Johnny Cash's Last Video - The Power of Stories, Aging and Experience
Stories connect. Stories engage. Everyone has a story. And those stories get richer with age, as demonstrated in Johnny Cash's final music video.
LGBT Elders' Challenges Highlighted in Outing Age
Outing Age 2010 shines spotlight on challenges facing millions of LGBT people as they age. Despite recent advances, this report documents widespread discrimination encountered by LGBT elders, and offers substantive policy recommendations. You can download the whole report here.
Grow Old if You Want to Get Better at Solving Conflict
New University of Michigan research indicates what most in senior services already knew, our elder are indeed wise — especially in knowing how to deal with conflicts and accepting life's uncertainties and change. Read more about the study.
10 Senior Housing Trends for the Next 10 Years
What will be the 10 big senior housing development trends in the next 10 years? Here's a look.
Tiger Woods and Nike Aren't Honoring Tiger's Dad, They're Using Him
Yuck! This Nike Tiger Woods ad is completely creepy. Nike and Tiger aren't honoring Tiger's dead dad; they're using him. Check it out. What do you think?
Here's the 30-second ad that features the voice of Earl Woods, Tiger's father who died in 2006. The commercial aired on ESPN and the Golf Channel on the eve of Woods' return to competitive golf in Thursday's opening round of the Masters. Nike clearly used this simply to create buzz - it's purposely a very limited run ad - that's getting bloggers like us at Changing Aging to write about it. In fact: Nike is paying to promote it on YouTube.
Tiger . . . honor your dad . . .stop shilling . . . sleep at home . . . play with your kids . . . and hit the ball straight.
The CLASS Act and Health Care Reform - Let the Design Begin
The CLASS Act (Community Living Assistance Services and Supports) is now officially part of America's future after President Obama signed the health care reform bill. And in the coming months and next two years we are going to hear a lot more about it. It will be the world's first public voluntary long-term care insurance plan. You can read the full text of the bill here.
Thanks to everyone who advocated for this legislation, including members of Ecumen's Changing Aging advocacy network.
What happens next? . . . .
Now that President signed the bill, attention turns to the Office of the Secretary of Health and Human Services. This is where full implementation of The CLASS Act and the marketing/communications strategy to roll it out to America will be developed. Based on information we've heard, sign up for The CLASS Act likely won't begin until 2012.
At some point in our human and American evolution, we'll all have long-term care coverage. Another step in history is unfolding with passage of The CLASS Act . . . .
Following are other posts on The CLASS Act: New Old Age Blog (N.Y. Times), Future of Aging Blog, National Public Radio, Caring for Our Parents. Also, here's a perspective from a person in the long-term care insurance industry who opposes the CLASS Act.
Alzheimer's Housing and a Tale of Two Cities
Can't help but be struck by this contrast:
In Woodbury, Minnesota, several parents of young children are scared of people with Alzheimer's living near them and are opposing Alzheimer's housing. In Duluth, Minnesota, meanwhile, Ecumen at Lakeshore, which includes memory care housing, may be welcoming a children's day care later this year if the fundraising works out.
Birth Classes and Death Classes
Three years ago my wife and I had a baby. Prior to our son entering our lives, we attended a number of "New Beginning" classes with other parents-to-be at United Hospital in Saint Paul. I might be wrong in this, but I seem to recall our insurance paid for these. United Hospital's teachers did a fantastic job of preparing us for our baby's birth.
With all the resources we put in health care toward birth and beginnings, should we be doing the same with death and endings? Would people find benefit in having classes to prepare for their inevitable end? Or would no one show up because death is simply not something people want to deal with before its time?
NIMBY And Memory Care in Woodbury, Minnesota
It's been interesting - and sad - to watch how some people in one Twin Cities neighborhood are reacting to the possibility of having seniors with Alzheimer's living near them.
What kinds of communities and neighborhoods do we want as we age?
It's a question for all of us in this era when a person is diagnosed with Alzheimer's every 70 seconds.
Today the Minneapolis Star Tribune and Minnesota Public Radio looked at the story of the proposed housing and the neighbors' reaction. (Ecumen has been a consultant to the Woodbury developer). Both insightful stories. Bob Collins' MPR piece provides a video story from a Duluth TV station at memory care at Ecumen's Lakeshore community in Duluth. It's a great look at life in memory care.
We'll all benefit if our neighborhoods and communities are neighborhoods and communities for a lifetime.
Happy Birthday Sid Hartman
There are not many people who more than a million people know by just their first name. Sid is one of those rare folks.
For those who aren't within earshot of Minnesota, I'm talking about Minneapolis Star Tribune sports columnist Sid Hartman, who yesterday turned 90. To say he outworks people 60 to 70 years younger than he is, would be an understatement.
WCCO-AM has some classic Sid moments here. Enjoy.