The Importance of Intergenerational Companionship

When I was younger, my girl scout troop used to take trips every few months to a nearby nursing home.  We used to sing, do skits and play games with our elders living there whether or not they were related to us.  When I was young I always thought it was fun and no matter …

My Waste Journey

I went to elementary school in rural Pennsylvania where many neighbors burned their trash.  My backyard was a forested mountain.  I would often hike through the woods and find old glass bottles and tin cans from 25-50 years ago in old dump sites.  I knew that this was old trash when folks had nothing better …

Practical Opportunities for Waste Reduction in Senior Living Centers

In other posts I’ve discussed the waste in the healthcare industry and senior living centers more generally.  Now let’s get into some simple practical methods.  Note that these are my practical ideas after visiting numerous senior living centers to visit my grandparents.  Stay tuned for posts with much better ideas from experts: elders living within …

Historic Efforts to Reduce Waste

Waste wasn’t really in the vocabulary of my elders and specifically my grandparents when they were young.  They were born into immigrant working class families with 6+ children on each side and migrated to the US.  It wasn’t until assembly line manufacturing enabled cheaply made mass-produced goods mostly after WWII that waste became more prominent.[1]  …

Waste in Hospitals and Senior Living Centers

A close family friend works at a Veteran Association hospital and has for years.  They have always mentioned that their hospital in Altoona, Pennsylvania is one of the greenest hospitals in the country.  For years I have heard them rant on about this but never thought it possible as Altoona seemed to me to basically …

A Divided Environment

After the 2016 election, I was unable to talk to my parents for a few months because they voted for the winner.  I hadn’t fully reconciled with them until one of them said that they regretted their vote in early 2017.  The current political environment makes us feel completely at odds with people who voted …