Let's Dance the Generation Gap Away Together

 

Check out these youngsters shagging the night away! 
Check out these sexy seniors shagging the night away!
Check out this couple in their 80's shagging the night away!

Life is good!  It is a journey worthy of anticipation, excitement, joy and celebration at each and every age.  

Enjoy watching these three generation of Shag dancers.  The Shag is a swing dance that originated in the 1920's where partners mirror each other's footwork.  It is said to be idea for beginners because it involves eight basic steps which are simple and easily mastered. Those steps can be elaborated on to create more complex and impressive dance.  Learn how to shag dance here.

Kayak Commercial Mocks the Elderly with Disabilities

By Lisa Cayton Stockdale

Ageism has been defined as the tendency to regard older people as debilitated or unworthy of attention.  That just about sums up the negative attitudes and perpetuation of stereotypes around aging and the elderly portrayed in Kayak's latest commercial.  Allow me to rephrase, Kayak isn't bashful about poking fun at the frail, elderly, vulnerable or disabled as long as it helps them turn a profit.

The commercial depicts a man searching for a hotel deal on his laptop while riding his mother's stairlift because he "can't afford to waste a second" looking for hotel deals.  Meanwhile, his elderly mother struggles to climb the stairs as he whizzes by without demonstrating a hint of concern.  His wife apparently shares in his callous attitude as she stands at the top of the stairs conversing with him without any regard for the old woman's safety.

I realize that some will say that I am being hyper-sensitive and that I should learn to take a joke and that I need to lighten up and on and on it will go.  Tell you what!  I'll stop being hyper-sensitive when Kayak stops behaving like insensitive jerks. These are the same folks that just last year drew immense criticism for a commercial that made light of brain surgery and was deemed highly offensive to the point that it was actually banned in the UK. I'll learn to take a joke when Kayak learns that there are boundaries.  Let's raise up a standard and refuse to allow anyone to demean, humiliate or degrade our elders.  I'll lighten up when Kayak shapes up.  Till then, let's boycott and refuse to utilize their services!!!

DAVE ALLEN-GETTING OLDER very funny.

From Woody Hayes to Jim Tressel and beyond...

Dr. Norm Burns, side-line photographer for the Ohio State Buckeyes from Woody Hayes to Jim Tressel, was interviewed on Senior Agenda on 12/19/13 for one of our Slow Down, Listen and Learn segments.  Listen to the complete interview here.  The Slow Down, Listen & Learn segments are reserved to allow seniors in our community an opportunity to come on and tell their stories.  We know there is much to be gained when we simply slow down, listen and learn.

"I'm on the sidelines year after year, coach after coach, and taking pride in the fact that hey look at me - I'm 80... now I'm 83 - hey fellows I'm the oldest - I'm the only octogenarian on the sidelines. I'd flex my muscles because of my age." Burns laughed.

Burns graduated from the Ohio State University of Dentistry and worked for OSU primarily as a student recruiter in the College of Dentistry for more than three decades.  During the interview he reflected on a more modest way of life during the Great Depression, family life including a discussion about his marriage, and finally life at the university.

"The experiences in the press room with Woody Hayes, well that's a story in itself," he said.

Of the thousands of photos he took in his 38 years on the sidelines. he described his favorite as a black and white from 1978.  " It's homecoming.  Ohio Sate is playing Iowa...   Bob Hope is the grand marshal of homecoming...It's halftime...and Bob Hope is dotting the "I."  And the legendary drum major -  Dwight Hudson...maybe the only drum major to receive permission from the Board of Trustees to come back a second time as drum major - he was that spectacular - so at any rate Dwight Hudson leads Bob Hope out to dot the "I" and at that moment out of the locker room comes Woody Hayes running at fill speed" to embrace Bob Hope.

Burns is now retired.  He continues to share his experiences and photographs from OSU through a series of on-going speaking engagements around town where he displays his personal collection of football photographs.  He is also a member of the German Village Society where he acts as a tour guide weather permitting.  If you would like to schedule a presentation with Burns, please email us at senioragendawithlisa.com.  GO BUCKS!

Seniors Can Volunteer to Beat Loneliness

Loneliness and the feeling of being unwanted is the most terrible poverty.

Mother Teresa

What is loneliness?  According to Wikipedia, "loneliness is a complex and usually unpleasant emotional response to isolation or lack of companionship."  It "typically includes anxious feelings about a lack of connectedness or community with other beings, both in the present and extending into the future. As such, loneliness can be felt even when surrounded by other people...Loneliness has also been described as social pain - a psychological mechanism meant to alert an individual of isolation and motivate him/her to seek social connections."

Aging presents new sets of challenges for all of us which can include being more at risk for loneliness. There are obvious explanations like the loss of a spouse.  There are social explanations like the fact that older people tend to value connectedness more than younger people. And then there are more clandestine explanations like ageism.  I will be offering perspective on each of these explanations soon, but for now let's focus on what I believe to be one of the most viable solutions to combat loneliness - volunteerism.  

Volunteering your time to help others is like a hot bowl of homemade chicken soup on a blustery winter day; it warms, replenishes, satisfies, comforts and soothes. Other benefits include: 

• The opportunity to increase your personal connectedness in your own community.  Participating in your community gives rise to a sense of belonging which works against loneliness on all levels. 
• The opportunity to make friends with and socialize with the kind of caring, open, positive people who volunteer.  This is a chance to make new friends and grow relationships.  
• The opportunity to reap the benefits of altruism.  We have all heard that it is better to give than receive and research confirms the old adage.  Studies have shown that altruism is good for your emotional well-being and can measurably enhance your peace of mind.  See About.com Stress Management.
• The opportunity to share your own talents and expertise which naturally increases feelings of self-worth.  As a mature adult with a lifetime of experience, you have much to offer. Volunteering gives you a captive audience which is often missing after children have grown and gone and once retirement has been realized.  
• The opportunity to tap in on a greater sense of gratitude.  It is easier to count your blessings when you are exposed to the less fortunate.  I know that sounds brash but remember we are talking about how to combat feelings of loneliness through volunteerism.  Besides, I am convinced that exposure benefits everyone.  Too many people walk through life oblivious to the pain and suffering of others in part because they insulate themselves from the less fortunate.  
• The opportunity to stay busy which gives you less time to be lonely and dwell on negative feelings and emotions. 

At this point, hopefully you are wondering where to sign up!  You can contact any community agency that you believe in including homeless shelters, boys and girls clubs, clinics, military organizations, civic and/or religious groups, hospitals or your local community to explore volunteer opportunities.  Don't forget about your local schools.  They are often looking for volunteers to read to students and more.  You might also consider your local assisted living, senior center or hospice organization in an effort to participate in the notion of seniors helping seniors.  

Here is a list of national and local organizations in no particular order that we believe in here at Senior Agenda: 

1. Military Appreciation Follow this link for details and direction.
2. American Red Cross Call the American Red Cross of Greater Columbus at 614-253-2740  ext 2355 or Follow this link for national details and direction.
3. RSVP This is the nation's largest volunteer organization for seniors 55 + and specializes in matching seniors with volunteer opportunities that tap individual talents and passions.  Follow this link to learn more.
4. The Salvation Army Follow this link for details and direction.
5. Catholic Social Services Friendly Visiting Program Volunteer to visit a senior experiencing loneliness and social isolation in Franklin County.  Visit this link to learn more.    
6. Hospice Organizations  One of our favorites is Gentiva at 1-888-GENTIVA Follow this link to learn more.  
7. LifeCare Alliance  Volunteer opportunities are endless with this incredible local organization including delivering Meals on Wheels to local homebound seniors. Visit their website for details.
8. Mid Ohio Food Bank Help fight hunger by volunteering today.  Follow this link to learn more.
9. Volunteers of America/ Greater Ohio Volunteer to help the less fortunate today.  Follow this link to learn more.
10. COLUMBUS COALITION for the HOMELESS Volunteer to fight homelessness in our city.  Follow this link to learn more.
11. Good Neighbor Picnic 2014 Volunteer to participate in organization for 2014 effort to provide a day of family fun for the homeless in our city.  Visit their website to learn more.
12. Columbus Recreation & Parks Department Volunteer to help with park clean up and more. Follow this link to find a park near you.
13. Volunteer Guardian Program Volunteer to be a guardian to a senior.  Free training and supervision offered through COAAA.  Follow this link to learn more.
14. Ohio Department of Aging Volunteer to help seniors through COAAA - Central Ohio Area Agency on Aging at 1-800-589-7277 Follow this link to learn more.
15. Hands On Central Ohio Foster Grandparent Program Volunteer to mentor a child in need.  Call 614-221-6766 or Follow this link to learn more.
16. Ohio Historical Society Volunteer to help preserve our state's history.  Follow this link to learn more.
17. Employment for Seniors  Volunteer to help other seniors find employment.  Call 614-863-1219 or Follow this link to learn more.
18. Columbus Metropolitan Libraries Volunteer opportunities range from clerical duties to participation in the HomeworkHelpCenters where you can tutor children. Call 614-849-1055 or Follow this link to learn more.
19. PAWS Ohio: Public Animal Welfare Society Volunteer to love a pet through adoption, fostering or other agency duties.  Follow this link to learn more.
20. VolunteerMatch.org   For a list of over 400 local individual volunteer opportunities. Follow this link now!

Remember to listen to Senior Agenda for local opportunities through the year. As I often say on the radio program, you don't have to go it alone!!! 

Wrinkles are Meaningless in the Face of Female Beauty

Senior women are powerful and capable and strong and YES - BEAUTIFUL!!! 

Last month I was teaching a class at a local assisted living community and the topic was female beauty and aging.   My students were 15 women ages 76 - 94.  I have taught this class many times and I know that for the most part senior women do NOT generally identify themselves as beautiful.   What I keep hoping is that my seniors should know that beauty is more than physical attributes.  These are accomplished, experienced, wise, funny, intelligent, educated, beautiful women.  They have nurtured families, survived personal loss, overcome illness, stood strong in the face of adversity and paved the way for the rest of us.  

Here's my favorite definition of beauty - the combination of ALL qualities of a person or thing that delight the senses and please the mind.  What could that possibly have to do with being tall, thin and blonde?  And by the way, if you are tall, thin and blonde, I'm not mad at you.  That's not the point.  Here's the point - I have personally never been any of those things and you can't tell me I'm not beautiful.  Beauty is deeper than that.  And one more thing, if we don't understand the real depth or our own beauty, how can we expect our children or grandchildren or great grandchildren to understand it or claim their beauty.  

So for all my senior women who tell me they can no longer stand to look in the mirror, I want you to know you are breaking my heart and I am begging you to think long and hard about the consequences of that perspective.  We are counting on you to claim your voices and lead the way like you have in days gone by.  The wrinkles on your face are proof of your strength and without you we would not be allowed to own property or vote or attend college or run for office or own our own businesses.  Without you we would not understand the importance of the stay at home mom or the importance of balancing work and family. YOU are beautiful!  You are MORE than beautiful. You are awesome.  And we are not gonna let you forget it.  

Please listen to this edition of Senior Agenda for the complete commentary.

Seniors Have Already Funded their Own Social Security & Medicare

The cartoon above is shameful and indicative of the popular perspective of many young professionals and soon to be professionals in the workplace and at the university today.  It is an absolute misrepresentation of reality and pushes the misconception that seniors are a burden standing on the backs of others who carry the load while seniors get a free ride.  Those poor pitiful college graduates of this new millennium who took out student loans, can't get the salaries they believe they deserve and have been unfairly impacted by the great recession.  Research has it that those born between 1980 and 2000 or "Generation Y" are marked by an inflated sense of entitlement and lack work ethic.  They also reportedly hate criticism and suffer from higher levels of depression and chronic disenchantment.  In short, they are unhappy. Just a friendly reminder that seniors made those student loans possible, suffer from disproportionate poverty despite years of service and lived through the Great Depression.  Moreover, they have already paid to have their social security and Medicare funded.  In addition to being highly offensive, the cartoon also fails to depict the generation gap in any meaningful way.