Change doesn’t just happen. It requires bold leadership, innovative thinking, resourcefulness, and an unwavering determination to swim against the tide when necessary. So where will we find the leaders we so desperately need to bring change to our unwieldy and dysfunctional health care system? Practice Change Leaders for Aging and…
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Would you rather breathe or see? That’s the question put to my mom by her doctor regarding the medication she takes to combat her COPD and breathing problems. Unfortunately, a nasty side effect of her inhaler has caused her to develop glaucoma and she’s now on medicine for that. Hopefully…
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When Depression-era gangster Willie Sutton was asked why he robbed banks, he replied: “Because that’s where the money is.” Similarly, I’ve argued that if there is room for quality improvement and cost savings in healthcare reform, it will be in the care of those complexly ill older adults who are…
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Medicare has become a central issue during this heated election season, but the debates are loud, confusing, and often play off fear, intergenerational conflict, and ideological differences about the role of government. Unfortunately, what gets lost in the raucous debate is the opportunity we all have at this particular moment…
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If you have been following our blog series covering the 2011 Annual Report, then you know that our team has captured moving stories from older adults themselves who have benefited from the programs and services funded by the Hartford Foundation. I would like to highlight one such video about Patty…
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At the Foundation we’ve been doing a lot of focused thinking recently—and even better, a lot of learning. We’ve been stretching all of our change-making abilities, refining our approaches, limbering up (metaphorically) for our return to grantmaking. And the wait is almost over. Come 2013, we will have paid off…
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During my first year of graduate school at Columbia University, I worked at a home care agency as a medical social worker, making home visits to elderly clients with a wide range of acute health and long-term chronic illness needs. After conducting many home visits with frail elderly clients, I…
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If we had to pick a theme for 2012, it might be Measuring Quality of Care Year. Our annual report discussed the lack of quality mental health care for older adults, recently illustrated by the callous dismissal of annual report writer Lynne Christensen’s mother’s post-surgical depression as “to be expected.”…
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Those of you who have read my previous blogs know that I was diagnosed with Stage IV inflammatory breast cancer in October 2010. You also know that I chose to forego aggressive treatment in favor of palliative care. Thankfully, my health status has changed little since my last update. I…
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When I was in graduate school (a very long time ago!), I recall taking a number of courses in the mental health specialization in the MSW program. There was almost no aging-related content in any of the courses except for a lecture on “Organic Brain Syndrome.” The limits of the…
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