FRIDAY, APRIL 20, 2012 A special supplement to the AUSTIN DAILY HERALD

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Larry Crowe sharpens his knife before working on a chip carving Wednesday morning atthe Mower County Senior Center. The Senior CenterWoodcarvers meet everyWednesdayfrom 8:30 to 11:30 a.m.

Talk shop

There’s wood to carve, laughs to have and sto-ries to tell at the Mower County Senior Centerevery Wednesday morning. That’s when theSenior Center Woodcarvers get together to fol-

low their passion.“We’re just a group of people socializing,” said

Harry Davis, one of the 10 to 15 regulars who visit thesenior center on an almost weekly basis.

The Woodcarvers don’t even have an official name— Russ Vaale asked to be called the Senior CenterWoodcarvers “to give the senior center some credit”— but they all share a passion for woodcarving.

Each week men and women get together to createart out of wood, whether it’s a foot-tall snow man likeDavis is carving or a small cross like regular LarryCrowe was working on Wednesday.

Story and photos by Trey Mewes • trey.mewes@austindailyherald.com

For Woodcutters, weekly meetingsare a time to socialize with friends

John Pacov-sky pre-pares to

carve a fig-urine at the

MowerCounty

Senior Cen-ter Wednes-

day.

“We’rejust a

group ofpeople

socializ-ing.”

-Harry DavisSee CARVERS, Page 4-SL

ARA Content

Gardeners who likethings easy, have mobil-ity issues or get musclefatigue are always onthe lookout for smartgardening gadgets de-signed to keep themplaying in the dirt. Thisseason some of the bestgardening gadgets areingenious and, oftenlow-tech, doing the jobthey're designed to dobrilliantly withoutadded fuss or bother.

• Make heavy liftingeasier — Why risk backstrain lifting garden pots,rocks and bales that aretoo heavy for one personworking alone? With anifty labor-saving slingdevice called Pot Lifter,two people working to-gether can move bigbulky items with ease.Just slip the sling aroundthe object and lift. Theproduct can handle ob-jects up to 200 poundsand as big as six feetacross.

• Stop weeds beforethey start growing —Preen garden weed pre-venters cut down signifi-cantly on the oneroustask of weeding by stop-ping new weed seedsfrom rooting and grow-ing for up to three to fourmonths per application.NowPreen offers a smartb a t t e r y - p o w e r e dspreader-applicator capthat makes it even easierto apply Preen pre-emer-gent granules atop gar-den soil or mulch.

Gardeners who havetried the new applicatorfound it comfortable touse, providing a steady,even application rate.Quickly cover largeareas and easily directthe granule flow intohard to reach places suchas under shrubs and be-tween plants. Weeds thatdon't root, don't grow. Noweeds, no weeding.

• Spare knees whilekneeling — JollyKneeler is a moldedpolyurethane knee-restthat is orthopedicallydesigned to support gar-deners comfortablywhile they're on theirknees planting, pluckingor playing in the dirt.The simple one-piecekneeler has a handle forcarrying ease. Its brightred color makes it hardto lose in green gardenbeds or grass.

• Water plants fromthe porch —Have a cooldrink on the porch, thenrepurpose a soda, tea orwater bottle into a re-markably low-tech gar-den container watering

device. AquaCones fromAchla Designs are supereasy watering spikesthat attach to plastic bot-tles. Just flip over andsink the spike into thesoil. The water in theupside down bottleslowly drains to theplant roots, rewardinggardeners with morefree time on the porch.

• Try raking in cir-cles — Raking can be apain, especially whenmoving heavy wet leavesor debris or mulch. TheGround Hog CircularRake has a circular headwith teeth. Its encom-passing design mini-mizes raking labor bygathering and keepingraked materials to-gether as it's beingpulled or moved. Lessspillage means fewerstrokes and raking jobsare quickly done.

For gardeners wholike to get backyardtasks done efficiently,quickly, and easily, thesesmart, well-designed so-lutions make goodsense.

Senior Living2-SL FRIDAY, APRIL 20, 2012 AUSTIN DAILY HERALD

Seven effective habitsto prevent hearing lossARA Content

Hearing loss is common, but the per-ception that hearing loss is only causedby aging is incorrect. More than 36 mil-lion Americans have hearing loss.Changing lifestyle habits, and treating avariety of health conditions can help toprevent hearing loss.Seven healthy habits may help pre-

vent or delay the onset of hearing loss.

1. NoiseNoise-induced hearing loss is the

most common yet preventable cause ofhearing loss. Exposure to dangerous lev-els of noise can occur at work, home andin many recreational activities. Wearear plugs or muffs when operating loudequipment (i.e., lawn mowers, powersaws, leaf blower, etc.) or when usingfirearms. Buy quieter products (com-pare dB ratings advertised on the prod-ucts - the smaller the better).

2. iPod/MP3 PlayersListening to MP3 players at danger-

ous levels can cause permanent hearingloss. You can download apps to ensurenoise exposure through your iPod doesnot exceed dangerous decibel levels."Volume Limit" is a switch in the "set-tings" section of your iPhone or iPod tomake sure that your hearing is pro-tected. This allows you to set a maxi-mum level for the volume output of themedia player and even put a 4-digit codeon it to keep it fixed.

3. DiabetesThe National Institute of Health

(NIH) has found that hearing loss istwice as common in people with dia-betes. Furthermore, of the 79 millionadults with pre-diabetes, the rate ofhearing loss is 30 percent higher than inthose with normal blood sugar levels.Moderate weight loss, eating healthyand exercise can delay or prevent type 2

diabetes among adults at-risk for dia-betes.

4. SmokingSmoking is a risk factor for hearing

loss. Smokers are nearly 70 percentmore likely than nonsmokers to sufferhearing loss. Exposure to second-handtobacco smoke almost doubles the riskof hearing loss among adolescents.Studies show that smoking, age andnoise exposure together increase therisk for hearing loss more than each ofthese factors alone.

5. Cardiovascular diseaseNot only does exercise help to pre-

vent type 2 diabetes, but cardiovascularhealth and hearing health appear asso-ciated. Growing evidence suggests alink between hearing loss and poor car-diovascular health.

6. Earwax (Cerumen)Don't swab your ear canals. Cerumen

cleans and lubricates the skin of the earcanal and provides protection from bac-teria, fungi, insects and water. Attempt-ing to remove cerumen or cleaning theear canal with a cotton swab tends topush earwax deeper into the ear canal.Excess or impacted cerumen can pressagainst the eardrum and/or occlude theexternal auditory canal resulting inhearing loss.

7. See an audiologistSusceptibility to hearing loss is often

undiagnosed andunrecognized. TheAudi-ology Awareness Campaign, a nonprofitfoundation aimed at providing the publicwith information on hearing loss, is spon-soring the fifth annual Listen UpAmericaWeek, National Hearing Screening Week,May 14 to 18, where audiologists will offerfree hearing screenings nationwide. Call888-833-EARS (3277) or visit www.audiolo-gyawareness.com to find an audiologist inyour area.

Ingenious gadgets keep smartgardeners playing in the dirt

Senior LivingA special supplement to the AUSTIN DAILY HERALD FRIDAY, APRIL 20, 2012 3-SL

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CHRISTMAS BRANSON NOVEMBER 8-11, 2012 $549A Tribute to Alabama, George Jones, Daniel O’Donnell, Tim Conway

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Never too late to learn: St. Olaf to hold ed. classesBy Matt Petersonmatt.peterson@austindailyherald.com

There is always timeto learn something new,or relearn something, forthat matter.That’s why St. Olaf

Lutheran Church is hold-ing a continuing educa-tion class for the publicfor the second year in arow. The senior ministry

committee at St. Olaftossed around ideas andswitched what used to bean event for grandpar-ents to an event for allseniors, to be held 9 a.m.to 1:30 p.m. May 17 at thechurch.“It’s fellowship, but it’s

also learning,” said theRev. Todd Portinga. Headded that the programfulfills part of the

church’smission: to showthat seniors are indeedcreative and have fun.This year’s events in-

clude birding with localAudubon member TerryDorsey; legal issues withCraig Byram; keynote

speaker and humorist AlBatt; and social media forseniors with Shawn Mar-tin. Senior committeemember at St. Olaf Con-nie Priebe said the socialmedia class will go be-yond just emailing, aswell.“We know a lot of sen-

iors now do emailing,”Priebe said. “But withgrandchildren or any-

body else we have Skypeand Facebook, so that’skind of whatwe zeroed inon.”Participants can at-

tend two of the threeclasses for $5, eat lunch,and all will listen to thehumorist Batt at the con-clusion. Participants areurged to RSVP St. Olaf at433-8857 for proper lunchcount.

By Matt Petersonmatt.peterson@austindailyherald.com

The 50s and 60s arevery much alive, folks.And they will be reverber-ating throughout thewalls of the ParamountTheatre 3 p.m. this Sun-day.Tickets are $10 in ad-

vance, $12 at the door andas always, $5 for students.Local barbershop cho-ruses Forte Milers, Har-mony Junction andZumbro Valley Sweet Ade-lines Chorus will performseparately and together

during the show.“All three groups have

kind of made that theiridentity — trying to dosongs that our audiencesgrew up with,” said DaveSylte, a member of theForte Milers since 2004and 36-year barbershopchorus veteran.Sylte is excited to per-

form at the Paramount,where the group has notperformed since 2010.“The Paramount is an

ideal venue for our type ofperformance,” Sylte said.Sylte and the groups

will combine and create

the overall theme of theshow “I Believe inMusic.”Sylte said the theme cap-tures not only the time pe-riod, but will “capture theessence of why guys andladies get involved withbarbershop harmony.”Sylte’s wife will per-

form with the ZumbroValley Sweet AdelinesChorus, an all femalegroup.For tickets to the show,

contact the ParamountTheatre box office at 434-0934.

Barbershop groups to sing

BARBERSHOP CHORUSES

When: 3 p.m. this SundayWhere: Paramount Theatre

Tickets: $10 in advance, $12 at the door, $5 for students

CONTINUING ED CLASSES

When: 9 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. May 17Where: St. Olaf Lutheran Church

Tickets: $5 for two of the three classes, lunch andhumorist

• Live At Home But Spend The Day With Us• Separate Day Program Specializing in Memory Loss Disorders

Good ol’ times at the Paramount

Our Assisted Living program is fo-cused on providing care that meetsyour individual needs with dignityand respect and encourages contin-ued independence. Our commu-nity's design and decor is cozy andhome-like, not cold and institu-tional. Our warm and caring staffis well-trained and takes the time tolisten and provide help when youneed it. Our RNs and LPNs are on-site seven days a week and on call24 hours a day.

The Cedars of Austin strives to meet our residents’ needs at every stage in their life. OurMemory Care program combines our homelike, family atmosphere with specialized careand unique programming designed specifically for each resident’s individual require-ments. Our smaller neighborhood environment provides a safe and secure setting, pro-moting one-on-one connections between staff and residents. This allows our staff toprovide one-on-one attention which promotes understanding, meaningful communica-tion and allows our residents to live in a way that feels familiar to them. Our mission isto enhance our residents' lives by making each day full of purpose and meaning.

Memory Care

AssistedLiving

By Ashley FarrThe Cedars of Austin

Purpose. One little word, yet it ispractically impossible to overstate itsimportance. Purpose is the reason forexistence. For human beings, purposeis what makes us feel like our life mat-ters. It gives us a reason to get up inthe morning. Numerous scientificstudies have showed that people whofeel their lives have purpose live longerand have better mental and physicalhealth. Dr. Richard Leider sums it upby saying “Purpose can add not onlyyears to your life but life to youryears!”We all have our own unique pur-

pose, and according to a recentMetLifestudy, what we consider our purpose islikely to change many times duringour life, which is why “discoveringpurpose is an ongo-ing quest ratherthan a one-time tripto an exotic land.”This means thateveryone’s life canhave purpose re-gardless of age,health, or other indi-vidual circum-stances. As long asyou can dream, yourlife can have pur-pose.Moving to a new

community is atransition, and withany transitioncomes the opportu-nity to reexamine,rediscover and rede-fine our purpose.Helping our resi-dents with this is one of the thingsCathy Ehley, Recreation/Wellness Di-rector & Memory Care Consultant atThe Cedars of Austin, does best. Shemeets with every new resident for anindividual activity assessment so shecanmake sure the recreation andwell-ness programs offered here at TheCedars are meaningful, enjoyable andmeet the needs of each and every resi-dent we serve. Knowing and under-standing as much as possible aboutour residents allows us to provide in-dividual based care and programs,which are essential for a high qualityof life.Through her education (a degree in

Therapeutic Recreational Therapy andcontinuing education in dementia) andhands-on experience, Cathy knows justhow to help our residents discovertheir purpose, even if they may havetrouble doing so on their own, as is the

case withmany of the residents in ourMemory Care neighborhoods.On Martin Luther King Jr. Day, our

Memory Care residents were asked tofill in the blank after the famousphrase “I Have a Dream…” with theirown dream. The responses were sweetand insightful and sparked the idea tofulfill each resident’s dream using cre-ative and unique activities that all ourMemory Care residents could enjoy.Talk about purpose! The chance to ful-fill our hopes and dreams is one of thebest reasons to get out of bed in themorning.Eight dreams have been fulfilled so

far, one of which was Dr. Milller’sdream to “go back home and driveagain.” Short of finding a volunteer tohand over their car keys, this dreamrequired our staff to think outside the

box. In a “Eureka!”moment they de-cided on the videogame Mario Cartfor Wii, which letsplayers use an ac-tual steering wheelto drive the cars onscreen. Dr. Millerhad so much fun, atone point exclaim-ing “Why in the helldo you have to hitthe mushrooms?They aren’t on thereal highway!” fol-lowed by loudlaughter comingfrom him andeveryone else in theroom.Our residents

love the program.Many now look forward to Fridays,when the dream activities take place.After their dream has been fulfilled,each resident receives a scrapbookfilled with pictures so they have a con-stant reminder of their special day.We are particularly excited for an

event this summer — the I Have aDream Family Picnic. So many of thedreams were to spend time with fam-ily, and this event is a great way forfamilies to be part of making theirloved ones dream come true.To find out which dreams have al-

ready been fulfilled, see pictures, andfollow along as we fulfill more dreamsvisit our website or Facebook page.If you or someone you know could

benefit from the type of individual andpurpose-centered care and program-ming offered at The Cedars, please con-tact Tara or Cathy at 507-437-3246 tolearn more or set up a tour.

No Age Restrictions on Purpose

Cathy Ehley/The Cedars of AustinDr. Miller uses a Wii steering wheel toplay Mario Cart while other memorycare residents watch.

Senior Living4-SL FRIDAY, APRIL 20, 2012 A special supplement to the AUSTIN DAILY HERALD

PAID ADVERTISEMENT

“I’ve always liked to work with wood,” Vaale said.Vaale got his start woodcarving after he retired in the1990s. After downsizing, he talked with his wife about

getting rid of some of his woodworking tools. That’swhen his wife suggested taking up woodcarving. Hewas drawn to it, working with various knives to createsculptures from horses to Santa to the Three Wise Men.While some woodcarvers like Vaale and Davis carry

carving tools worth $300 or more, woodcarvers canget by with a lot less. All it takes to carve is a knife, apiece of wood and “practice, practice, practice,” asVaale said.The group used to gather at Oak Park Mall at the

Austin Area Arts Center but moved to the senior centera year ago, so some members could get to the meet-ing easier.People can come by from 8:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m.

and swap stories, grab coffee and have a good timewhile carving wood. They have to be senior centermembers to officially join, but the Woodcarvers like tohave some company.“We’d love to have some new people show up,”

Davis said.

Senior Center Woodcarvers work on various projects while enjoying some small talk and stories Wednesday.

Carvers: ‘We’d love to havenew people show up’

CCoonnttiinnuueedd ffrroomm PPaaggee 11--SSLL

Russ Vaale, left, chats with other Senior Center Woodcarvers Wednesdaymorning.

Baby boomers:More activethan ever withno plans ofslowing downARA Content

Baby boomers are emerging as one ofthe largest generations, and nearly10,000 baby boomers will turn 65 everysingle day over the next 19 years. As ageneration that refuses to compromise,baby boomers are reshaping everyone'sview of aging because they are livinghealthier, more active lifestyles and haveno intention of slowing down.

Despite their active lifestyles, manybaby boomers and non-boomers alikelive with bladder control issues — alsoknown as incontinence — a commoncondition affecting approximately 56million Americans. It is a condition thatcan take away one’s sense of normalcy,cause embarrassment and diminish con-fidence. Bladder control issues arecaused by a variety of circumstances, in-cluding weak bladder muscles, preg-nancy and childbirth in women,complications from surgery or seriousconditions like strokes and prostate can-cer in men.

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