Nov

22

Aging In Place At UCLA

Filed Under Aging In Place / Aging At Home, True Stories 

Just in the past month, so many wonderful things have come our way. I spoke at the UCLA Technology and Aging conference a few weeks ago, and it was a celebration of life and living. So many spirited adults, specialists, doctors, tn-001_c357488e99df51educators, designers, architects, business owners and even Art Linkletter were there to collaborate, discuss and disseminate all the new offerings and ideas about aging not only with grace, but with gusto! After my well-attended talk on Remodeling for Aging in Place, I met up with Laurie Orlov, Founder of Aging In Place Technology Watch. She was sitting at the table I happend to sit at for lunch. She is someone I had met on “Twitter,” and we had been in communication many times, but had never met! Also met Laura Nuhaan of Familiilink, a great web site and another Twitter buddy. I chatted for some time with L Stephen Coles, MD, PhD, director of the www.supercentenarian-research-foundation.org, and enjoyed him, his practical nature, and his ideas immensely.

The speaker who impressed me most was the lunch keynote, David H. Murdock, Chairman & Owner of Dole Food Co. and Castle & Cook, who recently gave $1 billion to construct a research campus in Charlotte, NC, a high tech life science center dedicated to world health and nutrition (and finding timageshe causes and solutions to cancers) that will encompass the research and programs of Duke, NC State and UNC Chapel Hill, private enterprise, and other biotech companies. His energy and outlook on life, from his humble beginnings as an undereducated, out of work army veteran with 9 cents in his pocket, to becoming one of the richest men in the world, all through his own drive and personal goal of providing the nation with good food, of good quality, from healthy, natural resources, are an inspiration to all. He still rides his bicycle around his business campus in CA and NC, and at his home. He believes in excercise of the mind, as he proved with a stellar recitation of a moving poem at the end of his talk.

Overall, this year has been one of plenty, in spite of the harsh times we have all had to endure. We have enjoyed working with so many wonderful clients, the Kenway’s, Cross’s, Emmanuel’s, Noel, Jack Taylor, Pamela, the Reeds, Dr. Shapira*, the Pruitt’s, the Rewitzer’s, June, Mary Ruth, Madeline, Monique & Seth, Mellissa + Josh, Mary & Mike, and many, many others, all of whom have been touched, some in a big way, some in smaller ways, by the economic downturn, but have elected to work with us and take a step towards making their home a little safer, and a little more beautiful.  Without you I would not have been named a 2009 Woman Owned Business of the Year, and we would not be moving into a new line of business that will help all who are Aging In Place, and that is all of us!


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