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The River Region’s 50+ Lifestage Magazine
The River Region’s 50+ Lifestage Magazine
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October 2016
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October 2016
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The River Region’s 50+ Lifestage Magazine
The River Region’s 50+ Lifestage Magazine
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CO M E J O I N T H E F R A Z E R FA M I LY A S W E C E L E B R AT E ! T E A C H I N G S E R I E S O C T . 9 – N O V. 13 , 2 016
SHOUT WHAT GOD HAS DONE. SEEK WHAT GOD WILL DO.
ATLANTA HIGHWAY 8, 9:30 AND 11AM PIKE ROAD SCHOOL 10:00AM WWW.FRAZER.CHURCH • 334.272.8622
BOOM!, The River Region’s 50+ Lifestage Magazine
Contents
October 2016
Volume 7 Issue 3
“Though no one can go back and make a brand new start, anyone can start from now and make a brand new ending.”
Carl Bard
Facebook.com/RiverRegionBoom 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
3 Jackson Hospital’s Health News 8 Publisher’s Letter 10 Shakespeare’s First Folio 12 Using Resistance Training Leigh Anne Richards 14 Intergenerational Wealth Planning Brandt McDonald 16 Walk ‘N Wag page 50
Features 32 Intimate Activity
insights on issues relating to sexual activity in later years.
18 Larry Gatlin and The Blackwood Quartet
50 Happiness and Retirement It turns out that happiness and retirement do go together.
54 Embroidery Men
It’s like you’re an engineer with fabric.
Departments 18 This and That
Now You’re “In the Know”
17 Healthy Hearing Casey Gonzalez
52 {12} Things
Solutions for Bored Boomers
21 Sav-A-Life - Annual Fundraising Gala 22 Jimi Hendrix 50th Tribute Concert 24 Walk to End Alzheimer’s Becky Harris, Why I Walk
48 Greg Budell
26 BOOM! Cover Profile
My Name Is “Victim”
30 Breast Cancer Events
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34 Dating Coach: YOUR FOUR UNIQUE CONNECTIONS TO MEN
COVER PROFILE page 26
36 Entering a Nursing Home Ask an Elder Law Attorney page 32
page 16
38 Tips for Outdoor Chores 40 Eating Smart with Tracy Bhalla: Paleo 42 Cremation Costs Causing Confusion 44 Recharge with a Mega Micro Vacation
page 19
page 54
56 Riverwalk Wine Festival
BOOM! The River Regions 50+ Lifestage Magazine is published monthly by River Region Publications, 6398 Eastwood Glen Pl., Montgomery, AL 36117. The phone number is 334.324.3472. Copyright 2016 by River Region Publications. No part of this publication can be reproduced without written permission from the publisher. Opinions expressed in BOOM! The River Regions 50+ Lifestage 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.
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Publisher’s Letter
My Breast Cancer Story Many of you have one. Mine began with my first wife, Marty. Each year during October I share my Breast Cancer Story with our readers. Everyone who has experienced Breast Cancer knows the bond we all share yet everyone’s story is unique. I consider my experience a blessing.
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.
Breast Cancer’s Blessing Could life be any better? My wife and I were truly enjoying the fruits of our labor. We were business partners, she was the boss and I was her advisor. We had been publishing Montgomery Parents for eight years, and serving our community Jim Watson, Publisher with something we thought was worth doing. We were “empty nesters”, and our schedules allowed for travel and plenty of time to love on the grandkids. Through our effort we had discovered the joy of “made for each other”, because both of us brought something to our marriage and business relationship the other didn’t have. We became a complete work of love. After a 40-year relationship stemming from a 9th grade history class encounter, Marty and I had discovered the “sweet spot” of happiness and we were enjoying the blessing of God’s design. And then we weren’t.
Publisher/Editor
Jim Watson, 334.324.3472 jim@riverregionboom.com
Associate Editor Kelly Watson
kelly@riverregionboom.com
Contributing Writers Sandi Aplin
Tracy Bhalla Greg Budell
Lisa Copeland Richard Eisenberg Carol Golsan Casey Gonzalez Tim Grant Becky Harris Treva Lind Brandt McDonald Leigh Anne Richards Gary Rotstein Nancy Stein Raley L. Wiggins Kathy Witt
In April of 2003, our lives changed. Marty and I were sitting in our living room as our family doctor told Marty she had metastatic breast cancer. We were paralyzed by the thought. It’s as if our brains were frozen. It was a Friday afternoon so we would have to spend the weekend with this intruder; we were being held hostage by breast cancer until Monday’s appointment with the oncologist. We both struggled to understand the why. I researched breast cancer and learned too much while Marty began sharing with family and friends the “news” no one wanted to hear. As an optimist I was going to get to the bottom of this problem and find a solution. Marty, who had a deep faith, knew the solution was with God. Of course, we both would press and probe our doctors for answers and hope and got some of both. But in the end, our journey with breast cancer led to God and the peace that only He can provide. Breast cancer changed our lives, but God was the director. I became a caregiver, and like many men, was pretty unfamiliar with the job description. But when your wife has breast cancer and every day together is truly precious, you ask a lot of dumb questions and you get smart quick. I’m not talking medical stuff, I’m talking laundry and cooking and pill organizing and, most importantly, serving. Marty lived 30 months after her diagnosis and I wouldn’t trade one moment of serving her for anything in this world. The blessing of serving is hard to realize and appreciate because we all want for ourselves. Our nature is to be selfish. But when you serve someone you forget about your needs and value someone else’s. I learned that from Marty. She was a selfless, caring person and when I took on that role in our lives it was an abundant blessing. Marty showed me where to find hope and how to never lose it. Our hope was and is in God. God’s blessings aren’t about being in the best place of your life, they’re about being in the best place with Him.
Cover Photography Kim Bethea Total Image Portraits www.totalimage.com 334.261.2080
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Jim Watson, 334.324.3472 jim@riverregionboom.com
Design & Layout Lake House Graphics
Distribution
Network Delivery
Printing
Publications Press, Montgomery, AL 334.244.0436 publicationspress.com Please Recycle This Magazine, Share with a Friend!
Our Cover Profile this month is a Breast Cancer Survivor and she also has a unique story to share. Her name is Carol Golsan and her experience with breast cancer began with being a caregiver for her mom. She has seen how far we have come in treating and fighting breast cancer, I hope you enjoy getting to know her as much as I have. There’s plenty more to this month’s issue and I hope you’ll sit back grab your favorite beverage and enjoy the best reading experience for the 50+ community in the River Region. Please share BOOM! with your friends and your comments with me. I love to listen. Please sign up for the free subscription to the Digital & Interactive BOOM! online at RiverRegionBoom.com. Thanks for being part of our BOOM! Community.
Jim jim@riverregionboom.com 334.324.3472 cell/text
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MMFA to Exhibit Shakespeare’s First Folio in October Only site in State of Alabama selected for national traveling exhibition
The Montgomery Museum of Fine Arts in affiliation with the Alabama Shakespeare Festival is honored to be the only site in the State of Alabama to host the First Folio! The Book that Gave Us Shakespeare, a national traveling exhibition of the Shakespeare First Folio. The Folger Shakespeare Library, in partnership with the Cincinnati Museum Center and the American Library Association, is touring a First Folio of Shakespeare in 2016 to all 50 states, Washington, D.C., and Puerto Rico.
one of the institutions to help share this extraordinary part of the world’s cultural heritage from the Folger Shakespeare Library’s collection,” said Mark Johnson, MMFA Director.
Montgomery was selected through a collective application process by the Montgomery Museum of Fine Arts and the Alabama Shakespeare Festival, with additional support from Huntingdon College, Auburn University at Montgomery, and the Alabama Public Television.
“For most people this will be a oncein-a-lifetime opportunity to come within inches of one of the most influential books in history. We are delighted to share this experience with the MMFA, ” said Geoffrey Sherman, ASF Producing Artistic Director.
“We are honored to be selected as
Visitors to First Folio! will come face-toface with the original 1623 book, opened to the page showing one of the most quoted lines in the world: “To be or not to be…” from Hamlet. The Museum is also presenting a collection of costumes,
The Side by Side Singers are dedicated to sharing music to keep our minds strong. Music can improve our mood and boost cognitive skills. We invite those living with Alzheimer’s or dementia and their care-partners to join us for 8-week sessions each Tuesday, 1:00-2:00 pm at First United Methodist Church in Montgomery. The music we sing ranges from Sinatra to Elvis. photo by Mickey Welsh/Montgomery Advertiser
SIDEbySIDE singers singers
Please contact Jack Horner at ivortickle@aol.com or Laura Selby at 834-8990 for more information. 10 BOOM!
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NO FEE, PLEASE JOIN THE FELLOWSHIP!
First United METHODIST CHURCH
2416 W. Cloverdale Park Montgomery, AL 36106 334.834.8990 www.fumcmontgomery.org
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props, and designs from the Alabama Shakespeare Festival’s 2010 production of Hamlet. In addition, the MMFA will also display engravings based on paintings featured in the 18th-century Boydell Shakespeare Gallery. We invite the public to come and help celebrate the opening of First Folio! The Book that Gave Us Shakespeare, on Thursday, October 6, with a free reception at 5:30 P.M., followed by a dramatic reading of Hamlet’s abovereferenced soliloquy by Geoffrey Sherman, at 6 P.M.
Festival and Huntingdon College, and with an appearance by the Montgomery Chorale. College Night: First Folio! (MMFA Wilson Auditorium) Thursday, October 13, at 6 P.M. Co-hosted by Huntingdon College
Teacher Workshop: First Folio! (MMFA Galleries) Saturday, October 1, 10 A.M. to 2 P.M.
Shakespeare Celebration! (ASF and MMFA) Saturday, October 15, 12 noon to 7 P.M. The Montgomery Museum of Fine Arts in collaboration with the Alabama Shakespeare Festival will present a day for families to view the First Folio! exhibition with family-oriented activities on the grounds of the theatre including performances, creative children’s activities, artisan demonstrations, theatrical fighting presentations, and talks on Shakespeare.
Short Course: Shakespeare Today (MMFA Galleries) Tuesdays: October 4, 11, 18, and 25 at 12 noon Co-hosted by the Alabama Shakespeare
First Folio! The Book that Gave Us Shakespeare, on tour from the Folger Shakespeare Library, has been made possible in part by a major grant from the National Endowment for
Other events centered around the exhibition in October include:
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the Humanities: Exploring the human endeavor, and by the support of Google. org, The Lord Browne of Madingley, Vinton and Sigrid Cerf, the British Council, Stuart and Mimi Rose, Albert and Shirley Small, and other generous donors. MMFA exhibition sponsors include Winifred and Charles Stakely; William Thames, Sr.; Dr. Laurie Jean Weil and Dr. Tommy Wool; and co-sponsor River Bank and Trust. The Montgomery Museum of Fine Arts is located at One Museum Drive. The Alabama Shakespeare’s location is One Festival Drive. For hours of operation and other information, visit mmfa.org or asf. net. The MMFA, a department of the City of Montgomery, is supported by funds from the City of Montgomery and the Montgomery Museum of Fine Arts Association. Programs are made possible, in part, by grants from the Alabama State Council on the Arts. Exhibition programs are supported by the Poarch Band of Creek Indians.
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Using Resistance Training To Reduce Fall Risk in Older Adults I received my issue of The American College of Sports Medicine Health and Fitness Journal in the mail a few weeks ago and this particular issue is all about resistance training. Reading, researching and physically participating in resistance training is one of my all-time favorites. When I go to different places to speak, my topic is usually on the benefits of strength training. This particular article in the ACSM journal focuses on the importance of resistance training for older adults to reduce the fall risks and improve the independence. As I read and studied the article, I see that we are not talking about the traditional resistance/strength training that we have done or seen for years. This is not the typical resistance training protocol that most of us are still doing or have done for years. As we discuss this topic, we will learn different techniques to target goals inherent to the aging process. Resistance training involves several facets: • Hypertrophy (muscle growth) • Strength • Endurance • Power Hypertrophy is the muscle growth. Most of our protocols of the past have been based on the concentration on the increases of muscle mass rather than on muscle function (strength, power, and endurance). Sarcopenia is defined as the loss of muscle mass as we age and this is why we have focused on the hypertrophy aspect. Resistance training that focuses on hypertrophy uses high work volume by combining multiple sets and exercise with moderately heavy load. There are significant studies that have demonstrated hypertrophic responses in older people using the traditional, standard protocols. Strength is probably the first thing people think about when you talk about resistance training. It is assumed by
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the general public that more strength means more muscle size. The correlations between muscle size and strength become progressively less with age because it is influenced by the quality of muscle and connective tissue as well as reductions in voluntary muscle activation.
older adults have incorporated dumbbells and weighted bags rather than barbells.
Muscular endurance is yet another component of resistance training. The simple definition of it is when a muscle contracts over and over without fatigue. This is critical in maintaining independence and reducing fall risk. ACSM recommends people perform 15-25 repetitions for 11 different exercises that by Leigh Anne Richards condition the major muscle groups at lower load. Higher speeds are recommended in the lifting phase of the movement to There is almost universal agreement maintain the power aspect. Two sets are that the strength gains are seen with recommended. Our muscular endurance heavier loads. Intensity is the greatest transfers in to so many things in everyday effector of strength gains. There has life such as carrying bags of groceries been argument over how many sets need in from the car, or even putting the to be done to optimize strength gains. groceries in the car. Single set programs do seem optimal in the beginning stages of working with Important muscle groups that receive untrained individuals. However, multiple minimal attention in our training, but sets (2-3) allows the individual to improve are critical in improving our balance and skill and technique as long as volume and reducing fall risk. intensity are controlled. • Dorsiflexors which are in our feet • Hip flexors Power is defined as the rate of doing • Hip abductors (outer hip) work or is when speed and resistance • Hip adductors ( inner thigh) meet. There is becoming more evidence Doris flexors and hip flexors are used between the relationship of power and just in taking steps Notice every step independence as we age. Examples of is initiated by dorsiflexing the foot and activity that require power are getting flexing the hip. The inability to perform up from a chair, stair climbing and gait these two movements reduces ground speed. These everyday movements clearance and makes walking over a require leg extensor power. Lower crack in a sidewalk equivalent to stepping loads are used to train power as we age over a curb. Most men think that hip because these types of actions previously abduction and hip adduction are muscles discussed require greater work against trained only by females. There is direct gravity. So how do we do power training? relationship between hip abductor and Some types of resistance machines adductor function and fall risk. can be used but resistance tubing is also a great way to train power in the The link between cognitive function active agers. I personally use a lot of and exercise has recently generated resistance tubing when working with my significant interest in the scientific aging clients. Free weights are another and clinical communities. To date, the option but should be approached with predominate exercise interventions that caution because they can present a high have been linked to improved cognitive injury risk to a detrained individual with function have concentrated on aerobic declining neuromuscular and connective conditioning. However, there is ontissue strength due to age. Most of the going research in the exercise protocols research done in the area of power with that best improve cognition and how
Fitness over Fifty
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resistance training may be a huge factor. A recent study was done with 324 healthy female twins, ages 43-73 years. It was found that leg power was a significant predictor of cognitive aging and changes in global brain structure even when controlling for genetics and developmental environment. Much more study is being done in this area. The cognition area is one of the focuses in our new Hanging in the Balance Program that Tiffany Higgenbotham and myself will soon be starting. We hope to improve balance and fall risks by incorporating cognitive training with movement. Resistance training is one of the most beneficial tools for increasing independence and related falls and related injuries to aging individuals. However, we must abandon just the one – dimensional anaerobic strength training. We must recognize that by changing the structure of the workouts and including the mentioned above facets of strength training, we can truly realize the multidimensional nature of this intervention for successful aging. “Targeted Resistance Training to improve Independence and Reduce Fall Risk in Older Clients”, Joseph F. Signorile, Ph. D. ACSM Health and Fitness Journal, Sept/Oct 2016, pp 29-40.
Leigh Anne Richards, MEd, Certified Personal Trainer, Group Exercise Instructor, General Manager- MetroFitness. For any questions or comments, contact Leigh Anne at LAMetrofit@aol.com
Sign Up Today! “Hanging in the Balance” Program
Tiffany Higgenbotham and Leigh Anne Richards will be starting a program- Hanging in the Balancethat will incorporate many of the things discussed in this article. It is a 6 week program beginning Monday Oct 17- Nov 21 at MetroFitness. For more information, contact me, Leigh Anne Richards at LAMetrofit@aol.com or at 334.396.0040.
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Intergenerational Wealth Planning: A Win-Win for the Whole Family
Discussing the transfer of wealth from parents to children can be uncomfortable for both parties. Yet by introducing children to the wealth management process from a young age, affluent families may be able to reduce family tensions later in life and help ensure that the planning tradition passes intact to future generations. Closing the Communication Gap Opening the dialogue about wealth transfer is a complicated, personal decision that is influenced largely by how wealth holders themselves have been brought up to view money and the responsibilities that come with it. For instance, some individuals may fear that discussing wealth with their children will lead to feelings of expectation and entitlement. Others may simply prefer to control all money issues themselves. Still others with young children may be uncertain about their future wealth and reluctant to discuss it until their children are older and have proven how well -- or poorly -- they handle money. Embracing the Planning Process One strategy that may help families overcome planning challenges is to think about wealth planning not as a one-time exercise, but as a process that you live with every day -- and that you integrate into children’s lives at a very early age.
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Financial Thoughts
with Brandt McDonald
For instance, when children are young, you can teach them to divide their allowances into three portions -- one for saving, one for spending, and one for giving. Consider matching their giving and saving money and set an example by handling your own money in a similar fashion. Once children become teenagers, allow
in place. In this way, early involvement helps families prepare heirs for their future role as stewards of the family wealth. It also helps develop the skills and experience needed to manage a family business or wealth plan, while ensuring that such knowledge is shared and passes successfully to the next generation. Working With Professionals Working together with your team of planning professionals -- your financial advisor and estate and/or tax planner -- you will be able to assess your current situation and develop first steps toward implementing a plan of action. This communication is not intended to be tax or legal advice and should not be treated as such. Each individual’s situation is different. You should contact your tax and/or legal professional to discuss your personal situation. Brandt McDonald, Managing Partner McDonald & Hagen Wealth Management LPL Branch Manager mcdonaldhagen.com Direct comments and questions to bailey.worrell@lpl.com or 334.387.0094
them to make their own decisions about how they spend their money, and as difficult as it may be, allow them to live with the consequences of their decisions. As children make the passage to adulthood, gradually involve them in the family business as well as the family’s charitable giving activities.
Because of the possibility of human or mechanical error by Wealth Management Systems Inc. or its sources, neither Wealth Management Systems Inc. nor its sources guarantees the accuracy, adequacy, completeness or availability of any information and is not responsible for any errors or omissions or for the results obtained from the use of such information. In no event shall Wealth Management Systems Inc. be liable for any indirect, special or consequential damages in connection with subscriber’s or others’ use of the content.
Creating a Win-Win Solution
The opinions expressed in this material do not necessarily reflect the views of LPL Financial. © 2015 Wealth Management Systems Inc. All rights reserved.
Certainly, the more wealth a family has, the more important it becomes to make managing wealth a process, especially if wealth has existed for multiple generations and there are instruments such as family foundations
Securities offered through LPL Financial. Member FINRA & SIPC. Investment advice offered through McDonald & Hagen Wealth Management, a Registered Investment Advisor, and separate entity from LPL Financial.
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Get Your Tail to the Walk ‘N Wag Join us for the 16th Annual Walk ‘N Wag one-mile pledge walk in Blount Cultural Park on Saturday, October 15, 2016. Join hundreds of pets and pet lovers as they participate in this pledge walk to support the over 8,600 homeless animals in the Montgomery area. Early registration $20 and event day registration is $25. You can register on-line, by mail, in person or on event day, for more details visit montgomeryhumane.com Children ages 6 and under are FREE Schedule of Events: 8:00 a.m. Late registration and pledge turn in 8:00 a.m. Silent Auction Opens 8:20 a.m. 50-yard Doggie Dash competition 8:55 a.m. Walk ‘N Wag kickoff 9:00 a.m. Walk Starts 9:45 a.m. Howl-aday Card Contest Winners Announced 10:25 a.m. Pet Contests and Awards for Top Pledges 11:25 a.m. Silent Auction Pet Contests: Best Canine Singing Voice Longest Tail Owner/Pet Look-a-Like Best Pet Halloween Costume “Frosty Paws” Treat Eating Contest Event Guidelines All dogs MUST have proof of current rabies vaccination (tag or certificate) Be aware of your pet’s athletic abilities: event officials reserve the right to stop a walker whose pet appears over exerted. Only bring your dog if he or she is well socialized around people and other dogs Use a six-foot or shorter leash at all times MHS event officials reserve the right to refuse entry to any aggressive dogs All dogs must be older than 3 months of age Maximum of two dogs per walker Make sure your dog is not in season Clean up after your pet MHS reserves the right to expel any dog that proves to be a liability to the safety of other participants
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The Effects of Age-Related Hearing Loss Age-related hearing loss is the loss of hearing that gradually occurs in most of us as we grow older. It is one of the most common conditions affecting older adults. Approximately 1 in 3 people in the United States between the ages of 65 and 74 has hearing loss, and nearly half of those older than 75 have difficulty hearing. Having trouble hearing can make it hard to understand and follow a doctor’s advice, respond to warnings, and hear phones, doorbells, and smoke alarms. Hearing loss can also make it hard to enjoy talking with family and friends, leading to feelings of isolation. Age-related hearing loss most often occurs in both ears, affecting them equally. Because the loss is gradual, many people with age-related hearing loss do not realize that they’ve lost some of their ability to hear.
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People frequently put off getting help for their hearing loss because they think it’s insignificant; something they can deal with by simply turning the TV louder or asking family and friends to repeat themselves. But research has linked untreated hearing loss to significant issues that affect peoples’ lives in many ways…
5 times more likely to develop dementia.
Mental Health & Hearing Loss Hearing loss results in social isolation. Adults with untreated hearing loss tend to withdraw from engaging with family & friends. Adults, 50 and older, with untreated hearing loss are more likely to report depression, anxiety, anger and frustration, emotional instability and paranoia, and are less likely to participate in social activities than those who wear hearing aids. By Casey Gonzalez, Au.D., CCC-A, FAAA
Healthy Hearing Montgomery Hearing Services
Dementia & Hearing Loss Those with hearing loss are significantly more likely to develop dementia over time than those who retain their hearing. • Individuals with mild hearing loss are 2 times more likely to develop dementia. • Individuals with moderate hearing loss are 3 times more likely to develop dementia. • Individuals with severe hearing loss are
Casey Gonzalez received a Bachelor of Arts degree in Communication Disorders from Louisiana State University, and earned her Doctorate of Audiology degree from Louisiana State University Health Science Center. Casey holds a Certificate of Clinical Competence from the American Speech and Hearing Association and is a Fellow of the American Academy of Audiology.
Free Hearing Screenings
Don’t shy away from your potential hearing loss. Montgomery Hearing Services is offering FREE hearing screenings and demonstrations of hearing technology, with no obligation. Call us to book your appointment, call (334) 239-0678.
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This & tHAT Larry Gatlin and The Blackwood Quartet
Grammy Award Winning Country Music Legend & Grammy Award Winning First Family of Gospel Music will be appearing October 25, 7:00 pm at Enterprise High School Performing Arts Center, Enterprise, Alabama. Grammy Award winner Larry Gatlin, an American country legend and Southern Gospel singer and songwriter, achieved success as part of a team with his brothers, Steve and Rudy. As their fame grew in the country music genre, the band became known as Larry Gatlin and The Gatlin Brothers. Their biggest hits include “Broken Lady”, “All the Gold in California”, “Houston (Means I’m One Day Closer to You)”, “She Used to Be Somebody’s Baby”, “Talking to the Moon” and “Heartbreak Ridge and New Hope Road”. Larry Gatlin shares the music and stories from four decades as a solo artist and with The Gatlin Brothers. He has performed on 33 Top 40 single hits combining his solo recordings and those with his brothers. The Blackwood Quartet continues the gospel sound made famous by The Blackwood Brothers Quartet of 1934, which is considered the First Family of Gospel Music. The Blackwood Brothers won eight Grammys and six Dove Awards and they were inducted in the Gospel Music Hall of Fame in 1998. Expect to hear songs such as “How Great Thou Art”, “Swing Down Sweet Chariot”, “I’ll Fly Away”, “Peace in the Valley” and “When the Saints Go Marching In”. For information, call 334-406-2787 or visit www.CoffeeCountyArtsAlliance.com. Performances are made possible by support from corporate and individual memberships, by the Alabama State Council on the Arts and the National Endowment for the Arts.
“Forrest Gump” Screening at Capri to Benefit Alabama Governor’s Mansion “Forrest Gump” the movie of a simple-minded man who believed good things can happen comes to the Capri Theatre by the Friends of the Alabama Governors Mansion for its annual fundraiser on October 20. The event includes a pre-screening reception and silent auction at 6 p.m. at the adjacent Stonehenge Gallery with the movie beginning at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $30 and may be purchased through FOAGM’s website www.alabamagovernorsmansion.org or by contacting any FOAGM board member. Tickets may also be purchased at the Governor’s Mansion Gift Shop located at 30 Finley Avenue in Montgomery. “Our preservation efforts are to ensure the Alabama Governor’s Mansion Complex is historically appropriate for years to come,” said FOAGM President Steve Brickley. “Fundraisers, like this, allow us to do restorations and make acquisitions.” Learn more at www.alabamagovernorsmansion.org. For Friends of the Governor’s Mansion, visit www.facebook.com/foagm
Denim and Diamonds, 63rd Annual Fall Flower Show The Denim and Diamonds Flower Show will be at The Alabama National Fair at Garrett Coliseum on the 2nd floor. The show will run October 28 – November 6. The show is presented by Montgomery Federation of Garden Clubs. There will be a large selection plants, creative floral designs, photography and floral demonstrations. For more information, call Rose Winkler, 334.270.0884 or Marie Updike, 334.328.0164.
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The Watercolor Society of Alabama Showcase 2016 The Watercolor Society of Alabama is showcasing the work of forty-five (45) artists at the Georgine Clarke Alabama Artists Gallery in downtown Montgomery. The gallery is located in the RSA Tower, 201 Monroe Street, first floor, suite 110. The Watercolor Society of Alabama was organized in 1939 by a group of artists. Its first exhibition was held at Alabama College (now the University of Montevallo). The Society supports and encourages members in their creative endeavors and offers incentives to artists working in watermedia through competitions, exhibitions, and workshops. Mixed with water as a medium, a type of paint is created that is transparent, and the white of the ground (paper) underneath provides light that shines through the painting. For Additional information, please contact: Elliot A. Knight, Ph.D., Visual Arts Program Manager and Director, of the Georgine Clarke Alabama Artists Gallery. 334.242.4076 Ext. 250 or by email at elliot.knight@arts.alabama.gov. The watercolors will be on display through October 27
Montgomery’s Capitol Sounds Concert Band Presents “Sounds of Autumn” Fall Concert The Capitol Sounds Concert Band will present “Sounds of Autumn” Fall Concert on Sunday, October 30th, 3:00 p.m., at City Hall Auditorium in Montgomery. The Capitol Sounds Concert Band will perform selections from Bizet’s opera, “Carmen”, as well as the overture to the opera “Morning, Noon and Night in Vienna” by von Suppe. The band is also pleased to feature Dr. Katrina Phillips on Clarinet in a selection with sounds of Halloween called “Black Dog”. In addition the Capitol Sounds will perform “Commando March” by Samuel Barber, as well as medley of Beatles songs, simply titled “Yesterday”. To close out the program the band will feature a concert overture based on the Revolutionary War Hymn, “Chester”, by William Schuman. Donations will be taken at the door, and will go towards our Children’s Concert in January and the Young Artist Solo Competition in March. For more information about Capitol Sounds Concert Band, please visit www.capitolsounds.org.
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A Montgomery Family Christmas: Celebrate Christmas with Natalie Grant and Danny Gokey The Baptist Health Care Foundation proudly presents A Montgomery Family Christmas: Celebrate Christmas with Natalie Grant and Danny Gokey. This special event will take place Thursday, December 1, 2016, at the Montgomery Performing Arts Centre. This fun, family-oriented Christmas event is presented by the Baptist Health Care Foundation and benefits Baptist Hospice. Tickets are currently on sale and can be purchased directly through the Montgomery Performing Arts Centre box office (800-7453000) or through Ticketmaster, ticketmaster.com. Ticket prices are as follows: Theater Seating-$35; Balcony Seating-$25; Groups of 10 or more-$5 off the ticket price per ticket. Natalie Grant is a four-time GRAMMY nominee and five-time Dove Award-winning Female Vocalist of the Year. Danny Gokey is a two-time Dove nominee and K-LOVE’s newly-named 2016 Male Artist of the Year. For additional information, please call the Baptist Health Care Foundation’s office at 334.273.4565. nataliegrant.com and dannygokey.com
Get Your Affairs in Order, FREE Estate Planning and Asset Protection Workshop
Wednesday, October 26: Hosted by Red Oak Legal, PC: 1:30 - 3:30 pm at the Archibald Senior Center (MACOA) in Montgomery. This educational workshop presented by local attorney Raley L. Wiggins covers wills, trusts, powers of attorney, advance directives, living wills, probate administration, protecting assets from creditors, bankruptcy, divorce and remarriage, nursing homes, long-term care and Medicaid qualification. Registration is required. Call 334.625.6774 today to reserve your seat or register online at www.redoaklegalpc.com.
Farm To Fork Food Invasion It’s that time again folks: the 7th Annual Farm To Fork Food Invasion returns Thursday, October 13th at Hampstead Farm! This year’s event brings our most acclaimed chef ever. Seriously, you do not want to miss this... We will be unveiling our “Invading” Celebrity Chef on August 31st, and tickets will go on sale Thursday September 8th on the Hampstead website. Follow us on Facebook for sneak peeks, updates, and more in the lead up to the event! www.foodinvasion.com
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The River Region’s 50+ Lifestage Magazine
Sav-A-Life - Annual Fundraising Gala Sav-A-Life - Annual Fundraising Gala will be Thursday, November 3, 6:30-8:30 pm at Frazer Memorial UMC - Wesley Hall. Everyone’s excited to welcome back Mike Williams again in 2016! Mike is a nationally known speaker and writer who has a passion for life. He is heard daily on the SiriusXM’s Laugh USA. He has recorded 17 comedy projects and written 8 books. Included in those boks are Men Moved To Mars When Women Started Killing The Ones On Venus and Love Is NOT A Three-Letter Word (A new look at Abstinence). His own personal adoption story and the rescue and subsequent adoption of his son will move you to tears of great joy. Each of Mike’s presentations are given in a very positive humorous direction that will leave every listener feeling encouraged and empowered to make a difference. He came to popularity as a pro-life speaker after Focus on the Family brought his personal story to a national spotlight. Mike will have you rolling on the floor with laughter, while simultaneously building your reverence for the work of local life-saving organizations. For more info visit www.savalifemtg.org
Cloverdale Playhouse Presents Dead Man’s Cell Phone
Dead Man’s Cell Phone by Sarah Ruhl will be presented October 20th-October 30th. An incessantly ringing cell phone in a quiet café. A stranger at the next table who has had enough. And a dead man—with a lot of loose ends. So begins Dead Man’s Cell Phone, an imaginative new comedy by MacArthur “Genius” Grant recipient and Pulitzer Prize-finalist Sarah Ruhl, author of Eurydice, and The Clean House (which played at the Playhouse’s 2013 Season). This is a play about how we memorialize the dead—and how that remembering changes us—it is the odyssey of a woman forced to confront her own assumptions about morality, redemption, and the need to connect in a technologically obsessed world. Directed by Maureen Costello. *Recommended for ages 16 and above* For tickets visit cloverdaleplayhouse.org
Montgomery Lions Club Chili Cookoff This years Chili Cookoff will take place on saturday, October 29th at the Riverwalk Stadium between 11am-1pm. Reserve your spot today by filing out a registration form below! Get your business in front of the public eye and win their hearts with your best chili recipe. All team sponsorship proceeds go toward Montgomery Lions Club charities. This is the event the whole River Region looks forward to every year! Attendance grows every time, and this year will be no exception. And don’t worry about competing with the restaurant pros. We have amateur and restaurant categories to level the playing field. Get your team and call 334.356.1180 or email montgomerylionsclub@gmail.com For more information visit montgomerylionsclub.com The River Region’s 50+ Lifestage Magazine
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This & tHAT
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Jimi Hendrix 50th Tribute Concert set for October 21...Coolers & Chairs Welcome! Free!
In what has become a fall tradition, Spike Graham and Friends will perform a free ARMS Tribute Concert - “Jimi Hendrix at 50” on Friday, October 21. Bring your friends, your family, your coolers and your chairs for this annual crowdpleaser at Old Alabama Town’s Kiwanis Park. Fifty years ago, the bassist for the rock group The Animals decided to leave the band and try his luck at becoming a talent scout, manager, and record producer. The ambitious young man, named Chas Chandler, ran into an extremely talented guitarist who he took under his wing with the intention of making him a success in Europe. He formed a band around the young guitarist and called it the Jimi Hendrix Experience – and the rest is history. In recognition of Chandler’s vision, and more so in honor of Hendrix, who became one of the most influential guitarists the world has ever known, the Spike Graham Orchestra will perform this tribute show. The Hendrix At 50 show will focus on Hendrix’s music and style, but will also include some different versions of some songs.The second half of the show, Spike Plays Spike, will feature old and new tunes by SGO.The music will begin at 7 p.m. Admission is free, but donations to ARMS are encouraged. Bring a lawn chair and enjoy a night of great music.For more info visit www.alabamarootsmusic.com
Riverwalk Wine Festival, Saturday October 15th Don’t miss the Riverwalk Wine Festival at Riverfront Park on October 15, 2016 from 2pm5pm. This event will include wine tasting from 10 different distributors representing over 100 wineries. Admission is $25 per person and will include:
Eleanor Upchurch Lucas
Celebrity Chefs
Etched commemorative wine glass Discounted wine purchases from participating local wine shoppes Food Vendors Live music Picnic baskets and coolers are welcome NO outside alcohol per ABC Guidelines Discounted tickets for a special Harriott II Wine Cruise For more information, call 334.625.2300 or visit www.funinmontgomery.com
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Community Foundation Awards Final $100,000 Focus Grant to Two Local Groups
Central Alabama Community Foundation (CACF) surprised two local nonprofits on Wednesday, September 21 with $50,000 each for their work with mentoring youth and truancy prevention. Staff members from District Attorney Daryl Bailey’s “Helping Montgomery Families Initiative (HMFI) program were hosting their weekly meeting with support agencies when CACF surprised them with the $50,000 award. Later that day, CACF stopped by Common Ground Montgomery (CGM) to surprise staff and students with a $50,000 check for their “Life on Life Mentor Program.” HMFI partners with Montgomery Public Schools, the City of Montgomery and the Montgomery County Commission to work with youth by keeping students in school, out of the criminal justice system or becoming a victim of crime. HMFI intervenes in the lives of youth suspended from school for serious disciplinary infractions. The HMFI staff serve as a bridge to link the children and their families to 50 agencies and organizations that provide intervention and prevention services throughout the community. HMFI also received $50,000 from CACF in 2014 for same program. “This grant will assist with our efforts to continue our programs and expand services to public school students in the county. In addition, there are a number of youth that are being exposed to the juvenile justice system at a young age as a result of a misdemeanor offense. HMFI will implement a Juvenile Diversion Program in partnership with Juvenile Court that specifically targets first time non-violent offenders in an effort to reduce any further contact with the system,” said Sandra Edwards, Director of HMFI. The CGM Life on Life mentoring program places children in the fourth grade from Washington Park neighborhood (on the West side of Montgomery) with adult mentors until the child graduates from high school. 97.6% of the children from this neighborhood have single mother households, live in poverty, are exposed to crime daily, have a high rate of school dropouts and other societal problems. “There is a critical need for funding for this program because we as parents cannot raise and develop children on our own. Loving and caring partners who are relational collaborators are needed in order to avoid destructive or even apathetic behavior that will leave our youth not knowing how to function in society. Mentoring is about breaking those cycles and developing our youth in a way that holistically prepares them to thrive in life,” said Kevin King, Associate Director of CGM and Mentoring. To view the video visit https://www.facebook.com/cacfinfo/videos/10154529108778767/
The River Region’s 50+ Lifestage Magazine
Peggy Oliver, poliver@faulkner.edu
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Walk to End Alzheimer’s
Becky Harris, Why I Walk
On May 14, 2013, I lost the first man that ever held my heart in his hands. William Sinclair Horne was 89 years old and is still my favorite person. He was my grandfather, known to his three grandchildren and two greatgrandchildren affectionately as “Old Daddy”. And I was his favorite. It probably helped that I was the youngest grandchild and the only girl, but still, favorite. He had the pleasure of loving two great women. He married his first wife, Louise, in 1946 and was happy until her death in 1988. During this marriage, Old Daddy served in WWII and the Korean War. Their marriage not only spanned years but oceans and countries as well. His second marriage to his wife Yvonne lasted about 23 years and was just what they both needed. They helped each other through the good, bad, and difficult times of losing other family members. Old Daddy grew up in the small shrimping community of Thunderbolt, Georgia, just outside of Savannah, and Old Daddy spent plenty of time on the river shrimping, fishing, boating and wreaking havoc with his two younger brothers and one sister. He left High School to join the Navy during World War II and became a First Class Petty Officer on a Landing Ship Tank ship. He returned to high school to finish his education after WWII. After his many years in the Navy, he worked at Union Camp and was finally transferred to Prattville, Alabama, where he retired at the age of 62. We aren’t sure when he initially started showing signs of dementia. I believe we all ignored the symptoms. But as my step-grandmother’s health declined, we could see what I believe
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she was trying to shield us from. At of telling my Old Daddy that I was first, he would repeat the same stories expecting my first child in August. I over and over. Then he had a hard didn’t know the gender yet, but Old time articulating himself and putting Daddy told me it was going to be a his sentences boy, and he was together. right. He never got When he to meet his third could no great-grandchild, but longer my son carries Old remember Daddy with him in how to play his middle name. I his favorite can only hope that card games, he will grow into we knew it the kind of man had gotten that my Old Daddy serious. He was – smart, caring, couldn’t compassionate, remember funny, and a friend to names all who knew him. and would occasionally It was difficult dealing Some of Becky’s favorite pictures of Old Daddy think that I with his death and was my mother or even my 40-year-old seeing the toll that it took on my male cousin. mother, who was his primary caregiver after my grandmother passed away. During the summer of 2012, due to She was faced with being the one to some mobility issues, he was admitted make those hard decisions about his to a local health and rehab facility. His care and being the advocate that he mobility never fully recovered and he needed. She had guilt for him having began showing more symptoms of to stay in the nursing home, but we dementia, likely due to his medications all knew that for our family, that was and changes in his routine. He was the best option for him. I hope that eventually moved to the locked down one day I will be as strong as her if I Alzheimer’s wing of the facility because am faced with the same situations. he wouldn’t stay in his room and would While doing research on Alzheimer’s wander the halls, a ladies’ man ‘til and dementia after Old Daddy’s the end. One of the hardest parts for passing, I came across the Alzheimer’s me of Old Daddy being in the nursing Association and the first Montgomery home was when my grandmother Walk to End Alzheimer’s. My Old passed away. He cried when we told Daddy is the reason that I walk and him she had passed. And every time I became committed to sharing his after that when he would forget and story and hoping to raise awareness we had to tell him again, he would for this disease that not only affects cry some more. She passed away in the ones diagnosed, but their families, November of 2012; he passed away 6 caregivers and communities as well. months later. This is why I walk. In January 2013, I had the pleasure
The River Region’s 50+ Lifestage Magazine
The River Region’s 50+ Lifestage Magazine
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BOOM! COVER PROFILE
Carol Golsan, Fighting Breast Cancer... This month’s BOOM! Cover Profile is Carol Golsan. Carol is a Senior Vice President with the Alfa Insurance Company in Montgomery. Besides being one of the River Region’s leading women in business, she has a heart full of compassion for our community. As a breast cancer survivor, she has sacrificed much of her spare time to support organizations that support the fight against breast cancer. Some of Carol’s support team at Alfa Insurance – Bottom row – L to R – Allison Nickolson, Carol and Mary Anne May One in particular Top row – L to R – Lisa Singleton (BC survivor) and Audrey Mays is the Women of Hope Support BOOM!: Please give us a brief biography, US Army and ended up being stationed Group, which meets monthly to serve i.e. where were you born, at Gunter as a those experiencing breast cancer. For education, what brought you to the liaison between those interested in attending, they meet Montgomery area, etc.? the Army and on the second Tuesday of each month at Air Force. We Frazer Church, room 8114. In addition, Carol: I was born in Cleveland, Ohio moved from Carol has lead Alfa in developing Alfa on October 31, 1958 (Halloween!) Ider-Oberstein, Cares, which is a community outreach My “Formal Education” started Germany. Both with Miss Dorothy’s Kindergarten my parents designed to raise funds and support in El Paso, Texas. I graduated from loved this area local non-profits, such as the American Wetumpka High School, class of and my Dad Cancer Society among many others. We 1977. I received my college degree decided to go recently asked Carol to share some of her from Auburn University BS in 1981 ahead and retire breast cancer journey with us in hopes of (Graduated at AUM – at that time from the Army inspiring all of our readers to lend a hand the diplomas said AU). I also have a after 24 years of Signs that hang in the “Imagination in the fight against breast cancer. We degree from Jones School of Law – Station” room at Alfa’s Corporate Office. service. think you’ll enjoy getting to know her as JD, 1996. much as we have! After retirement my parents built a home Montgomery move – My Dad was in the in the Blue Ridge community towards
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Wetumpka and I customers. As a company that truly cares, finished High School Alfa wants to be known for providing the there in 1977. A best personalized service, making it easy few years before for customers to do business and being graduation my Mom there when they need insurance coverage was diagnosed with most.” breast cancer and I decided to start We really try to do all of this. The people school at AUM I work with are like family and they work instead of Auburn. really hard to serve, grow and have a That way I could healthy company. When I was diagnosed stay at home and with breast cancer I reached out to help her with her several of my co-workers that had also journey. Plus I experienced it – they have been super Carol Golsan, Maxine Johnson (my Mom), Sandy Barrera (my sister) – loved living at home supportive and we are sisters! around 1974 the time she started her Breast Cancer journey. and had a great relationship with my We also started a new promotion a few parents! I worked part time at Gayfer’s years ago called Alfa Cares. Under the I hope other women see me as a role Department Store and really enjoyed Alfa Cares umbrella we have increased model and a mentor. I talk with a lot of earning my own money and attending our community involvement – from Meals women and we discuss how to handle classes at AUM. on Wheels, United different Way, raising over situations, how At AUM I met my husband Steve and $ 200,000 for the do you balance we will celebrate our 35th Wedding American Cancer work and home, Anniversary in October... Society last year – how do you we want to make a handle hearing BOOM!: You’re a Senior Vice President difference. you have breast with the Alfa Insurance Corporation. cancer, what are What are your responsibilities in BOOM!: As a Breast treatments like, this position? Would you share your Cancer survivor, surgery, etc. So experience of achieving this leadership would you please happy I might role at Alfa? What has your role meant to share your story be able to help other women on the Alfa Team? with our readers? these ladies like Steve and Carol in Wyoming so many have Carol: Responsibilities – Agent and CSR Carol: My story started with my Mom’s helped me. Training, Advertising, Strategic Marketing, journey. A lump was discovered and E-Commerce, Sports Marketing, Social they started watching it for several years. BOOM!: Alfa has a quality reputation and Media, After about two years they removed the is one of the Managing lump and discovered cancer. This was the most prominent Agent start of several surgeries, hospital stays, corporations Compensation, trips to the Kirkland Clinic and seeing her in the River Incentive take chemo. Our family did not know Region. How Programs, anyone else who had breast cancer and would you Marketing there was not a lot of information about describe the Budgets…to the disease. You felt very helpless and corporate values name a few. uneducated! My Dad and I would take of Alfa that has turns taking her to the Kirkland Clinic and made it a leader A lot of hard we both took care of her during those in the business work and terrible chemo treatments. I ground up community? additional a lot of ice for her during those times! education She was such a trooper and always kept a Carol: I love our helped me to great attitude! My Mom lost her battle in new mission be promoted December 1980 after a long 6 years with Riding Hope the Tractor statement: to the SVP, the disease. “Alfa continues to strive every day to Marketing Services role in 2001. be the best insurance company for its
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My journey laid low for a while until 2007. After a routine Mammography we received a call to come into the Imaging Center the next day for an Ultrasound. Ended up with a biopsy being taken and in 24 hours the word given back was Breast Cancer positive. Stage 2 with Ductal and Lobular types of breast cancer on the right side.
my case and I felt like they would take very good care of me and they have. Dr. Davidson has a way of making you feel good about your chemo treatment – he is amazing and I had a good laugh when he high fived me before one of my treatments. (The next Spring I saw both of these Doctors walking in the Joy to Life Walk! It is a mission for both of them!!!)
first people I talked with was Joy Blondheim of Joy to Life. We have a mutual friend and she got us in touch prior to my surgery and treatment. It was amazing to talk with Joy because our circumstances are almost exactually the same. This started the ball rolling for me. Walking in the Joy to Life Walk, buying a pink trash can, getting involved with Women of Hope Support Group, Making Strides for Breast Cancer and lastly bringing Alfa in with AlfaCares. All these organizations, including AlfaCares, is a great way to get connected and involved.
Soon after I had an appointment with Dr. Pam Strickland. After meeting Dr. Strickland I felt really good about I was very BOOM!: As a busy executive with Alfa, our connection and the fortunate as I do you have time to be involved with time she took to discuss tolerated the community, civic or other activities? what we could do. She chemo very well. recommended a Breast Still lost my hair Carol: I make this a priority and I am MRI because she was but wearing a wig very proud to work for a company that suspicious of the tissue is not a bad thing! encourages in my Left Breast. Sure us to be enough after the Breast Nine years later involved MRI and a Breast MRI I am still Cancer in the Biopsy she was correct. Free! When I talk community. My left breast also had to groups I talk At Alfa Salvation Army Christmas Angels breast cancer. A double about how far we we bring mastectomy is what I needed and I was have come in this journey with breast can goods good with it! cancer. My journey has been so much for the better than my Moms. NO comparison! Montgomery After meeting with Dr. Strickland I had an Area Food appointment with Dr. Patrick Budney. He BOOM!: When a Bank, had been highly recommended to me by person is diagnosed sponsor a a friend and we set up our reconstruction with Breast Cancer child from plan! their connection to the Salvation that Breast Cancer Army Angel Dr. Strickland and Dr. Budney community lasts Tree, from Women performed an 11 hour surgery on me a lifetime…and of Hope, the local – Double mastectomy and Tram-flap many survivors Red Cross Board, reconstructions. I woke up in recovery are called to join local American and while everyone else was snoring the fight. In what Cancer Society I waited until the nurse could give me ways have you Leadership Council, some ice to enjoy. This is the very first been able to join Auburn Women’s time I have had surgery and your throat the fight against Philanthropy Board is very sore! Man that ice was good and Breast Cancer? to AlfaCares --- it I had to think of my Mom and the many How can others all blends. I give times I brought her ice. Wonder if she felt get connected and up lunches, work at the same way? The next day I received a involved? night and give up call from Dr. Strickland. She wanted to tell free time because me that there was NO cancer in my lymph Carol: I started it is very important nodes. Don’t remember much else from with just asking to me. I do have Kissing Cancer Goodbye that day except that wonderful call!!! my friends if they to prioritize and After a few weeks I visited with Dr. had started getting Mammograms. After organize my time to make it all work Stephen Davidson to discuss next steps. being diagnosed my mission grew even together!!! Because one of my tumors was large I more. needed to have 8 rounds of chemo. Dr. Davidson and Dr. Strickland had discussed After being diagnosed one of the
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BOOM!: Do you have a favorite vacation spot? Any travel dreams planned for the future?
Montgomery/River Region area that you like?
Carol: My husband and I have not been to a bad vacation spot! A trip to Key West to celebrate our 35th Wedding Anniversary is in the planning stages!
Carol: It is HOME! I have been able to live in Montgomery, Wetumpka and Prattville at different stages of my life and have enjoyed them all! Alabamians are fun people!
BOOM!: What are you most passionate about in your life?
BOOM!: As you’ve aged, how have your priorities changed?
Carol: Keeping the fight going to defeat Cancer!
Carol: I have learned you don’t have to do everything at once and it is better to sleep on any major decision or when handling a serious issue.
BOOM!: How do you like to relax and wind down? Carol: My husband and I have a fun place on the Alabama River. It was one of the best views on the river and we love going up chilling on the weekends. BOOM!: What do your future challenges look like, retirement, business growth, community service? Carol: In the near future my husband and I are planning on traveling a lot and not having to worry about Monday mornings anymore! I hope to continue my community service by being a volunteer at the Cancer Center or some place that might need me! BOOM!: What is it about living in the
The River Region’s 50+ Lifestage Magazine
BOOM!: Give us three words that describe you? Carol: Friendly, funny and a little funky! BOOM!: Do you have any hobbies or other activities that grab your attention? Carol: I enjoy reading books, group exercise like Zumba, watching old movies, riding jet skies and enjoying any beautiful view. BOOM!: Many people over 50 are experiencing a renewed sense of purpose, new goals, new careers…How would you describe this sense of renewal in your life? Any advice for the rest of us seeking renewal?
Carol: After having Cancer I think it made me a better person. I am contributing more to the community and workplace than I have in the past and I love it. Every day is truly a blessing!!!! BOOM!: Technology is rooted in almost every aspect of our lives and some of us are reluctant to embrace it. How is your relationship with technology? How has it made your life and work more effective? Carol: I use technology a lot! It is a great way to get a lot of things done quickly and allows for a more flexible work schedule. My husband and I wonder what we did before cell phones. Our afternoon call is – What are you doing after work? Not sure what we did before! We want to thank Carol and some of her team for sharing her breast cancer story with us. There are many stories of women with breast cancer and each of them is special. We hope by sharing some of Carol’s story, our readers will share theirs in the daily fight against breast cancer. If you what to learn more about Women of Hope, visit www.thewomenofhope. org. If you want to reach out to Carol, please email her at CGolsan@alfains.com. As always, thanks to Kim Bethea, the award winning photographer from Total Image Portraits for her professional cover photo of Carol. If you have questions, comments or suggestions about our cover profiles, including nominating someone, please send them to jim@riverregionboom.com
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COMMUNITY INVITED TO HELP CREATE A WORLD FREE FROM THE PAIN AND SUFFERING CAUSED BY BREAST CANCER
American Cancer Society Making Strides Against Breast Cancer Walk is October 15th
The American Cancer Society Making Strides Against Breast Cancer walk will be held October 15th at Riverwalk Stadium, and will unite the community with a shared determination to help create a world free from the pain and suffering caused by breast cancer. Registration for this noncompetitive, inspirational event begins at 7:30 A.M. and the walk is set to start at 9:00 A.M. This event is free to the public. Dollars raised by Making Strides supporters in Montgomery help the American Cancer Society ensure no one faces breast cancer alone by funding innovative breast cancer research, promoting education and risk reduction, and providing comprehensive patient support to those who need it most. Since 1993, more than 12 million supporters have raised more than $750 million nationwide. Last year, 1600 participants in Montgomery helped to raise more than $243,000. According to the American Cancer Society Cancer Facts & Figures 2016, an estimated 246,660 women in the United States will be diagnosed with breast cancer and 40,450 will die from the disease this year. “Because of the determination of Making Strides supporters, the American Cancer Society is there for people in every community affected by breast cancer, whether they’re currently dealing with a diagnosis, may face one in the future, or will avoid it altogether because of education and risk reduction,” said Jeannie Smith, Breast Cancer Survivor. To learn more about the Making Strides Against Breast Cancer event and how you can become involved, visit makingstrideswalk.org/ MontgomeryAL or contact Maggie Kuykendall at 334.612.8170 or MontgomeryALStrides@cancer.org .
Women of Hope
Breast Cancer Support Group Women of Hope is a group of caring and compassionate individuals who desire to help educate, promote awareness, and provide hope for individuals and families coping with and dealing with the affects of breast cancer. Support Group Meetings are held the 2nd Tuesday of each month, free of charge to all breast cancer patients, survivors, caregivers, family members, friends, or anyone interested in supporting our mission. Speakers include breast cancer survivors sharing their personal stories and lessons learned, physicians, such as oncologists, surgeons, radiologists, and other speakers on topics related to breast cancer. A time of “fellowship” encourages meeting others affected by breast cancer. or information please call 334-220-4599 or email womenofhope@charter.net www.thewomenofhope.org. We meet at Frazer Church, Room 8114.
Tuesday, October 11th, 5:30 - 8 pm
Breast Cancer Update
Presented by Dr. Stephen L. Davidson, Medical Oncologist Everyone is Welcome!
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The River Region’s 50+ Lifestage Magazine
The River Region’s 50+ Lifestage Magazine
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Intimate Activity By Gary Rotstein
Pepper Schwartz, 71, is a University of Washington sociology professor touted by AARP as its “sex and relationship expert.” A past president of the Society for the Scientific Study of Sexuality, she has written numerous books and columns related to sex and older adults and lectures frequently on the topic. In the wake of a national study that raised concerns about how older men with the most active, satisfying sex lives could be at risk of greater heart ailments, we sought Ms. Schwartz’s insights on that and a range of issues relating to sexual activity in later years.
Q: Baby boomers are known as a
generation that tries to do everything differently from their parents, so now that they make up a large percentage of seniors, what’s different today from the past about the nature of sex for people in their 50s, 60s and beyond?
A: I think the difference is that sex is much more important to baby boomers in terms 32 BOOM!
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of defining their youth. There is something about continuing to be sexual that defies old age and tells you (that) you are still a physically capable human being. If you were never sexual previously, it’s not going to be as big a deal, but for people whose lives have been sexual it’s just like wearing jeans or doing all those other things that make you feel current in life instead of like you’re winding it up. If you look at people in their 60s and 70s _ how they dress, their haircuts _ and compare those to people who were in their 60s and 70s 50 years ago, there’s dynamic there about showing how to be vital, how to be yourself, how not to give up.
Q: There’s a perception that as they get
older, people would be not only having less sex but be less interested in it. Is that true, or is that some kind of ageist fallacy?
A: I think it’s somewhere in-between. The fact is that there’s a diminution of testosterone and estrogen, coupled with the hormones associated with desire. But on the other hand, it really depends on how important sexuality is for you. For
example, a 2010 AARP study took a look at both a Caucasian and Hispanic population sample, and it found the Hispanic sample had more sex and thought it was more important, even under circumstances of having lesser health and more conditions, like diabetes that have an effect on sexuality because of the disease itself and the medications you have to take for it. So even though there’s a physical issue, it really depends on how important sex is for you. Yes, physical needs and other things get in the way of maybe having sex the way you used to, but it does not mean it’s not important to you.
Q: You note the physical challenges to
enjoying sex as much as people were able to do when younger. How important are the mental issues involved, such as sexual urges diminishing simply from perceptions that people and bodies lose their attractiveness over time?
A: It depends. Some people get stuck in a template they got from when they were 20 to 40 years old, and they can’t seem The River Region’s 50+ Lifestage Magazine
to change it, while other people change it as they go along. If you’re 50, and your template is stuck on 18-year-olds, you’re going to be very lonely, because their sexual attractions scale won’t extend to you. But if you’re 50 and can focus on others in their 50s and think they look good, you’re going to be better off. The same in your 70s and 80s. I think one of the biggest problems has to do with how you look at yourself. If you see yourself as someone who’s less attractive at an older age, you’re going to be less motivated now because you don’t feel comfortable or confident. That’s an internal struggle.
Q: The recent Michigan State University
study using a broad national sample found older men with the most frequent and satisfying sex lives had more heart problems than did men who were less sexually active. Do you believe there to be health dangers from sex by older adults?
A: I have to tell you most of the research I have seen about sexuality is associated with good health, not risks. So while this is a serious study, it’s not the only study out there, and it’s definitely controversial in that it’s an outlier rather than the main. There was a study in Wales looking at men over many decades, and it associated their sexual frequency with less morbidity, less illness and increased longevity. Q: From adolescence on, there seem to be sharp differences between the genders in attitudes toward sex. In later years, does that divide become more pronounced or do men and women actually come closer together in their views?
A: It’s definitely true that through the life
cycle men are more focused on pursuing sex than women. On the other hand, women today are more interested in it and enjoy it more than their mothers did. The huge gap we used to think of as natural maybe isn’t there anymore. In AARP studies looking at how people rated sex as well as the frequency of it at every age, after age 70 the percentage of men who were extremely pleased with their sex life went down drastically, to less
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than 5 percent, but with women, about 20 percent remained extremely pleased. Maybe it gets to the point where men’s hydraulic issues make them unhappier than women. A lot of the gender difference may be based on how physically capable they are of having enjoyable, non-painful sex. Rather than a gender difference, it almost becomes a health difference.
Q: Could some of that be a difference in
how women define sex compared to men?
A: A lot of women are not as orgasmfocused as men are. A lot of women would be very happy with petting or sexual fondling _ they have a broader palette. Q: While a lot of this has been focused on
the difficulties that aging can pose for a happy sex life, are there also upsides in bed from being older?
A: There’s definitely an upside, and one
is that men are much more able to be emotionally present, are much more able to think about their partner’s inner life as well as what’s happening physically. Some men, from taking longer now to have orgasms, are also able to enjoy a more protracted sexuality. A lot of what I hear is that the emotional connection for couples is much better now that performance demands have modified. It used to be that if a man can’t have an erection, or a woman can’t have an orgasm, then it’s a problem that’s a reflection on you rather than something occurring at that particular moment _ better understanding about that goes way up with age.
Q: What about sex at really advanced
ages, like for people in their 80s and 90s? How possible is that, and what kind of limits are there for them?
A: I think diseases get in the way _ not
so much desires as diseases. If you have diabetes or heart problems or any or the many diseases that attack the central nervous system or affect body functions and need very powerful medicines to counteract problems, those medicines can make it almost impossible to get aroused,
almost impossible to have desire. It’s a rare person that doesn’t want to hold a partner and kiss and hug and have some feeling of sexual connection, but in terms of sexual arousal and touching and penetration, for many people as they age other things are going to interfere.
Q: There are so many pills and
supplements and devices to assist older adults that wouldn’t have been there in prior generations. Are you a fan of all these or do you have any concerns about sex being different from the more natural ways of the past?
A: I’m a big fan of anything that works.
There are people who say no, that it’s not natural so I’m going to let my body fall apart, but most say if there’s a technological answer, a medical answer, let’s use it. What worries me is there are lots of things on the market of questionable merit. There are a lot of flyby-night herbs that are not medically tested and things that are maybe dangerous, and the use of erectile dysfunction drugs for some people should be evaluated, because having sex is not as important as staying alive. Everything should really be put into the context of your own situation and what’s advisable for you.
Q: Anything else you’d like to emphasize that you focus on when giving talks?
A: I think we have to realize how much ageism affects us. Our culture’s always been youth-focused, and we’re uncomfortable with aging bodies and our ability to change. It’s hard to think of yourself as sexual when the world is telling you that if you’re still interested, you’re a dirty old man or randy old woman. There’s a certain amount of personal activism in terms of projecting and saying to people, “Of course I’m a sexual person, and of course I care about being connected to my partner.” So in a sense, if you want to be sexual for the rest of your life, to some extent you have to be an activist on your own behalf. (c)2016 Pittsburgh Post-Gazette Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
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DATING Coach
YOUR FOUR UNIQUE CONNECTIONS TO MEN
If your objective is to have a romantic long-term relationship with a man, you’ll need to know exactly how to connect with him on three levels so it has the potential to go somewhere. When you understand the precise connections between the heart, mind and body and how they work together, you’ll be able to determine what type of relationship you want with the different men you meet. And once in a relationship, this information will help you figure out whether or not the relationship has the potential to go somewhere. YOUR FOUR UNIQUE CONNECTIONS TO MEN I Your Heart and Mind If you and a man connect through each other’s heart and mind, you’ve probably found a man you absolutely love and adore. The two of you can talk for hours but when it comes to sexual chemistry, the spark is missing or flat. This combination creates a lasting friendship with a great man long after the date has ended. He’s perfect for taking to a wedding or an event that you don’t want to attend on your own. Or he’s the one you take to the latest movie you want to see. Either way, it’s nice to be around male energy; this type of relationship is usually laid back and easy. I Your Mind and Body The mixture of your mind plus a physical connection with a man creates a “friends with benefits” partner. This combination suits you on the days you want fantastic mental and physical stimulation. There is no heart involved here. In fact, after having mind-blowing sex, the two of you could easily get out of bed and go back to doing your own thing
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with no after sex glow and cuddling. Your intellectual thoughts and bodies stimulate each other but love doesn’t exist between the two of you. This relationship is fun but often, it’s the woman who gets hurt in this type of connection. I Your Heart and Body Have you ever met a man where your heart opens, the sparks fly and you find yourself almost instantaneously in love? It feels like all you want to do is spend the day in bed, feeling the love that abundantly spills between the two of you. This is chemistry, an Oxytocin high and it’s a connection you’ll have with a man through your heart and your body. It’s powerful. It’s strong and it rarely gets you anywhere because there is no friendship beneath it. You don’t have a mind connection so when the intensity of sex fades ... so does the relationship. I had this type of connection with my second husband. We had tremendous chemistry and we quickly fell so crazy in love that we were engaged within 3 months. It was a whirlwind relationship that ended almost 2 years to the day we married. I could have saved myself a lot of heartache if I’d had this knowledge back then. If you find yourself intensely attracted to a man this way, RUN before you get too connected. There is such a thing as too much chemistry.
I Your Heart, Mind, and Body This combination of the heart, mind, and body has the potential for taking a relationship all the way. It doesn’t mean it will always work out, but it is a signal to move ahead if this is what you want. These four combinations will also give you the key to figuring out why your relationships didn’t work in the past. When you look back at the different loves in your life, can you now understand what went wrong and which of the three connections _ heart, mind, or body _ might have been missing that kept the relationship from working the way you wanted it to? In your present and future relationships, can you see how understanding these combinations can help you quickly assess your relationship potential with any man you date? You’ll be able to figure out exactly how a man will fit in your life just by using this invaluable key. Lisa Copeland, “The Dating Coach Who Makes Dating Fun and Easier after 50!” Find out more at Findaqualityman.com (c)2016, Lisa Copeland, findaqualityman.com Distributed by MCT Information Services
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Ask an Elder Law Attorney
By: Raley L. Wiggins | Attorney at Law | Red Oak Legal, PC
3 Things to Do When a Loved One Enters a Nursing Home Sending a loved one to a nursing home for care is never an easy decision. Families often feel guilty because they cannot provide the level of care that their loved one needs at home. During such a difficult time of transition, financial or planning issues may be the last thing on your mind.
Mrs. Smith can protect up to half of their assets for herself. But, if Mrs. Smith dies first, and her will leaves everything to Mr. Smith, the result is that Mr. Smith loses
spending $5,000 on the cost of their care, or pre-paying for an expense that all of us will eventually have.
In addition to the $5,000 in prepaid services, the applicant may Estate Planning and Asset Protection Workshop actually spend Wednesday, October 26: Hosted by Red Oak Legal, PC: 1:30-3:30 additional funds But the fact is that nursing home for other items or care is expensive—somewhere in pm at the Archibald Senior Center (MACOA) in Montgomery. This merchandise that the range of $6,000 per month— educational workshop presented by local attorney Raley L. Wiggins are part of those and financial concerns must be covers wills, trusts, powers of attorney, advance directives, living prepaid services as addressed. I hope to give you some wills, probate administration, protecting assets from creditors, well. For example idea of what to do if you are faced bankruptcy, divorce and remarriage, nursing homes, long-term care they may purchase with this scenario. and Medicaid qualification. Registration is required. a burial plot, headstone, casket, Call 334-625-6774 today to reserve your seat or register online at 1. See an Elder Law Attorney and a pay for the It is not uncommon for a nursing www.redoaklegalpc.com. opening and closing home stay to devastate a family’s of the grave. While finances. Neither your private funeral shopping is probably not anyone’s his Medicaid eligibility, and will have to health insurance plan nor Medicare will idea of a fun way to spend a Sunday spend down the other half of their marital cover the cost of a long-term nursing afternoon, it is absolutely something that assets before he could qualify again. home stay, so many patients must pay should be done while there is money left out of pocket until they run out of money, to do it. If Mrs. Smith had updated her will, she then apply for Medicaid benefits. could have left Mr. Smith only the minimal amount required by law, and passed 4. Do Your Homework The Medicaid qualification rules are the rest on the their children. And, the There is a great deal of misinformation complex. This is one time in your life minimal amount left to Mr. Smith could out there about nursing homes and where a good attorney can save your have been protected in a supplemental Medicaid. You should be very careful family a great deal of money. Look for an needs trust, to be used for paying for about taking advice from your friend at attorney who practices Elder Law. Many things to improve his quality of life. Even the coffee shop or Sunday School. Every of the Elder Law Attorneys in Alabama better, their children could have inherited case is different, and just because a are members of the Elder Law Section of what was left in the trust after his death. planning strategy may have worked for the Alabama State Bar, or the National Because they did not plan, Mr. Smith died someone else, doesn’t mean it will work Academy of Elder Law Attorneys (NAELA). penniless, and their children inherited in your case. nothing. 2. Update the Estate Plan Do your homework, and get some good Mr. and Mrs. Smith are in their 80’s and legal advice. The stakes are high, and it’s 3. Make Funeral Arrangements have been married for 50 years. Mr. important to get it right. Just because someone enters a nursing Smith enters a nursing home, while Mrs. home doesn’t mean you’re just waiting Smith is healthy enough to continue living on them to die. But this is the time to in their home. When Mr. Smith enters the Raley L. Wiggins consider making funeral arrangements. nursing home, Mrs. Smith should update Attorney at Law, Red Oak Legal, PC her will to disinherit Mr. Smith to the 334-239-3625 | info@redoaklegalpc.com Medicaid rules allow a nursing home greatest extent allowed by law. 445 Dexter Avenue, ste 9000, Mont, AL 36104 resident to purchase up to $5,000 in www.redoaklegalpc.com prepaid funeral services (or deposit Sound harsh? Perhaps. But consider $5,000 into a designated burial fund) this. Mr. Smith must spend down his half without penalty. The choice is a noof their assets below $2,000 before he brainer. An applicant has the option of can qualify for Medicaid to cover his stay.
Attend Free Workshop
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Tips for Outdoor Chores Physical therapist Melinda Tangredi sees the plight most often on Mondays, visiting workplaces to treat people for what she describes as weekendwarrior gardening.
Gore and others who are avid gardeners have a few general tips for outdoor protection: use ergonomic tools, drink
to do before outdoor chores. But she warns of the same shoe dilemma: People tend to wear crummy shoes for dirt work. “One of the most important things is to have good shoes,” she said. “People wear old sneakers out there in the garden, or sometimes they go out with their slippers on and see something. Walking on grass can be unstable for lots of people who are older, so you need to make sure you have good shoes and good support. Make sure to leave good shoes right by the door.”
Those patients, suffering from a weekend of strenuous yard work, complain about sore muscles, pulled backs or other wounded body parts. That can be especially true among people who are older or not as physically active during the week. “At least 50 percent of the people I see are the 50-plus workforce,” said Tangredi, who suggests at least 10 to 15 minutes of stretching before outdoor chores. “We call them the weekend warriors. A lot of them go out and mow the lawn and pull weeds. They come back Monday and they’re hurting.” Some stretching and other preventive steps can help reduce risks of those aches and injuries from mowing, digging, harvesting and weeding, say Spokanearea gardeners and health care providers. The body also takes longer to warm up to activity as we age, explains Tangredi, and some people who are heading into weekend chores already have desk-job stiffness.
By Treva Lind
Harter also instructs seniors on adaptive gardening techniques, often presenting the class at different area retirement homes. Seniors should stay active and still find joy in gardening, she said, and they can do so by using special tools and raised beds.
lots of water, wear hats and sunscreen, don sensible shoes, and consider ear and eye protection.
She often recommends use of garden tools ergonomically designed to ease the physical strains of yard work, such as trowels with a curved-handled design to reduce bending of the wrist.
However, gardeners with more time during the week can trip up as well. Dr. Deb Gore, a Spokane Group Health family practice physician, said she tends to see more retirees seeking care because of injuries from garden and yard work.
“I’ve had a lot of people for whom things kick back, like from mowing or the weed whacker, and they’ve injured an eye or their face,” Gore said.
“They’re not walking into my office every day, but they’re also not infrequent,” Gore said. “This time of year, I see backaches and people who have strained their knees. The other part of it is heat injuries, because they get out there and it’s super-hot. They get lightheaded and dizzy.”
“Wear proper shoes, something that will hold your ankles and would keep you from stumbling,” she said.
“If you have arthritis, the tools they have in stores now have ergonomic or angled handles, and they’re easier on your arms,” Harter said. “The tools are almost anywhere now, all the garden centers. They have extended tools, so if someone’s in a wheelchair or whatever, you twist it, and it has a long handle. People can work with them in raised beds or for hanging plants.” Other products are kneeling pads with support handles, lightweight hoses, and garden benches to reduce the need to kneel or bend over.
Tracy Lewis, a Spokane senior fitness instructor and also a Master Gardener, has taught others about good stretches
Harter said people can wrap shelf liner paper around tool handles for a softer feel and better hold. “If you have
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Master Gardener Dorene Harter doesn’t think highly of garden clogs.
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arthritis, you can’t quite close your hand real tight, so having it a little wider helps.” People cultivating plants need to be mindful of tending to the body as well. David Jeter, of Acceleration Physical Therapy, said people need to consider both mobility and stability. “If you’re not moving well through your hips and pelvis, then you’re putting a lot of extra strain on the lower back,” Jeter said, adding that a physical therapist can help with such issues so other body parts aren’t being forced to do too much. Over time, gravity takes its toll on the human body, he said. “This forward-flexed posture where you’re kind of leaning over, hips bent in sort of that sitting position, shoulders rounded and head out in front of you,” he said. “At the end of the day, the more we can do to get out of that forwardflexed posture, that’s better. When you go out and do yard work, you’re really asking your body to get out of that position.” “You end up injuring yourself.”
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It’s also important to take breaks. “For people being outside, they should keep themselves hydrated with water,” Harter said. “If you’re out in sunshine, be out in the morning before it’s too hot and also wear a hat to shade your face. Take a break, and try not to work a really long time to point you’re really tired.” To warm up muscles before outdoor chores, Lewis recommends a few basic stretches: O Squeeze a small ball to work flexor muscles in forearms and strengthen the hand for grip. O Hold onto the kitchen sink and drop away. Put your head down between arms, with arms extended, to form a shape similar to a figure 7. Feet are a little in front of hips. Hold onto the counter with a flat back and move hips from one side to the other very slowly, gently stretching right and left. O Step forward with the right foot, bend that leg and leave the left leg straight behind; push heel down to stretch back of leg. Repeat with other leg. O Stretch shoulders reaching up with alternating arms. Clasps hands behind the back, fingers intertwined, and lift
hands as high as is comfortable in the back. Do the same in the front. O Consider some squats as you hold onto the kitchen sink. If difficult, sit down and up in chair multiple times perhaps holding onto a table to work muscles needed for moving up and down in the garden. O The American Chiropractic Association also offers tips before yard work. For a mower pull cord, avoid twisting hard at the waist or yanking repeatedly, the group says. Instead, bend at the knees and pull in one smooth motion. O While cutting grass, stand as straight as possible behind the mower and keep your head up. Push with your whole body weight, rather than just arms and back. For raking, the ACA suggests a scissor stance with the right foot forward and left foot back for a few minutes, then reverse that with left foot forward. Tangredi said if she had to prioritize tips, they would be to drink lots of water and do quick stretches focused on neck, lower back and shoulders. (c)2016 The Spokesman-Review (Spokane, Wash.) Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
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Eating Smart with Tracy Bhalla
My husband was away for a 10 day stretch for work this month, so I took the opportunity to try something I haven’t done for decades. I went on a diet. Of sorts. I decided to try the Paleo diet. Not too much different from my regular diet, with one or two exceptions, but friends who had taken it on board as a lifestyle change were loving it. Aside from feeling healthier, over the course of 10 days I actually lost 4 lbs! So what exactly is Paleo? Basically it’s a diet based on the types of foods presumed to have been eaten by early humans, (hunters and gatherers,) consisting chiefly of meat, fish, vegetables, and fruit, and excluding dairy or grain products and processed food. Now if you’ve been reading this column for a while, you will know that I am in complete agreement with the “no added sugar” and no processed foods, including “low fat or diet” foods and drinks – the fats and sugars are just replaced with something artificial to mimic the taste, so that means a pile of chemicals that your body is just not designed to digest and therefore cannot possibly be good for you. I do personally have a problem with the “no grains” part of paleo. I just cannot live without bread, though I must qualify that – GOOD bread. Not this junk that is on all the supermarket shelves, which if you look at the label has all kinds of ingredients, usually including added sugar, that just should not be there. Bread should be made of flour, water and yeast, maybe a little salt, nothing else.
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I actually did an experiment with a loaf of Nature’s Own bread; we bought some one Thanksgiving as we’d run out of bread and it was the only half-decent sounding loaf we could find (fooled by the name!) It was awful, we couldn’t eat it, but I kept it on the counter in the kitchen for 4 months! Not in the fridge, on the counter. It still looked and felt the same as it had the day it was bought. No mold and still soft. It scared me so much that at that point I threw it out. 4 months! Bread is just not meant to last that long. Freshly baked bread should last from 1-4 days at most. What are we eating? Just for fun, here is the ingredients list for a loaf of Natures Own Honey wheat bread: INGREDIENTS Unbleached Enriched Flour (Wheat Flour, Malted Barley Flour, Niacin, Reduced Iron, Thiamin Mononitrate, Riboflavin, Folic Acid), Water, Honey, Sugar, wheat gluten, whole wheat flour, rye flour, wheat bran, contains 2% or less of each of the following: yeast, soy flour, salt, soybean oil, dough conditioners (contains one or more of the following: sodium stearoyl lactylate, calcium stearoyl lactylate, monoglycerides, mono and diglycerides, distilled monoglycerides, calcium peroxide, calcium iodate, datem, ethoxylated mono and diglycerides, enzymes, ascorbic acid), cultured wheat flour, vinegar, calcium sulfate, yeast food (ammonium sulfate), monocalcium phosphate, soy lecithin, calcium carbonate. Wow! Rule number one, if you don’t know what you are eating – what are all these things? - don’t eat it! I will repeat at this point that I did
lose 4 pounds in 10 days following the Paleo diet strictly. After that I had to have some bread, but I am still keeping the weight off and doing fine just watching for added sugars in places you don’t expect them. I was completely surprised to find that every whole grain loaf I looked at had added sugar, but occasionally (thank you Costco for the white crusty farmhouse) you can get a white loaf that has zero sugar. You think of wholegrain as being healthier but if you’re continually eating sugar in everything then it is not helping at all. Better to have the simple white crusty farmhouse with some real butter instead of a sugar added wholegrain and artificial margarine or spread. And really that is one of the essential theories of the Paleo diet: Eat natural and preferably organic produce in moderation as opposed to processed, diet and sugar loaded foods. To argue my point for eating grains, Ötzi, the 5300-year-old hunter found perfectly preserved in the ice in the Alps in 1991, was found to have eaten “a meal of grains along with possibly cooked red deer and goat meat up to 30 hours before his death,” thus proving that hunters and gatherers did indeed eat grains. Tracy Bhalla, Independent Consultant with NYR Organics, website: us.nyrorganic.com/shop/ tracybhalla email: nyrbhalla@gmail.com Continuing my obsession with all things organic, I have been working with NYR for two years now, using their skincare products myself for over 25 years! Your skin is the body’s largest organ, it deserves to be well looked after. I am here to answer any questions you may have.
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Ask Nancy: Caring for Aging Relatives Mom is angry and stressed from caregiving
Q: My father, age 88 has periods of confusion, and when they occur my mother gets very angry and critical of him, which makes him all the more confused. While I realize she’s probably acting out of fear and frustration, it is extremely detrimental. How do I address this with her? _Amy V., Princeton, NJ. A: Your parent’s situation is not unusual, unfortunately. Many people express anger at their parent or spouse for behavior that is clearly not in their control. Your insight that your mother is reacting out of fear and frustration is likely correct and it demonstrates your own sensitivity to your mother’s issues as she tries to adjust to her new role as a caregiver to your father.
empathize and validate her own stress. It would be helpful to suggest some coping tools she could utilize such as relaxation
techniques or breathing slowly to calm down before responding.
I spoke with Debra Kimmel, LCSW, a psychologist in Boca Raton, who provided additional insights and suggestions for how to support her.
“If she wants to protect you from hearing her concerns, she might benefit too from expressing her feelings with a professional or a support group of other caretakers who share common issues.”
“Illness always affects an entire family and your mother may need for you to
If your father’s periods of confusion has been going on for a long time, your
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mother’s impatience with your father may also be a sign of exhaustion or weariness as she takes on more tasks and decision-making. If you can, try spending more time with her to show your concern for her needs as well as those of your father. A regular lunch date would offer opportunities for heart-to-heart talks. Participating together in something she enjoys, say gardening, a book group or just shopping are other ways to have fun together. Alternatively, spending additional time with your father would give her more time to see friends so she would feel less isolated during this difficult time. If you have siblings, it’s important to include them in a plan that offers relief to your mother in any manner that is helpful to her. Nancy Stein, Ph.D., is the founder of Seniority Matters (senioritymatters.com), a caregiver advisory and referral service in South Florida for seniors and their families. You can contact her at nancy@senioritymatters.com. (c)2015, Seniority Matters, Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC
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Cremation Costs Causing Confusion By Tim Grant
Americans have been choosing cremations so much in recent years that for the first time in 2015 funeral homes across the country handled as many cremations as burials, which is why two consumer groups have become concerned that many funeral homes are using unfair marketing tactics to close the gap in income caused by fewer burials. The Washington, D.C.-based Consumer Federal of America and the Funeral Consumers Alliance based in Burlington, Vermont, held a joint press conference recently to release the results of a new study on cremation costs and disclosures. Their study of 142 funeral homes showed the cost of a simple cremation in 10 major metropolitan areas can range from $1,095 to $3,200 in Philadelphia; $850 to $3,495 in Atlanta; and $1,295 to $7,595 in Washington, D.C. By comparison, the average cost of a traditional funeral, including embalming and a metal casket is about $6,600, according to the National Funeral Directors Association. Cemetery services, including gravesite and vault or liner can add another $3,000 to the bill. The funeral directors group said the rate of cremation equaled the rate of burial for the first time last year and is expected to exceed the rate of burial this year. The trade organization expects about 1.6 million American families will choose cremation this year. But sales information given to those considering cremation can be confusing, the two consumer advocacy groups said. “A significant number of funeral homes (22 percent) are advertising prices for simple cremations that don’t include the cremation itself,” said Stephen Brobeck, executive director of the Consumer Federation of America. “It’s like going to a hospital for surgery only to find out the price they quoted you does not include
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the cost of the surgeon who did the operation.” Simple cremations allow consumers to purchase their own materials, such as the urn, from other vendors either because the items are less expensive or more suitable to their tastes. Or consumers can choose to let the funeral home provide all the products and services, providing a packaged deal. Jarett Sperling, supervisor of Sperling Funeral Home in McCandless, said the price that funeral homes typically quote for consumers includes overhead costs to the funeral director, such as removal of the remains from wherever the body is picked up and transporting the remains to a crematory. “It’s our cost,” he said, adding that funeral homes have wide discretion to charge what they feel their services and overhead costs are worth. “Funeral homes can set that fee at whatever they want. If you call around, you’ll see the prices are all over the board for cremations.” Mr. Sperling said it is conceivable the actual cremation cost may not be in the quoted price for a cremation because the Federal Trade Commission funeral rules only require overhead costs to be quoted, unless the consumer purchases an all-inclusive package deal.
He said he offers cremation packages starting at $1,600 that includes all charges, including the $30 fee that Allegheny County charges to authorize a cremation. The consumer groups in July petitioned the Federal Trade Commission to start requiring funeral homes to fully disclose their prices for burial services on the web. Joshua Slocum, executive director of the Funeral Consumers Alliance, suggested a change in the rules is not likely to happen overnight. “The telephone is the best way to price shop now until the FTC is able to make online pricing for funeral homes a requirement,” he said. Frank Perman, owner of Perman Funeral Home and Cremation Services in Shaler, Pa., advertises the price of his products and services online. “Everybody does things differently in terms of how they choose to operate,” Mr. Perman said. Mr. Perman said he charges $1,295 for a basic cremation package that includes cremation and an urn. He said he also provides the family with five certified copies of the death certificate. “I want people to have the full story,” he said. “No surprises is how I operate.” (c)2016 Pittsburgh Post-Gazette Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
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Travel Trending with Kathy Witt
Recharge
with a mega micro vacation Create art with a mustached marine mammal. Wallow in the museum landscape of a southwestern artists’ enclave. Head inland for island fun. A mega micro vacation is the ultimate “treat yourself” getaway _ a weekend recharge where the emphasis is on spoiling yourself or experiencing those things you always dream about doing ...someday.
The Dolphin Pavilion brings guests closer to the dolphins than ever before with its 30-footdiameter, 12-foot-high underwater viewing dome in the center of the main presentation pool.
Here are three destinations that are ready to indulge your whims. ANIMAL ART IN INDY Slip through the gates and behind-thescenes at the Indianapolis Zoo for some one-on-one time with a walrus, penguin, snake, rhino or other animal that will create a piece of art just for you. Animal Art Adventures presents the zoo’s many talented animal artists in informal individual sessions that include a chance to learn more about the animal and watch it create a one-of-a-kind painting. A zookeeper will join you and up to three others, discuss the animal, its breed, care and characteristics and, depending on the animal, give it a variety of simple commands. You get to choose the paint colors you want for your piece, ask lots of questions and, again – depending on the animal – touch it and perhaps even
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get a kiss on your hand. This program runs on select Saturdays and Sundays throughout the year, and
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the experiences are so popular that many sell out for months in advance. For more information about each particular animal adventure, visit http:// www.indianapoliszoo.com, click on “Plan Your Visit” and then “Special Zoo Experiences.” This adventure will be the icing on the cake of a day spent at the Indy Zoo, which also has an aquarium and a botanical garden with some 23,000 native and exotic plants, conservatory, water garden and gentle walking paths. From wildebeests and cheetahs in the plains biome to the walruses and polar bears in the ocean biome to the orangutans and budgies in the deserts biome and more, you’ll have a chance to see 1,600 animals. This includes fan fave dolphins, most enjoyably seen in the underwater viewing dome.
Overnight in a place that appreciates art as much as your zoo denizen Da Vinci: Indianapolis’ Hotel Broad Ripple is a charming lodge-like hotel made up of nine individually and impeccably decorated guestrooms, perfect for couples or families. Thoughtfully appointed with antiques and art, the hotel is an artist aficionado’s enclave in Indy’s culturally vibrant Road Ripple neighborhood. SO MANY MUSEUMS IN SANTA FE A celebration of the blending of earth, sky and cultures in a desert hot spot, Santa Fe is known for its rich and diverse art traditions. In “City Different,” as this New Mexican burg is called, you can immerse yourself in the art, history and culture of the Native American Southwest, the Spanish colonial past and folk traditions from around the world as they unfold on the streets at craft fairs, in shops and galleries and in an eclectic collection of museums. Amidst the enchanting landscape is a museum mecca. Head downtown to explore several, including the New Mexico Museum of Art, which spotlights Southwestern artists; the Palace of the Governors at the New Mexico History Museum, which is housed in a government building constructed by the Spanish in 1610; and the richly spare Georgia O’Keeffe Museum. An oft-overlooked gem is the Museum of Contemporary Native Arts. Here, at the country’s only museum exhibiting, collecting and interpreting the most progressive work of contemporary Native artists, find thousands of works in all media created in 1962 or later in The River Region’s 50+ Lifestage Magazine
the permanent collection, plus special exhibitions throughout the year. Through Dec. 31, the museum hosts “Rick Bartow: Things You Know But Cannot Explain,” a major retrospective featuring more than 120 paintings, drawings, sculptures and prints by this prominent contemporary Native American artists.
Sixty-plus retail and specialty shops and 17 eateries line the wide, curving
Santa Fe’s rich Native American heritage means there is abundant art and crafts available throughout the city. The best place to shop for jewelry, pottery and other works? The Palace of the Governors. Some 60 to 80 artists gather daily to show and sell their handiworks. In keeping with the cultural vibe of your visit, step through the massive handcarved doors at Rosewood, the Inn of the Anasazi, and into its elegant yet earthly restaurant featuring dishes that reflect the Inn’s Southwestern and native heritage. Overnight at the sumptuous yet subdued Inn on the Alameda. Located between the historic Plaza and the 100-plus galleries of Canyon Road, is the epitome of comfort, charm and Southwestern elan.
At the St. Somewhere Spa, book a Lost Shaker of Salt body scrub, customized Wastin’ Away massage or lavish 90-minute Sun Soother facial _ so relaxing you may commit the unladylike sin of snoring between your chamomile aloe masque and accompanying foot massage. No worries. Just “breathe in, breathe out, move on” to the spa’s Chill Room where an attendant will pour you a glass of wine and invite you to stretch out on a comfy chaise.
Dozens and dozens of artists gather daily at Santa Fe’s Palace of the Governors.
walkways. The Island’s 19 adventures include the Great Smoky Mountain Wheel, scraping the sky at 200 feet to gift riders seated in climate-controlled allglass gondolas with panoramic views of the lights of downtown Pigeon Forge and the surrounding 89-nozzled Island Show Fountain that dances to choreographed music at 30-minute intervals. Gather at Ole Smoky Moonshine to sample up to 13 communion cups of sublimely flavored hooch. A shine guide
PLAYING ON PIGEON FORGE’S ‘ISLAND’ Disney meets Key West in the foothills of the Smoky Mountains in Pigeon Forge, Tenn., at The Island. Surrounded by the Little Pigeon River and anchored by Jimmy Buffett’s breezy Sit back, relax and enjoy the show at the Show Fountains on The Island. (The Island of Pigeon Forge) four-star will shepherd you through the taste Margaritaville Island Hotel, cheeseburger profiles of white lightning, Tennessee or no, it is paradise just a few steps and one “license to chill” away from Pigeon Mud, pumpkin (“you can taste the Forge’s famously gridlocked Parkway. pie crust”), java (“if Starbucks and And perfect for a girlfriends’ getaway moonshine had a baby”) and more. guaranteed to blow out your flip flops. Browse the hodgepodge of goodies at The River Region’s 50+ Lifestage Magazine
Emery’s 5 & 10. Select a leaf-shaped jigsaw puzzle from Puzzled. Shop and dine with Paula Deen, a girlfriend that won’t steer you wrong in matters of culinary accoutrements and buttery comfort food. Her Family Kitchen is located up the escalator from the Paula Deen Store.
The Island is all about fins up. Chances are, you’ll be content to blend up your own moonshine margaritas in your room’s blender and decide this is the perfect place for wastin’ away. INFORMATION Santa Fe, NM: https://santafe.org Santa Fe Museums: https://santafe.org/Visiting_Santa_Fe/ Museums/index.html Indianapolis, IN: www.visitindy.com Indianapolis Zoo: www.indianapoliszoo.com Pigeon Forge, TN: www.mypigeonforge.com The Island: http://islandinpigeonforge.com Author, travel and lifestyle writer, and travel goods expert Kathy Witt feels you should never get to the end of your bucket list; there’s just too much to see and do in the world. She can be reached at KathyWitt24@gmail.com or KathyWitt.com. (c)2016 Kathy Witt Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC
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October Featured Artists
Lady in Fairhope 30x30 oil on canvas, Anita Westerberg galleryonefineart.com/Anita-Westerberg
Shine On, 30x24 oil on canvas Pamela Wesley Copeland galleryonefineart.com/Pamela-Wesley-Copeland
Just Before Dawn, 30x30 acrylic on canvas Shirley Esco galleryonefineart.com/Shirley-Esco
Now and Again 24x30 mixed media, Carol Barksdale galleryonefineart.com/Carol-Barksdale
Box Series #2 30x24 acrylic on canvas, Jane Segrest galleryonefineart.com/Jane-Segrest
Intermission 36x48 oil on canvas, John Wagnon galleryonefineart.com/John-Wagnon
Down Stream 30x40 mixed media, Cecily Hulett galleryonefineart.com/Cecily-Hulett
NOLA: Trumpet Player 22x28 mixed media, Bradley Moon galleryonefineart.com/Bradley-Moon Twisted Love 8x5 wood sculpture, Ken Lever galleryonefineart.com/Kenneth-Lever Gallery One offers a wide selection of original art by gallery artist members. Gallery Director Sandi Aplin, sandiaplin@aol.com galleryonefineart.com
Sunflowers 20x16 oil on canvas, Anne Hugghins galleryonefineart.com/Anne-Hugghins
Smiling Orchid 16x12 oil on canvas Trish Gober
By Sandi Aplin
Art & Soul
GALLERY ONE presents Art and Fashion CARLISLE and PER SE COLLECTIONS NEW YORK consideration to satisfy our clients every desire.
We are so excited about our 16TH Trunk Show with Carlisle Collection New York. The Winter Collection will arrive here at Gallery One Fine Art beginning October 7th and remain through October 15th. The collection is shown by appointment and we try to give our customers at least an hour to make their selections and process their orders. The amazing blouse selected for our invitation is from Carlisle Collection and is called Champagne. With colors of copper and black, it is a beautiful floral silk and lace blouse, the epitome of femininity. The lace is woven in Northern France on a 200 year old Leavers lace loom. Easy fit it coordinates with the Champagne new slim, tapered and cropped pant. The Champagne blouse is shaped with front and back yoke in black silk organza with scalloped edge detailing black silk sleeves featuring flounced lace cuffs with black button and loop closure, finished with lace scalloped hem This blouse is partially lined.
Remember we now have Carlisle Cashmere and it is wonderful! We have eight sweater sets of four (32 pieces) in this collection. The colors are Icicle, Cool Blue, Oxford Grey, Charcoal, Milano Red, Paris Pink, Café and Key Lime all 97 to 100% Cashmere and beautiful.
features unique pieces for your wardrobe. The line offers imported Italian leather and laces, exquisite handcrafted embroideries, supple hand worked feathers and luxurious woven materials. Each piece has been designed with care and
CARLISLE Dream Wardrobe GIVEAWAY! Attend a Carlisle Winter 2016 show, make a Preferred Appointment to attend the Spring 2017 show and you will be entered into that week’s drawing for a $1500 Carlisle Gift Card. There will be 9 Drawings/ Winners in the Winter Season. Again, show dates and contact information are as follows: October 7th thru 15th. Sandi Aplin (334) 201-8030
Sue Groce (334)546-5706
www.carlislecollection.com
Carlisle New York celebrates the style, strength and cosmopolitan spirit of busy women everywhere. Women wearing Carlisle feel style still matters, we invite our customers to feel extraordinary with our handcrafted artisanal designs. Our casual to cocktail look is available in sizes 0 to 18. Carlisle Winter 2016 takes sophistication and style to a new level. Inspired by the glamour of confident women, this carefully curated collection The River Region’s 50+ Lifestage Magazine
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The Mayor of BOOMTOWN
My Name Is “Victim”
Greetings from my safe space.
I learned something interesting recently. I was a victim long ago, and didn’t know it. I know this because in America’s never ending quest to promote self-pity and justify a perpetual state of victimhood, an organization promoting bi-lingual edumacation posted the following““Did you know that mispronouncing a student’s name negates the identity of the student? This can lead to anxiety and resentment which, in turn, can hinder academic progress.” I have expressed some strong opinions on schools, and I have no problem with someone choosing to learn a second language. But I still get ticked when I have to ‘press 1’ for English. I think it would be a major breakthrough if we could get today’s students to master one language. Yeah, I’m thinking English. By stating that, I’ve no doubt micro-aggressed any number of hyphenated-American heritages and come out of the closet as a raging xenophobic nationalist or whatever they’re calling American citizens these days. On the issue of having one’s name mis-procounced, and the anxiety and resentment it creates, I now know why anxiety and resentment drove me to alcoholism and why I graduated a mediocre #112 out of 660 students
coming out of high school.
You see, my name is really not Budell. Well, it wasn’t originally “Budell”. I was born Gregory Benjammin’ B-U-D-I-L.
My name has always been pronounced “byou-dell”. On the first day of school, every year, I had to endure “Biddle”, Buddle” and other phonetical butcherings. Being a “B” (alphabetically) student, I never had to wait long to see how the new teacher in my life would pronounce it on the first day of school, followed by my polite correction. I don’t know much about the origins of “BUDIL”. I’m pretty certain it was shortened from something longer. My great-grandfather brought it over from the Transylvania area of Czechoslovakiaand may have chopped it down from something really un-pronounceable. Great Gramps was supposedly kicked out of the country for being “crazy”. Someday I’ll hit up Ancestry dot com and try to learn more but that’s the story my
Dad always told me. Dad, in fact, often talked about legally changing the spelling so it would match the pronunciation. He endured the same thing I didwith people never quite sure how to say “BUDIL”.
I’ll explain, Lucy.
5 letters. Simple, right? Actually, not so.
By Greg Budell
Pops never got around to making that change, but when the time came, he gave my brother his blessing to change it when he launched his medical practice. I waited, and for all the wrong reasons. My radio career began in Chicago, and on the coolest stations within my peer group. When I first went on the air, my boss asked if I wanted to use a so-called “radio name”. I was 19, only a couple years removed from high school. If I was going to do something hip, I wanted my loser (kidding) high school classmates to know it! What’s the point of getting a little fame if you can’t show it off? I should have changed the spelling
Greg Budell's column is proudly sponsored by McDonald, Barranco & Hagen Wealth Management
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The River Region’s 50+ Lifestage Magazine
that day. I didn’t, and as the ad (1973, Chicago Tribune) accompanying this column shows, I used the original spelling to make sure no one I wanted to impress would mistake me for someone else. Yeah, that nerd to you mocked in school is doing rock’n roll radio! When I left Chicago for Miami a few years later, I finally decided, with Dad’s blessing, to change the spelling to “BUDELL”. It was easy! I changed it on my credit card statements. I changed it when I got my Florida driver’s license with no questions asked. I got married, bought a house and my daughter came along. All the documents and Janelle’s birth certificate said “BUDELL”.
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I bought a house here, and had no problem with my name. When I moved to Alabama in 2005, I kept my Florida DL (has the statute of limitations run out on that misdemeanor?) until it expired in 2011. I still had some business interests in South Florida so I was not exactly the Al Capone of name games. When the Florida DL expired, I had to get an Alabama DL and that was a MAJOR problem! I presented my totally legitimate Florida license, and was toldthanks to new post 9/11 laws- that I would have to bring a birth certificate to get my Alabama DL. Well, my birth certificate still had “BUDIL”- so after spending $40 to have a copy over-nighted to me here, I then had to spend another $150 to have my name legally changed in court- to the spelling I had been using for 30 years without raising an eyebrow. Then I spent another- I forget the amount- to get my now legal Alabama DL. When I renew it next year, I understand they have some new “Star” ID, and I can’t wait to see how much that will cost. Maybe I’ll do what has worked for millions. I’ll go to Mexico, walk back across to the USA and give myself a new name. With no hassle, I’ll obtain the complete gub’ment benefit package and then return to the air as an undocumented talk show host. Until then, I’m still proud to be a fully legal, certified American citizen! I have the receipt$ to prove it! Oh, and just call me “Greg”. Much easier. Greg Budell lives in Montgomery with his wife, children and dogs. He’s a 25 year veteran of radio who hosts the Greg & Susan morning show 6-9 am and Happy Hour 3-6 pm on NEWSTALK 93.1, Greg can be reached at gregbudell@aol.com The River Region’s 50+ Lifestage Magazine
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Happiness and Retirement do go together By Richard Eisenberg
It turns out that happiness and retirement do go together.
living was often less — sometimes much, much less. That meant they didn’t need to worry as much about their expenses or finding a high-paying job in retirement.
Well, based on the research and books I’ve read and interviews I’ve done since becoming editor of the Money & Security and Work & Purpose channels at Next Avenue in 2011, they can go together if you play your cards right. And it’s not just about having saved enough money or having a great pension, though both of those help. I’ve come to the conclusion that there are nine keys to a happy retirement, one of them pertaining specifically to couples. I’ll lay them out shortly and suggest a few books that can help you retire happy. Of course, the definition of retirement isn’t what it was even 10 years ago. For many people, retirement in 2016 is not about quitting your full-time job full-stop at 65 and then living a life of leisure. What Is Retirement, Anyway? For one thing, 65 was the retirement date set in 1935 when FDR signed Social Security into law. It made more sense when people didn’t live as long as they do today and at a time when most employers provided guaranteed pensions once their employees retired. A March 2016 Ameriprise study said 71 percent of current retirees rely on guaranteed pensions from their former employers while 75 percent of pre-retirees plan to rely on anything-but-guaranteed 401(k)s when they retire. Devising a retirement income plan before you retire will relieve stress. But only 52 percent of pre-retirees have done so, according to Ameriprise. Catherine Collinson, president of the Transamerica Center for Retirement
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Studies, recently told me that many workers now envision retirement as a transition, something that happens over time. The current catchphrase is “flexible retirement,” which means either going from full-time to part-time work or working in a different capacity or working as long as you’re able. That said, here are the nine ways to increase your chances of being happy in retirement: 1. Figure out in advance what you want out of retirement. By that, I mean things like: how you’ll spend your days, where you’ll spend them and what would make you fulfilled. Stan Hinden, the author of How to Retire Happy, recommends starting to think seriously about retirement when you’re around 50 or 55. One key decision is where you will retire and how much traveling you’ll want to do. Some people choose to retire in another country. It’s not for everyone, but a recent survey of 389 expats by the website Best Places in the World to Retire found that 81 percent were happier in their new country than where they lived before. Why is that? For one thing, the cost of
Many of the expats also said they were less stressed than before because their new country wasn’t as fast-paced as America. Many also said they loved their new “simple life,” especially because they now had more free time to volunteer (I’ll come back to that last point shortly). If you’re wondering which are the best places in the world to retire, the answer depends on which survey you believe. International Living says the top places are Panama and Ecuador. And the Live and Invest Overseas site has picked the Algarve region of Portugal and Cayo, Belize. 2. The corollary to No. 1 — If you have a husband, wife or partner, talk frankly together about what you both want out of retirement. Neal Frankle, a noted financial planner, recently wrote on Next Avenue that he finds it helpful for couples to discuss their retirement dreams and write them down. Then, he says, they should mark each item as a “must have,” a “want” or a “wish” and be ready to compromise. One thing you’ll want to figure out is how much time the two of you will want to spend together, since this may be the first time you’re both available all the time. Hinden told Next Avenue that he and his wife came up with a system that worked for them: Early in the week, they each would spend time alone or with their own friends. Then, toward the end of the week, they’d do things together, like go to museums, theaters or restaurants. The River Region’s 50+ Lifestage Magazine
3. Come up with a retirement income plan. By that I mean: sit down and figure out how much your 401(k) and other accounts will translate to in monthly income; how much you’ll get from Social Security and any pension; how much you can afford to withdraw each year (the rule of thumb is around 4 percent) and which accounts you’ll tap first for withdrawals to keep taxes down. Devising a retirement income plan before you retire will relieve stress once you are retired. But only 52 percent of pre-retirees have done so, according to Ameriprise. By the way, don’t be surprised if your retirement income or expenses don’t turn out the way you expected. When Ameriprise surveyed retirees, it found three types of expenses were higher than the retirees expected: health care, food and taxes. 4. Choose when to retire and then follow through (if you can). The authors of an excellent book called The Retirement Maze surveyed 1,477 retirees to see what made the happy ones happy. One thing they found was that workers who were able to retire by choice were happier than ones whose retirement was thrust on them: 69 percent of the retirees who retired by choice were satisfied with their lifestyle but only 36 percent pushed into retirement said they were. I realize many people aren’t lucky enough to be able to decide when they’ll retire because they lose their job or their health forces them to stop working. But if you can pick your date, you should. 5. Stay engaged and healthy (if you can). The career coach Bill Ellermeyer says the happiest retirees he knows are either engaged in some kind of meaningful activity or are actively employed. Some have become entrepreneurs; some have started encore careers, doing either paid work or volunteering for the greater good, some are just volunteering here and there.
The River Region’s 50+ Lifestage Magazine
He also says they “eat well, sleep soundly, play often, exercise at least three times a week and maintain strong social connections.” In fact, a survey by Age Wave and Merrill Lynch of 3,300 pre-retirees and retirees said “good health” as the No. 1 key to happiness in retirement. 6. Get a part-time job in retirement. Some of the happiest retirees are people who phased into retirement by gradually reducing their full-time hours. But if you can’t arrange to do that, then just quitting your job and then finding parttime work can be very satisfying, not just financially but psychically. Studies show that working in retirement helps keep your mind sharp and helps you avoid getting isolated and lonely. The trouble is, not enough employers are helping their older workers work out a flexible transition to keep a job there part-time in retirement. A recent Transamerica study found that although 61 percent of American workers envision a flexible transition to retirement, only 25 percent said their employers offer the opportunity to shift from full-time to part-time work as they phase into retirement. So, it’ll probably be up to you to figure out how to work part-time in retirement. Maybe you can take the initiative to come up with a plan through your current employer. If not, try securing a part-time job somewhere else, perhaps by setting up shop as a consultant or a project-based contractor. 7. Learn new things or pursue your passions. Those passions could be ones you had when you were much younger but somehow stopped doing over the years, like playing an instrument or painting. Retirement is a great time to discover new passions, too, by taking classes or finding one-on-one instruction. Check out local colleges for adult education and continuing education classes, too. These courses could teach you new skills or just provide knowledge for the pure joy of it.
8. Keep a schedule, but not like the one you had before you retired. I came across one study from Taiwan that said the key to a happy retirement isn’t how much free time you have; it’s how you manage whatever free time you have. The authors didn’t recommend blocking out every minute of every day, but instead advised setting goals and priorities for your free time and then evaluating whether they were appropriate and achievable. Then, they said, organize your activities on a daily or weekly basis — just not hourly. Having some kind of schedule prevents you from getting bored, depressed or lonely. 9. See your children and grandchildren if you have any. Hinden said his favorite tip from his retirement do’s and don’ts list was: Do find ways to be friends with your children and grandchildren, even though they are very busy. You need them, Hinden added, and, whether they realize it or not, they need you. Incidentally, just retiring itself is likely to make you happier. A study by Utah State and George Mason University professors found that retirement immediately tends to improve both happiness and health, and that the effects of this life satisfaction are long-lasting. And here’s one last piece of good news: Most retirees say they are happy because of all the things retirement has given them the opportunity to do. In fact, a MassMutual Financial Group survey found that retirement just might pay you a happiness “bonus.” In its poll, 82 percent of retirees said retirement gave them an opportunity to enjoy themselves and about two-thirds said they now had a chance to have new experiences and feel fulfilled. This article first appeared on nextavenue.org Richard Eisenberg is the Senior Web Editor of the Money & Security and Work & Purpose channels of Next Avenue and Managing Editor for the site. He is the author of How to Avoid a Mid-Life Financial Crisis and has been a personal finance editor at Money, Yahoo, Good Housekeeping, and CBS MoneyWatch. Follow him on Twitter @ richeis315.
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October 2016
{12 Things} for active boomers and beyond
MONTGOMERY, ALABAMA
Annual Fall Bazaar First United Methodist Church Wesley Hall Building Wednesday, October 5th, 12-7 pm
First United Methodist Church will hold its annual Fall Bazaar on Wednesday, October 5, in the Wesley Hall building. The Bazaar will offer baked goods, frozen casseroles and soups, specialty dishes, pre-loved items in the kids’ closet and niceas-new room, an art gallery, and a garden-gift shop with items for every occasion. A luncheon will be served at 12 noon in Fellowship Hall, tickets are $12. Red’s Little School House Bar-B-Que will be served beginning at 5:00 p.m. in the Park Avenue Parking Lot, tickets are $10, kids’ chicken finger meal is $5. Tickets may be purchased in advance from the church office at 834-8990 or online at www. fumcmontgomery.org/bazaar/
BIRMINGHAM, ALABAMA
Motorcycle’s, The Annual Barber Vintage Festival Barber Motorsports Park, Birmingham
October 7-9, various times The Annual Barber Vintage Festival is one of the most highly anticipated motorcycle events in the world. The three-day festival features the America’s First Fan Zone with food and entertainment, Ace Corner, a Century Parade, a swap meet with hundreds of vendors selling vintage motorcycles and parts, as well as the AMCA and VJMC gatherings, and the Motorcycle Classics show. Read about these attractions - and more - below. Don’t forget… the Barber Vintage Motorsports Museum features extended hours as well as seminars during the 12th Annual Barber Vintage Festival Presented by the Triumph Dealers of North America. So when you’re not in the park, be sure to check out what’s going on in the museum! Visit barbermuseum.org
MONTGOMERY, ALABAMA Junior League 28th Holiday Market The Multiplex at Cramton Bowl October 12-15, various times
This four-day shopping extravaganza will feature a wide variety of specialty booths and a lot of special events for the entire family. Admission charged. 334.288.8816. Please visit jlmontgomery.org for the full schedule!
MONTGOMERY, ALABAMA Riverwalk Wine Festival Riverwalk, Downtown Montgomery Saturday October 15th, 2-5 pm
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visit funinmontgomery.com
Saturday, October 15th, 2-5pm, Downtown Montgomery in the Riverfront Park. Come spend an afternoon on the river sampling delicious wines from different regions. Your $25 ticket includes a commemorative etched wine glass, discounts on bottled wine, sampling of new flavors and live music. If you want to spend the night at the Renaissance Hotel and continue enjoying downtown Montgomery, call the hotel’s reservation desk at 334-481-5000 and don’t forget a ride on the Harriot II. For more information
WETUMPKA, ALABAMA
Young Frankenstein The Musical Wetumpka Depot Through October15th, various times Are you a Young Frankenstein film fan? Love Mel Brooks? If you answered yes, you are in luck! Young Frankenstein the Musical opens at the Depot September 29 and runs through Oct. 15th. For more information contact Kristy Meanor, at 334.868.1440 or kmeanor@ wetumpkadepot.com or visit www.wetumpkadepot.com
MONTGOMERY, ALABAMA
“The President’s Own” United States Marine Band MPAC Downtown Montgomery Friday, October 21, 7:30 pm
The President’s Own” United States Marine Band tours each year during September. This year’s tour will be in the Southeast in October. The tour lasts approximately 31 days, during which the band performs in roughly 29 cities. The tradition of the Marine Band tour began in 1891 under 17th Director John Philip Sousa. For tickets go to the MPAC Ticket Office or visit mpaconline.org
PENSACOLA, FLORIDA
Pensacola Art and Wine Festival Pensacola Beach Boardwalk Sunday, October 23rd, 11-4pm The Pensacola Beach Chamber of Commerce invites you to spend a beautiful Sunday afternoon strolling the Pensacola Beach Boardwalk, enjoying the hint of Fall in the air and sampling some of the best wine in the area, all while perusing the works of some of the Gulf Coast’s most talented artists. The 2016 Art and Wine Festival brings together local artists and the best wine offerings all in one place. Although admission to the festival is free, for $30, you can participate in a The River Region’s 50+ Lifestage Magazine
“progressive tasting” beginning at noon where dozens of wines will be available. Tickets for the wine tasting are $30 each, or two tickets for $50. Tickets are non-refundable. Tastings take place from Noon to 3:00 PM. For more info visit pensacolabeachchamber.com
MONTGOMERY, ALABAMA
Alabama Dance Theatre’s Dracula ASF Festival Stage Saturday & Sunday, October 29th & 30th, 7:30, 2:30pm Sink your teeth into a thrilling vampire drama back by popular demand as Alabama Dance Theatre presents the classic story Dracula, a ballet to die for. The Alabama Dance Theatre, a pearl of the River Region, opening its 30th season cordially invites you to witness the dramatic epic tale of Dracula. Choreographed by ADT’s own award winning Sara Sanford, Dracula is a must see sure to entertain the audience as one of our culture’s most familiar stories. Performances will be held Saturday, October 29th at 7:30 p.m., and Sunday, October 30th at 2:30 p.m. This masterpiece production, performed at the Alabama Shakespeare Festival on the Festival Stage will thrill audiences with special effects, lavish costumes, and breathtaking scenery. Philip Feeney’s score illuminates Bram Stoker’s classic novel with incredible clarity and breathes new life into this timeless story. Visit alabamadancetheatre.com
MONTGOMERY, ALABAMA
Untangling The Web: Finding Your Alabama Ancesters in Cyberspace Alabama Department of Archives Monday, October 31, 9am-12 noon Are you lost in the web of too many family history sites? Spooked by cyberspace? Join us on Halloween to gain valuable knowledge of the best websites, online resources and most effective genealogical search strategies to take your family history research to the next level. Learn how to use online resources including Ancestry.com and Fold3. This workshop is suited for all levels of research experience. Our expert geneaologist, Nancy Dupree, will explore the best websites, online resources, and most effective genealogical search strategies to help you take your family history research to the next level. Learn how to use free resources available in the ADAH’s EBSCO Research Room like Ancestry.com, Fold3, and more! To register contact Sarah McQueen 334.242.4364 or sarah.mcqueen@archives.alabama.gov
MONTGOMERY, ALABAMA Lionel Young Band Kiwanis Park in Old Alabama Town Tuesday, November 1st, 7-9 pm
The Lionel Young Band, winner of the 2011 International Blues Challenge, will close out the 2016 ARMSchair concert series with a performance November 1 at Kiwanis Park in Old Alabama Town. Young, a classically trained violin player from Colorado, was the first double champion in the IBC’s history, having won in the solo-duo category in 2008. The band plays original songs, as well as interpretations of blues classics by Willie Dixon, Leadbelly, and Stevie Ray Vaughan. Gates open at 6:30 p.m., with music beginning at 7 p.m. Bring a lawn chair and enjoy an evening of great music. Visit lionelyoung.net
PIKE ROAD, ALABAMA
Pike Road Arts & Crafts Fair Pike Road Saturday, November 5th, 9-4 pm
The 49th Annual Arts & Crafts Fair is a wonderful holiday shopping opportunity! More than 250 artists and craftsmen will display their wares at the historic Marks House (circa 1825). Enjoy BBQ, fried chicken and other specialties. $5 admission. 890 Old Carter Hill Road, Pike Road, AL. For more information and directions visit pikeroadartsandcraftsfair.com
MONTGOMERY, ALABAMA Foreigner MPAC-Downtown Montgomery Sunday, February 19th, 7:30pm
With ten multiplatinum albums and sixteen Top 30 hits, Foreigner is universally hailed as one of the most popular rock acts in the world with a formidable musical arsenal that continues to propel sold-out tours and album sales, now exceeding 75 million. Responsible for some of rock and roll’s most enduring anthems including “Juke Box Hero,” “Feels Like The First Time,” “Urgent,” “Head Games,” “Hot Blooded,” “Cold As Ice,” “Dirty White Boy,” “Waiting For A Girl Like You,” and the worldwide #1 hit, “I Want To Know What Love Is,” Foreigner continues to rock the charts almost 40 years into the game. For tickets and more visit mpaconline.org or foreigneronline.com
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Embroidery Men By Treva Lind
After Al Moeller’s wife bought an embroidery sewing machine a few years ago, he peeked over her shoulder to see how it worked. A 72-year-old woodworker, Moeller was instantly hooked. “I said, ‘That looks like fun,’ “ said Moeller, who soon started dabbling with his own sewing projects. “Embroidery machines have come a long way because of technology.” “It’s like you’re an engineer with fabric. You’ve got to line it up and square it up, make sure you have the right amount of fabric. But you pick out your own colors, so you’re the artist.”
monogrammed shirts, napkins and place mats. “Embroidery is becoming more mainstream,” Harrell said. “Everyone loves stuff that’s monogrammed or personalized, so it’s becoming very popular. It used to be something that only you could get commercially, and now it’s coming to the home market. It’s fun. For family and friends, it makes gifts that are personal.”
machine is stitching; that’s how you get design,” he said. “It’s definitely a craft because you have to have the right tools, batting, fabric, also a stabilizer or backing. There’s software, but most of the machines will allow you to manipulate the design to enlarge it or to move in a multidirectional way.” Leo Collins, 78, approaches his projects with an artist’s eye. The Spokane resident started sewing about 20 years ago after retiring, and he creates his own designs, often based on another hobby he enjoys, photography. One appliqued wall-hanging depicts a 1937 Chevy truck he saw and photographed in a Green Bluff field. He makes a design for the fabric wallhangings from enlarged photocopies of pictures he’s taken. He selects fabric colors and sometimes applies a drybrush technique to paint on the fabrics.
He took sewing classes in Spokane Valley, Wash., and after nearly taking over the sewing nook at home, he bought his own machine. “I’ve been working on a farm country quilt, and there’s 27,000 to 38,000 stitches per block,” Moeller said. “As long as I’m creating something, I’m having fun.”
“I make art quilts,” said Collins, who also has taken several lessons at the north Spokane store, Sew Uniquely You. “I used to help out my mother when I was a kid with her sewing machine, so when I got ready to retire, I bought a machine.”
Computerized sewing machines sold today do way more than stitch a straight line or create a button hole. High-end models pack technology with digital screens, tool attachments and software-backed design options. The gadgetry is part of the appeal, say some men in the area who have taken up the hobby both for relaxation and craftsmanship.
The machines can range in cost from $2,600 to $14,000 for a commercial-quality embroidery machine. Wendell Harrell, 58, took up the hobby about a year and a half ago during a brief period of unemployment. He’d done a little sewing in his past for the drapery business. After a two-day Spokane seminar in 2014 to learn more about the craft, he traded in a newly purchased embroidery machine for a highend Bernina machine. “I got the Bentley,” he joked. “My newest machine is just over a year old. I have 6 million stitches on it already, so that’s how much embroidery I’ve done.” He’s made lace Christmas ornaments, iPad bags for friends and neighbors and
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His wife, Michal Collins, said the hobby also gives him something to do when he isn’t golfing. She doesn’t enjoy sewing, but she appreciates her husband’s projects adorning their walls.
Wendell Harrell threads his embroidery machine while working on creating an iPad cover (Dan Pelle/The Spokesman-Review/TNS)
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He spent so much time at the Quilting Bee for classes and to help others for free, the store owners decided to hire him to work part-time in 2014. Cusick, Wash., resident Larry Brown began sewing and embroidery projects about 15 years ago as an activity he could do with his wife, Pam. Now 79, he has created designs ranging from fishing-themed quilts to an apron he designed for a neighbor. Brown still takes advanced machine embroidery classes to learn greater details for computer-aided design and software use. “One of the neighbors asked me to make a couple of aprons for him, and a couple turned into nearly a dozen; I did the design from scratch,” Brown said. “I find it intellectually challenging. To sew the doggone seams straight so all the points meet where they need to, yeah, that’s a challenge.” Harrell said embroidery machines can take a hoop attachment, similar to what artisans use when hand-embroidering or hand-quilting. “The machine moves the hoop, as the
“He uses his regular sewing machine to do some embroidery,” she said. “He’s done old trucks, wagon wheels. He can spend hours.” Brown also has used the craft to embroider a military cap, and he’s made intricate star-shaped spiral designs without modern software. “I’m also an ex-teacher of mathematics, and just watching the geometry develop is interesting,” he said. “I don’t know if people realize how much serious geometry is involved.” A neighbor once teased Brown about his newfound hobby, until seeing a finished product. “He said he’d really rather see me on the firing range,” Brown said. “Then when I brought him his quilt, he was impressed. Later, when we went to the firing range, he said, ‘Yeah, you better stick with quilting.’“ (c)2016 The Spokesman-Review (Spokane, Wash.) Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
The River Region’s 50+ Lifestage Magazine
The River Region’s 50+ Lifestage Magazine
R ive r Re gio n Bo o m . co m
October 2016
BOOM!
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