2017 Mid-America Institute on Aging and Wellness

MAIA 10th Anniversary Program & Swag Bag.

Every August, the University of Southern Indiana partners with the local Area Agency on Aging--SWIRCA--and others to present a two-day institute on aging and wellness.

As an employee of the university, I had the privilege of attending several sessions on Thursday, August 10th and Friday August 11th. I also received an invitation to attend the pre-conference workshop led by dementia educator Teepa Snow.  I discussed the events of Wednesday, August 9th in a previous post.

Below are highlights from a handful of sessions.

I'm loathe to admit that I could not attend every session.  There were 27 people leading concurrent sessions and four keynote speakers: Bill Thomas, MD, Faith Roberts, MSN, CRRN; Dean Hartley, PhD; and Neha Sangwan, MD.  There as also an exhibit hall featuring dozens of local business and agencies who support aging and wellness.

Such a wealth of experience and perspectives!

Many healthcare professionals attending earn CME credits (continuing medical education), but a good portion of those present are not healthcare professionals; they are community members who are pro-active about their physical, financial, social, and emotional health.

What follows are my notes that are woefully inadequate. I suggest that you attend next year so that you can follow the sessions that interest you the most.

Films about Older LGBT People

Photo of the Castro Theatre by Benson Kua.

While aging contains a number of opportunities and benefits, it also can present some challenges.

Compounding those challenges are prejudices and lack of civil rights for older adults who are lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender.  

A handful of films are emerging that depict some of the experiences of LGBT people as they age. 

Access to housing, healthcare and legal benefits for partners are just some of the issues these films explore.  Some films are documentaries and others are feature films. 

Here are a few films on the topic, listed in reverse chronology:

Beginners: Film Review

Released in the US 3 June 2011

Beginners (2010) is a quirky family dramedy, starring Ewan McGregor, who plays Oliver Fields, a 38-year-old graphic artist trying to overcome his grief of losing his mother and then responding to his widower father coming out as gay.

Christopher Plummer earned an Oscar for Best Supporting Actor (and several other awards) for his role as Oliver's father, Hal. 

I loved everything about this movie: the characters, the themes, the editing, the screenplay, the setting. It was lovely. Oh, and the dog, Arthur, will steal your heart.

It took me a while to select it from my queue of over 160 films about aging. But last night it popped up on THREE categories of recommended films--Independents, Quirky Romances & Critics' Picks. So I caved and watched it.

Delightful!

This film is based on director/screenplay writer Mike Mills' own experience. Like Oliver, Mills' dad coming out as gay shortly after his wife dies of cancer.

In the present, Oliver meets Anna, a French actress played by Mélanie Laurent.  His relationship with her is interrupted by two sets of flashbacks.

Adding Care to Senior Housing

Photo by Kotomi_.

In decades prior, older adults often lacked options for aging with support. Many either stayed too long in their own homes without adequate services, or they moved too soon  into a skilled nursing facility.

Older adults today have more options for where and how they age:

Types of Housing

• Long-established Home (with or without modifications for aging in place)
• Relative's Home
• Active Adult Community
• Senior Apartments (some are government subsidized)
• Independent Living Communities
• Assisted Living Communities
• Skilled Nursing Facilities
• Continuing Care Retirement Community (2 or more levels of care under one roof)

Or they might be in a temporary situation after an acute illness:

• Subacute "Step-down" Facility 
• Long-term Acute Care Hospital

Some of these choices might be unavailable or difficult to acquire due to constraints on finances, family availability, geographic location, health, or limited supply / vacancies.

Services Added to One of the Above Settings

LGBT Right to LTC

Photo by Eric.Parker

The demographics of older adults are shifting in the next two decades. Not only will the percentages of older adults increase, but the number of race/ethnic minorities among their ranks will increase.

Long-term care administrators are aware of this, and there has been more training for staff about how to demonstrate cultural sensitivity. In addition more overt language about cultural diversity has been written into the mission statements for long-term care facilities.

Lagging, however, are overt statements about fostering an environment friendly to members of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community as observed by Page Faegre. Most people feel extremely vulnerable when entering a care facility. Those who have experienced discrimination and even abuse because of their sexual identity / gender identity have increased fear when placed in long-term care.