Nicholas always had a passion for cooking. There was something about being in his kitchen and creating delicious, colorful meals that brought him so much joy. But as he entered his late seventies, cooking started to become a bit more of a chore. As Nicholas’s mobility decreased, he found it difficult to retrieve pots and pans from his cupboards, remove food from the oven, and lean over the sink to wash his dishes.
If you were to read the papers, or pick up any glossy travel mag with the Bay Area on the cover, or look at really any website, you’d think that there was no one in San Francisco over the age of 30. Indeed, you’d think the whole Bay Area was a “Millennial-Only Zone”.
San Francisco neighbors Kate and Gerry both got dogs after retirement but very different kinds. Kate’s multiple sclerosis forced her into retirement early at 58. She has a very active mind but has to conserve her physical energy and minimize her risk-taking. Meanwhile, Gerry worked until the age of 66 and now looks forward to walking more often in his favorite city parks. Kate needs a dog who can match her energy level, keep her company even when she can’t get out of the house often, and engage playfully with her in the apartment. Gerry needs a dog who’s eager to walk with him around San Francisco but is also adaptable to his smaller apartment and has an energy level that will likely slow down a bit over the coming years.
Reconnection is a beautiful thing—whether it’s being reunited with loved ones, an old neighborhood that you used to call home, or a dream you’d long forgotten. For many aging adults in institutionalized care, such as hospitals and nursing homes, being able to reconnect with the life they once lived is empowering and meaningful. For aging adults and adults with disabilities living in Inland Empire, this will soon be a possibility.
Always the hostess, Carissa has been very involved in her San Francisco neighborhood for more than four decades. Her door has always been open to friends and neighbors and over the years her home has been the site of countless parties, community meetings, and social gatherings. So when she started to experience limitations throughout the day—such as carrying the groceries up the stairs and into her apartment and managing the necessary repairs around her home—she knew she was going to need a bit of help to be able to keep up with her busy social life. With the support of local community resources that help her overcome her limitations, she can keep enjoying the lifestyle she has come to love.
There’s a reason we call late adulthood the “golden years”. It’s the season when a lifetime of work and perseverance yields priceless personal development. It’s when we harvest wisdom; insight that helps us better understand ourselves and our needs. It’s also when our ability to enjoy life with a passion can come to full fruition. Music, laughter, loved ones; we have the right to enjoy every part of our lives — including the pleasures of the table.
During the holidays, we enter a time of travel. People get in cars or planes, often to see relatives and loved ones they perhaps haven’t seen since last year. But while much of that travel is physical, for families with older loved ones who might be entering the early stages of dementia, that travel is also mental: You enter a world in which the person you know is slightly different.
When people step up and start talking, listening, and paying attention to the challenges that are easier to ignore, real change is already happening. The more hands and minds that get involved, the more we can do. Join us for AiA 2018, the Aging in America Conference, taking place at Hilton San Francisco Union Square Monday, March 26, through Thursday, March 29.
Elena was exhausted. Ever since her father came home from the hospital after his heart surgery, she’d been tending to his every need to ensure he recovered fully. After a few weeks of providing him with around-the-clock care, Elena and her father decided it was okay to start leaving him on his own at night.
All throughout his adult life, driving was a form of therapy for Dave, making him feel confident, independent, and in control. But when Dave turned 68, the way he’d felt about driving started to change. He felt his reflexes slow, his mobility decline, and his vision deteriorate to the extent that it began affecting his ability to drive. Driving quickly went from being his favorite activity to one that caused him a great deal of anxiety. Before he knew it, his children were sitting him down and talking to him about the need for him to give up his license.
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