All Posts in "Month: January 2015"

The Eldercare Locator, a program established and funded by the Administration for Community Living (ACL) and administered by the National Association of Area Agencies on Aging (n4a), has launched a nationwide campaign to help educate the public about the risks to brain health for older adults and simple strategies to help mitigate those risks.
ACL reports that in recent surveys of people over the age of 50, worry about the ability to stay mentally sharp is consistently ranked among the top concerns, surpassing such issues as having an adequate retirement fund or the ability to meet health care expenses.
Meanwhile, the number of reported cases of brain health–related conditions is expected to rise with the aging of the baby boomer population. In a 2011 survey conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), nearly 13 percent of respondents age 60 and older reported increased confusion and memory loss in the preceding 12 months, and of that number, over 35 percent said they experienced functional difficulties that might require services and supports now, or in the future.
A brochure titled “Brain Health: You Can Make a Difference” is the centerpiece of the campaign. The publication has recommendations and resources to help older adults take charge of their brain health as they age.
The information draws from materials developed by ACL, in partnership with the National Institutes of Health and the Centers for Disease Control (CDC).
“Helping people stay healthy as they age is a key part of helping them live independently in their communities, and brain health is a critical component of healthy aging,” said Kathy Greenlee, administrator of ACL and Assistant Secretary for Aging. “This publication gives staff and volunteers at Area Agencies on Aging, senior centers, health departments, local clinics, and community organizations of all kinds a powerful, evidence-based tool to help debunk myths and share accurate information about what we can do to maintain brain health as we age.”
The campaign is called Home for the Holidays because it was conducted from Thanksgiving through the New Year, a time when older adults and their families often gather together, presenting an opportunity for discussion about important issues like brain health. Past campaigns showcased such topics as financial exploitation, falls prevention, transportation, housing and employment.
Sandy Markwood, n4a’s chief executive officer, noted that critical brain health is “critical to ensuring successful aging. Across the nation, our members have developed innovative programs, not only to help educate older adults, their families and other caregivers about this issue, but also to connect them with critical brain health resources. This campaign was designed to help people realize that there are practical steps they can take to promote their brain health and to make them aware of the wide range of healthy aging services offered by the Aging Network.”
The National Association of Area Agencies on Aging is a non-profit membership association representing the national network of 618 Area Agencies on Aging and providing a voice in the nation’s capital for the 246 Title VI Native American aging programs.
The Eldercare Locator, available at 800-677-1116 and eldercare.gov, helps older adults, caregivers and health professionals navigate aging programs and services, as well as to assist them in identifying and accessing the resources that match their needs best.

srmedia by — January 21, 2015 in Health & Fitness

Do sidewalks in Pierce County meet handicap-accessible requirements? That’s the question county officials are answering with the public’s help.
The community was invited to public meetings in November in Spanaway, Puyallup and Tacoma that county officials hosted as part of an effort to bring pedestrian facilities located in public right-of-way in unincorporated areas of the county into compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).
Citizens were asked for feedback on which types of issues pose the biggest impact to accessibility, such as obstructions in the sidewalk or steep ramps, and which locations are most important for the public to be able to reach without barriers to accessibility, such as schools, libraries and shopping centers.
“This is an opportunity for our community to share their input on bringing existing pedestrian facilities into ADA compliance,” said Brian Stacy, Public Works and Utilities county engineer. “We will then develop a transition plan that will help us prioritize future projects to bring the facilities into compliance.”
In addition to community input, the county will use ADA guidelines and standards to identify project locations with the highest need, a spokeswoman said. The plan will guide the county when scheduling projects and requesting and allocating funding to complete the project list.
Ultimately, all existing pedestrian facilities must be brought into compliance with ADA. The plan won’t address expanding existing pedestrian facilities or building facilities in new areas, officials said.
Pierce County has spent the past year assessing sidewalks, curb ramps, pedestrian crossings, and traffic signal systems for their compliance with the ADA. Preliminary findings and an online survey are available at www.piercecountywa.org/ADAtransition.
According to AARP and other sources, a pedestrian dies in a traffic accident every two hours in the U.S., and 21 percent of the casualties are people 65 years old or older.
Between 2003 and 2012, crashes killed 47,025 pedestrians nationwide and injured another 676,000.
In Washington alone, 678 deaths were reported. Of those, 196 were in the 65-and-over age range.
According to AARP, older adults in Washington represent a disproportionate number of pedestrian deaths. While they comprise 11.7 percent of the state’s population, seniors 65 and older accounted for 26 percent of pedestrian fatalities statewide in 2003-10.

srmedia by — January 14, 2015 in News

Some school teachers retire the day they become eligible, having tracked that important date for years. However, there are teachers still working in the Puyallup School District well past the age of retirement with no plans of hanging it up in the near future.
At Woodland Elementary School, Marcia Madsen, 70, is still teaching kindergarten.
When asked what she liked about it, Madsen’s sense of humor shined through when she replied, “What is not to like about 5-year-olds? The only reason I’m the teacher is because I’m the tallest.”
Madsen said one of the gifts she receives from the kids is the pure joy of learning from them every single day.
“It is a passion that I can be with these little people and help them to put all their knowledge into these little pockets that we call education. That is why I love it,” she said.
Madsen has taught at Woodland for the last 22 years and has seen a lot of changes.
“Back in 1967 when I had my first teaching job, it was graham crackers and milk and a nap, and now we have gone to all-day school, reading, writing, math and science,” she said.
Madsen said she didn’t go to kindergarten as a child, and many other children opted out as well because it wasn’t mandatory to attend school at that age. Now, 5-year-olds are prepared and anxious to attend all day kindergarten.
“They are just children, but we can sure introduce them to a lot of wonderful experiences and memory-making,” she said.
Madsen enjoys the curiosity of the kindergarten students and their eagerness to learn. She and her husband have six children, and when the last one headed to kindergarten, she went back to teaching.
Madsen said she doesn’t put much thought into retirement.
“I plan to work until I can’t work any more,” she said.
Sixty-six-year-old Lanny Gleason has worked as a teacher for the last 28 years. Gleason, who is the vocational coordinator for the Puyallup district, says he loves his job and isn’t retiring any time soon.
Working with students with disabilities who are ages 19 to 21 and have no clear career path, Gleason helps them define a goal and assists them in visiting various training sites in an effort to see what works for them.
“There is no perfect job, but working with business and industry and working with students and being able to see the end result is rewarding,” he said.
Gleason has seen many advances in the program that works with students with disabilities. “We can do a lot for kids that we couldn’t do before,” he said.
Gleason began his teaching career in Nebraska when the Individual Education Plan (IEP), a federal program to help special-needs students, was three pages long.
“It consisted of an objective page, a signature page and an invitation page,” said Gleason, adding that today the IEP is 22 pages long.
His job takes him to three high schools – Puyallup, Rogers and Emerald Ridge – with different offsite programs.
“The nice thing about Puyallup is it is a city, but there is a smalltown atmosphere,” he said.
There are currently 150 training sites where students have worked, and Gleason said they have a good network of training opportunities for students.

Joan Cronk, who wrote this article, is a freelance writer.

Marcia Madsen gives her kindergarten students at Woodland Elementary School a thumbs-up during a reading and writing assignment. Madsen, a teacher for more than 20 years, is 70 but has no plans for retiring. (Joan Cronk/Senior Scene)
Marcia Madsen gives her kindergarten students at Woodland Elementary School a thumbs-up during a reading and writing assignment. Madsen, a teacher for more than 20 years, is 70 but has no plans for retiring. (Joan Cronk/Senior Scene)
Joan Cronk by — January 14, 2015 in Spotlight

The 32nd annual Tacoma RV Show, featuring Northwest RV dealers and their latest models of motor homes, fifth-wheels, toy haulers and travel trailers, will roll out Jan. 15-18 at the Tacoma Dome.
Boeing Employees Credit Union presents the event and will be offering special financing rates to BECU members from the opening day of the show through Feb. 1. Showgoers will have the opportunity to join BECU on-site to take advantage of special financing rates.
The show spotlights the newest models for 2015 in a market that “is more targeted than ever,” said show manager Jeff Swenson.
Show hours are 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Jan. 15-17 and 11 to 5 Jan. 18. Admission prices are $12 for general admission, $6 with military ID, and free to children 16 and under. Get $2-off discount coupons at http://www.otshows.com/trv/.

srmedia by — January 10, 2015 in Personal Finance/Consumers