The Elder Cause


Group 8 - Elderly
 About Us

 We provide a place for the elderly to turn to for support and
socialize and not feel alone. To participate in activities and be
active physically, intellectually and socially. Our organization
aims to raise awareness of the issue, provide education,
resources, and support through volunteers and activities.
Encourage care and involvement from the community, and to
be available when needed, whether for the elder or the
caretaker.
 Aging U.S .Population

 Interesting enough in 1996, the baby boomer generation a
rough number of about 78 million began turning 50 at the rate
of 300,000 a month having a sever impact on our senior
population. In an extraordinary shift in our every day lives
some families have both parents and their children that are
now part of the senior population.
 Today’s life expectancy is approximately 76 years. This
means that for the first time in history, seniors will outnumber
children and youth. Initially, it seems that this would create a
huge burden on society as it faces a majority of members who
traditionally require care and are heavily dependent on others.
Continued Aging U.S .Population…

 According to the U.S. Census Bureau between 2010
and 2015, the United States will experience a sudden
growth in our elderly population in large part the
ailing baby boomers. In 2050 the number of elderly
American is projected to reach 88.5 million doubling
the number of elders in 2010. In the years to come the
U.S. will be faced with numerous tasks, from social
security to Medicare, our government will have to
over comes several challenges in order to meet the
needs of our aging population.
 Our Volunteers:


 Do you need a ride somewhere; to the store, doctors appointment, etc.?
 Do you just want to talk?
 Would you like someone to read to you?
 Have a story you want to tell?
 Do you need help with something, like repairs around the home?
 Have a pet that may need a little longer walk, or extra taking care of?

 Caregivers,
 Need support or need to get out for a bit and need someone to stay with your special someone?

 -Call our center and see if our volunteers are available. They are here to and will be more than
happy to listen, join you on your outing, or help anyway they can.

 Also once or twice a month our volunteers put together a get-together. Activities range from
Game Night (board games, cards), Reading (individual and group), Crafting, Dances, Brunch,
Pet Days, also Exercise.
 Involvement

The more people involved the bigger difference we can make.
Tips on how everyone can contribute to helping out the elderly
in your communities:

 Are you on the way to the grocery store? Stop by and ask your elder
neighbor if they might need anything from the store.
 Ask them if they need any errands run that you can do for them.
 Are they always alone? Invite them over for dinner once in a while.
 Talk to them.
 Listen to a story they may have.
 Offer help with the yard work.
 Check on them during bad weather.
 Take a walk with them.
 December Newsletter

 We will have more volunteers available this month,
especially providing rides if you need to get out and do
some holiday shopping.
 At this month’s get together we will be baking Christmas
cookies. Come by, meet others, bring family or friends, and
join in on the creativity and festivities.
 Also the local elementary school kids really enjoyed reading
Halloween stories to everyone who made it to Octobers get
together and they would like to come back and put on a
Christmas play. Please let us know if you can make it. If we
can get enough people, the kids will be very excited to come.
 Support Groups

 Are you a child or caregiver for the elderly?
 Do you need a place to express your problems or get
advice from those in similar situations?
 Come to our Support Group!
 We meet every Wednesday at 5:00 pm, and everyone
is welcome! Come as often or infrequently as you
need!
 Resources

 For resources for a wide variety of Senior needs, visit:
 http://www.usa.gov/Topics/Seniors.shtml

 For state specific information, visit:

 http://www.eldercaredirectory.org/state-resources.ht
m
 Quality of Life

 Old age is not a death sentence or the need to be
dependent, in fact it is the perfect time to redefine
yourself. How you lead you life today will define the
quality of life you have as an elder.

 Social and health behaviors throughout life, such as diet,

whether you exercise, smoke, consume alcohol, your
physical environment, work, and economic status is a
major component in how you will lead your final years.
With proper diet and exercise many chronic diseases that
plague our elderly can be prevented or at least managed.
 11 Skills to Coping with
Aging

Skill 1: Making Aging
Skill 2: Maintaining
a Positive and Self-
fulfilling Experience Dignity and Pride

Skill 4:
Skill 3: Being
Completing your
Future-Oriented
life tasks

Skill 5:Recognizing Skill 6: Appreciating

the value of
the importance of thoughtfulness and
continuity experience

Skill 8: Finding Skill 7:

opportunities for
exercising competence Exercising your
and self-reliance mind
 Continued….
Mastering
Mastering Physical
Physical Limitations
Limitations
 Maximizing
Maximizing Personal
Personal Relationships
Relationships

Skill 10 Skill 11
 Coping Skill 1:
Making Aging a Positive Self-Fulfilling Experience

 Viewing aging as a positive experience is one of the
best ways to cope. As you age you gain experience,
knowledge that in your younger years you lacked.
For instance if you only focus on things you cannot
do as you get older instead of the things you can,
then you are letting the negative perception about
aging cloud the positive attributes that come with
growing older. We need to embrace again and do it
gracefully.
 Coping Skill # 2
Maintaining Dignity and Pride

 Stereotyping Seniors
 Ageism-any attitude, action, or institutional structure which
passes prejudice on a person or group because of age or
assignment of roles in society simply based on their age.

 This stereotyping of older people can affect their self-

confidence and subsequently their behaviors. Research has
shown that when the elderly tend to hear stereotypes about
their suggested incompetence they actually tend to perform
worse on measures of skill and memory. Some may even start
to feel dependent and worthless members of the community.
 Coping Skill 5:
Recognizing the Importance of Continuity


 Aging is a life long process and peoples lifestyles
play an important role in their longevity. Your
socioeconomic status, education, health care,
physical and social activities, and proper diet all
determine whether you will have a productive aging
experience. By recognizing the importance of
continuity and remaining connected with your
family, friends, religious and political life, as well as
your community you can engaging in active aging
which optimizes your quality of life.
 Coping Skill #7
Exercising the Mind


 What is the difference between a young persons memory versus an
elder persons memory?
 Research studies indicate elderly people are sometimes slower on
mental tasks, however they are able to compensate with
thoughtfulness and experience.
 Elderly people do well on tasks requiring immediate memory and
memory for things that happened in the past.
 But the elderly have difficulty sometimes remembering a list of
things if sometimes happens to distract them between the time
they learn the list and the time they are tested.
 The elderly are able to recall the meaning of what they were asked
to remember, but do not remember the information exactly.
 Coping Skill # 7
Exercising the Mind


 Many studies on memory and performance placed elderly
people at a disadvantage by comparing them with college
students who are in top form for performing mental tasks.
 College students may do better than elderly people in reciting
the exact words of a poem they have memorized, but on the
other hand elderly people will do just as well in describing the
poem’s message.
 Young people do a better job than elderly people in cramming
and coming up with quick responses, however when elderly
people are given the opportunity to take their time and use the
knowledge they have gained throughout their lives, their
performance shows little decline.
 Coping Skill # 10
Master Physical Limitations


 The elderly must face physical limitations with a secondary
appraisal that offers some good avenues for coping.
 As an elderly person’s vision becomes weaker, they should
compensate by making sure they have good eye glasses and
comfortable lighting in their home.
 To help with the decline of vision the elderly could also have a
magnifying glass handy or a small flash light when reading small
print.
 Hearing aids are helpful devices which are available for
enhancing hearing.
 Successful coping results from facing physical detriments with a
problem-solving attitude.
 Coping Skill # 11
Maximizing Personal Relationships

 Being able to maximize personal relationships as we
age is equally as important as remaining actively
involved in our community. Developing personal
relationships is key in keeping our elderly
population engaged in society. There are several
programs that are available that keep our seniors
actively involved with younger generations such as
the “Foster Grandparents” Program that allow
seniors to mentor and spend time with young person
who need a role model.
 Work Cited

(1.) Kleinke, Chris L., Coping with Life Challenges,2 nd Edition: © 1998 Norene, Gerry; Reissued 2002 Waveland Press
Inc.

(2.) Hooyman,Nancy R., Kiyak, H. Asuman, Social Gerontology A Multidisciplinary Perspective, 9 th Edition:©
2011,2008,2005 Pearson Education Inc.

(3.) USA.gov, Government Made Easy,

http://www.usa.gov/Topics/Seniors.shtml

(4.) U.S. Census Bureau

http://www.census.gov

(5). Brock J,N., The Aging of America, The Evolution of the Aging Population
<www.cba.gsu.edu>
 Why assisting the elderly is so
important.(a personal story)

Of all the great groups available, I was glad to see that one of the groups was focused
on the elderly and their unique needs.  Our elderly citizens need companionship,
love, respect and attention.  Although it is easy to forget about the contributions by
those who make up the remainder of the "Greatest Generation," we cannot and
should not.  I believe that I have an understanding of the basic emotional needs of
our elderly because of my experience with my only remaining grandparent, "Mama."
As a younger man, I always loved my grandmother as a member of the family.  We
would typically only visit her on special occasions such as birthdays, holidays etc.  It
wasn't until she began to decline physically at a much more rapid pace that we
moved her to Mesquite and I really began to get to know my "Mama."  I found out
that she had led a very interesting life with experiences similar to my own(dating,
mischief, friends), and many other experiences that I will never know(WWII,
Depression).  In our elderly population, we have a living reminder of the history of
this country.  We have a group of people who have witnessed things that we never
will.  And although we are living our lives and dealing with everything that comes
with being a "Modern American" man or woman, we can all take a little time to
provide companionship to the elderly in our family and in our community.
 Continued…..

This time benefits not only them, but us as well.  If you believe in giving back, showing
respect, exhibiting a loving heart, and learning about our history, then this act of kindness
will be an invaluable opportunity to do and obtain all of these important things.  So take
the time to visit a local hospice, assisted living center, or personal residence of our most
needy and valuable citizens.  Learn from them, talk to them, allow them to relive the best
times of their lives through stimulating dialogue.  My grandmother, although 92 years of
age, loves to remember her own grandmother who raised from birth.  These were clearly
the best times of her life.  And although it saddens my heart to see her changing, I am so
happy that she can live out the rest of her days in the one place where she really wants to
be"home."
Please take the time to demonstrate your understanding of the sacrifices and contributions
made by our "Greatest Generation," by offering your companionship, love, respect
and attention to those who need it the most.  Remember our "Elderly."
Thank you,
Perry A. Morse II
SOCI 4750 
 Group 8 - Elderly

 Carolina Doktor

 Casey Drinnen

 Amanda Sanchez

 Perry Morse