Advance Praise for The Perfect Home

The Perfect Home For a Long Life is being shipped to bookstores across the country and we're planning book launches from coast to coast. Please keep an eye on Events for the details. I was delighted to receive the following feedback from one of the book's early readers, Cheryl Snider the Manager of Calgary HomeShare. Here's her book review.

“It is excellent reading – engaging and informative. Nothing works for everyone and I think that is the reason so many of us are opposed to the idea of “nursing homes”. This volume describes many options that people can consider for their homes. The examples and personal stories that Lyndsay includes give a good sense of what can work for different people. I was also impressed with the number of resources included with each option. I am certain that many people will find this a helpful and inspiring Book of Merit.”

Hang Out at Radical Resthomes

A growing number of people are recognizing that aging in the right place will be critically important, and they're prepared to do something to make it happen. You can watch the ideas flow on Janet Torge's blog Radical Resthomes. As Janet says, "It looks like we have a little movement on our hands..." Her blog is a follow up to the conversation she and Dorothy Goldin Rosenberg had on CBC Radio's Sunday Edition about the Paris senior women's home, Baba Yaga, which aired on March 17, 2013, you can listen to it here. On Janet's website there's a place for regional discussions to help like-minded people find each other. May a thousand flowers bloom.

Aging Successfully in Place

On March 1, I'll have the pleasure of presenting the keynote at Aging Successfully in Place, the 2013 Geriatrics Symposium organized by the Toronto Rehabilitation Institute. The day-long event for healthcare professionals and students working in the geriatrics field offers plenary sessions and workshops such as, Too Much, Too Little, Too Late: Care, Capacity and the Geriatric Client and Geriatric Medicine: Where Did We Come From, Where Are We Going? The day promises to be full of new ideas and inspirational strategies. Register here.

During Seniors' Week, February 12 - 15, TVOntario broadcast a series on Aging in Ontario on The Agenda with host Steve Paikin. The series can be viewed on the website of The Agenda. I prepared a guest blog for the series titled A Holistic Retirement.

Housing Ourselves for the Future

           We're just putting the finishing touches on my next book, The Perfect Home for a Long Life, scheduled for release next spring. This one looks at creative housing options for aging boomers and seniors. The book explores what we'll need from our home as we age in order to support a life of quality and fulfillment. The focus is on practical housing solutions and replicable ideas, with insights into the benefits and challenges of each option.

            There's been much advance interest in this topic from you, my dedicated readers, and, already, I'm booking speaking engagements for the book's spring 2013 publication. Please use the contact form if you'd like to receive advance notice of the book's release and book launches and presentations in your area.

            As for You Could Live a Long Time and Teens Gone Wired, I want to express my thanks to the thoughtful reviewers who continue to blog about the books and bring them to the attention of new audiences. Recent reviews can be found here.

Community Garden of Silver Sage Cohousing Village

Speak Up!

      Next month I'll have the pleasure of speaking about You Could Live a Long Time: Are You Ready? as part of the Speak Up campaign and the importance of advance care planning. This national campaign stresses the importance of “speaking up” to ensure that our family and friends know our wishes in the event we are not able to speak for ourselves, and provides tools and terminology to make this easier. 

      Although the majority of Canadians say they understand the value of an advance care plan, talking about death and end of life care is a daunting task, and most don’t know how to begin. The Speak Up campaign encourages us to start that important conversation. And it's a conversation that's worth having. Research finds that Canadians with advance care plans require fewer interventions at the end of life, place less of a strain on caregivers and are more likely to take advantage of hospice resources or die at home. They and their caregivers report greater satisfaction with end of life care.  

      The Speak Up event is being organized by four organizations in London, Middlesex and Elgin counties in Ontario and proves the power of collaboration. The Serenity House Hospice and the Hospice of London support, educate and empower individuals and their families who are living with a progressive life-threatening illness. The West Elgin Community Health Centre delivers primary health care, illness prevention and health promotion services, and VON (Victorian Order of Nurses) Middlesex-Elgin offers a range of home care, personal support and community support services to help people live independently and in their own homes for as long as possible. Together they are offering this information session for those who are involved in the care of, or are part of the growing aging population.

      This free event features a number of speakers and will be held the morning of Friday, September 21 at the Stoneridge Inn and Conference Centre at Hwy 4 and 401. Please register by September 18 by contacting VON Middlesex at 519-245-3170 or 1-800-265-7058 or by email: ria.vansteeg@von.ca. Hope to see you there.