RetirementHomes.com - Holiday

Four Winter Get-aways for Adventurous Boomers

aadmin — Wed, 11 Dec 2013 15:12:06 +0000

I could never resist the call of the trail – Buffalo Bill

Many boomers seek well-trodden paths, like Florida, Vegas, and Cancun. But, there are a growing number of open-minded middle-aged travelers choosing adventurous paths, closer to home.

Boomer Travel Patrol
This online resource offers free-spirited travel tips to boomers during the holiday season, and year-round.

Founder, Liz Dahl, a former travel agent, realized that an increasing number of her clients were people in her age group – baby boomers. She started to send them to distinctive destinations beyond the highly-sought 18 to 49 year-old-demographic for advertisers.

“I suggest travel spots beyond cruises and bus trips,” she said. “Boomers are looking for new experiences.” All writers for Boomer Travel Patrol are born from 1946 to 1964. “My generation.”

For a nonconformist RV winter camp experience, Boomer Travel Patrol suggests Brown County State Park, near Nashville, Indiana, easy driving distance from Indianapolis, Cincinnati and Louisville.

There's a highly-touted park nature center offering interpretive services. The park features 16,000 acres of hilly terrain and dusky moraine, ice fishing, and nearly a dozen easy to moderate hiking trails.

Palo Duro Canyon State Park
Near Amarillo, in the Texas Panhandle, the Palo Duro Canyon can be reached by car within four to five hours from Dallas, Oklahoma City, and Albuquerque.

Eric W. Miller, Director of Communications, Amarillo Convention & Visitor Council, said the canyon is a special place for art lovers. “It was a favorite spot for Georgia O’Keeffe from 1916 to 1918 when she lived in the area,” said Miller.

O’Keeffe would walk eight miles from her home and descend into the canyon. “The big sky, the vivid colors of the canyon and the light helped impart her special style and touch.”

The canyon still remains a favorite spot for artists. During the spring and fall, artists test their skills during sunrise or sunset visits.

There are over 30 miles of roaming trails through the park, including spectacular views of the Red River. Several of the trails are mountain biker friendly, and the canyon has become a top mountain biking destination in Texas.

December weather averages 50.1 F and 21 sunny days. For those who want to get their kicks, Route 66 runs through Amarillo. For more information – visitamarillotx.com

Mohave Desert
Sounds improbable and unbearably hot, but Los Angeles and Las Vegas are connected by a four-hour stretch of the I-15 Interstate that runs along the perimeter of the Mohave Desert.

Desert amphibians, reptiles, mammals and birds can be spotted with the help of park interpreters. The endangered desert tortoise makes its home in the Mohave. The Joshua tree and other drought-resistant plants are on display for tourists who decide to prolong their visit. For more information: www.nps.gov/moja/index.htm

Northern Edge Algonquin
For Boomers who miss the traditional season, Todd Lucier has created a dog sledding experience in Ontario’s near north where boomers can learn to lead dog teams across the frozen terrain.

Participants can expect to see the Northern Lights and make early 2014 resolutions on a night sky filled with shooting stars. Sledding season is offered from January to March.

Lucier said participants consider dog sledding as a bucket list experience. "Afterwards they’re smiling from ear to ear," he enthused. "It takes a while for them to get to know the dogs, but by the end everyone is snapping close-up photos of each other."

Rustic cabins are available with high-quality solar panels for warmth. Northern Edge Algonquin offers a year-round holistic retreat for the spiritually-minded boomer crowd.

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More seniors are finding love online

aadmin — Thu, 21 Feb 2013 16:43:23 +0000

With Valentine’s Day behind us, it’s pretty incredible to consider the amount of love was spread by means of technology. Whether it was a love note email between husband and wife, a Happy Valentine’s Day e-card to a close friend, or a smiling photograph sent over an instant message or Facebook, there are certainly a lot of ways people share their love using digital gadgets.

There are other ways you can use technology to inspire you on Valentine’s Day, or any other holiday for that matter. For instance, Pinterest is popular because it provokes creativity in its users. Pinterest is an inspiration board tool available for free where people around the world share crafts, art, baking, photography, and other creative projects that encourage viewers to create something themselves. My wife always appreciates when I make her something, rather than buy it. Getting ideas from Pinterest makes my creative juices flow.

You can also plug into technology to get a traditional gift for your loved one. Sending someone a card or bouquet of flowers can be done in a matter of minutes with a few clicks of a mouse, or taps on your tablet’s screen. 1800flowers.com is one of the more popular web services for this kind of gift. And it doesn’t stop there. You can also send someone baked goods, gift baskets, and candy! The best part is you can order these things at any time of day or night, so it’s great for procrastinators that wait until the last minute. Remember though; don’t use free public WiFi when you make online purchases. Only buy things over the Internet using a password protected, secure Internet connection, like the one you have at home. You wouldn’t want someone getting your credit card details unexpectedly.

A really neat idea made possible by our Internet technologies is meeting someone online. There are many ways to do it, including dating sites and social groups, but an interesting method is a tool called Instagram. Using this photography app on a smartphone like the Samsung Galaxy Note, or a tablet like the iPad mini, users can share their photos, including personal portraits. The concept behind Instagram is to host a social group through photography. Each Instagram users has their own profile that keeps track of their own personal photos. Users can “follow” one another, with an option to be a private user, which requires permission before having access to someone’s profile of photographs.

Like information about technology, sharing love makes everyone’s life better. Embrace the Internet and show someone how much you care. Create something, order online, and for those readers who are single, maybe you’ll find who you’re looking for.

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Learning and Technology

Online Learning

English School Children bring Christmas Cheer to the Elderly

aadmin — Mon, 24 Dec 2012 17:03:59 +0000

School children spread Christmas cheer to elders by delivering hundreds of chickens in Royal Wootton Bassett, in Wiltshire, England. Two hundred and twenty three chickens were provided as part of Christmas dinners to elderly people across the town, through money raised by the children.

“It is a way of providing the students with an opportunity to contribute to the community by giving something back," Jonathan Hill, Head of Unit 11, told Swindon Advertiser. “The Year 11 students are responsible for raising the money and collecting and delivering the food.”

The students spent a full day delivering potatoes, vegetables, fruit and custard, stock cubes, stuffing, a Christmas cracker, a box of mince pies and a box of chocolates. The chickens came courtesy of a local butchers in Royal Wootton Bassett at a discounted rate.

Students said they really enjoyed taking part. Some residents were very surprised to see them. One of the students thanked the butchers by painting a picture for them.

Christmas cheer is being spread across North American Assisted Living and Continuing Care Residences.

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Family and Personal Care

Skilled Nursing

Use the holidays to boost your brain health

aadmin — Mon, 17 Dec 2012 12:55:26 +0000

The environment shapes the structure and function of the human brain. This occurs on a daily basis and is a natural occurrence as we manage our lives. Sometimes we feel peaceful because the environment provides our brain a sense of joy and peace. Sometimes, the environment causes our brain experience stress, anger, and sadness. Each of these feelings, and certainly many more, are simply part of being human. The key is to discover what environments our brain finds most pleasing and try to increase our exposure to these “happy” settings. In contrast, we need to consciously work on trying to limit “stressful” settings that can limit the full potential of our brains.

This is a good introduction to appreciating the holiday season and how it will impact our brains. More specifically, how will you handle or manage this holiday season? Interestingly, even though the holiday season has just begun, you already have certain thoughts and feelings about the holiday season. What thoughts and feelings do you experience when you think about this time of year and why are these the thoughts and feelings that permeate your brain?

It is true that the holiday season brings a full array of emotion for the human brain and human being. We can experience joy, love, peace, sadness, anger, distress, fatigue, compassion, and fear just to name a few! The holiday season can cause us to rush, to focus on the material world, and to lose sight of what the season is supposed to represent. There is certainly a family dynamic factor that can contribute the good, the bad, and the ugly of the holiday season. The good news is that we have some control over what are brain experiences and we can work on keeping the focus on the positive.

There is a growing body of research that indicates our brains respond in a relatively predictable way when we experience happiness or think positively. This could have major consequences for how we think about brain health. Indeed, some research indicates the left front part of our brain is a region that helps to process positive or happy thoughts and feelings. Imagine, engaging in a daily mindfulness exercise that focuses you on positive thoughts to work that left frontal lobe of your brain.

How do you want to experience this holiday season? Recall a peaceful and balanced brain is a happy and well-functioning brain. A stressed and hurried brain is not only unhappy, it will not perform as it can and mistakes will be made. Part of the reason for this is that negative thinking and perception can trigger our Amygdala, the part of the brain that tells us we are in danger and to prepare to fight or flee. This is a wonderful, self-preserving part of our brain when we are in real danger. Unfortunately, our thoughts can convince our brain we are in real danger when we really are not. This is known as “catastrophizing.” Everything is a catastrophe!

Try to take a deep breath and think about what a wonderful holiday season might look like to you. Write down or make a mental note of the three or four factors or ingredients that define a positive and enriching holiday season. Consider why you identified the three or four factors and what each means to you. These factors are the pathway, the guiding light to your brain feeling happiness and balance this holiday season. Remain focused on these factors and your brain will respond with highly efficient and emotionally pleasant outcomes.

An important suggestion to help you experience a wonderful holiday is to simply (or not so simply) slow down. Create moments of space and time for yourself each day starting today. Engage in deep breathing and close your eyes to focus on those three or four important factors each and every day. Make this a meditative practice to ignite the positive flow of chemicals in your brain that will energize your entire body. Try to limit the attention you allocate to those factors that will cause you negativity and stress.

On a daily basis this holiday season, repeat the following words in your brain while in a quiet and focused moment:

Love

Forgiveness

Family

Peace

Joy

Compassion

Giving

When you are finished with this daily exercise, pay attention to how nice you feel. You have succeeded at placing your brain in a wonderful and balanced state. You are prepared to enjoy the day and to celebrate a holiday season filled with positive energy.

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How to lose weight over the holidays

aadmin — Thu, 13 Dec 2012 17:20:34 +0000

It may be hard to believe, but you can make it through the holidays unscathed, happy, and hopeful. Follow this plan, and there will be no reason to start the New Year bloated, stuffed, or unhappy.

Here are 10 tips that will help you to easily and effortlessly navigate the holiday season without adding on pounds:

Tip #1: Eat Slowly and Savor the Flavor

Research shows that those who slow down while eating eat less than those who gulp and stuff.

In a recent study conducted by the University of Rhode Island, scientists found that when eating quickly women consumed 646 calories in approximately nine minutes. When they ate slowly, they averaged 579 calories in 29 minutes.

Get it? They ate 67 calories more in nine minutes than they did in 29 minutes! In addition, those who slowed down enjoyed their meals and felt more satisfied on multiple levels.

So, starting today: Slow Down — Savor the Flavor!

Tip #2: Kill the Sugar Craving in 5 Steps

For the record, I enjoy a sweet or two now and again, especially during the holiday season. And it has been my experience that as soon as I tell myself that I absolutely cannot have something, I want it even more than I did before. So here are 5 quick ways to make peace with (or kill) your cravings:

1. Plan Ahead: If you are a chocoholic, pull out your weekly food plan/calendar right now and schedule in 3 chocolate snacks that you love.

2. Enjoy It: When “Chocolate Hour” is before you, stretch that one ounce piece for an hour! Well, that may be a stretch. Nevertheless, take the time to be one with your chocolate.

3. Find Alternative Sweets: People generally tend to crave sweets after a meal or when they hit that late afternoon slump. You might enjoy some peppermint tea, a one-ounce box of raisins, a piece of fruit.

4. Wait it Out: Cravings are like clouds. They roll in with the winds and out, too. Generally, the ‘crave’ cycle is ten minutes long. As soon as you see a ‘crave cloud’ rolling in, call a friend, take a walk, get busy and distract yourself for a mere ten minutes.

5. Give Yourself A Star: Whether you wait out a craving or sit and be one with your chocolate, you have changed a behavior. Seriously, that’s bigger than losing a pound and harder to do! So, give yourself a star. Buy a packet of sticky stars and put one on your food journal page every time you do something that shows that your thinking and behavior are beginning to shift.

Tip #3: Choose a Food Plan

First, some science. No matter how you slice it, dice it, package it, or name it, 3,500 calories cut is one pound lost. Whether you take in 500 calories fewer per day, or burn 500 calories more per day by exercises, by the end of the week, you will be one pound lighter.

Before settling on a food plan, ask yourself:

Do I like the foods on this food plan? If you do not, you will not stick with it.

How long can I live with this food plan? If you say for a week or even a month, you are doomed to fail. This is about making a healthy lifestyle change for life!

Tip #4: Know Your Trigger Foods

Trigger foods are foods that get the better of us; that set off some sort of irrational chain reaction that causes us to over-eat, binge – go crazy!

Those are the times when the mere mention of fries, or the aroma of fresh baked goods from the local bakery, or even a food commercial sets us off! There are emotional triggers, too. Big boss says something that’s unnerving and undermining and the urge to order an entire pizza pie for lunch is set into motion. Or, your mother gives you a “compliment” (HA!) and next thing you know you are covered in Oreo cookie crumbs.

Tip #5: Eat More!

Yep, you heard me right! Eat more… fruits and vegetables, that is.

Here are 6 ways to add veggies to your daily food plan:

1. Try a V8 for your 3 p.m. afternoon snack.

2. Toss extra veggies into your soups, stews, and salads.

3. Use pre-bagged baby spinach just like you would lettuce, toss it into your soups, or wilt it on top of pasta.

4. Buy vegetables that are already cut up. I know it costs more, but if that’s the only way you are going to eat more veggies, it’s worth it. (Skip the $4 cup of coffee!)

5. Did you know that vegetable soup counts as a serving of vegetables?

6. Lettuce, tomato and sprouts — oh my! Pile up layers and layers on your sandwiches. You can add a layer of cucumber, too.

Tip #6: Create the Perfect Plate

Want to eat healthfully? Then you’ve got to create the perfect plate! And who better knows what a healthy plate looks like than the American Diabetes Association. They suggest we divide our plate into three sections:

1. 1/2 of your plate: non-starch veggies (broccoli, carrots, cucumbers, salad, tomatoes, cauliflower, all the leafy greens)

2. 1/4 of your plate: starches (rice, pasta, potatoes, corn, couscous, peas, or any whole grains)

3. 1/4 of your plate: protein (chicken, fish, meat, or tofu)

Tip #7: Before and After Photos

I know that the thought of snapping a “before” photo is upsetting to a lot of us. But if you want to stay motivated and lose weight fast, do it NOW!
A “before” picture truly says a thousand words. And I can assure you that you will be thrilled to compare the “after” photo to it. In fact, you may want to take photos every couple of pounds or every ten pounds, as you the scales of injustice head south.

Tip #8: Show Your Family How to Eat

Are you thinking that if you make public your weight loss commitment, you will be weighed down by the pressure of it? Are you concerned that if you share this news with friends and family that they might either turn into the food police or saboteurs?

The best thing to do is to tell your family that you have turned over ‘a healthy leaf.’ You don’t have to mention the scale if you don’t want to. You can share healthy recipes with them, or bring healthy foods to the holiday gatherings. In essence, you can become the designated ‘health’ leader of your clan.

Tip #9: Think About Life, Not Fat

Your weight, your diet, and your exercise plan are from just one slice of your life’s pie. Permanent weight loss is about living a balanced life always. It’s about looking at all areas of your life – health, relationships, finances, career, fun, creativity, spirituality, physical environment – and creating them so that they support you to have the life you want.

Focusing only on weight loss will not serve you well. You may lose weight, but you will most definitely find it again later.

Tip #10: Own Your Power

According to the Journal of the American Dietetic Association, those who “owned” their power over what they ate lose more weight than those who don’t.

How do you “own your power,” you ask?

1. THINK about all that you’ve learned from past weight loss attempts. These attempts are a part of your path. It’s okay that you didn’t drop those pounds the first time around. People rarely do (I sure didn’t).

2. THINK about how you see yourself, and create a positive mental picture. How do you want to look? See it; believe it!

3. THINK about your goals. Are you going for fast weight loss or permanently lifestyle change?

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Holiday safety tips for seniors

aadmin — Tue, 04 Dec 2012 18:55:24 +0000

The holidays bring about a time of family and friends all gathering together. It’s exciting and there is so much to do during this time, but for seniors it can get rather taxing. Make you don’t overdo it this season and keep things simple with these quick tips:

Plan ahead: It really will make all the difference. If you start your holiday preparations early, you will beat the rush, and you can also spread out the work. If you start shopping for presents at the beginning of December you won’t have to spend one big, long, exhausting day at the mall. You will also be able to beat the rush of last-minute shoppers.

Keep set schedules: If you are used to eating at a certain time and going to bed at a certain time, don’t change it. It’s easy to get wrapped up in all the excitement, but if you break your schedule you could find it hard to return to normal after the holiday season.

Make sure your home is properly maintained: You likely weren't using your stove or furnace over the summer months, so now is the time to make sure they are inspected and in working order before you start using them. While you need to keep your home warm over the winter, safety precautions also need to be taken.

Avoid dangerous walks: Roads and side walks can be very slippery in the winter. If you can’t get anyone to come with you when you’re walking or driving on slick roads, be sure you always tell someone where you’re going and have a phone on you. It can be dangerous to tread the winter by yourself so if you must go alone, make sure you can call for help if you need it.

The holidays can be relaxing and energizing, but they can become quite stressful if you don’t take the right measures. Follow these tips so you can enjoy the season safely, and make your home safe for seniors.

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Hosting seniors for the holidays? Here's what you need to know

aadmin — Tue, 04 Dec 2012 13:09:09 +0000

There are only 20 shopping days left until Christmas Day 2012, and that means busy shopping malls and frenzied shoppers across North America.

And when the shopping is over and Christmas arrives, millions of families will gather across the United States and Canada in their homes for celebrations, and millions of seniors and the elderly are likely to be among them. So when hosting family gatherings, it is important to make sure one’s home is safe and secure for older visitors.

Courtesy of the Cleveland Plain Dealer newspaper, here are three ways holiday hosts can prepare their home for gatherings, and to ‘senior-proof:’

1/ Evaluate the house – Walk around the house as a guest might – visiting the kitchen, living and dining rooms, and bathroom – and check if there are any hazards that might come their way.

2/ Confirm about pets – Ask the older visitors if they mind a dog or cat at the house. A small kitten might not be a problem, but a larger dog might have the potential to knock over a senior and cause severe injuries, so make sure to ask beforehand.

3/ Ask about night guests – If there are any seniors who will be sleeping over during the holidays, make sure there is sufficient lighting in the hallways, bedroom and bathroom to help minimize risk of trips and falls.

Are you hosting family and friends this holiday season? How are you creating a safe home for seniors? Tell us about it in the comments below.

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Lonely New York seniors will receive presents from local charities on Christmas

aadmin — Fri, 16 Nov 2012 17:07:23 +0000

There are only a few more weeks until North America’s holiday season arrives, and for many people, that means vacation away from work, and time spent in the company of friends, family and plenty of food.

But for many seniors, the holiday season is a depressing and lonely time when there are no friends and family to spend time with, and only short days and long, cold nights.

Fortunately, a group of concerned residents in Saratoga Springs, New York, is working with local businesses to help brighten the season for less fortunate seniors, according to a recent article in the Times Union, an Albany newspaper.

A multitude of volunteer groups, local retailers, as well as individuals, has come together and will be collecting and offering gifts to seniors over the next month. As a result of these efforts, an estimated 200 seniors will benefit, according to the news source.

“We are looking to bring holiday cheer to seniors around the Saratoga Springs area,” Maureen Hopkins with Home Instead Senior Care, one of the participating organizations, told the Times Union.

The charity drive will offer shoppers at locations around Saratoga Springs the opportunity to buy unwrapped gifts and drop them off for lonely local seniors.

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WWII vet takes shelter in local retirement home during Hurricane Sandy

aadmin — Thu, 08 Nov 2012 18:42:56 +0000

Hurricane Sandy had devastating effects in North and Central America, killing nearly 200 people, and causing an estimated $52 billion in damages. But the disaster could have been much worse, had it not been for the kindness of many people.

As reported in the New York Daily News, 91 year-old New York City veteran Abraham Nayowitz and his 89 year-old wife Paula were stranded in their seventh-floor Manhattan apartment, out of power, and running low on food, due to the hurricane outside.

“All this water just came rushing by. It was terrifying,” Paula told the newspaper. What was really scary was that there was no power of any kind.”

In the early stages of the storm, the couple bundled themselves up with blankets and coats, and neighbors came by with food, but when the hurricane persisted, a neighbor called the local fire department to help remove the couple and take them to a safer place.

Abraham has a heart condition, and Paula has arthritis, and so they were fortunate to be taken into Kittay House, a New York independent living community in the Bronx.

There, the Nayowitzes were served a hot meal of turkey, yam, mashed potatoes, and string beans. And despite the scare they endured, Paula told the newspaper she and her husband are grateful for their health, their neighbors, and for each other.

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Veterans

Veterans Day events: November 10

aadmin — Thu, 08 Nov 2012 14:24:55 +0000

Martin County, FL - There will be a Veterans Day Flag Raising: 3 p.m. Nov. 10. Location: Emeritus at Jensen Beach, 1700 N.E. Indian River Drive, Jensen Beach. 772-225-1355.

All Merrill Gardens locations are hosting USO Support Our Troops fundraising events this coming week, in their locations in Alabama, Arizona, California, Florida, Georgia, Montana, Nevada, Texas, and Washington.

For a list of all events and dates, visit: http://cdn11.g5search.com/assets/140219/USO-2012_All-Events_Flyer_5.pdf?1350290677

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Veterans