Read the May 17 ChangingAging Blogstream Roundup

The ChangingAging Weekly Blogstream Roundup is now posted online. Please join us here to read, comment and share this week’s top stories on the culture, politics and news of aging.

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This is what I call, “The Busy Time.” Spring is in the air and so am I.

We are getting ready for the Eden International Conference in Grand Rapids at the end of the month.

We are getting ready for the premier of my new play… “Play What’s Not There” at the Guthrie Theater in Minneapolis in early June.

We are pushing to get the word out about “Tribes of Eden” (but you knew that already) and if you haven’t read it yet- you should.

I am traveling and enjoying being with and working with some of the coolest people in the world.

There are some big new projects that are just about to hatch and I look forward to sharing them all with you.

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As Dr. Bill kindly announced earlier this week, my wife Sarah and I became the proud parents of a healthy brand new baby boy. Thanks all for your kind wishes and visit ChangingAging on Facebook if you’d like to see some pictures.

I’ll be scaling back blogging a bit for the next few weeks to enjoy the newest member of my family, and more importantly, to focus on helping my wife fully restore herself by experiencing a proper Zuo Yue Zi, which translates literally to “Sitting Moon”.

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Navigating the Way Home: Guiding Change Along the Continuum of Care, our 6th International Conference, ushers in a new and exciting period of growth for The Eden Alternative. Scheduled for May 30-June 1, the event features The Eden Alternative’s commitment to extending its vision across all care environments.

As many of us know, “culture change” is the common name for a global initiative focused on transforming care, as we know it, for Elders and individuals living with different abilities (physical, developmental, intellectual, and psychological). It advocates for a shift from institutional models of care to person-directed values and practices that put the individual first.

The Eden Alternative began its journey focusing on transforming the culture of care in nursing homes and other institutional settings. Since then, however, its impact has reached across the full continuum of care.

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Although public polls continue to agree that a gigantic majority of Americans of all ages and political leanings oppose cutting Social Security in any way, Congress only talks about cuts.

That’s because the majority of Americans aren’t giving millions of dollars to Congress members. But we – you and I and our neighbors and friends – have another kind of power. I reached out to the NCPSSM and Max Richtman emailed this message for us and all elders:

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A Thin Reed to Hang On

By GeriPal Guest Author on May 16, 2012

Dementia Incidence Going Down? We’ll Just Have to Wait and See

By Marti Weston, AsOurParentsAge.net on May 16, 2012

The 6th Eden Alternative International Conference is featuring the first-ever Research, Design, and Innovation Showcase on May 31 and June 1. The poster presentation style event will feature the physical transformation and research endeavors of individuals and organizations on the culture change journey. Design posters will highlight budget-friendly, innovative physical environment changes that support person-directed practices.

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At the 2012 Eden Alternative International Conference, Elders have the opportunity to share their artistic flair by participating in a silent auction of Elder art. This is the second time the International Conference has featured this event. In 2010, Alice Bissell, a resident of Jackson County Medical Care Facility, an Eden Registry Member in Jackson, MI, contributed artwork to the silent auction. Bissell passed away in 2011, but her memory lives on in one of her beautiful paintings purchased by Eden Mentor Sandra Place at the auction.

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