Take for example social media created using Google Street View images. Google Street View (GSV) cars have been canvassing the roads of more than 30 countries fitted with 15 directional cameras that capture 360 degree panoramas. GSV is integrated into Google Maps so you’ve probably used it to eyeball a mapped destination or check out famous landmarks.

GSV is not without it’s controversies and detractors. Privacy advocates lambasted the company in 2010 when it was discovered that GSV vehicles were collecting data from unencrypted Wi-Fi networks. There is also concern that GSV cameras catch people in potentially embarrassing or private actions (see also Top 28 Google Street View Sightings).

Privacy issues notwithstanding, a few visionary artists have managed to harness what is essentially a neutered, high-tech mapping device, to create social media content with incredible emotional impact.

Director Tom Jenkins used GSV and simple stop-motion animation “Address is Approximate” to create a whimsical and inspiring story of a desk toy’s road trip to the West Coast. The one-man three-minute production is packed with enough imagination and emotion to garner 1.5 million views and counting.

My other favorite GSV mashup came last year as part of the debut of my favorite indie band’s new album, The Suburbs by Arcade Fire.

Arcade Fire partnered with director Chris Milk and Google to create a deeply personal interactive video experience called The Wilderness Downtown.

Using the single “We Used To Wait” and HTML5 coding in Google’s Chrome browser, the video experience starts by asking the viewer to enter their childhood address. The screen then splits into multiple windows producing images from the user’s childhood geography creating a suprisingly nostalgic and emotional journey.

If, like me, you ever pounded the rain-soaked pavement of your neighborhood streets in a fit of teenage angst, you will find this video particularly evocative.

H/T to Mashable for rounding up the top 5 Artistic Uses of Google Street View.

Lela Holmes, The Cottages at St. Martin's in the Pines

If you missed my live-stream video coverage from the fourth annual Green House Project Meeting and Celebration last week in Birmingham, Ala., please stay-tuned because we’ll be featuring the videos on The Green House Blog and ChangingAging soon.

In fact, one of the great features of using the streaming video service UStream Watershed is the ability to record your stream and instantly access the archived videos to download or embed. We’ve already shared Ustream clips of the Elders Rule! panel and the keynote address by Pioneer Network CEO Peter Reed.

This is the second Green House Project conference that I have covered with my social media assistant Joseph Popiolkowski, who moonlights from his day job as the Buffalo News’ social media producer. In addition to video production Joe and I split up and provided live-blogging coverage from several of the conferences key sessions. It was a great way to capture some of the great activity and news coming out of the conference and share it with a larger audience. Read our posts at The Green House Blog.

I can’t say enough good things about the diverse group of people and organizations who make up The Green House Project movement, from the host St. Martins in the Pines in Birmingham to the Green House Project support team at NCB Capital Impact. Green House model adopters come from all 50 states and represent the best non-profit, for profit and community-based organizations in their communities.

The Green House model is really about creating transformative social change and it’s been a privilege for me to play a major role in harnessing social media to support the model. I look forward to staying in touch with all my Green House friends via social media during the upcoming year.

– Capt. John Aubrey, RN

I know 3D movies (and now smartphones?!) are all the rage but personally I dislike the glasses and the inconsistent viewing experiencing. If there’s a 2D option I take it.

But the technology does amaze me, and I was recently blown away by a new online tool that allows anyone to create 3D models of photographs using the internet.

Project PhotoFly by Autodesk is an incredibly powerful online tool that uses the power of cloud computing to translate photos from a point-and-shoot camera into detailed 3D models.

The models can then be manipulated using professional design software (or Autodesk’s free image editor) and shared via YouTube, iPhone and iPad.

The practical applications are limitless — renovation, design, historic preservation, gaming, visual effects and of course fun. You can make 3D models of people, cars, landscapes and buildings.

The amazing part is Autodesk’s use of cloud computing to render the images. To do this kind of modeling on your own requires massive processing power and RAM.

Take a tour to see how it works:

Bear attacks are relatively rare but deadly when they do occur. Just days after I was in Yellowstone on July 1 a man was mauled and killed after surprising a female Grizzly with cubs. Last week a group of seven teenagers in Alaska were attacked by a Grizzly, also reportedly with a cub, and two of the group were critically injured. And last weekend in my hometown of Missoula, where I am currently visiting, a woman jogging on a popular wilderness trail outside of town fended off a black bear attack — again after surprising a mother bear with cubs.

The protocol for responding to a bear encounter varies greatly depending on species and circumstances. Responding appropriately can mean the difference between life and death, but unfortunately, it’s not always clear what to do.

In the case of the black bear attack in Missoula, U.S. ski team member Ani Haas responded bravely and appropriately by fighting off the attacking black bear. As she explained on NBC’s Today Show, Ani realized she could not outrun the bear and needed to stand her ground:

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For black bears it is almost always appropriate to stand your ground and fight off an attack.

Grizzly bears, on the other hand, require a completely different response. For one thing, Grizzlies are much larger than black bears and you cannot hope to fight them off. That is why carrying bear spray (industrial-sized pepper spray) or, if properly trained, a firearm is necessary when entering bear country.

The most common and most dangerous Grizzly bear encounter occurs when hikers surprise a mother bear, or sow, with cubs. Because these attacks usually only happen when the mother bear is taken completely by surprise the hiker usually has little or no time for defensive measures.This was the case in Alaska where the teens did not even have time to use their pepper spray.

If you don’t have time to use pepper spray or a gun, the recommended response when attacked by a sow with cubs is to play dead. You should roll into the fetal position and cover the back of your neck with your hands and your face with your arms. Doesn’t sound like fun, does it? Bears usually attack and cause the most damage to the face and head.

The Alaska teens claimed to have kicked and fought the bear off. Bear experts doubt anything the teens did actually drove the bear away, rather the bear simply attacked out of self-defense and then quickly fled. The rationale for playing dead is that the Grizzly sow is not attacking you as a source of food, so will therefore leave you alone after making sure you’re not a threat.

But what do you do if you encounter a Grizzly bear without cubs? This is where circumstances come into play and the appropriate response is not always clear.

In my case, I was hiking in Montana’s Bob Marshall Wilderness (prime Griz country) last weekend with two companions and a dog. I was on one of my high-country cave-exploring expeditions and was fortunate to have some company with me this go around.

Six or seven miles before the trailhead one of my companions happened to look up to see a youngish-looking Grizzly bear directly on the path 50 yards in front of us — much, much too close for comfort!

Our immediate response was to stop, pull out our pepper spray and grab the dog to keep it from charging the bear. Bears usually avoid humans, so if you see one on the trail you know you’ve either surprised the bear or the bear is checking you out.

A surprised bear will usually run away immediately or possibly false charge you and then run away. This bear did neither.

A bear that doesn’t run away or charge you is a curious bear. Curious bears are very bad news.

Curious bears are usually young, sub-adult males who may have become habituated to the presence of humans. If a curious bear decides not to run away it’s hard to anticipate what they will do next. The worst case scenario is they will begin acting like a predator towards you.

That’s why the number one rule is to never turn your back and run from a bear (curious, motherly or otherwise). Running will trigger that predatory response and once it’s triggered the bear is not likely to stop until it’s made prey of you.

The appropriate response is to calmly back away from the bear. Some experts recommend talking loudly. If you’re in a group, stick together.

Your goal is to put as much distance as you can between you and the bear until you can get out of it’s line of sight and turn and quickly leave the area. Hopefully, your hiking agenda will allow for the change in direction.

Ours did not. The bear lay directly in our only path forward on a trail with a sharply rising mountain on one side and a drop-off to a river on the other.

As we backed off, but the bear followed, keeping us in its sight. We tried going off the trail up the mountain, possibly to flank the bear — but it continued to keep us in its sights.

We continued backing up facing the bear until we got to a large meadow (Pretty Prairie for the locals). The bear stayed in the woods on the trail but kept us in sight and we kept an eye on the bear with our binoculars. We discussed trying to circle around again higher on the mountain to get around the bear. At this point we were unnerved by its behavior and unwilling to let it out of our sight.

Fortunately, there was a stock camp for packers on the far side of Pretty Prairie (“packers” are folks who bring customers into the back country on horse back, rather than on their own two feet like us lowly hikers). After awhile a train of fresh horses and mules came into the prairie headed for camp. The noise and commotion of the pack animals must have been enough to scare away the bear because when we next turned around it had disappeared.

However, it made for a very nerve-racking hike when we finally continued down the trail past where we had encountered the bear. Although I wasn’t sad to see it go, I was almost more worried with it completely out of my sight.

What would we have done if the bear had attacked us? I’m fairly confident that the combined cloud of three cans of industrial-strength bear spray would have repelled any attack. But I was relieved not to test it.

As for my cave-exploring expedition? Sadly, I came up empty-handed this go around. I hiked nearly 30 miles deep into the backcountry only to find one cave entrance completely engulfed in a massive waterfall. I climbed an 8,300-ft. peak looking for a second cave entrance, but it eluded me. Here’s the view from that peak (Haystack Mtn.):

How do we find the right words to change aging? H/T to Dan Vock.

Perhaps the most famous example of feline sensitivity is Oscar, an extraordinary Tabby cat who lives in a nursing home and can tell when people are about to die.

If you haven’t already heard of Oscar in the news you will soon see him on the big screen in a film adaptation of the New York Times bestseller MAKING ROUNDS WITH OSCAR: The Extraordinary Gift of an Ordinary Cat, by geriatrician Dr. David Dosa.

Dr. David Dosa runs a 400-500 patient primary care dementia clinic in the outpatient setting at Steere House in Providence Rhode Island and every day Oscar joins him to make the rounds on the third floor where terminally ill residents live. In an email sharing Oscar’s story with ChangingAging, he described what happens next:

A few hours before a resident passes away, Oscar climbs onto his or her bed.  He purrs and refuses to leave until the patient dies.  His predictions are always right-he never lingers unless the person is within a few hours of death.  His unusual talent provides an early warning system, giving caregivers precious time to alert family members that their loved one is near the end of life.  Steere House residents and their families are grateful to Oscar for the comfort and companionship he provides during this difficult time.

Many ChangingAging readers follow the Eden Alternative philosophy, which strongly encourages introducing animal companions to nursing home residents. Do any of our readers have similar experiences they can share?

Meet Oscar:

 

Check out the “Myth Busters: Defying the Myths of Aging” calendar from the Benjamin Rose Institute on Aging in Cleveland. The Cleveland Plain Dealer reports that the calendar features local celebrities and personalities who embrace aging and defy all the old stereotypes:

• Seniors sit around doing nothing all day.
• They’re fussy and cranky.
• They think they know everything.
• They’re worn out and falling apart physically and mentally.
• They spend all their time knitting and reminiscing about the good old days, when they walked five miles to school uphill both ways.
• They cling to the past and are afraid of the future.

Local author Les Roberts is featured with his book, “We’ll Always Have Cleveland.” In his 70s and still writing book after book, Les encourages older folks to move out and move on. He gives this advice on the calendar:
“I’m sure a lot of older people still live in the home they lived in when they were raising their kids. They shouldn’t. If they would get out of that house it would take so much pressure off them and then they’d have the time and energy to do so many things – things they actually want to do.”

You can view all 12 featured elders in the 2011 calendar here and request a copy (donations welcome).

McKnight’s LTC News reports on Florida’s ongoing controversy over efforts to weaken state nursing home oversight:

In other Florida long-term care news, Jim Crochet was named the state’s new nursing home ombudsman. Most recently, Crochet worked in the department’s legal office. He has 27 years of experience working as a long-term care advocate in Florida’s health and human services department, the Associated Press reported.

Crochet replaces Brian Lee, who some observers claim was forced to resign after frequently butting heads with Florida Gov. Rick Scott (R) and various long-term care providers. Earlier this month, federal officials launched an investigation into the circumstances under which Lee resigned. The Administration on Aging is looking into whether Scott acted lawfully in the firing.

McKnight’s also reported that controversial legislation intended to cap non-econimic damages in wrongful death lawsuits involving nursing homes has stalled in the state Senate.

Add California to the list of states struggling over the independence of Long Term Care Ombudsman:

A California watchdog office charged with protecting people in nursing homes too often loses its voice on vital issues ranging from inadequate staffing to the use of antipsychotic drugs, according to a Ventura County seniors advocate who is heading a drive to turn the state-run program into an independent entity.

Sylvia Taylor Stein, who leads the long-term care ombudsman program in Ventura County, is part of a group that contends conflicts of interest involving different arms of government mute California’s lead nursing home watchdog, the Office of the State Long-Term Care Ombudsman.

A two-year-plus battle over the state office, and the autonomy of nursing home advocates, could heat up this month when legislators start discussing a bill that would push the program out of the California Health and Human Services Agency, also responsible for licensing nursing homes and other long-term care facilities.

Read the full story at the Ventura County Star.

In Iowa the Des Moines Register’s Clark Kauffman continues his outstanding series of investigative reports into the state’s long term care industry:

Some nursing homes immune to fines

The typical Iowa nursing home is subject to fines of up to $10,000 for each regulatory violation that leads to an injury or death.

Iowa hospices inspected only once every 20 years

Hospice providers that care for hundreds of Iowans in the final stages of a terminal illness are now being inspected by the state on a schedule of one visit every 20 years.

No oversight for Iowa home health care

State inspectors discovered that a home health agency based in Waverly last year wasn’t delivering the care it claimed to be providing one of its clients

 

The Green House Project Blog reports:

Efforts have stalled in California where regulations written with big institutional nursing homes in mind are hindering development of The Green House Project’s innovative home-like model for delivering skilled nursing care.

California lawmakers held a hearing April 25 to investigate what regulatory roadblocks need to be addressed to allow development of Green House Project homes in California.

For example, current state regulations require separation of a nursing home’s cooking area from the living area. “For a big facility with dozens or even hundreds of patients and an industrial kitchen, that might make sense,” reported Veteran California journalist Daniel Weintraub, editor of the policy news site HealthyCal.org:

But in a Greenhouse Project home, the kitchen is much like that of a normal house, and it serves a similar function. Its open design allows a staff person to cook and chat with residents at the same time, much like people do in a regular home setting.

Weintraub interviewed Green House Project Director Robert Jenkins, who works with nursing homes to help adopt the Greenhouse Project model. Jenkins said:

“When they are cooking a meal, they can have a conversation with an elder sitting at the counter, or in the living room. It’s just a little more creative use of resources.”

To learn how to support efforts to bring Green House homes to your community, download the Green House Project Consumer Tool Kit here. If you live in California, please contact your state representative using the sample letter included in the toolkit to express your support for The Green House Project.

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