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LGBT Assisted Living Communities – Finding a Gay-Friendly Facility
This article is reprinted with permission from SeniorAdvice.com.By Lori Thomas, Associate Editor, SeniorAdvice
When it is time for seniors to transition to the next phase of their lives, many older adults find this means it is also time to transition to a new living situation, or to consider an assisted living facility. While some seniors may hear the words “assisted living” and panic, an assisted living facility is much different than a nursing home. It doesn’t mean they lose their independence and it doesn’t mean that they are going to a hospital-like setting. In fact, many seniors describe it like living in college dorms, only the residents are just a little older.
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One Thing or Another: Not Worth the Weight
It’s always One Thing or Another … a lighthearted look at aging, life, and the absurdities of it all.
By Mark McNease
The food magically showed up at our front door, delivered by someone who, like Santa Claus, made their rounds unseen, past apathetic doormen and suspicious neighbors with insomnia.
My Amazing Weight Loss Journey began five years ago. With great effort and dedication, I’ve managed to shed four pounds since that first fateful calorie count. How did I achieve this feat of negligible weight loss? I never thought you’d ask.
It all started with a now-defunct company called Lean Chefs. For a reasonable fee, they delivered a day’s worth of prepared food while we slept: breakfast, lunch, dinner, and two yummy snacks. The food magically showed up at our front door, delivered by someone who, like Santa Claus, made their rounds unseen, past apathetic doormen and suspicious neighbors with insomnia. I would peer into the corridor first thing in the morning and there it was, a small black package at my feet, looking like something that might require a call to the bomb squad under normal circumstances. Inside it was the coming day’s food with an ice pack and an unspoken promise: eat these healthy provisions, and only these, and miracle weight loss will occur.
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The Savvy Senior: What You Need to Know About Reverse Mortgages
By Jim MillerDear Savvy Senior,
What can you tell me about reverse mortgages for retirees? My wife and I are contemplating getting one but want to make sure we know what we’re getting into.
Running Short
Dear Running,
For retirees who own their home and want to stay living there, but could use some extra cash, a reverse mortgage is a viable financial tool, but there’s a lot to know and consider to be sure it’s a good option for you.
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Celebrated Activist Bashed in Gay Bar During ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’ Era Dies Virtually Unnoticed by Media
Reprinted with permission from David Webb’s Rare Reporter blog
By David Webb
A quarter-century ago, the nation fixated on President Bill Clinton’s proposal to enact a “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy for the U.S. military. The bitter controversy erupted in the national media on Jan. 30, 1993, when three Marines from Camp Lejeune and the patrons of a gay bar named Mickey Ratz in Wilmington, N.C., went to battle.
The bar fight and the injuries sustained by one of the patrons, Crae Pridgen Jr. — who lived in Dallas for a brief time and has recently died — dominated the headlines.
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The Savvy Senior: New Shingles Vaccine Provides Better Protection for Seniors
By Jim Miller
Dear Savvy Senior,
A good friend of mine got a bad case of shingles last year and has been urging me to get vaccinated. Should I?
Suspicious Susan
Dear Susan,
Yes! If you’re 50 or older, there’s a new shingles vaccine on the market that’s far superior to the older vaccine, so now is a great time to get inoculated. Here’s what you should know.
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Gay Travelers Magazine: Provincetown – Where LGBTQ+ Can Be Themselves
Reprinted with permission from Gay Travelers Magazine
By Steven Skelley and Thomas Routzong
Provincetown, Massachusetts stands out in history as not only the first place where the Pilgrims landed, it is constantly evolving to accept those who seek refuge, a place to be free and a place to be themselves. We asked locals to give us the inside scoop on the past, present and future of LGBTQ+ Provincetown.
How would you describe Provincetown in one sentence?
From Tony Fuccillo, Director of Tourism:
Provincetown is a place where you feel you can truly be proud of being gay; all LGBTQ+, yes everyone is welcome in Ptown and can be themselves when they are here without any judgment from anyone.
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One Thing or Another: All Boxed Up
It’s always One Thing or Another … a lighthearted look at aging, life, and the absurdities of it all.
By Mark McNease
Who doesn’t want to gaze at a baseball cap or coffee cup forty years after buying it and remember that special vacation?
How many boxes does it take to hold a life? It’s a question many of us ask when we find ourselves moving from one home to another. A home is in many ways who we are: that place where we’ve spent most of our time, where we’ve created identities linked to the rooms in which we sleep, eat and bathe, and where we contemplate our daily existence. Then a new phase beckons, a new adventure, and we see it all in front of us, boxed and packed to be taken by car, truck or hand cart to the next phase, the next identity with a few revisions.
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Adventures in Gardening (#1 in a Series)
Have photos or advice of your own? Share them with our readers by emailing me here.
Mark McNease/Editor
Before moving full time to our house in rural New Jersey, my husband Frank and I had very little success with our attempts at growing a vegetable garden. Gardens of any kind, especially vegetable gardens, require frequent watering and care. We were only here on weekends, driving out from New York City, and then not every weekend.
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Lee Lynch’s Amazon Trail: The Terlet
The Amazon Trail
By Lee LynchWhen I objected, starting around the age of four or five, to commercials on the radio, I had no idea what the future of marketing would hold for us all. Why, I asked, was “The Lone Ranger” interrupted to sell Silvercup Bread? Was it because of his silver bullets? Well, yes, it was considered a terrific marketing tie-in. I hated ads then and I hate them now when the once open internet has become a mammoth shopping mall for which we pay with our privacy.
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The Savvy Senior: How to Write a Will
Dear Savvy Senior,
Though it may seem hard to believe, at age 65, I never have gotten around to making a will, but I’d like to now. My question is: Do I need to hire a lawyer to write my will, or can I do it myself? I want to get my affairs in order, but I hate paying an attorney fee if I don’t have to.
Getting Organized
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The Savvy Senior: How to Choose a Memory Care Unit
By Jim MillerDear Savvy Senior,
My mom has Alzheimer’s disease and has gotten to the point that she can’t live at home any longer. I need to find a good memory care residential unit for her but could use some help. Any suggestions?
Exhausted Daughter
Dear Exhausted,
Choosing a good memory care residential unit for a loved one with Alzheimer’s disease is a very important decision that requires careful evaluation and some homework.
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The Savvy Senior: Tips and Resources for Older Job Seekers
By Jim MillerDear Savvy Senior,
What resources can you recommend to help older job seekers? I’m 60 and have been out of work for nearly a year now and need some help.
Seeking Employment
Dear Seeking,
While the U.S. job market has improved dramatically over the past few years, challenges still persist for many older workers. To help you find employment, there are job resource centers and a wide variety of online tools specifically created for older job seekers. Here’s where you can find help.