Aging Archives - A Beautiful Voice

The invulnerability of the soul
Are You an Optimist? Could You Learn to Be? Your Health May Depend on It.

People may be more likely to experience optimism if they enjoy good health and a good quality of life. But optimism isn’t confined to those who are doing well. Studies suggest that it is a genetically heritable trait and that it can be cultivated through concerted interventions. Author: Judith Graham [...]

Susan Troyer2023-12-16T20:33:36-06:00December 16th, 2023|Categories: Creating Community|Tags: Aging, Mental health|0 Comments

Being countercultural
Creating rich relationships engaging with older people

The words in this meme were spoken by Rev. Lynn Casteel Harper in an interview conducted by Judith Graham, a journalist and contributing columnist with Kaiser Health News (KHN). The article is titled "Minister for Seniors at Famed Church Confronts Ageism and the Shame It Brings." Judith Graham [...]

Susan Troyer2023-06-03T12:11:36-05:00May 31st, 2023|Categories: Creating Community, General|Tags: Ageism, Aging, Alzheimer's, COVID-19, Dementia, Invisible older people in our culture, Promoting storytelling with older people, Rev. Lynn Casteel Harper, Societal response to older adults|0 Comments

Health, Politics & Government
Elder abuse: What research says about prevalence, assessment and prevention

We’ve gathered and summarized several relevant studies on elder abuse, including research in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. By Sari Boren, The Journalist's Resource, a publication of Harvard’s Shorenstein Center on Media, Politics and Public Policy. July 16, 2020 Image by Mabel Amber from Pixabay Abuse of people age 60 [...]

Susan Troyer2023-05-02T23:08:26-05:00May 2nd, 2023|Categories: A Sense of Place, General|Tags: Ageism, Aging, Coronavirus, Elder abuse|0 Comments

Addressing Ageism Awareness
‘Covid Hit Us Over the Head With a Two-by-Four’: Addressing Ageism With Urgency

“Covid hit us over the head with a two-by-four, [showing that] you can’t keep doing the same thing over and over again and expect different results” for seniors, Jess Maurer, executive director of the Maine Council on Aging, said in an October webinar on ageism in health care sponsored by [...]

Susan Troyer2022-09-03T12:53:09-05:00September 2nd, 2022|Categories: Creating Community, General|Tags: Aging, Community health|0 Comments

Finding our compassion
Aiding her dying husband, a geriatrician learns the emotional and physical toll of caregiving

"Reading about caregiving of this kind was one thing. Experiencing it was entirely different." - Dr. Rebecca Elon, an experienced geriatrician, speaking with author Judith Graham. Author: Judith Graham May 18, 2021 The loss of a husband. The death of a sister. Taking in an elderly mother with dementia. [...]

Susan Troyer2022-08-02T23:56:52-05:00July 27th, 2022|Categories: General, Mindful Presence|Tags: Aging, Caregiving, Dementia, End-of-Life|0 Comments

Disrupting the status quo
Rebel Saint: Bill Thomas Revolutionizes Aging

The Wall Street Journal has called Bill Thomas, MD, "One of the 12 most influential Americans to redefine aging." He and Jude Thomas had recently founded the Eden Alternative when I came across an article about him in April 1999. I had just arrived back in my hometown to support [...]

Susan Troyer2022-06-22T10:14:21-05:00April 19th, 2022|Categories: A Sense of Place, Creating Community|Tags: Ageism, Aging, Dr. Bill Thomas, Green House Project|0 Comments

A spiritual deficit in society
Minister for Seniors at Famed Church Confronts Ageism and the Shame It Brings

"I’ve learned how real and pervasive ageism is... It reflects poorly that our imagination is so stunted and limited when it comes to aging — that we can’t see all the gifts that are lost, all the creativity and the care and the relationships that are lost when we don’t [...]

Susan Troyer2022-05-14T12:56:49-05:00April 12th, 2022|Categories: Creating Community, General|Tags: Ageism, Aging, Alzheimer's, COVID-19, Dementia, Invisible older people in our culture, Promoting storytelling with older people, Societal response to older adults|0 Comments

Creating Community
A Doctor Speaks Out About Ageism In Medicine

“'I picked you for my physician because I know you’re a wonderful doctor. But I have to admit, I’m pretty disappointed by what you just said, because it felt to me that you were discounting me. I’d really like a different approach.' Doctors are human beings, and we live in [...]

Susan Troyer2021-07-25T22:19:07-05:00July 25th, 2021|Categories: Creating Community|Tags: Ageism, Aging, Dr. Louise Aronson, Navigating aging, Public health, Stigma|0 Comments

Creating Community
Coronavirus shows how ageism is harmful to health of older adults

"The COVID-19 emergency has given us a chance to look again at the way Americans view and treat older people. ... Indeed, the World Health Organization acknowledges ageism as the last socially-accepted form of prejudice. And this impacts the kind of care they receive and the health care outcomes they [...]

Susan Troyer2021-05-28T22:45:06-05:00May 21st, 2021|Categories: Creating Community|Tags: Ageism, Aging, Coronavirus, COVID-19, Living Longer 2020, Nursing Homes, Older adults, Older people, Prejudice, Public health, Senior citizens|0 Comments

A Sense of Place
Air pollution may contribute to Alzheimer’s and dementia risk – here’s what we’re learning from brain scans

"Because the silent phase of dementia is thought to start decades before the manifestation of symptoms, findings from our recent studies raise concerns that air pollution exposures during mid to early life may be equally or even more important than late-life exposure." Author: Jiu-Chiuan Chen, MD, University of Southern [...]

Susan Troyer2021-04-22T22:03:44-05:00April 21st, 2021|Categories: A Sense of Place|Tags: Aging, Air pollution, Alzheimer’s disease, Brain, Brain health, Dementia, Medicine, PM 2.5, Pollution, Science, Vehicles, Women's health|0 Comments