Lifestyles After 50 Southwest Edition, February 2016

Lifestyles After 50 • February 2016 • page 2

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to acknowledge the complexity of their own situation to me and to each other. They openly admitted that they had lost the love of their life, and a newfound romance would never serve as a replacement for their lost love...but that they were ok with that. Happiness and companionship created a new kind of love the second time around. Having properly mourned and honored the loss of their partners, these widows and widowers

turned to online dating and found partners who could understand them - having been through the same thing themselves. Then, they went on to build a different kind of love offering one another comfort, understanding and renewal.

I had seen the power of renewal birthed from love in my own life, as I now see my mother and father

the happiest they have ever been. Having each met what seems to be their perfect match, both are in happy, loving relationships that have already lasted for years. Both of them seem like different people all together - calmer, happier and more at peace. With sparkling eyes, an ease in communicating and a deep love evident in both couples, perhaps the lessons they all learned from previous relationships opened them up to finding the right love for them.

I suppose February’s issue taught me more than any other has - about life, love in the later years, and about respecting the different ways in which we express our hearts. For all of you with a love that you share with the world, thank you for the gift - and for all of you still searching, I won’t give up hope if you don’t.

Sincerely,Amanda Smith

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Dear Readers,

It’s February - and it seems like everything you read is all about love and relationships. I found myself wanting to write about tips to keep the passion alive, crafting the perfect online dating profile, secrets to get over your ex, followed by secrets on how to get your ex back. Wait, has love really always been this complicated?

Married for over 50 years, my grandparents have always been my most reliable example of a healthy, loving relationship. Their love story is pretty idyllic - they met, my grandfather pursued his muse, they married and they lived happily ever after. After having raised seven children and spent everyday together for decades, they still cuddle on the couch together, watching baseball. I have never seen them fight, and I’ve never seen them exchange a single harsh word. The most conflict I’ve ever witnessed between them is my grandmother giving him “the look” when he talks about politics a little too fervently at family get-togethers. Other than that, they’re my definition of a perfect couple: respect, faith, affection, and little need for material things to fill a void.

As Valentine’s Day rolls around, and I am not only 30 years old and single, but also still hung up on my first love - the same love I was missing last Valentine’s Day - I start to wonder if I’ve missed my chance at the kind of love my grandparents have. As that lifelong bond of dedication, compassion and yes - compromise -

becomes more and more scarce in our society, I start to panic, wondering if all of us singletons are doomed.

While the deeply-engrained ideals of traditional, fairy tale love still rest somewhere deep inside my heart, I remind myself of all the proof I have that true love as one exclusive story is a myth - and as our society changes, so do the ever-increasing complexities of intimate adult relationships.

Thanks to the honesty and courage of several readers who generously shared their own love stories, February’s Love and Relationships issue offers more proof that real love comes in many forms, defying preconceived notions. “Happily Even After,” an article on page seven of this edition, features successful online dating love stories of widows and widowers who found a second love in each other after the death of their respective spouses - partners in a happy marriage decades long. The story gave me much-needed perspective on my own incomparable heartache, and a deep compassion for all the widowed who have courageously faced the grief of losing someone you’ve shared your life with for 30, 40, 50 years.

What made their stories so admirable was their willingness and openness

Amanda Smith,Editor

New happy endings: rewriting the love myth

Stay open to the magic of a new kind of love story

Lifestyles After 50 • February 2016 • page 4 R

Around TownW H A T ’ S H A P P E N I N G F E B R U A R Y 2 0 1 6

Mystery Walk. Designed to encourage thinking outside the

box, this free event combines music, culture and different mediums of art to bring our community together in an educational Mystery Walk experience. 6 - 11 p.m., Fort Myers River District. 33901. To learn more, please visit FortMyersRiverDistrictAlliance.com.

Anne Morrow Lindbergh: An Extraordinary Life. An

aviation pioneer, an environmentalist and feminist, Anne Marrow also authored 13 books, which 55 years later, are still widely acclaimed. Join us at the Bonita Springs Public Library for a retrospective written and performed by Jenny Aldrich. 2 - 3:30 p.m. Call (239)533-4860 for reservations and more information. 26876 Pine Ave, Bonita Springs, FL 34135.

Gulf Coast Humane Society's Yappy Hour.

GCHS will be out with adoptable dogs available to meet potential new families. With exciting activities all evening long, bring out your furry friend for the fun, libations and music. 6 - 8 p.m., Bell Tower Shops, US-41 & Daniels Pkwy, Ft. Myers, 33907.

Cape Bike Night. An exciting street party with an

expected 10,000 people enjoying live music, great food, beer, beverages, lots of local business vendors and bikes of all kinds, Cape Bike Night awards motorcycles for being Best Decorated, Most Entertaining and People's Choice. 5-10 p.m., Free. SE 47th Ter. between Vincennes and Coronado. 33914. Learn more at www.ccbikenight.com.

Crash Course in Veggie Gardening at Rotary Park.

Don't know how to get started with a veggie garden? Karen Harty of Grow A Gardener Inc., presents this two hour class on avid edible gardening. $25 Cape residents, $37 non-residents. 1 - 3 p.m. at the Rotary Park Environmental Center, 5505 Rose Garden Rd, Cape Coral, 33914. To more information and to register, call (239)549-4606.

My Guitar. Accomplished guitarist Jane Rosenbohm

performs classical, Spanish and contemporary guitar selections with commentary on the history of the guitar, anecdotes about the guitarist's life and a giveaway at the end of the event. 1:30 - 3 p.m. Cape Coral Public Library, 921 SW 39th Terrace, Cape Coral, 33901. Call (239) 533-4500.

Stand Up Paddle Board Intro to Fitness Class.

Increase your core strength with a little stand up paddle boarding. Better your paddle skills, intensify your workout and enjoy peace on the water. 9 - 10:30 a.m. Advanced registration to this free seminar is required. Call the Cape Coral Yacht Club at (239)574-0806.

Savvy Social Security Planning for Boomers.

Questions to be discussed include the future of Social Security, how much income can be expected, when to apply, how to maximize benefits, and whether or not it is possible to live on Social Security benefits in retirement. 1 - 2:30 p.m. Cape Coral Library Meeting Room, 921 SW 39th Ter., Cape Coral, 33914. (239) 533-4500.

Taste of the Cape/Symphony at Sunset. Sample an

international array of food from dozens of local restaurants. Enjoy musical performances from local school groups and finish the day with the Symphony at Sunset. Enjoy a selection of Broadway favorites and light classics in a beautiful Southwest Florida setting from our premiere community orchestra! Free. 12 - 6 p.m. Four Freedoms Park, 4818 Tarpon Ct., Cape Coral, 33904. Call (239) 574-0804 or visit tasteofcapecoral.com. Please send Around Town news to News Connection USA, Inc., P.O. Box 638, Seffner, FL 33583; email [email protected] or fax your event information to (813)651-1989 by the 10th of the month prior to the event.

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with me throughout my entire career. He’s now with God above but I know he’s watching over me still and loving these songs and this record.”

With highlights includ-ing Ray Price’s Crazy Arms and Emmett Miller’s Lovesick Blues, My Turn clearly dem-onstrates her father’s influence on her career, but Tanya shares additional signs that revealed country music was her destiny.

“I guess it was God’s plan because country was all I ever knew,” she shares.“There was one little radio station in the lit-tle town I grew up in, in Arizo-na, so that’s all I heard. I don’t know, I just loved it.”

In 1974, when the influ-ence of that little radio station and a country-music-loving fa-ther landed 15 year old Tanya on the cover of the most well-known music magazine in the world, Tanya now admits being more than a little naive about the gravity of claiming the cov-er of Rolling Stone.

“At the time, I had no idea how big it was to be on the cov-er of Rolling Stone,” she admits. “I was so young I had no idea.”

Tanya’s Rolling Stone cov-

er story ran with the headline, “You’re Gonna Hear From Me,” and hear from her we have. For over four decades, her sultry voice and vivacious stage pres-ence have helped to make her one of the most admired and respected female vocalists in the country music genre, with a resume boasting two Acad-emy of Country Music Awards, two Country Music Association Awards, two Country Music Television (CMT) Awards and a staggering nine Grammy nomi-nations. Recognized by CMT as one of the 40 Greatest Women in Music, Tanya has even been inducted to the Texas Music Hall of Fame.

With an awards list a mile long, Tanya represents far more than just her accolades - it’s her fiery stage presence that truly sets her apart. In a matter of minutes, she can showcase exquisite vulnerability exuding from the emotional lyrics in a number of heart-breaking bal-lads - and then suddenly she’s all sass - demonstrating a flir-tatious and sensual side that keeps fans screaming for more. It’s this chameleon-like emo-tionality that has kept Tanya

a crowd favorite so long, and among the many reasons to be excited that she has emerged from a four year hiatus.

“I’ve been enjoying my home, my three children, my horses and my animals,” Tanya says of her time off, which end-ed in July of 2015. “It was great to take a break, but now I’m so happy to be back out there. I’m bringing a new band, new mu-sic. Fans are really going to see me fresh.”

It’s not all novelty, Tanya assures. “I’m definitely bring-ing out the old favorites,” she says. “We’re gonna go on a trip down Memory Lane. There’s really too many to do in one show, I’ve already gotta plan to come back!”

See Tanya Tucker live at 3:30 p.m. on Friday, March 11 at this year’s 11-day Florida Strawberry Festival in Plant City. See a complete list of per-formers and purchase tickets at flstrawberryfestival.com or stop by the Amscot Main Ticket Office located at 2209 W. Oak Ave., Plant City. To purchase tickets by phone, call (813)754-1996. Follow the Festival on social media: #berryfest16

Tanya Tucker Celebrates Four Decades of SongCountry legend Tanya Tucker returns to the Florida Strawberry Festival with new music, old favorites and her infamous sass. By Amanda Smith

It was 44 years ago that Tan-ya Tucker first graced the

Billboard country charts with her haunting rendition of Delta Dawn - an eery tale of an older woman in search of a mysteri-ous man. Skyrocketing to star-dom with a shockingly mature voice at the earnest age of 13, Tanya will greet her fans at this year’s Florida Strawberry Fes-tival in Plant City over four de-cades later, proving her talent has long stood the test of time.

Fresh from a four year break from the music scene, Tanya couldn’t be happier to be back on tour and returning to Plant City - a place she says, conjures divine memories.

“Oh, I experienced the work of God at the Strawberry Festival,” Tanya shares with a laugh. She recalls being too sick to perform while preparing for a Strawberry Festival ap-pearance many years ago, and in the hopes of not disappoint-ing her fans, she vividly re-members praying for guidance.

“I said Lord, send me a miracle,” Tanya shares, “and sure enough, Nancy and George Jones knocked on my door and found me sick as a dog. Miraculously, George of-fered to cover my first show, and by the second I was well enough to perform. That kind of thing never happens - it was definitely Godly.”

That musical comraderie is one of Tanya’s favorite parts of a festival with no shortage of famous headliners, including the Golden Boys Frankie Ava-

lon, Fabian and Bobby Rydell, entertaining this year’s fans on Tuesday, March 8.

With over 24 headline en-tertainment artists performing every year on the Wish Farms Soundstage, Strawberry Festi-val General Manager Paul Da-vis says, “We believe that with this wide variety of artists and all the other entertainment we offer, truly everyone can have a fun time at our festival.”

“I’ve definitely had a lot of good times at the Strawberry Festival,” Tanya says fondly. “It’s one of those places you can experience a really great fan base, because our fans come, and they bring their kids, and some of them even bring their grandkids. It’s pretty cool singing to three generations.”

With fans aging anywhere from 5 to 95, Tanya may well be considered a lasting queen of country - a genre she grew to love, and shine in with the help of her own previous genera-tion. Her late father and man-ager Beau Tucker was quite the country fan and is considered very instrumental in launching her career. In 2009, she hon-ored her father by releasing My Turn, a collection of covers of country standards, all origi-nally sang by male vocalists. Receiving excellent critical ac-claim, Tanya’s 24th studio al-bum was one of her most per-sonal projects, with all My Turn songs handpicked in tribute to her father.

“I picked the songs my dad-dy always wanted me to sing,” explains Tanya.“This is really a tribute to him, because he was

With over 40 years on stage and 24 studio albums to choose from, country queen Tanya Tucker has no shortage of material nor experience to offer fans at the 2016 Florida Strawberry Festival. See her live on Friday, March 11.

Much like Tanya Tucker, Golden Boys Frankie Avalon, Fabian and Bobby Rydell have all had long, illustrious careers and will be entertaining fans at this year’s Strawberry Festival. See them live on Tuesday, March 8th.

FELLOW FESTIVAL HEADLINERS: THE GOLDEN BOYS


By Amanda Smith

“Til death do us part.” These words echo in the heart of every surviv-

ing spouse left behind by the passing of a soulmate, best friend and life com-panion. After building a life with one person for decades, the widowed often experience a form of death all their own.

“It’s more than just your heart that’s broken when you lose someone after al-most 40 years. When I lost my wife, I felt like half of me was gone,” says 70 year old Terry Davidson.

Married for almost four decades, Ter-ry says he grieved his wife for years be-fore wondering if there was more to his remaining life than solitude.

“I tried online dating,” he says. “I didn’t have any expectations, so it was all very casual for me.”

It was casual, that is, until he met Jeanie Gurny.

Jeanie, a vibrant woman of 67 years has colorful streaks in her hair, and a smile that will light up any room. Much like Terry, Jeanie lost her spouse after a long happy marriage.

“We were married 45 years,” she says. “He was the only man I had ever loved.”

At the encouragement of friends, Jean-ie agreed to try online dating, but she too didn’t have high hopes. “After a certain age, you wonder if another man will ever find you attractive again,” she admits.

After a few mediocre experiences - and one horrible one - Jeanie met Terry. Weeks of emailing led to a face-to-face meeting at Applebees where the couple realized they had more in common than living in the same town.

“We had so much in common: we both had two kids, we were even from the same place - the Bronx,” he shares.

“It was so nice to communicate with someone so openly again, someone who knew the compromise and commitment that a long, good marriage requires. We talked for five hours the first day.”

Two dates later, Jeanie said she felt the infamous spark, which Terry must have picked up on.

“I kissed her in the parking lot of the restuarant on the third date and the rest was history,” he says.

After a long courtship, Jeanie sold her home and says she and Terry are now “partners for life.”

Seffner resident Janice Doyle also found her second “partner for life,” Da-vid Lalmond, on an online dating site. They too both had long, happy marriag-es. To successfully grow a loving bond after losing a spouse, Janice says the most important thing is to create new memories together.

“Each of us has a lifetime of memo-ries,” she explains. “What we had to do was to create new memories, a whole new history together.”

While Janice says her priorities the second time around were much more pragmatic than romantic - she required good health, solid finances and fam-ily compatibility - she says there is still some romance. “It’s different than when you’re 20, but it’s still there,” she shares. “He brings me flowers he grew for me right in the backyard.”

Jeanie and Terry enjoy their own ro-mance, as they often can’t stop holding hands or smiling at one another. Jeanie reassures, “Remember, even if you’ve lost, you can find love again and you can be loved again.”

Happily Even After:After grieving the loss of a spouse - once loved and cherished for decades - widows and widowers find online dating offers a second chance at love.

Jeanie Gurny & Terry Davidson

Janice Doyle says she couldn’t be happier to have found her second husband David Lalmond online.

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For eco-friendly enthusiasts Deer Run BnB, Big Pine KeyA State of Florida Certified green lodge, this Caribbean-style eco-friendly home is tucked away in the lush native trees on the island of Big Pine Key. Miles off the highway down a private, dead-end street, you’ll almost feel as if you are a part of the environment itself by being so far re-moved from the hustle and bustle of the city life. What makes this place truly special are the endangered Key deer constantly roaming around the beaches and the property. They are very peaceful to be around and don’t express much fear around guests, instead, just frolicking about - only yards away. When you’re finally ready for some sights, enjoy an all-vegetarian and vegan friendly breakfast at Deer Run before chartering a dive or snorkel trip to Looe Key. You’ll also have access to kayaks or bicycles to explore the area, or charter an eco kayak nature tour. Only minutes away, you’ll find Bahia Honda State Park - one of the most beautiful beaches in the country. There’s something eco-friendly for ev-eryone at Deer Run’s paradise where locally-sourced ingredients, endangered spe-cies and an incredible natural environment that is luscious and green. For more in-formation and to make a reservation, visit deerrunflbb.com or call (305)872-2015.

For an artistic experience:Dickens House, St. PetersburgAn award-winning Bed and Break-fast located in St. Petersburg’s historic district, the Dickens House is quite an aesthetic treat. This Craftsman bunga-low style home was built in 1912, and retains its century-old charm thanks to artist and current owner Ed Caldwell who restored it himself; carefully bal-ancing the old with the new by preserv-ing things like the heart of pine staircase and coffered ceilings, while dividing the house into five guest rooms - each com-plete with a whirlpool tub. In addition to admiring the architecture of the Dick-ens House, artistic couples have all of St. Pete’s burgeoning art scene (recently voted the #1 mid-size city art scene in America) to enjoy. Explore the Fine Arts and Florida International muse-ums, but first - visit the largest Salvador Dali collection outside of Spain at the Dali Museum in downtown St. Pete, an urban center full of smaller independent art galleries, both thrift and high-end shopping, as well as adventurous, ro-mantic dining options for every palette. Speaking of dining, the best part about staying at the Dickens House has more to do with the art of cooking. Not only is Ed the owner, restoration master and vi-sionary of the place, he serves up quite the exceptional gourmet breakfast every morning - and it’s on the house. For dates, prices and availability, visit dick-enshouse.com or call (727)822-8622.

Romantic Getaways: Florida’s Best B&BsEvery couple is unique - and so are Florida’s Bed & Break-fasts. Here are our picks for a romantic weekend guaran-teed to make any couple fall in love all over again.

For package deal lovers:Magnolia Plantation, GainesvilleIf you’re intent on showing your loved one you care, but you’re all out of ideas on how to make it happen, Mag-nolia Plantation may just save the day. Originally built in 1885, this Gaines-ville bed and breakfast takes the guess-work out of romance with a series of packages that make even the most planning-challenged romancers look prepared. Our favorite package is The Romance Package, which includes a five-course candlelit dinner served in your room, tickets to the Hippodrome Theatre and a horse and carriage ride all through Gainesville’s historic dis-trict. The romance continues as you arrive back to your candlelit room, filled with soft music and the finish-ing touch - roses and champagne. In addition to the excellent packages cre-ated by Magnolia Plantation, another perk of staying here is the sprawling grounds. With a magnificent Victorian Painted Lady main house and seven restored cottages on an acre and a half of lush gardens, there’s plenty of space to wander around and dream of a time long forgotten. Visit magnoliabnb.com.

For art lovers: Visit the world class Dali Museum in downtown St. Petersburg to see the largest Salvador Dali collection outside of Spain.

For beachfront sunsets and the ultimate in romance: Henderson Park Inn Bed and Breakfast, DestinWith its breathtaking views right from your balcony at sunset, it’s no surprise the Henderson Park Inn Bed and Breakfast recently received the “Most Romantic Hotel in America” award. Situated directly on the beach in Destin, guests can enjoy pan-oramic views right from their room, or step out onto the beach, just a few feet away. The Henderson Park Inn offers romance everywhere you turn, from quiet long walks out on the shore, to gorgeous Victorian-inspired furnishings decorating the property. Rest assured romance is the top priority of this adults-only inn, dedicated to providing a stress-free and inviting stay right from the moment you walk in your room. As you step into your suite - many of which feature a fireplace, a whirlpool tub and a balcony - you’ll be greeted with wine, fresh grapes and flowers, along with romantic music guaranteed to set the mood. If you’re looking for a romance, there’s no place quite like it. Visit hendersonparkinn.com, or call (888)836-1105.

Henderson Park Inn by Kara Franker


The Weird Reason You Can’t Set Up Your Own Special Needs Trust

By Steven J. Gibbs

Hello Friends and Colleagues! As we launch into 2016, we antici-

pate new Elder Law changes and one ever-changing area is Special Needs Trusts (SNT).

You may not know that if you or a loved one are receiving SSI disability benefits, the process of setting up a Special Needs Trust is soon expected to become a bit simpler.

Currently, the court must approve an SNT unless a third party such as a parent, grandparent or legal guardian sets one up for the disabled person. However, most people don’t know that the Federal legislature originally intended to allow a qualified disabled person to set up an SNT on his/her own behalf - and the language was ac-cidentally omitted in the legislation. We expect a change in the law that will correct this omission and allow “self settled” Special Needs Trusts.

Another very effective way to set up

an SNT is for a parent or grandparent to set one up for a child or grandchild in a Revocable Living Trust as part of an overall estate plan. Setting up a Special Needs Trust in a Revocable Living Trust is desirable because the SNT is revocable during the parent’s lifetime or can be updated to suit any changes in circumstances. For more information about Special Needs Trusts, or any Estate Planning topic, access the Gibbs Law Office official blog at: www.gibbslawfl.com/blog/.

Remember, these cases are com-plicated and highly individual and should always be reviewed with an experienced elder law attorney before making any decisions.

Gibbs Law Office provides complete Estate Planning, Business Planning, Probate and Trust Administration services throughout the Fort Myers, Cape Coral, & Estero areas. To learn more, call (239)415-7495 or visit them online at www.gibbslawfl.com

8695 College Parkway, Suite #2330Fort Myers, FL 33919www.GibbsLawFL.com

Phone: 239-415-7495E-mail: [email protected]

BIRIA® USA Brings Revolutionary German Bicycle Engineering Stateside

Having long since redefined easy riding abroad, German designed

Biria bicycles deliver superior engineer-ing and innovation to the US market.

Bridging style and practicality, Biria’s ingenious Easy Boarding step-through frame has revolutionized rid-ing comfort. Never before has such elegance and convenience been incorpo-rated into bicycle design. From grocery shopping, to a night on the town dressed to the nines, the Easy Boarder ensures vogue and versatility to could-be bi-cycle enthusiasts and relaxed pros alike.

Featuring a top tube resting only six inches above the ground, over-sized aluminum framed tubing and a natural upright seated position, the Easy Boarder delivers a consistently pleasurable and safe ride. Five varia-tions of this model, including Elec-tric powered, will accommodate any lifestyle or level of experience.

The comprehensive Biria line also includes the CitiBike Series for urban riding, the CitiLite Series for feather light commuting, the versatile Mini-20 Series, the Single Speed Series and the

convenient Folding Series which col-lapses into a compact portable form.

“With the need for multi-function-al products in our daily routines, Biria Bikes USA provides great transportation tools that allow riders to get from place to place while staying fit, having fun and helping to keep our planet clean,” says Biria’s co-founder, Tony Biria.

About Biria USABiria bicycles can be found in stores nationwide, as well as online. For more information, please visit www.biria.com or Biria Bikes on Facebook at www.facebook.com/pages/Biria-Bikes.


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Tulip Time: The Romantic Rhine & Mosel River CruiseLifestyles After 50 Publisher Kathy

Beck and her husband Bill are so excited to announce they will be at-tending “Seniors on the Road,” a cruise organized by Mayflower Tours that in-cludes visits to the Netherlands, Ger-many, France and Switzerland on the all new river ship, MV Emerald Dawn.

“We’ve wanted to explore this part of Europe for a long time,” Kathy shares. “This cruise has everything we wanted and more.”

With beautiful Panorama stateroom windows that slide down to reveal the beauty of two historic rivers, the views on the cruise are said to be incredibly gorgeous - especially during spring’s ar-rival in the Netherlands and the Keuke-nhof Gardens at the peak of tulip season.

Kathy and Bill will visit Cologne and Cochem, Boppard and Heidelberg, Stras-bourg, and they’ll even sing The Hills are

Alive in Lucerne, Switzerland with all its Alpine Splendor.

Onboard meals include a variety of international cuisines, and all dinners are four course meals served with com-plimentary regional wines and beer. The heated swimming pool even transforms into a cinema in the evening.

Best of all, Mayflower Tours will take Kathy and Bill to the airport right from their home, bringing them back home at the end of an 11 day tour.

Kathy invites readers to join her and the traveling group “Seniors on the Road” for this exciting adventure - email [email protected] to learn more! Lovely canals grace Amsterdam, the Netherlands.


fully change the quality of life for-those suffering from COPD. As with The Blue Marble, this revelation may represent the dawning of a new age in medicine; a new approach to confront-ing COPD. In a world where change means progress, this could be a remark-able discovery benefitting not only future generations, but ours as well.

The Lung Institute is an innovative leader of regenerative medicine dedi-cated to providing stem cell therapies and other regenerative treatments for lung diseases. To learn more about this state-of-the-art facility and its in-ternationally recognized physicians, call (855) 313-1150 or visit them on-line at LungInstitute.com/lifestyles.

Stem Cell Therapy: A Defining Moment for COPDBy Cameron Kennerly

At 5:39 a.m. on December 7 1972, Apollo 17 took a picture from

28,000 miles up, revealing the coast-line of Africa and West Asia. Although this image would be officially titled “AS17-148-22727,” due to its ap-pearance and size, it continues to be known as The Blue Marble. Upon release, its significance was felt im-mediately. Not only did it mark the first time humanity could see itself at such a scale, but it changed our vision of our universe and place within it.

Recently, a similar discovery was made - a discovery in stem cell therapy that has the capacity to shift the way we see lung disease forever.

Today more than 600 million peo-ple suffer from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) world-wide, and that number is expected to rise. As an incurable disease, COPD is often fatal, with treatment options limited to inhalers that work to al-leviate symptoms, but fail to pro-mote healing in the lungs themselves.

Recently, the medical community has been turned upside down with the breakthrough of stem cell therapy. The Lung Institute (lunginstitute.com) in particular, specializes in treating lung disease and has established it-self as a leading figure by publishing the first white paper of its kind. In a field where information of this scope (encompassing 100 patients) has never been seen, this is a remarkable first.

Where there was once a lack of pub-lished work showing the effects of stem cell therapy on COPD, the Lung Insti-tute has broken new ground with its findings. They discovered that within three months of treatment, 84 percent of patients found their quality of life had improved. The average improve-ment for the group was 35 percent. Ad-ditionally, 48 percent of the 25 patients tested for pulmonary function saw an increase of over 10 percent, with an av-erage improvement of 16 percent over their pre-treatment test results.This dis-covery could change lives significantly.

As a result of this research, stem cell therapy may be able to meaning-

The Blue Marble, a famous photograph of the Earth, taken on December 7, 1972 by the crew of the Apollo 17 spacecraft, this iconic image marks the first time human-ity could see itself at such a scale; a defin-ing moment much like the discovery of stem cell therapy.


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Dark RomanceUnconventional Love Stories in American Cinema

Love defies all convention. Often weirdly beautiful, bittersweet, com-

plicated and not at all predictable, true romance hardly ever seems to “fit the mold,” and passion has been known to kill. Defying the modern-day chick flick conception of romance, there’s a whole genre of films that explores the darker side of love, proving Hollywood can produce something other than a run-of-the-mill romantic comedy starring Meg Ryan. Now known as “American Dark Romance,” this evolving genre includes films that offer a different view of love - one that isn’t always pretty and formu-laic - and lack a happy ending guarantee. Whether you’re a cynic, a skeptic or just enjoy the dark side, see our picks for a different kind of cinematic romance.

Edward Scissorhands, 1990. In this cult classic, Tim Burton proves even romance and horror can be artfully combined into a compelling love story with the right vi-sion. An artificial man named Edward - an unfinished creation with scissors for hands - is taken in by a family in subur-bia and quickly falls in love with teen-age daughter Kim, one of the only char-acters able to see past his deformities to discover his inner beauty and innocence. Filmed locally in Lutz, Edward Scis-sorhands offers an epic performance by Johnny Depp, with a depth of character that defies the aesthetics of traditional beauty. The film mercilessly delivers the tenderness of humanity right alongside our unflinchingly evil tendencies.

Vertigo, 1958. In a riveting story of ter-rifying passion and doomed love, Ver-tigo was received with mixed reviews in its day, but is now widely viewed as one of Hitchcock’s masterpieces. With almost surreal cinematography and dark undercurrents of voyeurism, madness and manipulation, this dark romantic thriller proves that sometimes “love” is unhinged obsession.

Harold and Maude, 1971. Another cult classic, this dark romantic fable tells the story of a rich young man hopelessly obsessed with death. He soon discov-ers what it really means to live when he falls in love with a vivacious 79-year-old woman, a true Bohemian. Equal parts gallows humor and romantic innocence, Harold and Maude dissolves the line be-tween darkness and light along with the ones that separate people by class, gen-der, and age, by offering a completely different perspective on romance - one that cynics might find refreshing.

King Kong, 1933. Sure, it’s got action and adventure, but at its heart, King Kong is a doomed romance carry-ing the emotional weight of any set of star-crossed lovers, complete with the universal themes of loneliness, long-ing, and improbable circumstances. It’s not so much Planet of the Apes meets Jurassic Park, as Romeo and Juliet meets Frankenstein. Like Dr. Frankenstein’s monster, Kong’s very existence in the modern world is a mis-take, and like Juliet, young Dwan can-not bring her lover home to mom and dad without causing an uproar. A love story that’s doomed from the outset, its untenable, absurd, and totally tragic. List compiled by Amanda Smith, Editor.


monuments, a website and a mobile app that can be used to hear oral accounts of Newtown seniors Oldham interviewed, she says the ultimate goal of the The Newtown Conserva-tion Historic District Project is to share the strong values of courage, determination, self-sufficiency and commitment to community demonstrated by the residents of a segregated section of Sarasota without ac-cess to most of the resources of the larger city.

“I interviewed about 40 Newtown residents and pio-neers, and it was transformative to see how close-knit they all were,” Oldham reveals. “I had long-known Newtown operated under a village concept in order to make the best use of the lim-ited resource access they had, but I never fully understood the potency of their treasured val-ues. Experiencing the history myself, sitting within inches of the people who lived it, taught me the unrivaled power of indi-vidual personal stories to dem-onstrate the sacrifice, strength and spirit required to live for something greater than oneself. Honestly, it made me want to be a better person.”

Retired University of Cen-tral Florida professor and cul-tural anthropologist Rosalind Howard explains that the pride Newtown’s older generation feels in sharing their stories stems from how demonstrative they are in revealing Newtown’s strong moral values and ethics to present-day Americans.

“As I compile the inter-views collected by Vickie, the common theme is the pride in-terviewees feel in sharing their stories of enduring the struggles of segregation, courageously starting their own businesses to build a self-sufficient com-munity, and fearlessly fighting for civil rights,” Howard says. “Many of them actually admit to desiring a return of those vil-lage values of community co-

hesion, strong religious values, shared ideologies and a work ethic and motivation sourced from an emotional desire to honor the unity of Newtown.”

From former community hairdressers, to Newtown mi-grants like the ever-outspoken Jesse Johnson who, at his moth-er’s insistence, left Georgia for Sarasota to avoid being lynched, citizens of Newtown remember feeling a strong sense of unified identity and the power to move mountains together.

“It was definitely an ‘us against the world’ mentality - and that’s because it was,” Howard states. “They were fighting for their rights, they were fighting just to survive. Banding together like that has a powerful effect on the psyche and allows for people to do tre-mendous things.”

That hard work and dedica-tion - and its resulting accom-plishments - are exactly what Howard sees as the greater message the Newtown Con-servation Historic Project has a chance to impart.

“Overwhelmingly, my as-sessment of the interviews is that participants want to con-

vey the presence and the power of communal values and mo-rality,” Howard says. “In con-temporary society, there is a very prevalent conception of African-Americans as lazy, jobless welfare abusers with no work ethic or motivation. By documenting the ingenuity and achievements of enclaves like Newtown - feats accomplished by intrinsic motivation, pride and political involvement - we as a country are forced to re-write the story.”

Howard doesn’t expect a Newtown revival, but rather a reconstruction of the perception.

“This idea that there is a history that has been untold may help facilitate a subtle shift in the perceived values of African Americans as a whole,” Howard hopes. “It will not only change how others see us, and how the history books see us, but perhaps it will change how we see ourselves.”

Sarasota’s Newtown Con-servation Historic Project should be completed by Summer 2016. Find them on Facebook at Newtown Conservation His-toric District and follow them on Twitter @newtown_dream.

Keeping Newtown AliveNewton Conservation Historic District Project strives to preserve and celebrate legendary African-American community in SarasotaBy Amanda Smith

Black History Month is, above all, a celebration

of the massive achievements by African Americans - and a recognition of the central role they played in U.S. history. The only catch with history is, if you don’t preserve it, there’s no celebrating it - or learning from its perils and successes.

That was exactly the pitch passionate Sarasota residents made to their local government, leading to a $50,000 city-fund-ed initiative - The Newtown Conservation Historic District Project - dedicated to highlight-ing the history of an African-American enclave in Sarasota with beginnings dating back an entire century.

Newtown’s beginnings can be traced back to 1914, when it evolved out of the growth of Sarasota’s oldest African-Amer-ican community, the Rosemary District. From the early years through the 1940s, the street now known as Dr. Martin Lu-ther King, Jr. Way was the flour-ishing heart of the then segre-gated Newtown, but decades of disinvestment and capital flight - along with a concentration of government subsidized housing - have devastated the area, caus-ing the slow, painful demise of the once-thriving Newtown community.

Rather than watching its memories disappear right along with it, a team of mostly volun-

teers are executing a protective homage, conducting intricate research and personal inter-views to piece together a com-prehensive account of New-town’s rich history. Members of the research team include an architectural historian, an ethno-historian, retired profes-sor and cultural anthropologist Rosalind Howard, as well as Sarasota native, historian and project manager Vickie Old-ham. The completed project will produce a report docu-menting Newtown’s 100 years of history and culture, oral his-tory recordings from residents, a map of district boundaries and a walking tour of Newtown.

The passionate leader who many believe has been the project’s visionary and its fire, Oldham says next to mentoring young people, this is the most important work of her career.

“This is truly my legacy,” she says. “Up until now, New-town’s history has only been available in fragments - a local art gallery had some history, you could learn a little at a cultural resource center - there’s really no single repository of primary and secondary source accounts in one cohesive document - until now. It’s huge and it’s history in the making. I’m a native and a lover of history, and now I get to use every communications tool available to share the history of Newtown in a project that will long outlive me.”

With big plans to create

The Voices of a Village: Those interviewed for The Newtown Conservation Historic Project reported feeling a deep sense of pride in contributing their personal memories to a project that will serve generations to come.

Sarasota native, historian and project manager Vickie Oldham interviews New-town residents to collect oral accounts of the community’s considerable history.


A Legendary Love: Experience the mystery of South Florida’s Coral CastleThey say Ed Leedskalnin always

worked at night - and he always worked alone. With only the moon, the stars and bittersweet memories of his lost love to keep him company, the mythical Edward Leedskalnin spent nearly three decades of his life toiling away at his somewhat bizarre quest to build a testi-mony in Homestead, FL to his long lost love, Agnes Scuffs. Ten years his junior, 16 year old Agnes broke Ed’s heart in 1913 when she broke off their engage-ment just one day before the wedding.

To say Ed never got over it, would be a massive understatement - about as massive as the astonishing 1,100 ton coral rock monument he built - single-handedly - as a testament to his undy-ing love. This five foot, 100 pound man somehow erected and hand carved elaborate coral walls - each weigh-ing 125 lbs. per cubic foot - to create a mysterious masterpiece that has baffled scientists, engineers and historians for decades. Coral Castle is more than just a few rocks creatively assembled, it’s an unbelievable engineering feat. With a nine ton gate, a Polaris telescope, and the world’s only Sundial with the seasons,

Ed’s Coral Castle has been compared to everything from the Egyptian pyramids to Stonehenge, demonstrating its inge-nuity and fabled creation fueled by love.

“The castle took Ed 28 years to perfect,” shares Laura Maye, Coral Castle’s director of management, mar-keting and sales. “His determination shows us just how much he loved his ‘Sweet Sixteen,’ and 92 years later,

scientists, engineers and scholars con-tinue to be amazed at how he did it all!”

Maye says the Castle welcomes guests year round, but visitors have a special opportunity this Valen-tine’s Day when Coral Castle hosts a unique complimentary vow renew-al ceremony with paid admission.

“We want guests to come celebrate their own love,” Maye explains. “Come

renew your vows with an officiant under an arch of flowers, as you hold a bouquet of roses and share your love story sur-rounded by the gardens of Coral Castle.”

Guests who renew their vows on February 14 will also receive a beauti-ful Coral Castle parchment certificate and two chocolate strawberries, fol-lowed by a guided tour of Coral Cas-tle revealing some of the history and the science behind this amazing feat.

The Castle also shows a short film expounding on some of its mysteries and divulging plenty of the secrets of its lovesick creator, Ed Leedskalnin.

Documented by the History Channel, Travel Channel, Discovery Channel, An-cient Aliens, Univision, and BBC, Coral Castle’s infamy only seems to grow. “Most people don’t know this, but Billy Idol wrote his famous song Sweet Six-teen about Coral Castle,” Maye reveals.

Now that’s legendary.Renew your vows at Coral Castle

this Valentine’s Day, February 14 from noon - 9 p.m. Vow Renewal is compli-mentary with paid admission, no res-ervations needed. Learn more at Cor-alCastle.com or call (305) 248-6345.


February - the month that drives home a cultural message oh so loud and

clear: romantic love makes the world go round and you’re nothing without a plus-one. While that may be a little extreme - just like the Valentine’s Day commercials themselves - February 14 may have you longing for a compatible partner that just might make life feel magical again. That task can feel even harder with age, so if you’re unsure where to even start your search, here are our picks for great places to meet your soulmate after 50.

1Online dating. If you believe find-ing love online is like finding a uni-

corn, check out our feature story full of readers’ tales of finding love - and mar-riage - on the internet. And they’re not the only ones - Lehman Brothers Equity Research found the over 50 segment is the fastest growing group of online dat-ers, with sites like “Our Time” catering specifically to this demographic. Just remember: take time in creating your profile, be patient and keep an open mind; and most of all, safety first - al-ways have your first meeting in a well-lit public place.

2Community events. With age and re-tirement comes more free time, and

getting involved with your community is a wonderful way to meet a partner of similar values. Join a community gar-den, attend your local farmers market, or check out Meetup.com to find other niche groups, some of which are spe-cifically geared towards those over 50. Or, contact local music venues and ask to volunteer as an usher or choose any

cause to volunteer for - you never know who you’ll meet while helping out.

3Take up a hobby. Finding a soul-mate can happen anywhere, but

the chances go up when you meet like-minded people. Last month we featured a retiree who met great friends at his memoir writing group and we promoted a senior sailing club - specifically for singles. New Media Trend Watch USA reports, “As they age out of the work force, 67 percent of boomers plan to spend more time on their hobbies and interests, moving from a life dedicated to making money to one that is directed to spending money.”

4Tell your friends. Don’t feel like you have to go it alone; instead,

just remember the famous Beatles lyr-ics, “I get by with a little help from my friends.” Utilizing as much of your so-cial network as you feel comfortable with, tell people what you’re looking for. They can’t set you up if they don’t know you’re interested in finding some-one. Then, when you start getting ran-dom invites to events, enthusiastically attend and keep an open mind. You’ll expand your social circle and probably have a lot of fun along the way.

5If all else fails, move to a retirement community. Florida is full of active

retirement communities where other people just like you may be looking for the same thing you are. Investigate and visit local 55+ communities to find one that matches your personality and style. You never know who might be your new next door neighbor...

Finding love after 50:Five ways to seek your soulmate

Feel like love after 50 is just too far out of your reach? They say love comes when we least expect it, but the tips below just may increase your chances...

If your vision is becoming cloudy and blurry, you may have cataractsBy Jonathan M. Frantz, MD, FACS

Of the many changes that happen with age, cataracts are

one of the most inevitable. As you age, the lenses in your eyes become cloudy, causing blurry vision, sen-sitivity, glares and halos around lights - often at night and while driving. Surgery is the only way a cataract can be removed and should be considered when cataracts interfere with your ability to live your desired lifestyle or perform daily tasks.

I am honored to be one of the top five laser cataract surgeons in the country. I introduced Bladeless Laser Cataract Surgery to southwest Florida in 2012 and continue to embrace the latest technology for our patients by being the first surgeon in the state of Florida to offer the VERION Image Guided System, which tracks your eye from the planning stages to your

actual procedure. We also offer the area’s only ORA with VerifEye for

an in-depth analysis of the eye during surgery. The combination of the most advanced technology, a wide choice of intraocular lenses, and our vast surgi-cal experience offers area residents the opportunity to experience unparal-leled cataract surgery.

If you think you may have cataracts, call (239)418 0999 to-day to schedule your cataract evalua-tion or visit www.BetterVision.net.

Jonathan M. Frantz, MD, FACS, is named in The Guide to America’s Top Oph-thalmologists. He and the Frantz EyeCare team offer a broad spectrum of patient-fo-cused comprehensive care from eye exams and eyewear to bladeless laser cataract re-moval, bladeless WaveLight LASIK, treat-ment of dry eye and eye diseases, and facial and body rejuvenation, with office loca-tions in Fort Myers, Cape Coral, Punta Gorda, Lehigh Acres, and Naples.

Dr. Jonathan M. Frantz


The Second Marriage Estate Planning Dilemma “Inheritance Rights” for the Surviving

Spouse & Stepchildren

One in every two marriages ends in divorce. Other marriages en-

dure until death. In either situation, a second marriage often occurs and a blended family forms.

Not surprisingly, most seniors in a second marriage want their sepa-rate property to be inherited by their own children - not their stepchildren. However, Florida inheritance law can ultimately divert a large portion of a deceased spouse’s estate to the step-children.

Specifically, Florida law provides a surviving spouse a “statutory inheri-tance” regardless of the terms of the deceased spouse’s Will or Trust. The two main inheritance rights are (i) Homestead, and (ii) Elective Share.

HomesteadHomestead law provides that the

home must be bequeathed outright to the surviving spouse - any other bequest is statutorily void. If the bequest is void, then the surviving spouse automatically receives a “life estate” in the home (or alternatively the survivor may elect to claim 50% ownership of the home).

In either case, Homestead rights present difficulties. For example, the life estate naturally affords the surviv-ing spouse rent-free use of the home for life but the surviving spouse is not required to use the home as a resi-dence. Instead, the spouse may rent out the home or cohabit there.

And in either scenario, upon a sale of the home all owners (the surviv-ing spouse and the deceased spouse’s heirs) split the proceeds.

Elective ShareElective Share (or “ES”) gives the

surviving spouse the option to claim an “Elective Share” of the deceased spouse’s estate - which is 30% of the value of the deceased spouse’s estate. Many spouses would decline to claim inheritance benefits, whether home-stead or elective share. However, at a future point in time the surviving spouse

may become incompetent and his or her children may not agree to decline.

ExampleMr. and Mrs. Smith are in a sec-

ond marriage and each is 70 years old. They verbally agree that the survivor will decline inheritance rights.

Fast forward 15 years. Mr. Smith has passed away, Mrs. Smith is now 85 years old and she has had a stroke, so Mrs. Smith’s son Tom now handles her financial affairs under a Power of Attorney.

Despite Mrs. Smith’s oral com-mitment to decline inheritance rights, Tom has no obligation to honor it. Moreover, Tom has a legal duty (as Mrs. Smith’s Power of Attorney) to collect all assets available to her – in-cluding inheritance rights.

OptionsFortunately, techniques exist to ad-

dress inheritance rights. One option is for the spouses to enter into a Post-nuptial Agreement to legally waive inheritance rights.

A second technique - if one spouse is uncooperative - is for the other spouse to create an estate plan which legally satisfies the 30% ES right but keeps assets “in his family.”

This technique would place a por-tion of the “concerned” spouse’s es-tate, after death, in a statutory “ES Trust” for benefit of the surviving spouse. And at the surviving spouse’s later death the ES Trust assets pass to the “concerned” spouse’s heirs.

Other techniques exist and are best addressed on a case by case basis.

ROBERT H. EARDLEY is a Florida Bar Board Certified Wills, Trusts and Estates attorney, holds his J.D. degree from the University of Ken-tucky College of Law and a Master of Laws (LL.M.) degree in Estate Plan-ning from the University of Miami School of Law. Mr. Eardley is in private practice in Naples and can be reached at (239) 591-6776.

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Florida is for birds and birdersBy Evelyn Mackey

I t’s for the birds! That pretty much describes Florida in

the winter - a destination for numerous species of birds. And it is easy to find the sites set aside for birders to enjoy watching birds.

The Great Florida Birding and Wildlife Trail is a pro-gram by federal, state and lo-cal government agencies, non-governmental organizations and private landowners. This 2,000-mile, self-guided high-way trail connects and unifies 515 birding and wildlife view-ing sites throughout Florida. The project features detailed guide booklets, a mobile device application and familiar brown highway signs identifying sites.

Using the guide booklets (downloadable online), birders find site descriptions, direc-tions and maps showcasing the birding and wildlife watching opportunities in Florida.

Traditionally, only avid lo-cal birders knew about the birding opportunities in their areas. The project of making the Great Florida Birding and Wildlife Trail made smaller lo-cal sites (and their accompany-ing eco-tourism dollars) known to birders in other areas.

The internationally re-nowned J.N. “Ding” Darling National Wildlife Refuge on Sanibel Island is a birder’s paradise. From the mangrove swamp, stream and mudflats to the hardwoods and mixed forest, it’s possible to make bird sightings all day long. The four-mile Wildlife Drive gives an introductory tour to the ref-uge and offers incredible views of herons, egrets, ibises, storks, spoonbills and more. With a kayak or canoe, it’s possible to tour the mangrove wilderness up close. Hiking trails offer yet another way to view the many birds and wildlife in the refuge.

An often-overlooked jewel

of bird watching is Matanzas Pass Preserve near Fort My-ers Beach. The preserve offers all-day bird sightings in the mangrove swamps, mudflats and marine/bay surroundings. Unique here are all three species of mangrove - black, white and red - in unusually close prox-imity. Boardwalk trails through the preserve lead through the mangroves where there are palm warblers and blue-gray gnatcatchers and other birds. If it’s low tide, it’s possible to see wading birds as well as shore birds on the mudflats.

Hickey’s Creek Mitigation Park near Alva features great birding during both morning and evening hours. The site offers habitats varying from open, scrubby flatwoods to lush hardwoods along Hickey’s Creek. Hickey’s Creek Trail is phenomenal for warblers dur-ing migration, and for a little extra fun, bring your canoe to enjoy more birds and adventure

in the water. A quick stop at Charlotte

Flatwoods Environmental Park near Punta Gorda offers an-other type of birding. Visitors can have a similar experience to being in the larger Babcock / Webb Wildlife Management Area - but on a smaller scale. Take one of the trails around the perimeter and keep your binoculars in hand.

So, wherever they lead you,

following the brown signs on the Great Florida Birding Trail can open up the state of Florida in a whole new way. It’s for the birds -- and the birdwatchers.

Find them all with an official checklist! Bird checklists can be ordered or downloaded through the Great Florida Birding and Wildlife Trail program by vis-iting the program’s website at www.Floridabirdingtrail.com.

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FUN FEST SCHEDULE2016

Congratulations to Last month’s Tech Giveaway Winner:

DORIS SHUNSTROMof St. Petersburg won the Salonpas pain relief product package


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Get Tech Savvy: 2016 Guide to Technology

The promise of technology is that it will help us save time and has-

sle while greatly improving our lives. But too often for those of us who didn’t grow up downloading, stream-ing and LOL-ing, tech ends up be-ing an exercise in patience, persever-ance and, at times, anger management. The good news is, we’re here to help.Each month in 2016, we’ll choose a topic and feature a new selection of tech - gadgets, apps, devices - designed to improve your life in a myriad of ways - and only those products that lives up to their claims. This month, let’s smooth out the wrinkles in your daily routine by using tech products to streamline some of your more mundane activi-ties. The focus is on making your life easier - helping you live smarter one touch, click or command at a time.

Never lose your wallet againThe Tile trackerIf you’re prone to setting things down and then forgetting where you put them, the new Tile tracker will make your life a whole lot easier. Attach the wireless Tile to your wallet or keys, install the app on your smartphone, and if the wallet or keys are lost, open the app and prompt it to make the Tile tracker on your keys or wallet beep. If you can’t find your phone, no worries - press the button on the Tile attached to your keys and Tile can make your phone beep, too (thetileapp.com; $25).

Save the environment(and save money on your electric bill)EcoBee 3 Wi-Fi ThermostatFor those looking for an easy way to live greener, this smart thermostat with wifi technology makes environmental - and financial sense. With intelligent sensors that signal when someone en-ters or exits the room, the EcoBee 3 adjusts the temperature to make it com-fortable when the room is inhabited and when no one is around, this intelligent device adjusts the temperature to maxi-mize your home’s energy efficiency, therefore lowering your heating and cooling costs by an estimated hundreds of dollars per year (ecobee.com; $249). Why do it yourself? Just buy a robot.

iRobot Roomba 650If cleaning the floors leaves you with an aching back, hire a robot instead.The Roomba 650 Vacuum Cleaning Robot provides a thorough clean, all at the push of a button. It’s especially amazing at picking up pet hair and it even allows you to schedule cleaning times so it can work while you’re out of the house. iRobot has more expensive models, but the 650 is just fine (irobot.com; pricing starts at $400). -AARP

February: Make the mundane a little bit easier

Stop wasting time searching for mis-placed items, thanks to the Tile tracker.

Sit back and put your feet up while the iRobot Roomba cleans the floors for you.

Predict 2016’s Final Four and Win Big from Lifestyles After 50!March Madness is

at our heels, and we’re inviting readers to join in on the fun! One of the biggest sport-ing events in the U.S., the NCAA’s three-week college basketball tour-nament pits university teams against one an-other according to seed, attracting excitement, crowds and a whole lot of competition. The teams aren’t the only ones competing - fans are notorious for competing to success-fully predict the winners. Well, this year, we’re hosting the 2016 Final Four Chal-lenge for our readers! If you think you know who will make it to the end of the tournament, submit your Final Four picks to us for a chance to win exciting prizes. And don’t worry - considering the unpredictable nature of March Madness, you certainly don’t have to be a college basketball savant to be successful at an-ticipating the champion.

To enter the 2016 Final Four Challenge: Email your Final Four picks (the last four teams standing) to [email protected] or mail them to:

Attn: Final Four Challenge News Connection USA, Inc. P.O. Box 638 Seffner, FL 33583

Send us your name, address and phone number by March 11. The winner will be notified immediately and announced on LifestylesAfter50.com. Good luck!


The Reverse Mortgage: The Most Underappreciated Retirement Planning Tool Reverse mortgages have been

around a long time. However, there are so many misconceptions about Reverse Mortgages that it is vir-tually the most ignored, yet effective, retirement planning tool around!

Originally, a reverse mortgage was obtained in order to provide funds for seniors who were on a fixed income but had a lot of equity in their home. The funds could provide the means for the homeowner to make repairs, pay fees or just provide income so that the individual could continue to live out his retirement years in his home. But today a reverse mortgage is a valuable retirement planning tool!

Here are some basic facts regarding the reverse mortgage:

• Homeowner retains ownership • Funds can be used for any purpose• A lifetime, TAX FREE income

can be established• No loan payments• Loan does not have to be repaid un-

til the last owner no longer lives in home• A reverse mortgage can be used to

purchase a home• To qualify, you must be 62 or older• It must be your primary residence

So how does this help with retire-ment planning?

To answer that question, let’s look at what most retirees strive for during retirement:

1. Ample income to maintain their life-style throughout their retirement years.2. They want ability to increase their in-come or have access to funds without increasing their tax burden.

With funds from a reverse mortgage, anyone 62 or older may have the ability to overcome the retirement income is-sue. Remember, funds received from a RM are tax-free. In addition, funds can be taken as a lump sum, a line of credit, or lifetime income (or a combination).

Another frequently asked question

is will my heirs be responsible for re-paying the loan? No, a RM is a “non-recourse mortgage” insured by HUD. If the property is sold, the loan is repaid from the sale and the heirs keep the balance. If the home does not sell for enough to repay the loan, the heirs are NOT responsible for the balance.

Let’s look at a quick example of how

one couple took advantage of this re-tirement tool:

Tom and Anne were ready to retire from Michigan. They sold their home and decided to buy a home in Florida. However, they did not want to spend all the funds from the Michigan home on a Florida home, but also did not want a mortgage payment. So, they were smart enough to make use of the reverse mort-gage. They used half the funds from the Michigan sale, obtained a reverse mort-gage for the balance. Now they have accomplished their goal: saved half the funds from the sale of their home in Michigan and will have no mortgage payments during retirement!

For retirement solutions using a reverse mortgage, contact DOTTIE LARSON (NMLS 1102600) at 239-997-9990 or email her at [email protected].

1st Fianacial Revers Mortgage (NMLS 130562) 44670 Ann Arbor Rd, Plymouth, MI 48170

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February’s Reader Contribution Challenge:

“Those who say that we’re in a time when there are no heroes, they just

don’t know where to look.”Ronald Reagan, Inaugural Address

January 20, 1981

Supernatural powers, elaborate cos-tumes and monster adversaries -

these are the marks of a comic book hero. But what does an everyday hero look like? A project called “Heroic Imagina-tion” explains that everyday heroes are people defined by their virtues. They transform compassion (a personal virtue) into heroic action (a civic virtue), and in doing so, they put their best selves for-ward in service to humanity. Maybe not as glamorous as driving around in a Bat-mobile, but perhaps just as important.

“In our world of big names, our true heroes tend to be anonymous. In this life of illusion and quasi-illusion, the

person of solid virtues who can be ad-mired for something more substantial than his well-knowness often proves to

be the unsung hero.”-Daniel Boorstin

The event of being moved by the ex-traordinary acts or qualities of an ordi-nary person - an everyday hero - can cause us to aspire to be greater or kinder our-selves. In that spirit, we’d like to know:

At any point in your life, were you influenced by the virtuous acts of an everyday hero? Who was he/she? How did the relationship com-pel you to examine your own life?

With “Everyday Hero” as the subject line, email an essay or response to [email protected] for a chance to be published in next month’s issue!

AN EVERYDAY HEROWe made it to the top...

then we danced the day away!T he 20th annual Fun Fest at Tampa’s

Museum of Science and Industry (MOSI) was a big success. Over 1,200 people attended and 77 took on our brand new Fitness Challenge to climb to the top of the MOSI dome. The event’s Hippie theme inspired many partici-pants to wear bellbottoms and other bo-hemian attire, creating a fun and funky atmosphere that everyone enjoyed.

Inside the Fun Fest, attendees re-ceived health screenings, played bingo and became informed by over 40 ven-dors offering valuable products and services geared specifically for the 50+ crowd. As for arts and entertain-ment, talent show participants rocked

the stage with impressive acts that kept us wanting more. There were also over 75 paintings by local artists displayed throughout the event.

Lifestyles After 50 is proud to pro-vide these events to the local 50+ crowd in the Tampa Bay area, and would like to thank Hillsborough County and Easy AC, TECO, Brighthouse and MOR-TV for making our 20th annual Fun Fest such a special event.

For more information about Fun Fests and other exciting events hosted by Lifestyles After 50, please call us at (813) 653-1988.Fitness Challenge participants at the top of MOSI

The Hillsborough County Talent Show rocked!

For problems in the bedroom, pills may be to blame By Amanda Smith

For a couple deeply in love, there’s nothing quite like expressing it -

whether through a bouquet of flowers or a poem straight from the heart. A healthy part of love’s expression is of course physical intimacy, which, admittedly, can be rife with problems for aging lovers.

It’s natural to point to things like a tired body, overwhelming worries about adult children or too much financial stress as legitimate reasons for persistent sexual problems - and they may indeed be to blame. But a new book written by two renowned professors in the medical field asks readers to consider a lesser-known culprit - common medications taken by millions of Americans everyday.

Albert Wertheimer, professor of pharmacy administration at Temple University, and Patricia Bush, profes-sor emeritus of Georgetown Univer-sity School of Medicine, recently co-authored the book Your Drugs & Sex: How Prescription & Non-Prescription Drugs Can Affect Your Sex Life, in the hopes of shedding light on the rare-ly-explained effects that medication

can have on an individual’s sex life. “This topic is not discussed in medi-

cal school or pharmacy school, or even among doctors and their patients,” ex-plains Dr. Wertheimer. “That’s how we came up with the idea to write this book.”

According to his co-author Dr. Bush, the problem is twofold: prescribing physicians are in no hurry to point out unintended sexual side effects, and pa-tients are often too timid to inquire. She goes so far as to create an analog to the military’s former “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy, emphasizing the need to also normalize this important issue in healthcare, kept quiet for far too long.

And dismantle a taboo they do, as Wertheimer and Bush make an excellent case for more open dialogue about the abundance of sexual side effects asso-ciated with very common medications taken by millions. To drive home their point, the authors even include a stag-gering appendix that individually lists 85% of all drugs prescribed in the US, and whether or not they have been sci-entifically linked to sexual side effects.

There is a chapter on over-the-coun-ter drugs, but the book’s focus is clearly

prescription drugs; and with approxi-mately 90% of Americans over 65 now prescribed medication for something, and about 65% on three or more differ-ent drugs, Your Drugs and Sex couldn’t have come at a better time. Still, read-ing it can be a little overwhelming, as it reveals that everything from beta-blockers to water pills to lipid-lowering drugs like statins and fibrates to anti-fungals and anti-epileptic drugs can all affect sexual arousal and performance, with consequences like impotence, diminished orgasms and pain during intercourse among the possibilities.

It’s not all bad news though - if you suffer from depression and premature ejaculation, the book reveals that cer-tain anti-depressants can actually help delay orgasm, solving an issue you may have suffered with for years. And for those who take more than one type of medicine, the book may help you tackle contraindications of a sexual manner. At the very least, it encourages readers to approach their doctor about experiment-ing with different medication and com-binations to find a solution that works.

Wertheimer says although the prob-

lem of unintended sexual side effects is a complex one, the goal of the book is simple - to advocate for more disclosure about an issue long considered unmen-tionable. Hopefully, he says, it facilitates an open patient-doctor dialogue so that individuals have an opportunity to make informed decisions about their health.

Your Drugs & Sex: How Prescription & Non-Prescription Drugs Can Affect Your Sex Life is available for purchase in paperback or e-form on Amazon.com.

New book urges patients to question doctors on unintended sexual side effects of common drugs.


Seniors Getting Together4509 SWEET W.W. ISO W gentleman, attractive, Italian, American or Jewish. SOH, NS, ND, NDrg, HMP, R, FF, P, TLC.Ages 75 – 79. I am 5’3”, 150 lbs, red hair, blue eyes, compassionate, romantic, likes to travel. Please send recent photo. Port Charlotte area.4515 WF, WW, 65, NS, SD, NDrg, SOH, enjoys local events, � ea markets, backyard BBG, etc. ISO WM with similar interests for LTR, FF. Let’s get together. Cape Coral/Fort Myers.4520 H, F, looking to start a Golden Girls house in Cape Coral. I am 65, still working full time but would like the company. Must like pets. Please NS, SD, SOH, females only.

MEN SEEKING WOMEN

4452 MAN, 71, NS, SD Likes music, movies, books, plants, animals, evening classes. ISO woman, 55 – 72, NS, NDrg, SD for FF, who looks good in shorts or a skirt, likes bicycle riding, kissing, touching, hugging, going out to a pub for a bite & light social drinking. Port Charlotte area.4500 TO BARBARA. I received your note card in response to my Ad #4452. You stated that if I reply you will

WOMEN SEEKING MEN

4119 SEEKING CHRISTIAN GENTLEMAN Former airline stewardess and model, 5’4”, 104 lbs., widow, slender, white with Ph.D. in healthcare. Fulbright scholar, eats healthy and exercises. Likes sports and animals. Loves the Lord. Florida. 4486 FORMER NATIONAL MODEL, healthy W, F, 62, 5’6”, 140 lbs, long blonde hair, blue eyes, great � gure, many interests, can relocate. ISO w, s, m, NS, SD, NDrg, compassionate, romantic, intelligent “one woman man.” LTR, marriage, serious only, letter/photo. Madeira Beach area.4497 SEEKING FRIENDSHIP Are you an honest, caring, W, widower, early 80’s? I am WW, R, P, SD, attractive, SOH, 5’5”, HWP, enjoy walking, music, art, sports fan, dancing, iPad games and family. Reply with telephone number. Estero/Bonita Springs area.4521 W, widow, 5’5”, 132 lbs., late 70’s. Wants to meet W, widower, late 70’s – early 80’s. I am R, P, intelligent, yes attractive, great SOH, NS, SD. Enjoy music, sports, reading, walking. Please respond with telephone number.

respond, and you indicated that you would like to be pen pals, however, you didn’t include any contact info. Please send me your address and I’ll write to you. Port Charlotte area.4499 THE WHOLE NINE YARDS. ISO LTR, non judgmental, SOH, free spirit, literate, enjoys water, kayak, canoe, sailing, swimming. Likes to walk, ride bicycle, explore the inner and outer worlds, toned, yoga, into foreign � lms, theatre, concert, art, ballet, someone to talk to, organic, non GMO, gluten free. 4498 NEW TO FLORIDA. W, M, 70 YO, enjoys sports, movies, dinners, music and having fun. Honest, NS, SD, NDrg. ISO lady, fun-loving with similar interests. Fort Myers area.

TO RESPOND TO AN ADWrite a letter to the person you want to contact. Place that letter in a stamped

envelope and write the ad number on the bottom left hand side of the envelope. Place your stamped, numbered envelope(s), along with $2 for each letter enclosed, into another

envelope and address it to:Lifestyles After 50,

Seniors Getting TogetherP.O. Box 638, Seffner, FL 33584

TO PLACE AN ADSend your ad, stating what category you

would like it placed in, your edition(s), along with a $6 fee for 30 words (25¢ for each additional word, abbreviations not charged) to the News Connection USA, Inc. address listed below. Ads received by the 15th of the month will appear in the following issue. No more than three ads will be accepted each month per person. The editor reserves the right

to edit any ads for space or content. In order to protect our readers’ privacy, we will not include phone numbers, e-mail or home addresses in the ad copy. City

or area included at no charge.

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If more room is needed, please use separate sheet. Mail this form along with$6 for each ad per month (add $4 for each additional edition/market in the same month).

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Commonly Used Abbreviations:F-Female, M-Male, S-Single, D-Divorced, WW-Widow, A-Asian, B-Black, H-Hispanic, I-Indian, W-White, C-Christian, J-Jewish, YO-Years Old,

YY-Years Young, ISO-In Search Of, SOH-Sense Of Humor, SM-Smokes, S-Light Smoker,

NS-Non Smoker, ND-Non Drinker, SD-Social (Light) Drinker, DR-Drinks, NDrg- No Drugs, LTR-Long Term Relationship, HWP-Height &

Weight Proportional, R-Retired, P-Professional, FF-Friendship First, TLC-Tender Loving Care.

LIGHTNING HOME GAMESFeb. 3Feb. 5Feb. 12

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How to be heart smart with your shopping cartIt can often be daunting to decipher

what is and isn’t considered “heart-healthy” as you wander the aisles of the grocery store. Yes, fruits and veg-etables are great - it’s everything else that makes it all too easy to get con-fused. Yet, taking the time to learn how to incorporate a heart-healthy diet into your lifestyle can really pay off, improving your cholester-ol, blood pressure and your weight. Check out our tips below for conquer-ing the grocery store and triumphant-ly achieving heart-healthy eating.

WHAT TO SEEK OUT:

1Products labeled with the claim, “May reduce the risk of heart disease.” In spite of sounding

so simple, this statement is closely regulated by the Food and Drug Ad-ministration, and the appearance of it on a product means there is actual scientific evidence deemed strong enough by the FDA to support it. This safeguards you against having to guess which claims are actually true.

2Foods with fiber. Fiber is vital to the health of the digestive sys-tem and it lowers cholesterol -

which in turn may decrease the risk of heart disease. A good source of fi-ber has at least two and a half grams of fiber, while an excellent source has five grams. Look for beans, whole grain breads, cereals, oatmeal, and products with barley in them.

3Fish containing omega-3 fats. It’s not just the omega-3s... new research has shown it

may actually be the combination of omega-3 fatty acids along with the other nutrients found in fish that lower the risk of heart attack. Fish such as salmon, tuna, mackerel and trout are good sources of omega fats, while still being low in saturated fat.

WHAT TO AVOID:

1Too much sodium. High sodium intakes have been tied to high blood pressure - a major risk fac-

tor for cardiovascular problems. The American Heart Association’s rec-ommended target intake of less than 1,500 mg is less than what’s found in a single teaspoon of salt, so be mindful of the sodium in everything you eat.

2Trans fats. Trans fats raise your bad cholesterol and lower your good cholesterol, so eat them

very sparingly. They are found in fried foods and in processed foods with a long shelf life. The term “par-tially hydrogenated oil” is a key indi-cator that the food contains trans fats.

3 Saturated fat. The main dietary cause of high cholesterol, saturated fat is found in large

amounts in butter, red meat and cheese made from whole milk so eat non-fat dairy products and lean red meats such as loin or round cuts. - Newswise

February is National Heart Health Month so make it a priority to protect yours.


Question: Cupid was the son of what Roman God?Your Answer:

Send in the correct answer to be entered in a drawing to win a prize each month! Deadline for entries: Feb. 16, 2016. Drawing held Feb. 20, 2016.

Click on the Trivia Palooza button and answer a Trivia question each week for a chance to win a prize at the end of each month.

Barbara Jones from Winter Haven is last month’s winner! The answer was: Ronald Reagan

Play more trivia online and win more prizes at www.lifestylesafter50.com

Name

Address

City State Zip

Email PhoneMail to: Lifestyles After 50, P.O. Box 638, Seffner, FL, 33583

Last Month’s Answers Jan. SudokuLonnie Albrecht

is last month’s winner! Congratulations!

Feb. Sudoku Sudoku requires no arithmetic

skills.The object of the game is to fi ll all the blank squares with the correct numbers. Each row and each column of 9 numbers must include all digits 1 through 9 in

any order. Each 3 by 3 subsection of the 9 by 9 square must include

all digits 1 through 9 as well. Good luck! The fi rst correct answers selected from the

drawing on the 20th will win.

Send your answers along with your name, address and

telephone number to:Lifestyles After 50

P.O. BOX 638, SEFFNER, FL 33583

WIN GREAT PRIZES! SUDOKU MUST BE RECEIVED BY THE 20TH OF THE MONTH.

Win Great Prizes!New winner selected each month

Good Luck!

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In the grid below, twenty answers can be found that fit the category for today. Circle each answer that you find and list it in the space provided at the right of the grid. Answers can be found in all directions -- forwards, backwards, horizontally, vertically and diagonally. An example is given to get you started. Can you find the twenty answers in this puzzle?

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example is given to get you started. Can you fi nd the twenty answers in this puzzle?

Send your answers along with your name, address and telephone number to:

LIFESTYLES AFTER 50 P.O. BOX 638, SEFFNER, FL 33583

The fi rst correct answers selected from the drawing on February 20 will win.

WIN! WIN! WIN! GREAT PRIZES!

(Puzzles must be received by the 20th of the month)

MYSTERY PRIZE!

MYSTERY PRIZE!


It takes a team: relationships are key to addressing osteoarthritisWhen faced with the diagnosis of

osteoarthritis, one of the most important things to remember is that you are not alone. While encourage-ment and support can come from a variety of individuals, including family and friends, it is important to remember that your doctor can also serve as one of your most valuable relationships during this time. That’s why finding the right doctor is essen-tial to developing a mutually-benefi-cial relationship and ensuring that you are receiving the best care possible.

At some point in our lives, we all must choose a doctor. From the start of your osteoarthritis journey, this de-cision becomes increasingly impera-tive. As an osteoarthritis patient, reg-ular trips to the doctor are a common occurrence, and the need for a healthy doctor-patient relationship is particu-larly important to ensuring you are making the most of your experience. A successful relationship allows you to attune your care options to match your needs and standards, and pro-vides a trusting support system that will benefit the quality of your care.

Open, honest communication is key to doctor-patient partnerships, and is essential in order for patients to become better informed about their condition. This includes under-standing the diagnosis, surgical and non-surgical treatment options, and if surgery is planned, how long the surgery will take as well as recovery.The greater knowledge you have in regards to your health care, the bet-ter equipped you are to make the right decisions relating to your treatment.

To ensure that you are making the most of your visits to the doctor, con-sider the following recommendations:

• Come prepared. Make a list of any concerns or questions you may have regarding your condition.

• Take notes during your appoint-ment and ask for clarification if there are any terms or procedures that you do not understand.

• Be open with your medical his-tory and keep a complete list of all medications, including any over-the-counter medications, vitamins or nu-tritional supplements.

• Ask your doctor for resources that can help you learn about your condition and treatment options.

Key to your health and overall quality of care, you must feel com-fortable discussing your condition with your doctor to ensure that they are fully aware of your symptoms so that they can be addressed. Trained professionals understand what you are going through as a patient with osteo-arthritis, and they have the knowledge to help you understand your condi-tion, take action to prevent or subdue symptoms and treat your osteoarthri-tis through medication or surgery. If surgery is necessary, a good relation-ship will allow you to rest assured, knowing that you are in good hands.

As you manage osteoarthritis, members of your health care team will serve as a strong support system as you monitor the progress of your condition, assess the status of how your body functions with osteoarthri-tis, and develop a plan of treatment that fits your needs. A strategic pair-ing can build a healthy doctor-patient relationship and a partnership that is dedicated to the quality of your health.

Athletic Orthopedic and Reconstruc-tive Center (AORC) healthcare pro-viders know just how important the patient-doctor relationship is. With offices in Fort Myers, Cape Coral and Lehigh Acres, AORC is devoted to providing the highest level of qual-ity care and treatment of the mus-culoskeletal system, which includes the bones, joints, ligaments, muscles and nerves. AORC specializes in to-tal joint replacement, fracture care, sports medicine, hand surgery, neu-rology, podiatry and general orthope-dics. For more information, call 239-936-6778 or visit www.bone-fix.com.

The doctor–patient relationship is essen-tial for the delivery of high-quality health care and forms one of the foundations of contemporary medical ethics.

Bridging the Distance

By Paul Wynn

Despite living 1,200 miles away, Jane Kaplan is the main caregiver

for her 98-year old father, Nathan Glass-er. He retired to Florida from New Jer-sey with his wife - and when she passed away he decided to stay in his adopted state rather than move back North where his three children and their families live. For years, Glasser had an active life in Florida - working part time and making friends - before his declining memory no longer allowed him to live independent-ly. Suddenly facing the tough decision of choosing an assisted living facility, Ka-plan says the family ultimately agreed to honor his request to stay in Florida. “It’s not easy for me to be so far away from him,” she says. “But we made the deci-sion for him to stay in his environment.”

Kaplan is among a rising number of people who live a significant distance away from ailing residents, making car-ing for aging parents while juggling the demands of full-time employment and raising children seem like an impossible challenge. But even if they are unable to provide daily support in person, they can still be involved in lifesaving care, thanks to planning, technology and elic-iting the help of the whole community.

Caring from afarTo manage all of her father’s medi-

cal needs from afar, Kaplan decided to hire Judy Uzzi, a local geriatric care manager responsible for overseeing Glasser’s medical needs. A licensed so-cial worker, Uzzi takes Glasser to all his medical appointments, and has permis-sion to speak to his doctors about his care. Uzzi says she serves countless ill and aging Florida residents with fami-lies out of state - explaining that many long-distance caregivers realize that ag-ing loved ones may find moving too dif-ficult, and finding a whole new medical team can be quite disruptive. Comfort and continuity are key considerations in the decision to stay put.

Once they decide to stay where they are, there are still plenty of ways for you to provide logistical support. Explore local care stewards like Uzzi, as well as looking into cleaning services, home health care and food and transportation services - ensuring they receive quality care and you enjoy peace of mind.

Providing emotional support“There’s a strong and natural ten-

dency to want parents nearby as they get older,” says Gary Barg, author of The Fearless Caregiver, but there are ways to still be there emotionally for your mom or dad if they decide to stay where they feel comfortable. One of the best ways to give your emotional love and support is to stay in touch. Try sending your loved one digital movies of your-self, photos of the family and handwrit-ten cards that show you care. Set aside a time each day or week for phone calls with your loved one to keep the family connection strong. While long-distance familial support is great, there’s noth-ing quite like in-person social support, so don’t hesitate to ask your loved one’s local friends to help. Stay in touch with family and neighbors and if possible, ask them to regularly drop by your loved one’s house, just to check in.

Don’t forget to take care of youWith all the planning, decisions, and

tendencies towards guilt and worry, you may begin to feel you need a little care yourself. Support groups are available online and in community settings where people support one another through a difficult and delicate situation.

Kaplan admits that her and her broth-ers constantly reevaluate the decision to keep their father in Florida. “It is stress-ful questioning our decision and second-guessing whether we made the right one,” she says. “But we know he’s happy where he is and that’s very important.”

Paul Wynn has covered healthcare trends for the past 20 years.

Millions of Americans care for sick or aging relatives from miles away. The right resources can help with logistics - and ease the guilt and worry.

if you don’t live nearby, scheduled video chats with your loved one and a medical team member are a great option to stay involved - and show you care.


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Love How You MoveBy Carlene Cobb

“Do what you love,” Mayo Clinic experts advise. “Any form of

exercise or movement can increase your fitness level while decreasing your stress. Being active can boost your feel-good endorphins. The most important thing is to pick an activity that you enjoy.”

Embracing the mantra “Love how you move” means you get to flush the motto “no pain, no gain.” If your 2016 resolutions include exercising for im-proved health and stress management, get ready to fall in love with being ac-tive. Finding your fitness passion is all about considering your personality and fitness goals - then letting yourself love how you move.

If you’re an introvert, swimming laps, jogging, biking, lifting weights or exercising on a treadmill may be com-fortable fitness choices for you. If dance is your passion, try swirling across the floor in a Zumba, Nia or ballet class. And of course, for the super-competi-tive, dedicating yourself to a sport can ignite your love to move, score and win.

Consistency is key, so it’s vital to discover your personal favorite stick-with-it way(s) to be active. Exercising with a friend or group helps sustain the commitment for many people, who look forward to spending time together while getting their workout in.

Finding your best match may be as simple as a walk in the park, literally. A brisk 30-minute walk, five times a week, attains the goal of 150 minutes of aerobic activity, as recommended by the Department of Health and Human Services. However, if your stress mani-fests mentally and physically, choose an activity that engages your mind, spirit and body, like martial arts, yoga or the cardio-dance workout known as Nia.

Described by founders as a dance

class, a movement practice and a life-style based on the intelligent design of the body, Nia unifies mind, body and spirit in a holistic approach. “Through movement, we find health” claim more than 2,600 instructors in 51 countries where Nia classes are offered.

Longboat Key resident, author and Nia instructor Gail Condrick says she is a “conscious movement expert,” having practiced Nia for 19 years.

“Nia is non-competitive and adaptable for everybody,” she says. “Students who identify discomfort when class begins are stunned, happily, when the pain is de-creased, or gone, by the end of class.”

Much like love, finding your per-fect exercise activity may happen when you least expect it - so be willing to put yourself out there and keep an open mind - who knows just what you’ll find.

For exercise restrictions you may have, see your doctor. For Nia classes near you, visit www.nianow.com. For general fitness guidelines, visit www.mayoclinic.org/exercise-and-stress.

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Work options to embrace the changing face of retirementAs life expectancy in-

creases, so does the capital needed to support it; creating a much dif-ferent vision of the future for the present-day aging American. Aptly deemed “Not Your Father’s Re-tirement” by some, the re-tirement of the future will likely be one of “less or different work” rather than no work at all. This em-ployment middle ground offers many of the benefits of working - mental agility, financial gains - without all the demands of a full-time gig in the rat race. For others, con-tinuing to work allows them to hold off on drawing from their Social Security, which only increases the benefit they get later. And then there are the dream-ers, who want to be their own boss, or open a small business - and finally have the capital and the time to do so. What-ever your reason, if you’re considering working after “retirement,” you’ve got plenty of options - from chasing your artistic passion to a second full-time ca-reer. Check out some of our ideas below.

Artist or Crafter. For some, retirement is more about exploring their artistic side, but working in retirement doesn’t have to mean less time for your passions. Use your free time to throw yourself into your hobby, craft or artistic medium of choice, and brainstorm ways to trans-form it into an income stream. Look into local art fairs or craft shows, as well as considering putting up a profile on a site like Etsy, designed to offer independent sellers a place to offer their crafts.

Consultant. If you’ve got decades of ex-perience in a large industry, but you’ve always wanted to be your own boss, look into what it would take to become a con-sultant. Depending on your field, you may be able to draft an agreement with your current employer - as well as other companies - to work as an independent contractor on a project basis. Well before retiring, use LinkedIn to develop rela-tionships with executives and companies who may serve as possible leads in the future. The secret to successfully making the jump from a regular job to consulting is to focus in on the key skill you offer and unique value you bring.

Tour Guide. If you’re a great storyteller, with a mind for remembering lots of ran-dom facts, a job as a tour guide may be the most fun you’ll ever have. Tours take place anywhere that attracts visitors, like points of historical interest or local brew-eries. Many require you to lead walking tours, so be sure you’re active enough to be on your feet all day.

Scaling back at your current job. More and more employers are offering formal and informal programs allowing retirees to phase out of work by shedding re-sponsibilities and hours while remaining a useful part of the team. Check in with your boss or human resources depart-ment to see if this is an option for you.

Uber driver. If you’re looking for a way to meet countless people, becoming an Uber driver is a great way to do it. Ac-cording to the company’s website, about a quarter of Uber drivers are over 50, with most citing flexibility as the reason for signing up. More than half of Uber drivers work 15 hours or less each week, and are free to change their hours from week to week as needed.

Turn your hobby into a thriving business by exhibiting at art fairs or on Etsy.com, a website designed for independent artists.

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