ChangingAging.org

I like this blog.
The writer is Canadian and his take on economics and the environment seem both insightful and provocative. That is not an easy combination to pull off.
Here is a taste test…
TED 2009 Prize winner Sylvia Earle discusses the state of the oceans, with striking footage. Her TED Prize wish:
I wish that you would [...]

We are going to run a series on anti-aging quackery.
Here’s our first entry.
By they way I could not make it all the way through the video.
I feel sorry for this nice lady and wish she could feel more comfortable with her true self…

Elders and the very young have long been allies. In fact, there is an old joke that goes, “Why do grandparent and grandkids get along so well? They share a common enemy.”
Life in a modern, post industrial, economy frays these ancient bonds.
Let’s look at a blogospheric exchange.
At Pandagon blogger Amanda Marcotte writes….
When I first [...]

Simple things can work surprisingly well.
Consider this insight from Atul Gawande for example…
When there is no way of knowing exactly how long our skeins will run—and when we imagine ourselves to have much more time than we do—our every impulse is to fight, to die with chemo in our veins or a tube in our [...]

Americans often cite Japan as the country with the most respect for elders. In fact, there is considerable prestige given to older people in Japan and even a national holiday in their honor. There are also some embarrassing lapses which expose a gap between rhetoric and practice. The BBC reports…
Tokyo’s reputed oldest woman has [...]

Al Power checks in early with this gem…

A decade past, Prince saw delirium as a positive force–falling in love. Soulja Boy took it a step farther: “That’s when I start to fall.” Now that’s a concept geriatricians can latch onto.
The real dangers of geriatric delirium are spelled out in detail in this week’s issue of [...]

This blog gets some mighty powerful comments….
My 92-year-old mother with advanced dementia still lives at home and attends an Eden-accredited day centre. Six weeks ago I received a call from the acting manager to say they were finding my mother’s behaviour very challenging and wanted to bring in their ‘Dementia Behaviour Management Advisory’ team to [...]

Daniela Simmons, Founder and President of DANIEL DOMES offered this comment as a followup to her experience with the recent Eden Alternative International Conference.
She also gives us a heads up on some of her latest plans.
I wish her well.
I have been an advocate of culture change, ethical and quality care and
implementing a family and [...]

This is bumped from the comments.
Deborah Cooke is developing into a frequent and insightful commenter and I am always pleased when I see her name pop up on my screen.
Here’s an experience I encountered today while walking home from work. I should have written down some names and reported these guys myself. They aren’t medical [...]

Here is something new from the Eden Alternative.
Become the expert in your home for culture change; not just for yourself but for your team, your organization and the Elders you serve. Learn to overcome the challenges in the complex world of long-term care by creating an action plan specific to your home.
It does not matter [...]

This is bumped from the comments.
Steve Gurney is a leading edge thinker, publisher and advisor in the arena of aging services.
Here is his take on Paro the Baby Seal Robot.
July 9th, 2010
One of my clients made a big deal about having the first Paro in the US a few years ago. I didnt get [...]

The people behind Paro the Robot Baby Seal seem to have retained the world’s best public relations firm. They’ve scored stories in the Wall Street Journal and the New York Times.
I don’t get it.
Or, maybe, I do get it and I hate admitting the ugly truth.
American culture sees aging as primarily a matter of technical [...]

The executives of a healthcare organization with over 1200 employees have renegotiated the health insurance plan terms and costs for the new fiscal year.  There are several plans offered by this employer, one plan (HMO) has by far the lowest monthly premiums and is the plan that over 95% of the employees opt for.  The [...]

You receive a call from a relative saying your 94 year old Aunt B. who lives
in the west, has been rushed to the hospital and is in intensive care.
Earlier in the day she had been having respiratory distress at her home and
her son had transported her to the hospital for treatment. She is not [...]

Mr. X was an older man that had a history of alcohol abuse and was a resident of a nursing home. He enjoyed smoking cigarettes in the designated outdoor smoking area. There were specific times a day that the residents could smoke, which were supervised by staff. The smoking policy stated that all [...]

Katherine is in her early eighties and suffers from a cardiac valve condition diagnosed about a decade ago.  She has been adamant with her cardiologist since first learning of the problem that she will not have surgery, even if eventually necessary to save her life. Her response anytime he has broached the subject has always [...]

I recently witnessed a very real and painful moral dilemma that I would
like to share. On Friday, April 30th my great-grandmother passed away in
the small farm town of Columbus, Kansas. Throughout her remarkable life
she demonstrated the importance of family and taught us how to love. She
was 88 years old.
My great-grandfather is the same age as [...]

Here’s my dilemma:
Eleven years ago, at age 61, my single (divorced) father was transferred to a VA post-acute facility following major surgery. He lived there for what were to be the last two years of his life. The memory issues his adult children had begun noticing prior to his surgery had been diagnosed [...]

Growing up in New York City during the Depression my 89 year old father does what
most Depression survivors do. He saves rusty nails, old paint, pieces of lumber and
Popular Mechanics magazines from 1965. I don’t have the heart to tell him engines
don’t look like that anymore. His house has not been cleaned in 15 years. [...]

A very active, healthy 80 year old woman is walking a trail one day when
she trips and falls. She is rushed to the hospital where she is found to
have a subdural hematoma. An evacuation of the hematoma (brain surgery) is
recommended and completed but the patient is not doing well after the
surgery. A living will is [...]

Bocephus (“Bo”) is age 19, high IQ, clinically depressed and
anxious (PTSD from a sexual abuse when he was 5) – he currently refuses talk
or medication therapy although he received both thru age 12. His
parents passed away 2 years ago and he is now living with his brother,
Michael who is 15 years older. [...]

Helen arrived for her appointment with Jane, the service coordinator of
her senior community. Jane commented on bruises on Helen’s face and arm.
Helen explained that she argued with her sister a few of days ago and the
sister had hit her several times.
Helen asked Jane to help her figure out how to change her power of
attorney [...]

69 year old w/s/f applies for the older adult waiver.  On time of evaluation she is ambulatory, diagnosed with arthritis, HTN and obesity (400 lbs).  She is able to do a sponge bath, dress herself and make a light meal.  Evaluation is completed and she is denied a medical level of care. Client appealed the [...]

Elder Surveillance: Can Grandma Be Independent if Everyone is Watching?

The discussion of ethical dilemmas is of interest to me, especially as it pertains to the use of technology to assist elders to remain “independent” so that they can “age in place”.
This article provides an overview of the ethical considerations of home monitoring technology, particularly [...]