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Helping Employees with Elder Care Issues

By Dr. Jim P. Hughes

Helping Yourself and Others End Well in an

Aging Society

Copyright © 2012, Productive Aging Resources, Dallas, TXAll rights reserved.

Three Questions

1. Do you want1. Do you want retirement to be some of the best years of your life?

2. Is your community

3. Are we wasting a valuable resource that could benefit our cities?

2. Is your community prepared for the aging of America and the graying of the cities?

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Topics

1 The Aging of America1. The Aging of America

2. The Older Adult World

3. Society’s Miscues

4. How to End Well

5 A New Paradigm of Personal Health and5. A New Paradigm of Personal Health and Community Service

Section One

The Aging of AmericaWhy is America Aging?

America’s Changing Demographic

Positive Aspects of AgingPositive Aspects of Aging

Negative Aspects of Aging

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Our Society Is Aging?

1900 2000 2030

Why America is Aging?

1. Fewer Babies

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Why America is Aging?

1. Fewer Babies

75

People Living Longer

Why America is Aging?

78.675

52

54

59

63

67

69 71 732. More Older People

1850 1880 1910 1940 1970 1985

3941

4243

44

47

2012

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Why America is Aging?

3. The Aging of Baby Boomers

55 million

77 million

Baby Boomers

66 million

Generation X

1908-1926

Senior Adults

49 million

Builders

1927-1945 1946-1964 1965-1983

January 1, 2011 oldest Boomers turned 65

America’s Changing Demographic

With 3rd Growth Factor in place, the face of America is about to changeis about to change85+ = Fastest growing age group

10,000 new Boomers every day for the next 18 years

40 million senior adults – 72 million in 2030

13% of population today – 20% in 2050p p y

Changing from a youth oriented society to one that focuses on needs and interests of older people

Aging brings both positives and negatives

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Positive Aspects of Aging

Older adults have more control of their daily

Did You Know -y

schedule than an previous generation

3 out of 4 seniors adults say that they are “very or pretty happy” with their li

63% of older people have good enough health to do

22% of senior adults have at least one college degree

lives

Most seniors have 20 years of retirement and enjoy a variety of leisure activities

As they grow older, seniors are acting 15 –20 years younger

whatever they want to do

Negative Aspects of Aging

Older white males lead all other groups in committing

Did You Know -other groups in committing suicide

Alzheimer’s disease becomes more common with age, with 1 in 8 at 65+

d 1 i 2 t 85+

37% of older adults report that they have a serious disability

Almost ½ million grand-parents are raising their

and 1 in 2 at 85+

4 out of 10 people helping a loved one with Alzheimer’s will die before their patient dies

Some will spend more years caring for their parents than they did raising their children

grandchildren

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Section Two

Society’s Miscues about Aging and Older Adults

Myths

Ageism

Denial

Your Response?

Myths about Aging

Most older adults are:

Poor

Sick

Rigid

Can’t Learn

Powerless

Sexless

I i h

AARP and Tea PartyNo more than the young

A little over 1/380% not hindered

Older adults growing market for colleges

Mom remarried at 91

SenileIn nursing homesPoverty = 1 in 10

$ Insecure = 1 in 3Only with disease

About 4%

M y t h s D e v a l u e O l d e r P e o p l e

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Ageism

Ageism = a prejudice against older people

Harmful, when seen as normal and acceptable

Beliefs used to justify ageism If the myths are true, then seniors do not

have the values we respect in others –productivity, intellect, beauty, strength, generosity, etc.productivity, intellect, beauty, strength, generosity, etc.

If seniors have little value, it is OK for us to see them as less significant than ourselves and treat them accordingly

Yet, most seniors are mentally and physically active and have much to contribute

Ageism

Ageism = a prejudice against older people

Harmful, when seen as normal and acceptable

Beliefs used to justify ageism If the myths are true, then seniors do not

have the values we respect in others –productivity, intellect, beauty, strength, generosity, etc.productivity, intellect, beauty, strength, generosity, etc.

If seniors have little value, it is OK for us to see them as less significant than ourselves and treat them accordingly

Yet, most seniors are mentally and physically active and have much to contribute

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Denial of Aging

Many people in denial about their own aging or the aging of a loved oneaging, or the aging of a loved one.

Denial is harmful when it leads to . . .Neglect of one’s own health care

Neglect of a loved ones’ health care

Leaders fail community trust when they block y yconsideration of aging issues, because they don’t want to deal with their own aging

Dealing with Society’s Miscues

How are you dealing with your own aging?Fearful?Fearful?

Don’t want to think about it?

Reluctant to make plans?

How do you look at older people?Different from yourself?

Less valuable than younger people?Less valuable than younger people?

You may be different from your fellow Americans

Don’t let society’s miscues prevent you from valuing older people and planning your own retirement

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Retirement

A new phenomenon

Most common activity — leisure

Retirement = 1/3 of adult life

Leisure generally has no significant purposeLeisure generally has no significant purpose

Without purpose our lives will have little value

Better to retire TO something than FROM something

Section Three

How to End WellHealthy Aging

Senior Adult Volunteerism

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Ending Well

Certain lifestyle choices will help you end wellBetter health

Longer life

Enriching lifestyle choices?“Healthy Aging” principles

VolunteerismVolunteerism

Choice and Lifestyle Matter

Benefits of Healthy Aging Benefits of Volunteerism

se in

Hea

lth

Good Health Lasts Longer

e in

Hea

lth

Good Health & Life Lasts Longer

Increase in Years

Incr

eas

65 85

Death

Increase in Years

Incr

ease

65 85+

Death

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3 key characteristics

Ending Well: Healthy Aging

Avoid disease or age-related disabilities

Continue active

Maintain high mental

and physical functions

An ounce of prevention is

worth a pound of cure

engagement with life

functions

Exercise regularly: Walk 45 minutes a day; light strength workouts

Activities of Healthy Aging

light strength workouts

Maintain a healthy diet: more fruits and vegetables, less meat

Don’t smoke

Maintain a positive attitudeMaintain a positive attitude

Be a lifelong learner

Continue to be socially active

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Older adults:C t d li i h i l

Results of Healthy Aging

Can prevent declining physical function

Can keep mental abilitiesCan stay independentCan control osteoporosis, frailty,

sexuality etcsexuality, etc.

Adapted from Successful Aging, by John Rowe and Robert Kahn

What Should Retirement Look Like?

Ending Well: Volunteerism

OR

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When does a person stop being productive?

Retirement is a Great Time of Volunteer

Pro

du

ctiv

e

Why Here?

Typical Retirement Age

10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90

Mo

re P Here?

60Age

Volunteer Opportunity

Benefits of Volunteerism

Benefits the people being served

Benefits the community at largeBenefits the community at largeMore tasks are being accomplished

Needy people are being helped

Greater longevity and less heart disease

Benefits the volunteersA sense of purpose and meaning

Better health

Greater functional ability

Greater sense of happiness, life-satisfaction and self-worth

Longer life

The Health Benefits of Volunteering, Corporation for National and Community Service, 2007)

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Session Five

A New Paradigm What is a Paradigm?New Paradigm of Personal HealthNew Paradigm for Community Service

What is a “Paradigm”

“Paradigm” = an example that serves as a pattern or model for something especially one that forms themodel for something, especially one that forms the basis of a theory

“Paradigm shift” = A new perspective, a new frame of reference, a new way of looking at things

E.g., The digital watch

Swiss watch makers lost theSwiss watch makers lost the world market because it just did not look like a watch

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New Paradigm of Personal Health

Old Paradigm = Our health is mostly controlled our genes; good health depends on having the rightgenes; good health depends on having the right parents

New Paradigm = Good health is largely determined by our lifestyle choices, such as

Taking care of our bodies (Health Aging principles)

H l i th (f l d i f l l t i )Helping others (formal and informal volunteerism)

More than any other factor, your future health is tied to your lifestyle; chose wisely and end well.

New Paradigm of Community Service?

Old Paradigm = Older people are a problem for i t t l d h littl l t i tsociety to solve and have little or no value to society

New Paradigm = Older adults bring to society both challenges and resources

Use their resources to help resolve society’s challenges

Older volunteers working in community serviceOlder volunteers working in community service

Some cities have already begun using older volunteers

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Boomers Lead in Community Service

“Found: Older Volunteers to Fill Labor Shortage”“What if the 77 million boomers who have just begun to turn 65What if the 77 million boomers, who have just begun to turn 65,

could help solve the health care crisis?

There’s a lot of talk about the challenges that boomers will present to health care, but we see them as our country’s greatest natural resource.”

[In an18-month program in Denver, CO], “125 older adults have been trained as navigators or community health workers who help individuals and families master the intricacies of the health care system. Another 300 volunteers are advocates who educate others about health care issues in formal and informal settings.”

(Elizabeth Pope, New York Times, March 7, 2012)

Part of a National Movement

Denver’s Boomer program is part of a national effort to inspire similar efforts in 9 cities across the U Sto inspire similar efforts in 9 cities across the U.S. (Started by The Atlantic Philanthropies in 2006)

While Denver focus is on health care, their partners focus on other issues:

Homelessness

Literacy

A t h lth f d i d d i hb h dAccess to healthy foods in under-served neighborhoods

At risk youths

The environment

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Answers to Our Initial Questions

“Do you want retirement to be some of the best years of your life?”years of your life?

We have discovered that you have some control in that and you can improve the odds of that happening by using “Healthy Aging” principles and getting involved with volunteerism.

“Is your community preparedfor the aging of America and the graying of the cities?”

We have learned that city’ leaders can increase community services when they use older volunteers to fill the labor shortages.

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“Are we wasting valuable gresource that could benefit our cities?”

I don’t know about your city. But Baby Boomers have lead in social change all their lives; let’s g ;help them re-define retirement as a time to give back and serve their communities.

The EndThe End