Thursday, May 1, 2:00-4:30 p.m.

Are you an older adult wondering whether to move out of your current home--but aren't sure of your next step? Do you want to downsize? Or are you an adult child who wants to help your parents transition from their home and into a more supportive environment?

Then come explore your options at the Senior Housing Expo on Saturday, May 3, 1-4 p.m. at Hotel Ithaca (formerly Holiday Inn) at 222 S. Cayuga St., Ithaca. The Expo will feature over 20 housing providers and facilities, as well as speakers about senior housing options and downsizing. This free event is co-sponsored by the Gerontology Institute and the Tompkins County Office for the Aging. [more details]

Congratulations to nine Ithaca College aging studies students and a community member who were inducted on March 21 into the Gamma Nu chapter of Sigma Phi Omega (SPO), the national academic honor and professional society in gerontology. SPO was established in 1980 to recognize excellence of those who study gerontology and aging and the outstanding service of professionals who work with or on behalf of older persons.

 

Three aging studies majors were inducted into SPO: Zoe Eisenberg '17, Sarah Harty '14, and Rachel Mecalianos '16. Inductees who are aging studies minors included: Amanda Aussems '16, Jenna Danko '15, Sarah C. Haggerty '14, Danielle Koenig '16, Myriah Elizabeth LaTourette '15, and Samantha Martin '14.

 

Catherine M. Montgomery was the community honoree and featured speaker at the event. Montgomery is the resident programs coordinator at Brookdale's Sterling House of Ithaca.

Catherine Montgomery (right) speaks with a student inductee into SPO

 

About 15% of Americans age 65 and over are poor, according to the federal government's alternative definition of poverty, known as the Supplemental Poverty Measure, which takes into account seniors' out-of-pocket medical expenses, as well as income and tax effects not included in the standard measure of poverty.

 

Featured on the Squared Away Blog, this compelling new video profiles poor older Americans who live in Baltimore, rural West Virginia, and Los Angeles. In the video, produced by the Kaiser Family Foundation, a non-profit research and policy organization focused on health care, the seniors identify rising rents and medical expenses as major explanations of financial hardship, which can mean lacking enough money for food. 

This 2014 issue brief, published by the Center for Technology and Aging, looks at "The New Era of Connected Aging: A Framework for Understanding Technologies that Support Older Adults in Aging in Place."

"Connected Aging" recognizes that successful aging is more than just about health -- it is about empowering and supporting the whole person through telecommunications and Internet-based technologies. This 20-page brief describes technologies that support the whole person in multiple ways, including:

• Health, wellness (including both physical and cognitive health), and prevention
• Functional limitations and chronic disease management 
• Social connectedness to friends, family, and community organizations

The Ithaca College Gerontology Institute provides high quality education to students and professionals, empowering them to positively impact the lives of older people.