SPECIAL REPORT: THE LAKE NONA IMPACT FORUM IS INCUBATING INNOVATION REBRANDING AGING®
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DEEPAK CHOPRA’S BIG IDEA ABOUT HEALTH The Guru of Mind-Body Healing is Transforming Wellness Through JIYO.
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CONTENTS MAY/JUNE 2017
FEATURE
MAKING AN IMPACT
11 16 DEPARTMENTS 5 | FROM THE EDITOR 6 | GROWING BOLDER WITH ... 7 | GROWING BOLDER FINANCIAL INSTITUTE Money won’t help if you don’t take care of your health first. By Jeannette Bajalia 8 | BOLDER HEALTH The world-class teams at Health Central Hospital and the NeuroSpine Institute revitalized Robin Ferry’s life. By Jackie Carlin 4 G R O W I N G B O L D E R
The Lake Nona Institute Impact Forum is changing the future of healthcare. Plus, more on this worldclass community, where a revolution in wellness is taking place. BY MARC MIDDLETON
SPECIAL REPORT: THE LAKE NONA IMPACT FORUM IS INCUBATING INNOVATION REBRANDING AGING®
10 | BOLDER HEALTH Open your eyes to the benefits of closing your eyes, say specialists from the University of Central Florida College of Medicine. By Bill Shafer 28 | BOLDER COMMUNITIES The Winter Park Health Foundation leads a paradigm shift in wellness and wellbeing. By Jackie Carlin 30 | THE TAKEAWAY Deepak Chopra’s daily intentions that can transform the world.
ONE CITY’S NEW PARADIGM OF WELLBEING. WHY WOMEN NEED THEIR OWN KIND OF FINANCIAL PLAN.
DEEPAK CHOPRA’S BIG IDEA ABOUT HEALTH The Guru of Mind-Body Healing is Transforming Wellness Through JIYO.
ON THE COVER: Deepak Chopra. Photo courtesy of Deepak Chopra MAY/JUNE 2017
FROM THE EDITOR
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Marc Middleton MANAGING EDITOR Jackie Carlin ASSOCIATE EDITORS Katy Widrick, Bill Shafer
F
CONTRIBUTING WRITER Jeannette Bajalia
AT THE EPICENTER OF A WELLNESS REVOLUTION
or more than a year, we’ve been working toward an announcement that I’m excited and grateful to finally make. We’re moving our Growing Bolder offices again. For those keeping count, this will be our eighth move — and hopefully our next to last. How is the prospect of not one but two more moves good news? Because by the time you read this, we will have relocated into a temporary office in Lake Nona while a new Growing Bolder production studio is being built in the Southeast Orlando community’s vibrant and rapidly growing Town Center. Our studio, in the midst of one of the world’s healthiest and most visionary masterplanned communities, will create many opportunities that I’ll be sharing with you in the months ahead. After you read our special editorial section on the Lake Nona Impact Forum, along with the related breakout features, you’ll understand why we’re so excited. We view Lake Nona as the global intersection of healthcare, technology, sports and human performance — and, in the very near future, creative aging.
DIGITAL DEVELOPMENT AND PRODUCTION Jason Morrow, Pat Narciso, Josh Doolittle, Mike Nanus DIRECTOR OF CIRCULATION Jill Middleton
407-406-5910 9801 Lake Nona Club Blvd. Orlando, FL 32827 GrowingBolderMagazine.com All editorial content copyright 2017 by Bolder Broadcasting Inc. Growing Bolder is a registered trademark of Bolder Broadcasting Inc. Nothing may be reprinted in part or in whole without written permission from Bolder Broadcasting Inc.
Lake Nona’s burgeoning Town Center, soon to be the new home of Growing Bolder.
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Inside the Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts
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No doubt, that’s a wildly ambitious goal. But, as you’ll learn in this special issue, Lake Nona is uniquely poised to become the epicenter of Growing Bolder — and the geographic hub of a revolution that we’ve been promoting ever since we began this adventure more than 10 years ago. Lake Nona is where Growing Bolder will begin to fully realize its vision of Rebranding Aging® with a global media platform that provides hope, inspiration and possibility to millions — make that billions — worldwide.
The Killarney model was the Showcase Home for the 2017 Parade of Homes, sponsored by the Greater Orlando Builders Association.
STEALING THE SHOW The Killarney Model at Lake Markham Landing.
Morse Preserve Azaleas, by Elizabeth Barr
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AMERICA’S ART FORM RODNEY WHITAKER LEADS THE NEW DR. PHILLIPS CENTER JAZZ ORCHESTRA
INSIDE OR OUTSIDE?
In today’s new homes, outdoor spaces and indoor spaces mesh and meld.
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407-647-0225 2700 Westhall Lane, Suite 220 Maitland, FL 32751 GROWINGBOLDERMAGAZINE.COM
Marc Middleton, Editor-in-Chief marcmiddleton@growingbolder.com G R O W I N G B O L D E R 5
GROWING BOLDER WITH
KING ERRISSON
75
MUSICIAN
“One night, I was doing a drum solo at a club called the Conch Shell in the Bahamas when Sean Connery and his crew from Thunderball walked in and ‘discovered’ me. They ended up writing a part for me in the movie, and after that, everything just broke loose. And I’ve been running ever since. I grew up playing on anything that could make sound — whether it was coffee cans, buckets or bottles — and years later, I found myself playing with the greatest session musicians in the world in Los Angeles. Always be ready for that opportunity when it knocks. A lot of people had the opportunities I had, but didn’t take the jump.”
King Errisson went from the depths of poverty in his native Bahamas to becoming one of the greatest percussionists in the world. He has recorded with Motown’s greatest artists. In fact, the legendary label’s founder, Berry Gordy, called him the “unsung hero of Motown.” He still plays with Neil Diamond, as he has for nearly 40 years. Errisson has just released his autobiography, My Life, My Loves.
KEN JEONG
47
ACTOR “I had no idea if I could have a career in comedy. I was very scared, and for good reason. I was leaving behind a stable career where I could make six figures for the rest of my life. I was a partner in my medical practice — but this was something that I had to do. I was lucky to have amazing support from my parents and my wife. At times, they believed in me more than I believed in myself. I also think you must have an inherent belief in what you do. I know that I can make mistakes, but I make adjustments based on those mistakes. Don’t be afraid to fail — and don’t be afraid to succeed.”
Film and television star Ken Jeong graduated from high school at the age of 16 and headed off to college, then medical school. But his dream of becoming a comedian never died. After a few years practicing medicine, he developed a stand-up routine and began landing high-profile TV and film roles. Today, he’s the creator, producer, director, writer and star of Dr. Ken, an ABC sitcom that imagines what his life might have been if his comedy career hadn’t taken off.
DIANE PIEKNIK
70
HOCKEY PLAYER
“I always wanted to play hockey, but had to put it on the back burner as my kids were growing up. When I was 61, I figured, ‘Hey, I might as well try something new.’ When I’m on the ice, I’m not thinking about my age. The goal is to get the puck and make a goal. Sure, sometimes my knees or shoulders hurt — but they hurt if I sit around, too. What’s the difference if they hurt when I’m sitting or doing something? Hockey keeps me young. I’d rather be with people who are active and doing cool things than to stay home and do nothing. I’ve even tried trampoline dodgeball!”
Diane Pieknik was forced into retirement after losing her job in the Great Recession. So what did she do? At 61, she suited up and started playing ice hockey with 20 year olds. The fact that she didn’t know how to skate didn’t stop her – she just signed up for lessons. Even a particularly nasty fall that left her unconscious couldn’t dampen her enthusiasm.
GB EXTRA Visit GrowingBolderMagazine.com to listen to our Growing Bolder Radio conversations with Ken Jeong, King Errisson and Diane Pieknik.
6 G R O W I N G B O L D E R
MAY/JUNE 2017
GROWING BOLDER FINANCIAL INSTITUTE Jeannette Bajalia’s specialty is helping her clients — especially women — prepare financially for a healthy and active life into their 80s, 90s and beyond.
HEALTH MATTERS Money Won’t Help if You Don’t Take Care of Yourself First. BY JEANNETTE BAJALIA
W
hat if I told you that there was one thing you could do right now to protect your financial future that has nothing to do with savings, investments or portfolios? What if I told you that it doesn’t matter how much money you’ve saved in the past, or how much money you’ve got to work with? Here’s a lesson I want every woman to hear and to understand: The only way to hold onto your wealth is to hold onto your health. You can save a huge sum of money, and spend it all in the healthcare system. Of course, there are unavoidable health challenges that we’re all going to face — but study after study shows that 70 percent of our health and longevity is determined by our lifestyles, not our genes. The fastest-growing segment of the U.S. population is the 90-plus crowd. Yet, most GROWINGBOLDERMAGAZINE.COM
of us spend decades working under the assumption that we’ll retire in our early to mid-60s, and then likely die in our early 80s. These days, however, we should plan to live well beyond 90. And the best way to do that is to protect our health so that we’ll have the wealth required. I wrote my first book, Wise Up Women!, to help women understand the healthwealth connection. And in my new book, Planning a Purposeful Life: Secrets of Longevity, I’ve gathered the stories of dozens of nonagenarians and centenarians to help myself and my clients better understand what leads to active longevity. And once we understand how to live longer lives, we also need to understand how we can afford to do so. I’ve seen example after example of the devastating impact of skyrocketing healthcare costs on those who thought they’d saved plenty of money. Right now, the fi-
nancial industry is focusing on the money — but the healthcare industry is shifting costs out of Medicare and private health plans. So it’s important that we understand the impact of that cost shifting on our retirement plans. One of the first conversations I have with new clients involves helping them to understand that a plan is essential to managing the out-of-pocket costs during retirement — particularly healthcare costs. There are plenty of positive trends in healthcare, including a new and robust focus on preventative care. The same is true when it comes to retirement planning. I’m committed to helping my clients, particularly women, put more self care into their retirement planning. Women are always so focused on the other person — whether it’s their spouses, partners, kids or grandkids. And in the process, they sacrifice their own wellbeing. In explaining self care to women, I’m also passionate about connecting them with healthcare providers who believe in holistic health and integrative medicine. As a result, we’re able to build partnerships to benefit our clients in ways beyond just managing their money. After all, anyone can help you set up an investment portfolio. But who can offer a plan that will ensure that you have the money to achieve a quality lifestyle in the years ahead? That’s the person you want to work with to help you create a fully integrated plan for your future. And it starts with you. Take care of yourself. Get and stay healthy. You’ve worked hard all your life — and you deserve to enjoy the fruits of your labor. Jeannette Bajalia is founder and president of Woman’s Worth® and president of Petros Estate & Retirement Planning. Jeannette retired at 55 after a successful career as a corporate executive to become one of the nation’s leading experts on the unique financial planning needs of women. For more information, visit womans-worth.com. You can reach Jeannette at jeannette@womans-worth.com.
GB EXTRA To watch Jeannette’s video minutes and get her advice on integrated life planning, including more of her tips for protecting your healthwealth connection, visit GrowingBolderFinancialInstitute.com
G R O W I N G B O L D E R 7
BOLDER HEALTH Robin Ferry says without the care teams at Health Central Hospital and the NeuroSpine Institute, she would still be living in constant pain.
LIFE SAVERS
The World-Class Team at Health Central Revitalized Her Life. BY JACKIE CARLIN
L
ike so many others who suffer from neck and back pain, Robin Ferry just couldn’t take it anymore. Every day, for years, she was living a nightmare. “Sometimes I just felt I was counting the minutes until I could take another pain pill,” she recalls. “It was so incredible. You can’t do anything. Your whole life changes. Everything is centered around that. All the activities you used to do, you can’t do.” Ferry tried everything to find relief — from physical therapy to chiropractic services to acupuncture. The constant pain changed her personality, and she didn’t like who she’d become. She could no longer work; she pulled away from her friends, and most devastatingly, her husband and children. “I just had no quality of life at all. I had joy from my family, but as far as really enjoying life, it just wasn’t there,” she says. “I felt like I was a burden to everyone because it slowed
8 G R O W I N G B O L D E R
them down — and if I wasn’t able to do it, I felt guilty that I was holding them back.” When Ferry’s future seemed bleak, she found hope when she walked into the doors of the NeuroSpine Institute and met Mitchell Supler, M.D. “Robin had some issues, and we tried to conservatively treat those issues, but unfortunately she had another problem at a different spot in her spine,” Supler says. Ferry eventually underwent two surgeries at Health Central Hospital in its globally renowned Orthopaedic and Spine Center. It’s a facility that consistently ranks among the top 10 percent in the country in terms of patient satisfaction. Supler inserted two artificial discs — and the results were instantaneous. “I woke up from surgery, and I could immediately tell that my chronic pain was gone. When you finally get relief, it’s really like you’re a new person,” Ferry says. “Dr. Supler gave me my life back.” A board-certified neurosurgeon with more
than two decades of experience, Supler is always searching for new and better ways to help his patients. Highly skilled in the treatment of all spinal disorders, Supler is also one of the world’s most experienced surgeons in the minimally invasive procedures developed by Robert Masson, M.D., founder of the NeuroSpine Institute and medical director for Neurospine Services at Health Central Hospital. “We’ve developed a neurospine service that’s second to none,” says Health Central COO Rick Smith. “It’s become not only a regional destination, but a state, national and global destination. Patients come here to be taken care of, and surgeons from across the world travel here to learn from Dr. Masson and his highly skilled team.” Adds Supler: “It’s easier to sit back and say, ‘It’s worked all these years, so I’m going to stick with what techniques I have.’ No, you’ve got to keep moving forward. One of the things that separates us from other neurospine teams is we continue to want to learn new techniques and new ways of doing things. There’s not simply a cookiecutter way of treating each person.” Smith says one of the hospital’s differentiators is its commitment to a patient’s entire journey. From prehab — the process of preparing a patient for surgery, to the surgery itself to post-op care and rehab — the hospital’s Orthopaedic and Spine Center guides, educates and supports the patient every step of the way. “We’ve developed a team approach here that’s just second to none,” Smith says. “Surgical procedures continue to change, and under the leadership of Dr. Masson and his team, we continue to develop and refine those surgical procedures and stay on the leading edge.” As for Ferry, she says those who know her best are stunned by the change to her health and life. “They see how well I’m doing, and they want to know who performed my surgery. I say: ‘The man you need to see is Dr. Supler. Nobody else.’ I’m eternally grateful to him.”
GB EXTRA Visit GrowingBolderMagazine.com to watch Robin Ferry’s incredible comeback story and to learn more about Growing Bolder’s partnerships with Health Central Hospital and the NeuroSpine Institute.
MAY/JUNE 2017
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BOLDER HEALTH Kristina Grabnickas, M.S.N., A.R.N.P., clinical coordinator at the University of Central Florida College of Medicine, says that quality sleep offers important health benefits.
SLEEP FOR HEALTH Open Your Eyes to the Benefits of Closing Your Eyes. BY BILL SHAFER
Y
our ability to sleep will never earn you accolades. It will never help you become more popular or win anyone’s admiration. But it will help you stay sharp, energetic and healthy. Sleep, as it turns out, can be powerful medicine — if you do it right. It’s important to understand that sleep now isn’t the same as it was when we were younger. According to the National Institutes of Health, as we age, we need less sleep. The problem is, many of us have trouble maintaining the same quality.
10 G R O W I N G B O L D E R
Studies reveal that 40 million Americans suffer from chronic sleep issues. “The key to good sleep is establishing a routine,” says Kristina Grabnickas, a nurse practitioner and clinical coordinator at the University of Central Florida College of Medicine. “Be consistent in when you go to bed and when you wake up, and you’ll establish a circadian rhythm.” The circadian clock is a 24-hour body cycle affected by sunlight. It regulates hormones such as melatonin, which is secreted during the night and promotes sleep, as well as other processes such as body temperature.
Sleeping at a time that’s in sync with this rhythm is important for healthy sleep. It’s also important to watch what you eat. “Avoid alcohol,” Grabnickas cautions. “Don’t eat anything heavy, and eliminate caffeine after lunch because these things will interfere with a good night’s sleep.” As we age, we often sleep less deeply and wake more often during the night. Older adults can have trouble falling asleep. An NIH study shows that 13 percent of men and 36 percent of women need more than 30 minutes to doze off. “Don’t just lay there if you can’t fall asleep,” Grabnickas says. “Get up and read by a soft light — and don’t try to go back to bed until you’re really ready.” She says it’s important to average between seven and nine hours of continuous sleep each night: “I know too many people who only get a few hours of sleep a night during the week, believing they can make it up on the weekends. Unfortunately, it just doesn’t work that way.” One thing that can work is taking naps. “Studies show that naps can be very helpful,” Grabnickas says, “as long as they’re no longer than 20 minutes.” Too many people believe that poor sleep is just a normal part of the aging process, she says: “Sleep patterns can change, but disturbed sleep, or waking up tired every day, are not a part of normal aging.” Not sleeping well can lead to a number of problems. Poor sleep can contribute to mood swings, attention issues and forgetfulness. Poor sleep is also associated with a poorer quality of life. In addition, not sleeping well can have a connection to Alzheimer’s disease, diabetes and obesity. On the other hand, seven to nine hours of good-quality sleep can improve your memory, help with your mind and brain process during the day, and even improve your professional and personal relationships. “People always look to diet and exercise,” Grabnickas concludes. “But sleep is every bit as important, and too often overlooked.”
GB EXTRA Visit GrowingBolderMagazine.com to listen to our Growing Bolder Radio conversation with Kristina Grabnickas and to get more realworld advice from other members of the UCF College of Medicine faculty.
MAY/JUNE 2017
SPECIAL REPORT: THE LAKE NONA IMPACT FORUM
MAKING AN
IMPACT T H I S U NI QUE AN N UAL E VE N T ( T H AT YO U ’ V E N E VE R HE AR D OF ) IS C H A N G I NG T H E F UT UR E O F HE ALT HCAR E . BY MARC MIDDLETON
SPECIAL REPORT: THE LAKE NONA IMPACT FORUM
The Lake Nona Impact Forum is an annual event that brings together thought leaders from business, academia, government and medicine to generate ideas on how to transform the American healthcare system.
F
or the first time in more than two decades, life expectancy for Americans declined last year. The decline is directly related to a rise in fatalities from heart disease, stroke, diabetes, drug overdoses and suicides. At the same time, the cost of healthcare continues to skyrocket. We’re now spending $3 trillion, or 17.5 percent of the U.S. Gross Domestic Product, on healthcare — staggering figures that are projected to rise to $4.5 trillion and 20 percent by 2020, the most of any country worldwide.
Add to this equation a rapidly aging population that’s not financially prepared for retirement, and it’s easy to see a major crisis unfolding. The good news is, prevention has finally been identified as crucial to delivering better care, producing better outcomes and reducing the cost of managing complex conditions. As a result, the healthcare industry is pivoting as quickly as it can from a “sick care” model to a “well care” model. Getting and keeping people healthy as they age will save millions of lives and trillions of dollars in the near future. 12 G R O W I N G B O L D E R
To achieve real success, wellness programs must be woven into every aspect of daily life. They must be integrated into communities in a way that’s ever present and frictionless. Residents must be encouraged, educated, supported, rewarded and inspired to practice wellness at home, at work and at play. Leading the charge into the future of healthcare is the Lake Nona Impact Forum, an annual event focused on nothing less than transforming the American healthcare system. The forum, now in its fifth year, brings together a creatively cuMAY/JUNE 2017
rated group of 250 thought leaders from business, academia, government and multiple industry sectors. The purpose is wildly ambitious and positively disruptive: to spark innovation, create healthy communities and advance quality of life by exploring the intersections of wellness, sustainable living and education. Gloria Caulfield is executive director of the Lake Nona Institute and co-founder of the three-day, invitation-only forum. “Our goal is to bring together a diverse group of the best thinkers and innovators in health, wellness and performance,” she says. “We want to create a relaxed but focused environment that facilitates the collision of ideas, and presents opportunities to innovate and collaborate.” Deepak Chopra, a world-renowned pioneer in integrative medicine and personal transformation, has returned to the forum for the second consecutive year. “If you have a number of people with different talents and the same shared vision, you can find a way to emotionally and spiritually bond,” says the bestselling author and pioneer in mind-body healing. “And if you keep the interaction active and open, then something very powerful happens. It’s called emergence — an evolution in human creativity.
“Context, meaning, relationship, vision, intention and imagination all spontaneously come together to create something that never existed before,” Chopra continues. “You can’t force emergence, just like you can’t force evolution. But you can create the opportunity for emergence — and that’s what the Lake Nona Impact Forum is all about.” Ellen Strahlman, M.D., chief medical officer at Becton, Dickinson and Company, is attending for the first time — but she knows what to expect, and comes ready to participate. “I was attracted to the forum because of the diversity of thought leaders here,” Strahlman says. “Not everyone’s a doctor, not everyone’s a provider, and not everyone has spent his or her entire career in healthcare. When you bring people from all parts of the ecosystem together — and help them collaborate on solutions to big problems — then you can have an exponential result.” Strahlman adds that conversations at past forums “have led to innovations, new companies, new hospitals and all kinds of things. I’m thrilled to be a part of it.” Diversity is fundamental to the design of the forum, and is inspired, in part, by The Medici Effect, a book by Frans Johannson, founder and CEO of The Medici Group. The book describes
Gloria Caulfield, executive director of the Lake Nona Institute and co-founder of the three-day, invitation-only forum, addresses a room full of people whom she describes as “the best thinkers and innovators in health, wellness and performance.”
GROWINGBOLDERMAGAZINE.COM
G R O W I N G B O L D E R 13
SPECIAL REPORT: THE LAKE NONA IMPACT FORUM
When great minds collaborate, anything can happen. Sanjay Gupta, associate chief of neurosurgery at Grady Memorial Hospital in Atlanta, assistant professor of neurosurgery at the Emory University School of Medicine, and chief medical correspondent for CNN; Nerio Allesandri, founder and president of Technogym, an international manufacturer of fitness equipment; and Frans Johansson, founder and CEO of The Medici Group and author of The Medici Effect, flank Caulfield, who curates the forum’s eclectic slate of high-powered attendees.
“The Intersection,” a place where ideas and concepts from diverse industries, cultures, departments and disciplines collide, igniting an explosion of ideas and leading to extraordinary innovations. It’s a concept that’s gaining ground among corporate thought leaders who believe that to compete — and to lead — in this technology driven and rapidly evolving world, they can no longer grow their companies only from the inside out. They must grow them from the outside in. In theory, it’s a great idea. But identifying, attracting and properly preparing the right people for the unique experience that is the Lake Nona Impact Forum is more art than science. “We curate the audience as carefully as we do the speakers,” says Caulfield. “The goal is to put the right people in the room and surround them with whatever will facilitate the free exchange of ideas. If we can help them stretch outside the walls of their 14 G R O W I N G B O L D E R
own institutions, then we’re providing a valuable experience.” Caulfield works hard to create a safe environment for guests to relax, share ideas and examine unusual partnerships without fear. “The result is a great deal of interaction that advances innovative and sometimes transformative ideas,” she says. Johannson himself attended the forum for the first time this year and was understandably excited to see the Medici Effect come to life in such a thoughtful and powerful way. “I feel very proud,” he says. “There’s something rewarding about seeing your ideas converted into a physical reality. Lake Nona has assembled a group of people that are not only in the game; they’re capable of changing the game. These are people that can go from idea to action pretty quickly.” It’s not an accident that most in attendance share a desire to collaborate, a belief in strategic risk-taking and an appetite for MAY/JUNE 2017
“We curate the audience as carefully as we do the speakers. The goal is to put the right people in the room and surround them with whatever will facilitate the free exchange of ideas. If we can help them stretch outside the walls of their own institutions, then we’re providing a valuable experience.” — Gloria Caulfield, executive director, Lake Nona Institute
action. “The forum brings together a group of ‘batteries-included’ people,” notes Howard Krein, M.D., chief medical officer of StartUp Health, a global organization with the world’s largest portfolio of digital health companies. “They’re decision makers who are leaning in and looking to make an impact,” adds Krein. “When you gather the right people and get them focused on the right challenges, that’s when progress occurs. And that’s what the Lake Nona Impact Forum is all about.” The forum’s main sponsor is Johnson & Johnson, the world’s largest healthcare company, with more than 250 subsidiaries operating in more than 60 countries in three major business divisions: consumer healthcare products, medical devices and pharmaceutical products. Sandi Peterson, Johnson & Johnson’s group worldwide chairman, is one of many company executives in attendance. “The Lake Nona Impact Forum is unique because it’s not the usual conversation about how are we going to fight a particular disease,” she says. “It’s about looking at the whole person, and figuring out how to make and keep the whole person well. We have to be in the business of well care, not sick care. We see this as a huge opportunity to improve lives.” Peterson says that a company as large and diversified as Johnson & Johnson, has “a unique ability to partner with others and lead this massive transformation that will make everybody healthier.” Johnson & Johnson, like all major companies in the healthcare sector, is now in the technology business. While there seems to be universal agreement that the healthcare system needs a major overhaul, and that technology will inform the future, there’s not a consensus on how that future will be realized. “It’s interesting to be among a group of people who don’t necessarily see things eye to eye, and who are comfortable enough to share dissenting opinions, because that’s how we make advances,” says Marc Leibowitz, Johnson & Johnson’s new global head of digital and connected health. Leibowitz was formerly head of corporate development for Dropbox, and prior to that was among the early employees at Google. His hiring is a sure sign that more technology partnerships are in Johnson & Johnson’s future. “We sit in an interesting position within the healthcare system,” Leibowitz says. “We interact with individuals and their providers at many different touch points. We can bring a holistic, integrated perspective to solving big-population-level healthcare problems. And many of the solutions will be technology driven.” GROWINGBOLDERMAGAZINE.COM
Leibowitz notes that people now expect instant access to services and information. The same will be true of healthcare, he adds. “Those within the healthcare ecosystem who figure out how to accommodate these expectations are ultimately going to be the most successful,” he says. “Those who don’t are going to find that it’s harder and harder to survive.” While healthcare has become a highly charged partisan political issue, there are no politics being played at the Lake Nona Impact Forum. Five U.S. surgeons general, serving four different administrations, attended the forum, including Richard Carmona, M.D., who was appointed by President George W. Bush in 2002. “This is inspiring because, unlike government, where you’re trying to move these things in a contentious and partisan environment, there’s no partisanship here,” says Carmona. “Nobody knows what party you belong to, nobody knows what your politics are or what your religion is — and nobody really cares.” Mark McClellan, M.D., director of the Duke-Margolis Center for Health Policy at Duke University, agrees that the forum provides a platform for problem solving. “We’re in a very challenging time,” McClellan notes. “Perhaps no time has been more challenging in terms of controversy surrounding health policy. It’s a huge national challenge. It’s a macro-economic challenge. But I’m optimistic that we’re going to be able to take steps, as a result of ideas discussed in this forum, that will help us succeed.” Richard Migliori, executive vice president and chief medical officer of UnitedHealth Group, says the impact of the forum is incalculable as attendees pick up new ideas and implement them through their own companies or through new partnerships with other companies. “When you start building the right kind of relationships, meaningful work results,” Migliori says. “I can already see how my organization can engage in some remarkable collaborations. This has been a heck of a catalytic event.” Of course, most innovative ideas need to be nurtured, tested and refined. And that’s the other goal of the Lake Nona Impact Forum — to expose these game-changing innovators not just to the forum but to Lake Nona itself, a unique community built from the ground up as a living laboratory. “We want to bring these great minds together to create projects that can be planted right here in Lake Nona,” says Caulfield. “We want to pioneer and pilot projects that ultimately might have a much broader application outside of this ecosystem.” G R O W I N G B O L D E R 15
SPECIAL REPORT: THE LAKE NONA IMPACT FORUM
Lake Nona is a 17-square-mile, master-planned community built from the ground up with a commitment to the health of its residents. It’s an intergenerational, family friendly ecosystem with 40 percent green space, parks on every corner, pools in every neighborhood and more than 44 miles of trails.
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SPECIAL REPORT: THE LAKE NONA IMPACT FORUM
Lake Nona is developing a burgeoning Sports & Performance District that’s anchored by the largest tennis facility in the world, the 100-court United States Tennis Association (USTA) National Campus.
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ake Nona is, in a word, unique. A 17-square-mile masterplanned community in Southeast Orlando, it was built from the ground up with a commitment to the health of its residents. It’s an intergenerational, family friendly ecosystem with 40 percent green space, parks on every corner, pools in every neighborhood and more than 44 miles of trails. Lake Nona is home to more than 2,000 residents and 5,000 workers in its 650-acre Medical City, a world-renowned life sciences cluster that includes Nemours Children’s Hospital, the Orlando VA Medical Center and National Simulation Training Center, the University of Central Florida College of Medicine and Health Sciences campus, the GuideWell Innovation Center, the Johnson & Johnson Human Performance Institute, the University of Florida Research & Academic Center and more. One of the most technologically advanced communities in the U.S., Lake Nona has a groundbreaking gigabit fiber-optic pipeline that supports the needs of some of the world’s top tech companies and enables the nearly frictionless, personalized delivery of educational and motivational health and wellness content to its residents. Lake Nona is developing a robust Sports & Performance District that’s anchored by the largest tennis facility in the world, the 100-court United States Tennis Association (USTA) National Campus. It’s also home to training facilities for Major League Soccer’s Orlando City Soccer Club. The team’s 23-acre campus encompasses six practice fields, training and fitness centers, film and meeting rooms, a players’ clubhouse and an injury prevention and rehab center.
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Daily life in Lake Nona increasingly revolves around a 3.8 millionsquare-foot lifestyle and entertainment Town Center that includes world-class retail outlets, office space, restaurants, hotels and more. Lake Nona isn’t just a great place to live — it’s also a healthy place to live. It’s a “living lab,” and the focus of the Lake Nona Life Project, a multigenerational longitudinal study by Johnson & Johnson Health and Wellness Solutions and the Lake Nona Institute. “I’m intrigued by the idea of putting your money where your mouth is, and by trying to live the values that you’re exploring and espousing,” says Clifton Leaf, editor-in-chief of Fortune magazine. “This is a great experiment.” The Lake Nona Life Project is designed to discover, develop and share the factors that lead to better health in communities. It has been called “a modern day Framingham,” a reference to the landmark Framingham Study that began in Framingham, Massachusetts, in 1948. That study is now on its third generation of participants, identifying risk factors that contribute to cardiovascular disease. “This notion of the next version of the Framingham Study is amazing,” says Linda Avey, a consumer genomics pioneer who cofounded 23andMe and Curious Inc. “The Lake Nona Life Project is going to take that model to the next level. I can’t wait to see what comes out of it.” Participation in the study is voluntary, but the potential benefits are nothing short of a longer, healthier and happier life. The study evaluates the overall health and wellness of participants, focusing on the links between sleep, nutrition, exercise, social engagement MAY/JUNE 2017
Lake Nona’s Laureate Park neighborhood, in which the streets are named for Nobel Laureates, boasts community gardens (above) and plenty of space for exercise and recreation, such as Crescent Park (below). Lake Nona in its entirety is the focus of the Lake Nona Life Project, a multigenerational longitudinal health and wellness study by Johnson & Johnson Health and Wellness Solutions and the Lake Nona Institute.
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SPECIAL REPORT: THE LAKE NONA IMPACT FORUM
Parking garages usually aren’t accorded too much attention. But at Lake Nona, the structure is highlighted by a 60-foot-high sculptural-steel art installation. The Beacon is wrapped with high-definition video projections that bring it to life at night. Its design was inspired by early stethoscopes. The garage’s facade, dubbed The Code Wall, is perforated with the 0’s and 1’s of binary code and adorned with choreographed LED lights and glass panels that reflect sunlight.
and more on health, longevity and quality of life. It’s the ultimate win-win for companies interested in healthcare and wellbeing, and for residents who gain access to unique opportunities and resources — such as a recent meditation session led by Deepak Chopra. “Wellness as the center of a community is, I think, a revolutionary idea,” says noted financial expert Jean Chatzky. “Look at the trends going forward: the aging population, the escalation of healthcare costs and the fact that chronic conditions are eating up such a big share of our healthcare spending. Focusing on keeping people well rather than caring for them when they’re sick is exactly what has to happen.” Is there another community like Lake Nona in the world? Gloria Caulfield, executive director of the Lake Nona Institute, doesn’t think so. “We’re actively pursuing multidimensional health and wellbeing with best-in-class partners,” she says. “We have an advanced technology infrastructure and the benefits and innovation capabilities of Medical City. Plus, there’s the programming that we offer to residents. All of these factors combine to create a community that we believe is unlike any other.” 20 G R O W I N G B O L D E R
Chopra, an internationally renowned pioneer in mind-body healing, agrees. “Lake Nona is a fascinating community of very talented, diverse people,” he says. “It’s an ecosystem that can help us create a better world.” In a very real way, the solutions to many of the world’s healthcare problems are being imagined at the Lake Nona Impact Forum and then implemented in the community of Lake Nona. What works here will be exported to other communities worldwide, making Lake Nona ground zero in the quest for healthy longevity. “The whole idea of living longer is to also live well through all that time; to be active, engaged and healthy,” says Ellen Strahlman, M.D., executive vice president for research and development and chief medical officer of Becton, Dickinson and Company. “The Lake Nona community has created an environment where that happens. And I’m really intrigued about how we can scale that opportunity so that anyone living anywhere can take advantage of what’s being learned here.” Adds David Satcher, M.D. a former U.S. surgeon general: “It’s an amazing experiment that can potentially make a bigger difference in our health than all of the money that we spend treating people after they get sick.” MAY/JUNE 2017
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“I think most people are dissatisfied with the government’s ability to change things in our lives,” says Clifton Leaf, editor-in-chief of Fortune magazine. “And I think they’re also dissatisfied with the pace of change that we see from nonprofit and non-governmental organizations.” That, Leaf says, is why “big businesses are now the vehicles for changing the world.” GROWINGBOLDERMAGAZINE.COM
ost global thought leaders at the Lake Nona Impact Forum agree that the engine of innovation is no longer powered by the government. “I think most people are dissatisfied with the government’s ability to change things in our lives,” says Clifton Leaf, editor-in-chief of Fortune magazine. “And I think they’re also dissatisfied with the pace of change that we see from nonprofit and non-governmental organizations.” What’s really needed, Leaf says, are solutions that are scalable, sustainable in a business sense — and that return an investment to shareholders. “There are very few enterprises outside of big business that can offer that scale in sustainability,” he adds. “Big businesses are now the vehicles for changing the world.” Multiple research studies confirm that companies with more diverse workforces perform better financially. Research from the global management consulting firm McKinsey & Company shows that gender-diverse companies are 15 percent more likely to outperform their peers, and ethnically diverse companies are 35 percent more likely to do so. Frans Johansson, founder and CEO of The Medici Group, says large corporations have become the new progressives when it comes to diversity and inclusion. “They’re driving this issue far more than governments are, because corporations know that if they want to be exceptionally competitive, if they want to innovate, they have to get talent from everywhere,” he says. Corporations, Johansson adds, are beginning to understand that diversity and inclusion are the paths to future prosperity. Another trend that’s obvious from the panels, presentations and breakout sessions at the forum is that many big businesses are beginning to think and operate with the spirit of a social enterprise. “Big business is becoming very focused on this mission of changing the world,” says Leaf. “Our readers are increasingly interested in companies that are redefining their business models to do good while they’re doing well. To be able to effect positive social change while returning profit to your shareholders is the positive double whammy.” G R O W I N G B O L D E R 21
SPECIAL REPORT: THE LAKE NONA IMPACT FORUM
Deepak Chopra recently led a guided meditation session in Crescent Park. Lake Nona residents will have access to Chopra’s latest creation, JIYO, an app that he calls “a personal wellbeing companion.”
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Chopra has been named one of the Top 100 Heroes and Icons of the Century by Time magazine, while the Huffington Post has dubbed him the World’s Most Influential Thinker in Medicine. Lake Nona residents will receive a custom, hyper-local version of JIYO (right), Chopra’s new app.
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lobal transformation is a big job, and Deepak Chopra believes he’s up to the challenge. Chopra, a medical doctor and a pioneer in personal transformation and mind-body healing, has a personal goal of reaching a billion people and helping them change their lives. “It all starts with the individual,” says Chopra.“There cannot be global transformation in the absence of personal transformation. You cannot create peace unless you are peaceful yourself. You cannot talk about love if you haven’t experienced love. What it will take is love in action, because love without action is meaningless — and action without love is irrelevant.” Chopra may well have the media platform to effect change on a global scale. Time magazine dubbed him one of the Top 100 Heroes and Icons of the Century, while the Huffington Post has dubbed him the World’s Most Influential Thinker in Medicine. He’s a New York Times bestselling author of more than 85 books, which have been translated into more than 43 languages. He has millions of social media followers worldwide. The latest addition to Chopra’s growing media platform, and the one that he believes will ultimately help him achieve his goal of reaching a billion people, is JIYO, an app that he calls “a personal wellbeing companion.” A digital platform designed to improve health and wellbeing by tracking a user’s behavior and offering insights and suggestions from a team of experts, JIYO focuses on meditation and the five pillars of wellbeing: personal growth, exercise, nutrition, sleep and relationships. JIYO will combine analytics tools with tips, articles and videos to help users make daily improvements in health and wellness through the socially connected app. “Wellbeing is the No. 1 trend in the world, and JIYO is the Internet of wellbeing,” Chopra says. Digital technology now allows direct, frictionless, personal and customized connections with users — and Chopra is a big fan. “Technology is the latest adventure in human consciousness and it’s here to stay,” he says. “If you don’t adapt to it, if you don’t lead it, you’re going to be irrelevant.” At the Lake Nona Impact Forum, Chopra announced that Lake Nona will become only the second community — Aspen, Colorado, was the GROWINGBOLDERMAGAZINE.COM
first — to have a customized, hyper-local version of the JIYO platform. Lake Nona residents will receive local content, and will be able to connect with local health events, local experts and other local residents — all while receiving valuable insights and analytics on their lifestyle. “We have the technology to not only bring users great content, but to also measure wellbeing and correlate it with the quality of life,” Chopra says. “We can identify the best products and services nearby, and create groups in both physical locations and in cyberspace. We can effect change on the community level as never before.” To celebrate the upcoming launch of the special Lake Nona version of JIYO, Chopra led a free guided meditation session for local residents. A crowd of more than 400 rolled out their yoga mats on the lawn in Crescent Park to center their minds and bodies while enjoying one of the many wellness-focused social events unique to Lake Nona. Chopra subscribes to the notion that community heath is the future of healthcare — and the true agent of transformation. “Wellbeing is influenced by everything that happens in society, especially within a community,” he says. “Traffic accidents, hospital admissions, crime rates, social unrest, quality of leadership, schools, parks, recreational opportunities, social engagement and much more all impact wellbeing.” Lake Nona, he adds, is a model for community wellness, and the perfect place to localize and incorporate the many benefits of the JIYO platform. “It becomes a valuable add-on to what they’re already doing in terms of building a unique community of wellbeing,” Chopra says. Gloria Caulfield, executive director of the Lake Nona Institute, agrees. “Lake Nona has created a really unique environment for companies looking to innovate in the healthcare and wellbeing arenas,” she says. “That provides our residents with unprecedented opportunities and access to unique events, studies and platforms like JIYO.” Caulfield says that Lake Nona is a place “where residents have every opportunity to be their best selves, and to perform at their highest levels — and Lake Nona’s JIYO platform will provide our community with another amazing tool to accomplish that.” G R O W I N G B O L D E R 23
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Margaret Trudeau, the former First Lady of Canada and now a mental health advocate, was eager to share her story at the Lake Nona Impact Forum. “No matter how smart you are, how educated you are, or what a wonderful family you come from, you can’t get yourself out of a mental illness,” she notes. “You can’t fix yourself. I tried for years, and it doesn’t work. It’s imperative that you reach out for help.”
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he statistics are frightening and the results are devastating. One in five U.S. adults (40 million Americans) has a serious mental health condition — and 56 percent receive no treatment. Despite the magnitude and severity of the problem, very little progress has been made in combatting mental health disorders over the past 75 years, and few want to even talk about them. “There are a handful of topics that almost never get discussed at forums,” says CNN Medical Director Sanjay Gupta, M.D. “And mental health is one of the big ones. It’s stigmatized both inside and outside of healthcare, which is a big reason we haven’t made any real progress scientifically, clinically or culturally.” The Lake Nona Impact Forum is a notable exception. Lake Nona not only embraces but facilitates the open discussion of mental health, and invited a panel of well-known scientists, medical experts and advocates to share personal stories and question the lack of real progress. “It’s a worthy, introspective discussion that frankly teaches everybody in the room something,” says Gupta. Margaret Trudeau, the former First Lady of Canada and now a mental health advocate, was eager to join the discussion and share her story. “I’ve suffered from bipolar disorder for most of my adult life,” she says. “I was diagnosed more than 40 years ago, and spent decades walking down the dark side of the street.” Trudeau says modern technology is finally helping to overcome the stigma of mental illness. “The revolution in mental health began when we could actually look at scans of brain activity, and clearly see the chemical and hormonal changes that are interrupting our ability to be healthy,” she notes.
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Trudeau has learned that when she changes the conversation from mental health to brain health, people quickly understand — and compassion replaces skepticism. “We just didn’t understand that our brains can dysfunction just like every other organ in our body,” she says. “We can see it now, whereas before it was all conjecture.” Without help, the result of mental illness is increasingly suicide or incarceration. Suicide has surged in the past 15 years, according to a recent study by the National Center for Health Statistics. The rise is especially steep among adults aged 45 to 64, where suicide rates are up 63 percent for women and up 43 percent for men, indicating deepening anguish in a group whose suicide rates had been stable or falling since the 1950s. When mental illness doesn’t lead to suicide, it increasingly leads to time behind bars. The largest public mental health facilities in the U.S. are not treatment centers — they’re jails and prisons. More than 2.2 million people in the U.S. are behind bars, and nearly 400,000 of them have schizophrenia, bipolar disorder or a major depressive disorder. “We can’t isolate and hide those who need our help,” says Trudeau. “The results are almost always tragic. We wouldn’t ignore someone with another physical disease. That’s the worst thing for someone suffering from mental illness. But we often find ourselves on the outside, and the object of fear and suspicion.” Trudeau says accepting the fact that you can’t save yourself from mental illness is a matter of life or death. “No matter how smart you are, how educated you are, or what a wonderful family you come from, you can’t get yourself out of a mental illness,” she notes. “You can’t fix yourself. I tried for years, and it doesn’t work. It’s imperative that you reach out for help.”
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Says futurist Ray Kurzweil: “We’ll profoundly transform healthcare, medicine and many other fields within a decade because advances in information technology, the agent of this transformation, are exponential.”
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Mark McClellan, M.D., professor of business, medicine and health policy and director of the Duke-Margolis Center for Health Policy at Duke University; and Jean Chatzky, financial editor for NBC’s Today Show and a best-selling author, discussed the future of healthcare from technological and financial perspectives. Both are crucial, not only in helping you to live longer, but in making certain that you’re able to enjoy those extra years.
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ore than 10,000 of us are turning 65 every day — and this is the greatest time in the history of humankind to achieve that milestone. For the first time ever, there’s the prospect of a new life stage that promises three or even four decades of active life beyond normal retirement age. These are, in many ways, “bonus decades,” filled not with the disease, disability and morbidity of previous generations, but with passion, purpose and possibility. The catch is, these extra years aren’t guaranteed to anyone. They’re enabled by recent revolutions in technology, major advances in healthcare and medicine, and primarily, by personal lifestyle choices that we all make on a daily basis. “Life will be very different 10 years from now,” says renowned inventor, author and visionary futurist Ray Kurzweil. “We now have a trickle of applications from biotechnology that’s about to become a flood.” Doctors can now fix a damaged heart after a heart attack, he notes. Soon, though, medical science will be able to grow organs with a patient’s own DNA and to even print 3D body parts. Says Kurzweil: “We’ll profoundly transform healthcare, medicine and many other fields within a decade because advances in information technology, the agent of this transformation, are exponential.” These new technologies will facilitate a rapid expansion in personalized treatments that will help better manage diseases and, in many cases, intercept them. Those who are at risk can be identified, and can then take steps to reduce those risk factors. “You can increasingly expect to not die from cancer, to not die from heart disease and maybe, not too far in the distant future, to be able to prevent neurodegenerative diseases that might otherwise compromise your quality of life at older ages,” says Mark McClellan, M.D., professor of business, medicine and health policy and director of the Duke-Margolis Center for Health Policy at Duke University. But new technologies have a history of increasing healthcare costs — and there’s little reason to believe that trend will change. “It’s important to keep in mind that these advances are not going to be free,” says McClellan. Such innovations are likely to add to what financial planners now call longevity risk — the very real and growing threat of outliving one’s financial resources.
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“The whole idea of retiring at 65 is a notion that belongs to the previous generation,” says Clifton Leaf, editor-in-chief at Fortune magazine. “That’s just simply not going to happen. Even if you wanted to stop working, you wouldn’t have enough savings to live on for as long as you’re likely to live.” The one thing we can all do to help protect our financial future is to improve our overall health and wellbeing. In fact, improving our health is the single most important investment we can make, says Jean Chatzky, financial editor for NBC’s Today Show and a best-selling author. “I’m very interested in the intersection between health and wealth, because it’s become clear to me that you really can’t have one without the other anymore,” she says. “The biggest fear that people have when it comes to their finances is that they’re going to run out of money before they run out of time. And just like many people aren’t doing the right things to take care of their health, they’re also not doing the right things to take care of their finances.” The good news, Chatzky says, is that it’s possible, no matter where you’re starting, to improve both your health and your wealth with just a little effort. The same strategies work for both, she adds — it just takes planning and discipline. The No. 1 investment that you can make — the one that will provide the greatest returns in the form of significantly reducing your further healthcare costs — is simple lifestyle modification. Richard Carmona, M.D., a former U.S. surgeon general, puts it this way: “The prescription is very simple. It’s what your mother and your grandmother told you. Go out and play, eat your greens, get plenty of rest and take care of one another. The message back then was really visceral, because they didn’t understand the science or the genetics. What we’re doing now is using science to prove that what Grandma told us was absolutely correct.” All agree that the goal is not simply a longer life, but a higher quality of life for as long as possible. With personal lifestyle modification, community wellness programs, and proper life and financial planning, longevity can be transformed from one of life’s greatest fears to one of life’s greatest blessings. “The future of health in this country is going to decreasingly be about what happens in medical offices and hospitals, important as those are, and increasingly about things that happen at home,” says McClellan. G R O W I N G B O L D E R 27
BOLDER COMMUNITIES The under-construction Center for Health & Wellbeing will make Winter Park, Florida, a national center for new approaches to wellness.
A NEW PARADIGM Community Comes Together to Focus on Health and Wellbeing. BY JACKIE CARLIN
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s you’ve seen throughout the rest of this issue, we’re at the dawn of an exciting new era of healthy communities. All across the country, neighborhoods are buzzing with new ideas that will forever transform not only the way we view health and wellness, but also how it’s incorporated into our daily lives. Hospitals are focused on prevention rather than illness. Fitness centers are embracing new classes and methods for helping people — from early childhood through late adulthood — get into shape and stay in shape. Community organizations and nonprofits are on the front lines of providing care, education, support and inspiration to residents — including an ever-increasing population of people looking for new ways to age with vitality. Few if any facilities in the country combine all these threads into one strong com28 G R O W I N G B O L D E R
munity support system. Nevertheless, that’s precisely the goal of the forthcoming Center for Health & Wellbeing in Winter Park, Florida. Growing Bolder is proud to partner with the Winter Park Health Foundation, one of the nation’s leaders in supporting health-related initiatives, to celebrate the many ways this center will enhance and change lives. “We’re bringing together the concept of wellness, fitness and medicine in a way that’s never been done before,” says Winter Park Health Foundation CEO Patty Maddox. “We’re building this wonderful home where people of all ages can be in a supportive place to really explore and truly become the best person that he or she can be. This is going to be a community jewel.” When completed in late 2018, the nearly 80,000-square-foot, state-of-the-art center will incorporate medical services from Florida Hospital, fitness programs from the
Peggy & Philip B. Crosby Wellness Center YMCA, and a coalition of educational classes and wellness resources from the foundation and community partners. It will also feature seven unique garden areas, designed to heal the spirit and provide visitors with opportunities to engage with nature — including outdoor yoga classes and sounds and colors to stimulate the senses. “We need to have a wellbeing movement, and that requires the entire community coming together,” says Florida Hospital President/ CEO Daryl Tol. “Frankly, most of us don’t think about feeling whole enough in our daily lives — we wait until we’re in trouble.” Feeling whole, Tol says, requires social connections, physical health and a large number of other factors. “All of that is being developed in this project,” he adds. “You can’t force people to be well, but something like this, with its resources and beautiful environment, pulls you in — and that’s what I love about it.” The Winter Park Health Foundation reached out to renowned architect Turan Duda of Duda|Paine Architects in Durham, North Carolina, to help achieve its vision of a center dedicated to leading a revolution in health and wellbeing. “This has never been done before,” Duda says. “It’s a whole new paradigm. It’s going to be the first in the country. It’s going to be the cutting edge of where health and wellness is going.” Duda says that one of the things he found most appealing about the project is that it shows a sense of community optimism. “This project is a very optimistic viewpoint of not just embracing the past but of raising the future,” he adds. “This is pretty forward thinking. And it’s a tribute not just to the Winter Park Health Foundation but to the entire community. We had multiple reviews with city planning agencies — and at every one of those meetings, the audience would be full of people who support this project. I can’t tell you how much that puts wind to your back, and makes you feel that much more energized.”
GB EXTRA Visit GrowingBolderMagazine.com to learn more about the forthcoming Center for Health & Wellbeing, including our coverage of the groundbreaking for this revolutionary center of discovery.
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BOLDER EXPERTS
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®
HOPE ISN’T A PLAN How GreatTRANSITIONS® Can Help.
BY PAUL HENDERSON
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f you’re in your early 60s and you haven’t yet created a document outlining how and where you’d like to live in the coming years, you’re putting your own future at risk. I understand that it isn’t a task anyone is anxious to do — but writing a plan can provide peace of mind, not just for you but for your family as well. It happened to my very own father. When he started showing signs of dementia, my wife and I asked him where he would like to
live if his disease progressed. He told us to figure it out on our own. He had no idea how much of a burden he was dropping upon us. Even though both my wife and I have over 20 years of meaningful experience as Senior Real Estate Specialists, there was so much to learn. The biggest lesson: Hope is never a plan. Yet, we learned that most people have no plan — and are completely unready for the next step in their housing needs. Without a plan, you lose all control. You could be putting your fate into the hands of an uninformed family member or possibly a total stranger. The way to maintain control of your future is to develop a written strategy — created on your own terms. Here are some questions to consider: n Are you able to do lawn work and exterior maintenance? n Is your current home hindering you, financially or otherwise, from leisure activities or traveling? n Are there areas of your home you no longer use? If you answered yes to any of these questions, please look for our next article on housing options for active seniors. Visit www. Great-Transitions.com for more information. Paul Henderson and his wife, Lyn, both hold the SRES® certification and are the founders of GreatTRANSITIONS®. The Hendersons developed this concept by using their more than 30 years of personal and professional experiences. The program is designed to help people transition to the next place they call home. For more information and to hear their radio spots, please visit www.Great-Transitions.com.
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G R O W I N G B O L D E R 29
THE TAKEAWAY
DEEPAK CHOPRA W
Four Daily Intentions That Can Transform the World.
e now know that human aging is entirely flexible. Our chronological age does not have to match our biological age. We know with certainty that the biological markers of aging can be slowed and even reversed to a large extent. I believe that slowing our biological clock is going to be the next great frontier in wellbeing. When we combine contemplative practice, proper nourishment, regular exercise and mind-body coordination, we can reverse biological age by at least 20 to 30 years, in my opinion. The result is that aging now provides the opportunity to grow wiser and to continue to evolve while maintaining the biology of youth. Everyone should start their day with at least four clear intentions: a joyful energetic body, a loving compassionate heart, a re-
flective alert mind and a lightness of being. These four intentions will influence how you think, how you behave and all of the choices that you make throughout the day. These daily choices should always include getting plenty of sleep, getting some exercise, making sure that your food is nourishing and not toxic, and practicing some form of mind-body technique — such as yoga, breathing exercises or meditation to help manage stress. As a human species it’s our great privilege to be self-aware and to actually participate in the creation of our reality. It’s through this conscious participation that we can help create a more peaceful, just, sustainable, healthier, joyful and happier world. It’s our obligation to do so for ourselves, our children and for our grandchildren — and it starts with these four daily intentions.
Everyone should start their day with at least four clear
intentions: a joyful energetic
body, a loving compassionate heart, a reflective alert mind
Editor’s Note: Deepak Chopra, M.D., FACP, is founder of The Chopra Foundation and co-founder of The Chopra Center for Wellbeing. Chopra is a world-renowned pioneer in integrative medicine and personal transformation, and is board certified in internal medicine, endocrinology and metabolism. He is a Fellow of the American College of Physicians, a member of the American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists and clinical professor in the Department of Family Medicine and Public Health at the University of California, San Diego, Health Sciences.
30 G R O W I N G B O L D E R
GB EXTRA Visit GrowingBolderMagazine. com to listen to our Growing Bolder Radio conversation with Chopra and to learn more about his revolutionary new wellness app, JIYO.
MAY/JUNE 2017
PHOTO COURTESY OF DEEPAK CHOPRA
and a lightness of being.
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