The Aging Report

Aging advocates, community leaders, healthcare professionals, and many others gathered on August 23rd for the annual Aging Summit hosted by AgeGuide. This year's Aging Summit focused on building equity in longevity by answering the question: “How might we make longevity more equitable for all?” The one-day summit kicked off with a keynote address by Raymond A. Jetson, Chief Executive Catalyst, Metromorphosis, A Baton-Rouge based social enterprise organization working on community transformation. In the Keynote address, Raymond discussed the role of race and discrimination in driving and exacerbating many of the inequities we see in the U.S., especially when looking at aging equity.

September’s dual celebrations focus on health and connections as we celebrate both Healthy Aging Month and Senior Center Month. With a focus on mind and body wellness, these observances will set us up for a healthy fall season.  

This month is an annual celebration of health designed to focus national attention on the positive aspects of growing older. The numbers of people over 50 is growing every year. The attention used to be just on the Baby Boomers. Now, Generation X-ers are elbowing their way in and have many of the same goals as the previous generation – to stay active and vibrant as long as possible. There are over 76 million Baby Boomers today over 50 and the first of the 82.1 million Gen X-ers reached that milestone in 2015. It is never too late to get started on better health practices! 

This week is the 16th annual Falls Prevention Awareness Week. This year is focused on “From Awareness to Action” emphasizing what to be aware of and what actions to take to stay safe and falls free.

While falls are common, they are also costly, both to the individual and the health care system. Most importantly, they can often be prevented. People of all ages can practice these methods to help build the skills to stay balanced. 

In this episode of the Age Guide podcast, we continue our series, shining a light on Veterans and the services available to them. We want to draw attention to the unique needs of the heroes in our community who fought for our country and the people who care for them. We interviewed Jacob Zimmerman, Superintendent of the Veterans Assistance Commission of Kane County. He works tirelessly to maximize benefits for more than 18,000 veterans in Kane County to ensure veterans are cared for holistically.

With the uptick in COVID-19 hospitalizations and the upcoming flu and respiratory virus season, many people are asking what they can do to keep themselves and their loved ones safe and healthy.

Public Health Communications Collaborative has created a new resource to help you communicate timely, effective, and consistent vaccine information. We hope this toolkit will help you get community members the information they need. 

At AgeGuide, we love getting social! Stay up to date with the latest news, updates and learn more about AgeGuide and our work advocating for older adults and the services they need on our social media pages!