Jim Klobuchar -- Marooned in the Place Where Agatha Dwelled
On the Nile River a few days ago our felucca sailboat passed beneath the tea terrace of the elegant Old Cataract Hotel in Egypt’s Aswan. To the west the amber dunes of the Sahara spread into the desert infinity. But here on the Nile, egrets and herons flitted through the palm trees of Elephantine Island.
Although the Old Cataract was temporarily closed for renovation, I told myself “it’s Agatha, again.” Like a few million others, I have read Agatha Christie’s detective novels off and on for 50 years. They were literate, edgy and well-argued with enough room for fun and the indomitable Belgian bloodhound, Hercule Poirot.
Agatha Christie wrote some of her best stuff, including the sketches for “Death on the Nile” while she was a lodger at the Old Cataract. After retiring from daily journalism I satisfied some of my roaming yens by organizing an adventure travel club and often have included a 10 or 12 day tour of Egypt. It wasn’t long before I had adopted the Old Cataract as personal retreat, until one night when it delivered one of Agatha’s classic stroke-of-midnight ambushes and nearly had me walking out in a barrel.
When we’re in Aswan the others usually follow the tour Egyptologist to explore the 2,000-year-old Philae Temple. I’ve been there a half dozen times. So in later years I have excused myself and strolled to the Old Cataract for a cup of tea. The gatekeeper was a walrus-mustached Britisher in full uniform who was charged with turning back all non-guests and related imposters. But he had once admitted me in an act of chivalry and always greeted me thereafter with “hi Yank,” and escorting me through the entryway’s corridor of orange trees and tropical ferns.
So I sipped tea and luxuriated on the terrace overlooking the great cataracts of the Nile as it hurled itself at the ancient lava outcrops in fountains white water. And from there I would wander through the Victorian dining room where Churchill once drank brandy.
So one year I reserved 10 rooms in the Old Cataract and brought my travelers, who agreed the price was worth it. The orchestra played. The menu was laced with exotic fare and the waiters came in relays, dutifully taking the room numbers. When three hours later I signaled the headwaiter, he arrived with flourishes and smiles and handed me the bill. I had advised him, of course, to bill the diners separately. Somehow, he said, he didn’t have that impression. An animated discussion followed. It soon became clear that I was overmatched. My guests began leaving the room, assuming all would be handled appropriately and they would cover as necessary. At about this time I checked the bottom line. It read somewhere around $1,900.
In a trance I gave the guy my credit card. The next day my friends helpfully asked for their bill totals. I said I didn’t have the heart or calculator to tell them, counting the taxes, service charges, bar, entertainment and more. I did give them estimates. They paid but somehow I had talked myself into a $500 deficit, and they never could figure out what I meant when I laughed wildly and blurted “Poirot, where were you when I needed you?”
- Jim Klobuchar
Connie Goldman's New Book Explores Women's Insights on Aging
Connie Goldman is one of America's gems. Author of five books, and a former daily and weekend host of National Public Radio's All Things Considered, her new release "Who Am I . . . Now That I'm Not Who I Was?" is a another gift.
In this book, the Minnesota native who now resides in Hudson, Wis., collected conversations with 18 women between the ages of 50 and 80. Each tells of her own life experiences, challenges and learning, sharing her personal truth in her own words.
Connie says, "I believe they've revealed themselves honestly and openly in an act of verbal undress. Their stories are about the passion and possibilities of change in their lives throughout the years, about learning and growth, about discovery and wisdom."
The book is wonderful. And to give you a sense of what you'll find inside, I'd like to share a message from Connie from the second to last page:
Conversations That Can Make a Difference
I've always had a compelling interest in other people's stories. Listening to or reading the stories of others, we laugh, cry, empathize and sympathize. I've found over and over again that I and others gain insight and wisdom from someone we don't personally know and might never meet. As someone reveals their story we discover things about our feelings, aspirations, priorities and values. We share their courage, determination, new learning and strength. Their experience can enrich and inspire us.
People often ask me where I find such interesting people to interview. I tell them what I'm telling you now -- Everyone has a story. Just listen with your mind and your heart and they will share their travails and their triumphs. You too have a story that can inspire and inform others.
I hope some of the 18 stories in this book have offered you some insight and inspiration, a personal gift in disguise. I've said the following five words many times over the years but they remain true for me and I hope for you.
Facts Validate but stories illuminate.
Former Seattle Times Columnist Launches New Blog on Changing Aging
The movement of the Age Wave continues to bring new perspectives, new ideas and new careers:
Former Seattle Times columnist Liz Taylor and partners have launched a blog: agingwellconsortium.com. From 1994 - 2008, she wrote an enormously popular weekly column on aging in The Seattle Times that attracted thousands of readers regionally and nationally. Deploring the outdated ways in which much of the business of aging is carried out today, especially by government and eldercare providers, Liz calls for a wholesale change in their missions, values, and attitudes.
Liz describes the Aging Well Consortium this way:
The Aging Well Consortium brings together professionals, citizens and experts from a broad range of disciplines and experiences to inform and make life better for all of us as we age.
We believe personal accountability and planning is key to having some control over what happens to us as we grow older. Nothing can stop us from getting old -- except death. When people embrace their aging rather than deny it, they begin to age “deliberately,” taking purposeful steps that will allow them to age as gracefully and with as much dignity as possible.
The Star Tribune Nursing Home Series
The Minneapolis Star Tribune did a several-day series this week on nursing home falls and deaths. A few observations from this end. Am curious to yours:
- The Pain of Loss: The stories clearly convey the deep pain felt when losing a loved one, the frailty that accompanies old age, the intense trust that people put in us as long-term services, the limits of regulation, and the fallibility of human beings.
- Building Trust: Human beings want to deeply trust and feel good about those they turn to for home services, rehab care, Alzheimer’s care and the many other services we provide. Earning, holding and expanding that human bond rides on our daily performance and continually building upon “who we are” as a company so that increasingly people turn to us because they “want” to, not simply because they “need” to.
- Potential Innovations: One intriguing area that deserved more space and discussion devoted to it are potential innovations for fall prevention. The series’ last day mentioned a couple of technologies, including a bladder scanner that Ecumen uses to help prevent falls that occur caused by walking to the bathroom. Are there other technologies out there? Is there something we don’t know about? That would have been interesting to learn.
- Understanding Aging in Radically Different Ways: In 1990 the Star Tribune did a 4-day story on nursing home deaths and the use of restraints. Now almost two decades later we have a 3-day series on falls. The last day of the story was entitled “NO EASY SOLUTIONS.” How true. That makes our vision all the more significant to moving society forward: We envision a world in which aging is viewed and understood in radically different ways. We are integral to solutions.
- Inside Baseball: Finally, some “inside baseball.” The photo on the first day of the series was of an empty wheel chair in a dark, ominous hallway. It was framed by an all-caps headline “DEADLY FALLS.” That photo wasn’t of a Minnesota nursing home. It’s an online photo from Poland. The Star Tribune purchased and placed that photo on the first day to “set a mood” and draw reader attention. Every other photo they ran in the series – including those on the front page - had an extensive caption and featured real people. This one did not. The ominous "stage setting" wasn't necessary. We communicated that to the Star Tribune’s publisher, but have not yet heard back. Today the online newspaper MinnPost wrote about it. The link is here.
Have a good weekend.
iPod: another tool for battling dementia
The connection between music, emotions & memory has long been scientifically documented. Music therapy is an effective intervention for those suffering from brain damage, stroke or dementia, improving mood, cognitive function and accessing long-dormant memories. The Institute for Music and Neurologic Function, Bronx, NY, has taken this a step further by using iPods loaded with a patient's favorite music, and the results are remarkable.See this ABC News video clip.
"I think that the core of who we are is an emotional core, and it's resistant to all the losses of Alzheimer's," said Dr Steven Sparr, a neurologist at Beth Abraham. "Music provides a portal into that emotional core."
The Institute is looking for old working iPods for their program. If you'd like to donate one, please send to the Institute for Music and Neurologic Function at 612 Allerton Avenue, Bronx, NY 10467. ~Helen Rickman
Two Caregiving Experiences That Have Inspired Innovation
It's powerful how people's caregiving experiences drive them to share and contribute to make the experiences of others better. Here are two new resources from former family caregivers that have been brought to our attention:
eCare Diary
eCare Diary is a website created based on the founder’s, John Mills, experience as a caregiver for his father who suffered from Parkinson’s Disease. Having spent over 20 years working in the health care system, John found coordinating long term care to be difficult because of the lack of good information.
eCare Diary provides comprehensive information, tools and resources to help those seeking and providing long term care. A unique feature is the Care Diary, a set of online tools designed to make coordination of care and sharing of information easy amongst family members and other caregivers. eCare Diary also has a comprehensive database of nursing home and home care services, guides on long term care financing and information on important health care documents everyone should have.
An Alzheimer's Caregiver Journal
The Seasons of Good-bye: An Alzheimer's Caregiver Journal was compiled and written by Robyn Feld, a woman who walked the Alzheimer's caregiver journal for six years with her mother.
The book contains over 600 anecdotes under 47 topics from caregivers across America who share how they handled the various stages and challenges of dealing with their loved one. Individuals and educators are using the book as a resource to help caregivers and other work more effectively with Alzheimer's patients.
Since dealing with feelings is a huge part of the Alzheimer's caregiver's challenge, each topic has space for journaling or just keeping notes for future reference. Robyn contributes $1 from every sale of the book to Alzheimer's research and support services.
Thank you to Robyn and John.
Ecumen Applauds House for Including CLASS Plan in House Health Reform
Ecumen congratulate the House of Representatives for including The CLASS Plan as part of their historic health care bill passed on Saturday evening. Debate now turns to the Senate.
10 Affordable Places to Retire on the Water
Not one of Minnesota's 10,000 lakes made the list of "Affordable Places on the Water to Retire" by U.S. News and World Report. Here's the magazine's top picks:
•Bella Vista, Ark.
•Bismarck, N.D.
•Cape Coral, Fla.
•Dover, Del.
•Dubuque, Iowa
•Fairhope, Ala.
•Lake Jackson, Texas
•Loveland, Colo.
•Richland, Wash.
•Traverse City, Mich.
Toyota Commercial - Something I've Never Seen
The other morning during the TODAY Show (not cheap ad space) an ad ran for the Toyota RAV 4. You know how some commercials portray "real people" or "tell stories?" This ad featured a home care nurse, sharing how she drives a lot for her job. And then it showed her driving in her new Toyota RAV 4 to one of her customer's homes - a senior woman. I've never seen that portrayal in a major TV ad spot.
Good job, Toyota.
Tatoos for all Ages
Photo by Bruce Bisping, Star Tribune
"Getting a tattoo is just something I've always wanted to do; I've seen so many pretty ones," said Millie Gignac, 89, a former benefits director for Sperry Univac, founder of its retirees club and a volunteer for Dakota County social services and the Minnesota Historical Society. "At my age, I thought I'd better get going. After I got mine, the gal next door got one, too, on her back."
Her interest in tattoos might have seemed remarkable even 10 years ago, but no more. Good for Millie. Read more about Millie and "permanent milestones" this Minneapolis Star Tribune story.