A nonprofit program is helping older adults in Utah and other states to develop new skills, polish their resumes and find work.

After a lifetime of working, most people retire expecting to live a comfortable life. But circumstances can change, and people in their later years may find they need a job. Even with years of experience, re-entering the job market can be a daunting task.

Gina Jones, a senior employment specialist with the Easterseals-Goodwill Senior Community Service Employment Program, said seniors often underestimate their value to a potential employer.

"I promote the participant's experiences, what they have done and what they want to do," she said. "An employer is always open to hearing about these experiences - and what they do with that is up to them."

The federally funded program provides employment services for low-income adults older than age 55. People are paid during their training and, when hired, the program subsidizes their earnings for the first month on the job.

Jones has firsthand experience with the program. She said she started out as a job trainee with the agency, and later was invited to join the staff.

"I'm very grateful for the program," she said. "I was a participant back in 2007, and I was hired then in 2010. I've been doing this for a while, and it is a very worthwhile program and a good investment in older people."

Rod Haubrock, also a former participant who joined the staff, said part of his job is to engage potential employers and educate them about the advantages that older workers bring to a job, such as maturity and experience. He said he found some are receptive - and others express doubts.

"'Why would we hire somebody a year away from retirement when we can hire a 25-year-old and groom them to fit this company, and keep them for 20 years?' And it's a hard pill to swallow sometimes, but it's a reality," he said.

To find out more about the Easterseals-Goodwill program, and how to take advantage of its job training and career services, you can look online at esgw.org or call 800-771-2153.

June is Brain Awareness Month, and experts say Virginia seniors should consider decluttering their homes to improve brain health.

According to an expert with Hacksensack Meridian Health, decluttering can decrease stress, improve sleep quality, and increase focus.

Leslie Pendleton, community ambassador with AARP Virginia, said she often sees two types of seniors who want to declutter - those who have retired, and those who have begun to experience health struggles.

"Health issues that crop up that are signs that people need to start thinking about downsizing," said Pendleton, "and to downsize, you've got to declutter. That's the first part of the process. You can't take it all with you, in other words."

Experts with Nuvance Health says clutter makes it difficult for your brain to focus on one specific thing, splitting your attention and causing sensory overload.

They say constant sensory overload can lead to increased mental fatigue.

But who should be involved in the decluttering process? Many seniors have children, grandchildren, nieces and nephews that may desire to keep some of their relative's treasures.

Pendleton said having a plan about who gets what is essential.

"It can create family turmoil if the person who is downsizing and decluttering doesn't already have some form of an estate plan in place, a will," said Pendleton. "They haven't necessarily thought out who they want to have what, so that's part of the process too."

Pendleton added that younger people are part of what she calls the 'IKEA generation,' often having less clutter and wanting less things.

Those interested in learning more can are encouraged to sign-up for an upcoming ARP Virginia decluttering workshop led by Pendleton.

Memory care facilities in Arizona have a new set of rules intended to improve quality of care for patients and ensure more accountability for providers.

Brendon Blake, director of advocacy for AARP Arizona, said the set of rules, approved by the Governor's Regulatory Review Council last week, are a big win and an improvement over what he said had been a lack of guidance for facilities.

The changes are a result of House Bill 2764, signed into law last year. Blake pointed out the rules should fill in gaps by requiring dementia-specific training for memory care staff and managers, stricter monitoring and enforcement, and new procedures to prevent those with dementia from walking out.

"Right now, there's no statutory or regulatory standard that's being held to," Blake explained. "It's really on the consumer themselves to do a ton of work, in an interview with that facility, to know if their level of what they call 'memory care' is really actually best practices across the country."

The new rules are set to take effect July 1, although the Arizona Department of Health Services is expected to give facilities a grace period to come into compliance. Blake added the rules also increase penalties for facilities not in compliance or repeat offenders.

Blake stressed the new rules are the result of 18 months of work. While some have expressed concerns they might be too vague, he argued they are a huge step in the right direction.

"The problem with being too specific is that Alzheimer's disease may be the most common form of dementia, but it is not the only form of dementia," Blake noted. "We want training to be robust enough that it can still cover a lot of ground, so that way, staff and managers can handle all kinds of dementia."

To those considering a memory-care facility, Blake encouraged people to ask how they plan to start implementing the rules.

"Is it commensurate with the training that is being required of them now?," Blake asked. "On the facility side of things, I think it is important that all of them know that the department has committed to continuing to do stakeholder meetings, to provide assistance."

During Alzheimer's and Brain Awareness Month, mental health advocacy groups are highlighting treatment and medication advances in the last decade.

Developments are helping people see the early warning signs of dementia, and teaching them how to plan for the future living with a disease that, so far, has no cure.

The Alzheimer's Association Iowa Chapter's Communications Director Lauren Livingston said while a cure is still not on the horizon, all the work that has gone into research and fundraising has helped advocates make progress, and allowed patients to extend the time they have with their families.

"So just in the last, really, five to 10 years, we have learned so much more about Alzheimer's disease than we did in the previous several decades," said Livingston. "And because of that, there are treatments available for those in the early stage of Alzheimer's disease that can actually slow the progression."

She added that the Alzheimer's Association holds several fundraisers during June, including a bike ride to raise money on June 21, the longest day of the year.

More than 62,000 Iowans live with Alzheimer's disease.

Beyond treatments, Livingston added that researchers have also made other important discoveries about Alzheimer's in the last few years.

"We know a lot more about the risk factors that cause Alzheimer's disease and a lot of them, nearly 50% of them, are modifiable risk factors," said Livingston, "like your blood pressure and your health, and how much sleep you're getting and things like that."

The Alzheimer's Association has published a list of 10 healthy habits to stave off Alzheimer's and other forms of dementia. That, and a lot more information, is online at alz.org.




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