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Home for the Holidays...Again
By Orion Bell | 12/20/2021
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 took us other places. I had moved to Topeka. During the holiday break we would make the trip...
Read MoreCaregiver and...
By Orion Bell | 11/22/2021
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 to show similar signs of Alzheimer’s. Family members suggested Ann could...
Read MoreThe Elder Index
By Orion Bell | 10/26/2021
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...
Read MoreAll Politics is Local
By Orion Bell | 09/29/2021
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, touches the lives of people where they live at some point. This...
Read MoreTelephone
By Orion Bell | 08/19/2021
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 to help you at this time,” and hung up the phone. He looked over at me and shook his head.It was a...
Read MoreThree Wishes for Dementia Care
By Orion Bell | 07/23/2021
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 family and friend caregivers in...
Read MoreJuneteenth
By Orion Bell | 06/16/2021
“. . .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 1, 1863.”Growing up, I remember learning about two documents authored by Abraham...
Read MoreSwings
By Orion Bell | 05/17/2021
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 slides, but most of the activity was at the swing set. Who can swing highest? Fastest? Who is brave enough to jump? One child turned...
Read MoreThe Real Story About Guardianship
By Orion Bell | 04/07/2021
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. It is a film full of villains and their victims.So, what is...
Read MoreSocial Workers are Essential
By Orion Bell | 03/08/2021
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 in the years following the...
Read MoreProgress is not Linear
By Orion Bell | 02/25/2021
Throughout the month of February, many organizations observe Black History Month. It is an opportunity to celebrate the contributions, sacrifices and successes of African Americans, and the roles they have played in the history of our country. Black History Month also serves as a reminder that the people and their accomplishments are often overlooked, or discounted, or forgotten. The...
Read MoreCommunity
By Orion Bell | 01/22/2021
One of the most used words in the aging network is “community”. We advocate for “home and community-based services” (HCBS) as alternatives to institutional care. We take part in awareness efforts, Dementia Friendly Communities or Communities for a Lifetime, that promote inclusion or accommodation in civic planning and daily life. Assisted living facilities and planned...
Read More“Stay Home!!” for the Holidays?
By Orion Bell | 12/18/2020
What are you doing for the holidays this year? One of the many ways that the pandemic has altered our lives in 2020 is the impact it has on family gatherings: birthdays, weddings, funerals and family reunions. In addition to the conversations about what to do in planning an event, we have all asked the question, “should we?” Is it safe to attend? Am I putting myself or...
Read MoreFamily Caregiver Month
By Orion Bell | 11/17/2020
November is National Family Caregiver Month. In his annual presidential proclamation, President Trump noted, “With generous hearts and faithful devotion, they honor the sanctity of life and affirm the inherent value of all human beings. “ When we talk about family caregivers at Benjamin Rose, we mean the network of informal, and unpaid, supports that allow older adults and people with...
Read MoreOne Vote Counted
By Orion Bell | 10/06/2020
“One vote counted is one voice heard.” It’s an election year. You probably noticed. The seemingly endless stream of political advertising. Yard signs. Mailers. Two of my neighbors were canvassing this weekend, going door-to-door for their candidate. Walking through the community, I see multiple places to pick up an absentee ballot request form. Civic engagement and participation are on...
Read MoreSeptember Songs
By Orion Bell | 09/14/2020
Well, the sun's not so hot in the sky today And you know I can see summertime slipping on away - James Taylor I like September. It’s still summer. But the days are getting shorter. It’s dark now when we go out for Ted’s early morning walk. It’s still warm, but the sweltering afternoons of July and August are past. You don’t need your jacket, but if you have it with you, you won’t be the...
Read MoreBoomers and Slackers and Snowflakes
By Orion Bell | 08/18/2020
A story that appeared recently on Next Avenue shared the author’s attempts to find clothing through Stitch Fix (Are Sites Like Stitch Fix Ageist?). The author shared her growing frustration with the curated clothing selections that online retailer sent her. Frumpy, unflattering boxes of “stretch pants and loose flowing tops.” Her solution? She changed her age in her profile to 15 years younger,...
Read MoreFacing the Facts
By Orion Bell | 07/13/2020
Like much of the country, communities in Northeast Ohio responded to the death of George Floyd, captured on video by bystanders, with a mix of disbelief, sadness and outrage. His death galvanized the country and caused many of us to reconsider the state of racial justice and equity in the United States. The Cleveland City Council passed a resolution citing racism as a public health...
Read MoreThe New Normal
By Orion Bell | 04/23/2020
The parking lot at Benjamin Rose is mostly empty these days. A handful of people are in the building, but there are no classes, no team meetings. The Rose Centers are closed. It’s…quiet. In March, Benjamin Rose Institute on Aging, following the guidance from Governor Mike DeWine and Dr. Amy Acton, Director of the Ohio Department of Health, temporarily closed our community-based programs...
Read MoreIt's Not a Tsunami!
By Orion Bell | 03/13/2020
I don’t remember exactly when I first heard the term “Silver Tsunami” to describe the aging of the Baby Boom generation. Those of us working in the field of aging have long talked about the changing demographics of the United States – how lower birthrates and increased life expectancies meant the population was aging. We would point to the year 2010 and note that the oldest members of the...
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