shAARP Talk: Observations from AARP

The Divided We Fail initiative couldn't be possible without the hard work of our state coordinators, who spend tireless hours each week to get the word out about this cause. We'd like to extend our sincerest thanks to all of them, for helping to make the goals of affordable health care and long-term financial security attainable. This week, we'd like to recognize Steve Griffin, the Divided We Fail New Hampshire State Coordinator, in particular, for his stellar work supporting DWF.

Steve recently coordinated a group of 15 volunteers at a Rochester, New Hampshire Town Hall meeting, where Arizona Senator and presidential candidate, John McCain, recognized AARP's healthcare effort, saying that DWF was doing "a tremendous job." Senator McCain reached out to Steve specifically, and asked him to give a 60 second spiel about Divided We Fail.

After letting the crowd know about all the supporters in the audience, who proudly donned their DWF red hats and shirts, Steve turned the speech back over to McCain. The Senator referenced when he and Huckabee had gone on stage together in Iowa at a Divided We Fail event, and he stated that he thought this was one of the most productive conversations he'd had, as it allowed the voters to compare the candidates and issues.

Read the full transcript of McCain's speech on washingtonpost.com or watch the video footage of Steve here.

Thanks again Steve! Keep up the good work for Divided We Fail.

Alejandra has blogged before about how detrimental a fall can be for an older person. Some of you may have noticed that in a recent edition of AARP The Magazine I highlighted this as a high priority issue for me while I'm President...we know how important this issue can be for people 50 and older.

Recently, a US Center for Disease Control study showed that falls are injuring and claiming the lives of our loved ones at an alarming rate. And for many people who fall and break their hip, their lives of independence are often forever compromised.

So, if you know someone who's getting older, or maybe just beginning to have a hard time getting around their home, know that there are proven "steps" one can take that can help prevent or minimize the risk of falls. Since half the falls experienced occur at home, there are some simple things you can do to minimize the risk of a fall by improving safety features around their home.

You can find some truly helpful tips for renovating your home on our website. I also have colleagues from the Archstone Foundation in California who have funded a special focus on this topic by creating a Fall Prevention Center of Excellence.

See you in a couple of weeks!

Via Feisty Side of Fifty, an interesting online game that tells you how old your brain is. From the post:

Many women over fifty complain they become more forgetful. In fact, some have affectionately dubbed this phenomenon "mental-pause," and there are real physiological reasons behind it. There are estrogen receptors throughout your brain, including the hippocampus, and this is the part involved in certain aspects of memory. So, when estrogen levels drop, your brain and your ability for recall are affected...

... But, before you get too worried that your own gray matter is graying, check out this fun little test. It's called "How Old is Your Brain?" I did and was pleasantly surprised. In fact, I'm beginning to feel my noggin literally popping with new and sprightly dendrites!
The game's directions are not in English but it's easy to play.

1) Click here to get to the game

2) Click start

3) Wait for the countdown

4) A set of numbers flash on the screen. Memorize their positions, then click the circles in order of smallest to largest digit.

5) At the end, the game will calculate how "old" your brain is.

I've recently posted about the second generation iPhone and all of its high tech gadgetry, but I realize it's not for everyone. Lots of people don't need a phone that can create feature length motion pictures or alter the path of satellites in orbit. What if you just want a basic, easy to understand cell phone with no frills? Here are four simple phones that fit the bill and can give you an easy way to stay in touch without any of the nonsense.

This makes sense. A new study in Kansas shows that patients with Alzheimer's disease still have an adult identity, and despite extreme cases of not knowing where they are or what the year is, they don't enjoy being babied or patronized. The researchers videotaped Alzheimer's patients in three nursing homes:

Researchers then analyzed the tapes, assessing how the manner in which staff interacted with patients influenced patients' behavior and the quality of care.

They discovered that when nursing aides communicated in a kind of baby talk for seniors--using a high-pitched sing-song tone, comments like "good girl," diminutives like "honey" and language that assumed a state of dependency ("are we ready for our bath?")--Alzheimer's patients were twice as likely to resist their efforts to help.

Patients would turn or look away, grimace, clench their teeth, groan, grab on to something, cry or say "no"--behaviors that can be read as indications of distress at being patronized or infantilized, said lead researcher Kristine Williams, an associate professor at the University of Kansas School of Nursing.

"Communication can really impact care," she said.

They also discuss how in the past, experts thought that Alzheimer's patients should be corrected when making a mistake about the time of year or who they're talking to, the general agreement now is that entering their reality (rather than forcing them into ours) is the more effective way to go, says Dan Kuhn, director of the professional training institute at the Alzheimer Association's Greater Illinois chapter."Don't remind them of their disability. Don't tell them they're wrong. And by all means, don't be condescending or critical."

AARP's Bulletin Today is also running a five part series on Alzheimers as well - there's videos, resources and updated info on treatments.

Hello everyone! I've not been posting here on Shaarp Session for awhile, but I'm back and will be posting more regularly - and robustly- than ever before.

You may or may not know that my position is a volunteer position here at AARP. Some of my favorite parts of this role include meeting so many people, both individuals and organizations, who really care about situation of our country today and think AARP can be a big resource to help contribute to our well being now and in the future. As a volunteer and member, I really feel I get to help improve the lives of older Americans and their families across the nation along with the nearly million other AARP volunteers - and our nearly 4 million activists!

I've been busy traveling across the country with AARP, talking to our volunteers, meeting with elected officials...and even an occasional celebrity here and there. This has been an incredible experience already and will start sharing some of my experiences with you. I'll be bringing you pictures from the road, some interviews and sharing my background and experience. Hopefully this can be a venue where you get a more personal view of AARP, post your input and a have some fun doing it. Talk to you soon!

There are lots of everyday dangers that we're all trained to think about. Look before crossing the street. Check your mirrors and blind spot before switching lanes. When using a sharp knife, cut away from your body. Well here's a dangerous situation you may find yourself in on a daily basis without even realizing it: riding the escalator. A recent analysis of emergency room data shows that the likelihood of injury on an escalator increases with age. This study also indicates that women are more at risk than men. Watch your step out there!

Divided We Fail is on the road, and could be headed your way! We've got community events all over the country, and you can help us achieve our goals of ensuring health care and long-term financial security in America.

The success of Divided We Fail relies on harnessing the voices of millions of Americans so that we can demand action in Washington. But getting those voices heard is hard work, and Champ can't do it all by himself!

To see if we'll be in your area soon, check out our Divided We Fail online events calendar.

Not visiting your hometown? Don't fret. There are still plenty of ways to get involved. Help us spread the word about DWF by sending V or e-cards to all of your friends, or post a DWF banner on your webpage or blog.

Get started now and let people know what Divided We Fail is all about!

TAGS: Divided We Fail, DWF, Champ, ShAARP Session, AARP, community

Man, I love the Brits. Raunchy humor, pubs, fish and chips. What's not to like? Here's another good reason - they celebrate the beauty of their more experienced countrymen! Check out this new poll of Britain's sexiest older men. Mamma Mia! Star Pierce Brosnan tops the list. And he's in good company - his handsome compatriots Mick Jagger, Sean Connery, Rod Stewart, and Paul McCartney are also ranked high. Who would top your list?

Though the price of oil has finally started to fall a bit, gasoline still costs over a dollar per gallon more than it did a year ago. Keeping that in mind, many Americans have found creative ways of saving gas to limit the pain they feel at the pump. There have even been proposals to lower the national speed limit to 55 miles per hour in an attempt to improve car mileage. Have you found interesting ways to squeeze some more mileage from your car or truck? Well if so, you should submit your strategies here. AARP is offering folks the chance to be one of 50 winners of a $50 dollar gas card every week between July 21 and September 28. Click on the link or type in http://www.aarp.org/money/consumer/articles/pain_at_the_pump_.html to find out details on how you can win a little help in filling that gas tank.