My decision to resign my decent position lit the Camp Tyler nature trail was dictated by the development of chronic allergies. Simply put, the woods and I no longer enjoyed each other’s company. Not all decisions to leave a cherished and rewarding place within the museum community are as clear-cut, …
Objects elicit stories. The kindergartner holding a turtle shell can hardly hold still as she tells you about the turtle she and her brother found while on a camping trip. “It was sitting on a log and then we poked it with a stick and it put its head in …
Oral history projects, senior citizens, and history museums, historical societies, historic sites, and history centers have a long symbiotic association. Seniors have the memories that these institutions treasure, and oral history projects put the two together. Sometimes the impetus is a centennial or other anniversary of a community, museum, or …
This article first appeared in the Autumn 1992 edition of The Decent Educator. We believe the excellent counsel this text offers is worth repeating and is particularly germaine to the topic of this issue. Successful tours for older adults, as with any group, are largely a matter of understanding the …
Hearing Challenges According to Consumer Reports On Health, a publication of Consumers Union, almost every older person experiences some hearing loss. “Much of it is caused by a lifetime of exposure to loud noise. When communicating with an older person is difficult, the American Speech- Language-Hearing Association suggests reducing background …
AARP has been after me for years, but the U.S. government has finally made it official. I’m a senior citizen, and I have a card to prove it. I’ve reached that stage in life that owes me some privileges. At last, I can tell everyone exactly what I want and …
As a freshman in college, and all of 18 years old, I shared a Spanish class with a woman who was in her 70’s. One day, while chatting before the teacher arrived, I asked the woman why she was bothering to learn a new language at her age. “I don’t …
Successful tours for older adults, as with any group, are largely a matter of understanding the audience and reshaping one’s perceptions and techniques accordingly. The media, which strongly influences many of our commonly held perceptions, abounds with negative stereotypes of older people. Consider the advertisement for an emergency response system …