Ecumen Leader to Chair Veterans Health Care Advisory Council
While 'Changing Aging' doesn’t agree with Minnesota Governor Tim Pawlenty’s proposed budget chop to aging services absent an aging services and health care vision and strategy, we salute his decision to make a great group of appointees to the Veterans Health Care Advisory Council. Its chair person will be Ecumen CEO Kathryn Roberts (left). She’ll be joined by other noted leaders, including several who served on the recent Minneapolis Veterans Home Task Force.
Seniors and Technology: It is for Real, America
… Enough with the headlines that depict seniors like neanderthals who live in a cave.Here’s one today from the Hartford Courant: Seniors Unexpectedly Receptive to New Technology. HELLOOOOOOO … . yes, seniors do use technology, they work out, they work, they breathe, they have sex, they’re human beings. And pretty soon America’s going to have more people with seniority than we’ve ever had. Time for media, policymakers, businesses and every aspect of our society to get real to America’s new reality.If you want to read how technology is changing aging services, download our technology whitepapers or visit our technology section, where you can find other resources such as the Center for Aging Services Technologies. Keep it Real.
Governor Pawlenty’s Aging Services Cuts: A Short-Cut to a Dead End
A couple of years ago Governor Kempthorne of Idaho chaired the National Governors Association (NGA). Long-term care was the big-focus issue under his chairmanship. Today, Minnesota Governor Pawlenty (above) chairs the NGA. He’s also reported to be on the short list to be John McCain’s vice presidential candidate pick.Unlike Governor Kempthorne, Baby Boomer Governor Pawlenty’s focus is far away from aging and long-term care. In fact, in his most recent Minnesota state budget proposal he cuts more than $130 million from the aging services budget over the next 8 years. A big chunk of those cuts will come from nursing homes. Most people don’t want to live in a nursing home. But the fact is 30,000 Minnesotans and their families rely on their care right now. Many of those government-funded nursing homes in Minnesota operate with less than 10 days cash on hand. We’d like to see our state’s leader (and potentially a national leader) show vision and help transform Minnesota and our country for the silver tsunami. It might very well involve changing funding tools (the status quo is unsustainable), but simply slicing aging services without any kind of long-term strategy for an unprecedented aging population isn’t vision or leadership - it’s a short-cut to a dead end.
The State of Aging Technology
Seniors, which are so often stereotyped as technophobes,' 'get' technology, especially if it’s going to help them live independently. In fact, according to a AARP report released on Friday called Healthy@ Home http://assets.aarp.org/rgcenter/il/healthy_home.pdf most U.S. seniors desire telemedicine, telepharmacy and sensor technology, such as that which Ecumen customers use.Misconceptions of Adult ChildrenAccording to the report, 8 out of 10 caregivers (which are mostly adult children) say that their parents would push back on using such technology. We’ve seen just the opposite. Once the kids and parents talk with each other about the benefits of the technology, it becomes a no-brainer to use it. Center for Aging Services Technologies (CAST) ReportsCAST has introduced three new reports on the State of Technology in Aging Services. One report looks at technologies available to consumers now and what’s in development. The second looks at barriers for getting more technologies to market and suggestions for overcoming those barriers. And the third provides a summary of the two reports.Aging Services Technology Whitepaper by EcumenYou can download our whitepaper on aging services technology here. And learn more about technology in use at Ecumen.
Senior Housing, Aging Services and Successful Aging in the 21st Century
Senior Housing, Aging Services and Successful Aging' is the title of a new whitepaper that we’ve added for people to download here. A holistic view of aging and embracing that aging is about growing … even at the end of life … are essential to senior housing and aging services success in the 21st Century.
Aging is Growing
Aging is growing. For real. Check out this perspective from our friend Dr. Bill Thomas.[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4oRsv8gNfsw&eurl=http://www.umbc.edu/blogs/changingaging/[/youtube]
Caregiving: The Next Green Movement
It took me nine-months to plan for a baby; I only had 9 hours to prepare for my father’s care.'I recently heard that statement, which rings true for thousands of Americans.Caregiving is becoming a hot topic. Here are a few pieces of that rising heat from the last 24 hours:- One of the highest-attended sessions at Mary Furlong’s 'What’s Next' Boomer Summit yesterday in Washington, D.C. was on caregiving.- At the Boomer Summit, best-selling author Gail Sheehy discussed her work on the future best-seller, which will come out next year about the next 'green movement' caregiving. - Today H.R. representatives from Twin Cities companies and other organizations gathered at Twin Cities Public Television to watch an advance screening of the PBS documentary 'Caring for Your Parents,' which will premier next week. A number of those participants shared how 'caring for parents' is becoming a significant issue at their workplaces.-And AARP just launched a new interactive caregiver resource web site.The heat is rising … because we all feel or will feel it.
Senior Centers: If They Don’t Innovate, They Will Die
'If they don’t innovate, they will die.' So says John Krout, director of the Gerontology Institute at Ithaca College, in today’s New York Times story about the future of senior centers.'Changing Aging' broached this subject earlier this month in a post about a new kind of center at Ecumen’s Parmly LifePointes community (pictured above).This and other successful new centers such as Mathers Lifeways Cafes don’t scream 'senior center.' They scream 'aging is all about living … even at the end of life.'
Meet Some Real Life Teachers of Successful Aging Courtesy of KSTP-TV’s Jason Davis
Meet some of our fellow senior Minnesotans who are showing the next generation how to age successfully.These videos are courtesy of Jason Davis (above), who leads the entertaining 'On the Road' segments at KSTP-TV in Minneapolis/St. Paul. Watch Jason’s stories of the following invigorating and inspiring seniors here: Charlie Ryan, who is well known for his skiing accidents …Farm reporter Cliff Mitchell …Dorothy Raines, who has been waitressing since coffee was 15 cents a cup …Bartending legend Earl Wiehoff …Evelyn Roelke, who recently retired after banking for 70 years …The Silver Thread Cloggers …
10 Things to Know About the Next Generation Senior
The SmartSilvers Alliance is an thought-provoking Silicon Valley group that sees technology as key to active, successful aging. They’ve compiled a 10 Things to Know About The Silvers Market llist below. While many Baby Boomers aren’t representative of these stats, these are interesting figures around the large wave of Americans who have seniority next. To read more about technology in aging services, we invite you to visit our whitepaper library.
- An American turns 50 every 8 seconds €” that’s over 10,000 people every day (AARP). That makes it the fastest growing population segment.
- 78 million Americans who were 50 or older as of 2001 controlled 67% of the country’s wealth, or $28 trillion (U.S. Census and Federal Reserve). Adults 50+ account for an estimated $2 trillion in total expenditures for 2005.
- The 50+ have $2.4 trillion in annual income, which accounts for 42% of all after-tax income (U.S. Consumer Expenditure Survey)
- One-third of the 195.3 million Internet users in the U.S., 50+ silvers represent the Web’s largest constituency (Jupiter Research) -- that means 2/3 of Americans age 50-64 use the Internet (SeniorNet).
- Email is the most popular online activity among 50+ users, followed by web browsing, research, and shopping (ThirdAge and JWT Boom).
- 72 percent of baby boomers have broadband Internet in their homes (ThirdAge and JWT Boom); they watch more TV than any other group.
- Adults 50+ spend an average of $7 billion online annually (SeniorNet). Silvers Account for 40% of total consumer demand
- The Internet is the most important source of information for baby boomers when they make a major marketing purchase, such as automobiles or appliances (Zoomerang).
- 82 percent of adults aged 50+ who use the Internet research health and wellness information online (Pew Internet and American Life Project).
- Contrary to popular belief €“ Silvers are not fanatically loyal to brands in fact 96 percent of baby boomers participate in word-of-mouth or viral marketing by passing a product or service information on to friends (ThirdAge and JWT Boom).
The Silvers purchase: 41 percent of all new cars, buy 25 percent of all toys (spend over $29 Billion annually on gifts for grandchildren), go on 80 percent of all luxury travel trips , buy 60 percent of all healthcare products, 74 percent of all prescription drugs, and 51 percent of all over-the-counter drugs. Plus they visit malls more often than any other age group and dine out 4-5 times per week. (various sources)