Maryland Senior Living: Spring 2011

serving the baltimore metropolitan area • spring 2011

THE INTERNET

A Beginner’s Guide for Older Adults PAGE 12

7 Symptoms You Should Never Ignore PAGE 6

Retire Smart PAGE 8

Identity thieves target Medicare recipients...again PAGE 20

TONE IT UP

6 ways to avoid saggy skin PAGE 26

SPRING 2011 • MDSENIORLIVING.COM

LETTER FROM THE PUBLISHER

Dear Reader, Over the last six months, we have been running our “Win a Kindle” contest. The response has been tremendous, and we are very pleased to announce that we have selected a winner! And the winner’s name is...posted on www.mdseniorliving.com! Yes, you heard correctly—after months of development, we are excited to unveil the Maryland Senior Living (MSL) web site! To see if you are the proud winner of an Amazon Kindle, please visit our new web site, www.mdseniorliving.com!

Since the launch of the magazine almost a year ago, we have tried to create a niche in the boomer community. We didn’t just want to simply become another guide or newspaper—we wanted to develop an outlet that spoke to the growing boomer population in Maryland. Across the state, more than 1.5 million baby boomers just like you are now starting to retire and live life to the fullest. We have so much to offer each other. With a simple exchange of information, we now have the ability to share our thoughts our ideas and experiences for others to learn from.

Our vision for www.mdseniorliving.com is to help create

an online community exclusively for Maryland Seniors.

We have been working with both County and State agencies to pull their most important resources and post them to our new web site. We have asked experts who live and work in Maryland to write articles that pertain to you. We have been working with our advertisers to give you the best local businesses that cater to you. We have created a calendar that will feature local events of interest to you. But most importantly, we designed a website that you can be a part of.

Every aspect of the web site will allow you to interact with us and other seniors. Read an article that you find interesting, and share your feedback instantly. Want to send an event listing to your friends? New social media features allow you to share information with a single click. We even have an option for you to save your favorite restaurants or local businesses, and share your lists with others like you.

MSL is growing every day, and we want to serve you as best we can. Tell us what else can we do to unite seniors all across Maryland and to create a destination for your daily life.

I can be reached anytime at gabe@mdseniorliving.com.

Sincerely Gabe P.S. Be sure to “Like” us on Facebook! Search for “Maryland Senior Living.”

Maryland Senior Living • 1498 Reisterstown Rd. #197 • Pikesville, MD 21208 • office 410.878.2212 • fax 410.864.8908 • mdseniorliving.com

MARYL AND SENIOR LIVING •SPRING 2011

CONTENTS TECHNOLOGY 12

FINANCE 20

Identity thieves target Medicare recipients—again

A Beginner’s Guide to the Internet for Older Adults Bruce Emmerling is an IT consultant who is interested in how people interact with computers. Currently he is working on a master’s degree in Human Centered Computing at the University of Maryland Baltimore County. As part of his graduate work, he has studied how older adults work with computers and the web.

BOOK REVIEW 28

Gratitude = Health + Longevity so says science Dr. Robert Wilkes is a former social work administrator for the Child Development Center, Dept. of Pediatrics, at Coney Island Hospital in Brooklyn, NY, from 1973 to 2001. Since 1990, he has been an adjunct professor of sociology at Kingsborough Community College (CUNY) in Brooklyn, NY.

FINANCE 8

Retire Smart

Pre-Existing Conditions? Health Insurance Options Improving This Year

ENTERTAINMENT 2

MOVIES FOR GROWNUPS

publisher Gabe Silverberg sales coordinator Devora Hawkins creative director Austin Hamby creative consultants Neil Cotterill Emily Hauver contact 1498 Reisterstown Rd. #197 Pikesville, MD 21208-3842 info@mdseniorliving.com www.mdseniorliving.com phone 410.878.2212 fax 410.864.8908

ALSO

HEALTH

Helping a friend who has a serious illness 4 7 Symptoms You Should Never Ignore 6 Tone it up: 6 ways to avoid saggy skin 26

LIFESTYLE

Never Give Up 18 Senior Centers are Evolving 22 FOOD

Wolfgang Puck’s Kitchen Angel Hair Pasta with Smoked Salmon and Golden Caviar 24

Copyright 2011 by Maryland Senior Living LLC. All rights reserved. Maryland Senior Living is published 4 times a year. Ad rates are available by request. The publisher cannot guarantee the

accuracy of information in this publication. π All real estate advertising herein is subject to the Federal Fair Housing Act which makes it illegal to advertise any preference, limitation, or discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, handicap, familial status, or national origin, or intention to make any such preferences, limitation, or discrimination. We will not knowingly accept any advertising for real estate that is in violation of the law. All persons are hereby informed that all dwellings advertised are available on an equal opportunity basis.

ENTERTAINMENT 2

MOVIES FOR GROWNUPS by bill newcott,

Entertainment Editor, AARP The Magazine

T

alk about climate change—when AARP The Magazine handed out its first Movies for Grownups Awards 10 years ago, Hollywood had turned such a cold shoulder to actors, actresses and filmmakers 50 and over the editors could barely fill out their award categories There's definitely a warming trend: For the 10th anniversary of our awards, AARP has been able to expand the number of categories to recognize both starring and supporting roles. What's more, two of the year's biggest hits, "RED" and "The Expendables," featured 50-plus stars in butt-kicking action flicks.

As an Oscars warm-up, try putting together your own film festival from this list of the past decade's Movies for Grownups winners. Each film, available on DVD and on-demand, uniquely engages and challenges the grownup audience:

Lantana 2001 Before he adopted a who-youtryin’-to-kid Noo Yawk accent for his TV series “Without a Trace,” Aussie star “Anthony LaPaglia” was compelling as a philandering middle-aged cop who becomes hopelessly enmeshed in a tangle of deceit involving his mistress (Rachel Blake), his suspicious wife’s therapist (Barbara Hershey) and the shrink’s cold-asa-cod hubby (Geoffrey Rush).

Kerry Armstrong is heartbreaking as his lonely, rejected spouse. It’s a captivating film that captures its characters precisely at life’s midpoint, a moment when they are making the choices—wise and hideous—that will define and haunt them for the rest of their lives.

About Schmidt 2002

Could this be Jack Nicholson’s last great role? Thanks in no small part to Jack’s bravely understated performance, Alexander Payne’s tightly focused story about a newly retired, just-widowed insurance executive who leaves his Omaha home in search of himself remains among the most perceptive, honest comedies ever made about life beyond 50. Nicholson is painfully fun to watch…and as the free-spirited gal who jumps naked into a hot tub with him, Kathy Bates is simply a hoot.

Mystic River 2003 I often feel compelled to point out that Grownup Movies don’t always have to be depressing… but then again, only a masochist would give feel-good props to Clint Eastwood’s emotionally scorching story of three childhood friends (Sean Penn, Tim Robbins and Kevin Bacon) and the scars they carry their entire lives. Clint propels the action with his trademark no-nonsense style, and screenwriter Brian Helgeland’s vertigo-inducing plot twists keep us too engrossed to follow our instincts and look away.

Ray 2004 Taylor Hackford’s rambling biography of Ray Charles is beautiful (in its evocation of one man’s passion for living) and ugly (in its unblinking look at that same man’s selfishness and selfdestruction). In other words, it’s a lot like life. In tracing Charles’ astronomical and subterranean extremes, and aided by Jamie Foxx’s astonishing impersonation, Ray invites us to trace our own lifelong topographies.

to advertise call 410.878.2212

Capote 2005 By night—and by that I mean by 1960s late-night TV—author Truman Capote was a curiosity to be displayed and coddled by the likes of Johnny Carson and Dick Cavett. But when the strange little man from Manhattan dropped in on Holcomb, Kan., to research a notorious murder, he must have seemed positively extraterrestrial. In the performance of a lifetime, Philip Seymour Hoffman perfectly captures the essence of a guy who’s infinitely uncomfortable in his own skin, and who ingeniously uses that uneasiness to bend others to his will.

The Last King of Scotland 2006 Who’d want to spend two hours with 1970s African despot Idi Amin? When he’s played by Forest Whittaker—with those wide childlike eyes and blazing grin framed by lips as red as blood— you may not enjoy his company, but you can’t bring yourself to leave the room. Director Kevin Macdonald bravely leaps feetfirst into the mystery of political charisma, and keeps diving until he reaches the murky depths of its darkest consequences.

The Savages 2007 To this day, my editor at AARP The Magazine HATES this movie. She calls it depressing and defeatist. I say it’s funny and affirming, and I submit that the disconnect speaks well for the film’s grownup bonafides:

The best movies often polarize viewers, and for all the right reasons. In this case, director Tamara Jenkins paints the darkest of comedies, about a self-absorbed brother and sister (Philip Seymour Thomas and Laura Linney) faced with the realization that they might have been mistaken in blaming life’s failures on their domineering, now-ailing father (Philip Bosco).

Frost/Nixon 2008 For grownups who lived through Watergate—especially those who found themselves secretly scarred by it even as they professed dismissive disgust—this saga of the 1977 David Frost/ Richard Nixon TV interviews provides a decades-in-coming catharsis that the original telecasts could not. As Nixon, Frank Langella courageously burrows deep to excavate the lodes of insecurity and paranoia that made Dick not just tricky, but tragic.

Invictus 2009 Clint Eastwood again, this time directing the true story of how new South African President Nelson Mandela (Morgan Freeman) used a rugby team (headed in the film by Matt Damon) to unite his splintered country. The ultimate storyteller, Eastwood makes a game—brutal and all but unfathomable to American audiences—an allegory for what rough, dirty work the business of nation building can be.

AARP The Magazine’s 2010 Movies for Grownups winners can be found online at www.aarp.org/magazine and in the March/April issue of the magazine, in homes Jan. 24. In the meantime, you can vote for your own favorite 2010 Movie for Grownups at www.aarp.org/entertainment/ movies-tv. mdseniorliving.com

ALSO ON DVD Jack Goes Boating jan 18 Philip Seymour Hoffman, on track to become King of the Grownup Movies, directed and stars in this quirky, glorious little film about an awkward middle-age limo driver who finds unlikely love with an equally out-of-sorts woman played

by Amy Ryan (you know her as Holly on “The Office”).

Nowhere Boy jan 25 Why this lovingly rendered story of young John Lennon’s formative years in Liverpool never found a theatrical home is beyond me. It was a sensation at our Movies for Grownups Festival in Orlando last fall, and features a breathtaking performance by Anne-Marie Duff as Lennon’s flighty mum, Julia.

Secretariat jan 25 Spoiler Alert: The legendary horse wins racing’s Triple Crown in the final reel. Actually, director Randall Wallace clues us in to that bit of history in the opening moments—from then on Secretariat is really the remarkable true story of Penny Chenery, the Colorado housewife who remade herself into a power player among the Good Ol’ Boys of horseracing. John Malkovich, as her flamboyant trainer, nearly gallops off with the whole movie.

RED jan 25 For all its guilty pleasures, this action-adventurecomedy starring Bruce Willis, Morgan Freeman and John Malkovich has one iconic image: Helen Mirren, Oscar winner and Shakespearean legend, working the trigger end of a machine gun the size of a Buick.

It’s Kind of a Funny Story feb 8 A hidden gem from last fall, this wonderful film concerns a teenager (Keir Gilchrist) who, suspecting he might be suicidal, checks himself into an adult psychiatric facility. He wants out almost immediately but, forced to stay, he finds himself confronting his personal demons. At the same time, he becomes friends with a sweet but hairtrigger-tempered grownup (Zach Galifianakis) and enamored with another troubled teen (Emma Roberts).

3

HEALTH 4

Helping a friend who has a serious illness by lee nelson, MyTurn.com

Most of us don’t know what we would ever do without our girlfriends. But when one of them is seriously ill, we sometimes don’t know how to react or how to help.

Oftentimes, friends feel awkward and unprepared. They don’t want to say or do anything wrong, so they do nothing. Others seem to go overboard, ignoring that the illness or disease even exists. Of course, no one knows all the answers, but the worse thing to do is nothing.

“When friends have something on their minds, it is really, really important to just listen. That is the number one thing you can do,” says Carol Gardner, registered nurse and owner of Women’s Health and Healing. Her business in Albany, N.Y., offers individual healthcare counseling and personal wellness coaching.

She suggests that we let the person talk, let them voice their ideas and concerns without passing any judgment or showing any immediate reaction. Sometimes, people want to rush in with remedies or resources for them to contact. But slow down the pace and let your friend tell you

what they need or what they are experiencing.

“Our society is so fast-paced and everyone is so busy. Just sit down, have a cup of tea with them and let them share what their life is all about now.

They may cry. They may sob. They may laugh. Just be there for them.”

She adds that the simple presence of you walking into their home and just being there for them can ease their stress and anxiety.

motherapy treatments. Researchers also have found that friends can give women emotional support and encouragement to fight harder.

Friends can ease that burden of stress and pain, and it doesn’t take much to help. Do simple things. Send a note.

E-mail them from time to time telling them you are thinking of them. Make some comfort food for them so they don’t have to cook one night. Share the cookies you just baked. Bring them a beautiful flower from your garden. Print or hand-write an inspirational or loving poem you found on the Internet. Invite them over to your

Medical research through the years has shown that those with lots of friends recover more quickly and better than those who go it alone. A study in the journal “Cancer” emphasizes that women with advanced ovarian cancer who had lots of social support produced higher levels of a protein that boosted the effectiveness of their che-

to advertise call 410.878.2212

“

When friends have something on their minds, it is really, really important to just listen. That is the number one thing you can do” home for dinner or a cup of coffee if they are physically able to make the trip. Just keep them in your prayers, thoughts and efforts.

“I grew up watching my mom and grandmother knowing exactly what to do when someone needed a friend. It is basic human compassion,” Gardner says.

Making your friend laugh and reminiscing about the good times can take their minds off their problems. Treat them like you always have. Don’t give them that pity look. They are still the same person, and they want their friends to treat them that way.

Some of the easiest and best things a friend can do for their seriously ill comrade is just pitching in with practical, daily

tasks. Cleaning their house, going grocery shopping or doing the laundry or the dishes can ease their schedules, allowing them to concentrate on getting well. Remember to always have the common courtesy to call before stopping in or bringing anything to their home. Sometimes the ill friend may be too sick or too busy with family members to have company.

Most of all, don’t forget them. Diseases don’t come one day and go away the next. Stay close to them throughout the ordeal, and remain positive. They’ll need your smiles, hugs and optimistic attitude. π MyTurn.com (http://myturn.com) is the online community for moms of adult children and empty nesters.

Accepting patients in Baltimore, Carroll & Frederick Counties

Carroll Home Care can provide a full range of heartfelt, nursing and rehabilitative services in your home including: n Skilled Nursing

n Occupational Therapy

n Nutrition Education

n Pediatric Care

n Home Health Aides

n Speech Therapy

n Medical Social Work

n Wound Care

n Infusion Therapy

n Palliative Care Services

n Physical Therapy

410-871-8000

n

1-888-224-2580

Affiliate of Carroll Hospital Center

mdseniorliving.com

n

n

292 Stoner Avenue

Medicare Certified

n

n

Westminster, MD 21157

Member of the National Association for Home Care

5

LIFESTYLE 6

The current statistics on heart disease are as sobering as ever.

Consider: • Heart disease ranks as the number one cause of death in the US. • Almost one-third of women have some form of heart disease, and most don’t realize it.

• Half of the men who die suddenly from heart disease had no prior symptoms.

Symptoms You Should Never Ignore

7

Heart attack symptoms aren’t unisex. “What we think of as characteristic heart attack pain­—like an elephant sitting on your chest—is much more likely to occur in men than in women,” says Dr. Marianne Legato, director of the Partnership for GenderSpecific Medicine at Columbia University. In fact, 43 percent of women having a coronary don’t experience any chest discomfort at all.

Women also wait longer to go to the ER than men do (their top reason for hesitating: They don’t want to bother anyone). But that can be fatal: Your odds of surviving improve by 23 percent if you get treatment within 3 hours and 50 percent within 1 hour.

Don’t be a cardiac cautionary tale. If you have any of these warning signs, act fast. As Legato says: “It’s better to be embarrassed than dead.”

1

FATIGUE In the weeks before an attack, 71% of women have flulike symptoms. Days before, you may feel too tired to lift your laptop.

2

NON-CHEST PAIN Rather than an explosion in your chest, you may feel less-severe pain in your upper back, shoulders, neck or jaw.

3

SWEATING You may find yourself suddenly drenched in perspiration for no apparent reason, and your face may be pale or ashen.

4

NAUSEA OR DIZZINESS During an attack, women often vomit or feel like they’re going to pass out.

5

BREATHLESSNESS Almost 58% of women report panting or inability to carry on a conversation.

6

SLEEPLESSNESS In the month before a coronary, nearly half of women have trouble sleeping.

7

ANXIETY “Many women experience a sense of impending doom or fear before a heart attack,” says Legato. “That’s your body telling you to pay attention. Trust those instincts.” π

UNITED SENIORS OF

MARYLAND

Maryland Senior Living is a member of United Seniors of Maryland...are you?

Visit http://unitedseniors.net/join-pay.htm to become a member.

MEMBERSHIP The benefits of membership:

1) Have a voice by supporting and being part of the premier coalition of individuals and organizations that advocate for Maryland seniors 2) Be informed about what happens in Annapolis and the State that affects seniors.

3) Participate, to whatever level you desire, in discussions, committees, task forces, and other activities.

mdseniorliving.com

The cost is modest; the consequences great — just $10 for an individual, and $50 for most organizations.

Charging dues on our web site gives us the information needed (name, email address, phone number, and address) . Organizations that sign up on the web need to send a list of who they want added to our email list.

NEW MEMBERS CAN SIGN UP ON OUR WEB PAGE ALL MEMBERS CAN PAY DUES ON LINE http://unitedseniors.net/join-pay.htm

7

FINANCE 8

Retire Smart

Pre-Existing Conditions? Health Insurance Options Improving This Year by mark miller

Over age 50 but under 65? If so, you’re at risk of falling into the pre-existing condition health care gap.

In the current health insurance marketplace, it’s very difficult for people with pre-existing conditions to buy a quality policy at an affordable price. The problem disproportionately affects older people in this age group; they’re too young to quality for Medicare yet very likely to have at least one chronic condition that leads health insurance companies to turn them down.

The problem impacted 15 percent of all Americans age 50-64 in 2009, according to a recent report by the Commonwealth Fund - 8.6 million people. Meanwhile, another 9.7 million in this age group had coverage with such high deductibles that they were considered “effectively underinsured.”

Starting in 2014, the new health care reform law will get these folks covered through expansion of Medicaid and the creation of new private insurance exchanges. In the meantime, the Affordable Care Act (ACA) put a Band-Aid on the problem by setting aside $5 billion to fund a pre-existing insurance program (PCIP) that operates until the end of 2013, when enrollees will shift to coverage via the new exchanges.

This bridge initiative got off to a slow start in 2010, but significant improvements are being made this year that are worth knowing about if you’re struggling to find health insurance coverage.

The ACA gave states the option of using federal dollars to administer their own PCIP programs, or to offer a plan run by the federal government. Twenty-seven states are offering their

own plans But last year, only 8,000 people enrolled nationwide in these plans.

The weak start was due partly to the short ramp-up time available after the ACA became law, according to Jean Hall, an associate research professor at the University of Kansas who specializes in healthcare.

But in many cases, the plans just weren’t very good deals. Premiums sometimes exceeded $1,000 per month, with annual deductibles as high as $5,000. Finally, enrollees must be uninsured for six months prior to coverage in order to be eligible, a rule that further reduced sign-ups.

The plans that did get relatively strong enrollment were in a handful of big states, including Pennsylvania, California, Illinois and Ohio. The plans in these states also decided to set their premiums at very affordable rates-which they had discretion to do under the ACA. For example, Pennsylvania’s program last year had a flat monthly rate of $283 per enrollee—for a person of any age—with an annual $5,000 in-network, outof-pocket limit.

Meanwhile, noteworthy improvements are being rolled out to PCIPs this year that will make them worth checking out for

“

...it’s very difficult for people with pre-existing conditions to buy a quality policy at an affordable price.”

to advertise call 410.878.2212

Senior Living

Assisted Living Independent Living

Memory Care

One Great Company.

Seven Maryland Locations.

410-628-2100

410-638-8100

410-893-2202

410-668-1588

12261 Roundwood Road Timonium, MD 21093

128 W. Ring Factory Road Bel Air, MD 21014

300 W. Ring Factory Road Bel Air, MD 21014

8100 Rossville Boulevard Baltimore, MD 21236

410-871-2225

410-788-5001

505 High Acre Drive Westminster, MD 21157

912 South Rolling Road Catonsville, MD 21228

410-956-7310 8 Lee Airpark Drive Edgewater, MD 21037

Coming Winter 2011

www.BrightviewSeniorLiving.com

FINANCE 10

“

They also cannot impose pre-existing condition exclusions or waiting periods.”

those struggling to find insurance.

chronic conditions.”

Premiums will be reduced in many states. Moreover, the federal program will offer three plan options, two of which feature lower deductibles for prescription coverage. New childonly premium options also are being offered to reduce the cost of covering children with pre-existing conditions.

The PCIPs cover a broad range of health benefits, including primary and specialty care, hospital care, and prescription drugs. The law requires that they cover, on average, no less than 65 percent of medical costs and limit out-of-pocket spending to $5,950 for individuals. They also cannot impose pre-existing condition exclusions or waiting periods.

“I do believe the new federal options represent a significant change for consumers,” Hall says. “People can get prescription costs covered sooner, which is potentially very important for many people with chronic conditions. Also, adding the child-only premiums creates a significant savings for families who have children with

The federal website for the ACA has a page that describes the state plans, and lists contact information where consumers can get current information on 2011 insurance options. Visit http://bit.ly/9pXgbM to learn more. π

“Life ’s

too short.

You hear that all the time, but it isn’t until the end that you realize just how true it is. I’m thankful to Carroll Hospice for adding a few more precious moments to life.

”

Carroll Hospice offers in-home hospice care to Carroll, Frederick and Baltimore Counties, and inpatient care at The Dove House.

Our staff provides expert medical care as well as emotional and spiritual support for every family member. We make the time that is left as comfortable and memorable as possible, and prepare our patients and their family members for a peaceful and dignified ending to our patients’ final days.

For more information, please call 410-871-8000 or visit www.CarrollHospice.org.

292 Stoner Avenue | Westminster, Maryland 21157

An affiliate of Carroll Hospital Center

to advertise call 410.878.2212

Visit our new website,

go to mdseniorliving.com!

• Dedicated to the boomer+ community • Connect with local boomers+ just like you • Local activities calendar • Add your own events • Share your stories • Share your photos • Stay informed on local legislation and topics • Extensive business directory • Daily deals

mdseniorliving.com

11

TECHNOLOGY 12

A Beginner’s Guide to the Internet for Older Adults by bruce emmerling

According to Nielsen Research, over six million new older users began to use the Internet during the past decade. In another study by Pew Internet Life, the rate of older adults using social networking sites rose 88 percent from 2009 through 2010.

From Facebook to dating sites, older adults are using the Internet to enhance their everyday lives. Yet with record numbers of older adults going online, many more are staying away out of fear of computers or lack of knowledge about the Internet’s amazing possibilities. Some older adults feel that the Internet is just not needed and they can get along fine with their lives. Others simply are too

afraid of losing private information or even succumbing to credit card fraud.

Yet many of these fears are overblown and interacting online can be no more risky than walking into a 7 Eleven or purchasing a book in a bookstore. Overcoming such fears and taking the first step in using the Internet can open a great door to new possibilities.

Using a Computing System For some older adults, they may have never used a computing system. For them going online is a double task of learning about computers and the internet together. Others may have prior computer experience but they may have not used a computer system in years.

Learning to use a computer is not too difficult.

There are countless books such as Is this thing on? A late Bloomers Computer Handbook

by Abby Stokes and Windows 7 for Seniors: For Senior Citizens who want to start Using Computers by Visual Studio Steps. Many books can be found for beginning, intermediate, and advanced computer levels. Your local Library or Senior Center can be a great start. Classes are often offered to help beginners learn the basics of computers and the web.

Living Life on the Internet Staying away from the Internet is simply no longer possible. Even if one believes that they are completely disconnected from the Internet, they are wrong. Every banking transaction, every wireless phone, and every credit card transaction is processed through some connection running through the Internet. Simply put, one cannot hide from the Internet.

Like people hiding out in a camp in the woods, one ultimately has to make a decision today. If one is not using the Internet, then one is avoiding a part of life. Staying up in a wooded camp away from civilization might appeal to some, but ultimately it is denying the richness that life offers. The Internet is very much a part of life’s richness.

For those that are yet to use the Internet, doing so may feel like a first step in a much larger world. Think of that

mdseniorliving.com

first step as going way on that first camp trip or going to college or working on a first job. It is a life changing event. Not everyone has the same experiences online but for many people, the Internet provides a greater means of enhancing every life activities.

The Internet The Internet is a whole universe of information, services, and people connecting on an unimaginable level. For some this plethora of information is simply too much to understand. This lack of understanding can lead to misconceptions as to what occurs on the Internet, possible threats, and whether it has any usefulness. The best way to understand the concept of the Internet is to view a city with many streets and buildings.

Some of the buildings are high rises with much activity. Other areas may have residential buildings with limited activity. Then there might be more shady areas where less attractive activities take place such as pornography or different types of crime. There may also be night clubs which could represent dating sites, bookstores which represent themselves, and highways that represent directories. Like any regular city in real life, the Internet is vast, diverse, and often difficult to segment into one theme or characteristic.

“

...using the Internet can open a great door to new possibilities.�

13

TECHNOLOGY 14

Using the Internet Using the city analogy, the Internet is a bustling, vibrant universe with many inhabitants. Many people find their own niche based on their tastes, interests, backgrounds, education, and work. Just like a regular city, people often work in a single building, living in a home, and go to various businesses for services. Thus most people use just a very small area of the Internet on a daily basis. Most people do not sit around a computer trying to explore every nook and cranny that is the Internet.

Would you want to explore every street in a large metropolis? The same is true for the Internet.

Most people find a routine for which sites they visit, what services are used, and who they communicate with on the Internet. Some may interact online infrequently on a weekly or monthly basis.

Others may interact every hour of being wake. Depending on one’s choice, the Internet can be used at different levels of interaction and its usefulness is really up to the individual. For the most part, people tend to use a familiar set of websites and conduct activities that are often unchanging just like in real life. In

many ways the Internet is simply an extension of real life activities. People use the Internet as an extension to everyday living activities.

Security and the Internet Just like the real world, the Internet does have some unpleasant possibilities. To say otherwise would be creating a false image. Luckily, most users do not encounter serious problems or threats.

Sometimes people encounter less serious annoyances such as adware or data collecting programs. On rare occasions, people may encounter a virus or other nefarious applications.

Many people fear shopping online due to fears about having their credit card numbers stolen. However, most mainstream shopping sites utilize the strongest encryption and security systems allowable. While hackers do occasionally break into credit card databases, the chance is very slim. In the worst case scenario, one’s bank will reimburse you for any losses for a transaction resulting from a criminal activity. However, the chances of having one’s credit card number stolen from shopping online is far less than using a credit machine in

a store or even at one’s bank. In many ways, shopping online leaves a very clear trail of evidence that can be traced, unlike physical transactions. Shopping online can be very safe and secure.

Some of the bigger threats online are not from electronic sources but come from other people. Just like people on the street, some may be negative and have less than helpful intentions.

There may be people trying to sell something or possibility seeking to perform a scam.

Often people may find offers presented that are too good to be true and are. Always investigate and double check offers by someone before making a commitment. Educating one’s self is a great way to avoid such people problems online.

Getting One’s Foot Wet Beginning to the use the Internet may seem awkward, mind numbing or even scary at first. However, there are many tools and local programs to help newcomers get online. One way to learn about the Internet and become more practiced in using Internet applications is to take a class. Many libraries offer free classes. Schools and colleges

to advertise call 410.878.2212

“

Price shopping is incredibly easy online...”

also offer Internet courses for beginners. Checking with local clubs, churches, and organizations can often reveal courses taught by volunteers.

Some people begin using the Internet by signing up with a service such as AOL. AOL continues to provide an easy to use interface that makes exploring the Internet relatively easy for beginners. In fact, many people never stop using AOL and continue to do so, even after years of being online. Certain websites such as Yahoo provide what are called web portals where one can easily find links to other sites and information such as the daily news.

In many ways, the best way to get one’s feet wet is to simply try out the Internet.

Visit certain sites such as an online bookstore or read news on Google’s News.

Each action taken will lead to greater levels of confidence and bring a better level of comfort. Read about communicating online and talk to others about their online experiences as well.

Email Perhaps the most powerful yet simple application one can use is email. Most people, if not all, use email on a daily

mdseniorliving.com

basis. Email is probably the single most important core activity online. Email communications are both free and easy to send. Anyone can compose an email message and send it off, as long as one has a correct email address.

Email is a simple yet elegant communication method that connects everyone together online. Almost every type of Internet application uses email. Businesses use email to plan meetings and seek out new customers. Individuals send emails to meet new friends or connect with old ones. Email is the grease of Internet communications. Without it, the communications traversing the network nodes of the Internet would cease to exist.

Shopping Online Shopping online has its own rewards and possibilities. Millions shop online regularly at such sites as Amazon.com and Ebay.com. Purchasing products and services on the Internet is easy. One just needs a credit card or form of electronic payment such as PayPal. For the most part shopping online is safe and fast. Most reputable companies work hard to keep customers happy. Amazon.com is one

example. They go out of their way to ensure that packages arrive on time and that customers can return items that are unwanted. Defective returns are incredibly easy with Amazon.com. For many, Amazon.com is considered one of the best shopping sites online. However, one always needs to practice some caution and to make sure that any shopping site use has security measures such as SSL encryption.

Many use the Internet to get great deals online. Price shopping is incredibly easy online and many become acclimated to shopping for deals. Sites such as Fatwallet.com and Slickdeals.com offer listings of deals posted by others. The Internet is the ultimate bargain hunter’s paradise. The wide variety of shopping sites is mind boggling and some people end up simply exploring online shopping catalogs in lieu of window shopping in real life.

Social Networking: The Internet Nexus Much activity today is conducted by people seeking to communicate with others online. New websites and services have evolved to cater to such needs. These websites are often referred to as Web 2.0

15

TECHNOLOGY 16

or social media sites. While commercial and shopping websites are extremely busy as well, people are focusing much of their activities online around social media sites. While there are literally thousands of social media sites or what some might call social networks, the most popular sites include Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn. Facebook has ground to unimaginable levels over the past few years and many older adults are using Facebook to keep up relationships and to meet new friends.

Facebook Facebook offers the ability to connect with one’s friends, meet new friends, interact with groups of people, and even play online games.

Businesses are now connecting to potential customers through Facebook and employers even scan Facebook pages for information on potential hires. Facebook has become a central nexus of communications online for millions of people.

Using Facebook is easy. One just signs up for an account using an email address. Anyone can sign up and each person has a profile which can hold personal or not so personal information about themselves. Many people posts pictures and videos about themselves.

Many people seek out old and new friends sharing relationships that are so crucial to enhancing the health of older users. Each person has a ring of friends which keeps information limited to that ring. One can choose to share private in-

16

formation or keep it private. There some exceptions but this system has worked well for many.

What do older adults do on Facebook?

Many seek out former friends. It is often amazing to find friends remembered from decades ago communicating on Facebook. Classmates often go on Facebook to seek out other classmates and to plan reunions. Some people create groups where people can share information online. Older adults have also been

found to seek out hobby groups or those with similar interests as well seeking dating relationships. Facebook offers a great deal of possibilities for older adults and many find it to be a very positive experience.

In the End The Internet offers a breathtaking array of possibilities for older adults to utilize.

Social networking sites such as Facebook offer new ways of meeting friends and reaching out to others. The vast amount of information can help educate older adults about themselves, the world around them, and others. By using security measures such as antivirus software with a firewall program, the chances of encountering a security threat is greatly reduced. Activities such as shopping online, conversing with friends, and interacting with social networking sites can great add to a person’s ability to communicate with others.

Bruce Emmerling is an IT consultant who is interested in how people interact with computers. Currently he is working on a master’s degree in Human Centered Computing at the University of Maryland Baltimore County. As part of his graduate work, he has studied how older adults work with computers and the web. He can be reached at Kenneth. emmerling@gmail.com for comments or questions.

more reading Computers Made Easy for Seniors This is a fairly comprehensive guide to computers for older adults.

Seniors Guide to Computers Here is an excellent guide to computers and the Internet. Their security section gives great advice on securing connections while online.

Cybercrime News – Online Family Safety An article by Jennifer Martinez with a good overview of security issues online.

references Madden, Mary (2010). Older Adults and Social Media. http://www.pewinternet.org/Reports/2010/Older-Adults-and-SocialMedia.aspx Nielsen Research (2009). Six Million More Seniors Using the Web than Five Years Ago. http://blog.nielsen.com/nielsenwire/ online_mobile/six-million-more-seniorsusing-the-web-than-five-years-ago

to advertise call 410.878.2212

95

%

in Senior Care

& Announcing A new AlliAnce in Senior cAre in BAltimore GBMC Greater Geriatrics is a group of 10 ABMS Board Certified physicians and nine nurse practitioners that care for the elderly and their families. Greater Geriatrics provides direct patient care, from home to hospital to rehab to assisted living.

We are proud to have the GBMC Greater Geriatrics team join the Springhouse of Pikesville family.

Dr. Michael Ankrom is the new Medical Director at Springhouse of Pikesville. In addition, he is currently appointed as the assistant professor in medicine at the Johns Hopkins School of Geriatrics Medicine.

Dr. Ankrom also serves as the Chief of Geriatric Medicine at GBMC. He is board certified in internal and geriatric medicine and is an esteemed member of a number of professional societies including the American Medical Association and the American Geriatric Society. Please join us in welcoming, Dr. Ankrom to our community, for he will be a huge asset to our residents and their families.

Michaeline Yaffe, MSN, CRNP, is a graduate of the University of Maryland Geriatrics Nurse Practitioner Program. She has provided care as a nurse practitioner to Baltimore’s senior community since 2002. She joined GBMC Greater Geriatrics in 2009 and now serves as part of Dr. Ankrom’s medical team at Springhouse.

Michaeline previously worked in critical care, emergency care, psychiatry and home care. In addition to her serving as a CRNP, “Mickie”, as she is well known, is a member of the American Geriatrics Society and the American Diabetes Association.

Call 410-486-5500 to discover how Springhouse and our health care team from GBMC can help with your senior care needs.

8911 Reisterstown Road Pikesville, MD 21208 (410) 486-5500 pikesville@springhouse-al.com 5532_SHPikesville_8x9.75_1.indd mdseniorliving.com

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11/29/10 2:12:35 PM

LIFESTYLE 18

NEVER Give Up

by wina sturgeon, Adventure Sports Weekly

One thing about being a boomer is that we keep our friends. I’ve known my friend Barbara for nearly three decades. She’s always been sharp and vibrant; and still is, but much of our friendship is now by phone and e-mail because we live so far apart.

But when we got together for a rare visit over the holidays, I was shocked at how she had changed. Her hair was no longer the carefully styled, shiny russet mane it had always been. It was now a nondescript jumble of gray. Her always elegant clothing was gone, replaced by plain sweaters and sweat pants. Most startling to me, she had stopped wearing makeup. The wonderful youthful quality that always seemed to belie her age was also gone.

Suddenly, in less than a year, she looked 20 years older.

We’re close enough so that I could ask her about it. Her answer shocked me.

“I’ve just given up. No one ever thinks someone my age (63) is attractive. No one markets any fashion or cosmetics to women my age. We’re just not considered worth looking at. Trying to fix myself up was just a waste of time,” she said.

“

Eventually, everyone lucky enough to live will be a boomer.”

It was a horrible answer­—because she was right. The image of what is attractive, pretty or good looking in our society is unwrinkled youth. This image is constantly conditioned into our minds in every form of visual media: magazines and newspapers, films, and most especially, television.

Character doesn’t count, only a lack of wrinkles and youth.

The constant reinforcement that age is ugly has been such a profound conditioning process that no one even likes to look at an obviously older face. It’s had a sad and serious effect in the workplace. A boomer, even a young boomer, finds it almost impossible to be hired for a job.

Talent doesn’t matter. The ability to be a real asset to a company doesn’t matter. The only thing that matters is that the face of the job applicant looks young.

So some boomers, like Barbara, give up. They give up hope that expensive wrinkle creams can disguise their age, so they stop buying them. Both men and women boomers have closets full of expensive and stylish clothing that they never have occasion to wear—so they stop buying new clothing. They realize it’s impossible to look young any longer, and so there’s no sense in trying. They know the sad truth—that today, a large and ever growing segment of the population essentially becomes invisible once they start to look older.

I’m not pretending that there’s anything photogenic or attractive about a wrinkled face, even if it’s Mick Jagger’s.

But how much of this attitude comes from long term

to advertise call 410.878.2212

“Less housework leaves more time for fun!”

conditioning, and how much is actually based on reality? I know that before Barbara “gave up,” everyone totally forgot about her age as soon as they interacted with her, as soon as she opened her mouth. She was so interesting, funny and charming that any negative association with her age disappeared.

–Gustie Widmer, Erickson Living resident

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Barbara isn’t the only one. It happens mostly with women, but I’ve seen so many boomer male and female friends hit that moment, the “give-up” moment when they realize that their age has shoved them outside the mainstream of social life. And for the sake of reality, that process should stop. Look at it as a form of protest to keep making an effort to be attractive at any age. Regard it as a way of fighting against the existing —and growing—antiage bias. Because the truth is, not everyone is 20, and even 20-year-olds won’t stay young forever. Eventually, everyone lucky enough to live will be a boomer. π

Charlestown Catonsville 410-988-4967

Wina Sturgeon is an active boomer based in Salt Lake City who snowshoes, skates on both ice blades and wheels, lifts weights and skis to stay in shape.

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19

FINANCE 20

IDENTITY THIEVES TARGET MEDICARE RECIPIENTS—AGAIN by bob lamendola, Sun Sentinel

Seniors are again getting phone calls from scammers trying to steal personal and financial information, this time by claiming a Medicare HMO owes them a refund.

The callers in the latest scheme claim to work for insurance giant Humana or its CarePlus subsidiary, and say they need the senior’s birth date, Social Security, bank account and Medicare numbers to arrange the refund, Humana officials said.

“

The callers do not work for the health plans, and officials try to track them, Lubitz said. Medicare forbids insurers from making sales calls to seniors unless they ask in advance for a call, so an HMO sales agent on the phone should be a red flag, Lubitz said.

“Seniors are not going to get unsolicited calls from a legitimate health plan. And any legitimate caller is certainly not going to ask for their personal details,” Lubitz said. “It’s emanating from South Florida so far. This is the time of year when seniors have to be extra careful.”

Like most U.S. seniors, Florida’s 3.3 million Medicare recipients are in the midst of signing up for 2011 coverage through Dec. 31. Most are getting letters and invitations to promotional signup events and may be talking to agents from HMOs and drug plans.

Seniors are not going to get unsolicited calls from a legitimate health plan.

And any legitimate caller is certainly not going to ask for their personal details” Scammers typically use such information to take out credit or debit cards in the senior’s name and run up big bills. It’s unclear if any seniors have given the callers their personal details or had any money stolen, company spokesman Mitchell Lubitz said.

Scammers have stepped up phony cold calls to seniors in the past five years, since Medicare started offering prescription drug coverage through insurers. Medicare has issued warnings about the problems regularly, including twice this year.

The government urges seniors to be skeptical when someone asks for personal details and to give the information only to people they are sure about.

In one case, a Medicare recipient in Hialeah, Fla., arranged for the caller to come to her house to pick up money for a Medicare payment but notified Humana and summoned police, who arrested the person on the spot, Lubitz said.

to advertise call 410.878.2212

How Medicare Patients Can Avoid Identity Theft • Guard your Medicare and Social Security numbers as carefully as credit cards.

• Be suspicious of someone on the phone or in person offering cash, gifts or free services in exchange for your Medicare number.

• Do not give your personal information to sales agents who contact you uninvited. They are not allowed to call or visit unless you agree in advance.

• Do not give payment information over the phone to enroll in an insurance or drug plan.

Legitimate insurers must send

bills unless you initiate other options.

• Hang up if someone calls unsolicited asking for your Medicare number in connection with a survey or other purpose.

• Do not lend your Medicare number or identity to someone else to be used to obtain a service. It’s illegal.

• Check medical bills for charges you don’t recognize.

Contact the provider in case it’s a mistake. If it’s not a mistake, call Medicare. π

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LIFESTYLE 22

Senior Centers are Evolving Adding programs to by anita creamer,

McClatchy Newspapers

serve baby boomers

On a quiet weekday morning, 80-year-old Jewell Reed sat at a table in the lobby of Ethel Hart Senior Center in Sacramento, Calif., knitting and sipping her coffee.

Down a wide, curving hallway, members of the weekly hula class swayed gracefully to the music of the islands.

And in the life history writing group, Olga Blu Brown summed up why she’s attended classes at the center for the past four years.

“It’s fun for me,” said Brown, 63, a retired state employee. “It’s important to be active and feel like you’re doing something. It’s important to keep your brain cells active.”

Part of the early wave of senior centers in the state, Hart Senior Center celebrates its 50th anniversary this year. Originally named the Sacramento Senior Center, it helped pioneer the senior center movement, which grew so briskly after 1965’s federal Older Americans Act that the centers are now a familiar part of the recreational and social service landscape for older adults across the country.

“

It’s important to be active and feel like you’re doing something. It’s important to keep your brain cells active.”

But with the shift in budget resources, along with the change in culture as previous generations gradually give way to the baby boomers, are senior centers still relevant for tomorrow’s older adults?

The answer, say experts on aging, isn’t as simple as replacing bingo with Pilates.

“Some people say there’s no place for senior centers any more,” said the Hart center’s director, Roseanne Bernardy. “I see more and more need since the recession hit and even more need in the future.

“There are millions of baby boomers who won’t have financially secure retirements. They won’t take vacations all over the world. They’ll need to be here, enjoying themselves.”

What’s more, senior centers can provide an ideal career counseling site for aging boomers who need to supplement limited retirement funds with part-time work, said David Taylor, chairman of the National Institute of Senior Centers.

“And if you only have Social Security to live on, you’re going to have a real struggle putting food on the table,” Taylor said. “The senior center will become more important. It will be a major cushion.”

According to National Council on Aging statistics, the country’s 11,000 senior centers serve 1 million elderly to advertise call 410.878.2212

people each day. Their average age is 75, and they rely on senior centers as a portal into a network of services that can help keep people independent and healthy as they age, everything from recreation clubs and exercise classes to hot lunches, transportation services and health screenings.

A 2010 California Commission on Aging report recommended that to adapt to the growing wave of aging baby boomers, senior centers need to concentrate on widening their arena of influence to include volunteer opportunities, late-life job training and caregiver support.

For example, along with bridge and hula, Hart offers free Medicare counseling through the Health Insurance Counseling and Advocacy Program and monthly pharmacist evaluations of seniors’ medications, as well as a recreation program for people with dementia.

They’ll also need to expand their hours to accommodate boomers’ work schedules, Taylor said. And they’ll need to of-

“I don’t even know what quantum physics is, but people were excited about it.”

The first publicly funded senior center was founded in the Bronx borough of New York City in 1943 as a place to alleviate isolation among the elderly.

Four years later, the San Francisco Senior Center became the country’s first nonprofit senior center.

The movement grew slowly through the 1950s, with informal centers for older people run out of church basements. Much like other senior centers of the early 1960s, Hart was originally a social hub, with enormously popular Sunday afternoon dances.

The San Francisco Senior Center has launched a project to help elderly hospital patients transition into healthy care in their own homes. The Pasadena Senior Center hosts quarterly inoculation clinics and health fairs.

Both those centers have annual budgets of more than $1 million. By comparison, the current operating budget for the Hart center – which is run by the city’s Parks and Recreation Department – is $100,000 plus salaries for two full-time and three part-time employees, Bernardy said.

of Senior Centers board member. “We offered a video class in quantum physics, and we had 32 people attend for 10 weeks.

fer classes that are a bit more challenging than learning to quilt.

“We’re looking at different kinds of programs for boomers that are more intellectually challenging,” said Jill Kranz, director of Wisconsin’s Middletown Senior Center and a National Institute

“Now the vast majority of our people come for a specific program,” Bernardy said. “They’re here for computer class or a special presentation on diabetes.

Then they go home.

“We have our regulars, but most people aren’t sitting here for a few hours.

That’s what’s changed the most.” π

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23

FOOD 24

WOLFGANG PUCK’S KITCHEN

ANGEL HAIR PASTA WITH SMOKED SALMON AND GOLDEN CAVIAR A long time ago at Spago in the years before we moved it from the Sunset Strip to Beverly Hills, I came up with what still seems to me a perfect dish: pasta tossed with smoked salmon and caviar in a cream sauce.

One reason it’s ideal is that smoked salmon and caviar are two of the most popular companions to Champagne.

Just about any sparkling wine will go well with them. For that matter, so will good iced vodka.

At my restaurants, we’ve always served the dish with delicately thin strands of fresh angel hair pasta that we make ourselves. Many people these days like to prepare their own pasta at home, too, so go ahead and do that if you like. But you can easily find good-quality fresh pasta in many supermarkets and gourmet delis today, and if fresh angel hair isn’t available you should feel free to substitute another shape - or, for that matter, good dried pasta. Whatever you use, the results will be great.

One of the things I like most about this recipe is how easy it is to prepare and enjoy, taking just a matter of minutes. It’s so quick that you can easily multiply the recipe and still get perfect results, whether you plan to serve the dish in small portions as an appetizer to begin a lavish dinner, or as the main dish for a simple yet elegant meal.

Chef Wolfgang Puck, the host of “Wolfgang Puck’s Cooking Class.”

But don’t worry when you see the mention of caviar. I often prepare the recipe with the relatively inexpensive product known as golden caviar, made from American whitefish roe. It looks beautiful and has a surprisingly delicate flavor that goes well with the other ingredients. Of course, if you want to splurge on some good-quality imported sevruga or osetra caviar instead, don’t let me stop you.

24

to advertise call 410.878.2212

angel hair pasta with smoked salmon and golden caviar Serves 4 as an appetizer, 2 as a main dish Extra-virgin olive oil 1/2 cup heavy cream Freshly ground white pepper Salt

3 ounces thinly sliced smoked salmon, cut into thin julienne strips 2 ounces golden caviar (American whitefish roe), salmon roe, or goodquality imported caviar

8 ounces fresh angel hair or other thin pasta strands, or dried angel hair or other thin pasta strands

1 tablespoon minced fresh chives or dill, or whole baby chervil leaves

1 Fill a pasta pot with water. Add a drizzle of the olive oil. Put the pot over high heat and bring the water to a full boil.

briefly, tossing with tongs or a pair of forks, just until the ingredients are thoroughly combined and the mixture is heated through. Scatter in half of the caviar and toss quickly again to combine. Taste the sauce and, if necessary, adjust the seasonings with a little salt and white pepper.

2 Meanwhile, pour the heavy cream into a large skillet. Add a few grinds of white pepper to taste. Just before you cook the pasta, bring the cream to a boil over medium-high heat and then remove the skillet from the heat and set aside.

3 Add a light sprinkling of salt to the boiling water. Add the pasta, stir briefly to separate the strands, and cook until the pasta is al dente, tender but still slightly chewy, following the suggested cooking time on the package. (Note that fresh pasta will cook more quickly than dried.)

4 Drain the pasta. Immediately rinse it quickly under hot running water and then drain again.

5 Add the pasta, still slightly dripping, to the hot cream in the skillet. Scatter in the smoked salmon strips. Return the skillet to medium heat and cook

mdseniorliving.com

6 Divide the pasta among 4 warm appetizer plates or between 2 larger pasta plates or bowls, transferring it with tongs or forks and then spooning the remaining sauce from the skillet evenly over the servings. Garnish each serving with a little of the remaining caviar and a light sprinkling of chives or chervil.

Serve immediately.

Chef Wolfgang Puck’s TV series, “Wolfgang Puck’s Cooking Class,” airs Sundays on the Food Network. Also, his latest cookbook, “Wolfgang Puck Makes It Easy,” is now available in bookstores.

Write Wolfgang Puck in care of Tribune Media Services Inc., 2225 Kenmore Ave., Suite 114, Buffalo, N.Y. 14207

25

HEALTH 26

TONE IT UP

6 ways to avoid saggy skin by aniela and jerzy gregorek, www.basilandspice.com

Just because you’re over 50 doesn’t mean you’re destined to have skin flaps under your arms and above your knees. Will losing weight help? It depends. Many people wrongly assume that if they simply lose weight, they’ll get rid of sagging skin. The problem is, many diets focus on losing pounds—but it’s pounds of fat and muscle if you don’t do it right. And when you lose muscle, your skin loses its tone.

Sagging skin isn’t folds of fat. It’s the result of skin that’s not being supported by underlying muscle. That’s why people who are “thin” often have floppy underarm skin or folds above their knees—like the now-famous images of Demi Moore’s knees before her rumored plastic surgery. Once your skin detaches itself from the muscle, it ages quickly. Skin stays healthy by attaching itself to muscle and being nourished by it.

Our body is not meant to be too skinny. The first reason we have muscles is to be able to move, and the second is that muscle fills us out and gives us shape.

Hanging and unhealthy skin is the result of: 1. Losing weight too fast 2. Poor nutrition 3. Dieting without exercise 4. Dieting plus endurance exercise 5. Dieting plus low-range-of-motion strength training 6. A diet low in vegetables.

“

The good news is that you can regain toned arms and legs no matter how old you are. Here are six solutions:

1

Don’t lose weight too fast. Don’t embark on a crash diet, like a liquid diet that promises to help you lose 30 pounds in 30 days. A healthy rate of weight loss­—that is, losing weight while building muscle—is 1-2 pounds per week. Sagging skin can happen when we lose weight too fast. The slower the weight loss, the more time for the skin to adapt and not lose its elasticity and connection with muscle.

2

Eat food rich in vitamins C, E, A, B complex and K; essential fatty acids; and three minerals—selenium, copper and zinc. All these muscle-and-skin-supporting essential nutrients can be found in vegetables, fruits, animal protein, grains, nuts and vegetable oils, but mostly in: asparagus, bell peppers, broccoli, spinach, cauliflower, garlic, olives, leafy greens, bananas, vegetable oils, flax and safflower oils, flaxseed, rice, salmon, sardines, mackerel, oysters, poultry, eggs and lean meat.

when you lose muscle, your skin loses its tone.”

to advertise call 410.878.2212

3

Never lose weight without exercise. If you lose weight without exercising, you will lose weight but you will also lose underlying muscle tone. The muscle will not grow in the area where you lose fat and the skin will wrinkle and hang.

4

Never do endurance exercises while losing weight.

If you lose weight by dieting and with endurance exercises—such as treadmill, stationary biking or jogging—you will lose fat and lose muscle. This is the worst scenario for losing weight; the skin will wrinkle and hang the most. Instead, do resistance training and speed lifting using light hand weights. This builds muscle while burning fat.

5

Use the full range of motion while strength training. If you lose weight by dieting and low range of motion strength training, you will not gain enough muscle in the area necessary. For example, if you do a half squat you will gain muscle in your thigh but not in your knee area; therefore, the skin around knees will wrinkle and hang. Lifting weights that are too heavy will also lead to hanging skin.

6

Eat twice as many fruits and vegetables as any other food at lunch and dinner. If you do not eat enough fruits and vegetables, your body will develop chronic inflammation and your skin will lose elasticity. π

Aniela and Jerzy Gregorek are founders and head coaches of the UCLA weightlifting team, and own a successful personal coaching and athletic training practice in L.A., which has helped hundreds of people achieve their ideal size. Aniela is a fivetime World Weightlifting Champion who holds six world records, and Jerzy is a four-time World Weightlifting Champion with one world record. They have devoted the last 30 years to researching and designing The Happy Body Program, and now share that program in a new book, “The Happy Body,” winner of six national and international awards. Find the authors online at www.thehappybody.com.

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27

BOOK REVIEW 28

Gratitude =

Health + Longevity so says science

by dr. robert wilkes

I am 50+ and like many seniors I have a breakfast ritual—first, I pour orange juice in a glass and then begin to take my vitamins and supplements: Multivitamin, vitamin C (immune system), CoQ-10 (heart), saw palmetto and Lycopene (prostate) and glucosamine chondroitin complex (joints).

Now science is informing us that our parents and grandparents were correct when they told us as children to “count our blessings” in addition to counting our vitamins.

In his short, but very interesting and inspiring book, Thanks! How the new science of gratitude can make you Happier, Robert A. Emmons PH.D, a professor at the University of California, Davis, describes how recent social psychology research has demonstrated that a person who tends to view the benefits he or she receives as a “gift” (either from God or from a particular individual) has been correlated with successful aging as well as longevity. Regarding a person’s mental health: “For people with a psychiatric disorder, gratitude might be a valuable coping tactic for responding to life’s challenges.”

Emmons emphasizes how religion often encourages its adherents to look at the world with a sense of gratitude —so they will feel grateful when good things happen. Since a disposition to feel grateful for what you have (rather then resentful for what others have) requires discipline, it should be no surprise that we need to get into the habit of thanking family, friends, community and country for what we have received to enhance the quality of our lives. We all need “reminders,” by reciting daily prayers or by celebrating holidays—we need to realize that there are many big or small benefits that we can be thankful for on a daily basis.

In the same way that it is good to start each and every day counting blessings and vitamins, Emmons recommends that perhaps in the evening before we fluff our pillows, shut the lights and close our eyes, we ask three questions: What have I received from ________?

A smile, a kind word, or a helpful action.

What have I given to _______?

Did I listen to a family member, friend or neighbor who was feeling lonely or sad?

By either words or deeds.

Feeling grateful or just saying “thank you” is often easier said than done.

The author has a number of suggestions about how we can get into the “gratitude groove” and experience the “gratitude boost.”

Keep a gratitude journal!

Jot down each and every day what benefits or “gifts” you have received.

This type of journal is especially recommended for those who believe they are entitled to whatever benefits they receive and see no reason to feel grateful or to express any gratitude to anyone except themselves. Emmons is convinced that keeping such a journal has the power to change a person who is having a hard time counting his or her blessings.

Emmons captures the essence of his message in Thanks! by quoting a very wise first lady—Eleanor Roosevelt: “Yesterday is history Tomorrow is mystery Today is my gift” π

What trouble or difficulty have I caused ________?

Dr. Robert Wilkes is a former social work administrator for the Child Development Center, Dept. of Pediatrics, at Coney Island Hospital in Brooklyn, NY, from 1973 to 2001. Since 1990, he has been an adjunct professor of sociology at Kingsborough Community College (CUNY) in Brooklyn, NY. He is also the publisher’s father-in-law.

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introducing

Pikesville’s Newest Assisted Living and Memory Care Community Opening October 2010

Luxury Living at Affordable Prices.

Be one of the first to start a new beginning with us. Enjoy lectures, seminars, and activities while still being close to your loved ones. We have on-site physicians, if you need them, as well as a Rabbi on staff for your spiritual needs. Mention this ad and we will waive the $1,000 community fee!

Contact Sherille Otto for a personal tour 443.204.9928

A Peregrine Health Management Company 1700 Woodholme Avenue • Pikesville • 410.580.1400 • www.woodholmegardens.com