Innovations in Aging Collaborative

Striving to become an Age-Friendly Community where individuals of any age feel valued, respected, and supported by their community.

Community

Dementia Myth Busting

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On March 27th, Innovations in Aging Collaborative joined Dementia Friendly America in their efforts to make America a safer place for people with Dementia. Colorado Springs is now considered a Dementia Friendly city and IIAC is working hard to improve our city for those experiencing dementia. In society there is often a cloud of confusion and myth surrounding Dementia. To become more Dementia Friendly, it’s important we educate ourselves and our community about Dementia. To do this, we need to define what dementia is and debunk some of the common myths about it.

Dementia is defined by the Mayo Clinic as, “a group of symptoms affecting memory, thinking and social abilities severely enough to interfere with your daily life. It isn’t a specific disease, but several different diseases may cause dementia”.

Myth: Dementia is the same thing as Alzheimer’s Disease.
This is false. Alzheimer’s disease is the most common form of dementia. Alzheimer’s is caused by plaques which are buildups of protein, and tangles which are tangled bundles of protein in the brain. These plaques and tangles can cause memory loss which contributes to dementia.

Myth: Dementia is a normal part of aging
Dementia is not a normal part of aging. Many older adults will experience some minor memory issues such as temporarily forgetting an event or the name of an acquaintance but eventually recalling it. Persons experiencing Dementia on the other hand may not remember the name of a relative or what season it is. Some memory loss is normal for aging adults, but when it interferes with their quality of life or ability to function it could be considered Dementia.

Myth: Only seniors can experience Dementia
Early onset dementia affects people under 65 years old. 5% of people diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease experience early onset. Although it is a small percent, it is a significant group of people that are experiencing symptoms of dementia as early as their late thirties.

Myth: If your parent has dementia, you will have Dementia
There are different types of Dementia and the majority of them are not hereditary and will not be passed down to children or grandchildren.

Myth: You cannot do anything to prevent getting Dementia
This is false, there are multiple lifestyle changes that can aid in keeping you healthy later in life. Through research and clinical trials, The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine found three practices that can prolong Dementia: Increased physical activity, blood pressure management for those with hypertension, and cognitive training.

Myth: People with Dementia need to be treated like children
This is an especially harmful myth. There is a phenomenon called ‘elderspeak’, which is a term used to describe how younger people talk to elders. Elderspeak often has a high-pitched tone and the use of words like ‘sweetie’ and ‘honey’. Elderspeak can make seniors feel disrespected and degraded. Studies have shown that elderspeak is correlated with an increase of challenging behaviors such as refusing care.

These myths are commonly held to be true in our community. As we learn more about Dementia it is important that we all do our part to educate each other. The more we know, the more we can support those living with dementia and their caretakers.
To learn more about Dementia and Dementia Friendly America visit these resources:

https://www.alz.org/alzheimers-dementia/what-is-dementia

https://www.dfamerica.org/

Why we are excited about the iVillage

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It may take a village to raise a child, but what does it take to make sure that we maintain a high quality of life as we age? Across the country, hundreds of communities have enthusiastically stood up and declared that they have the capacity and willingness to extend the idea of a caring village to vulnerable community members not just in their earliest days, but in their later days as well. However, unlike children, older adults give invaluable insight on what kind of help they need to live their best life. That is the beauty of the village movement. With a member-focused approach, neighbors can come together and provide the right kind of support for community members. This means they can age in their community with dignity, meaning, and belonging.

We all need a home

In survey after survey, seniors indicate that they want to stay in their homes for as long as physically possible. That preference makes sense because humans thrive in community. Why would we want to live out the end of our lives separated from the networks we have spent our whole lives constructing? That is a core problem with the modern conception of senior living. We think that our elders will be happier if they are in assisted living because they will be safer or that moving into a home closer to family would be infinitely better than staying where they have been for years. “Home” is so much more than a place to live. “Home” is built from the network of relationships and memories that surround and connect us to our community.

Growing older and growing community

As we grow older, our social circles grow smaller, our commitments less time consuming, and our days quieter. Those are natural changes that come with a long life. However, it is easy to become isolated as it becomes more difficult to leave home to participate in the social and physical activates that were once easy and integral parts of daily life.

Being part of a village can be an opportunity to maintain an active, social lifestyle to whatever extent you desire as well as get a little bit of help when you need it. The natural byproduct of taking advantage of these opportunities is the strengthening of both old and new connections. You can call and ask for some help getting to the grocery store and end up strolling and chatting with a new friend as you browse through the produce. How wonderful is it to know that you have people that care for you and are also part of a network that can care for others as well? This is the village concept.

“I’m not there yet”

When discussing the village concept this is the typical response: “That is a great idea, but I don’t think I need that just yet.” It is important to ask this question in response: how do you ensure that it will be there for you when you do need it? Networks of care take investment because building relationships takes time. Investing time and other resources into the care of vulnerable community members means that you are building a precedent that will be strongly established when you are “that age” as well.

What if we could make the Village idea a mainstream concept and a completely viable option for everyone as they age? We think it is a real possibility here in Colorado Springs. While looking to the models of successful villages across the country we are getting started in the Old North End Neighborhood and already have a handful of members as well as trained volunteers.

Interested in learning more? Call Nancy, the Program Coordinator for the ONEN iVillage at 719-332-5528 or send an e-mail to Nj.lppnctt@gmail.com

A matter of life and death

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Sharing in the digital age

In the digital age, we share so much more of our personal lives with one another than was typical or even acceptable in the past. Whether it is a direct effect of the shrinking space between us or the rise of the ever-revolutionary baby boomers (10,000 of which turn 65 every day), a major shift is occurring in how we approach the conversation around living life well to the very end. Increasingly, people are disregarding the norms of silence and the avoidance of uncomfortable conversation in favor of the catharsis and healing that comes from tactfully exposing and honoring the truth. As humans, we will inevitably die, but we do have a choice in how we structure our lives to live in the best possible way to the very end.

A different approach

In a conversation with Elizabeth Alexander, author of the memoir The Light of the World, Atul Gawande, author of Being Mortal, discusses the hundreds of interviews that he conducted for his book saying,  “In the process of talking about dying and even talking about a good death, they were really talking about living and the fact that people got to live all the way to the very end.”  Atul Gawanade is perhaps the most famous advocate for the thorough discussion of what truly matters to people as they approach the end of their lives and allowing that to be the guide in their care even when it contrasts the cultural norm of doing everything and anything to avoid danger or death. Through thoughtful and honest conversation, we can ascertain the needs and desires of ourselves and our family members which allows us to more effectively achieve the life we want and help others do the same.

For the whole conversation between Atul Gawande and Elizabeth Alexander, here is the recording from the New York Public Library.

Here is a collection of some of our favorite resources for stimulating conversation around life and death.

The Conversation Project provides free guides in several languages to help you through each step of figuring out what really matters to your loved ones in end-of-life care.

Death Over Dinner helps you plan a dinner for a variety of potential groups to gather and transform the difficult conversation into a substantial experience of insight and empowerment.

Death Cafe connects discussion groups around the world that gather to drink tea, eat cake, and discuss death.