Social Security Increase for 2015

The Social Security Administration has announced a 1.7% benefit increase starting in January 2015. This cost of living adjustment (COLA) will provide an extra $22 a month to the average retired worker. Do you have an online Social Security Account? If you do not yet receive Social Security benefits, you can use this online account to estimate your future benefits. If you are already receiving Social Security benefits, you can use the online account to manage your benefits.

Below is a video from Social Security which leads you through the process of setting up an account. If you would like one-on-one help to set up your account, a Social Security representative will be at New River Library this Thursday, December 4th, at 1:00 pm. New River Library is located at 34043 State Road 54 in Zephyrhills, Fl.

Aging on the Suncoast

Did you know that the Area Agency on Aging of Pasco-Pinellas has been producing and hosting a community access television program, "Aging on the Suncoast", since 1988? This program  provides information of interest to elders, their families and caregivers. Past topics include:

• Financial Resources
• SHINE Medicare/Healthcare Counseling
•  Medication Management
• Alzheimer’s Disease
• Management of Chronic Diseases
• Prevention of Consumer Fraud and Elder Abuse

You can  watch this program via Pasco County Government Access on:
BRIGHT HOUSE Channel 622  or VERIZON Channel 42
You can find the current TV schedule here.

Here are two of the most recent programs:

July 2014: Disaster Preparedness for Seniors:

   
June 2014: Domestic Violence in Later Life:

Enjoying Life in Their Nineties

People are living longer and healthier lives nowadays. One of the reasons for this increase in longevity is that people are exercising more. Here are two inspirational videos of women in their nineties who are breaking the stereotypes of aging. In this first video, Mathilda Klein, age 94, does a solo ball room dance performance:

You can read more about Mathilda Klein here. 
In this second video, May Morabito, also 94 years old, performs a cha-cha dance - complete with splits! She also designs ballroom dresses.


For more information about May Morabito, please click here for a NewsNet5 article.

Inspirational Athletes

Sports are not just for the young. Older Adults can enjoy recreational sports and compete in the  Florida International Senior Games & State Championships.  There are also Older Adults who are leading competitors in the sport of show jumping, such as John Whitaker MBE. He was rated 4th in Britain in 2009, at the age of 54. Here is a video of John Whitacker winning the BP Cup in 2007:

There are many examples of inspirational Senior athletes.  Johanna Quaas is an 86 year old German gymnast who has done exhibitions showing her prowess at parallel beams and floor exercises. Here is a video of her from the "Turnier Der Meister" Cottbus 2012 exhibition:



Fauja Singh is 101 years old and is famous as the world's oldest marathoner. Last year, at age 100, he completed the Toronto Waterfront Marathon.  In addition he has set records for 8 different distances (from 100m to 5,000m) for his age group. Here is a video about this amazing runner:

Florida Memory Project

The Division of Library and Information Services of the Florida Department of State has expanded their online Florida Memory website. This website originally hosted only photographs and scanned documents from Florida history (see previous blog post).  Now this archive has expanded to include historical Florida videos, music, and folklore interviews.  Here are two pictures from this online archive:

                                  Engine 507 and crew 

        Dottie Schroeder of the All-American Girls 
                    Professional Baseball  League

                Here are two video excepts:




The full version of the 1917 inauguration for Sidney J. Catts can be seen here.



The full version of this video about the Everglades can be found here.

You can explore the complete Florida Memory Project here.

Over 90 and Loving It!

"Over 90 and Loving It" is an uplifting and inspirational documentary about  people in their 90's and older who are living extraordinary lives.  This documentary interviews many people who are athletes, singers, authors, artists, scholars, political activists, volunteers, and more.
Here is a trailer for this documentary:



For more information on this documentary, please click here.  This documentary will be shown on WEDU (PBS) Tampa on Friday, April 1st at 11:00pm and on WUSF it will be shown several times, starting on Friday, April 1st at 4:00pm

New Website to help Alzheimer's Caregivers

Weill Cornell Medical College has created an interactive, multimedia website to help people who care for individuals who have Alzheimer's or dementia. This website is called "This Caring Home" and it has a virtual home tour that provides solutions for home safety and daily care issues.  Home safety issues include stove safety, bathroom safety, and lighting to prevent falls.  Daily care issues include wandering, advice about meals, suggestions about how to deal with agitated behavior, dementia-friendly activities, and memory aids.  In addition, they have information about home safety products, such as shower chairs, lift chairs, bed handles, safety burners, and wandering monitors.

Here is one of the videos from the website:
Oliver Sacks talks about Alzheimer's and the power of music

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.

Library of Congress YouTube Channel

The Library of Congress has started to find ways to share their collections online. Previously, they started sharing pictures from their collection on Flickr.com (see previous blog post). Now they are sharing videos using the YouTube.com site. The Library of congress plans to continue adding to this collection. Currently, the categories of videos include:

• the Earliest films by Thomas Edison
• Westinghouse "Industrial" films from 1904
• "Journeys and Crossings" (curator presentations of the some of the most interesting and significant Library of Congress materials)
• Author presentations - from the 2008 National Book Festival and the "Books and Beyond" author series

Here is a curator presentation on "Rosie the Riveter" from World War II:




The Library of Congress has even more videos on their own site. Their "American Memory Collection" has many different movies available - from videos of San Francisco before and after the earthquake and fire of 1906, to 61 motion pictures showing vaudeville performances, to films of the Spanish American War.