2011

Well this was the year that was, in many ways the worst of my life. One of the minor issues was a week without power this winter when a windstorm took out a thousnad trees in the san gabriel valley. Because of my disaster ioperattions training at work, and because we are certified to board regional center clients, my wife and I have prepared better than many for loss of services. And as usual in a natural disaster, the ones who weather it best are the older adults. We couldn't stand ourselves in the evening, going to bed at dusk, when dusk is 4:45 just won't work. And we had gas and hot water. How we would ever be able to survive a real total breakdown of the utilities is more than I can imagine. And yet we must imagine it.
I have water, flashlights, food in storage and of course, tiki torches! And although I can't seem to forage a single meal out of our garden, I do think I could get at least one from our hens. Well we planned a nice break from all this roughing it. We're going camping!

So Proposition 8 is back in the news as it's constitutionality is under judicial review. Yesterday I officiated at a funeral for a wonderful man who had a committed relationship with another man. The older adults in attendance were somewhat disturbed by the almost continuous outpouring of love that came from his friends in the gay community. They were eager and driven to get up and talk about their friend and his life, while the seniors sat passively and tried to keep their jaws off the floor. It was one of the few times I was negatively impressed with the culture of age. I think for gay and lesbian citizens to be fully accepted, they must have full rights. In order for their in group support system to be blended with the family of origin, there has to be routine, traditional events that are inclusive.

Back in the field of aging?

So I thought I was done with older adults.A year ago I accepted a job in correctional treatment and turned my back on elders. But I found my knowledge and experience followed me. I was assigned duties that built on what I brought to the job. And I found a bunch of social workers that need to have a ten hour training on "Aging and Long Term Care" so they can get a license. Part of my old assignment was to teach such a class. And the social workers in jail work really hard. They deserve to have the class provided, instead of having to pay hundreds of dollars to take it on their own time. So this week I am teaching a class on older adults. I will draw heavily on material I presented here, and in past presentaions that I refer to in past blogs. But there is news. Older Adults continue to make the news. The most recent event to make a headline was the death of Dr William Butler. He was the psychiatrist that coined the term "ageism" in 1969 and with his wife, a social worker, wrote the first text book I had on aging. They also wrote a book together called Sex over 60. He died of leukemia at 83 years old on Independance Day. He will be missed.

A throwback to the times some of our more senior seniors can remember is the victory garden. Instead of watering a lawn, an status symbol of excess created to show we are too rich to count the money we trow away, the yard is devoted to a patch of soil meant to grow food, herbs and flowers for our homes. In the past, hard times would encourage creativity in taking care of ourselves- in world war two, the produce you grew was an indirect support of troops who recieved the commercial crops. In the dustbowl era of the great depression, it was the only way to get fresh food for many families. Older adults have the farmers most valuable asset, experience. Failed experiments- trials that didn't end in product. Ask the old lady next door if she knows when to plant, and what needs sun. She will teach you things that you didn't know that you didn't know. Ask the senior why he cuts his roses back on New Years and the details of deadheading and five versus three leaf clipping will make your own head swim. And the exercise you get in a day of gardening is better for you than watching a whole week of Food Network on TV.

I’ve tried to warn you about the evils of gambling. It gets in your blood and spoils your life. It uses the most powerful psychological tool known, called “intermittent positive reinforcement.” If you took a psychology class, ever, you know that negative reinforcement is punishment, and positive is reward. And you learned that consistent rewards will produce the target behavior, but when the reward stops, so will the behavior. But is the reward comes irregularly. If you get a cookie, or a jackpot, every third or fifth or seventh try, the behavior may never go away, even when no more rewards are produced.
So why is this seniority issue? As you know, I read the news, so you don’t have to. In Connecticut, home of Foxwoods, the worlds largest casino, there were these two older adult sisters. They always went to the casino together to play bingo and cards. Then in 1995 one of them won a big jackpot, $160,000 bucks! They had an agreement to share winnings, and they did. They even wrote up a little contract, and had it notarized. Now you may not know it, but most gambling contracts are not valid. A legal agreement to do something illegal can’t be enforced. But the two sisters had a falling out. Now they are 83 and 87 years old. And big sister won a half million dollars in the powerball lottery.
Even though they hadn’t talked for a few years, little sister saw the news and wants big sister to cut her in for half! And guess how far the case has gone? All the way to the State Supreme Court. And they seem to be on little sister’s side. It was illegal to gamble when that exception was devised, and the lottery is legal, so then should be the contract.
And aside from the jackpot, you know who wins? Of course they both have lawyers, and they’ll get paid, collections fee for $250,000 is going to buy someone a new pool, you betcha!

Pick a little, talk a little.

There is a letter to the editor in today’s Pasadena Star News asking why people talk during the performances at concerts. The writer, from San Gabriel may have been at the concerts at the park here in Temple City or at Arcadia or one of the many other town concert series held during the summer. “It seems disrespectful to the performers and the audience” says the writer.
I go to these concerts, and I don’t go for the music. It’s usually mildly entertaining, but the chance to catch up with neighbors I might only see there or at the polls on Election Day encourages visiting and talking. Some of the people that I only see there are Ken Picas kids. They’ve got lives away from Temple City and come home to see their Mom in the summer, and come to the park to see the rest of us.
We buy raffle tickets, and discuss the politics of the city- it’s really interesting this year. We buy snacks from the boy scouts and sister city organization. The concert is just an excuse to show up. There may be a shift in focus, I notice Westwind Productions isn’t on our calendar this year, and the Hula dancing, fire eatin’ group is one of my favorites.
The music is certainly loud enough to hear over a nearby conversation. So mind the stage, lady, this is a private conversation!

Today is the anniversary of the Stonewall Riot in New York that perhaps began the gay rights movement in 1969. That movement continues today in the effort here in California to overturn Prop 8, the ban on equal rights for all citizens. One of the issues that the groups that voted for 8 don't seem to get is that the people that started the ban on same sex marriage are coming for you too. They will eventually use the momentum to redefine birth control as abortion, outlaw your choice about using fertility technology to help infertile couples and make taking a contraceptive a felon homicide. They are coming for you. If you don't stand for freedom of groups that you aren't a member of, no one will be left to stand for your rights.
One way to arrest the momentum is to ask President Obama to overturn DOMA, the Defense of Marriage Act that Bill Clinton was bullied into signing a few years ago. Another is to support the campaign to invalidate Prop 8 in California. You can talk to your friends about the rights of gay and lesbian couples to marry. The lies that were used to promote prop 8 (teaching gay sex in schools, forcing all churches to marry queers, etc)
Never forget, they are coming for YOU!