Role for employees, employers and policy makers in elder care

Recently, Ryan Malone posted an entry at Inside Elder Care suggesting that as caregivers, our work and life stress would be improved if we didn’t schedule 100% of our days and instead gave ourselves about 20% cushion room to handle unexpected issues.

Although the idea of “building padding into my schedule” to allow for emergencies and unexpected family responsibilities is theoretically appealing, I can’t imagine it ever really working for me---or for many other working mothers, wives and daughters like me.

Each week is already chock full of the unexpected. This week, for example, I have had two unexpected medical visits (for two different children), a conference call with my mother’s physician (scheduled after my parents called on me for help with understanding mom’s condition), an “emergency” trip to the grocery store at 9pm to get the ingredients for a geography class dessert (?!), a quick dash home from the office to cover for soccer carpool when my husband had a last minute meeting come up at the office, and an urgent call for a copy of a Sunday School CD that had to be delivered ASAP.

Oh yes—and if you expect that part of your safety net for the unexpected is going to be an informal support network of friends and family, don’t forget that you need to be part of their informal support network too. Add into my week visiting a friend in the hospital, running her kids home from track practice and making sure her dogs got let out.

Don’t get me wrong. I love my family; I love my church; I love my friends; and I love my job. I just don’t think my employer is going to tolerate me building in “schedule padding” to make time for all of the other things in my busy life. There are already enough unexpected work responsibilities!

There is no doubt that finding a balance between caregiving and career responsibilities is challenging. But rather than putting the solution solely on the shoulders of the employee, I believe we must pursue a three-fold solution, with employees, employers and policy makers each playing an important role.

Employees must know their rights, discover community-based assistance, and work with their employers to explore options. Employers must modify policies and practices to meet the needs of their diverse workforce, much the same way they adjusted for working mothers back in the ‘80s. And policy makers must consider responding to the needs of employees and employers through creative policy solutions like the Family and Medical Leave Act.

We are really on the front end of an issue that will only continue to get larger as our society ages. Reasonable solutions will only arise from purposeful and open discussion; give and take from employees, employers and policy makers; and a little bit of trial and error.


Ellen W. Miller, PhD
Executive Director

The truths about being a grandmother

Looking for a great gift for the grandmothers in your life? Check out Eye of My Heart: 27 Writers Reveal the Hidden Pleasures and Perils of Being a Grandmother. This compilation of essays, published by Harper Collins and edited by Barbara Graham, doesn't offer up an image of apron-wearing, front-porch-rocking, bootie-knitting women.

Instead, the Harper Collins site says, writers "explode myths and stereotypes and tell the whole crazy, complicated truth about being a grandmother in today's world...In this groundbreaking collection, you will encounter the real stories that usually go untold. Free of platitudes and clichés, the essays...are linked by a common thread: a love for grandchildren that knows no bounds, despite inescapable obstacles and limitations."

In addition to a synopsis of the book, the publisher also offers a short but insightful video featuring some of the essay authors.

Elders beware!

At the beginning of last month, we published a post on a scam against seniors that happened to the mother of our executive director.

Last week, ShAARP Session, the blog of the AARP ran a series educating elders about scams to avoid.

Posts in the series include:

• Spot a Scam

• The $75,000 Lunch

• Ponzi Schemes

• Free Lunch Monitor Report: From The Trenches

• Questions To Ask Investment Advisors?

Each entry is short and reader-friendly. Do yourself -- and those you love -- a favor and check out the series.

Batter Up! 100 yo man to be Red Sox bat boy

What do you give someone for their 100th birthday?

If you are the Boston Red Sox baseball team, you give birthday boy Arthur Giddon a job as bat boy. The New York Times reports that retired, Harvard-educated lawyer has on the job experience. He was a bat boy for the Boston Braves 87 years ago.

Giddon is not the only elder following his dreams. Indianapolis charity Never Too Late has granted more than 1,700 wishes of older adults. Wishes have included reunions with family members, celebrity meet-ups, art and music lessons, and even a 60th wedding anniversary sky dive.

What do you dream of doing? What are you waiting for?

Jobs where older is better

Although the official Careers in Aging week wrapped up on Saturday, I wanted to share a link to an interesting post from The Boomer Chronicles.

5 Jobs Where Age is an Advantage

I'll list the occupations here, but you'll have to visit The Boomer Chronicles for the rationale:

1. Health care professional
2. Financial advisor
3. Career counselor
4. Brand manager
5. Consultant

Need to convince someone that hiring older workers is a good idea? Check out Mining Silver's Four BIG Reasons to Hire Older Workers.

Finally, to read CAC's reports "Gray Matters: Opportunities & Challenges for Indiana's Aging Workforce," click here.

Women aged 55+ fastest growing group on Facebook

Earlier this week, CNN reported that women over that age of 55 make up the fastest growing aging group on the social networking site Facebook.

According to the CNN story, the primary reasons women in this age group join Facebook are:

• to keep tabs on their children's Facebook activity
• to engage in conversation with younger family members who might be more vocal and forthcoming online than over the telephone
  
• to connect with family and friends who may live far away

Inside Facebook, a site dedicated to tracking Facebook's growth, reported that there are now about 1.5 million female users older than 55 on the site, roughly a 550 percent increase over six months ago. By comparison, membership among people younger than 25 grew by less than 20 percent over the same period.

NBC television personality Jay Leno responded to the news during his Wednesday night monologue by saying, "Your next BFF could be in AARP."

Careers in Aging profile: Physical Therapist/Gerontologist

John "Marty" Cheeks, PT, DPT, MHS, MSG, CSST is a doctor of physical therapy, a gerontologist, and a graduate of the University of Indianapolis Center for Aging & Community (CAC).

In his daily work in Laurel, Mississippi, Marty is responsible for providing home physical therapy evaluations and treatment interventions to individuals in urban and rural areas. He provides power wheelchair evaluations, aging-in-place home modification assessments, and physical therapy for a wide range of medical problems for individuals considered homebound.

If you are interested in doing work similar to what Marty does, you need a bachelors degree in physical therapy or higher and a license to practice as a physical therapist in the state in which you plan to work. In addition, Marty pursued a graduate degree in gerontology through CAC.

"The gerontology graduate studies program at the University of Indianapolis enhanced my awareness of the stress caregivers of the elderly are under 24/7," Marty said. "I became more aware of what enormous physical and emotional stress caregivers must cope with and the overwhelming lack of support they receive from many elder’s family members, the public at large and the medical professions. In many cases I spend equal or more time assisting caregivers in answering their questions and assisting in meeting their needs than actual treatment interventions on behalf of the elder."

"Another dimension that the graduate studies program provided to my career is the passion to conduct research that may lead to making the environment a more friendly and supportive place to age within. One thing common to all mankind is that if we live long enough we will all grow older and face the same issues of aging that those before us are facing."

Marty's favorite quote about aging?

“You are never too old to set another goal or to dream a new dream” – Les Brown

Join the Livable Communities discussion

In honor of Careers in Aging Week, the Indiana Inter-College Council on Aging is hosting a livable communities discussion on Facebook. Participation is easy:

1. Join Facebook (if you're not already a member)
   
2. Search for "Indiana Livable Communities" (ILC)
   
3. Send ILC a friend request. Include a note that you found them through CAC's All Things Aging blog.
4. Jump in with your thoughts!

Currently, the three questions posed are:

1. What are the essential elements of a true community?
   
2. What do you think is meant by the phrase “livable, lifespan community?” Share examples...
3. How does a virtual community like Facebook differ from an "on the ground" community?
   

Careers in Aging Week 2009

April 12-18 is Careers in Aging Week, an annual week set aside by the Association for Gerontology in Higher Education (AGHE) to highlight the multitude of careers available in the aging services and aging research fields.

By 2050, 20% of the U.S. population will be aged 65 and older. A background in aging studies will give job seekers and advantage in many settings. Some professionals work directly with older adults. Others may work on behalf of older adults. Still others will provide goods and services to that same population.

Career opporunities in the field of aging include:

Service agencies

• Caregiver
• Family counselor
• Lawyer
• Social worker

Education

• University-based educator/researcher
• Community-based educator (health promotion, etc.)

Federal, state or local government agencies

• Advocates with or for elders
• Policy makers

Long-term Care

• Nurses, therapists
  
• Case managers
• Administrators

Finance

• Financial advisors
• Estate planners
  

For more information, visit CAC's website and click on the Careers in Aging tab. To learn more about CAC's educational offerings in Aging Studies, please visit the website, call (317) 791-5930, or e-mail cac@uindy.edu.

CDC: Nonfatal fall-related injuries associated with cats and dogs

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) more than 86,500 Americans go to the emergency room each year because of falls caused by pets. Dogs cause 88% of the injuries and 11.7% are caused by cats. The CDC study did not include injured individuals who may have been treated at private physician offices, health clinics or other outpatient settings.

In collecting the data, the CDC carefully screened the reports. One report stated “patient jumped off a fence and fell onto a doghouse.” CDC decided the dog was not at fault and ultimately eliminated 23 reports where both cats and dogs involved. I guess without interviewing the pets CDC could not decide who was to blame. As a dog owner – my bet is on the cat!

My adorable pug, Chloe, would never hurt me. Sure, I have stepped on rawhide bones in the middle of the night and stumbled. Now and then those weird stuffed animals crawl out of corners of the room and nip at my feet. Chloe does love to switch sides when walking on the leash, wrapping it around my legs. And I am probably getting too unbalanced to race her to the front door when the mail lady comes. I guess owning a dog can be dangerous to your health!

Seriously, the CDC analysis showed that the highest rates of injuries occurred among persons aged 75 and older, and the most common diagnosis was fracture. The majority of the fall injuries involving dogs occurred inside or in the immediate environment outside the home. Twenty-six percent of falls involved walking a dog. Falling over a pet item (toys and bowls) accounted for 8.8%.

Most falls involving cats occurred in the home with approximately 12% of them happening while people were chasing cats. The most frequent circumstances were falling or tripping over a cat.

The emotional benefits of having a pet are well established, especially for older adults. Research shows that pets can help people cope with major life problems, such as a death of a spouse. Pets can also relieve stress and lift spirits by providing much-needed social support.

But the CDC survey does highlight the need to balance the benefits of owning a pet and staying free of falls. The CDC advises older people to improve lighting and remove pet toys from the floor. And one recommendation all of us should follow – take your pet for obedience training. That is on my to-do list; it will be another memorable adventure with Chloe!

To learn more, click here.


Helen Dillon
Project Director

AGNES puts engineers in elders' shoes

You've probably heard the familiar quotation, "You never truly know someone until you've walked a mile in his shoes."

The 10-year-old AgeLab at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) is putting engineers into elders' shoes -- and bodies -- through the use of AGNES: Age Gain Now Empathy System. A recent article in the Boston Globe highlights how AGNES is helping GenX engineers better design products and services that meet the needs of older adults.

Click here to read the article and access several related videos.