A22 Sunday, April 11, 2010 - The Morning Star
www.vernonmorningstar.com
Seniors
Sunshine State shines
T
his is my last week in Florida visiting my sister in Naples. The weather has been grand, with temperatures in the 80s and sunshine every day. Naples is a tourist town and has fantastic malls and shops and pricey boutiques with its own Fifth Avenue. It also has a plethora of fine dining establishments that are expensive but with very good food and are very busy this time of year. But there are many vacant stores in these malls and a lot of bank-owned house sales in the very exclusive area of Port Royal with its multi-coloured Pat Black mansions backing on coastal waterways. The palm-lined streets of Naples are clean, well-kept and beautiful and signal wealth and security. Superficially all is well but I notice in the Naples newspaper that today there are only 10 job opportunity ads listed in a city that has more than 22,000 residents and I wonder how people can get work here. The statistics also tell me that while Naples is the principal city of the area known as Naples-Marco Island Metro Statistical Area, the total area has a population of 315,859 people, mostly served by this newspaper. In the city of Naples the median age is 61 years with 42.2 per cent of residents over the age of 65 years, mostly from other places. Seniors over 60 years represent about 26 per cent of the population of Vernon. So Naples has a lot of economic senior power and stores and public places do cater to the needs of older people with wide aisles, larger sizes and suitable styles. Restaurants feature early bird meals for a lesser price and downtown is pretty quiet after 9 p.m. There are many well-attended seniors’ health lectures advertised as well as many ads for cures or solutions to senior-related ailments.
PERSONAL BEST
For me, the attraction of Naples is its proximity to the Everglades, that amazing, mysterious “sea of grass� about a 30-minute drive away. Wikipedia tells us that the Everglades is a slow-moving river originating in Lake Okeechobee, in the middle of Florida that flows southwest at about .25 miles per day into Florida Bay and is comprised of an interconnected network of marshland and forest ecosystems that are maintained by natural forces. Thirty-six threatened or protected species live in the park, including the Florida panther, the American crocodile, and the West Indian manatee. It is also the most significant breeding ground for tropical wading birds in North America, More than 350 species of birds, 300 species of fresh and saltwater fish, 40 species of mammals, and 50 species of reptiles live within Everglades National Park. Wikipedia doesn’t do this truly magnificent lush jungle of wetlands justice and it is hard to describe the beauty and seduction of this environment so rich in life, with birds hanging like decorations from exotic trees and occasional alligators peeking out of ditches. It draws me to it again and again. ■■■The province’s new SeniorsBC.ca website provides seniors and their families with better access to information on available programs and services.Visitors to SeniorsBC.ca can now quickly locate up-to-date information about topics on healthy living, transportation, finances, continuing education, recreation programs, volunteer opportunities for older adults, and more. The new website also features stories and profiles of older British Columbians and a regular e-newsletter to which visitors can subscribe. To learn more about the province’s new website for seniors, or to access and watch “A Place for Everyone‚“ please visit www.SeniorsBC.ca. If you have any comments or suggestions, e-mail me at blackmail1@telus.net
Good Samaritan Canada Heron Grove
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THE FREEDOM I WANT
United Way taking bids The United Way Spring Online Auction is on now through April 30. Go to www.unitedwaynocs. com and register to bid on everything from a 2010 Ford Mustang convertible, spa treatments, dining out, golf galore, jewelry, snowshoes, an electric bike and much more. The United Way provides funding to many support, service and charitable organizations in the community. For more information, call Linda Yule, executive director, United Way of North Okanagan Columbia Shuswap at 250-549-1346 or lmyule@ shaw.ca.
Group Golf Lessons AL PISCH CPGA Head Professional
• 25 Years Experience • Voted Best Golf Pro in Okanagan Life Magazine
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COST:
$
99+tax
4 - One Hour Lessons Fees payable by Sun., Apr. 4
TIP OF THE WEEK The speed you hit your putt should be your main consideration; accuracy is second.
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Carrington Place Retirement Residence
4751 23rd St., Vernon, BC
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www.chartwellreit.ca
Now Open for Occupancy Please call Twyla at 250-545-5704 to reserve your suite