NOVEMBER 2016
plus!
The magazine for active, mature lifestyles
9 PAGE
The Write Stuff
50 plus!
INSIDE
2 The Savvy Senior:
How to prevent falls at home
3
Generation not slowing down with age
4 ADRC: Medicare
open enrollment: What you need to know
5
Study: Walking helps high-risk seniors stay mobile
6 Effort to recognize
World War II spies hung up in Congress
8 Puzzles 9 ON THE COVER: The Write Stuff
Cleveland author and musician Bill Bernico performs a recent gig at the Care Partners Assisted Living Facility in Manitowoc. (Alyssa Bloechl/USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin)
JIM MILLER
Syndicated columnist, NBC Today contributor & creator of SavvySenior.org
Send your senior questions to: Savvy Senior, P.O. Box 5443, Norman, OK 73070, or visit SavvySenior.org. Jim Miller is a contributor to the NBC Today show and author of “The Savvy Senior” book. Dear Worried Daughter,
Falls are a big concern for many elderly seniors and their families. Each year, one-in-three older Americans fall, making it the leading cause of both fatal and nonfatal injuries for those age 65 and older. But many falls can be How to prevent falls at home prevented. Depending on what’s Dear Savvy Senior, causing your mom to fall, here are My 79-year-old mother, who lives alone, has fallen several some different tips that can help times over the past year. Are there any extra precautions we protect her. should take that can help prevent this? Encourage exercise: Weak leg – Worried Daughte
muscles and poor balance are two of the biggest risk factors that cause seniors to fall. Tai chi, walking, water aerobics and strength training are all good for improving balance and strength, as are a number of simple balance exercises that she can do anytime like standing on one foot for 30 seconds then switching to the other foot, and walking heel-to-toe across the room. For additional balance and leg strengthening exercises, the National Institute on Aging offers free exercise guides and a DVD that you can order at Go4Life. nia.nih.gov. Review her medications: Does your mom take any medicine, or combination of medicines, that make her dizzy, sleepy or lightheaded? If so, gather up all the drugs SAVVY SENIOR CONTINUED ON PAGE 3
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Brandon Reid, editor Herald Times Reporter 920-686-2984 breid@manitowoc.gannett.com 50 Plus! is published monthly by the Herald Times Reporter Media. It also is distributed to select businesses in Manitowoc County.
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SAVVY SENIOR CONTINUED FROM PAGE 2 she takes – prescriptions and over-thecounter – and take them to her doctor or pharmacist for a drug review and adjustment. Get her vision checked: Poor vision can be another contributor to falls, so get your mom’s eyes checked every year. She may be wearing the wrong glasses or have developed a condition such as glaucoma or cataracts that make it harder to see obstacles on the floor. Modify her home: There are also a number of simple household modifications you can do to make your mom’s living area safer. Start by arranging or moving the furniture so there are clear pathways to walk through, and by picking up items on the floor that could cause her to trip like newspapers, shoes, clothes, electrical or phone cords. If she has throw rugs, remove them or use double-sided tape to secure them. In the bathroom, buy some non-skid rugs for the floors and a rubber suctiongrip mat or adhesive non-skid tape for the floor of the tub or shower, and have a carpenter install grab bars in and around the tub/shower for support. Also, make sure the lighting throughout the house is good, purchase some inexpensive plug-in nightlights for the bathrooms and hallways, and
if she has stairs, put handrails on both sides. For more tips, call the Eldercare Locater at 800-677-1116 and order a free copy of their “Preventing Falls at Home” brochure. Or, get an occupational therapist to come in and assess your mom’s home for fall risks. Medicare will pay for this service, if prescribed by a doctor. Choose safe footwear: Your mom should be aware that going barefoot or wearing slippers or socks at home can also cause falls, as can wearing backless shoes, high heels, and shoes with smooth leather soles. The safest option are rubber-soled, low-heeled shoes. Purchase some helpful aids: If your mom needs some help, talk to her doctor or a physical therapist about getting her fit for a cane or walker. Also, to help ensure your mom’s safety, and provide you some peace of mind, get her a medical alert device like Bay Alarm Medical, one of the most reliable and affordable devices available today. For less than $1 per day, this offers an emergency alert button – either in the form of a necklace pendent, wristband or wall-mounted buttons placed in high fall risk areas like the bathroom and kitchen – so she could call for help anytime if she were to fall or need assistance.
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Generation not slowing down with age Extreme sports a way of life JOHN MARSHALL Associated Press
Mike Kloser was a professional mountain-bike racer, and after his career was over he spent years traversing unmarked wilderness courses in adventure races. Once he hit his 50s, Kloser, who lives in Colorado’s Rocky Mountains, saw no need to slow down much. On any given day, he can be found riding the trails around the Vail Valley, running up and down Aspen Mountain, competing in obstacle races or skiing the snowcapped mountains. “I’m not the kind of guy that likes working out indoors,” the 53-yearold Kloser said. “I’d rather be out in a blizzard skiing or doing something
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outside than working with a trainer in a gym.” Kloser already was inclined toward more adventurous activities. He is, after all, a former professional athlete and lives in an area where fitness is woven into the way of life. But he isn’t alone among his baby boomer peers. An adventurous generation growing up, many boomers have barely slowed down in their 50s and 60s. The oldest of the baby boomers hit 70 this year. Golf, tennis, water aerobics, treadmills? Those are all fine, but also can be a bit boring for a generation that likes to have fun. So as previous generations tended to steer away from extreme sports, baby
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ADRC
Aging and Disability Resource Center
As a potential enrollee, you should verify all information you receive from sales representatives. Shop around and consider multiple plan options to find one that meets your needs. If you feel that marketing rules have been violated, report the violation by calling 1-800-Medicare. For more about a specific plan’s coverage, contact the plan’s customer service number. For general information about choosing agents can visit you in your home or nursa plan and the Annual Open Enrollment ing home. Period, contact the ADRC of the LakeFamiliarize yourself with the marketing rules below. This information can help you shore at 920-683-4180 or 1-877-416-7083. spot red flags and avoid becoming a victim ‘JEOPARDY’ IS NOVEMBER of marketing fraud. MEMORY CAFÉ THEME Plans must provide potential enrollees Have you heard about the Lakeshore with certain information, including: Memory Café? • Any network requirements; Memory Cafés welcome those experi• Specifics on the plan’s coverage and encing early stage dementia, mild memory costs; loss or cognitive impairment, and family • Eligibility requirements; and friends of those affected. It’s an oppor• Instructions on how to file an appeal or tunity for lively discussions, information grievance; gathering, refreshments, camaraderie and • Written notice advising potential en- lots of creative fun! rollees that costs can change from year We have a dementia specialist profesto year; sional on hand to answer questions and • Instructions and forms on how to en- an enormous wealth of experience among roll; participants to be shared. • Cover letter with the plan’s customer Upcoming sessions will be from 10 to service phone number and the Medi- 11:30 a.m., Nov. 2, at Manitowoc Public care number; Library, and 10 to 11:30 a.m., Nov. 19, at • Information about how to apply for Ex- Lester Public Library in Two Rivers. tra Help; November’s theme is “Jeopardy.” Alex • Plan ratings information; Trebek (alias Barb) hosts this quiz game• Translated marketing materials in any show, where the answers are revealed and non-English language that is the pri- you must guess the questions. Pumpkin pie mary language of at least 5 percent of is on the menu. the individuals in a plan’s benefit packLakeshore Memory Cafés are a proage service area, available on its web- gram of the Dementia Friendly Commusites and in hard-copy upon request; nity Committee – a partnership of many and local organizations that have joined to • Upon enrollment, a pharmacy and promake Manitowoc County more dementia vider directory. friendly. Plans cannot do the following: For more about the program, or if you • “Cold call” you; would like to volunteer for the commit• Send you unsolicited emails; • Visit you in your home or nursing tee, call Kim Jacquart Franzen at 877-4167083. home without an invitation;
Medicare open enrollment: What you need to know BY CATHY LEY
Aging and Disability Resource Center of the Lakeshore director
The following is brought to you by the Greater Wisconsin Agency on Aging Resources, Inc. It’s that time of year again! From Oct. 15 through Dec. 7, Medicare beneficiaries can re-evaluate Medicare prescription drug and health plans. Plan features—including premiums, co-pays, drug formularies, provider networks and other details —can and often do change each year. Some plans will no longer operate in Wisconsin in 2017. Plans are required to send out Annual Notice of Change letters to current enrollees to notify them of the plan changes for the upcoming year. These notices should have been received by Oct. 1. Fewer than 10 percent of all seniors choose the Part D plan that was best for them. Name recognition alone is not a good way to choose a plan. Rather, plan choice should be based on a combination of factors — coverage of all medications, plan premiums, deductibles, preferred pharmacy, medication co-pays, and expected annual out-of-pocket costs. Go to Medicare.gov between Oct. 15 and Dec. 7 to look at the plans available in 2017. At this website, you can enter your ZIP code, medications and preferred pharmacy to find the best plan for you. Many seniors receive numerous advertisements for health coverage at this time of year. This influx of promotions is because of the Annual Open Enrollment Period. Each year, from Oct. 15 through Dec. 7, Medicare beneficiaries can enroll in or disenroll from Medicare Advantage and Part D plans. Accordingly, health care companies promote their plans during this period. Beneficiaries should be aware of Medicare’s marketing guidelines. These guidelines aim to protect seniors from fraud and deception. Health care companies can promote their plans through mailings, television commercials and radio advertisements. Additionally, with your invitation,
4 . NOVEMBER 2016 . 50
• Ask for personal or financial information over the phone; • Provide gifts or prizes worth more than $15 to encourage enrollment; • Disregard “do not call again” requests; • Market plans at educational events or in health care settings; • Sell you non-health-related products (ex: life insurance); • Indicate that its plan is preferred or endorsed by Medicare; or • Imply that it works for or on behalf of Medicare.
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ALZHEIMER’S FAMILY CAREGIVER SUPPORT PROGRAM The Alzheimer’s Family Caregiver Support Program is a program created by the Wisconsin Legislature in 1985 in response to the stress and service needs of families caring at home for someone with irreversible dementia. To be eligible, a person must have a diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease or a related disorder, and be financially eligible. Funds for the AFCSP program are made available in each county to assist individu-
als to purchase services and goods related to the care of someone with Alzheimer’s disease. Up to $4,000 per person may be available. Allowable services are those that are necessary to maintain a person with Alzheimer’s disease in the community. Typical services have included in-home help, respite care, adult day care and transportation. Goods provided have included nutritional supplements, security systems, specialized clothing, incontinent products, home-delivered meals, home adaptation and specialized equipment. The asset limits are as follow: a couple may have a joint income of $40,000 or less, but if a couple’s income is more than $48,000, the costs related to Alzheimer’s can be subtracted from the gross income. If the net income is less than $40,000, the couple would be eligible. Assets are not counted for this program. Only the income produced by the assets would count toward the $48,000 limit. To find out more about this program, contact the ADRC of the Lakeshore at 920-683-4180 or toll-free at 1-877-4167083. VIRTUAL DEMENTIA TOURS OFFERED What is dementia/Alzheimer’s disease? Why don’t I understand what my loved one is doing? Why can’t they tell me what they want? These are all questions we ask ourselves when caring for or visiting someone with dementia or Alzheimer’s disease. Wouldn’t it be helpful to be able to experience what they go through? Here is your chance. We are offering a Virtual Dementia Tour. For 10 minutes, you will live the life of someone with dementia. Call the ADRC of the Lakeshore at 920683-4180 for more details. The ADRC of the Lakeshore is working on this project with Home Care Health Services & Hospice, River’s Bend Health and Rehabilitation Center and River Woods Place Senior Living. Have a great Thanksgiving!
Study: Walking helps high-risk seniors stay mobile Only half of US adults get the activity they need for good health LAURAN NEERGAARD Associated Press
WASHINGTON - It’s not too late to get moving: Simple physical activity — mostly walking — helped high-risk seniors stay mobile after disability-inducing ailments even if, at 70 and beyond, they’d long been couch potatoes. One health policy specialist said a recent study suggests prescribing exercise may be just as important as prescribing medications. “Once you lose that mobility piece of your life, then you really lose independence,” said Patricia Katz of the University of California, San Francisco, who wasn’t part of the new research but said physicians need to put the findings to use. Katz called it striking that among the walkers, “if you start to have problems,
you have a greater ability to recover and get your functioning back.” Older adults often shift back and forth between independence and conditions that can be disabling at least temporarily — a broken bone, an operation or a hospitalization from illness that requires time and rehab if they’re to get back on their feet. The research examined whether regular physical activity could help even the oldest seniors stay mobile for longer despite other health conditions. The study enrolled more than 1,600 adults between the ages of 70 and 89 considered to be at high risk for disability because they were sedentary and had various chronic health problems, such as heart disease or diabetes. More than 2 in 5 were 80 or older. To enroll, they had to be able to walk a quarter of a mile in 15 minutes — a long time, and
some needed every minute. “We were targeting folks who potentially had the most to gain,” said Dr. Thomas Gill, a Yale University geriatrician who led the work. The study compared seniors assigned to a regular walking program, plus a little strength and balance exercise, with a control group given health education. Over 3½ years, the walking program reduced the amount of time seniors spent suffering from a major mobility problem by 25percent, the researchers reported in Annals of Internal Medicine. The walkers were less likely to experience a mobility-robbing condition in the first place, more likely to recover if they did and less likely to suffer another one, Gill said. While the walking didn’t replace any necessary physical therapy, too
often seniors “leave the hospital more debilitated than when they entered,” Gill said. The goal was to get them walking again as soon as possible. Only half of U.S. adults of all ages get the amount of physical activity recommended for good health. And if they weren’t active during middle age, older adults often are especially wary of getting started. Maybe they have arthritic pain, or are worried if it’s safe given other illnesses, or fear they’ll fall. Gill said the study shows many sedentary seniors can start walking safely; they just need a safe place such as a sidewalk or shopping mall. “A lot of people probably don’t know where to start,” said Katz, who co-authored an editorial in Monday’s Annals that said an actual prescription from the doctor could help, maybe more than a medication prescription.
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Effort to recognize World War II spies hung up in Congress MATTHEW BARAKAT
House stalls bill to award medals
Associated Press
McLEAN, Va. - Spies don’t work for fame or acclaim. But after 75 years, the men and women who served behind the enemy lines in Nazi Germany and the Pacific theater during World War II wouldn’t mind some recognition. Legislation to award the spies the Congressional Gold Medal has passed the Senate and has more than 300 sponsors in the House, yet the bill is
being held up by House Republicans, who recently enacted rules that require a special waiver to grant the medal to groups of people. “I would be extremely proud to get a gold medal for what we did for our country,” said Frank Gleason, 96, one of the few remaining veterans of the Office of Strategic Services, the World War II-era forerunner to the CIA. “What we did was a little exciting.” The holdup frustrates a group of
veterans whose numbers continue to dwindle as time marches on. “We’re all in our mid-90s,” said Irv Refkin, 95, who was recruited by OSS because of his German language abilities, which he used to gather intelligence. “We’re not going to be here that long.” Refkin, of Hillcrest, Calif., said he called the office of House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., to lobby for the bill, and talked to “some
kid intern.” “I asked him, did he know what OSS was? He didn’t know. People haven’t heard of us,” Refkin said. Of course, the nature of spy craft is secretive, so for many years the stories of the OSS were classified. It was formed in 1942 and at one point employed almost 13,000 men and women, recruited from all branches of the military. Famous members include WORLD WAR II CONTINUED ON PAGE 7
Frank Gleason, 96, a retired colonel with the Office of Strategic Services, looks at his old blue mess dress uniform hanging on a door as he sits in his home in Atlanta on Wednesday. Legislation to recognize the contributions of a group of World War II spies is hung up in Congress. (David Goldman/AP) Memorabilia decorates a wall in the home of Frank Gleason, 96, a retired colonel with the Office of Strategic Services, in Atlanta on Wednesday. Some 75 years ago, the OSS carried out missions behind enemy lines in Nazi Germany and the Pacific theater. Gleason’s group was tasked with halting the Japanese advance into China. (David Goldman/AP)
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WORLD WAR II CONTINUED FROM PAGE 6 actor Sterling Hayden and director John Ford, baseball player Mo Berg, chef Julia Child and future CIA director William Casey. Estimates of how many OSS members are still alive range from a few dozen to 100. Refkin recalled a mission to Germany where he had to gain intelligence on the Nazis’ plans for defending against what ultimately became the D-Day invasion. Refkin, dressed as a German corporal, rode the train behind enemy lines with forged documents. He posed as an office cleaner at German headquarters in Hamburg. “Nobody looked at a corporal. You carry a garbage bag, put some smelly stuff in it, and they waive you right through,” Refkin said. “Nobody pays any attention to the guy emptying the ashtrays.” Gleason’s group was tasked with
halting the Japanese advance into China. Gleason, who grew up in Pennsylvania coal country and knew about explosives, helped detonate bridges and railroad tracks. “We just blew stuff up left and right,” he said. Patrick O’Donnell, a military historian who has written several books on OSS missions, said he has interviewed hundreds of members. They tell stories that sound almost implausible, and when he verifies them in old mission reports, “You find out that it’s completely understated.” O’Donnell said the CIA traces its beginnings to the OSS, and the Navy Seals have their roots in the OSS Maritime Unit. “They changed the face of World War II,” he said. “You’d be very hardpressed to find a smaller group of individuals who made such a profound difference in the history of modern American warfare.”
The recognition being sought, the Congressional Gold Medal, has been awarded to several World War II-era units in recent years, including the Native American Code Talkers, the Doolittle Tokyo Raiders and World War II members of the Civil Air Patrol. Perhaps in response, the House Republican Conference enacted a rule that prevents awarding the Gold Medal to groups of people, unless House leadership grants a waiver. A spokeswoman for the House Republican Conference did not return a call and email seeking comment on the rule. McCarthy and House Speaker Paul Ryan’s office also declined comment. Since the new rule, a waiver has been granted at least once, to the civil rights marchers in Selma, Ala., in 1965. Sen. Mark Warner, a Virginia Democrat, helped sponsor legislation in the Senate. He said he never anticipated that there would be any resistance. “It just shouldn’t be this hard,” War-
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ner said. The House sponsor, Rep. Robert Latta, R-Ohio, is working on a rule change that will allow the bill to be brought to the full House this session, said his spokesman, Drew Griffin. The House recessed this past week without passing the bill. Hopes for passage now rest on pushing the bill through during the lame-duck session after the election. If that doesn’t happen, the whole process has to start again in the next Congress. Charles Pinck, president of the Falls Church-based OSS Society, can’t believe the House has balked at the recognition. “The OSS had to fight for its creation. It had to fight for its existence. It fought the Nazis and the Imperial Japanese Army,” he said. “Now it has to fight to be recognized. If there’s one thing the OSS knows how to do, it’s fight.”
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Cleveland author and musician Bill Bernico performs a recent gig at the Care Partners Assisted Living Facility in Manitowoc. (Alyssa Bloechl/USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin)
The write stuff
Cleveland author Bill Bernico finds his niche
ANN GROTE-PIRRUNG
For USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin
CLEVELAND - Bill Bernico’s prolific writing career started in 1989 with one sentence: “The body wasn’t even cold when I walked in and found it there slumped across my desk.” “From there, I just took off,” Bernico said.
Take off he did. Bernico has amassed an impressive repertoire of short stories, columns, a children’s book, a memoir and a novel. It’s a writing journey that continues to this day. Bernico lives along Lake Michigan just outside of Cleveland with his wife, Kathie, and their Goldendoodle, Daisy. But it is another family that has filled his spare time and comprises the bulk
of his writing.
“I’m working on No. 213 now … all of the Cooper clan,” Bernico said, referring to his short story series involving five generations of Los Angeles private investigators. In addition, he has written 157 short stories that do not feature the Cooper family. Bernico began his writing odyssey rather innocently. He was working part
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time at his then day job in the computer lab at Lakeshore Technical College and found he had a lot of time on his hands. “I had seen a lot of books and short stories and I thought ‘How hard can it be?’” he said. “So, I just jumped right in and I started with the first sentence of my Cooper series.”
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WRITE STUFF CONTINUED ON PAGE 10
. NOVEMBER 2016 . 9
WRITE STUFF
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Bernico said he picked a name — Matt Cooper — out of the blue. “I thought it sounded cool,” he said. “He was just a single private investigator working out of his Hollywood office. Now, we’re into the fifth generation of Coopers. The story started in 1946 when he opened his office, and now we’re up to today.” The length of time it takes to finish a short story varies. “If I know ahead of time where I’m going, I can write it all in one sitting,” he said. “But most of the time, I just sit down and I start typing and see where my fingers take me. “I have no idea where the story is going or how it’s going to end or what’s going to happen,” he added, “and as I’m writing, the ideas come to me.” Not all of his stories come together that easily. “Sometimes I struggle with them for months,” Bernico said. “I had one short story that I started 10 years ago. I just put it away.” He recently took it out again and put the finishing touches on it. Even if Bernico struggles, it doesn’t deter him. “I just love being creative,” he said. For many years, that creative bent was filled by music. “This is my 50th year,” Bernico said of his music career. “I started when I was 15 years old. I had bands and duos and singles and trios and whatever.” In fact, his band led to some pretty impressive gigs. “We opened for The Guess Who, Steppenwolf, Molly Hatchett, Ray Price at the Weill Center,” Bernico recalled. A few years back, Bernico gave up playing with bands. “I just couldn’t see doing it in a band,” he said. “I’m 66 now. It’s great if you’re 26, but it’s too much work.” But that doesn’t mean he’s given up
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musical performing. “I still play at nursing homes around Sheboygan and Manitowoc,” he said. “I can carry all my stuff in two little trips … it’s just me and the guitar. I like to play and I like to see the reaction of the people.” Reactions to his writing also come his way, as he gets a lot of feedback on his short stories. “I have a lot of people just chomping at the bit for the next Cooper story,” he said. “People get so attached to these characters, they feel like they know them.” This year alone, Bernico has written 12 Cooper stories. “I’m not as creative as I used to be,” he said. “Last year, I had maybe 30.” Bernico likes the short story format because he feels that at times he can’t sustain a whole novel-length piece, or he loses interest after 10,000 to 20,000 words. But two Cooper stories ago, he tackled a novel, resulting in “The Tree of Life,” a full-length Cooper novel.
years ago and we’ve been emailing back and forth ever since,” Bernico said. “Block suggested trying Amazon Kindle, and ever since then, I’ve been going like crazy. I can be prolific if I have an outlet.”
Lights.”
Bernico’s relationship with Block also resulted in one of the highlights of his writing career.
“I try to do something every day, just to keep at it,” he said.
“It was a little easier because I al“I sent him a story I was working on ready knew where the story was going,” and he invited me to submit a story to he said. an anthology he was working on,” BerBernico markets his self-published nico said. “I was so thrilled I couldn’t works on Amazon Kindle as well as stand it.” Audible for audio books, which is anEven better, Block accepted his other outlet for his writing. submission, and Bernico’s story, “This “I’m selling pretty well with the auPose is a Problem,” is included in dio division,” he said. “With the Kindle Block’s anthology titled “Dark City stuff, I’ve got about 360,000 downloads so far — not all paid.” ANSWERS FROM PAGE 8
Bernico went the self-publishing route upon the advice of a very wellknown, celebrated author. “Like everyone else, I tried the traditional route of trying to get my books in print,” Bernico said. “I have about 500 rejections.” But Bernico had started an email friendship with author Lawrence Block, who has written more than 130 books, with several of them being made into movies. He is also one of Bernico’s favorite authors. “I contacted him about five or six
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“That was quite the honor,” Bernico said. Bernico writes every day … sometimes as little as 10 minutes.
He has a bit more time to dedicate to writing since he retired a little more than a year ago from the Blood Center of Sheboygan, where he set up mobile blood drives for 11 years. He also spent 25 years in the car business. “I’ve been a cab driver, a baker, a factory worker … and now a writer,” he said. “I’ve found my niche.”
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boomers seem to gravitate toward them. They can be found among the mostly younger crowds surfing, rock climbing, mountain biking, ocean kayaking, even skateboarding and skydiving. According to a 2015 National Sporting Goods Association study, there were 698,000 people between ages 55 and 74 who participated in off-road mountain biking, 402,000 doing open-water scuba diving, 155,000 snowboarding and another 49,000 into skateboarding. “We all have that in us, like why shouldn’t we be having fun doing what we love to do?” said Barbara Odanaka, a children’s book author who started a moms’ skateboarding group in Southern California. “We’re not just stuck to typical activities, typical behaviors as our parents’ generation was.” Baby boomers come by this call to action honestly. They grew up in an era when fitness moved toward the
forefront of American society. Surfing, jogging and weightlifting all became popular as boomers came of age. People began paying more attention to their health. According to AARP, less than 24 percent of American adults exercised regularly in 1968. That number was up to 59 percent by 1984. Life expectancy also rose from 69.7 to 75.4 years in a span of 30 years ending in 1990. Living longer than their parents, baby boomers also stayed active longer. “I think the mentality of our age group has changed,” said Kloser, director of activities at Beaver Creek Resort. “We’ve been active 20 or 30 years of our lives, and we just aren’t ready to become a seven-day-a-week couch potato. We want to keep active.” Odanaka, 54, has done it on a skateboard — with other baby boomers from around the country. She skated as a kid, even earned a spot on Hobie Skateboards’ amateur team, but gave up to focus on competitive running.
Currently Accepting Individuals in need of Memory Care
She was steered back to skateboarding a quarter century later by a therapist who told her to find something she used to enjoy as a way to take a break from a colicky baby. Odanaka immediately rekindled the connection with her board and started riding every day, often joining the neighborhood kids who would knock on the door to see if she could come out to skate. While promoting her first book, “Skateboard Mom,” in 2004, she hosted an event at a skate park and invited other skateboarding moms. That event launched the International Society of Skateboarding Moms, which evolved into the nonprofit Skateboard Moms & Sisters of Shred. The organization now has roughly 400 members, ages 20 to 70, across the United States. Odanaka also has a group she skates with locally, often turning heads as they roll up and down the slopes of the skate park. “The teenagers usually look at us
Barbara Odanaka has a blast at Los Osos (Calif.) skatepark during a summer road trip with her skate sisters group. The adventurous baby boomer generation is still engaging in extreme sports as boomers move into their 50s, 60s and beyond. (Colin Shumate/Barbara Odanaka via AP)
like, ‘Oh my God, what is this?’” said Odanaka, a former reporter for the Los Angeles Times. “And I can’t tell you how many times the little kids have asked me for money for the soda machine or to tie their shoe. But by the end of it, there’s usually one kid who says: ‘I wish my mommy skated like you.’”
Enjoy your golden years. The Gardens at Felician Village offers independent living in our beautiful apartments and condos.
Our Memory Care Neighborhood offers a reassuring, flexible safe haven for individuals with Alzheimer’s disease, Dementia or other memory loss.
At The Gardens, you can enjoy all the comforts of home without the inconveniences. No more lawn mowing, leaf raking or snow shoveling. Plus, no condo fees!
Private Resident Rooms with private bathroom • 24/7 Skilled Nursing Care • On-site therapy services
Anyone 55 years or better is eligible to live here. Let us help make your golden years truly golden.
Call today for a tour!
Manitowoc Health and Rehabilitation Center Accepts: • Medicare • Medicaid • Family Care • Community Care • Veteran’s Benefits • Medicare Replacement Plans • Commercial Insurance • Long Term Care Plans • Private Funds
(920) 684-7171 ext. 409
WI-5002061674
Caring Above and Beyond (920) 683-4115 • 2021 South Alverno Road – Manitowoc, WI www.manitowochrc.com
felicianvillage.org
The Gardens at Felician Village 1700 S. 18th Street, Manitowoc, WI 54220
WI-5002061558
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A NEW Era In Senior Living Dawns! Shady Lane, Inc. – is Changing!
Visit us on Facebook www.shadylaneinc.com
Our 3-Phase Plan will evolve our campus into a modern senior living community sensitive to Manitowoc’s needs. The first step of this change is a
NEW Assisted Living Building
that adds accommodations to Laurel Grove Assisted Living
Our dedicated rehabilitation center is goal-centered. We want to send you home -- but we want to send you home healthier and ready to resume your life. Smart Healing is a program centered on activities and diet that works to achieve that goal.
Privacy when you want it, help when you need it. Independence is important to healthy living. Healthy living sometimes calls for someone to help at times, to be there so you’re not alone. We provide nutritious and delicious meals, activities, cleaning and laundry service as well as companionship. Secure memory care is also available.
When intense care is required, our staff of professional caregivers and nurses offer compassionate nursing. Hospice and palliative care are available. Founded in 1951, Shady Lane, Inc. is a not-for-profit, community-directed facility. We have no stockholders only stakeholders.
For information contact: Theresa Patrick, Community Relations Director, 920-682-8254 WI-5002061560
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Shady Lane, Inc. / 1235 South 24th Street / Manitowoc, WI
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