"Crabby Old Lady Would Rather Stay Home," Time Goes By Blog, October 28, 2019
Written by and for older folks. Read the comments. Good discussion topic as you wrestle with ideas on "socialization."
"What's wrong with a lot of advice for old people is that it promotes living with the same goals and interests as midlife people.

A week or two ago, Crabby Old Lady read (or heard somewhere) about a woman's aged grandmother lamenting that everyone always wants her to go somewhere and do something when her choice is to stay at home.

Crabby knows how the grandmother feels."


"Youths! Go Listen to Your Elders!-A little neighborly conversation can go a long, long way," Spencer Morgan, New York Times, June 8, 2019
"We can do better. I have a golden opportunity for all of those who, like me, feel the desire to give back but can never seem to find the hours in the day to volunteer at a soup kitchen or trek to the mountains to plant trees (is that still a thing?). Next time you’re out for a walk in your neighborhood and you spot an elder man or woman, introduce yourself. The task is simple: begin a conversation, tell something about yourself, listen for any interests they share with you so you can engage them in a meaningful way next time you see each other. And, if possible, let them be the ones to tell you it’s time for them to get going."


"Drumbeat Builds For A Peace Corps Of Caregivers," Judith Graham, Kaiser Health News, October 10, 2019
"Imagine a government program that would mobilize volunteers to help older adults across the nation age in place. One is on the way.

Navigating Aging focuses on medical issues and advice associated with aging and end-of-life care, helping America’s 45 million seniors and their families navigate the health care system.

The Administration for Community Living, part of the Department of Health and Human Services, is taking steps to establish a National Volunteer Care Corps.

If it’s successful, healthy retirees and young adults would take seniors to doctor appointments, shop for groceries, shovel snowy sidewalks, make a bed or mop the floor, or simply visit a few times a week."


"Shopping For A Nursing Home? A First Priority is Full Disclosure About Poorly Performing Facilities," 
National Consumer Voice for Quality Long-Term Care, Aging Today, 2019
"Let’s be honest. People don’t think about nursing home quality until they or a loved one need care. Recent studies show that as many as half of Americans will live in a nursing home at some point in their lives, either for the short term, such as a rehabilitation stay, or because they need the long-term care and services that a nursing home provides.

Regardless of how they come to live in a nursing home, all consumers and families want the best care possible. Being able to make an informed decision about the facilities under consideration is a critical element in the ability to receive quality care; and consumers need reliable, accurate infor­mation in order to make the best decision possible."


"The Resident Advocate," National Consumer Voice for Quality Long-Term Care, October 16, 2019
"A new issue of The Resident Advocate is now available.  The Resident Advocate is a newsletter for residents of long-term care facilities. It provides:
  • Information on residents' rights and care issues
  • News and updates on national policy
  • Self-advocacy tips for obtaining person-centered, quality care
The newsletter is a great resource for residents and families, and can also be shared among friends, facility staff, ombudsmen, and others."


"Exceeding Expectations-One year. One city. 20 lives." Robert N. Butler Columbia Aging Center, 2019
NYC focused documentary-The same thing could be done in Wisconsin.
Exceeding Expectations chronicles the lives of 20 older New Yorkers in order to disrupt prevailing stereotypes about aging. There is no one way to be old, just as there is no one way to be young. Come explore and be inspired.
Go here -> https://www.exceedingexpectations.nyc/20-lives


"Older Americans Are Increasingly Unwilling — Or Unable — To Retire," Ina Jaffe, NPR, October 2, 2019
Repost.
"Bob Orozco barks out instructions like a drill sergeant. The 40 or so older adults in this class follow his lead, stretching and bending and marching in place.

It goes like this for nearly an hour, with 89-year-old Orozco doing every move he asks of his class. He does that in each of the 11 classes he teaches every week at this YMCA in Laguna Niguel, Calif.

"I probably will work until something stops me," Orozco says.

He may be an outlier, still working at 89, but statistics show that there may be more people like him in the near future. About 1 in 4 adults age 65 and older is now in the workforce. That number is expected to increase, making it the fastest-growing group of workers in the country."
Go here-> https://www.npr.org/2019/10/02/751797229/the-new-realities-of-work-and-retirement


"Employment of People Ages 55 to 79," Congressional Budget Office, September 26, 2019
"After declining for decades, the share of people in the United States ages 55 to 79 who were employed began to increase in the mid-1990s: In 1995, 33 percent of people in that age range worked, but by 2018, 44 percent did. That increase was the result of continued increases in employment for women and a reversal of previously declining employment for men. The changes in employment of people ages 55 to 79—the period during which many people stop working—were related to changes in their demographic characteristics and the jobs they held, as well as to changes in Social Security.

As members of the relatively large baby-boom generation aged into their mid-50s and beyond, people ages 55 to 79 started making up an increasing share of the population. Whereas people of that age group made up 24 percent of the population in 1990, they constituted 31 percent in 2018. That increase will continue at least through 2027, the Congressional Budget Office expects. Accordingly, the population of that age has had, and is expected to continue to have, a large and increasing impact on the federal budget."


"Age Smart Employer," Columbia University Aging Center, 2019
NYC-focused site. The same general approach could work here.
"The Age Smart Employer Awards – an initiative of the Robert N. Butler Columbia Aging Center, founded in partnership with The New York Academy of Medicine and funded by the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation – aims to address this need by researching and identifying best practices, honoring employers who value workers of all ages, and supporting businesses looking to maximize the potential of their workers as they age."
Go here -> https://www.mailman.columbia.edu/research/age-smart-employer/about


"Why we lie about being retired," By Ian Rose, BBC, August 20, 2019
"Search the word "retirement" on the internet and your screen is filled with images of silver-haired folk dancing in their kitchens, surfing, getting into ridiculous yoga postures and cuddling grandchildren.

The reality for many can be quite different. For many, the first few months of retirement can often involve an existential crisis, says Harvard Business School professor Teresa Amabile.

"It can be a very dramatic moment." she adds."
Go here -> https://www.bbc.com/news/business-48882195


"Policy Solutions for the Retirement Crisis," By Monique Morrissey, American Society on Aging, 2019
"The U.S. retirement system is flawed and inadequate. The remedy? Expand Social Security and ensure employers and workers contribute to simple, affordable retirement plans.

To address the looming retirement crisis in the United States, economists, advocates, and reformers need to get over the fact that people are flawed and instead focus on fixing the system. Many would-be reformers blame the victim—fix­ating on people’s individual failings while perpet­uating a system that magnifies wealth inequality and protects Wall Street profits. Instead, Social Security should be expanded, while ensuring that employers contribute to simple, affordable plans like Guaranteed Retirement Accounts (GRA)."


"World Population Ageing 2019," The Department of Economic and Social Affairs of the United Nations Secretariat, 2019
"According to UN DESA World Population Prospects 2019, by 2050, 1 in 6 people in the world will be over the
age of 65, up from 1 in 11 in 2019.

All societies in the world are in the midst of this longevity revolution—some are at its early stages and some are
more advanced. But all will pass through this extraordinary transition, in which the chance of surviving to age
65 rises from less than 50 percent—as was the case in Sweden in the 1890s—to more than 90 percent at present
in countries with the highest life expectancy. What is more, the proportion of adult life spent beyond age 65
increased from less than a fifth in the 1960s to a quarter or more in most developed countries today.

These changes for individuals are mirrored in societal changes: older persons are a growing demographic group
in society. Older people account for more than a fifth of the population in 17 countries today, and the United
Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs Population Division’s projections to the end of the century
indicate that this will be the case in 2100 for 155 countries, covering a majority (61 percent) of the world’s
population."


"Fiscal 50: State Trends and Analysis," Pew Research, October 17, 2019
"In 10th year of recovery, states’ fiscal and economic prospects improve
After years of slow progress, states have benefited from a more promising economic and fiscal environment. Pressure on state finances eased as the U.S. economic recovery was poised to become the longest on record and state tax revenue jumped, at least temporarily. Still, not all states have fully recovered from the shocks of the Great Recession more than a decade ago. Some are in a stronger position than others as they try to gauge how long the recovery will last.

A surge in tax receipts provided budget relief for many states, though some of the extra money was due to short-lived effects from the 2017 federal Tax Cuts and Jobs Act. Tax collections in 41 states surpassed their recession-era peaks by the end of 2018, after adjusting for inflation. The extra revenue led some states to add to their rainy day funds, which could cover a bigger share of spending than before the recession in at least half the states."

Employment rates and economic growth are on the upswing. Still, the estimated share of prime working-age adults with jobs was lower than before the recession in most states at the end of 2017, and economic growth measured by state personal income still lagged historic rates.

"Health United States 2018," CDC, 2019
"Health, United States, 2018 is the 42nd report on the health status of the nation and is submitted by the
Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services to the President and the Congress of the United States in
compliance with Section 308 of the Public Health Service Act. This report was compiled by the National Center for Health
Statistics (NCHS) of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

The Health, United States series presents an annual overview of national trends in key health indicators. The
2018 report presents trends and current information on selected measures of morbidity, mortality, health care
utilization and access, health risk factors, prevention, health insurance, and personal health care expenditures in a
20-figure chartbook."


"Down Syndrome & Aging/Alzheimer's," Down Syndrome Association of Wisconsin, 2019
On Wisconsin.
"Thanks to support from Bader Philanthropies and many community partners, DSAW is expanding programs in order to better serve individuals who have both Down syndrome and Alzheimer's disease/dementia and their families. We have support opportunities for loved ones and caregivers, a number of educational opportunities, resources, and more. If you have any questions about this program, please contact Rachel at rachel@dsaw.org.

To stay up to date on all that we have to offer, click the button below to join our email list."
Go here -> https://www.dsaw.org/down-syndrome-alzheimers


"Final deficit figures show GOP Tax Scam keeps blowing holes in budget," Jake's Wisconsin Funhouse, October 29, 2019
On Wisconsin.
Relevance to aging advocates- Some talk about cuts to Social Security and Medicare because of budget "difficulties." The "difficulties" are a result of the tax cuts which dramatically reduced federal revenues in order to give more money to the rich and corporations. Watch out for talk on "necessary" cuts to social programs.
"The U.S. Treasury on Friday said that the federal deficit for fiscal 2019 was $984 billion, a 26% increase from 2018 but still short of the $1 trillion mark previously forecast by the administration.

The gap between revenues and spending was the widest it’s been in seven years as expenditures on defense, Medicare and interest payments on the national debt ballooned the shortfall…
ber 
Annual deficits have nearly doubled under President Donald Trump’s tenure notwithstanding an unemployment rate at multidecade lows and better earnings figures. Deficits usually shrink during times of economic growth as higher incomes and Wall Street profits buoy Treasury coffers, while automatic spending on items like food stamps decline."
Go here -> http://jakehasablog.blogspot.com/2019/10/final-deficit-figures-show-gop-tax-scam.html