Columns

My editor says ninety is the new seventy. American author, abolitionist and social critic Harriet Beecher Stowe (1811-1896) wondered why somebody doesn’t wake up to the beauty of old women.  

March is Women’s History Month. What! – Yet another month! And, what’s that got to do with senior citizens? If you have to ask, you are indeed power-less. Most seniors are women. Most low-income seniors are women, the number of unrepresented nursing home residents is growing exponentially as the population ages, and women veterans report lower levels of self-perceived health, life satisfaction, social support, physical function and quality of life. Working to Form a More Perfect Union: Honoring Women in Public Service and Government is the 2016 Women’s History Month theme. Names of California Bay Area women making current history in public service and government readily come to mind.  

Not so everywhere. International Women's Day is March 8. Its theme this year is Pledge for Parity. Yet another euphemism for equality and gender equity, but at least it’s expressed in the present tense. The 2015 World Economic Forum in its Global Gender Gap Report estimated it would take 117 years to achieve global gender parity in the workplace. One hundred and seventeen years until companies and governments are equally led by men and women.  

xxx 

Sophie Hahn has announced that she will run for Berkeley’s 5th District City Council seat. 

Beginning in June 2012, an invitation was included in each Senior Power column: All candidates for election were welcome to share statements of their accomplishments and plans vis a vis senior citizens and elders. And I sent individual invitations to candidates for Berkeley Mayor and City Councilmembers representing districts 2, 3, 5 and 6 in the November 6, 2012 General Municipal Election. I received one statement. From Sophie Hahn, candidate for City Council, District 5, who was running against incumbent Laurie Capitelli.  

None of the other, thirteen mayoral and councilor candidates provided statements although computerized acknowledgments of receipt of Senior Power’s invitation came from the offices of candidates Bates, Capitelli, Wengraf, and Worthington. 

Sophie Hahn wrote (in 2012): 

“The diversity among Berkeley’s seniors reflects the diversity of our entire population. There is a wide variety of backgrounds and life experiences, of family and economic status. Berkeley needs to ensure that all seniors have adequate housing to meet their changing needs, and services to support them.  

Much of the housing built in the last few years in Berkeley has targeted our student population. I will work for more housing diversity, with developments appropriate for seniors and for families, close to public transportation and other amenities. Funding for affordable housing has been severely restricted at the State and Federal levels, so it’s up to local communities to find ways to support affordable housing. Council recently rejected an approach to obtaining funding for such housing – without even studying the proposal.  

As a result of ongoing budget deficits and less funding for AC Transit, fares have gone up and services have been cut. This has a disproportionate impact on seniors who often rely on public transit. I will advocate for increased funding for transit and against cuts that have a negative impact on seniors.  

Our parks, libraries, pools and other public amenities are important for all, and seniors in particular. I support the refurbishment of Berkeley’s pools, including the warm pool, and believe that with good management they can become profit centers for the City. As a member of the Public Library Foundation Board and Chair of the North Berkeley Committee for the Branch Libraries Campaign, I am actively involved in the refurbishment and expansion of our libraries. I believe a community must provide safe and well maintained parks, recreation facilities and other amenities to support the health – and happiness – of all residents, including seniors.  

Cuts to senior programs in Berkeley, including the closing of the West Berkeley Senior Center, are troubling. Cuts in critical safety net programs at the State Level – in-home supportive services and services that help the disabled – compound the problems seniors face. With tight budgets at the local level as well, the need for good government practices, pro-active, fact-based fiscal management and strategic resource allocation becomes even more important.  

Seniors value good government and good financial management, and want to know that tax dollars are wisely spent. But we cannot balance our budget on the backs of seniors and other vulnerable populations. We need to increase transparency around the city’s financial predicament, clarify our priorities and pull the community together to address our common future.” 

Health outcomes differ between veteran and non-veteran women as they age. Women veterans may have been more likely to engage in such health behaviors as smoking, alcohol use, and poor diet, and this, combined with exposure to hazardous environments and mental and physical stress, may have limited their ability to adapt to repeated stresses over a lifetime. 

The Gerontologist is a peer-reviewed publication of the Gerontological Society of America, the nation's oldest and largest interdisciplinary organization devoted to research, education, and practice in the field of aging. A new supplemental issue contains 13 articles by Veterans Affairs researchers and colleagues looking at differences in aging and mortality between veteran and non-veteran women. The findings are derived from the Women's Health Initiative, a long-term study funded by the National Institutes of Health's National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute and begun in 1991. The study included more than 3,700 women veterans among nearly 162,000 postmenopausal women from 40 U.S. centers. ["Journal shares discoveries on women veterans' long-term health outcomes" (American Assn. for the Advancement of Science, Jan. 19, 2016).]  

Women veterans in the Women’s Health Initiative reveal women who face special challenges as they grow older. With women choosing to serve our country in greater numbers and expanded roles including combat, it is essential to learn about their healthcare needs after leaving service.  

Declines in cognitive function over time were greater in the veteran group. Women veterans experienced higher hip-fracture rates than non-veterans. They smoked more and were exposed to more passive smoke, resulting in greater lung cancer risk. And they experienced more cancer, relative to non-veterans, whereas those serving during or after Vietnam had more traumas from motor vehicle accidents or other causes. 

The researchers said the findings, on the whole, suggest that many women veterans could benefit from programs promoting physical activity, social connections, healthy weight, and smoking cessation. They also stressed the importance of evaluation for depression.  

Read more about senior women making today’s history: 

"Over 50, Female and Jobless Even as Others Return to Work," by Patricia Cohen (New York Times, Jan. 2, 2016). 

"Erica Jong: 'Women are not allowed to have passion at 60'," an extract of Fear of Dying, by Erica Jong (Irish Times [Dublin, Leinster], Jan. 11, 2016). 

"Women over 50? Help not wanted," by Paul Solman (US Public Broadcasting Service_Newshour, Jan. 14, 2016).  

"The Gender Pay Gap Haunts Women in Retirement Too," by Mark Miller (Reuters via Money [New York, New York], Feb. 4, 2016). 

"How (actress) Carrie Fisher is leading the Pro-Ageing Revolutionaries," by Katy Young (Daily Telegraph [London, UK], Jan. 1, 2016).  

"Having more children slows down aging process -- study," (American Association for the Advancement of Science, Jan.7, 2016). 

"Regular Mammograms Worthwhile for Elderly Women," (HealthDay, Jan. 7, 2016).  

"Europeans urge employers to ease menopause for women," by Lisa Rapaport (Reuters Health, Jan. 12, 2016).  

"Having More Kids May Slow Mom's Aging, Study Says," (HealthDay, Jan.13, 2016). 

"Pelvic Exams Common Among Healthy Older Women" (HealthDay News, Feb. 2, 2016). 

Finally, take a look at "'Granny pods' offer nursing home amenities at home," by Deborah Linz (WKEF Channel 22 [Dayton, Ohio] TV News, Feb. 10, 2016). Offensive? Commendable? Depends on several things…