Home for the Holidays…Again I’ve been thinking about something my mom said. I grew up in Louisville, Kentucky. I wasn’t born there. And I haven’t lived there for years, but it is the place I think of as my hometown. Like a lot of people, my brothers and I moved away from home. School, career and other life events... Read more
Caregiver and… Ann is a successful attorney practicing elder law. Her interest in this specialty grew in part from her personal experience in dealing with her mother’s rapid decline due to early onset dementia. There were other siblings. But Ann was the youngest, and so her mother moved in with her. Several years later, an aunt began... Read more
The Elder Index Each year, the Social Security Administration updates its Cost of Living Allowance (COLA) for Social Security beneficiaries. Beginning in January 2021, participants received a 1.3 percent increase in their monthly benefit. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the overall inflation rate (the Consumer Price Index or CPI) was 1.4 percent. Earlier this month, the Social Security Administration announced... Read more
All Politics is Local Tip O’Neill, the long-serving Massachusetts Congressman and Speaker of the House is often credited for originating the phrase, “All politics is local.” He may not have been the one who said it first, but he certainly used it; as far back as 1935 when he first ran for the Massachusetts legislature. All policy, all legislation,... Read more
Telephone Recently, I was sitting with my dad while he was waiting to be discharged following a short hospital stay. It was Friday afternoon, and while we were waiting for the nurse to go over his paperwork, the phone rang in his room. He answered the phone. After a few moments, he said, “I’m not able... Read more
Three Wishes for Dementia Care On Thursday, July 15, 2021, Benjamin Rose Institute on Aging President and CEO Orion Bell delivered a testimony at The Alzheimer’s Disease and Related Dementias (ADRD) Task Force Public Forum. This testimony highlighted three important recommendations to the Task Force to address quality of life and care concerns for individuals living with dementia and their... Read more
Juneteenth “. . .on June 19th, 1865. . . the Union soldiers, led by Major General Gordon Granger, landed at Galveston, Texas with news that the war had ended and that the enslaved were now free. Note that this was two and a half years after President Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation - which had become official January... Read more
Swings Last week, the swings were back up in the playground of the park near our house. I pass by them several times a day when we take our dog Ted for a walk. It was a mild afternoon and kids were out in the sun. They climbed on the play stations and slid down the... Read more
The Real Story About Guardianship There is a fascinating movie on Netflix these days. I Care A Lot tells the story of Marla Grayson, a professional guardian, played by Rosamund Pike, and the schemes she employs to deprive her clients of their money, property and access to family. The movie boasts a strong cast, including Peter Dinklage and Dianne Wiest.... Read more
Social Workers are Essential This year’s Social Work Month theme, “Social Workers Are Essential,” embodies the heroic contributions of the Social Work profession to our nation, including the work Social Workers have done to heal our nation during these times of pandemic, racial unrest, economic uncertainty and political divisiveness. The concept of social work arose in the United States... Read more
