Let’s face it. The Baby Boomers — and that would include me — are getting older. We are searching for the best hearing aids and we are flooding into the federal government’s Social Security and Medicare programs at a record pace — one person every 4 seconds. I am not there yet, but I can see the entrance from my upcoming birthday. It’s a fact of life getting older, we can’t stop it, it is just unfortunate that so many healthcare issues come along with it when we least expect it. I have a friend whose eyesight is not what it used to be, so he is looking into laser eye surgery from SharpeVision, he seems to be looking forward to it and I can’t blame him for that!

This actuarial fact of life — or nightmare if you are frightened of the federal government’s escalating budget deficit crisis — has dire economic and social consequences.

If you are a young healthcare management graduate student looking for work, you may want to consider long-term care.

Once the ignored outback of the healthcare industry, shunned by many hospital executives as a career path for lesser leaders who could not cut it in the the demanding world of medical center management, long-term care is emerging not only as a rewarding and challenging career, but as a place where major transformation will occur.

Now that I have set the table of an important industry trend, I want to share with you a fascinating and uplifting YouTube video illustrating how long-term care teams (like in a memory care community) are using amazing technology to enhance the lives of some people suffering from dementia – an affliction that has been described by family members as the long, slow, and painful goodbye.

The amazing technology that is making a difference? Apple’s iPod and headphones.

Watch this. You will be amazed.

If you can’t smile after watching this video, maybe a career outside of healthcare would be the best road for you to travel.

2012 John Gregory Self

To invite John Self to be a speaker at your meeting or function, contact Kathleen Sullivan of The Sullivan Group in Houston. John is an entertaining and informative speaker who talks about life’s ironies, humor and the challenges we face. He consistently receives high ratings for his presentations.