News of the Week
Observations About Some Things That Caught My Eye
Yeah, Today is my First Day on Medicare…and now the news….
Tech Blog of Interest
Ken Clipperton is the founder of Caregiver Technology Solutions, a dba entity of Clipperton Technology Consulting Group, Inc. He has a great blog that covers common sense technology solutions for older adults. You may want to check it out HERE.
He is also hosting a virtual town hall caregiver meeting working with noted caregiver advocate Denise Brown. Check it out - https://join.caringourway.com/posts/21683295?utm_source=manual
From CNN - After waiting more than 80 years, Merrill Pittman Cooper finally received his high school diploma.
Cooper, 101, attended Storer College in Harpers Ferry, West Virginia, from 1934 to 1938, but dropped out during his senior year when his family relocated to Philadelphia for financial reasons.
Storer College was established in 1865 to serve newly freed slaves in the wake of the Civil War, according to the US National Park Service. The school was one of the only educational resources for Black residents of West Virginia. To help him realize his dream, his family reached out to park staff, who worked with local, regional and state partners to honor the centenarian with a ceremony and diploma on March 19.
Observation - I now have at least five examples that I include in my Meaning of Life keynote where I illustrate eight traits of older people living a quality life no matter what their living environment. One of them is lifelong learning. Way to go Mr. Cooper.
A pickleball player, 71, drew marks on a public court. He faces a felony.
WAPO - Arslan Guney, a 71-year-old Colorado grandfather, was a wanted man.
So Guney and his wife headed to police headquarters in Denver so he could turn himself in on an outstanding warrant for felony criminal mischief. Guney, a retired civil engineer with no criminal history, was facing a charge that could put him in state prison for as long as three years.
His crime? Using a permanent marker to draw 45 small marks on the gym floor at a public sports facility.
His gym does not have the courts lined so Guney used a permanent marker to indicate where parks and recreation staffers should plop down the removable yellow markings.
The Denver Parks and Recreation agency determined that was a crime.
Guney added that he would like to work with the staff to resolve the issue: “I think we can talk and come to an agreement without any further action.”
Parks administrators were less receptive. In a separate email exchange the next day, Deputy Manager John Martinez told detectives: “I’m not interested in meeting with Mr. Guney. We want to move forward with charges,” the email cited in the affidavit states.
Observation - read the entire story as I left a lot out here. I think we need to tell the Denver Parks and Recreation Department to take a chill pill.
On Facebook - @denverparksrec
Twitter - @denverGov
Caregiving daughter of mom with dementia cherishes every day
From McKnight’s - Patti LaFleur doesn’t know if her mother recognizes her, but her eyes light up when LaFleur enters the room. It’s just another reality of caring for her mom, Linda LaTurner, who is entering the later stages of dementia.
“The relationship that I have with my mom is so special that it doesn’t feel as hard as maybe as it should,” LaFleur told McKnight’s Home Care Daily Pulse about caregiving last week. “She provided me the best life ever so I can grow up to be this strong, kind wonderful, person. It’s my turn, I guess.”
Observation - feel good story of the week.
Older adults better able to minimize life’s emotional ‘drama,’ study finds
From McKnight’s - The ability to positively reframe negative experiences appears to increase as individuals grow older, according to a new psychological study.
Investigators asked more than 280 participants aged 18 to 88 years old to watch a series of film clips featuring subjects that ranged in expected emotional effect from negative, such as scenes of war; neutral, such as weather reports; and pleasing, such as footage of happy babies. They were asked to allow any emotional responses to arise naturally, or — in response to half of the negative clips — to actively try to positively reframe their responses.
When investigators analyzed participants’ reports of these experiences, they found that the older adults reacted more positively to the film clips — no matter the expected emotional effect, reported Susanne Schweizer, Ph.D., of the University of New South Wales in Australia.
Observation - not sure of this study is showing the obvious. When you get to a certain point in your life, you know what is important and what is not. After experiencing five close family deaths in the span of four years, my wife and I do not sweat the small stuff or engage in drama. We have our health. Our kids and grandkids are thriving. I think you get to a point in life where there is no place for drama though ironically in this country there is more drama and conspiracy than ever.
Workplace satisfaction at a 20-year low: Survey
Benefits Pro - Job satisfaction has hit a 20-year low, and no one is more dissatisfied than young workers, a new study from MetLife has found.
The 20th annual U.S. Employee Benefits Trends Study was based in part on a November 2021 survey of more than 3,000 employees in U.S. companies. It found that Zillennials, a micro-generation born between 1993-1998, have played a large role in changing expectations when it comes to work.
But it’s not just young workers who are dissatisfied, the report said. Overall, just 66% of employees say they are satisfied with the job they have now—that’s down from 72% in 2021 and 74% in 2019.
Observation - the articles concludes that companies do better when they seek to understand their workers and support their social and mental well-being. It is all about the employee experience first leading to a better client experience.
Older Americans are given the wrong idea about online safety
From Fast Company - This population has been schooled in a tactical approach to online safety grounded in fear and mistrust—even of themselves—and focused on specific threats rather than developing strategies that enable them to be online safely. Elders have been taught this approach by organizations they tend to trust, including nonprofits that teach older adults how to use technology.
These organizations promote a view of older adults as highly vulnerable while also encouraging them to take gratuitous risks in defending themselves. As information technology researchers, we believe it doesn’t need to be this way.
Observation - great article. Fear-based approaches versus sensible safety. I think throwing AARP under the bus for this one is appropriate.
Trust and transparency are cornerstones of a healthy senior living culture
McKnight’s - The need for such candor shines a light on the problem exposed by the pandemic. That is, when people do not know whom to trust, all too often they wind up not trusting anyone at all, to the detriment of the industry as a whole.
By illuminating the need for trust and transparency, the pandemic created an opportunity that transcends a few admittedly difficult years. The challenge for senior living operators now is to reestablish their own culture with these two values as cornerstones.
Observation - the most telling example of this was illustrated in my friend John Leland’s article in the NYT detailing how one resident, frustrated by the lack of communication in her senior community, started her own newsletter. (https://www.nytimes.com/2021/01/14/nyregion/assisted-living-newsletter-covid.html)
When senior living marketing is nothing short of sinful
McKnight’s - Given what the senior living field has endured over the past two years, marketing is perhaps more essential than ever. Yet it’s amazing how many operators still don’t do it particularly well.
Observation - John O’Connor harkens back to Peter Drucker effectively in this article.
Essentials of an effective employee experience program
Benefits Pro - The Great Resignation of 2021 has brought us the Great Rehire of 2022, as the workers who left in droves at the end of last year find their next opportunities this year. So what will determine whether these new hires feel job satisfaction and stick around at their next employers?
One major deciding factor will be the overall employee experience (EX) they encounter, right from the very start of the recruitment and onboarding process.
Observation - some of this is common sense. Getting bogged down in data is a risk. There needs to be a balance between data, what you’re gut is saying, what you are sensing in the moment. If not, any implementation to make experiences better will probably be obsolete by the time implemented.
Playing GOLF could cut your risk of getting dementia by a third, study claims
Daily Mail - Men over the age 60 who did regular exercise at a 'leisurely' pace such as golf were up to 37 per cent less likely to be diagnosed with the disorder, a Japanese study found.
Experts believe the quick mental calculations carried out when lining up the perfect putt or avoiding a bunker may help prevent cognitive decline.
Observation - they have not seen my game. They would think I’m losing my mind!
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Anthony: Thank you for your kind words about my blog (https://kenclipperton.medium.com/) and solutions.
Earlier this week I learned that the CTS Safe at Home Phone™ by Caregiver Technology Solutions is one of the two products to receive The Caring Award in the "2022 Caring Product" category from The Care Years Academy. People can learn more about our solutions at https://bit.ly/li-cts.
Also, thank you for highlighting the FastCompany article on better approaches to online safety. Happily, the authors' recommendations affirm the approach I am taking at Caregiver Technology Solutions.