Music has remarkable power. It can conjure up memories from the past, transport us to another place, and make us feel incredible joy or profound sadness.

Music & Memory is a program that helps seniors in care facilities suffering with Alzheimer’s and dementia find renewed meaning and connection in their lives through the gift of personalized music. The program trains senior care professionals how to set up personalized music playlists, delivered on iPods and other digital devices, for those in their care. Musical favourites can bypass failing cognitive systems to tap deep memories and bring seniors back to life, often enabling them to converse, socialize, and stay present. Continue reading →

Some seniors in Germany, ages 75 to 98, know how to have fun. They recently recreated 12 classic film scenes from great movies such as Titanic, Cabaret, Easy Rider and Breakfast at Tiffany’s and compiled the results into a 2014 calendar. It’s creative. It’s dramatic. It’s fantastic!

Click here to see the full calendar, along with candids from the photo shoot and profiles of the actors. Of course, all of the text is in German, but the photos alone tell the story of just how much fun these seniors had. I love their energy and ability to let loose and have fun.

Which photo is your favourite?

Source: Chatelaine magazine

Ageism. It’s the stereotyping and discriminating against individuals or groups on the basis of their age.

In Canada, ageism against seniors is a serious problem. According to a survey done by Leger Marketing in 2012 (on behalf of Revera), eight in 10 people believe that seniors age 75 and older are seen as less important and more ignored than younger generations. Six in 10 seniors age 66 and older say they were treated unfairly because of their age. The survey also identified the three most common forms of age discrimination faced by Canadian seniors: Continue reading →

I was pleasantly surprised to read last week about new research showing that older adults can train at higher-intensity exercise levels than once believed. Strength and power training workouts have shown excellent fitness gains and functional strength in seniors, which can assist with many activities of daily living.

Read the Leader-Post article.

The earlier we incorporate high-intensity training into our lives and the longer we do it, the better. Continue reading →

According to a recent Leader-Post article (with credit to Scott Larson of The StarPhoenix), Dr. Jenny Basran, head of the Division of Geriatric Medicine and an assistant professor at the U of S, says the biggest fear of older people is not dying, but loss of independence. Wow!

Dr. Basran and her colleagues in engineering and computer science are working on some technologies to better the lives of seniors and their caregivers, including: Continue reading →