Eastern Agency on Aging: Editorial Page

Gateway to the New World of Aging Conference in San Francisco by Noëlle Merrill, Executive Director

Imagine having an inexpensive device that speaks up and reminds you to take your medication or that alerts an emergency response team if your cane hits the floor? These are some of the innovations that were predicted in San Francisco at last month’s National Association of Area Agencies on Aging Conference. San Francisco and its surrounding area is the birthplace of many incredible computer related innovations, so none of the attendees had a difficult time imagining that there were people working on ways to help keep us all at home in the future - safely and effectively.

In regards to housing, I attended a workshop that covered how to discuss housing options with seniors. Look for Eastern Agency on Aging to offer some informational sessions on how to make choices about your housing needs. I have always been baffled at the variety of housing options, that while different from one another, use the same description. This accounts for why many people give up soon after starting to research assisted living, residential care, retirement communities, continuum of care communities and nursing homes. As I mentioned in last month’s article, making decisions for long-term living arrangements is an extremely important task that many people put off until it’s too late. If you need to start that search, be sure to call us at Eastern Agency on Aging. We are here to help you sort through the options.

The conference key note speaker, Josefina G. Carbonell, the U.S. Assistant Secretary for Aging, spoke about the modernizing of the Older Americans Act by discussing “Choices for Independence.” While currently a demonstration project, Choices aims to strengthen the nation’s capacity to promote the dignity and independence of older people and meet the challenges associated with the aging of the very large baby boomer generation. It also aims to supplement the President’s New Freedom Initiative and Administration's policy for modernizing Medicare and Medicaid by strengthening the Act’s role in promoting consumer choice, control and independence in long-term care. You can see examples of change in Medicare by looking at the new preventive care checklist now available for consumers.

Eastern Agency is already involved in the Choices program as the pilot for the first Aging and Disability Resource Center - locally known as the DASH (Disability and Aging Services Helpline) Network - in the State of Maine. DASH is one stop shopping for service needs in Eastern Maine. The Choices concept hopes to help individuals make informed decisions about their long-term support options, provide more choices for people at high risk of nursing home placement and enable older people to make behavioral changes that will reduce their risk of disease, disability and injury as they age. Josefina received a standing ovation for her advocacy work in the effort to re-authorize the Older Americans Act this year.

While in San Francisco, I visited the famous International Hotel where in 1977, the city of San Francisco used “eminent domain” to evict all the elderly Asian Americans living there in order to make room for more high rise hotels and office buildings. It was hard for many of us on this tour to imagine that city officials could be so cold hearted towards the elderly! Because of the tragic circumstances of the eviction, no corporation ever built on that site.

Eventually a Chinatown Community Development Center was formed and with help from the city and other governmental entities, it was able to rebuild low income elderly housing in the same location 28 years later. Housing in San Francisco is very scarce and expensive with the average home costing about $700,000. Because of the high cost of housing, there is a waiting list of at least 500 people for a room or apartment in any low-income housing setting in the San Francisco area.

Eastern Agency on Aging was in the spotlight during this national conference as well, winning three achievement awards for Vest Dressed for Safety, Senior Talk, a half-hour radio show hosted by Carol Higgins that airs on WVOM, 103.9 at 6:30 a.m. on Saturdays and on WABI AM910 at 8 a.m. on Saturdays and 9 a.m. on Sundays, and for The Editorial Page, an interactive page where people can comment on our editorials. See home page of our website for the Editorial Page and please share your thoughts with us.

I was very proud to be able to represent our agency in receiving accolades for these innovative programs.

George Hale Silver Frame Awards

Eastern Agency on Aging’s mission is to be the best source for information, options and services for people as they grow older.  The agency also has a motto: Live Well, Age Well.  This year we want to celebrate May and Older Americans Month by honoring the many unique and inspired older people who demonstrate how living well helps you age well. 

This year Eastern Agency on Aging is announcing the first ever George Hale Silver Frame Awards: the Picture of Active Aging in

Eastern Maine

.  We are seeking nominations for older persons who may not be famous or a household name, but in some unique way have become a model for healthy and active living.  Active aging means living life as fully as possible within the 6 dimensions of wellness (emotional, vocational, physical, spiritual, intellectual and social). George Hale is one of those amazing role models we are privileged to honor by making him the namesake of these awards.

The judging process will be done outside of the agency by a selected group of community leaders. We will be presenting the winners with a silver, engraved frame and $100 cash.  The presentation will be made at a lunch celebration in each winner’s community in May. 

We have established three categories and two age groups (60-75 and 76+).  The categories are meant to be broad reaching and open to interpretation.  It is important to note that there is no wrong category for an entry. We are asking for a 350 to 500 word essay and it can be typed, handwritten, recorded on tape or if you need help writing it, let us know and we will find someone to help you.

Send the essays, include a photo of the nominee if you wish, to Noelle Merrill, Eastern Agency on Aging,

450 Essex St.

,

Bangor

,

ME

04401

or you may email nominations to

nmerrill@eaaa.org

.

The first category is “Artistic/Creative”.   “Living the creative life has the nourishing power we normally associate with food, love and faith,” writes dancer and choreographer Twyla Tharp in her book The Creative Habit. The world’s many talented artists like Tharp, Matisse and even Clint Eastwood have disproved the once held concept that creativity wanes in the second half of life or that the need to be creative goes away. If you know an older person who is living the life creative, tell us about them.

Our second category is Fitness or Outdoor Enthusiast/Adventurer.  Active aging means living life to the fullest extent possible within the dimensions of wellness. Tai chi and yoga, water exercise and strength training are some common ways older people find to stay fit.  The recent 19 kilometer Caribou Bog Ski Race in

Bangor

had 43 participants and 22 of them were over 50 years of age, and two were over 70.  Clearly our many senior athletes demonstrate that as people age they don’t have to give up their physically active nature.  We look forward to hearing about our resident adventurers or fitness role models.

The last category is Life-Long Learner/Entrepreneurial.  Lifelong learning is attitudinal; that one can and should be open to new ideas, decisions, skills or behaviors. Lifelong learning throws the axiom "You can't teach an old dog new tricks" out the door. It is said that brain fitness can be developed by formal education, being actively mentally engaged in life, continuing to learn, and exercises designed to challenge cognitive skills.  Given that

Maine

is the oldest state, it shouldn’t be hard to find those entrepreneurs or life-long learners in our midst.

We can’t wait to read the essays and stories, so don’t hesitate, nominate that special elder today!