Thanks to my hospital. Stan Godwin l Jackson Hospital Heart Center Patient
When 47-year-old Stan Godwin underwent heart valve surgery, his routine two-hour procedure encountered unexpected challenges an expanding diaphragm and a collapsed lung. But through the swift actions of the doctors and staff of the Jackson Hospital Heart Center and a short stay in the ICU, Stan made a full recovery. Today, he maintains a healthy, active lifestyle, eats right, and is the proud owner of a new mechanical heart valve. Living well at any age means having a strong heart. So let Jackson Hospital take care of yours.
www.jackson.org/heart
Contents
October 2010
“Though no one can go back and make a brand new start, anyone can start from now and make a brand new ending.”
Volume I Issue 3
Carl Bard
Thought Humor Relationships Taste Health Inspiration Advice
We Salute the Breast Cancer Community! Feed your faith and your fears will starve to death. ~Author Unknown
6
Features
“A woman is like a tea bag, you can not tell how strong she is until you put her in hot water.” Nancy Reagan
Publisher’s Letter
16 Healthy Hearing
Dr. Borton on the cost of quality and other secrets of success.
12 Breast Cancer Events
Support the breast cancer community.
17 Health Fair
Health solutions for you and your family.
20 ‘friending’ on Facebook
19 The Wine Taste
Over 50 and we are the fastest growing group on Facebook.
Scotty Scott asks “Does the vintage matter”
24 Grumpy Aging
22 Classic Live Concert
Boomer
Many groups from the 60’s and 70’s.
To fill or not to fill, that is the question
24 Boomer Workout Don’t lose your shoulders.
Departments
26 Book Review
10 Environment-Sustainability Hampstead Institute Downtown Farm
Cover Profile
8 This and That
To use or not, a few tidbits of information.
Managing your Anti Depressants
28 12 Things
Something to do for active Boomers and beyond.
27 Embrace Your Health Happiness: A feeling I love.
BOOM GIVEAWAY page 18
Maria Ashmore page 10
Concert Recordings page 22
page 23
BOOM! magazine is published monthly by River Region Publications, 8637 Harvest Ridge Dr., Montgomery, AL 36116. The phone number for voice and fax is 334. 396.3073. Copyright 2010 by River Region Publications. No part of this publication can be reproduced without written permission from the publisher. Opinions expressed in BOOM! magazine are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the view of the owners, nor do they constitute an endorsement of products and services herein.
4 BOOM!
October 2010
The River Region’s 50+ Lifestage Magazine
DiD you know?
Hearing loss is twiCe aS Common
in adults with
DiabeteS
type 2 Diabetes & Hearing loss have been medically linked for many years, and it is recommended that diabetics should have regular hearing tests as part of their routine screening.
Doctors Hearing clinic woulD like to offer you a
complimentary
hearing SCreening
witH tHis coupon Valid through December 2010.
trial
75-Day
Value. Delivered. 100% SERVICE
S AT I S fAC T I O N GuARANTEE
Dr. Bettie Borton and Dr. Shandi Dabbs provide state-of-the-art hearing health care and non-medical treatment services to meet a patient’s individual needs, including: Comprehensive hearing testing for children and adults. State-of-the art hearing device selection and service. Auditory rehabilitation. With more than 30 years of experience, our staff of Board Certified Audiologists will help you and your loved ones identify the best hearing healthcare solutions available. At Doctors Hearing Clinic, individualized hearing healthcare plans are designed and implemented to ensure that each patient receives exceptional products and services with the most competitively priced technology in Central Alabama! Our staff has more than 30 years of experience in evaluating and treating hearing impairment and will help find the best hearing healthcare solutions for you and your loved ones. At Doctors Hearing Clinic, each patient receives a thorough hearing examination by a Board Certified Audiologist, and an individualized hearing healthcare plan is designed and implemented. Doctors Hearing Clinic works to provide exceptional technology and service with the most competitive pricing in Central Alabama. Doctors Hearing clinic—Helping people hear! we’re Hear for you! Bettie B. Borton, Au.D. Doctor of Audiology, FAAA Former National Chair of the American Board of Audiology
IN WRITING yeAr wArrAnty yeArS free bAtterieS yeArS loSS And dAmAge inSurAnCe
Shandi L. Dabbs, Au.D. Doctor of Audiology, FAAA
Applicable with the purchase of an AGX5, 7 or 9.
Call us to make an appointment. Two locations to serve you. Doctors Hearing Clinic Helping People Hear!
MONTGOMERY 7025 Halcyon Park Dr, Ste A
334.396.1635
Learn more at www.doctorshearingclinic.com
OPELIKA 2204-D Gateway Dr
334.745.1635
publisher’s letter
Breast Cancer’s 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.
C
Publisher/Editor Jim Watson
jim@riverregionboom.com
Associate Editor Kelly Watson
kelly@riverregionboom.com
Opinion Research Jo Newell
jo@riverregionboom.com
Contributing Writers Maria Ashmore
Dr. Bettie Borton
Dennis E. Coates Patricia Gale Kathy Satterfield Scotty Scott
Alisa Singer Wina Sturgeon Mike Swift
Cover Photography
Maria Wiggins, Reflections of Grace clay.maria@gmail.com
Advertising
Jim Watson, 334.324.3472 jim@riverregionboom.com
Design & Layout Lake House Graphics
Distribution
Network Delivery
Printing
Publications Press, Montgomery, AL 334.244.0436
Please Recycle This Magazine, Share with a Friend!
Jim Watson, Publisher
ould 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 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.
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. Marty was a 30 month survivor and a blessing to many in the breast cancer community. Maria Ashmore is an 8 year survivor and has been providing Hope to the breast cancer community since 2006 when she founded the Women of Hope organization. Take a moment and read her story. She’s an inspirational leader. Because it is Breast Cancer Awareness month we have a few events listed that will take place during October. Please take time and lend your support to some of these activities or maybe you’ll decide you want to volunteer throughout the year. I think you’ll see the blessing in your actions.
The rest of this month’s BOOM! is going to be a fun and interesting read. From Facebook to Happiness to the Grumpy Aging Boomer, we hope to make you think, laugh and discover something new. By the way, we have a few contests worth entering this month. Our golf winner for September is Lawrence Wall of Millbrook, we hope you and your son enjoy knocking it around together! Enjoy all the fall activities and hopefully cooler weather.
Jim
jim@riverregionboom.com 334.324.3472 cell/text
6 BOOM!
October 2010
The River Region’s 50+ Lifestage Magazine
The River Region’s 50+ Lifestage Magazine
October 2010
BOOM!
7
i
This & tHAT
The Vintage Olive
The Vintage Olive is a new store in the Peppertree Shopping Center specializing in the finest Extra Virgin Olive Oils and Aged Balsamic Vinegars available. With over 45 varieties and flavors to choose from, they offer complimentary tasting of all they have to offer every day. The owners, Ed and Carly Gannon have traveled extensively and wanted to bring their love of culture and food, home to Montgomery. There is an entirely new world of ideas to make even everyday food extraordinary. Whether you’re an experienced and knowledgeable cook, or only just beginning, you’ve got to check it out and see how your culinary experience will be transformed. Located next to Peppertree Steaks and Wine. 334.260.3700.
October is Stamp Collecting Month! As kids, many of us collected stamps, so did John Lennon of The Beatles, Freddie Mercury, lead singer of the band Queen, women’s tennis player Maria Sharapova and President Franklin Roosevelt. Stamp collecting has been called ‘the king of hobbies and the hobby of kings’, and is still one of the world’s most popular hobbies. This may be a hobby to take up now or to share with grandkids. Imagine collecting a rare a “airmail” stamp in the age of overnight package delivery! www.stamps.com
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October 2010
Saturday, October 30 at Riverwalk Stadium in Downtown Montgomery. Join us for a day of fun and entertainment for the whole family, a day in which businesses, organizations, schools, groups of friends enjoy a fun competition to see who makes the best chili in Montgomery. In addition to feasting on unlimited amounts of chili, attendees will also enjoy some great musical entertainment or just watch college football on a big screen! Proceeds support the charitable projects of the Montgomery Lions Club. $10 admission. 334.356.1180 pr visit www.montgomerylions.com
Halloween Fun with the Grandkids! ZOO BOO @ The Montgomery ZOO The Montgomery ZOO presents a safe alternative for Halloween. Zoo Boo provides a fun-filled evening of games, treats, costumed characters and the traditional haunted train ride. Dates are Thursday, October 14th through October 17th then Thursday, October 21st through Sunday, October 24th, starting again Thursday, October 28th through Sunday, October 31st, admission charges. 334.240.4900 or visit www.montgomeryzoo.com The River Region’s 50+ Lifestage Magazine
Chocolate Lover’s Dream! Americans are generally aware that calcium is important for bone heath, but the average woman is getting only about two-thirds of what they should. Taking daily supplements can be a chore, but with the launch of the new Adora™ Calcium & Vitamin D Supplement in rich, premium, all-natural chocolate, women now have a tasty, indulgent treat to look forward to – and at only 30 calories per serving. Suggested retail, $7.99-9.99 Find it at your local drug store, pharmacy or natural foods store. For more info visit www.adoracalcium.com. Meet your daily health needs while satisfying your chocolate cravings!
The 2010 Holiday Market will be held October 20-23, 2010 at the Renaissance Montgomery Hotel and Convention Center. Please mark your calendars now! The Holiday Market consists of four shopping days, special events, live entertainment and merchants from across the United States. Merchants at the Holiday Market offer unique gift ideas and holiday trends in a fun, family-friendly atmosphere. Proceeds from the Holiday Market support the various community projects the League supports which help to strengthen women and families in the tri-county area. Prattville Downtown Unlimited is proud to annouce the 2010 Mistletoe Market! Friday, November 5, 9 am to 8 pm Saturday, November 6, 9 am to 5 pm Tickets Available October 1 and may be purchased from any PDU Member or Mistletoe Market Vendor. Tickets are $3.00 in advance and $4.00 at the door ($2.00 age 12 and under).
Don’t miss this chance to begin your Christmas shopping!!
The River Region’s 50+ Lifestage Magazine
Sister Schubert at Dillard’s
Dillard’s at EastChase, will host Sister Schubert, Thursday, October 14th. She will share her story on how she started her business with her famous yeast rolls and she will also be available to sign her cookbook. Great Christmas Gift! Free Admission. 334.244.6442
A Beatles Tribute
with Billy McGuidian. The Troy Arts Council presents an amazing tribute to the Beatles’ music; the audience will actually get to request the songs! Rekindle the spirit of yesterday with the music of the world’s most popular band! Go to the song request table before the show and at intermission! Troy University, Crosby Theatre. 334.670.3593 www. troyartscouncil.com October 14, Thursday 7:30 pm October 2010
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Our Environment - Sustainability
Hampstead Institute Downtown Farm Nationwide and at home in the River Region, the Hampstead Institute is connecting people to each other through education, community building, local food, and sustainable growth. The Hampstead Institute is at the forefront of sustainable community building. Providing concepts and information to inspire vibrant community growth for the future, the Hampstead Institute speaks directly to the industries involved in transforming neighborhoods using efficient and creative design and development techniques. Its latest clarion call: to the businesses and citizens of Montgomery in support of the Hampstead Institute Downtown Farm.
Like its well-established predecessor, Hampstead Farms in East Montgomery, the Hampstead Institute Downtown Farm will be an all-natural community farm that grows, harvests, and sells locally grown, fresh produce throughout Montgomery. Offering learning and community garden beds, u-pick fruits, an orchard and star gazing hill, the farm will be a vibrant and interesting gathering place fostering educa-
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tion, sustainability, tourism and economic development for Montgomery and the River Region. The Downtown Farm site is ideally located on the banks of the Alabama River at the heart of Montgomery’s Downtown Rede-
velopment. A highly visible location seen by everyone entering Montgomery from the interstate, the farm site is also adjacent to the school bus parking area of Overlook Park. This provides a unique opportunity to tap into all school children visiting historic
Though Baby Boomers (born between 1946 and 1964) are often called the “Me Generation,” according to a report from Focalyst they are increasingly focused on both donating their time to causes they believe in and patronizing merchants that promote the environment, Marketing Charts reports.
Nearly 80% of US Boomers (59 million) are willing to volunteer their time for a good cause and 70% feel they have a responsibility to make the world a better place, the “Sharing Their Good Fortune: Boomers and Giving Back” study found. Among Boomers, 18 million (25%) have actually volunteered their time to a charitable organization in the past year (”Volunteer Boomers”) and 20% of the 58 million employed Boomers (12 million) say they will volunteer part-time after they retire. Volunteer Boomers are strongly predisposed to socially conscious shopping attitudes and are significantly more likely to shop green, with 60% saying they buy brands that are environmentally safe. This group also is especially more likely to make purchase decisions that are consistent with giving back to the community, such as supporting local retailers (88%), buying from companies that give back to their communities (67%), and choosing locally produced goods (54%). They are more savvy shoppers than non-volunteers, researching products and services (59%), shopping for better quality (57%), and buying organic (38%).
The River Region’s 50+ Lifestage Magazine
Downtown Montgomery as part of their school curriculum. Imagine the possibilities of engaging young children’s minds as they learn about history and the future through sustainable growth and food production all in Downtown Montgomery! This farm site offers the city an opportunity to transform a disused, neglected piece of land into an social, cultural, and economic attraction for Montgomery. The benefits are endless, the time is now. Education The Hampstead Institute Downtown Farm will offer educational workshops for schools and community groups. A farmer-in-residence and educator-in-residence will be available to teach such topics as sustainable food production, nutrition and healthy living at the 2.7 acre farm. Visitors to the farm will be able to observe the various stages of planting and harvesting, as well as participate in hands-on learning activities. Sustainability Across the River Region, people are becoming more interested in sustainability, and are searching for new ways to incorporate it into their daily lives. The downtown farm will promote sustainability by utilizing natural, replenishable resources and methods in growing food. Local restaurants and individuals will be able to purchase the locally-grown food, meaning there is less waste in transportation and fuel costs from farm-to-table.
The River Region’s 50+ Lifestage Magazine
Tourism The farm will serve as an exciting new stop on the Lighting Route as visitors explore Montgomery, an historic city that is leading the way in new urbanism and SmartCode development in the Southeast. The farm also promises to be a destination of choice for school field trips. Educators from across the River Region and beyond will be invited to bring their students to the Capital City to visit this unique working farm.
Economic Development The farm will support the local economy by providing a unique tourist destination, and advancing sustainable agriculture projects in the River Region. It will add to the quality of life in the River Region, and will be an enticement when attracting new businesses and visitors to the area.
The Hampstead Institute The Hampstead Institute encourages and implements the creation of healthful community features and events, establishes farms and networks to supply fresh, local food, and educates the region about sustainable, responsible growth to make Montgomery a more vibrant community. The Hampstead Institute is a community-based non-profit 501c-3 organization in Montgomery, Alabama.
Mission: Connecting people to each other through education, community building, local food, and sustainable growth.
Vision: Hampstead Institute will be a model for responsible growth and community building through education, community outreach, innovative planning, and sustainable agriculture for those interested in making communities better.
October 2010
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Pink
Cover Profile
Hop e
is the color of...
M a r i a A s hmore Cancer Sur vivor, Sept 27th will be her 8 year “cancer versar y ”! Married to John, 41 years, 4 sons and 3 grandsons, Brayden, Braxton and Colton, an d a grand daughter, Br ynlee, arriving the end of October. Pets: 2 cats, So phie and Purrsia, 1 dog, Annie. Delivers Meals on Wheels and is an active member of Fr azer UMC. Mission of Women of Hope: Promote awareness, provide education and of fer su pport and encouragement to those families facing breast cancer.
Maria and John, her husband and “caregiver” sharing a laugh
Maria Ashmore is a precious gift to the River Region. If you’ve met her you know two things right away, she is wearing pink and she is sharing hope with everyone affected by breast cancer. Her passion to serve breast cancer patients, caregivers and survivors grew out of her own trials and tribulations when she experienced that numb feeling everyone seems to get after hearing “you have breast cancer”. Her experience with this disease and the passion that followed is an inspiration to anyone who has dealt with breast cancer or loved someone who has fought the battle. We asked Maria to appear on our October cover to remind everyone affected by this disease that they are not alone. Maria and the organization she founded, Women of Hope, will be there with support, under-
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standing and compassion; and of course, something the color of pink, because Pink Is the color of Hope and Maria wears it very well. IN HER OWN WORDS In late May 2002, I had my routine yearly mammogram. Although I had and still have fibrocystic breast disease, I was not worried any more than usual. However, when the radiologist said he saw some clusters of calcifications that were suspicious, I panicked. He felt safe in saying that we could wait six months since I had a history of this and he would redo the mammogram at that time. I said, “No, let’s check it now”. Sometimes intuition and “taking charge of your own body” plays a huge part in your medical diagnosis.
I had a biopsy done that day and returned in early June for my results. As my husband, John, and I were waiting for the doctor to walk in, I had a “gut” feeling that this was not going to be good news. The radiologist walked in and immediately said, “You have breast cancer”. I was in shock and numb! We had just lost my mother-in-law eight months before to breast cancer and I immediately thought this was a death sentence. Then he says, “But if you need to have cancer, this is the good kind to have”. Whoever heard of a good cancer? Certainly not me! The big “BC” had just struck me unexpectedly. The tears began to flow. Will I not be here to see my sons marry? Will I not see my grandchildren grow up? What have I left as a legacy for my family? Negative thoughts and questions kept popping up in my head. I could not think much less react. I had a hard time accepting this diagnosis. Since there was no history of breast cancer in my family, I could not understand how it could happen to me. This was something that always happens to other people. Wrong! I was humbled and brought to my knees and realized
The River Region’s 50+ Lifestage Magazine
that I am not the one in control of my life. God is! It took me several days to “digest” the fact of having breast cancer. I could not think clearly nor function in my normal manner. I became depressed and inundated with so many decisions, from several doctor’s appointments to surgical procedures and treatments. It all happened so quickly that I had no time to really “glue” myself together. I immediately told the doctor just to remove my entire breast if it would be the best option. I wanted to live! Dr. Helen Krontiras, my breast surgeon, recommended a lumpectomy with radiation treatments as the best and most promising breast conserving treatment. I went to Birmingham in July and had outpatient surgery with a sentinel node biopsy, a procedure to determine if or to what extent the lymph nodes are involved. I anxiously and fearfully awaited the results for a week. When Dr. Krontiras herself phoned me, I knew something was not right. They did not “get it all”; the margins were not clean. I went back for a second lumpectomy a week later to remove more tissue and cells from the area. This time the results indicated clear margins. After several weeks to heal from the surgeries, in August I began my radiation treatments, five days a week for almost eight weeks. I thought that there was nothing to this; it actually took longer to undress and dress than it did to undergo the radiation treatment itself. But, WHAM! After about five weeks of the radiation accumulating in my body, I became very drained and extremely tired. Although I did continue to work as much as possible, the frustration of not being able to function normally was overwhelming. Our first grandson was due in September and that kept me focused on life and living each day to the fullest. I began reading personal stories of breast cancer survivors – some made me laugh, others
The River Region’s 50+ Lifestage Magazine
made me cry, but they were all inspiring and healing. I began to heal as I faced the fact that this was a battle I was going to win.
organization so that other women (and men) can have the support and education that was not available at the time I was diagnosed.
God’s timing was not mine, but I believe now that he put this “speed bump” in my road to first of all make me realize who is in charge and secondly so that I can now help others going through this disease. “BC” no longer means “Breast Cancer” to me but “Been Cured”!
Had it not been for my yearly mammogram I would not be here today! Had it not been for the huge “speed bump” in my life, my dream for Women of Hope would not be a reality! For those of you who have helped make all of this possible, I thank you. To my family and friends, thank you for your prayers, support and patience - I love you all. And to my God, thank you for loving me and giving me wings to rise above the storms of life.
From this experience grew Women of Hope (WOH) - (Women Of Montgomery Embracing and Nurturing Hope Of Prevention and Eradication of breast cancer). Women of Hope was started in the Fall of 2006 – WOH is a foundation to provide education, promote awareness and help those patients and families that are facing breast cancer. HOPE is the assurance that one day we will all be able to live cancer free. I founded this
Remember, it is not the burdens of life that weigh us down; it is how we handle them. “Those who HOPE in the Lord will renew their strength, they will soar on wings like eagles.” Isaiah 40:31.
SUPPORT
Women of Hope offers support group meetings, the 2nd Tuesday of each month, free of charge to any breast cancer patients/survivors, caregivers, family members, friends, or anyone interested in becoming a part of this compassionate journey. WOH support group meets at Frazer United Methodist Church at 5:30 PM in room 8114. Light refreshments are served. We encourage you to bring a friend and join Women of Hope… Women Of Montgomery Embracing and Nurturing Hope Of Prevention and Eradication of breast cancer… as we pledge to give hope, promote healing and advance our community for the cause! Hope is the assurance that one day we will be able to live cancer free. For more information regarding these support group meetings, please contact Women of Hope at 334-220-4599, email womenofhope@charter.net, or visit www.thewomenofhope.org.
MEMBERSHIP
We encourage both women and men to join us. Women of Hope has several membership and volunteer options available. You do not have to be a survivor; just have a passion for “the cause”. Lifetime Member: A person may become a Lifetime Member by making a one-time donation of $100. These members are voting members and are ex-officio members of the Administrative Board of Directors with voice and vote. Supporting Member: A person may become a Supporting Member by paying annual dues of $25.00. Supporting Members are voting members. Member-At-Large: Anyone who volunteers to assist Women of Hope is a Member at Large. These members do not pay dues. These members do not have voting privileges. Volunteers are vital in our efforts to help create the welcoming character of our community.
FINANCIAL GIVING WOMEN of HOPE relies solely on the generosity of private individuals, corporations and foundations. As a 501(C)3 non-profit foundation, all gifts are tax-deductible to the full extent of the law. Send a tax-deductible donation to: WOMEN of HOPE, P. O. Box 241411, Montgomery, AL 36124 Give a gift “in memory” or “in honor” of someone, whether or not they are a participant in WOMEN of HOPE.
October 2010
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Serving Comm u nit y
Breast Cancer Awareness Should Happen Daily ...OCTOBER gets a special focus DO SOMETHING to Support the Breast Cancer Community! Pray in Pink Weekend 2009 was a huge success! Over 90 area houses of worship participated by honoring breast cancer survivors and providing life-saving information about breast cancer to their congregants!
Pray in Pink Weekend 2010 is October 15, 16, and 17!
3rd Annual MIX 103 BCA Fair October 8, 10 am Come join MIX 103 for the 3rd Annual MIX 103 Breast Cancer Awareness Fair brought to you by Baptist Breast Health. Leanne will be there on Friday from 10a - 1p at Huntingdon College on the green for a whole
Pray in Pink is an opportunity for area houses of worship (churches, synagogues,
lot of fun. There will be great
and mosques) to honor breast cancer survivors and to provide life-saving information
vendors on site, a creative and
about breast cancer to their congregants.
best tasting cake contest, great
Participating congregations are encouraged to make the day or weekend a celebration of survivors and co-survivors by hosting a special luncheon for survivors, encouraging attendees to wear pink clothes or by inviting survivors to speak about their experiences. Registration is FREE. We offer Online Registration or download a paper registration form to mail in. Participants will receive FREE informative materials regarding breast cancer detection and treatment that can be passed along to congregants. Materials, along with programming ideas and suggestions, are available online as a free download or in print form at participating Montgomery Public Library branches.
door prizes and more! You can also register for a pink point and shott camera from Captiol Filmworks valued at $200 to be given away on site!
Bingo for Breast Cancer October 15th, 11:30 am – 1 pm, Capitak City Club, Help support breast cancer, enjoy a delicious
Remember, registration is FREE. For more information,
three-course meal and win some
please call 334.284.LIFE (5433) or email prayinpink@joytolife.org.
fun prizes while playing five games of bingo! Come out to this fun luncheon and meet and network
3rd Annual “Cuts for Cure” 2010
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with a great group of ladies while contributing to a great cause. A portion of all proceeds will be donated to the Women of Hope Organization. $25 Admission. Open to non-members. To attend, call or email Phyllis Fenn at 334.834.8920 or Phyllis.fenn@ourclub.com A world with less breast cancer is a world with more birthdays. Join us to make strides and create more birthdays in the Jackson community. Together, we’ll stay well, get well, find cures, and fight back.
© 2010 American Cancer Society, Inc.
benefitting the Joy to Life Foundation Cuts for a Cure is a fun, unique fundraising event that will take place in downtown Montgomery on Monday, October 18., Court Square. Take your pick from services such as haircuts, professional consultations and/ or 15-minute stress-relieving massages from area stylists - all for a minimum donation of just $30! All proceeds for this event will be given to the Joy to Life Foundation to provide mammograms to the medically underserved in 28 Alabama counties.
Making Strides Against Breast Cancer October 9 at 8 a.m. Huntingdon College, Montgomery Learn more at makingstridesmontgomery.org or call 334-288-8543
“Pretty in Pink” October 16th Dillard’s EastChase is having all associates wear pink, a hospitality room with pink refreshments. Women of Hope will be sellng raffel tickets for a $500 Dillards Gift Card. All proceeds go to Women of Hope.
The River Region’s 50+ Lifestage Magazine
Find Hope Make a differenCe reDiscover your faiTh wiTh The frazer family. Dr. Tim Thompson, senior minisTer TradiTional & ConTemporary Worship 8:00, 9:30 & 11:00
m a i n C a m p u s : 6 0 0 0 aT l a n Ta h i g h Way 3 3 4 . 2 7 2 . 8 6 2 2 asbury Campus: 4540 narroW lane road 334-281-8971 The River Region’s 50+ Lifestage Magazine
October 2010 BOOM! 15 www.frazerumc.org | facebook.com/frazerumc
Healthy Hearing
by Dr. Bettie Borton Au.D. bchampion1@aol.com
Constant Ringing in Your Ears? Hearing Aids Offer Hope If it seems like your ears ring constantly, it’s probably not crickets, your imagination or the economy . . . and you’re not alone. You may have tinnitus, an inner ear ailment Dr. Bettie Borton Au. D. that affects between 25 million to 50 million Americans -- with about 12 million people experiencing such severe symptoms it affects their daily lives. The good news is treatment, including hearing aids, can offer relief to some from the persistent ringing, buzzing or humming associated with tinnitus, according to the Better Hearing Institute.
Tinnitus can be intermittent or constant. Causes range from ear infections and exposure to extremely loud noises, to underlying health problems like allergies or heart and blood pressure problems. Often, sufferers are unable to pinpoint the cause of their tinnitus. “Tinnitus can have a direct impact on a person’s emotional well being,” says Dr. Sergei Kochkin, BHI’s executive director. “Not only can their hearing be affected but also their ability to sleep or concentrate.” Kochkin and Dr. Richard Tyler, professor and editor of The Consumer Handbook on Tinnitus (Auricle Ink, 2008), published a survey of 230 hearing health professionals in the United States and Canada. Their survey found that six out of 10 patients reported some tinnitus relief when using hearing aids and two out of 10 reported major relief. The symptoms of tinnitus “influence basic life functions such as socialization and relaxation,” the duo wrote. “In severe cases it can interfere with the individual’s ability to perform adequately on the job, or contribute to psychological disorders such as depression, suicide ideation, posttraumatic stress disorder, anxiety and anger.” Although tinnitus is actually common and can cause major life disruptions, the
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October 2010
number of sufferers who seek treatment for the problem is relatively small. One reason may be that they mistakenly believe their condition is untreatable. Unfortunately, many doctors are also unaware of the latest treatment options, and as a result patients may think they simply have to learn to live with the noise.
“No one should ever ignore persistent tinnitus,” Kochkin says. “Not only is every individual entitled to a chance to regain his or her quality of life, but in rare cases tinnitus also can be a symptom of a more serious health issue that could demand medical intervention. What’s more, nearly everyone with tinnitus has hearing loss as well.” In a recent large-scale survey of the American hearing impaired population, 39 percent (more than 9 million adult Americans) indicated they had not sought help for their hearing loss specifically because they also had tinnitus. “Research shows that untreated hearing loss has its own negative social, psychological, cognitive and health effects on the individual suffering from it,” Kochkin adds. “So those with both untreated tinnitus and untreated hearing loss suffers an even more diminished quality of life than individuals with just tinnitus or just hearing loss alone.” While hearing aids are not a cure for tinnitus, they may be able to help tinnitus patients by: • Improving communication and reducing stress, which makes it easier to cope with the condition. • Amplifying background sounds, which can make tinnitus seem less prominent.
A new type of hearing aid, called the open fit hearing aid, may be particularly useful in alleviating tinnitus. The open fit hearing aid can reduce the effects of the tinnitus ringing sensation while still allowing sounds from the outside to pass into the ear. If you think you have tinnitus have your hearing evaluated by an audi-
ologist and to explore the use of hearing aids to alleviate tinnitus. The American Academy of Otolaryngology (AAO-HNS) and the American Tinnitus Association recommends these additional tips for minimizing the effects of tinnitus on your health: I Avoid exposure to loud sounds and noises. I Get your blood pressure checked. If it is high, get your doctor’s help to control it. I Decrease your intake of salt. Salt impairs blood circulation. I Avoid stimulants such as coffee, tea, cola, and tobacco. I Exercise daily to improve your circulation. I Get adequate rest and avoid fatigue. I Eliminate or reduce some stress in different parts of your life; stress often makes tinnitus worse. I Experiment by eliminating other possible sources of tinnitus aggravation, e.g. artificial sweeteners, sugar, alcohol, prescription or over-the-counter medications. (Do not stop taking medications without consulting with your health care professional about the possible ototoxic impact of your medications.)
To learn more, visit doctorshearingclinic. com or call for an evaluation at (334) 396-1635. Author’s note: Founded in 1973, The Better Hearing Institute (BHI) conducts research and engages in hearing health education with the goal of helping people with hearing loss to benefit from proper treatment.
HEARING IMPAIRED SUPPORT GROUP
The group will meet the second Thurs. of each month at First Methodist Church, 4-6 PM, refreshments and speakers will be provided. Dr. Bettie B. Borton is a licensed audiologist in Alabama, was the first board certified audiologist in Montgomery, and recently served as National Chair of the American Board of Audiology. She and her husband, Dr. Tom Borton, are the only audiologists with ABA certification in the Montgomery area.
The River Region’s 50+ Lifestage Magazine
WINNERS ANNOUNCED October 6th!
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The River Region’s 50+ Lifestage Magazine
The Wine Taste
by Scotty Scott
scotty @ tedthewineguy.com
Does Vintage Matter?
As you can imagine, we get a lot of random questions about wine at the store. One which pops up fairly frequently is whether, or how much, a wine’s vintage matters. In my opinion, the answer to the question is both yes, and somewhat. Wine grapes, just like any other agricultural crop, are at the mercy of many factors: heat, or the lack thereof; rain; wind; hail; a late frost. All of these things can affect the vines and/or grapes throughout the growing season. Cold weather can delay bud break, thus shortening the growing season, and a frost at that point can really nip things in the bud (pun intended). Hail, or cold, wet and windy weather can severely impact the quantity of fruit if it occurs during flowering, and can further wreak havoc by damaging mature grape clusters later in the season. Heat, of course, is good…but only to a point. A hot season leads to very ripe grapes. Very ripe grapes have a lot of sugar in them, and a lot of sugar turns into a lot of alcohol during fermentation. The downside to that is you tend to get a one dimensional wine with little acidity and some bite from the alcohol. Conversely, excess rain late in the season can plump the grapes up, resulting in diluted wine. Or, possibly even worse, mildew and rot. With all of the potential challenges, The River Region’s 50+ Lifestage Magazine
what’s a winemaker to do? “You have to work with what Mother Nature gives you” is the stock answer in the trade. Not so different from any other produce-type farming, really. In any vintage, particular a difficult one, the conscientious winemaker will be in the vineyard making decisions about the management of the leaf canopy, or how many clusters of grapes to leave on each vine, whether to irrigate or not irrigate or have helicopters fly 100 feet over the vineyard to let the downdraft blow rain off the grapes or any of a hundred other things to get the best out of the vineyard at harvest.
“Appreciation of Wine” TASTING CONTEST Win a 4 Bottle Wine Tasting Kit From
The Effect of Oak on White Wine. Wines will be: Mauritson Sauvignon Blanc Groth Sauvignon Blanc Four Vines Naked Chardonnay Saintsbury Carneros Chardonnay
Must be age 50+ and willing to admit it All entries must register in store Winner will be announced October 29th
Riverwalk Wine Festival Tickets Available
Notice I said the best out of the vineyard, not the most. Let’s say I’m a winery owner/winemaker and my name is on every bottle of wine I make. In a really good vintage I can put out about 5,000 cases of really good quality wine. If I care about my reputation at all, there’s no way I’m going to try to get the same production out of a tough vintage. I’ll be super picky about the fruit, saving only the very best for my wine and then sell off the rest on the bulk market. Maybe I only get 3,000 cases of Chateau Scott produced that year, but my brand and reputation (which is me!) is intact. Any winery can make good wine when everything goes right. The ones to keep your eye on are those that have the integrity to do the right thing in a bad situation. Until next time, Scotty Scott Wine Guy
Scotty Scott is a local wine consultant and co-owner of Ted “The Wine Guy” & Co. He welcomes your wine questions at scotty @ tedthewineguy.com
October 2010
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Over 50 and...
By Mike Swift
‘friending’ on Facebook
Just a few short years ago,
Facebook was the exclusive province of postmillennial college undergraduates. Well, move over. The Woodstock generation and their parents _ are moving in.
The phenomenal growth of Facebook, Twitter and other social sites in the past year has come in part because of a surge in adoption by older members, with a national poll released Friday providing a surprising new measure for how fast baby boomers and seniors are adopting online social networks to bridge generations and geography. The survey by the Pew Research Center’s Internet & American Life Project shows that the share of Americans older than 50 using social networks doubled in the past year, with a virtual majority of baby boomers, and about one-quarter of the nation’s seniors, now using the sites to stay in touch or reconnect with long-lost friends. Take 71-year-old Pat Brandse, of Palo Alto, Calif., whose 42-year-old daughter turned her onto Facebook about six months ago to help Brandse stay in touch with grandchildren and other relatives scattered in California, Oregon, Colorado and the Netherlands. “I enjoy it,” Brandse said recently of Facebook. “I know how to open everything, but I don’t know how to put up my own pictures yet.”
In April 2009, just 22 percent of Americans 50 and older were using sites such as Facebook, MySpace or LinkedIn, according to the Pew study. But by May of this year, 42 percent of Americans 50 and older were logging onto social networks. A near majority _ 47 percent _ of people from the age of 50 to 64 are now using social websites, with 61 percent of people in their 30s and
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40s, a group that includes the youngest cohort of baby boomers, belonging to Facebook or other networks. While a near-universal 86 percent of people age 18 to 29 regularly use social networks, the new survey says the share of people in their 50s, 60s and older are joining up at a much faster rate. Whereas the share of Americans 18 to 29 who belong to social networks grew by 13 percent in the past year, the share of people age 50 to 64 who use those services grew by 88 percent, Pew said. Facebook, a service that launched in 2004 for undergraduates at a few elite universities, may turn out to be a
unique way to bridge the generation gap, said Mary Madden, author of the Pew report. She said social networks are one of the very few places _ either online or offline _ where parents, teenagers, grandparents, friends and neighbors regularly communicate. “I think just having a shared understanding of how these spaces function, and the role they play in younger people’s lives, I think that can be a pretty powerful conversion starter,” said Madden, a senior research specialist for Pew. “Certainly, older adults have a very long way to go to catch up to young adults, and e-mail is still at the center of their daily communication patterns, but I do think that the trickleup effect of younger relatives (bringing in older members) is quite powerful.” Still, not everyone wants to accept a “friend” request from Mom, Dad or Grandma.
Betting that college-aged users want a social network like the original Facebook, where parents and potential employers are locked out, New York-based entrepreneur Josh Weinstein in August launched CollegeOnly.com, a social network limited to people with a .edu e-mail address. Initially, the site is serving students at Yale, Cornell and Weinstein’s alma mater, Princeton, but the network has been besieged by requests
The River Region’s 50+ Lifestage Magazine
from students as far away as Norway, Brazil and Japan to join. Weinstein said CollegeOnly, whose investors include PayPal co-founder Peter Thiel, hopes to soon extend its membership to West Coast schools such as Stanford and the University of Southern California. “The original use for Facebook was really a place for students to connect and share and interact with friends,” he said in a recent interview. But with Facebook now so universal that it’s “sort of like the telephone book,” college-aged users “also want an ad-
ditional place to interact with other students, without parents and potential employers” looking in. While the Pew report found that social network use among seniors 65 and older doubled in the past year, not everyone is jumping aboard.
“If I want to talk to people, I pick up the phone or I go visit them,” said Bob Nikkola, 66, who owns a Palo Alto printing company. “Facebook seems like such a silly thing.”
Scottie Brooks, 75, a retired mathematician from Woodside, Calif., who worked on the Apollo missions to the moon, said that after 40 years working with computers, she’s moved onto other things. “I just don’t want to add that one more thing that keeps me sitting down,” she B said. M ___ (c) 2010, San Jose Mercury News (San Jose, Calif.).Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services.
Would your grandchildren friend you?
By Kathy Satterfield When Nancy Briggs’s 12-year-old granddaughter, Abby, invited her to become “friends” on Facebook, the popular social-networking website, she gladly accepted. Seven months later, Briggs, 66, who lives in rural Kansas, has 44 friends of her own on the site. But none are more special than Abby, who lives thousands of miles away. Facebook helps her keep up with the tween in a new way. “I tried e-mails,” Briggs says, “but they were infrequent and had a tone of ‘Here’s a note to Grandma’ _ telling me what I would want to hear.” Facebook offers her a window onto her granddaughter’s world. She can learn who Abby’s close friends are and see photos of them. She can see the news the girl exchanges with her peers and get an unfiltered sense of what matters in her life.
MORE WAYS TO CONNECT
Some grandparents prefer traditional modes of contact, but in an increasingly mobile world, in which tweens and teens have evolved past phones to communicate with one another via text messages and Facebook “status updates,” it may be hard to keep up with the kids any other way _ especially in families separated by great distances. That’s Briggs’s status. “If you define old-fashioned relationships as hands-on, face-to-face, then I would say our very mobile society has taken that opportunity away for many grandparents,” she says. “We have to grab on to whatever is offered.”
MEET THE FACEBOOK GENERATION
Facebook is no fad. Mark Zuckerberg, now 25, founded the site when he was a freshman at Harvard, as a virtual space for his classmates to connect. But it has grown far beyond his alma mater’s walls. Today Facebook claims 200 million active users around the world, more than half of whom visit the site at least once a day. The fastest-growing group of users is adults older than 35. Overall, the Pew Internet & American Life Project reports, the number of adult Internet users with profiles on at least one social-networking site has more than quadrupled since 2005. Social-networking sites are changing the way we interact with one another, and with our kids and grandkids. Traditionally, “our cultural networks (are) age-related,” says Amanda Lenhart, senior research specialist for the Pew project. But the internet is changing that model. Today, different generations mix and mingle online in ways they never would in the public square: Sixtysomethings share Facebook “Wall” space with 16-year-olds; teens and tweens take responsibility for “tagging” photos of their grandparents’ anniversary party for the whole family to see.
WHEN SOCIAL WORLDS COLLIDE
These interactions, however, come with some pitfalls. Nancy Foote, 50, a grandmother of seven in Gilbert, Ariz., has “friended” her children and some of her former students, and says, “I hope that when my grandkids have Facebook _ the oldest is 8 _ they will be friends with me.” But while she appreciates the opportunity to check in with loved ones online, she says, “Sometimes I find out things I would rather not know.” There’s a good reason the old model of kids running in separate social circles from their parents and grandparents has persisted for so long. As former President George W. Bush once said, “When I was young and irresponsible, I was young and irresponsible.” Most grandkids are no different. But ever-present cell phone cameras and widely available Facebook pages have made public spectacles of what were once private moments of indiscretion. Parents, teachers, and college admission and employment specialists strive to convince young people to watch what they do and keep embarrassing party pictures off the internet. Foote says she’s concerned about some off-color language she’s seen on her granddaughter’s page, as well as stories that she’d put in the too-much-information file. Parents and grandparents who seek out their kids online must be prepared for the good and the bad. “We behave differently (with family) on Thanksgiving than when we’re hanging out at a friend’s house,” Lenhart says, although when kids know that their grandparents are watching, they’re more likely to edit what they post online.
TO FRIEND OR NOT TO FRIEND?
The tumultuous tween years are marked by struggles, as kids strive to find an independent identity. To keep that process private, some kids won’t want to be Facebook “friends” with parents or grandparents. It’s not necessarily that they have something to hide. “This is as much about the privacy to grow as it is the potential to share,” says Chris Brogan, president of the social-media agency New Marketing Labs. Parents and grandparents should also resist the urge to “call out” kids on Facebook pages for all their friends to see. Remember, he says, that connecting with a tween on Facebook “puts that relationship on display for the child’s larger Facebook friendship base.” What’s the right approach for a grandparent? Briggs suggests learning about Facebook, then talking with your grandchildren (the old-fashioned way) about whether they’d be comfortable becoming virtual friends. If they say no, don’t take it personally; everyone needs their own space. But if a grandchild invites you online, Briggs says, “jump right in!”
The River Region’s 50+ Lifestage Magazine
October 2010
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A Treasure Trove of Live Concert Recordings By Pete Basofin
It’s Getting to be cool season. A good time for data guys to kick back and enjoy some of the terrific music available on the Web. You probably know about free streaming services like Pandora (www.pandora.com), Live365 (www.live365.com) and AccuRadio (www.accuradio.com) that let you listen to specific genres and customize your own channels of music. But I bet you don’t know about Wolfgang’s Vault (www.wolfgangsvault.com), a site that specializes in recordings of live concerts from the past, mostly from the 60s and 70s.
This growing collection includes classic performances of top bands from a variety of genres. It’s a real trip down memory lane. Here are just a few of the great featured musicians:
Rock: The Rolling Stones, Fleetwood Mac, Bruce Springsteen, The Grateful Dead Folk: Joan Baez, Bob Dylan, James Taylor, Gordon Lightfoot, Leonard Cohen Country: Merel Haggard, The Oak Ridge Boys, Jimmy Webb, Dolly Parton Jazz: Miles Davis, Count Basie, Dave Brubeck, Louis Armstrong, Oscar Peterson Blues: Willie Dixon, John Mayall, Bonnie Raitt, Buddy Guy, Stevie Ray Vaughn R&B: Booker T., Tina Turner, The Pointer Sisters, Ray Charles, Earth, Wind & Fire
The recordings are searchable by band, venue, genre and time period. In addition to free audio streaming of classic concerts, Wolfgang’s Vault also sells downloads of the music as well as posters and photography. There’s an iPhone app, too. (c) 2010, The Sacramento Bee (Sacramento, Calif.). Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services.
The Boomer Market is Too Big to Ignore, How Will You Seize the Opportunity?
september 25 – OctOber 16, 2010 www.asf.net | 800.841.4273
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October 2010
twitter.com/alabamashakes
facebook.com/alabamashakes The River Region’s 50+ Lifestage Magazine
Harriott II
Enter Today!
Bike Night IRON BOWL Day Benefit Ride Game PACKAGE CONTEST to raise funds for Cpl. David Brown’s family
Harriott II Bike Night, Thursday, October 21st, will be a Benefit Ride to raise funds for Cpl. David Brown’s family. We are planning the route and will have police escorts from the start all the way through the tunnel and into the Amphitheater. We are anticipating 100’s of riders and are inviting anybody who would like to participate to contact Michelle Wells at 625-2125 or 354-6041. We are also soliciting Corporate donations as well. All funds raised will be deposited into the Cpl. David Brown’s Trust Account at River Region Bank. We will have all of the bikes displayed throughout the Amphitheater and will board the Harriott II at 6:30p.m. and cruise from 7:30p.m. until 9:00p.m. Tickets for the cruise are just $10 and include heavy hors d’oeuvres and live music .
Autauga County Family Support Center
contest is a fundraiser for the Family Sup-
port Center and other members of the Ala-
bama Network of Family Resource Centers. Contest participants make a $10 donation
to the Family Support Center, with each $10 gift, the donor is entered into a drawing
on November 18. The winner receives two
prime tickets to the Alabama-Auburn game in Tuscaloosa on November 26, plus $100 spending money!
Entry forms available at FSC, 113 W. Main
St., Prattville next to City Hall. For more information, call 334-361-4703 or 334-5585941 email darrue.fank@acfsc.org.
BOOM! Magazine Delivers the Boomer Market Take advantage of this new opportunity, contact Jim Watson, 334.324.3472 jim@riverregionboom.com
The River Region’s 50+ Lifestage Magazine
October 2010
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Sports-Exercise
Boomer Workout: Don’t Lose Your Shoulders I go to a nearby gym to work out late in the evening, because there are so few people there that late. That means I can choose any machine or any free weights without having to wait for someone else to finish using it. And, I don’t get annoying looks of shock from younger gym members who can’t believe a boomer-aged woman is doing bench presses. Going to the gym two or three times a week is perfect for boomers; muscles have time to recover between workouts. But workouts also need to be planned and personalized for the results needed by your body. I learned this lesson once again after using one of my favorite machines; the weight assisted pull-up.
The pull-up is a basic and essential exercise, a totally efficient way to work the arms, chest, upper back, sides and rotator cuff muscles. But for boomers, using a weight-assisted version has another effect that’s even more important than building muscle: the pull-up keeps your shoulder joint flexible, functional and healthy. Boomers who don’t make an effort to exercise the upper body will lose some shoulder function. Worse, whatever is lost is extremely hard to ever regain.
By Wina Sturgeon
Here’s why: the shoulder joint is the most mobile in the entire human body. The arm rotates in almost every possible range of motion. The arm is held in place by a complicated arrangement of muscles and their tendons (the white tissue at each end of a muscle), plus the ligaments (more white tissue) that attach the bones together. The thing about white tissue is that it’s made up of rubbery fibers
Call 262.7553
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October 2010
The River Region’s 50+ Lifestage Magazine
that tend to contract if not used. If the shoulder joint isn’t exercised regularly, the muscles, tendons and ligaments will get shorter. Eventually, they will contract so much that your shoulders will get stiff, it will be painful and difficult to move your arms. Of course, we’ve all heard the phrase “use it or lose it,” but think about how little we use our shoulders. We put our hand to our ear to use a phone, we lower our hands to type on a keyboard. But we boomers rarely reach up or out, we rarely stretch those joint tissues. So our shoulders get stiffer and more painful to use. I learned how tight my own tissues were after using the pull-up machine. I had allowed myself to hang from the bar between each pull-up, and I could feel the tightness in my shoulder slowly relaxing. But the day after that terrificstretch session, most of my upper body muscles were sore. It was the kind of soreness that comes when muscles have been worked in new ranges of motion.
I mentioned this to a friend who is a personal trainer. He said that stretching out and using the shoulder joint is the best way to keep your arm’s range of motion as you get older, so that you’re never forced into the stiffshouldered arm movements made mostly from the elbow rather than at the shoulder. Those fussy little movements are a sign and a symptom of age. If you can’t work your shoulders at the gym, lay on the floor at home and stretch your arms up overhead. Make “carpet angels.” Put your hands on your chest and move your elbows up and down like flapping wings. Work your shoulders, and you’ll have the full use of your arms for the rest of your life.
Wina Sturgeon is an active boomer based in Salt Lake City who mountain bikes, rides BMX, skates on both ice blades and wheels, lifts weights and gardens to stay in shape.
(c) 2010, Adventure Sports Weekly (adventuresportsweekly.com) Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services.
The River Region’s 50+ Lifestage Magazine
October 2010
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Book Review
‘Taking Antidepressants’
By Patricia Gale
Many people believe that once you start taking antidepressants, you have to take them for life. After all, if they “correct” a chemical imbalance in your brain, it logically follows that stopping the medication will only deliver you back to your original mood-imbalanced state, right?
Wrong! New scientific research shows that, when prescribed correctly, antidepressants not only relieve symptoms of depression, but they can actually reverse the underlying conditions in the brain that are causing the mood disorder _ particularly when the depression is diagnosed and treated early. This is one of the many myth-busting facts in a comprehensive new resource by noted psychiatrist Dr. Michael Banov called “Taking Antidepressants: Your Comprehensive Guide to Starting, Staying On, and Safely Quitting” (Sunrise River Press, $16.95).
Depression is a mental health condition that affects nearly 19 million Americans over the age of 18 every year _ and antidepressants used to treat it are the most prescribed medications today. Yet myths and misunderstandings still abound about depression, antidepressants and other treatments that have been shown to help. “Taking Antidepressants” is a one-stop resource that offers the most reliable, balanced and current information to date about depression and the newest, most effective ways to manage it. Banov explains the causes and symptoms of depression and the full range of medications and nonmedical treatments for the condition _ including the new trend of using multiple medications to treat depression, and brandnew FDA-approved medicines that can augment your current antidepressant.
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Banov discusses what to do if you’re not fully responding, how to know when you need another medicine and whether it’s safe to switch. Finally, he delves into a little discussed topic: stopping antidepressants safely. Do a selftest that helps you determine if you’re a good candidate for tapering off medications, and discover right and wrong reasons to stop antidepressants, how to safely taper off and how to manage challenges posed by your taper schedule and coming off multiple psychiatric medications.
Readers also learn: _ How to know if you have clinical depression or are just suffering symptoms due to stressful life events _ How depression can be reversed if diagnosed and treated early _ Top myths and facts about antidepressants _ Where to seek help _ and how to find the right health care professional _ Ways to help you and your doctor decide which medicine to try _ Common side effects of antidepressant drugs and how to deal with them _ How _ and whether _ to tell your boss and coworkers you’re being treated for depression _ How depression affects your overall health _ and which medications and
medical conditions can worsen depression _ What to do if antidepressants don’t seem to help _ How to safely stop and stay medication free
Far from being a dry medical reference, “Taking Antidepressants” presents the latest facts about managing depression through the stories of four people we come to know and relate to, each suffering from some type of depression but whose attitudes and treatment choices differ widely. We learn that there’s no one-size-fits-all approach for this complex mental health condition. A resource section at the end of the book includes helpful tools, such as a self-test for bipolar disorder, one for depression, a mood diary template and a selfassessment to see if you’re ready to taper off antidepressants. “Taking Antidepressants” is an invaluable reference for patients, family members, caregivers and health care professionals who want the latest research-based information about antidepressant therapy. Banov neither promotes nor discourages the use of antidepressant medication, but gives the facts so individuals can determine a course that’s best for them. Banov is a Harvard-trained, triple board-certified adult, adolescent and addiction psychiatrist who specializes in depression and other mood disorders. You can find out more about him at www.takingantidepressants.com. (c) 2010, Basil & Spice Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services.
The River Region’s 50+ Lifestage Magazine
Embrace Your Health
Happiness: A Feeling I love
By Dennis E. Coates
During the first half of my life, I spent a Another important thing I’ve learned is lot of time pondering the large questhat what makes me feel happy is when tions, such as: I get something I want or need. It’s a “Where did all this come from?” feeling of satisfaction or fulfillment. “Why am I here?” The more good things that happen to “What is the meaning of life?” me, the happier I feel. “What is happiness?” Some other conclusions about happiAs to the first question, I no longer exness: pect an answer. I am content to simply 1. I can make things happen that gaze upon the universe in awe and to please me or fulfill me. As the saying consider any goes, “Good new informadays don’t tion that comes I think the door to feeling happy opens just happen, wide when I value the good things... from those you make who make it them haptheir business pen.” to study the universe. As to the other questions, there are 2. It’s up to me to feel pleased or hundreds of answers to choose from, fulfilled. Something good might hapso each individual needs to decide for pen, but I might not appreciate how himself. And by now, I have. wonderful it is, which would prevent me from feeling elated about it. I might My favorite book on happiness is by fail to notice it or I might perceive it as a colleague of mine, Marty Seligman, ordinary or negative. In other words, one of the wisest people I’ve ever met. I need the right attitude. What I think A former president of the American about what is happening is crucial. Psychological Association, he’s been In my neighborhood, we have a family called “the father of positive psycholoof roadrunners, some of the coolest gy.” In his book, “Authentic Happiness,” birds in the world. If I see them cross he says, “Authentic happiness comes the street, I could appreciate their from identifying and cultivating your uniqueness and beauty and it will help most fundamental strengths and using make my day. Or I could think ho-hum them every day in work, love, play, and and just look away. parenting.” 3. When I’m depressed, which is I’m sure that’s true. But that’s a little rare, it’s hard to feel happy. When lofty for me. I like my answers to be I’ve suffered a big loss or am dealing something a little more down-to-earth. with a major crisis, it’s as if the scales An important insight for me is that are tipped on the side of unhappiness. happiness isn’t something I achieve. Of course, there’s a difference between There’s no journey that moves towards psychological depression, which passes and finally arrives at a state of being when the loss or issues are worked called happiness. out, and chronic depression, which is caused by an imbalance of neurotransInstead, it’s a feeling I sometimes have. mitters _ brain chemicals. For people At any given moment on any given day, who suffer from chronic depression, I can feel happy. And I just love it when drugs are their only hope. With the that happens. I’ll take another portion right cocktail and a positive attitude, of that, please. they can make good days happen again.
The River Region’s 50+ Lifestage Magazine
4. What produces happiness is different with each person. What quacks my duck? Stuff like this...
_ SCUBA diving _ being underwater with the fishies. _ All forms of nature, including rain, clouds, the night sky, birds, etc. The whole bit. _ Having success in my business. _ Being with friends and family. _ The Duke men’s basketball winning a game on any given night. _ Lying in my wife’s arms. _ Eating any food she has cooked for me. _ Reading a good book and learning something new. _ Watching a well-made movie that reveals something about life. _ Being productive _ getting a lot of things done in a day. _ Health _ no serious illness, ailment or injury. And the health of the people I care about. _ A lack of financial problems. _ Being at home with my wife, my cats and my stuff. _ Having a good workout at my gym, especially if I get to swim laps.
And probably hundreds of other things. Things that tip the scales to the side of feeling glad, satisfied and fulfilled. The bottom line to this is that making a good day happen isn’t always so easy. To tip those scales to the positive side, I have to work at it. But I think the door to feeling happy opens wide when I value the good things, when I show up for the miracle and appreciate that it’s a miracle when it happens. Dennis E. Coates, Ph.D., is co-founder and CEO of Performance Support Systems, Inc. He is the author of 20/20 Insight Gold, an award-winning, versatile online feedback survey platform, and ProStar, an online learning reinforcement and self-development system. You’ll find him online at www.buildingpersonalstrength.com. Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services.
October 2010
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OCTOBER 2010
{12 Things} for active boomers and beyond
PRATTVILLE
MONTGOMERY
Navistar LPGA Classic October 6 - 10
Haunted Hearse Tours October 1-31, 7 pm-MID
The opportunity to see professional golf-
Come along with us on a ride through Mont-
ers is a rare one indeed and that’s why the
Navistar LPGA Classic is a great opportunity for River Region golfers to come out and see
Charles Walker and the Dynamites
what a pro can do. Some of the world’s best
gomery’s dark history. You will visit places of those souls who according to legend
won’t or can’t rest. Listen to our ghostly
tales of events, some long past, that hap-
women golfers will demonstrate their skills
pened along the quiet streets of the Capitol
ville is beautiful this time of year too.
a licensed taxi, but not like any other cab
in one of the seasons remaining tourna-
City. You will tour Montgomery’s most
ments. Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail, Pratt-
macabre locations in a real hearse. She is
www.navistarlpgaclassic.com
you’ve encountered. She has been modified to accommodate 6 living passengers.
MONTGOMERY
Alabama National Fair October 8 - 17
334.514.4457
Lagoon Golf Championship
www.hauntedhearsemgm.com
MONTGOMERY
“Thrills, Squeals, and Ferris Wheels…It’s
Fair-tastic” is the theme for the 57th Ala-
1st Annual Riverwalk Wine Festival October 9th, Saturday 12 – 4 pm
Frontier Show, Welde’s Big Bear Show, and
Festival, Saturday, October 9th from 12p-4p
bama National Fair. New outdoor entertainment will include the Great American
Don’t miss our first annual Riverwalk Wine
Robinson’s Racing Pigs and Paddling Pork-
in the Riverwalk Amphitheater. Ticket hold-
ers. There are many competitive divisions for youth and adults to participate in such as livestock, baking, needlework, quilting,
photography, art, and many other competitions. The Fair will open with our third an-
nual Salute to America’s Veterans on Friday night. This year we are honoring our Korean War Veterans. Performing on stage during
the ten days of the Fair will be Blake Shelton, Kenny “Babyface” Edmonds, Fusion, Wayne Mills Band, and The Charlie Daniels Band. 334.272.6831
www.alnationalfair.com
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October 2010
ers will receive a very nice wine goblet etched Objects of Wonder
with our logo and an opportunity to sample
100 different wines from all over the world. Afterwards we will set sail for our Harriott
II Wine Cruise from 5p-6:30p featuring wine tasting, light Hors d’oeuvres and live music.
Tickets for the cruise are just $10 with a Festival armband. Buy tickets at Ted the Wine Guy & Co., Online Now at E-tix, RSVP Mont-
gomery, Riverfront Facilities, Derk’s Filet & Vine, Peppertree Steaks & Wine.
www.riverwalkwinefestival.com
The River Region’s 50+ Lifestage Magazine
ECLECTIC
HOGANSVILLE
MONTGOMERY
Alabama Cotton Festival Saturday, October 9
13th Annual Hummingbird Festival October 16-17
Tavern Fest Friday, October 22, 6 pm
The Eclectic Cotton Festival is a day filled
Historic downtown Hogansville, Georgia.
Join us for a night of music, beer, cheese and
Cotton Pageant, a silent auction, pet parade,
concerts and entertainment.
with family fun activities. Come out and en-
joy live music throughout the day, the Miss games, pie eating contests, antique car show, Rook Tournament, pony rides, face painting, vendors, and much, much more.
Food, arts & crafts, art exhibit and demon-
strations, children’s rides and activities,
wine tastings in the streets of historic Mont-
gomery. Tavern Fest takes place in front of Lucas Tavern, Hull Street, which is the old-
www.hummingbirdfestival.com
est building in downtown Montgomery.
MONTGOMERY
PIKE ROAD
706.637.9497
334.240.4500
wwwoldalabamatown.com
334.541.3581
www.starsofalabama.org
MONTGOMERY
Montgomery Ballet Carmina Burana October 16, Thursday 7 pm, Carmina Burana, a collaboration with the
Montgomery Chorale is Saturday, October 16th
at the Davis Theatre. This unique and exciting performance will feature 60 singers, 27 professional dancers, and several instruments. Tickets can be purchased through the Montgomery Ballet office at 334.409.0522 or the
Davis Theatre the day of the performance
Di “Vine” Lunch October 21
Enjoy a sampling from the Café’s signature wine list and the day’s lunch special
Come for the shopping or come for the food!
friends and partake in the Museum’s lat-
sandwiches and fried chicken will keep you
as you soak in the one-of-a-kind view. What a great opportunity to gather your est tradition of good food and drink. Reservations are recommended. 334.240.4338
DOTHAN
www.montgomery.troy.edu/davistheatre
National Peanut Festival October 29 – November 7
MONTGOMERY
Approximately half of the peanuts grown in
Dillard’s Be Dazzled! Saturday, October 9th, 9 am - 4 pm Worksops and Fun! “Safety tips for the Holidays”; New styles and trends for Alex Marie; “Healthy Holiday Eating”; Learn about Dior make up and the new holiday colors; How to wear your Nurture wardrobe; “How to stay fit during the holidays”; The benefits of having a massage; “Home Holiday Decorating Ideas”; Dr. Strickland “Breast Cancer Awareness” ---Importance of mammograms and self breast examinations, All workshops held on 2nd floor, last 30 minutes. Dreamland BBQ will have lunch plates, $10. $35.00 gift card (use that day) will reserve your spot and get you registered for all the door prizes call 2446442 to purchase your gift card, reserve your lunch plate or for more information
The River Region’s 50+ Lifestage Magazine
Pike Road Arts & Crafts Fair Saturday, Novemebr 6th, 9 am - 4 pm Marks House, Pike Road, Alabama
the United States are grown within a 100-
mile radius of Dothan, Alabama. The National Peanut Festival -- the nation’s largest
peanut festival -- is held each fall to honor
peanut growers and to celebrate the harvest season. The fairgrounds are located on
Highway 231 South -- just three miles south of the Ross Clark Circle. The festivities include numerous fun-filled family events,
such as amusement rides, animal acts, agricultural displays, live music concerts, beauty pageants, arts & crafts displays, contests,
food, a two-hour parade, of course, tons of peanuts!
334.793.4323
www.nationalpeanutfestival.com
Delicious pulled pork BBQ sandwiches,
homemade chicken salad and pimento cheese from getting hungry while you shop. Enjoy
homemade goodies from the Sweet Shop inside the Marks House. And don’t forget to pick up a dozen melt-in-your-mouth Mocha
Cakes - Pike Road’s signature bite size sweet treat. There are also special activities for the children too – face painting, a tour of the Pike
Road Fire Department’s Mobile Fire Safety House and free “make and take” crafts will be provided by Home Depot. www.pikeroadfair.org
MONTGOMERY
Jule Collins Smith Museum of Fine Art Open Year Round A unique art museum located at 901 South College St in Auburn, AL Currently there are
exhibits from As Above, So Below: Recent Works by Scherer & Ouporov until November 27, 2010; Old Master Drawings from the
John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art and Audubon’s Final Achievement: The Vivipa-
rous Quadrupeds of North America Version II. 334.844.1484
www.jcsm.auburn.edu
Please submit any events/pictures to jim@riverregionboom.com October 2010
BOOM!
29
Grumpy Aging Boomer by Alisa Singer
To Fill or Not To Fill, That is the Question Here’s the diagnosis: loss of volume, not (regrettably) from the hips, but from the cheeks and “marionette” area. Portions of my face are not only wrinkling, they are magically disappearing. Recommended treatment: injectable fillers (something like grout I’m guessing). Also, the deep lines across my forehead are threatening to converge into a superhighway. They will need to be paralyzed with bacterial toxins or, at the very least, stunned silly.
What now – undergo the pain and expense of a cosmetic procedure at this stage in my life? This is not necessarily the classic futile quest for eternal youth and beauty (at least I don’t think so.) My aspirations are rather humble; mainly, I don’t want to look older than I am. (I also don’t want to look older than my mother, who for the last 15 years has been making ample use of the free services of her son-in-law the dermatologist. At 82 her skin is smooth as glass.) And I don’t want to look older than my friends, to be the one looking across from them at lunch thinking: “Didn’t we use to be the same age?”. And yet, if I could avoid this ordeal I would. But it would take a blood covenant of all of my friends to refrain as well. It turns out the critical pledge about growing old together isn’t the one between husband and wife (my husband claims he’s happy with me just as I am and I choose to believe him). It’s the one between the girlfriends that counts. And I don’t trust them - I’ve known them long enough to know better.
They’ll talk about aging gracefully, the need to celebrate each smile line on our face. You know, so many wonderful memories…blah, blah, blah. But I can predict what will happen. Like the big Wall Street firms touting investments in one branch and shorting them in the other, I’ll go grey and wrinkled while they discreetly slip off to their plastic surgeons. Conferring with a bevy of fancy beauty consultants they will soon
30 BOOM!
October 2010
My Recurring Dream...
I am at a surgi-center which apparently doubles as a fancy restaurant. The doctor/waiter, bends forward politely to take my order: Doctor: What will you have madam? Me: Oh, I’ll start with just a little ”lift “ please. Doctor: Would that be a face lift, neck lift, brow lift, breast lift, or butt lift? Me: Let’s make it a face lift, please, and a little something for the wrinkles. Doctor: Very good ma’m. For wrinkles, today we are featuring botox, laser resurfacing, or injectable fillers. Me: Uh, what would you recommend? Doctor: Many of our customers seem to like the fillers. They’re a specialty of the clinic. Me: Well, the fillers by all means. Sounds …uhh ... filling. Doctor: Excellent decision madam. Would you like synthetic, human, bovine or perhaps something with just a dash of rooster combs? Or, possibly, you’d prefer just transferring a few fat cells from your abdominal area?…. A few minutes later he returns holding a shiny dish with a silver cover. With a dramatic flourish he removes the top to reveal a platter filled with needles and vials. I murmur and smile approvingly. The busboys gently place a showercap over my hair and lay me down upon a rolling serving table, along side an assortment of appealing desserts, and wheel me away. Hours later I awake to discover I have been given Keira Knightley’s face. It is unclear whether this is an extra one she keeps lying around or if, young Ms. Knightley is now walking around with long, deep crevices running across her forehead and a notable loss of volume in the marionette area.
learn the difference between dermabrasion and dermaplaning and be capable of locating their nasolabial folds and glabellar lines blindfolded. To me just figuring out what kind of cosmetic procedure I want seems as intimidating as ordering a gourmet meal off a menu written in a foreign language.
And then there’s the pain (discomfort is the euphemism) and bruising. The need to use precious work vacation time to hide like an injured animal for days (perhaps weeks) after each treatment until the self-inflicted wounds can be adequately concealed by makeup. And then there’s the cost, once every 4 to 12 months at around $750 a pop, maybe $1500 or so a year. And for how long? Presumably forever, or until I let myself go, whichever shall first occur. If I keep it up for ten years that’s a $15,000+ investment in the infrastructure of my face. Can it possibly be justified? I mean, you don’t get it back on resale.
In my own agony of indecision I’ve become obsessed with looking at every woman I come across that appears to
be around my age. Does she or doesn’t she? Did she lift, suck, peel, fill, or are we talking just a bit of botox? And though I’d love to take a magnifying glass to my friends’ foreheads, prohibitions of the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell Policy” are well understood and I’m left to stare and wonder.
The other day I was studying a woman sitting across from me. Her face was pleasingly full and unlined. I wasn’t sure if she had work done or if this was just a happy side effect of being a little pudgy. Then it hit me – there are other ways to gain volume – other deliciously delightful ways. A few pizzas here, a hot fudge sundae there, a bag of M&Ms before bedtime, and soon instead of people saying: “Don’t you think she’s looking really old?”, they’d offer up the classic back-handed compliment: “Her face is rather pretty – if only she’d lose a few pounds”. I could live with that. And $15,000 buys a lot of M&Ms. Just a thought. Good luck with that, G.A.B.
Alisa Singer’s humorous essays have appeared in a variety of print and online newspapers and magazines across the country. You can learn more about her work by visiting her website: www.AlisaSinger.com or contacting her at ASingerAuthor@gmail.com.
The River Region’s 50+ Lifestage Magazine