BOOM! July 2011

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BOOM!, The River Region’s 50+ Lifestage Magazine

Contents

July 2011

“Though no one can go back and make a brand new start, anyone can start from now and make a brand new ending.”

Volume I Issue 12

Carl Bard

Thought Relationships Taste Inspiration

Humor Advice Health Community

“You are never too old to set another goal or to dream a new dream.” C.S. Lewis

5 Jackson Hospital’s Health News 6 Publisher’s Letter 12 Menopause The Musical 13 Menopause Ticket Winners 19 A Different Way to See Medicine page 14

22 Healthy Hearing, (Re) Learn to Listen

Features 14 Double Endurance Unusual 50th celebration.

16 Sizing Up

Anti-aging Face Products

24 Crump Senior Center

20 Final Voyage For ALS Patient

26 Active Seniors of Central Alabama

Departments 8 This and That

28 {12} Things

Something interesting, even for you!

Plenty to do for Boomers and Beyond.

BOOM!

18 John Ed Mathison Watch Your Words

30 Humor-Greg Budell What’s in YOUR Closet

page 24

COVER PROFILE page 10

page 16

BOOM! magazine is published monthly by River Region Publications, 8637 Harvest Ridge Dr., Montgomery, AL 36116. The phone number for voice and fax is 334.523.9510.

Copyright 2011 by River Region Publications. No part of this publication can be reproduced without written permission from the publisher. Opinions expressed in BOOM! magazine are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the view of the owners, nor do they constitute an endorsement of products and services herein.

The River Region’s 50+ Lifestage Magazine

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When you need urgent care for a minor illness or injury, the last thing you want is a long wait in an over-crowded waiting room. Luckily, Jackson Clinic When you need urgent care for a minor

now offers extended hours and walk-ins are welcomed

illness or injury, the last thing you want

so you get the care you need without all the hassle.

is a long wait in an over-crowded waiting

Need lab work? We handle that onsite, with

room. Luckily, Jackson Clinic Family Medicine

Hospital right door are if further tests are nowJackson offers extended hours andnext walk-ins required.

So get when can’t wait, welcomed so you thehealthcare care you needjust without all get the hassle.

Need lab right work oraway x-rays? handleClinic. the right care at We Jackson that onsite, with Jackson Hospital right next door if further tests are required. So when healthcare just can’t wait, get the right care right away at

M-F 8am-8pm • 334-293-8888

The Jackson Clinic Family Medicine Center.

1111 Olive Street • On the Jackson Hospital Campus • www.jackson.o 4 BOOM!

July 2011

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The River Region’s 50+ Lifestage Magazine

HealthNEWS JULY 2011

for Boomers and Beyond

New Wound Treatment: Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy There’s a long history of hospital patients being treated with oxygen. But today, oxygen therapy is not just a tool of lung doctors and respiratory therapists.

One of the unique therapies available to patients at the Jackson Hospital Wound & Hyperbaric Medicine Center is a unique type of oxygen therapy known as Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy (HBOT). The only center in Central Alabama to offer this option, oxygen therapy can be used to manage problem wounds caused by diabetes, circulatory problems, and other conditions. During hyperbaric oxygen therapy a patient breathes 100 percent pure oxygen while relaxing in a sealed, pressurized chamber up to three times the normal atmospheric pressure. Under these conditions, oxygen levels in your blood increase while concentrations of nitrogen and carbon monoxide go down.

Any gas bubbles in the blood also may decrease in size.

This delivers high concentrations of oxygen to the blood stream and the wound bed, which rapidly accelerates the healing process.

Randall Cook, MD, medical director of the Jackson Hospital Wound & Hyperbaric Medicine Center, confirmed the life-changing nature of advanced wound healing therapies, which is exciting news for wound patients. “We are able to offer

something not previously available. Being able to save a patient’s limb is unquestionably the most rewarding thing that we experience with hyperbaric oxygen, and we see it a lot.”

According to the American Medical Association and other organizations, HBOT may be helpful for people with: -Certain types of wounds, injuries and infections.

-Skin grafts that aren’t healing.

-Diabetic foot ulcers -Tissue that has undergone radiation treatments (due to cancer or disease)—even if this radiation was 20+ years ago. Patients with radiation cystitis/proctitis are excellent hyperbaric candidates.

-Severe carbon monoxide poisoning.

-Decompression sickness (also known as the bends)—a painful, potentially serious condition in which gas bubbles form in the blood. Scuba divers who surface too quickly, miners and tunnel builders who come up from underground too rapidly, and fighter pilots who ascend at high speeds are among those at risk for this condition.

Is HBOT right for you?

Some people—including women who are pregnant and people with severe heart failure or certain lung conditions—may not be good candidates for HBOT. And, as with any treatment, complications are possible. This makes discussing the potential benefits and risks of HBOT with your doctor important.

“Our program is completely devoted to healing problem wounds, and helping our patients reclaim their quality of life,” said Jennifer Capps, RN, director for the program.

Don’t Let an Open Wound Get the Best Of You Our skin isn’t resilient to every cut, scrape or puncture. Sometimes wounds can be pesky and hard to heal. It’s important to seek medical attention when wounds show signs that they are not healing. This may include pain, swelling, heat or blistering. Most wounds heal within three weeks. But if you have a wound or ulcer that is greater than three weeks old, your body may be signaling a problem.

The River Region’s 50+ Lifestage Magazine

There are many methods for the treatment of chronic wounds. Compression pump therapy and gradient stockings to reduce fluid buildup are among the most important long-term treatments. Physical therapy such as deep neuromuscular stimulation, ultrasound, and whirlpool therapy are also often recommended for cleaning the wound and removing dead tissue.

Aggressive wound treatment including the removal of nonviable tissue through topical medication, bedside treatment, or even surgical excision can be most beneficial in stimulating improvement in a chronic wound.

For more information about hardto-heal wounds, contact the Jackson Hospital Wound & Hyperbaric Medicine Center at (334) 293-8138.

No physician referral is necessary.

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publisher’s letter

New Experiences The mission of BOOM! is to serve the folks of the River Region age 50 plus with information and ideas to inspire new experiences, better quality of life and new beginnings.

Publisher/Editor

Jim Watson, 334.523.9510 jim@riverregionboom.com

Associate Editor Kelly Watson

kelly@riverregionboom.com

Contributing Writers Dr. Bettie Borton

Greg Budell Audra D.S. Burch Erin Davis Karen Garloch Tom Held Randy Householder Jackie Maloy John Ed Mathison

Cover Photography

Maria Wiggins, Reflections of Grace maria@reflectionsofgracestudios.com www.reflectionsofgracestudios.com

Advertising

Jim Watson, 334.523.9510 jim@riverregionboom.com

Monette Mottenon, 334.523.9510

monette@riverregionboom.com

Design & Layout Lake House Graphics

Sharing New Experiences. That’s the brand promise of BOOM! To share new experiences you must discover them, be on the lookout for something different in your world. This was true not long ago when a reader called to inquire about how to buy tickets for the Hampstead Hop which she had read about in the June issue of BOOM! I found out the information she needed and called her back to let her know how to buy the tickets. During the conversation she told me about the Crump Senior Center which had opened a new facility a few months ago. She suggested I take some copies of BOOM! to the center because many of the folks who go there would enjoy reading BOOM! since most were seniors.

When I went to deliver BOOM! to the Crump Senior Center, it was raining and there were no parking spaces so I had to roll through the parking lot a few times before one became available. It reminded me of the mall during the holidays. Once inside, I began to feel an energy of conversation, laughter, music and dancing…this did not feel like a “senior” center, but it was.

Jim Watson, Publisher

It felt great! I was tempted to try and sit in on a hot Canasta game or maybe do a little Zumba fitness dance but I knew I couldn’t keep up with the folks on the floor. I was intrigued with the new “yogalates” exercise class now being offered because it gives you the best of yoga and pilates. Smart idea for us seniors, don’t you think?

The real smart idea was the many folks who came together to envision a community senior center like Crump. There are hundreds of people who participate in the many activities offered each week at the Crump Senior Center. It’s a fun atmosphere and Montgomery should be very proud of what the people there have created. It was a wonderful new experience for me and it will be for many others who take the time to participate in the many programs and activities offered. We have a profile of the Crump Senior Center on page 24.

I’m thankful when readers share new ideas and experiences with me. I’m looking forward to many more discoveries in the River Region for us Boomers and Beyond.

Something else that was kind of a new experience was just how many women and men who know them, can relate to “Menopause the Musical.” We had an overwhelming response to the ticket giveaway in June (winners are listed on page 13) and many of you shared some details that only a woman could love about why they needed a “Girls Night Out,” and It was a true learning experience for me.

Thanks for sharing!

Distribution

Network Delivery

Printing

Publications Press, Montgomery, AL 334.244.0436

Please Recycle This Magazine, Share with a Friend!

Each month we try to provide a quality reading experience to each person who picks up a copy of BOOM! or reads the Digital Edition online. We hope you’ll like what we have to offer in this month’s issue of BOOM! Our BOOM! Profile this month is Jackie Maloy, who has many interests and like most of us, not enough time to get it all done. I don’t think slowing down is in her future. We think you’ll enjoy getting to know Jackie this month, we did.

Thanks for continuing to share BOOM! with someone. I hear the conversation about BOOM! and look forward to more calls from readers who will share ideas and new experiences with all of us in the BOOM Community. Happy Independence Day America!

Jim

jim@riverregionboom.com 334.324.3472 cell/text 334.523.9510 office

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i

This & tHAT

Callaway Gardens Summer Family Adventure GREAT for Grandparents to bring the whole family Summer Family Adventure captivates guests of all ages and interests with expertled programs that the whole family will enjoy. If you want to indulge in a current passion, such as golf, tennis, or fishing, or try your hand at something new such as water skiing or circus activities…we have it all. Or perhaps you want to participate in an educational workshop to learn about photography, gardening, or horticulture, Callaway Gardens’ Summer Family Adventure has that too! It’s a vacation like no other. With seven-day adventures available each week through August 6, Callaway Gardens offers the chance to have Summer experiences that make memories to last a lifetime for every member of the family. Summer Family Adventure is ideal for families with diverse interests, who enjoy multi-generational vacations, or anyone who loves the outdoors! For additional information about Summer Family Adventure, please visit www.callawaygardens.com/sfa or call 1-800-CALLAWAY (225.5292) to make your Summer Family Adventure reservation!

Junior League of Montgomery Worksop The Junior League of Montgomery will hold a workshop for any non-profit agency that is a 501 (c) 3 organization on Wednesday, July 13, 2001 at 10:00 at their office on Carter Hill Road.

This workshop will help organizations learn what makes a great project, how to fill out the application, and what the expectations are if your organization is awarded funding. To register for this workshop or for more information please call Lisa Stevens, Community Research Chair, at 334-399-6159 or Dawn Stephens, Community Council VP, at 334-558-7232.

“Make a Difference…One Step at a Time”

The Alabama Kidney Foundation will host its 24th annual “Make a Difference…One Step at a Time” Walk-a-Thon on Saturday, August 20, 2011 at Baptist Health’s DeBoer Building, in Montgomery. The Alabama Kidney Foundation (AKF) is Alabama’s only state-based organization dedicated to serving kidney patients.

This family friendly event offers something for everyone; food, fun and fabulous prizes! If you are interested in participating at this year’s Walk-a-Thon and helping thousands of Alabamians suffering from kidney disease, please contact Amy at (334) 2410003 or amy@alkidney.org to volunteer or register a team today.

Psychological “Retirement” Age In 1935, when the Social Security Act was passed by Congress and signed by President Roosevelt, the new law established a national retirement age of 65. At that age, people could begin receiving Social Security benefits and, in the minds of generations of Americans since, effectively set the psychological “retirement” age. There’s an important fact to consider, though, that’s been left out of this story. In 1935, the average American lifespan was 61.7 years. You had to exceed the average American lifespan by more than three years to begin receiving Social Security benefits. Let’s roll forward to today.

The “retirement age” set by Social Security is still 65. However, today the average American lifespan is 78 years and continuing to rise. In other words, the national “retirement age” of 65 has remained unchanged for 75 years, but the lifespan of the average American has gone up by 16 years!

Yes, this is an easy explanation for why Social Security is seeing financial problems, but there’s a more vital issue at work here, one that we’re seeing at work all over the place in America. 40 is the new 20. 60 is the new 40. Simply put, people are living far longer and enjoying excellent health much later in life than ever before. In 1935, a person aged 65 was often quite elderly and in poor health. In 2011, a person aged 65 is often full of vitality and has two more decades of lively activity ahead of them.

Now many Boomers look at retirement planning as building a backbone for a second career. At age 65, they may not have enough retirement savings or Social Security income to fully sustain them for the rest of their life, but they will have enough retirement income to make it possible to take some significant career risks. Boomers can take a low-paying position with a charity or even do volunteer positions with some perks. They could even retreat for a year and write the novel that burns inside. This is no longer your dad’s retirement plan!

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The River Region’s 50+ Lifestage Magazine

BOOMERS, share your stuff with BOOM! We Love to Bring BOOMERS Together, send info and pics to jim@riverregionboom.com

MONTGOMERY CANCER CENTER AMONG FIRST TO TREAT ADVANCED PROSTATE CANCER PATIENTS WITH PROVENGE Montgomery Cancer Center is the first facility in Alabama and among the first in the nation to treat advanced prostate cancer patients with a promising new therapy. Made from a patient’s own immune cells, PROVENGE is designed to stimulate a patient’s immune system to identify and target prostate cancer cells. Given in three intravenous infusions two weeks apart, a dose is manufactured specifically for each patient using his cells plus a special protein that helps attack the cancer. “This is one of the most important developments in years for the treatment of prostate cancer,” said Montgomery Cancer Center medical oncologist/hematologist Dr. John Reardon. “We’re proud to be the first facility in Alabama to offer it to patients. Whether immunotherapies or other advanced treatments, we’re committed to providing state-of-the-art care here in central Alabama.” Individuals or their referring physicians interested in learning whether PROVENGE is an appropriate treatment option should contact Montgomery Cancer Center at (334) 273-7000 or visit www.montgomerycancercenter.com.

Frazer Zumba Classes!

Zumba classes beginning in July Please join us for zumba on Thursday mornings at 9 a.m. beginning on July 7. Zumba is an exhilarating, effective, easy to follow, Latin-inspired, calorie-burning, fitness party. Frazer zumba and aerobics classes are $1 per class and are open to the community. For more information call the activity center at 495-6459.

“FIRST FRIDAY BLOCK PARTY”

Our second “First Friday” Event First Friday Freedom Jam PEPPERTREE SHOPPING CENTER Friday, July 1st 5:00 - 7:00 P.M

Celebrate Independence Day with Peppertree Steaks N’ Wines, The Vintage Olive, Gallery East, Super Suppers, It’z A Gift and Doug’s 2 Salon! There will be live music from The Rusty Nuts, tables will line the sidewalk with food, wine and beer samples, as well as a large gift basket giveaway from the stores. We’ll be jammin’ out and having fun, so come by, relax and enjoy a fun evening out! Gift Basket Give Away!

Make sure to visit all participating shops. All you have to do is get a punch card from Steaks N’ Wines, while there sample their incredible food, beer and wine, then visit The Vintage Olive next door to sample gourmet olive oils and balsamic vinegars, stop by Gallery East and view wonderfully original artwork, go by Super Suppers to sample some of their award winning meatballs, stop in It’z A Gift to see a delightful array of gift ideas and lastly, visit our new neighbor Doug’s2 Salon for a chance to win a free spa package! Make sure to get your card punched from all six stores and turn into the drop box for a chance to win a large basket filled with great gifts and products from the participating stores in Peppertree.

Drawing will be held promptly at 6:30 (must be present to win)

See you there!

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BOOM! COVER PROFILE I was fortunate that while my boys were young I was able to be a stay at home mom.

When they reached school age I completed Interior Design at AUM and worked out of my home as a Color Consultant.

Both boys attended Trinity in Montgomery and 28 years later both are living here in Montgomery. Presently I have a sister Astri Tadlock who also moved to Montgomery with her daughters Amber and Ashley.

BOOM!: We can tell by the cover photo, you’re a dog lover. What breed of dogs are they? What advice would you give first time dog owners?

This month’s BOOM! profile is Jackie Maloy. We got to know Jackie five months ago when someone introduced us to her and five of her closest friends...Bella, Brother, Bear, Thelma and Louise. Jackie’s friends are from the Shih Tzu clan and they are as lovable as they can be. Along the way, we discovered how she coped with the loss of her late husband Jim, still provided advice to her two grown sons, managed rental property with a drill in her hand, manicured a large home & garden, birthed Shih Tzu puppies regularly and still found time to enjoy a glass or two of Cabernet Sauvignon! Jackie represents many of the lifestages we Boomers are going through and seems to take most everything in stride. Many Boomers we’ve met are “can-do” kind of people. Jackie is one of them and shares with us that you have to first think outside your comfort zone and then you have to step into it in order to change and cope with what life throws your way. Thanks for the advice and the attitude, many of us who are now Sixtysomethings can relate and look forward to sharing new experiences as we age boldly. Jackie shared a few minutes of her busy schedule to answer some questions and shed some light on being an active Boomer. We hope you enjoy getting to know Jackie as much as we did and remember, she sells puppies!

BOOM!: Please give us a brief biography, i.e. what brought you to the Montgomery area, did you raise your family here, schools, married, family, etc?

Jackie: It was my late husband, Jim Maloy (who Passed in 2007) that brought me to Montgomery. We met while he was working for HOECHST in Cincinnati, Ohio, which is where I’m from and still have family there.

From Cincinnati, Jim and I moved to New Jersey, where I worked as a paralegal for a law firm and played professional guitar for restaurants and clubs. The last ten years in New Jersey I owned and operated a fabric

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store where we taught our customers how to create their own patterns for a more perfect fit. Having lived in New Jersey for 15 years we felt it would be good to move south because Jim wanted to further his degree work in the Pharmacy industry and get back to his home state of Alabama as well as his beloved Auburn University. Jim had gone back to school at UAB and was in the first class of Auburn University offering the Doctorate of Pharmacy program. When Jim decided to go back to school our oldest son Ian was one year old and after Jim completed his doctorate of Pharmacy along came our second son Justin.

Jackie: The lovable breed is Shih Tzu and as you can see by the cover they are irresistible.

A great family dog. If someone is considering purchasing a dog they need to realize the commitment they are making. A Shih Tzu’s average life span is 15 to 18 years. Presently I have five adorable Shih Tzu’s, Bella (the Queen), Brother, Bear, Thelma and Louise.

Four are for breeding and one was adopted.

In my kennel I have four “ready for a home” puppies (two I’m holding on the cover) and four new born puppies waiting their turn for a lovable family to welcome them home.

BOOM!: I understand you have been working with local Montessori Schools for many years. What do you do there? Can you briefly explain the “Montessori” concept?

Jackie: Yes I worked for Montessori Academy for over ten years as their office manager and assisted in coordinating building and ground improvements. My sister Astri Tadlock was the Director and Her daughter Amber Long was a teacher, also at Montessori Academy.

Last August, my niece Amber opened her own school called Montessori @ Mulberry, where I currently donate my time helping her with special projects. Beginning in January 2012 I will Join her in a professional capacity to begin actively promoting the Montessori Method of teaching here in the Montgomery/ River Region area. If you have not visited a Montessori School you need to. Whether it is for your child or a grandchild. The Schools in Montgomery are privately owned and operated by the owners or a board of investors. The Montessori Method of teaching was developed by Dr. Maria Montessori over 100 years ago. It is a philosophy that teaches the love of learning. Montessori strives for academic excellence in a nurturing environment

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which fosters confidence and independence.

I believe it provides the best educational and development experience for children during their early childhood. Amber has a partner, Terri Jackson and they are always interested in talking with families about the Montessori Method. Check out their website at www. montessoriatmulberry.com or call them at 334.265.7733. They are taking registration for fall, ages 18 mos to Kindergarten. Sorry for the shameless plug, but when you believe in something like Montessori you share it.

BOOM!: Many Boomers are experiencing a renewed sense of purpose, new goals, new careers, especially if they’ve experienced the empty nest syndrome of their kids moving on. How would you describe this sense of renewal in your life? Any advice for the rest of us seeking renewal?

Jackie: My renewed sense of purpose is giving back to the community through volunteering and staying involved.

Goals have always been a part of my life. I believe you cannot function or grow as an individual without them.

As far as the empty nest there is no such thing with all that I am involved with. If you’ve given your children the opportunity to become independent your grateful to see them move on to their own goals and challenges in life. If someone needs advice on seeking renewal I have to say think outside your comfort zone first. Then step outside your comfort zone and you will find unimaginable renewal in life.

BOOM!: What are you most passionate about?

Jackie: Most certainly it would be Jackie: By walking through property managethe garden with my friends ment. As a little and Shih Tzu’s regularly. girl I remember Sometimes I may even pull helping my dad a few weeds for a good around the house session of garden therapy! with projects and repairs. I think he BOOM!: Favorite vacation instilled in me an spot? Any travel dreams eye for the value planned for the future? of property and properly maintainJackie: The lake, which I ing it. I like having Jackie’s now grown sons, Justin and Ian don’t visit enough. Who knowledge on how doesn’t dream about best to fix things travel, which I have done my fare share when and I have the tools to prove it.

Jim was alive. For now I plan to stay close to home and enjoy the new puppies.

BOOM!: Do you have any hobbies or other activities that grab your attention?

Jackie: I still play guitar but now for my own pleasure. Swimming for exercise and walking with my friend Nora Cammack as much as possible.

BOOM!: As you’ve aged, how have your ambitions changed?

Jackie: They haven’t changed much just become better each year, more clarity, better definition on how to pursue them.

Garden Art, a “Bed of Flowers”

BOOM!: What is it about living in the Montgomery/River Region area that you like?

Jackie: All of it, the weather, the slower pace than up north and the people most of all.

The relationships you can make in the south are deep and genuine. They have seen my family through a lot and I am blessed to have them.

Jackie: Next to raising Shih Tzu’s I have to say gardening. My garden is where life through nature comes before you and the closeness of God surrounds you each time BOOM!: As a busy enyour there. trepreneur, do you have It has to be time to be involved in why so many community, civic or other people say activities? take time to smell the rosJackie: Most of my es! Although involvement in the comI don’t grow munity has been through many roses I my church, Frazer. do take time Jackie and sister Astri to reflect and BOOM!: If you weren’t enjoy my garden. involved with the Montessori school, raising Shih Tzu’s and gardening what kind of work

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would you be doing?

BOOM!: How do you like to relax and wind down from a hard day’s work?

BOOM!: Give us three words that describe you?

Jackie: I can’t speak for my friends and family but I hope they would say Friendly, Honest and dependable!

Jackie’s Garden Sign

If you have any questions for Jackie you can send them to her directly at imyoursshihtzu@ yahoo.com or call 334.462.0548. We want to thank Jackie, Bella, Brother, Bear, Thelma and Louise for helping us put together this month’s BOOM! Cover Profile. I was told that dogs can be just as difficult as small children when it comes to being still for a photograph...it’s true, especially when they all think they’re the special one! If you have questions, comments or suggestions, please send them to jim@riverregionboom.com

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HOT FLASH! MENOPAUSE THE MUSICAL Comes to Montgomery!

Celebrating 10 Years of “The Change” Opens July 8, 2011 at the Alabama Shakespeare Festival

ASF and The Joy to Life Foundation Team Up on Tuesdays for Pink Promotions at Menopause the Musical

Two dollars from each ticket sold for the two Tuesday performances will be donated to the The Joy to Life Foundation.

Special Promotions Take Place on July 12 and 19

The special partnership and promotion also features pre-show pink martinis and cupcakes as well as two ticket discount opportunities. On Tuesday, July 12, all men wearing something pink will receive a half-priced ticket with the purchase of a full priced ticket.

The Alabama Shakespeare Festival and The Joy to Life Foundation will team up for special Pink Promotions on Tuesdays, July 12 and 19 during the run of the hit play Menopause the Musical. The purpose is to create awareness and raise money to fight breast cancer.

Tickets to Menopause the Musical are available through the ASF box office, on line at www.asf.net or by phone 1.800.841.4273. ASF is located at 1 Festival Drive in Montgomery’s beautiful Blount Cultural Park.

On Tuesday, July 19, a breast cancer survivor is admitted free with the purchase of a full priced ticket. Purchasers of either Tuesday night ticket will be eligible to win a Pink Trash Can. To be in the drawing, tickets must be purchased

by July 10.

Menopause the Musical, which is celebrating its 10th Anniversary season, is

the biggest selling summer show in the history of ASF. In the summer of 2007, the show drew over 27,000 patrons.

The play follows four very funny female friends as they sing and dance their way through the trials and tribulations of hot flashes, night sweats, memory loss and chocolate binges.

The Joy to Life Foundation, founded in 2001 by breast cancer survivor Joy Blondheim and her husband Richard provides free mammograms for medically underserved women in South Central Alabama.

To date over 5,445 mammograms have been provided and 18 women have been diagnosed and successfully treated. For more information visit www.joytolife.org.

Menopause the Musical will run at ASF July 8-24.

ON S

ALE N

OW!

July 8-24

Celebrating

(800) 841-4273 www.asf.net

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10 Years of

“The Chang

e!”™

See what milli ons of women world wide have been lau ghing about for 10 y ears!

AlAbAMA ShAkeSpeAre FeSTivAl 1 Festival Drive • Montgomery, AL 36117

GREAT DISCOUNTS FOR GROUPS 10+

(800) 841-4273 option 2 or sthomas@gmail.com The River Region’s 50+ Lifestage Magazine

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Double Endurance

By Tom Held

Couple celebrates 50th wedding anniversary with 50K trail run

Lorraine Bunk has finished every race she’s ever started, whether a 5K or 100-mile ultra.

Her husband, Tom, says he’s lucky she applied the same determination to their marriage.

Because of that double doggedness, the high-school sweethearts reached a remarkable dual finish line on May 21: celebrating their 50th wedding anniversary with a 50-kilometer run on the trails in the Southern Kettle Moraine State Forest, near their home in North Prairie, Wis. The achievements – 50 years of marriage and the ability to still run 50K – are equally impressive to the friends who respectfully call Tom and Lorraine “president and first lady” of trail running. Dozens, maybe 100 of them, joined the Bunks for portions of the run and the anniversary barbecue that followed.

“They’re amazing people,” said Kevin Grabowski, a fellow member of the Lapham Peak Trail Runners group. “Your typical impression of somebody doing their 50th wedding anniversary is that they’re going to be way too old to be running a 5K, let alone a 50, but Tom and Lorraine aren’t just anybody. They are very accomplished ultra runners and very competitive.”

They’re also generous with their time and wisdom, and have been the foundation for trail running in southern Wisconsin for two decades. That’s not something you would hear from them. Gracious and humble, they’re more likely to celebrate and boast of others’ achievements than their own. Another local runner, Mary Gorski, pried loose enough of their story for a piece published in Ultrarunner Magazine.

It tells how they met in high school in a class of 19 in Kendall, Wis., and married on Sept. 3, 1960. Tom, 68, worked as a manager for Caterpillar and then Waukesha Engine, and took to running first. He notched his first marathon in 1980, and his first ultra, the Ice Age 50, three years later.

Lorraine, 69, followed his lead a few years later, catching up to both Tom and their children, Craig and Kim. She ran her first Ice Age 50 in 1989, planning to do just one.

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“Somewhere I got carried away,” she acknowledged, noting that she has lost track of the number of marathons and beyond marathons she has run.

One number that stands out is 20: her official finishes in the 50-mile run on the Ice Age Trail in the Southern Kettle.

Bunk finished the Ice Age 50 Trail Run on May 14 more than 10 minutes under the 12-hour time limit, and became the first female runner over 70 to complete the 50-mile ultra marathon in the Southern Kettle Moraine State Forest.

She holds the course record in four different age categories, in an event that has been run for 30 years.

The previous year, she had a bad day and failed to meet the time cut-off for an official finish.

She didn’t quit, however. “It was just one foot in front of the other,” she said. “I just thought, ‘Well, OK, I’ll get to the finish.”

Thinking about it for a bit, she noted the value of a similar approach to marriage. “It’s not just putting that ring on your finger,” she said. “Fifty years is a long time and there are ups and downs, and there’s a lot to deal with.

“When it gets tough, you don’t throw in the towel, you just keep working at it.” Both Bunks said running has been a huge help over the years _ for their health and their marriage. It’s something they have shared and has been a focal point of their travels.

With all his own achievements, Tom Bunk puts pacing Lorraine to the finish line of the Western States 100 in 1997 near the top of his favorite running moments. It was one of the few times, in all those races, that the two of them have actually run together.

May 21 was the second. ___

(c) 2011, Star Tribune (Minneapolis) Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services.

The River Region’s 50+ Lifestage Magazine

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Cindy Eschenroeder, owneraesthetician of Namaste Studio Skin Care in Arizona, compares skin to the inside of an apple. A freshly picked apple can be firm, unblemished and even shiny. Once bitten or exposed to the air, an apple’s skin appears less supple and its insides begin to brown. Eventually, time’s toll will cause an apple to pucker and wrinkle. Sound familiar? Sadly, the apple doesn’t fall far from the aging-skin tree, and although apples don’t have an array of anti-aging regiments at their disposal, we do. Here are a few things to look for prior to investing in an anti-aging product or product line.

ing for antiaging products containing hyaluronic acid, such as Bare Essentials’ VitA-Plus Night Repair.

“Hyaluronic acid will bind moisture to your skin,” Eschenroeder says. “It also attracts 50 times its weight in water, providing excellent skin hydration as well as minimizing free radicals. It can be found within creams and serums, be used beneath a moisturizer, or stand alone.”

Sizing Up Anti-Aging Face Products

SUN PROTECTION AND HYDRATION: THERE’S NOTHING LIKE A CRUNCHY APPLE

“UV rays are the main culprit in causing wrinkles,” says Sanusi Umar, M.D., founder of FineTouch Dermatology Inc. and DermHair Clinic in southern California. “Sun protection is therefore an important component to look for in anti-aging products.” Umar recommends finding products that contain sun protection in the form of “homosalate, avobenzone and physical sun blocks like titanium oxide and zinc oxide.” Neutrogena’s Age Shield Face, for example, as well as Oil of Olay’s Regenerist Advanced Anti Aging, have most of these listed as active ingredients.

In addition to applying skin protection, the key to avoiding skin that’s the consistency of a dried apple is to keep your skin hydrated. Eschenroeder suggests look-

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By Erin Davis

EXFOLIATION: A SHINY APPLE IS A HAPPY APPLE

There’s nothing like a little exfoliation to pep up skin _ apple or otherwise. “Exfoliated skin is repaired by the formation of new, fresher-looking skin,” Umar says. “Exfoliants include alpha hydroxyacids (glycolic acid, citric acid and lactic acid).” Eschenroeder says, “Lactic acid is great for removing any dead skin. It works at night to remove and slough off old skin, and reduces the look of fine lines.”

REPAIR: TURNING GRANNY SMITH INTO A PINK LADY

Those of us who baked ourselves in the sun (like apples in a pie) in our early 20s might need a little more than preventative maintenance _ in this case, repair is in order. “Collagen forms the basic support structure of the skin,” Umar says.

“When it’s compromised, it affects the firmness of our skin and wrinkles form.”

Anti-aging creams containing retinoids and retinols (Renova, Retin A, Differin and so on) can assist in repairing collagen damage.

“Niacin,” Eschenroeder says, “is another anti-aging ingredient and current buzzword. It has been shown to repair The River Region’s 50+ Lifestage Magazine

actual DNA.” This is perhaps one of the attributing factors for the popularity of Oil of Olay Regenerist and ProX lines, which contain not only niacin but also an ingredient called Pal-KTTKS peptides.

According to Umar, “Pal-KTTKS peptides have been recently found to be as effective as retinoids in repairing collagen, while at the same time avoiding the side effects of skin dryness, irritation and peeling, which have been the major drawbacks of retinoids and retinols.”

If your palette for apples and skincare leans toward the organic persuasion, consider products containing natural anti-aging ingredients. “Aloe Vera and cucumber extracts can be calming and soothing to the skin,” Eschenroeder says. “Willow herb will help combat and absorb free radicals.” Eschenroeder further suggests the use of vitamin C to brighten your skin and reduce the appearance of pigmentation (age spots).

HEALTHY LIFESTYLE AND TOXIN REMOVAL: AN APPLE A DAY KEEPS WRINKLES AWAY

It takes more than simply water to sustain and grow the prefect apple; the same can be said for capturing and maintaining the appearance of youthful skin. “Taking care of your inside is equally as important as taking care of your outside,” Eschenroeder says. Practicing an all-encompassing healthy lifestyle _ which includes healthy eating habits, clearing your body of toxins, proper hydration, and taking necessary supplements _ can increase the odds of you (and your skin) feeling more like a Pink Lady versus a Granny Smith.

TEST AND TRIAL: WHICH ANTI-AGING CREAM WILL BE THE APPLE OF YOUR EYE?

Perhaps the best method of determining whether you like the taste of a particular apple or not is to start by taking a small bite.

Proceed in similar fashion when selecting your anti-aging cream.

Different skin types vary and will therefore react differently to certain ingredients. Retinol, for example, can be harsh on sensitive skin. “Many individuals are also allergic to the preservatives and solvents used as vehicles for the active ingredients (in anti-aging products), such as parabens and propylene glycol, while many more are either sensitive or allergic to one or more sunscreen components,” cautions Umar.

Umar further suggests, “Select a cream that is most gentle on your skin, that causes the least irritation, has the most agreeable fragrance (if any) and produces the least amount of residue.” He notes, “The Oil of Olay’s Regenerist and ProX line find favor with many people because they fulfill many of these criteria.” He adds, “It also helps to have attractive packaging that appeals to the sense of aesthetics and psyche of the buyer.”

Both Umar and Eschenroeder recommend testing a small amount of any new product prior to full use. “Try using the inside of your elbow or nasolabial folds for a testing point,” Eschenroeder says.

“And make sure your doctor is OK with you using particular ingredients in combination with other medications and/or if you’re pregnant.”

MyTurn.com (http://myturn.com) is the online community for moms of adult children and empty nesters. (c) 2011, MyTurn.com. Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune News Service.

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John Ed Mathison

Watch Your Words Social media has become one of the most effective ways to communicate with large groups of people. Many people say it is more effective than television, radio, newspaper, etc.

This creates a greater need to be sure that what is communicated is what is intended to be communicated. Like words, messages can be sent in situations where unexpected people hear them and pass them on.

This became evident recently when an employee with Chrysler inadvertently used the Chrysler Twitter account to bad-mouth the hometown of Detroit. This employee expressed his thought that it was “ironic that Detroit is known as the Motor City yet no one here knows how to drive.” (I left out the expletive.) This message mistakenly went out to a lot of people. The employee was fired. Chrysler promptly cancelled its contract with New Media Strategies, which was Chrysler’s social media agency.

Chrysler tried to apologize by saying this message wrongly disparaged “Detroit and its hardworking people.” This comes on the heels of all of the positive advertising that Chrysler has done with its new advertising tagline it introduced in a Super Bowl ad in February: “Imported from Detroit.”

There is an old naval term that says “Loose lips sink ships.” Oftentimes people say things and don’t think about what they are saying. In today’s e-mail, computer, social media age – it is easy to write something and not realize where it might end up.

There is the old story about the person who came to the wise man and confessed that he had said some untrue things and would like to repent of them. The wise person said that the repentant person should take a feather and go place it at the doorstep of every home that had been bad-mouthed or hurt by this rumor. The repentant person went and did this. The man came back to the wise person and said that now the repentance was complete, the wise man said, “Not yet. Now go and pick up all of the feathers and bring them back to me.”

Of course the repentant person said that it would be impossible to do that. The wind had blown the feathers to all corners of the village. His point was that words are just like those feathers – once they are said they get blown to all parts of the world.

Most of us need to be more careful about what we say. Someone once said “put a little salt on your words because you never know when you will have to eat them.”

Read James 3, about the power and scope of words. Follow Paul’s instructions in Ephesians 4:29. “Don’t use foul or abrasive language. Let everything you say be good and helpful, so that your words will be an encouragement to those who hear them.”

(NLT) Chrysler has one less employee today. I hope Satan has many less employees today!

John Ed Mathison www.johnedmathison.org

Women of Hope Breast Cancer Support Group Tuesday, July 12th, 5:30 p.m.

Frazer UMC, Room 8114 6000 Atlanta Highway

Enjoy fun and fellowship with your breast cancer “sisters” and friends!

The program will be:

“Breast Reconstruction Update” presented by

Dr. Douglas Robertson, Plastic Surgeon Everyone is Welcome!

For information please call 334-220-4599 or email womenofhope@charter.net.

Our goal is to make sure that all women AND men are educated about breast cancer and the effects it has on family and friends. Hope is the assurance that one day we will be able to live cancer free! Your support is greatly appreciated and helps so many deserving breast cancer patients and survivors including their families. Women of Hope Breast Cancer Support Group meets the 2nd Tuesday of each month (Jan-Nov).

Meetings are held at 5:30 p.m.

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The River Region’s 50+ Lifestage Magazine

A Different Way to See Medicine Karen Cummings sat in the back row when her hero, Dr. Thomas Rau, told a Queens University of Charlotte, N.C., audience about his unusual “biological medicine” practice in Switzerland.

Rau’s ideas about curing disease by ridding the body of heavy metals and re-establishing healthy intestinal bacteria are not well-known in this country. He visited Charlotte earlier this year at the invitation of Cummings, who learned about him the hard way.

In 2005, Cummings had surgery to remove a tooth with a 30-year-old root canal. She had cadaver bone and a new tooth implanted in her jaw. Shortly after, she developed strange symptoms _ rashes on her back, blisters on her head, fatigue and unexplained weight loss.

Her local doctors could find nothing wrong. Several suggested she needed psychological help. For three years, she searched for help, including several weeks at the Mayo Clinic.

gies, he thought himself healthy. But tests showed his body was also overloaded with toxic metals. Like his wife, he had dental amalgams and a root canal removed. He went through detoxification and began eating different foods and taking supplements. Today, he says his blood pressure is lower than it has been in 15 years, without medicine, and his allergies are better than ever, without weekly shots.

Karen Cummings, 56, feels normal again.

She wanted others in Charlotte to hear Rau’s philosophy. “It’s my way of redemption ... I really want to give hope that there is a new fresh way.”

Rau’s approach may sound strange to many, but the Queens audience included doctors and hospital administrators entrenched in the Western medical world. The 220-seat auditorium sold out

By Karen Garloch

in 24 hours, and more than 150 copies of his book, “The Swiss Secret to Optimal Health,” were sold that night. “There’s probably something to it,” said Michael Tarwater, CEO of Carolinas HealthCare System. “I don’t think we should dismiss anything out of hand without understanding it.”

Dr. Bill Cody, dean of the Blair College of Health at Queens, said the goal of its Wellness Institute is to “bring forward new ideas, and even controversial ideas ...We know the dominant American ‘fixit’ model of medicine does not work well for all things.” ___ ON THE WEB For more information, see www.paracelsus.ch Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services.

Through a friend, she heard about Rau and his Paracelsus Clinic in Switzerland and went there for treatment.

Rau is a traditionally trained rheumatologist who became interested in homeopathy and other therapies that make up “biological medicine.” He focuses on underlying causes of chronic disease, such as metal toxicity, inflammation and digestive imbalances. His practice also includes dentists, based on the belief that dental health plays a role in chronic disease. He claims to have cured multiple sclerosis, breast cancer, fibromyalgia and rheumatoid arthritis.

At the Swiss clinic, Cummings had four amalgam fillings and the dental implant removed from her mouth. She also was treated for fungal poisoning, discovered with a test called dark field microscopy.

While in Switzerland, Cummings’ husband, Steve, also had a checkup.

Despite high blood pressure and allerThe River Region’s 50+ Lifestage Magazine

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Final Voyage

By Audra D.S. Burch

for ALS Patient Documented in Book

chronicling the course of his disease in regular emails to family, a small circle of friends and his doctor. Eventually, the newspaper began publishing his dispatches weekly.

Neurologist Walter G. Bradley wrote the final chapter of Key West, Fla., banker Gib Peters’ life.

The University of Miami doctor chronicled his patient’s last seven “With my patients, I months, fighting Lou tend to become friends Gehrig’s disease and with them. I weep with fulfilling a dream to them, share in their navigate the Intracoastsorrow and share in al Waterway from Key Neurologist Walter G. Bradley, author of Gib’s Odyssey their successes,” says West to New York and Bradley, 73, who lives back aboard his 29-foot Clinic in Rochester, Minn., four months in Palmetto Bay, Fla. motor cruiser, Ka Ching. before meeting Bradley in June 2003.

“But with Gib, we had a kind of bond.

Part travelogue, part meditation, part The neurologist had spent three deHe was humorous, a character with a celebration, “Gib’s Odyssey” (Lyons, cades treating ALS patients and studytwinkle in his eyes. He was also poi$22.95) uses Peters’ own words from ing the ravaging effects of the degenergnant, often dwelling upon ‘Why am I emails he sent family and friends durative disorder, which attacks nerve cells here?’ ‘What am I to do?’ We became ing his final voyage. The book, which in the brain and spinal cord that control surprisingly close.” goes on sale Tuesday, documents the voluntary movement. Patients eventubond between doctor and patient and ally lose the ability to move their arms The exchanges between patient and the process of making peace with the and legs and to breathe on their own. doctor helped to forge their friendship. inevitable.

“With Lou Gehrig’s, the mind is mostly “Gib did not live long enough to write “Gib and Wally would go back and forth intact as the body deteriorates, which a book about his journey,” says Bradin their emails discussing the disease means the patients are all too aware of ley, emeritus chairman of the Departand how Gib was managing,” says Martheir condition,” says Bradley, author ment of Neurology at UM’s Miller cia Peters, a nurse married to Gib for of “Treating the Brain: What the Best School of Medicine. almost 40 years. “The relationship grew Doctors Know.” “The average patient stronger because of those emails.” will survive two to three years, so you “In some ways, I felt that I had failed An experienced boater, Peters anare looking at your own death. You see him because I couldn’t save him, but nounced in October 2003 that he your life go by, day by day, week by I could honor him with this book. His wanted to travel the Intracoastal to week.” story is poignant but victorious. It is New York and back aboard the Ka ChBut Peters refused to sit still, planning humorous and adventurous.” Peters, ing, powered by two Chevy V8 diesel one big adventure as his final bow.

67, was a husband and father of four, a engines. businessman and newspaper columWRITTEN ACCOUNT nist. He had been diagnosed with GOING IT ALONE And he turned to writing. He had writamyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), Peters said he didn’t want anyone ten a humorous financial advice column or Lou Gehrig’s disease, at the Mayo along; the trip was about self-discovery. for The Key West Citizen, and began

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The River Region’s 50+ Lifestage Magazine

“Everybody always asks me how could I let him go on the trip alone. But he had two years left to live and he wanted to do all the living he could in that time,” says Marcia Peters, 68, who operates a home care company. “I couldn’t let him sit there and become depressed and wither up without ever reaching his dream. That would have been selfish.”

Still, both Marcia Peters and Bradley were skeptical. Gib Peters would be alone on the boat, his condition progressing. What if he fell? What if his feeding tube slipped out?

And there was the unspoken fear that he might not make it home alive.

Yet Gib Peters, his speech barely intelligible and his right arm weakened, was determined.

“Lots of patients take an ASL diagnosis as an opportunity to do something they have always wanted to do,” Bradley says.

“Gib made it his life mission.

In some ways, taking that trip became his life.”

Peters pushed off from a Key West seawall at 10:30 a.m. on May 19, 2004, with two new, unnamed kittens aboard. Bradley later emailed him suggesting the names Faith and Hope.

For seven months, Peters cruised and, in some 2,000 emails, chronicled his escapades, from his near-entry into a forbidden naval bombardment zone in North Carolina to the desperate search for Faith and Hope when they went missing at an Atlantic City marina.

Every month or so, he flew to Miami for an appointment with Bradley. A couple months into the trip, the doctor suggested Peters’ emails had the makings of a book. “Some had these poignant descriptions of what he felt about the journey of life and death. I felt his writings could be tremendously helpful to The River Region’s 50+ Lifestage Magazine

those facing illness,” Bradley says.

By the time Peters reached home, he had lost 70 pounds, was unable to

Bradley began the book in the fall of 2006, and for the next 18 months worked to build Peters’ words _ the honest and painful insights, the funny musings _ into a powerful narrative. “It was a struggle in the beginning, but I think in the end, the right balance was struck,” Marcia Peters said.

RETRACED ROUTE Bradley retraced Peters’ path by car. “I drove the same route he had traveled and visited many of the same places that he had written about. I met the people who cared for him in Savannah.

I went to the Atlantic City marina where the kittens got lost. I saw the place where the boat ran aground (in Jupiter) and the Great Dismal Swamp where the propellers were damaged,” he said.

“I felt like I needed to smell the mixture of the sea breeze and rotting vegetation and see the glint off the water as the sun goes down. As a writer, I needed to capture the fullest picture.”

Then he went back home and filled in the blanks of a book that explores one man’s journey from diagnosis to death.

speak and was steering the boat with his feet and typing his emails with his left index finger.

He returned to Key West on Dec. 6, 2004, and lived another 84 days. The day after his death, Hope disappeared and never returned. Marcia Peters was left with Faith.

FINDING A WRITER Peters’ oldest daughter began organizing his emails, and the family searched for a professional writer. But in the end, Bradley seemed the right choice.

“I had written (academic) books before about neurology and treating the brain but I wasn’t sure I had the literary skills to do the book,” Bradley says. He eventually agreed to take on the project “to give Gib the public memorial that he deserved.”

“Gib was this extraordinary person who told us something about the philosophy of life and death,” Bradley says. “In the end, the book shows the triumph of the human spirit.”

Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services.

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Healthy Hearing

by Dr. Bettie Borton Au.D. bchampion1@aol.com

Make the Most of Your Hearing – (re) Train Your Brain!

Dr. Bettie Borton Au. D.

We hear in our ears, but we process and understand sound in our brain. Hearing aids can help a person detect sounds that are no longer in their range of audibility, but they don’t necessarily provide good listening skills.

There is a fundamental difference between hearing and listening, and hearing devices alone do not assure good listening. We all know people who have normal hearing but are poor listeners (ok, ok, don’t reference your spouse’s selective hearing!). Hearing requires a functional auditory system that allows sound to be heard, listening requires specific effort and skill, and that can become more difficult when a hearing loss is present.

As technically advanced as modern hearing aids might be, these devices alone cannot ensure listening skills needed for communication. Listening integrates a number of skills including attending, understanding, and remembering. Unfortunately, many of these cognitive skills deteriorate as we age. This may show up as a worsening of short-term memory, or increasing difficulty understanding rapid speech. Modern hearing aids have certainly improved the quality of sound in noisy environments, but they do not eliminate background sounds. People with sensorineural hearing loss have disproportionately difficult time understanding speech in noise. In addition, research shows that a loss of hearing produces physical changes in the auditory pathways of the brain. We now know that when hearing loss deprives parts of the brain of auditory stimulation, neural pathways actually degrade. The old adage of “use it or lose it” is very true with regard to hearing loss- waiting to get hearing aids when you know you have hearing loss is problematic because your brain may not be receiving the kind of stimulation it needs to maintain speech understanding.

When people lose confidence in their ability to communicate in noisy social situations, they simply drop out and avoid those

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environments. While this may save them effort and embarrassment, it ultimately costs them important personal and social contact. Some individuals utilize compensatory strategies that may result in successful hearing aid use. Others, however, are not so fortunate. The need for additional therapy beyond that provided by devices alone is becoming increasingly evident, and is underscored by the fact that individuals with similar hearing loss frequently report a wide range in satisfaction and benefit from their hearing aids.

The good news is a Board Certified Audiologist can optimize your hearing aid hearing experience using a number of methods, strategies and techniques. The hearing healthcare professionals at Doctors Hearing Clinic specialize in developing individualized treatment plans for those struggling with hearing impairment, and can offer the very latest in technologies, as well as the time required to successfully implement them! Have realistic expectations for hearing aids – they’re wonderful devices, but not new ears.

Join a self help group to share methods and techniques that are successful for you and others (Montgomery has a Hearing Loss Support Group that meets the second Thursday of each month at the First Methodist Church, 4 PM, free of charge!). And consider new computer software to “train your brain” to listen more effectively!

The great news is that with the help of a skilled Audiologist who routinely offers programs in aural rehabilitation, you or your loved ones can keep listening skills from deteriorating and improve ability to function in noisy situations. When a person injures an arm or leg, everyone recognizes the importance of physical therapy to strengthen adjacent muscles and instruction to optimize function. Similarly, it is likely that hearing devices alone will not produce optimal communication skills unless accompanied by counseling and training.

There are many exercises you can try on your own. Here are three examples: • Use closed- captioned TV, or record programs using a DVR or TIVO. Watch the show live. Then replay it with closed captioning or

by slowing it down.

• Listen to, while reading, audio books.

• Buy two copies of the newspaper. Have your spouse or colleague read the newspaper aloud while you are listening only, and then go ahead and read it yourself. Try this in quiet at first, and then proceed to noisier listening environments.

• Try self-help computer assisted training programs

One such auditory training therapy program designed to help the brain listen, Listening and Communication Enhancement (LACE) uses a computer or DVD. LACE is designed to enhance listening and communication skills, improve confidence levels, and provide communication strategies. The program consists of a variety of interactive and adaptive training tasks for listening to speech in noise, rapid speech, and auditory memory. Besides the immediate feedback given for each task, LACE provides you with a graph depicting daily improvement from the start of the training.

LACE training is conducted in the privacy of your own home at a pace comfortable to you; Doctors Hearing Clinic also offers a computer lab where you can take all or part of the training in their office. Research on thousands of people with hearing loss demonstrates that you can expect on average a 40% improvement of speech comprehension in noisy situations, if you complete the training program.

So if you or someone you love uses hearing devices, take the important step of seeking help from a Board Certified Audiologist to help you develop a comprehensive strategy for hearing and communication skills – train your brain for listening!

References: Robert W. Sweetow, Ph.D., Professor of Otolaryngology, University of California, San Francisco and the Better Hearing Institute.

To learn more, visit doctorshearingclinic.com or call for an evaluation at (334) 396-1635.

Dr. Bettie B. Borton is a licensed audiologist in Alabama, was the first board certified audiologist in Montgomery, and recently served as National Chair of the American Board of Audiology. She and her husband, Dr. Tom Borton, are the only audiologists with ABA certification in the Montgomery area.

The River Region’s 50+ Lifestage Magazine

e er r u c i d e p re wat pool t e G

√ rink mo creen for r √ D ick up suns a at mall fo t √ P eet Georgi w swimsui t for M and ne marke walk by farmer’s Stop & veggies fruits

You are hot...

...and so is the weather! Take a break from the heat and cool off while taking steps towards a healthier you. Take a swim in the pool or visit your local farmer’s market for fresh fruits and vegetables. Try something new – a new veggie, a new activity, a new goal. Do the little things now for a healthy life tomorrow.

It’s all about me.

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a healthy

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Montgomery’s Best Kept Secret for Seniors!

The New

Crump Senior Center

The Crump Senior Center program began in 1953 as the “Golden Age Club,” meeting in an old house downtown. The program grew, and in 1970, the city purchased the old two-story Church of Christ building on Highland Avenue and moved the program there. The program continued to grow, and the building continued to age, creating problems in the 1990’s with limiting attendance and restricting programs that could be offered. A group of concerned seniors began an effort to raise awareness of the challenges of the facility (no elevator, limited parking, leaking, etc.) and to raise funds to purchase or renovate a new facility. The city purchased the current facility at 1751 Congressman Dickinson Dr. in 2010, to be shared as both a Senior Center and a Police Station, and the group has lead the fundraising to renovate the west side of the facility to its’ current status.

Make Plans Now to Join Us! Additional Community Center Senior Programs at these Locations:

Loveless is primarily a Senior Center, and there are smaller neighborhood senior groups meeting regularly at King Hill, Highland Gardens, Hunter Station, Chisholm, Houston Hill, Goode Street, Willie Cook, Sheridan Heights and Hayneville Road.

Hours: Monday & Tuesday 8-9 pm Wednesday 8-5 pm Thursday 8-9 pm Friday 8-5 pm Saturday 8-Noon Margaret Bishop, Director 1751 Congressman Dickinson Dr.

Montgomery, AL 36110

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Programs

Keeping Fit, Mon-Fri 9am ‘S’-ercise -Sit, Stretch & Strengthen Tues & Thurs 1 pm Zumba - Latin inspired dance fitness, Mon 10:15 & Wed 12:30 Dynamic Toe Tapping Line Dancing, Wed, 10:15 am Step’n Out Beginner Line Dancing, Fri 10:15 Easy Flow Yogalates, Pilates & Yoga Mixture, Mon, 12:45 Fitness Room, Open 7-5 pm, No Personal Training Offered Life Saving CPR Class, Thursday July 28, 1-3 pm cost, $5

Table Games

Game Day, Thurs., July 21st, 9am till..., cost $5 Canasta, Wed & Fri, 9:30, Instructor, Chuck Wyborny Beginner Bridge 3 Class, sign up early!

Regular Dominoes, Thurs & Sat mornings, 9 am Mexican Dominoes, Mon-Fri, all day Pennies, Bring your own foursome, Tues, 9 am M & M (Mix & Match) Mondays, Come & Play your favorite games with other players, Plenty of M&M’s will be served. 9 am Pinochle, Instructor Chrys King, Thurs, 1 pm Summer Games-looking for players of Rook, Spades, Skip Bo, & Phase 10, see Michael.

Creative & Crafty

Knitting Classes for Beginners, wed, 10:15, instructor Jean White Coasters. Mon, 2 pm & Thurs, 10 am, need 4x4 tiles for coasters and 6x6 for trivets

Other Activities Include

Living Well Alabama, Self Defense Demonstration Community Square Dance, Garden News AARP Driver Safety Course, Trip to Lancaster PA

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Active Seniors of Central Alabama Web Site: http://www.facebook.com/ActiveSeniors

Editor’s Note: As I was exploring the River Region for new experiences to share with BOOM! readers I came across a Facebook page mentioned on an email from Jim Yeaman of The Lattice Inn. The Facebook group was the Active Seniors of Central Alabama. I “Liked” the page and posted a note. In short order I received a note from the person who started the group explaining how it came about. It was an interesting story and I wanted to share with our readers and encourage every active senior to check it out. Hopefully, you’ll also “Like” the Active Seniors of Central Alabama page and get involved! Randy Householder, the Founder of the group, shares his story below.

M

y two brothers and I were blessed to have had wonderful parents and to grow up in a Christian home. My parents had been married for 45 years and they were such a great example of what a marriage should be. They were active in their church; in fact they were over the Windows and Widowers group at the church. My parents loved to go camping and they had several couple friends they would go camping with on a regular basis. My father (Rodger Householder) was retired Air Force and recently retired from another job in order to travel more.

In June 2006, shortly after he retired, my father was diagnosed with kidney cancer. He had always been so healthy so this was a total shock to everyone.

During one of the many stays in the ICU my dad made my brothers and I promise to take care of our mother (Glenda Householder), his wife of 45 years. My dad passed away on November 9th 2006 from renal cell carcinoma (Kidney cancer) at the age of 67, only months after being diagnosed.

I’m not sure which was harder; seeing my dad pass away or seeing my mother lose her best friend, her husband, her rock. We were all devastated over the loss, but my mother’s life would never be the same. She went from a life filled with joy and activities to an empty home.

She went from being over the Widows and Widowers group to being a widow

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herself. Although we missed our father beyond words our lives continued on the same path it was on, except for my mother’s that is.

Her life was drastically changed. She was no longer able to pull the camper and set it up on her own, so she was forced to give up that activity she loved dearly.

When you go from being a couple to being single your circle of friends tends to change as well. Everyone would encourage her to get out of the house and stay busy, but stay busy doing what and with who? We all know that getting out is more fun when you have someone to share the experience with. She was not looking for romance and of course she had friends, but it was just not the same.

I began to take notice of several seniors in the same situation as my mother.

They were healthy, they were once active, but life had trapped them into a routine that was no longer filled with the joy they once had. Going back to that promise I had made to my dad one evening in the ICU, I wanted to do something. I wanted to create a social network for the Seniors of central Alabama. Not a dating site, but somewhere for them to come together to schedule events, find out what’s going on in the community, make new friends, etc. I knew it would be a challenging task and I questioned just how many seniors would have a facebook account. I created the

site (http://www.facebook.com/ActiveSeniors) and began advertising for it on facebook. It’s been a slow process but things are really beginning to pick up!

New friends are being made, events are being scheduled, ideas are being shared and most important I can see the joy in their smiles when we get together. Getting people to step out of their comfort zone or to break out of their routine has been the most difficult challenge, but when they do there is no turning back.

We have such a great group of seniors and I would like to personally thank each of them for making this site what it is today and for what it will be tomorrow!

If you are looking to make some new friends and to have some fun, please join us!

Happiness is a choice, so live today in such a way you have no regrets tomorrow.

Randy Householder FYI: Within a year and a half my mother lost: Her Husband Rodger Householder: Kidney Cancer Brother in law Ken Hitson: Heart attach Younger brother Jeff Hendricks: Motor Cycle wreck (young lady on cell phone crossed into their lane) Sister in law Elaine Hendricks: Motor Cycle wreck (young lady on cell phone crossed into their lane) Sister in law Virginia Hendricks: Lou gehrig’s disease Her mother: Lucile Hendricks 94 years old My mother is one of the strongest people I know.

The River Region’s 50+ Lifestage Magazine

20/20 Ophthalmic Associates, 2020 Normandie Dr., Montgomery 32 Degree Yogurt Bar, 7030 Eastchase Pkwy, Montgomery Adams Drugs, 8189 Vaughn Rd., Montgomery Adams Drugs, 37 Mitchell Dr., Montgomery Adams Drugs, Adams Ave, Montgomery Adams Drugs, 3016 McGehee Road, Montgomery Adams Drugs, 103 So. Memorial, Prattville Adams Drugs, 185 Ashton Plaza Street, Millbrook Adams Drugs, 5268 US Hwy 231, Wetumpka Adams Drugs, 7200 Copperfield Dr., Montgomery AFC Urgent Care, Eastchase, Montgomery AFC Urgent Care, Cobbs Ford, Prattville Alfa Realty, 8191 Seaton Pl., Montgomery American Cancer Society, 3054 McGehee Rd., Montgomery American Oak Furniture, 4245 Wetumpka Hwy., Montgomery Another Chance Wine & Spirits Antique Store and More, 440 Coliseum Blvd., Montgomery Aronov New Homes, 3500 Eastern Blvd., Montgomery Artistic Expressions, 1963 Cobbs Ford Rd, Prattville Alabama Shakespeare Festival, 1 Festival Drive, Montgomery Aw Shucks Oyster Bar, 4100 Wetumpka Hwy, Montgomery AWT-Alabama World Travel, Taylor Rd., Montgomery M. Bagwell’s, Fairview Ave, Montgomery Bama Lanes, 3020 Atlanta Hwy., Montgomery Bama Lanes, Prattville Bandana’s, 301 E. Jefferson St, Montgomery Baptist Breast Health, Winton Blount, Montgomery Baptist Health, 301 Brown Springs Road, Montgomery Baptist Hearing Clinic-Prattville Baptist Hospital-Prattville Baptist Medical Center East, 400 Taylor Rd N, Montgomery Baptist Medical Center South, 2105 E. South Blvd., Montgomery Baumhower’s Restaurant, 2465 Eastern Blvd., Montgomery Baynes-A European Day Spa, 8130 Seaton Place, Montgomery Bits and Pieces Gift Shop-RSA, 201 Monroe Street, Montgomery Blue Moon Cafe, 7725 Averiett Dr., Montgomery Blush Boutique Spa & Salon, 2489 Pinnacle Way, Prattville Bo Goodson Real Estate, Crossland Loop, Montgomery Bou Cou, 2101 Eastern Blvd, The Courtyard, Montgomery Brad Willis, DDS, 8161 Seaton Place, Suite A, Montgomery Bud’s, 1018 E Fairview Ave, Montgomery Buffalo’s Wild Wings, Rave Plaza, Vaughn Rd, Montgomery Buffet City, 5461 Atlanta Hwy., Montgomery C T Nails, 6134 Atlanta Hwy., Montgomery Café Louisa’s, Fairview Ave, Montgomery Cake Designs, 3651 Debby Dr., Montgomery Cancer Care Ctr of Montgomery, 300 St. Luke’s Dr, Montgomery Cancer Care Ctr of Montgomery, 1758 Park Place, Montgomery Candy’s Hair Designs, Decker, Montgomery Capitol Book and News, 1140 E. Fairview Ave, Montgomery Capitol Filmworks, 909 Forest Ave., Montgomery Capitol Filmworks-Studio, 7123 EastChase Pkwy, Montgomery Capri Theatre, 1045 E. Fairview Ave., Montgomery Carolyn’s Health Source, 191 N. Burbank Dr., Montgomery Carriage Hills Hosp/Pet Resort, 3200 Eastern Blvd, Montgomery Cartridge World, Vaughn Rd., Montgomery Casa Napoli Italian Restaurant, 2215 U.S. Hwy 231, Wetumpka Chappy’s Deli, 8141 Vaughn Rd., Montgomery Chappy’s Deli, 1611 Perry Hill Rd, Montgomery Chappy’s Deli, Baptist Medical Center South, Montgomery Charlotte’s Jewelry, 8161 Vaughn Road, Montgomery Chick-Fil-A, 6921 Eastchase Loop, Montgomery Chick-Fil-A, 1967 Cobbs Ford Rd., Prattville Chick-Fil-A, 2682 Eastern Blvd., Montgomery Chick-Fil-A - RSA, 201 Monroe St, Montgomery China King, 3002 Zelda Rd., Montgomery China Wok, 7036 Atlanta Hwy., Montgomery Chris’ Hot Dogs, 138 Dexter Ave., Montgomery ChristChurch, 8800 Vaughn Rd., Montgomery City Grill, 8147 Vaughn Rd., Montgomery Cooperative Propane, 414 Twain Curve, Montgomery Copperwing Design, 3158 Parliament Circle, Montgomery Crazy Buffet, 5831 Atlanta Hwy., Montgomery Cronier’s, 2307 Eastern Blvd., Montgomery Cucos, 11123 Chantilly Parkway Court, Pike Road Curves for Women, 7730 Atlanta Hwy., Montgomery Dairy Queen, 6120 Atlanta Hwy., Montgomery Dairy Queen, 205 Interstate Park, Prattville Deramus Hearing Center, 2809 Chestnut, Montgomery Derk’s Filet & Vine, 431 Cloverdale Rd., Montgomery Dermatology Associates, Mitylene, Montgomery Ding How Chinese Buffet, 1704 East Main St., Prattville Doctors Hearing Clinic, 7025 Halcyon Park Dr., Montgomery

Dr. Chamnong, Crossland Loop, Montgomery Dr. J.D. Harrell-Chiripractor, 8349 Crossland Loop, Montgomery East China, 8153 Vaughn Rd., Peppertree, Montgomery East Montgomery Imaging Center, Winton Blount, Montgomery Eastbrook Flea Market, 425 Coliseum Blvd., Montgomery Eastdale Estates Residence, 5801 Eastdale Dr., Montgomery Eastside Grille, 6667 Atlanta Hwy., Montgomery Elmcroft of Halcyon, 1775 Halcyon Blvd., Montgomery Equisouth Mortgage, Crossland Loop, Montgomery ERA Weeks Browning, 2315 Eastchase Lane, Montgommery Eve’s Studio, 2026 Clubview Ave, Montgomery Eyecare Plus, 605 Jasmine Trail, Prattville F.I.T. Center, 7047 Halcyon Park Dr., Montgomery Family Christian Bookstore, Atlanta Hwy, Montgomery Fanci Free, 146 West Main St., Prattville Farmers Market Café, 315 N. McDonough, Montgomery Farmhouse Kitchen, 251 Hampstead High St., Montgomery Fineline Engraving, 1651 Perry Hill Rd., Montgomery First Baptist Church, 138 S. Washington St, Prattville First United Methodist, 2416 W Cloverdale Park, Montgomery Fitness South, Cobbs Ford Rd., Prattville Flip’s Uptown Grill, 7900 Vaughn Rd., Montgomery Flip’s Uptown Grill, 3900 Atlanta Hwy., Montgomery Focus on Fashion, 413 Coliseum Blvd., Montgomery Fountain City Donuts, Prattville Fountain City Health Foods, 111 S. Memorial Dr., Prattville Frazer Church, 6000 Atlanta Hwy., Montgomery Fred Astaire Dance Studio, 2711 Bell Road, Montgomery Garrett’s, 7780 Atlanta Hwy., Montgomery Gold’s Gym, 2300 Berryhill Rd., Montgomery Great American Cookie, 7048 Eastchase Pkwy, Montgomery Guthrie’s Chicken, Eastchase, Montgomery Guthrie’s Chicken, 5376 Atlanta Hwy., Montgomery Ham & High, 5251 Hampstead High St., Montgomery Hampstead Office, 5272 Hampstead High Street, Montgomery HealthSouth Hospital, 4465 Narrow Lane Rd., Montgomery Healthwise Foods, 5147 Atlanta Hwy., Montgomery Hibachi Sushi & Buffet, 181 D Eastern Blvd, Montgomery Hospice Advantage, Hwy 231, Wetumpka Hue, Peppertree SC, Montgomery ICBY Yogurt, 4339 Atlanta Hwy., Montgomery Indulgence Salon & Spa, 156 West Main Street, Prattville Interscapes, 7927 Vaughn Rd., Montgomery ITEC-Inst for Tot Eye Care, 4255 Carmichael Ct, Montgomery Itza Gift, Vaughn Rd Peppertree, Montgomery Ixtapa Bar & Grill, 7157 Eastchase Pkwy, Montgomery Ixtapa Mexican, 6132 Atlanta Hwy, Montgomery Jackson Clinic, 1801 Pine St., Suite 301, Montgomery Jackson Hospital, 1725 Pine St., Montgomery Jackson Imaging, Montgomery Jackson Marketing, Montgomery Jackson Surgery Center, Montgomery Jalapenos Mexican, 8157 Vaughn Rd., Montgomery Jim’s Restaurant, 1504 S. Memorial Dr., Prattville John Knox @ Home, 4401 Narrow Lane Rd., Montgomery John Knox Manor, 4401 Narrow Lane Rd., Montgomery Jo’s Hallmark, Vaughn Rd., Montgomery Junior League of Montgomery, 3570 Carter Hill Rd., Montgomery Kabuki Japanese Steak House, 7834 Vaughn Rd., Montgomery King’s Buffet, 2727 Bell Rd., Montgomery Klein & Son Jewelers, 7337 Eastchase Parkway, Montgomery Kwik Kopy Shop, 4148 Carmichael Rd, Montgomery La Ranchos Mexican Cafe, 127 Eastern Blvd., Montgomery La Zona Rosa, 2838 Zelda Rd., Montgomery Lagoon Golf Course, 2855 Lagoon Park Dr., Montgomery Lagoon Tennis, 2855 Lagoon Park Dr., Montgomery Leigh Ann Nevins DMD, 2560 Bell Rd., Montgomery Lek’s Railroad Thai, 300 Water St., Montgomery Lek’s Taste of Thailand, 5421 Atlanta Hwy, Montgomery Lemongrass Salon & Spa, 5351 Hampstead High Street, Montgomery L’Esprit Salon Da’ Spa, 8161 B Seaton Place, Montgomery Liger’s Bakery, 3040 McGehee Rd., Montgomery Los Vaqueros, 2195 Eastern Blvd., Montgomery LuLu’s Attic to Antiques, 946 Plantation Way, Montgomery LWT Communications, 8140 Old Federal Rd., Montgomery Marble Slab Creamery, 7929 Vaughn Rd., Montgomery Marko’s Salon, Atlanta Hwy, Montgomery Marquirette’s Exquisite Jewelry, 7818 Vaughn Rd, Montgomery Martin’s Restaurant, 1796 Carter Hill Rd, Montgomery MCA Fitness Center, 2119 East South Blvd., Montgomery McDonald Barranco, Crossland Loop, Montgomery Mellow Mushroom, 7915 Vaughn Rd., Montgomery Mellow Mushroom, Prattville

The River Region’s 50+ Lifestage Magazine

Merle Norman, 7032 Eastchase Pkwy, Montgomery Metamorphosis Personal Training, 2101 Eastern Blvd, Montgomery Metro Fitness, 7150 Halcyon Park Dr., Montgomery Mexico Tipico, 1870 E. Main St, Prattville Michael Legrand Dentistry, Crossland Loop, Montgomery Mickleboro’s, 7995 Vaughn Rd, Festival Plaza, Montgomery Midstate Medical Supplies, Mulberry St., Montgomery Midtown Pizza, 2940 Zelda Rd., Montgomery Mimi’s Cafe, 6814 Eastchase Pkwy, Montgomery Miracle-Ear Hearing Center, 2800 Zelda Rd, Montgomery Montessori at Mulberry, 2034 Clubview St, Montgomery Montgomery Chamber of Commerce, 41 Commerce St., Montgomery Montgomery Ballet, 2101 Eastern Blvd., Montgomery Montgomery Breast Center, 4145 Carmichael Rd., Montgomery Montgomery Bridge Club, 1711 Mulberry Street, Montgomery Montgomery Cancer Center, 4145 Carmichael Rd, Montgomery Montgomery Eye Care Associates, 262 Mitylene Park Dr., Montgomery Montgomery Eye Physicians, 2752 Zelda Road, Montgomery Montgomery Eye Physicians, 8131 Seaton Place, Montgomery Montgomery Family Medicine, 8190 Seaton Place, Montgomery Montgomery Museum of Fine Arts, 1 Museum Dr., Montgomery Montgomery Library, 245 High Street, Montgomery Montgomery Library, 840 Coliseum Boulevard, Montgomery Montgomery Library, 2590 Bell Rd., Montgomey Montgomery Library-Hampstead, Taylor Rd, Montgomery Montgomery Library-Pike Road, 9585 Vaughn Road, Pike Road Montgomery Veterinarian Associates, Crossland Loop, Montgomery Montgomery Visitor Center, 300 Water Street, Montgomery Montgomery Zoo-Gift Shop, Montgomery Montgomery Mann Museum, 2301 Coliseum Blvd., Montgomery Mr. G’s Ristorante, 6228 Atlanta Hwy., Montgomery Mrytle Goore, M.D., 3184 Parliament Circle, Montgomery Mug Shots Java, Prattville My Kids Attic/Shoppes, 401 Coliseum Blvd., Montgomery Name Dropper/Storkland, 7107 EastChase Parkway, Montgomery Nancy’s Italian Ice, 7976 Vaughn Rd., Montgomery Natural Gourmet, 2580 Eastern Blvd, Montgomery New Image, 7276 Eastchase Parkway, Montgomery New Look Decorating Center, 6237 Atlanta Hwy., Montgomery No Way Jose Grill & Cantina, 8844 Minnie Brown Rd, Montgomery No Way Jose Grill & Cantina, 5338 Atlanta Highway, Montgomery Nuevo Ranchito Mexican, 3776 US Hwy 231, Wetumpka Oaktree Foods & Bakery, 439 Coliseum Blvd., Montgomery Obelisk Healthcare, 4705 Woodmere Blvd., Montgomery Old Alabama Town, 301 Columbus St., Montgomery Olivia A Salon, 2101 Taylor Road, Montgomery Our Place Cafe, 809 Company Street, Wetumpka Ox Yoke Steak House Grill, 915 U.S. Hwy 231, Wetumpka Panera Bread, 7224 East Chase Parkway, Montgomery Panera Bread, 2775 Eastern Blvd., Montgomery Pepper Tree Steaks & Wine, 8101-A Vaughn Rd, Montgomery Peyton’s Place, 5344 Atlanta Hwy, Montgomery Phoenix Salon & Spa, 6311 Atlanta Hwy, Montgomery Physicians for Women, Mitylene, Montgomery Plastic Surgery Associates, 6727 Taylor Ct, Montgomery Pratt Baptist Medical Park, McQueen-Smith Rd, Prattville Prattville Library, Prattville Prattville Pickers Flea Market, Prattville Pri Med Physicians, Taylor & Atlanta Hwy., Montgomery Pri Med Physicians, 4305 Atlanta Hwy., Montgomery Pri Med Physicians Office, 8401 Crossland Loop, Montgomery Pri Med Physicians, 1595 East Main St., Prattville Pri Med Physicians, 2815 East Blvd., Montgomery Pri Med Physicians, 4452 U.S. Highway 231, Wetumpka Primary Eyecare Associates, 8436 Vaughn Rd, Montgomery Prime Lending, Taylor Rd., Montgomery Pro Health Medical Supplies, 7200 Copperfield Dr., Montgomery Pro Health Medical Supplies, 692 Mcqueen Smith Rd N, Prattville Publix-Cornerstone, 7700 Vaughn Rd., Montgomery Publix-Dalraida Commons, 4045 Atlanta Hwy., Montgomery Publix-Prattville, 2451 Cobbs Ford Rd., Prattville Publix-Taylor Junction, 7076 Atlanta Hwy, Montgomery Publix-Zelda Place, 3026 Zelda Rd., Montgomery Re Threads, Prattville Region’s Mortgage, Crossland Loop, Montgomery Reid & O’Donahue, 419 S Perry St, Montgomery Remax, 4240 Carmichael Ct., Montgomery Residential Mortgage, 6845 Halcyon Park Dr., Montgomery River Region Cardiology, Montgomery River Region United Way, 532 S. Perry St., Montgomery Robertson’s Photography, Courtyard, Montgomery Roux, 508 Cloverdale Road, Montgomery Roux Deli, 508 Cloverdale Road, Montgomery

Sadie’s Global Travel, 8412 Crossland Loop, Montgomery Saint James United Methodist, 9045 Vaughn Rd., Montgomery Salon Couture, 77 Averitte Dr., Montgomery San Marcos, 61 N Burbank Dr., Montgomery San Marcos, Wetumpka Sandra Nickel Realtor, 1044 E Fairview Avenue, Montgomery Shashy’s Bakery and Fine Foods, 1700 Mulberry St, Montgomery Shoney’s, 4700 US Hwy. 231, Wetumpka Shoppes At EastChase, 7274 Eastchase Pkwy, Montgomery Shoppes of Wetumpka, Hwy 231, Wetumpka Smart Skin Spa & Salon, 1401 Hwy 14 East, Prattville SMI Advertising, The Courtyard, Montgomery Smoothie King, Eastchase, Montgomery Sommer’s Grill, 9188 East Chase Parkway, Montgomery Sommer’s Place, 7972 Vaughn Rd, Montgomery Southern Homes and Gardens, 8820 Vaughn Rd., Montgomery Starbucks, Vaughn Rd. Cornerstone, Montgomery Starbucks, 6911 East Chase Parkway, Montgomery Starbucks, 6501 Atlanta Hwy, Montgomery Starbucks, 3110 Zelda Rd., Montgomery Starbucks, 2107 Eastern Blvd, Montgomery Starke Agency, Inc, Montgomery Steak’ n Shake, 2313 Cobbs Ford Rd., Prattville Steak Out, 3271 Malcolm Dr., Montgomery Steak Out, 2930 Carter Hill Rd, Montgomery Stevie B’s, 5411 Atlanta Hwy., Montgomery Strict Tempo Ballroom, 436 Coliseum Blvd., Montgomery Super Suppers of Montgomery, 8105 Vaughn Road, Montgomery Sushi Café, 3004 Zelda Rd, Montgomery Tao Chi of Montgomery, Lecroy SC, Montgomery Taylor Crossing Animal Hospital, Atlanta Hwy, Montgomery Taylor Internal Medicine, Cobbs Ford Rd, Prattville Ted “The Wine Guy” & Co., 3062 Zelda Rd., Montgomery Tenda Chick, 5951 Atlanta Hwy, Montgomery The Herb Shop, 8151 Vaughn Rd., Montgomery The Locker Room, 1717 Carter Hill Rd., Montgomery The Special Grind Coffee Shop, 2096 Highway 14 East, Prattville The Tipping Point, 5015 Hampstead High Street, Montgomery The Turtle Shell, 160 W. Main St, Prattville The Velvet Pumpkin, 8185 Vaughn Road, Montgomery The Vintage Olive, 8101-B Vaughn Rd., Montgomery The Water Store, 2090 Highway 14 E, Prattville Tipico De Mexico, 3441 Malcolm Dr., Montgomery Tokyo Steakhouse, 594 Pinnacle Pl, Prattville Tomatinos Pizza & Bake Shop, 1036 E. Fairview Ave., Montgomery Total Freedom Wellness, 694 A Commerce Ct., Prattville Travel Leaders-Winds, 6983 Halcyon Park Dr, Montgomery Tucker Pecan Co., 350 North McDonough St, Montgomery Uncle Mick’s Cajun Market & Cafe, 136 W. Main St, Prattville Vaughn Road Garden Center, Vaughn Road, Montgomery Vine’s Realty, Crossland Loop, Montgomery Vitamin Shop, Eastchase Pkwy, Montgomery Vitamins Plus, 440 Coliseum Blvd., Montgomery VIVA Medicare Café, 2107B Eastern Blvd., Montgomery Volunteer & Information Center, 2101 Eastern Blvd., Montgomery Wells Fargo Mortgage, Perimeter, Montgomery Wesley Gardens, 1555 Taylor Rd, Montgomery Wetumpka Depot, Wetumpka Wetumpka Public Library, 212 So. Main St, Wetumpka Wetumpka Urgent Care, Wetumpka Wintzell’s Oyster House, 105 Commerce St., Montgomery Wishbone Café, 7028 Atlanta Hwy, Montgomery Y’sUp@Hillwood, 2898 Zelda Road, Montgomery Y’sUp@Somerset, 7600 Atlanta Highway, Montgomery Yeung’s Kitchen, 41 N. Burbank Dr., Montgomery YMCA-Bell Rd., 2435 Bell Rd., Montgomery YMCA-Central, 761 S. Perry St., Montgomery YMCA-East, Montgomery You Name It!, 5350 Atlanta Hwy., Montgomery Young Barn Pub & Oyster Bar, 5331 Young Barn Rd., Montgomery Y’sUp@ Hampstead, Hampstead, Montgomery Y’sUp@A&P, 507 Cloverdale Road, Montgomery Zink Chiropractic Center, 2109 Taylor Road, Montgomery Zoe’s Kitchen, 7218 East Chase Parkway, Montgomery

It’s a Great Time to Be Boomin!

r i ve r reg i o n b o o m . co m

July 2011

BOOM!

27

July 2011

{12 Things} for active boomers and beyond

OLD CLOVERDALE

MONTGOMERY

MONTGOMERY

based,

If you ever wanted to check the game of Bridge

BYOC Concert Series Benefit Concert- Women

songwriter

new folks and a new dynamic game of Bridge.

Temple. A portion of the tickets sales will go to

Beth Nielson Chapman, Capri Theatre Saturday, July 2, Doors Open at 6 pm Nashville-

Montgomery

native singerBeth Nielsen

Chapman will

headline a benefit concert for the Capri Theatre

at the theatre on Saturday, July 2 2011 at 7:00pm.

Ms Chapman and her band, along with special

Summer Open House Montgomery Bridge Club Thursday, July 7, 4 pm until

now is the time. This is not your granma’s Bridge

so grab some friends and check it out. Meet some Summer Open house is located at 1711 Mulberry St. For more info call 244.5052 or visit www.

MONTGOMERY DOWNTOWN

chocolate binges have never been as funny as

July 1-Riverwalk Pub Crawl, 6 pm

Mark your calendar now for the

2011 Riverwalk

Pub Crawl! There will be great entertainment

and discounts, and the city trolley will make this hoppin’ event one you won’t want to miss.

July 2-Sister Hazel, 7 pm

Riverwalk Amphitheater. $10 advance and $15 at the gate. www.montgomeryal.gov

July 3-Capital City Downtown Streetfest 2-5 pm Bring the whole family for a day of fun!

There will be inflatables and street vendors, a

family-friendly event! www.montgomeryal.gov

July 4-Biscuits Baseball and Riverfront Celebration, 6 pm.

Riverwalk Amphitheater. Come out for a night of

baseball, music and fun! There will be inflatables for the kids and Harriott II Riverboat rides as well as a MAX Fireworks Spectacular. www. montgomeryal.gov

28 BOOM!

July 2011

riverregionboom.com

Concert Series will be held at the Shriners

a local charity Women

of Hope/Breast Cancer.

WISHBONE AND OUTSIDE THE INSIDE. More infor-

MONTGOMERY

ASF-Menopause the Musical July 8-24

Capri Theatre. www.capritheatre.org

of Hope. The 2nd BYOC “Bring Your Own Chair”

montgomerybridgeclub.org

guests, will be raising funds for Montgomery’s

only independent movie theatre, the non-profit

BYOC-Bring Your Own Chair Concert Series, Shriners Temple Saturday, July 9, 6-10 pm

Hot flashes, night sweats, memory loss and

mation to come...we need to hear from all you OTI

fans...extremely talented band! Family friendly

event...children under 15

in this long-running smash hit. Menopause is a

free with an adult. THE WILL BE AIRCONDITION-

Change. The show features 25 parodies of classic

MORE TO COME.... Women of Hope, who offers

hilarious celebration of women who are on the brink of, in the middle of or have survived The

baby boomer hits including “Hot Flash” (“Heat Wave”),

“My Thighs” (“My Guy”) and “Stayin’ Awake” (“Stayin’

Alive”). Two dollars from

each ticket sold for the two Tuesday performances will be donated to the The Joy to Life Founda-

tion. The special partnership and promotion also features pre-show pink martinis and cupcakes

as well as two ticket discount opportunities. On Tuesday, July 12, all men wearing something

pink will receive a half-priced ticket with the

purchase of a full priced ticket. On Tuesday, July

19, a breast cancer survivor is admitted free with the purchase of a full priced ticket. Purchasers of

either Tuesday night ticket will be eligible to win a Pink Trash Can. To be in the drawing, tickets

must be purchased by July 10. Alabama Shake-

speare Festival box office, on line at www.asf.net or by phone at 1.800.841.4273.

ING AT THE EVENT FOR ALL OUR LOYAL WHO ATTENDED THE TRAIN SHED JUNE 4TH!!!!!!!!! women with breast cancer support has joined us in this event. We will offer a percentage of

ticket sales to their charity. For more info email

womenofhope@charter.net. Get your $15 tickets by calling 260-0577.

MONTGOMERY

Alabama Songwriters Showcase Thursday July 14th, 7:30 pm Montgomery Performing Arts Centre With over thirty, Top

10 hits from the Country, Pop, and Gospel

Billboard Charts Teddy Gentry, Lenny Leblanc

and Mac McAnally perfrom the hits and tell the stories behind their songs which are now sung

around the world. Come see them Live! For tickets go to www.mpaconline.org or ticketmaster.

The River Region’s 50+ Lifestage Magazine

TALLASSEE

Sweet Summer Night XVI Historic Downtown Tallassee Saturday, July 16, 2011 Bring your Lawn Chairs and Coolers for a night of

LAKE MARTIN

AquaPalooza 2011 on Lake Martin Biggest boating bash in Alabama!

Saturday, July 23, 12-6:30pm

fun under the stars!! Featured Bands, 4:30-5:15

Camp 1921 String Band (learn to

TreeTop Adventure

Step away from the computer, television and school books, and activate your adrenaline at Callaway Gardens as you leap, climb, swing and zip your way

Kowaliga Beach on Lake

through the trees on Callaway Gardens TreeTop

Martin is the setting

Adventure, the Gardens’ newest attraction. Make

for great music, lots of

your way through the trees on a network of 24

dance the Reel

fun with family and friends and the largest boating

aerial challenges and zip-lines that are deftly woven

bash of the summer in Alabama. Featuring Sawyer

into the natural woodlands behind the Virginia

Brown with special guests Rhett Akins, Chase Rice

Hand Callaway Discovery Center, adjacent to the

music), 5:30-6:45

nd Derek Welsh & The Cold Hard Truth

beautiful 175-acre Mountain Creek Lake. For more information, visit www.callawaygardens.com/ treetop.

and Waltz to

authentic 1800’s

MUZE, 7-8:15 Ray Goss with John Bull & Friends, 8:30-10:30 - The Sweet Young’uns. Advanced

MONTGOMERY

Tickets $10, at the Gate $15 ( 9 and under Free,

10 and up adult price), Ticket Locations: WACQ,

“The Measure of a Man” Montgomery Performing Arts Centre Saturday, July 30 at 7:00 pm

The Company Store, X’Pressions Gift Shop All Proceeds Benefit the Talisi Historical Society

“The Measure of a Man” is a faith based drama

that depicts the lives of four Barbers from a rural

Bonner’s in Tallassee and Opelika, Five points,

FLORENCE

W.C. Handy Music Festival Florence; Jul 22–30 This nine-day celebration will honor the musical heritage of north-

west Alabama and

town in Georgia as they deal with everyday issues involving their relationships,

friends, co-workers and conscious. They are challenged in the key areas of honesty, forgiveness, and commit-

the legacy of W.C.

ment. They soon learn that the encounters they

includes a parade,

dynamic and dramatic theatrical production, the

Handy, “Father of

the Blues.” The event concerts, exhibits,

theatrical performances, athletic events and more. www.wchandymusicfestival.org

MONTGOMERY

American Cancer Society Charity Clays Shoot Saturday, July 23, 4 pm

face not only test their integrity but moreover

challenge the measure of their manhood. In this

audience will experience a roller coaster of emotions as tempers flare and deceit fills the air. It is discovered that friends can quickly become foes

and heartbreak is just one of life’s woes. For tickets go to www.mpaconline.org or ticketmaster.

A Look Ahead to August...

MONTGOMERY Elvis: The Early Years ASF August 13 & 14

Pack up your Blue Suede Shoes and leave Heartbreak Hotel behind, The King is coming back to

Montgomery! The Alabama Shakespeare Festival will shake, rattle, and roll once again with the

return of Scot Bruce, star of Idols of the King, and his band for a benefit concert on August 13th and 14th, 2011. His show “A Tribute to Elvis:

The Early Years” features many hit songs made famous by the legendary entertainer including Heartbreak Hotel, Jailhouse Rock, Blue Suede Shoes and Love Me Tender. Alabama Shake-

speare Festival box office, on line at www.asf.net or by phone at 1.800.841.4273.

BIRMINGHAM

The American Cancer Society will hold its Annual Charity Clays Shoot on Saturday, July 23, 2011

beginning at 4:30 p.m. at the Lower

Wetumpka

Shotgun Sports Club. All

proceeds benefit Relay For Life of Montgomery Metro. For more information about the 2011 Charity Clays Classic, contact Suzanna Was-

serman with the American Cancer Society at 334.612.8177.

CALLAWAY GARDENS

Who Shot Rock ‘n Roll Birmingham Museum of Art Through September 18, 2011 From its earliest days, rock & roll was captured

in photographs that personalized, and frequently eroticized, the musicians, creating a visual identity for the music. The photographers were

handmaidens to the rock

& roll revolution, and their

images communicate the social and cultural

transformations that rock has fostered since the 1950s. Information, www.rockbma.com.

Please submit any events/pictures to jim@riverregionboom.com

The River Region’s 50+ Lifestage Magazine

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July 2011

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By Greg Budell

What’s in your closet?

Closets. They’re never big enough, are they? I invaded mine recently, seeking nice clothes for Alabama tornado victims. My closet is an alleged walk-in, which means I have the junk inside shoved towards the walls to create what I call closet levees. This allows me to get two feet in the closet. Not two measurable feet. Just that I can get MY left and right feet into what is technically the interior of my closet space. If I need something close to the back wall, I have to lean forward with my hands braced on the clothing rack to reach it. I call that “Closet Yoga”.

And I am NOT a hoarder if that’s what you’re thinking. About 75% of the stuff in there has no use. I’m just one of those people who have to hit a certain “I don’t care” emotional state to make decisions on what goes and what stays. It happens about twice a year.

I found plenty of great shirts and pants for the clothing drive. All three walls offer hanging space, but after a while it takes an Atlas-type move to divide the shirts to make room for one more. As I pried shirts and pants apart, I found an array of clothes I forgot I had and hadn’t used in years, if ever. They were pressed in such a compacted fashion they had disappeared from plain sight.

The shoe rack is a conundrum. I have about 12 pairs, three of which I use on a regular basis. On the shoe rack, there’s a pair of black Nike bowling shoes a girlfriend gave me in 1998. They were ruined a long time ago (never wear bowling shoes while walking a dog on a rainy night) but I have yet to dispose of them. I tried to salvage them by gluing the soles back on with no success. They’re good for nothing but the memory that goes with them. Suppose she comes back into my life? “Oh by the way, sweetheart—are you still using the bowling shoes I gave you two decades ago?” As of today, I am still prepared for that eventuality.

30 BOOM!

July 2011

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probably because I have a box of video cassettes up there, right next to two broken VCR players. I suppose moving them next to the audio cassettes makes sense, right?

Deeper in—visible but unreachable—is a cardboard box full of CASSETTE tapes.

I can’t get rid of those because they contain radio shows I did going all the way back to the ’70s! They’re like baby shoes. I have two cassette players—— taking up space because in my imaginary world I will get them fixed and one day re-enjoy those old shows with my grandchildren.

There are four boxes containing enough medical supplies and drug store items to start my own Walgreen’s. There are pills and potions, tubes and bottles with unreadable labels and one day I will separate all of it so that at least the same type stuff is in the same box. Maybe some of it will make it to the curb in a pharmaceutical purge!

The clothes I kept come in three sizes— Today, Maybe They’ll Fit Again One Day and Hopeless. I gave all my Fat Clothes to the drive because I have been working out like a fiend at the local gym— and if I had the fat stuff in the closet they’d be too tempting to use again.

I’ve gone from a 40 waist to a 34, so all the 38s and 40s are somewhere else in Alabama.

I am amazed I haven’t been jarred awake by an enormous wrenching sound—that being the closet shelves giving way to gravity. One of them needs a support beam because it bows in the middle,

There are quite a few books, however I can’t share the titles.

When I hoisted them up there two years ago, I put the titles towards the wall as I stacked them. If I can push the levees back, I might get deep enough inside to turn them so I can see what’s there. I do have other options. My house has a nice attic. When I first looked at it, the owner said, “Look at all the space you have!”

Unfortunately, access is provided by a Clark Griswold-like drop down ladder and lifting anything heavier than a box of Christmas ornaments (they are up there) is an awkward, even dangerous proposition. Every time I venture up there, I look down from the top, and see visions of the Montgomery Medical Examiner announcing his “broken neck” diagnosis. I’m certainly not going to move my library up there!

I also have a sizable storage shed in the backyard, but it too is an overcrowded jumble of bikes, bags, decorations and one fake Christmas tree. I had to kick the lawnmower out of there when the weather turned nice so we could use the bikes. My old bowling ball is out there too as it was also a gift from the bowling shoe girlfriend and I can’t bring myself to give it away.

I’ll figure it out. Meanwhile, if you need a VHS copy of “Die Hard 2” or a 7-year-old bottle of Aleve, shoot me a note. I’ll take good care of you!

Greg Budell lives in Montgomery with his dog Hershey. He’s a 25 year veteran of radio who hosts the morning show on Montgomery’s Q96.1 and Happy Hour 4-6 pm on Newstalk 107.9. Please share any feedback with jim@riverregionboom.com

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