Aging

Home Visits Enhance Medication Management for Older Adults and Take Burden Off of Family Caregivers

It’s one of the strange ironies of life that when you need your memory the least, you have the most of it. When you are younger, you barely have to think about things like medicine, what to eat, or how to handle a routine. You can throw anything into your body and be fine. But older adults who have a stricter medical regiment also are the most likely to suffer lapses in memory and difficulty holding onto routines.

World Elder Abuse Awareness Day 2017 Inspires Societal Changes for Our Indivisible Freedoms

We all know what it means to experience particular challenges and vulnerabilities—sometimes based on the phase of life we’re in; a health condition that limits us physically, mentally, or even emotionally; or maybe a job that invites risks and complications. In older age, we may be challenged to trust more people and more social services that help fulfill some of our needs. That extension of trust is itself a vulnerability, and the harm done to older adults under these conditions of trusted service—and in situations where other vulnerabilities are exploited—is considered elder abuse.

What Are the Best Brain Foods for Older Adults to Preserve Memory and Cognitive Vitality?

Known as “The Bookworm,” Therese is never without one or two volumes tucked under her arm or open under her nose. From a young age, she loved to live vicariously through the adventures of her fictional heroes and heroines. Now that she’s retired, she has even more time to journey through these fascinating stories.

Dr. Jessica Zitter Takes On Our Attitudes About Death and End-of-Life Care

Caring for Older Adults After Cardiac Surgery: Tips for How to Prepare

There aren’t too many phrases that evoke more dread and fear than “open-heart surgery.” After all, the patient is literally having their chest opened and their heart operated on, which is not something you usually want to happen. In many ways, the main difference between surgery and violence is the intent.

The Benefits of Tai Chi for Older Adults and the Bay Area's Commitment to Sharing Them

Our language has a lot of metaphors for being calm: “A port in a storm,” and, “The still point of the turning world,” are just two examples. They all engagingly invoke a common image: There is tumult, and somewhere in that tumult, there is peace. You just have to find it. The reason these metaphors are so prevalent is because life often feels like a raging swirl, a chaotic mess of stress, emotional entanglements, and uncertainty.

Overcoming Housing Challenges for LGBT Older Adults in the San Francisco Bay Area

It wasn’t that long ago that housing specifically for the LGBT community was, at best, unthinkable, and at worst, very dangerous. There might have been some instances when apartment owners turned a blind eye and rented to “spinsters” or “confirmed bachelors,” but larger groups of LGBT members living together could be turned on in an instant by authorities or by the community.

Celebrate LGBTQ Pride Month in June with Institute on Aging

Everyone deserves to grow older with dignity and pride, and without having to hide who they are. At Institute on Aging (IOA), we strongly support LGBTQ rights and feel that older adults, who had to spend much of their life hiding, deserve to celebrate who they are. These aren’t special rights: These are basic human needs that are just, fair, and moral. That’s why we are honored to celebrate Pride Month with our amazing LGBTQ community and everyone else who wants to join in.

National Senior Health and Fitness Day 2017: Activities for Older Adults in San Francisco

In song and story, and even in our perception of ourselves, life is pictured as a journey. It’s a metaphorical path, like a Keane kid dotted-line doodle, from birth to death, zig-zagging along river and dale. But when we get older, while we might be moving metaphorically, we too often stop moving physically. That path isn’t quite a dead end, but we are walking in place.

How Can You Tell a Caregiver Thank You with Words That Are Truly Heartfelt?

Last week at our social day program, I watched a man express his very sincere gratitude to his mother’s caregiver for all that she has done for his mother and his family. He looked the woman in the eyes and brought a hand to his heart as he spoke. He seemed to be communicating from a place beyond his words as he implored the woman to understand the depth of his appreciation.