By Roberto Muñiz
I love Wednesdays and Thursdays! After a full day at Parker Home discussing strategy, meeting with staff, and reviewing operational data, I start preparing for one of the highlights of my week – my evening classes as an Instructor at Rutgers University.
For the past five years, I have taught Long-Term Care Management, Health Care Systems and Intro to Health Administration at Rutgers University's Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy. It has been one of the most rewarding experiences of my career.
The students I teach range from sophomores to seniors and come from a variety of backgrounds. These individuals are considering career paths in Public Health and Healthcare Administration, whether community health, long-term care or hospital-based administration or other health-related opportunities. What they all have in common is their interest, enthusiasm and fresh perspective on how we, as healthcare professionals, are serving the healthcare needs of New Jersey consumers and beyond.
These young adults are a part of my professional life not just as students, but as interns, administrators in practice, protégés, social media connections and future colleagues. I view teaching them as a privilege and hope that I have had a positive impact by sharing my knowledge, experience, and insights.
Never underestimate your own power in influencing and impacting others. Whether teaching at a community college or university, sharing your knowledge through career days, or partnering as a mentor to someone in the field, you have a direct impact on the individual and their ability to accomplish their personal and professional goals. I encourage you to seek out opportunities within your own organization and the broader community where you work and live.
We all have the chance to impact those around us and we must consider ourselves role models to our employees, our professional colleagues, and our social network outside of work. This should not be considered something "extra" we do; it should be considered a necessary and important part of our job descriptions as Administrators, CEO's and leaders in the healthcare field.
I am sure we all have checklists for operations, business strategy, programs and processes – but what about a checklist for how we demonstrate and share our passion, energy, enthusiasm and knowledge with others? I'm starting mine today!
A vet's 6 tips on managing costs wisely and lovingly
By Joanne Intile for Next Avenue
Credit: Thinkstock
As I look over my appointment schedule for the day, I mentally note that I’m set up for two patients to be dropped off for CT scans, one of whom will hopefully be immediately transported to an operating room, so surgery can be done to remove a large tumor pressing against the ribs.
There are five patients scheduled to receive chemotherapy, so I I’ll need to stop to meet with the oncology technicians and update them on the plan for the day. There’s one coming in for acupuncture with our rehabilitation service, and I quickly note the time of the appointment so I can be sure to stop in and say hello. There are two patients coming in the afternoon for a recheck of lab work, and one for a superficial skin biopsy.
You might assume I am a high-profile doctor for humans who spends my day treating the most unusual diseases in people with ease, expertise and confidence. In truth, I’m a veterinarian, who spends my day treating animals with cancer. It’s an exciting field to be a part of, but I do spend an excessive amount of time explaining to people that yes, it’s possible to treat cancer in animals, and yes, people will pay to do so.
The High Cost of Providing Quality Vet Care
Though the work I do could be considered inspiring and remarkable, it comes with a hefty price tag.
The cost of maintaining the advanced equipment I require daily to diagnose cancer in my patients, the laboratory contracts I rely on to offer my reliable results and the state-of-the-art treatments I need to have on hand to offer my patients can be extraordinary.
As such, I’m required to be cognizant of the need to offer owners options within their financial means, while simultaneously keeping their pet’s best interests in mind.
Superficially, pet ownership is rather simple. Humans provide for their pets’ basic needs (food, water, shelter, activity and health care) and pets offer up unconditional love, companionship and, for many, a sense of family. Advances in veterinary medicine afford pet owners the opportunity to treat diseases previously considered incurable.
But there are many real issues to consider when we take a look at the cost associated with these options.
6 Financial Tips for Pet Owners
What can owners do to ensure they are providing their pets with quality veterinary care without burdening themselves financially to the point of creating debt or guilt? I have six pieces of advice.
1. Practice prevention. Veterinary medicine centers much on preventive options such as vaccination; heartworm, flea, and tick prophylaxis and deworming. These events generally occur during annual exams, which are recommended for all pets regardless of age, breed or gender.
Owners sometimes find it difficult to recognize the importance of these measures when it comes to the benefit for their pet’s health.
2. Consider habitat. Certain infectious diseases are more prevalent in certain geographical areas (Lyme disease and the Northeast, for example), or within certain demographic populations (e.g., outdoor cats are more at risk for contracting feline leukemia). Therefore, having a candid discussion with your veterinarian about your pet’s specific risks could help tailor these annual exams to the needs of that particular patient.
3. Look into pet insurance. Pet insurance is one option that can help lessen the financial burden of health care. Plans can be purchased and tailored to the specific needs of a particular pet (or owner), and this can significantly reduce the financial burden placed on owners, especially when considering emergency situations or chronic diseases.
Plans may not cover pre-existing conditions, so many owners find they get the most benefit buying plans when their pets are young and healthy.
4. Get prescription drugs elsewhere. Prescription medications can often be purchased outside of the veterinary office either from “human” retail pharmacies or online ones. Just as with people , generic versions of medications for pets are cheaper than brand name.
Ask your vet if he or she knows of a less expensive source for prescribed drugs. You may need to call several pharmacies and explore options, but it could be well worth your time.
5. Find financial help. Several organizations offer financial assistance for owners demonstrating need. Owners may be eligible for grants or loans to help pay for care related to specific illnesses or even routine care.
Some veterinarians also offer discounts for senior citizens, owners who have multiple pets or those who have served in the military or emergency services (police, firefighters, EMTs, etc.).
It’s possible, too, that your veterinarian might offer a payment plan. It never hurts to ask!
6. Choose your pet’s medical care carefully. There are certainly veterinarians who offer low-cost services, but I would urge owners to be cautious when selecting aspects of their pet’s health care based on cost alone. As with many things in life, the mantra of “you get what you pay for” is often true.
For example, the price of a surgery may be significantly cheaper at one hospital versus another, but is that because no pain medications are dispensed? Or because there is no monitoring of the patient while under anesthesia or when an IV catheter is in place during surgery? In those cases, skimping corners may alleviate cost, but puts the animal at more risk from complications or even death.
The best advice I can offer is to be honest with your veterinarian about your concerns and make a plan together that prioritizes recommendations for your pet’s health alongside your personal and financial considerations.
© Twin Cities Public Television – 2016. All rights reserved.
Physicians disagree on the need for one when you're not sick
By Rita Rubin for Next Avenue
Credit: Thinkstock
Kind of like the old saw “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it,” some doctors have been questioning the need for adults who aren’t sick to get a checkup.
In 2012, the most recent year for which data are available, “general medical examination” ranked as the fifth most common type of primary-care doctor visit in the United States (“routine infant or child health check” was No. 1). Out of about 929 million visits, roughly 26 million were the so-called general medical examination, according to the 2012 National Ambulatory Medical Care Survey.
Questions Raised
That same year, the authors of a Cochrane review of published studies on the subject concluded that “general health checks” didn’t keep people healthier or save lives. (Cochrane, a not-for-profit, international organization based in London, produces reviews on a wide range of health-care topics based on the available scientific evidence.)
“One possible harm from health checks is the diagnosis and treatment of conditions that were not destined to cause symptoms or death,” the Cochrane review said. “Their diagnosis will, therefore, be superfluous and carry the risk of unnecessary treatment.”
On the ‘Don’t Do’ List
Citing the Cochrane review, the Society of General Internal Medicine (SGIM) in 2013 included “routine general health checks for asymptomatic adults” as No. 2 on a list of five “don’ts” for physicians and patients. The SGIM defines such appointments as “office visits between a health professional and a patient exclusively for preventive counseling and screening tests.”
The organization issued the list as part of the “Choosing Wisely” campaign, launched in 2012 by the ABIM (American Board of Internal Medicine) Foundation “to help patients choose care that is supported by evidence, not duplicative of other tests or procedures already received, free from harm (and) truly necessary.”
Currently, the SGIM is reviewing all five of its 2013 “Choosing Wisely” recommendations, which it had been planning to do all along, says Dr. Zackary Berger, chair-elect of the SGIM’s Evidence-Based Medicine Task Force.
As far as the organization’s stand against routine general health checks, “we have not yet completed the review, so I cannot say whether our recommendation will reaffirm our recommendation from 2013,” says Berger, a general internist at Johns Hopkins and the author of Talking to Your Doctor: A Patient’s Guide to Communication in the Exam Room and Beyond.
Evidence Weak – and Not Relevant?
The problem, says general internist Dr. David Himmelstein, is that the evidence the Cochrane review and the SGIM have used to argue against checkups isn’t very good, especially as far as its relevancy to 21st-century Americans.
In January 2016, Himmelstein, a professor of public health at the City University of New York and a visiting professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School, coauthored an opinion piece on the subject in the Annals of Internal Medicine. The piece noted that of the 14 studies considered by the Cochrane review, nine dated back to the 1960s or 1970s. While many of the studies were old, the patients on which they focused were not, because old people were excluded from all of them. Plus, 11 of the studies were conducted in European countries where patients faced few out-of-pocket costs, unlike in the United States, so most everyone got regular checkups, making comparisons between a checkup group and a non-checkup group difficult.
Key to the Doctor-Patient Relationship
But perhaps most important is what the data don’t get into — the doctor-patient relationship, says Himmelstein and his coauthor, Dr. Russell Phillips, a general internist who directs the Center for Primary Care at Harvard Medical School.
The two described well-patient visits as a “mainstay” of the physician-patient relationship and said they worried that abandoning it “risks undermining proven benefits of primary care.” They noted they’ve ended up diagnosing melanoma, colon and breast cancer, alcohol abuse, opiate addiction and depression in patients who’d come in for a routine checkup.
Older Patients, Different Needs
Seeing a primary care doctor regularly becomes even more important as you get older, Himmelstein said in an interview. Even if you already go to a doctor routinely for, say, high blood pressure, “scheduling a specific visit when there’s not a problem might be an important thing,” he says. At such a visit, the doctor can make sure you’re up-to-date on immunizations and discuss other aspects of preventive care, such as weight loss, that specialists generally aren’t set up to deal with.
“I think you want a doctor whom you know before you get sick,” Himmelstein said. “There’s someone to call to help you navigate the health-care system when you do get sick.”
Dr. Ateev Mehrotra, a Harvard colleague of Himmelstein’s and Phillips’, stands on the opposite side of the debate over the need for checkups when you’re feeling fine.
In The New England Journal of Medicine last October, Mehrotra coauthored a “perspective” piece against the annual physical.
A Time-Waster?
Before he became a hospital-based doctor, or hospitalist, at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston, Mehrotra says, he had a primary-care practice for many years. When patients came in for a checkup, he says, he used to wonder, “Am I wasting my time?”
And yet, he noted in his article, Medicare began reimbursing for annual wellness exams in 2011 and many private health plans have created a financial incentive for physicians to provide checkups by paying higher rates for them than for other office visits.
“I recognize that if you haven’t seen a doctor for three, four years, there could be a role for a visit,” Mehrotra, who is also an associate professor of health-care policy at Harvard, said in an interview. “What I’m arguing against is the idea that there should be some visit on an annual basis with the focus on picking up some asymptomatic illness for all adults in the United States.”
On that point, Mehrotra and Himmelstein and Phillips might not be that far apart. While well-patient visits play an important role, Himmelstein and Phillips wrote, they don’t necessarily need to be annual.
© Twin Cities Public Television – 2016. All rights reserved.
These 11 professional tips will help you enjoy gardening (relatively) pain-free
By Leslie Land for Next Avenue
Credit: Getty Images
I am mostly unbothered by the signs of my advancing age: Finding a wrinkle here or a gray hair there disturbs me not a jot. But last spring the osteoarthritis that I've had in my hands for more than a decade stopped being a minor annoyance and became quite literally a major pain, especially when I’m in the garden.
Simple tasks like weeding and deadheading had always been meditations that freed and quieted my mind. Then suddenly they were the opposite. My mind was pretty much tied up to the noise of my thumbs hurting.
Knowing I wasn’t alone didn’t help; the majority of women over 50 have this kind of arthritis. And the longer you live, the more likely it is that you’re in for it. (Men are somewhat less likely to be cripplingly afflicted, but plenty of them suffer nevertheless.)
Arthritis in the hips and knees is usually more debilitating, so it’s not surprising those joints get a lot more notice from the medical community and the media. But speaking as a gardener with only the one variety, I am here to tell you that is bad enough.
There are orthopedists who specialize in hand conditions, therapists without number and no shortage of soothing drugs, both prescription and OTC, but for me the biggest relief came through behavior modification. By the end of last summer, I was able to care for the garden almost as well as I had done before, and although my doctor and therapist both deserve some credit, I’m convinced more of it goes to me, because I (mostly) followed this simple, at-home program.
A Behavior Modification Guide to Hand Preservation
Drugs can help ease some of the pain of arthritis, but doctors, therapists and sufferers all agree that the best “treatment” is less of the kind of use that aggravates the condition. Since no use isn’t possible for avid gardeners, I’ve come up with a number of solutions and work-arounds that I’m listing below.
1. Think of your pain-free hands as money in the bank. Then realize that everything you do with them has a “use cost.” Even things that normally don’t hurt, like petting the cat or smoothing a planting bed, are putting at least a small strain on your joints, thus subtracting from your account.
2. Give yourself a daily allowance. If you spend a bunch of hand use making a pie, you'll have less for picking peas. When I'm planning to do a lot of cooking for an evening party, I harvest the food and herbs and cut and arrange the flowers on the previous day. On party day, I ignore the garden, upping the chances I can cook all day and still hold my fork without wincing when dinnertime comes around.
3. Sort tasks between "must be done" and "must be done by me." Only I can make the artistic decisions called for in hydrangea pruning. And my delicate touch is essential for successful transfer of sweet pea seedlings from starter pot to waiting trench. But just about anybody can dig the trench the seedlings will go into, just as almost anyone can deadhead the daffodils, turn the compost and carry seedlings to the garden from the car.
4. Delegate as much as possible. This brings us to the unpleasant realization that there is not always a delegatee just waiting around to be used. Keep a list of non-urgent tasks ready to whip out whenever some unsuspecting friend offers to lend a hand. And if those kinds of friends are in short supply at critical times …
5. Hire help. Paying somebody to do garden tasks is very difficult. Even if finding the dollars is easy, finding the right helper is not. The local teenager looking for pocket money is a myth, but craigslist.org, taskrabbit.com and Work Wanted sections of local papers are likely places to find affordable part-timers. (Most newspaper classified sections are more extensive online than in print, so don't forget to check the Internet.) Bulletin boards at supermarkets are another place to look for signs or post your own. As usual when hiring strangers, check references and be wary.
6. “Preheat” your hands. Don’t leap right into the cold garden without doing this. Warm joints move more smoothly than cold ones, and joints that start out at body temperature chill quickly outdoors, especially in early spring and late fall. This step can be as simple as a five-minute soak in hot water (wear thin rubber gloves) or as elaborate as using a hot wax machine. There are dozens of models available through online beauty outlets, on Amazon, and both new and used on eBay.
7. Ration hand use by kitchen timer, not specific task. Work in the garden is open-ended almost by definition. I can be weeding the bed by the driveway, firmly committed to cleaning up just that one bed for today. But then if I turn my head to the side, there are some very untidy zinnias that really should be deadheaded. Next thing I know it's 3:30, and my hands are killing me. Remember, this method works only if you stop working when the bell goes off. It may seem too obvious to mention, but I can testify that time limits are very easy to ignore if your hands don’t hurt yet.
8. Use your whole hand (or both hands) to pick things up. We tend to grab for things with just our fingers, but doing that requires a pinching motion, which stresses the joints. Then you have to press tightly to keep your grip on whatever, stressing them even more. Once I started paying attention, I was amazed at how often I did just that, moving empty flowerpots without putting a supporting hand underneath, using my fingertips to carry one last planting stake, grabbing a trowel that was just out of reach instead moving toward it and picking it up with my whole hand. Although breaking this habit is difficult because it’s so useful, it does get easier over time and even partial success is worthwhile. I’d give my current efforts about a C minus. But even that is making a big difference.
9. Keep your tools sharp. This also helps mega in the kitchen. Well-honed cutting edges take far less hand pressure to do their work. There are also many garden implements designed to be easier for arthritic hands to use. Actual helpfulness varies considerably; my hands are small, for instance, while many “ergonomic” handles are larger than usual.
10. Use a voice recorder, not pencil and paper. If you (like me) are a person most comfortable with the written word, get a recording device that transcribes words to text and can store photographs as well. I use my iPhone, and I’ll bet other smartphones can do this, too.
11. Sit still and bathe your hands in the sunshine. Find a spot to just enjoy the place without worrying about work to be done. Emotional stress-reduction is also part of the program. And what’s the point of all your hard work if you forget to just sit in the garden and bask in its beauty?
© Twin Cities Public Television – 2016. All rights reserved.
Lifestyle changes may be better for some with high cholesterol, an expert says
By Suzanne Robotti for Next Avenue
Credit: Getty Images
Is your cholesterol high? Has your doctor suggested you might be at risk for heart disease? If so, you have some decisions to make.
You need to know that you can likely improve your health and lower your cholesterol by simple lifestyle changes like exercise and changing your diet. You also will likely have the option of taking a statin.
The fact that people have choices in their health care is very important and something we explore at MedShadow, an online nonprofit I founded to inform the public about the side effects, risks and benefits of medicine, both prescription and over-the-counter.
Which is why I’m concerned about the USPSTF’s (U.S. Preventative Services Task Force) impending action to approve a broadening of the group of adults for whom statins are recommended — without including a recommendation to try lifestyle changes to lower cholesterol first. The mission of the USPSTF, as a government agency, is to create guidelines for doctors. Their recommendations strongly influence the care and options that doctors discuss with patients.
New Proposal
The USPSTF is proposing that any healthy adult between the ages of 40 and 75 with no history of cardiovascular disease, but whose 10-year risk of stroke or heart disease is 10 percent or greater, and who has at least one risk factor, take statins.
Although it’s not yet approved, the draft recommendation closely follows the guidelines put out jointly in the fall of 2013 by American College of Cardiologists/American Heart Association. At that time, it was projected that the guidelines would literally double the number of people on statins, from 25 million to more than 50 million people.
That’s a lot of people to put on a medicine that has been shown in some studies to increase the risk of diabetes and/or cause muscle damage and cognitive impairment but hasn’t proven its effectiveness in this group. Is that really necessary?
Possible Drawbacks
In looking at the risks and benefits of statins, we know that they are highly effective in preventing heart attack or stroke in someone who already has cardiac disease. However, in a study published in 2015 of statin drugs given for five years for heart-disease prevention to healthy adults, no lives were saved, but 1 percent developed diabetes and 10 percent suffered muscle damage. The benefits were that 6 percent avoided a nonlethal heart attack, and just over 9 percent avoided a nonlethal stroke. A 2013 study in BMJ showed a 9 percent increased risk of diabetes when using statins.
That said, the risks might well be different with each type of statin, a good point to discuss if your doctor is recommending this class of drug.
Factors to Consider
It’s possible that some might look at preventing a heart attack or stroke as “better” than getting diabetes. That’s a personal decision best made between the patient and doctor. However, diabetes, a chronic and serious disease that can lead to heart disease, stroke, vision loss, kidney failure, amputation of toes, feet or legs and premature death, should not be considered lightly.
Further, statins have also been linked to liver damage and cognitive impairment, although there is conflicting research on the subject. An article in Monthly Prescribing Reference (MPR) explores the link between statins and depression and explains why this would make sense.
Since the USTPF’s recommendations are for all adults 40 to 75 and clinical trial results were focused primarily on white males, it is shortsighted to assume that statin use should be recommended across such a wide range of the population. The Patient, Consumer, and Public Health Coalition, an informal group of nonprofits of which Medshadow is a member, recently sent a joint letter to the USPSTF about our collective concerns. Those included the lack of women, seniors, racial and ethnic minorities in statin clinical trials.
‘You Have Choices’
Talk to your health care provider about all your options. If you do not have heart disease but do have a risk factor (such as smoking, being overweight or having a family history of heart disease), you have choices. Statins can be a good choice and so can lifestyle changes.
Importantly, consider how your medical choices will affect your entire life — changing your diet and taking a walk every day can have beneficial side effects for every aspect of your life.
Taking statins may appear easy, but comes with a cost.
© Twin Cities Public Television – 2016. All rights reserved.
By Harry Glazer
Ann Burgess, long serving LPN at the Parker Home senior residence in Piscataway, has set a remarkable record of rarely missing a day of work in her 30 plus years at Parker.
Ann Burgess, long serving LPN at the Parker Home senior residence in Piscataway, has set a remarkable record of rarely missing a day of work in her 30 plus years at Parker.
What inspires such incredible dedication?
If you ask Ann, she will tell you that a lot has to do with the company’s strong compassion not just for the elders and the participants it serves but for the staff as well.
Ann recalls, in particular, the gracious understanding her managers and coworkers gave her when her husband James, a former baker for the Wonder Bread bakery in East Brunswick, was on dialysis in the early 2000’s. Ann had to assist him with doctors’ appointments and treatments, sometimes in the middle of her work day, and Parker was always supportive.
Ann is also grateful that Parker accommodated her desire to shift to part-time work after her husband died in 2013. Though she was considering retirement, she wanted to stay active and to continue providing superb care for the nursing home residents. Recognizing her superior skills as a nurse and a role model to new nurses, Parker made a place for her by shifting its staffing in the senior residence.
Ann, in turn, is a very valuable part of Parker’s staff so it’s no mystery why managers have worked to accommodate her.
She is well known for her dedication to her work, her easy-going nature, and her consistently pleasant manner. Her motto is simple and straightforward: “You do what you have to do to help the elders. Because that is the goal of a nursing home – to bring happiness and care into the lives of those we serve.”
When Ann received a 30-year service award at Parker’s annual service award dinner on March 22nd, she was celebrated as one of four people who reached that major milestone in 2016.
Ann has another distinction at Parker, as one of a handful of people whose child has also joined the staff at Parker. In 2004, her daughter Tamara became a concierge working part-time at Parker’s homes in New Brunswick and Piscataway. Tamara has become a valued member of the team at Parker and is now a full-time concierge in the Pavilion who also works to support the Adult Day Program.
In her 30+ years at Parker, Ann has witnessed a lot of changes.
When she started, in 1985, paper medical records were the norm and computers were not seen in the homes. Now, most records are electronic and computers have become commonplace.
In her early years at Parker, nurses’ caps and white uniforms were the rule. Shortly after Parker’s CEO Roberto Muniz arrived in 1998, he decided to do away with the caps and allow the nurses to choose from a variety of colors for their scrubs, two decisions that were widely celebrated.
Even the language used to refer to those whom Parker serves has changed, moving from ‘patients’ to the more dignified and person-centered term of Elders.
Throughout all the changes, Ann’s upbeat approach has stayed constant. You can see this in the way she advises new nursing staff members: “To be successful in this business, you have to like people and be positive. So even if one day is difficult, be hopeful. Because tomorrow will be a better day.”
Parker is grateful beyond words to have a role model like Ann on its staff. We hope to continue to benefit from her positive spirit and skilled efforts for a long time to come.
By Pat Newman
In 2015, New Jersey State Senator Kip Bateman, a representative for Mercer, Middlesex, Somerset and Hunterdon County, introduced a bill to officially recognize the third full week in March as Horticulture Therapy Week in New Jersey. Governor Chris Christie signed the bill last May. The idea was to designate a week each year to raise awareness of Horticulture Therapy, and it’s many benefits, importance and value for people of all ages.
On the occasion of Horticulture Therapy Week, we recognize Lee Shahay – Parker's own Horticulture Specialist. Lee is often seen throughout Parker's homes tending to plants, preparing the garden soil, facilitating programs on every aspect of horticulture, or welcoming speakers to share their knowledge at a presentation. She has invited beekeepers and Master Gardeners to speak to our residents.
Lee's program, "Get Fresh with Lee," introduces a seasonal fruit or vegetable to the elders. Her program, "The History of the Produce," is followed by preparing a recipe or a tasting.
Lee shares her passion for gardening and knowledge of flowers & plants with care partners and elders at RR/LL/EGW and PAS. She introduces the children attending the Parker's Child Development Center to nature, and facilitates intergenerational horticulture programs with the Child Development Center and Parker's Adult Day Center.
Lee spreads her joy of horticulture and life, in general, with all people she meets. Parker thanks Lee for her many contributions to Parker and we join her in celebrating Horticulture Therapy Week in NJ, from March 20-26.
When your son moves halfway around the world, it's not 'who ya gonna call,' but how?
By Suzanne Gerber for Next Avenue
I’ve always had a love-hate relationship with technology. When I got my first answering machine back in the '80s, it was with a mix of excitement (never missing another call!) and dread (but what if no one called?). I make no pretense of being an early adopter, but I pride myself in believing that I eventually do catch up. (Although my son will cringingly tell you that I still sometimes call my iPod a Walkman.)
Our kids are great at forcing us to keep up with the times. Years ago my son taught me the difference between ripping, burning, downloading and importing (and for a while there, I even remembered). He kept me current with cool websites (he was the first to turn me on to, for instance, Fark and Catsinsinks) and always had me upgrade software and do smart things like defrag my computer.
Years ago he made me switch from my comfortable Internet Explorer browser to Firefox (which I kept calling Foxfire, partly to piss him off and partly because I’m partly dyslexic). He was about to trash my old Explorer desktop icon when I insisted he keep it there “just in case.” He did — and labeled it “I/E: USE FIREFOX.”
When he went away to college, I knew I was in for trouble, and had him leave me the same detailed instructions for watching videos that we’d leave for foreign guests, who were clueless about our systems, and his grandparents. I’m embarrassed to admit that more than once I still had to call him for further explanation.
A typical helpful exchange would go something like this. Me: “Rory, which machine should I play the DVD in and what do I set the TV to?” Him: “MOM! It’s 10 p.m. on a Friday night and I’m at COLLEGE. What’s wrong with this picture?” Me: “There’s nothing wrong with the picture, honey, I just can’t switch the TV to Video.” CLICK.
Oh, eventually I’d figure it out. He’s always been a great teacher that way, giving me the confidence to muddle my way through. Last summer he put those teaching skills to good use — and in the process unintentionally forced my biggest tech upgrade ever. He moved to Korea to teach English.
Korea is 6,885 miles (or 11,080 kilometers) away, the farthest apart we’ve ever been for more than a few weeks. It’s also 13 or 14 hours ahead (they don’t do daylight savings), and therein lies my greatest challenge of all.
At first he wrote long, delicious emails, describing everything he’d seen, done and, especially, eaten. (That part was less delicious: I’m a squeamish vegetarian, and he’s an omnivore without a hint of a dilemma.) He’d pen these riotously funny letters about cultural exchanges and miscommunications, the bulk of which seemed to have been found emblazoned on cute girls’ T-shirts (e.g., "Mono.B Nice To Me!"; "General Educate!").
And then the emails stopped.
When I used to travel regularly, I made a point of avoiding that dreaded yet ubiquitous outcropping of modern life, the Internet café, populated, as they always were, by colorful young people in headsets, yammering away in a Babel of cacophony. You might not be able to drink the water in a town or get electricity on demand in your “hotel,” but by gum, you could always get online in some Internet café. No matter how much I missed people back home, I was determined to never become one of those … Skypers. It felt a noisy and impersonal way to connect with a loved one.
But now that my son is 6,885 miles and 13 hours away, I’ve learned all the nuances of Skype (and gchat). For starters, I always know what time it is in Korea (5:04 am, thank you, though right now, all bets are off: He’s a Rangers fan — and if you don't know what that implies, it's not worth trying to explain). I always keep half an eye on my gchat list, waiting for his name to pop up. Skype stays open — with its constant annoying dings — in hopes of a cameo appearance.
The thing I loved to hate has become my parental lifeline. I’m also not ashamed to admit I own a Skype-compatible headset and actually have used it in … Internet cafés. Anything to talk to my boy.
I can’t begin to guess what new gizmos or apps are in the works that will make reaching out and connecting easier or quicker (or offer better quality). But if anyone in some high-tech R+D department is reading this and taking requests, could I make one? Can you invent a device that would let us hug?
Photo Credit: Monkey Business | Thinkstock
Photo Credit: Monkey Business | Thinkstock
© Twin Cities Public Television – 2016. All rights reserved.
By Harry Glazer
What can a high-energy corporate worker, with blossoming crafting skills, do to keep challenging herself?
What can a high-energy corporate worker, with blossoming crafting skills, do to keep challenging herself?
If you’re Shannon Downey of Piscataway, you find a way to use your craft-work to give back to your local community.
By day, Shannon is a busy executive assistant to the vice president of corporate development at Applied Communication Sciences (formerly Telcordia Technologies), where she’s worked for over 26 years. On nights and weekends, Shannon finds different ways to build her skills and spur her personal growth.
It took a few years for Shannon to complete her Associate of Arts degree at Thomas Edison State University and, upon graduating in 2008, realized that she needed a new pursuit. A friend invited her to go to a hobby show and Shannon soon found a brand new passion.
Shannon attended a greeting card-making workshop at the show and found that she loved it. She went out, purchased a bunch of supplies, and soon was generating all sorts of amusing and eye-catching designs.
At first she shared her cards with friends, family, and coworkers, who praised her work and asked for more to send to others. She also branched out and began designing wine bottle covers, notebook and post-it pad covers, bookmarks, gift bags, treat holders, and small gift boxes.
She began thinking about what she could do with her card-making skills and her growing stockpile of samples. She didn’t want to start her own full-time business and, while she was happy to offer cards to friends, wanted to do more. She decided that it would be both challenging and charitable if she could donate her cards, in bulk, to a worthwhile local charity.
She knew of Parker Home, which runs a senior residence in her hometown, and thought that they might be able to use the cards. She contacted Parker and shortly afterwards the senior manager of volunteers, Catherine Martino, wrote back to enthusiastically respond to her offer to donate greeting cards.
Since October 2015, Shannon has been dropping off batches of 50 birthday cards, every other month. Parker is delighted to use these cards to greet residents and participants on their birthdays.
Each card is truly an original work of art and love; Shannon develops the color scheme, creates the design using rubber stamps, adds color, embellishments or glitter as needed, and a birthday greeting on the front and inside of each card. Each one can take ten – twenty minutes to create and when it’s done, she ‘autographs’ it with her author’s stamp on the back.
Shannon states: “I enjoy making these cards for the seniors, because they make people happy and put a smile on their face. My future plans are to continue to make and donate cards to Parker as long as they are accepting them. It’s a pleasure to know they are going to a wonderful cause.”
Catherine Martino said that when she first invited Shannon to donate the cards, she wasn’t sure what to expect. “When they arrived, the cards far exceeded my expectations. They’re beautiful and very charming. Parker loves giving them to our residents and participants, who are pleased to receive them. We cannot thank Shannon enough for her creative contributions. They’re a wonderful addition to our work in senior services.”
Assessing the New Hampshire and Iowa results and looking ahead
By Bob Blancato for Next Avenue
Credit: Thinkstock
New Hampshire voters have spoken. They selected the oldest candidates in the race from each party: Sen. Bernie Sanders and Donald Trump. What does that say about the impact that the older voter might have in the November election?
It is too soon to know, just as it is too soon to know who will ultimately win. However, it is never too early to start raising the issues that will motivate older Americans to vote.
This article is not meant to be a political crystal ball; it is far too cloudy to see November’s final outcome. But, after the first two opportunities for people to vote instead of just answer polls (Iowa and New Hampshire), we emerge with a sense that there is genuine anger combined with restlessness about the economic direction of the country and the growing reality that the recovery has not reached everyone.
Generational Subplots in the Campaign
There are many interesting subplots within this campaign so far, including some uniquely generational. For example, the oldest candidate, Sanders, is getting a lot of support from the youngest voters. The youngest candidate, Sen. Marco Rubio, is being accused of being rigid and robotic. Surrogates for the major female candidate, Secretary Hillary Clinton, triggered generational strife about women and voting. And it’s only March!
Older voters, who will comprise about one quarter of the voting population in 2016, remain up for grabs and surprisingly have not been actively pursued by any candidate to date. For the record, in New Hampshire, Trump and Clinton carried the 65+ vote; Sanders won the 45 to 64 vote.
A Feb. 9 front-page New York Times article focusing on the large number of undecided voters in New Hampshire, featured interviews with five voters over 60. That small snapshot suggested that their indecision was based primarily on personalities — this Presidential race may have the highest number of distinct personalities in history.
Shifting From Personalities to Policies
Yet going forward, the race will shift from personalities to policies and positions. That day cannot come soon enough.
To win older voters, candidates will first have to recognize that these men and women are experienced in the polling booth; some have voted in 10 or more Presidential contests. As a result, this group will easily detect who is just pandering and who actually has plans to address issues that are important to them.
Candidates will also have to address the older voters’ strong intergenerational streak. We are now in a world of three- four- and even five-generation families. As a result, these voters will be motivated by issues related to economic security throughout the lifespan.
I believe that the candidates who offer plans about Social Security’s long-term future, recognizing that the program is both the largest older-adult and children’s program in the federal government, will fare better. Social Security’s future solvency is one solution preventing a new generation of poverty among people as they age. To date, thanks to the efforts of AARP’s Take A Stand initiative, all but two of the candidates (Republicans Donald Trump and Jim Gilmore) have put forth their positions on Social Security.
One great challenge facing older Americans is the growth in the numbers of people impacted by Alzheimer’s disease. Therefore, the candidate who can propose a broad-based approach on Alzheimer’s disease stands to connect with a wider array of voters.
Moreover, 2016 may well be the year that the sleeping political force of family caregivers awakens and influences the election by their advocacy to have their issues addressed.
There are certainly many more issues which should be raised to connect with the older voter. For instance, we need a national nutrition policy that has healthy aging as its outcome. We should invest more in effective programs that help older adults remain independent — like the Older Americans Act — as well as work to address emerging threats to the health of older adults, like malnutrition.
The continued absence of a national long-term care policy or a long-term services and supports policy belongs at the center of this campaign, too, not on the sidelines where it has been to date. This is crucial not only for older adults, but for the 37 percent of those in need of long-term care under 65 as well.
Also not to be ignored: the need for our next President to commit to ramping up the federal response to elder abuse, neglect and financial exploitation, a public health crisis that now impacts one of every 10 persons over 60.
Political Imperatives to Be Reckoned With
To become president, a candidate must appeal to a broad cross-section of voters, of course, and issues such as national security, education and health care transcend generations. There are also other issues that are more unique to one generation than another.
Yet it is also the responsibility of advocates and activists for older Americans to raise the profile of issues of particular importance to them. Those issues that rise to becoming political imperatives cannot, and will not, be ignored.
In the months ahead, as the number of presidential candidates dwindles and the importance of issues grows, more of the topics that are unique to the older voter must get more attention.
One last thing: That New York Times article also cited a poll indicating that 82 percent of those undecided wanted to vote for the candidate who most aligned with them on the issues. Message to all candidates looking for the support of older voters: They care about issues, they know about issues and they vote.
© Twin Cities Public Television – 2016. All rights reserved.