In America, drug addiction is despised as a social scourge, a destructive force for families and communities alike. Yet when it comes to treating older adults, drugs are hailed as quick salvation — prescription candy — the answer to complex chronic diseases and behavioral “problems” affiliated with dementia.
Imagine you’re losing your mind. Imagine most of the life you’ve led is now slipping away from dementia. And it’s one of the best things that has ever happened to you.
Citing budget constraints, planners of the 2015 White House Conference on Aging once envisioned a virtual affair, with online sessions streamed across the world without any actual presence inside the White House. In other words, a lackluster, disconnected event that kept policymakers separate from the actual lives of older adults.
In January, Senator Carol Liu’s office released a powerful, comprehensive report about the crisis of aging services in our state. My advice to Gov. Jerry Brown: Don’t read it before you go to bed. You’ll have nightmares. Spawned by the intelligence and passion of former legislator Patty Berg – Liu’s lead consultant and the report’s true author – it includes dozens of recommendations for reform, including a state Aging Czar.
Every day in America, mourners gather for solemn events to remember the lives of dear, departed loved ones at a funeral or memorial service. But for those exploring “conscious dying,” sometimes the loved one is still alive. The nascent trend in “living funerals” is part of a growing movement in death midwives who shepherd the living through the dying process.
Founding father John Adams has one thing in common with California elder Frank D. Vincent. They both fought for their independence.
A visit to most long-term care facilities – a nursing home or assisted living facility – quickly reveals who wields the sword of control. Managers dispense orders to staff. Then able-bodied caregivers roam floors full of seniors compromised in either mind or body.
By 2050, one fifth of the US population will be 65 years or older. As the aging population continues to rise, poverty, hunger, and the need for long term care are just some of the issues they increasingly face. Particularly in Silicon Valley, where the cost of living is quite high, the demand for resources for senior citizens continues to grow. However, one organization has an innovative program that provides assistance to older adults, helping to keep them living independently for longer.
Imagine you are an older adult in your 60s or 70s, perhaps even your 80s. You’ve lived a long life of exquisite joy and sorrow. Today, you suffer from diabetes, heart disease, dementia, and a mental health problem like depression or anxiety. Then, one day in the mail comes a blue envelope.
In this story we go to the small cities southeast of Los Angeles which have among the highest childhood obesity rates and the fewest parks in the state. The region has been notorious for poverty, pollution and dirty politics. But, now as reform-minded politicians take over some local city halls, young people are pushing for change. One group of high school students is learning to lobby for green space and greater play opportunities for the area’s youngest children.