Cohousing, an idea to think about

I've recently been talking to people about the concept of cohousing...a quite fascinating idea of designing a housing complex that combines private ownership of homes (or townhouses) with shared group facilities like a big common house with a large kitchen/dining area, guest rooms, a workshop, or a craft area. The idea is to create an "intentional" community that encourages a neighbourhood feeling and interaction with the people who live around you. It's appealing in our age when so many people feel so isolated and many of our traditional support systems are weak. Yet, will it work in our very individualistic culture? Can we create a community with good planning?
When I talked to Margaret Critchlow of Sooke, BC about the idea, her enthusiasm for the concept was contagious. Margaret is spearheading a project in Sooke to build a senior cohousing complex there, designed for the 50 and up crowd. It's an alternative housing idea that has a lot of merit, even though it's not for everyone.
I've done a column for CBC on this (my columns are aired on CBC Radio One 90.5 FM on Jo-Ann Roberts' show All Points West on Thursdays at 4:35 p.m.) and if you are interested in learning more, here are some helpful websites:
Canadian Senior Cohousing (the Sooke group), and
Canadian Cohousing Network: You can also hear my recent columns by going to: CBC Radio One's All Points West
and scroll down to the NYNO, Not Young Not Old column.
Would love to hear what you think of cohousing. Most of the developments now completed are intergenerational, and family focused.

new course at UVic

My column this week for CBC took a look at a new course at UVic...Exploring Aging Through Film. My interviews for this reminded me of the energy and enthusiasm people, young and old, have for learning....and of how many fascinating people are out there. We have so much we can teach each other, and and I love the idea of an intergenerational approach to learning, like this course will provide, with UVic students and continuing studies participants all discussing the films and listening to each other.

Password Proliferation: How many do YOU have?

Okay, so, how do you keep track of your passwords...for everything from banking to accessing your email to booking a ferry? It's pretty clear that almost no one does what they're supposed to do (except maybe people on the job who are required to follow procedures), and it's a universal headache!
Here are some of the ways people admitted to me they keep track of passwords. Sound familiar?
*Keep them on a post-it note on their computer
*Email the list to themselves, or keep them in a word document
*Use the same password, or two, or three, over and over
*Keep one "stronger" one for vital accounts, and use an easier one for the rest
*Just keep the same one for years
*Use the "forgot my password" option and keep changing them each time you go to that file
*Use one super strong password for all, or to access a password manager account where the rest are stored

The official advice about creating secure passwords is, quite honestly, simply not within the realm of possibilty for humankind: i.e. choose a word not related to you in any way; not found in any dictionary; add upper and lower case, numbers, and characters and make it long; don't write it down, have a different one for each account, and change it frequently. Sounds a little like theatre of the absurd.

We NYNOs (Not Young, Not Olds) are really the first generation to come face to face with the dilemma of passwords. When we were growing up, Password was a TV show! But even the younger generation is at a loss as to how to safely keep track of passwords, from what I'm hearing.

Despite this,maybe it's time to try to follow more of the “rules” of password security, at least for your most sensitive files....financial and such. I know people who create a strong password (most accounts, like gmail, will let you check to see if your password is strong or weak) by choosing a mnemonic (or phrase), like: No one will ever be able to guess my password, and then add numbers and upper and lower case and special characters. Then take the first letter of each word, or substitute a number, add a character or two and you could wind up with something like: N1wEbA2gMp!$ Simple, yes? If it weren't so important to our lives, we could all write this off as some sort of Monty Python skit, but the truth is, it IS important. There are password manager programs, but I've only spoken to one person who is using one.

So, like the challenge we put out on my CBC radio column, I call on security analysts in the business to come up with an easier way to manage and secure our passwords! If no one follows the rules, we've got to come up with new rules, right? I live in hope, waiting to hear suggestions for a user friendly doable password plan for the average person.

Gifts at Christmas...for the Older Set

My first dilemma when I thinking about gifts for our parents, that is, the parents of us NYNOs (the Not Young Not Olds) has to do with terminology.
Elderly, older senior, aging parent,...none seem quite right (at least, unless you are part of the First Nations culture which knows how to transform the term "elder" into a a truly revered and sought after title. Maybe we are moving towards this too?).
I'm thinking now of the 80-plusers, the matriarchs and patriarchs of their families, the great-grandparents, the long lived, the senior seniors. More discussion on this "labelling" issue to come, no doubt.
Once identified, however, gifts for this age group are usually not easily purchased in the store....no, I'm thinking of homemade dinners for the freezer, of time spent together on weekends, of links to technology (like Facebook or Skype) that will help Grandma or Grandpa keep in touch with the family easily, of minor house renos that reduce the chance of falling (like grab bars), of music (downloaded onto an ipod), of family pictures and digital images saved, of gift certificates for things like massages or dinners out. These gifts are good for the heart, mind, and body, and represent our love and affection and wishes for good health and happiness for the "older set."
So, this Christmas, write a story for your mom or dad, or read them a favourite of yours...or ask them to tell you their own stories again. Find a time to sit quietly together beside a Christmas tree or in the candlelight. Be there for each other.

Drivers and aging...something to think about

It seems everyone has a story about an older member of the family and the driving issue....and the heartache, anger, frustration, and worry that can come out of this concern. I'm pretty sure I'll be one of those people who is both terrified and enraged about losing my licence one day, if it comes to that, and wonder how to change that attitude into something healthier.
So, it was good to hear from Holly Tuokko, Director of the Centre on Aging at the University of Victoria, that she's seeing some changes in attitudes over the years, as she studies the driving and aging issue. Holly says people are now more willing to discuss "driving retirement" and think about options. Well, it's a step in the right direction, but we need to look at lots more driving alternatives, along with ways to keep our driving safe for as long as possible. Holly is taking part in a five-year study trying to pinpoint when our driving is becoming unsafe, and what we can do about it.....sounds good in theory, but I'm thinking of how car dependent we are...and hoping for innovative, creative thinkers to come up with suggestions...yesterday! About the best I can come up with is moving to an area where you can walk to most services, but how many of us can or will do that?
I feel too for the doctors, caught in the middle with patients who have always trusted them, but are now fearful that it's that same doctor who may take away their licence. What a breach of trust that must feel like too! The doctors hate being caught in this bind. So, for now, we worry about our parents' driving....and then think about what will happen when it's our turn next!

Dogs and the NYNO

I was curious about whether it was a good idea to get a dog (or, in my friends Dave and Lesley's case, dogs!, as pictured here), when you're an empty nester NYNO (Not Young Not Old) type.

I've seen the devotion to dogs people have even after the kids have left, and I sure miss our dog Skipper. But what about travelling? wanting more freedom? But turns out that lots of the experts really think this is the prime time of life to add Fido to the equation....people usually have more time, money, and might especially welcome the company of a pooch at home.

So, we did the column on CBC Radio recently and already I've heard from a dogowner in Black Creek who praised greyhounds as the perfect NYNO dog...they love to sleep most of the time, so do well even in apartments, have personality, and are up for a walk when you are. And lots of them are up for adoption when "retired" from racing....interesting! I'd read about this, nice to hear it confirmed. Would love to hear more from other dog owners!

What we're learning about walking!

Surprising what you can learn about, and from, walking. Since I'm a longtime power walker, I was quite delighted to hear, at a recent lecture by Dr. Stuart MacDonald of the University of Victoria, that walking is the best thing you can do to keep your brain active and healthy! (all exercise is good, but walking, especially fast walking, does do the trick and is a good overall indicator of vitality).

I learned more when I visited Stuart and his PhD student Janet Love at UVic and saw the GAIT Rite computerized walkway (pictured with volunteer Ailsa Roberts, 88, "on board"...thanks, Ailsa!) in use. This nifty device measures our speed, and various aspects of our gait, and when you add mental challenges, like spelling backwards while walking down the mat, you can learn a lot about our cognitive and physical state now and in the future. And then hopefully introduce activities that may lower future risks of falling or even of dementia. Stuart and Janet enthusiastically shared their findings and work with me, and of course made me try the walkway! After this experience, I was even more motivated to get out and walk ..even on those rainy wet coast days.