GLBT Seniors Advocacy of Georgia

GLBT Seniors Advocacy of Georgia hosts a forum Saturday, July 10, focused on "Planning for Successful Aging." Dubbed GSAGA for short, the group is a coalition made up of the Atlanta Lesbian Health Initiative, The Rainbow Center, Aging Services of Georgia, and other advocates.

The forum will include discussions of social networking, legal protections, health and wellness, and housing and financing.

GLBT Seniors Advocacy of Georgia
http://www.gasage.org/

Planning for Successful Aging
Saturday, July 10, 2010
2-4 pm at the Philip Rush Center
1530 Dekalb Ave., Atlanta, GA 30307
404-840-8050

Feeling Older?

What does it mean to you to age? If you are 30 years old, you’ll have a different answer than someone who is 70. However, one truth remains for many individuals as they age, and that is: “I feel the same at 60 as I did at 20.”

I find this mindset interesting, because at my age, 43, I ‘feel the same’ as I did at 23; will it last? Yes, I have a few more aches when I over do it and I cannot stay up all night like I used to, but in my mind, I see myself and the world pretty much the same. And even though I’ve learned some (many) life lessons, I still seem to view myself in my mind’s-eye the same now as 20 years ago.

Before my grandmothers passed away, both stated similar statements – the mind thinks the same and the brain still ‘feels’ young, but the body sometimes doesn’t cooperate. One of my grandmothers was diagnosed with a brain tumor, which was slow to progress. She complained when her leg started to drag (decrease of motor functionality) that all she wanted was for the mind to control her leg but ‘that darn leg won’t do what I want it to do’. Yet, until the tumor grew large enough to affect her thought patterns, she still stated she, in her mind, felt youthful.

On the other hand, there are individuals who state that they do in fact ‘feel old’. Is that a true thought or is that something they are feeling due to how their physical body is moving or feeling? Could this be a mind-over-matter issue? Do positive thoughts and outlooks help with this feeling-younger idea?

I don’t have the answers but I do know this from working with older adults – those who possess a positive outlook on life and are joyful tend to have, as they define it, happier lives. I think of Ms. B – she had so many physical ailments and one leg amputated, but she was the happiest person I knew. She greeted the world and everyone with a big smile and a hug. She would tell you a great story if you let her, filled with colorful characters. She is the type of ‘older person’ I want to be… happy with where I am regardless of what life has delivered. But, if I truly want to be like her, I will have to work hard on my storytelling.

-- by Patrick O'Kane, Director of Operations

AAA – your road to successful living!

SCS provides many referrals a year to our collaborative partners in metro-Atlanta. Likewise, these agency partners share our name with seniors and their families when we can provide service. You are probably familiar with the roadside assistance company called AAA – well, here’s another AAA that is often a senior’s road to successful living:

Area Agency on Aging (AAA) - Created by the federal Older Americans Act (OAA) over three decades ago, AAA is often the county or regional department on aging. Some serve a whole state, others just one city, county or county area. The AAA addresses the concerns of older Americans age 60+ and their family caregivers at the local level. These agencies identify community and social service needs for older adults and administer the Family Caregiver Support Program, which provides respite assistance, support groups and other services for caregivers. To access your local AAA, contact the Eldercare Locator at: www.eldercare.gov or (800) 677-1116.

-- by Brad Catherman, Vice President for Gift Planning

Positive Aging!

Two members of the staff at Senior Citizen Services are also Board members of the nonprofit agency Center for Positive Aging (CPA). This organization may be found at www.centerforpositiveaging.org. Since its founding in 1982, CPA has been the trusted source of information for seniors and their families. The easy-to-use website directs viewers of all levels of income to product and service providers in the areas of housing, meals, nurse care, and many others. SCS and other quality providers are listed in the Directory only after adhering to the highest standards established in the senior care industry. It’s totally free to access the site and information, and can be a valuable aid in the planning of retirement and elder care.

-- By Brad Catherman
Vice President of Gift Planning