Posts Tagged With ‘ Phyllis Ayman ’

Healthy aging month has been celebrated for the past 30 years. It was established by Christine Worthington, president of the Educational Television Network with the purpose to promote the idea that people over the age of 45 should take personal responsibility for their health and well-being. This as it relates to their physical, social, emotional and financial lifestyle. Irrespective of religious affiliation or belief, I would add spiritually. The resolution to declare September National Healthy Aging Month was unanimously passed by the U.S. Senate in 2021. In consideration of a planet increasing... Continue Reading

The need for social connection and the benefits of intergenerational relationships is undisputed. The success of innovative programs to address these issues is no more evident than in the Japanese Solutions to elder isolation and loneliness. According to New York Times article, In rural areas, like the remote mountain village Nagoro, the last child was born 18 years ago. The low birth rate, combined with fewer and fewer opportunities for employment, has found the younger generation migrating to larger cities. This particular village is not atypical. Where there was a medical clinic, a diner,... Continue Reading

Several weeka ago I saw a news story announcing that the legendary, actress of Hollywood’s Golden Age, Gina Lollobrigida is running for a seat in the Italian Senate. She is 95 years of age. In April she was quoted in the Italian Newspaper Corriere della Sera saying, “Italy is in bad shape, I want to do something good and positive”. She speaks of being inspired by Matahma Gandhi for his “way of doing things, for his non-violence.” and a friend to Indira Gandhi.She states being “determined to stay creative” and wants to use some of that energy for “important... Continue Reading

I was watching episode six from the third season of the TV police drama ‘Blue Bloods’ which aired on November 2, 2012, in which Frank, the son of the former police commissioner and family patriarch, Henry Regan, confronts his father about his driving skills and tries to convince him to hand offer the car keys. It’s no secret that this is a difficult and sensitive conversation for adult children to have with their older parents. In an initial scene on the subject Henry has now had his fourth fender bender and can’t recall the details of the incident. Frank his son approaches... Continue Reading

Bryan and I connected over a year ago when we were attending an online educational program. My thoughts on caregiving and the lack of adequate care for older adults resonated with him. He reached out to me which led to a dialogue where we learned we shared similar points of view on many issues. He’s helped me learn various technology platforms and in the process we’ve become friends. Last week we were driving on the way to an event. We were talking about my thoughts on aging, ageism, and the role older people play in our society. Previous conversations usually centered around the inadequacies... Continue Reading

“Change is never easy, and it often creates discord, but when people come together for the good of humanity and the Earth, we can accomplish great things.” – David Suzuki A million plus older adults living in the over 15,000 U.S. nursing homes are essentially trapped in an industry that only offers an existence marked by loneliness, isolation, despair, and helplessness. People move into nursing home environments for a variety of reasons. They require more care than is available in their community or present living environment. It may be a situation that evolves gradually, is... Continue Reading

July 24th is the day set aside on the international calendar for recognizing and engaging in self-care. Self-care is the foundation of wellness and as such, people of all ages are encouraged to ensure that self-care is a priority and that they develop strategies to engage in self-care on a daily basis. A self-care practice doesn’t have to be complicated. It can be as simple as going for a walk, taking time for self-reflection, listening to and enjoying favorite music or past time, or even savoring a favorite drink. However, it is a reality, that sometimes while these practices are simple,... Continue Reading

There’s much to learn from the story of Mitzi Perdue’s life. A woman who hadn’t pursued her deep seated goals and desires because of a debilitating lisp. An extremely smart businesswoman and the daughter of cofounder of the Sheraton Hotel Chain, likely chose paths in which she didn’t have to communicate with a large number of people. She built a business as a rice farmer and another growing grapes for winemaking. A potentially life-threatening illness of one of her employees, a rice farmer, with an IQ of over 200 who never pursued his life-long dream, inspired her to change... Continue Reading

Cultures other than the United States are facing issues associated with having an increasing aging population. This is the subject of the article Commentary: Singapore’s Ageing Population Does Not Only Bring Challenges, The writer of this piece, Dr. Kelvin Tan, a senior lecturer at Singapore University of Social Sciences’ gerontology department, illuminates the many ways in which older adults represent value to society, specifically the benefits to Singapore’s ‘longevity economy’. In fact, the term ‘longevity economy’, with its 2013 calculus of trillions... Continue Reading

Leading up to celebrations of our country’s independence, I’m proud that for the past two weeks I had the privilege of interviewing two retired Marine Corps officers, Retired Marine Corps Lt. Col Ted Blickwedel and Former Marine Captain Jerome R. Strayve, Jr. (Jerry) on SeniorsSTRAIGHTTalk. I thought it only fitting that since our country’s independence was achieved on the backs of the undeterred courage and bravery of countless soldiers, the story of the plight of present day veterans should be exposed. Following his retirement as a Marine Corps Lt. Col., Ted Blickwedel, became... Continue Reading