Twenty-five years ago we started The Long Straw Club at our first assisted living community to fulfill an intention to provide a more meaningful and deeper spiritual and intellectual experience for our elders. In these early heady days of 2000, we tried a lot of different approaches, including reading Dante's Inferno, which became a standing-room-only event that Denver's Channel 9 showed up to tape one day.

As your loved ones age with time, it gets harder for them to manage with activities of daily living. Most of the time, you might feel guilty about being unavailable to help them with their daily chores. Moreover, owing to your professional duties, it may not be possible to provide the right amount of attention when they need it. 

Most of our aged population plans to stay at home for as long as possible, despite changes in health, mobility, or cognition. Initially, this was a challenge, but with the expansion of home care services in recent years, it’s easy to help aging loved ones live independently at home. Many home care services provide a full range of safe and affordable solutions benefiting elderly loved ones while in a familiar environment. They ensure your loved ones receive timely support and care with an extra set of hands and dedicated medical services as needed. They also make sure your loved one is as comfortable as possible and essential chores around the house are taken care of.

We are delighted to announce the launch of our new website!

New Website Coming Soon!

A Samurai warrior came upon an aged Zen monk and went up to him, demanding, "Teach me about heaven and hell."

That’s the title of a film about the last year of the life of beloved Rabbi Rachel Cowan. Author Sara Davidson has comments inspired by it:

“I believe old age should play a useless role in society-- the role of the fool and thus warrant a unique freedom. Therefore, any social welfare system for the old is a great blessing.

Over a period of years, I helped put together 9 national conferences on “Positive Aging.” It gives me some satisfaction that, despite our orientation toward what can illuminate later life, we also made sure that these events included attention to issues such as end-of-life care, dementia, and other elements that are, too often, seen only as part of the “Shadow of Age.

"The world, I've come to think is like the surface of a frozen lake. We walk along, we slip, we try to keep our balance and not to fall.

GENERATIVITY. “Leaving A Legacy: Values and Lessons for The Later Stages of Life” by Jed Diamond, at: https://goodmenproject.com/health/leaving-a-legacy-values-and-lessons-for-the-later-stages-of-life/ https://mailer.luxsci.com/link.php?M=20220674&N=15532&L=45546&F=H

No, you won’t get wisdom from books and not even from the “Human Values in Aging” newsletter. But here are some good sources to consult:

*CAUTION ON EVENTS: *In this time of pandemic, many previously scheduled events have been cancelled or postponed, so it is important to check in advance. Events in digital format may be held as scheduled, but checking is advisable.

“To live in this world you must be able to do three things: to love what is mortal; to hold it against your bones knowing your own life depends on it; and, when the time comes to let it go, to let it go.”