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Seeking
to be engaged with life often means finding ways
to connect with your community. More
and more, however, it also means finding ways
to stay in your community, and in your
own home. In this issue of Engage we
consider the implications of aging in place. For
some, the wealth of options now available in
services and products gives life at home new
possibilities. For others, those whose
homes are overwhelmed by the accumulation of
stuff, life at home may be a tyranny. Either way,
we all need help sorting through the challenges
that arrive with time, and the many resources
available to enable healthy, independent
living. We hope this issue of Engage will help
open up your options and inspire new
conversations with those you
love.
We hope you will share Engage
with your family and friends.
Sincerely,
Institute
on Aging
Helping
Bay Area Seniors Live Independently
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Universal
Design: Making Homes Safer for Seniors (and
Seniors-To-Be) Featuring articles by Nell
Bernstein, Caring.com Senior
Editor
 Are
you or your parents among the millions of adults
who want to remain in your community as you age?
You might consider introducing Universal Design
principles to your family home.
Universal Design refers
to a set of architectural and design
principles that evolved after WW II for
returning veterans and the disabled. Architects
considered how to design beautiful spaces for
individuals living with movement challenges. Or,
to put it simply, universal design might
include anything from extra-wide door frames for
easy wheelchair passage to no-step entries to
using levers instead of doorknobs. Some of the
best ideas appeal to a variety of ages; varying
the level of kitchen countertops, for instance,
which allows children to help in the kitchen as
well as allowing Grandma to sit in a chair while
mixing her secret biscuit recipe.
Nell Bernstein wrote a series of article
about Universal Design and offers some tips on how
to introduce the subject to your (potentially)
change-resistant family.
Here's an excerpt, with links to the full
articles below:
"Last week I promised to test-drive one of
AARP eldercare expert Elinor Ginzler's strategies
for talking to your parents about introducing
universal design concepts into their homes.
I tried "Dad, I need your help" on my
87-year-old father, letting him know that although
I understood he was doing fine, he could ease my
anxious nights by installing a second banister in
his two-story condo.
Well, it flopped. He did agree that, yes, I
was a worrier (and maybe I should think about
getting some help with that), but other than that,
there was no problem. He'd gone up and down those
stairs thousands of times without incident, he
reminded me. In fact, he had developed "a
system."
I had to acknowledge that maybe he was right
-- and even if he wasn't, the decision wasn't mine
to make. As Ginzler observes, those who talk about
"role reversal" or "parenting our parents" have it
backwards. No matter how old they get, our parents
are still adults, with the right to make their own
decisions. What we can do is offer them help, and
new information -- and how we offer it may make
all the difference.
I may give up on the banister -- or at least
give it a rest for a while -- but there are lots
of other great universal design concepts I'd like
my dad to consider. And when I bring them up, I'm
going to try some of the following alternate
communications strategies Ginzler
recommends..."
Nell's series about
bringing Universal Design into your (or your
parent's) home includes:
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Hoarding, Wonderment &
Generosity
Excerpted from The Generosity
Path Blog
 "Whether you have been
affected by the current economic downturn or not,
you - like many people - may be reacting by
fearfully guarding your existing resources. This
may seem reasonable, given current uncertainties,
however we all need to ask ourselves if we have
taken this beyond levels of reasonable precaution.
If so, it may constitute hoarding, which would
inhibit your happiness and spiritual growth. It
will certainly inhibit your ability to be
open-hearted and generous.... According to [IOA's Patrick] Arbore,
wonderment is the key to spiritual growth for
hoarders. Wonderment unlocks the ability to live
in the present moment. This experience and
appreciation of the people and things around us
leads to an understanding of the limits of life,
which opens the possibility of a simplified life
and an uncluttered vision. This simplicty and lack
of clutter facilitates an attitude of gratitude.
Ultimately, Arbore says that hoarders are best
assisted with caring and compassion for their
suffering. This sounds to me like he is teaching
caregivers to help hoarders by being generous -
and in the end this generosity will unlock their
fear and isolation so that they can let go of
hoarding and be able to give to others -
generosity unlocking generosity...."
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Community
Events
The Richmond
District - Evolution of a
Neighborhood
John Freeman's lively and
informative presentation on the history of the
Richmond District at the newly-renovated
Richmond/Senator Milton Marks Branch of the San
Francisco Public Library. The presentation will be
held in the meeting room, on the 10th Avenue side
of the building. Space is limited, so get there
early for a good seat.
When: Thursday, August 20th,
7:00-8:30PM
Where:
Richmond/Milton Marks Branch Library
351 9th
Avenue (Middle of the block-off of Clement or
Geary)
Cost: Free
Funds for Friends Benefit Concert
Benefit concert to support IOA's Friendship
Line, an emotional support hotline serving the Bay
Area's senior community. With an advance ticket
purchase, you will automatically be entered in our
prize raffle to win a spa package, yoga classes,
gift certificates and much more!
When: Saturday, August
29th
Time: 5:00PM
Where: Il Pirata Bar &
Restaurant
2007 16th Street, Potrero Hill, San
Francisco
Cost: $20 presale |
$25 at the door
$15 senior (59+)
Depth & Distance III - from New
Leaf
New Leaf is seeking entries for its
upcoming art exhibit: Depth & Distance
III: "Out of the Closet and on the
Wall"
Entries are due August 31, 2009. The
exhibit will be held October 17-November 11,
2009
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ENCOURAGE
Dear
Encourage,
Recently, I had a fall in my
apartment. My foot got caught in the rug when I
was getting up in the middle of the night to go to
the bathroom. It was a minor fall with no serious
injuries, but it got my son's attention. He now
feels I should move to a "safer" place where I
would have more help if I needed it. I don't need
any help and I don't want to move out of my house.
I have lived in my home for 43 years. I raised my
family here and I want to stay here until the very
end. How do I convince my son that I am safe where
I am?
Sincerely,
There's No Place Like
Home
Dear There's No Place Like Home,
What you are describing is the
concept of "aging in place", growing older without
having to move out of your home. Research
continues to show that, like you, most adults
prefer to remain in their homes as they grow
older, rather than relocate, resize, and rearrange
their lives. The challenge seems to be how to stay
in your present residence given the physical and
sensory changes encountered in this new
developmental stage.
I suggest you talk with your son
about your preference to stay at home and show him
all the resources available to support you in your
home (see below!). After reviewing the information
together, he is more likely to understand that
it's possible to age in place safely with the
appropriate accommodations, modifications and
services.
To address adults' changing
needs, and appreciating the desire to remain at
home, numerous agencies, companies, and
organizations now specialize in providing in home
supportive services. Institute on Aging, for
example, provides services and programs to assist
older adults seeking to age in place and maintain
their quality of life. IOA also helps connect
people to needed community resources, so that they
can remain in their homes independently and
safely.
Over the past few years, the
concept of Naturally Occurring Retirement
Communities (NORC) has also emerged. Residents in
neighborhoods, cities, and counties have joined
together to secure the social, emotional, medical,
physical, and home improvement support services
necessary to live at home safely.
Most houses and apartments that
older adults live in were built years ago. They
were not designed to accommodate the physical and
sensory changes that older adults encounter as
they age. Many older people are reluctant to
consider home modifications because these products
have an industrial appearance. Few people want
their private home to resemble a nursing facility.
The good news is that manufacturers have gotten
the message. They've developed new technology and
redesigned products to be more acceptable in the
home environment. Some examples: chairs designed
for easier in and out, enhanced high and low
frequency tones for doorbells and telephones, grab
bars and hand rails with decorator colors, and
hospital type beds with wooden headboards and
footboards, just to name a few.
To learn more
about home modifications visit www.seniorresource.com. To learn more about NORC, check
out the San Francisco
Village, a
community based organization in the process of
planning a San Francisco NORC. For more about
IOA's wealth of aging in place services and
resources, visit www.ioaging.org.
Do you have a
question about engaging with life as a
senior? Send it our way. Please note, questions
may be printed but will be kept strictly
anonymous. Click here to email
us.
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Every month we highlight a family
tradition, such as a recipe, a craft, or a cultural
holiday. Please suggest a tradition from
your family!
This month's family
tradition:
Call Someone You Love!
Month
On August 13, 1889 William Gray of Hartford,
Connecticut received a patent for the first
coin-operated telephone.
In honor of his achievement we've made August our
"Call Someone You Love" month.
Seniors rise early, so call in the morning and
start their day with a smile!
We'd like to feature part of your
heritage. Share a recipe, tradition or family story.
We'd love to print it! Click here to email
us. | |
