Lifestyles After 50 Suncoast Edition, May 2025 by Lifestyles After 50 Magazine

Mother’s Day with Your Big Bad Kids

Let’s face it. There would be no celebration of Mother’s Day if we didn’t have children. That’s pretty straight forward. But what happens when our little darlings are grown? Role reversal is everywhere and it is out of control. Here’s one example.

Recently, I met my friend Kate at an outdoor café for a coffee chitchat. She wanted me to meet her because she had to unload. This is what she said: “I have an interesting relationship with my adult children. I do everything they tell me to, and frankly I’m a pretty good kid. Daily, I walk the fine line between humiliation and humility. Humility –good. Humiliated – not so good.”

By Patricia Finn

Kate’s daughter was scolding, scolding, scolding. “She had me on the phone for over thirty minutes and would not stop long enough for me to offer any type of defense. By the time she finished, I’d forgotten what I wanted to say. She was relentless. When will I ever get it right? It can be anything from sending an email to managing my finances. I don’t think I am going to change; why can’t she focus on my good points?”

This is not an uncommon problem. It seems to be everywhere. I overheard a woman from a different ethnic background say she was going to move out of her daughter’s house and into a tent on family land to escape the nagging. She had been invited to live with her daughter but after three months, her bags were packed, and she was ready to go.

How does this role reversal happen? It happens mostly to moms and especially to moms who no longer have a dad to filter the noise. Now that they are grown, our grown children want to be our parents. Well-meaning adults are parenting the parent.

Kate ended the call, “Well thanks for your input, I have to go, I’m about to crash into a tree.” I am a pessimist when it comes to solving family drama, but I did manage to give my friend some oh-so-wise advice.

First, I tried to soothe her hurt feelings by telling her she was a peacemaker. “Yes,” she sniffled, “But what makes it so tricky, is that the criticism is usually right. It’s valid, but maybe I shouldn’t have to hear it.” Always willing to comfort a friend, I offered, “Don’t worry, maybe you’ll go deaf.”

So, to the Kates of this world, I commiserate. I offer compassionate condolences, words of encouragement and a simple word of advice. When they scold, scold, scold: listen, listen, listen… but with the phone away from your ear. (Obviously, not something I have ever done.)

I also like the tent idea.

A final thought: to moms everywhere this Mother’s Day, may your children be kind. And remember, they may be adults, but are they ever really too old to spank?

May is Hearing Health Awareness Month: Revolutionizing Hearing Solutions

Amy Pajula

For the nearly 15% of American adults, or approximately 37.5 million people affected by hearing loss, hearing loss is dismissed as a natural part of aging instead of a progressive condition that can have longterm consequences if left unaddressed.

The True Impact of Hearing Loss and Aging

With a rapidly growing aging population, and with one in three seniors over the age of 60 and nearly half of those over 75 experience hearing loss, it’s important to understand the consequences of not treating it.

The National Institute for Aging warns that hearing loss has social, emotional, and cognitive effects, indicating that those experiencing hearing loss may become more socially isolated, have a higher risk of developing dementia, and show more rapid cognitive decline. Some older adults suffering from hearing loss become depressed and withdrawn when conversing becomes increasingly difficult. Current treatments for hearing impairment such as hearing aids and cochlear implants require externally worn components that don’t allow fulltime night and day hearing. Hearing aids don’t work for everyone, leaving many untreated.

As we age, our abilities change and issues such as limited dexterity, low vision, mobility issues, or cognitive decline can make managing an external device impossible. The inability to hear at night can affect safety, independence, and quality of life.

A New Era of Hearing Innovation

Envoy Medical, a medical device company, is focused on providing two key products: the Esteem® Fully Implanted Active Middle Ear Implant (FI-AMEI) and the investigational Fully Implanted Acclaim® Cochlear Implant. The Esteem implant is the only FDA-approved, fully implanted hearing device for adults diagnosed with moderate to severe sensorineural hearing loss allowing for 24/7 hearing capability using the ear’s natural anatomy. It is implanted, invisible, and requires no externally worn components in the ear canal or elsewhere to function. Envoy’s piezoelectric sensor technology is designed to utilize the ear’s natural anatomy to capture sound instead of relying on a conventional external microphone.

Visit www.envoymedical.com for more information.

Social

Information from Social Security Administration

WHAT IS A “QUALIFIED ALIEN” IN REGARDS TO SSI?

Question: To be able to receive SSI benefits what type of status is eligible?

Answer: To get SSI, you must be a citizen or national of the United States, or a non–citizen who meets the alien eligibility criteria under the 1996 legislation and its amendments.

Question: When is a non-citizen eligible for SSI? And what is a “qualified alien”?

Answer: Beginning August 22, 1996, most non–citizens must meet two requirements to be eligible for SSI. The non–citizen must be in a qualified alien category, and must meet a condition that allows qualified aliens to get SSI benefits.

A non–citizen must also meet all of the other requirements for SSI eligibility, including the limits on income, resources, etc.

Who Is a “Qualified Alien”?

There are seven categories of non–citizens who are qualified aliens. You are a "qualified alien" if the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) says you are in one of these categories:

1. Lawfully admitted for Permanent Residence (LAPR) in the U.S., including "Amerasian immigrant" as defined in P.L. 100-202, with a class of admission AM-1 through AM-8;

2. Granted conditional entry under Section 203(a)(7) of the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA) as in effect before April 1, 1980;

3. Paroled into the U.S. under Section 212(d)(5) of the INA for a period of at least one year;

4. Refugee admitted to the U.S. under Section 207 of the INA;

5. Granted asylum under Section 208 of the INA;

6. Deportation is being withheld under Section 243(h) of the INA as in effect before April 1, 1997, or removal is being withheld under Section 241(b)(3) of the INA;

7. A “Cuban or Haitian entrant” under Section 501(e) of the Refugee Education Assistance Act of 1980 or in a status that is to be treated as a “Cuban/Haitian entrant” for SSI purposes.

Music Flashback: “Philadelphia Freedom”

BY: RANDAL C. HILL

A recording superstar + an iconic athlete = a millionselling song that made no sense. Huh?

At a 1973 party in California, best-selling singer Elton John met Billie Jean King, who at the time was busy becoming a feminist hero. Shortly after meeting John, King—arguably the best woman tennis player in the world—decimated Bobby Riggs in the 1973 “Battle of the Sexes” match at the Houston Astrodome. While Billie Jean destroyed Riggs in three straight sets, Elton John, who watched from a hotel room TV, screamed so loudly that he lost his voice.

At the time, King was the player/coach for the [World Team Tennis] Philadelphia Freedoms. John suggested calling the tune “Philadelphia Freedom,” and thus was born the title of what would become Elton John’s next big winner.

Along with his King-oriented creation came a rare moment in which John gave his lyric writer Bernie Taupin a most unusual song assignment: Elton wanted something called “Philadelphia Freedom,” and Taupin needed to come up with…well, something. Later, Bernie admitted that his words had nothing to do with tennis and, really, meant nothing in particular: Oh, Philadelphia Freedom // Shine on me, I love ya Shine a light through the eyes of the ones left behind Shine a light, shine the light // Shine the light, won’t you shine the light

Philadelphia Freedom, I love ya // Yes, I do

Later, John told King that he wanted to write a song for her. King, who assumed he was kidding, thought, “I didn’t think I heard him right. I turned scarlet red.” But John assured her that he was on the up-andup and could create a hit song with her in mind.

Movie Preview:

It was one of the few times that Elton decided that this 45 would be a stand-alone single and not an album track. (It would eventually show up on “Elton John’s Greatest Hits Volume II.”) The resulting piece of vinyl was a perfectly crafted pop single that resonates to this day.

“Mission Impossible: The Final Reckoning”

BY RANDAL C. HILL

The “Mission Impossible” franchise is a series of American action spy films, based on the long-running CBS-TV series and now produced by star Tom Cruise. Here the 62-year-old action hero plays Ethan Hunt, an agent of the Impossible Mission Forces. Along with his stalwart partner Luther Stickell (Ving Rhames), Hunt risks his life protecting America from malevolent forces that strive to put the world under their control.

In this eighth Paramount Pictures offering, Ethan scubadives, explores a wrecked submarine, almost dies in a knife fight, and falls out of a biplane. Oh, yes; he also does lots and lots of running.

Cruise takes pride in the fact that he does all his own stunts in every movie he makes. “I am a very physical actor, and I love doing stunts. I study and train and take a lot of time figuring it all out. I have [also] broken a lot of bones.” He then admits, “The first time of any stunt is nerve-wracking, but it’s also exhilarating. I’ve been told a few times during shooting a stunt to stop smiling.”

Gone are the early criticisms that Tom was merely a teen-dream, poster-on-the-wall cutie. To many, Cruise deserved—but never received—a Best Actor Oscar for his outstanding work as wounded soldier Ron Kovic in 1989’s “Born on the Fourth of July.”

In this latest story, Luther tells Ethan, “Our lives are never defined by any one action. Our lives are the sum of our choices. We’ve always been on the right side, Brother. I have no regrets, and neither should you.”

Further on, Ethan says, “Your life will always matter more to me than my own.” To which Luther argues, “None of our lives can matter more than this mission.”

The movie was directed by Christopher McQuarrie (“Top Gun: Maverick”), and the script was co-written by McQuarrie and Erik Jendresen (“Ithica”).

Will this become the final MI installment? Don’t bet on it. Cruise has declared that he wants to keep making action films until he’s in his eighties. And what’s to stop him?

“Mission Impossible: The Final Reckoning” opens nationwide on May 23.

THE HEALTHY GEEZER

Incorrigible Caffeine

Q. Does caffeine bother you more the older you get?

Sensitivity to caffeine—the pick-me-up in coffee— tends to increase as you get older. Children metabolize caffeine quicker than adults.

About 90 percent of Americans consume caffeine daily. More than half of all American adults consume more than 300 milligrams of caffeine every day, making it America's most popular drug.

Caffeine occurs naturally in many plants, including coffee beans, tea leaves and cocoa nuts. It is therefore found in a wide range of food products. Caffeine is added artificially to many others, including a variety of beverages. The most common sources of caffeine for Americans are coffee, tea, colas, chocolate and some over-thecounter medications.

Here are some useful numbers to help you determine how much caffeine you take in:

• 6-oz. cup of coffee—100 mg

• 6-oz. cup of black tea—70 mg

• 12-oz. can of cola—50 mg

• 1 oz. of chocolate—6 mg

• 1 tablet of Extra Strength Excedrin—65 mg

• 1 tablet of Anacin—32 mg

• 1 tablet of Maximum Strength NoDoz—200 mg

For most people, 200 to 300 milligrams a day aren't harmful. But, if you are sensitive to caffeine or use of certain drugs, you may want to cut down or eliminate caffeine from your diet.  Your caffeine consumption is worth discussing with your doctor.

Caffeine can cause restlessness, anxiety, irritability, muscle tremors, sleeplessness, headaches, nausea, diarrhea and abnormal heart rhythms.

Some medicines and supplements interact negatively with caffeine. These include some antibiotics and bronchodilators. Talk to your doctor or pharmacist about whether caffeine might affect the medicines you take.

In the practice of medicine, caffeine is useful as a cardiac stimulant and also as a mild diuretic. Caffeine is an addictive drug. It stimulates like amphetamines, cocaine, and heroin.

If you feel you must have caffeine every day, then you are addicted to it. Eliminating caffeine suddenly can cause withdrawal symptoms, such as headaches and fatigue. These symptoms usually pass after several days.

Here are some tips if you want to chase the caffeine monkey:

Read labels carefully for ingredients and keep track of the caffeine you consume.

Gradually reduce the amount of caffeine you take in. This will enable you to acclimate to less caffeine and reduce the effects of withdrawal.

• Start drinking decaffeinated coffee, tea and soda.

• Brew your tea for less time to cut down on caffeine. Or try herbal teas which are caffeinefree.

• Check the caffeine content in over-the-counter medications that you take. If you can, switch to caffeine-free forms of the medications you need.

Send your general health questions to Healthy Geezer with Lifestyles After 50 in the subject line to fred@healthygeezer.com.

Generational Divide: New UGA Study Reveals that Financial Well-Being Differs Across Age

By Sydney Barrilleaux and Lu Fan

Millennials reported lower financial well-being compared to Gen Xers and boomers

Generations are already seen as unique in terms of values and beliefs. These differences may stretch into the realm of finance, according to a new study from the University of Georgia.

Researchers looked at data from the 2016 Consumer Financial Protection Bureau’s National Financial Well-Being Survey. It focused on the financial knowledge, skills and behaviors of three generations: baby boomers, Generation X and millennials.

“We focused on the differences in the relationships between financial knowledge, skill, and behavior and financial well-being of these three generations…to give us a broader understanding of how people learn things and use their knowledge and skills differently by generation,” said Lu Fan, lead author and associate professor for UGA’s College of Family and Consumer Sciences. “They have different life goals and priorities at different ages.”

Based on responses to the survey:

• Millennials showed lower levels of financial well-being, money management skills and knowledge.

• Millennials could benefit more from increasing their objective financial knowledge compared to boomers.

• Boomers had the highest levels of financial well-being, money management skills and knowledge.

• Boomers could improve financial well-being from better money management behavior and goal commitment.

• Financial knowledge and money management skills tended to increase with age.

• Gen X felt sticking to long-term financial goals was especially crucial as they need to plan their spending leading up to and during retirement.

Fan said that certain factors are more impactful to a generation’s financial well-being than others. Because of these varying relationships, the study found it may be best for financial advisors and educators to tailor their programs for different generations.

“Millennials are faced with various mid-life financial choices and long-term planning decisions, and therefore need to improve their financial knowledge, skills and behaviors in order to reach better financial well-being,” Fan said. “Most boomers are now in retirement, so it’s important to understand their financial needs and management behaviors during this life stage.”

Read the full release at https://t.uga.edu/generationaldivide

BOOK REVIEW by Kathy A. Megyeri

Brownie Wise: A Florida Mother Who Made Marketing History

“Life of the Party, the Remarkable Story of How Brownie Wise Built and Lost a Tupperware Party Empire,” by Bob Kealing, Crown Archetype

Before Mary Kay and Martha Stewart, there was Florida mom Brownie Wise, a post-WWII optimist who gave economically invisible women an acceptable outlet for making money for their families. It was said that she had the people skills of Dale Carnegie, the looks of Doris Day and the magnetism of Eva Peron. A superb saleswoman, she disappeared until this book was written by writer, historian and biographer Bob Kealing; Wise’s story is especially meaningful on Mother’s Day.

After WWII, chemist Earl Tupper designed a new kind of plastic that could be mass-produced in many colors and in different forms, and in 1946 he patented the doublesealed lid which was air-tight and watertight. (Before, such plastics weren’t used in homes because no one knew yet about burping the lid.)

Meanwhile, Brownie Wise, a 34-year-old divorced mother with only an eighth-grade education, started selling mops, cleaners and detergents door-to-door for Stanley Home Products. She then found Tupperware and started “patio parties” with games, prizes, entertainment, and food and demonstrations like tossing a sealed Tupperware bowl filled with grape juice across the room to prove the quality of the seal.

their own money! She also started “Tupperware Jubilee” in Ft. Lauderdale, a four-day sales meeting that mixed product education with entertainment.

She got exclusive rights to sell in Florida, gathered a group of saleswomen, took good care of them and wrote a weekly newsletter for all to share their successes. Her saleswomen loved making

She was soon named General Manager of the Home Parties Division and sales tripled. She became a Vice President. For the next five years, she moved the Tupperware plastic bowl into every American kitchen and from 195158, she recruited 10,000 dealers and was responsible for revenues of $10 million ($100 million in today’s dollars).

She became known as “Miss Tupperware of the 50’s,” created Tupperware art fellowships, and was the first woman to make the cover of Business Week magazine. She moved the company’s headquarters to Kissimmee, had a campus constructed, appeared on talk shows and became an invited speaker at national sales conferences – she was usually the only woman there.

However, she and Tupper fought over management and company strategy. In 1958 he sold the company to Rexall and fired her saying, “I want all evidence of Wise gone,” and “I do the manufacturing, and you do the selling.” Wise got a one-time payout of $30,000 and was evicted from her Tupperware-owned home.

After being fired by Tupper, Wise had limited success in real estate and died in 1992 in Kissimmee at age 79. But after such a colorful and successful life, this Florida Mother left her permanent mark on American manufacturing and marketing history and left us asking, which is more powerful—the product or the “sell”? Florida mothers can be proud of her legacy.

Sudoku requires no arithmetic skills.

The object of the game is to fill all the blank squares with the correct numbers.

MAY SUDOKU

Sudoku requires no arithmetic skills.

The object of the game is to fill all the blank squares with the correct numbers.

Each row of 9 numbers must include all digits 1 through 9 in any order. Each column of 9 numbers must include all digits 1 through 9 in any order.

Each row of 9 numbers must include all digits 1 through 9 in any order. Each column of 9 numbers must include all digits 1 through 9 in any order. Each 3 by 3 subsection of the 9 by 9 square must include all digits 1 through 9.

Sudoku requires no arithmetic skills. The object of the game is to fill all the blank squares with the correct numbers. Each row and each column of 9 numbers must include all digits 1 through 9 in any order. Each 3 by 3 subsection of the 9 by 9 square much include all digits 1 through 9 as well. Good luck! The first correct answers selected from the drawing on the 20th will win. Send your answers along with your name, address, telephone number and email to:

Each 3 by 3 subsection of the 9 by 9 square must include all digits 1 through 9.

Lifestyles After 50 P.O. BOX 638, SEFFNER, FL 33583

LAST MONTH'S WINNER: Fred Timberland, North Port

Trivia Palooza

A battle breaks out between prisoners and guards at Alcatraz.

Victoria Woodhull becomes the first woman to run for US president

Sin City is officially founded__________________________ Bonnie & Clyde died_________________________________

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

Send your answers along with your name, address, telephone number and email to: Lifestyles After 50 P.O. BOX 638, SEFFNER, FL 33583

LAST MONTH'S WINNER:

In the grid below, twenty answers can be found that today. Circle each answer that you find and list it in the right of the grid. Answers can be found in all backwards, horizontally, vertically and diagonally. An get you started. Can you find the twenty answers in

Cindy Housley, Dunedin

THIS MONTHS' CATEGORY: FRUITS AND VEGETABLES

WORD

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

Today's Category: U. S. State Capitals

to: Lifestyles After 50, P.O.

638, Seffner, FL,

Phillis Bateman, Brandon was our April winner!

February answers: Easter, Passover, April Fools-Noah Webster April 14, 1828-April 9, 1959 Please enjoy playing our Crossword, Sudoku and Word Search Puzzles. The more puzzles you play & submit, the better chance you have to win!

Slow Cooker Apple Dump Cake

Easy to make in your slow cooker, this cinnamon-flavored apple dump cake is perfect to serve warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.

Ingredients:

• 2 (20 ounce) cans of apple pie filling

• 1 (15.25 ounce) package yellow cake mix

Directions:

• ½ cup unsalted butter, cut into cubes

• ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon, or to taste

Pour both cans of apple pie filling into a slow cooker. Sprinkle cake mix evenly over top to cover filling. Dot butter cubes over cake mix and sprinkle cinnamon over top.

Cover and cook on High until filling is bubbly and topping is golden brown, about 2 hours.

This great simple recipe is a cloud pleaser. Try the following modifications: instead of using canned apple pie filling, use Great Value or Boston Market frozen cinnamon apples (2 packages, thawed) instead of the canned apples.

AROUND TOWN

MAY 7: MUSIC BINGO

Barks & Brews, 14219 Walsingham Rd., Suite K, Largo

MAY 7, 10, 21, 28: VIRTUAL ENGLISH CONVERSATION GROUP

South Holiday Library, 4649 Mile Stretch Dr., Holiday

MAY 8, 15: FAMILY FEUD STYLE GAME

Danny’s Bar & Grill, 3105 Grand Blvd., Holiday

MAY 9: 60 WEST

Fraternal Order of Eagles 3153, 5446 Leisure Ln., New Port Richey

MAY 10, 17, 31: CRUISE-IN

Americana 50’s Family Diner, 1730 US-19, Holiday

MAY 13: L.A. GUNS

Central Park Performing Arts Center, 105 Central Park Dr., Largo

MAY 16: MICHAEL FRANTI & SPEARHEAD

The BayCare Sound, 255 Drew St., Clearwater

MAY 16: BRIT FLOYD

Ruth Eckerd Hall, 1111 McMullen Booth Rd., Clearwater

MAY 17: RYAN MONTGOMERY

Cowboys Dance Hall, 12333 66th St. N., Largo

MAY 24: SUNSET MUSIC FESTIVAL

Raymond James Stadium, 4201 N. Dale Mabry Hwy., Tampa

MAY 24: FERRIS BUELLER’S DAY OFF

Suncoast Theatre, 6237 Grand Blvd., New Port Richey

MAY 25: FLORIDA ORCHESTRA

Duke Energy Center for the Arts, 400 1st St. S., St. Petersburg

MAY 30: LITTLE SHOP OF HORRORS

Richey Suncoast Theatre, 6237 Grand Blvd., New Port Richey

MAY 31: MARC BROUSSARD, PAUL THORN

Ruth Eckerd Hall, 1111 McMullen Booth Rd., Clearwater

MAY 31: WORLD ODDITIES EXPO

The Coliseum, 535 4th Ave. N., St. Petersburg