from Dr. Marion's Blog

We mentioned last week how great it was to meet Dr. Marion Somers and have her at the store. Here is an excerpt from her tour blog entry from her trip to Denver, dated June 12, 2007. You can read more of Dr. Marion’s blogs as she wends her way across this country, meeting people who are thinking about how to reinvent the aging process, at drmarion.com. We wish to thank our colleague, Jeff Rubin, Executive Director of the Alliance for Holistic Aging (AHA), who invited Dr. Marion to stop by Denver on her tour. He told her about Capabilities and the ways our two organizations interact and helped us all connect. Thanks, Jeff. You can learn more about AHA by visiting holisticaging.org.

Denver is properly known as the mile high city. It rests at the foot of the Rocky Mountains, which show off their snow-covered peaks in the near distance. I was invited to be the keynote speaker at the Mayor’s 16th annual “Walk into Health” which was held at the beautiful Denver Botanical Gardens.

After the presentations, many of the attendees came over to learn more about what caregiver resources were available and to discuss how the elderly have contributed to society. Another interesting topic revolved around the importance of delegating as a caregiver. Many people also wanted to talk about my trip, and that made me feel good.

Later on, I spoke to a group of professional caregivers in a round table setting. I was inspired by what they had to share. They spoke from the heart about their caregiving experience and in no time at all, these strangers were not strangers anymore. Having the experience of being a caregiver in common allows people to know each other in a very connected way. Caregiving can be a challenging process, but it’s always made easier by sharing and talking about it with someone who understands.

Just outside Denver, I also visited a store called Capabilities that’s dedicated to people with special needs, especially the elderly. It’s fully equipped with a variety of practical and sometimes whimsical items, and the store is bright, airy, and welcoming. The two owners are informed, helpful, and always searching for new materials and solutions that can help those in need. They are frontier women breaking ground in today’s modern world.

In fact, many people whom I’ve met on this trip are ground breakers in their own way. They are improving on the path that has been laid before them. The elderly walk and create the snow-covered path before us. We can walk the same path they’ve made for us, or we can make a totally new trail and leave our own imprints for others to follow, all the way up and over the snow-capped mountains that stand watch over this amazing city.