Posted on September 30th, 2010
In working with seniors, one size definitely does not fit all; applying simplified, generalized practices to all seniors is ineffective. It is necessary to provide specialized training to caretakers so they are prepared to fully serve the needs of all elderly individuals. One organization found this to be especially true when serving senior members of the Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, and Transgender (GLBT) community.
In 2007 a collaboration among the Metropolitan Area Agency on Aging, GLBT Generations, University of Minnesota researchers, and other community supporters conducted a survey to assess how prepared service providers are to work with this community. It was concluded that agencies are not adequately prepared to serve older GLBT individuals, but that the agencies have a great interest in learning new skills to be able to do so. Thus Training to Serve was founded. TTS is an organization designed to assist local providers of aging services with the education and tools to help them meet the needs of GLBT persons as they age and begin to seek services,.
Their mission is simple: “assisting senior service providers with training and resources to ensure Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender (GLBT) persons are able to achieve a satisfying quality of life in later years.” Their mission doesn’t sound too difficult or too much to expect, but many GLBT seniors fear it won’t be their aging experience.
TTS is located in St. Paul, MN. To learn more about TTS, click here to visit the organization’s website.
Tags: aging experience, Gay Lesbian Bisexual Transgender community, GLBT, GLBT Generations, GLBT seniors fear, MAAA, meet the needs of GLBT persons, meet the needs of GLBT persons as they age, Metropolitan Area Agency on Aging, minnesota glbt community, needs of all seniors, saint paul minnesota, seniors, serve older GLBT individuals, serve the needs of all elderly individuals, serving the needs of all elderly individuals, specialized training on GLBT for caretakers, specialized training to caretakers, st. paul minnesota, U of M, U of M GLBT, U of M researchers, University of Minnesota, University of Minnesota researchers
Posted on September 28th, 2010
Gentlemen, listen up! We want to remind you that last week was Prostate Cancer Awareness Week.
The chance of developing prostate cancer increases as men get older. According to the National Cancer Institute (NCI), there are 217,730 estimated new cases and 32,050 deaths from prostate cancer in the United States so far in 2010. The NCI recommends avoiding cancer risk factors such as smoking, being overweight, and lack of exercise.
Not every patient experiences symptoms of prostate cancer. Many times, signs of prostate cancer are first detected by a doctor during a routine check-up.
Take charge of your health! Help spread cancer awareness by eating healthy, exercising and seeing your doctor regularly. Make sure to encourage your friends and loved ones to do the same. Improve yourself not only as because September is Self Improvement Month, but every day of every month. You keeping you healthy and happy makes for a much richer life.
Ask yourself, “Am I doing everything I can to stay healthy?” Spread what you are doing to keep yourself healthy and help others!
Tags: Active Senior Living, Cancer, cancer awareness, cancer prevention, cancer risk factors, chance of developing prostate cancer, chance of developing prostate cancer increases in men, Medical, National Cancer Institute, NCI, Prevention, Prostate cancer, prostate cancer awareness, prostate cancer awareness week, self improvement month, spread cancer awareness, symptoms of prostate cancer
Posted on September 13th, 2010
When you look in the mirror, what’s the first thought that comes to mind? Was it a positive or negative thought? If you find more flaws
than strengths, take a step back and ask yourself, “Are these imperfections (both internal and external) within my control?” If they are, now’s the time to make a change!
Since September is National Self-Improvement Month, celebrate by taking the time to do something for you. Go for a walk to enjoy the final days of summer, have lunch with a friend, or do an unexpected favor for a loved one. Improve your health, stress levels or overall outlook on life by finding time to make yourself a better and happier person.
How do you find ways for self-improvement? Share your ideas and help someone improve their life!
Posted on September 11th, 2010
Every generation has experienced a memorable event in our nation’s history, such as the bombing of Pearl Harbor, the assassination of JFK, and the end of the Cold War. Do you remember where you were when you heard the news of the terrorist attacks on the morning of September 11th? I do! Tragic events in our lives can make such lasting impacts on us that we know we can never forget. On Saturday, take the time to talk to your children or grandchildren about the value of freedom and why it is necessary to be thankful for those who have sacrificed their lives for all of us. Make sure you pass down your memories of major events in your own life – because we can all learn from history. In addition, be sure to share your positive memorable experiences so that you can pass along happy memories and stories to your family as well.
What is one major event in your life that you will never forget?
Tags: active living, freedom, passing down memories, patriot day, senior advocacy, seniors, september 11, talk to your children, talk to your children and grandchildren, talk to your grandchildren, valuable memories, value of freedom
Posted on September 6th, 2010
In today’s busy society of instant demands, work frequently intrudes in on people’s personal lives during evenings, weekends, vacations and holidays. In fact, the American Psychological Association (APA) reports that 83 percent of email users admit to checking their email daily while on vacation. Due to the down economy, many seniors are financially forced to continue working later in life than they had planned. These increasing work demands on employees have a significant impact on employers as well. According to the APA, “stress from jobs and work costs U.S. businesses an estimated $300 billion per year through absenteeism, diminished productivity, employee turnover and direct medical, legal and insurance fees.”
Is the convenience of technology worth the cost? “Even though technology has improved our lives in many ways, it has also increased workload demand,” said Deborah Dolan, Advocate on Aging. “This higher demand can add to the stress levels of a nation that is already overworked. It is important is to learn how to manage your stress and create a balance between home and the workplace, even if that means taking a break this Labor Day.”
Do what’s right for your body and don’t overwork yourself. Increased stress levels can make people more susceptible to unhealthy behaviors such as comfort eating, smoking, inactivity, poor diet choices, and drinking alcohol to cope with their stress. The APA warns that reliance on such behavior can lead to long-term, serious health problems. A survey conducted by the APA found “people expressing significant concern about stress are more likely to eat fast food, avoid exercise and use drugs or alcohol as a response to their stress than use healthier methods such as exercise, good diet, meditation or psychotherapy.”
Posted on September 2nd, 2010
 Fraudulent scams can be a very costly and devastating experience. In order to keep not only ourselves but also our seniors safe, we must become aware of the most prominent scams that are happening everyday. I found a great site that pulls many of the reported senior scams together in an easy to see list, keeping you aware of posing threats to seniors. The site is called Stop Senior Scams.org.
A major scam right now is the Relative in Distress Call. While the Stop Senior Scams website is a great resource, we wanted to give a true first-person account of a scam that has happened quite often. With use of spreading awareness, great communication skills and pre-planning, the scam was not able to occur.
Names in the story have been change to protect the identities of individuals.
A phone rang in a elderly grandmother’s home, picking it up she said “Hello?” On the other end was a male’s voice, “Hi grandma!” Feeling bad that she didn’t recognize the voice she said, “Who is this, I can’t hear you very well.” The voice replied “It’s your nephew.” “Travis?” she asked. “Yes, Travis! How are you?” Happy to hear from him she replied, “Very well. It’s been awhile, how are you?” “I’m ok, Grandma, but I have a problem. I went to Canada and lost my passport!” “Oh no, Dear, did you go up fishing?” she asked. “Yes fishing! It fell off the boat and sank to the bottom. I tried finding it but it’s too deep. Can you help me?” he asked. “The border patrol said that it costs $300 to get a new one, and the right documents sent over for me to be allowed to come back. I’m so sorry, Grandma, but I don’t know what else to do,” he stated hopefully. “Well, Dear, you know that I don’t have that kind of money laying around, and I can’t drive. Let me call Uncle Tom and have him take me into town. He or I should be able to help,” she stated. “Oh no you don’t have to do that, Grandma, they gave me a number you can call and type in your credit card or debit card number and pin. It will pay the bill and they will send me the documents. Can you do that? I can walk you through it, it’s really easy!” “Oh dear!” she said. “Ok, give me the information, and I’ll have to call you back when I’m finished. I don’t have another phone.”
Writing down the information she said goodbye and proceeded to follow the directions. Worried that she may do something wrong she called Uncle Tom for help. Thinking there was something weird since he hadn’t heard about Travis going to Canada, he told her to wait for him and called Aunt Martha to ask about Travis. Aunt Martha knew nothing about Travis going to Canada, so she tried calling his cell phone. He answered right away and was quite surprised when they asked him if he was ok, how much he needed in Canada, and why he called his grandmother instead of them to ask for help. Quickly realizing what had happened and that it was all a scam, they called the local authorities to ask what they should do. The call number was traced but since it was an international call there was no individual to prosecute.
Luckily, no funds were transferred and no sensitive information was distributed. This scam was put to an end before anyone could be harmed. What if the elderly grandmother hadn’t been able to get in touch with anyone in her family to help her? What if she had tried to handle the situation on her own? The only way to prevent scams from occurring is to be proactive. Talk to your parents, grandparents, great-grandparents and even children about these threats. Keep them informed about the attempts that are reported and create a code system that can be used in an emergency. The con-artists are almost impossible to catch, but the scam can be easily prevented by simply creating awareness.
Are there any other scams out there that you think our readers should be aware of? Please feel free to share and keep everyone safe and informed!
Tags: create awareness about scams, create awareness about senior scams, fraudulant scams, keep your elderly parents safe, prevent scams from occurring is to be proactive, prevent senior scams, relative in distress call, relative in distress call scam, relative in distress call senior scam, report senior scams, reported senior scams, scams, senior scans, stop senior scams, stopseniorscams, stopseniorscams.org
|
|
|
-
-
Do you have a question that you want answered? Click the help button below and email your question to the Advocate on Aging, Deborah Dolan! Your question will be posted on the blog anonymously with an answer, allowing other to comment and ask for more information on a variety of topics. Thank you for sharing!
-
-
-
|
|
|
|
|
