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Creative Aging Expert
November 2008
In This Issue
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Peace Corps Recruits Retirees
The new director of the Peace Corps, retiree
Ronald Tschetter, has set a goal of bringing
older people back to work in the 75 foreign
countries where the Peace Corps has projects.
"It's a resource that, if tapped, could just
bring tremendous value to these countries,"
Tschetter told the Philadelphia
Inquirer (October 16, 2007). Veterans of
the Corps from 30 years ago, Kenneth and June
Nicholson of Vermont are teaching in
Bulgaria; Charles Harkness of Minnesota took
a challenge from his daughter and went to
Kyrgyzstan to teach. The Peace Corps has
almost 8,000 volunteers, most of whom are in
their 20s, but Tschetter seeks baby boomers
for their expertise and experience in
agriculture, business, education, energy, and
health. Recruitment is difficult, but efforts
are being made to interest older people to
take the plunge. "I had a really nice life,
but something was missing," said Nancy
O'Connell of North Carolina, who served in
Suriname in South America in 2003. The
hardest part was learning Dutch, which she
did by studying six hours a day for seven
weeks.
Safety for the volunteers is a primary
concern, and a health assessment is made
before being assigned to a post. The Peace
Corps is able to work with most situations,
if the volunteers are willing, according to
Jack Bardon, of Minnesota, who joined with
his wife at age 70. (The September
Positive Aging Newsletter alerted me
to this article.)
In addition to the feelings of accomplishment
that come from helping others, I see a
financial advantage in joining the Peace
Corps in your retirement years. There are
very few out of pocket expenses and your
travel costs (there and back) are covered.
While working a small stipend is provided.
Upon finishing a two year stint, volunteers
are given a lump sum to help in resettling.
In the meantime, social security and/or
retirement funds can be accumulating in your
savings account.
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Telephone Based Classes
Have you heard of the DOROT University
Without Walls, a telephone-based educational
program for homebound seniors? A recent
article described the transformational
experience of Kathy Leeds, who grows animated
as she describes the courses she is taking
this fall - the life and work of author Doris
Lessing and a class on recording personal
histories. But Leeds will never set foot on a
campus or in a classroom. The 79-year-old
widow has multiple sclerosis, uses a
wheelchair, and is confined to her Manhattan
apartment. The curriculum includes more than
250 courses and runs the gamut from
understanding feng shui and poetry writing to
discussions on moral, ethical, and
philosophical issues and a discourse on women
of the progressive era. "It gets me out
emotionally. It releases me from the four
walls around me," Leeds told the Richmond
Times Dispatch (September 22, 2008).
While the majority of the students are from
the New York area, seniors in Alaska, Iowa,
and Texas also participate. The program was
started in 1989 by DOROT, a New York-based
senior services agency that partners with
some of New York City's major medical and
cultural institutions in offering the
classes. Classes are taught via telephone
conference calls by professionals in the
world of art, history, science, and medicine
who often volunteer their time. Each
50-minute class meets once a week for up to
18 weeks. Class size is kept small, no more
than 10 people, to keep discussion lively.
Fees also are low: $15 per course. To learn
more go to dorotusa.org or call
212-769-2850.
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Growing Older - Feeling Sad Reply
Elizabeth Smith from Richmond, Virginia,
replies to the woman who was feeling
depressed about turning 60. "I believe that
wrinkles are beautiful, older eyes share
wisdom, slow movement allows time for
enjoying the present moment, aches and pains
allow us to appreciate friends who rise to
help. I have found each age has pleasures
that cannot be enjoyed except at the time we
are in them. How wonderful to be young - with
energy and ideas. How wonderful to be older -
with experience and patience. How wonderful
to be ancient - with blessings to pass on to
others."
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News from the Female Nomad
I recently received an inspiring e-mail from
Rita Golden Gelman, author of Tales of a
Female Nomad: Living at Large in the
World (ritagoldengelman.com).
"I just came back from Peru where I
volunteered for two weeks in Pamashto, a
small village in the jungle. Six of us from
the United States worked alongside the same
number of parents and teachers from the
village, building a lunchroom for a school. I
turned 71 during the trip and the school
staff gave me a birthday party.
My work contribution was not in the shoveling
of cement nor in the climbing of ladders to
pour pails of the stuff into framed and
reinforced columns-to-be. But I cut wires,
tore down a fence, hosed new and drying
concrete, and added to the ambiance. Each of
us lived with a different family. I admit
that the pit latrine in my house was not as
easy to deal with as it would have been a few
years ago, but I managed. And the joy of
singing, eating, playing, and picnicking with
my village family was a gift I will carry
with me forever. The group that set the whole
thing up was Global Citizens Network. They
put together volunteer trips all over the
world. (And are recommended by National
Geographic.) They offer one an
extraordinary adventure while helping out and
working with local people. globalcitizens.org .
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Terms of Endearment?
Do you like to be called "Sweetie" and
"Dear"? According to a recent article in the
New York Times, many people don't.
Professionals call it "elderspeak," the
sweetly belittling form of address that has
often rankled older people: the doctor who
talks to the elder's son or daughter rather
than to the patient herself about her health;
the store clerk who assumes that an older
person does not know how to work a computer
or needs to be addressed slowly or in a loud
voice. Then there are those who address any
elderly person as "dear." "People think they
are being nice," said Elvira Nagle, 83, of
Dublin, California, "but when I hear it, it
raises my hackles."
Now studies are finding that the insults can
have health consequences, especially if
people mutely accept the attitudes behind
them, said Becca Levy an associate professor
of epidemiology and psychology at Yale
University, who studies the health effects of
such messages on elderly people.
Despite such research, the worst offenders
are often healthcare workers, says Kristine
Williams, a nurse gerontologist and associate
professor at the University of Kansas School
of Nursing. Dr. Williams observes that
healthcare workers often think using words
like "dear" or "sweetie" convey that they
care and make them easier to understand. "But
they don't realize the implications," she
says, "that it's also giving messages to
older adults that they're incompetent.."
Healthcare workers are often not trained to
avoid elderspeak, said Vicki Rosebrook, the
executive director of the Macklin
Intergenerational Institute in Findlay, Ohio,
a combined facility for elderly people and
children that is part of a retirement
community. Dr. Rosebrook said that even in
her facility "we have 300 elders who are
"sweetie"d here. Our kids talk to elders with
more respect than some of our professional
care providers." She said she considers
elderspeak a form of bullying. "It's talking
down to them," she observes, "We do it to
children as well. It's natural for the
sandwich generation, since they address
children that way."
Not all older people object to being called
these names; some, like Jan Rowell, 61, of
West Linn, Oregon, say they appreciate the
warmth. "We're all reaching across the
chasm," Rowell says. "If someone calls us
sweetie or honey, it's not diminishing us;
it's just their way to connect in a positive
way." View the
full article.
What do you think about elderspeak? What
forms of address get your goat? My favorite
is, "Hello young woman." I am 77 and
obviously not a young woman. I reply,
"I am not a young woman; I'm an old woman
with pizzazz." When addressed by a term that
offends you, I believe it is important to
reply and make it known how the term makes
you feel. Responding helps people be more
sensitive to the language they use and can
make them more aware of the underlying ageism
in our culture.
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Cheap Traveling Web Sites
My local newspaper, the Richmond Times
Dispatch, recently reported on two web
sites that are said to offer opportunities
for vacations that don't require you to spend
a bundle of money. I checked out IgoUgo.com
and found a very interesting trip run by
Caravan Tours to Costa Rico that didn't break
the bank. It also would take me to all the
places I especially want to see. This trip is
recommended by Arthur Frommer's Budget Travel
book which has positive reviews of Caravan
Tours. Another site, Uptake.com, has a
"feeling broke" theme showcasing inexpensive
lodging and free attractions. Go to cheap
and free things to do. Let me know if you
find a good trip on one of these sites. The
sites excite my travel urge, but I can't
really vouch for them. I urge you to check
out their offerings and reach your own
conclusions.
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Communities For All Ages
There are a number of inspiring activities
organized by Communities for All Ages (CFAA),
a national initiative coordinated by the
Center for Intergenerational Learning at
Temple University in Philadelphia.
Examples of their projects to serve citizens
across the age scale include:
- A coalition of faith-based institutions
and community-planning councils working
together to create a Farmers' Market to serve
residents of all ages and cultures.
- A defunct school building transformed
into a vibrant cultural and educational
center for multiple generations.
- Programs for youth and older adults to
help develop leadership skills that address
the challenges faced by the neighborhoods in
which they live.
Embracing a lifespan approach to community
building, CFAA promotes the well-being of
children, youth, and older adults; makes full
use of the assets of people at all stages of
life; and fosters interdependence and
intergenerational interaction. It focuses on
transforming varied age groups from
competitors into allies and moving
organizations out of narrowly focused
approaches to problem solving. Read an
article
on this dynamic organization.
For more information go to communitiesforallages.org.
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Christmas Special from Make It Happen!
Looking for a special gift for the elders in
your family? I am offering my Resource
Guide for Aging Adventurers: Unusual,
sometimes inexpensive opportunities for
volunteering, learning, traveling, and
adventure at a reduced price for the
holiday season. It usually sells for $12; I
am offering it for $10 plus postage. Send
$10.60 to Make It Happen! 3220A W. Grace St.,
Richmond, VA 23221, and you will receive an
autographed copy. There are more details
about the guide at TheAgingAdventurer.com.
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Emily Kimball
3220A West Grace Street
Richmond, VA 23221-1306
(804) 358-5536
Fax (804) 358-2415
web: TheAgingAdventurer.com
email:
etkimball@aol.com
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