Seniors/Grandparents

Posted by Janienne Jennrich

Hello all,

Which do you prefer - tea or coffee?

I am more of a coffee person.

Lately my daughter has discovered Chai Tea and loves it.

I love tea parties, but rarely drink tea on a daily basis. Now that there are reports of the health benefits of tea, I am trying to include in my diet more often.

If you search go to my article list, you will find many articles I have written about tea parties.

I also recommend this tea party website: Tea Parties, Tea Party Themes and Teatime Ideas.

How about you? Sound off over in the discussion area (linked to the right of this page)

Janienne

Posted by Janienne Jennrich

Hi!

Do you watch American Idol? I have found that it’s a television show that seems to cross generations. That is rare these days. My teen children, my husband and I, my older sister and her family, and my senior parents all enjoy the program. If you’ve never seen this singing competition / reality TV show, it’s not too late to jump in for the end of the season.

Season 7 for American Idol 2008 began in January, but many of the early programs are dedicated to try-outs, weeding out the worst singers through auditions across the U.S., and then sending the best of hundreds of thousands of hopeful vocalists to Hollywood for the final cuts. Then they have a Top 24 (12 gals, 12 guys), which compete to become the American Idol Top 12.

At this point, the show is down to the Top 6 finalists. This is a fun time to begin watching, as the singers have grown in talent over the weeks before and are all quite good. Each week one more person will be eliminated until the finale in a few weeks.

If you haven’t been watching American Idol, give it a try. From kids to seniors, many people love this weekly musical getaway.

See this Squidoo Lens site on American Idol - tons of videos, info, more! Check out the David Cook American Idol 2008 website for videos, new and fan items all about David.

Best,

Janienne Jennrich

P.S. We’re cheering for David Cook at out house!

Posted by Janienne Jennrich

Hi all,

In my local travels, I have noticed many senior citizens are continuing to work into what would normally be considered their "Golden Years." I wonder what the reasons are for this? Is it fullfillment? The need for supplemental income? Is it for social opportunities?

I know my own parents have continued to volunteer to stay active and give back in their own retirement years. This is unpaid "work," which can be very fulfilling.

On the flip side of many seniors working, my husband ( just barely over what is considered the youngest of the "senior" years) is currently looking for work. With the real estate market down, he is looking to go in another direction. He is finding much of the work he sees is too physically demanding (mostly on his hands), though he is a strong man for his age. Also, many employers seem to be preferring younger employees to his more senior status. Or so it seems.

If you have any input about why you work, any discrimination you feel is happening in relation to your age, or any other issues related to seniors and work, please start or add to a discussion on the home page for Seniors and Grandparents. There is also a discussion on senior volunteer oportunities - please chime in. Add your favorite charity where seniors of all ages are welcome to help. I'd love to see people start meeting here to network and share ideas.

Have a happy April. We had one day of sun. Hmmm. They keep saying spring is around the corner... Okay, I am still waiting!

Hey- but the daffodills are blooming and the robins are out!

All my best,

Janienne Jenrich

Feature Writer, Seniors/Grandparents

My Profile page and a link to all my articles.

Posted by Janienne Jennrich

HI-

Many senior citizens are living in group homes, active living senior apartments, and group homes with assisted living. While many seniors come and go, a lot also tend to stay homebound, which can get a bit boring. As a senior caretaker for an elderly lady, I found that bringing over new activites interested her much more than the "same old things" she had access to everyday. I used to look around my house for simple games and gadgets, movies and music, and magazines to amuse her.

I would love to hear from other caregivers (many are the senior children of elderly parents) out there. What are some good activities which have been successful with a senior you know? My grandfather had a weekly writing group with a teacher who came into his apartment complex. Many group home situations have arts and crafts sessions. Or if you are a senior in a homebound situation, what activities do you enjoy? I know watching The Price is Right TV show daily was a big hit at the adult home at which I visited.

Some Popular Articles on Senior Activities:

Fun Visits With Senior Citizens

Memory Help for Senior Citizens

Fun Activities for Senior Citizens

English Afternoon Tea for Seniors

Fun Activities for Active Seniors

Online Senior Citizen Gift Ideas

Gift Tips for Less Active Seniors

I hope you enjoy them.

Please feel free to write a note in the discussion area for seniors and grandparents. It doesn't have to be anything fancy. I will repeat this note over there, too, and hopefully get some ideas flowing between people.

By the way, does anyone else have a rather obnoxious woodpecker outside waking them up waaay too early? I sure do. Cute creatures... but Argh!

Have a good week,

Janienne

Posted by Janienne Jennrich

Hi!

Hey, the time is upon us to start planning those spring and summer vacations!

Once all the "young'uns" are finished with their wild and crazy spring breaks, it's time for those with RVs, dreams of relaxing hotel stays in deluxe resorts, more humble rough-it campers, and those who just like to head out and explore to get a few trips in before the crowds begin.

Our family hasn't had much time for vacations this year, but it would be nice to take a little two day trip to the shore once the weather warms a bit.

I have just finished an article on grandparents taking a vacation to Hawaii with their grandkids (Hawaiian Vacation with Grandkids). I found a wonderful resource in Franko's Maps. This is a growing home business that makes gorgeous trip guides for the Hawaiian Islands (okay, they are really maps, but there is so much more to them, it would be a shame to call them simply "maps.") The owners of the company are grandparents to 3 little girls, all under 4 years old. I wonder... when will they feel brave enough to take the grandkids along on one of their trips to Hawaii?

Whether traveling with family, friends, or alone, we'd all love to hear what everyone has planned for fun and leisure this upcoming season. Please share on our discussion board for Seniors/Grandparents.

As our last snows fall, it's nice to get toasty with warm thoughts of sunny places.

Happy travels!

Janienne

Posted by Janienne Jennrich

Top 'o the Mornin' to ya!

Tis the time of year for the wearing' 'o the green, planting true Irish shamrocks, eating Irish foods like Irish soda bread, corned beef and cabbage, colcannon (cabbage cooked with mashed potatoes) and more. People enjoy dressing up in leprechon hats and gathering in pubs serving green beer and Guinness, which is too dark to dye any color.

In our area, a Irish-owned restaurant is renowned for serving free green ice cream to all who visit, giving out green balloons, and doing free face-painting for children. This has turned into a sort of tradition with our wee-bit Irish family and our friends. Irish music is played and centerpieces are real russet potatoes with tiny Ireland flags, little "gold" nuggets and shamrock confetti.

This is probably not very traditionally Irish, but it is fun. Whatever a family does together on a consistant basis becomes a family tradition, I suppose. We also do the "wear green or get pinched" silliness. In our house, you had better wear green to bed, or you will be pinched awake!

Well, whatever your family does on this fun holiday, we wish you all the best. Here is an Irish saying you can toss out to the family or use as a dinner toast:

May your blessings outnumber

The shamrocks that grow,

And may trouble avoid you

Wherever you go.

~Irish Blessing

All good things be yours,

Janienne

(thank you to the quotegarden.com for the quote)

Posted by Janienne Jennrich

HI-

Coping with chronic health problems is nothing new to many people I know, or to myself, and maybe to you.

I don't feel I have a lot of answers for how one overcomes pain or depression that can come with health issues.

Many look for some larger purpose for discomfort. I used to wonder if my migraines would inspire one of my children to a medical career. Perhaps I was a stepping-stone to a cure for chronic headaches? Perhaps my pain was some sort of blessing for mankind.

Nope. Neither child leans in the least toward a career in medicine or research.

Okay, so maybe I'm meant to learn something. I have tried. Really tried.

Guess what? After twenty-five years... zip, nadda, nuttin'. So much for that one. Of course, I am an expert on migraine medications and all manner of healing. Yes, prayer and positive thinking, included.

A famiy member with pain answers "How are you?" with the enthusiastic reponse, "UN-Believable!" This is neither a negative or positive answer, but it keeps one from sounding whiny (oh, I have another headache...what else is new.. I am the most boring person on the face of the earth...).

See, I don't have any good answers on coping. Mostly I just get through "bad days" and catch up on "good days." Helping others is a good uplifting distraction. I pick projects I can do in small spurts. I try to make my kids laugh. Nothing is more healing than the laughter of a child.

So, how do you deal with chronic pain, recurring health issues, or other challenges? There is a discussion question on the main Seniors/Grandparents page where you can share. I'd love to hear from you.

Be happy,

Janienne

Posted by Janienne Jennrich

Hello everyone,

I would like to introduce myself. I am the new Feature Writer for the Seniors and Grandparents area here at Suite 101. I have over 18 years writing and editing experience, have been published online and on the web, and have worked with seniors as companion and care giver. I have no grandchildren as yet, but my older sister does, and I am in close contact with her and my great nieces,

I thank the upper management and my editors, Fiona and Irene for this opportunity and look forward to doing them (and you, the reader) proud.

My hopes are that this blog will be a place of inspiration, mulling, brainstorming and thinking aloud. I ask only for your support and good thoughts as I embark on this new journey with you.

In the discussion area, I hope we will have lively and life-changing talks, laugh a little, maybe cry a little, and with any luck, improve our lives and the lives of others.

Sound a little sappy? Okay, so I'm a little sappy and a little hopeful. I think the community that can be felt on Suite 101 is a wonderful opportunity for people (including hose seniors and others who might otherwise be isolated), to be able to interact daily with others with similar backgrounds and concerns.

Please feel free to share your ideas for this section via an online post or a personal email to me.

All my best,

Janienne (btw, it's pronounced like "Janeen or Janine")

Posted by Maryan Pelland

Cruising the net this week, I found Parkinson's disease a big topic of conversation. Seems a recent study from Department of Environmental and Occupational Medicine at Aberdeen University Medical School, Aberdeen, U.K., may show a new place to look for causes.

Parkinson's is a condition that affects about 4 million people worldwide. Seems to be equal between men and women and hits people over 65 more often than younger people. The illness causes tremors, difficulty in moving limbs, facial tics. It's incurable and progressive.

According to an article from Yahoo News people with Parkinson's often had low to moderate exposure to pesticides in their medical history, or head trauma in their past. Researchers think people who were knocked unconscious once in their life, may have had 35% more likelihood of the illness. The implications there seem to be pretty relevant for boxers, sports players and the like.

The pesticide factor had less of a pronounced connection but still merits further study, they say. There also seems to be a genetic connection. Nothing is conclusive here. It's a set of pointers, evidently, for more research. But if your lifestyle connects with these things, you might talk with your doc - it never hurts.

The study is in the online May 30 edition of Occupational and Environmental Medicine. Most likely the entire study would bore most of us to sleep, but the articles at Yahoo, news that seems to echo info from several years ago at Mayo, might prove interesting.

Posted by Maryan Pelland

We're relocating from Florida to Mississippi - a daunting task at any time, but with today's slumped real estate market, it's mind boggling. If you must sell a home in todays' slumped market, ask the right questions to find the right agent.

We found, after interviewing four major chains, that the personality and willingness of the agent to work are key. And not all agents have the same drive, integrity, or desire to perform. We asked each sales person -- 1) Do you prefer selling homes or gathering listings for other agents to sell on a commission split? 2) When did you last sell a home? 3) How many homes are in your own inventory right now? 4) What is the average time to sell? 4)How long have you been in the business? 5) How long have you been in this area? 6) How do you feel about the challenges of today's market?

The first one we met was poised, well put-together and had a marketing education. She brought comparisons - listings similar to our home. Some actual sales, some still on the market. This agent told us she likes to be aggressive - listing her customer's homes on the internet and in print, while also contacting buyers she has worked with in the past. She emphasized the number of homes we were competing with, made it clear she would not negotiate her fees (she doesn't have to, she said, "if I can't sell your house, there are plenty of others"). She said she takes 6% if she has to share the commission with another agent, and 5% if she sells our home by herself. Her company also charges hidden fees at closing, that were mentioned very briefly. Nearly $200 in addition to the more than $10K commission. The fees are for "storing" your documents till closing. We passed on this company. She answered my questions -- but her answers didn't mesh completely with our goals and approach. The agent was fairly well-informed, but rigid in her approach.

Agent #2 was unsure of herself . She took no notes, walked briefly through our home, declined to look at the yard and made it clear that buyers only need to know how many bedrooms, baths, and how big the garage is. Everything else is just an aside. Hmmm. She couldn't answer many questions - didn't want to say when was the last time she sold a home. Wouldn't say how many homes she had in inventory. Couldn't make any suggestions about how we might improve our chances of selling. The comparisons she brought were taken from an area far from ours where homes have very different prices. She wanted us to list at about %30K below even today's soft prices. Her reason? She only takes listings priced to sell immediately. She isn't interested, she said, in breaking her neck working to sell a particular home when there are thousands on the books already . About today's market, she wrung her hands, looked worried and said, "Well, you can't expect much in the way of results. It's very, very bad out there." If she says that in an interview, what is she telling prospects as she shows homes?

The agent we chose came to the door on time, didn't have a bucketful of perfume on and looked business casual. Very warm and friendly, knowledgeable and prepared to talk with us. She showed us comps, and a map of their locations. They were right in our general neighborhood. She showed how and why she chose them to compare to our home. She showed a range of about $40K up and down that our home could fit in to. She answered every question we had, thoroughly. She was not put off by the questions. She negotiated a stronger commission reduction, should she sell on her own. She showed us her past record for this year. She carefully evaluated our home, and made a couple of very good suggestions. She told us her background, without being asked and talked about why she sells homes for a living. Her view on today's market is this: "It's a buyer's market, but people will always buy homes. If there is a lot of competition, you must, as in any marketplace, polish your product and your approach."

She was unintimidated, unworried, and had plans and goals to market our home. She agreed there are no guarantees, but customer service is her first concern and her goal is to sell her listings to the best of her ability.

I'm glad I asked a lot of questions. I'm looking forward to good results.