Moses Znaimer shares A New Vision of Aging in Canada

Moses Znaimer, Executive Director of CARP, stopped in Windsor yesterday to share "A New Vision of Aging". In honour of his visit and the recent removal of an age barrier to CARP membership, I became a CARP member! Now, you might expect some elaborate ceremony followed by a pin of some kind and maybe a modest amount of pomp and circumstance but, alas, all I received was the receipt I printed from my computer after my online membership order was confirmed.

I'm always interested in presentation style. I wasn't sure what to expect from "Moses" (as he requested he be called by audience members) in terms of a presentation because he IS a media mogul, afterall. I've seen all kinds of styles but nothing quiet like this. He didn't actually SPEAK at all...well, at least not in the traditional sense. What he did do was present a powerpoint/slideshow/embedded video and music concoction. It was well put together, of course.

The presentation focused on a couple themes; what is a zoomer?, zoomer demographics, Moses' media efforts to promote the new image, his Canada-wide tour of CARP chapters, and the race to a million CARP members. The arguments were compelling and, whether you agree with his style or the slick new Zoomer mag or not, you can't fault the idea of a cohort organizing to advocate for it's distinct needs and desire for inclusion.

The presentation concluded simply with the words "Any questions?" and Mr. Znaimer quietly walked up on stage and began taking questions from the audience. After the Q&A period, the event ended and he graciously stood and answered questions from a lengthy queue of folks wanting to bend his ear. If this man doesn't spend a significant amount of time meditating then I want to know what his secret is. He has the most calm and comfortable demeanor.

I was pleased to have been part of the audience and would love to see CARP achieve it's goal of 1 million members. Think about it: www.carp.ca

For more on his visit: http://www.windsorstar.com/News/Znaimer+vision+aging/1636950/story.html

A name of my own

Boomer, Zoomer, Senior Citizen , Elder, Older Adult, Chronologically Gifted, Individual with High Seniority?

What do you prefer your cohort be called? I know as a professional working with the 50+, we struggle to come up with a term that suits. 'Older Adult' has become the accepted. Not that I love labels, because I'm certainly not a fan, but they can become necessary when trying to advocate for the distinct needs of a population.

Give me some guidance, here.

What do your grandchildren call you?

It seems the new trend, and I've noticed it among the new grandparents in my life, is to come up with a perfectly personal version of the old fashioned "Grandma or Grandpa" label.

Apparently, Boomers no longer feel those names fit what they consider to be their role as parents once removed. In fact, one friend pondered for months while her grand-child-to-be was on the way. She finally settled on "Grand-E" because her first name began with E.

This article http://tinyurl.com/r3y2at will give you some suggestions if you're at a loss. Have fun with it and let me know what your grandkids call you! By the way, do you have another name for your grandchildren? A friend of mine calls them, fondly - of course, her 'grandmonsters'.

Are you a member of twitter nation?

I recently joined the twitter nation by signing up for a twitter account. At first, I didn't get the big deal. Afterall, it's just like the status line from facebook but it's ONLY your status...in 140 characters or less. I began studying the different ways users applied twitter and discovered that my preferred use is not the intended use.

Do not "follow me" if you want to know what I had for dinner or what television programs I'm switching between. Do not "follow me" if you want me to know much of my personal information at all. DO "FOLLOW ME" if you want links to current information that is of interest to seniors and caregivers in the Great Lakes region of Canada.

P.S. I think it's an interesting commentary on popular media that Ashton Kutcher has more followers than CNN Breaking News and can single-handedly raise hundreds of thousands of dollars for his charity of choice with a single Ding Dong Ditch dare. http://http://www.cnn.com/2009/TECH/05/14/cnn.kutcher.prank/index.html

Hope to see you there!

www.twitter.com/thriveology

Pamphlet now available.

I just put the finishing touches on the Thrive pamphlet. I do like it but I'm sure I'll keep tweaking it before each printing. I love the colours. Especially the woman on the cover. She has the most gorgeous eyes!

First downsizing, now "downskilling"??

I think I've just invented a word. It's not the first time for that, nor shall it be the last. Downskilling is a trend I've noticed with little proof other than a hunch. Within the healthcare and residential care sector, I've noticed nursing positions that were once deemed to require candidates with a certain set of credentials has now been given some slack to include those one or two rungs down the ladder. For example, Registered Nurses (RNs) are being replaced by Registered Practical Nurses (RPNs). RPNs are being replaced by Personal Support Workers (PSWs), etc.

The other day I received the proof I need from a friend who boldly announced via his Facebook status that he was removing the City of Thunder Bay from his Christmas card list because they were doing just this very thing with their City-run long term care facilities. http://www.tbnewswatch.com/news/Default.aspx?cid=7892

You don't have to be a healthcare insider to know that funders are tightening the purse strings, expecting more from less, and want lots of positive 'outcomes' for clients. Maybe I'm blind to it all, but I really don't think so. I just don't see how this is going to benefit either care recipients or their providers.

P.S. Apparently I did NOT invent the word downskilling. Here's the official definition: Downskilling© refers to a process of reducing the talent or skill level of a position, job, or vocation primarily for the purpose of decreasing short-term cost (see this guy for more info http://pswisdom.com/?p=514 )

Welcome to me!

Thrive is a new adventure of mine and so is blogging. I'll tell you all about it once I get the hang of this.