Monthly Archives for May 2001

Cultivating a Garden, Inside and Out, Brings Satisfaction to Many Seniors

Published in the Pawtucket times on May 28, 2001

Some aging Baby Boomers squirm at the thought of turning age 50. The reality of aging often hits home when a letter arrives from the AARP urging them to become a member.

But one’s senior years could be uplifting, not a downer. Radio producer and writer Connie Goldman believes that the aging process can be viewed as a spiritual quest, not a personal crisis.

Goldman writes and produces public radio programs about seniors, from caregiving to cultivating your inner guard to talking about seniors who enjoy becoming more creative, alive and aware in their later years.

In one radio program, she talked about “Late Bloomers,” persons in their later years who choose to enjoy late life learning, climbing steep mountains and even becoming artists, dancers and writers in their later years.  But “being busy for the sake of being busy” ignores the real benefits of growing older, Goldman states, noting that the later years offer opportunities to focus on activities that are meaningful and internally enriching you.

For those age 50 and older, there are many opportunities to take advantage of and enjoy new relationships. Others begin to slowly wind down their hectic career, travel to exotic lands, assist in raising their grandchildren or contribute back to society through volunteer work. “It’s good to keep busy with something you truly enjoy,” Goldman says, but the simple act of watching a beautiful sunrise or sunset or even quietly puttering around your garden can be as stimulating as a jam-packed calendar of activities.

According to Goldman, as the outer world shrinks and we pull back into our selves, our inner personal world is given space to  grow. “This time of our lives can provide us with an opportunity to explore a different side of our selves. During the quiet times of midlife and beyond, gardening can offer us a chance for  contemplation, meditation, deep relation and inner calm,” she adds.

“Gardening provides us with a way to connect with the earth ad get in touch with the natural world,” Goldman states.

With the raves and kudos Goldman received from her recent one-hour public radio special, “The Wisdom of Gardening: Conversation with Elders and Others,” the 70-year-old writer and radio producer, and her writing colleague Richard Mahler, coauthored a book on the deeper meaning of gardening.

This 235-page book, “Tending the Earth, Mending the Spirit: The Healing Gifts of Gardening,” explores how the simple act of gardening can bring great satisfaction to gardeners, as well as to those who visit gardens. Interviewers told them how they found peace in their backyard when they were dealing with sadness and grief, relief from the stresses of the work place or feeling great joy in watching a tiny plant growing to be a big beautiful flower or ripe tomato.

“Whether you garden on a plot or in a pot, one experiences great satisfaction in being a partner in nature’s growth,” Goldman adds. So, as summer time approaches, get off the fast track of life. Dust off your gardening tools, put on your old clothing and sneakers. In the backyard vegetable patch, Goldman urges us to spend time connecting with the “natural world through gardening.” Whether admiring roses in your background patch or a neighbor’s garden, eating vegetables that you grew or simply enjoying the cool shade of trees, take time to nurture your “celestial Eden.”

Study: Communication Gap Exists Between Elderly and Their Children

Published in the Pawtucket Times on May 21, 2001

Everyone knows that communication gaps oftentimes occur between teenagers and their parents. According to the findings of a newly released AARP study, this problem also occurs in the later years too, between elderly parents and their adult children.

The AARP study found that most adult children never talk with their elderly parents about their aged-related needs until a crisis occurs.

Of those surveyed, two out of three adult children have never had this conversation with their aging parents.

Additionally, the findings indicated that more adult children and their older parents believed that their parents had a problem that affected their independence.

Moreover, the researchers say that the elderly parents are more than twice as likely as their adult children to say that their offspring had given them no help when they had a problem in the past five years.  While many elderly parents would seek information f rom their adult children about how to live independently, one in three adult children don’t know what type of information to give their parents or even where to locate it.

Grace Lebow, Co.-Director, of Aging Network Services, a nationwide care management service based in Bethesda, Maryland, believes “it’s never too late to open up communication with your elderly parents.”

However, “Many aging baby boomers find it difficult to see their parents age and become less parental to them,” states the clinical social worker specializing in working with older persons.

“Sometimes both older parents and grown children will think they are protecting each other by not addressing delicate subjects such as finances, wills, medical, durable power of attorney, and prepaid funerals,” Lebow tells The Times.

“The longer you avoid discussing these sensitive issues, the harder it will become when a future crisis occurs.”

Adult children often complain that their parents avoid or even refuse any discussions. Meanwhile, even if elderly parents are willing to talk with their adult children, oftentimes it’s the aging baby boomer children who are the ones who are in denial,” Lebow says.

“The adult children must become more receptive to listening to their signals instead of changing the subject and turning off the conversation.” She urges the aging baby boomers to tune in and pick up the parent’s lead.

For both generations, Lebow calls each to “listen to each other and become open for discussion.”

Sometimes a sibling might block needed conversations about age-related issues.

To circumvent this obstacle, consider writing a letter to this sibling and to the elderly parent, Lebow recommends, stating your feelings and how important you consider holding a family meeting to discuss your older parent’s needs.

Or consider bringing in the family friend or professional to get the dialogue jumpstarted, Lebow adds.

“It may even take the personal experiences of a friend of the parent to bring the issues home to both the elderly parent and adult children.”

Professionals, like family physicians or lawyers, who the older person trusts might be brought into the communication impasse as an alley to discuss the importance and the need for taking steps such as signing a living will, durable power of attorney or the need for prepaid funerals.

Aging specialist Nora Jean Levin, quoted in AARP’s brochure “Family Conversations that Help Parents Stay Independent,” notes that a conversation can help “plan for the future.”

She recommends working with older parents to create personal and financial profiles, including information such as the parent’s Social Security numbers, insurance coverage, medical records, and financial status.  By gathering this information, you might uncover current or potential needs for help.

As your older parent’s health and financial needs continue to change over time, continue to keep up your conversations on a regular basis.

To receive a pamphlet, “Family Conversations that Help Parents Stay Independent,” call Betsy L. Draper, of AARP, at 617 723-7600; or for information on Aging Network Services or to order a copy of Coping with Your Difficult Older Parents: A Guide for Stressed Out Children, by Grace Lebow & Barbara Kane, call 301 657-4329.

Scully Selected to Head Federal Health care Agency

Published in the Pawtucket times on May 14, 2001

Thomas A. Scully, a Washington, D.C.-based health care association executive who holds a law degree from Catholic University and has previous experience on Capitol Hill as a senate staffer and as a high-level White House official, has been tapped by the new Bush administration to run the Health Care financing Administration (HCFA), the federal agency providing health care to 74 million Medicare, Medicaid and the State Children’s Health Insurance Program.

The nomination of Scully, president and CEO of the Federation of American Hospitals, a trade group that represents 1,700 for-profit hospitals, went to Capitol Hill in early May.  When confirmed as HCFA administrator by the U.S. Senate, Scully will replace Nancy Min DeParle, who left last October for a teaching stint at Harvard University. With her departure, a string of acting directors temporarily took the reins of the federal agency.

At press time, Jill Kozney, a spokesperson for Chairman Chuck Grassley of the Senate Finance Committee, stated that a confirmation hearing has not been scheduled yet. “Not every piece of paper work is in, but the chairman would like to act on the nomination as soon as possible,” the Senate staffer says.

A Washington Insider

As Washington insider, Scully brings a potpourri of health policy experiences to HCFA. The health care association executive comes with legal expertise gleaned from his legal practice, which focused on regulatory and legislative work in health care. Scully also brings an understanding of the intricacies of Capitol Hill, gained by serving as a staff assistant to U.S. Senator Slade Gorton (R-Wash.), and as associate director of the White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB) and later as deputy assistant to the president and counselor to the director of OMB under the senior Bush administration.

Ties to the former Bush administration were forged when Scully served on the communications staff of the Bush-Quayle campaign in 1988 and as deputy director of the congressional affairs for the president-elect’s transition team.

“Scully is smart, quotable, and politically savvy,” says Edward Howard, executive vice president of the Alliance for Health Care Reform. “He’s described as a problem solver rather than an ideologue,” Howard adds.

Howard expects Scully to turn his attention to internal problems at HCFA, because the agency has “substantial management problems.” He notes that HCFA has lost a number of good people and Congress will most certainly give the agency new tasks to handle.

“At least Scully will not have to spend one and a half years to learn about the programs he supervises, because he knows them well with his past OMB experience and at the Federation of American Hospitals,” Howard adds.

Bill Benson, former deputy assistant secretary for aging and president of the Maryland-based Benson Consulting Group, warns “Don’t look for Scully to, be much of a consumer advocate,” because he will be sympathetic to providers because of his ties to the hospital provider community.

“That does not mean Scully’s going to be in any position to get hospitals any more money but he will be more attuned to less regulation and more flexibility in rules, and regulations or health care providers,” Benson states.

According to Benson, one of Scully’s first tasks will be to carry out Health ad Human Service Secretary Tommy Thomson’s wish to reorganize HCFA because “this agency is one that everyone loves to hate, especially Republicans.”

Providers Rally Around Scully

Meanwhile, provider groups give thumbs up to Scully’s nomination as HCFA administration.

“Tom Scully has a unique combination of both real-world perspective and public service experience,” states Rick Pollack, executive vice president of the American Hospital Association. “That makes him a great choice for HCFA administrator.”

“From crafting Medicare regulation and budgets to building strong relationships with lawmakers on both sides of the aisle, Tom has the right mix of knowledge or the job,” Pollack adds.

In a letter being distributed to U.S. senators, who must vote to confirm Scully, Dr. Charles H. Roadman, II and AHCA Legislative Counsel Bruce Yarwood states: “As HCFA administrator, Tom Scully will have the responsibility for leading dramatic change.”

The opportunity for HCFA reform is the brightest it’s been in years,” Roadman predicted, expressing confidence that the controversial survey and enforcement apparatus will be closely scrutinized by Scully and the Bush White House.

In a public statement, the American Association of Homes and Services for the Aging’s senior vice president Suzanne M. Weiss states that her nonprofit provider group looks forward to working with the new HCFA administrator.

“As we look for ways to improve the current nursing home and inspection and enforcement system and reimbursement system.  We hope Mr. Scully will be o pen to our efforts in his new position,” Weiss says.