From Amy Ambrose, Executive Director, Milwaukee Aging Consortium.
The Old Lady in My Head
I shared this story at the National Grantmakers in Aging Conference, during a luncheon at the Pfister Hotel featuring Dr. George E. Vaillant, author of Aging Well. A Consortium Board member asked me to repeat it for this blog.
Over a year ago, I participated in a guided imagery exercise that was a tour of people and events I had known at different stages in my 35 years of life. I knew nothing about guided imagery before this experience, and you are free to think that it's a bit flaky. It can be. But read on.
Before it was over, I wound up face-to-face with a woman I didn’t know. She was 105 years old, hunched over a cane, and smiling. She seemed to have a very generous spirit, to be the kind who loves without thought of return.
She offered me a cup of tea. There were other parts of this guided tour that were not so pleasant, but the presence of the old woman was a comfort. I felt safe with her, safe from judgment. She offered me a gift to guide my way home. It was a candle.
At that point, the woman leading the guiding imagery exercise made an announcement to our group. She said "The woman you have just met is you."
Me? You must be mistaken. I felt overwhelmed by the idea at first, and then had the good sense to ask my 105-year-old self what she knew.
Her message was simple. She said: “Give up the worry. It all turns out alright.”
Much has been said in popular culture, literature and lore about the benefits of staying "young at heart," of aging well by basically refusing to age. But being young at heart is a mixed bag. Most of us during our youth are so busy trying to earn the respect and love of others, or looking for them to earn it from us, that we waste years on anxiety and hustle and judgment. Have I accomplished enough yet? Have you?
Instead, I think it might be helpful to embrace what it means to be "old at heart." For me, this means being fearless because you have moved past the need to prove your worth. To love completely, because today is all you have and because that’s what life is really all about. And to keep giving, whatever little thing you have to offer the world.
That’s just my own little perspective. I am eager to invite yours, whatever age you are.
If you could close your eyes and come face to face with yourself at 105 years old, what would this person have to say about your life?
What can we learn by connecting with the part of us that is "old at heart"?
Friday, February 23, 2007
Thursday, February 22, 2007
Retirement: it doesn’t have to be “either-or”
When we try to gaze into the future of the workplace, the crystal ball is hazy.
On the one hand, we hear about worker shortages. On the other hand, we hear that workers will have to—or want to—work past age 65 or any other arbitrary retirement age. We hear that older workers are great assets. Then we hear how difficult it is for many people to find work even in their 40s and 50s.
There are some huge disconnects between the prognostications and the realities people find in their own lives.
Fortunately, those gaps are fertile ground for new ideas. The Boston College Center for Retirement Research recently published a brief on phased retirement. This concept opens possibilities for older workers continuing to work with their current employers while reducing hours or eliminating certain aspects of the job they are now doing.
Phased retirement has already made headway in many universities and businesses that use knowledge workers. Still, the concept has lots of rough spots. For one thing, phased retirement seems to be more appealing in white collar jobs. There’s always the problem of health insurance and pensions. It might be hard to apply phased retirement uniformly, as some workers are perceived as more valuable than others.
But none of those problems is insurmountable.
It seems fair to say that a better future for older workers (as well as younger ones) is a more flexible one.
More on phased retirement:
Workforce Management
National Older Worker Career Center
Rand Corporation, Elder Workforce
AARP Phased Retirement: Who Opts for It and toward What End?
Comcast Finance
On the one hand, we hear about worker shortages. On the other hand, we hear that workers will have to—or want to—work past age 65 or any other arbitrary retirement age. We hear that older workers are great assets. Then we hear how difficult it is for many people to find work even in their 40s and 50s.
There are some huge disconnects between the prognostications and the realities people find in their own lives.
Fortunately, those gaps are fertile ground for new ideas. The Boston College Center for Retirement Research recently published a brief on phased retirement. This concept opens possibilities for older workers continuing to work with their current employers while reducing hours or eliminating certain aspects of the job they are now doing.
Phased retirement has already made headway in many universities and businesses that use knowledge workers. Still, the concept has lots of rough spots. For one thing, phased retirement seems to be more appealing in white collar jobs. There’s always the problem of health insurance and pensions. It might be hard to apply phased retirement uniformly, as some workers are perceived as more valuable than others.
But none of those problems is insurmountable.
It seems fair to say that a better future for older workers (as well as younger ones) is a more flexible one.
More on phased retirement:
Workforce Management
National Older Worker Career Center
Rand Corporation, Elder Workforce
AARP Phased Retirement: Who Opts for It and toward What End?
Comcast Finance
Tuesday, February 20, 2007
House considers bill to change union organization, negotiation procedures
An important piece of legislation is moving forward in the 110th US Congress. HR 800, the Employee Free Choice Act, was placed on the Union Calendar, Calendar #8, on February 16.
The purpose of the bill is: “To amend the National Labor Relations Act to establish an efficient system to enable employees to form, join, or assist labor organizations, to provide for mandatory injunctions for unfair labor practices during organizing efforts, and for other purposes.”
It was introduced by Representative George Miller of California with 233 supporters, among them 4th District Congresswoman Gwen Moore of Milwaukee.
According to Michael Sandler in the Congressional Quarterly, the legislation that “would make it easier for unions to woo workers to their cause could be the first real test of organized labor’s clout in the Democratic-controlled Congress.”
Currently, employers can call for a vote by secret ballot after a majority of employees have signed union cards, a step which the AFL-CIO has called coercive. The bill would eliminate that option, a step that business groups say allows union organizers to be coercive.
The bill also provides the option of unions and employers moving into mediation after talks have been stalled for 90 days, with binding arbitration to follow if no agreement is reached 30 days after mediation began. Current law calls for good faith bargaining only.
To read opposing viewpoints on this issue, look at Helping Workers Secure the American Dream and The Coalition for a Democratic Workplace. The latter coalition includes the Assisted Living Federation of America, the national organization for the Wisconsin Assisted Living Association.
The purpose of the bill is: “To amend the National Labor Relations Act to establish an efficient system to enable employees to form, join, or assist labor organizations, to provide for mandatory injunctions for unfair labor practices during organizing efforts, and for other purposes.”
It was introduced by Representative George Miller of California with 233 supporters, among them 4th District Congresswoman Gwen Moore of Milwaukee.
According to Michael Sandler in the Congressional Quarterly, the legislation that “would make it easier for unions to woo workers to their cause could be the first real test of organized labor’s clout in the Democratic-controlled Congress.”
Currently, employers can call for a vote by secret ballot after a majority of employees have signed union cards, a step which the AFL-CIO has called coercive. The bill would eliminate that option, a step that business groups say allows union organizers to be coercive.
The bill also provides the option of unions and employers moving into mediation after talks have been stalled for 90 days, with binding arbitration to follow if no agreement is reached 30 days after mediation began. Current law calls for good faith bargaining only.
To read opposing viewpoints on this issue, look at Helping Workers Secure the American Dream and The Coalition for a Democratic Workplace. The latter coalition includes the Assisted Living Federation of America, the national organization for the Wisconsin Assisted Living Association.
Monday, February 19, 2007
More innovative senior housing ideas: co-ops
Earlier I wrote about co-housing because a half dozen or so people who attended the Expanding Housing Options Summit have expressed interest in that idea for senior housing.
Housing co-operatives are another idea that’s popping in senior housing. People sometimes confuse co-ops with co-housing. Basically, co-operative housing refers to a specific form of financial structure and group decision-making. However, co-ops don’t usually form around a specific central idea such as environmental sensitivity and deep community the way co-housing does.
The biggest argument for co-ops is affordability: ”Lower down payment, much lower closing costs, economies of scale, longer mortgage term all make co-ops more affordable than other ownership housing.”
Wisconsin has two senior co-ops Wisconsin has two senior co-ops listed in the Cooperative Development Foundation.
For seniors, a notable benefit of co-ops is the ability to purchase extended services as a group—housekeeping, transportation, other long term care needs.
Wisconsin has two senior co-ops listed in the Senior Cooperative Foundation website: Realife Cooperative of Eau Claire and Homestead Cooperative of Mount Horeb. I know that a group in Waukesha has been looking into developing a “55 and better” co-op with the Realife group.
You’ll find some invaluable reports at the Cooperative Development Services Senior Co-op Housing site and the Cooperative Development Foundation.
Here’s a nice table that compares co-ops to rentals, condos, and home ownership.
The co-op model has been big in New York city for a long time. There, it’s for the rich and famous (John Lennon and Yoko Ono lived in a co-op) as well as the not so rich and sort of obscure. I’m not sure why there’s not more of it around here, but it seems that the financial structuring is a little tricky. I’m hoping one of you who knows more about co-ops will write back.
In any event, it’s exciting to have so many more ideas on the table!
Housing co-operatives are another idea that’s popping in senior housing. People sometimes confuse co-ops with co-housing. Basically, co-operative housing refers to a specific form of financial structure and group decision-making. However, co-ops don’t usually form around a specific central idea such as environmental sensitivity and deep community the way co-housing does.
The biggest argument for co-ops is affordability: ”Lower down payment, much lower closing costs, economies of scale, longer mortgage term all make co-ops more affordable than other ownership housing.”
Wisconsin has two senior co-ops Wisconsin has two senior co-ops listed in the Cooperative Development Foundation.
For seniors, a notable benefit of co-ops is the ability to purchase extended services as a group—housekeeping, transportation, other long term care needs.
Wisconsin has two senior co-ops listed in the Senior Cooperative Foundation website: Realife Cooperative of Eau Claire and Homestead Cooperative of Mount Horeb. I know that a group in Waukesha has been looking into developing a “55 and better” co-op with the Realife group.
You’ll find some invaluable reports at the Cooperative Development Services Senior Co-op Housing site and the Cooperative Development Foundation.
Here’s a nice table that compares co-ops to rentals, condos, and home ownership.
The co-op model has been big in New York city for a long time. There, it’s for the rich and famous (John Lennon and Yoko Ono lived in a co-op) as well as the not so rich and sort of obscure. I’m not sure why there’s not more of it around here, but it seems that the financial structuring is a little tricky. I’m hoping one of you who knows more about co-ops will write back.
In any event, it’s exciting to have so many more ideas on the table!
Friday, February 16, 2007
Medicare Advantage plans: ongoing problems
This information comes from Vicki Baker.
The State of Wisconsin has a Medigap Helpline (800-242-1060) to help people with questions about Medicare Advantage plans. The helpline also fielded questions about the meetings that were held "touting the value of enrolling" in the plans.
Some of the problem areas frequently reported to the Helpline or the Ombudsman Program (800-242-1060):
Make sure your clients and loved ones know that they shouldn't sign anything they're not comfortable with. They can check with the hotline. If they've already signed and have problems, they can file a complaint with the State of Wisconsin Office of the Commissioner of Insurance, 800-236-8517.
More information in this press release from the State of Wisconsin Board on Aging and Long Term Care.
The State of Wisconsin has a Medigap Helpline (800-242-1060) to help people with questions about Medicare Advantage plans. The helpline also fielded questions about the meetings that were held "touting the value of enrolling" in the plans.
Some of the problem areas frequently reported to the Helpline or the Ombudsman Program (800-242-1060):
- A given plan is not suitable, especially for people with complex health needs
- People on Medicaid find themselves paying premiums that they did not have to pay in the original federal Medicare A and B plans.
- People who want to enroll only in a Part D prescription plan are being enrolled by agents into the Advantage Plan.
- Some agents use high-pressure, intimidating sales tactics.
- Trial period and open enrollment rights are being denied.
Make sure your clients and loved ones know that they shouldn't sign anything they're not comfortable with. They can check with the hotline. If they've already signed and have problems, they can file a complaint with the State of Wisconsin Office of the Commissioner of Insurance, 800-236-8517.
More information in this press release from the State of Wisconsin Board on Aging and Long Term Care.
Wednesday, February 14, 2007
How do I want to live as I age?
I asked Jeri McClenaghan-Ihde, a member of our Board of Directors, who works with Direct Supply but participated in the Senior Housing Ideas Competition with AG Architecture, about her participation.
Aging in Community was a wonderful opportunity to take time to consider what we do as architects and how it can affect the world around us. Here are my thoughts...
Architects provide environments which support strong care models. Having and understanding the philosophy or motivation of our client's thinking allows an architect to produce a customized answer to the question, "How do I want to live as I age?"
I would like to have as many answers to that as possible. It is a very personal question, intimate in fact. Does your spouse know your true answer? How about your kids? You may even be afraid to write the answer down.
I challenge all who read this to consider answering the question and sharing it your readers.
AG's motto, by the way, is "We create community in every sense of the word." They've identified community as the key to living and working, and not just for the elderly.
How do you want to live as you age? It's easy to say "not in a nursing home." But what are the qualities of "the good life" as you grow older? Are they the same when you are 65 and when you are 85?
Aging in Community was a wonderful opportunity to take time to consider what we do as architects and how it can affect the world around us. Here are my thoughts...
Architects provide environments which support strong care models. Having and understanding the philosophy or motivation of our client's thinking allows an architect to produce a customized answer to the question, "How do I want to live as I age?"
I would like to have as many answers to that as possible. It is a very personal question, intimate in fact. Does your spouse know your true answer? How about your kids? You may even be afraid to write the answer down.
I challenge all who read this to consider answering the question and sharing it your readers.
AG's motto, by the way, is "We create community in every sense of the word." They've identified community as the key to living and working, and not just for the elderly.
How do you want to live as you age? It's easy to say "not in a nursing home." But what are the qualities of "the good life" as you grow older? Are they the same when you are 65 and when you are 85?
Tuesday, February 13, 2007
What's senior cohousing? Plus an invitation from Milwaukee's DCD
On a day like today, when the weather is rude and the streets and sidewalks treacherous, you don't have to be "55 or better"to want an easier way to live your life.
By the way, "55 or better" is the new way we talk about those of us who are past the speed limit age. I wonder if they keep raising the speed limit to make us feel younger!
Co-housing is about creating intentional communities, which are like neighborhoods the way we think they used to be. The movement started in Denmark around 1985. A group of people who shared some common goals and are committed to living and working together would buy a piece of land, cluster individual housing densely and hold the rest of the land for common use.
The housing is built around a narrow walkway or commons area instead of a dividing street to encourage people to walk, meet and interact. While each unit is a private, a common building serves as a place to share meals, movies, woodworking tools, whatever suits the people who live there. Generally you own your own place plus a non-dividable chunk of the common property, and the community makes decisions cooperatively.
I've been following cohousing for more than a decade because I want to live in such a community. For many of us, from the first moment we learn about co-housing, we know it's for us. And it's readily apparent why people "55 and better" would find co-housing a great way to age in community. It's a time to develop and use social capital, not just money. No one wants to be Howard Hughes, isolated with his fortune and cared for only by those who never knew him.
If you want to read more about senior co-housing, there's a rather random but intriguing list of links on our resources page and more to come!
There's not much cohousing around this area, but there will be. The Milwaukee Aging Consortium will be facilitating exploratory meetings for this and other housing-related needs around Milwaukee. We invite you to join in! Call me at 414-289-0890.
Finally, an invitation from Vanessa Koster, Assistant Planning Director, City of MilwaukeeDepartment of City Development:
Thanks so much for contacting me last week and your eagerness to participate in the planning process. We're very excited about the Citywide comprehensive policy plan that is underway. We will be asking the Milwaukee Aging Consortium to join our technical advisory group for the housing chapter. . .
In the mean time, (you and your members) could get involved in the neighborhood plans that are currently underway (Northeast, Southeast, Near North and Near South) and consider serving on the housing focus group to help identify where housing should be developed: http://www.mkedcd.org/planning/plans/CompPlan/Area/index.html.
Or, members could join the Plan Advisory Groups (PAG) for the area plans. The PAG comprises approximately 50-100 individuals with first-hand knowledge of the area and representing various interests. The Plan Advisory Group meets approximately 4-6 times over the planning process to review the work of the hired consultants at all major milestones. The Plan Advisory Group is instrumental in making recommendations for public participation, plan development and plan implementation. Most importantly, members will help inform the general public of opportunities for input.
Vanessa's e-mail: vkoste@mkedcd.org
By the way, "55 or better" is the new way we talk about those of us who are past the speed limit age. I wonder if they keep raising the speed limit to make us feel younger!
Co-housing is about creating intentional communities, which are like neighborhoods the way we think they used to be. The movement started in Denmark around 1985. A group of people who shared some common goals and are committed to living and working together would buy a piece of land, cluster individual housing densely and hold the rest of the land for common use.
The housing is built around a narrow walkway or commons area instead of a dividing street to encourage people to walk, meet and interact. While each unit is a private, a common building serves as a place to share meals, movies, woodworking tools, whatever suits the people who live there. Generally you own your own place plus a non-dividable chunk of the common property, and the community makes decisions cooperatively.
I've been following cohousing for more than a decade because I want to live in such a community. For many of us, from the first moment we learn about co-housing, we know it's for us. And it's readily apparent why people "55 and better" would find co-housing a great way to age in community. It's a time to develop and use social capital, not just money. No one wants to be Howard Hughes, isolated with his fortune and cared for only by those who never knew him.
If you want to read more about senior co-housing, there's a rather random but intriguing list of links on our resources page and more to come!
There's not much cohousing around this area, but there will be. The Milwaukee Aging Consortium will be facilitating exploratory meetings for this and other housing-related needs around Milwaukee. We invite you to join in! Call me at 414-289-0890.
Finally, an invitation from Vanessa Koster, Assistant Planning Director, City of MilwaukeeDepartment of City Development:
Thanks so much for contacting me last week and your eagerness to participate in the planning process. We're very excited about the Citywide comprehensive policy plan that is underway. We will be asking the Milwaukee Aging Consortium to join our technical advisory group for the housing chapter. . .
In the mean time, (you and your members) could get involved in the neighborhood plans that are currently underway (Northeast, Southeast, Near North and Near South) and consider serving on the housing focus group to help identify where housing should be developed: http://www.mkedcd.org/planning/plans/CompPlan/Area/index.html.
Or, members could join the Plan Advisory Groups (PAG) for the area plans. The PAG comprises approximately 50-100 individuals with first-hand knowledge of the area and representing various interests. The Plan Advisory Group meets approximately 4-6 times over the planning process to review the work of the hired consultants at all major milestones. The Plan Advisory Group is instrumental in making recommendations for public participation, plan development and plan implementation. Most importantly, members will help inform the general public of opportunities for input.
Vanessa's e-mail: vkoste@mkedcd.org
Monday, February 12, 2007
Senior housing potpourri-links and more links
This will be a link-heavy post for people who just want the facts, Ma'am.
First, thanks to Journal Sentinel reporter Michele Derus who brought to the front page of the real estate section the problem of failure to understand seniors' needs when developing housing.
And although the Milwaukee Aging Consortium is a membership organization, not an advocacy organization, it's fair to say that we are advocates for anything that will improve the lives of seniors!
Let's start with what aging looks like in Milwaukee County: this wonderful report, Now at 60 What I See.
Looking for new ideas about redeveloping sites as communities in which to live, work, and age? The results of the UWM School of Architecture and Urban Planning Aging in Community Senior Housing Ideas Competition will be displayed on their website by the end of February. And a white paper covering the week of events begining with Eden Alternative guru William Thomas will be developed and posted at the UWM Center on Age and Community.
In Milwaukee County, the mecca for all information about health services for older people is the County Department on Aging's Elderlink.
Interested in resources for housing and health care for older adults in Milwaukee, Ozaukee, Washington, and Waukesha counties? Try Senior Resources Online for 2006/2007.
Worried about older people not being able to afford housing? Steve Falek of the Milwaukee Housing Authority says call and write your senators and representatives to support Senate bill 427 (thanks to Brian Peters for the correction), the Affordable Housing Expansion and Public Safety Act. This bill makes available new home production and older home rehab as well as Section 8 vouchers and re-institutes the currently unfunded program to fight crime and drugs in low-income housing. It also calls for creation of a National Affordable Housing Trust Fund.
Why is affordable senior housing so important? See what the Retirement Housing Fund has to say: "It is illusionary to believe that we can have good healthcare in this nation unless persons have decent, safe, and secure affordable housing because affordable housing is the base which makes good health a possibility."
And that's just a start! If you're interested in doing something creative to advance aging in community here, call me (414-289-0890) to be put on the e-mail list for our project exploration group!
First, thanks to Journal Sentinel reporter Michele Derus who brought to the front page of the real estate section the problem of failure to understand seniors' needs when developing housing.
And although the Milwaukee Aging Consortium is a membership organization, not an advocacy organization, it's fair to say that we are advocates for anything that will improve the lives of seniors!
Let's start with what aging looks like in Milwaukee County: this wonderful report, Now at 60 What I See.
Looking for new ideas about redeveloping sites as communities in which to live, work, and age? The results of the UWM School of Architecture and Urban Planning Aging in Community Senior Housing Ideas Competition will be displayed on their website by the end of February. And a white paper covering the week of events begining with Eden Alternative guru William Thomas will be developed and posted at the UWM Center on Age and Community.
In Milwaukee County, the mecca for all information about health services for older people is the County Department on Aging's Elderlink.
Interested in resources for housing and health care for older adults in Milwaukee, Ozaukee, Washington, and Waukesha counties? Try Senior Resources Online for 2006/2007.
Worried about older people not being able to afford housing? Steve Falek of the Milwaukee Housing Authority says call and write your senators and representatives to support Senate bill 427 (thanks to Brian Peters for the correction), the Affordable Housing Expansion and Public Safety Act. This bill makes available new home production and older home rehab as well as Section 8 vouchers and re-institutes the currently unfunded program to fight crime and drugs in low-income housing. It also calls for creation of a National Affordable Housing Trust Fund.
Why is affordable senior housing so important? See what the Retirement Housing Fund has to say: "It is illusionary to believe that we can have good healthcare in this nation unless persons have decent, safe, and secure affordable housing because affordable housing is the base which makes good health a possibility."
And that's just a start! If you're interested in doing something creative to advance aging in community here, call me (414-289-0890) to be put on the e-mail list for our project exploration group!
Sunday, February 11, 2007
"More affordable, accessible housing is vital. . ."
. . .according to today's Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
Shelter is one of the basic human needs. Under a roof and within four walls, we eat, stay warm, make love, sleep, and pursue the work and pleasure of a life.
That's how the Milwaukee Aging Consortium got involved in senior housing. With members ranging from caregivers and case managers to builders and durable equipment suppliers to longterm care providers and financial planners, it seemed that we were in a special place to bring together all the experts on aging people.
Because it's not just about square footage and granite countertops. It's about mobility; spiritual, physical, and mental health; and above all, community. How we meet those needs has universal elements, but the details change as we grow older.
The conversation started at the Expanding Senior Housing Options Summit and continues with the Senior Housing Ideas Competition. We are going to keep it going, and not just the conversation. We want to find some way to meet Mike Soika's challenge to "build something in 18 months." We don't know what "it" will be, but we want your help in deciding--and making it happen!
Rocky Marcoux, Commissioner of the Department of City Develpment challenged us to get involved in neighborhood, city, suburban, and regional planning. Starting points: Connecting Caring Communities and the Milwaukee Department of City Development (check the comprehensive planning section).
We focused on Milwaukee, but this is a regional and national issue. Suburbs look like especially difficult places to age in community, and the notions urban centers form will influence innovations outside the cities.
Tomorrow, I'll start adding links to general and specific information about senior housing needs. Please weigh in with your own ideas and resources!
Shelter is one of the basic human needs. Under a roof and within four walls, we eat, stay warm, make love, sleep, and pursue the work and pleasure of a life.
That's how the Milwaukee Aging Consortium got involved in senior housing. With members ranging from caregivers and case managers to builders and durable equipment suppliers to longterm care providers and financial planners, it seemed that we were in a special place to bring together all the experts on aging people.
Because it's not just about square footage and granite countertops. It's about mobility; spiritual, physical, and mental health; and above all, community. How we meet those needs has universal elements, but the details change as we grow older.
The conversation started at the Expanding Senior Housing Options Summit and continues with the Senior Housing Ideas Competition. We are going to keep it going, and not just the conversation. We want to find some way to meet Mike Soika's challenge to "build something in 18 months." We don't know what "it" will be, but we want your help in deciding--and making it happen!
Rocky Marcoux, Commissioner of the Department of City Develpment challenged us to get involved in neighborhood, city, suburban, and regional planning. Starting points: Connecting Caring Communities and the Milwaukee Department of City Development (check the comprehensive planning section).
We focused on Milwaukee, but this is a regional and national issue. Suburbs look like especially difficult places to age in community, and the notions urban centers form will influence innovations outside the cities.
Tomorrow, I'll start adding links to general and specific information about senior housing needs. Please weigh in with your own ideas and resources!
Wednesday, February 7, 2007
Banishing the plagues of loneliness, helplessness, and boredom
While nearly everyone says that they want to stay at home until they die, not everyone can. And not everyone should. Sometimes, living at home can mean loneliness, helplessness, and boredom. Another sort of setting can be more like what home should be than the places people have been living.
Some successful solutions will be explored in the second of the pre-competition events leading to the UWM Senior Housing Ideas Competition tonight at 6:30 pm, Zelazo Hall. (Our Expanding Housing Options Summit was the first.)
Dr. William Thomas, founder of the Eden Alternative (EA), will speak. If you don't know about the EA, it's a movement to revolutionize the way people live, especially older adults in the places we've been calling nursing homes.
According to the EA website,
We create coalitions of people and organizations that are committed to creating better social and physical environments for people. We are dedicated to helping others create enlivening environments and the elimination of the plagues of Loneliness, Helplessness, and Boredom. We are dedicated to helping people grow.
The core concept of The Eden Alternative™ is strikingly simple. We must teach ourselves to see the environments as habitats for human beings rather than facilities for the frail and elderly. We must learn what Mother Nature has to teach us about the creation of vibrant, vigorous habitats.
Living in a vital community. Isn't that what we all want?
Some successful solutions will be explored in the second of the pre-competition events leading to the UWM Senior Housing Ideas Competition tonight at 6:30 pm, Zelazo Hall. (Our Expanding Housing Options Summit was the first.)
Dr. William Thomas, founder of the Eden Alternative (EA), will speak. If you don't know about the EA, it's a movement to revolutionize the way people live, especially older adults in the places we've been calling nursing homes.
According to the EA website,
We create coalitions of people and organizations that are committed to creating better social and physical environments for people. We are dedicated to helping others create enlivening environments and the elimination of the plagues of Loneliness, Helplessness, and Boredom. We are dedicated to helping people grow.
The core concept of The Eden Alternative™ is strikingly simple. We must teach ourselves to see the environments as habitats for human beings rather than facilities for the frail and elderly. We must learn what Mother Nature has to teach us about the creation of vibrant, vigorous habitats.
Living in a vital community. Isn't that what we all want?
Tuesday, February 6, 2007
What's the economic value of family caregiving in Wisconsin?
According to a report for 2004 by the National Family Caregivers Association and the Family Caregiver Alliance, Wisconsin :
- Ranked 18th in prevalence and economic value of family caregiving
- Half a million family caregivers
- 588 million hours of care
- Market value: $6 billion (at minimum wage)
That's a pretty big business.
Monday, February 5, 2007
Keeping housing options ideas warm
Expanding Housing Options for older people brought us lots of good news: great visions, dedicated people who care a lot and have been working their entire careers to make things better, new folks with new ideas. The bad news is the same as always: systems that don't quite work, inadequate policy, and lack of money.
One message came through loud and clear: get involved. Advocate politically.
Get involved in your neighborhood, county, state. If you want something good to happen, you've got to find others interested in the same thing, put your heads down, and push or pull until it gives.
We'll be exploring some ideas from the summit here over the next week or so. Some of us will be carrying on with the UWM School of Architecture and Urban Planning's Senior Housing Ideas Competition starting Wednesday.
Two ideas that people wanted to investigate were creating a "walking" forum for the diverse groups to get together, find out what we've got, and then tell the community about it. Another has to do with exploring fiscally sustainable programs, such as cooperative housing, for seniors.
Did you attend? Any ideas you'd like to talk about?
One message came through loud and clear: get involved. Advocate politically.
Get involved in your neighborhood, county, state. If you want something good to happen, you've got to find others interested in the same thing, put your heads down, and push or pull until it gives.
We'll be exploring some ideas from the summit here over the next week or so. Some of us will be carrying on with the UWM School of Architecture and Urban Planning's Senior Housing Ideas Competition starting Wednesday.
Two ideas that people wanted to investigate were creating a "walking" forum for the diverse groups to get together, find out what we've got, and then tell the community about it. Another has to do with exploring fiscally sustainable programs, such as cooperative housing, for seniors.
Did you attend? Any ideas you'd like to talk about?
Thursday, February 1, 2007
Image and reality
I've been doing a lot of research in preparation for the Milwaukee Aging Consortium's Expanding Housing Options Issues in Aging Summit tomorrow morning, February 2, at the Italian Community Center.
And I'm pretty sure that the ads we always see of a handsome silver-haired couple in their spacious downtown or suburban condo/senior apartments don't represent the average situation at all.
In 2004, the Milwaukee County Department on Aging and E jj Olson & Associates created the second edition of The Face of Aging in Milwaukee County. You can find versions on this page.
Looking through the glass of statistics at how the 65+ group lives in Milwaukee County:
And I'm pretty sure that the ads we always see of a handsome silver-haired couple in their spacious downtown or suburban condo/senior apartments don't represent the average situation at all.
In 2004, the Milwaukee County Department on Aging and E jj Olson & Associates created the second edition of The Face of Aging in Milwaukee County. You can find versions on this page.
Looking through the glass of statistics at how the 65+ group lives in Milwaukee County:
Only 5% live in nursing homes.
Nearly a quarter of housing units have at least one person age 65 and older.
One third of people in this age group live alone.
Three out of four who live alone are women.
People of color are significantly less likely to live alone than whites.
Forty percent have disabilities. This is higher than in the rest of the state.
Alone and female: it's a big group. Anybody building for them?
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