News of the Week - 5/9/25
Observations About Some Things That Caught My Eye
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Japan's 97-year-old cherry blossom guardian.
India's sword-wielding grandmother still going strong at 82.
Worldโs oldest person, Brazilian nun Inah Canabarro Lucas, dead at 116.
Honey, Sweetie, Dearie: The Perils of Elderspeak.
AmeriCorps volunteers comfort lonely seniors. Trump just cut their programs.
Social Prescribing Insights from the UK.
Americans with Alzheimerโs tops 7 million, new report shows.
Creating a Safe and Friendly Home Environment for Dementia Caregiving.
Lyft launches new rideshare option tailored to older adults.
Japan's 97-year-old cherry blossom guardian
BBC - For 16 generations, master gardeners in this one family have dedicated their lives to preserving one of the nation's most cherished โ and highly sought-out โ symbols.
India's sword-wielding grandmother still going strong at 82
BBC - An 82-year-old woman who teaches the ancient Indian martial art of Kalaripayattu says she has no plans to retire.
Worldโs oldest person, Brazilian nun Inah Canabarro Lucas, dead at 116
CNN - The worldโs oldest person, Sister Inah Canabarro Lucas, has died at age 116. The soccer-loving Brazilian nun officially became the oldest person in the world in January following the death of Japanโs Tomiko Itooka, according to Guinness World Records (GWR).
Honey, Sweetie, Dearie: The Perils of Elderspeak
NYT - A new training program teaches aides to stop baby talk and address older people as adults.
AmeriCorps volunteers comfort lonely seniors. Trump just cut their programs.
WAPO - More than a dozen senior volunteer programs were impacted by DOGE cuts to AmeriCorps, leaving those who relied on the free services without them. Despicable. Disgusting. Evil.
Social Prescribing Highlights from the UK
This review Experiences of social prescribing in the UK: a qualitative systematic review - This review concludes that "patients might experience lasting advantages from social prescribing if it aligns with their needs and expectations. Therefore, it is recommended that healthcare professionals evaluate patient suitability before beginning a social prescribing referral."
Authors Christiana Melam, Judith Dyson, and Kate Thomson published The Role of Social Prescribing Interventions in Addressing Health Inequalities in the United Kingdom, which concluded that "SP is important in addressing health inequalities. However, the complexity of these inequalities requires more tailored models and research.โ
A new report from the Canadian Institute for Social Prescribing found Social Prescribing is easing clinicians' load in Canada. Read the full report here.
Social prescribing in the USA: emerging learning and opportunities. concludes and shows that "the activities, populations, and models involved (in USA) are highly varied and can offer new possibilities and templates for social prescribing internationally.
Americans with Alzheimerโs tops 7 million, new report shows
McKnightโs - More than 7 million Americans live with Alzheimerโs disease โ the highest number ever, according to a new report. Americans want to know if they have the disease and want medication to treat it if they have it, the report also found.
Creating a Safe and Friendly Home Environment for Dementia Caregiving
Substack - Safety tips, as well as some tips on creating a dementia-friendly home environment for your loved one.
Lyft launches new rideshare option tailored to older adults
KTLA - Lyft is rolling out a new service nationwide designed specifically to make rideshare more accessible and user-friendly for older adults. The ride-hailing service will launch Lyft Silver, which will provide a more simplified product design meant to attract older users, including those who have given up driving due to declining vision, hearing loss, or slowing reflexes.
"The secret to staying young is to live honestly, eat slowly, and lie about your age."
- Lucille Ball
