Written by Leonard Adreon, Washington University’s Osher Lifelong Learning Institute (OLLI) participant I am a lucky 92-year-old guy who retired from an active career a decade and a half ago. Lucky, because not long after retirement I found Washington University’s Osher Lifelong Learning Institute (OLLI), where I have been an attendee of classes and now […]
Category: Blog
Helpful resources for caregivers
Written by Christine Hustedde, chief operating officer at Aging Ahead According to research by AARP Public Policy Institute, there were approximately 792,000 caregivers in Missouri in 2013 providing unpaid care for an adult, valued at an estimated $8 billion. Nationally, unpaid caregiving was valued at $470 billion. This is more than the worth of Coca-Cola […]
Transition of care for older adults
Written by Behnaz Sarrami, MS, PharmD, TL1 predoctoral clinical research program alumnus As we celebrate Older Americans Month, it is important to be reminded of those who struggle in an aging society with a health care system that is complex. Imagine a 69-year-old woman admitted to the emergency room for the first time for a […]
Taking steps to end ageism
Written by Gloria C. Gordon, PhD, psychologist and co-founder of STL Village This year, Older Americans Month urges us to take part in activities that enrich our physical, mental, and emotional well-being. The theme brings to mind tried-and-true activities such as physical exercise, learning new skills, doing creative work, and socializing with others. I suggest […]
Transforming aging from a aocial problem to a social solution
Written by Paul Weiss, PhD, president of Oasis Institute This March I had the opportunity to sit on a panel at the Aging in America Conference in San Francisco, along with Kate Hoepke, executive director of San Francisco Village, and Jim Emerman, executive vice president of Encore.org, to discuss purpose. Jim presented findings from recent […]
Meaningful engagement across ages and cultures
Written by Rey Castuciano, founder & CEO of Table Wisdom, Inc. So there I am, waiting to take my dad home from his weekly stroke therapy group, when I recognize someone I know. It’s Mary, one of the first participants in our intergenerational program. At first she didn’t recognize me, but after I reminded her […]
When social benefits outweigh health risks
Written by Juliet Simone, MPH, MBA, national health program director, OASIS My dad was not the model of health by anyone’s measure. He had diabetes for 40 years, didn’t get much exercise, and had a heart attack accompanied by a valve replacement 25 years before he died. He was a lifelong smoker and an (almost) […]
Opening the door: How to engage a “loner”
Written by Sarah Z. Levinson, St. Louis NORC manager, Jewish Federation of St. Louis The desire to engage individuals who are isolated appears like the best goal possible. After all, loneliness and social isolation are correlated with increased health risks and decreased quality of life. But what about people who actually prefer to be alone? […]
Making the move
You are likely to help that person downsize in the future, probably sooner rather than later.
Ancora Imparo — I am still learning
Written by Pat Ginn, member of the Lifelong Learning Institute at Washington University in St. Louis For many people who are getting older, building a sustained life can be a daunting task. Friends move away, you can become distanced from coworkers once you retire and don’t see them every day, an accident has posed physical […]
Making a difference through research
Written by Andrea Denny, JD, MSSW, outreach, recruitment and education core leader at the Knight Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center at Washington University in St. Louis When I learned the theme for Older American’s Month was how older adults are taking part in activities that promote wellness and making a real difference in their communities, I […]
Supporting the right to vote for older Americans
Written by Kerri Gallagher, development assistant for Aging Ahead (formally Mid-East Area Agency on Aging) While celebrating Older Americans Month, we should think about making strides to preserve older citizens’ right to vote by readily providing voting information, absentee ballots, and transportation to polling sites. Historically, older voters have the highest turnout rates. According to […]
American Indian elders: Living libraries
Written by Kelly Connor, research assistant for the Kathryn M. Buder Center for American Indian Studies & MSW candidate, with support from Molly Tovar, EdD, director, Buder Center for American Indian Studies at the Brown School There is a saying in indigenous culture that “when an elder dies, a library burns.” American Indian elders in […]
Discovering purpose in retirement
Written by Leonard Adreon, facilitator, Lifelong Learning Institute, Washington University in St. Louis The year was 2005. I decided to hang it up after a long and relatively successful career. I started working at age 9 as an office boy for the St. Louis Cardinal Baseball team. I was drafted into the Navy during World […]
Learning to fall
Written by David Marchant, Professor of the Practice in Dance at Washington University in St. Louis As we age, we instinctively move more slowly, cautiously avoiding situations and activities that challenge our balance. But what if we’re going about the problem in the wrong way? What if instead of avoiding risk of falls, we need […]
Exercise your body, exercise your brain!
Written by Elyse Murrell, MSW, education and outreach manager of the Alzheimer’s Association, Greater Missouri Chapter “What can I do to protect myself from Alzheimer’s?” This powerful question is a common one among aging individuals and the loved ones of people who have the disease. According to the Alzheimer’s Association’s latest Facts and Figures, more […]
Promoting quality of life through art
Written by Lynn Friedman Hamilton, Maturity and Its Muse The 2018 theme for Older Americans Month, Engage at Every Age, emphasizes that you are never too old (or young) to take part in activities that can enrich your physical, mental, and emotional well-being. I engage in my community by sharing my passion for art — and […]
Home sharing: Living with roommates in later life
Written by Karen Backes, masters research fellow in aging, Harvey A. Friedman Center for Aging at the Institute for Public Health Thanks to decades of advances in technology, public health, and medicine, many Americans are able to live independently or semi-independently well into late adulthood, and the vast majority of older adults seem to prefer […]
The power of connecting
Written by Nikki Goldstein, MSW, executive director, Crown Center for Senior Living All the lonely peoplewhere do they all come from?All the lonely peoplewhere do they all belong? Beatles, Eleanor Rigby There are a myriad of programs, classes, events, and activities just waiting for someone to register; the list of options for involvement, connecting and […]
Finding purpose through volunteering
At the time of publishing, Jeanie Bryant worked with the Harvey A. Friedman Center for Aging at Institute for Public Health As we celebrate Older Americans Month, I have been thinking about what it means to be an older person. In 2017, when I retired at the age of 65, I did not think of […]