Aging with Aloha

“Aging with Aloha” a Community-Wide Effort

Dr. Bill Thomas, a distinguished physician and elder care scholar, recently spoke on

Maui

to family caregivers and professional caregivers.  His books including “Lessons from Hanna” and “What Are Old People For?” give us many questions to think about as we plan for services and facilities for frail elders.

Here is one:  “What gift do frail demented elders have for us?”  This is not a trivial question, nor a trick one.  The Maui Long Term Care Partnership has held many meetings in the past few years bringing together consumers and providers from around the island to discuss ways in which to provide long term care options for

Maui

’s age wave in the future.  What has emerged is the concept of “Aging with Aloha”.

The question Dr. Thomas poses to us calls us to consider our human nature.  Instead of “protecting” and isolating frail people who have trouble being present in person time and place we must find ways to integrate them with home and community based services.

For the gift they give is to stimulate the caring emotion in all of us.  As we institutionalize these beings we isolate them from ourselves.  Young people especially are losing touch with older people and so we may be raising a whole generation of children who think only of their generation.  Frail confused people are one of the golden threads that make up the fabric of our society.  As we institutionalize them we unravel this thread from the fabric of our community which is a contributing factor to the supportive community we all wish to live in.

This is one of the reasons that the Maui Long Term Care Partnership has sought to bring high school students interested in health careers to Maui Adult Day Care Centers and Hale Makua.  What we have learned from these students is that they were initially afraid of approaching frail order persons.  But, after the experience of assisting them with craft making, singing, dancing and hearing their stories they have told stories that show that they have much to learn from older persons and that frail, confused elders generate care and concern.  Care and concern for elders is a thread that keeps our community in harmony.  It is even more if this can be an elixir to the isolation, substance abuse and other ills that are plaguing our community.

The “Golden Thread” contributes to “Aging with Aloha”.  As we celebrate the Maui Senior Fair let’s also be mindful of the gift that frail confused elders have for us.  Let’s cherish our Kupuna! ("kupuna" -  a respectful hawaiian term for hawaiian for ancestor)