2019 Top 10 Posts

Photo by draml.

Another year is coming to a close. Many of the posts from 2019 are related to the university courses that I teach:

• During Fall 2019, I taught Spirituality and Aging for the first time. For years prior, I have intentionally published more blog posts about spirituality, mindfulness, and psychology because the search data shows reader interest. Two of the Top 10 are on this topic.
• I teach Death, Dying, and Bereavement every spring semester, which explains my persistent interest in topics such as advanced care planning and Tisdale's book Advice for Future Corpses--two posts in the Top 10.
• I am teaching Biology of Aging again, so continuing my series on biomarkers for longevity helps support that course material. Most recently, I wrote about Body Mass Index (BMI), which achieved #6 in views this year. 

Here are TGAM's Top 10 posts (by views) for 2019.

I'll See You in My Dreams: Film Review

Released 15 May 2015.

Directed by Brett Haley, I'll See You in My Dreams (2015), Blythe Danner stars as Carol, a widow of twenty years who is negotiating through the challenges and opportunities that come in the second half of life.

This film depicts Carol interacting with a trio of friends (Rhea Perlman, June Squibb and Mary Kay Place) as well as her adult daughter, Kath (Malin Akerman). 

In between outings, Carol drinks wine poolside in her backyard, thinking about how to structure her day and how to eradicate a roof rat who keeps skittering across the front room of her home. 

The tone is quiet and understated with a lilting, poetic quality. 

Even though the film's manner is subtle, the audience can tell that Carol is trying to find purpose and companionship in response to the recent loss of her dog and the decades' long loss of her beloved husband.  

Carol's friends try to push her to date; however, she's reserved and reticent. 

Prepare for Your Care: A Free Resource for ACP

Photo by programwitch via Creative Commons.

Because I teach in the College of Nursing and Health Professions at the University of Southern Indiana, I have the opportunity of working with several experts. This semester, I was privileged to work with Dr. Kevin Valadares, an expert in medical ethics and hospital administration.

Under Dr. Valadares' direction, I was able to participate in Advanced Care Planning (ACP) with my students (Health Care Continuum & Community Services). Sometimes people call ACP by other names, such as Living Will or Advanced Directive.

News report on ACP Grant

USI's description of this project

These are legal documents for establishing whether or not you want curative care or specific types of medical interventions such as CPR, a breathing tube, a feeding tube, or even antibiotics in the case of pneumonia or another infection.

Many people recoil from having such conversations. However, others have watched families struggle to determine how to respond to a serious medical problem suffered by a loved one who can no longer express his or her wishes.

Even a very young person can suffer a life-threatening injury or acute medical condition. While people of any age can live with a chronic illness, this is more prevalent among older adults. As a gerontologist, I have observed many people who have a chronic condition that takes a turn for the worse, rendering them incapable of articulated their wishes.

How Can You Learn about Advanced Care Planning? 

I recently went through the Prepare for Your Care resource. The Regents of the University of California host this site, but experts from a variety of universities, hospitals, and other organizations have helped prepare the information.

2019 MAIA Review: Day Two

Highlights from MAIA on Friday, August 9, 2019.

I have a few notes that I haven't shared from the Twelfth Annual Mid-American Institute on Aging and Wellness (MAIA) held on the campus of University of Southern Indiana.

Attendees include members of the tristate region's healthcare organizations (including USI students, faculty, and staff member), family care partners (formerly called "caregivers"), and individuals of all ages from IN, KY, IL and beyond seeking to improve the quality of their life by learning more about wellness across the lifespan.

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.

These are details about the second day of this event, which took place on Friday, August 9, 2019. Find details about the first day, Thursday August 8th, by following this link.

Ron Weatherford in USI's Carter Hall

As people made there way to Carter Hall, they had the opportunity to practice a few minutes of Tai Chi as directed by Ron Weatherford.

Published in 2014 and 2017.

The morning keynote address was delivered by journalist and author Greg O'Brien.

He gave an engaging speech about living with Younger-Onset Dementia. previously called Early Onset Dementia (EOD).

His work as a journalist gives him the ability to articulate a lot of emotions and concepts about living with this disease. His family heritage and personality gives him the ability to do so with a lot of wit and wisdom; he comes from a long line of animated storytellers.

For those seeking to learn more about O'Brien, he has a well-regarded book, On Pluto, which has been republished in 2017 in an expanded edition.