conference with the new official Eden-hymn, a great song, everybody managed to sing in three languages:

It’s good to see you – so good to see you
Oh, how I’ve missed you, since I’ve been gone
........it’s good to see you, to be in your home

Nun Freunde, lasst es mich einmal sagen,
gut wieder hier zu sein,
gut Euch zu sehn.....

Det’ godt at se jer, sa godt at se jer
Hvor har jeg savnet jer – siden sidtst
.....Det’ godt a se je

Vaugn (Guitar)
Aase, Danish Eden national coordinator (together with Karin Dahl)

Christa Monkhouse

Posted by Dr. Bill Thomas on January 19, 2009 11:38 AM |Permalink |Comments (0)

January 20, 2009

A New America

Posted by Dr. Bill Thomas on January 20, 2009 10:11 AM |Permalink |Comments (0)

January 21, 2009

Blanchard Winsdays: Crossing Deserts

After 8 years of bristling with hot humiliation by the audacious acts of the American federal government, yesterday’s inauguration of our 44th President, Barack Hussein Obama, witnessed by millions in Washington D.C. and billions around the world, felt like reaching a cool oasis – refreshing, uplifting, promising and inspiring. However, we still have a long, hot and dangerous desert to cross to get to the Promised Land.

For far too many years America has lacked strong, visionary and responsible leadership. Like children lacking supervision, we have run amok in our over-indulgence of goodies and our neglect of essentials. Collectively and individually we are in historic debt in pursuit of material happiness even as our souls cry out for that which money cannot buy – meaning, belonging and love for ourselves and one another. Clearly the time has come for Americans to grow up! Or, as President Obama more delicately put it, “The time has come, to set aside childish things."

Like previous generations that have faced their own winters of despair, the way out of this desolation will take not only strong leadership but our collective action and wisdom to work together at every level. I am inspired by the opportunities that can come out of this crisis to rethink how we care for our elders. I am curious about what you think: How can this national call to service be marshaled into action that can help more elders stay in their homes and connected to their communities?

Posted by Dr. Bill Thomas on January 21, 2009 11:29 AM |Permalink |Comments (1)

It is done...

A new era begins for America...

Posted by Dr. Bill Thomas on January 21, 2009 3:25 PM |Permalink |Comments (0)

January 23, 2009

Power Up Friday

Last week, I promised to report on a new paradigm for approaching behavioral symptoms of dementia without using potentially harmful medications. The key for me has been to look at the paradigm shift brought about by the Eden Alternative to inform a new view of aging.

Eden teaches us that aging is not about decline. Rather, it represents a new developmental stage -- elderhood -- in which people assimilate life experience into wisdom and perspective. The Eden Alternative transforms nursing homes by expanding our values beyond the narrow focus of medical treatment to encompass attributes of well-being: identity, meaning, connectedness, autonomy, security, growth and joy.

We must now turn the lens to view dementia in the same manner. The biomedical model teaches us that dementia is a relentlessly progressive brain disease that brings about cognitive and functional decline. Behavioral symptoms are "problems" that must be "managed", and people with dementia need to be kept safe through a paternalistic environment that isolates and disempowers them, then medicates the predictable results.

As Dorothea Johnson reminded me recently, Viktor Frankl taught that "an abnormal response to an abnormal situation is normal". We can only see this if we step outside our own skin and enter that of the person with dementia, through an "experiential" approach.

This means that it's possible to have brain damage and continue to grow and develop. It is possible to make choices and engage with life. It is possible to live in a reality that is different than ours and have well-being. And every expression we call a "behavior" needs to be viewed from that reality. If there is discord, we need to understand that the problem may well be with us and our care environment, not the elder with the symptom.

There's more than I can summarize in one post. Your required homework is to stretch your worldview with my favorite Bugs Bunny cartoon, "High-Diving Hare": Note how Bugs foils our paradigm by making Yosemite Sam fall UP, instead of down, and toppling the tower while the diving board remains suspended. Watch to the end, have a good laugh, then apply Bugs' last words to the discussion above.

Posted by Dr. Bill Thomas on January 23, 2009 8:13 AM |Permalink |Comments (0)

Too Gray (I mean Blonde)???

I have written on several occasions about the penalty that society enacts all too often against women who choose to keep their natural gray or silver hair color.

This kerfuffle from England gets at the question from a different angle.

What is the problem with being too blonde?

blondes

It would seem to me that enforcing arbitratry rules about the color of someone else's hair is a real waste of time.

To Gray or not to Gray

Too Blonde or not too Blonde

That should not be the question...

Full story here

Posted by Dr. Bill Thomas on January 23, 2009 12:36 PM |Permalink |Comments (0)

January 24, 2009

More on Age and Airline Pilots

This wonderful comment by "Jodi an Atlanta Realtor" is really what blogging is all about.

Her insights really added to my understanding of this issue.

Nice.

Very nice.

As the spouse of an airline pilot I couldn't agree with you more. My husband says that statistically there was never any real basis for the old FAA regulation requiring pilots to retire at 55. Just in the last year that was pushed back by the FAA to age 60. Most of the rest of the world had already gone to the "age 60 rule". Statistics show that generally as age increases airline pilots have fewer incidents and accidents. Another key to the successful ditching of flight 1549 is the fact that the captain has had glider experience. Although we still don't know who actually performed the landing. It very well could have been the first officer at the controls as it may have been his "leg". Many airlines encourage captains to give the flight controls to first officers when dealing with emergencies. First and foremost the captain is a manager and it is very difficult to manage and assess a situation if you are trying to run checklists, talk on the radio, make announcements to the passengers, and fly the airplane. It will be interesting to see what the crew has to say when they are released to the media.

Posted by Dr. Bill Thomas on January 24, 2009 6:44 AM |Permalink |Comments (1)

January 25, 2009

Growing Up is Hard to Do

The road from childhood to adulthood runs through adolescence. Oh what a road!

Much less familiar to our popular cultural imagination is the transition from adulthood to elderhood.

Here's a comedic trip down memory lane. But, let's not forget that teenagers are not the only people who have to face up to and embrace a new way of living.

Posted by Dr. Bill Thomas on January 25, 2009 9:17 AM |Permalink |Comments (0)

January 26, 2009

Medicare for Everyone

From a Yahoo Question Board...

So why wouldn't Medicare for everyone work? Facts please - not diatribes of hate and fear.?
So tell me in logical plain English, why having everyone in Medicare instead of a thousand for profit private insurance plans would not work. Please give logical, factual answers, and not the crap that the talking heads on the right and left spew.
My Dad who is turning 80 is in very good health for his age. And yet when he tried to get supplemental coverage to go along with his Medicare, the lowest quote was for almost $5000 a year, with Medicare picking up 80% of the tab and the supplemental insurer only paying 20%. Logically, if they had to pay 100% of the costs after copays, they would be charging $20,000+ for the policy.

My private insurance is $12000 a year for a family of 4 on a
group policy that covers 5000 employees and their families.
It covered 100% of all expenses after copays for Rx.
Medicare paid $7200 / person last year to cover old and sick people. Private insurance paid $6800 / person to cover young healthy people.

The thing to understand is that there is too much money in the healthcare system in the United States. In fact, there is so much money (we spend more on health care per capita than any other country) that large for-profit corporations work round-the-clock to persuade policy makers that health care consists of "goods and services" and should not be understood as somethings that Americans have a right to receive.

Offering Medicare to everyone would save the nation trillions of dollars over the coming decades and bring us into line with the practice of other industrial economies.

Posted by Dr. Bill Thomas on January 26, 2009 9:13 AM |Permalink |Comments (0)

Monkhouse Monday: Thinking Differently

The founder of the "Alternative Nobel Prize", Mr. Jakob von Uexkuell gives practical examples of how our thinking and acting needs to change in the face of the global challenges, in fact, is already changing. Some European commentators believe that the Obama era will "go green" without compromising, because there is no choice to do otherwise.

Uexkuell:
At a private dinner party, conversation (or thinking) might go like this:
"Oh, you still got this big SUV?"
"Strawberries for dessert in December, how outdated!"
"Oh my, your house is very warm"
"Did you know that cats in the Western world eat more meat than whole African states?"

or:
"Yes, I am cycling to work too"
"I installed solar panels"
"We turn all electrical appliances off after use"
"We rediscoverded seasonal foods such as red cabbage and lentils, delicious"

and (my addition)
"Let’s talk about how we can become good, old and wise people so we can consult with the young how to create our future together."

Posted by Dr. Bill Thomas on January 26, 2009 10:08 AM |Permalink |Comments (0)

January 27, 2009

Dignity Champions

I have been very impressed the concept of "Dignity Champions" as a strategy for creating cultures with zero tolerance for elder abuse and neglect. I think that American care providers would benefit if they made explicit use of this concept.

Sir Michael Parkinson has learnt how Anchor Homes has boosted a Government campaign to improve the lives of people living in care homes across the UK.

Care Services Minister Phil Hope (far right) and Sir Michael Parkinson meet Anchor Homes’ Managing Director Jane Ashcroft and Help the Aged’s Policy Director Paul Cann for a working lunch at Sir Michael’s restaurant, The Royal Oak, in Maidenhead.

Accompanied by Care Services Minister Phil Hope, Sir Michael learnt how Anchor Homes’ commitment to quality dementia training for its staff has helped the Department of Health pass its goal of 3,000 Dignity Champions nation-wide.

The DoH Dignity in Care Campaign aims to drive up care standards and encourages people to become Dignity Champions, spreading best practice and giving advice. Anchor Homes’ Managing Director Jane Ashcroft said the not-for-profit organisation now had more than 300 Dignity Champions.

Since becoming a Dignity Ambassador in May, Sir Michael has helped raise the profile of the campaign and the work of Dignity Champions. Mr Hope wanted Sir Michael to hear about the success of Anchor Homes.

Mrs Ashcroft, who is also the Vice-Chair of the English Community Care Association (ECCA), said: “Maintaining the dignity of residents must be at the heart of every residential care service. We at Anchor are aware of how important it is to care for people with dementia with the dignity and respect they deserve.

“The number of people with dementia in the UK will soar from 700,000 today to more than a million by 2025. Anchor has addressed this issue head-on, giving dementia care training to more than 5,000 care staff in Anchor’s 102 residential and nursing homes.

“We also have 309 Dignity Champions who have received advanced dementia training. Anchor now has more Dignity Champions than any other care provider outside of the NHS.”

Sir Michael Parkinson added he had been inspired by the Dignity Champions he had met. He said: "I have had have the great honour of meeting some of our nation’s real unsung heroes, hearing their stories and bringing attention to what they are doing to hopefully inspire many others to follow suit.”

Care Services Minister Phil Hope said: “Dignity is about quality of life and enabling people to live their own lives as they wish, confident that the care and support they receive is of high quality.

“Government alone cannot make this happen. I look forward to continuing to work with the wide range of organisations that provide care services and represent the interests of those using them.”

Posted by Dr. Bill Thomas on January 27, 2009 11:34 AM |Permalink |Comments (0)

We Were There...

This is a good use of web technology to bolster journalism.

Posted by Dr. Bill Thomas on January 27, 2009 3:20 PM |Permalink |Comments (0)

Better Care for Seniors

Beth Baker has published a terrific article that highlights a really fun project I have been working on for the past year. This is an attempt to craft an emergency services center that is designed to meet the needs of older patients.

See what you think.

Washington Post

Kavan Peterson has also put together a nice video on the same subject.

Posted by Dr. Bill Thomas on January 27, 2009 4:57 PM |Permalink |Comments (1)

January 28, 2009

Blanchard WinsDays

Blanchard WinsDays: Grandmother’s Walking School Bus

It’s a really simple idea: Get some grown-ups, preferably those that got all morning, like grandma and grandpa. Add children of busy working parents within a square mile or so of school. Have grown-ups don yellow vests and safely walk the kids to school.

Voila! Getting to school is fun – you get to see all your friends and meet some new ones of all ages. We re-weave the social fabric of our communities, too often threadbare since women entered enmasse the workforce. The environmental footprint for the school grows a wee bit smaller and there is less traffic congestion around the school. Young and old alike get daily healthy exercise twice a day, reducing spiraling obesity rates. A walking school bus is a natural win-win --- and an excellent example of the social software that builds “aging in community.”

To find out how you can start a Grandmother’s Walking School Bus in your neighborhood (don’t forget to ask elders to join, better yet, lead the effort!), check out the Safe Routes to School Guide. Let me know if you start one – we are starting one here in Denver and I am interested to share information!
http://www.saferoutesinfo.org/guide/walking_school_bus/pdf/wsb_guide.pdf

Posted by Dr. Bill Thomas on January 28, 2009 9:43 AM |Permalink |Comments (0)

January 30, 2009

Power Up Friday

The US Administration on Aging has released its annual Profile of Older Americans. Here’s where we stand:

Americans over 65:
- Numbered 38 million in 2007 (up 11% in a decade)
- Represent one in eight Americans
- Are 58% women
- Are 81% Caucasian
- Live alone 30% of the time, including half of women over 75
- Include 450,000 grandparents with primary child care responsibility
- Will increase to 72 million in 2030
- If 65 now, will live an average of 17.4 (men) to 20.3 (women) more years
- Have a median income of $24,000 for men and $14,000 for women
- Have a 9.7% poverty rate (up a significant 0.3% in one year)

Also:

- The current net increase in older Americans (new 65-year-olds minus deaths)
is over 630,000 per year
- A child born in 2006 will live an average of 78.1 years (still well behind many
other countries)
- The 85+ population will increase from 35 million (2000) to 40 Million (2010), to 55 million (2020)
- The 100+ population is nearly 81,000

The full report is here: http://www.aoa.gov/prof/Statistics/profile/2007/2007profile.pdf

We welcome your observations and comments.

Meanwhile, a woman in Uzbekistan may be the oldest elder ever documented, at 128: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/

Posted by Dr. Bill Thomas on January 30, 2009 5:23 AM |Permalink |Comments (0)

Krugman Can't Wait...

New York Times columnist (and Nobel Laureate in Economics) Paul Krugman writes...

The whole world is in recession. But the United States is the only wealthy country in which the economic catastrophe will also be a health care catastrophe — in which millions of people will lose their health insurance along with their jobs, and therefore lose access to essential care.

and he concludes...

I agree with administration officials who argue that these financial bailouts are necessary (though I have problems with the specifics). But I also agree with Barney Frank, the chairman of the House Financial Services Committee, who argues that — as a matter of political necessity as well as social justice — aid to bankers has to be linked to a strengthening of the social safety net, so that Americans can see that the government is ready to help everyone, not just the rich and powerful.

The entire essay is here.

Posted by Dr. Bill Thomas on January 30, 2009 9:47 AM |Permalink |Comments (0)

January 31, 2009

Localism is Coming

Posted on the daily kos here

In West Philadelphia. My business is expanding in a shrinking economy and consumer spending. Why?

A bit about my bakery. I started this bakery in my house with 15 people on an email list. I just sent out a weekly email and said "this is what I'm baking; pre-order and pickup your order on Friday on my front porch." Hand-made sourdough breads, locally grown organic whole grains, milled at the bakery, local ingredients mostly.

Grass roots expansion. The word spread quickly taking on a life of it's own, seemingly totally beyond my control; and the bakery operation slowly crept into my basement with the addition of more ovens, sinks, refrigerators, etc. Seeing the writing on my bare basement walls, I began to look for a real commercial kitchen and spent 1 1/2 years planning and renovating a small space in an existing local cafe to put my bakery; I moved the bakery, got all the required permits and certifications.

Since moving into my own commercial kitchen, I have kept the same business model that I started with: direct sales to people through internet order forms; slow growth with the goal of building lasting connection and loyalty with a strong customer base; high margins (revenues minus costs) and low volume.

The pendulum is going to swing toward greater localism. This is often protrayed as an intrinsically bad thing. I think the consequences will be mixed.

This story highlights one of the bright sides of localism.

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January 2009 Archives

January 1, 2009

Woooptee Deee Do

Posted by Dr. Bill Thomas on January 1, 2009 1:25 PM |Permalink |Comments (0)

January 2, 2009

Blanchard WinsDays

Posted by Dr. Bill Thomas on January 2, 2009 8:37 AM |Permalink |Comments (0)

Power Up Friday

Posted by Dr. Bill Thomas on January 2, 2009 10:05 AM |Permalink |Comments (1)

Power Up Friday #2

Posted by Dr. Bill Thomas on January 2, 2009 10:09 AM |Permalink |Comments (2)

January 5, 2009

Eden Rocks

Posted by Dr. Bill Thomas on January 5, 2009 3:06 PM |Permalink |Comments (0)

Monkhouse Mondays: Happy Birthday Christa!

Posted by Kavan Peterson on January 5, 2009 3:38 PM |Permalink |Comments (0)

Mashup 2008

Posted by Dr. Bill Thomas on January 5, 2009 7:22 PM |Permalink |Comments (0)

January 6, 2009

Dorothea Johnson Responds...

Posted by Dr. Bill Thomas on January 6, 2009 9:47 AM |Permalink |Comments (0)

News Mashup

Posted by Dr. Bill Thomas on January 6, 2009 12:51 PM |Permalink |Comments (0)

January 7, 2009

Blanchard WinsDays

Posted by Dr. Bill Thomas on January 7, 2009 9:10 AM |Permalink |Comments (1)

Good News about Ageing

Posted by Dr. Bill Thomas on January 7, 2009 11:19 AM |Permalink |Comments (0)

January 9, 2009

Power Up Friday

Posted by Dr. Bill Thomas on January 9, 2009 10:08 AM |Permalink |Comments (0)

January 12, 2009

Monkhouse Monday

Posted by Dr. Bill Thomas on January 12, 2009 7:27 AM |Permalink |Comments (0)

January 13, 2009

Denmark

Posted by Dr. Bill Thomas on January 13, 2009 2:55 PM |Permalink |Comments (0)

January 15, 2009

From Denmark

Posted by Dr. Bill Thomas on January 15, 2009 12:04 PM |Permalink |Comments (0)

January 16, 2009

Power Up Friday

Posted by Dr. Bill Thomas on January 16, 2009 7:46 AM |Permalink |Comments (0)

January 19, 2009

Too Old to Ditch a Plane?

Posted by Dr. Bill Thomas on January 19, 2009 10:07 AM |Permalink |Comments (2)

Monkhouse Monday

Posted by Dr. Bill Thomas on January 19, 2009 11:38 AM |Permalink |Comments (0)

January 20, 2009

A New America

Posted by Dr. Bill Thomas on January 20, 2009 10:11 AM |Permalink |Comments (0)

January 21, 2009

Blanchard Winsdays: Crossing Deserts

Posted by Dr. Bill Thomas on January 21, 2009 11:29 AM |Permalink |Comments (1)

It is done...

Posted by Dr. Bill Thomas on January 21, 2009 3:25 PM |Permalink |Comments (0)

January 23, 2009

Power Up Friday

Posted by Dr. Bill Thomas on January 23, 2009 8:13 AM |Permalink |Comments (0)

Too Gray (I mean Blonde)???

Posted by Dr. Bill Thomas on January 23, 2009 12:36 PM |Permalink |Comments (0)

January 24, 2009

More on Age and Airline Pilots

Posted by Dr. Bill Thomas on January 24, 2009 6:44 AM |Permalink |Comments (1)

January 25, 2009

Growing Up is Hard to Do

Posted by Dr. Bill Thomas on January 25, 2009 9:17 AM |Permalink |Comments (0)