ElderAuthority.com

Family Caregiving and The Conversation Project

Death & Denial
No one wants to talk about death, grief, loss or incapacitation. So we don’t.  The statistics are awful.

Most people say that making sure their family is not burdened by tough decisions is “extremely important,” yet  56% have not communicated their end-of-life wishes
70% of people say they prefer to die at home, but only 30% get that wish
While 80% of people say that if seriously ill, they would want to talk to their doctor about end-of-life… More

“Anything Goes” in Ann Arbor

Seeking Out Fresh Experiences
Thirty days after moving to Ann Arbor from Dallas we have taken advantage of very few of the delightful and unique opportunities offered in our new town.  We did manage to catch a movie at the Michigan Theater.  Otherwise, most of our time has been spent completing renovations, unpacking boxes, hanging pictures, making trips to Lowe’s, paying bills, and getting to know our neighbors.
There were at least a dozen events I wanted to attend… More

Use the Holidays to Start “The Conversation”

This video from CBS Nightly News gives simple but essential advice on how conversations about end of life planning should begin.
The daughter in this news story notes that sharing final wishes “shows a lot of respect for those of us who are going to be left behind.” I give thanks every day that my parents had the courage and respect for me and my siblings to address this difficult topic while they were still alive.   It made their last years more peaceful and helped… More

Seniors are Force for Changing Weed Laws

Pot Stigma Declines
Baby Boomers, now moving into their senior years at a rate of 10,000 per day, will cast a less harsh eye toward marijuana criminalization than do current seniors. The change has already started.
While weed has always been around, it began to become less stigmatized during the Age of Aquarius in the late 60’s.  As Hippies and other Boomers began to get haircuts, paychecks and mortgages, pot began to seen as more mainstream and socially accepted.
Boomers… More

BARBARA STRAUCH’s GOOD NEWS FOR BOOMER BRAINS

THE JOY OF MIDDLE AGE
Barbara Strauch, Science Editor of the New York Times and author of the book, THE SECRET LIFE OF THE GROWN-UP BRAIN: THE SURPRISING TALENTS OF THE MIDDLE-AGED MIND, has some good news for my brain and the brains of my fellow Baby Boomers.

Brains continue to improve through middle age.
Middle age is now considered ages 40 – 70.
The brain’s performance reaches its peak in middle age.
Forgetfulness in middle age is merely distraction.
In middle age,… More

HEALTH CARE FOR SENIOR CITIZENS: LAUGHTER STILL BEST

Retirement living is what you make it. Here is yet another example of how great art can transform lives.  I laughed ’til I cried.… More

SENIOR CARE: TEXAS WINDS MUSICAL OUTREACH

WINDING PATHWAYS TO TRUE CALLING
Last fall, while attending an Oberlin College alumni event, I met Catherine Barr and Laura Irvin, the Executive Director and Program Director of Texas Winds Musical Outreach.  We knew we had more in common than classical music training and the same alma mater but couldn’t find time to get together until this week.
In 1985 Catherine, a professional oboist, discovered in the residents of a Dallas nursing home an unusual audience for her… More

DEJA VU IN RETIREMENT ASSISTED LIVING

Throughout history, every generation has effectively annoyed the previous generation of their parents with their musical tastes, fashion and behaviors.
“Hey!  Turn down that Gregorian chanting in there!  Your mother and I are trying to have a conversation in here about the Renaissance! And get a haircut while you’re at it!”
These younger retirees are now moving into retirement communities and playing the same loud music that drove their parent’s generation… More

AGING -IN-PLACE WITH UNIVERSAL DESIGN

Universal Design is a collection of ideas and designs for the development of buildings, environments, and products  accessible to those with and without disabilities.
REHABBING OLD HOUSES.
Before I became interested in old people, I was interested in old houses.  I learned about Universal Design as a real estate investor.   I bought properties at the bottom of the market, lived in them,  fixed them up over time, and sold them when the market rose or I could make a decent… More

BABY BOOMER GENERATION

BOOMERS LEAD THE PARADE
Starring on stage and in the hit movie, The Music Man, Robert Preston sang “76 trombones led the big parade…”  Multiply by a million, and that is how many members of the baby boomer generation were created by American births between 1946 and 1964.
At no previous time in world history has such a swelling of population occurred.  Some have referred to it as, “the pig in the python”, an apt description of the impact the explosion in birth rate created. … More