JUNE 2020
All would live long, but none would grow old. -Benjamin Franklin (1705 – 1790)
Aging is part of life and if Benjamin Franklin had his way, none of us would grow old. But we do and with aging comes many changes – physiologically, mentally and sensory. Many of these changes can challenge our safety and health particularly when staying in one’s home.
NDSU Extension Service is an educational leader in the area of aging. Jane Strommen is an Extension Gerontology Specialist with NDSU Extension which offers a number of resources for those who are older adults and for those who support this population. One of these initiatives is Livable Homes and focuses on the importance of a safe home environment. Livable Homes include practical checklists for evaluating your home for safety and tips for stairs, floors, kitchens, bedrooms and bathrooms.
Home Safety Checklist
The majority of falls among older people occur in or near the home. A number of potential home hazards are those you can find and fix to keep your home a safe place for you to live. Use this checklist to find possible problem areas in your home.
Dr. Strommen is one of the speakers at an upcoming community forum – “Aging on the Farm” sponsored by UMASH and the Center for Aging and Innovation at the University of Minnesota. The average age of farmers is approaching 60. Many continue to live and work on the farm well beyond typical retirement age. How can we as a community support farmers to age in place safely in their homes?
The forum is open to all and available online. We welcome your participation including:
- Farmers and farm families
- Professionals in healthcare, occupational health, social work, public health, education, and agriculture
- Community and government organizations
- Agri-businesses: finance, legal, cooperatives and retail centers, trade associations
- Anyone with an interest in aging in rural communities
Join the conversation on how to ensure aging on the farm is safe and healthy for farmers and their families.
**CEU credits will be available, provided by the Midwest Center for Occupational Health and Safety.
Requests For Partnership Pre-Proposals
Following the forums, UMASH and the Center for Healthy Aging and Innovation (CHAI) will seek pre-proposal applications for small partnership projects ranging from $5,000 to a maximum of $10,000 to build partnerships for the UMASH Emerging Issues Program.
The pre-proposal submission deadline is August 1, 2020.