UMRA Cares

Cares Committee offers Newsletter series on meditation and mindfulness

Whether eager to learn or skeptical of the practice of meditation, you will find the book Meditation for Fidgety Skeptics offers a beneficial experience.

Better Balance (Tai Ji Quan) Class at Wilder

Beginning Jan. 22 (2018) Wilder Services for Aging will teach a mild exercise class designed to reduce the risk of falls by improving muscle strength, flexibility and mobility from practicing coordinated movements in a slow, circular, flowing motion.

The workshop will run for 24 sessions, from 10:30 to 11:30am every Monday and Wednesday at Wilder, 650 Marshall Ave, St. Paul. It is free but a donation of $60 is suggested. No prior experience is necessary. Please register by Tuesday, Jan 16.

Exploring alternative transportation? Share your experiences

As the Cares Committee has been exploring alternative transportation options, they have encountered some successes and some frustrations. They invite readers to share their experiences and recommendations with others. 

From the Cares Bookshelf

The Power of Meaning: Crafting a Life that Matters, by Emily Esfahani Smith, explains a growing new movement within psychological research that is fundamentally reshaping our understanding of the good life. It’s a very readable book for academics and non-academics alike.  

When getting around becomes difficult

If you have given up your car, or if driving at night is a challenge, you can still enjoy concerts—in your own living room. Start by requesting email delivery of Ostinato, the School of Music electronic newsletter to receive information on upcoming SOM events and note which ones are live-streamed.

From the Cares Bookshelf

Letters from Madelyn: Chronicles of a Caregiver recounts the difficulties of managing caregiving in a true story that reveals the character of a caregiver who must contend with every emotion, yet manage this stage of life with growth, grace, and humor. If you worry about the headaches and traumas of wearing out together, especially as a member of an intimate pair, you will find this book relevant and comforting.  

Planning for a meaningful retirement: Thoughts from the Cares Committee

One way to decide how you will spend your retirement is to think of it as a question of the meaning of life. Think back on your life and what made it meaningful. Make a list of your values and your options and then brainstorm. If you read the research literature on happiness, you will find that deep happiness comes not from pleasure-seeking, but from helping others.

What can caring for others do for you? 

Help Wanted: Cares Committee seeks new members

UMRA Cares Committee seeks new members to assist workshop development and important communication work. Those of you who’ve experienced the Cares Committee’s outreach at a time of serious illness or loss know the important role filled by these caring members.

To volunteer, all Ron Anderson, Cares Committee Chair at 612-963-6660 or email him at [email protected]

Care Guide program is suspended

Care Guides are a small group of volunteers who were trained by the late Dr. Robert Kane, director of the U of M Center on Aging. The guides were started to assist UMRA members in locating resources to manage unexpected long or short hospital stays or the challenges of providing caregiving to family members with serious health problems. 

Valuable resource: Minnesota Gerontological Society

Have you visited a friend or family member in hospice care? Do you have questions about the pallative care provided? On September 20 at noon, the Minnesota Gerontological Society (MGS) will offer a free Webinar on the subject of hospice. Register on the organization's website (www.mngero.org).

UMRA Remembers Robert Kane

Dr. Robert Kane first spoke to the UMRA luncheon audience in April 2015 and therafter presided over several workshops on aging and long-term care. When he died suddenly on March 6, Dr. Kane left his UMRA partners, as well as so many other colleagues, stunned. Here are words from a few of our Care Guides, UMRA members who had the privilege of working with and learning from him.

From the Cares Committee bookshelf: The Good Caregiver

The Good Caregiver: A One-of-a-Kind Compassionate Resource for Anyone Caring for an Aged Loved One

Thank you to UMRA members and Care Guides Ron Anderson and Helen Carlson for this review of The Good Caregiver by Dr. Robert Kane, 2011, Pelican. 

March 2017 Cares Committee Bookshelf: The Song Poet

The Song Poet: A Memoir of My Father, by Kao Kalia Yang. 2016, Metropolitan books. Thank you to UMRA member Linda Lindeke for this review.

Care Guides are asking for your experiences in navigating health care issues

The Care Guides want to discuss a new initiative in which they could assist UMRA members with health concerns not restricted to long-term care. They plan to meet in October with Professor Bob Kane, director of the Center on Aging, to plan for this new Care Guide role.

UMRA Care Guides continue to be available for consultation on a health care emergency. To speak to a Care Guide, call the Center on Aging, 612-624-1185.

Help the Cares Committee start a new book group

Here is a list of some new interesting books published this year on health and aging. Check your local library or bookseller for these references. After your read, please send us a one- or two-paragraph summary along with the author, title, and publisher to share with UMRA members.