Lifestyles After 50 - 2013

Lifestyles After 50

Senior Living Guide

A Supplement to the

AUBURN~ .com

REPORTER

[1]

[2] October 25, 2013

LIFESTYLES AFTER 50 • www.auburn-reporter.com

VERSATILE SENIOR CENTER SHINES FOR THE COMMUNITY The Auburn Senior Activity Center enhances the quality of life for senior adults in the community through social, recreational, health and wellness, educational, and nutritional services and programs.

The center, at 808 Ninth St. SE, serves individuals age 50 plus with a variety of activities and social needs.

The center is open MondayFriday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. with extended evening hours, MondayWednesday, 5 p.m. to 9 p.m.

Staff produce an activity brochure every other month listing upcoming classes, activities and events. There are many opportunities to get involved, either as a volunteer or as a participant.

Recreational opportunities include hiking and nature walks, snowshoeing, chair yoga, line dance, zumba, exercise classes, travel options, volleyball, pickle ball and drop-in play in the pool room.

The center hosts a variety of special events and luncheon celebrations. There is a daily lunch program, a monthly senior dinner, and a monthly coffee hour with the mayor and Auburn City councilmembers.

A food pantry is offered twice a

By the Numbers in 2012 ...

• Number of volunteers: 190 • Hours recorded: 22,890 • 40,875 visits were made to the Center, which equates to approximately 165 visits per day.

• 1,383 customers used the Senior Savers Pantry, 87 of which were first time users. The pantry generated $16,361 in revenue, up from $15,474 in 2011.

• 104 clients were served by the Meals on Wheels program.

17,608 meals were delivered in the Meals on Wheels Program, 50 cases of Ensure were delivered to home-bound seniors.

• Special Event meals were very popular. More than 2,050 meals were served at 17 events.

• The annual rummage sale netted

month, providing access to a wide variety of items such as cereals, grains, cheeses, spices, raisins, juice and soup at bulk discount prices.

Educational and learning opportunities are offered through a book club, computer classes, driver’s safety, Spanish classes,

$6308, up from $3,762 in 2011 (40 percent) • 85 hikers, 22 new to the program, logged 3,281 miles on 58 trails in the Hiking program.

• 23 seniors participated in our first ever Volleyball Clinic.

• 170 people took part in our Newcomers Tour program.

• 307 clients were helped through the AARP Free Tax Preparation program offered at the Senior Center.

• 48 people participated in four overnight tours.

• 604 people ate dinner at our monthly supper club prepared by the Wellness Team.

– Source: Auburn Senior Activity Center

and several types of art classes.

A variety of health and wellness programs are offered each session, including foot care, blood pressure clinics, massage, and dental cleaning.

On-going social time at the center includes games such as Mah Jongg, Scrabble, Bingo,

Active and going strong: The Auburn Senior Activity Center provides a wide range of services, programs and activities for the senior community throughout the year.

COURTESY PHOTO

Mexican Train Dominoes, canasta, pinochle, contract bridge, and puzzles, and a coffee bar and movie days.

To learn more about programs at the center, or those offered through Auburn Parks, Arts & Recreation, please call 253-9313016, or visit www.auburnwa.gov.

Your Brain Attempts to Understand What Your Ears Don’t Hear Are you having trouble understanding conversations? If it’s nerve damage, the brain attempts to understand what you’re hearing, but the words can seem mumbled or jumbled. Once you lose more than 20% of your hearing in the high frequencies, your brain doesn’t receive enough speech information to make sense of what is said. Conversations suffer. Once hearing loss happens, you won’t know what you’re missing until it’s too late. Come in today for a FREE hearing exam. This gives us a chance to determine your It may be baseline hearing. It’s a simple test. And if it is hearing loss, we can help. wax build-up.

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For the Reporter

LIFESTYLES AFTER 50 • www.auburn-reporter.com

October 25, 2013 [3]

SHAG’s Auburn Court: Now Leasing 1 and 2 Bedrooms!

Fun and games

COURTESY PHOTOS

Center glance Auburn Senior Activity Center, 808 Ninth St. SE. 253-931-3016 or www.auburnwa.gov.

Senior activities include: • Senior Coffee Hours with the Mayor and Councilmembers: 10-11 a.m., second Thursday of the month.

• Lunch: Monday-Friday, Salad bar begins at 11:30, Main meal is served at noon. Cost: $3 donation for ages 60 and over, $6 for those younger than 60.

• Movie Screenings: Wednesdays,

1 p.m. and 4:30 p.m. 50-cents suggested donation for refreshments.

to seniors. Please call 253-288-7441 or 253-931-3016, if interested.

• Monday Supper Club: 4:45-6 p.m.

One Monday a month. Call 253-9313016 for date and menu. Cost: $6 for all ages.

Auburn Respite: Nonprofit adult day care program serving the community needs volunteers to help its senior participants. The group meets at the center from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Fridays.

The program also serves clients on the second and fourth Tuesday, from 10 to 3. The program allows caregivers to enjoy a worry-free day off while the participant enjoys socialization, companionship and lunch. For more information, contact program director Sheila Pankratz at 253-875-9163.

• Meals on Wheels: Senior services’ program offers home-delivered meals to home-bound seniors. For more information, call the center at 253-931-3016.

PROGRAMS Volunteer opportunities: The center’s meals-on-wheels and respite programs need help to provide services

Why should you get a flu shot?

Flu season usually starts in October and lasts as late as May. During this time, flu viruses are circulating in the population.

During a regular flu season, about 90 percent of deaths occur in people 65 and older. Obviously this includes most of our residents and some of our staff.

The flu is also hard on anyone with chronic health conditions, including respiratory problems and diabetes.

The flu vaccine each year protects against three viruses that research indicates will be the most common.

Anyone with a severe allergy to chicken eggs or who has had a severe reaction to the vaccine in the past should not be vaccinated. If you have an illness with a temperature, you should wait until you are healthy to receive the vaccine.

– Ann Aarhus, RN and clinical director for Wesley Homes Home Health

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Margaret Pullar, top left, Ethel Craven-Sweet, middle, and Barbara Verdine are among the many personalities at the Auburn Senior Activity Center. Right, popular pickleball is among the many exercise options at the center.

[4] October 25, 2013

LIFESTYLES AFTER 50 • www.auburn-reporter.com

Take 10: Some crucial nutrition tips for senior men Prostate cancer is the most common non-skin cancer in America – and the older you are, the more likely you are to be diagnosed with this serious disease.

“There is good news for those who want to take control of their risk”, said Dan Zenka, senior vice president of communication at the Prostate Cancer Foundation (PCF).

Recent research shows that eating right can help decrease the chance of

developing prostate cancer, reduce the likelihood of recurrence and slow the progression of the disease.

Here are 10 nutrition tips for men to stay healthy as they age: 1. Avoid empty calories by eliminating junk food.

Snack on fruits, vegetables and nuts instead. Swap out soda and opt for water or natural juices.

2. Rely on herbs, spices and garlic for flavor, not sugar, salt and fat.

3. While fat is a necessary component of a

healthy diet, limit the amount you consume from red meat and dairy. Avocados, olives, nuts, seeds and tofu are healthy sources of fat. Trans fatty acids found in margarine, however, should be avoided.

4. Avoid taking more than 1,500 mg of calcium per day. Skip the supplements and consume your calcium from leafy green vegetables, beans and fish.

5. Eat more fish. Evidence from several studies suggests that fish can help protect against prostate www.

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cancer because it contains “good fat,” particularly omega-3 fatty acids.

6. A lack of vegetables in the diet is a risk factor for aggressive prostate cancer.

Vegetables in the broccoli-family are especially beneficial. Use olive oil for cooking for a maximum health benefit.

7. Avoid over-supplementation with megavitamins. Too many vitamins, especially folate, may fuel the cancer, and while a multivitamin is not likely to be harmful, if you follow a healthy diet with lots of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, fish, and healthy oils, you likely won’t even need a multivitamin.

8. Marinate meat and turn it frequently to prevent charring. Charred meat of any type can produce carcinogens. Alternatively, get your protein from vegetarian sources.

9. No matter how sound your diet is, regular exercise is its perfect pair. Recent research has suggested that exercise may be one of the best natural antioxidants, eliminating inflammatory molecules that drive cancer.

10. While eating well and exercising may make a

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Nutrition and wellness go hand-in-hand. Taking control of what you put into your body is a great first step toward reducing your risk for prostate cancer and other dangerous diseases.

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While cutting out your favorite foods may seem tough at first, there are deli-

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October 25, 2013 [5]

LIFESTYLES AFTER 50 • www.auburn-reporter.com

Healthy aging could be next frontier of medical research, study suggests Timi Gustafson

pharmaceutical economics at the University of Southern California and lead author of the study report. “If we can age more slowly, we can delay the onset and progression of many disabling diseases simultaneously.”

In 2009, the latest year for which data are available, the number of Americans 65 years and older was close to 40 million. By 2030, it will be about 72 million, twice as many as in 2000.

If even a small percentage of the elderly could be kept in reasonably good health, it would make a significant difference, not only in quality of life but also in expenditures for health care and entitlement programs.

“Delayed aging could increase life expectancy by an additional 2.2 years, most of which would be spent in good health. The economic value of delayed aging is estimated to be 7.1 trillion over fifty years,” the study report concluded.

In their assessment, the re-

HEALTHY CHOICES

Rather than spending all of their time fighting diseases, medical researchers should focus more on how we can enable an aging population to stay healthy for as long as possible, according to a study conducted by some of the country’s top universities.

Rethinking our priorities in terms of medical goals is becoming imperative, simply because of demographic developments, said the study’s authors.

Populations around the world enjoy prospects of longevity unheard of only a few generations ago. Yet, overall health conditions of the aging are not improving as much.

“In the last half-century, major life expectancy gains were driven by finding ways to reduce mortality from fatal diseases. But now disabled life expectancy is rising faster than total life expectancy, leaving the number of years that one can expect to live in good health unchanged or diminished,” wrote Dr. Dana P. Goldman, a professor of public health and

All together now: Janie Redick, a line dancing instructor, show some steps to her class during the Auburn Senior Activity Center’s recent Wellness Fair, Journey to Good Health, at the Auburn Park, Arts and Recreation Gymnasium. Regular exercise has been proven to ward off diseases and increase longevity. RACHEL CIAMPI, Auburn Reporter searchers emphasize that slowing the aging process, at least in parts of the population, is a realistic goal that should be pursued sooner rather than later. In place of combating individual diseases, they recommend large-scale measures of prevention.

A greater focus on early prevention is also supported by many healthcare organizations, including the American Heart Association (AHA) and the Academy of

Nutrition and Dietetics (AND).

In an article recently published in the AHA journal, “Circulation,” the authors call on doctors and other healthcare professionals to include lifestyle changes more aggressively in their treatment regimens.

“We’re talking about a paradigm shift from treating biomarkers – (e.g.) the physical indicators of a person’s risk for heart disease – to helping people change un-

healthy behaviors such as smoking, unhealthy body weight, poor diet quality, and lack of physical activity,” wrote lead author Dr. Bonnie Spring, a professor of preventive medicine and psychiatry and behavioral sciences at Northwestern University.

Taking proactive steps for the prevention of chronic diseases is also recommended as the most effective and affordable method [ more GUSTAFSON next page ]

Pre-planned cemetery arrangements considerably ease your family’s burden when a death occurs.

The benefits of pre-arranging cemetery services include: • Ensuring your desires are considered • Making decisions when strong emotions and stress are absent.

• Assuring that all cemetery expenses will be paid; even if your estate is financially depleted and inflation has increased the cemetery expenses.

• Allowing you to pre-plan in a comfortable setting.

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[6] October 25, 2013

LIFESTYLES AFTER 50 • www.auburn-reporter.com

New technology helps boomers, seniors have some fun and stay in touch For the Reporter

Whether you’re a technophobe who is reluctant to make new purchases, or you warmly embrace every trend, you may be excited to hear about user-friendly innovations, such as touch-screen computers, that can make life easier and more fun: • Show and tell: Miss

Tom O’Connell has maintained the farm his family established more than 140 years ago.

MARK KLAAS,

[ GUSTAFSON from previous page ]

Auburn Reporter

A PIONEER AND HIS PLACE O’Connell legacy lives on with lasting family farm

BY MARK KLAAS mklaas@auburn-reporter.com

From his perch atop a small tractor, Tom O’Connell appears at peace, puttering around his family’s enduring farm.

“I love this place,” said O’Connell, the patriarch of a family whose roots

in Kent can be traced back more than 140 years, and whose farm stands untouched by surrounding commercial development.

Tucked away in the heart of the Kent Valley along the Green River, the O’Connell family’s 30-acre farm on Frager Road South remains timeless, preserved, one of the last of its kind in a changing landscape that supports Boeing’s empire, corporate warehouses and other growing industry.

All of which doesn’t seem to bother the good-natured O’Connell, a thirdgeneration farmer who once operated a producer-handler dairy outlet, a unique enterprise in the valley at the time. The large O’Connell family business – at its peak – managed as many as 100 cows daily – milking, bottling and selling fresh raw milk for families in the O’Brien community who would make the trip to the 85-acre dairy.

“We sold it right on the farm,” said O’Connell, a fit, witty, sharp man who appears to be younger than his age.

“Somehow, we sold all of our milk. … [ more O’CONNELL next page ]

of health care by the leading organization of dietitians and nutritionists, especially through dietary intervention.

None of these insights are new, of course. That “an apple a day can keep the doctor away” is an old adage. What seems to be increasingly changing now, however, is the belief that healthcare only means treating illnesses after they occur. That wasn’t always the case.

For example, in ancient

your grandkids? New desktop computers, laptops and two-in-one detachable PCs like the HP SlateBook x2 make it possible to communicate face-to-face without the need for travel. Use a Skype account and a built-in webcam to video chat with loved ones and [ more TECH next page ]

China, people paid their doctors as long as they were well, and stopped paying the moment they fell ill. That way, doctors benefitted from their patients’ health, not their sickness. Food for thought …

Timi Gustafson R.D. is a registered dietitian, newspaper columnist, blogger and author of the book “The Healthy Diner – How to Eat Right and Still Have Fun”®, which is available on her blog and at amazon.com. For more articles on nutrition, health and lifestyle, visit her blog, “Food and Health with Timi Gustafson R.D.” (www. timigustafson.com).

Auburn Senior Activity Center Join in the fun!

• • • •

Serving individuals 50 and over

Recreational Activities Educational Classes Social Opportunities Nutritional Services & Programs • Health and Wellness Services • Special Events

808 Ninth Street SE, Auburn | Mon.-Wed. 8am-9pm; Thu.-Fri. 8am-5pm 253-931-3016 | www.auburnwa.gov/seniors

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October 25, 2013 [7]

LIFESTYLES AFTER 50 • www.auburn-reporter.com

People would come here for their neighbors, you know, so they would only come once a month.”

Operating a successful dairy for decades was just one stage for a man who has lived a long and fulfilling life – a life of hard work, struggles, prosperity, duty, service and volunteerism.

O’Connell, who turned 90 on Sept. 11, has so many people to thank, foremost his wife of 69 years, Margie, his six children, extensive family and many friends for

making it all happen.

“You could say I have had a good life,” said O’Connell, who celebrated his birthday with family and friends at a Sept. 7 bash. The O’Connells, long retired, enjoy 21 grandchildren and 36 great-grandchildren.

O’Connell, a Kent pioneer, still maintains the same farm today that his grandfather, an Irish immigrant, established in 1872, and the same farm his father inherited in the 1950s.

O’Connell hopes one day to pass the farm down to his two sons – Tom and

[ TECH from previous page ] friends. Set up afternoon appointments with your grandkids where they can share the big news of the school day with you in real time, or read them a bedtime story from hundreds of miles away.

• Dig up the past: Get the family together to take a quick trip back through time and explore your family heritage. Discover the root of your surname and explore your history. You’ll spark great conversation, maybe even prompt a few funny stories from the past.

Online software can help you create a family tree.

• Be artistic: Need a stressrelieving activity? Why not take up painting? But rather than get your hands dirty, try a free application, such as Windows 8 FreshPaint, which offers a realistic alternative to oil painting,

You may not jump on board every consumer technology trend, so if you’re going to be selective, look for those technologies that can enrich your life. COURTESY PHOTO without the mess. And you don’t have to shell out for painting supplies.

• Be a chef: You may already have a collection of favorite tried-and-true recipes. But it’s never too late to enlarge your collection. If you have an Internet connection, use it to find new recipes and save them to a computer program, such as HP Recipe Box, which is an easy way to organize and store them.

Richard – who practically live next door. His four daughters – Eileen, Barbara, Monica, Kathryn – also keep close.

“And I’m still living here, and I don’t know of any other farm in the whole valley that’s still under the same name,” he said.

Born in 1923 in Auburn, O’Connell attended O’Brien Elementary and Kent Junior High before graduating from Kent High School in 1941 before the school merged with Meridian to become Kent-Meridian High.

Out of school, he went

right to work – on the farm and in the Seattle shipyards before serving in the Navy during World War II. Following the war, O’Connell worked on the Northern Pacific Railroad and the Briscoe School dairy before opening a family dairy business that thrived for many years. “(Farming) taught me persistence, not to give up,” O’Connell said. “If you had a job to do, you did it.”

From 1966-86, O’Connell worked as Kent’s postmaster and served on many state and national committees before retiring.

• Take it easy: For those with arthritis or carpal tunnel syndrome, or those who just like things to be plain and simple, a touchscreen desktop PC such as the HP ENVY 23 TouchSmart Allin-One can provide much needed relief. You can browse the web, play games, and keep in touch without

the need for a keyboard and mouse. More information can be found at www.

HP.com.

• Play a game: From Scrabble to poker, you can play any of your favorite games even when you’re home alone. Either compete against the computer or play with far-away friends.

to his longevity?

“He has a good sense of humor, very affable, personable,” Margie said. “He has good temperament … and enjoys very good health.”

Good health from a good run at life, he insists.

“A wonderful wife … we’ve had a great life,” O’Connell said. “Great woman behind me, and a great family. They say it takes a village. Well, our family is a village.”

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O’Connell has been a part of the community through his work and volunteer efforts, namely with the Knights of Columbus, Elks, Rotary, and Toastmasters. He has done his share of hunting and fishing.

He enjoys gardening and golfing.

Away from the farm, the O’Connells have travelled far and wide, seeing many parts of the country, as well as Canada, Mexico and other countries.

What’s O’Connell’s secret

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[ O’CONNELL from previous page ]

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by Southern County Mutual Insurance through Hartford ofnot Texas General Agency, Hartford andYou its have affiliates are states.

Applicants are individually underwritten and some may not qualify.

Specific features, credits,Company, and discounts may vary and may be available in all states inInc. accordance withFire stateInsurance filings and Company applicable law. the option not financially responsible for insurance underwritten andvary, issued

by Southern County Mutual Insurance Company.

The Homeagent.

Program is underwritten by Twin City Fire Insurance Company. of purchasing a policy directly from The Hartford.products Your price, however, could and you will not have the advice, counsel or services of your independent 905585

In Texas, the Auto Program is underwritten by Southern County Mutual Insurance Company, through Hartford of Texas General Agency, Inc. Hartford Fire Insurance Company and its affiliates are not financially responsible for insurance products underwritten and issued by Southern County Mutual Insurance Company. The Home Program is underwritten by Twin City Fire Insurance Company.

1

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[8] October 25, 2013

LIFESTYLES AFTER 50 • www.auburn-reporter.com rEtirEMEnt coMMunitiEs

STILL GOING STRONG Irene Langness, a resident at Auburn’s Parkside Retirement Community, turns 104 on Dec. 17.

“I’ve been pretty lucky,” said Irene, part of the Parkside center for several years and a longtime Puget Sound area resident. “I don’t know if I have any secrets (to longevity). I just refuse to go.

Being Irish, I’m so stubborn.”

A strong and independent woman, Irene enjoys pinochle, tea parties and her many friends. A gifted seamstress, she is famous for her cinnamon rolls,

COURTESY PHOTO

her love of family, garages sales and dancing.

“She greets me with a big smile and many stories of the good ol’ days living in Seahurst where neighbors were like families,” said Auburn’s Vonnie Gooch, whose mother, Violet, shared a longtime friendship with Irene. “She still likes to get dressed up. Her sense of humor is still intact. … She tells me she is doing pretty darn good for 104, and I have to agree.”

– Reporter staff

There may be some truth behind all those jokes about grandma behind the wheel. Even healthy adults with a safe driving record tend to make more driving errors as they age, such as failing to check blind spots, according to a new study published by the American Psychological Association.

Most studies of older drivers have focused on people with dementia or other conditions that might impair their performance behind the wheel. This latest study was composed of 266 volunteers age 70 to 88 who showed no signs of dementia, lived independently and drove at least once a week.

Normal aging causes

distinct declines in brain functioning that could hinder driving skills, including the ability to focus despite distractions on the road, make quick decisions, and avoid other vehicles or pedestrians, the study found.

Study participants completed a battery of cognitive tests and questionnaires about their driving history before they drove on a 12mile route through city and suburban streets. A professional driving instructor rode in the car, which was equipped with an extra brake on the front passenger side for safety. An occupational therapist sat in the back seat and scored the drivers on various errors, including failure to check blind spots, speeding, sudden braking without cause,

Special programs AAA Driver Improvement Program: 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Nov. 9, Wesley Homes Lea Hill, 32049 109th Place SE, Auburn. Defensive driving course gives practical guidance for traffic accident

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Study finds driving errors increase with age For the Reporter

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veering and tailgating.

While men tend to think they are better drivers, they didn’t fare any better on the tests than women. Blind spot errors were the most common mistake (among both men and women), followed by veering across lanes and failure to use turn signals. During the tests, 17 percent of the drivers made critical and potentially hazardous mistakes that required the driving instructor to hit the brake or grab the steering wheel.

The rate of critical errors during the driving test quadrupled from the youngest group, age 70 to 74, which had an average of less than one critical error, to the oldest group, age 85 to 89, with an average of almost four critical errors.

prevention and enhances driver safety and confidence. Course completion qualifies drivers 55 years of age and over for automobile insurance premium discounts. Cost is $16 per person. Pre-registration is required. For enrollment information, call 206-243-3564.

Wesley Homes is the only faith-based, not-for-profit organization offering a full network of housing and services.

Through retirement communities, in-home care, Medicare home health services and skilled nursing, Wesley Homes provides the right level of care for older adults as their needs change.

Visit our campuses: Wesley Homes Des Moines A vibrant retirement community with views of Puget Sound and a variety of housing options from independent homes to assisted living and rehabilitative to long-term care.

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Wesley Homes is a not-for-profit organization offering retirement communities and home health services for older adults. It is affiliated with the Pacific Northwest Conference of the United Methodist Church.