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After the murder of her son, Khaaliq, Dorothy took both her personal and professional experiences as a grief and loss counselor to guide others towards healing. She founded Mothers in Charge, an organization against violence in Philadelphia.
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Topic: Aging
Why Can't I Remember Names?
All of us have dealt with the embarrassment of not remembering a person's name and fumbling through a conversation. Are you losing your memory? No. It has to do with names themselves and not impending senility. This article suggests that names are really "arbitary and meaningless" and need to be linked with something else to keep them in mind. Perhaps joining a person's name with their occupation or thinking of something humorous or vivid when you meet. Repetition also works: if you repeat someone’s name back after introductions and use it at least once in conversation, it can can help fix it in your mind.
How Safe are Our Elders?
The subject of elder abuse is one that many of us don't like to address. But, with so many older adults living with family, in nursing homes, or other care facilities, there are many questions we need to ask to identify if an older person is experiencing physical, verbal, emotional, sexual, and even financial abuse. According to the National Center on Elder Abuse (NCEA), it is very difficult to know exactly how many victims of elder abuse there are each year. The best estimates range from 1 million to 2 million per year, but reporting rates are low. This article provides some of the ways abuse is occurring and offers prevention strategies that can help us confront this problem.
David Brooks' Life Reports
Just before Thanksgiving, New York Times columnist David Brooks asked readers in their 70s to send him their thoughts about their lives...the good, the bad, and what happened in between. Among the extracted life lessons that Brooks shares are the positives of dividing your life into chapters, the negatives of rumination and self-obsession, and the realization that you can't control other people. This article is fascinating for readers of every age -- providing insights about life and lessons learned that might resonate for you.
Old Hippies Returning to Communes
In the 1960s and 70s, living on a commune was a cool thing to do...for awhile. By the 80s, most had moved out of these "intentional communities" -- artists' collectives, religious communes, or self-help oriented communes -- got jobs and started anew. This Atlantic Monthly article follows one woman back to The Farm in Tennessee where she gave birth to her first child at 16 and is finalizing her return to the place she has always considered home. She is among a number of "hippies" taking the road back to a community that meets their needs again at this later stage in their lives.
Have a Ball!
Get on your cultural attire or go semi-formal to the AARP Multicultural Ball being held tonight at The Shops at Liberty Place, 7:30 p.m. to 11 p.m. It will be an action-packed evening of cultural performances, singing, dancing, and food from around the world. As part of Drive to End Hunger, AARP Foundation's multi-year commitment to solve the problem of hunger among older Americans, bring a non-perishable food item to be donated to a local food bank. Tickets are $10 and need to be picked up by 4 p.m., call (267) 825-9923 for information.
What's Your "Take" on 70?
David Brooks, New York Times columnist and author, is asking a favor. If you are over 70, he would like you to write a brief report on your life so far--an evaluation of what you did well (and not so well) and what you learned along the way. His reasons are: he believes we have too few formal moments of self-appraisal in our culture, and more importantly, that these essays will help the blessings of young people understand how careers and families evolve and modern adulthood. So, collect your thoughts and get your reports to dabrooks@nytimes.com. Watch for some columns around Thanksgiving.
Brave Old World
And if you are ready to move... this New York Times post highlights ElderSpirit, one of four existing examples in the country of a senior (not multi-generational) "co-housing" or intentional community built exclusively for this use. An eclectic group of 44 older adults, hailing from 15 states, moved to Appalachia. The majority of residents are over 70. They see the community as a low-cost alternative where they can remain independent, share weekly meals with neighbors, and help each other. Most are thriving, but have been relatively free of critical health issues and dementia. Check out the fascinating videos by fellows at Columbia University's Graduate School of Journalism focused on the issues of aging.
Tips for Writing an Engaging Memoir
Writing a memoir sounds like an easy assignment; after all, it's all about you. But, this article, an NPR interview with author and memoir writing instructor, Marion Roach Smith, points out that aspiring memoirists often err on the side of including every memory on the page, rather than focusing on broader themes. Roach believes that writing a memoir that will keep a reader's interest calls for choosing one area of expertise rather than exploring a lifetime, which is the job of an autobiography. To get some more tips from the author of The Memoir Project, click here.
Cities Becoming Age-Friendly
American cities are designed for the young and sprightly. But, the growing number of boomers turning 65 is pushing the need for more age-friendly cities that make it possible for aging adults to stay active and independent in their own homes. This article focuses on how this challenge is being addressed by New York, Atlanta, Portland, and Philadelphia (the "oldest" of the nation's 10 largest cities) with the leadership role taken by the Philadelphia Corporation for Aging (PCA) cited. For more on PCA's age-friendly efforts, click here.
Oprah is Still Giving...
At least we still have Oprah's magazine to console us! And this article in the latest issue does that and more as it provides research and observations that show how older brains trump younger ones in at least 10 areas. Among the findings are that brain cells never stop growing and continue to develop as we learn new skills; older adults make smarter money decisions; and mature people have better people skills and greater clarity about feelings. It's nice to read about our assets with research to back the findings.
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