The Elder Cause
Group 8 - Elderly

We provide a place for the elderly to turn to for support and socialize and not feel alone. To participate in activities and be active physically, intellectually and socially. Our organization aims to raise awareness of the issue, provide education, resources, and support through volunteers and activities. Encourage care and involvement from the community, and to be available when needed, whether for the elder or the caretaker.

About Us

Interesting enough in 1996, the baby boomer generation a rough number of about 78 million began turning 50 at the rate of 300,000 a month having a sever impact on our senior population. In an extraordinary shift in our every day lives some families have both parents and their children that are now part of the senior population.
Today’s life expectancy is approximately 76 years. This means that for the first time in history, seniors will outnumber children and youth. Initially, it seems that this would create a huge burden on society as it faces a majority of members who traditionally require care and are heavily dependent on others.

Aging U.S .Population

According to the U.S. Census Bureau between 2010 and 2015, the United States will experience a sudden growth in our elderly population in large part the ailing baby boomers. In 2050 the number of elderly American is projected to reach 88.5 million doubling the number of elders in 2010. In the years to come the U.S. will be faced with numerous tasks, from social security to Medicare, our government will have to over comes several challenges in order to meet the needs of our aging population.

Continued Aging U.S .Population…

Do you need a ride somewhere; to the store, doctors appointment, etc.?
Do you just want to talk?
Would you like someone to read to you?
Have a story you want to tell?
Do you need help with something, like repairs around the home?
Have a pet that may need a little longer walk, or extra taking care of?

Caregivers,
Need support or need to get out for a bit and need someone to stay with your special someone?

-Call our center and see if our volunteers are available. They are here to and will be more than happy to listen, join you on your outing, or help anyway they can.

Also once or twice a month our volunteers put together a get-together. Activities range from Game Night (board games, cards), Reading (individual and group), Crafting, Dances, Brunch, Pet Days, also Exercise.
Our Volunteers:

The more people involved the bigger difference we can make.
Tips on how everyone can contribute to helping out the elderly in your communities:

Are you on the way to the grocery store? Stop by and ask your elder neighbor if they might need anything from the store.
Ask them if they need any errands run that you can do for them.
Are they always alone? Invite them over for dinner once in a while.
Talk to them.
Listen to a story they may have.
Offer help with the yard work.
Check on them during bad weather.
Take a walk with them.
Involvement

We will have more volunteers available this month, especially providing rides if you need to get out and do some holiday shopping.
At this month’s get together we will be baking Christmas cookies. Come by, meet others, bring family or friends, and join in on the creativity and festivities.
Also the local elementary school kids really enjoyed reading Halloween stories to everyone who made it to Octobers get together and they would like to come back and put on a Christmas play. Please let us know if you can make it. If we can get enough people, the kids will be very excited to come.

December Newsletter

Are you a child or caregiver for the elderly?
Do you need a place to express your problems or get advice from those in similar situations?
Come to our Support Group!
We meet every Wednesday at 5:00 pm, and everyone is welcome! Come as often or infrequently as you need!
Support Groups

For resources for a wide variety of Senior needs, visit:
http://www.usa.gov/Topics/Seniors.shtml


For state specific information, visit:
http://www.eldercaredirectory.org/state-resources.htm


Resources

Old age is not a death sentence or the need to be dependent, in fact it is the perfect time to redefine yourself. How you lead you life today will define the quality of life you have as an elder.

Social and health behaviors throughout life, such as diet, whether you exercise, smoke, consume alcohol, your physical environment, work, and economic status is a major component in how you will lead your final years. With proper diet and exercise many chronic diseases that plague our elderly can be prevented or at least managed.

Quality of Life

11 Skills to Coping with Aging

Continued….

Viewing aging as a positive experience is one of the best ways to cope. As you age you gain experience, knowledge that in your younger years you lacked. For instance if you only focus on things you cannot do as you get older instead of the things you can, then you are letting the negative perception about aging cloud the positive attributes that come with growing older. We need to embrace again and do it gracefully.

Coping Skill 1:
Making Aging a Positive Self-Fulfilling Experience

Stereotyping Seniors
Ageism-any attitude, action, or institutional structure which passes prejudice on a person or group because of age or assignment of roles in society simply based on their age.

This stereotyping of older people can affect their self-confidence and subsequently their behaviors. Research has shown that when the elderly tend to hear stereotypes about their suggested incompetence they actually tend to perform worse on measures of skill and memory. Some may even start to feel dependent and worthless members of the community.
Coping Skill # 2
Maintaining Dignity and Pride

Aging is a life long process and peoples lifestyles play an important role in their longevity. Your socioeconomic status, education, health care, physical and social activities, and proper diet all determine whether you will have a productive aging experience. By recognizing the importance of continuity and remaining connected with your family, friends, religious and political life, as well as your community you can engaging in active aging which optimizes your quality of life.

Coping Skill 5:
Recognizing the Importance of Continuity

What is the difference between a young persons memory versus an elder persons memory?
Research studies indicate elderly people are sometimes slower on mental tasks, however they are able to compensate with thoughtfulness and experience.
Elderly people do well on tasks requiring immediate memory and memory for things that happened in the past.
But the elderly have difficulty sometimes remembering a list of things if sometimes happens to distract them between the time they learn the list and the time they are tested.
The elderly are able to recall the meaning of what they were asked to remember, but do not remember the information exactly.

Coping Skill #7
Exercising the Mind

Many studies on memory and performance placed elderly people at a disadvantage by comparing them with college students who are in top form for performing mental tasks.
College students may do better than elderly people in reciting the exact words of a poem they have memorized, but on the other hand elderly people will do just as well in describing the poem’s message.
Young people do a better job than elderly people in cramming and coming up with quick responses, however when elderly people are given the opportunity to take their time and use the knowledge they have gained throughout their lives, their performance shows little decline.

Coping Skill # 7
Exercising the Mind

The elderly must face physical limitations with a secondary appraisal that offers some good avenues for coping.
As an elderly person’s vision becomes weaker, they should compensate by making sure they have good eye glasses and comfortable lighting in their home.
To help with the decline of vision the elderly could also have a magnifying glass handy or a small flash light when reading small print.
Hearing aids are helpful devices which are available for enhancing hearing.
Successful coping results from facing physical detriments with a problem-solving attitude.

Coping Skill # 10
Master Physical Limitations

Being able to maximize personal relationships as we age is equally as important as remaining actively involved in our community. Developing personal relationships is key in keeping our elderly population engaged in society. There are several programs that are available that keep our seniors actively involved with younger generations such as the “Foster Grandparents” Program that allow seniors to mentor and spend time with young person who need a role model.

Coping Skill # 11
Maximizing Personal Relationships

(1.) Kleinke, Chris L., Coping with Life Challenges,2nd Edition: © 1998 Norene, Gerry; Reissued 2002 Waveland Press Inc.

(2.) Hooyman,Nancy R., Kiyak, H. Asuman, Social Gerontology A Multidisciplinary Perspective, 9th Edition:© 2011,2008,2005 Pearson Education Inc.

(3.) USA.gov, Government Made Easy,
http://www.usa.gov/Topics/Seniors.shtml


(4.) U.S. Census Bureau
http://www.census.gov

(5). Brock J,N., The Aging of America, The Evolution of the Aging Population


Work Cited

Of all the great groups available, I was glad to see that one of the groups was focused on the elderly and their unique needs.  Our elderly citizens need companionship, love, respect and attention.  Although it is easy to forget about the contributions by those who make up the remainder of the "Greatest Generation," we cannot and should not.  I believe that I have an understanding of the basic emotional needs of our elderly because of my experience with my only remaining grandparent, "Mama."
As a younger man, I always loved my grandmother as a member of the family.  We would typically only visit her on special occasions such as birthdays, holidays etc.  It wasn't until she began to decline physically at a much more rapid pace that we moved her to Mesquite and I really began to get to know my "Mama."  I found out that she had led a very interesting life with experiences similar to my own(dating, mischief, friends), and many other experiences that I will never know(WWII, Depression).  In our elderly population, we have a living reminder of the history of this country.  We have a group of people who have witnessed things that we never will.  And although we are living our lives and dealing with everything that comes with being a "Modern American" man or woman, we can all take a little time to provide companionship to the elderly in our family and in our community.

Why assisting the elderly is so important.(a personal story)

This time benefits not only them, but us as well.  If you believe in giving back, showing respect, exhibiting a loving heart, and learning about our history, then this act of kindness will be an invaluable opportunity to do and obtain all of these important things.  So take the time to visit a local hospice, assisted living center, or personal residence of our most needy and valuable citizens.  Learn from them, talk to them, allow them to relive the best times of their lives through stimulating dialogue.  My grandmother, although 92 years of age, loves to remember her own grandmother who raised from birth.  These were clearly the best times of her life.  And although it saddens my heart to see her changing, I am so happy that she can live out the rest of her days in the one place where she really wants to be"home."
Please take the time to demonstrate your understanding of the sacrifices and contributions made by our "Greatest Generation," by offering your companionship, love, respect and attention to those who need it the most.  Remember our "Elderly."
Thank you,
Perry A. Morse II
SOCI 4750 

Continued…..

Carolina Doktor

Casey Drinnen

Amanda Sanchez

Perry Morse

Group 8 - Elderly