Positive Portrayals of Aging

It is nice to see positive portrayals of aging in the media. Old age can be positively portrayed by showing older adults enjoying life, contributing to their community, and living it up. One example of breaking the stereotype of old age is this boy scout commercial (found via the All things Aging blog):



Another example of a video which tries to change people's perception about aging is a documentary by Stephen Walker called Young@Heart. This documentary is about a chorus which is made up of people aged 73 and above. They sing all types of rock - classic rock, hip hop, and punk. The video below is the Young@Heart chorus singing the Nirvana song, "Come As You Are" :



For more information about this chorus, please click here for their homepage and here for a New York Times review.

National Family Caregivers Month

President Obama proclaimed November as National Family Caregiver's Month. The National Family Caregivers Association defines family caregiving as "... the act of assisting someone you care about who is chronically ill or disabled and who is no longer able to care for themselves."   President Obama stated that:

"Currently, a variety of programs and services offer help and encouragement to family caregivers. The National Family Caregiver Support Program and the Lifespan Respite Care Act include important resources for caregivers of children and adults, with opportunities to receive much-needed assistance and take part in support programs with other families."

 Here is a list of excellent websites that provide caregiving information:

• Caregiver's Resources from USA.gov 
  
• Family Caregiving 101
• AXA Foundation Family Care Resource Clearinghouse - caregiving resources are listed by topic or by keyword and each one is rated using a four star system.
• Medicare Basics for Caregivers
• Family Caregiver Alliance
• National Clearinghouse for Long-term Care Information
• Caregiver Support Information from Healthfinder.gov
• Planning Checklists for Caregivers
• Alzheimer's Association

These websites help you to search for residential care facilities or respite help:

• National Respite Locator Service
• Assisted Living Information from MedlinePlus
  
• Nursing Home Search 

  These websites help you to find government benefits:

• Benefits Checkup
• Gov Benefits

The Area Agency on Aging of Pasco-Pinellas is a local agency which provides:

• a caregiver handbook
• respite care
• caregiver counseling
• chore services
• medical supplies, such as nutritional supplements
• a senior helpline (1-800-963-5337 for local calls or 1-727-217-8111 for out of area)   
  

Tampa Bay Senior Expo

The Tampa Bay Senior Expo will be held November 17th from 9 am to 4 pm at the Florida State Fairgrounds in Tampa. This expo is presented by the St. Petersburg Times and the Senior Living Guide. 
  The expo will offer:

• free health screenings
• educational seminars
• retirement information
• fitness information
• travel information
• over 100 exhibits
• free giveaways

The expo will be held in the Sweetbay Entertainment Hall on the Florida State Fairgrounds. Visitors should enter through the U.S. Hwy. 301 entrance gate.  Parking and admission are free. For more information, please click here.

Thank you Veterans!

The U.S. Census Bureau has published the following Veterans Day facts:

• There were 23.2 million military vets in the U.S. in 2008
• 9.2 million were age 65 or older
• 2.6 million served in World War II
• 7.8 million served in the Vietnam War
  
• 2.8 million served in the Korean War
• 5.2 million in the Gulf War
• 6.0 million served in peacetime
• States with the most veterans: California, Florida, and Texas
• $36,779 was the average income for veterans
• 2.9 million received benefits for service-connected disabilities

 

National Alzheimer's Disease Awareness Month

November is National Alzheimer's Disease Awareness Month. The Alzheimer's Association provides facts and figures about this disease:

• Approximately 5.3 million people have Alzheimer's disease in the United States.
• Alzheimer's is the seventh-leading cause of death in the United States.
• Alzheimer's and Dementia triple healthcare costs for Americans age 65 and older.

Here are two good websites about Alzheimers disease:

• Mayo Clinic Alzheimer's information
• National Institute on Aging Alzheimer's Disease Fact Sheet

 The Alzheimer's Foundation of America sponsors the "National Memory Screening Day" each year and this year's date is November 17th, 2009.  On this date, qualified healthcare professionals offer free, confidential memory screenings. You can click here to search for local screening sites. 

Do you care for an individual who has Alzheimer's disease? The National Institute on Aging provides a free 146 page publication called "Caring for a Person with Alzheimer's Disease: Your Easy-to-Use guide from the National Institute on Aging":

Hudson Regional Library will be hosting two programs about Alzheimer's disease this month:

• an "Alzheimer's Disease Overview" presented by a representative of the Alzheimer's Association on Wednesday, November 4th at 11:00am.
• The "Long way home: a journey through Alzheimers" presented by Marian Ritchie on Tuesday, November 17th, at 6:30pm.

Hudson Regional Library
8012 Library Road
Hudson, FL 34667
phone: (727)861-3040