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FORMERLY THE GUIDE AND SECOND WIND
OCT. 2017 Volume 1 • Issue 6
Become a Master of Aging
Island Senior Resources (Bayview)
The nation’s 76 million baby boomers have been given an unprecedented gift of health and time; but to a great extent, older adults do not make the most of this phase of life.
The National Council on Aging (NCOA) created the Aging Mastery Program® (AMP) to develop new expectations, norms, and pathways for people aged 50 to 100, to make the most of their gift of longevity.
Share the Prepare! By Christina Baldwin Board Member, Island Senior Resources
The most efficient, effective, and life-saving model for response to any number of disaster scenarios is simple to remember: “Prepare now; Cooperate when… .” Red Cross, Fire Districts, Citizen Emergency Response Teams, and other agencies have indicated that Whidbey Island is not a top priority for them in a largescale event. Response services will concentrate on mainland and urban areas. These are their rules of triage: define the hardest hit areas, work to save the greatest number of people. While triage may initially sound harsh, if we “share the prepare,” we can apply these principles to our own households and neighborly units so we are ready and empowered to help one another.
As Whidbey Island faces another winter, as the little shakes of deep quakes remind us of the fault lines running under the region, as electricity flickers, and temperatures fall, it’s a good time to practice our preparations so that we are ready to take care of ourselves, our households, and to cooperate with our neighbors.
AMP helps older adults and boomers build their own playbook for aging well. It is a fun, innovative, and person-centered education program that empowers participants to embrace their gift of longevity by spending more time each day doing things that are good for themselves and for others. Aging has changed remarkably since the last generation entered into retirement. Yet, traditional retirement plans are disappearing, the cost of daily living continues to rise, and more than 84% of people aged 65+ are coping with at least one chronic health condition, often over
many years. The result is that most older adults are unprepared for this new stage of life. Societal expectations for them have changed little since 1950, but they are facing a new reality when it comes to maintaining their health and economic security and contributing to society. AMP encourages aging mastery—developing sustainable behaviors across many dimensions that lead to improved health, stronger economic security, enhanced well-being, and increased societal participation.
AGING continued on page 3
Walt Blackford, outreach manager for Puget Sound Energy, says, “Whidbey is particularly vulnerable and though PSE has made many improvements in its ability to maintain and restore electricity, communities need to be prepared. PSE can handle the outages, but people need to handle their immediate needs.” Even an eight-year-old and an eighty-
PREPARE continued on page 12
QUESTION OF THE MONTH: WHAT WAS THE FIRST CONCERT OR SPORTING EVENT YOU ATTENDED?
Willa Roberts, 83
Oak Harbor, WA Went to see George Strait in Biloxi, Mississippi and had a seat at the end of the stage. I could see all his features, it was really good.”
Island Senior Resources 14594 SR 525 Langley, WA 98260
Barbara Car, 78
Freeland "I went on a school field trip to hear the L.A. Philharmonic. We sat in the nosebleed seats."
Linda Dreen, 60
Oak Harbor, WA When I was young my friend’s dad invited me to go with them to a ball game. It was so fun, and so kind of him to take the time to invite me. I’ll always remember that.
Joan Langstaff, 85
Langley "In 1955, I went to my first football game at Langley High School."
Shirley Rasmussen, 66 Oak Harbor, WA My husband and I aren’t into that as much as we are hiking and camping. Recently we went on an 8 mile hike up North Cascade Pass with 37 switchbacks. It was beautiful. That’s what we do, we hike a lot.
NONPROFIT ORG U.S. POSTAGE LANGLEY, WA PERMIT NO. 50