Living 50 Plus June/July 2024

JUNE/JULY 2024

Feeling young again

Sharon, Randy Hollander plunge into kayaking.

Diamonds in the Rough

Fran Davis maps out travels for The Club.

Figuring out the niche you fit in Joe, Michelle Dailey have adapted to life’s many changes.

Not content to sit on the sidelines

Pam Kirkland won’t let grandkids have all the fun.

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Publisher Darrell Sandlin

Executive Editor Gary E. Maitland

Living 50 Plus Editor Kevin Taylor

Graphics Technician

T.J. Hildreth

Page Designer Leah Daniels

Contributing Writer Chelsea Retherford

Contributing Photographer Dan Busey

Advertising Graphic Artists

Rita Stricklin, T.J. Hildreth, Russell Roden, Andrea Gray

Advertising Director Renita Jimmar-Hall

Advertising Sales Representatives

Sharon Goens, Holt Bayles

Amy Isbell, Kim Roberts

HOW TO REACH US

For story ideas or comments: Kevin Taylor 256-740-5732

For distribution questions: Walter Goggins 256-740-5784

219 W. Tennessee St., Florence, AL 35630 256-766-3434

For advertising questions: Renita Jimmar-Hall 256-740-5815

For website questions: Daniel Buford 256-340-2408

YOU CAN BACKSTROKE YOUR WAY TO HEALTH

By Metrocreative

Exercise provides a number of measureable benefits for people of all ages, including older adults. Swimming is one exercise that may be especially beneficial. Many people learn to swim in childhood and sharpen that skill as they get older. Though swimming devotees may get in the water for fun rather than fitness, this popular, joyful and relaxing pastime may be the ideal exercise for seniors looking to improve their overall health, particularly because it is very low-impact.

Because the water provides buoyancy while swimming, there is little risk of injury and minimal strain on the body. Water exercises, including swimming, work all the muscle groups, so it can be a complete exercise, says American Senior Communities. Swimming also is a great cardiovascular exercise that can strengthen the heart muscle and improve lung function and endurance. Because it lowers blood pressure and improves circulation, swimming is a great way to get the heart pumping.

A gentle, 30-minute swim can burn up to 200 calories, which is more than walking. A faster swim can burn calories more quickly than running or cycling. However, since water supports up to 90 percent of the body’s weight, this activity will put less stress on muscles and joints while one is exercising. Individuals with mobility issues or arthritis pain may find that swimming helps relieve discomfort and improves range of motion. Again, because the water is doing much of the work holding up the body, it will take the stress off of joints, helping a person to feel better while stretching and moving gently in the water.

Swimming and additional water activities are great ways to stay in shape. As always, individuals should speak with their doctors before beginning any exercise regimen to ensure that it is safe.

Sharon, left, and Randy Hollander stand near a kayak at Wildwood Park. [DAN BUSEY/TIMESDAILY]

Because the water provides buoyancy while swimming, there is little risk of injury and minimal strain on the body. [METROCREATIVE]

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[DAN BUSEY/TIMESDAILY]

Randy, left, and Sharon Hollander stand with their kayaks at Wildwood Park.

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Sharon, Randy Hollander plunge into kayaking

By Chelsea Retherford For Living 50 Plus

Randy and Sharon Hollander were in their mid-50s when they sat in a kayak on the water for the first time in their lives. Now in their 60s, they say the water sport has not only brought them closer as a couple, but it’s given them something new to do with their grandsons.

The Hollanders’ first kayaking trip was taken with members of The Club, which meets at the Florence Senior Center for weekly activities throughout the year.

Fran Davis, activities director for The Club, said kayaking became a monthly venture for the group thanks to members Dan and Pam Swinea. Davis admits she’d also never been kayaking until the Swineas expressed an interest in getting others involved.

“I went with them, and I got so excited about it, that I started talking about the trip at The Club,” Davis said. “Before I knew it, we had 18 people buying boats, and we were going kayaking every weekend. It just turned into something that we didn’t know about. Once we discovered it, it was fun.”

Sharon Hollander said that was the case for her and her husband. They were among The Club members who jumped right into buying their own kayaks before their first trip.

“I was really kind of nervous at first,” Sharon admits. “Dan has kayaked, and he’s probably the biggest kayaker in our group along with Pam and Fran. He knows the creek, and he would

Kayakers on Cox Creek during a previous trip. [COURTESY]

Pam Swinea with her kayak. [COURTESY]

tell us when we were coming up on some rough water. He’d tell us what to do. He’s a good teacher.”

Pam Swinea, 66, said she and her husband, Dan, who is 65, started whitewater kayaking with their oldest son, Chess, in early 2000.

While Dan and Chess enjoyed the rapids, Pam eventually convinced her husband to exchange her whitewater kayak for a recreational one, meant for calmer waters like lakes and gentler creeks and rivers.

“I think that was in 2014. I got the rec boat, and they are totally different,” Pam said, adding that The Club members mostly enjoy the rec boats for paddling Cypress Creek and the Tennessee River between Florence and Sheffield.

When the Swineas introduced the group to kayaking, Pam said most beginners were apprehensive like Sharon Hollander.

Most first-timers, she said, were worried about capsizing and being stuck in the single-person boat.

“If you do turn over, you automatically pop out,” she said, adding that she and her husband took several friends to a pool to teach them some basic maneuvers before they hit the creek.

“We wanted to make sure they could swim if they did tumble

over,” she said. “If we were with people who hadn’t been (kayaking), Dan would tell them what to expect. The main thing is not to panic. Of course, we always made sure that they could swim and that they weren’t scared of water. And you always wear a life vest.”

Sharon Hollander during a previous trip. [COURTESY]

From left, Randy Hollander, William Noel, Sharon Hollander and Fran Davis look over a map before kayaking at Wildwood Park. [DAN BUSEY/TIMESDAILY]

William Noel, left, and Randy Hollander load kayaks before a trip to Wildwood Park.

[DAN BUSEY/TIMESDAILY]

Randy, left, and Sharon Hollander during a previous dancing event. [COURTESY]

Scenes from a previous dancing event at The Club. [COURTESY]

Randy Hollander said he was less reluctant to try kayaking than his wife.

“We’ve always been outdoors people. There’s nothing scary about it,” he said.

It turns out, Randy was more nervous about joining The Club’s dance groups than he was about paddling down the river. Square dancing, the Hollanders said, is how the couple got involved with The Club activities in the first place.

“How it all started,” Randy said, “we were on a cruise, and all these people were dancing. We’d never done it before, ever. I said, ‘Why don’t we get out there?’ She said, ‘I’m not going to do something I don’t know how to do.’”

Sharon said she’d always wanted to learn to dance and found out about ballroom and square-dancing nights at The Club from none other than Dan Swinea.

When she decided to check it out for the first time, Randy’s story

is that he had high school football games to call that night — he’s a referee for area football teams in his free time.

Eventually, though, Randy did give dancing a shot.

“He was a little skeptical at first,” Sharon said with a laugh. “Between me, Dan and Pam, we talked him into coming, and he picked it up fast.”

Since that first lesson about 13 years ago, Randy and Sharon have also picked up round dancing — a cued ballroom dance that progresses in a circular motion. They enjoy square dancing at The Club and at another weekly venue in Decatur, and the Hollanders travel to Huntsville for round dancing.

They’ve competed in state competitions across the U.S., their favorite being the Tennessee Square Dancing Convention held in Gatlinburg. They even competed in a national Convention held in Mobile since they picked up the hobby.

“It’s a great activity as far as exercising and working your mind,” Sharon said.

“That’s the thing about square dancing,” Randy agreed. “You have to think, and you have to know what’s going on. If you make a mistake, you not only mess it up for yourself, you mess up eight people.”

Sharon said she and Randy have become closer as a couple thanks to dancing and the other activities they participate in at The Club. As they grew used to matching outfits for square dancing competitions, it spawned a new daily habit for Randy.

“I wait for her to get dressed, and then I figure out what I’m going to wear. That’s at church, and anywhere,” Randy said. “Our kids have even noticed. They say, you know y’all are dressed alike. It drives them crazy. We show up to our small group class, and they go, y’all dressed alike again.”

Kayakers pose with their kayaks at Wildwood Park. [COURTESY]

Now that Sharon is retired and Randy is hopefully not too far behind, they say they do everything in their free time together.

When Randy does ready for retirement, he said he’s looking forward to taking more trips as a couple. Aside from their square-dancing travels together, the Hollanders can be found a few weeks in the summer at Lake Guntersville, or even kayaking near their Gargis Hollow home in Ford City.

“Now, when we go camping, we carry the boats with us,” Randy said. “We take our grandchildren, and we just have a blast.”

The Hollanders and the Swineas say kayaking and social dancing are just another way to connect with others their age — though they may act and feel younger at heart thanks to the fun events they do together.

“It’s amazing, we’re all like teenagers actually,” Pam said of her friends at The Club. “It’s people like that — when you’re around them, it just makes you feel so young. It just changes your life.”

Always

DIAMONDS IN THE ROUGH

Fran Davis maps out travels for The Club

By Chelsea Retherford For Living 50 Plus

Fran Davis said she can’t retire because she’s having too much fun. She accepted a position with the Florence Parks and Recreation Department as activities director for the senior center 14 years ago. The job, she said, has offered her so many opportunities to travel, learn new skills, pick up exciting hobbies, and meet new friends, it hardly feels like work to her.

“I just totally came out of retirement to take this job, and now I don’t know how to

[DAN BUSEY/TIMESDAILY]

Fran Davis, left, and William Noel stand with their kayaks at Wildwood Park. [DAN BUSEY/TIMESDAILY]

Fran Davis, left, looks to her dog, Dixie, while working inside The Club.

retire,” Davis said with a laugh. “People motivate me. That’s why I’m here. I love them, and I think they love me in return.”

When Davis stepped into the position, members of the senior center still met in their former facility on Fairground Road. Eventually, seniors attending weekly activities at the center outgrew that building and landed in a former country club building just past the Florence Sportsplex on Highway 20.

That’s how The Club was born, Davis said.

“So, when we came to The Club, I solicited a lot of ideas for us to do,” she said. “We play games, we have an exercise class, we have a lunch for $1, we square dance, we line dance, we social dance. We have Friday afternoon parties and things like that, and then we travel.”

Do you have

Fran Davis holds her dog, Dixie, as she stands outside The Club.

[DAN BUSEY/ TIMESDAILY]

Traveling across the U.S. and even internationally, has been one of the most rewarding experiences for Davis in her current job, and she believes the same is true for many of the guests and The Club members who go on these trips with her.

“My love for travel started as a kid, and I was part of a military family when I married,” Davis said, adding that she’d also made a career out of recreation before she accepted the position through the City of Florence.

To most who’ve come to know Davis, she is known as “Fran Fish.” That’s partly because of her various jobs she’s held as a swimming instructor for the past 57 years, including her position as the first aquatics director for the YMCA of the Shoals.

Fran Davis’ Jeep outside The Club. [COURTESY]

One of Fran Davis’ students jumps into the pool during a class. [COURTESY]

JOINTS IN MOTION

WEEKLY ACTIVITIES AT THE CLUB

Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday

9:30 – 10:30 AM

Class helps us to retain the mobility that keeps us connected to the things that we love. Many of these exercises are similar to what physical therapists use with patients during rehab. This class allows senior adults to remain active, while allowing them to live life to the fullest.

BINGO

Wednesday

10:15 – 11:00 AM

Participants bring prizes such as toilet paper, soaps, shampoos, expendable items to share.

GAMES

Monday – Friday

After scheduled programs Rummikub, Rummy, Mexican Train, puzzles. Suggestions for new games are welcome.

WEEKLY THEMES

• Travel / Destination

Tuesday – wear your favorite destination shirt

• Tacky Thursday – wear your tackiest and have some fun with us

• RED Fridays – we wear RED to show our support for our TROOPS, FIRST RESPONDERS, and LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICERS

SINGING RIVER SQUARE DANCE

Monday 5:30 – 7:30 PM

Square dance lessons offered twice a year. There is a $21 monthly fee to participate.

BOOMERS AND SENIORS DANCE

Tuesday 6:00 - 8:30 PM

The band The Browns play music from across the decades. Cost is $5 per person

BILLIARDS

Monday – Friday 8:00 – 11:00 AM

The Pool Room is located at 414 Fairground Road, Florence. Billiards take place in the fourth green building

Davis, who was born and raised in Trussville, just north of Birmingham, met her late ex-husband, Jim Davis, after he’d enlisted in the Navy Seals. His service allowed her to travel the globe throughout their marriage.

“I’ve worked at several different recreation centers around,” she said. “I’ve worked in Europe; I’ve worked in northern Virginia and at Virginia Beach, North Carolina — kind of all over the East Coast. Everywhere we traveled, I taught.”

She said she and her husband came back to the Shoals before their divorce so she could be close to siblings who live in the area. Though Florence has been home for the past 30 years, Davis never quite kicked her wanderlust.

“I just love to travel. I thought if I could travel and get some other people going with me, that would be so much fun,” she said.

As Davis continued to book trips with the Diamond Tours booking and bus tour company, those who traveled with the group regularly began calling themselves the Diamonds in the Rough. Davis said the tours are open to the public, and people of all ages are welcome to join if they pay trip fees on time, but typically the trips consist of the same group of travelers.

“There are a handful of about 20 people who go almost every time,” she said. “Typically, we have about 30 total. Sometimes there are about 10 to 15 people I don’t know, but we eat together, we sit next to each other and by the time we get to our destinations, we’re a pretty close-knit group. If they really enjoy the trip — and most of them do — they’ll

SIGN UP FOR A TRIP

Fran Davis, activities director for the Florence Parks and Recreation Department’s senior center, said interested guests can still sign up for some of the group’s travel trips for 2024, including an excursion to Mount Rushmore National Memorial in Keystone, South Dakota, in August, another

visit to Mackinac Island in September, a trip to Pigeon Forge, Tennessee, in November, and a flight to Germany in December. Those interested in registering for some of those trips can call Davis at 256-760-6642 and arrange a $75 deposit. Dues for each trip should be paid two months in advance.

From left: Fran Davis with her daughters, Addie Chandler (left), Kat Davis (right) and her grandson, Drew Chandler, at her kayaking birthday party on Cypress Creek. [COURTESY]

turn around and sign up for another trip. Before we know it, we’ve got several travelers that go several times.”

With so many regulars, Davis said she sends out brochures to those who have travelled with the group regularly and gets their input on which trips to book for the year.

Davis said some of her personal favorite travel experiences include Niagara Falls, Alaska, and Mackinac Island, Michigan.

“I really enjoyed San Antonio, the River Walk, and just being out in that part of the country,” she added. “I had been there before, but going on one of our trips made it a little bit more pleasurable.”

Davis said the Diamonds in the Rough members nearly always vote on a trip to Pigeon Forge, Tennessee, each year. Once the group settles

on a destination, Davis said the touring company establishes an itinerary.

“The cram in the things we do,” Davis said. “I’ll just tell you,

the first time we went to Pigeon Forge, we saw 13 shows in seven days. Last time, we saw seven, and this year, we’re going to get to see the Christmas shows.”

C A O W L L N

Fran Davis pictured with students at her home pool, where she teaches swimming lessons through School of Fish. [COURTESY]

FIGURING OUT THE NICHE YOU FIT IN

Joe and Michelle Dailey stand inside American Legion Florence-Lauderdale Post 11. [DAN BUSEY/TIMESDAILY]

Joe, Michelle Dailey have adapted to life’s many changes

By Chelsea Retherford For Living 50 Plus

Joe and Michelle Dailey met on a ship porting at Guam, a U.S. Island territory in the western Pacific. At the time, they were each enlisted in the U.S. Navy. Joe retired from the military after nine years of service in the Navy and 14 in the Air Force. His wife, Michelle, was forced to medically retire after eight years of Navy service.

The couple, both in their 50s, say the key to staying mentally and physically healthy in this chapter in their lives is to “find something you enjoy doing.” For Michelle, that’s giving back to other veterans.

Following her military career, Michelle took a job as a Veterans Affairs representative at the University of North Alabama, where she said she was able to help veterans who were students find the resources and benefits available to them.

In that position, she met Mary Day Smith, who serves as post adjutant for the American Legion Post #11 in Florence.

“I joined the post because of Mary,” Michelle said. “When I left UNA and retired, I was like, you know what, I’m going to see if they need help. Mary doesn’t have to do what she does. I’ve

seen her help so many other vets, and that’s why I wanted to join.”

Now, Michelle can be found volunteering at Post #11 on Court Street three days a week when the facility is open. Most days, Joe is there too, she said.

The Daileys help maintain the offices. Joe cuts the lawn during the spring and summer months, and Michelle said she helps Smith with anything she needs done from registering veterans for VA programs and benefits to organizing upcoming events.

“For me, it’s important to help other veterans get their

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Mary Day Smith, left, and Michelle Dailey look over one of Michelle’s completed scrapbooks inside American Legion Florence-Lauderdale Post 11. [DAN BUSEY/TIMESDAILY]

Joe, left, and Michelle Dailey walk together at Deibert Park. [DAN BUSEY/TIMESDAILY]

Trophies awarded to Michelle Dailey for her role as historian for American Legion Florence-Lauderdale Post 11. [DAN BUSEY/TIMESDAILY]

Joe Dailey uses a weedeater outside of the American Legion Florence-Lauderdale Post 11. [DAN BUSEY/TIMESDAILY]

benefits because they helped us,” Michelle said.

After Michelle suffered a stroke that forced her into early retirement, she said she and her husband both benefited from the Wounded Warrior Project and joined the chapter in Huntsville.

“During COVID, it helped us, because they sent us Zoom kits,” she said. “We had Lego kits, we had cooking classes online, and we made candles. We did things together at home.”

Engaging in those activities proved to be therapeutic for the couple, and now the Daileys want to pay that forward.

Because they understand what most veterans go through, they hope to encourage others who haven’t joined the American Legion or other veteran organization to do so.

“Everybody needs a support group. You have to reach out,” Joe said. “It’s like a community.

Once you serve — it’s like a football team — once you’ve been through that, you’re part of our team.”

When asked what led them to joining the military, Joe and Michelle each said they were looking for better opportunities

than what they felt were available to them at the time.

Joe, a native of Lauderdale County, joined the Navy while he was living in North Carolina.

“I was in a dead-end job and, honestly, it was just not a good situation for me,” he said.

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Michelle, left, and Joe Dailey stretch before walking together at Deibert Park.

[DAN BUSEY/TIMESDAILY]

Michelle, who hails from San Antonio, Texas, said she was also looking for a way out of her situation.

“Growing up, everybody was either in gangs, going to jail, or coming up pregnant at like 14 or 15 years old,” she said. “I didn’t want to be there, so it was about trying to find a better life.”

In weighing his options, Joe said he chose the Navy with hopes of seeing more of the world. That dream came true for both the Daileys. Together, they’ve set foot on nearly every continent except Antarctica, and Michelle has not yet been to Africa.

The Daileys feel that the service also enriched their children’s lives by allowing them to travel and study abroad in their youth.

Aside from seeing places like Hong Kong, Singapore, Paris, Amsterdam, Belgium, Rome and Sicily, the Daileys also lived for a time in Japan and in Germany while Joe was stationed there with the Air Force.

“We’ve been everywhere. So, our boys grew up seeing and meeting different people, trying different things, experiencing different cultures,” Michelle said.

Now adults, the eldest Dailey son, Tristan, is making a name for himself in the local music scene in Florence. Their second son, Connor, decided to follow in his parents’ footsteps and join the Navy.

Joe and Michelle said their youngest is now living in Florida with his wife, Isabel.

After 29 years of marriage,

the Daileys still love to travel.

Michelle said they still have a few items to check off their bucket list, like taking a trip to Greece, or hiking the active volcanoes, Acatenango and de Fuego, in Guatemala.

Several years ago, the couple decided to make Florence their home base because Joe felt he needed to be close to his parents.

“I was still in the military at the time, and my dad was really sick, and my stepdad was about to pass away,” he said.

Since their move back to the Shoals, Joe lost his father, Freddie Micheal, but he still has his mother, Josephine.

Michelle said she makes the trek back to her hometown a few times a year to be with her

Michelle Dailey, left, helps a veteran with his benefits inside American Legion FlorenceLauderdale Post 11. [DAN BUSEY/TIMESDAILY]

parents, Rachel and Luis Salgado.

While visiting San Antonio, Michelle joined the Pink Berets, a nonprofit dedicated to providing aid and relief to women who have served or are serving in the Armed Forces or as first responders, and who have suffered “invisible injuries” such as Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, military sexual trauma or traumatic brain injury.

Michelle said the support group introduced her to boxing and equine therapy to help her deal with some of the experiences she had in active duty.

“A lot of people don’t understand, when you go in, you’re not the same person you were when you come out,” she said. “When you go back home, people don’t understand why you think that, why you walk like that, why you do this, or why you do that. It’s just something that changed you.”

The Daileys said it’s as important to find a supportive circle as it is to find healthy coping tools in healing from past trauma.

For Michelle, that can mean working out and channeling her emotions through physical activity. Since she’s joined Post #11, she’s also discovered she has a passion for scrapbooking and record keeping as the post’s elected historian, a position she has held since 2016.

For Joe, who also aims to stay physically active in retirement, that meant exploring new options after knee injuries and surgery forced him to give up running.

Now, Joe works out with Michelle in ways his body can handle. Instead of going for a daily run, he swims at the YMCA of the Shoals.

“Yeah, you’ve got to find things you like to do,” Joe said. “You’ve

got to have a plan, but don’t get bent out of shape if your plan doesn’t go the way you want it to. Be able to adapt. Don’t just sit down and give up.”

The Daileys said they each learned to cope with the stressors of leading a military life together, becoming parents in active duty, and now empty nesting as retired officers. It’s something they each say they had to figure out for themselves.

The Daileys encourage others in similar situations to do the same.

“It’s about figuring out your little niche that you fit in; that’s yours,” Michelle said. “Joe can have something totally different, but we help each other. There are mornings he doesn’t want to go walk or workout, but I have to do it to clear my head. That’s how you get along. You have to.”

THE SIDELINES NOT CONTENT TO SIT ON

Pam Kirkland lifts weights inside Broadway Recreation Center. [DAN BUSEY/TIMESDAILY]

Pam Kirkland won’t let grandkids have all the fun

By Chelsea Retherford For Living 50 Plus

am Kirkland, who turned 72 in April, checked another item off her bucket list when she led 12 members of her family, including grandchildren and great grandchildren, on a strenuous hike down to Havasu Falls in the Grand Canyon, Arizona.

Kirkland isn’t just thrilled that she gets to take trips like this every year — some with a group of friends about her age and some with her family. She’s grateful she doesn’t have to sit on the sidelines and watch her grandchildren have all the fun.

Kirkland said that’s all thanks to her maintaining an active lifestyle well past her 40s and 50s.

“I’m thankful that I was capable, and you can do that if you keep it up,” she said. “It’s quality time with your children and grandchildren. Now, you know, I’m watching my great grandchildren come up. My first one, at age two, is already out hiking

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Pam Kirkland leads an aerobics class inside Broadway Recreation Center. [DAN BUSEY/TIMESDAILY]

with a pole in his hand.”

In her first day of the Havasu hike, Kirkland said she conquered 52,000 steps, but it’s no wonder she was capable to those who see her in aerobics classes every week at the Broadway Recreation Center in Florence.

“Pam is the echelon of exercise,” Patty Wilson said. “She’s our leader, and she’s the one we aspire to be like.”

Wilson and Deb Peck, both 70, attend aerobics classes at Broadway four days a week. While they aren’t in Kirkland’s low-impact aerobics class, they workout alongside her in the aerobics class led by Linda Clanton.

Most days, Kirkland will attend the class led by Clanton, and

with just 15 minutes or so in between, she’s back in the gym leading a group of 60- to 90-year-olds in low-impact aerobics.

She said the second class is for those who can’t do some of the more arduous movements students in Clanton’s class perform.

“If someone has an injury and can’t do the regular, more highimpact classes, they will come to mine and rehab until they are able to get back into the other. Most everyone in my class is in their 60s and 80s.”

Kirkland said she leads the classes, not only to help others, but because it also keeps her feeling young and healthy.

“There are days she doesn’t feel well, but she does not let it stop

her,” Wilson said. “She presses through and motivates us to do what we do. I know there are days she doesn’t feel like being here. Once you get through that door and you move, you do feel better going out.”

Kirkland said she believes that is also the case for many of the ladies who attend her workout class. Many of them, she said, are gradually able to increase the level of weights they use in the workouts, and some gain better mobility over time.

“The first step through the door is the hardest,” Kirkland said. “Over time, I can see the ladies I teach getting stronger. They start to move their joints more freely. It’s really amazing to see them be able to do things that others would say

Pam Kirkland reacts while leading an aerobics class inside Broadway Recreation Center. [DAN BUSEY/TIMESDAILY]

they

Kirkland said adding even a little bit of exercise into a person’s daily routine can help improve their quality of life in leaps and bounds.

Besides improving ranges of motion and balance, she said aerobics also helps attendants maintain and even build muscle and bone mass. Kirkland herself was diagnosed as having osteoporosis a few years ago, but she said even after experiencing some pretty hard falls, she hasn’t broken any bones.

Kirkland remembers having a lady in class who had been told that she was on her way into a wheelchair if she didn’t work more movement into her life.

“She has been (in class) ever since, and she is still capable of doing stand-up aerobics,” Kirkland said. “She’s obviously doing well.”

Pam Kirkland leads an aerobics class inside Broadway Recreation Center. [DAN BUSEY/TIMESDAILY]

Though Kirkland has been physically active, and maintained her fitness, since she was in high school, she said that doesn’t necessarily have to be the case for others her age who do want to gain more of their mobility back.

“Everybody can do something, and you can build on that,” she said.

Kirkland was an athlete who ran track and played volleyball in high school. Following graduation, after she got married, she admits she put her physical activity on the back burner after she had her first two children, Terry Kirkland and Leslie Kirkland Thorn.

Before she had her youngest daughter and son, Leah Kirkland Frith and Josh Kirkland, she decided to enroll in an exercise class, which

Debbie Peck and Pam Kirkland pictured in front of Potter’s Falls in Wartburg, Tennessee. [COURTESY]

Pam Kirkland is pictured with her granddaughter, granddaughter-in-law, and two great grandsons at Cane Creek Canyon in the spring 2023. From left: Beckett and Ellen Thorn, Pam Kirkland, Casey and Atlas Thorn. [COURTESY]

is how she got involved at Broadway Recreation Center in the first place.

“I attended for a bit, and when the instructor quit, they all turned to me and said, ‘You can do this,’”

Kirkland said. “I took the job because at least it paid my gas there and back.”

Kirkland said she enjoyed leading aerobics at the rec center but, eventually, she also gave it up while her family moved away for mission work for a stint. At that point, Kirkland said Clanton had agreed to take over her class.

When Kirkland and her family returned to Florence, she took a job with Gold’s Gym and the Courthouse Racket Club, which have both since closed.

About 10 years or so ago, she found her way back to the Broadway Center and took up the lowimpact class alongside Clanton. Kirkland also now teaches a low-impact exercise class to dementia and Alzheimer’s patients at Green Oaks Inn, an assisted living facility in Florence.

“It’s something I love, and I am glad that I got into,” Kirkland said. “Obviously, I’m still working, and I want to keep doing it as long as I possibly can, because it does help me stay young.”

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Pam Kirkland descends the travertine rock on the Havasu Creek hiking trail near the base of the Grand Canyon. She is pictured in front of Mooney Falls. [COURTESY]

Want a better life? You need a hobby EXPERTS REVEAL HOBBIES ESSENTIAL ROLE IN WELLNESS

By Melanie Allen Wealth of Geeks undefined

Astudy published last year in Nature reveals that people who engage in hobbies experience greater life satisfaction, more happiness, and fewer depressive episodes than those who don’t.

The study tracked nearly 100,000 participants across 15 countries for three years, finding a consistent positive link between mental health and hobbies.

HOW HOBBIES KEEP YOU HEALTHY

Hobbies improve happiness, in turn contributing to better overall mental health. Ellie Borden, BA, RP, PCC, and the Clinical Director of Mind By Design, explains, “Enjoyable activities trigger the release of neurotransmitters like dopamine and endorphins, which

are known to boost mood and create feelings of pleasure and satisfaction.”

Hobbies provide more than mood boosts. Maryland therapist Beth Charbonneau, LCSW-C, says physical activity is one of the best ways to relieve stress. Hobbies and activities like walking, gardening, disc golf, hiking, bird watching, and other active interests improve mental and physical health.

Coral Link, M.A, LPC, and Therapist with Whole Therapy, says hobbies offer a sense of accomplishment. “The continual improvement developed through hobbies leads to a more positive state of feelings, which in turn provides a heightened sense of self-worth,” she explains. Engaging in hobbies gives us a reason to feel good about ourselves, a vital ingredient for happiness.

REAPING THE BENEFITS

Hobby prioritization and engagement can be challenging for those bogged down by the realities of daily life. Here’s how to discover a hobby conducive to long-term family health and wellness.

PRIORITIZE HOBBIES

Many people juggling families, jobs, and daily responsibilities don’t engage in hobbies because of hectic schedules.

Reframe hobbies. Personal interests are no longer indulgences; people should engage in hobbies at similar rates to other self-care and wellness activities.

Borden says she encourages her clients to explore and cultivate hobbies as part of their therapeutic journey. “I encourage my clients to explore their interests and passions, recognizing that nurturing these aspects of themselves can lead to greater resilience, empowerment, and overall life satisfaction.”

DABBLE

Not everyone finds joy in the first activity they try. Dr. Ozan Toy, psychiatrist and chief medical officer

at Telapsychiatry, says it’s important for individuals to choose hobbies that spark interest and mesh with their lifestyle. “It’s obviously a personal preference,” he says. “What works for one person may not work for another.”

Explore the vast wealth of possibilities. Take a painting class, play disc golf, write a short story, and try a new recipe. It is easier to discover interests when approaching new things with an open mind.

EXPLORE OLD LOVES

Revisit college or grade school interests, like learning new languages, painting, or running. Rekindle that lost love and see if they still fuel excitement and interest. Pinpoint what aspects of old interests were alluring and lean into them, like camaraderie, competition, or creativity.

GET HELP

Finding a great hobby can seem like an insurmountable obstacle when stuck in the drudgery of daily life.

Accessible online resources can help busy folks discover their passion, and life coaches can collaborate with newbies to find life-enriching activities.

IDENTIFYING HEALTHY HOBBIES

Although hobbies are typically great for mental health, they’re not all created equal. Some can be detrimental to health and wellbeing. It’s vital to recognize when a hobby causes more harm than good. Activities that promote excessive screen time, like gaming or social media use, can lead to social isolation and sleep problems.

Destructive behavior — gambling, excessive shopping, or substance abuse — can contribute to financial problems and relationship issues, negatively impacting mental health.

“Hobbies that promote isolation may exacerbate feelings of loneliness and depression, while hobbies that fuel perfectionism, such as obsessive fitness routines or extreme dieting,

can lead to stress, anxiety, and selfcriticism,” she says.

Anny Papatheodorou, a Certified IFS Psychotherapist with Triplemoon Psychotherapy, says any hobby can become destructive. “This usually occurs when hobbies are pursued in unhealthy ways,” she says, explaining that when you pursue a hobby excessively, use a hobby for negative self-comparison, or engage in perfectionism, it diminishes the positive impacts a hobby has on mental health.

“It’s important to approach hobbies with balance and self-awareness, recognizing when a hobby starts to have negative effects,” she adds.

ENJOY HOBBIES FOR A FULL, HAPPY LIFE

Hobbies enrich lives and provide a much-needed outlet for stress. Healthy interests and activities offer a sense of achievement crucial to overall health and wellness. This article was produced by Media Decision and syndicated by Wealth of Geeks.

Gene and Sallie Carr pose for a picture in their recently remodeled home in Hendersonville, N.C. An increasing number of Americans in their late 50s and older are staying in their houses, some by choice, others because they’re locked into low mortgage rates that are too low to give up.

[AP PHOTO/CHRIS CARLSON]

SOME OLDER AMERICANS SPLURGE TO KEEP HOMES ACCESSIBLE

By Anne D’nnocenzio The Associated Press

NEW YORK — Brenda Edwards considers the four bedroom ranch-style house where she has lived for 20 years her forever home. It’s where the 70-year-old retired nurse and her 79-year-old husband want to stay as their mobility becomes more limited.

So she hired an interior designer for $20,000 and spent another $95,000 to retrofit their house in Oakdale, California. She had the kitchen aisles widened to accommodate a wheelchair in case she or her husband ever need one.

The bathroom now has a walk-in steam shower and an electronic toilet seat that cleans the user when activated.

“We felt comfortable,” Edwards said in explaining why the couple decided to invest in the property instead of downsizing. “We have a pool. We have a spa. We just put a

lot of love and effort into this yard. We want to stay.”

Even if they wanted to move, it wouldn’t make financial sense, Edwards said. Their house is almost paid for, and “it would be too hard to purchase anything else,” she said.

Like Edwards and her husband, a vast majority of adults over age 50 prefer the idea of remaining in their own residences as long as possible, according to an Associated PressNORC Center for Public Affairs Research poll. But staying put is becoming less of a choice. Some baby boomers and older members of Generation X are locked into low mortgage rates too good to give up. Skyrocketing housing prices fueled by lean supply further complicate the calculations of moving house. Despite feeling tied down, a subset of these older adults have enough extra cash to splurge on upgrades designed to keep their homes both

enjoyable and accessible as they age. The demand for inconspicuous safety bars, lower sinks, residential elevators and other amenities has given home improvement chains, contractors, designers and architects a noticeable lift.

Home Depot, the nation’s largest home improvement chain, is revamping its Glacier Bay brand to include sleeker grab bars and faucets that are easier to use. Rival Lowe’s created a one-stop shop in 2021 that offers wheelchair ramps, teak shower benches, taller toilets and other products geared toward older boomers.

“They aspire for bathrooms that exude beauty and elegance, with essential accessibility features seamlessly integrated,” Lowe’s Trend and Style Director Monica Reese said of the target customers.

Toto USA, a subsidiary of a Japanese company that introduced

a luxury bidet toilet seat in 1980, markets the bathroom fixture to older people by saying it can help prevent urinary tract infections and reduce the burden on caregivers. Toto USA research showed a 20 percentage point spike in ownership of the Washlet seats among consumers ages 46-55 between early 2020 and the end of last year. The increase indicates customers are thinking ahead, said Jarrett Oakley, the subsidiary’s director of marketing.

“The growing older demographic is more knowledgeable about renovations and planning for their future needs, especially as they prepare to age in place,” Oakley said. “They’re looking to future-proof their homes thoughtfully and with a focus on luxury.”

Wendy Glaister, an interior designer in Modesto, California, who worked with Edwards, reports more clientele in their late 50s and early 60s

remodeling their homes for the years ahead. The typical bathroom renovation in California costs $45,000 to $75,000, she said.

“Your home is your safe place,” Glaister said. “Your home is where you hosted your family for holidays.”

The need to age-proof properties will become more urgent in the

decade ahead. By 2034, people age 65 and older are expected to outnumber those under age 18 for the first time in U.S. history, according to a U.S. Census report revised in 2020.

But the issue has exposed a divide between well-heeled and lowerincome boomers regarding their ability to remain in place safely.

Gene and Sallie Carr pose for a picture in their recently remodeled home in Hendersonville, N.C. [AP PHOTO/CHRIS CARLSON]

Cathie Perkins, 79, a retired teacher who has chronic fatigue syndrome, had a local non-profit group modify the first-floor apartment she owns in Beaverton, Oregon. The changes, which cost about $3,000, included replacing her tub shower with a walk-in version and installing a higher toilet.

Perkins values her independence and said retirement facilities are beyond her means. “I am on a fixed income,” she said. “I have Social Security, and I have a pension.”

According to a 2023 analysis of the 2011 American Housing Survey by the Joint Center for Housing Studies of Harvard University, less than 4% of U.S. homes combine single-floor living with no-step entry, and halls and doorways wide enough for wheelchairs.

The Harvard center analysis found that 20% of survey respondents age 80 and above with incomes below $30,000 reported accessibility

challenges, compared to 11% for those with incomes of $75,000 or more.

Jennifer Molinsky, director of the center’s Housing an Aging Society program, urges policymakers to address the shortage of affordable housing that’s a good fit for older adults.

“There are all these options for those people who have a lot of money,” Molinsky said. “But there’s a lot of disparity. There are people, through no fault of their own or for systemic reasons, who may not have the money to modify.”

Gene Carr, 67, and Sallie Carr, 65, have lived in their two-story, four-bedroom house in Henderson, North Carolina, for 27 years. The married couple had the money and vision to renovate in August 2022, hoping to stay in their home for at least another 20 years.

They hired builders to put a master bedroom and a bathroom

on the first floor, both wheelchairaccessible. As the project neared completion a year ago, Gene Carr had a minor stroke that he describes as a “wake-up call.” His condition has improved, but the renovations make it easier to deal with ongoing balance issues, Carr said.

“We’ve got two pets that are old, and they don’t like going up and downstairs anymore either,” he said.

As retailers respond to the discomfort with aging itself in U.S. culture, Nancy Berlinger, a senior research scholar at the Hastings Center in Garrison, New York, who collaborates with Molinsky, encourages future home renovators to stay open-minded.

“We’ve all learned to love OXO Good Grips utensils and other simple, practical designs that work, so we can learn to love grab bars, too,” she said.

Gene and Sallie Carr in the bedroom of their recently remodeled home. [AP PHOTO/CHRIS CARLSON]

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Adviceforwhatmattersmost,

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Congratulationsto TheHammGroupforbeingnamedtothe Forbes “Best-in-StateWealthManagementTeams”2024list, publishedonJanuary9,2024.RankingsbasedondataasofMarc h31,2023.

Congratulationsto TheHammGroupforbeingnamedtothe Forbes “Best-in-StateWealthManagementTeams”2024list, publishedonJanuary9,2024.RankingsbasedondataasofMarc h31,2023.

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2024 Forbes “Best-in-StateWealthManagementTeams”list.OpinionsprovidedbySHOOK®Research,LLCandisbasedonin-person,v irtualandtelephonedue-diligencemeetingsandarankingalgorithm thatmeasurebestpractices,clientretention,industryexperience,credentials,compliancerecords,firmnomina tions,assetsundermanagementandFirm-generatedrevenue(investmentperformanceis notacriterionbecauseclientobjectivesandrisktolerancevary).SHOOK’srankingsareavailableforclientevalua tiononly,arenotindicativeoffutureperformanceanddonotrepresentanyoneclient’s experienceandavailableforinvestorhelpinevaluatingtherightfinancialadvisorandnotanendorsementoftheadv isor.Compensationwasnotreceivedfromanyonefortherankingsstudy.Past performancedoesnotguaranteefutureresults.DetailsavailableattheSHOOKResearchwebsite.SHOOKisaregistere dtrademarkofSHOOKResearch,LLC. MerrillLynch,Pierce,Fenner&SmithIncorporated(MLPF&S)isaregisteredbroker-dealer,registeredinvestmenta dviser,andMemberSIPC.BankofAmerica,N.A.,MemberFDICandMLPF&Sarewholly ownedsubsidiariesofBankofAmericaCorporation. TheBullSymbolandMerrillareregisteredtrademarksofBankofAmericaCorporation. ©2024BankofAmericaCorporation.Allrightsreserved.MAP5911614|AD-02-24-0476.B|472538PM-0124|02/2024

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