NCCDP Founder Lynn Gordon on Resilience 2021 Initiatives & Ageism

Are you reluctant to ASK because you fear rejection? Have you asked and been rejected? That's happened to all of us at one time or another. Mark Victor Hansen coauthor of The Chicken Soup for The Soul books series ultimately turned into huge worldwide success setting record book sales of over 500M and more than 100 licensed products. But it wasn't an easy journey. The book was turned down by publishers 144 times until one publisher finally agreed to take it on. Through all those failures, it was wisdom received from Ross Perot that became the backbone of their future success. That within each rejection lies an opportunity to learn, refine, and improve your story and the way you tell it. That could be a guiding mantra for any of us. It takes practice, determination, grit and the willingness to ASK. Ask is the basis of the learning, refinement and opportunities to improve your story and way you tell it. In his book ASK: The Bridge from Your Dreams to Your Destiny, cowritten with wife Crystal Dwyer Hansen he tells us that your dreams can become your destiny when you learn the secret art of asking! Hansen says, “You were born with a destiny. Your job is to discover it. Know exactly how to ask for what you want and get it.” There is an art and science to asking. A language that you have to master in order for the Universe to deliver your desires. Many older adults have untapped, buried, or undiscovered dreams or desires. They deserve to live a purposeful and fulfilled life in their Elderhood years. Mark Victor Hansen in his book ASK can show you the way.

The Medicare Enrollment period began October15 and continues until December 7th. For many of us the choices seem complicated, especially as we are bombarded with information, robocalls, and television commercials featuring high profile figures, actors, etc. The situation is ripe for people with less than honest intentions. Scammers seek to take advantage of the confusion and successfully dupe older adults out of millions of dollars each year. Where do you turn to get reliable information? Ari Parker has an extremely simple way of explaining it all. He breaks down the supplemental Medigap and Medicare Advantage plans in such simple terms, you'll wonder why it needs to be so complicated. Almost half of the 65 million people who have Medicare coverage also carry private insurance through Medicare Advantage Plans as an alternative to depending on government insurance alone. These plans are supposed to cover at least what Medicare covers which is up to 100 days of skilled nursing home care each year. However, these private plans can make their own decisions on how much nursing home care they are willing to cover.. But is that really clear when you' purchase a Medicare Advantage Plan? And while it all seems rosy when you purchase a plan, there are difficulties people encounter once they have to use the plan benefits. Here's an example that may give you pause for thought when looking into a Medicare Advantage Plan. The plans have a practice of ending coverage for nursing home and rehabilitation services before the person is ready to return home. When people are covered by traditional Medicare, the facility determines when the patient is ready to return home. With Medicare Advantage plans, the plan decides. Therefore, when ending coverage for someone earlier than they are ready, the person and their family can be faced with serious decisions as to whether to take the chance to appeal the decision or remain in the setting possibly amassing thousands of dollars in medical bills. Whose interest does this serve? Certainly not the patient. This situation can be very stressful for a family already stressed with their loved one’s condition. The federal government pays Medicare Advantage a set amount on a monthly basis for each person enrolled in the plan, regardless of how much care the person needs or receives. One could not help but think that this model provides an incentive for insurance companies to deny access to services and payment in order to increase their profits. That most probably isn’t new news to anyone. Listen in to hear Ari discuss this situation and others so that you are making an informed decision about medical care for you or your loved one.

Weigh In.... ...What Does the International Day of Older Persons Mean to You? ...What are your beliefs about aging....About older people? ...Do You think we value and respect older adults in the US? ...How do you feel about growing older in our society? ...Do you think it's time that older adults receive dignity, respect, quality of life and quality of care? On December 4 1990 the United Nations General Assembly designated Oct 1st to be the International Day of Older Persons.The overarching theme for the United Nations International Day of Older Persons in 2022 is “Resilience of Older Persons in a Changing World. In doing so, The United Nations is marking the International Day of Older Persons for encouraging countries to draw attention to and challenge negative stereotypes and misconceptions about older adults and aging, enabling older adults to continue their life's journey with purpose, quality of life, dignity and respect. According to the UN chief, Ending ageism and securing the rights of older persons is an ethical and practical imperative.. He urged the need to address this as a violation of human rights and called for greater legal guarantees of equality for older persons to prevent ageism from resulting in discriminatory policies, laws and treatment. The World Health Organization (WHO) acknowledging that there is worldwide and widespread negative attitudes towards older adults and has called out these ageist attitudes, as it's widely known that these attitudes are detrimental to the older person's self-esteem, self-worth, physical and mental health. John Beard, the director of the World Health Organization, of Ageng and Life Course, stated in a news release that, “Most people are completely unaware of the subconscious stereotypes they hold about older people, He further states that when we can stop defining people by their age, we can have more prosperous, equitable and healthier societies.”

Jesse Fiedor's story is nothing short of miraculous an inspirational. Curing himself of an epilepsy so severe that he was given a prognosis of an early an untimely death, he went on to achieve his dream job, travelled the world, became a millionaire, wrote a book and is pursuing a feature film based on his life story. Living without purpose, a job, friends, education, or meaning he became suicidal. Ultimately this is a story about finding a faith, purpose, and will to live so strong that he cured himself of a crippling epilepsy. Jesse Fiedor is considered a medical miracle. I was proud to highlight his work on the NBC groundbreaking and iconic The Golden Girls particularly since I refer to it often. Golden Girls, a sitcom ahead of its time. NBC took a chance on a show celebrating single older women living together dealing with issues not often addressed on TV at that time. A topic that needs more attention to this day. The conversation during the second segment turned to his life, his miraculous cure from crippling epilepsy, his grit, unwavering determination, relentless spirit, in order to pursue his life long goals and dreams. Jesse's story inspired me as I hope it does you. I left the conversation feeling a renewed energy level and a mindset shift as I thought about the my own issues and challenges. It's a must listen for anyone who has disability or doubts, unfulfilled hopes or dreams.

According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, self-esteem is a confidence and satisfaction in oneself. It's a realistic respect or a favorable impression of oneself, a view of ones' accomplishments, capabilities, values and perceived success in the ability to live up to them. A healthy self-esteem reflects positively on our wellbeing. But, when we have low self-esteem, it can be destructive to our lives, our relationships, our health and wellbeing; it can be a painful existence. Sociologist Morris Rosenberg developed a self-esteem measure, (known by the acronym RSES) that's used widely in social science research. It uses a 0-30 scale where any score below 15 is indicative of problems with self-esteem. It's no secret that many of us suffer from low self-esteem. It's not only based on our own opinions and beliefs but can be an accumulation of our experiences and people who impact our lives, from our family to friends and professional relationships. Self-esteem can also suffer as we lose the roles we fulfilled throughout our lives, for example, when we leave our professions, our children leave our home, we lose a spouse, we lose a person we've been caring for, especially an older parent. Clarissa Burt understands the destructive impact poor self-esteem can have on well being. She embarked on a journey to examine the roots and devise an action plan so that anyone can rebuild their self-esteem in order to become the confident person they were meant to be. You deserve to Look good and Feel Good, Right Now!!. Whether or not you have a healthy self-esteem, I guarantee that merely listening to Clarissa Burt will have you experiencing an energy level that will have you feeling transformed.

What are resident’s rights? All nursing home residents have certain rights and protections under Federal and state law, the purpose of which is to ensure they provide necessary and needed care and services. The law requires that nursing homes “promote and protect the rights of each resident”, stressing individual dignity and self-determination. In addition, there are many states that also include residents’ rights in their state laws or regulations. October is an important month for Nursing Home Residents….it is Resident Rights Month. So what are residents rights in a nursing home? Prior to or upon the time of admission, the nursing home must tell you about these rights and explain them in writing in a language you understand. A resident or the resident's representative must acknowledge that these rights were explained, received and understood in writing. Litigating and winning cases throughout Arizona, Martin J. Solomon is an expert in this area. He's worked with thousands of families and has seen the upside and downsides of care situations. In this episode, Martin Solomon lays out what families and loved ones need to know from the time of hospitalization up to and including the nursing home stay. From hospitalization to the nursing home stay, family advocacy is critical to ensuring adequate care. The truth is, even in the best of circumstances, this is not always successful. If you have a loved one in a nursing home, is the nursing home acknowledge, celebrate or inform residents that October as Residents Rights Month? If not, feel free to contact the Administrator, social worker, or other important nursing home personnel and insist they inform residents and their families about nursing home resident rights month and inform them what those rights are.

Like so many advocates, Nancy came to this space after caring for her parents in their advanced years. However, a family history steeped in loss from an early age prepared her than most. She was already well advised about knowing the important information, where to find said information and how to proceed in the difficult medical situations that arise. But what she was not necessarily prepared for was discovering systemic missteps that unintentionally occurred as her parents aged. In the process she was able to save her parents over $200,000/year, unraveling financial, legal, medical and homecare fraud and abuse. Nancy's view of her role of family caregiver is one worth hearing. She was able to apply the lessons she learned from her entrepreneurial father with her own corporate experience to approach the caregiving role like a CEO of a small business. No doubt the caregiving experience takes its emotional and psychological toll. Adopting a CEO mindset can be helpful in organizing all that needs to be done and remaining calm amidst the myriad of medical care and logistic decisions that need to be made. Nancy is not only an advocate but a role model for caregivers.

It's likely that when we hear the expression living our best selves we think of it in terms of our physical, mental and even spiritual well-being. According to Lauren Solomon it has a broader meaning. Lauren essentially took everything her mother taught her about clothing and design and made it a life's work. But she's also taken it to another level. She helps people understand that is not only about your image but it has a lot to do with how you feel about yourself and the response you receive from others. Self-confidence is certainly an important part of well-being. But this episode's story about well-being extends beyond Lauren's profession. Her story of how and where she worked took a turn in 2020, as it did for many of us.. Lauren has a family and older parents who needed her during the pandemic. Fortunately, the nature of her business allowed her to pick up and move across the country when her family needed her most. It was during this time that her mother's medical condition became a serious concern. Several specialists later, a condition she lived with for many years finally received the attention it needed. But it also meant her mother had to change basic habits: what she ate and how she ate. Habits are difficult to change, a habit as basic of how we eat takes painstaking work and the help of others. The remarkable story of where Lauren's mother is now, as compared to where she was prior to discovering and understanding her condition, and making the needed changes, is a prime example of what's possible with the commitment to do the work in order to sustain Healthy Aging at any age.

The horrific bicycle accident that almost killed Ron gold 11 years ago changed the course of his life. The out of control car that hit Ron while riding his bicycle left him in a coma for a period of time and in intensive care for 2 months. Once out of the coma and stable enough to leave the hospital, he was transferred to a rehabilitation hospital where he remained until he completed the in-patient rehabilitation course of treatment. Of course, Ron had continuing physical and medical needs and challenges, many of which were extensive. What Ron and his wife discovered was that the guidelines in the traditional home health care system were limiting his ability to have his needs met in the most expeditious and financially expedient fashion. This prompted Ron and his wife to develop a system that bypasses some of the guidelines that traditional home health care agencies need to follow. Ron found a solution that changes how families hire home health aides. As someone who needs home care himself each day, Ron’s answer was to create LeanOnWe, a managed marketplace that allows families to find, employ, and manage experienced and highly recommended caregivers outside of the traditional home health care system.Ron and his wife, Betsy, conceived of the idea, and then brought on the team to execute it. He raised the initial funding and developed the marketing channels and industry partners. Today LeanOnWe successfully serves families in New York and New Jersey, and is broadening their reach by partnering with other companies who help provide care for people in need.

If you're anything like Jerry Strayve and have had a passion for telling stories, you have a book inside of you, likely more than one. Jerry regaled in telling stories to his children from the time they were young. As much as his young children enjoyed their father's colorful stories, Jerry found a joy in letting his imagination wander in order to weave these tales. He found that the stories which captaivated his children's attention fueled his own imagination. The more his children soaked up these tales, Jerry's thirst for telling them grew. In his adult years, Jerry came to the realization that his stories could be told in a way that could serve the common good. His characters could reflect his own journey but also provide a social commentary that could open up people's eyes to issues and points of view that they may have not previously considered. The stories and characters in Jerry's novels are both complicated and compelling. He's developed an audience that craves his stories just as his children did when they were young. Jerry's success as a novelist is a valauble lesson to us all. He encourages all of us to share our stories and experiences. It can enrich our own lives, serve as a legacy, but also enrich the lives of others.