A1. GREEN AND FLEXIBLE ON THE OPEN ROAD by MEM Aliso Viejo
As the end of summer approaches, maybe it's time to think about planning another vacation. Have you ever thought about taking a road trip in a recreational vehicle (RV)? Traveling by RV is one of the most economical and "green" ways to vacation. It's also a great way to enjoy flexibility, freedom, and see what this beautiful country of ours has to offer.
The opportunity to reconnect with your family is priceless. It seems something happens when families spend time together; bonds are built, secrets are shared, and memories are formed that will last a lifetime. Unlike a hotel, the RV allows a closer-to-nature experience without leaving luxuries behind. Whether you decide to rent or buy, recreational vehicles make for an enjoyable road trip and allow you to bring the comforts of home along for the ride. Baby Boomers and beyond are taking to the road in ever increasing numbers in these rolling homes that range from the small, used, utilitarian models that start at around $20,000 to the high-end custom crafted coaches that compete with some of the most luxurious hotels and sell for well over a million dollars. For the adventurous, traveling by RV allows you to bring the comforts of home no matter where you roam. If you have never taken a road trip in an RV you should consider renting one before you jump in and make a purchase. This will give you the opportunity to see if the RV lifestyle really is for you. To find a rental company near you, Click Here. Don't forget that you can also check in your local yellow pages under "Recreation(al) Vehicles/Motorhome: Renting and Leasing," or call your local RV dealer.
If you are sure that the RV lifestyle is for you and you are ready to take the plunge and purchase, there is a lot of homework and research you should do. It is important to figure out what amenities are important to you or not needed in your RV. As for prices, just with purchasing a car, there are online pricing guides and the Kelly Blue Book that can help you with the information you will need to find a reasonable purchase price. To become more knowledgeable before you purchase an RV, it is advised that you purchase a NADA consumer Recreation Vehicle Appraisal Guide. Many people believe that traveling via RV is much less expensive than flying to a destination, renting a hotel room and car, and eating in restaurants. For a one-time trip, you can compare the costs of renting an RV to the costs of a hotel vacation. Renting an RV offers families an affordable way to spend time together away from their overscheduled everyday lives. Also, it allows you to experience the RV lifestyle without making a long-term commitment. Many RV models allow a family of four to save up to 57 percent on vacation costs over other forms of travel. Want to take your family of four to Orlando for a week? In a RV, that trip will cost 53 percent less than flying, renting a car, staying in a hotel, and eating out. Click Here for more information on how RVs save money on vacations. Also, studies show that RVs produce a lower carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions level than airline/rental car/motel or hotel vacations. Most RV’s are equipped with a kitchen that is complete with a microware, refrigerator, stove and dining area. There are also plenty of sleeping spaces that include beds and televisions, and the RVs also have bathrooms with showers. Never have you been able to be so comfortable on the open road.
Another advantage of the RV is that many have slide-out rooms that increase the living area at the simple touch of a button. This is a great feature and allows you to increase your travel-group size and occupancy without much hassle.
Those who have embraced the RV vacation lifestyle enjoy the coast-to-coast campgrounds and RV parks. These facilities offer a variety of amenities, such as swimming pools, lakes, boating, fishing ponds, campfires, miniature golf, hiking trails, game rooms, walking paths, bike paths and tennis courts. Some facilities have dances, group barbeques, concerts, and other types of entertainment. A great website that will show you everything there is to know about RVs and where to take them is gorving.com
You'll find that driving the RV gives you the chance to be in total control. Some travelers like the ability to plan their comings and goings. They enjoy planning their own schedules and avoiding all the hassles associated with air travel. There are no special licensing requirements to operate an RV, though if you have never driven an RV, it is recommended that before you take off to find the open road, you take a class that many RV dealers and organizations offer in order so you can do some local practicing. The recreational vehicle industry has been flourishing for 100 years now, and is celebrating its centennial anniversary. This can only mean that it will be expanding for years to come because there are more options than you can imagine. Now the latest technologies and hydraulics that are in trend-setting cars are included in recreational vehicles. From what was, at the RV’s beginning, a bathroom with a mere toilet, these mobile campers have it all--such as full baths, kitchenettes with all the necessities, generated power, plasma TVs, hot tubs, many bedrooms, laundry facilities, satellite television access, and much more.
The possibilities are endless as to where the next generation is going to lead the recreational vehicle industry, but it is for sure that people will never grow tired of traveling in the lap of luxury and seeing the countryside, wherever their desires may lead them. With vast options available for choosing the RV that best suits anyone’s purpose and budget it is a sure bet that RVs will always be in demand. There will always be places to travel and people who want to explore the world in a mobile home away from home. So pack your bags, fuel up, and jump into an RV to experience the open road on a vacation you will never forget. There is no comparison to the adventure of the unknown and seeing where the open road may take you. The RV is just one way to travel, but it allows you the freedom, space and time to stop and smell the roses. As Robert Frost’s famous quote says, "I took the road less traveled by, and that has made all the difference."
Learn more about the RVing here: http://www.seniorresource.com/SRBaz.htm#books
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A2. HOME NOT FAR AWAY FROM HOME by Betsy Day
 A person (let's call him Robert) has heart disease and an allergy to aspirin Let's also say that Robert is 80 years old, and lives alone in a small house, though he has a good-sized backyard and nearby family. One day he slips on a runner in the hall and falls, breaking his hip. He can't reach a phone, but here’s something; there are sensors under the rugs that have set off a medical alert through his phone and to an EMS agency, and within half an hour, there's a police officer and an EMS crew knocking on the (fortunately for Robert) unlocked door. Off he goes to the hospital, where his hip is x-rayed and ultimately replaced. Because his records, though at a different hospital, are accessible through an online computer system, his doctors soon find out that not only is Robert allergic to aspirin, a potential lifesaver, but that Robert has an arrhythmia of his heart, and aspirin will not help him if he has a heart attack. Okay, Robert's hospitalized for a week, what with his newly replaced hip and his bumpy heart, goes to a rehab facility for a month to learn how to walk on his new hip and to make sure his heart stays in rhythm, but now what? Robert wants to go home. He's too young, he says, for a nursing home, and has lived a pretty active life up until now. And his neighbors aren't going to feed the dog forever, you know.
Well, lucky for Robert, he's got that backyard. For several years now, health care experts have been responding to patients like Robert with what is called the "patient-centered home." This has generally been a primary physician's office, but run with the philosophy of being team-based, preventive and comprehensive, rather than as fee-for-service or managed care. Record keeping is electronic, not paper-based. Clinicians are easily available through the phone, in person, or over the Internet within 24 hours. But in Robert's case, the solution is to construct a MedCottage, a 12'x24' modular home equipped with a pressurized ventilation system to keep out the pollen and maintain an atmosphere to make it comfortable for Robert to breathe without too much medical assistance, and a video system that monitors the floor at ankle level so a caregiver, generally someone in his extended family, will know if he falls out of bed. Another system dispenses medications at the proper time and dosage, and alerts a caregiver if Robert doesn't take the medicine out of the extended tray. It isn't designed to be pretty, though I thought the model I saw was quite attractive, but it does have a big window giving out on the yard and a view of the house, and Robert's dog can come in and visit, as can his neighbors. He still needs an aide or a family member to help him with his personal care and to make his meals for him, but he's not confined to a rehab facility or a nursing home, and this gives him hope for regaining his independent status. We wish him well. Robert isn't alone in not wanting, or really requiring, nursing home help. So long as he has caring family and friends, or even a professional care giver to help with his daily activities, monitor him, and bring in the newspaper every day, Robert's set for as long as he needs to be, in a place where he can have his blood pressure and other vital signs checked regularly, either in person, through a BlackBerry application, or through a computer. The technology also provides entertainment, offering a selection of music, reading material and movies.
This is not a dream, ladies and gentlemen; this is the part of the new face of America. With 78 million baby boomers on their way to needing advanced medical care, and fewer resources available to help them, a development such as Robert's new temporary home is one of many resources soon to be available to those who can use them as an alternative to long-term care. "The MedCottage model for healthcare offers a totally new paradigm," says the Rev. Kenneth Dupin, founder and CEO of N2Care and the innovator behind the MedCottage. "With a daunting reality looming, we must, as a society, consider every option to take pressure off the system. The MedCottage is such a cost effective alternative--and baby boomers are ready for new options for aging in place." The MedCottage can be purchased or leased and temporarily placed (or, in Virginia, permanently placed) on the care giving family's property, with features that most hospital and nursing home rooms are denied. Like an RV, it connects to a single-family house’s electrical and water supplies. The cost is less than that of a nursing home or for long-term care. MedCottage can make a charming guest cottage, too, when the patient can go back to his real home. It doesn't look like a hospital room (though, with modifications, it could). The MedCottage features three rooms:
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A kitchen with a small refrigerator, microwave, washer-dryer combination and medication dispenser.
- A bedroom with a hospital-caliber bed and additional accommodation for a caregiver’s visit.
- A bathroom with a host of smart devices, including a toilet that measures a patient's weight, temperature, and urine content.
The first prototype of the MedCottage was unveiled on July 19, 2010--a portable, modular medical home designed to make it possible for families to take care of loved ones on their property as an alternative to long-term care facilities. It may be purchased or leased and temporarily placed (or, in Virginia, permanently placed) on the care giving family's property, with features that most hospital and nursing home rooms are denied. Like an RV, it connects to the electrical and water supplies of a single-family home. It's already authorized for use in Virginia and is designed to comply with local zoning ordinances throughout the nation. "Comforts of a home setting, proximity to loved ones and access to a whole new level of medical technology are merged into the MedCottage," Dupin says.
"With changing family structure and lifestyles over the past century, research demonstrates that end-of-life care is emerging as the most pertinent concern for the baby boomer generation," Dupin says. "Boomers have a particular fear of being isolated from family and institutionalized in the final stage of life. Consequently, there is a need in the market for an innovative alternative to care for the aging population unlike any current options for end-of-life care."
The idea, Dupin adds, came to him after years of leading humanitarian missions to developing countries, and it was encouraged by a growing sense of his own mortality. "As people age or require additional care, many of the existing treatment options often take them away from their family," Dupin says. "The MedCottage gives families the ability to directly participate in their loved one's recovery, rehabilitation or extended care--on their property--while giving them peace of mind knowing they are providing the best possible care."
"With changing family structure and lifestyles over the past century, research demonstrates that end-of-life care is emerging as the most pertinent concern for the baby boomer generation," Dupin says. "Boomers have a particular fear of being isolated from family and institutionalized in the final stage of life. Consequently, there is a need in the market for an innovative alternative to care for the aging population unlike any current options for end-of-life care."
For more information on MedCottage, see www.medcottage.com
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B. DID YOU KNOW...?
1. Putting Your Time to Good Use
Are you looking to contribute to your community? The Air Force Materiel Command (AFMC) heritage activities accept volunteers to support museum efforts. There are 14 AFMC heritage activities spread over 11 bases. Activities include field museums, heritage centers, airparks, and historical holdings each of which offers the opportunity for volunteers. Volunteers do everything from greeting and guiding visitors, to restoring aircraft. All four of the field museums, located at Edwards AFB, Eglin AFB, Hill AFB, and Robins AFB, operate dynamic and educational programs that serve the local public- and private-school systems. Volunteers help with student groups, teaching the fundamentals of flight, and talking to them about the aerospace career field. Other volunteer opportunities include helping with collections management, working in the reference library, or washing and painting aircraft. Additional AFMC field heritage activities are located at Hanscom AFB, MA; Holloman AFB, NM; Kirtland AFB, NM; and Wright-Patterson AFB, OH. To find out more about these and other heritage activities AFMC has to offer, visit the bases' public website via http://www.af.mil
2. Get Ready for Flu Season
- Get vaccinated every year.
Flu vaccines can be provided by your established medical provider. In addition many local pharmacies participate in a vaccination program at no cost.
- Prevent the spread of infection daily
- wash your hands with soap and warm/hot water
- use an alcohol-based sanitizer when hand-washing is not possible
- cover your mouth or nose when you cough or sneeze
- avoid contact with your nose, eyes or mouth
- avoid contact with people who are sick
- stay home if you have flu-like symptoms
- Take anti-viral drugs when recommended.
These drugs are used specifically for inhibiting the development of viral infections.
Here are some warning signs In adults:
- Difficulty breathing or shortness of breath
- Pain or pressure in the chest or abdomen
- Sudden dizziness
- Confusion
- Severe or persistent vomiting
Things to do If you do get sick:
- Stay home from work or school
- Drink fluids
- Get lots of rest
- Avoid tobacco or alcohol
- Consult your doctor early
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C. THOUGHTS FOR THE MONTH
We present here some words from those with a birthday this month.
Amy Jo Johnson - "My mom taught me to go after my dreams. I have this faith in myself that I must have gotten from her." Vaughn Monroe - "It now costs more to amuse a child than it once did to educate his father."
Bishop Desmond Tutu - "A person is a person because he recognizes others as persons."
Rona Barrett - "The healthy and strong individual is the one who asks for help when he needs it."
Yo-Yo Ma - "There is no culture in the world that we have not benefited from."
More "Thoughts" at: http://www.seniorresource.com/thought.htm
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D. SPECIAL SURFING SITES
1. A Bit of Nostalgia
If you want some relief from all the negative news out there, you might like the StagebrushPatriot (http://sagebrushpatriot.com/) website. It has some nostalgic features wrapped in patriotic values and traditions. It is certainly an excursion back to the good ole days, when life was simpler.
2. Yard Sale Helper
One of the leading websites for finding local sales is Craigslist. The website YardSaleTreasureMap provides a map of those items in your area listed on Craigslist. On the map site you enter a few parameters (where you are, how far you are willing to travel, and when you want to start your hunt). With a click you have a map of area yard sales that have been posted on Craigslist. The value of YardSaleTreasureMap comes in the intuitive way they show you the Craigslist posts. The site helps save you time when you could be hunting for treasure!
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E. OH MY AGING FUNNY BONE
1. More Wisdom of Larry, the Cable Guy
- Inside every older person is a younger person wondering, "What the hell happened?"
- Just remember--if the world didn't suck, we would all fall off.
- Light travels faster than sound. That's why some people appear bright until you hear them speak.
- Life isn't like a box of chocolates. It's more like a jar of jalapenos. What you do today might burn your bum tomorrow
2. It is the View!
Realtor Helen showed a home to a couple who seemed eager to check out the fantastic view from the living room. But when she dramatically pulled back the drapes, the disappointed husband asked, "Where is the view? Those mountains must be blocking it."
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This issue has been edited by Betsy Day (betsyjday@aol.com).
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