Moving Along
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Senior Group Newsletter April 1996
oxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxox
Senior Group Newsletter is the bi-monthly publication of an
informal group of seniors, community-net senior section
moderators, and others interested in how the net serves
seniors and vice-versa.
editor is Jim Olson
olsonjam@uwec.edu
The newsletter is mailed to subscribers via e-mail and posted at
several net sites including AOL Seniornet On Line Showcase and
Exchange library and the Boulder Community Net senior page:
http://bcn.boulder.co.us/community/senior-citizens/center.html
There is no charge. Just contact the editor.
**********************************************
Contents
Editorial Bits and Bytes
Features and Gleanings from the Net
Living at Risk
A Cow in the Living Room
SIN PIE
Elder Law, a Lawyers View
The Day in the Life of a DOULA
Polypharmacy (too much medicine)
Introducing
Notices and Reviews
The Cup of Memory
Senior Group Library
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EDITORIAL BITS AND BYTES
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I attended a conference for older Americans recently where a
doctor discussed the aging process and noted that to be really
alive at any age involved two things, a memory and a dream. Those
of us in the three score plus category are well supplied with
memory and many are finding this time of life an ideal time to
live out the dreams: to pursue personal goals of travel,
recreation, creativity, and community service. One of the goals
of this newsletter is to chronicle both the memory and the dream.
In keeping with that goal we've established a new section for
the memory spinners called The Cup of Memory. The idea for the
title comes from a poem written recently on a senior forum:
Empty Cup
In July, I will be seventy-three,
Which doesn't seem so old, to me.
Sam was eighty when he died,
The husband on whom I relied
For love and friendship through the years.
Now, having worked through grief and tears,
I wonder how to fill my cup,
And what I shall do when I grow up.
HRM1294@aol.com
The writer clearly has a full cup of memory and is now starting
to refill the cup of dreams.
Our cup of memory will deal with the oral histories of some
of our readers and each issue will feature one or two memoirs
from that cup.
They say nobody knows you're a dog on the internet, and nobody
knows you're and old dog on the internet. It is also said that
you can't teach an old dog new tricks. This issue features some
new tricks learned by old dogs on the net who have perfected the
art of developing personal "home pages" on the World Wide Web.
Another poem by a senior, "the Hole in the Screen" tickled my
funny bone and I've included it in this issue as one of our
"Senior Smiles." The poem to end the issue comes not from a
senior but a youngster who wrote it for Pat Davidson's
intergenerational project in Chatback.
-Jim Olson
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FEATURES AND GLEANINGS FROM THE NET
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Living at Risk
-Jim Olson
Life at any age carries with it many risks. For older people
these risks are often magnified by physical limitations, and many
of the inevitable changes of aging and life style. A friend of
mine died this winter when she was frozen to death in her garage
where she had gone to get her mail. The door to the house closed,
and locked, the main garage door was frozen shut, the windows
were barred by bars she had installed to protect her. She had
chosen to live alone in a large house following her husband;s
death and had few friends.
One of her children called every day and when there was no answer
on this day, called a neighbor who called the police and her
body was discovered. Her risks had two aspects, the physical
risks of an accident such as this and the emotional risk of
living a relatively solitary life. I posed this issue of risks to
a number of people on the internet and received a variety of
opinions about various aspects of living at risk in both
categories.
Following are some of the responses :
________
This is an enormously difficult issue...living at risk. I am
doing a field placement in a hospital geriatric assessment unit
and this is the single most challenging issue to resolve with
family and patient ... the right of the patient to live at risk.
Families struggle with it all the time. It's so difficult to
balance our fears for the elder against their right to live their
final days the way they choose. There are no easy answers.
- Helen Walker
______________
I learned of my widowed, 82 y/o Aunt's death on Friday. She was
found, frozen, in her back yard. At this time, we do not know
whether her death was the result of an ongoing cardiac problem or
whether she simply fell and couldn't get back into her home, and
subsequently froze to death. North Carolina, as you doubtless
know, has been gripped in an ice storm. My father retired in '92
as the pres. of a statewide not-for-profit nursing home system.
He has been encouraging his sisters-in-law, who insist on living
alone at home, to consider assisted living. In addition to my 82
y/o Aunt dying, another Aunt (86 y/o) fell at home Sat. and
suffered multiple fractures as well as the predictable broken
hip.
And here I sit in Kansas, working on my long term care licensure,
and wondering how effective I can be in dealing with this
population if I could not even convince my own Aunts that there
are alternatives to living alone at home -- and often, living at
great risk. How many stories will we all have to share before we
are able to convince the people we love that ensuring a quality
of life must include safety as well as comfort and support? What
price "independence?"
Ann Hornberger Lenexa, Kansas
Hornberger"
_________
Lifeline is a most valuable aid, and I strongly encourage my
patients to use it. I usually tell them the story of my aunt in
England who was away from home and left her call unit in her top
bedroom drawer. A would-be burglar thought it was a jewel case,
and pressed the button - the phone rang, followed by a burly
neighbour running up the path with a flashlight. Exit burglar
minus booty :-)
I have been unsuccessful in persuading my 90 year old very
cognitively intact mother to have lifeline. She allowed the
"lifeline people" to visit her, but managed to persuade them that
since she has not yet fallen down she is not likely to do so in
the future. This despite scatter mats on the floor and a
carpeted flight of stairs she ascends and descends several times
a day. She says (correctly) that she is very careful and takes
her time.
We can not budge her from that house, and perhaps we have to
accept that there is always risk associated with life, and she
well knows the risks but they do not assume such importance to
her as to her children. There was a hurricane in southern
England a few years ago, and I phoned to find out how she had
fared - "My dear, the wind was awful! I could hardly walk up the
hill." "MOTHER WHAT WERE YOU DOING OUT IN A HURRICANE??" "I had
to go to the post office to get some stamps!" Perhaps her
cognitive integrity is not as wonderful as I thought.
Vive l'indipendance! "David L. Belcher"
___________
The world changes its view of a person when she becomes a widow
or he becomes a widower (and the changes are different for the
female and for the male) We can all sense changes in our own
feelings about interacting with the world but often we mask those
feelings, hiding them from ourselves as well as from others.
Somehow it's considered an intolerable weakness to admit that a
stable sense of self/others is in jeopardy. Physical instability
is deemed more acceptable than emotional instability--stange,
isn't it, since both the physical and emotional are equal parts
of the human condition.
So perhaps your friend didn't rationally and emotionally choose
to live at risk. One often slighted issue with respect to
choosing to live at risk is the emotional basis for that choice.
A complex but fascinating and important subject.
Eloise blanpied
_____________
I have recently lost my wife of 33 years. She took her own life.
I have withdrawn form the social life and spend a good deal of
time alone. I am 59 years old and made many friends and was very
active in the community over the years. Now I find it better to
stay at home to sit and think. I can not read or watch much TV as
I can not concentrate very long. My withdrawl has been based on
not wanting to go places alone or I do not want to feel that I am
a burden on my friends. I do not mind the empty house when I am
in it but hate coming home to an empty house. I live in Western
NY with long cold winters and cabin fever sets in about now. Some
people do enjoy being alone but there are many like me who do not
handle going out alone very well and it is easier to stay home. I
know this is filled with self pity but I am trying to say how
people get started not going out then it is easy to be alone. --
Tomorrow is a vision, Yesterday is a memory, Today is a bitch.
_______________
Why, by the way, does society find it perfectly acceptable to let
younger people, who have many years of potential life to put at
risk, choose to take risks and unacceptable to let older people,
who have far fewer years of potential life, take what are
probably lesser risks? If a 20-year-old wants to ride a
motorcycle on expressways, or a 35-year-old wants to work
80-hours weeks while eating and drinking too much, or a person of
any age wants to be a farmer, the most dangerous occupation in
the country, we think they have perfect rights to do these
things. If an 85-year-old wants to live independently, we wonder
if they have that right, and start thinking something should be
done "for their own good," as soon as their choices start to
differ from those we think they should make.
Mary Heiberger
__________________
There is an ominous gap between sensible assessment of various
risks and the popular perception of those risks; a gap that
threatens eventually to lead to unfounded and crippling
anxieties".
Tom Holloway
_________
Surely we don't want to be wrapped in cotton wool just because we
have grey hair and a few wrinkles. Why should we be kept from
moving round independently? A few years ago I frequently visited
an 87 year old who kept her 3-bedroom apartment spotless, always
had biscuits and cake to have with a cuppa and who had a
sparkling personality. Then, her daughter decided she may fall
(there was no reason to suspect this), so my dear friend was put
into a nursing home. Within three months she had died for no
other reason than that she had nothing to do. I would rather die
from being out and about than kept in cotton wool.
Elaine
************
A Cow in the Living Room
by Eleanor M. Scott Maz13@aol.com
I was surprised when I saw a cow in the living room,
Though I should have foreseen it, I know.
It started with a hole in the screen
Almost a whole year ago.
I asked my husband to fix it,
But he tends to let things slide by.
I was merely annoyed when the hole in the screen
Became the ingress for a fly.
One day as I pondered over some volume, I heard
Chirping, trilling and tapping
Then in flew an ebony bird.
The hole kept getting bigger
I nagged him then about that
I really thought that he'd figure
'Twas mending time after the cat.
With the entrance of the poodle ,
I spoke with angry words,
But with all the mewing and yapping,
I know I couldn't be heard.
The raccoons and weasels perturbed me
Running in the screen and then out.
"Fix it now!" I started screaming,
Although it's not at all like me to shout
But he sat with his cross word puzzle
Making no move towards fixing the screen.
The house was full of wildlife,
More than I'd ever seen.
Well, maybe
He'll fix that screen.
I mean -really darling,
A cow.
**************
SIN PIE
Crust: 1 cup walnuts - 1 cup unbleached all purpose flour - 1/2
cup firmly packed light brown sugar - 3/4 stick (6 tbsp.) butter,
melted.
Filling: 1 1/4 sticks (10 tbsp.) butter, room temperature - 1
2/3 cups powdered sugar - 8 ounces semisweet chocolate, melted
and cooled - 1/4 cup Frangelico - 2 eggs.
Topping: Whipped cream - toasted almonds.
For Crust: Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Finely grind walnuts
with flour and brown sugar in food processor or blender. Blend
in melted butter. Turn mixture into 10-inch pie plate, pressing
into bottom and sides. Bake until lightly browned, about 10
minutes. Cool.
For Filling: Using electric mixer, cream butter with powdered
sugar. Blend in chocolate and liqueur. Beat in eggs (see note)
one at a time. Pour into crust. Chill well.
Just before serving, garnish with topping of whipped cream and
toasted almonds.
Note: If you are in an area which is unsafe for using raw eggs,
heat the eggs slowly just until the whites begin to turn milky
before beating them into the filling. This will kill any
salmonella bacteria without spoiling the texture of the pie.
Variations: Substitute Kahlua for the Frangelico and bittersweet
chocolate instead of semisweet. Use hazelnuts instead of
walnuts in the crust (especially if using Frangelico). If you
don't wish to use liqueurs, you can substitute good quality
flavorings, but it will not have the same texture.
Note from my mother: She doesn't like the name given this
recipe, but we like to use it following Lent--it seems somewhat
appropriate to the season.
Laurie in Seattle
************
A funny thing happened to me on the way to a net search.
Lots of recipes on the Internet. My wife was looking for a
recipe for "Apple Brown Betty" not long ago. I fumbled thru
dozens of cookbook sites while she searched through her piles of
cookbooks. She found what she was looking for long before I ended
up at a link that gave directions on where to buy an Apple
computer
... in Cape Town, South Africa.
..
jublum@heartland.bradley.edu (Julius Blum)
***************
Elder Law, a Lawyers View
Christine Andrew
Upon learning that I am an attorney, the first question that
people generally ask is what kind of law do I practice. When I
reply Elder Law, most look a bit puzzled; although they may
suspect that I am not just referring to the fact that I am a
fifty-something former librarian turned lawyer, few know what an
elder law attorney is or does. Interesting, they reply, but what
is Elder Law?
Elder Law
Sometimes it is easier to try to define something by stating what
it is not. First and foremost, Elder Law is not a new name for
Estate Planning. Nor is it a way of referring to a particular set
of skills that the lawyer uses as is the case when we refer to
trial attorneys as litigators or trusts and estates attorneys as
estate planners. Elder law is a product of the times for as
longevity increases and the numbers of olders increase, so too do
the legal problems of the elderly.
Recognizing that their aging clients have special needs and
requirements, some lawyers gradually began to define their
practices not by using any of the normal legal adjectives but by
referring to the population that they wanted to serve.
Gradually, the label elder law emerged as the name for a new type
of specialized legal practice that combines pieces of various
legal sub-specialties with the practical knowledge gained though
networking and life experience that elder law attorneys must call
upon when trying to help aging clients and their families.
Services
Depending upon your particular needs, an elder law attorney may:
Develop an estate plan for you and assist you with the details of
probate and estate administration
Advise and assist you in your dealings with any one of the
various public benefit programs, such as Medicare, Medicaid and
Social Security, that provide assistance to the elderly
Interpret your supplemental and long term health care insurance
policies for you so that you are better able to determine if you
have the right amount and mix of health insurance
Help you to prepare for future disability or incapacity by
preparing advance directives and making arrangements for the
management of your personal and financial affairs should the time
come when you are no longer capable of managing them yourself
Assist you in arranging for the appointment of a guardian or
conservator when a loved one has become incapacitated without
having taken the legal steps needed to provide for management of
his or her personal and financial affairs
Address issues that you may have regarding possible violations of
a patients rights or the quality or level of care being provided
when someone whom you care about is a patient in a hospital or a
resident of a nursing home
Take such steps as may be required to make certain that
professional caregivers honor a persons advance medical
directives
Counsel you with respect to questions that you may have about
various employment, retirement and age discrimination issues
Implement the legal procedures that exist to reduce instances of
elder abuse and to recover lost assets for elderly victims of
consumer fraud
Assist you in making decisions regarding long term care options
But, why should I go out and find a special lawyer when Ive know
Finding A Lawyer
In addition to the old standbys --- asking friends and looking in
the yellow pages --- you should contact local agencies,
organizations and facilities that provide services to the elderly
and ask if they maintain a legal referral list. Depending upon
your particular situation, you may want to contact one or more of
the following:
Alzheimers Association
American Association of Retired Persons
Area Agency (or Council) on Aging
Children of Aging Parents
State, local or county bar associations
Support groups for specific diseases
Hospital or Nursing Home Social Service Departments
Peronal History
I did not study elder law in law school because it did not
exist as a specialty at the time. In fact, when I attended law
school, you took estate planning courses to learn how to help
wealthy clients avoid estate taxes. I actually learned much of
what I now know the hard way, from experiencing how a sudden
death or having a loved one suffer from a prolonged, chronic or
catastrophic illness affected me and other members of my family.
I am the only child of a 90-year old father who was diagnosed
with dementia of the Alzheimers variety about five years ago.
When I could no longer deny the reality of his situation, I found
myself facing many of the issues and decisions that I recited in
my laundry list. I handled some things well and others not so
well. When I found myself in the throes of a career crisis a
year or so ago, I decided that perhaps it did make sense to try
to turn my lemons into lemonade and use my legal training and my
life experiences to smooth the way for others and help them avoid
the mistakes that I made.
Much to my delight, not only have I discovered an area of the law
that allows me to feel good about what I am doing but one that
allows me to take pride in being one of a select group of legal
practitioners who truly care about their clients and about the
social issues that make or break the quality of life of our older
citizens.
Other Sources
NAELA, Academy of Elder Law Attorneys
(http://www.naela.com/elderlaw).
is a non-profit association that was founded in 1988. All of its
members are lawyers who are concerned with improving the quality
of legal services provided to the elderly. The major mission of
the Academy is to educate its membership and to support other
organizations and agencies that serve the elderly.
(http://www.ink.org/public/keln).
The KELN, the most comprehensive electronic resource for elder
law information available today, is the product of the University
of Kansas Law School and although it provides some referrals to
Kansas sources and facilities, its focus extends well beyond the
state line.
******************
The gate between heaven and Hell was broken and the devil
wouldn't fix it because he needed to fix his heating problems.
God was angry that the devil would never fix the gate so he said
to the devil "If you don't fix the gate I'm going to sue you, we
made an agreement." The devil replied, "Oh ya, where are ya
goin' to get a lawyer?"
note- we looked for a lawyer joke for Christine-
no offence intended. We do appreciate her informative contribution.
*******************
The Day in the Life of a DOULA
-Shirley Barwise
The word "doula" is Greek and means woman caregiver of another
woman.
As a doula we are professional, experienced labor companions who
provides the Mother and her partner emotional and physical
support throughout the entire labor and delivery. A doula may be
the only person at the labor beside the partner who is there
solely for emotional well-being of the mother. The nurse and
doctors have other priorities that compete with the emotional
care of the woman. As a doula we have no other priorities. We
stay through the shift changes, etc, until after the baby is
born.
As an active volunteer at the Peter Lougheed Hospital, was
pleased to be asked to participate in the precedent setting
volunteer program in Alberta.
Thursday, February 8, 1996
10:45am
Called by the Nurse on duty - a laboring mother requested I
attend to her. The mother and spouse, had been in the Hospital
from 8:00 am, she was experiencing pre-labor, nurse decided not
to send her home. When I arrived she was still in pre-labor and
both her and husband were "scared". For all her discomfort she
was still in pre-labor and was dilated l cm. (birth takes place
at 10 cm). Both parents were pleased to see someone who could
'help' her.
01:45pm Spent the past 3 hrs.walking, massaging, showering.
Showering consists of circulating the power pulse on the lower
back area. Father decided to take a much needed lunch break. Mom
now in 1st stage of labor.
03:45pm Mom becoming very tired hence impatience and intolerance
taking over.
Mom refused pain control medication.
05:45pm Progress is happening, now in 2nd stage, dilated to 5 cm.
Moved to labor and delivery - post partum. Requires more
massaging and constant pressure applied to her lower back. I am
becoming a bit tired. Father returned from dinner break so
decied it was my turn. The nurses are in and out more frequently
now. Mom still refusing medication for pain control. The monitor
is now activated and Mother can actually see her contractions
taking place and also baby's heartbeat.
7:45pm Mother in final stage, dilated to 8 cm. She has accepted
morphine for pain control. She now needs comfort from both of
us. Husband is soothing and controlling her breathing, I am
applying pressure to her lower back, while reassuring both,
everything is progressing normally.
08:15pm Dilation now 9 cm. Doctor has been called, nurses now in
constant attendance. Contractions coming faster and harder.
08:45pm VOILA! A MIRACLE! Head peeks through, both parents
estatic, their baby has finally arrived. I could hardly see this
perfect little boy, through teary eyes.
Footnote: Mother had only been in Canada for 1 year. Both sets
of parents were back in India. Her command of the English
language was limited. I shall always remember her saying "don't
stop, I die- don't stop, I die" These words immediately erased
all my feelings of being exhausted. .........God does work in
mysterious ways....
Shirley
----------------------------------------------------------------
" The trick is to live a long time without growing old" Shirley
Barwise Chair, Calgary Freenet Senior Special Interest Group
*************
There were these two cows, chatting over the fence between
their fields. The first cow said, "I tell you, this
mad-cow-disease is really pretty scary. They say it is
spreading fast; I heard it hit some cows down on the
Johnson Farm." The other cow replies, "Hell, I ain't
worried, it don't affect us ducks."
****************
Polypharmacy - Rob Stall
Kathryn Holden
Rob
Polypharmacy (excessive medication use) in the elderly is a MAJOR
problem--it costs a lot, inconveniences a lot of people and often
does a great deal of harm to the patient. The true source of the
older patient's problem is often overlooked or covered up with
drugs.
Kathyrn adds
I'm a registered dietitian, specializing in older adults' health.
I continually counsel overmedicated seniors. I have contacted
their doctors repeatedly about their medications, often to find
that their several drs are unaware of the Rx's the patient is
getting from all the other drs. I always encourage my clients to
inform each doctor, as well as each of their pharmacists, of ALL
meds they're using, to find out if there are any adverse rxns,
etc., likely.
It's a big problem, because seniors shop different pharmacies to
get the best prices, so they don't have one pharmacist who knows
of all their meds. Ditto drs. The best idea I've heard yet is to
put every med, both Rx and over-the-counter, into a bag and take
it to each dr. and pharmacist. If anyone has any other ideas,
tips, or information, PLEASE pass it on to me, as well--I'm
constantly searching for remedies to this all-too-familiar
problem!
note- many local hospitals will examine these "brown bags"
free of charge.
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INTRODUCING
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From: FHogge@aol.com
Let me introduce myself. I have been married for 40 years and
have 4 children and 10 grandchildren. In fact, my 10th
grandchild was born a mere 4 weeks ago. New life is so exciting.
Actually, life itself is exciting if we let it be! And I sure am
trying. I have lived in the country, in the same home since
1969. We have a few goats, sheep and a 35 year old pony. I love
dogs and have 2 Samoyeds which I occasionally breed and my little
4 pound Maltese who is very spoiled but lovable.
Living so close to nature always lifts the spirits not to mention
the fact that one never runs out of chores to do!! I'm fortunate
to have my Mom and my daughter and her family living on our
property in their own homes. It's a comfort to know that we are
close enough to help each other out if the need arises.
I am a retired pre-school teacher, love kids, and volunteer once
a week in my Grand- sons first grade classroom. I enjoy
ceramics, tole painting, reading, gardening and learning to play
the piano. I'm crazy about baseball and attend many Major League
games, and many, many T-Ball and little league games. I bowl and
love to play golf.
I love to travel, exploring places I've never been before, but,
my husband likes to stay close to home so I don't travel as much
as I would like. I was able to visit London, Paris and Rome
three years ago with a friend and had the time of my life. I
enjoy musical theatre and attend several productions each year.
My long time passion is creative writing and now that I have more
spare time, I'm pursuing this goal with vigor. I belong to a
writers club whose members include both published and beginning
writers. It's a learning and sharing experience. Every year I set
two goals for myself. One physical and one intellectual. This
year I am learning to line-dance and will learn how to access the
Internet. The Internet will be my biggest challenge in a long
time.
Wish me luck!! Flo Hogge
_________
Don Leininger
I am a 64 year old internet junkie. Five years ago I knew
absolutely nothing about computers when I purchased my first
computer, a 286 with 1 mb of RAM and a whooping 40 mb hard drive.
Since then I have evolved through learning dos, the trials and
tribulations of bbsing, getting a shell account and learning the
difference between dos and UNIX commands, mastering ftp, IRC,and
telnet. Upon getting a new computer learning windows, upgrading
to a ppp account and exploring the wonders of cyberspace in both
text and graphics with the World Wide Web, and finally to making
my first home page. I think I probably made every error ever
discovered, plus some, at each level.
I graduated from Indiana University in 1954 with a BS in
Marketing. In 1955 I entered the U S Air Force pilot training
program receiving my wings in April of 1956. The next 19 years
were spent as an Air Force pilot where I accumulated over 11,000
accident free flying hours. After my retirement from the Air
Force in 1975 I spent the next 18 years in retail management
"re-retiring" at 61 in 1993.
The most important part of my life is my family. The wonderful
woman I have been married to for over 40 years, Lettie, our three
children, Dan, Julie, Chris, our daughter-in-law Jen, our
son-in-law Ron, and naturally our three grand daughters. MEGAN
and ALLSION LEININGER are Dan and Jen's daughters and live in
Layton, Utah. EMILY VANDERWEELE is Julie and Ron's daughter and
they live in Chicago, Illinois. Our youngest son, Chris, is
single and lives in Lake Tahoe, Nevada. We live in Gurnee,
Illinois , which is about 35 miles north of Chicago. Having
family in Utah and the high Sierras make for great vacations.
My hobbies, are traveling, reading, spoiling the grandchildren,
and naturally, my computer.
note- Don's web page is reviewed in our review section.
__________
"marie a. kelson"
Hi, my name is Marie Kelson and I am 56 years old. Being of the
"senior age" it may sound unusual to say, but I am truly a
"computer Junkie". I became introduced to computers via my
Daughter who works with them everyday. Actually she is a trouble
shooter in a firm and all computer related problems, both
software and hardware become her problems to solve. She was
planning to upgrade to a newer computer and she offered to give
me her old 286 with 1 mg. At the time those numbers met nothing
to me and I knew absolutely zero about computers. 2 years later
I am one of those annoying people who can't stop talking about
them. I love the WWW and belong to many e-mail groups, my
favorite being "Elders". Computers have become a very big part
of my life and I encourage all you seniors out there to take the
plunge and try to get others involved. It extends the horizons
more than anyone could imagine. OK enough about that.
In addition I live with my SO, my husband, Stanley who is a
retired Highway Engineer. He is also a "Jack of all Trades" and
has practically rebuilt our home. We have three dogs and a small
camping trailer and in the past have traveled all over these
United States with our dogs (many different ones) and our 2
children. Our children are grown and married now, but we still
like to travel. We camp, have gone on cruises, have flown and
very often just drive wherever we want to go, taking our time as
we are rich with this. We are currently planning to leave the
first week in April to go to the Florida Keys and plan on
visiting many friends and family on the way.
We both enjoy retirement, have different interests but are bound
by our care and concern for each other and our families. I hope
that the future holds many more surprises for us as this is how
one continues to grow. Our favorite saying is "Hang on to Your
Dreams". We both wish all good health and a happy life. Marie
and Stanley Kelson
___________
rsimpkin@wchat.on.ca
Hi; I'm Ron Simpkin, my wife Donna and I live in Burlington
Ontario Canada. Burlington is on the shores of beautiful Lake
Ontario about forty minutes by car to Niagara Falls and thirty
minutes to Toronto. We are in an area called the Golden Horseshoe
as it is the most densly populated area of Southern Ontario and
it curves around the western end of Lake Ontario.
We both still are working, but are looking at retirement with in
the next five years. I work for Air Canada as an aircraft
maintenance technician, my wife Donna works as an excecutive
secretary. I served five years in the R.C.A.F. in the early
sixties which was a very enjoyable time of my life.
We have two children and four grandchildren, one special boy and
three special girls all of which just happen to be the apples of
their grandfathers eye.
We have a large 5th wheel trailer in which we spend a lot of our
holidays, usually traveling south looking for that warm southern
weather. We hope to spend some time in Florida next winter and
are presently exploring locations, We are also hoping to try
Texas and Arizona over the next two or three winters, to find
place for our post retirement years.
Other interests I have are, WW II particularily Canadas
participation, and have quite a respectable library on the
subject. Genaeology, was the original reason for getting on the
WWW and I am hoping to be able to leave a substantional family
tree to my children. Music, reading and theatre, aeroplanes,
birds, and travel. my mom contracted and died from the disease
and I am very interested in AD research especially familial as I
seem to have a family history. Seniors, aging, and miedicare are
also high on my list of interests. All for now.
xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxox
NOTICES AND REVIEWS
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I am teaching an Internet class for senior citizens. Each week I
expect each one to report on an e-mail sent to someone outside our
state and especially in other countries. I would like to have
some e-mail correspondents for my students. Please contact me at
my e-mail address if you are interested.
George A Wagoner
________
The Happy Memories Club
Frank Harper
There's a little gem of a short story in the December 95 issue of
Atlantic Monthy called the Happy Memories Club. It's about being
a feisty wheel-chair bound elder. If you have access to the Web,
you can pick the story up on the Atlantic Monthly Web page at:
http://theatlantic.com/atlantic/issues/95dec/decfic.htm
____
Selected Home Pages of Individual Seniors
http://sashimi.wwa.com/~at/
at@wwa.com
The home page of Don Leininger who introduced himself earlier. It
is a bright attractive, uncluttered page that features his sense
of humor, hobbies, and links to other senior sites as well.
________________
http://www.islandnet.com/~densmith/denhome.html
Dennis Smith's home page from Victoria, Vancouver Island, British
Columbia, Canada.
This page has many links to senior sites and features Dennis's
work with
http://www.islandnet.com/~densmith/awcsos.html
The Western Communities Seniors Information Line Where the motto
is Seniors Serving Seniors and Dennis exemplifies that.
___________
http://www.mbnet.mb.ca/~kyletomi/
Tom Kyle's home page which he calls
the Old Guy's Page.
tom_kyle@mbnet.mb.ca
It has an attractive and comprehensive set of links
both with a graphic interface and text reflecting
many senior interests. His graphic linksa are embedded in an
attractive "Window."
Tom works with Scip the Senoor Canadian Information Project
as a volunteer.
______________
http://www.synapse.net/~mdion/moe_info.html
Maurice Dion
Ottawa, Canada-
Another attractive page with an interesting feature that involves
moving through two maps to pinpoint his location in Ottawa.
______________
http://www.net-gate.com/~patmci/
Pat and John Mcintyre
Here it is a Ma and Ma Home page. Pat and John have a joint page
and each has a separate page featuring their writings.
The McIntyre's are active in LIFE (Learning Institute for
Elders). It is a non-residential Elderhostel, sponsored by
Burlington County College and Retired and Senior Volunteer
Program (R&SVP).
____________
http://www.art.net/Studios/Visual/Sarabel/sarabel.html
Patricia Corrigan
This is one of the most eye pleasing pages on the Web. Patricia
is the artist, "Sarabel," who designs home pages as well as
having her own. Her page of a Whooping Crane tour even has the
mating calls of the cranes as a sound feature for net browsers
with a the appropriate software extensions.
Her pages have won a number of awards.
***********
http://traverse.lib.mi.us/seniors
This is the web site of the Traverse City, Michigan FreeNet.
It is an ideal site for those who wish to do text only browsing
and move quickly through Senior Cyberspace. It has items of local
interest as well as links to other sources.s
xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxox
The Cup Of Memory
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Dot's story is part of the Memories project at
http://www.tcns.co.uk/chatback/
and is suppled by Tom Holloway
--------------------------
Dot's story - WORK.
In 1944 I was fourteen. I had no education. My education
consisted of surviving school. I got my first job when I was
thirteen and started it on my fourteenth birthday. I went to
work in the steelworks in Scunthorpe in Lincolnshire, and I was
still just a girl really and all I knew was the three R's. I
could read a bit, I could write a bit and I could do arithmetic a
bit.
So I started at Lyceum Steelworks. My Dad worked there, my
brother worked there and we all worked with this foul stuff
called..., out here they call it `basic' which is a by product of
steel, it's the dust from the slag. I was what they called a
`barrow girl', you know like a porter's barrow, one of them, well
there was, ooh, lots of us kids all fourteen, maybe some were
fifteen, used to go to work at half past seven in the morning; we
all got on the works bus in our overalls, you know the dungerees
with your napsack on your back with your bottle of cold tea and
your baked bean sandwiches if you were lucky (if you weren't you
had just bread and dripping, stuff like, uhmm.. you know, you
never had an apple or anything like that).
Anyway you get on this bus with all these other kids, half past
seven in the morning, and then you got the bus at half past five
at night to come home. Difference was when you come home you
were covered in this dust. It was up your nasals. It was in
your eyes. Your hair was stiff and black with it and it was all
in the corners of your mouth. In your earholes, everywhere,
wherever there was a hole it was in there. And of course when
you got home there wasn't all this water that just come out of
taps like. You didn't, like, get in the bath, have a shower and
wash your hair, or anything, you just give your hair a good
brush. And before you went out that night to meet your mates
you'd give yourself a good sloosh in a basin of water. Uuhmm...
we got thirty bob a week and my dad used to give me half a crown
and that; I was lucky really though, some of my mates had a bad
time from their Mams and Dads.
Work? Blimey. If you can imagine this immense, a vast area,
like a concrete area, and along side of it was like railway lines
and these trucks, and in those trucks, were two blokes because
that's where my big brother worked, he was a loader. On t'other
side there was the shute and, like, coming out of this air vent
was this pipe coming from heaven with a big clip. The shute
worker would put a sack on to this pipe, clip it on, pull a lever
and all this hot stinking disgusting slag dust would fill this
sack and then us barrow girls would come up with our barrow, hook
it under this sack, undo the clip, pull it onto the barrow, run
it down this concrete ramp. Oh, and sometimes the bloody sack
used to fall off when it were half full and this stuff, the air
was full of it; the sacks were made of hessian and the dust used
to ooze out of them.
There was ten, twelve of us kids doing this. Yeah... thirty bob
a week we got. I could pick one of these sacks up, but I
couldn't carry it. Half-hundred-weight, fifty-six pounds I would
say it weighed. We would line them up along this cement thing,
then these older ladies, mature people, some of them nearly
thirty years old. They would have these big needles on this
string and they would hook through the top and you would finish
up with like two ears on this sack. Then the barrow girls would
come and pick one up and go to where there was a ramp up onto the
side of the wagon and we pushed this barrow up this ramp and the
bloke in the wagon would take it off onto his shoulder and he
would stack them and when that wagon was full we'd go onto the
next one. Day in; day out; all day; all week.
I did that for nine months, then I went to London. I'll tell you
about that later.
Dot
==================
Dot Thom lives now in the beautiful village of Ardington in
Berkshire. She isn't on the Internet but questions can be put to
her by writing to the MEMORIES list and they will be sent to her
for her reply.
******
Grandpa was repairing a sagging door when he yelled to his
teenage grandson to bring him a screwdriver.
After quite some time the young man appeared empty-handed.
"Grandpa," he apologized. "I've got the orange juice, but I can't
find the vodka."
xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxox
Senior group Library
xoooxoxoxxxxxxxooxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo
The Common denominator for all subscribers to Senior Group
Newsletter is e-mail in one form or another. Because readers are
not all connected to or familiar with such other information
transfer methods on the net , the Senior Group is setting up a
simple text based e-mail library where readers can request and
get selected SG library items by e-mail request to
olsonjam@uwec.edu
In the message subject simply type and in the
body of the e-mail the name of the document you are requesting.
Documents Currently Available:
Back issues of Senior Group Newsletter from Oct 1994 to the present.
Care Givers Manual
Manual of practical advice for those supplying at home care
to a family member.
Nursing Home Costs
How to plan your estate to avoid your assets
being wiped out to pay for nursing home costs
Elder Law as a Profession
A description of the practice of law related to the older
population.
- note All documents are written in Monaco 9
font with 65 character width
****************
>From the My-View list
Pat Davidson
patd@Chatback.demon.co.uk
. Night
Fill the sails and fill the space
That lingers in your night
Fear not the heavy shadows
Or the frightening candlelight
Live for the day that is dawning
Without life's threatening gaze
Forget that behind the sunset
Lurks a smoky, forbidding haze.
Remember when you were little
Upon your fathers knee
Remember the magical, beautiful things
The things you longed to see?
The castle in the cloudy sky
The unicorn, the queen
The princess in the tower
She now lives in your dreams.
So fill the sails and fill the space
That lingers in your night
Fear not the heavy shadows
The glow of candlelight.
If the sun returns tomorrow
And the birds return in spring
Then what else is there really
That means much of anything?
Stephanie Courtright, an 8th grade student from
Eagle Point, Oregon, USA