WebJunction

Got a great source of info? Come on, I know you do. Share your secrets!

Here's a couple of mine:

The Connecticut Library Consortium's list of resources can be found here:
http://www.ctlibrarians.org/events/soar.html#soarResources

And at the Connecticut WebJunction home page we have some information about serving older adults:
http://ct.webjunction.org/do/Navigation?category=7763

I showed you mine, now you show me yours.

Alert on 2 "good" library sites for older adults. These are considerate web sites designed specifically to target OAs.

Cleveland Public Library's "Seniors Connect @ CPL at: http://www.cpl.org/EventsCalendar.asp?FormMode=SeniorsInfo

Multinomah County (Portland Oregon metro area) Library's site called "Fifty-five Plus - the one stop shop for those fifty-five years of age and older!" at: http://www.multcolib.org/seniors/index.html

As noted on SeniorServ and the WHCoA listservs, AARP has developed some resources at its http://www.aarp.org/olderwiserwired/ site which concentrate on web design and usability in regards to seniors.

It put me in mind of an article I read from InternetWeek at http://www.internetweek.com/webdev/57704096 concerning web-friendly design and a Kaiser Family Foundation (www.kff.org) survey.

Just a heads up -- you can participate in the Pre-White House Conference on Aging (WHCOA)Forum. It's a free preconference to the American Library Association Annual COnference in June. We will be discussing what the library delegates to the WHCOA should bring to the table. There is still space available. If you are interested in registering for the Forum, go to the forum website http://www.ala.org/ala/rusabucket/prewhcoaforum/whcoa2005forum.htm

If you would like to attend the actual WHCOA as an at-large delegate, visit their website. http://www.whcoa.gov


Message was edited by: blg3 (to make the links hot )

If you attended the forum at the ALA Conference in Chicago related to the Whitehouse Conference on Aging in December 2005, I would like to hear what you will be doing to follow-up. I especially would like to know how you are going to interact with the delegates from your state to get the "library" message into the Whitehouse Counference.

Thanks,
Sandy Newell
snewell@dos.state.fl.us

FYI, ALA is exhibiting at the WHCOA conference in booth 913.

The intrepid Satia Marshall Orange, Director of ALA's Office for Literacy and Outreach Services (OLOS) is in charge. I think I've given this url before, but it's http://ala.org/ala/olos/literacyoutreach.htm.

Here's a press release

Thanks for the heads-up, Rhea, great tip!

I recently looked at ALA’s page on “Outreach Resources to Underserved Populations:” http://www.ala.org/ala/olos/outreachresource/servicesolder.htm. It’s pretty good (and, btw, Rhea's all over it).

In it is a column by Kathy Mayo (Lee County, FL Library System) that might be of particular interest as it concerns “The Public Library as Programming Resource for the Senior Community:” http://www.ala.org/ala/olos/outreachresource/olderadults2.htm.

As everyone may or may not know, SENIORSERV is ALA's discussion list for librarians serving older adults.

Subscribe here: http://www.ala.org/ala/olos/outreachresource/instructions.htm

MGPL's Webrary Senior Center is lookin' pretty darned good.

http://www.webrary.org/senior/seniormenu.html

Topics of interest include: $, Retirement, Health & Medicine, What's Availalbe to Residents.

Three to get started:

http://www.seniordiscounts.com/ haven't actually used any of these yet but am hoping to find a real bargain soon!

http://www.aarp.org/
lots of info for those of us over 50
enjoy the email newsletters, particularly Book Talk
sign-up at http://www.aarp.org/emailnews/

http://www.elderhostel.org/welcome/home.asp
dream about that next vacation destination

Message was edited by: fishrocker - to make the links hot!

Note: this message has been moved by an administrator. Originally posted by jclark on November 1, 2005.

Pam,
Identity theft is such a special area of concern for older adults who have fixed incomes. Your customers would want to know more -- you could share your "find" by posting information about the aarp online seminar in the library (maybe at the circulation desk) or using it as part of a library program.

See you soon.
Joan

Howdy y'all,

Chris Magnusson's lesson plan includes these web sites, all of which are worth a look. Breaking them out might save some time, but the whole lesso plan is well made and, imho, provides an excellent base for library programming.

http://www.consumer.gov/idtheft
Federal Trade Commission sight with specific information to prevent and report identity theft.

http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/menu-internet.htm
Sponsored by the Federal Trade Commission provides information about privacy,
security, dealing with spam and identity theft.

http://www.safeshopping.org
Sponsored by the American Bar Association – provides information about security,
privacy and how to make a complaint.

http://www.bbb.org/library/shoponline.asp
Sponsored by the Better Business Bureau – provides information about on-line fraud, shopping, privacy tips and bogus websites.

http://www.ou.edu/oupd/inetmenu.htm
Sponsored by the University of Oklahoma Police Department – provides information
about chain letters, romances, scams and information about keeping kids safe on the internet.

http://www.pcworld.com
For information about antivirus software, firewalls, and spam filters.

http://www.f-secure.com/virus-info
http://www.symantec.com/avcenter
Two sources for information about current viruses, worms, Trojan horses, and hoaxes. Both of these companies sell anti-virus software.

http://www.ala.org/parentspage/greatsites/criteria.html
American Library Association site—“How to tell if you are looking at a great web site”

Note: Note: this message has been moved and edited by an administrator. Originally posted by havgirltech@comcast.net on December 1, 2005.

You may find the linked article interesting--we should all be concerned with the increase of melanoma--we need to find a cure!

Experiences with Proton Beam Therapy as a Treatment for Cancer

link: http://www.seniornet.org/php/default.php?PageID=7770&Version=0&Font=0

As many of you know, the Whitehouse Conference on Aging (WHCA) is in December this year. I would like to hear what States are doing to connect with your delegates. What have you done to inform them about ways libraries provide services for the aging? For example, have library directors done personal phone calls, mailings or some other communication with the delegates? What role has your State Library played?

Please let me know any thoughts, suggestions or things that have worked. I know that a lot of states, including Florida, have already held major forums related to WHCA. In our state, the library was not connected.

I did go to the ALA forum in Chicago about this and know that ALA will be providing a paper to inform the delegates.

Sandy Newell
State Library & Archives of Florida
850-245-6624
snewell@dos.state.fl.us

at http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/seniorshealthissues.html. Offers info aplenty, there's enough here to keep browsers busy for days.

From the NLM and the NIH (that's the National Library of Medicine and the National Institutes of health to you and me).

Doug

Connie Van Fleet (U. of Oklahoma) was nice enough to post this to ALA's Seniorserv; if you haven't seen it it's worth maybe a look.

http://www.niapublications.org/spnagepages/arthritis-sp.asp

Most of this info comes from the press release: To order copies that look pretty nice of this pub, called "Consejos Sobre la Artritis", call 1-800-222-2225 toll free. The NIA Information Center is open weekdays between 8:30 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. eastern time. An information specialist will be available to respond to calls in Spanish.

This and other Spanish publications on healthy aging also are available on the NIA Web site at www.niapublications.org.

About 800K has been given to 19 states under the umbrella of “Aging and Disability Resource Center (ADRC) grants.”

There’s a pretty clear description of the whole thing at the ADRC page at: http://www.adrc-tae.org/tiki-index.php?page=PublicHomePage. Briefly, The Aging and Disability Resource Center (ADRC) grant program is supposed to design and implement one-stop shopping - “single sources of information and assistance for families navigating the often-confusing array of long-term care services available in their communities.”

Sounds something like (gasp) a LIBRARY, no?

States are given “flexibility in the development and administration of their programs. Some states may utilize a single agency as the entry point to long-term support while other states will establish centers with multiple sites that may work together to ensure uniform access to long-term care support options.”

The ADRC program is jointly administered and sponsored by the federal Administration on Aging (http://www.aoa.gov/) and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (http://www.cms.hhs.gov/), both part of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

ADRC also is part of the New Freedom Initiative. This, in the government’s own words, “a nationwide effort to remove barriers to community living for people of all ages with disabilities and long-term illnesses. It…[provides] the opportunity to learn and develop skills, engage in productive work, choose where to live and participate in community life.” More info on that at: http://www.cms.hhs.gov/newfreedom/

States and territories receiving the latest grants are: Alabama, Arizona, Colorado, District of Columbia, Guam, Hawaii, Idaho, Kansas, Kentucky, Michigan, Mississippi, Nevada, Ohio, Tennessee, Texas, Vermont, Virginia, Washington and Wyoming. About 40 other states have received three-year grants.

It seems that AoA has a slew of grant opportunities, which seem to be announced periodically through http://www.aoa.gov/doingbus/fundopp/fundopp.asp

Douglas -

I just ran across this report by the Pew Center on Older Americans and the Internet. It may be "old" news to you but I thought I added it to the thread.

http://www.pewinternet.org/PPF/r/117/report_display.asp

Laura

I love the term "silver tsunami"!

A more recent study by the Pew Internet and American Project also supports their earlier findings:

"26% of Americans 65 and older go online compared with 67% of those age 50-64.." - Digital Divisions, 10/5/05. http://www.pewinternet.org/pdfs/PIP_Digital_Divisions_Oct_5_2005.pdf

Laura

Weirdness/Kismet/Synchronicity.

Right after you attend the NCOA webinar on “Building Public Awareness of Resources” you can log in to Allan Kleiman’s (ALA and WHCoA) webinar on ”Library Services for Older Adults: Preview of the White House Conference on Aging” at OPAL (Online Programming for All Libraries, an Illinois-based collaborative).

Here’s the ‘official’ blurb from http://www.opal-online.org/progschrono.htm

Thursday, November 17, 2005 beginning at 3:00 p.m. Eastern Standard Time, 2:00 Central, 1:00 Mountain, noon Pacific, and 8:00 p.m. GMT:
Library Services for Older Adults: Preview of the White House Conference on Aging
Join Allan Kleiman from Westfield Public Library in New Jersey, one of the few librarian at-large delegates to the upcoming White House Conference on Aging on December 11-14 for a discussion of the themes and anticipated outcomes of the WHCoA. The purpose of this fifth WHCoA is to make recommendations to the President and Congress to help guide national aging policies for the nest ten years and beyond. Allen also will review the key points of a position paper he prepared for the American Library Association for this conference. He also will lead a discussion of the long-term challenges and opportunities of providing library services for older adults.

More information at: http://www.whcoa.gov

A few people had found and looked into www.thirdage.com; I saw, went, surfed and came away kind of unimpressed. It's the kind of magazine-esque, ad-heavy, slick but shallow approach that a lot of sites use but which, imho, rarely work.

It might keep older adults busy for a while, but I'm not sure how truly helpful it is.

To their credit, they are open about their approach - direct marketers serving as middle men;

"ThirdAge Inc. is an online media and direct marketing company focused exclusively on serving the needs of midlife adults -- generally those in their 40s, 50s and 60s -- and those who want to build a genuine relationship with them."

Note: this message has been moved by an administrator. Originally
posted by myerst on November 29, 2005

http://www.thirdage.com/news/archive/ALT02000626-03.html

Thanks for posting, Akira! I especially liked the author's idea of creating an 'historical still life:'

"Raid your attic for meaningful items from your past...and arrange them on a tabletop to create a historical still life."

Maybe I've finally got a use for all my old track and field paraphernalia!

It also reminds me that a lot of libraries offer classes in digital photography and, having good response rates, develop lasting relationships with older adults.

SeniorNet locations consistently offer tech classes encompassing d.p. and more (see
http://www.seniornet.org/php/default.php?PageID=7110&Version=0&Font=0).

Also, WJ's own Technology Watch List for Small Libraries offers a bit on digital preservation at http://webjunction.org/do/DisplayContent?id=7769.

this message has been moved by an administrator. Originally
posted by hudsonm on November 29, 2005.

The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette has published a special report about navigating the new Medicare Part D prescription drug plan in Pennsylvania, available online at

http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/03001/601577.stm

Another good site (not just for Pennsylvanians) is "My Medicare Matters: Your Guide to the New Prescription Drug Coverage" at

http://www.mymedicarematters.org/

Has anyone found other sites useful for answering reference questions about Medicare Part D?

AARP is providing non-technical information in a new publication, The New Medicare Prescription Drug Coverage: What You Need to Know. It’s a booklet highlighting enrollment deadlines, initial coverage for drug costs, benefits for individuals with current drug coverage, calculation of Medicare drug benefits, the process of selecting and joining a Medicare prescription drug plan, and resources for additional help.

It can be viewed online in its entirety and may be printed from the AARP website in pdf format.

The publication has large type, a clear layout, charts, and explanations.

Free physical copies, in Spanish as well as English versions, of this and another booklet, The New Medicare Prescription Drug Coverage: Extra Help for People with Limited Income, may be ordered online at the AARP website at http://www.aarp.org/health/medicare/the_new_medicare_prescription_drug_coverage_aarp_p.html.

AARP membership is not required.

The ‘official’ Medicare website is at http://www.medicare.gov/.

Check out this free searchable database at http://www.aarp.org/ageline.

Abstracts + some full text material for 600 journals (professional literature), books and chapters, research, dissertation, conference proceedings and educational vids.

Seachers can limit by type of literature.

Douglas aka fishrocker

Note: this message has been moved and edited (to make the link hot) by an administrator. Originally posted by jclark on November 1, 2005.

Louis,

You could be a site "reviewer" with your straight-to-the-point insights on both of these useful websites.

Regarding www.aarp.org and other sites, the "sitemap" is usually the easiest way to find what's there -- especially for librarians who like to see the overall order and what's within each category.

See you soon.

Joan

Note: this message has been moved by an administrator. Originally posted by rhodges on December 1, 2005.

We found the link to "Experience Corps" looks like a very promising activity for older adults who are interested in working with young people.
http://www.experiencecorps.org/philadelphia/index.html

Richard Hodges

Note: this message has been moved by an administrator. Originally posted by rhodges on December 1, 2005.

I found a Learning Center in Harrisburg, which I plan to contact re teaching in Dillsburg

http://www.seniornet.org/usa/harrisburg/default.php?PageID=5231

Eldercare Online at http://www.ec-online.net/ is a noble site that provides "information, education and support to families caring for aging loved ones, especially those coping with Alzheimer's Disease and related dementias."

This is an "online community where supportive peers and professionals help you improve quality of life for yourself and your elder." A newsletter, a forum, topical articles and pages on insurance coverage, legal & financial matters, healthy aging, residential options, and transitions & spirituality (the lattermost category includes things no one really like to talk about but which are important, like funeral arrangements). Links, some ads, and its in html, good for old-school navigation.

Try the Family Caregiver Alliance site at http://www.caregiver.org/caregiver/jsp/home.jsp for helpful, current, and supportive nformation and links; the site is designed for families caring for loved ones.

FCA is a big operation; national in scope, though California-heavy due to its SF Bay area origin. They offer topical coverage/advice (e.g., dementia, depression, etc) telephone and 'live' workshops, and lots of fact sheets (like this one on adaptive technology http://www.caregiver.org/caregiver/jsp/content_node.jsp?nodeid=1412) in English, Chinese, and Spanish.

The basics of the information are also available in Chinese and Spanish.

Contrast FCA's content management system with the html of http://www.elderweb.com/, which is straight out of 2001. Though elderweb is a one-person operation, the information is old and navigation is clunky. Noble, but...

http://www.retirenet.com/ is one of a zillion sites that focuses on 'helping' users locate retirement communities. It's actually a decent example for-profit site beaming to its specific audience (older boomers with a few sheckles in their pocket).

Newsy items amid the flackery ("Picture yourself living year round on the shores of Lake Huron...") lend to the illusion of the site's competence, when in fact it's more like subdued hucksterism.

Users can look up prospective sites by zip code, states, city, whatever.

Advertisers include moving companies and retirement congloms.

I guess it's one of the costs of living in America in the internet age, it still just stikes me as something we as librarians need to be mindful of when we do the information literacy bit for our OAs.

Also try http://www.seniorsites.com/. This is a pretty basic listing of non-profit housing for seniors.

It's not itself a non-profit (rather, it advertises non-profit housing), but at least it's pretty honest about it.

AARP recently launched a new free prescription drug area on its website written especially for health consumers. Effective and Safe Prescription Drugs is available at (http://www.aarp.org/health/comparedrugs). Medication information is organized by drug name and medical condition.

Around seventy-five “commonly prescribed” individual medications for nine health conditions in brief, consumer-friendly language. The website plans to expand its drug coverage to twenty-five drug categories. Links from individual drug descriptions lead to comparisons of the drug’s class, research on effectiveness and side effects, and availability of less expensive generic drugs. For each type of medication, there is a hyperlink to a cost comparison chart.

http://ea.webjunction.org/do/DisplayContent?id=1358

This is a great introduction to using files and folders that would help introduce beginners to using computers.

Greg

http://seniorcorps.org/ seems pretty cool; it's part of the Corporation for National and Community Service, "an independent federal agency created to connect Americans of all ages and backgrounds with opportunities to give back to their communities and their nation."

Seniorcorps' 3 main program areas engage seniors in a bunch of different ways: 1.) Foster Grandparents and 2.) Senior Companions are what they sound like. In 3.), RSVP, volunteers get involved in community service in whatever way is important to their community; examples given are: organize neighborhood watch programs, tutor children, renovate homes, teach English to immigrants, and assist victims of natural disasters.

Wiownet at http://www.widownet.org/index.shtml is "an information and self-help resource for, and by, widows and widowers. Topics covered include grief, bereavement, recovery, and other information helpful to people, of all ages, religious backgrounds and sexual orientations, who have suffered the death of a spouse or life partner."

There's a chat room and supportive pages on the stupid things people say and a resource list of helpful links at http://www.widownet.org/online/seniors.shtml.

Similar in that way to The Compassionate Friends, http://www.compassionatefriends.org/.

at http://www.merck.com/mrkshared/mmg/contents.jsp . Searchable full text and a hyperlinked index.

134 chapters in 16 sections, which include topical coverage of 'falls, fractures, and injuries,' 'psychiatric disorders,' and 'men's and women's health issues.'

Merck notes with honesty that "This electronic source of The Merck Manual of Geriatrics will always be more up-to-date than the printed one. Electronic publishing makes such a process possible, even if it robs the printed book of some of its lure."

http://www.agingresearch.org/index.cfm

This is an interesting site for many reasons, but perhaps mostly because of their philosophy and guiding priciples. It's an organization that fosters and advocates for "research and innovation" in the area of aging.

The Alliance for Aging Research "was founded in 1986 to promote medical and behavioral research into the aging process." It considers itself "the voice for Baby Boomer health" and favors "developing, implementing and advocating programs in research, professional and consumer health education and public policy."

OK, that's all well and good. Then things go a bit...different than the usual run-of-the-mill advocacy group: http://www.agingresearch.org/about/guide.cfm

"Aging," states one of AAR's Guiding Principles, "is more than the end result of diseases over time; aging is a significant risk factor of many costly and disabling diseases, including, heart disease, stroke, cancer, Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, and most cases of diabetes.

"Research to understand and manipulate aging at the molecular and cellular levels is especially under-funded, yet intervention studies in the biology of aging hold great promise to re-engineer the course of aging and health for people alive today.
Government, universities, and the private sector must mount and sustain a national initiative in age-related research and medical education to reduce the hardships caused by diseases of aging, allowing more people to look forward to later years that are healthy, independent, and productive."

Ho HO some might say. Sounds like they advocate for taking the whole, pesky 'aging' thing out of the aging process, but it's certainly thought-provoking.

http://www.nia.nih.gov/alzheimers

This is good stuff from the NIA, National Institute on Aging (NIA), which "conducts and supports research about health issues for older people..."

There's clear, accurate information ranging from the general to the specific and a health literature search that includes Medline, PubMed and other sources.

There's also publications, like http://www.nia.nih.gov/HealthInformation/Publications/LongDistanceCaregiving/ on long distance caregiving,

In all this excellent site will be of much use to those affected by AD in any way.

Ginny, thanks for posting this link! It is packed with information, much of which could be useful to any career-seeker, not just retirees. There are resources for identifying the hot jobs of the next decade, for finding jobs, or for starting your own business.I was interested in the message boards on the site, which seem to be fairly active. The topics range widely from "Grief and Loss" to "Money and Work." The section on "Learning and Technology" has a lot of answers to nuts'n'bolts questions about backing up email, defragging, and other technical problems.

Note: this message has been moved by the admin, fishrocker. Originally posted by blg on 2/13/06.

More from AARP.

This is AARP's big directory of vetted and annotated internet sites with a focus on older adults. Looks pretty darned good.

http://www.aarp.org/internetresources

There is an alphabetical browse, a pretty good search interface with optional booleans, and also a topical organization (e.g., 67 sites on health and well-being including categoreis for disabilities and insurance).

According to the FAQ, commercial sites aren't excluded completely but they need to "contain a substantial amount of free information that is interesting to a wide spectrum of older adults." Link farms and high ad sites are excluded.

Fiscal Fitness for Older Americans: Stretching Your Savings and Shaping Up Your Financial Strategies at http://www.fdic.gov/consumers/consumer/news/cnfall05/index.html looks pretty good, offering practical advice for the elderly on fixed incomes. Though brief in toto, it's good in terms of a starting place and/or a relialbe link for your web sites.

There's also link-o-mania from this FDIC site to other articles, including "Inside Jobs: Elder Fraud by Relatives or Caregivers" at http://www.fdic.gov/consumers/consumer/news/cnfall05/insidejobsPG6.html and the creepy "A Warning to Heirs: Identity Thieves Target the Deceased" at http://www.fdic.gov/consumers/consumer/news/cnfall05/warningtoheirsPG7.html.

Enjoy. Post your websites of interest!

Doug

Pittsburgh’s Late-Life Depression Evaluation and Treatment Center provides services locally, but it also has a pretty robust (if static) online presence, including for-beginner type articles on topics like choosing to make the move to residential care, caregiver stress, Q&A’s on insomnia, anxiety, depression, etc. On the whole, the site provides a decent list of sources and reputable info; the site simply isn’t kept up.

http://www.wpic.pitt.edu/research/depr/

At http://www.wpic.pitt.edu/research/depr/newbook.htm you’ll find dozens of links.

The Center is funded by the National Institute of Mental Health seeking “to improve the current understanding and treatment of mood disorders in older adults.”

at http://www.agingsociety.org/agingsociety/index.html

This org "aims to provide clear and unbiased research and analysis focused on public policy issues arising from the aging of America's and the world's population."

Several areas of interest are reflected on the site, like "Chronic and Disabling Conditions" and "Young Retirees and Older Workers."

Of particular note is how they, like us, espouse "Civic Engagement in an Older America" for out patron base.

Worth a look - see: http://www.agingsociety.org/agingsociety/Civic%20Engagement/about_civic_engagement.htm

at http://www.sirsidynixinstitute.com/seminar_page.php?sid=68. Good stuff? What do y'all think? I actually kind of enjoy Bingo...

This brain speed test is from PositScience http://www.positscience.com/programs/brainspeed.php my score was 34.

PositScience sells a Brain Fitness Program "comprised of six engaging, easy-to-use exercises performed on a computer The exercises take about an hour a day, five days a week for eight weeks. No prior computer experience is necessary."

I have no idea if the fitness program works, but the brain speed test provided a few minutes of fun.

Hi LSOAers,

According to www.aginginstride.org's recent Promoting Memory Health newsletter article, the top ten ways to protect your memory are:

1. Practice good nutrition
2. Stay physically active
3. Sleep well
4. Treat depression and avoid stress
5. Quit smoking and limit alcohol consumption
6. Challenge your mind and memory
7. Have a memory fitness strategy
8. Use seatbelts and wear a bike helmet
9. Bring up memory concerns at your next healthcare appointment
10. Have your healthcare provider review your medications.

I guess I'm doing pretty well, except on, like, 1 and 3. And 4 though 7. I can't remember the rest...

This looks like an excellent blog site run by a librarian in sunny Florida.

http://seniorfriendlylibraries.blogspot.com/

Recent posts are about teaching oa's computer skills, the benefits of volunteering, and CT's own story about the Ledyard Public Libraries' servie to older adults.

Mark your RSS feeders!

Another useful page is Health Information for Older Adults by the Centers for Disease Control.

It gives recommendations for how to stay healthy, information about infectious diseases, immunizations, common older adult injuries, mental health, and links to Medicare information.

See http://www.cdc.gov/aging/info.htm.

Senior Service America's (a.k.a. SSAI) [url http://www.seniorserviceamerica.org/]Senior AIDES Program[/url] provides employment and training opportunities to seniors across the country.

link = http://www.seniorserviceamerica.org/

SSAI "provides civic engagement and employment opportunities for adults over the age of 55 who wish to re-enter the workforce."

SSAI operates in 16 states: AL, CA, IA, IL, IN, MA, MD, MN, MS, NC, NY, OH, PA, TN, TX, WI.

The [url http://www.geron.org/ ]Gerontological Society of America[/url] is a “multidisciplinary scientific organization devoted to the advancement of gerontological research.” In short –way cool, much excellence.

GSA chops itself up into [url http://www.geron.org/interest1.htm] interest groups[/url] around specific topics or issues that cut across disciplines; the link shows dozens of listings; these include ‘The Economics of Aging,’ “Urban & Neighborhood Aging,’ ‘Men’s Issues,’ and ‘Emotion and Aging.’

The site contains a resource called [url http://www.nursingcenter.com/library/static.asp?pageid=527873 ]Nursing Care of Older Adults: A New Look at the Old [/url] which in turn contains print resources and 16 webcasts. While some are of the latter are of interest to we librarians, like “Depression and Dispiritedness in Later Life,” some aren’t so much (e.g., “The Bathing of Older Adult with Dimentia”).

Lastly, the GSA “organizes a four-day Annual Scientific Meeting that attracts about 3,500 professionals with more than 400 peer-reviewed scientific sessions and over 100 technical and educational exhibits. Continuing education credits are offered.” The next is on November 16-20, 2006 in Dallas, TX. See http://www.agingconference.com/about_the_meeting.cfm for more conference information.

The NRCNAA has what looks like some truly fantastic [url http://www.med.und.nodak.edu/depts/rural/nrcnaa/pubs/index.html ]publications and presentations[/url].

Publications include [url http://www.med.und.nodak.edu/depts/rural/nrcnaa/pdf/chronic_disease1005.pdf ]Prevalence of Chronic Disease Among American Indian and Alaska Native Elders[/url] and [url http://www.med.und.nodak.edu/depts/rural/nrcnaa/pdf/TalkingCircleRecipe.pdf ] Engaging Native Elders and CHRs: Talking Circles in Community-Based Diabetes Education[/url].

Presentations include [url http://www.med.und.nodak.edu/depts/rural/presentations/pdf/ihs-summit04.pdf ]Predictors of Functional Limitations Among American Indian and Alaska Native Elders[/url].

The purpose of the National Resource Center on Native American Aging (NRCNAA) is to work closely with local service providers throughout the nation to address the needs of American Indian, Alaskan Native and Native Hawaiian elders. Based at the University of North Dakota (UND), the NRCNAA is tied in with the U.S. Administration on Aging and the U.S. Dept of Health and Human Services.

See the [url http://www.med.und.nodak.edu/depts/rural/nrcnaa/overview/index.html] overview[/url] of the NRCNAA for more information.

Here's a site picked up from Neat New Stuff I Found This Week http://marylaine.com/neatnew.html, Mary Blaine's newsletter:

EnableMart http://www.enablemart.com/
which describes itself as having greatest and best-known assistive technology products in the world. Linking to over 3,000 products there is something for anyone needing assistive devices. Vision, Mobility, Hearing, Worstations, Ergonomics, Assistive Living are just a few of the categories listed. Keyword Searching, Toll free number, email contact and a hardcopy catalog request form make the site user friendly.

Yes, I have attended some of the free webinars.... they are very good!

Also, as far as websites of interest, you might want to check out my blog.... it has some great links for older adults... http://talkingbookslibrarian.blogspot.com/

Stumbled across the [url http://dana.org/default.aspx ]Dana Foundation[/url], which may provide libraries with a resource for materials and also a place to point patrons.

Perhaps topping the recent webjunction disparity poll, the DF's "principal interests in brain science, immunology, and arts education."

Based in NYC, the DF offers seminars and events and also has a robust web presence, including [url http://dana.org/resources/brainweb/ ]BrainWeb[/url] (topic-driven information and links to validated sites about brain diseases and disorders) a decent spot to send those in need of information.

Meanwhile, DF's [url http://dana.org/resources/seniors/ ]Brain Resources for Seniors[/url] is a collection of vetted "sites related to brain health, education, and general information for older adults."

Good on the whole; worth a look.

[url http://www.BigScreenLive.com ]BigScreenLive[/url] is a new software product (similar to [url http://www.generationsonline.com ]Generations Online[/url]). I took the demo at the website and it looks interesting.

It basically is a software program that users log into and it 'simplifies' email and the web. It's not really different than combinations of other, free products out there now like gmail or a yahoo profile, it just makes it look more clean and seemingly palatable.

There are two different membership levels (families and communities). The [url http://bigscreenlive.com/content/For_Communities.htm ]communities[/url] bit *might* have some interesting possibilities for libraries considering adding online components to services. It doesn't have pricing info on the site (probably dependent on the numbers of users and licensing and stuff, right?).

Folks can register for a free trial and "After the 30-day trial a membership will be available to you for as little as $9.95 per month" and there's also a six month deal for $50.
Maybe it's worth having a few of our patrons try the freebie and then providing feedback to see if this is worth pursuing on any kind of organizational level?

Here is their propaganda:
"BigScreenLive, an innovative new software solution uniquely focused on making computers easier to use for older adults, is now available nationwide. Intended for use on personal computers in homes, community centers and retirement communities, BigScreenLive is specifically designed to help seniors stay connected to their family and friends through email and photo sharing and provides an easy way to explore the Internet. Memberships can be purchased via www.bigscreenlive.com and Amazon.com."

Originally found by Allan Kleiman.

Hi all. [url http://workamper.com ]Workamper[/url] is a subscription service that seems like a pretty cool resource that libraries can point individuals to. It's geared towards older adults who live in RVs and who work near or on the RV site.

It's a print magazine as well as a jobline (employers and prospective employees). For whom, you might ask? The answer comes from the horse's mouth:

"Most Workamper jobs are in the Outdoor Hospitality Industry (resorts, campgrounds, theme parks, state/national parks, etc.), but there are many very interesting jobs available in other areas as well. Part-time or full-time, short-term or long-term, there is something for everyone!"

The site itself is geared to the membership, though there are [url http://forums.workamper.com/ ]forums[/url] (much like wj's own forums) and a resource called Viewpoint with Q&A sections as well as topical articles (e.g. Health Insurance).

The [url www.lifeplanningnetwork.org/for-third-agers.htm ]Life Planning Network[/url] is kind of a hybrid site; it’s a noble concept developed by a group of professionals interested in coaching and helping others plan for their ‘Third Age” (a.k.a. extended middle age and active adulthood). LPN describes itself as a ‘magnet organization.’

So while the site has a few things for folks ([url http://www.lifeplanningnetwork.org/resources.htm ]resources and web sites[/url], [url http://www.lifeplanningnetwork.org/for-third-agers.htm ]basic planning info[/url]), it has just as much about the LPN organization.

The LPN members are “comprised of professionals from a variety of fields including career counseling, life coaching, financial planning, law, higher education, media, gerontology, psychotherapy, organizational development, human resources, employee assistance, public health, community service, health and housing” and they encourage site visitors to check out their pages and get in touch with [url http://www.lifeplanningnetwork.org/find-consultant.htm ]one of their Life Planning Consultants[/url], most of whom are in Massachusetts.

Best,

Doug

Yes, there is such a thing as www.tropicjobs.com.

*Sigh*!

I had intended to write about Go60 http://www.go60.com as a ‘good’ site that we could reliably point our patrons to. The site is “about aging well, and aging wisely and successfully.”

However, the more time I spend on it the less I like it and it looks all the world like another typical all-in-one site. Some of the content looks scraped (legal center, social security but hey, I’m no developer), some looks like it’s from ‘professional content creators,’ and though most of the editorials are on-target (elderly drivers, productive aging), go60 taken as a whole is a mish mash of sometimes unrelated content.

There is some unintentionally funny stuff on there; ‘highlighted’ items, like “Flatware Makes a Great Gift” and “Gravy Boats Make Really Classy Gifts” are, well, pretty darned funny items to be featuring.

Win some lose some.

And you have to love a website that refers to the aging of baby boomers as "escalating societal, cultural, economic and medical Armageddon".

Thanks for the good laugh.

Emily

http://jobs.aarp.org/ is the AARP’s ‘Job Search Engine.’ Powered by retirementjobs.com, it purports to “review and certify companies that have age-friendly hiring practices.”

It sounds useful. Does anyone have any feedback on it, know of anyone that’s used it?

Who doesn't have 'age-friendly hiring practices' these days? What is this, the Stone Age?

Alert your patrons and/or attend yourself to this free webinar.

The National Council on Aging has a series of webinars called the Healthy Aging Briefing Series (HABS).

The next one is set for August 21 at 1:30 to 2:20 PM and is called: Project Renewment - Concerns, Strategies, and Issues of Career Women 55 and Older.

Presenters are Helen Dennis and Bernice Bratter, authors of the new bestselling book, Project Renewment: The First Retirement Model for Career Women (Simon & Schuster/Scribner, 2008). The "Project Renewment" movement is a growing community of women's groups where career women gather and explore the issues, challenges and opportunities they see ahead of them for the next 30 years of their lives.

You will learn:

* what we as aging service professionals should know about this cohort as a potential target group for services, as well as a resource.

* how these considerations and realities will affect us personally as professionals looking forward to our own next chapter.

* strategies that can provide a resource for career women while engaging a new population of Boomers within aging services.

Maybe you already offer programs serving career women, or maybe you are curious about how this might fit into your organization's plans for the future. Either way, give it a shot.

First come, first served; register here; older webinars are archived here and include Civic Engagement: Promising Practices, Depression: Resources for Seniors, and Home Equity Solutions: Use Your Home to Stay at Home.

This is really great stuff. The widow/widower breakdown corresponds with "older men being more likely to be married" data -- though not as closely as I would have thought. I wonder what's up with that?

Has anyone seen this site? MetLife is sponsoring or underwriting this Mature Market Institute.

The first thing I'll point to by them is a 'Boomer Map,' a sort of preview of what they see is coming up for Boomers and the rest of us.

It's filled with the kind of hyperbole that I love (e.g., the world is "fraught with dilemmas: the decline of legacy institutions that they have both opposed and worked within, the meteoric advance of technologies..." blah blah blah) and the map has some great looking retro fonts.

Another notable future trend: "more people adopt attitudes that could be called 'transhuman.'" Now that's GOTTA be cool.

This is an undated pdf published by the National Institute on Aging and the National Library of Medicine.

Rocket science it's not; (e.g., "use a sans serif typeface") but there are good bits here for those of us that do web content and, importantly, that we can pass along to the webmasters to whom we are subject.

Other tips:

Use single mouse clicks to access information.
Use pull down menus sparingly.
Solicit unbiased comments from older adults through focus groups, usability testing or other means, to evaluate the accessibility and friendliness of the web site.

FWIW.

http://www.nlm.nih.gov/pubs/checklist.pdf

I believe I've mentioned Aging in Stride's electronic newsletter before, but just in case I haven't or it's gotten lost in the shuffle.

http://enews.aginginstride.org/ is the site, which is of course available off the 'usual' Aging in Stride] site.

This month's newsletter includes:

10 Myths and Facts About Falls (e.g., Each year, one in three people age 65 experiences a fall serious enough to require medical attention)

Rx Friendship: Add More Socialization to Your Healthy Aging Prescription (which reinforces that "Loneliness can be a debilitating, distressing condition" for people)

Age-Related Eye Problems Can Lead to Computer Vision Syndrome (gives readers tips such as "Keep blinking. To minimize the chances of developing dry eye when using a computer, make an effort to blink frequently. Blinking keeps the front surface of the eye moist")

Be Healthy and Safe in the Garden (e.g., "Limit distractions, use chemicals and equipment properly, and be aware of possible hazards to lower your risk for injury")

And there's a wordfind. I always seem to find unintentional words in those.