As of Jan. 1, the first baby boomers turned 65. What can American society expect as boomers retire, age and continue to be active? How will this affect the stigma of growing old?

As the birthday celebrations commence, University at Buffalo faculty experts are available to comment on tips and trends related to aging in America. Topic areas include elder law, geriatric medicine, hearing loss, mental health, television viewing and designs for living.

The thoughts of the UB faculty members are summarized below. For more information or to search the UB Faculty Experts blog, go to the Newstips website.

Will hearing aids become a fashion statement? Rock music takes its toll.

Richard Salvi, PhD, UB professor of communicative disorder and sciences, otolaryngology and neurology and director of the UB Center for Hearing and Deafness, is an expert in deafness and hearing loss.

According to Salvi, “baby boomers now have reached an age where hearing loss and tinnitus become major health problems. Many have already lost much of their hearing and developed tinnitus (ringing in the ear) due to many years of listening to loud rock music.

“Hearing aids, not yet considered a fashion statement, will by necessity become a necessary part of the boomers dress code as the prevalence of age-related hearing loss begins to accelerate beyond age 65. While hearing aid technology and miniaturization have steadily advanced, restoring the hearing of our youth remains a formidable challenge,” he says.

“Hearing health care costs are skyrocketing due to noise exposure and aging. The Veterans Administration ranks hearing loss as one of its Top 5 major disabilities. In 2010, the Veterans Administration paid out more than $1 billion for tinnitus disability claims alone. The trends in the VA are a reflection of those in the general population.”

Severe to profound hearing loss and tinnitus associated with aging and noise exposure are not just hearing problems; they can lead to social isolation, anxiety and depression contributing to an overall decline in one’s general health, Salvi says.

Near-death continues to be a reality on TV

Today’s television lineup includes many reality shows about ESP, “true-ghost” stories and the wonder of near-death experiences. Are they aimed at the elderly? Pop culture expert Elayne Rapping, PhD, professor emerita of American studies, says that whether they are aimed at the elderly or not, her hunch is that’s who is watching them. “After all,” she says, “TV supports wishful thinking and shows that entertain the connection between the here and the hereafter may be more enticing to an aging population than to those who don’t plan on leaving the earthly plane anytime soon.”

Seniors / Aging From Medical News Today

http://www.medicalnewstoday.com

For the husband/wife who snores all night, because he/she is at home asleep with me and not with someone else and it means that I have a family.

For the teenager who is complaining about doing dishes, because that means he/she is at home & not on the streets, and doing dishes usually means that we have eaten.

For the taxes that I pay, because it means that I have an income and that my kids will have a school.

For the mess to clean after a party, because it means that friends have surrounded me.

For a lawn that needs mowing, windows that need cleaning, and gutters that need fixing, because it means my family has a home.

For all the complaining I hear about the government, because it means that we have freedom of speech and it means that my children will grow in a land which they can change for the better.

For the parking spot I find at the far end of the parking lot, because it means I am capable of walking and that I have been blessed with transportation.

For my huge heating bill, because it means my family is warm.

For the person behind me in synagogue/church/mosque that sings off key, because it means that I can we have the freedom to worship as we choose and it means that I can hear.

For the pile of laundry and ironing, because it means my family has clothes to wear, clean water to wash them in, and a home to keep them in.

For weariness and aching muscles at the end of the day, because it means I have been capable of working hard and that I have a job.

For the alarm that goes off in the early morning hours, because it means that I am alive and able to arise and share the day with my family.

Remember that the ideas in our heads as parents rule our world every bit as much as the ideas in the heads of our kids rule their world! As parents we must be very careful to not let unwanted ideas into our head because they will very certainly rule our world in some very unwanted ways if we let them occupy our thoughts. This list is a very small beginning for you to use in training the focus of your thoughts about your family. Please feel free to add to this with some ideas you have written for yourself.

Parenting With Dignity – featured on ABC’s 20/20 – Five rules for parents (books and videos about raising responsible, independent kids)

Well, let me tell you, I do not believe that there is a simple answer to that question because there are just about as many answers as there are kids! There is one thing that I do know to be the truth about being able to carry on a conversation with a young person; it is almost impossible to talk with a child with whom you do not already have a relationship! It is virtually impossible to discuss important issues with a child who views you as a stranger. Summer gives us an opportunity to build relationships with our kids.

Along those lines, I am convinced that the best way to build a relationship with a child is through the medium of play. A wonderful side effect of playing with kids is that playing is fun for adults too… it is an excuse to extend childhood! Like my grandfather used to say, “You can only be young once but you can make immaturity last a lifetime!”

Play does not have to be complicated nor organized. Look for opportunities to play with your kids daily. On a hot day, pick up some water balloons on the way home from work and start a water balloon fight. Get squirt guns to cool a hot summer evening. Start the barbeque and create your own gourmet burgers. While the barbeque is warming up and the burgers are cooking, start a neighborhood game of baseball in the street using a homemade ball made with a wadded up wet sock (that way no windows get broken.)

Stop by the local Good Will or used sporting goods shop and pick up an old set of used golf clubs. Pick up some Whiffle Balls and then when you get home set up a golf course around your yard or around the neighborhood by stapling or taping paper plates to various trees, light poles, fence posts, corners of buildings, and other usable landmarks. Write the numbers one through nine on the paper plates. You now have a new golf course. To play you start at plate #9 and hit your ball toward the landmark labeled #1. To score on a hole your ball must be hit to within a club length of the object. Count your “strokes” just like in golf. The person with the lowest total strokes after 9 holes is the winner. This game can be a blast when played in a forest, in a yard or it six or seven back yards that join. Enlist the neighbors to play with you. Set “tee times” and develop handicaps. The possibilities are endless. Post scores, make up impromptu leader boards and develop your course ground rules. Follow the lead of the kids.

Create a neighborhood newspaper on your computer. Put kids in charge of publishing it and have them interview neighbors about upcoming events in their respective families.

Get out the video camera and make a music video. Pick a song to use as the theme and then shoot footage to make a statement that matches what the song says. Let your hair down and get into it with your kids. Let them shoot you in everyday life and put music to what they have shot. You might really learn something about the way that the kids see you and your family life.

Get the ingredients for making ice cream sundaes and break them out as an evening family activity. Set the ingredients up in the garage or on the porch and let your kids invite a bunch of their friends over to join in. Sit around in lawn chairs and enjoy the company as you eat the treats.

Set up a Badminton court in the back yard and leave it set up throughout the summer. In free moments challenge your kids to a game. Create new games and set up courts and fields. Take some chalk and create a shuffle board game on the sidewalk using sticks as your implements and slide plastic coffee can lids as your pucks.

Set up a Horseshoe game in the back yard. Get a dartboard and set it up on the back porch or in the kitchen. Start building a big puzzle and leave it set up in the living room; work on it during spare time. Play Cribbage, Gin Rummy, Chess or Checkers. Play tennis, swim, hike, ride bikes, take a walk in a park, go fishing, get creative and find ways to play with your kids.

What will happen when you establish a spirit of play with your kids is that you will find that it will become easier and easier to talk with them. When people are in the act of playing it is almost impossible to be silent. The natural talk that surrounds play will break the ice. Once the talk becomes natural it becomes much easier to talk about important topics. When play becomes a regular part of life in your family then, when feel you have something that you really need to talk to your kids about it will not seem so odd or forced. You will have established a communication channel via the interaction of playing with your kids! In the meantime you will have had a delightful time laughing and playing with someone you love… your kids!

Parenting With Dignity – featured on ABC’s 20/20 – Five rules for parents (books and videos about raising responsible, independent kids)

Primary children caregivers, such as grandparents, are faced with various pitfalls, namely emotional, medical, financial, and legal challenges. The initial step in the determination of needed support revolves around legal questions, such as adoption, guardianship and adoption. Without legal bearings, grandparents many find it difficult to take medical decisions or enroll grandchildren in educational institutions. State financial assistance is available in some states, through sources such as social security, temporary assistance to needy families, foster care, or Medicaid might be available. Inquire with private heath insurance companies if grandchildren are allowable for inclusion in your policy, if you have one. Local Social Services Departments contain information on Medicaid eligibility, or try State Children’s Health Insurance Programs.

Grandparents might be eligible for relief programs under Federal Relief Programs, such as earned credits on income tax, child tax, and health coverage. Every year the tax laws and their requirements change therefore getting assistance when filing taxes is crucial, especially to make sure that all relief credits open to you are made available. For further assistance on child and other taxes relieves, visit the local IRS office in person or visit the IRS website. Childcare is obtainable through Child Care Aware. This service aids in locating experts in child care through the Child Care Resource and Referral services. This resource will aid in locating providers of Child Care Referrals, child care that is appropriate State licensing information, as well as other helpful information. Financial assistance to pay for child care may be available to grandparents, through Child Care Aware brochures.

Emotional support for the grandchildren as well as the grandparents is available within their communities, as atypical problems spanning behavioral, educational, and psychological issue arise as a result of grandparents raising grandchildren, as it is quite different to look after grandchildren in comparison to you own kids. Both the grandparents and grandchildren may be undergoing confusion, disappointment and anger at the absence or inability of the parents/children not being available. By seeking faith community help from sources such as individual counselors, support agencies, other relatives, it eases the burden.

Children can learn quite a lot from their grandparent if both parties are in their traditional roles. They can spend quality time together and form a deep and lasting bond because the grandparent is able to treat the grandchild as an equal. But this equation changes as the grandparent becomes the parent. He is now the authority figure in the child’ s life and may even had to come out of retirement to provide for the child. As for spending quality time with the child, there is a good reason that as human beings we have our children when we are younger. The grandparent may not have the stamina to work and spend time with the child. The chance to form that special bond between the grandparent and the grand child has disappeared.

Psychologically speaking, returning to being a parent figure after so many years can also put extra stress on the grandparent. These older people do not have the patience or the tolerance to raise another child, and may be dealing with feelings of guilt because of the anger that they feel towards their own child for placing them in this position. The child may also be dealing with feelings of abandonment, which the grandparent is trying to cope with also. Basically, it is an emotional time bomb that could explode at any moment and the grandparent may not have the strength to defuse the situation. All these volatile feelings can also block the way to the grandparent and grandchild having a normal relationship.

If as a grandparent you find yourself in the position as parent to your grandchild, there are several things that you can do to make the situation as easy as possible. First, you should take care of your health. You have someone else depending on you now and you can’t afford to end up sick or in the hospital.

You may also want to take some parenting courses at a local school or online. It may have been quite a few years since you were a parent and the issues faced by today’s youth may have you at a loss. You can also check for support groups for grandparents in the role of parents. These other older adults may give you some insight into the child’s feelings and reactions.

You may also want to consider counseling for both you and your grandchild. You are both dealing with a lot of strong emotions, you towards your child and your grandchild towards his parent. By going through therapy together, you may find that it will create a bond between you and your grandchild. It may also make him feel better to know that you are just as confused as he is.

Finally, you should see an attorney to discover how you can obtain any legal documentation that your grandchild may need as well as starting permanent custody arrangements.

Transforming from a grandparent to a parent is not an easy situation for any of the parties concerned. You should keep talking to your grandchild and show him that you love and support him while both of you are making the transition. After all, the two of you are in it together and you may be surprised to discover that you both make a pretty good team.

Grandparents play a significant role in improving the health and all-round development of a child. In the past few years more and more grandparents have entrusted the responsibility of primary caregivers quite effectively. They lend a helping hand to modern working woman. They wholeheartedly extend all their support when it comes to the care of a baby child.

The statistics provided by the US government reveals that in 1996, 2.5 million families were managed by the grandparents and had more than one grandchildren staying with them. The figure rose to 30% in the year 2000. The 2000 census discloses that one in every twelve minor is under the care of their grandparents. In US alone 6 million kids are the under the care of the grandparents.

The parents may be struggling with substance abuse, imprisonment, mental illness, financial crisis, divorce, domestic violence, and other issues leading to their absence as primary caregivers for their kids. In such a situation grandparents step in to raise abused or neglected children.

To focus attention on this and other roles that grandparents play, there are several support groups available online. After all, parenting the second time around is no easy task and can put additional stress on you. It is an emotional time and you really need some sort of advice and guidance to build a normal relationship with your grandchildren.

More and more grandparents like you are raising their grandchildren in a world far more perilous than the first time around. The issues faced by youths nowadays are quite different to that in the past. Grannynet is here to help you effectively resolve the issues and challenges your new role involves.

The site offers advice and suggestions to help you smoothly discharge your duty as second parentage. You just need to sign up in few easy steps. You can interact with other grandparents, share the problems and seek solutions from each other. In addition the site offer you an excellent opportunity to bond with other grandparents share your ideas, views, stories and give suggestions.

The online support will enable you to have fun spending time and looking after your grandchildren. With all the resources available on the internet you second-time parentage can be immensely enjoyable, and not just a stressful situation.

Can you visualize a closed fist as opposed to an open hand? That is the difference between a closed and dysfunctional group and a learning, sharing and supportive one. The closed one is turned inward and harsh in judgment and expectations. The open one is welcoming and willing to help others as well as receive help.

Closed or Open Families
When we look at families, either of birth or deliberate connection, we admire and wish to emulate, there are usually a number of variables present in the makeup. One or more are usually absent from a closed or dysfunctional family organizations.

Open communication. The members are free to express opinions and make mistakes without losing love. They talk often and freely express feelings and emotions. They look for new ways to encourage each other and don’t just do what has always been done. The family members ask for help, forgiveness and support when it is needed.

A sense of “us”. A family is made up of individuals with different needs and abilities. Those individuals form a synergy where the sum of the parts is greater than each one alone. The members of the family know that someone “has their back” and will support their endeavors.

Boundaries and guidance. Boundaries and rules of society are not to keep others out, but to keep us safe by understanding the limits of acceptable and unacceptable behavior.

Mutual respect. Strong families provide a sense of shared history and traditions. The family actively teaches and models morals, ethics and respect for others.

Affectionate and loving. Parents and families who only touch by pushing or pulling do not recognize the value of a loving and kind pat on the head, hug or kiss. Words and actions of love and acceptance are experienced daily in strong families and then radiated out to the world.

A sense of optimism and hope for the future. Families that are connected are strong in good times and bad. They model positive coping strategies and recognize life lessons in occasional failures.

Can you and your family change, even if negative patterns have been established over a long period of time? The answer is a resounding yes. The more we know, the more we grow. If your family or group would like deeper assistance than is offered in articles and books and yet not as expensive as therapy, please Google the phrase “Discipline Yes Punish No.” This can assist you in your journey.

Thank You for Your Important Work
I applaud you for seeking help with improving your relationships. Enhancing the bonds of understanding between individuals is the first step in building better families, neighborhoods, communities, areas, nations and a world of peace and harmony. Isn’t that what we all want?