You are currently browsing the category archive for the 'IAHSA in Orlando' category.
Award-winning photographer Jerry Friedman is an inspiring and inspired seeker of truth and meaning. And he found wisdom and spirit through his four-year journey around the world – meeting, photographing and talking with the 62 oldest people on earth.
Folks call these oldest old [over 110 years of age] Supercentenarians, and through his visits Friedman gained a deeper understanding of what the elderly in every culture have to offer. Jerry was inspired by the opportunity to improve the quality of life of the elderly, and has launched a program to teach children to recognize the wisdom and value of the elderly as positive and essential parts of our families and our society.
Yesterday, Jerry shared with the AAHSA audience stories of his travels and experiences with these fascinating individuals and urged everyone to reach out to all generations to embrace the value and wisdom of the elderly everywhere.
For information on the Earth Elders book and his foundation visit: http://earthseldersfoundation.org/
And so does Grandpa!! As do all of the other residents at Riderwood, a retirement community in Maryland USA.
Erickson Communities, owner of Riderwood, is working with Nintendo to see if the new game technology Wii [pronounced wee] will work with seniors. So they have set up a Wii bowling alley here at the AAHSA conference. I played against Freek Lapre, IAHSA Chair, from The Netherlands, and I must admit he was pretty good at it.
In addition to being fun, video games and other cognitive training tools have been proven to provide an improvement in overall daily functioning, including hand-eye coordination and cognitive fitness.
Let’s play!!!
See the article below for a good description of the program at Riderwood.
http://www.washingtontimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20071014/FAMILY/110140006/1016
Author, Academy Award Winner, well-known celebrity, Sidney Poitier addressed the AAHSA conference this morning, sharing his life through his description of 12 snapshots.
He began our ’snapshot’ tour with his birth, a tribute to the tenacity of his mother in the face of adversity, through his hardscrapple life, first in Miami then New York City. By the time he was 16 in NYC in 1943 he knew that he had to master the basics of life as fast as possible because there is limited room for wasted motion.
He was especially eloquent about the “Whap Whap’ theory of child raising, a method used by his mother with great success.
I’ve always been a great fan - loved all of his movies and watch them whenever I get a chance. But I had no idea what he had to overcome to reach where he is today. His life clearly reflects one of integrity and the power of helping those around you in the face of adversity.
For more information on him and for a preview of his recent book, The Measure of A Man, see Sidney Poitier Biography - Biography.com
Elie Wiesel - Holocaust survivor, Nobel Peace Prize winner, author, and, most of all, champion in the fight against injustice, indifference and intolerance - addressed the Opening General Session at the AAHSA Conference yesterday morning, Sunday 21 October.
As an advocate for the downtrodden, his universal message is that ‘to remain silent and indifferent is the greatest sin of all’.
His message to the AAHSA members was to celebrate the elderly because the world is in danger - and a society is viewed, either negatively or positively, by the way they treat their elderly.
And live in the moment.
“Every day is a day of grace. Every moment is a moment of truth. Life is not made of years. Life is made of moments.”
For more information on Elie Wiesel and The Elie Wiesel Foundation for Humanity visit http://www.eliewieselfoundation.org/homepage.aspx.
As I entered the Orlando Convention Center on Sunday morning I came upon an incredible exhibit of 52 quilts telling the story of living with Alzheimer’s disease.
The Alzheimer’s Art Quilt Initiative is a grass roots effort to raise awareness and fund research for Alzheimer’s disease. It was started by Ami Simms whose mother is one of 5.1 million Americans who suffer from Alzheimer’s disease. “I began the Alzheimer’s Art Quilt Initiative because I think it is possible to make a difference, one quilt at a time.”
The exhibit is beautiful and moving. Experiencing these quilts made me realize how many ways Alzheimer’s affects so many people. They also eloquently demonstrate how powerful art can be in telling a story.
Throughout the conference I will proudly wear my “I saw the quilt’ sticker.
Blog Alert!!! Attention all of you faithful IAHSA Blog readers!! IAHSA’s going to Florida to be part of the Annual Meeting of AAHSA, IAHSA’s US affiliate.
We will be posting our thoughts and experiences the whole time we’re there, so watch out for the sun……
