This Is Getting Old: Moving Towards an Age-Friendly World Podcast with Dr. MELISSA BATCHELOR

Latest Episodes:

EP97: AARP/ Age-Friendly Social Innovation Challenge Abuse, Fraud, and Neglect Mar 08, 2022

Show notes

Anyone can be abused, regardless of age, gender, nationality, religion, ethnicity, or social background. Hundreds of thousands of adults over 60 years old are mistreated, neglected, or monetarily exploited every year. More than half a million reports of elder abuse are made to the police each year in the United States alone, and many more go unreported.

If an older adult becomes more physically or cognitively frail, they may become less capable of self-care, resisting bullying, or defending themselves if/ when assaulted. Moreover, they may not see, hear, or understand as clearly as they once did, leaving them vulnerable to unscrupulous persons.

With these conditions in mind, This Is Getting Old together with The George Washington University Center for Aging, Health and Humanities, and multiple multi-sector partners present a 10-part AARP/ Age-Friendly Social Innovation Challenge to you.

Today's episode will be on Abuse, Fraud, and Neglect. Tune in to learn more about how we can help older adults victimized by abuse, fraud, or neglect.

Key points covered in this episode:

✔️Coming Together For Victims of Abuse, Fraud, and Neglect.

University students from the D.C. Metro area, older adults and local leaders who live in the region and work in the age-friendly space participated in a forum to develop abuse, fraud, and neglect solutions.

✔️Do You Know Any Alberta's?

Alberta is the persona developed as an example by the Abuse, Fraud, and Neglect Design Thinking team as a scenario with common circumstances in an intergenerational home. In the team's problem statement, Alberta, age 79, stays with her daughter and grandchildren, but they are rarely home. So to make the most out of her time, Alberta cleans the house and does what she can do. When she was alone one day, Alberta answered the phone call from a sales representative asking her to buy a bunch of magazines—which was a scam. After the incident, Alberta's daughter did not want her to use the phone.

✔️What Makes Alberta So Susceptible To Scam?

Understand and be familiar with the different forms of abuse, fraud, or neglect that you might not be mindful of. In Alberta's case, the roots of her susceptibility to abuse, fraud, and neglect are social isolation, not being used to working, role reversal, relationship strains, and many other things.

✔️Age-Friendly Solutions For Alberta

Several locals, state, and national social service organizations can assist with emotional, legal, and financial abuse. To name one, Silver Social Connect is a single-stop service that connects peers with their wider community through multiple means to help mitigate social isolation.

✔️How Can We Help Alberta?

Everyone has the right to live in peace, decency, and respect.

Abuse or neglect among older adults will not go away on its own. Someone else must step up and help. Many older adults are embarrassed to report abuse. Or they're scared that if they file a complaint, the abuser will find out, and the problem will worsen.

If you feel that an older adult is in danger from a negligent or burdened guardian or being monetarily exploited, you must speak out.

Here are some hotlines and resources you can use to help victims of abuse, fraud or neglect.

U.S. Senate Special Committee on Aging's Fraud Hotline: 855-303-9470,
Eldercare Locator: 1-800-677-1116

Resources:

The Fraud Book at the Special Committee for Aging

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If you have questions, comments, or need help, please feel free to drop a one-minute audio or video clip and email it to me at melissabphd@gmail.com, and I will get back to you by recording an answer to your question.

About Melissa Batchelor, Ph.D., R.N., FNP-BC, FGSA, FAAN:

I earned my Bachelor of Science in Nursing ('96) and Master of Science in Nursing ('00) as a Family Nurse Practitioner (FNP) from the University of North Carolina Wilmington (UNCW) School of Nursing (SON). I genuinely enjoy working with the complex medical needs of older adults. I worked full-time for five years as FNP in geriatric primary care across many long-term care settings (skilled nursing homes, assisted living, home, and office visits), then transitioned into academic nursing in 2005, joining the faculty at UNCW SON as a lecturer. I obtained my Ph.D. in Nursing and a post-master's Certificate in Nursing Education from the Medical University of South Carolina College of Nursing ('11). I then joined the faculty at Duke University School of Nursing as an Assistant Professor. My family moved to northern Virginia in 2015 and led to me joining the George Washington University (G.W.) School of Nursing faculty in 2018 as a (tenured) Associate Professor. I am also the Director of the G.W. Center for Aging, Health, and Humanities. Please find out more about her work at https://melissabphd.com/.

EP96: The Legislative Process with Alison Hernandez, PhD, RN Feb 01, 2022

Show notes

The legislative process is how a bill is enacted into federal law.

Aside from knowing the political structure and complying with various regional and local regulations, advocates whose overarching goal is a new or revised policy should be well versed in how a bill can become law and the specific procedural rules that apply to the process.

Significant issues may arise if advocates fail to implement a specific procedural norm, causing the lobbying effort to delay or be terminated.

Learn the basics of the U.S. legislative process from someone who knows every nook and cranny of how it works. Tune in as Alison Hernandez, PhD, R.N., Health & Aging Policy Fellow in the U.S. House of Representatives, explains how a bill becomes a law.

Key points covered in this episode:

✔️Be in the know. The number one thing is folks should know who their federal and state representatives are. You are represented in the United States Congress by one member of the House of Representatives (voted into office from a local district) and two members of the Senate, depending on where you live. Congress.gov is an excellent resource where you can search for bills by either theme, subject matter, or your representative or senator.

✔️How Laws Are Made

Here's a short overview of how bills are enacted to become a law.

Drafting: Laws start from an idea. Advocates can come up with a write up and connect with a Representative to draft a bill.
Introduction: A representative sponsors a bill. After that, the bill is referred to a committee for review.
Mark Up: Bills issued by the committee are scheduled for voting, discussion, or amendment.
Voting: The bill will be sent to the Senate if it receives unanimous approval (218 out of 435 votes).
A conference committee works out any discrepancies between the House and Senate editions of the bill made up of members of both chambers.
The bill now goes back to the House of Representatives and the Senate for final passage.
The Government Printing Office prints the updated bill in a process known as enrolling.
The President has ten days to approve or veto the law that has been enrolled.

✔️The power of the Congress. The Constitution gives Congress enormous authority as one of the three coequal branches of government. Congress has exclusive legislative authority, which means it is the only branch of government that may enact new laws or amend existing ones. Regulations issued by Executive Branch agencies have full legal power but are under the legislation established by Congress. The President may veto bills passed by Congress, but a two-thirds majority in the House of Representatives and the Senate can overturn a veto.

✔️How to connect with your Representatives? It's as easy as sending an email or making a phone call to reach out to your Member of Congress. Do a multi-modal strategy where you may call and email and set up an appointment and then follow up by email or phone call or on social media. They have offices in both their home districts and in Washington, D.C. These offices should have all of their contact details readily accessible on their websites.

✔️The follow-up is golden. The more you follow up and insist, the more likely things will happen. Every email and voicemail is listened to and counted—it's just a matter of prioritizing what they are.

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About Melissa Batchelor, Ph.D., R.N., FNP-BC, FGSA, FAAN:

EP95: How to Communicate with Policymakers with Alison Hernandez, PhD, RN Jan 31, 2022

Show notes

It's easy to overlook that many of the policies we see and hear in the news aren't entirely decided by the policymakers we see every day. The actual power that initiates innovative ideas into action rests behind the spotlight, with purpose-driven civil servants and professionals.

Despite the many political, logistical, and psychological obstacles these decision-makers encounter, foundations, charities, social sector organizations, and professionals—including nurses— can influence their thinking and impact policy.

Thus, nurses, healthcare professionals and advocates must understand how to communicate with policymakers to contribute successfully to policymaking processes.

Hear first-hand information and insider tips straight from a Health and Aging Policy Fellow in the U.S. House of Representatives, Alison Hernandez, PhD, RN, here at This Is Getting Old.

Key points covered in this episode:

✔️There isn't good policy without good politics and vice versa.

Understand that politics is a competitive, nonviolent process of allocating resources and power. Thus, voting for your elected officials is the most pivotal part because they will eventually exercise the collective voice on the floor. Sponsorship is excellent, but the vote is most important.

✔️Thirteen to fourteen thousand bills are introduced in Congress every year, and about 1-3% make it to law.

One important deciding factor as to whether the bill goes anywhere in a committee is the person who introduced the bill. It's worth noting that co-sponsorship is a crucial way to move an issue forward—and it's the power of numbers.

✔️State employees are strapped for time.

Committee staff rely on outside forces, experts who are subject matter experts, or advocacy groups working towards issues and change for a very long time

Public officials have a lot on their plates. Aim for brief, straightforward proposals that focus on the central issue you would like to convey if you want people to pay attention to what you have to say.

✔️Avoid Too Much Fact-Stuffing

A few numbers may be effective, but too many can sometimes be confusing and overlooked. Figures may be placed in context by comparing them to a worldwide average, or they can be made more understandable by linking them to commonplace values that policymakers can understand immediately.

✔️Spotlight on concrete outcomes and, ideally, address problems.

Politics, philosophy, the times, the press—there are so many things that influence what changes get made and why. For policymakers to make things work, they need to get other people on their side. Make their lives easy. What is the most compelling evidence you can provide to demonstrate that your proposal will have a genuine impact? If possible, share solid examples of where the idea has previously worked and how to improve it. If you can't, describe the outcomes you'd like to see.

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About Melissa Batchelor, Ph.D., RN, FNP-BC, FGSA, FAAN:

I earned my Bachelor of Science in Nursing ('96) and Master of Science in Nursing ('00) as a Family Nurse Practitioner (FNP) from the University of North Carolina Wilmington (UNCW) School of Nursing (SON). I genuinely enjoy working with the complex medical needs of older adults. I worked full-time for five years as FNP in geriatric primary care across many long-term care settings (skilled nursing homes, assisted living, home, and office visits), then transitioned into academic nursing in 2005, joining the faculty at UNCW SON as a lecturer. I obtained my Ph.D. in Nursing and a post-master's Certificate in Nursing Education from the Medical University of South Carolina College of Nursing ('11). I then joined the faculty at Duke University School of Nursing as an Assistant Professor. My family moved to northern Virginia in 2015 and led to me joining the George Washington University (GW) School of Nursing faculty in 2018 as a (tenured) Associate Professor. I am also the Director of the GW Center for Aging, Health, and Humanities. Please find out more about her work at https://melissabphd.com/.

EP94: Why Nurses Should Be Political: Civics 101 Jan 18, 2022

Show notes

Nurses are often frustrated about policies and regulations governing nursing practice, mainly when they're developed by individuals who lack healthcare experience. This 3-part series provides an overview of why nurses should be involved in policy, the legislative process, and how to communicate with policymakers.

A significant number of nurses are channeling these frustrations into positive initiatives as advocates. They are assuming new roles to influence the programs, rules, policies, and regulations that govern the nursing profession, the functioning of the broader health care system, and the communities we serve.

Drs. Melissa Batchelor and Alison Hernandez, are both nurses who agree that any nurse can become a policy advocate at the local, statewide, or federal level by understanding how the political system works and what approaches can affect policy.

Key points covered in this episode:

✔️ Nurses are innately health policy experts. Dr. Alison Hernandez is a Health and Aging Policy Fellow (2019-2020) in the U.S. House of Representatives. As a fellow passionate about health policy and helping older adults achieve the highest quality of life, Dr. Alison Hernandez stressed that nurses could be political and advocate for whatever it is that they care for

✔️Who you elect matters. Who we vote to represent makes a difference to affect change and influence policymaking. Dr. Alison Hernandez pointed out that you have to put people in power that resemble your ideologies if you want to see change.

✔️Nurses are solution-driven—we're focused on how to fix things. One can't undermine the role of nurses in shaping health policy. If you have RN behind your name, you have the power to send the email as a constituent and as a concerned citizen.

✔️It takes multiple voices to solve all the different problems that we have. Thus, nurses need to have a least cursory understanding of policy for their voice to be heard because we can't be influential influencers of policy without that. Aside from that, making connections in your community, especially if you're working and volunteering on campaigns, is an excellent way to dip your toe in the political sphere of things.

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About Melissa Batchelor, Ph.D., RN, FNP-BC, FGSA, FAAN:

I earned my Bachelor of Science in Nursing ('96) and Master of Science in Nursing ('00) as a Family Nurse Practitioner (FNP) from the University of North Carolina Wilmington (UNCW) School of Nursing (SON). I genuinely enjoy working with the complex medical needs of older adults. I worked full-time for five years as FNP in geriatric primary care across many long-term care settings (skilled nursing homes, assisted living, home, and office visits), then transitioned into academic nursing in 2005, joining the faculty at UNCW SON as a lecturer. I obtained my Ph.D. in Nursing and a post-master's Certificate in Nursing Education from the Medical University of South Carolina College of Nursing ('11). I then joined the faculty at Duke University School of Nursing as an Assistant Professor. My family moved to northern Virginia in 2015 and led to me joining the George Washington University (GW) School of Nursing faculty in 2018 as a (tenured) Associate Professor. I am also the Director of the GW Center for Aging, Health, and Humanities. Please find out more about her work at https://melissabphd.com/.

EP93: Part II: Four Tips for Caregivers of a Person Living with Alzheimer's Disease with Shimoda Donna Emanuel Jan 04, 2022

Show notes

Artist Shimoda Emanuel rearranged her life when she had to take care of her 95-year young mom with Alzheimer's. Changing her whole way of doing things wasn't easy; she was freaking out, losing sleep, feeling like her time wasn't hers anymore.

Determined to make a change, she found better ways of implementing a healthy lifestyle of art, laughter and music into caregiving.

This is a 2-part series on Caring for the Person Living with Alzheimer's Disease.

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✔️ Main Point 1: Getting Out of Overwhelm

- A strategy Shimoda shares is first to pick up the phone and talk to somebody. At times you need to vent even without finding solutions. Just let it out.

- Release your emotions by writing it all out, making drawings or even putting on some rock music, just dancing as another way of releasing overwhelm.

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✔️ Main Point 2: Role of the Support Team

- Sometimes, it's easy to become pretty isolated if you're a caregiver and feel like people have forgotten about you or that they don't care. Other people help lighten the load. The Alzheimer's Association has a 24-hour support line 1-800-272-3900.

- Be sure to tap into resources and other communities across the country with support groups to help people get connected because you need help.

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✔️ Main Point 3: Getting Affairs in Order

- Understand the value that it's never too early to have that talk with mom and dad. Getting their affairs in order is highly important to avoid facing problems with legalities in the future.

- Having someone to help walk you through it in fulfilling major papers. It's a lot to do and will trigger overwhelm.

Resource: https://cameronhuddleston.com/resources/

You can find the In Case of Emergency Organizer, a 26-page document that takes you through everything you need to have in place.

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✔️ Main Point 4: Doctors Appointments

- Find a company that will have a car service ready to pick you up. Schedule that considering how long your loved one with Alzheimer's takes time to get dressed, eat, and prepare.

- Make sure that medications are ready; bring a snack, a magazine, something for them to play or be occupied with while waiting.

- Keep a bag packed that you could grab and go when you have to go to the emergency room.

Shimoda Donna Emanuel is a mixed media artist living in Harlem, N.Y. She grew up influenced by her artistic parents.

Shimoda Accessories has a range of work that includes intuitive jewelry and fiber art.

Her art has been on HGTV, covers of Essence magazine and other various publications.

She is honored to have her art available for purchase at The Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture gift shop.

As her sister's caregiver and a 96-year young mom with Alzheimer's, Shimoda decided to create 'Sacred Stitches: The Art of Caregiving.' This colorful book offers tips for other caregivers. She found solutions that worked for her with creative exercises, rituals and more.

Shimoda also published 'Sacred Stitches: Fiber Art Dolls for the Soul' and 'Sacred Stitches, an inspirational 25-piece card deck.

Shimoda, husband and mom were recently filmed for an Alzheimer documentary that will air in the near future.

Link to all the Care Givers Items

Book & Paper — Shimoda Accessories (shimoda-accessories.com)

Book

Sacred Stitches: The Art of Care Giving

Tips for Stitching Yourself Together When Caring for Someone with Alzheimer's

Link

NEW BOOK! Sacred Stitches: The Art of Care Giving - Tips for Stitching Yourself Together When Caring for Someone with Alzheimer's — Shimoda Accessories (shimoda-accessories.com)

Notecards

Sacred Stitches – Caregivers Need Love Also

Link

Sacred Stitches - Caregivers Need Love Note Cards — Shimoda Accessories (shimoda-accessories.com)

25 Card Deck

Sacred Stitches – Your Intuitive Wisdom Guide Connecting You to Focus, Clarity & Peace

Link

Sacred Stitches: A 25-Card Deck — Shimoda Accessories (shimoda-accessories.com)

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About Melissa Batchelor, Ph.D., RN, FNP-BC, FGSA, FAAN:

I earned my Bachelor of Science in Nursing ('96) and Master of Science in Nursing ('00) as a Family Nurse Practitioner (FNP) from the University of North Carolina Wilmington (UNCW) School of Nursing (SON). I genuinely enjoy working with the complex medical needs of older adults. I worked full-time for five years as FNP in geriatric primary care across many long-term care settings (skilled nursing homes, assisted living, home, and office visits), then transitioned into academic nursing in 2005, joining the faculty at UNCW SON as a lecturer. I obtained my Ph.D. in Nursing and a post-master's Certificate in Nursing Education from the Medical University of South Carolina College of Nursing ('11). I then joined the faculty at Duke University School of Nursing as an Assistant Professor. My family moved to northern Virginia in 2015 and led to me joining the George Washington University (GW) School of Nursing faculty in 2018 as a (tenured) Associate Professor. I am also the Director of the GW Center for Aging, Health, and Humanities. Please find out more about her work at https://melissabphd.com/.

EP92: Part I: Four Tips for Caregivers and the Person living with Alzheimer's Disease with Shimoda Emanuel Dec 28, 2021

Show notes

Determined to make a change, she found better ways of implementing a healthy lifestyle of art, laughter and music into caregiving.

This is a 2-part series on Caring for the Person Living with Alzheimer's Disease.

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✔️ Main Point 1: Establish Morning Ritual and Time Management

-Sacred time for yourself is so important. Shimoda would meditate for at least for five minutes to get centered, write in her journal, read a book and get up and drink some water.

-As a caregiver, remember that if you're not taking care of yourself, you're not going to be able to take care of other people.

✔️ Main Point 2: The Power of Smell

- Essential oils can relax or boost your energy

- Being in touch with how you're feeling and what can help with that.

✔️ Main Point 3: Food Affects Mood

- Being aware of what you eat and how it makes you feel

- Being aware of how food affects the person your loved one.

- Be mindful of the effect of sugar

✔️ Main Point 4: Sweet Sleep

- Not getting enough sleep affects you and your loved one.

- Tips for a restful sleep, especially if the person with Alzheimer's wakes up in the middle of the night, includes using safer alternatives like calcium & magnesium supplements, melatonin or chamomile tea.

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Shimoda Donna Emanuel is a quilt, fiber, and mixed media artist and the owner of ShimodaAccessories.com. A published author, Shimoda shares her experience in her new book, Sacred Stitches: The Art of Caregiving.

Link to all the Care Givers Items

Book & Paper — Shimoda Accessories (shimoda-accessories.com)

Book

Sacred Stitches: The Art of Care Giving

Tips for Stitching Yourself Together When Caring for Someone with Alzheimer's

Link

NEW BOOK! Sacred Stitches: The Art of Care Giving - Tips for Stitching Yourself Together When Caring for Someone with Alzheimer's — Shimoda Accessories (shimoda-accessories.com)

Notecards

Sacred Stitches – Caregivers Need Love Also

Link

Sacred Stitches - Caregivers Need Love Note Cards — Shimoda Accessories (shimoda-accessories.com)

25 Card Deck

Sacred Stitches – Your Intuitive Wisdom Guide Connecting You to Focus, Clarity & Peace

Link

Sacred Stitches: A 25-Card Deck — Shimoda Accessories (shimoda-accessories.com)

----------------------------------------------------------------

About Melissa Batchelor, Ph.D., RN, FNP-BC, FGSA, FAAN:

I earned my Bachelor of Science in Nursing ('96) and Master of Science in Nursing ('00) as a Family Nurse Practitioner (FNP) from the University of North Carolina Wilmington (UNCW) School of Nursing (SON). I genuinely enjoy working with the complex medical needs of older adults. I worked full-time for five years as FNP in geriatric primary care across many long-term care settings (skilled nursing homes, assisted living, home, and office visits), then transitioned into academic nursing in 2005, joining the faculty at UNCW SON as a lecturer. I obtained my Ph.D. in Nursing and a post-master's Certificate in Nursing Education from the Medical University of South Carolina College of Nursing ('11). I then joined the faculty at Duke University School of Nursing as an Assistant Professor. My family moved to northern Virginia in 2015 and led to me joining the George Washington University (GW) School of Nursing faculty in 2018 as a (tenured) Associate Professor. I am also the Director of the GW Center for Aging, Health, and Humanities. Please find out more about her work at https://melissabphd.com/.

EP91: Boomers 3.0: Marketing to Baby Boomers in Their Third Act of Life with Larry Samuel Dec 21, 2021

Show notes

Seventy million baby boomers are still out there and will be around for another two or three decades, and happily, in this third act of life. Thought leader and American cultural historian Larry Samuel invites us to rethink our mindset about ageism and how we must work on ways to serve older 50s to mid-70s as they enter a new era in their lives, needing to be heard and supported.

Key points covered in this episode:

✔️ Most marketers are ignoring older customers. It's like the Wild West when it comes to aging, where everybody's doing it differently. Larry enumerates his recommendations to effectively communicate with this generation based on the ten values.

✔️ Value 1: Youthfulness. Boomers are considered to be a permanently youthful generation. This has significant implications for marketers who speak to them as old when they are young inside (well, in fact, it's just their bodies that get older.) Larry points out, "Approaching that target market through a lens of youthfulness can be a very compelling proposition, rather than the typical way we are treated of being old and in physical or cognitive decline. That's not a good way to approach us."

✔️ Value 2: Knowledge. BOOMERS were the most educated generation until millennials came along. Research shows that we generate new brain cells until we're dead, basically. Hence, the older generation is perfectly capable of learning new things, and that's an essential value for boomers -- whether it is taking classes at a community college, traveling, learning about a different culture or a new language, or taking music lessons.

✔️ Value 3: Reinvention. Studies have shown that regardless of age, people are extremely resilient, adaptable and can reinvent themselves. Whether through work, romance or spirituality, we are constantly reshaping and morphing into different people, so I think that's an important one for marketers who mistakenly believe that we're not going to change.

✔️ Value 4: Creativity. It's in our DNA. That was an idea embedded in us early in the 50s and 60s when we were growing up. Research shows that creativity is good for physical and mental health. It'll keep you alive longer, literally, if you're expressing your individual creativity in some way.

✔️ Value 5: Bucket List. Boomers already have the time and money to explore different avenues in pursuit. "I recommend to marketers to be an enabler of that. How can you present or develop a new product or service as a way for a baby boomer to cross something off their list and achieve a lifetime experience that they always wanted to do?"

✔️ Value 6: Self Actualization. We all remember Maslow's theory is the hierarchy; there is a lot of truth to it; you often go up through these stages for most of us. Accepting that you're a wiser person and that you should leverage that in some way and through this emotional contentment and satisfaction that also comes along and enables you to evolve as a human being.

✔️ Value 7: Community. Boomers were once the largest community globally and are now outnumbered by millennials; there were 70 million in the 50s up still alive.

✔️ Value 8: Activism. Idealism is embedded in the older generation and passed on to a great degree. They form a very powerful political bloc, a constituency that people in public and private spheres can reach out to. It would be wise for marketers to sort of tap into this innate activist spirit that boomers have.

✔️ Value 9: Purpose. They are doing things like volunteering, mentoring, coaching or teaching. These are a few of what they haven't gotten around to doing much as a younger person.

✔️ Value 10: Legacy. Boomers are thinking about their mortality for the first time. The idea that we will live longer than our physical selves is a very powerful one. So you're seeing a lot of philanthropy, charity, a lot of donating time and money in different ways.

Lawrence R. Samuel is the founder of AmeriCulture, a Miami- and New York City-based consultancy dedicated to thought leadership relating to the past, present, and future of American culture. As a trailblazer in translating cultural insights and emerging trends into business opportunities for Fortune 1000 companies and their agencies, Larry is widely recognized as an expert in the economic, social, and political dynamics of consumer behavior.

Larry is the author of many books, including Age Friendly: Ending Ageism in America, Aging in America: A Cultural History, and Boomers 3.0: Marketing to Baby Boomers in Their Third Act of Life. He also writes the "Psychology Yesterday," "Boomers 3.0," and "Future Trends" blogs for psychologytoday.com and is widely quoted in the media. Larry holds a Ph.D. in American Studies from the University of Minnesota, an MBA in Marketing from the University of Georgia, and was named a 2017 NextAvenue Influencer in Aging.

Find Larry on Twitter @LarrySamuel and LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/larry-samuel-9029a713/

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About Melissa Batchelor, Ph.D., RN, FNP-BC, FGSA, FAAN:

I earned my Bachelor of Science in Nursing ('96) and Master of Science in Nursing ('00) as a Family Nurse Practitioner (FNP) from the University of North Carolina Wilmington (UNCW) School of Nursing (SON). I genuinely enjoy working with the complex medical needs of older adults. I worked full-time for five years as FNP in geriatric primary care across many long-term care settings (skilled nursing homes, assisted living, home, and office visits), then transitioned into academic nursing in 2005, joining the faculty at UNCW SON as a lecturer. I obtained my Ph.D. in Nursing and a post-master's Certificate in Nursing Education from the Medical University of South Carolina College of Nursing ('11). I then joined the faculty at Duke University School of Nursing as an Assistant Professor. My family moved to northern Virginia in 2015 and led to me joining the George Washington University (GW) School of Nursing faculty in 2018 as a (tenured) Associate Professor. I am also the Director of the GW Center for Aging, Health, and Humanities. Please find out more about her work at https://melissabphd.com/.

EP90: Age Friendly: Ending Ageism with Larry Samuel Dec 14, 2021

Show notes

The biggest surprise to a man's life is getting old. And it's true: As one ages, the person inside remains the same and what changes is the exterior. In this episode, I have a conversation with Larry Samuel, the author of Age Friendly: Ending Ageism in America, Aging in America: A Cultural History, and Boomers 3.0: Marketing to Baby Boomers in Their Third Act of Life. We discuss insights on aging in America and its cultural history and how today's generation should prevent discrimination just as when it's their turn to get older.

Key points covered in this episode:

✔️ The idea of aging and ageism in America is a 200-year-old story. Larry Samuel shares, "The first native-born white Americans looked at the founding fathers' generation, the colonialists in an age, as the way they felt they were out of touch. They were fuddy-duddy, and they wanted to reinvent America in their own way. So this goes back spanning 12 or 15 generations. So this generational competition is nothing new."

✔️ 92% of diversity and equity inclusion (DEI) people do not consider age as part of their mission. Human Resources and the DEI folks should lead the way here -- it's up to them to prevent ageism as the gatekeepers to corporate America.

✔️ When it comes to age, there's still a lot of this "Us versus Them" approach; and ageism is actually the only -ism we tend to even self impose. Melissa Batchelor reminds us that "Self-imposed ageism decreases life expectancy by about seven years - so how you think about aging and if you think getting old is only going to be associated with decline affects your health and well-being."

✔️ Most Marketers are ignoring older customers or do not know how to communicate with them effectively. In his book Boomers 3.0., Larry points out how marketers are either underrepresenting or misrepresenting instead of being inclusive towards people of age, whether they be workers, citizens or consumers.

✔️ Ageism in dating apps is crazy town - a LOT of people lie about their age. People say they're younger than they are - up to ten years younger than they actually are in order to beat the dating app algorithms.

✔️ Diversity of generational perspectives is a good thing, whether in business or in life. An intergenerational workforce benefits younger persons as older, more influential people bring about a reciprocal relationship to the pure digital natives of today.

✔️ Aging is suffering from an image problem. Larry points out how the whole anti-aging industry is not helping matters at all because they're reinforcing the idea that aging is a negative experience that we should try to delay or avoid. "Let us embrace it because I believe it's a good thing. So I think it would be great to have some kind of ad campaign that aging is a good thing, like with Steve Tyler or Paul McCartney, who can endorse it that way. That's my recommendation of the day."

Find Larry on Twitter @LarrySamuel and LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/larry-samuel-9029a713/

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About Melissa Batchelor, Ph.D., RN, FNP-BC, FGSA, FAAN:

I earned my Bachelor of Science in Nursing ('96) and Master of Science in Nursing ('00) as a Family Nurse Practitioner (FNP) from the University of North Carolina Wilmington (UNCW) School of Nursing (SON). I genuinely enjoy working with the complex medical needs of older adults. I worked full-time for five years as FNP in geriatric primary care across many long-term care settings (skilled nursing homes, assisted living, home, and office visits), then transitioned into academic nursing in 2005, joining the faculty at UNCW SON as a lecturer. I obtained my Ph.D. in Nursing and a post-master's Certificate in Nursing Education from the Medical University of South Carolina College of Nursing ('11). I then joined the faculty at Duke University School of Nursing as an Assistant Professor. My family moved to northern Virginia in 2015 and led to me joining the George Washington University (GW) School of Nursing faculty in 2018 as a (tenured) Associate Professor. I am also the Director of the GW Center for Aging, Health, and Humanities. Please find out more about her work at https://melissabphd.com/.

EP89: Project Overview: AARP Age-Friendly Social Innovation Challenge Dec 07, 2021

Show notes

Welcome to This Is Getting Old with your host Melissa Batchelor. I share a recent initiative I've been working on called the AARP / Age-Friendly Social Innovation Challenge.

This episode is Part I: Overview of a special 10-part series related to several regional events we've held at the George Washington University's Center for Aging, Health and Humanities. Learn from the outcomes of our collaborative projects with five regional age-friendly municipalities and our multi sector partners. This is the first time a region has worked together to create innovative solutions.

History

Age-Friendly Cities and Communities' started in 2007 by the World Health Organization (WHO). In 2012, AARP became an independent affiliate organization for the United States wherein they created the AARP Network of the Age-Friendly States and Communities.

There are six principles for a livable community (listed below). These include issues like affordability, equitable access, quality and choice accessibility and the ability to age in place. Health, safety and environmental sustainability, as well as holistic policymaking.

And that's where these initiatives come in. Holistic policymaking is where all communities should seek to improve the interconnectedness for issues related to health, wellness, safety, work, education, environment and social engagement. And that's really what we've been trying to do over the past couple of years with our multi-sector partners.

Six Principles of Livable Communities include:

Affordability
Equitable Access
Quality and Choice
Accessibility and the ability to age in place
Health, Safety, and Environmental Sustainability
Holistic Policymaking - all communities should seek to improve the interconnectedness of such issues as health, wellness, safety, work, education, environment, and social engagement.

Regional Movement Towards An Age-Friendly World:

Main Point 1: 2021 Age-Friendly Ecosystem Summit event (launched in May 2021)

Our Regional Age-Friendly Municipality Partners include

Age-Friendly Alexandria
Jane King
Age-Friendly Arlington
Rachel Coates
Age-Friendly DC
Gail Kohn
Age-Friendly Hyattsville
Marci LeFevre
Age-Friendly Montgomery County
Marcia Pruzan

Each age-friendly municipality has up to 12 domains that they can use to create an action plan (listed below). These domains include housing, transportation, outdoor spaces and buildings, health services and community support. This work has been in progress for the past decade, and more recently other age-friendly initiatives have developed. So things like the Age-Friendly Health System, Age-Friendly Public Health, Age-Friendly Universities, Age-Friendly Businesses and Employers. And here at GW, we added Age-Friendly Arts and Creativity to our Age-Friendly Ecosystem.

12 Domains of Livability for Age-Friendly Municipalities

Housing
Outdoor Spaces and Buildings
Transportation
Communication and Information
Civic Participation and Employment
Respect and Social Inclusion
Health Services and Community Supports
Social Participation
Emergency Preparedness
Elder Abuse
Public Safety
Dementia-Friendly

5 Age-Friendly Initiatives

AF Health Systems
AF Public Health
AF Universities
AF Businesses + Employers
AF Arts & Creativity
Creativity in Aging: Wendy Miller, PhD Author Sky Above Clouds and widow of founding CAHH Director, Dr. Gene Cohen
See Me at the Smithsonian: Robin Marquis and Amy Castine

2021 Age-Friendly Ecosystem Summit

Goal: Raise Awareness of Age-Friendly Initiatives

2 Day Virtual Event

Day 1: Regional Leaders
Day 2: Age-Friendly Municipality Best Practices

A total of 13 Podcast episodes with national age-friendly leaders will be made accessible and are publicly available on this website (and some are hyperlinked above).

Age-friendly initiatives such as health systems, public health, businesses, universities, and others have not been well integrated. Social innovation will be required to build a regional Age-Friendly Ecosystem that fosters a greater sense of inclusion through intergenerational civic engagement and public service initiatives.

For this particular initiative, we continue to work with our five Age-Friendly partners. But we also added another center at the George Washington Honey National Center for Civic Engagement and Public Service. We began to collaborate with George Washington University's Aging and Health Program.

Main Point 2: 2021 AARP/ Age-Friendly Social Innovation Challenge

(October 2021) This is made possible due to the generous support of AARP. With 3,560 Applications Nationally; 244 Funded (6.8%)

Goals for the AARP Social Innovation Challenge :

Bring a diverse, intergenerational group of participants together for one day to design actionable strategies for how communities can be more age-friendly and
Establish a website repository of our age-friendly partners

Hyperlinks to Select Media Coverage:

During the 1 -Day Virtual Event, 126 Attendees filled the morning and afternoon sessions to come together for Design Thinking Process and generate Innovative Ideas.

EVENT OVERVIEW

Prior to Event

2021 Age-Friendly Ecosystem Summit materials

1 -Day Virtual Event: 126 Total Attendees

Morning Session (Invitation Only): 76 Attendees
- Domain Breakout Groups led through Design Thinking Process to generate Innovative Ideas
Afternoon Session (Open to the public): 92 Attendees
- Domain Presentations of Innovative Ideas

Main Point 3: Outcomes of Domain Breakout Results will be released through podcasts as Parts 2-10 of this special series.

Overview/ Process and Outcomes
Abuse, Fraud, and Neglect
Civic Engagement and Employment
Community Support and Health Services
Emergency Preparedness and Resilience
Housing
Lifelong Learning, Respect and Social Inclusion
Long-Term Care Workforce and Caregiving
Social Participation
Transportation

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About Melissa Batchelor, Ph.D., RN, FNP-BC, FGSA, FAAN:

I earned my Bachelor of Science in Nursing ('96) and Master of Science in Nursing ('00) as a Family Nurse Practitioner (FNP) from the University of North Carolina Wilmington (UNCW) School of Nursing (SON). I genuinely enjoy working with the complex medical needs of older adults. I worked full-time for five years as FNP in geriatric primary care across many long-term care settings (skilled nursing homes, assisted living, home, and office visits), then transitioned into academic nursing in 2005, joining the faculty at UNCW SON as a lecturer. I obtained my Ph.D. in Nursing and a post-master's Certificate in Nursing Education from the Medical University of South Carolina College of Nursing ('11). I then joined the faculty at Duke University School of Nursing as an Assistant Professor. My family moved to northern Virginia in 2015 and led to me joining the George Washington University (GW) School of Nursing faculty in 2018 as a (tenured) Associate Professor. I am also the Director of the GW Center for Aging, Health, and Humanities. Please find out more about my work at https://melissabphd.com/.

EP88: Part 4: Maximizing Independence In Eating with Melissa Batchelor Nov 30, 2021

Show notes

Typically, around 85% of people will experience swallowing problems medically known as dysphasia at the end of life. Your loved ones or the people you care for can have trouble swallowing food, liquids, or both.

This is a 4-part series on Alzheimer's Care and Swallowing Problems, and this episode is focused on Maximizing Independence In Eating.

In Part 1, I talked about The Basics of Swallowing Problems.

In Part 2, Modifying Textures + Flavor Building

and Part 3, Adaptive Equipment.

If you missed an episode, you can check them out where you found this one – or on my YouTube Channel, MelissaBPhD.

✔️ Main Point 1: Basics of Offering Feeding Assistance

Sit with the person during meals
Eat together if possible
Make eye contact
Offer verbal, visual, and sensorimotor cues
Offer small amounts of food at a slow, consistent rate

✔️ Main Point 2: Maximize independence for Self-Feeding

Verbal and Visual Cues
NOSH adds Sensorimotor Cue with Handfeeding Techniques
Use of finger foods if utensils are hard to manage:

– Best for Regular and Mechanical Soft Diets

Sandwiches
Ice Cream
Frozen yogurts
Chicken nuggets

✔️ Main Point 3: Handfeeding Techniques:

Developed for persons living with Alzheimer's Disease, but can be used for other difficulties
Limited range of motion in upper arm, elbows, shoulder
Tremors
Limited dexterity of hands, fingers
Arm weakness
Lack of endurance to self-feed for an entire meal

Main Point 4: General Guidelines for How and When To Use Each Handfeeding Technique

Sit on the dominant side of the person you are assisting
Tailor amount of support to their ability in the moment
Promote self-feeding as much as possible
To assist:

– Start with Over Hand,

– then Under Hand,

– And Save Direct Hand for those who are totally dependent

Many people in my studies had not fed themselves for a year or two. When we started using the handfeeding techniques with them -- many started feeding themselves again.

Visit https://melissabphd.com/nosh__courses/ for videos demonstrating the different handfeeding techniques.

About Melissa Batchelor, Ph.D., RN, FNP-BC, FGSA, FAAN:

I earned my Bachelor of Science in Nursing ('96) and Master of Science in Nursing ('00) as a Family Nurse Practitioner (FNP) from the University of North Carolina Wilmington (UNCW) School of Nursing (SON). I genuinely enjoy working with the complex medical needs of older adults. I worked full-time for five years as FNP in geriatric primary care across many long-term care settings (skilled nursing homes, assisted living, home, and office visits), then transitioned into academic nursing in 2005, joining the faculty at UNCW SON as a lecturer. I obtained my Ph.D. in Nursing and a post-master's Certificate in Nursing Education from the Medical University of South Carolina College of Nursing ('11). I then joined the faculty at Duke University School of Nursing as an Assistant Professor. My family moved to northern Virginia in 2015 and led to me joining the George Washington University (GW) School of Nursing faculty in 2018 as a (tenured) Associate Professor. I am also the Director of the GW Center for Aging, Health, and Humanities. Please find out more about her work at https://melissabphd.com/.

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