Senior man and woman having coffee at table seen through window

Ecumen Invites You to Tomorrow’s Twin Cities Memory Walk

For our Twin Cities residents, join the Ecumen team and hundreds of others at tomorrow’s Alzheimer’s Association Memory Walk in Bloomington, Minn. It will be a beautiful day in more reasons than one. More information can be found here.

by origineight

Senior man and woman having coffee at table seen through window

Successful Aging Profiles - Tomoji Tanabe

At Changing Aging, we are proud to announce our latest feature titled 'Successful Aging Stars.'Each month, we will profile those who are living examples of successful aging, from the famous, to the not so famous.These profiles could include just about anyone and we proudly invite our readers to nominate any successful agers to be profiled here via the comments below.Our first profile is on 113 year old Tomoji Tanabe.Tomoji Tanabe, who was born in 1895, celebrated his 113th birthday last Thursday in Japan. He told reporters he wants to 'live another five years or so.' That’s changed a bit since last year when he said he wanted to live 'for infinity.'

He sticks to some lifelong habits: He rises early. He exercises his mind daily by reading the newspaper. He drinks milk every afternoon and eats regular meals (very little snacking and few fried foods). He also doesn’t drink alcohol or smoke.
Japan has one of the world’s longest life expectancies, nearly 86 years for women and 79 years for men, which is often attributed to the country’s healthy diet rich in fish and rice.The number of Japanese living past 100 has more than doubled in the last six years, reaching a record high of 36,000 people this year. The country’s centenarian ranks are dominated by women, who make up 86 percent of the total.Japan’s centenarian population is expected to reach nearly 1 million - the world’s largest - by 2050, according to U.N. projections.Tomoji has hit quite the milestone, but there are actually 10 people older than he is. The world’s oldest person is 115-year-old Edna Parker, who was born on April 20, 1893, and lives in Indiana in a nursing home.Next month, Changing Aging will profile 85 year old Kate Stahl who works tirelessly in her quest to provide reasonably priced medication to seniors, in a piece sponsored by Ecumen’s latest whitepaper Long Term Care Financing Reform: An Incredible Opportunity for Candidates Who Desire Positive Change in America.

by origineight

Senior man and woman having coffee at table seen through window

I. Diagnosis

Photo By Millicent Harvey

The beginning of Anne’s and Bob’s journey in Anne’s words (intro post here) followed by the poem FINDING HOPE:

'Our local doctor suspected that Bob had pre-senile dementia for several years before he was formally diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease by the Mayo Clinic. He was 62.At first, the news did not dramatically affect our lives. We lived in the small community of Grand Marais on the north shore of Lake Superior where we had many friends, a good support system and a nurturing physical environment. We were able to stay involved in community affairs, to visit our families and spend precious time with grandchildren, even to take extended vacations.Bob understood what was happening to him. He talked about it openly to individuals and groups. Together we wrote a book about the first years of our journey, Through the Wilderness of Alzheimer’s: A Guide in Two Voices, published by Augsburg/Fortress.Though our pace was slow and life became gradually more and more confining, we learned to pull over sometimes and fully appreciate the moment. Though there were definitely times of fear and anger and deep sadness, Bob was determined to show us that there were also 'blessings' in his disease.'

FINDING HOPE

For monthsmy soul has been in winter,hardened by icedeep and cold and strong enoughto support all the worries of the daystanding there at once.They shuffle through my mindgrumbling, shifting weight,bundled against hopelike all the bitter womenI resolve not to become.Now, suddenly,you smile at methe way you used to do --eyes soft and twinkling,mouth turned up at one corner --and you reach out your hand.I hold it tillI feel the sun grow warm,feel hope bubble to the surface once againfrom those dark waterswhere poems, sluggish swim.- Anne Simpson

by origineight

Senior man and woman having coffee at table seen through window

Growing Down: Poems for an Alzheimer’s Patient

Last Friday I received a beautiful gift. Poet and Changing Aging reader Anne Simpson sent me her book of poetry called Growing Down: Poems for an Alzheimer’s Patient. That patient is her husband, Bob, who was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s in 1995 and today lives in the Wellstead care community in Rogers, Minn. Over the next few days, we’re going to share several narratives and poetry from each section of Growing Down: I. Diagnosis II. Growing Down . . and III. End Stage. We’ll also share news of a new work that she and photographer Laura Crosby have collaborated upon and is making its debut at an exhibit opening next week.Anne wrote Growing Down to promote understanding and support for the many families and communities that are caring for people with Ahlzheimers. Proceeds from sales of the book go to the Minnesota/Dakota Alzheimer’s Association.As the journey continues - a journey of the heart, mind and spirit - Anne’s work explore the feelings of both patient and caregiver. There are poems of loss and grief, certainly, but there are also vital undertones of hope.

by origineight

Senior man and woman having coffee at table seen through window

Take Our Changing Aging Poll: Will Baby Boomers Be Called Seniors?

A colleague the other day and she thinks the word 'senior' or 'senior citizen' will go away and be replaced by 'boomer' when boomers become seniors. Her premise is that we will be known by our generational identities. So, when Gen Xers and Millennials become seniors, they’ll still be known as Gen Xers and Millennials.What do you think?Take our Poll.[poll id='4']

by origineight

Senior man and woman having coffee at table seen through window

Senator Dean Barkley on Long-Term Care

Ecumen is seeking the views on aging and long-term care from Minnesota’s major candidates for U.S. Senate. Today we feature a statement from Senator Dean Barkely, the Independence Party endorsed candidate. He has served in the U.S. Senate before. In 2003 he was appointed by Minnesota Gov. Jesse Ventura to serve the remainder of Sen. Paul Wellstone’s term after Sen. Wellstone was killed in a plane crash. Most recently Sen. Barkley served seniors and people with disabilities as a driver with Metro Mobility. Below is Sen. Barkley’s statement:
To Read Other Candidates' view: Go here for our interview with Al Franken. We also have an interview request into Sen. Norm Coleman and hope to have his answers here soon.

I believe that we must provide additional resources to home care toreduce the need for nursing home care. Nursing homes should be a lastresort. We need to everything possible to allow elderly Americans theopportunity to stay in their homes.My Mother was forced into a nursing home three years ago. It was not apleasant experience. She did not want to go into the nursing home andwas very unhappy until her death. She was also forced to spend her lifesavings on paying for the service. There has to be a better way.

by origineight

Senior man and woman having coffee at table seen through window

Long-Term Care Financing Reform: It’s All About Bi-Partisanship

Here’s something America needs much more of. A Democrat and a Republican coming together to work together on issues. In today’s Minneapolis Star Tribune, Republican State Rep. Laura Brod and Democratic State Rep. Paul Thissen discuss aging services financing reform. The full text is below.Want to read more on this subject?: Download Ecumen CEO Kathryn Roberts' White Paper in our Successful Aging Library.

Long-Term Care Financing Reform: A Fiscal and Health Care Necessity

September 18, 2008

We loved the spirit and passion for change reflected in our parties' recent national conventions. But missing from each convention’s big stage was a discussion of one major challenge we face: How will individuals and government pay for the long-term services and care that millions of older Americans -- and younger people with physical challenges -- need now and will increasingly need in record numbers?Tens of thousands of Minnesotans and 10 million Americans, including 6 million over age 65, need long-term care. Despite families' considerable efforts to provide care themselves, and despite huge public expenditures, the system is still failing many families and individuals. Many people are still left to struggle with unmet needs and catastrophic costs.Medicaid -- Medical Assistance in Minnesota -- was originally designed to be a safety net for families. Unfortunately, Medicaid has become our largest payer of aging services and the sole long-term care insurance policy for most Americans. The system is not working.State government will be hard-pressed to sustain the rising costs of long-term care under the current system. Since 2000, Minnesota state government’s spending for long-term care has almost doubled to more than $1.3 billion, with $7 out of every $10 going to government-funded nursing homes. And that doesn’t cover actual costs of care. Further, due to its origins as a 'pay-as-you-go' entitlement program, Medicaid requires middle-class families to impoverish themselves in order to qualify for help. It makes no sense for that to be the default retirement and long-term care plan for the majority of our citizens.How do we move forward?As citizens, we need to adopt a different mind-set toward planning for our long-term care. We can’t continue shirking solutions by ceding to complexity. We must change. Minnesota is in a great position to collaboratively push ideas forward. After all, the best public policy is born by finding areas of common ground.
One point we believe Minnesotans can agree upon is that those who can afford to do so should start saving for their retirement and long-term care needs. The state can jump-start that process by offering incentives for saving. The Legislature’s 2020 Conference recently joined Ecumen, the Citizens League and Minnesota Chamber of Commerce to host Nebraska’s state treasurer, Shane Osborn. He described Nebraska’s new, one-of-a-kind long-term care savings plan. The model is similar to the college 529 savings plans with which many families are familiar. We think it is worth enacting a similar savings plan in Minnesota.Minnesota doesn’t have to create all ideas from scratch. And we don’t have to wait for Washington. In the upcoming session, we plan to work with colleagues on both sides of the aisle to adopt the Nebraska plan for Minnesota. It’s one of many communitywide, collaborative steps we see ahead to ensure that Minnesota not only rides the age wave but gets in front of it.Of course, there are many other ideas for transforming long-term care. We look forward to a robust discussion during the rest of this election season and into 2009. But we know we must act -- and act together -- to make our vision of a Minnesota where people can age with independence and dignity a reality.Tomorrow is knocking and will be here before we know it. We should answer.Laura Brod, R-New Prague, and Paul Thissen, DFL-Minneapolis, are members of the Minnesota House and of the 2020 Conference, a bipartisan group of nearly 60 legislators focused on addressing major demographic issues in Minnesota.

by origineight

Senior man and woman having coffee at table seen through window

Has Behavior Changed Toward You Since You’ve Gotten Older?

New York Times reporter John Leland would like your help for an upcoming article in The Times about the small daily insults that can come with getting older. Recently he got an this e-mail from a reader:

I am offended when first-named by children, strangers and receptionists (often in their teens); what they consider “friendly” I consider false intimacy. Strangers have begun to call me “dear” and “sweetie,” things they would never in a million years call a woman in her forties or fifties. The assaults are terrible and ongoing and people **mean well.** But they treat the elderly as if aging were a joke. I actually said to someone I may be old but I’m not stupid.

If you have a story you’d like to share, go here and click on the email post at the bottom of Jane Gross' New Old Age Blog.

Thanks.

by origineight

Senior man and woman having coffee at table seen through window

Health Care Homes: Transforming Chronic Care for Boomers and Beyond

You are invited to the discussion (title above) as part of the Minnesota Department of Human Services Transform 2010 Boomers Mean Business Forum. This session, which is filling fast, will be Friday, October 3 from 8:30 to noon at the Minnesota Department of Human Services Elmer L. Andersen building in Saint Paul. Pre-registration is required. Go to the link above for more information and to register.

by origineight

Senior man and woman having coffee at table seen through window

ALVA - Leadership Development for the Rest of Your Life

Ecumen is proud to support ALVA. It’s a Minnesota leadership development program by the Vital Aging Network for experienced adults who are interested in providing leadership for the common good. ALVA is focused on helping people discover their unique path to leadership and develop the skills you need to be successful. For more information and tuition costs, go here.

ALVA courses are being offered in three locations around Minnesota €” Century College in White Bear Lake, Inver Hills Community College in Inver Grove Heights, and Northwest Technical College in Bemidji€”starting October 10, 2008. Classes meet one Friday a month from 8:30 AM to 3:30 PM and will be connected via interactive TV.

This life-changing course is designed for leadership in later life and empower people to find new ways to use their leadership skills.

  • Discover your lifework
  • Understand the opportunities and barriers of leadership in later life
  • Plan and implement a civic leadership project
  • Build an ongoing network for sharing ideas, knowledge, and resources

by origineight