well beyond 55 september

THE VIEW OF

VITALITYREGENERATIVE MEDICINE STEM CELL TREATMENTS

AVOIDING THE NURSING HOME, HOW A POOLED TRUST CAN HELP YOU RETAIN INDEPENDENCE AND STAY IN YOUR HOME

FALL 2015

MAKING POSITIVE AND FORWARD

CHANGES IN YOUR LIFE

WELCOME!My name is Lisa Rosenthal and I am the President &

CEO of Well Beyond 55™. On behalf of my team and myself, I would like to formally and whole-heartedly welcome you into the WB55 family. We are here to

provide you with the most current education, professional strat-egies & tools to support individual, personnel planning to ensure living well, beyond 55. So please, take advantage of the valuable knowledge my team and I have to offer: Keep up with our grow-ing article base and bring us to your community. Our goal is to help each individual make the best informed decision for them-selves and their family... no strings attached, just professional help for your most personal concerns.

Sincerely, Lisa

2

One of five generations, blessed to be a caregiver at a young age, I developed a unique value of aging. The experience of navigating the healthcare system 25 years ago was a challenge and today even for the professionals; the new

landscape can be a minefield. Time commitment, financial requirements layered with all the emotional stress of an emergency is more than overwhelming for most people. Choosing the right professionals in advance to help filter choices and plan for the unexpected is critical. Even more important is self-responsibility and per-sonal advocacy for our individual health and well being.

The services and benefits we grew to depend on have changed drastically and new government mandates promise ever-changing guidelines to navigate. Having greater responsibility for a longer period of time and greater con-cerns how to plan for and manage this new reality requires a new perspective on aging.

How do we get the correct advice? And from whom? Do we believe TV ads or spokespeople? Asking a neighbor or a friend? How do you find a trusted advisor who has the skill and expertise to support you and your family? Well Beyond 55 aggregates the best professionals and services, it’s my commitment to raise awareness and pro-vide an educational forum both online and in person for the public. We provide seminars on a wide variety of subjects concerning Law, Finance, Nutrition, Emotional Health and Wellbeing, Fitness and guest speakers from the medical community. We are the portal to all the resources ensuring you live Well, Beyond 55. Register to receive our newsletter and visit us on line to stay informed about current topics, meet professionals, and hear about community happenings and our new preferred provider insight panel to answer your questions.WellBeyond55.com / 800.504.3091 / [email protected] are living longer and 100 is a milestone that many more of us will reach, living Well at 100 is the goal!

ON THE COVER

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The View of Vitalityby Janine Valentiner President Panoramic Living 04

10Making Positive and Forward Changes in Your Lifeby Sondra Kronberg, MS, RD, CEDRD and Kerry Fan non, MS, RD non,

14Long Term Care Insurance Optionsby Natalie Karp, MBA, CLTC, and Rona Loshak, MBA, CLTC

18Running Out of Moneyby Peter Smith Partner Wexford Financial Strategies

24Avoiding the Nursing Homeby Jennifer Katz

262015 Symposiumby Author

IN THIS ISSUE

The View of Vitality

Should a Trust be used soley to avoid Probate in

New York?

Making Positive and Forward Changes in

Your Life

Regenerative Medicine - Stem Cell Treatments

Long Term Care Insurance Options

Secret Healthy Cookie Recipe Revealed!

Running Out of Money

Well Beyond 55 Preferred Providers

Well at 100

2015 Self Planing Symposium

Avoiding the Nursing Home

Deepening Body Awareness

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12

14

17

1820

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THE VIEW OFVITALITY

4

By Janine Valentiner President Panoramic Living

Recent stories were in the news of centenarians who achieved the magic age of one hundred and individually reported that their vitality was due to bacon, White Castle hamburgers, Oscar May-er Hot Dogs and Miller High Life. Somehow I think there is more behind their reaching a hundred than breakfast fat, belly bombers, wieners and suds. I know many people will say “Well they must have had good genes.” I probably would have said the same thing until I started making the study of longevity my life’s work. It was the Danish Twin Studies that researched same-sex twins born in Denmark during the period of 1870-1910 and concluded that longevity seems to be only moderately heritable. Genes actually only make up about 20% of a person’s life expectancy. So what makes up the other 80%?

The answer is that lifestyle. When I hear the word “lifestyle” my mind immediately runs to the recognizable voice of Robin Leach from “Lifestyles of the Rich & Famous” or perhaps I’m thinking of Dana Carvey’s paro-dies of Leach on SNL. I never even thought that I have a lifestyle, but perhaps mine is the “Lifestyle of the Poor & Unknown”. Anyway, I’m sure you’ve heard some physician or maybe even Dr. Oz talk about healthy lifestyles. And I’m sure you’ve seen “How to Achieve a Healthy Lifestyle in just 5 Easy Steps” on countless su-permarket tabloids or wellness blogs. But with all this noise coming at us around the importance of a healthy lifestyle, we often times block it out because it is often times the same messages regurgitated in a sexier way.

The noise is all around us because we, Americans, more than any other culture, are lured by new diets, new exer-cise programs, new treatments, new surgeries, new medications, new supplements which we hope will make us look and feel younger. The continuous quest for us to find a better quality of life runs deep in our minds. It ran deep in the mind of Dan Buettner, National Geographic Fellow, so in the year 2004 he started his quests around the world with a team of researchers to find the cultures where people live measurably longer and better. They identified five pockets which they deemed Blue Zones. They are Sardinia, Italy; Okinawa, Japan; Nicoya, Costa Rica; Ikaria, Greece, and an Adventist community in Loma Linda, California. Dan and his team concluded that the environment of these cultures is what nudged the people into lifestyles that resulted in longevity not any spe-cial diets, exercise, or supplements. The most significant finding was the importance of a person’s friends and family. Social connections make up to 50% of the lifestyle quotient to produce a longer better life. Dan states that one of the most dependable, universal means to greater health and happiness is simply to socialize more.

It’s not just The Blue Zones research that has concluded that social connection is the answer to the fountain of youth. Study after study has shown that people who are lonely, depressed, isolat-ed are 3-10 times more likely to get sick and die prematurely than those who have support, love, and connection. Dean Ornish, MD at the University of California, Founder and President of Pre-ventive Medicine Research Institute, states that there is “not any single factor in medicine – not

By Janine Valentiner President Panoramic Living

Laura Burns,Founding Partner

[email protected]

TheBurnsLawGroup.com

A practice devoted to Elder Law, Spe-cial Needs & Estate Planning

smoking, not cholesterol levels, not blood pressure levels – that effects of our lives and survival to that de-gree.” According to the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, our nation’s largest philanthropy that focuses solely on health, loneliness can be as bad for you as smoking and like smoking can shave years off your life expectancy.

In 1961 Dr. Stewart Wolf, then head of Medicine at the University of Oklahoma, investigated the unusual-ly low rate of heart disease in the town of Roseto, Pennsylvania. Roseto was made up primarily of Italian immigrants. From 1954 to 1961, Roseto had nearly no heart attacks in the high-risk group of men 55-64 and men over 65. The death rate for men over 65 was nearly half the rate of the rest of America. Wolf and his team looked into diet, family history, and exercise habits. On the surface nothing seemed different than the rest of America. The town was made up of Italian immigrants who worked in quarries and factories. The men smoked unfiltered cigars, drank wine in excess, and skipped the Mediterranean diet in favor of meatballs and sausage fried in lard with lots of cheese. But what was different is that they held on to their old bold ways. It was normal to find three generations living under the same roof. Eighty percent of the men in town belonged to at least one community group. It was a common occurrence that they were gathered in each other’s kitchens playing cards, talking and laughing. Stewart’s conclusion was that Rosettons were nourished by each other. They had a sense of community that was very cohesive. Throughout the 1970’s multigenera-tional homes broke up and people began to live further and further apart making hanging out with the guys more difficult. It was during this decade that the first fatal heart attack to a person under the age of 55 occurred in Roseto. By 1980, heart attacks were the same rate as the rest of the country.

I recently visited my 95 year old mother-in-law, Lina, who lives in Chicago. Lina was born in Lucca, Italy in 1920 and immigrated to the United States in 1951. Poverty, struggle, and grief were very much a part of her early years. I asked Lina so what’s the special ingredient to living a long fulfilling life. She quickly replied as she laughed heartily “a glass of wine every night with dinner”. Then she sat quiet for a moment and I watched her eyes as they brightened up with enlightenment. She saw the big picture. She had a clear view of vitality and blurted out “it’s my family”. Her family includes four children, eleven grandchildren, and ten great-grandchildren. Lina lives each day to interact and celebrate life with all them. She is the family’s matriarch and historian whose current daily thoughts center on the joy of holding her tenth great-grandchild who arrived this past May.

So when I think about the centenarians who attribute their long life to bacon, hamburgers, hot dogs, and beer I am sure if we dig a little deeper we would find that they too have very strong social connections and thus have the view of vitality. I challenge you to think about your own social connections. No, not those hundreds of “friends” you have on Facebook, LinkedIn, or Twitter but real connections that are quality and not quantity. Think of the choices you make each day in spending time with your family members and close friends. Are you truly engaged with them or just sitting next to each other as you scan your devices? Do you choose to spend time with a happy friend or a friend who only wants to get together to complain about life? Each additional happy friend we have in our social circle boosts are cheeriness by 9% while each unhappy friend drags it down by 7%. Friends are long term adventures. The View of Vitality doesn’t just appear. It takes awareness and effort, but the rewards outweigh the effort because surrounding yourself with the right people will have a profound long-term impact on your happiness and longevity.

Seating is limited so REGISTER TODAY for this very special event!www.WellBeyond55.com CALL TODAY - 800.504.3091

Sunday, October 25, 8:45 a.m. to 9:45 a.m.Islandia Marriot, 3635 Express Drive North, Islandia, NY 11749

Join us for our first in an inspiring series that focuses on Work/Life Balance!

Breakfast and Networking, 8 a.m. to 8:30 a.m.

Program 8:45 – 9:45 a.m. with Faith Hope Consolo “Balancing Success and Challenge in our Professional and Personal Lives”

One of the nation’s leading retail real estate consultants, Ms. Consolo is affectionately known as the “Queen of Retail.” With a storied career that spans nearly three decades, she has worked with an all-star client base that includes Buccellati, Cartier, Fendi, Ferragamo, Armani and Jimmy Choo, as well as top landlords and investors. She was also the sole retail consultant to the Economic Development Corporation for the revitalization of Times Square and continues her work with government agencies and BIDs.

And real estate is her third career!

Ms. Consolo is a paradigm for grace in transition; a powerful executive, educator and philanthropist who artfully balances career, family and friends.

From strategic professional planning to personal planning, Faith Hope Consolo is living Well – and Well Beyond 55!









Faith Hope ConsoloPresents:

Faith Hope Consolo, Chairman, Retail Leasing & Sales Division - Douglas Elliman Real Estate

Keynote Speaker for the Premiere of the “Pillars of Life: A Personal Planning Symposium”

Sessions will cover topics such as:

How do we continue to pursue our passions well beyond 55, and still find time to take care of ourselves? What does that look like and does anyone really find that perfect balance?

7

SHOULD A TRUST BE USED SOLELY TO AVOID

PROBATE IN NEW YORK?By Michael Pfiefer, Esq. Pfiefer & Choi

8

A trust is a very valuable tool that can help achieve a variety of goals. One might set up a trust to avoid estate taxes; to protect assets against long-term care expenses (Medicaid); to protect one’s or a beneficia-ry’s assets against creditors; or to protect disabled and minor individuals. One can also set up a trust during one’s lifetime to avoid probate. The concept of setting up a trust just to avoid probate has been a controversial subject in New York for many years, the issue being whether probate avoidance in New York is necessary. (In other states, where the probate pro-cess is more complex, attorneys regularly recommend probate avoidance.)

To understand the discussion, you must know a little bit about probate. In general terms, probate means proving to the court that your will is valid. The pro-bate process differs from state to state. In some states, probate is more cumbersome than others. In New York, the court will review your will (and support-ing papers) to determine whether your will is valid. In most cases, no one has to appear in court. If the court determines that your will is valid, it will issue letters testamentary to your executor. Letters testa-mentary gives the executor the legal authority to ad-minister the estate. A trust avoids probate: the court does not have to grant legal authority for the trustee to administer the trust property. There is no need to go to court to prove that the trust is valid.

For years, I thought that using a living trust solely to avoid probate was unnecessary. I noted that initially there was more expense to setting up a trust then a will (although this cost will usually be balanced out by the costs of probate). Furthermore, administering a trust can be a hassle. A trust only controls assets that are retitled in the name of the trust. In other words, if you want to avoid probate for your bank account, you must go to the bank and have the bank account trans-ferred to the trust (or more technically to the trustee). You must do the same for all of your other assets that do not pass by other means, including stocks, bonds, brokerage accounts, etc. Unless you have transferred assets into your trust, your trust document is an emp-ty piece of paper.

Despite the hassles, I am wondering whether it is time to change my mind about setting up a living trust just to avoid probate. Court budgets have been cut dramatically. See Cuts Could Stall Sluggish Courts at Every Turn, New York Times, May 15, 2011, page A1. The Surrogate of Nassau County, Honorable Edward W. McCarty, III, regularly talks about his concerns that staff cuts will hobble the ability of the Surrogate’s Court to properly serve those who have business before it. I have seen matters that used to take weeks, now take months. If your matter has any complexity to it, months of delay can turn into years of delay. Giv-en tight state budgets, this problem may get worse as court staff is cut to the bone.

Thus, it may be time to think about using trusts to avoid probate in New York. Even a delay of a few months in the probate process could have adverse consequences. For instance, if you are trying to sell real estate, the buy-ers could lose their mortgage approval by the time the court completes the probate process or they may simply not be able or willing to wait to close until the probate process is completed. The same can be said about selling a business.

Even if we assume that it is not necessary to avoid probate in most situations, if you anticipate any complica-tions with respect to probating your estate, you should certainly take steps to avoid it. Some examples would be: you are expecting that someone might challenge your will, some of your heirs cannot be found easily or you have property in multiple states and thus, will have to probate your will in multiple jurisdictions. All of the fore-going will increase the expense and delay of probate.

Trustees should be aware that although probate is being avoided they still have the responsibility of marshaling and preserving assets, paying creditors, paying all taxes due and owing and in general to act in the best interests of the beneficiaries. Trustees would be wise to do an accounting and to get releases from the beneficiaries be-fore distributing assets to them. In other words, the estate still has to be properly administered even if all of the assets are passing through a trust. The only step that is being eliminated with a trust is probate. Trustees should have an attorney assist them with the administration of the trust.

Trusts have many uses and one of them is avoidance of probate. It may be time to reconsider whether a trust should be used solely to avoid probate in New York.

Pfeifer & Choi pllcElder Law | Medicaid Law | Wills, Trusts & Estates

90 Merrick Avenue, Suite 106 | East Meadow, New York 11554Long Island (516) 222-1773 | New York (212) 696-1200 | [email protected]

Our high quality and affordable Medicare Advantage and Long Term Care plan options include:

Medicare Advantage Plans Designed to meet the needs of individuals with Medicare and those with both Medicare and Medicaid. We have a variety of plan options and a large network of quality doctors and providers in the communities where you live.

Managed Long Term Care Plan (MLTC) Health and long term care services at home or in the community for those who are chronically ill or disabled.

FIDA Fully Integrated Duals Advantage Plan for those with Medicare and Medicaid, and with long term care needs, to help manage your providers and services under one managed care plan.

Contact us for eligibility and [email protected] | agewellnewyork.com

AgeWell New York LLC is an HMO plan with a Medicare contract and a contract with the New York State Medicaid Program. Enrollment in AgeWell New York depends on contract renewal. Medicare beneficiaries may also enroll in AgeWell New York LLC through the CMS Medicare Online Enrollment Center located at www.medicare.gov. H4922_AWNY_4002_AS16_FILE & USE 08252015

We’re here for your call.Toll Free 1.866.586.8044 TTY/TDD 1.800.662.1220

Seriously, choosing a health plan is not easy.We work hard to make it easier.

By Sondra Kronberg, MS, RD, CEDRD and Kerry Fannon, MS, RD

10



“Yesterday I was clever, so I wanted to change the world. Today I am wise, so I am changing myself.” -Rumi

Being well and living a full and productive life often requires us to make positive and forward changes. Desire for change comes about when we experience the feeling of wanting something to be different than it is: our health, our life, our workload, or our relationships. Awareness of the gap between where we are and where we would like to be catalyzes our desire for change. However, the desire for change and our best intentions are of-ten not enough for us to move past fear and inertia to take action. We often get stuck, choosing to remain with what feels safe, easy, and comfortable. The path of successful change requires that we move beyond the fear. We must move out of our comfort zone by: being open to possibilities, making changing a top priority, commit-ting to new practices, and working hard consistently.

1. Awareness: Being present enough to see or feel that there is something that you are unhappy about or dissatisfied with in your life.

2. Decide: Having become aware, and weighed the pros and cons of changing, you have to DECIDE that you want things to be different and you are willing to do what is necessary to make the change.

3. Declare and Commit: Declare to yourself and others that this is a long-term process that will have forward and backward movement. Commit to seeing the plan of action through and reaching your goal with continued practice, hard work, compas-sion, and support.

INGREDIENTS FOR SUCCESSFUL CHANGE:4. Plan of Action: Get clear on the options available and ways to accomplish your goal. Research, seek expert advice, and choose a course of action that best fits with your: lifestyle, personality, finances; one you can follow long-term in order to achieve success. A good fit for the long run is most likely to help you succeed.

5. Compassion: Change is not always straightfor-ward. There are usually challenges to work through. The process of change will be a series of successes and setbacks, forward progress, and some regres-sion. That’s how movement occurs. Being kind, compassionate, and understanding of the process of change is key to successful change.



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6. Support: Change requires support of others to: minimize the challenges and hurdles, acknowledge and reinforce the positive movement, and provide a means of self-care as well as an outside source of compassion. Seeking help to reinforce the process of change from a qualified expert bolsters com-mitment. Successful change is enhanced by and may require support of others: friends, family, and professionals.

Are there things or places in your life where you feel stuck? What changes do you want to see? Are you feeling tired, sluggish, and drained all of the time? Has it has been happening for so long that you’ve accepted it as “normal”? Are you telling yourself its something that comes with age?

Remember that segment on television with the person who is your age, boasting about the enormous amount of energy they have on a day-to-day basis. They go on and on about their physical activity regimen and their daily intake of fruits and vegetables, creating this sur-plus of energy. Are you intrigued and thinking, “Could that be me?” Have you been getting out of the house less, consuming less fresh or wholesome foods, and feeling tired? Not so long ago you were playing in a weekly tennis league, and you have always wanted to go to the farmer’s market regularly but have never done so. What actions, pattern, or self-care do you want to be different? What is it that you want to change? Are you unsure if you are able or willing to do the work and how to get the end result?

First, assess your life. Take inventory of circumstances, things, or relationships that you want to be different than they are. Assess what making the change will bring about and how it will affect your life. Look at the gains and losses, the cost of the change, as well as the pros and cons of making the change. Ask yourself, “Can I change this, what would it take, how do I do it and where would I begin the journey towards a more healthful, wholesome, and energy-filled lifestyle?” Then, you have to declare that you want to make the change. “I want to eat healthier. I want to exercise more often. I want to go for daily walks. I want to go to the theatre. I want to be closer with my children.” Once you set your goals, make a concrete plan as to how to achieve them and who will help you. Be patient, compassionate, and persistent – do not give up. Face forward and keep moving towards your goals no matter how many things or thoughts get in your way. “Nothing changes if noth-ing changes” – step – step – step forward one day, one moment, and one step at a time. Surround yourself with people and activities that support your change.

If you want to change some pattern in your life and are looking for professional direction, please contact Eating Wellness Programs at (516) 513-1284.

11

By Author

12

Recent stories were in the news of centenarians who achieved the magic age of one hundred and individually reported that their vitality was due to bacon, White Castle hamburgers, Oscar Mayer Hot Dogs and Miller High Life. Somehow I think there is more behind their reaching a hundred than breakfast fat, belly bombers, wieners and suds. I know many people will say “Well they must have had good genes.” I probably would have said the same thing until I started making the study of longevity my life’s work. It was the Danish Twin Studies that researched same-sex twins born in Denmark during the period of 1870-1910 and concluded that longevity seems to be only moderately heritable. Genes actually only make up about 20% of a person’s life expectancy. So what makes up the other 80%?

The answer is that lifestyle. When I hear the word “lifestyle” my mind immediately runs to the recognizable voice of Robin Leach from “Life-styles of the Rich & Famous” or perhaps I’m thinking of Dana Carvey’s parodies of Leach on SNL. I never even thought that I have a lifestyle, but perhaps mine is the “Lifestyle of the Poor & Unknown”. Anyway, I’m sure you’ve heard some physician or maybe even Dr. Oz talk about healthy lifestyles. And I’m sure you’ve seen “How to Achieve a Healthy Lifestyle in just 5 Easy Steps” on countless supermarket tabloids or wellness blogs. But with all this noise coming at us around the impor-tance of a healthy lifestyle, we often times block it out because it is often times the same messages regurgitated in a sexier way.

The noise is all around us because we, Americans, more than any other culture, are lured by new diets, new exercise programs, new treat-ments, new surgeries, new medications, new supplements which we hope will make us look and feel younger. The continuous quest for us to find a better quality of life runs deep in our minds. It ran deep in the mind of Dan Buettner, National Geographic Fellow, so in the year 2004 he started his quests around the world with a team of researchers to find the cultures where people live measurably longer and better. They identified five pockets which they deemed Blue Zones. They are Sardinia, Italy; Okinawa, Japan; Nicoya, Costa Rica; Ikaria, Greece, and an Adventist community in Loma Linda, California. Dan and his team concluded that the environment of these cultures is what nudged the people into lifestyles that resulted in longevity not any special diets, exercise, or supplements. The most significant finding was the impor-tance of a person’s friends and family. Social connections make up to 50% of the lifestyle quotient to produce a longer better life. Dan states that one of the most dependable, universal means to greater health and happiness is simply to socialize more.

It’s not just The Blue Zones research that has concluded that social connection is the answer to the fountain of youth. Study after study has shown that people who are lonely, depressed, isolated are 3-10 times more likely to get sick and die prematurely than those who have support, love, and connection. Dean Ornish, MD at the University of California, Founder and President of Preventive Medicine Research Institute, states that there is “not any single factor in medicine – not smoking, not cholesterol levels, not blood pressure levels – that ef-fects of our lives and survival to that degree.” According to the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, our nation’s largest philanthropy that fo-cuses solely on health, loneliness can be as bad for you as smoking and like smoking can shave years off your life expectancy.

Regenerative Medicine is the process of creating living, functional tissue to repair or replace organ function lost due to damage, stimulating previously irreparable organs to heal themselves.

Stem cell therapy is an exciting new type of regenerative medicine treatment that is being studied for treating everything from orthopedic, cardiovascular, neurological, autoimmune and urologic conditions of every kind. Stem cells have the potential ability to help repair damage an organ may have sustained. Regenerative Medicine is the process of creating living, functional tissue to repair or replace organ function lost due to damage, stimulating previously irreparable organs to heal themselves.

A stem cell is basically any cell that can replicate and differentiate. This means the cell can not only multiply, it can turn into different types of tissues. There are different kinds of stem cells. Most people are familiar with or have heard the term “embryonic stem cell.” These are cells from the embryonic stage that have yet to differentiate - as such, they can change into any body part at all. These are then called “pluri-potential” cells. Because they are taken from unborn or unwanted embryos, there has been considerable controversy surrounding their use. Also, while they have been used in some areas of medicine - particularly, outside the United States - they have also been associated with occasional tumor (teratoma) formations. There is work being conducted by several companies to isolate particular lines of embryonic stem cells for future use.

Another kind of stem cell is the “adult stem cell.” This is a stem cell that already resides in one’s body within different tissues. In recent times, much work has been done isolating bone marrow derived stem cells. These are also known as “mesenchymal stem cells” because they come from the mesodermal section of your body. They can differentiate into bone and cartilage, and probably all other mesodermal elements, such as fat, connective tissue, blood vessels, muscle and nerve tissue. Bone marrow stem cells can be extracted and because they are low in numbers, they are usually cultured in order to multiply their numbers for future use. As it turns out, fat is also loaded with mesenchymal stem cells. In fact, it has hundreds if not thousands of times more

These adult stem cells are known as “progenitor” cells. This means they remain dormant (do nothing) unless they

REGENERATIVE MEDICINE STEM CELL TREATMENTS

By David Borenstien, MD

13

stem cells compared to bone marrow. Today, we actually have tools that allow us to separate the stem cells from fat. Because most people have adequate fat supplies and the numbers of stem cells are so great, there is no need to culture the cells over a period of days and they can be used right away.

These adult stem cells are known as “progenitor” cells. This means they remain dormant (do nothing) unless they witness some level of tissue injury. It’s the tissue injury that turns them on. So, when a person has a degenerative type problem, the stem cells tend to go to that area of need and stimulate the healing process. We’re still not sure if they simply change into the type of injured tissue needed for repair or if they send out signals that induces the repair by some other mechanism. Suffice it to say that there are multiple animal models and a plethora of human evidence that indicates these are significant reparative cells.

Stem cells are harvested and deployed during the same procedure. Our patients undergo a minimally-invasive liposuction type of harvesting procedure in our treatment center .The harvesting procedure generally lasts a few minutes and can be done under local anesthesia. Stromal Vascular Fraction SVF, which contains mesenchymal stem cells and growth factors, is then processed from 2 ounces of fat using a closed sterile system to avoid contact with the environment. SVF is ready for deployment within 90 minutes or less. Depending on the type of treatment required, stem cells can be injected through veins, arteries, into spinal fluid, subcutaneously, or directly into joints or organs. All of these are considered minimally invasive methods of introducing the stem cells. Stem cells injected intravenously are known to “seek out and find” areas of tissue damage and migrate to that location thus potentially providing regenerative healing. Intravenously injected stem cells have been shown to have the capability of crossing the “blood-brain barrier” to enter the central nervous system and they can be identified in the patient’s body many months after deployment.

If you would like more information on how Stem cell therapy can help you please call our office at 212-262-2412 or visit our website at www.nystemcellcenter.com

REGENERATIVE MEDICINE STEM CELL TREATMENTS

By David Borenstien, MD

IN THE ABSENCE OF A CRYSTAL BALL… IT IS IMPORTANT TO LOOK INTO YOUR

LONG-TERM CARE INSURANCE OPTIONS NOW. By Natalie Karp, MBA, CLTC, and Rona Loshak, MBA, CLTC

Founding Partners, Karp Loshak Long Term Care Insurance Solutions Brokerage

Planning from a position of strength is a game changer. Especially when it comes to planning for your long-term care. LTC Insurance is typically one of the last pieces of your family and lifestyle

protection. Today’s landscape is changing rapidly, and given the realities of underwriting and pricing- LTC merits timely consideration.

HERE’S ARE 16 REASONS WHY IT SHOULD BE ON YOUR SHORT LIST:3. Tax incentives. Both the state and federal govern-ment have encouraged consumers to take action for planning. Between both federal and state incentives, 1/3 of LTC Insurance premiums may be mitigated or “paid for”.

4. Unisex pricing is being replaced with gender based pricing. This means women’s pricing will increase 20-40% as the next generation policies hit the market. Why? The claims data shows that women are 2/3 of claims. Ladies – timing will never be better.

5. The numbers speak for themselves. Its costs more to self-insure. Tax consequences of liquidating assets and lost opportunity costs, result in 10 x greater costs vs. shifting the risk to an insurance carrier for pennies on the dollar.

6. Who needs a crystal ball when you have a magic wand? “ I am not going to age, become frail or need care.” The fact is 44% of care is for people under the age of 65. 14

1. Your options for planning when young and healthy are where the smart money is. Planning “in crisis mode” offers less choice and will cost you more. Fidu-ciaries, professional advisors, elder care and trust and estates attorneys are recommending LTC to clients who can medically qualify and afford the premiums.

2. Flexibility and independence. Medicare and Medi-care supplements were not designed to pay for long term care. Medicaid is not a panacea. Today we have managed Medicaid. In 20-30 years, when Boomers demand services, there will be less available resourc-es. There are medical and financial triggers for Medic-aid, and qualifying will be more difficult.

LTC provides a private pool of money with standard federal medical triggers (2 out of 6 ADL’s or supervi-sion for cognitive impairment) for conditions that are expected to last 90 days or longer. The condition does not have to be a permanent or terminal. LTC means choice.

7. Longevity. Have you seen the display of Happy Birthday greeting cards for those who are 80–90-and 100 years of age? 80% of us, once we turn age 80 will need some form of long-term care.

8. Your spouse will be older or deceased. And your adult children have busy lives, and children of their own. It is unrealistic to count on them for your day-to-day care needs.

9. It’s not easy to get, and getting harder to qualify for. Companies have strict underwriting guidelines, and will soon consider family history. Your health can change on a dime. The cost of waiting may mean that you are uninsurable.

10. Aging in Place” is the new paradigm. 82% of care is given at home and in the community. Long Term Care Insurance pays for care in any environment – not just facility care.

11. Waiting costs more. Not just annually, but cumulatively. The benefit of “lock-ing in age”, preferred health discounts (15-20%) and partner discounts (25-30%) are in place for the life of the policy. You will never be as young as you are today. Lock in your age and good health.

12. Cash. Today’s plans have generous cash alternatives. Cash is always king and can stretch your benefit dollars. The next generation of policies will offer less.

13. Life / LTC Plans. These hybrid plans offer the best of both worlds solutions. We call them “Live, Die or Change your Mind” plans. Live = LTC benefits. Die= Death Benefit. Change you mind= Return of Premium.

14. Shared care plans. For couples that can health qualify, shared pools provide flexibility, increased benefit and are cost effective.

15. Avoid the “guilty spouse syndrome” when one spouse is uninsurable. It is critical for the healthy spouse to have LTC coverage. The unhealthy spouse will be using the retirement assets for care.

16. Doing nothing is not the answer. Something is always better than nothing. Plans are customizable. If you are lucky enough get an offer, and be in this exclu-sive club, plans can address any budget.

Planning for long term care will protect your most important assets: your indepen-dence, your family and your lifestyle. And, who needs a crystal ball when you’re working from strength?

Karp Loshak is a trusted source of information for individuals and their trusted ad-visors. As independent brokers we are affiliated with all leading LTC Insurance car-riers which allows us to educate, analyze, and recommend suitable LTC insurance options based on health, medications, age, marital status, budget and lifestyle.

To contact us directly send an email http://www.karploshak.com/about-us/contact-us/.

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3/4 cup dried blueberries3/4 cup dried cranberries1/2 cup shredded unsweetened coconut1/4 cup chia seed1/4 cup sunflower seeds1/4 cup pumpkin seeds1teaspoon ground cinnamen3/4 cup unsweetened almond/cashew or sunflower butter1/4 cup honey1/4 cup unsweetened almond or coconut milk1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

SEED & FRUIT

COOKIESparchment paperwhisksmall sauce panlarge mixing bowlcookie sheet

First combine all dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl.

In the small saucepan warm nut butter, honey, nut milk until smooth (do not boil) then add vanilla. Pour mixture over the dry ingredients until mixed well.

Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper to place cookies on. Mold cookies to desired size and shape and place on cookie sheet. Wet hands help mold cookies.

For seed bars instead of cookies. Place parchment paper in bottom of glass pan and smooth mixture evenly over bottom, place in the freezer for several hours.

** This recipe is a guide and based on personal taste, dietary concerns can be modified and ingredients can be substituded with other dried fruit and nut butters.

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RUNNING OUT OF MONEY

Is your financial adviser an order taker? Have you hired someone to provide advice and then find that when you make a suggestion, they are willing to comply with no discussion?

That could be a formula for failure. It is your money and ultimately everything is your de-cision. However, if your suggestion is not in your best interest then there needs to be a polite, yet firm, discussion about what is ulti-mately best for you.

This is similar to getting medical advice from your doctor. You might have some ides but their role is to diagnose and make a specific recommendation. The best way to provide an example of how this might happen is to con-sider a couple that is a few years away from retirement. This is a time that many start to be more focused on investment risk.

People often become more risk-averse as they get older. They don’t have the time to recover if their investment portfolio declines and they no longer have decades of earning power ahead of them.

There is less margin for error. Investors want to preserve their capital.For most investors, the level of risk they take with their investments in determined by how they allocate their money between stocks and bonds. Stock do better over time. However, they are more risky and volatile in the short term.

We will assume the investment adviser sug-gested holding 60 per cent of the couple’s portfolio in stocks and 40 per cent in bonds.

However, the client suggested changing the allocation to 40 per cent stocks and 60 per cent bonds.

There can be two outcomes.First, the investment adviser could agree, or second, the adviser might initiate a discus-sion.

The investor’s concern is the risk of losing money and therefore, they want to manage that risk by having less exposure to stocks.

On the surface, that is a reasonable thought, but there are other considerations.

Ultimately, the investor has to manage all risks. The two main financial risks are: having their portfolio decline in value and also the risk of the couple out-living their capital.

My opinion is that for most investors, outliv-ing their capital is a more significant risk. We are living longer and very few people have significant pensions.

We have to be financially self-sufficient during retirement and that requires a combi-nation of not losing capital but also not run-ning out of purchasing power from our port-folio.

is a real risk during retirement Identify investment objectives and develop the best strategyPeter Smith CLU, Wexford Financial Strategies

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Our investments have to provide the cash flow we so desperately need during retire-ment. Any investments decision must be made in the context of maintaining that cash flow.

If the client reduced the stocks in their port-folio from 60 per cent to 40 per cent then the likely outcome would be to have an in-vestment portfolio that is less-profitable. A less-profitable portfolio could result in them running out of money.

An exercise that should be done before in-vestment decisions are made is to understand the purpose of the funds.

The client will likely require a certain amount of income every year during retirement from their investment portfolio. Running out of money during their lifetime, which is far more

significant than have a portfolio that has a slightly higher volatility.

Investing is done for a reason.Articulate your investment objectives and then work backwards from those objectives to see what the best investment strategy is.Clients are required to make investment deci-sions and we recommend those decisions be guided by their long-term financial objectives.Securities offered through LPL Financial, member FINRA/SIPC.

Peter Smith CLU®Principal

www.WexfordFS.com1 Huntington Quadrangle

Suite, 2C10Melville, NY 11747

Direct: 516-714-5202

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Craig Andreoli, The Law Office of Craig A. Andreoli, P.C.is an Elder Law and Estate Planning Attorney who focuses his efforts on structuring

and implementing sophisticated techniques to better help families.

Laura Burns, The Burns Law Groupis an Elder Law and Estate Planning Attorney who built her practice on a foundation

of personalized, long-term relationships and exceptional legal service.

Barbara Feldman, President, A Nu Start NY.A Certified Senior Move Manager, Barbara founded A NuSTART NY in 2005. Since

then, she has successfully organized and moved hundreds of senior families.

Wendy Goidel Esq., Goidel Law Groupis a successful Attorney who specializes in estate & asset protection planning, long-term care planning, special needs planning, probate & trust administration & guardianships.

Bob Falkowitz, CBS Coverage Groupis a Licensed Insurance Broker who specializes in Group Health Insurance (life & disability), Long Term Care, Supplemental Medicare & Part D Prescription Coverage.

Laura Giunta, Senior Helpers Home Careis a Certified Senior Advisor and is passionate about educating families and helping them navigate the New York elder care system.

Susan Hamblen, EXIT Realty Achieveis a Licensed Real Estate Broker and a Certified Distressed Property Expert who helps individuals through difficult short sale and foreclosure situations.

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Robert Carillo CPA, PartnerAccounting firm specializing in individual, coporate, partnership, trust, and estate taxation.He specializes in the individual “high net-worth” area, with emphasis in the Securities, Business Owner, and Healthcare industries.

Jeannie Doherty-Benckwit, RN, QDCP Director of Businees Development Agewell NY

Assists and coordinates families with medicaid long term care plans, Medicaid-Medicare plans, and Medicare advantage plans.

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Tracey Kuczinski, Senior Housing Advisors Inc.is a Senior Housing Expert assisting seniors and their families in finding the most

affordable and appropriate assisted living, adult homes and Alzheimer’s care.

Rona Loshak, MBA, CLTC, Karp Loshak LTD Insurance Solutionsis a highly accredited, award winning expert in Long-Term Care Insurance and a trusted

source for individuals, business owners and employer groups.

Dilip Madnani MD, FACS, Dilip D. Madnani MD FACSis a Double Board Certified Plastic Surgeon who specializes in facial plastic surgery, all aspects of head & neck surgery and reconstructive surgery of skin cancer defects.

Natalie Karp, MBA, CLTC, Karp Loshak LTC Insurance Solutionsis a highly accredited, award winning expert in Long-Term Care Insurance and a trusted source for individuals, business owners and employer groups.

Sondra Kronberg MS, RD, CDN, CEDRD, Eating Wellness Programsis a Nutrition Therapist, Licensed Clinical Nutritionist, Treatment Advisor, Consultant and a recognized leader in the field of eating disorders and body wellness.

Lewis Knopf, LK Daily Management / Certified Senior Advisoris a skilled daily money manager and financial systems specialist who helps people man-age change in their lives and environments.

Joe Kober, CPA, PartnerHighly competitive accounting firm specializing in individual, coporate, partnership, trust,

and estate taxation. Mr. Kober has extensive knowledge of corporate and partnership income taxation. He specializes in the small and emerging business area, with emphasis in the Real

Estate and Healthcare industry.

Michael Lindstadt Esq., Lindstaadt LawIn 2014 Michael opened Lindstadt Law PLLC, with offices in Bronx, Long Island, Manhattan, Queens and White Plains. In June 2014 Michael was admitted to the Bar of the US Supreme Court, along with 42 other attorneys of the NYS Bar Association. Michael is also a member of the New York State Trial Lawyers Association and the Bronx Bar Association, where he sits on the Judiciary Committee.

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Jennifer Katz, Director of Trust Outreach at LIFE, Inc. Pooled Trust ServicesLIFE, Inc. Administers a Medicaid Pooled Income Trust which allows people

whose income exceeds Medicaid guidelines to still receive home-based Medicaid services and shelter their money from Medicaid.

Suzanne Paolucci, LCSW, Concierge Care Coordination at GLGis a Licensed Clinical Social Worker and Care Coordinator who has dedicated her

twenty-year career to the field of geriatrics and life care planning.

Renée Richter, Centerpoint Funding Corp.is a Mortgage Expert licensed & registered by the NYS Department of Financial Services

with expertise in residential & commercial loans to reverse mortgages.

Peter Smith, CLU®, Wexford Financial Strategiesis a Chartered Life Underwriter who assists individuals in establishing long-term financial

plans such as estate planning, retirement planning & portfolio management.

Larry Offsey CPA, Offsey CPAis a Certified Public Accountant with expertise in Business & Personal Accounting, Tax Preparation, Financial Planning & Investments and Estates & Trust Management.

Michael Pfeifer Esq., Pfeifer & Choi, PLLCis an Elder Law, Special Needs Planning & Estate Planning Attorney and a member of the Legal Advisory Board of the Alzheimer’s Disease Resource Center (ADRC).

Ronit Rogoszinski CFP®, Arch Financial Groupis a Certified Financial Planner™ who specializes in transitioning widows & widowers, pre-retirees and divorced individuals through major life changes.

Alice Tseng, US Mortgage Corporationis a Reverse Mortgage Loan Officer who focuses on helping seniors navigate Home Equity

Conversion (HECM) / Reverse Mortgage loans.

Learn more about our distinguished speakers and how you can bring them to your community.

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Chris Tombline, Director Gutterman’s Funeral Home.With over 100 years of experience directing Jewish funerals, Gutterman’s is one of the largest family owned and operated firms of its kind in the nation.

David Stoler, First Vice President, Financial Advisor With over 25 years experience in financial services, he has extensive experience working with ultra-high net worth families and business owners.

Janine Valentiner, Panoramic LivingPanoramic Living provides a comprehensive view of life that helps you understand and

implement the scientifics evidence based principles of healthy happy aging.

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John Conforti 99 years old with granddaughter Donna Martini. John’s story was quite remarkable as he lost an eye and a leg and faced challenges most of us can only imagine yet still lives independently in his home in NYC. Until he was 97 he made his own wine. I came across him through Donna’s posting this birthday picture of them and I was taken by the clear expression of love. Donna is a remarkable spirit who I know to give to others of herself without judgements, and always with an open heart. She is a writer/author and wellness activist helping to educate people on healthy lifestyle practices. She lives her message to others about love, forgiveness and the healing power of “Positive Manipulation” {Trademarked by Donna} to describe the

process we can undergo to change any negativity in our body and mind. John still enjoys fishing and puts up a pot of sauce every Sunday for whoever comes to visit, tends to his garden and grows tomatoes and zucchini are just some of the vegatables he enjoys as he still cooks all of his own meals.

If you have loved ones who would like to be considered for “Well at 100” please submit picture and story to:[email protected]

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AT 100

Meet professionals that will provide the knowledge and education to empower you to make the best decisions for you and your family. Come learn about your personal options with Nutrition & Fitness, Elder Law, Trusts & Estate Plan-ning, Financial Planning for any stage of life and those with Special Needs, New Technology and much more.

SYMPOSIUM 2015A PERSONAL PLANNING SYMPOSIUM

EVERYTHING WE ALL NEED TO KNOW TO LIVE WELL, BEYOND 55

DATE: SUNDAY OCTOBER 25, 2015

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TIME: BREAKFAST AND NETWORKING 8-10 AM (Advanced registration required) GENERAL ADMISSION 10:00 AM (No fee with advanced registration $10 at the door

Register Today: Email [email protected] or Call: 800.504.309124

Laura Giunta Senior Helpers Home CareA Dementia Experience: Learn Firsthand What Your Loved Ones are Experiencing

Dilip Madnani MD, FACS Dilip D. Madnani MD FACSCurrent Techniques in Facial Rejuvenation

Bob FalkowitzCBS Coverage GroupMedicare

David Borenstein MDManhattan Integrated Medical CenterRegenerative Medicine: How Stem Cell Treatments can Help You

DJohn Dervan MD, FACC, FSCAICo-Founder Heart Associates of Long IslandCardiology: Where We are and Where We’re Headed

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Faith Hope ConsoloPresents:

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Sessions will cover topics such as:

How do we continue to pursue our passions well beyond 55, and still find time to take care of ourselves? What does that look like and does anyone really find that perfect balance?

DATE: SUNDAY OCTOBER 25, 2015

PLACE: ISLANDIA MARRIOT

TIME: BREAKFAST AND NETWORKING 8-10 AM (Advanced registration required) GENERAL ADMISSION 10:00 AM (No fee with advanced registration $10 at the door

Register Today: Email [email protected] or Call: 800.504.3091

AVOIDING THE NURSING HOMEHOW A POOLED TRUST CAN HELP YOU RETAIN INDEPENDENCE AND STAY IN YOUR HOME

Growing older while endeavoring to stay well and live independently is a journey we will all face. As access to resources for seniors continues to improve, it is becoming increasingly easier for seniors to gracefully maneuver the hardships of aging. However, despite the technological and medical advances being made, the availability of high-quality and affordable home-based care remains problematic for seniors. People crave in-dependence and do not want to be confined to nursing homes. The perfect solution for these people might be Community Medicaid.

Community Medicaid refers to services delivered “in the community”, in a home-based setting or an assisted living facility. Some of the benefits offered by Com-munity Medicaid include a home health aide, who can come to your home and provide services ranging from housekeeping and companionship, to skilled nursing services provided by a Registered Nurse. You may also qualify to receive no-cost or low-cost medical supplies, transportation to doctor’s appointments, and even meal services.

To become eligible for Community Medicaid, an individ-ual must meet certain medical and financial criteria. To fulfill the medical requirement, you must be “disabled”, as defined by the Social Security law. Many people in the aging community would qualify under this defini-tion; the word “disabled” is not to be understood in its common form. Ailments such as diabetes, heart disease, anxiety or even arthritis could qualify an individual to receive Community Medicaid. Younger people, who are developmentally disabled, are also qualified to receive this type of Medicaid. For more information about whether you medically qualify, please consult a qualified elder law attorney or Medicaid specialist.

In order to financially qualify to receive Community Medicaid services, an individual’s monthly income must be below $825 with assets below $14,850. If an individ-ual’s monthly income or assets exceed those strict lim-its, a pooled trust is the best way to protect that money, and remain eligible to receive Community Medicaid services. The purpose of the pooled trust is to shelter your money from Medicaid, and still allow you to use those funds to pay your own bills. Establishing a pooled

By Jennifer Katz, Esq. Labor & Industry for Education, Inc.

trust does not affect eligibility for SSI, food stamps, Sec-tion 8 or other governmental benefits. By simply making a deposit of your surplus income into a pooled trust ev-ery month, you are automatically eligible for Medicaid.

There is a common misconception that in order to qualify for Medicaid a person must give away all their money, which quite understandably, is something an individual might be hesitant to do. But the pooled income trust acts only as a flow-through for the money. The money doesn’t remain in the trust, illiquid, or out of your reach. As soon as the surplus is deposited in the trust account, the funds are immediately accessible for use. It can be used to pay bills like rent/mortgage, tax-es, utility bills or even credit card bills. The money also rolls over each month, so there is no pressure to spend more money than necessary in any given month.

There are two types of pooled trusts – income and as-set. Both can be utilized to shelter money from Medic-aid. The more common type is the pooled income trust. For consistent monthly income, from sources such as Social Security, pension, IRA distribution, etc., Medicaid

AVOIDING THE NURSING HOMEHOW A POOLED TRUST CAN HELP YOU RETAIN INDEPENDENCE AND STAY IN YOUR HOME

27

allows an individual no more than $825 per month, and a married couple (with both spouses on Community Medicaid) $1,209 per month. Any income above those limits is referred to as “surplus income”, “excess income” or “spend down”.

Income Depositing the surplus income into the trusts every month ensures that you remain eligible for Med-icaid. And the best part is you don’t have to forfeit those funds to Medicaid. You can use your money to pay your own bills. The funds in the trust account can pay for a rent or mortgage, utility bills, taxes, even credit card bills. The trust simply acts as a pass-through for your money.

Here’s an example to illustrate how a pooled income trust operates. John, a widow, receives $1300 every month from Social Security and a pension of $700 a month.

(continued on next page)

Social Security $1300+Pension $700___________________________Total Monthly Income $2000

John’s total monthly income is $2000. Abiding by the Medicaid guidelines, John is allowed to keep $825, and therefore must deposit $1175 into the pooled trust account.

Total Monthly Income $2000-Medicaid Allowance $825___________________________Deposited Into Trust $1175

(Please also note that are administrative fees associated with all pooled trusts, so make sure you speak with a trust representative before enrolling. For the purpose of this example, we will not consider the fees.) From that $1175, John can instruct the trust to pay his bills.For instance, if John’s rent is $800, cable bill is $100 and phone bill is $50, John will ask the trust to make 3 payments on his behalf, totaling $950.

Deposited Into Trust $1175-Rent $800-Cable Bill $100-Phone Bill $50____________________________Remaining in Trust $225

Because John’s bills for the month did not equal his surplus amount, he left $225 remaining in his account at the end of the month. One of the great features of pooled trusts is that the money rolls over month to month, so when John deposits $1175 into the trust the following month, he will have a total of $1400 available to him.

Remaining in Trust $225+Next Month’s Surplus $1175___________________________Amount in Trust $1400

Asset The pooled asset trust functions in a similar way. Medicaid allows individuals to keep resources up to $14,850. If an individual has assets (i.e. cash in the bank) above that amount, the surplus can be deposited into the asset trust to shelter it from Medicaid. The most common situations where an asset trust is necessary is when an individual is already receiving Medicaid ser-vices and receives a lump sum of money, usually from an inheritance or a lawsuit settlement. The funds are deposited as a one-time deposit, and distributions may be made from the account in whatever frequency the client desires.

Clients may make expenditures from their asset trust in

the same way they do from the income trusts. For both trusts, the list of allowable expenses is wide-ranging. The guiding principle is that the expense must be “for the benefit of the client”. Practically, this means that the expenditure cannot be for a friend or family member. There is a short list of items that are prohibited to be paid through the trust: life insurance, health insurance, tobacco products, liquor, firearms, gifts, charity, gam-bling and illegal activity (i.e. parking tickets).

The most common expenditures made from the trust are rent/mortgage, utility bills, cable bills, and credit card bills. However, there are many types of expenses that fall within the definition of “for the benefit of the client”, including luxuries. The trust funds can pay for a beneficiary’s vacation – flight, hotel and eating out. But remember, only the beneficiary’s vacation can be covered – not any accompanying friends or family members. You can go to the hair salon, nail salon, sport-ing events, shopping at department stores, and use the funds in the trust to pay for those expenses, without jeopardizing your Medicaid benefits.

Staying at home in a person’s later years can be the best thing to keep them happy, active and productive people. Having home health aides, and the other benefits of Community Medicaid, are a perfect way to help people remain independent and at home. Pooled special needs trusts are an integral part of this process.

Is a Reverse Mortgage “Too Good to Be True?”

Or Is It Just Right For You?

US Mortgage Corporation (NMLS ID#3901). Corporate Offi ce is located at 201 Old Country Road, Suite 140, Melville, NY 11747; (631) 580-2600 or (800) 562-6715 (LOANS15). Licensed Mortgage Banker-NYS Department of Financial Services (Lic. #B500533).Residential Mortgage Lender License-New Jersey Department of Banking and Insurance (Lic. #0755773).

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Alice Lee TsengMortgage Loan O� cer - NMLS #974322Reverse Mortgage LendingO� ce: 800-562-6715 Cell: 646-543-9262 [email protected]/alice.tseng

Everyone’s body is different, and we all want to feel good. To achieve this, what works well for some, may not be the best choice for others. It is important to remember that we all have our own, unique body chemistry.

Right now, the health and wellness industry is taking off like never before. There is a myriad of infor-mation out there on nutrition, supplements and complementary healthcare in general. It can feel over-whelming and confusing, especially when knowledge from reputable sources contradict each other. It’s easy to forget to check in with our own bodies, and how we are feeling. This is especially true when we are bombarded with an overload of information, and the opinions of others.

It takes an awareness and attentiveness on our part to hear the messages our bodies have for us, but it’s worth every moment for the empowerment we gain.

For instance, I have a similar diet, exercise regularly and take very good care of themselves, in general. A couple of years ago, both of these women were suffering from unwanted weight gain and mood swings due to hormonal changes. Initially, they both went through periods of frustration, trying to navigate these changes. Another similarity they both shared, was how they really tuned in to what their bodies were telling them. If something they tried didn’t agree with them, they trusted how their bodies felt and kept searching. Over a period of two years, both of these women found a (continued on next page)

DEEPENING BODY AWARENESSWHEN YOUR BODY TALK’S DO YOU LISTEN?

by Marisa Chadbourne

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way to change their body chemistries, but in very different ways from each other. While I witnessed them searching for what worked best for them, I wasn’t surprised to see what worked for one had failed the other. During their quest for physical and mental harmony, they found their rhythm of complementary modalities. These mo-dalities were different for each woman, but were perfectly suited to each.

Discovering your personal journey in finding what works best for your body is easier than you may think! Our bodies are constantly giving us signals. It is always letting us know what we need to address, in order to function at our best ability. Listening to these signals is a key component to living the best quality of life possible. For example, some of you may be experiencing neck or back pain, headaches, mental stress or fatigue throughout the day. These are signals that are already screaming! Most likely, there was a subtler message being sent before that headache or back pain oc-curred. When we take time to slow down and listen to the quieter signals, (or the whispering) from our bodies, we can prevent them from becoming a desperate scream.

Body awareness becomes easy with the practice of quieting your mind and listening to your inner voice. It’s simple, sit or lie down in a quiet room, close your eyes, and breathe deeply. Are you feeling stressed? Do you feel pain anywhere? If so, what type of pain are

you feeling (dull, achy, sharp etc.)? Are you feeling fatigued? Is it challenging for you to quiet your mind and slow down your thoughts? What emotions are coming up for you?

If we really pay attention, these subtle com-munications will help us answer all of these questions. Your body is always trying to tell you what it needs. Once you begin to listen, you become aware of any disharmonies that may exist. You learn more about yourself, and what you need to address, so that you can start looking for ways to improve your health. Seek out the right health care professionals for you, or try some simple self-care tech-niques to begin. Whenever trying new sup-plements, always check with your doctor first, as they may have an adverse effect combined with any medication you are currently taking. However you choose to begin, give yourself the credit for doing so!

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Here are a few tips to help deepen your body awareness!

Take 5 – 10 minutes a day to check in with your body. If you need assistance please see my Beginner Guided Meditation for Body Awareness video.

Create a healthy balance between Body, Mind and Spirit

Body – Find what harmonizes your body. Is it exercise you enjoy, a healthy way of eating, bodywork, dancing, acupuncture, or yoga?

Mind – Take the time to relax your mind with activities like meditation, deep breathing, creative expression (painting, drawing, writing, cooking etc.), reading, and laughing.

Spirit – What brings you joy in your life? It could be as simple as taking a walk on the beach, spending time with friends and family, a hobby that you love, the appreciation of art and music, or helping people who are less fortunate than you. Many people enjoy volunteer work, and find great solace in joy volunteer work, and find great solace in providing a service to others.

Be easy with yourself and embrace where your body is. Even the most healthy and active people go through challenging times.

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Is Your Financial Life Disorganized?

Peter M. Smith, CLU®Principal

Main: 516-714-5200Direct: 516-714-5202www.WexfordFS.com

SECURITIES AND FINANCIAL PLANNING OFFERED THROUGH LPL FINANCIAL, A REGISTERED INVESTMENT ADVISOR, MEMBER FINRA/SIPC.

Our Goal Is To Help People Accumulate & Protect Their Wealth by Empowering Them With Innovative Financial Strategies

Financial Planning, Education & RetirementPlanning, Estate & Business Planning, Insurance,Employee Benefits and investments*

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