IssueM Articles
Everyone agrees we want to stay in our own home as we get older. Not everyone can. Common disabilities associated with aging can make the dream impossible. But if you could design an environment that would truly make aging-in-place a reality, what would it look like?
Dr. Bill Thomas famously created the “Green House” project to make senior living facilities – particularly nursing homes – be more like living in a home with extended family.
In the century from 1920 to 2020 the average life span doubled from 53.22 years to 78.81 years. The Covid-19 pandemic put the brakes on that.
In a newly published report from the National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS), a division of the CDC (Center for Disease Control and Prevention), overall life expectancy dropped from 78.8 years estimated in 2019 to 77.8 years currently; a decrease of an entire year. The changes were greater among Hispanic and African Americans.
Born Robert Allen Zimmerman, Bob Dylan turned 80 on May 24th. He has sold more than 125 million albums worldwide and created some of the most iconic music of the “Boomer” generation.
For the past two decades Americans have been putting off retirement and working longer. But according to Jed Kolko in a recent New York Times article, the retirement rate jumped up among people 65 – 74 by 65.6% in March – compared to March of 2020.
One of the first emojis ever created was that goofy smiley face on FaceBook. Before that, we all got over stimulated by the smiley face on grocery bags, sweatshirts, and just about any surface that would take the ink.
Alabama Governor Kay Ivey has announced that Alabama’s COVID-19 public health order will end Monday, May 31, 2021, and the state of emergency will end Tuesday, July 6, 2021.
The mask mandates are off in Alabama. Birmingham, one of the metro holdouts, lifted its mask mandate May 24th. The CDC recommends a mask for anyone in a confined space who has not been vaccinated. Fully vaccinated individuals may safely resume more normal behavior in crowds.
If you are eligible to get vaccinated and aren’t medically compromised and still need a reason to do it, check out what Ohio Governor Mike DeWine is doing. Ohio has debuted a weekly $1,000,000 lottery prize and full college scholarships in an effort to overcome reluctance to getting vaccinated!
Covid cases are down nationally and in Alabama. Successful roll-out of vaccine and natural immunity (10%-15% of Americans have contracted the disease and recovered) contribute to the decline.
The Covid-19 pandemic has exposed many weaknesses in our healthcare system. Nursing homes, assisted living, home care, and even doctor visits have been challenged to look at their protocols and methods to fix deficiencies in delivering quality care.
