‘Granny Pods’ and Lennar NEXTGEN Homes – Are They What's Next?
America’s Age Wave is leading to new backyard cottages dubbed ‘Granny Pods’ (can't stand the name)(pictured top left) and “homes within a home” via Lennar’s NextGen Housing (above right). Will they take off? Learn more and share your thoughts on at this Minneapolis Star Tribune blog post.
Baby Boomers' Last Wishes: Motorcycle Hearses And Facebook Obits
by Peter Gray
January 04, 2013 5:58 PM
All Things Considered LISTEN
Lew Bird says that before passing away, his friend requested that his funeral include one last ride on a motorcycle. Enlarge image
Lew Bird says that before passing away, his friend requested that his funeral include one last ride on a motorcycle.
Peter Gray for NPR
Old Aristocracy Hill isn't a part of Springfield, Ill., that draws a lot of attention. The quiet neighborhood dates back to before the Civil War, its historic homes now carefully preserved by proud business owners.
But outside a stately funeral home, a large black-and-chrome Harley Davidson motorcycle trike pulls out of the parking lot, towing a matching casket in its glass-sided trailer.
It's not something you would expect to see, but it's exactly what 67-year-old Lew Bird says his friend Dave Rondelli wanted: one last ride.
"Our generation, the baby boomers, have really taken to motorcycles. We're retiring, and we can afford to do that kind of thing," Bird says. "He loved it. He retired, and he rode his bike a lot. You know, guess if you're going to go out, go out the way you like to go."
Chris Butler, director of Butler Funeral Home, says he bought the motorcycle funeral coach because his customers are increasingly seeking a highly personal and unique experience. Funeral customs and rituals, he adds, tend to evolve with time and reflect the culture in which they're practiced.
"Today people are wanting very much [for] their ceremonies to reflect their life, the meaning of their life," Butler explains. "So we can offer families the traditional as well as unique options for remembering their loved one."
He also says posting an obituary on his company's Facebook page is another option to get funeral information out to the community quickly. But not everyone in the business agrees it's a good idea.
Randall Earl, former president of The National Funeral Directors Association, which tracks trends in the industry, has been in the business for 40 years and holds concerns about some of the innovations, including utilizing social media in the funeral planning and grieving process.
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"It can be very harmful if you have family members who are angry with other family members and they have a death," Earl says.
He maintains that it's just too difficult to control what's said and done by mourners on social media platforms.
"I would say we're just trying to protect our business as well as the families we serve, and I do not have a Twitter or Facebook for those reasons," Earl explains.
Others, like Greg Young, argue that protecting families and social media don't have to be mutually exclusive. The 32-year-old entrepreneur, who left his job at IBM five years ago to launch funeralinnovations.com, maintains that careful use of social media can vastly improve a memorial experience, while upholding an appropriate level of privacy.
"Every funeral home needs to have their own strategy; there's no cookie-cutter approach," Young says. "There may be some times that you do not want to post the obituary, and we do have those cases that we work with."
Young's company sells Web, mobile and social media marketing, and believes that, like so many other things, the future of funeral planning will rely on tablets and smartphones. As families scatter across the globe, he says that often the best way for his clients to connect with mourners may well indeed be online.
"We're really starting to push webcasting, which has been out there for years, but funeral homes typically have not accepted it," Young explains. "We think it's very important to preserve that moment, so that generations to come can easily come back and access that information and learn more about their ancestors."
All of the recent innovations — webcasting for genealogy, Facebook pages for grieving families, mobile devices to plan a funeral or find an obituary, even a motorcycle hearse — may or may not stand the test of time.
But what's clear is that whatever changes endure will likely be those sought by baby boomers, who continue to drive consumer trends in life and in death.
Vital Aging Network Forum: Be Your Own Healthcare Advocate
Be Your Own Healthcare Advocate. Getting what you need to make good decisions
America's Disjointed Care System - There's a Better Way
Our country spends trillions on disjointed, poorly coordinated care, especially for older Americans. The unneccesary bouncebacks that occur between the hospital and a person's home take a lot out of a person and their families. Imagine if physicians and consumers and caregivers could talk with each other and easily share information, instead of wasting time, putting people through unpleasant hospital stays, weakening them further and spending tons of money that could be used in a much better way for the health of Americans. This new video by LeadingAge depicts what that future could look like. This issue is solveable by combining high tech and high touch approaches as seen here.
Nonprofit marks 150 years, but last 10 a doozy
Kathryn Roberts, president & CEO, and Steve Ordahl, senior vice president of business development, celebrated Ecumen’s 150th anniversary at a gala last month.
A Personal Emergency Response System Designed by You
A PERS (Personal Emergency Response System) device empowers older adults with security and independence, honoring their desire to live in their own homes. A group of PERS device companies are looking for your input to design the next generation of this product. If you are 55 or older, we would be grateful if you would take their three-minute survey. Your confidential responses will help these companies gain greater insight on what consumers want in a PERS device.
At Ecumen, our promise to innovate, empower and honor is also an expectation of our partners and the products they bring to our customers and communities. Help us shape the future of this product, and help people who want to remain living in their own homes. We thank you in advance for taking the time to complete the survey.
https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/LinkAge2012
Nonprofits Need Your Help
In their search for ways to avoid the “fiscal cliff,” United States Congress is considering capping or eliminating tax deductions for charitable giving. In Ecumen's home state of Minnesota, 5,000 nonprofit organizations receive $3 billion in charitable contributions annually. Reducing or eliminating charitable deductions could create a cascading series of devastating fiscal cliffs across the Minnesota and the rest of the country.
Join Ecumen in supporting charitable giving deductions, empowering nonprofits to continue their important work. Contact your legislators today and let them know you oppose capping or eliminating deductions for charitable giving.
1. Call 888-277-8686 to leave a message letting your member of Congress know that you oppose capping or eliminating charitable tax deductions.
2. Send an email to your member of Congress. Click on Ecumen's Advocacy Alert for instructions.
Read the StarTribune article, “Solving 'fiscal cliff' puts charity writeoffs at risk,” and see LeadingAge advocacy feature, “Fiscal Cliff Call-In: Capping Charitable Giving Deduction Is Not The Solution,” for more insight on this issue.
Would You Mind Having People With Alzheimer's Living Near You?
At Ecumen, we are honored to work with and care for people who live with the substantial challenges of Alzheimer's and dementia. Two Twin Cities communities (Woodbury and Minnetonka) now have had residents say they don't want people with Alzheimer's living near them. How do you feel? Learn more at the Minneapolis Star Tribune and weigh in.
Honoring Veterans
On the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month of 1918, an armistice, or temporary cessation of hostilities, was declared between the Allied nations and Germany in the First World War, then known as "the Great War." Commemorated as Armistice Day beginning the following year, November 11th became a legal federal holiday in the United States in 1938. In the aftermath of World War II and the Korean War, Armistice Day became Veterans Day, a holiday dedicated to American veterans of all wars.
This Veterans Day, Minnesotans will gather to show their respect and gratitude to the millions of Americans who have sacrificed on our behalf since the birth of our great nation. At ceremonies and parades across the nation, veterans from every generation will be honored. This includes members of the Greatest Generation, heroes who stormed the beaches at Normandy and the South Pacific to liberate millions from tyranny. It also includes those who defended freedom in Korea and Vietnam, as well as our current generation of heroes who have fought terrorism in Afghanistan, Iraq and around the world.
Ecumen has the distinct honor and privilege of serving veterans and their loved ones throughout the many Ecumen communities across Minnesota and other states. As the Senior Vice President of Operations, I have had the privilege of meeting many of these heroes and their family members. It is a humbling experience to listen to the stories and share in the conversations. I also would like to acknowledge and pay a tribute to the many Ecumen employees who served our country and now partner to serve our 12,000+ customers every year.
We often hear "freedom is not free," and I believe this to be true. Don't wait until November 11th to thank a veteran or their family for their service and sacrifices. Our nation owes a debt of gratitude to our veterans and every day should be viewed as Veterans Day across our great nation.
As we innovate, empower and honor in our work at Ecumen, we take this moment to express our gratitude and honor the nearly 50 service men and women who work at Ecumen communities, and all of the veterans in the Ecumen family.
Share Your Veteran Story or Tribute
This Veterans Day, Ecumen invites you to honor a veteran with your story or tribute. Join us in saluting The Greatest Generation - and all generations - who have helped make America the greatest country in the world! Go to https://ecumen.org/honor/.