Lights, Camera, Action!

When it comes to aging, we are all eager to be in the know of just about everything that can affect our daily living. From healthcare to eating right, to ensuring we are exercising our bodies, minds and social activity. The days of keeping issues hush-hush are gone, and we recognize that it is important to share information so that we are able to tackle the problem, rather than pretend it isn’t there.

Times have changed so much, that many companies and industries are trying to make their products more age-friendly. One of the biggest changes we’ve seen in the news lately is the launch of Ontario’s new ActionPlan for Seniors. According to a recent article published by the OttawaCitizen, the plan is “meant to provide better senior access to health care and to try and respond to growing and changing needs of an aging population in Ontario.”

The plan has been developed on the concept of new and existing programs and initiatives to ensure that seniors and their caregivers have access to the services they need, when and where they need them. According to the Ontario website, the initiative has been organized under “three pillars:”

• Healthy Seniors: Help seniors find and access services they need to be healthier and stay at home longer

• Senior-Friendly Communities: Promote services and policies that enhance seniors' well-being and participation

• Safety and Security: Improve programs, services and supports that help seniors live safely, independently, and with dignity

It’s an exciting start to the New Year as more and more, corporations and the government alike are starting to recognize the need for change in the business of aging.

SERC invites you to their Business of Aging: Information Exchange Network (BA:IEN) quarterly meeting this month on Wednesday, January 30th, 2013. BA:IEN members are welcome to bring a guest for free! This month our focus is  on networking so bring your business cards and promotional materials and learn how you are changing the aging industry. We look forward to seeing you!

For more information please click the flyer below.

Seniors & Social Networking

Tweet

Technology surrounds us. A lot of it has to do with keeping up-to-date with the rest of the world.  Instant messaging, email, video chat… they are all quick tools that have enabled many individuals to connect with the next person instantly.  As a result, there has been a paradigm shift in the networking realm – socializing.  Technology may read as “the application of scientific knowledge for practical purposes, esp. in industry” on Google definitions – but in simple terms, it’s all about how we stay connected.

Social networking is more popular, and probably more common than socializing face to face.  Don’t get me wrong, this still happens, and quite frequently, but, how did you find out about Dave and Sally’s barbecue? When were you invited?  And what method was used to bring you to this event?  A majority of the time these questions are answered with one word: Facebook. 

According to the article, Facebook 101: Seniors Learn To Use the Social Network by Jessica Tully, spurred by a desire to stay connected to their children and grandchildren, more seniors are diving into Facebook, and as a result, social-networking instructions are popping up in libraries and even community centers.

A recent Pew Internet study found that 53 per cent of American age 65 and older use the Internet or email; of which, 34 per cent use social networking sites such as Facebook, and from that, 18 per cent use it daily.  In a study by Statistics Canada, it was found that of a possible total of 26 online activities, seniors aged 65 and older averaged 7.6 of activities used.  One-half of online senior home users qualified as “intensive users,” at 47 per cent.

“Retirees who use the Internet regularly are 20 to 28 per cent less likely to be classified as depressed, according to a study published in March in the journal Computers in Human Behavior, by Shelia Cotten, a sociology professor at the University of Alabama-Birmingham,” Tully writes.  Cotten explains that this is because of the connection and sense of community that the Internet provides.

Social networking is a large portion of how society operates today and has quickly become an integral part of how we communicate, whether it’s good news, or bad.  SERC’s Business of Aging: Information Exchange Network (BA:IEN) feels it is an important asset to keep seniors integrated within their community, and is reaching out to invite you to an exciting event on Wednesday, July 25, 2012.

To learn more, click on the image below: