2012 september | october / boomer buzz magazine

magazine

Melanoma, the greatest killer of all!Totally Delicious... Recipe Contest WinnersVOLUNTEER BECAUSE THEY DID!

boomers... living life to the fullest SEPTEMBER | OCTOBER 2012 | boomerbuzzmagazine.com

Pisco Portón is an unapologetically flavorful spirit that brings dimension and character back to the drinking experience. Taken neat, it is complex and layered. When mixed, Pisco Portón creates a whole new category of cocktails, more flavorful than vodka and more subtle than tequila. Pisco Portón is the new spirit that is actually new, with aromas and flavors sure to incite and intrigue as it opens a whole new world of cocktail possibilities.

Discover Pisco Portón® Responsibly. Pisco Portón, Manhasset, New York. 43% alc/vol. Produced and bottled by Destilería La Caravedo S.R.L. Ica, Perú

SEPTEMBER | OCTOBER IN THIS ISSUE

Dallas Salon Professional, Ron Maddox, Having Fun in the Sun.Photographer: Holly Kuper

04 | CONTENTS

ON THE COVER

boomers... living life to the fullest

469.237.7084 | [email protected]

PUBLISHER’S LETTERFEATURE

HEALTHY BALANCEAT HOME

THE EPICUREANSTYLE WATCH

BOOM VOYAGEREDEFINING

WEALTHY & WISEBOOMER BUZZ

BLOG SPEAKMEDICAL MATTERS

SENIOR SCENE

A Healthier America

Protect Yourself From The Sun

Wellness, Healing Art, The Bridge to Health

How DO YOU Fly “Old Glory”

Recipe Contest, Allergic or Intolerant?

Wardrobe Wellness, From Service to Service

Voyages to the Heartland

Volunteer Because They Did! Inspired Action

What Happens When It Rains

Relationships, Tech Tips, We Won’t Forget

Stars and Stripes, Operation Boots to Business

Sixties Chick, Managing Long Distance Health Care

When Should Mom and Dad Stop Driving, Planning Ahead

05081220222632343941444750

PUBLISHER’S LETTER

PUBLISHER’S LETTER | 05

Dear Boomer Buzz Readers,

All around me people are getting, being or doing something healthy. Are you? A young friend, Mel Stock, and his roommates are growing organic while talking about learning canning. My sister, Becca Menig, steps out her kitchen door to enjoy the fresh bounty of the harvest right from her herb garden.

Mark Neace, a business friend started DFWGreenTV.com supporting local green and sustainable business practices. He is engaging local communities to create environmental initiatives to make a real differ-ence in North Texas communities.

A new acquaintance and her partner have brought a bold “new world” method of enhancing your health, relieving pain and inflam-mation through cutting edge technology optimizing your body’s natural ability to maintain peak performance and ability. If it works for the Mavericks, it’s good enough for me! Seeing, or in this case, freez-ing, is believing, and I for one am now a BELIEVER!

Many exceptional health and wellness opportunities are available for our readers. This issue of Boomer Buzz is dedicated to assisting our Veterans to become healthier Americans through healthy eating , living options and opportunities to reverse the damage of war. We are excited to present The Healing through Art Therapy, Snow-ball Express, Reader Recipes, and blogs from Boomers about Veterans, asteamboat cruise up the lazy Mississippi and a word on dilemmas of The Sandwich Generation.

The core of Boomer Buzz Magazine this September is dedicated to health and healing especially forthe men and women who have served to keep our country free. The staff and I felt it was important toshare as much information as possible on our health and wellness choices, long distance relationships,wardrobe wellness and melanoma-the dangers from the sun.

With the memory of September 11, upon us, soldiers returning from overseas every day and the world’sinhabitants doing whatever they can to live, be and feel healthier, Boomer Buzz Magazine hopes you willenjoy and learn from this issue, A Healthier America!

Thanks for reading,

Robin Roberson

06 | MASTHEAD


PUBLISHERRobin Roberson

EDITOR-IN-CHEIFMicki Sanders

DIRECTOR OF MARKETINGLinda Moncrief

ADVERTISING SALESTeresa Otten

CREATIVE DIRECTOR Drew Prescott

CREATIVE DESIGNCreative80 Design Studios

CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERSHolly Kuper and Becca Menig

CONTRIBUTING WRITERSEric S. Alexander

Lyn E. CatheyJulese Crenshaw

John EbeyAyo Fashola

Beverly F. JonesSonja Kabell

DeeDee Lowder

Carla McMahonBecca Niederkom

Jet ParkerRobin Roberson

Micki SanderScott SchillingCynthia Stock

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. REGISTRATION ON OR USE OF THE MAGAZINE CONSTITUTES ACCEPTANCE OF BOOMER BUZZ MAGAZINE’S USER AGREEMENT AND PRIVACY POLICY. THE MATERIALS ON THIS SITE MAY NOT BE REPRODUCED, DISTRIBUTED, TRANSMITTED, CACHED OR OTHERWISE USED, EXCEPT WITH THE

PRIOR WRITTEN PERMISSION FROM BOOMER BUZZ MAGAZINE

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08 | FEATURE DANGERS OF THE SUN


Protect Yourself From Dangers of the Sun!Understanding Melanoma | By Dee Dee Lowder

Yes, we are all guilty of getting too much sun; ladies desiring a perfect tan, golfers not covering heads and faces while on the course, or enjoying the wind in their hair with the convertible top down. Do we love the feel of the rays on our faces? Sure. Should we, sure, but with protection!

Melanoma is the most deadly form of skin cancer, it starts in a mole and, if left untreated, gradually spreads throughout the body. While less com-mon than other types of skin cancer, it is the most serious. Defined as a form of cancer beginning in melanocytes (cells making the pigment melanin). It may begin in a mole (skin melanoma), and can also begin in other pigmented tissues. Melanoma is able to affect your skin only, or may spread to your organs and bones. As with other cancers, treatment for melanoma works best when the cancer is found early. Most people who spend a lot of time in the sun do not get melanoma, however, the primary cause of most melanoma cases is spending too much time in the sun. People who live in sunny, high-altitude climates, or who have had one or more sunburn blisters (second degree burns, by the way) as a child and those who use tanning beds (which contain harmful UVA rays) on a regular basis. Fair freckled skin individuals are also at in-creased risk for melanoma.

FEATURE DANGERS OF THE SUN | 09

The best way to learn if you have melanoma, is to get an annual skin exam by adermatologist. A doctor will take a biopsy of any mole that looks to potentially bemelanoma. What does melanoma look like? The best way for you to check for it is touse the ABCD (Asymmetry, Border, Color, Diameter) system.

• Asymmetry – Meaning half of the mole is different from the other half. Normal moles are symmetrical.• Border – Healthy, normal moles are even and round.• Color - Normal moles are usually one color; those that contain two or more colors or shades could be a symptom and cause for concern.• Diameter – Size of the mole is also very important, if larger than the size of a pencil eraser (6mm) should be examined by a dermatologist. Watch for a moles growth. If your doctor suggests you do a regular skin self-exam, to check for the development of a new skin cancer, it is best to begin by learning where your birthmarks, moles, and other marks are and their usual look and feel.

Check for anything new: A new mole ( looks different from your other moles) A new red or darker color flaky patch that may be a little raised A new flesh-colored firm bump A change in the size, shape, color, or feel of a mole A sore that doesn't heal

Melanoma is generally treatable if caught during earlier stages and chances of survival are good. However, chances of survival are reduced if caught at later stages, because the cancer may already have spread throughout the body.

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Have you heard any of these common myths about sun

exposure, tanning, and vitamin D? The Skin Cancer

Foundation looks at the facts behind the fiction.

Myths & Melanoma

10 | FEATURE DANGERS OF THE SUN


The most common treatment is surgery to remove the melanoma. It is all the treatment you may need for early-stage melanomas that have not spread to other parts of your body.

After surgery, your doctor will set up a schedule of frequent checkups and will discuss how you can lower your chances of having another melanoma.

If your melanoma is very deep or has spread to your lymph nodes, your doctor may discuss with you about more aggressive treatment plans which can include surgery, chemotherapy and/or radiation or a combina-tion of these.

Should you be afraid of the sun, absolutely not. How-ever, you should take precautions. The best way to prevent all kinds of skin cancer, including melanoma, is to protect yourself whenever you are out in the sun. It's important to avoid exposure to the sun's ultraviolet (UV) rays.

• Try to stay out of the sun during the middle of the day (from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.).

• Wear protective clothes when you are outside, such as a hat to shade your face, a long-sleeved shirt, and long pants.

• Avoid sunbathing and tanning salons.

• Get in the habit of using sunscreen every day. Look for sunscreen of an SPF value of least 15. Sunscreen should protect against both types of UV radiation in the sun's rays—UVA and UVB.

By checking your skin regularly, you'll learn what is normal for you. It may be helpful to record the dates of your skin exams and take notes or pictures of the way your skin looks. Then, you can compare your skin to the photos to help check for changes. If you find any-thing unusual, see your doctor, ease your mind early and do not become a statistic.

• More than 3.5 million skin cancers in over two million people are diagnosed annually; more than all other cancers combined.

• There are more new cases of skin cancer than the combined incidence of cancers of the breast, prostate, lung and colon.

• One in five Americans will develop skin cancer in the course of a lifetime; between 40 and 50 percent of Americans who live to age 65 will have either skin cancer at least once.

Dee Dee Lowder is a freelance writer, mother and entrepreneur who now lives in Atlanta. GA.

MYTH: Eighty percent of a person’s lifetime sun exposure is acquired before age 18, so if I’m older, it doesn’t matter how much sun I get.

FACT: Actually, only about 23 percent of lifetime exposure occurs by age 18. You can — and should — help prevent sun damage at every age.

MYTH: Tanning at a salon is safer than tanning outdoors — it’s a controlled dose of UV radiation.

FACT: When compared to people who have never tanned indoors, indoor tanners havea higher risk of all forms of skin cancer. A controlled dose of tanning lamp radiation is ahigh dose: Frequent tanners using new high-pressure sunlamps may receive as muchas 12 times the annual ultraviolet A (UVA) dose they receive from sun exposure.

MYTH: Some ingredients in sunscreen can cause cancer.

FACT: Current research shows when used as directed, sunscreens are safe and effective. Using a sunscreen with an SPF of 15 or higher is an important step in a complete sun protection program.

FEATURE DANGERS OF THE SUN | 11

MYTH: The sun is the best way to get vitamin D.

FACT: Our bodies can produce some vitamin D following exposure to the sun’s ultraviolet B (UVB) radiation. However, after approximately five minutes daily of noon sun exposure in summer, vitamin D production reaches its maximum. Further UV exposure will actually break down vitamin D to inactive compounds!

MYTH: You can’t get sun damage on a cloudy day.

FACT: Just because you can’t see your shadow doesn’t mean you’re safe from the sun’s damaging rays. Believe it or not, up to 80 percent of the sun’s UV rays can penetratethrough clouds and fog.

MYTH: A “base tan” protects your skin from sunburn.

FACT:There is no such thing as a safe or protected tan: any tan at all is a sign of skindamage. Skin tans in response to UV damage to the skin’s DNA; a tan is the skin’sattempt to repair sun damage and prevent further injury. But these imperfect repairscan cause gene defects leading to skin cancer.

MYTH: I use a sunscreen with an SPF of 50, so I’m all set.

FACT: A sunscreen’s SPF (sun protection factor) indicates it protects against UVBrays, but you need protection from both UVB and UVA. For effective protection, apply abroad spectrum (UVA/UVB) sunscreen.

MYTH: People of color don’t get skin cancer.

FACT: People of color are less likely to develop skin cancer than Caucasians, but theyhave a higher risk of dying from it. A very dangerous and fast-spreading skin cancerknown as acrallentiginous melanoma is more common among darker-skinned people

and may appear as a suspicious growth in the mucous membranes, under the nails, oron the palms or soles of the feet.

MYTH: Windows protect us from the sun’s ultraviolet rays.

FACT: While glass blocks most UVB rays, UVA radiation can get through. Which means even indoors or in a car with the windows up, you can tan or burn. In states where the sun is more intense, window tinting does aid in protection.

This month’s issue of Boomer Buzz Magazine is all about wellness. Wellness can mean a lot of different things to different people. Wellness can be the wellness of finances, of sound mind, of sound body or general spirit. Wellness in the Webster’s dictionary is “the condition of being healthy or sound, esp. as the result of proper diet, exercise, etc.” We are going to look at the definition of wellness from a health prospective. As crazy as it seems, we overlook theimportance and fragility of our health . We should treat our bodies as a precious diamond; sometimes we treat our family pet better than we do ourselves.

Every thing you do can affect your wellness in a positive or negative manner. What are a few key things we can doto improve or maintain our condition of being healthy? Most of this information you have heard or read over and over. My hope is maybe this will be the time you take your precious asset seriously and make a few changes to improve and possibly save your life. It is never too late!

Watching your weight is key. Being at a healthy BMI (body mass index) is a great way to lower your risk of developing weight-related issues like Type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol and osteoarthritis. If you are currently overweight, you can make small changes to yourdaily diet to help reduce fats, sugars and alcohol. The great thing is at any age you can still slim down and get healthier.

Eating a rainbow of fresh fruit and vegetables will fill you up and provide a powerful punch of vitamins and minerals.

12 | HEALTHY BALANCE WELLNESS


Wellness... By Sonja Kabell

HEALTHY BALANCE WELLNESS | 13

Avoid processed, fried, or foods cooked in a lot of oil. Stick with lean meats, chicken, turkey and fish. Eat a wide variety of healthy foods in moderation. Drinking water and staying hydrated is important. Enjoy the fun stuff at a minimal, keeping your precious asset in mind. As a weight loss and wellness consultant, I think of food as “will this serve my weight loss or hurt it” when choosing what to eat. Losing the extra weight will give you more energy and a feeling of well-being.

A critical component is taking a trust worthy supplement every day. All supplements are notcreated equal so be aware: look for pharmaceutical grade, absorbable, bioavailable products. Whata multivitamin supplement will do is provide your body with the vitamins and minerals it may not get from your diet.

Activity is a very important part of wellness. As we age, we need to keep our muscles and bones strong. Activity can be walking your dog, going to the community dance, wading in the pool, water aerobics and riding a stationary bike. Regular activity can help lower your blood pressure anddecrease your risk for heart disease. It also helps maintain stronger bones and joints so you can keep moving. Research shows being physically active on a regular basis will help us maintain a healthy weight. Eating a healthy diet and activity go hand-in-hand. Regular activity can also

improve your mood and outlook on life!

Mental wellness is an important factor in our overall health. Keeping an active mind with reading, crossword puzzles, Sudoku or painting will keep your mind working. Treatments to keep the brain healthy can be just as effective as exercise is for the body, according to the latest special issue of The Journal of Gerontology: Psychological Sciences (June 15, 2007). Staying in contact with friends, socializing, and participating in life will provide your wellness of mind.

“Lack of activity destroys the good condition of every human being while movement and methodical physical exercise save it and preserve it” - Plato

My goal here is to help us to protect our one and only body. A healthy body, mind and spirit will help us live a happy life. We still have not developed a way to switch bodies once ours is worn out like a lot of sci-fi movies. We still only get one. Enjoy it, love it and take care of it. You will be glad you did!

Sonja Kabell, Weight Loss and Wellness Consultant, Founder of Creating Healthy Lifestyles. Like us on Facebook for daily healthy tips and hints!

HEALTHY BALANCE ART | 15


By Julese Crenshaw

Defined, art is "the use of skill and imagination in the creation of aesthetic objects, environments, or experi-ences to be shared with others". Have you ever looked at a piece of art, whether it be a painting, sculpture or other form and wondered what the creator had in mind? I think we all have experienced the question ! Whatever we sense when viewing a piece of art, we must admit art does elicit a variety of feelings.

Art stimulates an individual's thoughts, emotions, be-liefs, or ideas through the senses. The skill is a collec-tion of disciplines producing artworks (art as objects) compelled by a personal drive (art as activity) and convey a message, mood, or symbolism for the viewer to interpret (art as experience). Art therapists around the world use the creative process to help people of all ages improve their health and emotional well-being. Art has been shown to be beneficial to our nation’s Veterans who often return home with acute psycho-logical or medical conditions impairing functionality, disrupting family relationships, and preventing reen-try into the workforce.

Intense emotion and memory, often difficult to convey in words, are expressed easier in images. Art therapy has the potential to assist Veterans as a form of reha-bilitation. How art actually works on the brain of hu-man beings is still not clear. Many breakthroughs are being recognized where service members who have never discussed issues before, create the event in art. Those working with Veterans in art programs across the country report the service member will open up and express what they have created. They are able to talk about it, be relieved as if a weight was lifted off their minds.

Across America many exciting and innovative pro-grams are cropping up to aid Veterans in shedding the stigmas of war affecting their reentry into life. Many Veterans of war suffer Post Traumatic Stress Disor-der (PTSD), a nonverbal disorder in nature trapping traumatic past memories and experiences below the conscious level. Art is proving to be a wonderful form of physical, psychological and emotional therapy for Veterans with this affliction.

The Healing Therapy

of Art

You can help by donating to a program of your choosing, starting art therapy for Vet-erans in your community or volunteering at one or many of the other

services for those brave and valiant men and women who place themselves in harm's way for the freedoms we enjoy as Americans.

In the Phoenix area, The American Heal-ing Arts Foundation Inc.was organized ex-clusively to promote the use and applica-tion of art as therapy and particularly to provide a health and spiritual benefit to U.S. Veterans and other first Respond-ers who offer ser-vice to their country and community. The program uses art as a creative and restor-ative tool to advance wellness with a con-centrated focus on military service men and women for full re-entry into the com-munity. To learn more or volunteer, please visit their website for opportunities (www.americanhealingartsfoundation.com).

Based in Seattle, Washington, The War Experience Project is encouraging artistic expression for current military service per-sonnel and Veterans: warriors who express their own unique military experience by painting in acrylics onto a military uniform blouse, revealing what has been in the uni-form but never seen except by those who

have worn it. The art created through this program transcends language and actual-ity, sharing the human experiences of those who have served in the military in a mean-ingful way. For more information you can visit their website at www.warep.com.

Founded by Akron, Ohio drama therapist and social artist Lisa Rosenthal, The Vet Art Project offers creative workshops, commu-nity discussions and public performances of new art by Veterans, including veteran

and artist collabora-tive teams. Discus-sions follow with the veteran participants. The Vet Art Project is growing across the United States and around the world fos-tering conversations on how war and mili-tary service affect all of us. You may read more about it on www.vetartproject.com.

War is a journey from which no one really returns. Some soldiers literally never come home. Those lucky enough to survive their tours of duty almost certainly come back forever changed.

A new program at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Bethesda, Md., The National Intrepid Center of Excellence (www.nicoe.capmed.mil/)aims to help Veterans navigate their return to life after combat through classes in visual art, writ-ing and music.

16 | HEALTHY BALANCE ART


HEALTHY BALANCE ART | 17

The Center has technology that can map how art therapies change the anatomy and functioning of the brain, the center’s di-rector, Dr. James Kelly, states.And for the first time, neurologists there will attempt to discover how creative writing and other art therapies physically affect the brain. "No other location in the country has all this in one place,” says Director Kelly. His team is now creating a series of tests to monitor the brain's metabolism and magnetic im-pulses as patients are exposed to writing, painting and music. The results could give doctors new insight into how art therapies help patients with traumatic brain injuries and psychological conditions, particularly Veterans.

Nationwide, Department of Veterans Af-fairs (VA) medical facilities use the creative arts as one form of rehabilitative treatment to help Veterans recover from and cope with physical and emotional disabilities. Across the country each year, Veterans treated at VA facilities compete in a local creative arts competition. The competition includes 53 categories in the visual arts division rang-ing from oil painting to leatherwork to paint-by-number kits. A national selection committee chooses first, second and third place winners among all of the entries and then selected winners are invited to attend the National Veterans Creative Arts Festival each year.

The Veterans invited to participate in the National Veterans Creative Arts Festival are selected winners from the 2012 national competition.

The key purpose of the competition and fes-tival is to recognize Veterans for their cre-

ative accomplishments and to educate and demonstrate to communities throughout the country the therapeutic benefits of the arts.

The 2012 local phase of the National Vet-erans Creative Arts Competition has end-ed. For information regarding entering the 2013 competition, please contact www.cre-ativeartsfestival.va.gov.

While these are just a few of the art therapy programs across America, there are many more. Art therapy bridges communication and those Veterans who participate in such programs will know they are not alone in their memories and feelings, and those civil-ians who attend exhibits will gain a deeper understanding of the experiences our Veter-ans who sacrifice everyday so America and Americans are safe around the world. These art processes open community dialogue on Veterans’ terms through art. Enjoy one in your community!

Julese Crenshaw is a freelance writer from Tennessee.

By Micki SanderDr. Rey Adorable’s goal for his patients is achiev-ing optimal health, not just the absence of symp-toms Evaluating the status of each patient means testing major systems of the body for proper nerve and meridian flow function. The improper flow of energy leads to pain and disease, many times the blockages are symptomless without proper testing to reveal the problems.

Wellness encompasses every function of the body. There are many common health issues Dr. “Rey” enjoys correcting. He addresses the top killers of Americans: Heart Disease/Stroke/High Blood Pres-sure/Cancer/Immune Deficiencies/Autoimmune Diseases/Diabetes and Adverse Reactions to Pre-scription Medication. Obesity which directly leads to increased risk factors to the top killers is always on his hit list. The cause of chronic and acute pain is always included in his investigative approach to healing.

The Holistic approach benefits his patients more than traditional medical as it addresses cause and effect. Dr. Rey's focus is on finding the cause of symptoms. Traditional medicine focuses short-term, fast results relief now. The philosophy is eliminate symptoms through drugs first, then sur-gery later. His approach is long term, conservative, energetic and physical in nature. Since the majority of the body's initial dysfunction is neuro-musclo-skeletal in nature, the chemical, drug approach is not as effective in the long run. He looks to start at the control center of the body, the nervous system and the acupuncture meridians.

The value of each device or program he recom-mends is all about improving the function of the body. For example, everybody wants to lose weight. Instead of artificially speeding up a patients metab-olism with harsh stimulants which may work short term but as they get off the speed, the process slows down. He identifies the reason someone has slow metabolism and then provides herbs to strengthen the thyroid or adrenal glands so the power comes from within the body's own resources. In the long run the body continues to work optimally.

His number one concern for the future of our health care is the insatiable drive for excess profits of the pharmaceutical industry at the expense of helping patients achieve real health. Dr. Adorable believes in profit for the right reasons, yet has an issue with the possibility of a patient getting hurt. According to the Journal of the American Medical Association, 220,000 Americans die from adverse reactions to FDA approved prescription drugs side effects. Drug use is high as many Americans are prescribed drugs that are addicting. The average 50 year old is on 6 prescription medications, by the time they turn 60 the number is 12. America con-sumes 75% of the world's prescription medication, yet we are only 5% of the world's population. Our health ranking in the world continues to worsen. Since 1958 there have been no cures of any dis-ease.

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20 | AT HOME OLD GLORY


The American flag is the most recognized symbol in the United States and around the world. The distinctive red and white stripes with 50 stars have come to repre-sent American values of freedom and democracy.

Traditionally, it is said George Washington believed the stars were taken from the sky, the red from the Brit-ish colors, and the white stripes signified the secession from the home country. The original 13 star version of our flag was adopted on June 14, 1777, revised to the current version on July 4, 1960.

No official reason for the choice of the colors was re-corded by the Continental Congress. In 1782 the Con-gress of the Confederation chose red, white, and blue for the Great Seal of the United States and listed their meanings as red for courage, valor and hardiness of our nation's forefathers, white for the pure ideas of free-dom and innocence, and the blue symbolizing loyalty to truth, justice, vigilance and perseverance.. No mat-ter what the original meaning of the colors, our "grand old flag," continues to represent patriotism and pride in the United States, land that we love, home of the free and the brave.The American flag, consists of thirteen equal horizontal stripes of red (top and bottom) alternating with white, a blue rectangle in the canton (referred to specificallyas the "union") bearing fifty small, white, five-pointed stars arranged in nine offset horizontal rows of six stars (top and bottom) alternating with rows of five stars.

The 50 stars on the flag represent the 50 states of the United States and the 13 stripes represent the thirteen British colonies that declared independence from the Kingdom of Great Britain and became the first states in the Union. Nicknames for the flag include the "Stars and Stripes", "Old Glory,” and the “Star-Spangled Ban-ner" (also the name of our national anthem).

A set of rules outlining proper procedures for display-ing, saluting or disposing of the flag has been devel-oped to show respect. Obeying these guidelines pays homage to American ideologies.

The flag has become a powerful symbol of American-ism and is proudly flown on national holidays such as Veteran’s Day, Memorial Day, Flag Day, Independence Day, Armed Forces Day and the birthdays of Washing-ton, Lincoln and Martin Luther King.

The flag is prominently flown on President’s Day and Inauguration Day (every four years). On honor days, it is common to place small flags by war memorials and next to graves of U.S. war veterans; the flag is flown at half-mast until noon in remembrance of those who lost their lives fighting for America in U.S. wars.

When an important American dies the flag is lowered to half-mast as a sign of respect and mourning. The flag when shown upside down is warning danger or distress.

How Do YOU Fly “Old Glory?”

By Julese Crenshaw

AT HOME OLD GLORY | 21

The United States Flag Code outlines guidelines for use, display and disposal of the American flag. Never dip the flag to any person or thing, unless it is the ensign responding to a salute from the ship of a foreign country. The flag should never be allowed to touch the ground and should be illuminated if flown at night.Though not part of the official Flag Code, and according to military custom, flags should be folded into a triangular shape when not in use.Within the United States, flags are frequently dis-played on private residences as well as public build-ings. Buzz Aldrin placed the flag on the moon dur-ing the Apollo 11 mission and has been placed there on every subsequent successful landing mission. The flag has become a common motif on clothing, badges, lapel pins, as well as car windows and many products.

Desecration of the American flag is considered a public outrage. Protected as freedom of speech by our constitution. A worn, frayed or faded flag should not be displayed. American Legion Posts and local governments often have facilities to dispose of un-serviceable flags. The American flag inspires pride in this great country of ours, no matter time of year or what area of the country you live in.

How do YOU fly “Old Glory?”Julese Crenshaw is a freelance writer from Tennessee.

How Do YOU Fly “Old Glory?”

By Julese Crenshaw

Our journey to find new and exciting recipes was fun. The following three recipes hit our imagination of aromas and tastes to taunt your appetites. We hope you will endeavor to try them and let us know if your taste buds agree with ours.

We present the Recipe Contest Winners in each cat-egory : Breakfast, Entrees and Appetizers

Ingredients

1/4 cup sun-dried tomatoes (not packed in oil)1/2 cup water, divided3 eggs6 egg whites2 tablespoons minced fresh cilantro4 teaspoons butter, melted1/2 teaspoon salt1/4 teaspoon pepper1/3 cup shredded provolone cheese1 cup chopped leeks (white portion only)2 green onions, chopped1 tablespoon olive oil2 tablespoons chopped Greek olives2 teaspoons minced fresh oregano or 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese1 tablespoon honey

22 | THE EPICUREAN RECIPE CONTEST


DirectionsPlace tomatoes in a small bowl. Cover with 1/4 cup water; let stand for 30 minutes. Meanwhile, in a large bowl, whisk the eggs, egg whites, cilantro, butter, salt, pepper and remaining water.

Heat an 8-in. nonstick skillet coated with cooking spray; pour about 1/2 cup egg mixture into center of skillet. Lift and tilt pan to evenly coat bottom. Cook for 1-1/2 to 2 minutes or until top appears dry; turn and cook 30-45 seconds longer or until set.

Remove from pan and press into a 1-cup baking dish or ramekin coated with cooking spray. Repeat with remain-ing egg mixture, making three more omelet cups (coat skillet with cooking spray as needed). Sprinkle provolone cheese into cups.

Drain tomatoes; chop and set aside. In a large nonstick skillet, saute leeks and onions in oil until tender. Stir in the tomatoes, olives and oregano; cook over medium heat for 2-3 minutes. Spoon into omelet cups. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese; drizzle with honey.

Bake at 350° for 10-12 minutes or until heated through. Yield: 4 servings.

Jody Bradshaw cooks year round for family, friends and co-workers in Seattle, WA. This “light” version of a pastry crust makes for a healthier breakfast favorite.

BREAKFAST: Crepe Cups Omelets

THE EPICUREAN RECIPE CONTEST | 23

ENTRÉE: Cherry-Sauced Pork Loin

Appetizer: Jerk Chicken Bites

Ingredients

1 (4-5 pound) pork loin1/2 teaspoon salt1/2 teaspoon pepperDash of dried crushed thyme1 cup cherry preserves1/2 cup red wine vinegar2 tablespoons light corn syrup1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg1/4 teaspoon ground cloves1/4 teaspoon salt1/4 cup toasted slivered almonds

Ingredients3 (6-in./15-cm) flour tortillas2 tsp (10 m.) vegetable oil3 cups diced or shredded cooked chicken2 cups (8 oz) shredded cheddar and Monterey Jack cheese blend2 tbsp Jamaican Jerk Rub, divided into 2 – 1 tbsp potions1 small yellow or red bell pepper or combination1 lime2 tbsp snipped fresh cilantro1/4 cup sour cream

Rub roast with mixture of salt, pepper and thyme. Place on rack in

13-by 9- by 2 inch baking pan. Roast uncovered, in slow oven (325

F) for about 21/2 hours. ( I cook mine in a slow cooker to help it stay

moist.) Meanwhile, make cherry sauce in small saucepan by combin-

ing cherry preserves, vinegar, corn syrup, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves

and salt. Heat to boiling, stirring occasionally; reduce heat and sim-

mer 2 minutes. Add toasted almonds.

Spoon sauce over roast and continue roasting for about 30 minutes

longer or until meat thermometer registers 170 F. Base roast several

times with sauce while roasting. Use remaining sauce when serving

meat. Makes 10-12 servings.

Donna J Hubbard lives in Cleveland, TN where she spends time feeding her

large family, as well as anyone who happens to wander in at dinnertime.

Preheat oven to 400°F . Brush both sides of tortillas with oil using Chef’s Silicone Basting Brush.

Stack tortillas and cut into eight wedges using Pizza Cutter for a total of 24 wedges. Cut a small notch on one of the long sides of each wedge.

Press tortillas into cups of a mini-muffin pan using a mini-tart shaper or tablespoon.

In bowl, combine chicken, cheese and 1 tbsp of the rub; mix gently.

Sprinkle chicken mixture evenly into tortilla cups.

Bake for 5 -8 minutes or until cheese is melted and edges of tortillas begin to turn golden.

Remove from oven to a cooling rack.

Meanwhile, dice bell pepper and mix in bowl remaining rub.

Cut lime in half crosswise and juice into the bowl with bell pepper and mix well. Chop cilantro and set aside.

Once removed from oven, spoon bell pepper mixture over nachos; sprinkle evenly with cilantro.

If desired, add dollops of sour cream

Danielle Hasting is the owner of One Fine Day, Event Planning. She enjoys creating culinary delights with her husband and boys and this is one of their favorites.

Yield: 24 appetizers

Before I begin discussing food allergies, we need to re-view what are believed to be the causes of most reac-tions. It makes a big difference in anyone’s life to rec-ognize issues with allergies or intolerances to certain foods.

According to the Mayo Clinic website, while food re-actions are common, most are not actually caused by an allergy but rather an intolerance to the food. There are similar symptoms for both which make it very con-fusing. An allergy to a particular food is typically more severe and can be life-threatening, which makes it ex-tremely important to avoid the food entirely. If your throat swells closed, that’s definitely an allergy. If you get a slight queasiness, it is most likely just an intoler-ance to something you ate. Most common food allergies in American adults are shellfish, peanuts, tree nuts, fish and sesame. However, you can have an allergy to most

anything. I remember my allergy tests and hearing the results-no more nuts. Are you nuts?! I love peanuts, ca-shews and pecans.

No horses in my future…okay, I can live with that. And no feathered friends around my house nor feather pil-lows or down comforters. No cucumbers, orange juice or the major product in cough syrups.

An intolerance causes mostly digestive symptoms and some people are able to eat small amounts of these foods without much discomfort. Doggone! Asparagus is not on the list, nor bell peppers or melons of all varieties. They just do not like me! So a little tummy ache is most likely not an allergy, but rather an intolerance.

What constitutes a food allergy? Some unique aspects are:

24 | THE EPICUREAN ALLERGIC OR INTOLERANT


Are You Truly Allergic or Just Intolerant?By Carla McMahon

THE EPICUREANALLERGIC OR INTOLERANT | 25

• An immune system reaction that affects several or-gans in your body.• Even a small amount of the food causes a quick and severe reaction. • Digestive symptoms include diarrhea, nausea and cramping. • Other symptoms include swelling in the lips, face, tongue and mouth; a tingling mouth, headaches, ar-thritis, insomnia and hives.

Allergies are typically discovered at a young age yet they can surface later in life. Food intolerances, on the other hand, look like this: • Digestive symptoms come on gradually. • The immune system is not involved in the reaction. • Symptoms include rashes, joint pain, fatigue, insomnia, headaches and hoarseness.

According to the book “Nourishing Traditions” by Sally Fallon and Mary G. Enig, PhD., these are nature’s warn-ing signals and should be acknowledged.The causes of food intolerances include the lack of a particular enzyme to digest a specific food, sensitivities to food additives, irritable bowel syndrome and recur-ring stress and/or emotional factors.Today our choice of foods is limited to about thirty spe-cies, for many the choice is even more restricted. This

causes deficiencies in many nutrients and the constant call for the enzymes to digest those particular foods leads to exhaustion of the specific digestion mecha-nism. Different food allergies pose different social, nu-tritional, and food safety challenges.

It is possible to be allergic or sensitive to just about any food. Managing an unusual food allergy can be chal-lenging, since food manufacturers are only required to clearly list the 8 most common allergens on labels. It is important to monitor all foods you are allergic to. If you notice a reaction to a certain food, be sure to check with your health care provider to learn if you have an allergy or intolerance.

Carla McMahon is a homemaker and freelance writer of interests for women. She lives with her family in North Carolina.

When you look at your life from a matter of priorities, you can dress the part. This will help you make conscious choices in-stead of buying to fill an emotional void. If losing weight and fitness is your #1 priority this year and you find yourself buying dresses and shoes to go dancing, then something needs to change. Maybe attracting a man is a bigger priority than losing weight, but it’s up to you to define what it means for you, and shop accord-ingly.

Every season I encourage my clients to take stock of where they are in their lives, review their goals for the upcom-ing season and design a wardrobe to provide emotional and practical support in reaching their goals.

Think Category, Then Type

We are all taught to organize our closets by pants, shirts, dresses, colors, etc., and although there is nothing wrong with organizing our closets this way, we are looking at only half the picture. When you walk into a department store or a boutique, the store or department is

first marketing a central theme and idea. It’s important we broaden our vision and perspective of what is taking place around us. In a department store for ex-ample, you will notice within the store are categories and sections: business wear, fun trendy club wear, formal wear, date dresses, workout exercise wear, etc. Within each of these groupings are de-signers fitting the spirit of the sections and then finally, you will find those sec-tions organized by type: pants, shirts, skirts, dresses, and shirts. We want to apply this same concept to our closets.

Categories: Make it Specific and Per-sonal

I’m returning some dresses and clothes bought recently because I’m being truly honest about my priorities. I’m realizing it will suit me well to buy clothes to exercise in. Comfortable clothes I can practice Yoga in so I’ve created a section in my wardrobe for Yoga wear and workout wear. I hang these clothes in the front of my closet immediately seeing

26 | STYLE WATCH WARDROBE WELLNESS


Dress Your Priorities: Style Your GoalsBy Ayo Fashola

One key to living a stress-free, balanced and full-filled life is by having a wardrobe that works for you. Instead of a closet full of clothes making you feeling overwhelmed and frustrated, it’s time to organize your closet to reflect your CURRENT lifestyle and emotions.

Wardrobe Wellness

When you look at your life from a matter of priorities, you can dress the part. This will help you make conscious choices in-stead of buying to fill an emotional void. If losing weight and fitness is your #1 priority this year and you find yourself buying dresses and shoes to go dancing, then something needs to change. Maybe attracting a man is a bigger priority than losing weight, but it’s up to you to define what it means for you, and shop accord-ingly.

Every season I encourage my clients to take stock of where they are in their lives, review their goals for the upcom-ing season and design a wardrobe to provide emotional and practical support in reaching their goals.

Think Category, Then Type

We are all taught to organize our closets by pants, shirts, dresses, colors, etc., and although there is nothing wrong with organizing our closets this way, we are looking at only half the picture. When you walk into a department store or a boutique, the store or department is

first marketing a central theme and idea. It’s important we broaden our vision and perspective of what is taking place around us. In a department store for ex-ample, you will notice within the store are categories and sections: business wear, fun trendy club wear, formal wear, date dresses, workout exercise wear, etc. Within each of these groupings are de-signers fitting the spirit of the sections and then finally, you will find those sec-tions organized by type: pants, shirts, skirts, dresses, and shirts. We want to apply this same concept to our closets.

Categories: Make it Specific and Per-sonal

I’m returning some dresses and clothes bought recently because I’m being truly honest about my priorities. I’m realizing it will suit me well to buy clothes to exercise in. Comfortable clothes I can practice Yoga in so I’ve created a section in my wardrobe for Yoga wear and workout wear. I hang these clothes in the front of my closet immediately seeing

STYLE WATCH WARDROBE WELLNESS | 27

my priority. If my goal is to exercise 5 days a week, then I’ll need to buy enough items to support me for each day of my workout. Within this category, I can organize my workout gear by type…pants, jacket, workout bras, shoes, socks, etc.

My second priority is creating a “Secure” category. Within my closet, a section is created where my yoga/ workout clothes end and my business/first impression

clothes begin. These are clothes I can wear to my busi-ness/networking events in summer feel good fabrics like cotton that also fit well. I want to feel confident, com-fortable, stylish and secure when presenting myself so everything within this group of my wardrobe will show where I am in life as a professional. I’ll then organize my closet by type within the section.

Other categories of my wardrobe will include I feel spe-cial clothing, stylish casual wear and comfortable, cheap, cheerful, fun clothing, to veg out and sleep in.

Your Own Personal Categories

Some of your clothes will go in categories within your closet that are personal and specific to you. Here are some of the categories my clients created according to their specific needs:

• Vacation clothing• Workout/exercise clothing• Gardening, washing-the-car, and household-chores clothing• Business travel clothing• Weekends-away clothing• Contradictions—items that shouldn’t work but do!

Your Closet: A Great Visual AidLooking at your wardrobe from a lifestyle vantage point allows you to see where you are devoting most of your time and if you are neglecting other areas. If you have a

large business work wear category,and notice as a single woman, your date wear is mini-mal to none, this may explain why you have not been asked out on a date. If you are married and your date wear section is looking rather bleak, maybe this is a sign to rekindle the romance and sensuality in your relation-ship. An entrepreneur with a large business casual cat-egory may discover she doesn’t have the right clothes for networking and making great first impressions. If your workout wear looks the same as your veg out wear, this may cause a lack of interest. Stylish workout gear makes you feel good, attractive, and feminine. It can be the push you need to spend time at the gym.

A Closet That Works

Use your wardrobe as a guidepost to organize how you want to spend your time and your life. From here, you can decide which categories need your attention. This is what it means to shop in your closet. The great benefit of having categories is it will help you decrease the po-tency of your bad days; days where you do not feel like devoting much time and attention to your image, yet you still want to look your best. You will see what you need without having to dig through your closet. This is where a closet ends up working for you.

Besides being a freelance fashion writer, Ayo Fashola is a style, wardrobe and image consultant in Dallas, TX. Ayo believes you celebrate what sets you apart, what's most particular and true for you, and your own specialness will become clear.

Dress Your Priorities: Style Your GoalsBy Ayo Fashola

America's Navy epitomizes the reality, a country is measured by the strength of its Navy. The Unit-ed States Navy's motto is " A Global Force for Good". Captain T.D. Smyers, Com-mander of the Naval Air Station/Joint Base Reserve Base/Fort Worth, now re-tired, served our country in the United States Navy for 30 years. In November, 2012 he transitioned from the Navy to become an independent consultant. However, after a short period of time he be-gan to rethink the direction of his future and realized he wanted to continue the motto of "A Global Force for Good". He started net-working in the Dallas/Fort Worth area for a leader-ship position with a service organization or com-pany concerned with humanitarian needs.

As Commanding officer of the Naval Station in Forth Worth, he developed relationships with many service oriented organizations and during his search, while being considered for an executive po-sition with a local real estate development firm and a regional public safety firm, he was approached by the CEO of the Red Cross and learned they were in

the process of reorganizing to develop a new region in North Texas. He was invited to toss his hat in the

ring for this position, and a search firm contacted him within a few days. The Red Cross opportunity was the position he was seeking and when it was offered, he ac-cepted as it provided Cap-tain T.D. Smyers the ability to continue servicing his home town community.

"When I took over NAS Fort Worth, Navy Installations Command (the Navy lead

on bases) was in the throes of a reorganization very similar to what the Red Cross was about to under-take – transition from a traditional basing structure to a functionalized, matrix model. In fact, it’s kind of ironic the Red Cross reorganization hit North Texas the same week I turned over command of the base to my successor! I was floored by the similari-ties between what I had just led and what the Red Cross was asking me to lead in my new position."

Similarities of service surprised him more than the differences. The Red Cross is similar to the naval aviation culture. The CEO position is different than

28 | STYLE WATCH SERVICE


by Micki Sander

From Serving to Service

STYLE WATCH SERVICE | 29

the traditional Navy “command” role, yet many of the competencies needed to succeed in leading op-erations and logistics in the Navy help Captain Smy-ers lead operations and logistics in the Red Cross. Both organizations are mis-sion-focused and heavily op-erational. His days are filled with similar activities. He communicates, strategizes, resolves conflict, manages performance and inspires the workforce to optimize achievement. Working to build and nurture strategic partnerships, and serve as the public face of the orga-nization.

Fundraising is certainly a new challenge. He ap-proaches the task with dedication and pride. Basi-cally, he looks at approaching a donor as an opportu-nity to bring another strategic partner onboard this humanitarian mission. They will journey alongside an iconic organization with 131 years of service to humanity. What corporate executive would turn down that opportunity?

Yet, the process of moving from serving the United States to being of service to a not- for profit orga-nization had created a different challenge. From having a closet full of uniforms to a closet full of civvies was a one-for-one kind of deal. He traded in service dress uniforms for an equivalent num-ber of suits; then traded in his khakis for Red Cross monogrammed shirts and slacks. Next came the jeans and a Red Cross vest for the NWUs (Navy White Uniform)and, finally, the trade of his mess dress for a tuxedo.

The last uniform is really the only one his wife, Bar-bara missed. She really liked the mess dress. Since he never had to worry about actually selecting any-thing optional or expressive to wear to work, Bar-

bara gave him a head start by buying a bunch of Jerry Garcia ties. Thanks to her, he has a pretty good selec-tion to choose from!

Tracy says, occasionally wearing a flight suit is what he misses most, like showing up for work in your pajamas. He certainly does not miss wearing a hat all the time. The only distressing item is

the expense of dry cleaning, so he recommends in-cluding a budget for dry cleaning all your new out-fits.

Voyages to the Heartland of America Aboard the American Queen!By Lyn E. Cathey

This event means the Great American Steamboat Company is now open for business. Jeff Krida and company have brought back the great sternwheeler, the American Queen. Jeff is former CEO and Presi-dent of Cruise West and Delta Queen Steamboat Company. Corporate offices are in downtown Mem-phis. In cooperation with the city, the company has built a new dedicated docking facility with pier side amenities including restaurants, gift shops, baggage handling operations and passenger waiting areas lo-cated at the western end of Beale Street.

Built in 1995, the metal hulled* American Queen is probably the largest steamboat ever built, carrying over 400 passengers in over 200 cabins.

(*The SOLAS act prohibits wooden hulled boats car-rying more than 50 passengers from sailing overnight cruises. An exemption to that act expired in 2007 and is not likely to be extended.) With average per diems in the $400 range, I don’t

think this product is intended for the ‘all-you-can-eat buffet with Hee-Haw jokes’ crowd. It’s a bit more upscale!

Of the many selling points, which one will prove to be the top drawing card is yet unknown. Obvious-ly there is emphasis on River Lore and ‘Twain-iana’ (Mark, not Shania), plus theme cruises – Civil War battleground visits, steamboat races, Kentucky Derby events, etc.

I did a double take at the term “Steamcoaches” in the online materials, thinking providing steam powered motor coaches was taking authenticity a bit too far. It turns out, it’s the name given to conventionally pow-ered motor coaches following the steamboat from port to port. Materials tout the benefits of having the same coach and driver in each port – it might also be a convenient way for those who – deliberately or otherwise – miss a departure and need to catch up with the boat.

The American Queen Makes Her Inaugural Visit to Her Home Port of Memphis, TN

It was a big day for a Memphis based start-up The Great American Steam-boat Company. Their totally renovated 400 passenger river boat, the American Queen, made her inaugural visit in April. She was christened by Godmother Priscilla Presley (who else…this is Memphis after all.)

32 | BOOM VOYAGE AMERICAN QUEEN


Lyn E. Cathey has been in the travel business for over 30 years and he enjoys travel, guitar, photography/videography and cooking. But his true passion is humorous writing! He lives with his family in Memphis, TN and will regularly grace the pages of BoomerBuzzMagazine with his funny random thoughts on various topics.

Notably, I missed seeing any reference to travel with grandkids in the promotional materials. The Boomer demographic might find this a trip to take with grand-children or even families. . Or, will all the little Huckle-berry Fins and Becky Thatchers be encouraged to stay home – emphasizing an ‘adults only’ experience? I’ll be watching for hints one way or the other in future pro-motions.

Obviously this re-launch of overnight steamboat cruis-es has grabbed my interest and stimulated my imagina-tion. I’ve dusted off my copy of Mark Twain’s “Life on the Mississippi”, counting the days until I can cruise the river…and travel back in time…on the re-born Ameri-can Queen.

As if heading back in time...to the 1860's...the Ameri-can Queen pulls out into the center of the mighty Mis-sissippi River - heading upstream against a strong cur-rent. Next stop: St Louis, MO.

A voyage down the Mississippi River aboard a genuine steamboat like the American Queen is the most au-thentic and unique way to experience the history, heritage and culture of the American heartland. A riverboat cruise offers exploration of historic ports of call like New Orleans, Natchez, Chat-tanooga and Pittsburg. Stroll these charming towns and vibrant Mississippi river cities and learn about the great events and people who helped shape Mark Twain’s America.

You can select your American Queen steamboating river cruise by location: Upper or lower Mississippi River, Ohio or Tennessee Rivers or by specific voyages and months offered. Or choose an exciting theme such as the Lincoln Legacy & Civil War, Walk in Elvis’s Steps, Gardens of the River, Mardi Gras or Baseball Legends to name a few.In the words of the Great American Steamboat Company…Open your eyes, your mind, your heart and soul, to the possibility of discovering a whole new America.

BOOM VOYAGE AMERICAN QUEEN | 33

Voluntary service is all about volunteering, dona-tions, and creating opportunities for all of us to give back and care for our veterans who have sacrificed so much for our freedom.

Whether you wish to volunteer yourself, want to give your family an opportunity to volunteer and experi-ence personal growth, or wish to donate materials or funding to benefit our veterans, there are numerous opportunities around the country.

Volunteers are a priceless asset to the Nation's vet-erans and to the Department of Veterans Affairs. It is impossible to calculate the amount of caring and sharing volunteers provide to veterans. Just knowing you are giving back to those who honored America with their service should be reason enough to give a little bit of your free time. Do you really need to even think about it?

You can find many options for volunteering for vet-

erans by contacting your local office of VeteranAffairs. National Salute to Veteran Patients The pur-pose of the National Salute to Veteran Patients Pro-gram is to: pay tribute and express appreciation to Veterans; increase community awareness of the role of the VA medical center; encourage citizens to visit hospitalized Veterans and become involved as volunteers.

The week of February 14 each year is your opportu-nity to say thank you to a special group of men and women, more than 98,000 Veterans of the U.S. armed services who are cared for every day in Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) medical centers, outpatient clinics, and nursing homes.

Contact your nearest VA Medical Center and ask for Voluntary Service to discover the wonderful things you, your family, group or organization can do to sa-lute America's Heroes.

Pay It Forward by Volunteering for VeteransVOLUNTEER BECAUSE THEY DID!

By: Jet Parker

34 | REDEFINING VOLUNTEERING


Welcome Home Events

VA sponsors Welcome Home events around the country for returning military service members and their families. The events provide important infor-mation and guidance on accessing health care and other benefits through the Department of Veterans Affairs. Contact your local VA Voluntary Service office for more information. VA Voluntary Service: www.volunteer.va.gov or (202) 461-7300.

Canine Companions for IndependenceHelp is a Four-Legged WordTM

Canine Companions for Independence® provide highly-trained assistance dogs for veterans through the Wounded Warrior Initiative, children and adults with disabilities, free of charge. The most advanced technology capable of transforming the lives of peo-ple with disabilities is a cold nose and a warm heart! Raise a puppy or volunteer time at a regional center. www.cci.org

Veteran Volunteers Needed for Compassionate Care Hospice Compassionate Care Hospice is looking for

veterans who would like to volunteer for other vet-erans who are hospice patients. This involves visiting vet-erans in their homes and nursing home facilities to offer support by offering friendship and compan-ionship, sharing interests and hobbies, providing a break for family members, running errands, etc. No personal care for a patient is required. Please think seriously about giving back to other veterans.www.volunteermatch.org

Women Veterans Health Care

315,000 female veterans have used VA services. Their needs are specific to women and they need US. Re-think your definition of veteran. Understand their unique needs and find a way to volunteer for our female veterans. The Women Veterans Health Care programs need assistance, so contact them in your area of the country for volunteer options. http://www.visn12.va.gov/vet/women.asp

Jet Parker is a freelance writer of men’s issues. He lives with his family in Plano, Texas.

REDEFINING VOLUNTEERING | 35

Our mission is to assist men affected by mental illness

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Ensuring that our staff and volunteers receive the latest in

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Encouraging community support of our programs and services.

We have the Cause, We need your Support

Narrowing down what to write about this month has really been a task. Normally, when Robin (Publisher of Boomer-Buzz) shares the “theme” for the month, something pops im-mediately to mind that clearly needs to be shared. With this month’s them of “A Healthier America”, there are so many thoughts racing through my head…it’s kind of crazy.

There are a number of reasons for that. I have personally lived this theme (from virtually all sides at this point) over my 54 years on this planet. Being 27 pounds at 6 months old, 41 pounds at 1 year old, 92 pounds in first grade—to be as fit as I have ever been just after 50—I’ve seen the scales from “all sides now”.

While weight is certainly part of issue…it is not even close to the other issues that need to be considered when it comes to “A Healthier America”… hence the multiple potential story lines. With all that—here goes.

The title of this article reflects a formula learned long ago: Growth = Awareness + Inspired Action. If we want to “grow” into becoming a healthier America, we need to gain some new awareness of what’s really going on around us…and then take some inspired action to do something about it all. As wonderful as so much of what has been developed to aid in our ability to eat on the run and utilize our compressed lives to their fullest…many of these “new and improved con-veniences” in life are far more detrimental to us as individu-als and as a society than the vast majority of people realize…Spoiler Alert!

I ask you to “suspend disbelief ” for a few moments as you

read the rest of this article. Understand the intention of shar-ing this information; 1) to focus on the theme “A Healthier America” and; 2) raise your awareness to things that you may not know…so that you can now think about them critically and/or investigate them further on your own. While it would be great that you take this information totally atm face value, I encourage you to test it for yourself and verify it indepen-dently. Notice I didn’t suggest you ask someone else about it…do the research yourself…it’s your life we’re dealing with here!

Here is the foundational truth: The only thing that heals the body…is the body!

If you cut yourself and you cover that cut with a bandage or even use a suture to stitch it up, that stitch only holds the skin closer together to allow the body’s natural healing process to heal it. There is no magic to it…it is the body’s natural heal-ing ability that must close that wound permanently.

For further consideration, all that various advertisements telling us that we have this disease or that syndrome and therefore we should ask our doctor for XYZ pill…are not in there on primetime for OUR best interest. Go ahead…breath…breath…remember suspend disbelief for a few min-utes and simply consider the possibility.

One of the best things we can do as a nation…if in fact we truly want to be a “Healthier America” is to educate ourselves on what is really going on behind the scenes in what has been called “Healthcare”.

Growth = Awareness + Inspired ActionBy Scott Schilling

REDEFINING INSPIRED ACTION | 37


I learned much of this through a couple of different ave-nues…the first was as I became a Chiropractic patient and ultimately an advocate; and secondly as I went to right-size my body a number of years ago and found out how foods, additives and drugs can have such a detrimental effect to our overall health mand wellness.

Everything in our bodies is run via our central nervous sys-tem. If we do not fuel our bodies properly, give it the nutri-tional support it requires, allow our nerve impulses to flow freely throughout our bodies or rejuvenate our bodies with the rest they need…we are living a slippery slope to being unhealthy and prone to disease (or dis-ease).

If your foot is working to communicate a message to your brain (or brain to foot for that matter), and there is some type of interference in the flow of that information…dis-ease is created downstream (or upstream) which turns to disease. You were perfectly built…but if along the way you have been exposed to physical, chemical or emotional stress since you appearance on this planet…your body is more than likely not running at optimum capacity. (Anyone hit the “stress tri-fecta”?)

By the very nature of the times we are living in, you have been and will continue to be affected (hence the reason for this theme, this article and the encouragement for you to take the action of researching this all further!)…problem #1.

Because we live in an immediate gratification society and want what we want immediately-when we want it…people with plenty of forethought and understanding saw the op-portunity to create the “magic bullet”…which doesn’t sound very appetizing so instead it became the “magic pill” to take away our every care in the world with the promise of a bet-ter life and/or result. They even share the “legally bound disclaimer” that says on your way to amazing new life...you stand the risk of blowing out your liver, heart, brain, kidneys, etc., but for that time, while you pop that pill…life will be better…problem #2.

Houston…we have a problem! (#3)

Here are the facts: The most recent (at least two years old now…sure to be worse today) study on childhood obesity states that over 36% of our youths are clinically obese. It also states that for the first time in history, it is anticipated that this generation of children will experience a reduced lifespan living less than the generation before. This is unprecedent-ed…and tragic!

In 1970, we took 2 billion pills annually as a nation…one generation later, we took 113 billion pills annually. We are drugging ourselves to death…literally. Alzheimer’s is up 47% in the last 6 years alone!

Picture your liver as a screen designed to filter all the poten-tially nasty things that get into our systems out to protect our health…except that three-quarters of the screen has been sprayed with Flex Seal spray (rubberized leak-sealer) thus reducing its’ capacity to process the toxins etc. It’s not hard using this screen analogy to understand how toxins back up within our system, create significant issues and disease. We are in far too many cases causing these issues ourselves by the choices we are making (Sorry to share the news). There is much more to report…probably better for you to do the researchyourself!

Remember the formula? Growth = AWARENESS + Inspired Action. This desire here has been to raise some awareness…and now encourage you to take some inspired action and either dig into this further…or start making some changes that will allow you to live the happy and fulfilled life you de-serve.

One more quick suggestion…September 21st will mark the worldwide premier of the documentary “Doctored”. I’ve seen the director’s cut of this movie and truly believe you will be amazed, intrigued, thankful…and more by checking it out for yourself. You can see a trailer today at www.Doctored-Movie.com and also learn about where and when you can view the entire movie. This documentary stands the poten-tial to change the way you look at your own healthcare prac-tices fromtop to bottom and at the very least…is a must see.

Congratulations on making it all the way here…I appreci-ate your desire to take advantage of this month’s theme…”A Healthier America”. A special Thank You goes out to all that have sacrificed so much so we can live in this great nation of ours. Your service is greatly appreciated!

Scott Schilling is a Business Growth Expert that speaks, trains, coaches and writes on topics specifically designed to help oth-ers make positive improvements in their thoughts, actions and success. To learn more please visit: www.ScottSchilling.com

Growth = Awareness + Inspired Action38 | REDEFINING INSPIRED ACTION


When it comes to finances, I have three core beliefs. One, hope is not a strategy. Some things in life will take care of themselves; your finances will not. Two, an increase in effi-ciency is a good thing! Too many of us have our hard earned dollars out there performing only one task. Three, demand flexibility. The ability to easily shift money from one need to another is priceless.

Over the past few years, much has been said about long term care and aging in America. There are reams of stats. Stories of people who never saw the inside of a nursing home. Even more stories of families financially wiped out by the process. At the end of the day, preparing for the pos-sibility of extended care comes down to two factors: the likelihood and the costs.

Today I would like to take a few minutes to address likelihood and cost. In the next in-stallment we will look at why traditional long term care planning violates my three beliefs and a new available option.

According to the US Department of Health and Human Services, “70% of people over the age of 65 will require some long-term care ser-vices at some point in their lives.1” When I see a 70% chance of needing care and then a report in 2009 from the Assisted Living Federation of America that only 6% of residents have long term care insurance2, I see a huge disconnect.

Long term care insurance has been around for years. Why don’t more people have coverage? The answer; a 70% chance doesn’t tell the whole story.

To use a better analogy, if I told you there was a 70% chance of rain today, most of us would at least think about an um-brella. But a 70% chance of rain says nothing about duration. If it is going to rain for 30 minutes, we may decide to tough it out. If it is going to rain for 2 hours, we may pack an umbrel-la. However, if it is going to rain all day, we might completely change our outfit and start looking for rubber boots.

So the question is not; ‘Will I end up in a nursing home’. The real question is ‘how long will I be there’. More importantly . . . am I willing to pay thousands a year in insurance on the chance I might be there for a long time?

Here are some of the statistics on duration. According to a 2009 study by the National Center for Assisted Living; “the average length of stay in an assisted living residence is about 28.3 months. Fifty-nine percent of the residents will move into a nursing facility. Thirty-three percent will pass away. The remaining will move home or to another location.3” This means after a little more than two years, 41% will either move away or pass away and 59% will be there for longer than 2 years.

Now you know the stats; the question is whether the risks outweigh the costs.

To give you a better idea of the costs, let’s look at the duration study. If the average length of stay is 28.3 months, in Dallas this would add up to over $78,000 in expenses. Furthermore, if you have a 59% chance of moving from assisted living into a nursing home then the costs go up. One year at a semi-private facility would be an additional $43,070 and brings the total cost to over $121,000. To further compound the issue, if only one spouse needs care? This means $121,000 in new costs plus a primary residence. You now have two homes and two lifestyles to maintain.

If long term care is expensive and the duration can be long; why don’t more people have coverage?

Tune in the October issue and find out why . . . and more importantly . . . what you can do about it.

Eric S. Alexander is employed with Personal Economics Group and enjoys freelance writing on financial issues.

What happens when it rains???

Dallas Per Year Per Month Per DayAvg. Daily Nursing Hoe Rate: Private $166 $60,590 $5,049 $166

Avg. Daily Nursing Hoe Rate: Semi-Private $118 $43,070 $3,489 $118Avg. Monthly Cost in Assisted Living Facility $2,763 $33,156 $2,763 $90.84

Home Health Aide Average Hourly Rate* $34 $65,280 $5,440 $272Homemaker Services Average Hourly Rate* $17 $32,640 $2,720 $136

Adult Day Services Daily Rate $43 $15,659 $1,308 $43

*Yearly and monthly costs assume an 8 hr day and 20 days per month

By Eric Alexander

WEALTHY AND WISE WHEN IT RAINS | 39

It’s easier to feather your nest, empty your nest or build your nest egg when your

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It’s easier to feather your nest, empty your nest or build your nest egg when your

money isn’t tied up in big interest payments.

Bring us your car loan. We’ll meet or beat your rate.*

Checking ▪ MasterCard Debit Card ▪ Savings ▪ IRA ▪ Money Market Auto loans ▪ Home Loans ▪ Credit Card ▪ Shared Branching

1301 Young St., Suite 100, Dallas, TX 75202

Hours: M-F 8:00 am—3:30 pm

1919 Woodall Rodgers Freeway Dallas, TX 75201

Hours: M-F 8 am-5 pm ▪ Sat 9am-1 pm

2 Locations

214▪748▪ 5166 www.dallascu.org

*All loans subject to credit approval. Your deposits are insured for up to $250,000 by the National Credit Union Administration, a U.S. Government Agency. Offer expires 7/31/2012. Visit www.dallascu.org for details.

A few years ago, I rekindled a relationship with a gentle-man who lived over 1000 miles away. It was difficult be-cause we were unable to see each other as often as we liked. Video chat was not as easy as it is today. We talked on the telephone on a regular basis and looked for airfare sales each month. We also traveled a lot with our jobs and could add a side trip to visit each other at very little cost. Many frequent flyer miles were earned during this time.

Being involved in a long distance relationship is reward-ing and frustrating. You may find yourself dating someone who lives in another city, because of their job, or you met through an online dating service. Getting to know them takes time and patience. Some people enjoy long distance relationships because it gives them time apart to pursue their careers.

When you want to spend a lot of time with someone, it can become frustrating being many miles away. The same can be true for families of service men and women. It is a difficult situation knowing the one you love can be in harm's way. It is wonderful when they finally come home. While they are away, it is important to stay in touch, just like those with other reasons for separation. Therefore, let us explore some things a couple can do to make the time together or apart memorable.

When long distance dating, you should agree on certain things. First, should the relationship move to the next level, which one of you will move? If neither is willing to move, someone will be disappointed in the end. The re-lationship should probably not even start. You can’t just hope the other party will change their mind. However, if you are in agreement, you are perfectly happy living in dif-ferent cities, go for it.

In about six to nine months, evaluate the relationship and discuss if it will continue. If there is agreement on the de-velopment of the connection, then a time should be set when the agreeable party will move.

In the meantime, agree on a set time for frequent phone calls or video chats. Make it a date on your calendar. This is vital, do not change the arrangement unless there is a solid reason such as family matters or work. By keeping your phone/video date, you show how important he or she is to you. Because telephone time is not the same as be-ing together, increase your communication by talking fre-quently and text message regularly with nice love notes.

In addition, when having your phone or video chat do not be involved with other things. This will indicate you are not interested enough to give them quality time.

Your ultimate joy is being together, so schedule physical time together at least every four to six weeks. My friend and I met at least once a month sometimes twice. Plan alone time and limit an over abundance of interaction with friends and family. Face-to-face time translates into opportunities to explore something more permanent.

In a long distance relationship, the little green monster of jealousy can take over. Trust is a significant factor in de-veloping a bond . You cannot inquire where they are and who they are with every minute of the day. Each of you have a life separate and a life together. If you cannot trust , it is time to end the relationship.

A long distance relationship can work if you take time to plan the outcome, have frequent interaction and spend special occasions together as often as possible.

Love is missing someone whenever you're apart, but some-how feeling warm inside because you're close in heart. - Kay Knudsen

To receive a copy of my book “From Prude to Siren, 3 Stages to Fantastic Sex and a Rewarding Relationship” available from Authorhouse.com, Barnes and Noble and Amazon send your relationship questions to [email protected]

A part of you has grown in me.And so you see, it’s you and me Together forever and

never apart, Maybe in distance, but never in heart.- Anonymous

Relationship Buzz With Beverly

BOOMER BUZZ RELATIONSHIPS | 41


Long Distance Relationships

Q: It doesn’t ask me where to sign in for my email account? But it does say my name

A: Clients frequently ask this question, be-cause at times there is no option for signing into email. If, for example, Yahoo, greets you by name when you are on the Yahoo.com home page, then you are already signed in. Hence, no ‘sign in’ option. Move right along on to the ‘Mail’ button, you will be able to access your inbox and read your mail.

Q: How do I get my parents online? I couldn’t live without my iPhone and laptop . . . they don’t seem to have the same desire to be connected.

A: Instead of telling them about the features of the computer, SHOW them the benefits. First, start by showing them on your computer or at the library (don’t go out and buy one for them right away). Allow them to see for themselves the places they can go. Take them on a Google Earth field trip, fly into the town they grew up in. Show them how to find recipes on Pinterest.com, show them, they don’t need to “pin” to use Pinterest, the search function is all they need. Take them to YouTube.com and search for their favorite hobby and let them view the videos. Once they have been “sold” on the benefits of using the computer, then start shopping.

Big Tip: Once you have your parents/grandparents on-line or texting . . . use ENTIRE words. Using IM language such as LOL, BRB, IMO is an unknown language. So please, slow your roll, and spell it out and make things simple for the new user.

42 | BOOMER BUZZ TECH TIPS


Each year on September 11, we reflect on the day eleven years ago, the United States of American was desecrated by carnage in three cities New York, Washington D.C. and Shanksville, Pa. Our hearts and souls will never forget the people lost during that day and the following days. We came together as a nation to pray and to change the possibility of a reoccurrence.

Men and women signed up to join the Armed Forces, go through training and be de-ployed to countries they had never heard of and in many instances could not even pronounce the names. Homeland Security was created to find ways to insure our nation would be safe, associations were set up to raise funds for families devastated by loss of loved ones and first responders, during these attacks.

During the months and years following, a pattern evolved of the loss of American Military men and women serving their country. The families of those left behind were in need of assistance to address the grief, the problems of raising a fam-ily alone and to find a way to continue on with their lives. Several organizations prominently took the lead to insure these women and men were provided needed assistance. TAPS (Tragedy Assistance Program Services) took the lead with grief counseling, Veterans of Foreign Wars revi-talized many of their programs as did the Gold Star Wives.

Still, there was a major void, the children of Mil-itary men and women left behind. What were their needs? Where could they turn to be able to understand their Mom or Dad would never return? During this period of time a small group of people in California began a dialogue on the needs of these children. Discussions ensued as

We Won’t Forgetto what the children were experiencing. What needed to be done to be of assistance? Yes, TAPS helped with the grief counseling, yet a void still existed in the community of the children. The

California group continued to evolve, they formed a chari-table organization, received a 501(c)(3) and Snowball Ex-press opened its doors. Chil-dren were invited to come to-gether to help them create new memories, hope and enjoy the friendship of children just like themselves. The process of communal healing began and during the past 7 years , children have started to real-ize how much America cares

for the gift their families have given to keep our country free.

The children and their surviving parents have an opportunity to honor the memory of their lost Moms and Dads at each Snowball Express event held during the holiday season. While at the same time, they are having fun, enjoying each other and learning ways to deal with their loss. They experience 5 days and 4 nights of laughter, learn-ing, renewing relationships and meeting new friends. The time is spent opening doors to re-lease sorrow, share experiences and know Snow-ball Express and all of their friends are standing tall because they believe in honoring the gift of a parents to The United States of America through their service.

As the words of the Snowball Express Song written by Jeff Senour say:

" We won't forget our fallen heroes and the loved ones left behind, All those angels watching over , our children in the night, we won't forget, we won't forget"

For more information on Snowball Express, go to the website -www.snowballexpress.org.

Written by Micki Sander

BOOMER BUZZ WE WON’T FORGET | 43

44 | BLOG SPEAKS STARS AND STRIPES

By CJ from A Soldier’s Perspective/Military Blog The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) has joined with the Department of Vet-erans Affairs (VA) and the Department of Defense (DOD) to launch a training program for transitioning service members and veterans to help them become entrepreneurs and create jobs. Operation Boots to Business: From Service to Startup is a national initiative that will be piloted with the U.S. Marine Corps. The announcement was made by U.S. Small Business Administrator Karen Mills and U.S. Marine Corps representatives at Quantico, VA.

Spoke's motto from his time in Vietnam: IMPROVISE

That's what we did today.

I gave Spoke a new flag last Veteran's Day. It was time to respectfully retire our current one and the flagpole needed a fresh coat of paint. So we stored that red, white, and blue beauty away until spring; now we can't find it.

It's okay, it will show up. I don't feel less sincere, honoring all those brave men and women who gave their lives (their lives!) to protect me, with this miniature tribute.

A little flag maybe, but a whole, whole, whole lot of thanks.

Stars and Stripes

OPERATION BOOTS to BUSINESS


BLOG SPEAKS STARS AND STRIPES | 45

“Our service men and women have made incalcu-lable contributions and sacrifices for our country, and supporting them as they pursue their dreams to start or grow their own business is one of our highest priorities,” SBA Administrator Karen Mills said. “Through this partnership, we stand ready with support, entrepreneurial training, and resources that are critical tools to help them start businesses, drive economic growth and create jobs for themselves and their communities.”

Entrepreneurship and small business ownership are valuable opportunities for transitioning ser-vice members and veterans. Each year, more than 250,000 service members transition out of the military. Transitioning veterans are natural entre-preneurs who possess the skills, experience and leadership to start businesses and create jobs.

Veterans make up a large number of successful small business owners. Nine percent of small busi-nesses are veteran-owned. These 2.45 million vet-eran-owned businesses employ more than 5 mil-lion individuals. In the private sector workforce, veterans are more likely than those with no active-duty military experience to be self-employed.

Operation Boots to Business: From Service to Startup will help support veterans as they grow businesses and create jobs by building on SBA’s role as a leader in entrepreneurship training. SBA will help connect veterans with its resource part-ner network – Small Business Development Cen-ters (SBDCs), Women’s Business Centers (WBCs), SCORE, and Veterans Business Opportunity Cen-ters (VBOCs) – for support throughout the life-cycle of their new businesses.

Through its ongoing collaboration with Syracuse University’s Institute for Veterans and Military Families (IVMF), SBA also will provide compre-

hensive training materials specifically geared to-ward transitioning service members.

SBA partners will coordinate training and servic-es at military bases around the country, deliver-ing a face-to-face introductory entrepreneurship course. An intensive eight-week online business planning training will be provided by Syracuse University and its affiliated university partners for those service members who choose to pursue entrepreneurship after the face-to-face introduc-tory course. Following, service members and vet-erans will be referred to SBDCs, WBCs, SCORE chapters and VBOCs for counseling and training throughout the lifetime of their business.

The program will pilot in four locations: Quantico, Va., Cherry Point, N.C., Camp Pendleton, Calif., and Twenty-Nine Palms, Calif. It will be expanded across the nation during fiscal year 2013. The goal is to provide entrepreneurial training and aware-ness to transitioning service members from all branches of the military.

For more information on the Boots to Business training program, and to take part as a transitioning service member, please visit http://www.sba.gov/bootstobusiness.

SBA currently engages veterans through its 68 lo-cal SBA district offices, 16 Veterans Business Out-reach Centers nationwide, and partnership with 1,000 Small Business Development Centers and 12,000 SCORE – Counselors to America’s Small Businesses volunteers; each year SBA helps more than 200,000 veterans, service-disabled veterans and reservists. To learn more about additional veteran's opportunities available through the SBA, please visit the website at www.sba.gov/vets.

©2012 Seniors Helping Seniors. Each offi ce is independently owned and operated. All trademarks are registered trademarks of Corporate

Mutual Resources Inc. Not all services are available in all areas.

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As a young woman, the Sixties Chick enjoyed choices my mother only dreamed of, dreams she encouraged me to pursue. Personal freedom, maximizing potential, and children by choice, not by accident, were lessons Mom taught by example rather than words. She emphasized personal responsibility for self and to the community. Leaving home wasn’t just a rite of passage; it was ex-pected. Finding a profession, achieving financial inde-pendence, and severing the invisible umbilical cord that kept me tethered to home were mandatory accomplish-ments of adulthood. For years I thought how great it was to have succeeded. Many times my nuclear family shared success by telephone, because we were too spread out to get together, too involved with work and raising children to take time out from our busy oh- so-important sched-ules. Then an e-mail served me with an invitation to join the “Sandwich Generation.”

The Sandwich Generation consists of people who are caring for their aging parents while they continue to support their own children. Established roles in the fam-ily flip-flop. Parents have changes in health and func-tion. Children step up and help in ways that cross a vast continuum of assistance. Caretaking in the home, pro-viding transportation to doctors’ appointments, finding resources, sorting out insurance, financial support, or the simple act of being there, things parents usually do, become the responsibility of grown children.

My mother has never needed taking care of. At her age, she is an independent dynamo. She is an extraordinary human being who is a compulsive human doer. She works out almost every day. When we have gone to the gym together, she sets resistance on the elliptical machine as high as I do, and I am no wimp. I am well read because of the amount she reads and recommends. She directs a duplicate bridge group. Before she calls a handyman, she

tries to fix things around the house herself.Mom e-mailed me about waking up in a drenching cold sweat with a band of pain around her chest. She didn’t call 911, told herself the pain would go away. She had a similar episode two months prior. After reading the e-mail I called her. She had made an appointment with her doctor. I slipped from daughter mode to nurse mode and listed the things I thought she needed to commu-nicate, insisting she have the doctor do an EKG, all this from 500 miles away. How helpless did this independent, fully-formed mature adult daughter feel? All the strug-gling I did to secure a clean break from the apron springs became irrelevant. Just as Mom had held me close, both physically and emotionally, for some of my life’s biggest heart breaks, I wanted to hold her close and reassure her, as well as myself, everything would be okay. I made Mom promise to call me when she was through at the doctor’s. Then, I entered the First Circle of Hell The disadvantage of being a nurse is the ability to imagine every worst case scenario. I called my sister who lives as far away from Mom as I. We chatted, diagnosed, and planned. It’s hard to devise a Plan A, B, or C when you don’t know what you’re planning for.

Mom hates cell phones. When my caller ID displayed her cell phone number, the adrenalin rush began and those plans my sister and I had created seemed to flush into a black hole somewhere in my brain. Her tone of voice made few words necessary. A sense of urgency accompa-nied every thought after she said: “The doctor wants me to go to the hospital.”

Initially the choices seemed simple, go and be with her or wait and have my own brand of melt down. Nothing is that simple. Mom is a very private person. Her per-sonal boundaries are so well constructed they must be visible to all but the blindest eye. I wanted to respect her

A Sixties Chick, The Sandwich Generation and Managing a Health Care Crisis Long Distance

MEDICAL MATTERS SIXTIES CHICK | 47

By Cynthia Stock

independence, but wanted to do what I felt was right. I didn’t want to violate her space, but knew all the possible outcomes of what was happening. What could I live with if the worst outcome occurred? I imagined standing in my kitchen, phone to my ear, hearing words from a face-less voice telling me I would never see my mother alive again.

I called work. My husband retrieved our suitcases from the attic. Then called Mom and told her we would be there as soon as possible. The term STAT came to mind, but I knew the drive would take at least ten hours even if we didn’t stop to eat.

“You don’t need to come. It’s just for observation. I’ll be all right.” A typical Momism heard in any language by grown children around the world. “I’m your daughter. I’m coming.” My sister had been having her own health issues. She permitted me using that leverage. “I prom-ised sis, it will give her some peace of mind. We don’t want her worrying.” A silence ensued. I translated it into agreement.

Like Mom I hate cell phones. While we drove I called my sister and my Mom to update each on our progress. When we were about two hours away from Mom’s, my husband’s cell phone rang. Driving on the freeway at 75 mph, a very professional, courteous physician detailedy mom’s diagnosis and possible treatments. I should have pulled over, as a cardiovascular ICU nurse. I knew the jargon. I couldn’t stop the tears when the doctor told me about 99 and 100% occlusions. Fortunately, my sister and I had talked about what we thought should be done and what we hoped it could accomplish. We wanted Mom to be physically able get on with her life, to continue her reign as matriarch of a Brady Bunch family of five daugh-ters, and I wanted to suspend belief my mother was mor-tal after all. With our approval, Mom was going to get a I called Mom again and went over what the doctor had said. My voice broke and I cried without restraint. “I’m sorry if we don’t get there in time.”

“You’ll be here when I wake up.” She reassured me, as if that were enough. It was then I realized I was not talk-ing about the procedure. No matter how self-sufficient I couldn’t accept my Mom being alone for a procedure with deadly risks. I couldn’t stand the thought of her fac-ing death alone. In a moment like this, I could never be close enough.

Mom had to be transferred from one facility to another to get her stent. We arrived before she did. The volunteers showed me to the registration area. When her name was called, I went to the desk. “You don’t understand, Mom lives independently, I don’t have her insurance or Medi-

care cards.” I did have the POA (Power of Attorney) for health care. As the admissions clerk asked me questions, I realized just how much I didn’t know about Mom. I didn’t know what year she retired. What difference did THAT make? I didn’t know what middle initial she used, the “C” from her maiden name or the “S” from her first marriage. She and I had talked about Advance Direc-tives, yet Ididn’t know if she had a hard copy, where it was, and if it was updated. I didn’t even know if she had any drug allergies. I felt I had failed as a daughter.

Seeing Mom immobile in her bed, I knew we had done the right thing in coming. Despite accommodating, friendly volunteers and the gentle, professional demean-or of the nurses, the room dwarfed Mom. She seemed to shrink beneath the sheets, the layers of blankets, and within the side rails. The nurse in me checked her pulse ox, her EKG, and her blood pressure. The daughter held her hand and rubbed it over and over to convince myself this was no dream. I nagged her to keep her leg straight and tried small talk to pass the time. Because she was an emergency, Mom was the last case of the day. A nurse from the cath lab rolled Mom down the hall. I kissed her and told her to behave, the same words she had so often used on me.

More waiting. I knew the sounds of the hospital. Listened over the muted sound of the television in Mom’s room for a Code Blue in the cath lab. I fully expected tentative steps of a reticent professional to come into the room to tell me there was a problem. Finally the nurse told us we could go to the recovery area to see Mom.

I cried more in one day than in a year. Although she was sound asleep, Mom still wore her glasses. Through barely parted lips I heard the whisper of air moving in and out. The nurse reassured us Mom had done fine. I brushed her bangs off her forehead just like she had when I was a kid and had vomited over the side of my bed into the Revere Ware pan she was holding for Finally she opened her eyes and asked me if Michael Phelps had won an-other medal. I knew she would be all right.

The Sixties Chick confronted one of life’s most complex lessons during Mom’s ordeal. No matter what separates us, be it miles, life choices, politics, or the simple con-flicts of every day, my Mom is always in my heart, in my head, and in the building blocks of who I have become. With the next crisis, I will know exactly what to do with-out having to think twice, because in these matters, she taught me everything I know.

Cynthia Stock is a registered Nurse and freelance writer working on her first book. She lives in Dallas, TX with her husband and family close by.

48 | MEDICAL MATTERS SIXTIES CHICK


Discussing the possibility of no longer driving with your aging parents can be one of the most traumatic things that any family can face. Sooner or later, as we age, we lose our ability to judge and react as quickly as we used to. This is never as critical as when we drive.

But having to reverse the traditional parent-child role and tell your parents they can no longer do something is daunt-ing, to say the least. I remember with my Dad I was scared witless. But I used the ‘chaueffer card,’ “Hey Dad look at it this way: you may be losing a freedom but you are gaining a chaueffer anytime you need him.” It was an adjustment but went much smoother than I anticipated.

With Mother, it was the ‘you might hurt someone else’ factor that made her realize driving might not bethe wise choice. Plus she had a granddaughter who said she would take her wherever she needed to go.

Certain medications which many seniors take, especial-ly those with early stage Dementia or Alzheimer’s, high blood pressure or heart conditions, caution no driving which makes opening the discussion about using the car easier. And you can have the senior’s physician step in to reiterate that driving may need to be curbed at this stage in life. Throughout our lives, driving is something that is increasingly difficult as there are more drivers on the road, decreased vision, impaired hearing, or slowed motor re-flexes which may become a problem.

Aging tends to result in a reduction of strength, coordi-nation, and flexibility, which can have a major impact on one’s ability to safely control a car and reminding Mother and Dad of this is important.

As families face the many difficult issues of their parents aging, there is really only one best method of dealing with them, and that is having open, honest conversations, as soon as possible. Talking about aging issues with a senior parent may be difficult for you and your family, but if you talk about them early, and often, they will not be as dif-ficult when decisions are required.

One of these most difficult and important issues will be driving and when it may become necessary for a senior loved one to stop driving. Many seniors will not react pos-itively about losing one of the last freedoms they have and will be very resistant to discussions about driving. This is why it is so important to make this a normal conversation

for the family. If it is put off until problems begin, it will be one of the most difficult things for you to do. For someone to face their parent and tell them they can no longer drive their own car can sound like a death sentence to many se-niors. It must be one of the most fearful aspects of aging that anyone will face.

Senior Driving (http://seniordriving.aaa.com/) can be a tremendous help to families facing this issue. They offer ex-ceptional information including a Driving Health Check-Up, Nighttime Driving and Licensing Laws per state, as many have restrictions on seniors now. HelpGuide.org is another site with good information for seniors on safety tips, warning signs, and knowing when to stop driving.

It may be a fun idea to sit down with your parent and show them how to use the self-assessment tools. If they see the results, they will be better inclined to make a smart choice regarding their driving. It can also give them confidence if they discover that they are still capable of driving, while at the same time preparing them somewhat for what is to come in the future. This can lead to a safer feeling for the entire family, knowing that it is something that everyone is dealing with, facing and being cautious about. It will also lead to making the conversations about this and many other aging issues much simpler in the future.

Talking to your parents on sensitive issues is not a com-fortable situation, but definitely a necessary one. Do your homework and be knowledgable yourself, so you are pre-pared to overcome objections they may have. Have oth-er family members present if you think that ‘strength in numbers’ will make the discussion more palatable. Or just sit down and honestly broach the subject. I found it easier to start the conversation before the time was absolutely necessary.

As we age, it's normal for our driving abilities to change. By reducing risk factors and incorporating safe driving practices, many of us can continue driving safely long into our senior years. Even if seniors find that they need to re-duce their driving or give up the keys, it is not the end of their independence and you need to remind them of that. Seeking alternative methods of transportation can offer health and social benefits, as well as a welcome change of pace to life.

Jet Parker is a freelance writer who lives with his family in Plano, Texas.

By Jet Parker

When Should Mother or Dad Stop Driving? And How Do You Talk to Them About it?

SENIOR SCENE STOP DRIVING | 49

It is an interesting fact most people will make funer-al arrangements for a loved one only once or twice in their lifetime, thank goodness, right? The reality of living is we all will face our final day. While it is not for us to know when the day will come, we can proactively prepare.

As a People, we are natural planners and prepare for the big life events that face us. Events such as Wed-dings, Retirement, Education, etc. are Life Events if left to chance, may not turn out as we would have hoped. End of life decisions are no different, wheth-er it is the creation of a Last Will and Testament, Family Trust or other Directive, we all prepare for the end as a part of living. Funeral, Cemetery and/or Cremation planning is really no different. In fact it is one of the few things in life guaranteed to hap-pen.

Whether the planning is for yourself or an aging parent, thinking about it now makes much more sense than waiting and having to experience it all on what will likely be the worst day of your life or of your survivors.

Preplanning Reduces Stress, Saves Money

Like many things in our lives, we anticipate and plan for life’s most important events: our wedding, our first home, the birth of our children, family vaca-tions, and retirement. We plan ahead so we can an-ticipate our family’s needs and make sure all the de-tails are taken care of. So, why do many people leave life’s most significant event to their loved ones to plan during a time of sadness and distress? Doesn’t it make sense to plan your funeral and cemetery arrangements ahead of time so your family won’t have to? By planning ahead, you can:

Help ease your family’s emotional burden. We all want to protect our family and loved ones from un-necessary hardship. Preplanning helps you protect your loved ones from the stress of making difficult funeral and financial decisions at a time of emo-tional upheaval. It also eliminates overspending by removing the guesswork regarding your last re-quests.

When a death occurs, there are overwhelming preparations and care to be accomplished in the immediate hours, days and weeks after the servic-es. Permanent decisions have to be made in a very short period of time. Documents to be located, ven-ues decided and people notified.

The good news is preplanning eliminates the emo-tional pain your family would experience in mak-ing critical decisions when they are least prepared during this stressful time.

If you received the call today, a loved one had passed away, would you know what to do? Few of us would. What if f the most difficult decisions you or your loved ones would ever have to make were made in advance, at your own pace and in the pri-vacy of your own home?

We all realize the best decisions are those made calmly, rationally, and with ample information at hand. It makes such good sense to plan ahead and take care of as many decisions as possible so dif-ficult choices won’t be left to the ones you love the most.

Ensure your wishes are known . At one time or an-other, most of us have probably talked or joked with

By John EbeyWhy Planning Ahead Makes Sense50 | SENIOR SCENE PLANNING


others about the type of funeral we might have. Would your loved ones really know your preferences ? It makes sense to take the time to make these important deci-sions now, together with the people you love, so there will be less confusion as to your wishes.

Invest in peace of mind, once you’ve made your final wishes known, store everything your family and loved ones will need after your gone in a single, convenient, secure location. Your family will know just where to look and won’t be left trying to figure out your requests.

Professionals at a funeral home can pro-vide good advice and simplify the process. They will show you alternatives and help determine your priorities. You’ll receive the information you need to make sound choices, confidentially and in the privacy of your own home.

As a licensed funeral director John Ebey has served Restland Funeral Home for over 32 years and presently makes presen-tations to the Dallas and Tarrant County areas promoting the value of Pre Planning and to Hospice groups. His involvement in the Ruth Ray Hunt Memorial Garden of Honor at Restland, a special area for the burial of firefighters and police officers who die in the line of duty is his crowning achievement. He is a freelance writer on the benefits of planning ahead.

Are you prepared?In life, we plan for many things- education, vacation, re-tirement. Yet many of us delay making end-of-life plans. Take a few moments to identify your planning strengths and needs. Plan wisely for the future … and for your peace of mind today.

Take this brief quiz to help determine how prepared you really are.

1. Do you have a will? 2. Have you discussed your final wishes with your family? 3. Have you recently updated your designated beneficiary on your life insurance policies, 401K, etc? 4. Have you prepared a health care directive?5. Did you know there are more than 100 decisions to be made in the first 24 hours following a death?6. If you were to die tomorrow, would your family be financially secure? 7. Have you secured your cemetery property?8. Would your loved ones know what to do or who to call if something happened to you today? 9. Do your loved ones know what benefits will be available to them following your death (i.e., Social Security, Veterans, insurance or pension funds)? 10. Are your insurance policies, financial information, and important documents organized and stored in a safe, secure, and easily accessible location? Yes. No.

YES / NO

YES / NO

YES / NO

YES / NO

YES / NO

YES / NO

YES / NO

YES / NO

YES / NO

YES / NO

How did you do?If you answered YES to seven or MORE of these Squestions,You’re already on your way to creating ase-cure end-of-life plan.

If you answered YES to LESS than seven of these ques-tions, now is the time to get your affairs in order and make important end-of-life decisions for yourself, before your family has to do it for you. To help make sure your plan is complete, consider preplanning - one of the most complete end-of-life planning portals available to help you organize, document, and store all of your informa-tion in a secure location so your loved ones will know just where to look and what to do.

SENIOR SCENE PLANNING | 51

When You Get Tired of Not Being Listened To...I’m Only a Phone Call Away!

Ron Maddox [email protected]

2012 september | october / boomer buzz magazine

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