Iowa - Older Adults & Seniors

RE: Upcoming events

2009-10-29T13:48:05Z

Free webinar coming on November 12: Safe & Sound: How to Prevent Medication Mishaps - A National Family Caregivers Month Event

Bad reactions to medications result in 100,000 deaths a year. Don’t let your loved one become a statistic!

If you are caring for a loved one who is;
• Elderly
• Taking multiple medications
• Seeing more than one doctor, or
• Suffering from multiple illnesses

…your loved one may be at risk. What can a Family Caregiver do? Join this FREE webinar to find out.

Thursday, November 12, 2009 2:00 - 3:00 PM Eastern Time

To register go here.

You will find answers to these and other questions:

• When are medication problems most likely to occur?
• What can I do to minimize risks associated with medications?
• What are the questions I should ask doctors and pharmacists?

For more Information email Teleclass@thefamilycaregiver.org or call 1-800-896-3650.

Grant funding for the development, transmission and promotion of this learning experience provided by: Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation with additional support provided by: * Intel Digital Health Group * Eisai Inc. * Home Instead Senior Care *National Association of Chain Drug Stores Foundation * Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers Association * Genworth Financial * Health Services for Children with Special Needs, Inc. * AMERIGROUP Foundation.

National Family Caregivers Month is proclaimed every November as a time to thank, support, educate and empower everyone providing care to loved ones with chronic ailments, disabilities or the frailties of old age.

RE: Programming ideas and needs

2009-10-26T14:21:04Z

Older Americans contribute tremendously to Peace Corps programs all over the globe. No single group has more to offer in terms of experience, maturity, and demonstrated ability.

Maybe the Peace Corps is an option for a program in your library or for your region?

This link should get you to current events (just select your state from the drop down) or see the available information for your region.

Many older Volunteers find their age to be an asset while serving overseas. You will have the opportunity to share a lifetime of work and wisdom with people of developing nations who respect and appreciate age. And because there's no upper age limit to serve, it's never too late—Volunteers who are well into their eighties have served and continue to serve.

Seniornet.org

2009-10-15T13:43:56Z

Does anyone have any personal or library-related experiences with Senior Net, about which we have posted before? It almost seems like a competitor to libraries, but maybe 'potential partner' is a more hopeful term.

SeniorNet is a nonprofit organization of computer-using adults, age 50+ with a mission to provide older adults education for and access to computer technologies to enhance their lives and enable them to share their knowledge and wisdom.

There is some free educational content on the site, but most of it seems driven towards joining($40; $30 to renew) and taking classes online or at learning centers. Members get “privileges” in Learning Centers and online.

www.seniornet.org and (800) 747-6848.

MetLife study: Grandparents Generous with Money, Not with Advice

2009-09-30T13:34:56Z

MetLife did what they termed a 'quickpoll' (actually 7 pages) here.

It shows, among a lot of other things, that today's grandparents throw money at their grandchildren, not necessarily time.

"Nearly two-thirds (63%) of America’s grandparentshave provided financial assistance or monetary gifts to their grandchildren in the last
five years ... The median amount provided was $3,000 over that period, and the average amount was $8,661..."

and that

"While some grandparents get involved with providing financial advice and counsel, most do not."

Time to hit grampy up for a loan.

On a personal note, my ex-father-in-law gave my son $50 in singles for his 9th birthday. It was fun and especially cool because looked like a LOT of money.

Book suggestions for older adults wth dementia

2009-07-28T17:01:00Z

The Seniorserv listserv recently listed a Q&A that I think may be helpful for those of us who don’t subscribe to that listserv.

The question was asked by Carol Bean of the Lantana Road Branch, Palm Beach County Library System in Lake Worth, FL.

A volunteer recently asked about books we typically stock for literacy students that are fairly short and easy to read (graduated by degrees of difficulty), as a resource for her mother who is suffering from dementia and gets frustrated trying to read regular novels. My own mother is suffering from short term memory loss and probably wouldn't be able to remember earlier chapters as she reads through a longer novel.

Are there books, or a book resource, geared towards people with dementia or memory loss, for pleasure reading? I'm thinking relatively short (fiction or biographical) books that could be read in one (short?) sitting would beideal.

Do any other libraries have "special" collections (or designated books) they maintain of these types of materials, similar to a literacy student collection?

The reply came from Allan M. Kleiman, Library Consultant(s)-on-Call, libraryolderadults.blogspot.com, who is renowned for his expertise on library services to older adults.

Eldersong Publications has a few choices in their catalog. They are online. Also, may I suggest magazines like Good Old Days and Reminisce. But I would foremost suggest that you look at the Dewey numbers 817/818 in the library's collection. The 817 American Humor is ideal and can bring some laughter along with the short chapters. The 818 would have American Short Stories and collected works of familiar authors.

Some of my best received material that I read from is from the 817 area. Comedians like George Burns or social commentator Erma Bombeck always are popular and bring a smile and a laugh.

You might also consider the picture/shorter chapter biographies from the Children's Department. Just enough words for content but pictures to "stir" the memories.

Another options would be to do some searching using keywords in Novelist, like humor, etc. And you can also key in reading level for some children's titles, too.

Alan winds up by saying something that I agree with and hope readers of this discussion board take to heart: “Good-luck and let us all know how the programming goes. We can all benefit by our mutual experiences.”

RE: Programming ideas and needs

2009-07-14T14:29:12Z

Check out the Senior Center Evaluation toolkit.

A brief look at this pdf shows it to be a tool that can – and should – be modified slightly by libraries to gauge the effectiveness of their older adult / senior services. It’s pre-made. Essentially, it gives you the plan, which is not rocket science, and will help you to ‘prove the worthiness’ of your programs / slate of senior services. If you haven’t done this already, I feel that this is an excellent place to begin.

You can - and should- share this with senior centers in your area and consider doing either a shared or complementary evaluation.

May is Older Americans Month

2005-05-09T20:26:12Z

Hi all,

May is Older Americans Month.

Allan Kleiman, Chair of ALA's Library Service to an Aging Population Committee notes that the Dept of Health & Human Services' Aministration on Aging has some freebies up.

2 articles on programming for seniors/older adults

2009-07-14T14:01:14Z

2 columns by Fatima Perkins and Joyce Voss, members of the OLOS Subcommittee on Services to Older Adults.

'Partnerships and Collaborations for Senior Programs' by Fatima Perkins.

'Memories Into Memoirs' by Joyce Voss.

Aging in America Conference: March 15-19, 2010 Chicago, IL

2009-06-25T16:20:01Z

2010 Aging in America Conferencel]

March 15-19 | Chicago, IL

http://www.agingconference.org/

The Aging in America Conference is the largest multidisciplinary aging conference in the country and is recognized as a platform for new knowledge and practices, focusing upon replicable models that help our members and participants be more effective in their work with older adults. The hundreds of workshops and poster presentations offered answer these important questions:

Each year presenters from across the country and a wide array of disciplines related to the field of aging share their knowledge, practical experience, and applied research at Aging in America—the annual conference of the National Council on Aging and the American Society on Aging.

Btw, there’s also a Call for Presentations, the deadline is Monday, June 29. Proposals will be accepted online only. The proposal process is available via the Aging in America website at www.agingconference.org. Questions? Email facultyinfo@asaging.org.

Upcoming events

2009-06-25T16:19:31Z

This thread will be for events of a national scope.

I'll take them down after the event has passed.

Please feel free to post here if you have an event or know of one that would be useful for librarians interested in older adult services.

Funding Opportunity: Community Innovations for Aging In Place grants

2009-06-09T14:10:09Z

The federal Administration on Aging is sponsoring two funding opportunities that will award competitive grants to entities for developing and carrying out model aging in place projects.

Deadline: July 15, 2009

The projects will promote aging in place for older individuals in order to sustain the independence of older individuals. Recipients...must identify innovative strategies for providing, and linking older individuals to programs and services that provide, comprehensive and coordinated health and social services to sustain the quality of life of older individuals and support aging in place.

More information is available here.

The two kinds of grants are: 15 CIAIP Grants and 1 Technical Assistance Grants.

AoA expects to awards 16 total grants with a total program funding of $5M. The award ceiling is $500,000, the floor is $200,000. Grants are expected to be funded for three years.

CIAIP Grants
Up to $4,500,000 will be available to fund up to 15 new Community Innovations for Aging In Place (CIAIP) grants. These grants will be funded at a federal share of approximately $250,000 to $500,000 per year for a project period of three years, contingent on the availability of federal funds.

Technical Assistance Grants (TAG)
Up to $500,000 will be available to fund one Technical Assistance Grant (TAG) in the form of a cooperative agreement. This grant (cooperative agreement) will be funded at a federal share of approximately $500,000 per year for a project period of three years contingent upon availability of federal funds.

Aging in Stride

2009-06-03T18:33:15Z

I believe I've mentioned Aging in Stride's electronic newsletter before, but just in case I haven't or it's gotten lost in the shuffle.

http://enews.aginginstride.org/ is the site, which is of course available off the 'usual' Aging in Stride] site.

This month's newsletter includes:

10 Myths and Facts About Falls (e.g., Each year, one in three people age 65 experiences a fall serious enough to require medical attention)

Rx Friendship: Add More Socialization to Your Healthy Aging Prescription (which reinforces that "Loneliness can be a debilitating, distressing condition" for people)

Age-Related Eye Problems Can Lead to Computer Vision Syndrome (gives readers tips such as "Keep blinking. To minimize the chances of developing dry eye when using a computer, make an effort to blink frequently. Blinking keeps the front surface of the eye moist")

Be Healthy and Safe in the Garden (e.g., "Limit distractions, use chemicals and equipment properly, and be aware of possible hazards to lower your risk for injury")

And there's a wordfind. I always seem to find unintentional words in those.

RE: WSJ article

2009-05-12T16:01:19Z

We're seeing a lot of seniors/boomers at our programs, particularly those aimed at job seekers.

Read How You Want

2009-05-08T18:07:03Z

Read How You Want is an Australian large print publishing company that prints LP books on demand based on their own catalog. What is special is that you can purchase the book in 11, 13, 16, 16 BOLD, 18, 20 and 24 pt type size as well as in Braille and daisy formats. The titles are available direct from the company, through Amazon, and soon through one or more of library book wholesalers. Check out their website.

Noted by Mr. Extraordinary Allan Kleiman

WSJ article

2009-04-06T12:46:28Z

Here is the Wall Street Journal's April 2 article about the possible effects of the recession and the new Kennedy Act on seniors and national service.

"The deep recession is forcing millions of Americans in their 50s and 60s to rethink plans for retirement. That shift -- coupled with new legislation out of Washington -- could help spur a commitment to national service not seen since the early days of the Peace Corps, say nonprofits."

PositScience's Brain Fitness Newsletter

2009-03-17T15:47:30Z

Hi all,

I subscribe to PositScience's Brain Fitness Newsletter (I think it's monthly, go here to subscribe) and this week I'm glad I do.

It has an unusually large amount of useful information. They let me know that it's Brain Awareness Week (I am not generally aware of my brain; how about you?), a week's worth of brain-healthy recipes, link to some studies and articles and to their brain fitness channel, and more.

I'm not shilling for them, but I think these resources are worth a look.

Open mindedly,

Doug

Making Your Web Site Senior Friendly

2009-02-25T16:31:38Z

This is an undated pdf published by the National Institute on Aging and the National Library of Medicine.

Rocket science it's not; (e.g., "use a sans serif typeface") but there are good bits here for those of us that do web content and, importantly, that we can pass along to the webmasters to whom we are subject.

Other tips:

Use single mouse clicks to access information.
Use pull down menus sparingly.
Solicit unbiased comments from older adults through focus groups, usability testing or other means, to evaluate the accessibility and friendliness of the web site.

FWIW.

http://www.nlm.nih.gov/pubs/checklist.pdf

RE: Metlife's Mature Market Institute

2009-02-20T15:19:34Z

That's very, very useful! Thanks.

Health Literacy and Older Adults

2009-02-19T19:38:44Z

Over 77 million adults in the USA have basic or below basic health literacy skills.

For the growing population of older Americans aged 65 years or older, difficulties with health literacy can complicate already challenging health problems.

The US Dept of Health and Human Services put together a Quick Guide to Health Literacy and Older Adults for people who serve older adults on health and aging issues.

The guide provides background information on health literacy and strategies and suggestions for communicating with older adults.

While the information is commonsensical (e.g., design Web sites that are senior friendly), it also reminds us of best practices for serving older adults. I think it can also be used as a way to show/justify some of the specialized work that we do.

Areas of focus include visual and hearing impairments and cognitive challenges.

Metlife's Mature Market Institute

2009-02-18T14:48:46Z

Has anyone seen this site? MetLife is sponsoring or underwriting this Mature Market Institute.

The first thing I'll point to by them is a 'Boomer Map,' a sort of preview of what they see is coming up for Boomers and the rest of us.

It's filled with the kind of hyperbole that I love (e.g., the world is "fraught with dilemmas: the decline of legacy institutions that they have both opposed and worked within, the meteoric advance of technologies..." blah blah blah) and the map has some great looking retro fonts.

Another notable future trend: "more people adopt attitudes that could be called 'transhuman.'" Now that's GOTTA be cool.