Monthly Scoop: October 2019

Thank you to Boston Bridge member Emily Kuhl for filling in for scheduled speaker (and Boston Bridge Board member) Amy Walsh at our meeting last Wednesday. Emily presented a community awareness training so that we are all now Dementia Friends. Learning that dementia is not just about memory loss and that those with dementia can still lead full and happy lives gave us all food for thought.

Announcements:

  • Articles for the Scoop:
    • The Scoop welcomes references to articles, mixed media, and information that you think would be interesting for our membership to read. Send all such information to bostonbridgeinc@gmail.com.
  • Membership Dues: 
    • It’s time for yearly membership dues! Our membership dues cycle is from September 2019 through June 2020. Dues are $30 for professionals and $20 for students. To join or to renew your membership, please click here. 

For Our November Meeting:Boston Bridge is delighted that one of our founding members, a present-day member and long-standing volunteer mentor, Roberta Robinson, will be speaking about PACE (Programs of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly). PACE is a Medicare/Medicaid program that helps older people live in the community rather than nursing homes. Please join us on November 20, 2019.

Articles

  • After hearing about dementia from our October speaker, Emily Kuhl, this article indicating that past surgeons general believe that dementia has become a top public health crisis is worth reading. 
  • A young woman who just moved to a larger city finds fulfillment in volunteering with Capital City Village, a community structure for older people wanting to age in place. This is a story about why we need multigenerational cities. (See below for a mixed media article and video about another multigenerational story.)
  • Caregiving is exhausting and worrisome, yet it also has moments of joy and purposefulness. This article shares these mixed feelings of caregivers, before and after the death of their loved one. 
  • Years ago, home visits by doctors was the norm, but that has disappeared. According to the American Academy of Home Care Medicine, the CMS Independence at Home Demonstration – part of the Affordable Care Act – estimated that Medicare would save $10 to $15 billion over a 10-year period if home-based primary care were extended nationally to homebound Medicare beneficiaries. Read the full story here. 
  • What do the Women’s Movement and the Positive Aging Movement have in common? Find out here in this inspiring blog entry from the Changing Aging website.
  • Based on what members learned at our October meeting, this article about MCI (mild cognitive impairment) and how it might be scored and treated differently for men and women is of interest. MCI may, but not necessarily, lead to dementia. 
  • Get your walking shoes on and be sure you walk briskly! This advice was reported by Medical News Today from a study conducted by researchers at Duke University.

Mixed Media

  • The movement for intergenerational communities has reached Easthampton, MA. This video and story highlights a win-win-win intergenerational community of parents, their adoptive foster care children, and older adults. (Scroll to the bottom of the page for the video.)
  • The City of Boston launched an Age Strong Public Awareness Campaign that highlights the strengths of older people and dispels stereotypes and biases. Watch this video and read about the campaign here.

You Can Take ActionLeadingAge has mounted a campaign to halt the red hand icon that the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) plan to attach to the Nursing Home Compare profiles of nursing homes cited for abuse. You can assist by taking action – this Leading Age News Alert can show you how.

We look forward to seeing many of you in November!

Barbara Friedman and Colleen Morrissey, Boston Bridge Board Members