Celebrate Grandparents Day
Generations United envisions come September “Grandparents Day” (September 9) as a call to action and they want to involve you in their inter-generational activism.
Grandparents and Older Adults:åÊ TheyÛªre asking you to commit to do something grand and share your wisdom, perspectives and key civic values with young people and advocate on their behalf.
Children, Youth, and Younger Adults:åÊ TheyÛªre asking you to commit to do something grand and connect and serve with your grandparents or older adults in your community.
Grandfamilies:åÊYou provide a safe and loving home to your grandchildren or other relatives in your care. As part of the week-long celebration of Grandparents Day, Generations United recognizes, honors, and thanks grandfamilies.
Inter-generational Programs: You are doing something grand every time you bring younger and older people together. They’re asking you to plan and coordinate grand intergenerational activism projects.
Together, adults and youth can reach out to decision makers and begin an important dialogue: discussing how, as a country, we can address the many challenges facing future generationsÛÓfrom literacy to health and wellness to financial stability.
So Do Something Grand.
Senior Hunger a Well Kept Secret
Senior hunger is an issue seldom talked about. The Meals On Wheels Research Foundation (MOWRF) has commissioned a series of annual reports detailing the state of senior hunger in the U.S. The 2010 research report is a follow up to the 2008 and 2009 research studies.Here are some facts:
- 8.3 million seniors faced the threat of hunger in 2010.
- 14.85% of seniors, or more than 1 in 7 experienced some form of food insecurity.
- In 2005, that number was 1 in 9 seniors or 11.4%.
- From 2001 to 2010, the number of seniors experiencing the threat of hunger has increased by 78%.
- Since the onset of the recession in 2007 through 2010, the number of seniors threatened by hunger increased by 34%.
Between 2009 and 2010, the percentage of seniors threatened by hunger increased by a statistically significant amount. The recession had more enduring effects for older Americans than for the general population. For the decade as a whole, there was a 39% increase in those facing the threat of hunger, but the number of seniors affected increased 78%.
Those more likely to be at risk of hunger include:
- Women.
- A younger senior under the age of 70.
- African American or Hispanic Seniors.
- Those living in a rural area.
- Those divorced or separated or living with a grandchild.
Take Action
Meals on Wheels has found that 6 million seniors face the threat of hunger. Their goal is to match that number ÛÒ with 6 million people who are willing to stand up and pledge to do what it takes to end senior hunger. Take their pledge and get involved.
Contact your local program to deliver or prepare a meal. Meals On Wheels volunteers also provide the seniors they serve with companionship and a warm, friendly smile when they arrive at the door.
Hospitalized Alzheimer’s Patient at Increased Risk for Cogitive Decline, Death (VIDEO)
[embed_youtube”420″ height=”315″ src=”http://www.youtube.com/embed/Pd36YM2vG5k”]
Hospitalized Alzheimer’s Patient at Increased Risk for Cogitive Decline, Death
Harvard researchers have found that a hospital stay is related to a faster rate of mental decline and a heightened risk of dying or entering a nursing home for those who already have AlzheimerÛªs disease.
A study following nearly 800 individuals with mild AlzheimerÛªs disease found that:
- Those who had been hospitalized during the course of the research were nearly twice as likely to experience increased mental decline or death.
åÊ - One in 16 passed away.
åÊ - One is seven had to move to an institutionalized setting.
åÊ - One in five suffered mental decline within one year of getting out of the hospital.åÊ
åÊ - If the individual experienced delirium during his hospital stay, it increased the risk for a poor outcome by about 12 percent.
“Delirium prevention may represent an important strategy for reducing adverse outcomes in this population,” said Dr. Tamara Fong, an assistant professor of neurology at Harvard Medical School and lead author of the study.åÊ
Delirium can be prevented through:
- Visits by a family member or other familiar person.
åÊ - Supplying the individual with necessary eyeglasses and hearing aids, as well as encouraging the individual to get out of bed often for walks.
åÊ - Delirium can also be prevented by keeping older people out of the hospital and treating them in their homes, said Fong.
Lesson – stay out of the hospital.
Courtesy: ALFA
Make Your Home Safer to Prevent Falls (VIDEO)
[embed_youtube”420″ height=”315″ src=”http://www.youtube.com/embed/42ryYVR6Gmc”]
