What is gerontology? Gerontology is the study of the social, cultural, behaviorial, health, and other aspects of aging and older adults. As the population ages, and the baby boomer generation is currently the older generation, the study of gerontology as a job gets increasingly popular. Gerontologists or geriatric specialists work in hospital settings and in private practice.
Gerontologists are advocates for older adults. The needs of older adults cannot just be lumped into one big category. They vary based on the health and gender of the individual. The needs of older individuals include transportation, medical care, living arrangements, legal needs, and nursing care, just to name a few. If you are an older adult and you have to enter a hospital, ask if they have a gerontologist on staff and have a meeting with that professional. You can also use the services of a gerontologist to help you plan during your older years. There may be gerontologists available for you, especially if you live in a larger community.
You can search for a geriatrics professional in your state in the U.S. by using this search engine. They can help you find an assisted living facility if that is what you want to do. They can also help you go through the process of moving into assisted living or even a rehab center or nursing home.
Take advantage of gerontology services when you are making plans. They can make the issues of aging more understandable and easier for you to navigate.
Welcome to my #weekendcoffeeshare for March 2, 2024! Pull up a chair, grab a cup of coffee. I also have tea if that’s your preference and I’ll share with you what’s been going on this week! Good to see all of you.
It’s been a wild weather week in northeastern Kentucky, U.S.! One day it would be almost warm (around 60 degrees F.) and the next day, the temperature dropped more than 20 degrees and there were flooding rains. I live on a hill and the creek at the bottom of the hill ran right out of its banks onto the road. Now it’s cold today, but we are supposed to have a very warm week for this time of year this coming week. 55 – 70 degrees F. Should be nice.
It’s been awhile since I’ve blogged here, so I decided to redesign my site to update it. That’s been some serious work this week. Please consider the site under construction, although I am using it, and bear with me while I get all the kinks worked out.
The week started out with my little dog, Hazel, and her illness. Hazel is a Pembroke Welsh Corgi, only a year and a half old, and she has quite a serious condition. The vet and I have worked out a regimen for her and so far so good. Hazel did not have a good start in life at her breeder’s facility which is largely why she’s ill now. Hopefully, we can pull her out of it. Here is Hazel a few weeks ago. She has the sweetest temperament. We have another dog as well, Sophie, but I’ll introduce Sophie to you at another time.
After we got Hazel settled, my husband, Roger, had to enter the hospital for a night for a sleep study. He’s a pretty funny guy and kept the technicians laughing. He fell asleep before they got him hooked up for the sleep study and they had to wake him. Then he had really restless sleep and finally, ripped off some of the sensors that were monitoring his sleep. At that point, the technicians told him to please leave and that they had all the data they needed. Still waiting on results here.
My biggest frustration at this time of year, the beginning of meteorological spring in the Northern Hemisphere, is probably shared by some of you. I can’t find decent food to eat. The spring produce has not began to arrive. Since I live in a small town, it is particularly bad so we spend at least one day a week in a nearby city shopping. It takes looking far and wide to eat healthy. That will get a bit better as spring and summer arrive and local vegetable markets pop up.
The only writing I’ve done this week is on this blog. I’m not quite ready to jump into a big writing project yet, but I can feel the urge catching up to me. This time it will be a book or maybe even a serialized novel. My greatest interest, right now, lies in writing non-fiction on topics that interest me.
Speaking of topics that interest me, you cannot turn on the television, the computer, or even walk down the street without U.S. politics smacking you in the face. This is the first election year that I have actively avoided reading or watching the news. Our political situation is insane right now and has been for some time. The citizens of the U.S. are deeply polarized. It’s so bad it has destroyed friendships and families. I have no idea what will happen and am avoiding thinking about it. I’m too old for the stress.
I am a voracious reader as I’m sure many of you are. I read to relax and, of course, get ideas for writing. I just read the best two novels that are in a series of two. I want to recommend you take a look at them. I don’t normally read much fantasy, but these novels were fantasy in which the author did a fabulous job of making them feel real. Such an interesting read. They are Fourth Wing, Book 1, and Iron Flame, Book 2, by Rebecca Yarros. You’ll be knocked off your feet!
I think I’ll work on this blog, relax and watch sports the rest of the weekend! I hope you’ve enjoyed my coffee share and that I will see you again in two weeks when we resume. Have a great couple of weeks!
Northeastern Kentucky, USA. Dreary weather on the first day of meteorological spring!
Welcome to my #weekendcoffee share on February 24, 2024. It has been a long time since I have been able to pay attention to my blog, but that’s about to change. I welcome all of you who might remember me and everyone new as well!
Up until recently, I was writing full-time, but I have retired. I may work on a book, but I’m not going to write for a living anymore. It’s the time in my life to write what I want to, write a book, and develop this blog.
It’s almost spring here in Kentucky and it can’t come soon enough for me. We have had a very mild winter, the mildest winter I can remember here in Kentucky. We’ve had a little snow a few times but very little. We have had some really cold temperatures, but just as often, it has been spring-like outdoors. What an odd winter it has been. Climate change, perhaps?
A few months ago, I wrapped up my job and, after two careers, finally retired. I last worked for a Wall Street firm, SmartAsset. What a great employer! I wrote financial articles for them for a couple of years and it was really a good experience even though I worked 16 hours a day! Before SmartAsset, I worked for a number of Wall Street firms along with the New York Times. Prior to that, I was a college professor of finance for 27 years. Now, after so many years of work, it feels good to be retired although I do miss it. Here, on my blog, I hope to continue to write about subjects close to my heart including Appalachia and other topics. I also like to participate in challenges here.
To re-introduce myself to you, and just introduce myself to anyone who is new, I have been writing and teaching for many years. I’m now older even though I still feel like I’m 35 in my head! I won’t say that age is just a number. Believe me, age and aging is real. Another subject I’ll write about here. You can expect 2-3 posts per week from me. I live in the country near a small town in Kentucky, a beautiful state. I live very near the Bluegrass, horse farm country. My family includes my husband, also retired and with some serious heart issues, and two dogs and one cat. More about the livestock here later!
Late February, I think, is an odd time of year. Not quite still winter, but not spring yet. At least not here. The days vary from very cold to quite warm. But there aren’t many signs of spring yet except the horses are having their babies and they are adorable when they are out in the fields. I am definitely anxious for spring.
That’s all for now. I welcome you all to my #weekendendcoffeeshare. I hope to see you again soon. If any of you know of any challenges that are currently ongoing, please drop me a note in the comments section and let me know where I can find them.
The first time I ever walked into my new dentist’s office, one thing slapped me in the face. Her office was decorated with many paintings and pictures depicted circles. A single circle. Groups of circles. Except for pictures of her children, pictures of circles were the only wall decor she had. They were beautiful and interesting.
The second time I was there, I asked her about her circles and why her office was filled with them. She didn’t really answer me. She just smiled and said she liked them and they made her feel calm. They seemed to make me, who had always been fearful of going to the dentist, feel calm as well. Since changing to this dentist, I’ve never been fearful again. I decided to investigate circles and what they mean. I wanted to know why she had them in her office and even I seemed to respond to them with a feeling of peace and calmness. I’ll share with you what I found.
From Wikipedia: “A perfect circle is an ancient and universal symbol of unity, wholeness, infinity, the goddess, female power, and the sun. You can merge it with various elements and can develop new meaning.”
If you believe in spirituality, that is a pretty powerful symbol, particularly for a female professional like my dentist.
In symbolism:
“A perfect circle is symbolic of something that is whole, complete, ideal and eternal; a circle has no ending and no beginning, making it synonymous with cyclical ideas and processes. For example, a circular wedding ring is used as a symbol of everlasting love.”
The Write Scribe 