"Whosoever humbles himself shall be exalted."

by Chris Foster, resident at Wesley Palms Retirement Community


AS A PHYSICIAN I am bound, of course, by the Hippocratic Oath and its first principle, "Do no harm." This ancient document moves on to more positive aspirations and so do I. I have never considered it sufficient to simply avoid doing harm. I believe we have the moral obligation to seek to do good wherever, whenever, and in whatever way we can.

That was probably what motivated me while growing up in Glascow, Kentucky to choose a career in medicine. It began with a Bachelor's degree in Biology at Vanderbilt, followed by Med School at the University of Louisville. It was there I met and fell in love with Kathy, a nursing student from Indiana. We dated for a year, then decided to get married despite the fact that student nurses were not allowed to marry. A private ceremony was held in Kathy's home in Indiana and then we returned to Louisville and continued to live in our separate dormitories. We did keep an off-campus apartment, but that was kept secret too. Only on the day of Kathy's graduation two years later did we "come out" and wear our wedding rings in public.

Next came a three year residency in ear, nose and throat surgery in Roanoke, VA and a two-year hitch with the U.S. Air Force before I could begin my private practice back in my home town.

In 1969 Kathy and I and our two sons moved to La Jolla, California where I pursued the dual careers of surgery and teaching at the University of California San Diego (UCSD) School of Medicine. There was symmetry in that since I have always been both an active practitioner and a teacher.

While doing both of these demanding tasks I also became certified as a Bible instructor and for many years taught a large adult Sunday School class at La Jolla's Torrey Pines Christian Church. So now you know that a foundation of my philosophy of life and system of ethics is solidly based on Biblical principles.

My career as a surgeon came to a sudden end when I lost my sight, literally overnight. I am now legally blind, though I continue to see shapes and images "as through a glass darkly." I still dream some nights of being back in the Operating Room, but with nothing but a 40 watt bulb for light.

But when one door shuts another opens. I now, in my retirement, am actively involved with the Braille Society, both as a student and as a teacher.

Let me share with you one of the most important lessons I have ever learned. Several years ago I was President of the San Diego Ear, Nose and Throat Society. We were meeting at the beautiful Atlantis Restaurant. Our guest speaker was Dr. Bill House, who was one of the world's greatest ear surgeons. My job was to introducing him. Just prior to the introduction we were served Tortilla Soup. All of a sudden I got very hot. My tie had fallen into the hot soup and was being soaked up like litmus paper. As I stood to introduce him, Dr. House noticed my tie and my embarrassment. He then intentionally put his own silk tie into his soup. He began his speech by commenting that apparently this was a custom in San Diego. I never eat soup without remembering how this very great, but very humble, man helped ease my moment of red-faced chagrin. Ever since I have looked for moments when I might do something similar for someone else in their time of need.

"Whosoever humbles himself shall be exalted" is an excerpt from Aging As An Art Form: Through the Eyes Of Residents of Wesley Palms by Wesley Palms resident Don McEvoy. The book contains 50 stories, experiences and life lessons either self-written or told to Don through interviews.

Don McEvoy is storyteller, former pastor and civil rights activist. Aging As An Art Form is available from Outskirts Press and Amazon.com. Proceeds from the book benefit the residents of Wesley Palms.

Love, Laugh, Pray

By Bea Rogers, resident at Wesley Palms Retirement Community


THOSE THREE WORDS are one of the signs I have posted on the door of my suite here at Wesley Palms. Laugh, Love and Pray. That pretty well sums up my philosophy of life.

The other sign on my door is a note to God, telling Him that I am ready, but in no hurry. I celebrated my 99th birthday last month, but am in no rush to move on quite yet.

I grew up out in the country in Orange County, California in an area that later became Disneyland. Those were the years of the Great Depression. We were poor, but never went hungry. The chickens in the coop outback and a garden provided our basic needs. We wore uniforms to school, so I never had to worry about whether my dresses were as good as those of the other girls.

My favorite teacher, the one who had the greatest influence on me, taught music. More importantly she taught Life. I had the role of Yum Yum in our school production of The Mikado, and leads in several other shows. She was such a meaningful person that for many years twelve of us, three boys and their wives and three girls and their husbands, held an annual reunion with her, until she died.

I always loved to sing. In church, in school, everywhere. In later life I have often wondered why women seem to lose their voices, but men never do. Just look at the choir in almost any church and you will see young women and old men. It just doesn't seem fair.

But I am not complaining. I don't do that. I never did. Well, maybe I did once. In high school I worked in the cafeteria during the lunch hour. I was paid 15 cents a day and had no lunch. That was my spending money. But the boys who washed the dishes were paid 25 cents and given a free lunch. That was not fair, and I took the matter to our supervisor. His answer was: "But you are a girl." I told him that girls get hungry, too, but he didn't budge. Maybe I was a pioneer in the women's movement and just didn't know it at the time

Later I became a very successful business woman. A friend and I, who worked together in a dress shop in San Diego's North Park area, decided to go out on our own and start our own shop. Older, wiser, and more experienced people told us we simply did not have sufficient resources to begin a business, that we would surely fail, and lose what little we did have. We chose to ignore that advice. We struggled for a while, but we persevered. At least, I did.

My business partner stayed as long as she could and then announced her intention to "marry money" and left it all to me. A change of location to a rapidly developing area of the city brought success.

One era, when women's skirts were extremely short, I struggled every Sunday to keep my knees covered at church. Capris solved that problem for me. I guessed, correctly, that other women were having the same problem. My shop began to specialize in Capris and capitalized on that fashion trend.

I was married to a wonderful man for nearly 70 years. On our wedding day my father poked a finger in my chest and said, "I give this marriage two weeks." Every anniversary thereafter my husband would tell me, "Honey, your two weeks are almost up."

When I was in high school I told my mother, "If you will give me my freedom, I promise I will never do anything to embarrass you." Later, as a mother, I tried to be the freedom-giving and trusting person I had asked her to be. Raising a daughter was easy, an absolute delight. A son? What did I know about boys? But it turned out well. He is a wonderful man. My only advice to parents is: Love them. Just love them.

I can honestly say that I have never disliked anyone. I have thought about this a lot recently when considering what I wanted to say today, and I can confidently repeat it. I never disliked anyone.

And, I don't know how anyone could make it without God.
Love, Laugh, Pray is an excerpt from Aging As An Art Form: Through the Eyes Of Residents of Wesley Palms by Wesley Palms resident Don McEvoy. The book contains 50 stories, experiences and life lessons either self-written or told to Don through interviews.

Don McEvoy is storyteller, former pastor and civil rights activist. Aging as an Art Form is available from Outskirts Press and Amazon.com. Proceeds from the book benefit the residents of Wesley Palms.

Music, Poetry and Health Foods Are the Secret

by Wilma Haines, resident at Wesley Palms Retirement Community


IF YOU WERE one of the forty-four members of my family, you could expect a poem I had written especially for you on your birthday, every year. These, along with other poems I have written, now fill two large notebooks. That would not be the only time you heard from me, either. Over the years I have mailed Wilma's Weekly to them and my journals fill 42 books. They are in cursive writing which is not taught now. I think it is important to keep in touch.

My husband, Roger, and I were married for 74 years until his death a year ago. He was an air conditioning engineer and we moved extensively for his work, all across the Midwest, the Southwest and California. We also found time to participate in 14 Elderhostel travel seminars. Those programs, now called Road Scholar, came after we had raised five children.

My life has been filled with music. I was a music major at Drake University in Des Moines, Iowa back in the 1930s. After graduation I taught pubic school music for

two years, then took a "leave of absence" to give full attention to motherhood. Except for teaching private piano lessons.

I also played the violin some, but when a new chamber music trio was being organized and needed a cellist I decided I could probably switch instruments with ease. It wasn't as smooth a transition as I thought it would be, but I became quite proficient with the cello. It became my major instrument. I played with orchestras in Albuquerque and elsewhere for many years.

I also sang, and only retired from the choir at the Presbyterian Church in Laguna Woods a couple of years ago, at age 97.

But it wasn't just music that kept me active and alive. I love to read, especially historical fiction. Roger and I used to play at least three games of Scrabble every day. And, I hosted a Bible Study group in my home for many years. One must keep busy.

Another serious hobby was the planning and cooking of nutritious meals. I attribute my longevity to my devotion to healthy foods. Good eating habits and keeping actively involved are the secret I am happy to share.

 Music, Poetry and Health Foods Are the Secret is an excerpt from Aging As An Art Form: Through the Eyes Of Residents of Wesley Palms by Wesley Palms resident Don McEvoy. The book contains 50 stories, experiences and life lessons either self-written or told to Don through interviews.

Don McEvoy is storyteller, former pastor and civil rights activist. Aging as an Art Form is available from Outskirts Press and Amazon.com. Proceeds from the book benefit the residents of Wesley Palms.

Summer House residential memory care communities introduce PARO robot therapy

Front Porch Center for Innovation and Wellbeing Releases Results of Largest  

Effective Use Study of PARO to Date

Glendale, Calif. March 23, 2016 – Front Porch today announced results of a six-month use study of the therapeutic, socially assistive pet robot PARO (www.parorobots.com) with

residents at Summer House memory care neighborhoods within seven Front Porch retirement communities in California. The study demonstrates the efficacy of PARO and its benefits to residents. PARO, a therapy robot created in the likeness of a baby harp seal, was invented by Japanese engineer at AIST and MIT AgeLab research fellow Dr. Takanori Shibata after years of research. Socially assistive robotics is a growing area for geriatric research, including dementia and memory care.

“Front Porch has been using PARO very effectively at their Summer House memory care neighborhoods,” Shibata said. “Front Porch Center for Innovation and Wellbeing documented 920 instances of PARO intervention and the resulting therapeutic effects on older adults with dementia. This is the largest quantitative evaluation of PARO so far and the outcomes show the benefits of PARO for improving the behavioral and psychological symptoms of dementia and reducing the usage of psychotropic medications.”



The study data demonstrated positive impact among the residents; specifically, PARO:

• Produced calming effects for residents, in 46% of wandering and 60% of anxious behaviors

• Helped increase social behavior by 97% among isolated adults 

• Helped 153 out of 193 residents (79%) stay alert from initially sleepy behavior, resulting in improved moods, socialization, and appetite

• Was used to avoid psychotropic medications in 61% of cases when medications were considered 

“We continue to be astounded by the impact on mood, social interaction and communication,” said Davis Park, director of the Front Porch Center for Innovation and Wellbeing (FPCIW) who led the six-month study at Summer House memory care neighborhoods at seven Front Porch retirement communities in California: Claremont Manor in Claremont, Fredericka Manor in Chula Vista, Sunny View in Cupertino, Vista del Monte in Santa Barbara, Villa Gardens in Pasadena, Walnut Village in Anaheim and Wesley Palms in San Diego. During the six-month study period, the FPCIW organized training sessions for caregivers and therapists to understand and utilize PARO. Staff used tracking surveys for every resident and corresponding intervention, and, as a result, collected 920 tracking surveys.


"Front Porch is exploring creative solutions to address needs for which we currently don’t have an easy solution: agitation in the middle of the night, sundowning, engaging withdrawn or isolated residents," said Kari Olson, Chief Innovation and Technology Officer, Front Porch and President, Front Porch Center for Innovation and Wellbeing. “PARO is one example of our continuing efforts to work with thought leaders and implement various modalities to bring greater wellness and quality of life to our residents based on leading edge innovations in the areas of adaptive technology, music therapy, telehealth and more.”



About PARO

PARO is a therapeutic, socially assistive pet-type robot with an appearance of a baby harp seal, as people are generally interested in interacting with robots modeled after non-familiar animals. Equipped with different kinds of sensors, including tactile, light, audition, temperature, and posture, it can respond to different stimulations given by the users, or recognize the direction of voice from them. PARO was designed by Dr. Takanori Shibata, and has been used with positive and promising results since 2003 in many countries including Japan, Denmark, Canada, Italy, and the United States. PARO is certified as a type of neurological therapeutic device by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in the United States and includes a caregiver’s manual for robot therapy to achieve effective therapy.



About Front Porch

Front Porch is a not-for-profit ‘human serving’ organization based in Glendale, California, that serves individuals and families through full-service retirement, active adult communities, affordable housing communities and related management and development services. Front Porch retirement and active adult communities offer options ranging from independent living to skilled care, including assisted living and memory care. Founded in 1999, Front Porch embraces a leading-edge approach to enhance wellbeing with innovative communities and programs that meet the changing needs of people as they age. Front Porch serves more than 2,000 people in 10 full-service retirement communities in California and two adult living communities: one in Louisiana and one in Florida. Summer House memory care neighborhoods are located in seven Front Porch retirement communities in California.



The Front Porch Center for Innovation and Wellbeing is part of Front Porch, and strives to harness technology solutions that support and enhance wellbeing in older adults. Core initiatives focus on how technology can: assist in maintaining brain health; enhance social connectedness; promote engagement and growth; empower control over health and wellness; prevent emergencies or serious events; and increase resources and support for formal and informal caregivers. It is the winner of the Bronze Award for the Dignity category in the 2015 McKnight’s Technology Awards and the Aging 2.0 Pilot Pioneers 2015 Innovation Award. More information can be found at www.fpciw.org.

A Technophobe's Onetime Enemy Becomes a Long-Distance Lifeline

When your son moves halfway around the world, it's not 'who ya gonna call,' but how?

By Suzanne Gerber for Next Avenue

Credit: Monkey Business | Thinkstock

I’ve always had a love-hate relationship with technology. When I got my first answering machine back in the '80s, it was with a mix of excitement (never missing another call!) and dread (but what if no one called?). I make no pretense of being an early adopter, but I pride myself in believing that I eventually do catch up. (Although my son will cringingly tell you that I still sometimes call my iPod a Walkman.)

Our kids are great at forcing us to keep up with the times. Years ago my son taught me the difference between ripping, burning, downloading and importing (and for a while there, I even remembered). He kept me current with cool websites (he was the first to turn me on to, for instance, Stumbleupon, Fark and Catsinsinks) and always had me upgrade software and do smart things like defark my computer.

Years ago he made me switch from my comfortable Internet Explorer browser to Firefox (which I kept calling Foxfire, partly to piss him off and partly because I’m partly dyslexic). He was about to trash my old Explorer desktop icon when I insisted he keep it there “just in case.” He did — and labeled it “I/E: USE FIREFOX.”

When he went away to college, I knew I was in for trouble, and had him leave me the same detailed instructions for watching videos that we’d leave for foreign guests, who were clueless about our systems, and his grandparents. I’m embarrassed to admit that more than once I still had to call him for further explanation.

A typical helpful exchange would go something like this. Me: “Rory, which machine should I play the DVD in and what do I set the TV to?” Him: “MOM! It’s 10 p.m. on a Friday night and I’m at COLLEGE. What’s wrong with this picture?” Me: “There’s nothing wrong with the picture, honey, I just can’t switch the TV to Video.” CLICK.

Oh, eventually I’d figure it out. He’s always been a great teacher that way, giving me the confidence to muddle my way through. Last summer he put those teaching skills to good use — and in the process unintentionally forced my biggest tech upgrade ever. He moved to Korea to teach English.

Korea is 6,885 miles (or 11,080 kilometers) away, the farthest apart we’ve ever been for more than a few weeks. It’s also 13 or 14 hours ahead (they don’t do daylight savings), and therein lies my greatest challenge of all.

At first he wrote long, delicious emails, describing everything he’d seen, done and, especially, eaten. (That part was less delicious: I’m a squeamish vegetarian, and he’s an omnivore without a hint of a dilemma.) He’d pen these riotously funny letters about cultural exchanges and miscommunications, the bulk of which seemed to have been found emblazoned on cute girls’ T-shirts (e.g., "Mono.B Nice To Me!"; "General Educate!").

And then the emails stopped.

When I used to travel regularly, I made a point of avoiding that dreaded yet ubiquitous outcropping of modern life, the Internet café, populated, as they always were, by colorful young people in headsets, yammering away in a Babel of cacophony. You might not be able to drink the water in a town or get electricity on demand in your “hotel,” but by gum, you could always get online in some Internet café. No matter how much I missed people back home, I was determined to never become one of those … Skypers. It felt a noisy and impersonal way to connect with a loved one.

But now that my son is 6,885 miles and 13 hours away, I’ve learned all the nuances of Skype (and gchat). For starters, I always know what time it is in Korea (5:04 am, thank you, though right now, all bets are off: He’s a Rangers fan — and if you don't know what that implies, it's not worth trying to explain). I always keep half an eye on my gchat list, waiting for his name to pop up. Skype stays open — with its constant annoying dings — in hopes of a cameo appearance.

The thing I loved to hate has become my parental lifeline. I’m also not ashamed to admit I own a Skype-compatible headset and actually have used it in … Internet cafés. Anything to talk to my boy.

I can’t begin to guess what new gizmos or apps are in the works that will make reaching out and connecting easier or quicker (or offer better quality). But if anyone in some high-tech R+D department is reading this and taking requests, could I make one? Can you invent a device that would let us hug?

© Twin Cities Public Television - 2016. All rights reserved.



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Protect Yourself from Health Care Scams

The Piers Project, an internet safety awareness campaign of the Center for Innovation and Wellbeing, offers helpful tips on how to stay safe online.

The Internet offers an abundance of health information resources that help consumers make more informed choices—it provides us with access to researching health conditions, medications, health services, and the ability to sign up for health plans. However, as it’s the case with many open marketplaces, it’s also important to know how to spot healthcare fraud.

Health care scams come in different forms, such as falsely presented television ads, phone calls, e-mails, or other schemes that claim the need for additional healthcare identification cards due to newly established laws. Questionable service vendors may also lure consumers through the promise of significant discounts on health insurance costs. Other types of scammers may impersonate government officials, requesting Medicare identification numbers from older adults to send updated beneficiary cards. It’s important to always remain cautious and knowledgeable of current events, as scammers often plan to execute their attacks when Medicare and other national health programs undergo changes that are widely discussed throughout the media.

Here are some tips we would like to pass on to you:

- Research to confirm if statements made are actually correct. Prior to sharing your private information, contact Medicare (1-800-MEDICARE) to confirm the mentioned changes or requests. Share what you know or have learned with your friends and relatives.

- If you are looking for medical discount plans, keep in mind that they are not a substitute for health insurance. Medical discount plans typically offer coverage for services your insurance would not reimburse. Research further to validate licensure regarding the plan.

• To research the most recent health plans and associated costs, visit: https://www.healthcare.gov/apply-and-enroll/health-insurance-plans-estimator-overview/
• To find assistance when shopping for health insurance, visit: https://www.healthcare.gov/apply-and-enroll/get-help-applying/

- Exercise caution when you are shopping for products or services that specifically target older adults such as: health insurance packages, beauty or “anti-aging” products, medications and dietary/vitamin supplements, fitness equipment, medical treatments, therapies, or surgeries.


To learn more about health scams, please be sure to visit The Federal Trade Commission: https://www.consumer.ftc.gov/articles/0394-suspect-health-care-scam


The Piers Project is funded by a gift from the family estate of Ellie Piers to benefit the Front Porch Center for Innovation and Wellbeing’s (CIW’s) ongoing mission of using technology to enhance wellbeing among older adults. Piers lived at Carlsbad by the Sea, a Front Porch retirement community in Carlsbad, CA. Her contribution allows the CIW to address Cyber Security through education, training, and the use of technologies that promote Internet safety, especially in the Greater San Diego Area.

8 Secrets of People Who Exercise Regularly

By Linda Melone, CSCS for Next Avenue

Credit: Thinkstock

I began working out 35 years ago, at the tender age of 21, and have never stopped. During that time, I’ve seen leg warmers come and (thankfully) go; tried Pilates, cycling and yoga and worked as a personal trainer for 15 of those years.

I don’t recall taking more than a week off at any given time. Exercise has simply become something I do, as much as showering and brushing my teeth. I don’t think about it, I just do it.

But when I began training clients in 1995, I quickly noticed a trend: Most people quit exercising within months of starting. They’d lose their motivation for one reason or another and it was over. The American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) backs up my observation: 25 to 35 percent of adult exercisers stop working out within two to five months of starting.

So I asked several top trainers and other people who exercise regularly how they’ve kept going through the years and what advice they could offer others. Here are our tips, starting with my personal favorite. I hope they’ll help you stick to your workouts for years to come.

1. Get exercise done first

By that I mean: exercise first thing in the morning. My early morning clients were always the most consistent and dedicated. You’ll have too many excuses to skip working out by the end of the day and you’ll likely be fatigued by then. At 6 a.m., the phone isn’t ringing yet.

2. See the glass as half full
Take the focus off what you lose by exercising (like maybe your couch potato time) and look at all the things you gain, says Tom Holland, Ironman triathlete and author of Beat the Gym. “You can get discouraged by setting unrealistic expectations, such as quick weight-loss goals, for example. But mood boost, gaining functional strength [the type that enables you to perform everyday tasks with ease] and easing pain [studies show that exercises help ease joint pain] can be great motivators.”

3. Make do with the time you have

Don’t wait to have a free hour. “Short workouts and staying active throughout the day count towards calorie burning,” says Holland. “Truly fit people move around all day long. I’ll do a set of push-ups or squats during the day when I get a minute. It all adds up.” Calorie-burning known as NEAT (Non-Exercise Activity Thermogenesis) refers to calories you burn doing small activities during the day. Fidgeting, getting up and down for water or to use the bathroom all count towards weight maintenance.

4. Get out

“I think it’s important to get out of the house,” says Richard Moore, 57, a 40+ year veteran of weight training and gym member, and president of Coldwell Banker Platinum Properties, Irvine, Calif. “I have equipment at home, but find it hard to get motivated.”

Moore hits the gym at 5 a.m. most days and does a 35-mile bike ride with a friend Sunday mornings. “It’s a bit of an obsession. I can’t imagine myself not doing lifting weights,” Moore adds.

His best tip? Take out your workout clothes the night before so you don’t have to think about what to wear when you get up. It could be the difference between working out and going back to bed.

5. Imagine the future

Picture yourself years from now, says Mark Nutting, 58, co-owner of Jiva Fitness, Easton, Pa. “When you reach 50 years old, you potentially have another 50 in front of you. Ask yourself: What are those years going to look like? Will they be filled with new activities that challenge you and keep you engaged in life or will they be years of disability, walkers and caretakers?” If you envision the former, you’ll be sure to keep up your fitness. Adds Nutting: “Ask yourself, ‘What would happen if I stopped?'”

6. Keep up appearances

Both Moore and Nutting admit that vanity also keeps them going. “You not only look better, but working out increases your self-confidence and makes you feel better about yourself,” says Moore. Nutting agrees: “It’s our pride in ourselves. Vanity is not a bad thing. I own it.”

7. Cut yourself slack

Mix in easier workouts along with tough ones. “I used to hate running,” admits Alison Heiling, fitness and motivation coach for AcaciaTv. “But I’ve been doing it regularly for nearly 10 years now.” Her secret: “I always have at least one workout each week at an effort, intensity and duration I enjoy. Pushing hard for progress is great, but who cares if you’re feeling overworked all the time?” It’s about balance.

8. Expect your motivations to shift over time

“As someone in her 50s, I can tell you that my inspiration has changed over the years,” says Lisa Wheeler, star of the Weight Watchers: 7 Day Tone & Burn DVD. “I adapt to what excites me now. As long as I am staying physical, paying attention to my mobility and stability and finding the joy of movement, I am good to go!”

Whatever brings you joy and helps you build community with your fellow exercisers is what will keep you coming back, she adds.

In the end, exercise is a matter of finding pleasure either within the activity itself or realizing the benefits to your body and mind. The best way to avoid starting over? Don’t ever stop.



© Twin Cities Public Television - 2016. All rights reserved.


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