Earlier this month, thousands of people of all ages and spanning 43 countries, stood up for the rights of older persons. HelpAge International sponsored the event as part of their “Age Demands Action” campaign, and visitors to their website showed their support by signing a petition or uploading a photo to their Flickr gallery.

According to HelpAge International’s website, “Increased life expectancy and declining fertility are changing the global make-up of populations. By 2050, people over 60 will outnumber those under 14 for the first time.”  These are striking statistics and undoubtedly stir the call to action for support of elder’s rights.

HelpAge International is a global organization that tackles such difficult issues as age discrimination (both in roles and society), elder poverty, work, pensions, and access to health/other needed services. It is important work, to be sure. While elders are a rapidly growing population, I believe that we are still very far behind in terms of our respect for elders and our understanding of their place in society. Sure, we might see a few more older faces in advertising campaigns and print media, but that doesn’t mean we know how to treat an older person or know how to approach a complex spectrum of care needs as they age.

Many people are afraid to visit nursing homes for any number of reasons. The excuse I’ve heard from most?  Visitors don’t know what to say or know how to talk to an older person. This is a tragedy, in my opinion, because really it’s not all that different from talking to someone your age or even younger. Besides, imagine living 80, 90, or 100 years — think of all the stories they have to share!  Yes, Alzheimer’s can complicate conversations with an older person, and resulting behaviors can be very frightening. However, the person still deserves the respect and admiration that should naturally come from having walked for decades on this earth.

There is a great need for more dialogue on these issues among cultures across the globe, and I applaud HelpAge International for creating the spark.

I also strongly recommend checking out the photo gallery in the Rights section of the website – you’ll find stunning photos of older persons, and each photo carries with it the story of that elder in their corner of the world.

For more on the “Age Demands Action” campaign or the broader work of HelpAge International, visit http://www.helpage.org/Home.

-Michelle Seitzer

Welcome to the November 10, 2009 edition of Boomers & Seniors: News You Can Use. November is Alzheimer’s Awareness Month, and this installment is packed with health and wellness posts of interest, including brain fitness tips, what you need to know about Medicare and Medicaid benefits, how to prevent dangerous drug combinations, and more. Join us…

Senior Care & Caregiving

Get a poignant look at Life Inside a Nursing Home in a recent SeniorsforLiving.com latest post, which highlights a geriatric specialty training program that requires students to spend 10 days in a home chronicling their experiences.

According to resident satisfaction surveys conducted by ALFA, residents and families are concerned about who would provide much-needed care services should caregivers that belong to a union that went on strike. Read more at No Place for Union Strikes in Senior Living, posted by Paul Williams at ALFA Re:source.

For senior home care givers who have to be away from aging parents, read Kaye Swain’s post about Electric Solution for Senior Parents posted at SandwichINK.com.

The stresses of caregiving can lead to both unintentional and intentional elder abuse, says Patricia Grace in The growing problem of elder abuse posted at Aging with Grace CareConnection.

At least 10 percent of seniors may be taking dangerous drug combinations, cites a new article at Health Care Today. Seniors who take multiple supplements and/or drugs and those caring for them should take a look at this important piece.

Health and Wellness

November is Alzheimer’s Awareness Month. Learn how you can get involved by reading the post at ALFA Re:source.

Join a walking group and lose weight. Read more at Peter Stockwell’s post Group Walking Helps Weight Loss posted at The Senior Walking Fitness Blog.

And Kathi Casey, a fitness/wellness coach who blends her experience of both eastern and western traditions, suggest we lead with the hip when we walk (no, not the pelvis, Elvis!) As a fellow boomer who feels more fit now then when in her 50’s, she offers tips to get rid of back pain in her post Bye Bye Back Pain posted at Kathi Casey, Your Healthy Boomer Body Expert.

Financial Issues

Find out what you need to know about your Medicare and Medicaid Benefits, including your eligibility and how long Medicare covers nursing home costs. “Many seniors have misconceptions on the differences between Medicare and Medicaid eligibility benefits,” Jeff Rose says.

Calculate a Retirement Income Replacement Ratio with Mr. ToughMoneyLove at Go To Retirement. “When determining how much income you will need in retirement, watch out for ‘rules of dumb.”"

Living Life to the Fullest

Get in the holiday mood by Making Christmas Ornaments With Grandkids. It’s easy as apple pie when you follow Kaye Swain’s directions in her new post at SandwichINK.com. “It’s a fun way to start getting ready for Christmas,” Swain writes.

When it comes to one’s purpose in life, these seniors featured in “The Way We Get By,” which will be airing on PBS on 11/11 at 9 p.m., have a phenomenal goal. Watch and read more about the issues that they deal with as a result of the aging process, and the meaningful work they do in seeing off/welcoming home soldiers from the war…it’s truly a powerful piece, which is why it’s our leading post this week at the SeniorsforLiving.com blog.

It’s Never Too Late to Benefit from Music Lessons, says Cynthia Wunsch at The Unlikely Entrepreneur. “A study about the health and brain boost benefits of learning to play an instrument in your senior years, even if you’ve never played before,” she writes.

Get a dose of “self-help humor.” Madeleine Begun Kane presents Contending With Time posted at Mad Kane’s Humor Blog.

Give your brain a workout — Charles Chua presents All About Living with Life: Baby Boomers – Tips for Brain Fitness posted at All About Living with Life.

Submit your blog article to the next edition of Boomers & Seniors: News You Can Use using our carnival submission form. Past posts and future hosts can be found on What Is a Blog Carnival? page.

Technorati tags: boomers and seniors – news you can use, blog carnival.

When my mother was recovering from an illness, she had to spend some time in a nursing home to regain her strength. It was a rather sudden decision on her doctor’s part, and I had only a few hours to find one.

I saw her have to wait for assistance with most everything, be served soft and bland foods, and generally have to be away from family and home. We take such things as a daily shower or walking around our homes for granted, but there you have to navigate a crowded hallway in a wheelchair, and you get a shower only on certain days of the week.

She ended up staying 4 weeks, and I learned a lot while she was there. Sure, I had been to visit people at various times, but even as a nurse, I had never spent a significant amount of time at a nursing home until then, and really had no idea what it was really like.

Can health care providers really understand what their patients live with each day in a nursing home?

Earlier this year, Kristen Murphy, an able-bodied 38 year old medical student chose to live in a nursing home for 10 days as part of a geriatric specialty training program:

Ms. Murphy, a medical student at the University of New England in Biddeford, Me., who is interested in geriatric medicine, came to New York for a novel program that allowed her to experience life as a nursing home patient.

Students are given a “diagnosis” of an ailment and expected to live as someone with the condition does. They keep a daily journal chronicling their experiences and, in most cases, debunking their preconceived notions.

While this type of role playing isn’t truly authentic, most people know nothing about life in a nursing home. It’s commendable that these students want to try to empathize with and learn more about their patients in a specialty that’s already short of physicians. Doing so will no doubt make them better medical care providers someday.

I stumbled upon an absolutely fascinating study while browsing the latest ProAging e-newsletter. It’s called the Sleepover Project. Architects and designers from the Baltimore-based firm CSD (Cochran, Stephenson & Donkervoet) launched the project in March of this year. Here’s the project’s purpose from the CSD website:

“With the long-term goal of providing better design and building more responsive communities, CSD is sending each member of its senior living architectural design team to stay overnight in a senior living community. Between March and September 2009, as many as 36 ‘Sleepers’ will be assigned to a diverse range of communities – both geographically and demographically – from Boston to Los Angeles, Seattle to Miami; in urban, suburban and rural locations; and with accommodations ranging from modest to high-end.”

In addition to receiving their facility assignment, “sleepers” are given an identity and must assess and evaluate the environment as such. For example, one sleeper, a 32-year-old landscape architect, was asked to take on the role of an 81-year-old woman recovering from gall-bladder surgery at a rehab facility in Baltimore. The sleeper was asked to use a wheelchair during her stay and eventually transition to walking again before leaving the facility.

OK, I’m almost 31, so I can imagine that it would not be easy to maneuver myself through my daily tasks from a wheelchair (especially at the pace I move most days), much less if I was pretending to be an 81-year-old recovering from surgery. But what extraordinary insights this architect must have gained!  And how much better informed will senior living design teams be, having received this valuable data?  Here’s a highlight from Sleeper #2’s blog entry:

“While shuffling around, and even at a stand still, the simplest daily motions posed the greatest challenges from the seat of the wheelchair. While reaching for items normally at shoulder or head height, Sleeper #2 found herself at a complete loss. Without a stick to knock things off shelves and desks, there was no way to be self-sufficient in grabbing items stored 4’ off the ground or higher.”

Given Sleeper #2’s real-life role as a landscape architect, I found her assessment to be very interesting in terms of how she looked at the view from the window. Think about how many senior living residents sit in front of a window, either in their private unit or a common sitting room. If you’ve ever worked in or visited someone at a senior living community, you know that this is a familiar scene. She offers some great ideas around “opening up the view and extending the life of outdoor spaces” in the piece.

The Sleepover Project is definitely worth checking out, whether or not you’re interested in design. Perhaps you are considering a facility for a loved one. Think about how different the environment of a senior living community really is in comparison with your loved one’s home (and we wonder why often our senior family member resists the idea of moving in?).

Tour the facility with that in mind – it’s so easy to get wrapped up in what the place smells like or how lavishly it’s decorated or how many friendly smiling faces greet you at the door. Those things are all very important, but you must also consider the loved ones who have to live there after being comfortable in their own home for 50 years or more. Think about it from their point of view, and if you need some help putting yourself in their shoes, read a few entries from The Sleepover Project.

Seniors for Living has also done a few blog posts about the importance of senior-friendly design – check them out at: Aging in Place Designer Style and Design Makes a Difference in Today’s Senior Living Homes.

-Michelle Seitzer

Welcome to the October 27, 2009 edition of Boomers and Seniors: News You Can Use. This installment focuses on transition, memories, and meaning… and the more, the merrier. After all, there’s nothing like having a strong support network when you’re going through a major life transition. That’s why we’re so glad to honor the Top Boomer & Senior Bloggers on Twitter. Each Twitter personality on the list has something to offer anyone needing advice, real stories, or facts about boomer and senior issues. Like this blog carnival, it’s a great way to connect with those in-the-know.

Senior Care/Caregiving

Currently, 5 million U.S. citizens have Alzheimer’s disease or related dementia, and an unfortunate outcome of the disease is that a person may wander away, explains Jaclyn from ALFA Re:source. “Earlier this year Congressman Lloyd Doggett from Texas introduced the Silver Alert bill – it passed the House but not the Senate. Doggett’s Silver Alert bill is similar to the effective Amber Alert for missing children. If Doggett’s bill were to become law, states would have a mechanism for alerting all of us about a missing individual with dementia. ALFA is a strong supporter of this bill. Are you?” Read more about it at Needed Now: Silver Alert Support.

New research about dementia has resulted in the reclassification of the disease, and both the public and the medical community are startled. In a recent blog post “Redefining Dementia as a Terminal Illness,” Dale Carter demonstrates how deeply this impacts the choices we make for our loved ones with advanced dementia. For more valuable caregiver-related information, read her blog Transition Aging Parents.

Our SFL post, The Stuff of Life: Sorting Through Your Loved One’s Belongings, got a lot of interest this past month. It’s a topic to which many can relate. However, the decision to let dg of one’s materials isn’t just an issue that affects seniors. According to Opted Magazine, our life stages greatly affect our dependence on possessions.

December is generally when people say thanks to health care providers with a small token or gift. And while those gifts are appreciated, Viki Kind has an even better idea. See what it is at the KindEthics.com blog, in her post Celebrate the Holidays Today.

The World of Work

Have you been one of the stock market’s recent job loss victims? If so, it’s time to get back on the hunt. Start with SeniorsforLiving’s 10 Part-Time Jobs For Fixed-Income Retirees.

Along those lines, Super Saver presents its picks for part-time work. Check out Looking for Great Part Time Retiree Jobs at My Wealth Builder for even more ideas.

And if it’s meaningful work you’re seeking, click into In Search of Senior Employees posted at ALFA Re:source to find out more about ReServe. This New York City-based organization serves local communities by matching area seniors and baby boomers with programs that serve youth, seniors, and other members of the community in need of help.

Lisa O’Neill gets us thinking about whether there is a glass ceiling in existence in care sector? at Whereforcare.com. Even if you don’t work in the industry, the points she raises is sure conjure up some interesting debate.

Boomer Issues

When the work day is done, it’s time to look for fun ways to enjoy the season. Enter Kaye Swain and her post, Time for Autumn Magic for the Sandwich Generation posted at SandwichINK.com. “Read up for some Autumn Fun for the Sandwich Generation,” says Swain, “and don’t forget the time change coming soon!”

Here’s something new not only for the kids (they probably already have it mastered!), but for the older ones in our lives: Skype. In her post, 10 Ways Seniors Can Use Skype posted at Bright Insights, Erin Schmidt targets all of you who are wondering what all the Skype hype is about? “It’s actually a great way to keep seniors and the disabled connected with family and friends.”

If you follow SeniorsforLiving on Twitter, or read our blog often, you know how much we value the relationships we’ve made on the social networks. Thanks to the people we’re “following” and those that we’re starting to “Fan” or “Friend” on Facebook.com, we’re discovering new sources of important information about senior care and housing, caregiving and home care, boomer issues, and more.

It’s enabled us to form synergies with like-minded companies, organizations, and individuals with whom we share a passion, a commitment, and a dedication. Although we have, at times, recognized our social network colleagues in our blogroll (see “Follow Friday Love” at right), we thought it would be useful to compile some of our favorite senior and boomer bloggers on Twitter in one all-inclusive list that we invite others to add to via the comments section.

We hope you’ll enjoy our new feature, and want to let you know that we will be adding to and enhancing this list in coming weeks.Want to be the first ones to find out when? Follow us on Twitter or Fan us on Facebook if you’re not already doing so.

We just got two new puppies and we’ve enjoyed them so much. My mother loved animals, but she didn’t have the time (or later the energy) to care for them, though she would loved to have had one. There’s a lot of literature about the physical and psychological benefits of pets companions for the seniors, but the decision about pets and seniors depends on individual circumstances as well as the type of pet.

Some things to consider for older people who are thinking of becoming pet owners are housing, contingency plans, transportation, medications and a good veterinarian.

Be sure to check the rules regarding pets in senior housing communities, and always have a contingency plan for pet care in case the senior owner becomes unable to care for the pet. It’s also important to consider transportation to make trips to the veterinarian, to the store to get pet food, or to the groomer.

Many pets have to take medication, so it’s important to factor in those costs, ability to give a pet medications, and medication safety. A relationship with a good veterinarian is also important. It’s vital that a pet owner understand and be able to manage a pet’s health condition.

The personality and needs of a pet are usually easier to establish when they’re older, so older animals, particularly dogs and cats (usually real, but not always) are often a popular choice for senior pet owners.

Animal shelters are often full of older cats and dogs who would make great companions for seniors, and the Pets for the Elderly Foundation helps pay the fees to participating animal shelters throughout the United States for senior citizens (age 60 and over) who adopt a companion dog or cat from a participating shelter. The Anti-Cruelty Society even matches senior citizen with more mature animals through their Pets for the Elderly adoption program.

Pets and the seniors can give a lot to each other. Research and experience has shown that animals and older people can share full and happy lives. Though pets can’t and shouldn’t replace human relationships for seniors, they can certainly augment them, and they can fill an older person’s life with years of love and companionship.

– Elizabeth Thielke

It’s time to fall into autumn with our September 22, 2009 edition of Boomers and Seniors – News You Can Use. The chillier weather makes this season the time of year when you just want to snuggle up and stay inside. But there’s a harvest of opportunities to enjoy, even when it’s brisk out there! Read on for great resources about staying active and informed this fall. And, if it’s inspiration you seek as the days get a bit gloomy, look no further than this recent SeniorsforLiving.com post about Dr. Joseph Kirsner. He just celebrated his 100th birthday in a very unique way. Find out here!

Centenarians may not be quite as unusual these days since people are living longer, but I still think it’s absolutely amazing when I hear of anyone reaching this milestone (or surpassing it). Watching the Willard Scott segment of NBC’s The Today Show is always a thrill!

I’m going to do my own Willard Scott segment here and call attention to an exceptional centenarian, Dr. Joseph B. Kirsner. Dr. Kirsner will celebrate his 100^th birthday on Monday, September 21^st by going to work. Yes, you read correctly. This internationally renowned physician and educator, who has left an indelible mark on the field of gastroenterology, wants to keep to the usual routine that day and practice medicine as he has done for years and years…and years.

Dr. Kirsner’s remarkable life and career (thus far) are chronicled in a newly released biography, GI Joe: The Life and Career of Dr. Joseph B. Kirsner. Penned by colleague and friend, Dr. James L. Franklin, the biography starts in the 1900’s in Boston with the immigration of Dr. Kirsner’s parents from Russia to the United States and takes readers through many memorable milestones before concluding in the 21^st century, where Dr. Kirsner continues to write his own story every day.

It’s not just a medical biography either; there is a love story, and it’s quite romantic. In the fall of 1933, Joseph met his wife, Minnie Schneider – an aspiring ballerina from Des Moines, Iowa – when she was admitted for an ear infection to Woodlawn Hospital in Chicago. As a young intern, Dr. Kirsner was assigned to Minnie’s care, and in his own words, Dr. Kirsner “fell totally in love with her.”  They were married in January 1934 in Chicago, where they settled for many years thereafter. The Kirsners were married for 60 years before Minnie passed away in 1998 after struggling with Parkinson’s and suffering a stroke that cost her vision.

Another interesting highlight – Dr. Kirsner voluntarily enlisted in the Army Medical Corps during World War II and considered it “a sacred duty.”  He returned to the University of Chicago in 1946 where he continued to excel in the field of gastroenterology (both as a physician and an educator), writing textbooks and hundreds of articles, winning multiple prestigious awards, serving as the founder and leader of many important societies on gastroenterology, and spearheading research on digestive disease issues. His expertise even brought him as far as Morocco, where he visited King Hassan II in 1976 to treat the King’s symptoms after numerous other physicians had failed to relieve them. A strong relationship ensued between the two; Dr. Kirsner made more than 50 trips to Morocco to provide medical consultation to the King and his family over the years.

Summarizing the book that archives the life of such an impressive and intriguing man of many years in just one blog post is a challenge — and I don’t really want to steal any thunder from the book’s author either. Pick up a copy of GI Joe to read more about Dr. Kirsner, the man who never considered retirement as part of the plan – and prepare to be amazed.

Do you know anyone who is still working past age 90? 100? Would you consider working that long?

Coming soon: A Special Interview with Dr. Kirsner after celebrating his 100^th birthday!

- Michelle Seitzer

This guest blog post is contributed by Boomerater, a free online resource for Baby Boomers providing information on everything from reverse mortgages to tips to maximize your social security benefits. Seniors for Living contributes its senior housing properties to Boomerater’s local directories including Maryland Alzheimer’s Care, Michigan assisted living, and more.

A new Q&A discussion from Boomerater’s forums appears here each Friday. In this week’s post, members share their tips for getting senior discounts.

Question: I’m looking for websites that identify stores and restaurants that offer discounts to boomers in their late 50s.

Reply # 1: There are lots of sites that can link you to senior discount sites. One of the simplest is About.com’s “Frugal Living” site, http://frugalliving.about.com/od/frugalseniors/a/Senior_Discount.htm. It has an alphabetical listing of national companies that offer senior discounts. Another one I just discovered is seniordiscounts.com. They have a free weekly newsletter with member-submitted discounts. I was surprised by some of the companies that offer discounts to the 55+ crowd. They also have a premium service that lets you search for discounters in your area.

Reply # 2: There’s a list of websites at the bottom of this article: http://www.ehow.com/how_4669376_senior-discounts-save-money.html. This is a very good article submitted by a member of the ehow.com website. It gives tips that include who qualifies as a senior, identifying companies that offer discounts (but may not advertise that they do.) Also it talks about the value of speaking with the groups you belong to for discounts they may support. For example AARP has partnered with hundreds of different companies to offer discounts. Links are given for AARP, SeniorJournal.com, The Seasoned Spender, Bargains4Seniors.com, Eldercare Federal Resources, Senior Pass – US Parks, Rite Aid Pharmacy Living More Program, Hyatt Hotels Senior Discounts, and KB Toys Grandparents Club.

Find out what others had to say about senior discounts on Boomerater.com.