Friday, April 28, 2017

Jean Cherni: Many seniors are, unfortunately, too trusting for their own good


Jean Cherni

Here we are on Palm Sunday with spring and all its accompanying feelings of renewal, happiness with warmer weather and a tendency to reach out in friendship toward our fellow human beings.
But readers, beware! It is also a time of increasing scams and frauds that target vulnerable and trusting seniors. A special fraud alert has been posted regarding Medicare card changes. Congress passed a law that requires the removal of Social Security numbers from all Medicare cards, which commences in April 2018. New beneficiaries will get the modernized cards first and then new cards will be issued to current or existing members.


This is being done to protect people’s identities. Some Medicare members are receiving calls asking for payment in order to receive their new card or asking to verify their Medicare number. Medicare will NEVER call to verify your number and there IS NO COST to get your new card. If you receive a call like this, hang up immediately. Click here to continue reading.

5 simple steps to be your best at any age



(BPT) - They say you’re only as young as you feel, and if you're an older American, the ability to feel young a little while longer is always appealing. Having a youthful state of mind goes a long way toward accomplishing this goal, but you can’t ignore the importance of solid physical health.
To improve your physical and mental health and prove age is just a number, apply these five tips from Mayo Clinic today.

* Find the perfect interval. If you’ve never participated in high-intensity interval training before, here’s a compelling reason to start. Researchers at the Mayo Clinic found high-intensity aerobic exercise actually reversed some cellular aspects of aging. The research also found that the exercise improved muscle proteins, enlarged muscles and increased energy levels.

* The benefit of brain games. A sharp mind is every bit as important as a healthy body, and exercising your brain can be a lot of fun. Spend time learning new things on the internet, enroll in a class for that craft you've always wanted to master, go out with friends or sit down and play a board game. All of these activities can greatly improve your mental health. For example, a Mayo Clinic study found playing games decreased a person's risk of mild cognitive impairment by 22 percent making this enjoyable activity healthy as well.

* Supplementing your health. Health supplements should never completely replace whole food offerings, but they may offer you real health value as well. According to the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, supplements may be ideal for vegans and vegetarians or those who consume less than 1,600 calories per day. People with a condition affecting the way their body absorbs nutrients and those who have had surgery on their digestive tract should also speak with their doctor about supplements that may improve their overall health.

* The importance of sleep. A good night’s sleep offers health benefits at any age, but getting enough rest can be more difficult as you get older. To get a better night's sleep, review your medications with your doctor to see if anything is impacting your rest. You should also try to limit your daytime napping (just 10 to 20 minutes per day is best) and avoid alcohol, caffeine or even water within a couple hours before bedtime.

* Focus on your sexual health. This topic may not be as widely discussed as your physical or mental health, but it is no less important. Men should talk to their doctors about their lessening testosterone levels, which drop about 1 percent per year after age 30. Women may experience a similar drop in estrogen levels as well and should consult their doctor for treatment options. Don’t be shy about discussing sexual health issues with your doctor, from STDs to annual checkups, having a thorough understanding of your current sexual health — and what you need to do to protect or improve it — will benefit every other part of your life.

With aging comes new challenges and the need to be more vigilant in maintaining your overall well-being. By incorporating some of the tips above from the experts at Mayo Clinic, you'll make sure the best years of your life are still to come. You can learn more about improving your health at any age through the advice offered in Mayo Clinic on Healthy Aging, or visit http://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle for more healthy lifestyle ideas.

Wednesday, April 26, 2017

Follow these 9 steps to find the fountain of youth bubbling inside you

Image result for senior having fun
In the past, men and women searched futilely for the Fountain of Youth. But they looked in all the wrong places. And the wrong kind of fountain. The fountain that restores youth is all around us. And it’s inside us.
Today more people are drinking deeply from the water of that fountain, enjoying youthful vigor and an outlook that eluded those in previous generations. For the first time, Americans 65+ represent one-eighth of the nation’s population. Not too many years ago, anyone 65 or older was considered “old” — ready for the rocking chair, retired from working, retired from life itself.
If you surprise yourself, then you’ll likely surprise others. With your refreshed frame of mind, you’ll be ready to create your own vision of the future.
Those in this Third Age group (65+) are making history. They are transforming the mindset of aging to the mindset of agelessness. In the ranks of on-the-go citizens today are people in their 70s, 80s, 90s and beyond and they are showing youngsters in their 50s and 60s how to stay active. 
The secrets to long-lasting health and agelessness lie in these eight steps, which I call The Growing Young Formula:

1. Leave Your Comfort Zone and Be Willing to Try a New Way

Check in with yourself on a regular basis. A lot of us greet our retirement years with “aha at last!” It’s what we assumed because it’s been handed down to us as a hardened concept. Stop living this automatic perception of retirement. Paint a new picture for your life. It’s a challenge, but oh so exciting.
In my own life, I’ve gone outside my comfort zone many times:
  • At 71, I performed in a tap dance show
  • At 77, I went zip-lining and “Tarzan swinging” with my husband, Charlie, in Costa Rica
  • At 78, I wrote my book Growing Young
Throughout my 60s, 70s and 80s, Charlie and I have set off on our own for self-guided adventures in countries throughout Europe, the Caribbean, South America, and Iceland. Click here to continue reading.

Brave Beauties: Connecticut’s Spring Wildflowers


Image result for connecticut wildflowers
Great opportunity to learn about flowers that are native to Connecticut.

Tuesday, May 2nd at 6:30 p.m. in the Community Room

Master Naturalist, Sonya Wulff, will present a slideshow of her wildflower study in Wallingford. This program will assist people in identifying and appreciating the diversity and beauty of our early native flowers. No registration required.
This program is part of the Gray-Wulff Environmental Series.
Wallingford Public Library

Main Library

200 North Main Street
Wallingford, CT 06492
Voice:(203) 265-6754
SMS Text Message: (203) 903-8447





Wednesday, April 19, 2017

Older Moviegoers Have Box Office Clout, AARP Study Shows

Sully Movie
COURTESY OF WARNER BROS.

U.S. moviegoers who are at least 50 years old comprise more than 30% of all admissions, a new survey by the AARP shows.
The Helen Mirren-Ryan Reynolds drama “Women in Gold” was a particular favorite among older moviegoers, who comprised 82% of its audience.
Similarly, the over-50 audience comprised 57% of the moviegoers who attended the Tom Hanks’ “Miracle on the Hudson” drama “Sully,” which generated $125 million domestically.

The study — dubbed “The 50-plus Moviegoer, An Industry Segment That Should Not Be Ignored” — was conducted late last year of about 500,000 moviegoers by marketing data analytics firm Movio on behalf of AARP. The conclusions were released Wednesday during CinemaConClick here to continue reading.

Monday, April 17, 2017

Movie Review—Personal Shopper

Personal Shopper poster.jpg
Theatrical release poster

by Peter J. O'Connell 

Personal Shopper. Released (USA): March 2017. Runtime: 105 mins. In English, French, and Swedish. MPAA Rating: R for some language, sexuality, nudity and a bloody violent image. 

Personal Shopper, written and directed by Olivier Assayas, is a mix of intertwined genres. It begins as what at first seems a traditional, and quite spooky, ghost story. Maureen (Kristen Stewart), a young American woman living in Paris, wanders through a mouldering mansion at night. There are scary sounds, and an ectoplasmic entity appears to be manifesting itself. It turns out that Maureen's fraternal twin brother has died recently, of a congenital heart defect that Maureen also has, and the mansion is the now-abandoned home where they both were raised and that Maureen is trying to sell. The twins felt that they were “mediums,” and each pledged to contact the other from “beyond” within three months of dying. Maureen says several times that she is “waiting” for that contact. 

While waiting, Maureen is working. She is working as a “personal shopper” for an obnoxious model/ designer, who sends her around Paris and to foreign cities to buy clothes and accessories for her. Maureen sometimes surreptitiously dons those garments for a while, but the fashion world is a poor fit for her. Her heart is not in it.

The sort-of-satire of the fashion world blends into a sort of Hitchcockian techno-thriller when, on her way to London on a buying mission, Maureen begins receiving strange messages on her digital device from an “Unknown.” Sometimes the Unknown questions her, sometimes dialogues with her, and, most frightening of all, sometimes just sends a “receipt” that her message has been “read” but will not be replied to. Who—or what—is the Unknown, and what is the connection with a murder that takes place?


These various plot threads are not necessarily nicely tied up at the conclusion of the film, but they are held together by the fine performance of Stewart. Her grief-stricken, alienated Maureen is a woman who has put her own life on hold while waiting and working for others. Often blank-faced, she nevertheless emanates an aura of deep emotion. Perhaps more than being a personal shopper, she is someone who is subconsciously “shopping” for a persona, a distinct identity of her own. This intriguing film takes us on that psychological shopping trip.     

Friday, April 14, 2017

DOLLARS & SENSE: Today’s technology can add life to your retirement

Image result for happy older couple
With people living longer, retirement planning is being replaced by longevity planning, according to a study by MIT Age Lab and the Hartford Funds 
“We are living longer and healthier than our predecessors, because of advancements in nutrition, medicine, public health and sanitation during the last century,” says Joseph F. Coughlin, Ph.D., founder and director of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s Age Lab. “And now, thanks to innovation in technology, we’re transforming growing older into a more vibrant period of life that’s living better as much as it is about living longer.”
Coughlin developed an interesting perspective that he calls the “Eight thousand day concept.” Here is the math: From the day you were born, to college graduation, is about 8,000 days. From college graduation day (age 21 or 22), to what some might consider a mid-life crisis (mid to late 40s), is 8,000 days, and from then to retirement age is ... yes, about another 8,000 days. 
According to the study, for the next generation of retirees, one question will trump all others: How do you add life to longer lives?Click here to continue reading.

Tuesday, April 11, 2017

Probate, Wills, Executors: Your Estate Planning Questions Answered

Image result for will
Next Avenue recently asked readers to tell us the estate planning questions they’d like us to answer. We’re now back with the experts’ views on the top question on your mind, plus — as a bonus — their insights on the two runners-up. The questions were:
  • How do I keep my heirs from having to go through probate?
  • Do I need a lawyer for a will or can I do it myself with an online form?
  • How do you pick an executor?
The experts: Calvin Goetz, co-author of Climbing the Retirement Mountain and Getting Safely Down the Other Side and co-founder of the Strategy Financial Group, an Arizona financial advisory firm; Barry Kozak, a lawyer and consultant at the October Three Consulting actuarial advisory firm in Chicago; Katie Roper, vice president of health care strategy and partnerships for Home Care Assistance in San Francisco and Bill Ringham, a vice president and senior wealth strategist at RBC Wealth Management in Minneapolis.
How do I keep my heirs from having to go through probate? Before I tell you how — and why you actually might want your will to go through probate — a brief definition of what probate is. In his book, Goetz and co-author Andrew Rafal say probate is “like the traffic jam at the intersection of Last Will Drive and Testament Boulevard.” Click here to continue reading.

Thursday, April 6, 2017

Movie Review—Frantz

Frantz 2016.jpg

by Peter J. O’Connell

Frantz. Released (USA): March 2017. Runtime: 113 mins. MPAA Rating: PG-13 for thematic elements, including brief war violence. In German and French; subtitled in English.

Prolific French filmmaker Francois Ozon has created works in a number of genres but is perhaps most noted for what might be called “metaphysical mysteries,” such as Under the Sand (2000) and The Swimming Pool (2003), in which the question is not “Whodunit?” but “What happened—if anything—and why?” But in Frantz, Ozon plumbs emotional, not metaphysical mysteries. What are the different ways that people respond to love and loss, grief and guilt, revelation and redemption?

The film begins in a small town in Germany in the cruel April of 1919. Many of the town’s young men perished in the World War, which came to an end just six months earlier. Emotional wounds are deep and raw in the villagers, such as Dr. Hofmeister (Ernst Stotzner) and his wife (Marie Gruber), whose only son, Frantz, died on a battlefield in France not long before the armistice. The doctor seeks solace with a revanchist group of similarly bereaved men.

Anna (Paula Beer), Frantz’s grief-stricken fiancée, lives with the Hofmeisters and, clad in black, seeks solace by daily visits to Frantz’s “grave,” actually just a gravestone as Frantz was buried anonymously in a mass grave in France. One day Anna observes a young man (Pierre Niney), a stranger, paying his respects at the grave. When she questions the man, he says that his name is Adrien and that he is French. When Anna asks if he was a friend of Frantz’s in the days before the war, when Frantz was a student in Paris, Adrien says that he was.

Anna brings Adrien to the Hofmeisters, who initially reject him. The doctor says: “Every Frenchman is my son’s murderer.” But Adrien proves to be such a sensitive and appealing person, however, that the Hofmeisters soon come around to accepting him, for he tells them stories that they love about what he and Frantz did together before the war.

Dr. Hofmeister’s acceptance of the Frenchman estranges him from his revanchist associates. He tells them that they should blame themselves as well as the French for their sons’ deaths because they cheered the youths on as they went off to war.

For her part, Anna’s relationship with Adrien begins to take on the outline of a possible romance, particularly when they spend time together in nature—the fields, waterways, and mountains that surround the village. Frantz’s grave in Germany is empty, and the absence of that beloved young man has been the dominating “presence” in the lives of Anna and the Hofmeisters. Now that is beginning to change with the presence of Adrien, both as a connection to Frantz and in his own right.

But at this point, some shocking developments occur that lead Adrien to return to France and Anna to do a desperate act. Encouraged by the Hofmeisters, however, Anna decides to go to France herself in search of Adrien. She does not find him where she expects to, but she does enjoy visiting the Louvre and other places that Adrien said that he and Frantz frequented. She does, though, have an unpleasant encounter with some French chauvinists, as obnoxious as the German revanchists.

Eventually, however, Anna does come across some members of Adrien’s family. He contact with them is dicey, but she comes to realize that she has to decide whether
she has been relating to Adrien as just a substitute for her dear, dead Frantz or as the beginning of a new chapter in her own life’s story, a chapter that might yet have a quite unexpected conclusion.

In any case, Anna is becoming a strong woman in her own right, a woman who, we may assume, could respond with “Ja!” or “Oui!” to the question that the existentialists would pose after the Second of the World Wars: “Deciding whether or not life is worth living is to answer the fundamental question . . ..” (Albert Camus)

Frantz is a very moving motion picture, both subdued and powerful, a difficult balance achieved by Ozon’s careful control of his material and the fine performances of his cast. The scenario by Ozon and his collaborator, Philippe Piazzo, is an adaptation of a 1932 Ernst Lubitsch film, Broken Lullaby, which, in turn, was based on a play by Maurice Rostand. But Ozon and Piazzo have made many changes and added much to what Rostand and Lubitsch did. Worthy of note also is the cinematography, in which an appropriately black/white/gray palette yields to color from time to time.

Paula Beer is a young actress of enormous promise. Her lovely face is very expressive, perhaps most of all when her character is trying to be inexpressive. Her Anna, an introverted woman who, bit by bit, develops the self-confidence and independence to come out of her shell, is a revelation. Pierre Niney, whose narrow face and sharp features are almost stereotypically “French,” manages to be both appealing and somewhat ambiguous at the same time. Ernst Stotzner and Marie Gruber as the Hofmeisters are as solid support as support can be, and Cyrielle Clair as Adrien’s mother makes a strong impact in a few brief scenes.