ORANJ
The 2007 Fall Plenary Meeting
The Plenary Meeting of ORANJ on October 16, 2007 at Franciscan Oaks in Denville attracted about 120 attendees from 16 members CCRCs. Among the attendees were Joan Duggan, CEO of the NJ Homes and Services for the Aging and Peter Desh of the Department of Community Affairs in Trenton.
The morning speaker was Candy Ashmun, a private consultant on environmental matters including land use and preservation (www.anjec.org) accompanied by Michelle Byers of the NJ Conservation Foundation (www.njconservation.org).
Ms. Ashmun spoke about two major environmental issues affecting the state, the country and the world: Climate change, especially that segment caused by human behavior, and land use, especially as it affects water supply. She mentioned that NJ is an old, industrial state that has been blessed with good water. Therefore, the state is famous for its good beer and pharmaceuticals. However, it needs to take concerted action to protect its water supply and this is difficult to achieve because of its fragmented responsibilities. The state has 566 municipalities in 21 counties that have a hand in land use and badly needs regional plans in order to be effective.
She emphasized what the CCRCs and their residents can do, including but not limited to:
· Start their own Environmental Committee at each CCRC.
· Volunteer to serve on the municipality’s Environmental Commission.
· Have their community conduct an energy audit.
· Address energy conservation issues including the use of fluorescent bulbs, which provide as much candle-power, at a far lower wattage, than the incandescent bulbs in use.
· Set up composting facilities so that the mulch that is generated may be used in the spring rather than having to buy it.
· Plant native species of plants and trees.
· Install solar panels for heating water and/or generating power with voltaic cells.
In the afternoon, Linda Rose, Vice President of Health Services for Presbyterian Homes and Services, spoke on “How to talk to Your Doctor.” She pointed out that seniors have many problems in communicating with their doctors. Often they are unable to adequately inform their doctor of their problems or even of the medicines that they are taking. They also have problems in remembering what they are told. She emphasized preparing for a visit with your doctor, writing down questions, taking notes and asking another person to accompany them as an additional pair of ears.
Ms. Rose gave every attendee a pamphlet entitled “A Guide for Older People; Talking with your Doctor.” It contains information and recommendations developed by the Federal Government’s National Institute on Aging of the National Institutes of Health. It also includes work sheets that will help patients to prepare for their visits with their doctor. Anybody who was not present at the meeting can obtain one of the pamphlets from the website, www.nia.nih.gov/HealthInformation/Publications and click on “Healthy Aging.”to order copies of “Talking with your Doctor.”
An additional source of help is the websites listed at the back of the pamphlet that provide further information for communicating with busy physicians.
-Ellen Handler
