"On Thursday, op-ed columnist Virginia Heffernan did not say explicitly that advanced age precludes someone from running for office. But reading the letters we’ve published responding to her piece, you might get the impression that Heffernan’s piece, headlined “The Democrats’ crotchety geezer shtick is wearing thin,” was a bigoted verbal assault on people over a certain age.

These letter writers weren’t the only readers upset by the column. In fact, as of this writing, all but two of the more than two dozen submissions we’ve received in response to the piece accuse Heffernan of having expressed ageist animus toward the three male Democratic candidates she labels “geezers.” Here is what some of those readers have to say."

Go here -> https://www.latimes.com/opinion/story/2020-02-28/are-the-elderly-ok-to-attack-virginia-heffernan

And here -> https://www.latimes.com/opinion/story/2020-02-28/geezers-will-help-defeat-trump 

'More than 11 percent of Boston’s population is made up of people over the age of 65. Mayor Martin J. Walsh’s Age Strong Commission, launched last January, could affect roughly half a million Bostonians.

According to the commission’s official web page, Age Strong provides “meaningful programs, resources, and connections” to better the lives of older citizens and make Boston a more age-inclusive city. A public awareness campaign of the same name intends to combat age-related stereotyping and encourage a more positive perspective on aging."

Go here -> https://huntnewsnu.com/61791/city-pulse/one-year-of-aging-strong-bostons-initiative-to-empower-the-elderly/

And here -> https://www.boston.gov/departments/age-strong-commission

"NBC News and the Commonwealth Fund recently took the health care pulse of U.S. adults. Between January 28 and February 16, the survey firm SSRS polled 2,303 people age 18 and older, including 1,594 likely voters. We asked about their concerns regarding health care and their confidence in President Trump or the Democratic presidential candidates to help fix what’s ailing the U.S. health system. Here’s what the poll found about the views of Americans who say they’re likely to vote this November.

Findings
Nearly one-quarter of likely voters said they are very or moderately worried about their ability to afford their health care in the next 12 months. Those most worried were Democrats, voters leaning Democratic, Hispanics, and people earning less than $50,000 a year. But nearly one of five Republicans also said they’re very or moderately worried about paying for their care."

Go here -> https://www.commonwealthfund.org/publications/2020/feb/what-do-likely-voters-think-about-their-health-care

"The health care debate we ought to be having," Sam Baker, Axios, December 22, 2019
"Americans worry a lot about how to get and pay for good health care, but the 2020 presidential candidates are barely talking about what's at the root of these problems: Almost every incentive in the U.S. health care system is broken.

Why it matters: President Trump and most of the Democratic field are minimizing the hard conversations with voters about why health care eats up so much of each paycheck and what it would really take to change things.

Instead, the public debate focuses on ideas like how best to cover the uninsured and the relative virtue of health care “choice.”
The U.S. spent $3.6 trillion on health care last year, and almost every part of the system is pushing its costs up, not down."

Go here -> https://www.axios.com/what-matters-2020-health-care-costs-7139f124-d4f7-44a1-afc2-6d653ceec77d.html

"Last time you visited your doctor, did he or she ask if you felt lonely? Did your doctor inquire about how many friendships you have or ask about how many community groups you are involved with?

There’s a growing body of research showing that extended loneliness and isolation are detrimental to health, and can even shorten people’s lives. One example is an analysis of about 70 studies conducted between 1980 and 2014 looking into loneliness and social isolation as risk factors for mortality. It found a 26% increased likelihood of death for reported loneliness, a 29% increase for social isolation and a 32% increase for living alone."

Go here -> https://www.nextavenue.org/loneliness-trigger-health-problems/

And here -> https://www.nextavenue.org/special-report/in-good-company/

"Readers share their feelings about aging, loneliness — ‘What has happened to me can happen to you,' By Jerry Davich, Post-Tribune, January 9, 2020
"The 75-year-old woman let me have it. “What has happened to me can happen to you,” she said.

“I use to have fun, (with) family around, children and grandchildren, too. But when you start getting to old age and illnesses, you'll be surprised how all these people start disappearing. Maybe it's a reminder of how they will probably end up,” she said.

She shared her feelings and experiences with me after reading my column on an older woman who has too much time on her hands yet not enough time left in life to do anything about it. Readers over the age of 60 seriously resonated with that column, especially this line I wrote, “The sameness each day can be reassuring, and maddening.”

Go here -> https://www.chicagotribune.com/suburbs/post-tribune/opinion/ct-ptb-davich-lonely-with-too-much-time-st-0110-20200109-r3yrqrjgkrekdbmjw6jk4fvjwm-story.html

And here - > https://www.chicagotribune.com/suburbs/post-tribune/opinion/ct-ptb-davich-nothing-but-time-yet-not-enough-time-st-1229-20191228-yvifdsabmzhnbjb4yenn7i7sxq-story.html

"The U.S. census kicks into full gear on April 1, 2020, and states are paying close attention. Not only will the census determine the distribution of congressional seats, but the data collected will have a profound impact on state budgets. How? Because of the role that the census plays in creating the datasets and statistical indicators used by many federal grant programs—such as Medicaid, the State Children's Health Insurance Program, and the Women, Infants, and Children nutrition program (WIC)—to apportion funding among states, local governments, and other grantees. Such programs  made up 32% of state revenues in 2017."

Go here -> https://www.pewtrusts.org/en/research-and-analysis/blogs/stateline/2020/02/20/the-2020-census-is-coming-and-the-results-will-impact-state-budgets?utm_campaign=2020-02-24+SW&utm_medium=email&utm_source=Pew

And here-> https://www.pewsocialtrends.org/2020/02/20/most-adults-aware-of-2020-census-and-ready-to-respond-but-dont-know-key-details/

"In Fiscal Year (FY) 2017 316 federal spending programs relied on 2010 Census-derived data to distribute $1.504 trillion to state and local governments, nonprofits, businesses, and households across the nation. This figure accounted for 7.8 percent of Gross Domestic Product in FY2017.

The bottom line: It’s a lot of money, it’s complicated, and it depends. In other words, census-guided spending makes up a large portion of the economy, the role of census-derived data in guiding that funding is not simple by any means, and the sensitivity of census-guided funding on state and local census accuracy differs greatly from program to program."

Go here -> https://gwipp.gwu.edu/counting-dollars-2020-role-decennial-census-geographic-distribution-federal-funds

"Most Americans say they are likely to participate in the 2020 census, but some doubt that the U.S. Census Bureau will keep their personal information confidential, a new poll shows.

The poll from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research finds 7 in 10 Americans say it’s extremely or very likely they will participate in the census this year by filling out a questionnaire. Another 2 in 10 say it’s somewhat likely.

That's higher than what the Census Bureau predicts — a self-response rate of 6 in 10 people. But the bureau's past research shows that people say they are going to participate in the census at a higher rate than they actually do."

Go here -> https://www.thetimestribune.com/cnhi_network/ap-norc-poll-most-americans-plan-to-participate-in-census/article_e82103d8-5993-11ea-9b70-4386c6da6053.html 

"Sister Edna Lonergan knew it was time to open an intergenerational care center when she saw an older stroke victim and a 3-year-old girl interact.

It was the mid-1980s, and she was in the room of her adult day care program with an older gentleman, his nurse and her 3-year-old daughter. The man, who had suffered a stroke years prior, was wheelchair-bound and his quality of life had deteriorated, including to the point that he was having grand mal seizures regularly and sleeping the rest of his days away. As the symptoms of one of his seizures arose, the nurse’s daughter — unaware of the situation — jumped in his lap and, within minutes, the symptoms had subsided. “I said, ‘This is it,’ ” Lonergan recalled. “We’re going to build an intergenerational day care.”

Go here -> https://www.marketwatch.com/story/how-the-us-can-improve-the-health-of-seniors-and-toddlers-at-the-same-time-2020-02-28

Some Wisconsin Programs.
"This designation, developed and launched in 2010 with support from the New York Life Foundation, serves as the U.S. benchmark for intergenerational programs and is based on the criteria that underpin the effectiveness of any intergenerational program. The intention of the designation is to recognize excellence while celebrating the rich diversity among intergenerational programs. The designation is active for 3 years."

Go here -> https://www.gu.org/projects/programs-of-distinction/

"Aging in place is a high priority for many adults age 50 and older. Architectural barriers may make it difficult for adults to achieve this goal as they enter
later stages of life when physical disability or activity limitation are more common. Design solutions are available to mitigate the impact of disability. However, these solutions have not been widely implemented in private housing. The discrepancy between consumer preferences and housing options available exists for a variety of reasons. Research indicates that individuals, families, and communities may benefit by increasing the implementation of design solutions to support successful aging in place. "

Go here -> https://extension.sdstate.edu/sites/default/files/2019-09/P-00122-v2.pdf

"As the overall population ages, the number of very low-income older adult households that qualify for HUD housing assistance is rising rapidly. Older adults tend to stay in subsidized housing longer than younger families. As a result, older adults make up a growing share of HUD-subsidized renter households. In the last ten years alone, the share of older adults in HUD-subsidized housing has risen five percentage points, and older adult households now make up over a third of all subsidized renters. In this paper, we examine whether the subsidized housing stock is suitable for aging in place. We ask: What physical challenges do older subsidized renters face? What difficulties do they experience with their housing environment? And, are subsidized units more equipped with accessibility features than units without rent assistance?"

Go here -> https://www.jchs.harvard.edu/sites/default/files/harvard_jchs_aging_in_subsidized_housing_airgood-obrycki%20_molinsky_2020.pdf

"Study investigates moral distress of physicians who care for older adults-Compromising professional integrity is correlated with physician burnout and depression,"  Regenstrief Institute, Indiana University (in EurekAlert!), February 25, 2020
"In a new study, researchers from Regenstrief Institute, Indiana University School of Medicine and Indiana University Health provide insight into physician moral distress, a condition correlated with burnout and depression. The researchers report that about four of 10 doctors caring for older adult patients who require a surrogate decision-maker experienced moral distress.

As defined in the study, moral distress is an emotional experience in which an individual feels constrained from acting on deeply held beliefs, resulting in the sense of compromising one's professional integrity. Moral distress has been correlated with traumatic stress, burnout, depression and even intent to leave a position or profession."

Go here -> https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2020-02/ri-sim022420.php
And here -> https://www.wbur.org/commonhealth/2020/02/14/moral-injury-health-care-cityspace

"Older adults often face new disabilities after a hospital stay for a serious illness. Among the problems they may need to adjust to are difficulties with bathing and dressing, shopping and preparing meals, and getting around inside and outside the home. These new disabilities can lead to being hospitalized again, being placed in a nursing home, and more permanent declines in well-being. The longer a serious disability lasts, the worse it can be for an older adult.

To learn more about this issue, a research team studied information about a particular group of people. They looked at individuals who were hospitalized for a medical issue but did not require critical care. The study was based on data from the Precipitating Events Project (PEP), an ongoing study of 754 people, aged 70 or older, who lived at home at the beginning of the study. At that time, the participants were not disabled and did not need assistance in four basic activities: bathing, dressing, walking inside the house, and getting out of a chair. The researchers published their study in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society."

Go here -> https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2020-02/ags-moa022420.php

And here -> https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/jgs.16350

"On Friday, Wisconsin’s 4th District Court of Appeals overturned a lower court’s order to remove more than 200,000 voters from the rolls, and vacated a contempt order against the Wisconsin Elections Commission, as well as individual commissioners, for not doing so promptly. It was a victory for voting-rights advocates and Democrats who saw the purge as part of a larger voter-suppression strategy by Republicans and their rightwing allies.

Go here -> https://wisconsinexaminer.com/2020/02/28/whats-next-in-wisconsins-voter-purge-battle/

"A state appeals court on Friday struck down an effort by a conservative legal advocacy group to remove some 200,000 voters from the rolls in Wisconsin, setting the stage for a likely appeal to the state Supreme Court.

No dissent was noted in the 46-page ruling signed by Judges Michael Fitzpatrick, Joanne Kloppenburg, and Jennifer Nashhold. The court last month put a temporary stay on the purge until it could give it the full consideration released today.

Today’s decision by the District 4 Court of Appeals took issue with the original ruling in December by Ozaukee County Circuit Judge Paul Malloy that the Wisconsin Elections Commission was required by statute to immediately remove voters who had received notice from the commission that their voter registration status may be changed to ineligible because they had moved away."

Go here -> https://upnorthnewswi.com/2020/02/28/appeals-court-strikes-down-voter-purge/