Are you prepared for the Tsunami of Aging?
With the explosive growth of Hawai‘i’s senior population being nearly 3 times that of the national average, many aspects of our life will be affected. There will be more demands on services, as well as the need for more workers and more training.

Check us out! The Kupuna Education Center at Kapi'olani Community College (KCC) strives to meet the challenges of this aging revolution by offering a variety of informative, affordable and practical Elder Care and Active Aging workshops.

View their Fall schedule flyer here.

Caring for someone who has Alzheimer’s disease or a related disorder is perhaps one of the biggest commitments a person can face. “What Now?” is designed for non-professional family caregivers to provide information and allow for guided group discussion and sharing in a one hour period. The series will be scheduled throughout the year so caregivers can elect to select the training that is most needed at the time and pick up the other classes later in the year, or take the complete eight (8) week course.  Click here for flyer.

Hawaii COPD Coalition and many partners present
COPD Education Day 2010: International Year of the Lung

FREE Seminar on Saturday, September 11, 9am-1:30pm

Queen’s Conference Center (510 S. Beretania Street)
(corner of Punchbowl & S. Beretania St.)

Demos & Exhibits include:
Inhaler technique demos, oxygen systems and supplies, medications, lung function testing, carbon monoxide testing, blood pressure testing, pulse oximetry, Alpha-1 information, smoking cessation resources and counseling, and research

9:00 Registration, Refreshments, Demos & Exhibits
10:30 Welcome & Introduction (Beth-Ann Kozlovich)
10:35 Intro to COPD & Latest Updates (Roger Yim, MD)
10:50 2010: Year of the Lung & COPD (Christine Fukui, MD)
11:05 COPD in Hawaii Report 2010 (Earl Bradbury MPH)
11:20 Respiratory Therapy in Hawaii (Carol Agard, RRT, FAARC)
11:35 Exercising for your lungs! (Reiko Taba, PT)
11:50 Safe Travels with COPD (Roland & Mardi Kersting)
12:10 Panel Discussion—Community Resources (Above Speakers)
12:30 Refreshments, Demos & Exhibits Continued
1:30 Program Ends—Thanks for Coming!

Pre-registration recommended (space is limited).
Brochures will be at Times Pharmacies, on the web at
www.hawaiicopd.org, or call Hawaii COPD Coalition at
699-9839.

As part of the City & County of Honolulu, the Elderly Affairs Division will observe the following furlough schedule.

Fiscal Year 2010-11 scheduled furlough days:

·       July 2 and 23
·       August 6 and 27
·       September 3 and 24
·       October 8 and 29
·       November 12 and 26
·       December 10 and 17
·       January 14 and 28
·       February 11 and 25
·       March 4 and 18
·       April 15 and 29
·       May 13 and 20
·       June 3 and 24

Voucher booklets worth $50.00 available to seniors 60 years of age or older with a household annual income of less than $23,051 for single person or $31,006 for a couple.  Vouchers are redeemable for locally-grown fruits and vegetables at any City & County People’s Open Market vendors certified for this program (from June – October 31, 2010).  For more information click here.  

Subsidizes overnight respite in their Care Home and Home Delivered Meals in the Palolo/Kaimuki area.  Click here for more information.

For the 44th consecutive year, the Mayor and the Honolulu Committee on Aging will be honoring outstanding senior volunteers. The event will be held Thursday, April 08, 2010 at the Hawaii Convention Center from 9:00 am to 11:30 am. Admission is FREE and the public is invited to share in this celebration.

The Hawai‘i County Office of Aging was honored Tuesday, February 23, 2010 with the U.S. Administration on Aging’s Exemplary Partnership Award at the 2010 Grantee National Meeting “Changing Systems Changing Lives” in Alexandria, VA.

The award was given to Hawaii'i County for establishing diverse partnerships with local service provider organizations to create their Aging and Disability Resource Center. Click here to read more.

The Federal Government will be conducting a nationwide census that will affect all residents living in the United States. It's important to get counted! The information the census collects helps to determine how more than $400 billion dollars of federal funding each year is spent on infrastructure and services like schools, highways, senior centers, hospitals and emergency services.

In March, census forms will be delivered to every residence in the United States and Puerto Rico. When you receive yours, just answer the 10 short questions and then mail the form back in the postage-paid envelope provided.   If you don't mail the form back, you may receive a visit from a census taker, who will ask you the questions from the form.  Federal law protects your identity and the information you give. Click here to learn more.

The Weatherization Assistance Program -- American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (WAP-ARRA) -- helps low income individuals and families reduce energy consumption and utility costs through free energy saving devices, including solar water heater systems, and energy conservation education.

Applications will be accepted on an ongoing basis through August 2010.

Contact the Honolulu Community Action Program for eligibility and application information.

The Aging and Disability Resource Center website was featured on the KHON2 Elderhood Project with Kirk Matthews.

• Article
• Video

Powerful Tools for Caregivers is an educational program designed to help family caregivers reduce the negative effects of caregiving (e.g., guilt, anger, depression) and improve caregiver self-care and communication skills. The workshop consists of six class sessions held once a week for 2 and a half hours.

Contact the Elderly Affairs Division at 768-7700 for more information.

Caring for Hawaii's Elders, a honoluluadvertiser.com blog, featured the Elderly Affairs Division and new ADRC Hawaii website on November 6 and 9, 2009. Click here to read more. 

 Read President Obama's Proclamation

On October 14, 2009, the City & County of Honolulu implemented a new application system for determining eligibility for TheHandi-Van, the City’s paratransit service for people with disabilities who are unable to independently use TheBus.

• Checklist to Help Prepare for Hurricanes, Tropical Storms Or Any Major Disaster
• Tsunami Preparedness 2009

Starting July 1, 2009, the Department of Human Services (DHS) Adult Protective Services program will accept reports on abuse that cover: 1) caregiver neglect; 2) financial exploitation; 3) physical abuse; 4) psychological abuse; 5) self-neglect; and/or 6) sexual abuse. 

The new law focuses on "vulnerable" adults  instead of "dependent" adults. A vulnerable adult is defined as anyone 18 years or older with a mental, developmental or physical impairment who is also unable to: 1) communicate or make responsible decisions to manage his or her own care or resources; 2) carry out or arrange for essential activities of daily living; or 3) protect oneself from abuse.
 

Click on the links below to learn more:

• Highlights of Hawaii's New Adult Protective Services (APS) Law Effective July 1 2009 - Act 154
• Brochure: Vulnerable Adult Abuse & Neglect in Hawaii (DHS 1610 7/09)
• Adult Protective Services Mandated Reporter Guidelines

August 6, 2009 - Mayor Mufi Hannemann today announced the winners of the 2009 Honolulu Forever Young awards, honoring individuals 65 or older who exemplify “successful living.” See this press release for more information.
 

April 25, 2009 - The State Executive Office on Aging and Senior Medicare Patrol (SMP) Hawai’i, in collaboration with the City and County of Honolulu’s Elderly Affairs Division, sponsored “PROTECT, DETECT, REPORT,” an anti-fraud conference held at the Hawai‘i Convention Center.  The conference provided tips on how to PROTECT elders from fraud; information about how to DETECT different types of fraud; and advice on how and to whom to REPORT fraud.  For more information, download the Hawaii's Fraud Prevention & Resource Guide. The 134-page guide provides information about different types of fraud and how you can protect yourself.

April 22, 2009 - See this press release from Department of Health announcing a new resource for mental health.

April 2, 2009 - Mayor Mufi Hannemann congratulated 79 senior honorees at the 43rd Annual Mayor’s Senior Recognition Program. The 2009 Outstanding Male and Female Volunteers were Charles Clark and Michiko Motooka. Also recognized were four Akamai Living Award winners: Lawrence Morisako, Victorio Macatumbas, Serafina Gangemi Smith, and Antonio Garcia. These seniors represent the many who generously help others cope with life’s difficulties or assist organizations that deliver health care, recreational or social services. See this press release for additional information.

March 19, 2009 - The State’s Executive Office on Aging (EOA) has received a total of $485,000 from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services as part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) of 2009 for senior nutrition services. See the EOA News Release for more details.