Latest "Ideas for Intergenerational Living" Newsletter
A new report on hunger and nutrition in the United States is based on findings of a new poll commissioned by Generations United and conducted by Harris Interactive. Among the report findings, in the past year, nearly one-third of adults in America have either experienced lack of food or been concerned about food insecurity among their family, friends, or neighbors. Equally troubling, one in 10 adults went without a basic need (such as food, medicine, or health care) to provide food for another family member.
Tip sheet from the MetLife Mature Market Institute with Generations United. Ways grandparents can make the best of their relationships with their grandchildren and have the most impact possible.
From the Intergenerational Center at Temple University. New resources, an experiential training workshop, and a Leadership for All Ages Train the Trainer workshop are available.
Protecting Family Caregivers from Employment Discrimination and Home Alone: Family Caregivers Providing Complex Chronic Care are two new publications from AARP
The Legacy Project is an international big-picture learning project working with youth, adults, and elders toward a more meaningful, equitable, and sustainable world. For information on their education campaign that bring youth and elders together to spark conversation over story sharing, learn seven-generation thinking, and apply new ideas in legacy projects that can transform lives and communities
Annie E. Casey Foundation report on kinship care
By David Murphey, Ph.D., Mae Cooper, Kristin A. Moore, Ph.D
By David Murphey, Ph.D., Mae Cooper, Kristin A. Moore, Ph.D.
Articles in this issue of the Ideas for Intergenerational Living newsletter focus on kinship care from a global perspective and an intergenerational reading program that has taken root in Hershey, PA. The newsletter also continues in the tradition of providing highlights of new intergenerational (engagement) resources, reports, conferences, and program innovation.
Check out ZERO to THREE's newest resources written just for grandparents.
International Approaches to Kinship Care: An Interview with Dr. Joseph Crumbley
When Grace Wagler, a 16-year old student home schooled in Hershey, PA, attended a lecture for community members at Penn State College of Medicine that described programs at The Intergenerational School in Cleveland, OH – the first known charter school to invite persons with dementia to serve as mentors for schoolchildren – she was inspired to create two innovative intergenerational reading programs in her home town.
The Forum for Family and Consumer Issues has published a special edition on caregiving. This is an e-journal and is free to view online.
A new tutorial from KaisierEDU.org ex-plains the basics of the U.S. long-term care system in shorter formats that also touch on the key policy issues. The tutorial features 18 short (30-60 seconds) chapters on the fundamentals of long-term care, including recipients, settings, Medicaid, Medicare, and dual eligibles. Chapter 15 focuses on the role of family caregivers in the nation's long-term care system. The text of the narrative can be accessed, as well as the Power-Point slides for each chapter.
In this policy report, the Annie E. Casey Foundation explores the increased number of children living with extended family and close friends, a longtime practice known as kinship care. “Stepping Up for Kids: What Government and Communities Should Do to Support Kinship Families” includes the latest data for states, the District of Columbia, and the nation, as well as a set of recommenda-tions on how to support kinship families.
If you’re interested in learning more about the Search Institute’s The American Family Assets Study, check out their new page on SI.org dedicated to family assets: www.search-institute.org/familyassets. On the right-side of the page, you'll find: study highlights; video clips of young people, adults, and scholars talking about family strengths; discussion starters; a detailed technical report and much more.
(From Caregiving Policy Digest, A Newsletter of FCA's National Center on Caregiving – June 13, 2012, Vol. 12, #12) A recent article on LifeGoesStrong addresses some of the many issues that can arise when one sibling is a caregiver and the other is not. The author explains that five statements are especially frustrating for a caregiver to hear, including, “I wish I could help,” “I don't think mom is that bad,” and “call me before you make a decision like that again.” Strategies to support the caregiver are also included in the article. FCA also has resources focused on this topic that may be useful for families.
(From Brookdale Foundation’s Relatives as Parents Program’s Information and Resources notice, June, 19, 2012). Information on the Young Caregivers in the US report. National Alliance for Caregiving's Family Care Resource Clearinghouse.
May 30, 2012. Can an adult be held responsible for a parent's medical bills? In Pennsylvania, the answer is yes, according to a dramatic new ruling by the Pennsylvania Superior Court explained by elder law expert Katherine Pearson at Penn State Law in this recent interview. "Pennsylvania's law obligating certain family members to care for and maintain or financially assist indigent family members is now a high-profile matter in Pennsylvania," she said. The case is Health Care & Retirement Corporation of America v. Pittas, decided on May 7, 2012. In that case, a nursing home obtained a judgment against an adult son for the cost of his mother's nursing home care. What makes this case unique in Pennsylvania, said Pearson, is that "it is the first time substantial dollars have been awarded against an adult son to support his mother who is in a nursing home -- almost $93,000. It's a game-changer in terms of the dollars and cents that we are talking about in terms of filial support."
(From Global Action in Aging newsletter, Aug. 6, 2012) A new approach to education allows intermixing of elders and children in the classroom. In an effort to integrate kindergartens and nursing homes into one environment, researcher Stephanie Geller, wrote a book entitled, "Uniting Wonder with Wisdom, An Intergenerational Classroom Replication Guide." She thinks that such projects help ensure that society sees elders as valuable members of society, improve their health, and enhance children's academic and social development.
