Vaboomer -- Baby Boomer Views & News

Is Your Community Ready for You and Other Baby Boomers?

New Report: "The Maturing of America - Communities Preparing for the Baby Boomers" To be Released June 2 in Washington, DC

Washington, DC - As the Baby Boom generation reaches retirement age, the profile of America's seniors is changing dramatically and its ranks growing significantly larger. By 2030, the number of Americans over age 65 is projected to be more than 71.5 million-by that year, more than one in five people in the U.S. will be seniors. How are local communities preparing for this major demographic change?

 

To answer this, the National Association of Area Agencies on Aging, with support from MetLife Foundation, is holding a news conference to unveil "The Maturing of America - Communities Preparing for the Baby Boomers," a comprehensive survey involving over 1,400 cities and counties across the nation. The survey assesses the progress of local governments in developing and implementing programs, policies and services that meet the needs of their older citizens.

Key areas examined include: disaster preparation, property tax relief, healthcare services, land use and zoning, housing, transportation, social services, elder abuse prevention, workforce development and civic engagement. The news conference will discuss highlights of the survey, followed by a panel discussion with leading experts, including the following invited speakers:

 

• Sandy Markwood, CEO, National Association of Area Agencies on Aging 
• Dennis White, President and CEO, MetLife Foundation
• Kathy Greenlee (Invited)*, Assistant Secretary for Aging, U.S.
• Administration on Aging
• ?Peter M. Rogoff (Invited)*, Administrator, Federal Transit Administration
• Evelina Moulder, Director of Survey Research, International City/County
• Management Association:

WHEN: Thursday, June 2, 2011, 10 a.m./ET

WHERE: The National Press Club, Murrow Room
              529 14th Street NW
              Washington, DC 20045

Note: For those who cannot attend in person, please dial 800-908-8386 to listen in and ask questions.

This year's survey is a follow-up to a 2005 look at the "aging readiness" of America's communities- released in a 2006 report-which found that few communities had undertaken a comprehensive assessment to create an "elder friendly," livable community for all ages. Given that the first Baby Boomer turned 65 in 2011, have things changed in five years, in light of the Great Recession and the current focus on tightening fiscal budgets? The current survey looks at the progress communities have made in preparing for America's aging population and identifies opportunities for improvement.>

 

 

Fear of Haiti Hampers Distribution of Food and Supplies Says Dr. Sasha Kramer

I might have written this post myself and indeed will be writing something similar for an article in the Montclair Times to be published this coming week.

Subject: Live from PAP: Fear slows relief efforts

January 22, 2010

To our dear friends and supporters who have been so present through this difficult time. I feel like I have a wall of love and protection around me knowing that you are all holding Haiti in your thoughts and prayers. I apologize for not having written for the past few days, it is partly that life here is so hectic and fast paced and partly because I find that writing about the situation brings all my emotions to the surface and brings me to a vulnerable space that can be rather overwhelming. That said, I so want to be able to share with all of you what we are experiencing and the important difference we have been able to make as a result of your generosity.

When I first arrived in Port au Prince I spent a day at the UN compound by theairport where NGO’s, doctors and soldiers swarm around talking on satellite phones

and running from meeting to meeting. I learned about the massive amounts of food that arrived in the first week and was stockpiled at the airport. I learned of the aid trucks filled to the brim with supplies blocked at the border and sitting idle at the ports. Since that day I have not returned to the aid compound and chosen instead to go into the streets, into the camps where people hide from the sun, huddled together under tattered tarps waiting for the food that has yet to come, into the alleyways littered with the rubble of fallen dreams and the spirits of those we have lost.

I know that some of these stories of aid not reaching the victims are beginning to filter into the international media but I wanted to see if I can shed some light about why this is without casting blame. Everyone who has come here is devastated by this disaster, everyone wants to help but the slowness in distribution is not a question of intentions, it is a question of long standing fears and the security structures put in place in response to these fears.

A few days ago I got an email from Nicolas Kristof of the New York Times asking me to comment on the supposition made by many (not Nicolas himself) that Haitians have received large amounts of aid money over the years and have somehow squandered it. I responded to him by talking about fear, this same fear that is slowing the distribution of aid during this crisis. For centuries Haiti has been portrayed as a dangerous country filled with volatile and threatening people, unsafe for foreigners.

This supposition, this fear and misunderstanding, has very deep implications for foreign aid and cross cultural understanding.

I have been amazed to visit friends working with large NGO’s in Port au Prince only to learn that they are forced to operate under security restrictions that prevent any kind of real connections to Haitian communities. One friend showed me the map, used by all of the larger NGOs where Port au Prince is divided into security zones, yellow, orange, red. Red zones are restricted, in the orange zones all of the car windows must be rolled up and they cannot be visited past certain times of day, even in the yellow zones aid workers are often not permitted to walk through the streets and spend much of their time in Haiti riding through the city from one office to another in organizational vehicles. The creation of these security zones has been like the building of a wall, a wall reinforced by language barriers and fear rather than iron rods, a wall that, unlike many of the buildings in Port au Prince, did not crumble during the earthquake.Fear, much like violence, is self perpetuating. When aid workers enter communities radiating fear it is offensive, the perceived disinterest in communicating with the poor majority is offensive, driving through impoverished communities with windows
rolled up and armed security guards is offensive and, ironically, all of these extra

security measures actually increase the level of risk for aid workers.

More from Sasha Kramer on the ground in Haiti in another post.

Kryptonite & Tweens: "The Curse of the Good Girl" Book Review

 by Nancy Mehegan

"The Curse of the Good Girl:  Raising Authentic Girls with Courage and Confidence " by Rachel Simmons

I needed this book in High School

I wish I had this book when I was 14 years old!   High School seemed a blur of emotions and a feeling of overwhelm.

Good Girl Myth

Simmons exposes the “myth of the Good Girl”—a paradigm characterized by being unerringly nice, polite, modest, and selfless.

"Unerringly nice, polite and selfless" the "good girl' is so narrow it is impossible to attain.

Conflicting messages for girls:  "Be confident but do it quietly", "be strong but don't make anyone angry"...  Ms. Simmons offers insights gleaned from her workshops  from the Girl's Leadership Institute, which she founded. 

Sample of topics:  communication, distorted thinking, authenticity.

Kryptonite

Simmons argues that we are teaching our girls in ways that limit their power and potential as society provides confusing messages to girls. 

As young children, girls are fed fairy tales that teach compliance and self-effacing modesty.  Then thrust into the working world as young adults that suddenly demands competence, confidence and assertiveness.  It's a bit like the "double-bind" psychologists describe of contradictory messages.  In a sense girls are forced to walk around with a big chunk of kryptonite that drains them of all power. (like Superman, remember?)

The Greater Voice of Myself

This is an intelligent book, without the usual bromides.  It is thought provoking and asks you to read it several times.  It's a "Mom" book -- a books for Mothers and Fathers to read to help their daughters.

It would be great if Rachel Simmons coud publish another book strictly for teen-age girls, with pictures and simple to read.  This books is a MUST for teachers and parents.  It's about girls finding their "truth", the true voice , their life guide.  This is a VITAL SUBJECT. 

This book is a MUST for any woman to read!

  It's never too late!

*** Vaboomer has a copy to Giveaway*** To enter Drawing send email to contact@boomermade.com  (Drawing is Sept 9)