Growing Bolder September/October 2014

LEE GRANT’S 5 MISSING YEARS ■ EMBRACE FALL FLAVORS HOPE • INSPIRATION • POSSIBILITY

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POETRY THAT EMPOWERS Using Their Own Words, Molly Middleton Meyer Brings Joy and Dignity to Dementia Patients.

ESTELLE PARSONS: Still Standing, But Not Standing Still.

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SPOTLIGHT

LOVE WHERE YOU LIVE! ‘We Feel Like We’re On Vacation Every Day’

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By Jackie Carlin

o you love where you live? If not, don’t wait any longer to make a change! Debra and James Jacoby loved their small town in rural Northern Illinois, but the weather left a lot to be desired.

“It’s hot and humid in the summer but bitter cold and snowy in the winters,” Jim says.

In March of this year, they made the permanent move to paradise at Del Webb Orlando.

“The next time we see snow we’ll be watching it on a newscast on TV,” Debra says. “We did enjoy living in proximity to larger metro areas along with the peacefulness of a rural setting. Del Webb Orlando also offers the advantages of nearby metro convenience. But it’s over the top when it comes to peaceful living in a rural setting.”

Adds Jim: “We also knew that the Orlando area was called ‘the fun capital of the world,’ and who could turn away from that invitation, particularly when grandchildren want to come down to Florida for fun things to do?”

With its proximity to theme parks as well as natural attractions, such as east- and west-coast beaches and the state’s numerous state parks and forests, there’s something for everyone to do.

The Jacobys say they still can’t believe this is their home.

“We have to pinch ourselves from time to time to be sure we aren’t dreaming,” Jim says. “With its picturesque golf-course views and beautifully landscaped boulevards, Del Webb resembles upscale

Del Webb Orlando offers an unparalleled active-adult lifestyle community designed for those who plan to keep on Growing Bolder, year after year! Plan your visit around one of Del Webb’s upcoming community events, participate in a club or simply get to know some of the neighbors. Call 866-671-3330 or visit delwebb.com/ dwo to schedule a visit today.

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M resort living and that will never happen in Northern Illinois.”

Debra and Jim agree, though, that the real appeal of their new home is the people they’ve met.

“While warm climates, palm trees and theme parks rank high, our top priority is the warmth of the residents living here,” Debra notes. “We’ve been welcomed by everyone we’ve met and have developed several close friendships in such a short period of time.

We’re truly blessed with friendly neighbors on our street.”

The Jacobys visited several other communities before settling on Del Webb Orlando. They have advice for anyone still on the fence.

“Sign up for the Del Webb Experience, where you can actually stay on-property at one of the model homes for a few days,” Debra says. “You’ll experience the lifestyle firsthand and fall in love with the area, as we did.”

The couple has jumped right into some of the many clubs and activities offered at Del Webb Orlando, including the Financial Educational Group, Computer Club, Aquacize, Hands-On Cooking, Game Night and pool parties.

“We love living at Del Webb Orlando, with the many friends we’ve made and the many opportunities presented to us,” Jim says. “This is our home, and we feel like we’re on vacation every day.”

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6 FROM THE EDITOR 8 GROWING BOLDER WITH...

10 NEVER TOO LATE

Finally, at 87, actress Lee Grant makes peace with her age.

By Bill Shafer

12 ROCK STARS OF AGING

These nonagenarian performers are still at the top of their games.

By Jackie Carlin

14 5 QUESTIONS

Sandra Bullock makes a local “history geek’s” dream come true.

By Jackie Carlin

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contents

16 POETRY THAT EMPOWERS

Alzheimer’s can’t be reversed. But one woman’s unique approach uses writing to give patients dignity, joy and a creative outlet.

By Marc Middleton

24 BEHIND THE SCENES

Here’s what’s new and what’s coming from the Growing Bolder team.

25 GB ELITE

Words of wisdom from Growing Bolder’s superstar bloggers.

26 FOUNTAIN OF YOUTH

How an over-90 relay team shocked the world.

By Marc Middleton

27 SURVIVING AND THRIVING

Caregiving can take a physical and emotional toll.

By Bill Shafer

28 NUTRITION

Here are five fabulous fall foods to improve your health.

By Tara Gidius

30 THE TAKEAWAY

At 86, she’s still standing, and she’s not standing still.

By Estelle Parsons ON THE COVER: Poetry therapy facilitator Molly Middleton Meyer is awakening the creativity in Alzheimer’s patients. Photo by Thomas Sayers Ellis (tsellis.com).

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Finding Our Way Forward O From the Editor

ur mission at Growing Bolder is to change the way the world looks at aging. We smash the many demeaning and debilitating stereotypes of age and redefine what’s possible by sharing the inspiring stories of ordinary men and women who are living extraordinary lives. We provide the tools to make the rest of our lives the best of our lives.

While we choose to celebrate the endless opportunities of age, we can’t ignore what’s being lost — because to those who live long enough, dealing with loss is a constant challenge.

America’s 78 million baby boomers are now dealing with the loss of their parents at an unprecedented rate. In fact, we’re losing an average of 4,900 parents every day.

This loss is usually gradual, emotional, exhausting and costly. I lost both of my parents over an 18-month period in 2011 and 2012 and it was all of the above — most especially for my sister and brother, who lived near my parents in Scottsdale, Ariz.

Both of my parents were among the millions diagnosed with Alzheimer’s toward the end of their lives. Nearly 50 percent of people in their 80s develop Alzheimer’s or some other form of dementia.

When the so-called “Alzheimer’s Tsunami” hits in 2050, someone in the U.S. will be diagnosed with the disease every 33 seconds, and the cost of care will skyrocket to $1.2 trillion annually.

Public programs don’t cover assisted-living costs, which is a necessity for most dementia patients as they progress through the stages of the disease. According to the MetLife Mature Market Study, assisted living for dementia patients costs an average of $4,762 per month.

The cost of the care is one issue. The quality of care is another. Our cover story is about a woman who’s helping pioneer an entirely new way of not only engaging Alzheimer’s patients, but in creating new loving, meaningful relationships with them.

Her story is also about battling back from deep despair, of believing in yourself while trusting in others. It’s a story about taking calculated risks and finding not only a way to move forward, but also to give back. It’s a story about Growing Bolder; a story we’d be proud to tell even if she weren’t my sister.

Marc Middleton, Editor-in-Chief marcmiddleton@growingbolder.com 6

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Editor-in-Chief Marc Middleton Managing Editor Bill Shafer Associate Editors Katy Widrick, Jackie Carlin Contributing Writer Tara Gidus Additional Photography Thomas Sayers Ellis (tsellis.com), Andrew Knowles (ajkimages.com), Ken Stone (masterstrack.com), Matt Odom, Pixel Perfect Pros Digital Development and Production Jason Morrow, Pat Narciso, Josh Doolittle, Mike Nanus

407-406-5910 1 Purlieu Place, Suite 139 Winter Park, FL 32792 growingboldermagazine.com All editorial content copyright 2014 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.

Group Publisher Randy Noles Art Director Laura Bluhm Senior Associate Publisher Lorna Osborn Associate Publisher Kathy Byrd Growing Bolder is a publication of Florida Home Media LLC, publishers of Orlando Life.

407-647-0225 2700 Westhall Lane, Suite 128 Maitland, FL 32751 orlando-life.com SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2014

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Growing Bolder With...

Betty Tisdale

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Humanitarian Activist “There’s nothing like seeing a child who needs something. You can’t turn your back on them. I’m just an ordinary person proving you can surpass obstacles in your life. Most Americans are like that. We have so much here.

But there are children around the world with nothing. I’ve been lying about my age for years, but I’m not doing that anymore. I want people to think, ‘Gee, if she can do that at her age, maybe I can do something, too.’”

In 1975, Betty Tisdale helped evacuate more than 200 orphans just before the fall of Saigon. Since then, she’s made it her mission to help children and orphans around the globe. In 2000, she founded HALO (Helping And Loving Orphans). After working for years to establish Afghanistan’s first baby orphanage, she traveled there at age 90 to celebrate its opening.

Charlie Daniels

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Music Legend “I have a group of players with me, and every one of them is a better musician than me.

And every night when we get on stage, I just have to really scuffle to keep up with them. It’s good for me physically and it’s good for me mentally. It’s a great way to live. I’m here to tell anybody: don’t give up on your dreams just because you turn a certain age.”

Charlie Daniels has won virtually every music industry award and accolade there is in multiple genres.

His signature hit, “The Devil Went Down to Georgia,” is a fiddling tour de force. His’ latest project, an acoustic album called Off the Grid: Doin’ It Dylan, celebrates his history with Bob Dylan.

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Mark Steines

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TV Host

“I left ‘Entertainment Tonight’ because I started to feel like I was just working to provide for my family and not being a part of my family. I remembered a lesson Coach John Wooden taught me more than two decades ago. He told me, ‘You can find the key to happiness in life, and there are only two things.’ I remember thinking, ‘I’m a simpleton. If there are only two things, I think I can do that.’ He said, ‘The first is love and the second is balance.’ I never forgot that, and I always strive for that.”

Mark Steines is an Emmy Award-winning journalist best known for his 17-year tenure on “Entertainment Tonight.” His latest gig is as co-host of the Emmy-nominated daily show “Home & Family” on the Hallmark Channel.

Listen to our full-length conversations with Charlie Daniels, Betty Tisdale and Mark Steines on GrowingBolderMagazine.com.

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Never Too Late

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5 AWOL Years

Finally, at 87, Lee Grant Makes Peace with Her Age.

By Bill Shafer

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even asked the mayor of Los Angeles to take five years off here are a lot of things we know about Academy the age on her driver’s license. She was so careful that in Award-winning actress Lee Grant. One thing we her mind, the lie became the truth — she became five years did not know was her age. Nobody did. Not even younger than she actually was. her family.

After a while she totally forgot her true age, and it’s quite She was living a lie that went on for so long she almost possible no one would have ever known forgot it wasn’t the truth. She might have — until that day the check came. pulled it off forever, had she not been What check? The one from Social Seouted by the Social Security Administracurity that we get when we turn 65. Even tion. But why would she lie about her age Grant’s husband Joey didn’t know her in the first place? real age. He found out when he picked It’s one of many fascinating stories reup the mail. vealed in Grant’s just-released autobi“He yells, ‘You’re not 65!’” recalls ography, “I Said Yes to Everything,” and Grant. “I fell to the floor. I said, ‘I’m not, as a guest on the Growing Bolder radio I’m not!’ It was like a Blanche DuBois show, which airs Sundays at 7 a.m. on moment. And he said, ‘Yes, you are.

WMFE FM. We’ve got all this money coming in.’

Intelligent, charming and as energetSo, I unfortunately had to accept the ic as ever, she admitted she could have fact.” given her book a different title. “’GrowAt that moment, Grant had a grand ing Bolder’ would have been a great realization that it’s never too late to name,” she says with a chuckle. “Maybe accept who you are. It gave her the I could have called it, ‘Growing Bolder strength to look back on her life and as I Grow Older.’” share her story with the world.

In her 87 years of life, Grant has had It’s given her the confidence to cona lot to grow bolder about. It was 1949 Grant’s fascinating autobiography when she burst onto the scene in the film looks back over the ups and downs of tinue to perform and the courage to accept that she is, indeed, approaching “Detective Story.” Reviewers singled her a long career. One of the downs was being blacklisted after testifying beher 90s — something she never could out as someone destined for stardom.

But her status as an up-and-comer fore the House Un-American Activities have admitted before.

Adds Grant: “I’m certainly better quickly changed to a down-and-outer Committee. about accepting it now, but there are when she was called to testify before the still remnants left over from all those years I couldn’t House Un-American Activities Committee. She was blackwork, remnants that still give me the feeling that I’m in listed, unable to work in film or television for what turned a race to try to make up time. Maybe that’s my secret to out to be 12 years, the prime of any actor’s career. longevity. I’m still trying to make up time.” ■ Recalls Grant: “I was blacklisted from the time I was 24 until I was 36, and realized no producer would ever hire an actress pushing 40 — so I did everything I could to hide my age.”

GB EXTRA Visit GrowingBolderMagazine.com for a link to She was desperate to find work and rekindle her career. our Growing Bolder radio conversation with She felt that any reference to her birth date could ruin her Lee Grant and to learn more about her autoand took drastic steps to conceal it. biography.

She never acknowledged her birthday in public. She 10

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Rock Stars of Aging

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Music for the Soul

Nonagenarian Performers Still at the Top of Their Games.

By Jackie Carlin

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It’s a sentiment Robert shares. He’s one of the world’s ant to not only live a long life but a vibrant most revered and beloved flute teachers who, at 92, still one as well? Pick up an instrument. Cecilia teaches masters classes. He’s the recipient of the NationBrauer and Robert Willoughby are living proof al Flute Association’s Lifetime Achievement Award and is that having a passion for the arts is a key to longevity. responsible for developing many Now 90, Cecilia been a member first-chair musicians in orchesof New York’s famed Metropolitan tras across the U.S. Opera Orchestra since 1972. She’s “Why am I still teaching? I absoplayed the celeste and was the orlutely adore it,” he says. “I’ve had chestra’s official pianist on concert the good fortune to have many fine tours from 1993 to 2001. students over the years who have In 1991,she added a new instrument gone on to play in big orchestras to her repertoire — the glass armoniall over the country. It brings me ca. Invented by Benjamin Franklin in a real pleasure.”

1761, it’s one of the most unusual Robert, who was an Air Force instruments in the world. The arpilot on D-Day, nearly followed monica looks like a stack of glass in his attorney father’s footsteps bowls tipped on their sides. until a high school music teacher “When I saw the armonica, I deurged him to attend a summer cided to try it but it was tricky to music camp. play,” she recalls. “It took me three “I was still debating whether I trips back to the glass factory beshould go into music or not and fore I could make a sound on it. I my father said, ‘Why don’t you always say, ‘Here I can play Rachtake a year and see if you like it, maninoff and Tchaikovsky piano and then you’ll know,’” he recalls. concertos — but I was so happy when I could play ‘Yankee Doodle’ “Of course, it didn’t take a year. I was there about two weeks and I on the armonica.” thought I was in heaven. I guess Cecilia still performs armonica Cecilia, with her armonica, and Robert, with his that’s one way you know you’re in concerts around the country and flute, say their passion for music has helped them says music feeds her soul: “I happen the right business.” remain active and engaged in their 90s. And it Both Cecilia and Robert say to feel being a musician means your helps to have a sense of humor, Cecilia adds. they realize how lucky they are brain is going all the time with all to have chosen careers that althe things you have to learn on that page. Your heart and your soul are so filled with the beauty lowed them to stay active and involved as they’ve aged.

But it’s the passion for living that’s the real secret to of the composer’s music. I think that’s magnificent.” their success.

“I’m an optimist and I have a good sense of humor,” says GB EXTRA Cecilia. “I’ve learned to laugh at things when it gets to be Visit GrowingBolderMagazine.com to listen to our too much. If I can’t handle it, at least let me turn to laughter. interviews with Cecilia Brauer and Robert Willoughby and to learn more about our ebook, “Rock I love my garden. I cut my own grass. I’m outside working Stars of Aging: 50 Ways to Live to 100,” which is in the outdoors. And of course, I have music to satisfy my available for downloading for just $4.99. soul.” ■

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5 Questions

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eporter Bob Kealing, winner of the Edward R. Murrow Award and three Emmys, is a self-described history geek. After settling in Central Florida nearly 25 years ago, the Kansas native quickly became fascinated with the area’s rich, pre-Disney World history. He’s the author of several books, including Kerouac in Florida: Where the Road Ends and Calling Me Home: Gram Parsons and the Roots of Country Rock. But it’s his 2008 book about a long-forgotten businesswoman that’s generating a lot of buzz. He recently sold the rights to his book, Tupperware Unsealed: Brownie Wise, Earl Tupper, and the Home Party Pioneers to Sony Pictures. The feature film version of the book will be adapted, directed and produced by Tate Taylor, of The Help and Get On Up, and will star Academy Award-winning actress Sandra Bullock. Bob, a long-time friend and contributor to Growing Bolder, chats with Growing Bolder Magazine about his big Hollywood news and reveals his exciting next project.

Hello, Hollywood

Sandra Bullock Makes ‘History Geek’s’ Dream Come True.

By Jackie Carlin For starters, congratulations on selling the film rights toTupperware Unsealed . How does it feel to be involved with a project of this scale? Are you worried the story won’t be treated properly? And have you started planning your Sandra Bullock selfie?

It’s thrilling and I’m a little stunned still because it’s still wait-and-see mode. There are a lot of questions out there that I just don’t have answers to, but I’m certainly excited to take the ride. I think Tate Taylor, the director, and 14

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Sandra Bullock, who needs no introduction, are uniquely qualified as having Southern roots to translate this story.

I’m so excited it’s them taking the lead on this project. I’m anxious and excited to see where this process is going to take us. I’ve thought from Day 1 that it’d make a great film, and I thought Brownie would be a great character for a substantial actress. Well, we found her. As for the photo, anytime, anywhere, any place!

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extensive education, yet she had this Tell us a little bit about Brownie innate quality to be able to motivate Wise. Why is hers a story worth tellher sales force like nobody else. She ing, and how was she unknown for would get up at these large events, so long? like the Jubilees, with the dealers and I first learned about Brownie Wise distributors, and she had a way of through a PBS documentary, and it speaking to their dreams. Her motto caught my interest because I’d been was always: “If we build the people, living in Central Florida and I’d never they’ll build the business.” And she even heard of her. The more I dug into absolutely believed in that concept. this story, the more I realized what nnn a trailblazer Brownie was. She was a We’ve known you a long while and divorced, single mom, raising a child respected you. Your work is meticuand running a company in the Deep lously researched, and you’ve never South in the early ‘50s. That’s unprecdone it to get rich or famous. What’s edented. She was the first woman on the Growing Bolder Takeaway for the cover of Business Week, which rest of us? is pretty amazing. The Tupperware It’s fun to pursue your passions, and I people, including Earl Tupper, early don’t think many people worry about on, signed off on the fact that she was whether it’s going to bring financial a unique commodity. They said, “Let’s rewards or not. In terms of this repush her to the forefront. She’s going gion of the country, of Central Florto be the focus of PR and attention.” ida and Orlando, my raison d’etre is But as that evolved, some people say to find interesting, pre-Disney histhat it became more and more about tory because the perception I think Brownie than it was about the prodwe all chafe at a bit is, “Oh this is the uct. And that was not going to fly with “Tupperware Unsealed” tells the story of theme park capital of the world and Earl Tupper. She was eased out of the pioneering businesswoman Brownie Wise, there’s nothing else beyond this.” company in 1958. She didn’t die des- shown here being presented the keys to This is one example of the fact that, titute or penniless, but she did have a new Cadillac by Earl Tupper outside her “Oh yes, there is.” a much more low-key existence after home in Orlando. nnn that. She was an accomplished potWhat are you working on now? ter, winning a lot of awards for her pottery, and she worked Right now, I’m working on a book about a young Elvis in real estate. Her legacy was buried for decades, and only Presley in Florida, before his sad trip down the rabbit hole in the last 10 to 20 years has the company started to recand into drugs and everything else. It covers the period of ognize her for the genius that she was.

1955-‘61. There’s so much historic import that has to do nnn with his connections in Florida and with the connections You’ve mentioned that Brownie Wise wasn’t a feminist. of his manager, Colonel Tom Parker. It’s been a fun story to She didn’t try to change society, but she did in many pursue, and I would think there could be a couple of films ways, didn’t she? in this next book. n Without a doubt. Even though Brownie didn’t see herself as a feminist — at least that’s what her son told me — the fact is she found a way for women of the 1950s, who were GB EXTRA probably minimally educated, in the house and raising the All of Bob’s books are available online for purchildren, to gain some economic empowerment and to earn chase.Visit GrowingBolderMagazine.com for more information about each of them and to watch our some recognition of their own. That was revolutionary at video features on Bob’s work to preserve local the time and is part of what makes her such a trailblazer. history, including his efforts to create a thriving writers-in-residence program at the Orlando Long before Oprah, long before Martha Stewart and long home where Jack Kerouac lived when “On the before Mary Kay Ash, Brownie Wise was helping women Road” was published. find a way to support their own families. She didn’t have growingbolderMAGAZINE.com Growing BOlder 15

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Poetry Alzheimer’s patients light up around Molly Middleton Meyer, who calls them her “poet-patients.”

EMPOWERS

THAT

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Alzheimer’s Can’t Be Reversed. But One Woman’s Unique Approach Uses Writing to Give Patients Dignity, Joy and a Creative Outlet.

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By Marc Middleton

PHOTOS: Andrew Knowles (ajkimages.com)

t’s 9:30 on a Friday morning and Molly Middleton Meyer has traveled from Dallas, Texas, to work her way through neural pathways thought by many to no longer exist.

She’s seeking cerebral connections through a groundbreaking process of her own design, which is meant to not only engage, but also to creatively stimulate a group of residents at Serenades Memory Care Assisted Living in Longwood, Fla. The process is called poetry facilitation. But to many, it’s nothing short of magic.

“The first time I did this, the caregivers stood there with their mouths open,” recalls Molly. “They saw people do and say things that they didn’t know were possible. When the hour-long session was finished, they asked, ‘How much do you charge and can you fit us into your schedule?’”

The men and women that Molly is working with today are among the 5.2 million Americans living with Alzheimer’s disease, which according to the Alzheimer’s Association is now the sixth-leading cause of death in the U.S. and the only cause among the Top 10 that can’t be prevented, cured or even slowed.

The Alzheimer’s Association projects that by 2050, an estimated 16 million Americans will have the disease, with a new case diagnosed every 33 seconds. The cost of care will rise to $1.2 trillion a year, making Alzheimer’s the most expensive health crisis to ever face the nation.

After warmly greeting each of her “poet-patients,” as she calls them, the session takes flight. Molly says, “I love birds, don’t you?”

“Oh yes!” answers one of the residents. “They can fly!” says another.

“You know what … ?” Molly continues, “I’ve got some items that remind me of birds. May I show them to you?”

And with that, she begins pulling objects from a large

bag and sharing each of the treasures she unveils. There’s a birdcage, a nest, a peacock feather, a stuffed toy owl and a bird with a long red tail.

Everyone is encouraged to touch each one as Molly’s questions slowly awaken their imaginations.

“Look closely at this nest. What is it made of?”

“Sticks!” blurts one woman.

“Exactly! Isn’t it amazing that they collect sticks and pieces of paper to make a safe home for their babies?”

Molly has gained each group member’s trust by making it clear that there are no wrong answers. In many ways, wrong answers have defined their lives since first being diagnosed.

Many Alzheimer’s patients are easily frustrated and quickly withdraw due to inadequacy or embarrassment.

“May I read you a poem about birds?” Molly asks. “It’s one of my favorites.”

She reads a short poem and says, as if thinking the thought for the first time, “You know what? Let’s write our own poem about birds! I’ll help, but it will be your words, your poem. I know your poems will be even better than the ones we just heard.”

“I don’t think I’ve ever written a poem,” someone says.

“I don’t want to,” adds another.

“Let’s try,” encourages Molly. “It’s fun and you’ll be

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Molly uses sensory objects and recitations to stimulate memories and imaginations. With words and phrases from session participants, she composes poetry on the spot and then shares it aloud. “You’ll be amazed,” she tells this group in Longwood. “It’s kinda magical.”

amazed. It’s kinda magical.”

Intrigued, they agree.

Through trial and error, Molly has developed a process that uses sensory objects and poetry recitation to stimulate long-forgotten memories and flashes of imagination.

“I start with an idea and get the train moving, but you never really know where it’s going to end up,” she says. “We were doing a poem about the moon recently and someone thought I said ‘mule.’ That sparked a memory. So we were off and running with a poem about mules. Sometimes, you just have to jump on board and enjoy the ride.”

Molly uses each object that she’s shared, displaying them on a table in front of her poet-patients as a springboard for creative expression.

“What do you think this bird is doing? What is she drinking?”

The answers come slowly at first, but Molly waits patiently, encouraging, directing, and inspiring.

“Good word! Oh, that’s interesting! I love that!”

As she prompts, she records all of the words, phrases and even gestures to construct poems on the spot. In just a couple of moments, without so much as a slight pause, she announces: “I think you’ve written a poem. May I read it to you? These are your words, your poem and your title.”

Alive A bluebird takes a sip 18

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of clean, fresh rainwater, enjoys a quick bath.

Splashing!

Flapping!

He shakes the water from his feathers, feels alive.

“Beautiful,” says one group member. “We did that!” another proudly exclaims. “I heard my word!” says another.

Some simply sit back with big smiles on their faces and an obvious sense of satisfaction. The process continues and another poem is created. “Do you want to hear it?”

Molly asks. “Oh, yes!” they answer in unison. “Your words, your poem, your title,” she repeats.

A Garden Of Beauty Petunias, zinnias, daffodils, roses— a rainbow of color, a garden of beauty.

The hummingbird drinks nectar.

The robin sings a song of love.

“Read it again!” “Nectar was my word.” “I just wrote a poem!”

Molly has held the attention of a group of Alzheimer’s patients, some in more advanced stages of the disease, for an hour. That’s not an easy thing to do. More importantly, she has given them a sense of pride and satisfaction.

“That was really great,” says one man. “I enjoyed that.”They excitedly pose for a group picture and slowly leave the room, smiling. One man asks Molly for a dance and she accepts. “I SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2014

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her last words to me were ‘The beach, my sweet escape.’” love to dance almost as much as I love writing poems,” she Barbara’s daughter, Molly recalls, was moved to tears tells him. because she and her mother had enjoyed many wonderful Julie Fernandez, executive director of Serenades, one of beach getaways. “It was comforting for her to know that the nation’s most progressive memory-care centers, obher mother, even in her final days, was still connected in a served the entire session. deep and meaningful way to their times together.”

“They were nervous at first because many recognize their Many leading academic, healthcare and caregiving exlimitations and they didn’t know what to expect,” she says. perts quickly endorsed Molly’s process — but her path “They learned right away that there were no wrong anto becoming a poetry pioneer has been swers. They were so engaged; they loved anything but quick. the fact that Molly listened to them and “I start with an idea Molly, who has an MFA in poetry that they were 100 percent successful from one of the most prestigious crein what they did. They were thrilled.” and get the train ative-writing programs in the counLeigh Elliott, of Team Elliott Education, one Florida’s most innovative pro- moving, but you never try, has had personal dealings with Alzheimer’s, a heartbreaking disease viders of lifelong-learning programs and really know where devastating to both its victims activities, also sat in on the session. it’s going to end up… that’s and their family members, who are of“Molly engaged them by creating sometimes,you just ten left feeling helpless when a loved a secure environment in which they felt safe and comfortable,” she notes. have to jump on board one is stricken.

“I lost both of my parents to Alzheim“When you’ve lost your confidence, it’s and enjoy the ride.” er’s in 2011 and 2012,” she says. “I benot easy to speak, it’s not easy to risk came increasingly frustrated with much embarrassment; so many Alzheimer’s of their therapy, which I came to believe only dehumanizes patients simply withdraw.” those for whom so much is already being lost. I was deterMolly formats and types the poems and gives them to mined to find a way to stimulate their memories and spark the care centers, where they’re displayed in the residents’ rooms, highlighted in newsletters and shared with family their creativity in an engaging, dignifying way.”

She read everything she could find on dementia and studmembers. ied poetry therapy. “I found nothing close to what I envi“I try to think like a daughter,” she says. “When resisioned. I acted on a hunch, but it was an educated hunch.” dents start telling stories, I write them down to share with their families. One of my poet-patients named Barbara was One of Molly’s most enlightening experiences was observing what happened when her brother, Tom, moved nearly non-verbal. I noticed her smiling with a beautiful, their father out of a care facility and into his home. far-away look and asked what she was thinking about. ‘The “When Dad’s Alzheimer’s progressed, my mother moved beach,’ she answered. ‘My sweet escape.’”

Barbara died just days later, and Molly went to her fuhim into a facility where he had very little stimulation,” she recalls. “Tom wanted him to experience a high qualneral. “I told her daughter that I loved her mother, and that growingbolderMAGAZINE.com Growing BOlder 19

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mately learned from someone who wasn’t constrained by or concerned with the accepted protocol. He only cared about giving Dad the dignity that he deserved.”

Molly is now among those who are flipping the rules for interacting with Alzheimer’s patients. And here’s what she’s concluded: “Everybody says they’re going away. And they are. You can’t pull them back. You can only go with them. Live in the moment with them and make that moment as joyous as possible. Yes, your relationship changes, but you still have the power to bring joy and meaning and love to their lives.

And even those who no longer recognize their family can still be happy. They can still have a quality of life.”

But before Molly could find a way to help others, she had to find a way to help herself. In 2007, she was married to her high-school sweetheart, a successful financial advisor, had four amazing children and had just fulfilled a dream by opening her own fashion boutique in trendy Scottsdale.

Within a year, however, the housing crisis hit, the stock market crashed, her marriage began to fail and her boutique went out of business.

“I was overwhelmed and had no idea what to do,” she admits. Needing work, she applied for a position with the Phoenix Teaching Fellows, a sister program of Teach for America, Molly’s path to becoming a poetry pioneer has been rocky a non-profit whose mission is to eliminate educational inat times. After a series of personal setbacks, she decided to equality by enlisting high-achieving college graduates and enroll in an MFA program and specialize in poetry. While in professionals to teach in low-income communities. the program, she became convinced that poetry could benefit dementia patients.

Molly was the oldest applicant accepted, and after a rigorous six-week training program, was assigned a 7thity of life until the disease made that no longer possible. grade class in an impoverished Hispanic community where He moved Dad into his house, where English is a second language. he interacted with him in an authentic, She formed a bond with her students “I meet the most fun-loving way. He simply got up each and began dealing with not only their amazing people. It’s morning, gauged Dad’s disposition and academic needs, but with their social, invented interesting things for them health and family issues as well. such a gift to know to do. They’d sit on Tom’s motorcycle, “It’s impossible to separate one need them now.

I don’t watch sports on TV, Skype with relafrom another,” Molly says. “I took breakknow them as people fast to school for those who weren’t fed tives, take photos or jump in the car and take drives.” at home. I received texts in the middle who have lost Adds Molly: “Dad experienced a fanof the night saying their fathers were something.

I know tastic quality of life because Tom didn’t beating them. I was a teacher, social mourn the loss of a father; he celebrated worker, guidance counselor and more.” them as people who a newfound friend. He was willing to go At the same time, Molly had her own are hungry for on this journey with Dad. I wasn’t able child at home and three in college. Plus to do that at the time, but that’s exactly stimulation, hungry for her divorce was being finalized and her fawhat I do now.” ther‘s health was rapidly deteriorating. fun and hungry It’s ironic, Molly notes, that “despite Recalls Molly: “One day the princifor love.” all of my education and research, I ultipal came into my classroom and whis20

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where the professors encouraged her to study poetry. “I’ve always been a writer but had never written a poem, but something made me say, ‘What the hell. Why not?’”

As she was preparing to leave for one of her 10-day, oncampus residencies, she received a call from her mother, pered, ‘Your father is on life support and they’re going to whose speech was slurred.“She said,‘Can you come over yestake him off.’ I rushed to the hospital, said good-bye and terday? Something is wrong. There’s blood everywhere.’” watched him go. From that moment on, my mom’s health Her mother had fallen in the middle of the night, fracbegan to fail.” turing her skull. That led to a series of Molly resigned her teaching position to hospitalizations and multiple strokes.

“Dad experienced care for her mother, who was diagnosed The fall and the strokes accelerated her a fantastic quality with Alzheimer’s a few months later. cognitive decline, and she now required “I wasn’t working,” she says. “I was of life because Tom full-time care. Molly called the university caring for a child and an ailing mother. and dropped out of the MFA program. didn’t mourn the I grew depressed and hit rock bottom “When I got up the following morning, loss of a father; mentally. I got help for my depression, I felt like I was quitting on myself,” she but I needed a lifeline, something I could recalls. “I called the university and told he celebrated a do for myself. I asked myself, ‘What am them everything. I shared my issues and newfound friend.”

I good at? Where do I feel safe?’ The anasked if they could accommodate them.” swer came immediately. School. I decidShe says the professors were amazed to get a Master’s Degree.” ing and encouraged her to continue. The struggle, they beMolly was accepted into the low-residency MFA creative lieved, would only make her a better writer. Little did she writing program at Lesley University in Cambridge, Mass., know how right they were.

Siblings Tom, Molly and Marc Middleton lost their parents, both of whom were diagnosed with Alzheimer’s, in 2011 and 2012. Tom Middleton cared for his dad as the disease progressed.

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During her first semester, her mother passed away.

“I began thinking about what I had seen in care centers, what Tom did with Dad and what I was studying in school,” she says. “I began to believe in the power of poetry to engage Alzheimer’s patients. Music has proven to be an amazing tool. Why not poetry?”

Molly also decided that she needed a fresh start, and made a bold move. She left the city in which she’d lived

The Coming of the Alzheimer’s Tsunami Unless we find a cure or a way of preventing it, Alzheimer’s will take an increasingly heavy toll.

Improving your lifestyle, eating healthy foods, staying active and challenging yourself with new activities can delay the onset of dementia. Longterm care insurance can be a good way to ensure quality care and protect your assets. However, you won’t be able to purchase it after a diagnosis of Alzheimer’s or other forms of dementia. More than 5.2 million Americans are living with the disease, including approximately 200,000 individuals younger than age 65 who have early-onset Alzheimer’s. n Nearly 50 percent of people in their 80s develop Alzheimer’s disease or some other form of dementia. Two-thirds of those afflicted are women. n Alzheimer’s disease is the sixth-leading cause of death in the United States and is the only cause of death among the top 10 that cannot be prevented, cured or even slowed once it begins. n Every 67 seconds, someone in the United States develops Alzheimer’s. By 2050, someone in the U.S. will be diagnosed with Alzheimer’s every 33 seconds. n Alzheimer’s disease is the most expensive condition in the nation. In 2014, the direct costs to American society of caring for those with Alzheimer’s will total an estimated $214 billion. Alzheimer’s will cost an estimated $1.2 trillion in 2050. n In 2013, 15.5 million caregivers provided an estimated 17.7 billion hours of unpaid care, valued at more than $220 billion.

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for 40 years and moved to Dallas. Once settled in, she contacted the Alzheimer’s Association of Greater Dallas and shared her vision.

“They were incredibly encouraging and helpful,” she recalls. “They said, ‘You have something here. Here are some of the top memory-care centers in Dallas. Call them up. Tell them you have our blessing and develop your program.’”

The rest, as they say, is history. Soon, even as she was finishing her MFA, Molly was working full-time and is now on the association’s board of directors. Demand for her services has exploded.

“The sum total of my life experiences, many of which I thought were complete failures, suddenly came together,” she says. “Everything that’s been so hard and so painful has enabled me to heal myself and to help others.”

Working with inner-city students taught her high-impact teaching strategies and being a mom taught her how to multitask. Adds Molly: “Being a mom is the greatest work experience there is. Never sell that short.”

Molly Middleton Meyer has found purpose in her own pain, and says that working with Alzheimer’s patients is a way of honoring her mother and father.

“I look in their faces and see my mom and my dad,” she says. “I meet the most amazing people. It’s such a gift to only know them now. I don’t know them as people who have lost something. I know them as people who are hungry for stimulation, hungry for fun and hungry for love.”

As for Molly’s personal struggles, she knows there will likely be more. That’s life. But she now knows she can handle whatever lies ahead.

“Eventually you have to save yourself,” she says. “Wallow for a while, if you must, but get up and start fighting. You simply have to keep moving, and it’s not a linear process. You can take five steps forward and find yourself 10 steps back.

“But if you keep moving, better days will be ahead. And ask others for help, because they will help. It’s amazing how eager they are to help.” n Molly Middleton Meyer is an advocate for the millions of men and women with dementia. She’s a published poet and author who travels nationally to conduct facilitations, workshops, seminars and training programs one-on-one in private homes and with groups in assistedliving and memory-care centers. She is also available for consultations and speaking engagements. For more information about Molly’s work, visit mindseyepoetry.com.

SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2014

8/18/14 11:53:06 AM

ORLCM_

Dr. Robert Masson, founder of the NeuroSpine Institute, combined his skills in microneurosurgery with his passion for sports to create the field of sports spine surgery. Inventor of iMas, an intepedicular minimal access surgery of the lumbar spine, he is responsible for the education, product development and research for Synthes Spine in iMas productis and techniques.

All spinal surgeries are not created equal. The NeuroSpine Institute’s renowned minimally invasive surgery means shorter downtime for patients so you can

GET BACK TO

YOUR LIFE

Dr. Mitchell Supler brings 17 years of experience to NeuroSpine Institute. Dr. Supler graduated with honors from the University of Florida College of Medicine in 1989, receiving the Lyerly Award for excellence in Neurosurgery.

He completed his residency in Neurosurgery at the University of Florida in 1996, having trained with Dr. Masson. Dr. Supler was trained by Dr. Albert Rhoton, the father of microneurosurgery while at the University of Florida, in advanced microneurosurgical anatomy and surgery.

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Behind the Scenes

BOLDER DOCUMENTARIANS ARE ON THE ROAD AGAIN In our last issue, we shared the exciting news that we’re hard at work on the first film from Bolder Docs, Conquering Kilimanjaro. We recently traveled to Jackson, Miss., and Katy and Austin, Texas, to interview three of the cancer survivors who made the grueling climb up Mt. Kilimanjaro. One of the highlights of the trip was spending some time with Livestrong CEO Doug Ulman, a three-time cancer survivor himself, at the organization’s Austin headquarters. Watch for Growing Bolder CEO Marc Middleton’s conversation with Doug in the documentary and in upcoming feature stories on Growing Bolder TV.

LIFE LESSONS FROM THE AMAZING ROSELIO

We can’t wait for you to meet 101-year-old Roselio Muniz. This delightful man recently invited us into his home to explain the secrets of his longevity, vitality and passion for life. Whether it’s mixing up his favorite morning smoothie or hitting the stationary bike every afternoon, this Rock Star of Aging™ will inspire you to believe that it’s never too late to live boldly. We’ll be sharing his story first on GrowingBolder.com, so click on over and get ready to be amazed.

WENDY’S BACK IN THE STUDIO FOR ‘SURVIVING & THRIVING’

Wendy Chioji recently returned from her home in Park City, Utah, to tape segments for upcoming episodes of our Emmy Awardnominated program, Surviving & Thriving. She was thrilled to be joined by two new faces, WKMG Local 6 anchors Bridgett Ellison and David Hall. Watch for their first appearances on our show this fall on WKMG. Visit survivingandthriving.tv for airdates and to watch inspiring stories of those overcoming life’s toughest challenges.

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SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2014

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Team GB Elite

The Team GB Elite bloggers embody hope, inspiration and possibility — and prove that it’s never too late to create the life you want. They write fascinating posts on everything from healthy aging to extreme sports to exciting journeys. Visit elite.growingbolder.com to meet members of Team GB Elite. This month, we wanted to find out how their views of aging have evolved. So we posed the following questions: What’s the best thing about getting older? When you were younger, what did you think your life would be like at your current age? How is it different than that image?

ELIZABETH ST. HILAIRE NELSON “The best thing about getting older is being more confident. When I was young, I always expected to work for someone else in my career. I never expected to be my own boss and be self employed.”

KAREN PUTZ

KAREN PUTZ’S PHOTO: MATT ODOM, PIXEL PERFECT PROS

“The best thing about growing older is that I’m Growing Bolder instead!

When I was younger, I thought I’d be a famous novelist. I’m just getting started now. When I was much younger, I thought 49 would be ancient and most of the fun would be over. My younger self could have never imagined being able to barefoot waterski backwards on one foot at 49!”

LIZ KITCHENS “Time magazine’s science correspondent Jeffrey Kluger contends creativity increases with age. At the age of 61, I’ve never felt more creative. Creativity infuses most aspects of my life, from the art I create to the meals I prepare. As a youngster, I could not imagine living to be 61. I remember having limited dreams — I might become a teacher, a wife, a mother. While I’m thrilled to have held two of those roles, I’m perhaps most proud of becoming an independent, entrepreneurial woman.”

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SANDY SCOTT “No one enjoyed their career more than I. I loved being an airline pilot so much that I would have done it for free, if I’d had a way to support myself.

Having said that, retirement exceeds the best job in the world. There’s time to enjoy the fruits of your labor and engage in the activities that give you satisfaction. And there are never any deadlines to meet. Interestingly, my life now is exactly as I envisioned it. I envisioned a wonderful, carefree, active, financially secure retirement and, at the age of 74, that is exactly what I have.”

OLEDA BAKER “One of the best parts about getting older is the joy of having so many good friends for such a long time, as well as remembering all the things I’ve been able to do throughout my life. I also appreciate having a wide view on life and experiences. When I was younger, I thought I would have aches and pains and not be strong or healthy, like so many people I saw at that age. I thought 80 was old. I found out it’s not, if you take care of yourself.” ■

GB EXTRA Visit GrowingBolderMagazine.com to read more from the Team GB Elite bloggers.

GROWING BOLDER

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The Fountain of Youth

TM

Defying Expectations Over-90 Relay Team Shocks the World.

By Marc Middleton

I

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It wasn’t easy to assemble a group of people at least 90 years of age to compete on a relay team in an officially sanctioned track meet. In fact, it had never been done before. But this squad of nonagenerian athletes ended up setting three age-group world records at the USA Track and Field Masters Outdoor in Winston-Salem.

No one on the team ever thought they would set a world record. In fact, most never even thought about running until later in life. Goldy’s first competition was in his 70s and Englert didn’t start running until he was in his 60s.

“People make themselves old when they say, ‘I’m too old to do this and too old to do that,’” Englert says.

The good news is you can also make yourself young by getting off the couch and getting moving. Regular physical activity is the Fountain of Youth.™ Just ask the new world record holders. ■

GB EXTRA Visit GrowingBolderMagazine.com to see more stories celebrating the Fountain of Youth.™

PHOTO: KEN STONE, MASTERSTRACK.COM

t took a great deal of planning and coordination, but the effort paid off at the 2014 USA Track and Field Masters Outdoor in Winston-Salem, N.C. Champion Goldy Sr., 97; Orville Rogers, 96; Roy Englert, 92; Charles Ross, 91; and Charles Boyle, 91, became the first over-90 relay team in history to compete at an official track meet — and in the process set three world records.

Rogers, Englert, Ross and Goldy set the world record in the 4x100 and Boyle replaced Gordy in the world record-setting 4x400 and 4x800 relays.

“This was never done before,” Boyle says. “Our only requirement was to cross the finish line alive. We didn’t break records. We set them. Now, everyone else has to take a shot at it.”

“Getting a team together wasn’t easy,” adds Ross, who was in charge of organizing the record-setting attempt.

The only requirements were that participants had to be over 90 and willing to show up in Winston-Salem. They could simply walk their leg of the relay. Still, Ross had few takers. Many didn’t want to travel and most were afraid of falling.

“For three months I slaved on this project,” Ross recalls.

“I was on the Internet. I was phoning people until I got a great team together. I had never met any of them before, though I’d read about them and their racing records over the years.”

Ross put together a pool of nearly 10 runners, knowing that some would back out or wouldn’t make it to the starting line for one reason or another.

One member cancelled because he had cancer and thought he wouldn’t survive the weekend. Others had illnesses that kept them from traveling. One had a wife who died.

When the five runners who arrived Winston-Salem met the night before their first event, they told one another: “Now four of us just have to make it another 24 hours.”

No one laughed. It wasn’t a joke.

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Surviving & Thriving

TM

Love’ s Final Act

Caregiving Can Take a Physical and Emotional Toll.

By Bill Shafer

P

am Sain’s life changed in an instant with a diagnosis. Not hers, but her father’s. When she learned her dad had esophageal cancer, she stepped right into the role of caregiver.

She had no idea what she was in for.

Initially, Pam decided to fly to Kansas to be by his side for a few weeks. That trip stretched into nine heart-wrenching months. “I was camping out at the hospital morning until night,” she recalls. “You can’t take the chance that you’ll miss something critical.”

The plight of the caregiver is an unheralded story, one that few know much about.

“It’s not an easy job,” says Pam. “There were many times when I didn’t sleep for days. It’s a huge responsibility, and the pressure is overwhelming. I would get physically ill, wondering if I was making the right decisions.”

The number of people caring for relatives who are chronically ill, disabled or aged has spiked to 29 percent of the U.S. population, according to the National Alliance on Caregiving. Caregiving is stressful, frustrating and consuming — but Pam says it’s also a selfless act of love.

“A lot of people can’t understand how I could leave my own family to spend that kind of time with my father,” she reflects. “But he knew I was there for him, and that he didn’t have to go through [the illness] alone. That meant everything to him, and to me, too.”

Pam lost her father, but her desire to help others didn’t die. She has become an advocate for those battling esophageal cancer and has used her connections in the community to create fundraising events that benefit the Florida Hospital Cancer Institute.

During her father’s battle against esophageal cancer, Pam realized how physically and emotionally wrenching caregiving can be. But it also inspired her to help others suffering from the disease that claimed her father’s life.

She’s personally responsible for bringing cutting-edge lifesaving diagnostic equipment to her community.

“There’s a lot of gratification in knowing you’re changing something or making a difference,” she adds. “It’s something money could never buy.” ■

Pam Sain’s story was featured in an episode of our Emmy Award-nominated show “Surviving & Thriving,” which airs quarterly in primetime on WKMG Local 6. Visit survivingandthriving.tv for air dates, to watch complete episodes and to share your story of survival. Give the gift of hope to someone struggling through a difficult time and draw inspiration from the messages and examples shared by others.

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Bolder Nutrition

Embrace Fall Flavors Here Are 5 Foods to Improve Your Health.

By Tara Gidus, MS, RDN, CSSD, LD/N

W

ho doesn’t love the leaves changing color, the crisp air following a hot and humid summer and the flavors that you can find only this time

of year?

Unbeknownst to most people, pumpkins, squash, grapes and potatoes are in season in the fall. All of them provide a great amount of vitamins and nutrients such as vitamins C, B6 and A as well as potassium, magnesium and carotenoids. And they’re low in calories.

You’ll also find beta carotene, which is excellent for your eyesight, in any of the popular orange foods of fall.

Here are some other fabulous and flavorful fall foods that are both tasty and healthy: ■ Grapes. Grapes from California are available May through January, meaning they’re one of the few fruits to span three seasons. Grapes may contribute to a healthy heart by improving vascular function, reducing blood lipids and preventing platelet aggregation, which can lead to clot formation. Fresh grapes have the same heart-healthy compounds as red wine, including the phytonutrient resveratrol. Mix it up with grapes, from salads to sandwiches, sides to smoothies. With 90 calories, no fat, no cholesterol and virtually no sodium, they’re a nutritional bargain.

■ Apples. Apples of different varieties have varying tastes and levels of sweetness and tartness. The fiber in an apple can help with weight management and digestive health, and two-thirds of the antioxidants are found in the peel. Best of all, one large apple is only 130 calories. If you find it difficult to chomp down on these crunchy treats, slice it up into smaller, more manageable pieces.

■ Pumpkins. Pumpkins scream, “Autumn has arrived” to me. Incorporate the flesh of the pumpkin into pumpkin pancakes, soufflés, ravioli or soups. Get it canned for ease of use in recipes or bake it whole. Make sure you retrieve the seeds if you go that route, so you can roast them in the oven and sprinkle them with sea salt for a yummy snack packed in fiber and protein.

■ Butternut squash. You can put roasted cubes of butternut squash into risottos or cold salads, rice dishes or casseroles. Put squash halves on a cookie sheet for an hour in the oven. Or remove the skin and cut the flesh into chunks for sautéing or steaming. For soup or pasta, mash

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or puree it into the broth or sauce.

■ Sweet potatoes. You can prepare sweet potatoes in the fall by oven-roasting with mustard, garlic and rosemary.

For a simple treat, poke the skin and bake, adding cinnamon and a touch of brown sugar once the flesh is soft.

Sound good? Let the flavors of the fall season warm you and delight your palate this special time of the year. ■

Tara Gidus is the co-author of “Flat Belly Cookbook for Dummies” and host of the national TV show, “Emotional Mojo.”

She’s team dietitian for the NBA’s Orlando Magic and official nutritionist for runDisney.

You can learn more by visiting Tara’s website, dietdiva.com.

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The Takeaway

Staying Power

At 86 I’m Still Standing, and I’m Not Standing Still.

By Estelle Parsons

I

can’t believe I’m 86. You wake up every morning and you do your thing and the next thing you know, you’re 86.

I don’t know how other people are about these things, but I’ve never thought about my age. I had a playwright friend who was so depressed when he turned 30. And then I had another friend who got depressed when he turned 40.

I never got depressed about my age. I never even thought about it until I got to be 80. And then I thought, “Oh, my. Oh, my. I’m 80!” That seemed like a really huge number to me.

But I didn’t dwell on it. I didn’t let it stop me from doing what I wanted to do. I just kept on going. And there I was, at 86, starring on Broadway in “The Velocity of Autumn.”

The terrible thing is, as you age, you begin to let people do things for you — and soon you believe that you can’t do those things for yourself. And you just can’t let that happen. You’ve got to keep doing for yourself.

If someone says, “Take my seat” on the subway, I say, “No thanks, I’d rather stand up.”You’ve got to keep moving your body around. That’s the key to keep going for a long, long time. That’s what life is all about — constant movement.

We can’t stand still.

At one point in “The Velocity of Autumn,” my character, in a sense of despair, says, “What the world is taking away from me, what time is taking away from me, what God is taking away from me is me.”

Staying active and healthy and engaged has helped me hang on to me. ■

Estelle Parsons is well-known for her Academy Awardwinning performance in “Bonnie and Clyde” and her 10 years as Mother Bev on the sitcom “Roseanne.”

She recently received some of the highest praise of her long career for her Tony Award-nominated role in the Broadway play “The Velocity of Autumn.” Just hours after her nomination was announced, producers decided to close the show. The 86-year-old, who’s starred in 30 shows during her 58 years on Broadway, took it all in stride. She recently appeared on the Growing Bolder Radio Show and gave us something to think about — a Growing Bolder takeaway.

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GROWING BOLDER

“The terrible thing is, as you age, you begin to let people do things for you — and soon you believe that you can’t do those things for yourself. And you just can’t let that happen. You’ve got to keep doing for yourself.”

GB EXTRA

Visit GrowingBolderMagazine.com to listen to our entire conversation with Estelle Parsons and find out the first thing she said when her show closed.

SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2014

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Turn your healthy choices into healthy habits.

Download the new Healthy 100 Habits app from Florida Hospital, and choose from more than 100+ habits that will keep you living to a Healthy 100.

This app doesn’t just help you lose weight or eat better. Healthy goals could also include spending more time with family, setting aside time for spiritual renewal and making sure you get a full night’s rest.

Which healthy habit will you create?

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FREE for iPhone™ or Android™ devices

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“The Mayflower is an incredible safety net.”

At The Mayflower, Nancy Klingler benefits from the wisdom of proactive planning. She enjoys her stunning, customized villa – along with a maintenance-free lifestyle that enables her to travel regularly and maintain her social circle. And having moved here with her late husband Bob, the advantages extend even further.

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What’s your plan for the future?

Call today, and let’s talk about it: 407.672.1620.

88141 PRAD GB 9/2014

www.themayflower.com 1620 Mayflower Court Winter Park, FL 32792

“We’d always planned to make the move later on, but we fast-tracked our decision when Bob became ill,” Nancy says.

“He wanted to make sure I was taken care of – and I am.

You never know what will happen in the future, so you have to prepare. No matter what comes my way, The Mayflower is an incredible safety net that provides a sense of security – for me and my children.”

8/18/14 11:36:06 AM