Tuesday, 02 December 2008
This Week in Elder News: 2 December 2008
I didn’t like missing the Elder News last Saturday, so why not catch up now in mid-week before the items go stale. You know this drill by now: a regular weekend feature with links to news items from the preceding week related to elders and aging, along with whatever else catches my fancy that I think you might like to know. We try to include a little something for everyone.
Pulitzer Prize-winning writer David Halberstam, who died in 2007, believed the name given to his generation, The Silent Generation, was “stupid.” He preferred “modest generation” and in 2005, on the occasion of his 50th reunion, Halberstam contributed a beautiful piece to Harvard Magazine about those of us to grew up with radio instead of television when the United States was, although poorer, a gentler, slower place. Don’t miss this. (Hat tip to amba of ambivalog)
For 50 years, K. Warner Schaie has been studying how people age:
"How you live your life makes a difference as to how you will move into old age," he says. "You don't suddenly become a member of a difference species when you grow old. It's clear that a person who is quick-minded and not rigid in his thinking has an advantage. Things change, but if you're a good problem solver or successfully handled a personal crisis when you were younger you will likely continue to do so."
There is much more to this long study which has followed many of the same people through the years, and it’s worth reading this report.
Tired of how casual casual Fridays have become? And of young men with their underwear showing? Male style and elegance may be returning as New York Times photographer, Bill Cunningham, shows in this series of photos from the streets of New York. I can’t embed it so you need to follow this link. It’s worth the effort. (Hat tip to Marion Dent of And the Beat Goes On)
”The myth,” says The TGB Geriatrician, Bill Thomas, “is that aging is mainly the concern of old people. The reality is that aging touches, changes, and influences everyone and everything.” Don’t miss the rest of this excellent profile of him in the latest issue of Harvard Magazine.
Personally, I’ve always thought something was wrong with an economy that derives the largest percentage of its retail sales during the Christmas season. But when, according to one survey, 20 percent of boomers are canceling holiday travel plans and two-thirds are cutting back on holiday shopping this year, that’s a big hit. More here.
Chris Pirillo has a fine list of places to listen to holiday music online:
Like it or not, if you’re reading Time Goes By, you’re probably closer to the end of your life than not. Here’s a crucial little questionnaire we should all be paying attention to.
You can read more about it here and be sure to pass it on. (Hat tip to Jan Adams of Happening Here.)
There have always been jokes about doctors’ poor handwriting, but it causes 1.5 million adverse drug reactions a year. Electronic prescribing has been shown to be much more accurate and efficient, but few physicians and pharmacies are using it. Read more here.
A 2700-year-old stash of weed has been found in a tomb in China. “It certainly does indicate that cannabis has been used by man for a variety of purposes for thousands of years." says American neurologist Dr. Ethan B. Russo. I wonder if he tried smoking it? More here.
Posted by Ronni Bennett at 06:46 AM | Permalink | Email this post
Comments
I agree with you about an economy in which businesses depend on consumers shopping for a single holiday to make any profits for the entire year. I would go further, however. Any economy that depends upon consumers for better than 60% of economic activity is inherently, insanely unstable. Little wonder that many of the bloggers I have read this morning are totally NOT surprised that the economic pundits who proclaim on the matter have declared that we have been a recession for the last year. We are finding our what happens when consumers can't consume.
Posted by: mary walker on Dec 2, 2008 10:03:10 AM
Your "This Week in Elder News" is always welcome, whatever day it appears on!
I was particularly drawn to the Harvard article about Dr.Thomas, the end-of-life questionnaire, and the article about elders cutting back for the holidays.
Dr. Thomas' statement, “If you only have the right to make the ‘good, wise’ decisions that your grown daughter agrees with, then you’re not running your own life anymore” is so true. We struggle with this regularly with my aging in-laws, who are adamant about remaining independent, but who need their children's help regularly. What is the right amount of intervention? How do we help them remain independent yet take care of their needs? It's a balance that is hard to reach and is ever-changing.
We were so fortunate that my mother had made end-of-life decisions before her sudden hospitalization and death. The burden of choosing what to do was removed from us, and we were able to abide by my mother's wishes without the grief and second-guessing that goes along with not being prepared for this inevitability.
We have definitely cut back this holiday season: Gifts are greatly limited, and we have scaled back on everything from travel to the size of tree we will be getting. I'm even selling things on eBay to keep from scaling back even more! With our funds being sorely limited due to the economy, we just cannot do more. And with the economic uncertainty ahead, we must save our money.
Posted by: Mike Nichols on Dec 2, 2008 10:27:48 AM
From working several years in a number of nursing homes, my feeling is that unless and until we view old people as valuable, nothing will change. This is unfortunate, especially for those who one day might find themselves residents in a long-term care facility. One such facility I was involved with was part of the “Eden Alternative.” Some others were run down; others were decorated beautifully with chandeliers, libraries, etc. What I found, no matter the physical conditions, surroundings, etc., was the less than acceptable attitudes towards the residents. Let’s face it. Who are the people caring for the elderly in these homes? They are the overworked and underpaid who would, most times, rather be doing most anything else.
I keep meaning to write down my end-of-life decisions. I’ve often expressed them to my daughter and even sent for a book entitled “Funerals Without God: Practical Guide to Nonreligious Funerals.” My greater concern is what will happen to my 30 year old mentally ill son, if my husband or I should die before him.
Posted by: Claire Jean on Dec 2, 2008 12:21:29 PM
Claire Jean's experience with the staff taking care of residents of long-term care facilities is mind-boggling. When I was an ombudsman, the thing I noted about the staff was their loving care of the residents--this in a home that was anything but elegant. The staff were there in spite of the low pay, appalling conditions because there was nothing else that they wanted more to do--which also describes my granddaughter who is an LPN at a different facility.
Posted by: Cop Car on Dec 2, 2008 6:12:26 PM
