Rarely do you find writing so beautiful that it takes your breath away, even more rarely is it about something we tend to shun, like death. But in this month’s New Yorker is just such an article. It’s one of the most intelligent, caring, informative, thought-provoking and poignant discussions on end-of-life decisions I’ve ever read.
Click link to access article…. www.NewYorker.com
There is probably nothing more difficult or baffling than caring about (and for) someone with a dementing illness (severe memory loss). Liz Taylor, former Seattle Times columnist on aging, has spent 35 years working in the aging field – yet wasn’t prepared for her own mother’s tumultuous fall into this horrible disease. Personally and professionally, she learned some tough but important lessons. Attend this workshop to hear how you might benefit from what she learned:
Aegis of Bellevue
148 102nd Ave SE
Bellevue, WA 98004
RSVP: 425-296-1293
Space is limited, so please RSVP!
• For those concerned about how to deal with an aging parent, I’ll be speaking Tuesday evening, July 13 from 6:30 to 8 PM on, “How & When to Intervene with an Aging Parent “ at Aegis of Bellevue (148 102nd Ave SE, Bellevue, WA 98004).
Liz Taylor’s workshop July 13 at Aegis of Bellevue:
None of us plan to live as long as most of us probably will. And almost nobody prepares for the unexpected needs and frailties that come with these added years. As a result, many adult children find themselves in the “driver’s seat,” helping their parents navigate this strange territory.
With 35 years experience in the aging field (including 8 years caring for her own parents), Liz Taylor, former columnist on aging for The Seattle Times, will address some of the knowhow she’s learned personally and professionally about intervening with an aging parent. Some of the evening’s topics include:
– Why personality drives much of what happens (the older person’s and everyone else’s)
– Ideas to get family members (including the older person) on board
– What you can – and can’t – do when you intervene
– Have the right paperwork in order.
The workshop is free. Please call 425-453-8100 to reserve your space.
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• If you’re concerned about your own aging – and how our city/country will accommodate it (on many levels), an interesting workshop will address walk ability as part of a new discussion series on “the built environment” that will begin Thursday, July 1 at Seattle Town Hall (Seneca and 8th on Capital Hill) from 6 to 7:30 PM. The speakers are stellar.
The American Dream has long been defined by two markers: the suburb and the automobile. Though planners and environmentalists have worked to redefine that vision, the economy has recently produced a confluence of factors – the rising cost of oil and the declining value of suburban homes, among them – that have ordinary citizens rethinking this archetypical image of our prosperity. Island Press has assembled a panel featuring Brookings Institution fellow Christopher B. Leinberger, developer, teacher and author of The Option of Urbanism; Bruce Agnew, Director of the Cascadia Center; Alex Steffen, Executive Editor of Worldchanging.org, and Scott Matthews, Vulcan Real Estate’s Senior Director, Acquisitions, along with moderator Ron Sher, owner of Third Place Books and a nationally-recognized pioneer in the realm of commerce, community and civic space. They will discuss ways to create walkable urban centers and encourage transit in the context of local and federal policy, as well as opportunities for architects, developers, and preservationists to consider current regulations and policy change. The event is the first in a new series, the Thought Leaders Discussion Panel on the Built Environment, sponsored by Island Press and Town Hall Seattle.
Tickets are $5 at www.brownpapertickets.com or 800/838-3006, and at the door beginning at 6:30 pm. Town Hall members receive priority seating.
“Aging in Place” is the latest and greatest new buzz term for what most of us want as we get older: a place to live for the rest of our lives, no matter what circumstances or poor health bring.
It sounds nice, but what does it look like?
Philip Moeller of US News & World Reports writes about older adult issues. Earlier this year, he published a ten-part slide show on award-winning “Aging In Place” ideas from AARP and the National Association of Home Builders.
The last three slides come from Seattle’s own Emory Baldwin, award-winning architect with ZAI, Inc., of Seattle. In one of my first blogs I wrote about Baldwin’s great FabCab house that was the rage at this year’s Seattle Home Show (see www.FabCab.com).
What I like about Baldwin’s ideas is that they developed in part from his role as a dad – he makes homes for people all ages. A baby stroller is no easier to manipulate up a flight of stairs and across a door threshold than is a wheelchair for someone with MS or a broken leg. So it makes huge sense to live in homes that work for all of us all of our lives.
