Message from Patricia ...  

How to Check For Home Safety Hazards   

No matter how old you are, there's no place more important to keep safe than your home. Last year, more than one million people 65 years and older were treated in hospital emergency rooms for injuries associated with products in the home. Frequently, accidents occur because of lack of maintenance. As you get older, so do the things around you. And just like you go in for regular check-ups, you need to give your home a safety check-up, too.

Take a walk through your home, and use the following checklist to spot possible safety hazards. If you spot a potential problem, take the appropriate action to fix it immediately.  

• Kitchen - Make sure all your appliances bear the UL Mark. Check all electrical cords for fraying or cracking; step stools for splitting or cracking materials; and throw rugs for tripping hazards like bumps and turned-up corners.
• Living room - Check all rugs and runners; electrical cords; lamps and other lighting; inspect the fireplace and chimney for fire hazards; and make sure all passageways are clear.
• Bathroom - Make sure all small appliances bear the UL Mark. Check bathtub and shower, rugs and mats for slipping hazards; the water for possible burn hazard; and cabinets for safe storage of medications.
• Bedrooms - Check rugs and runners; electrical and telephone cords; and make sure the area around the bed is clear of items that could cause tripping.
• Basement/garage/workshop - Make sure all power tools bear the UL Mark. Check fuse and breaker boxes for possible malfunction and shock and fire hazards; cords on tools and extension cords; and lawn and garden tools and supplies. Check for proper ventilation and make sure flammable liquids are stored properly.
• Stairs - Check for proper lighting on and around stairways; handrails and steps for possible defects or weaknesses; and stair coverings for possible tripping hazards.

History of Father's Day

Father's Day, in the United States, is a holiday (third Sunday in June) to honor fathers. Credit for originating the holiday is generally given to Sonora Smart Dodd of Spokane, Washington, whose father, a Civil War veteran, raised her and her five siblings after their mother died in childbirth.

She is said to have had the idea in 1909 while listening to a sermon on Mother's Day, which at the time was becoming established as a holiday. Local religious leaders supported the idea, and the first Father's Day was celebrated on June 19, 1910, the month of the birthday of Dodd's father.

In 1924 President Calvin Coolidge gave his support to the observance, and in 1966 President Lyndon B. Johnson officially proclaimed it a national holiday. Observance on the third Sunday of June was decreed by law in 1972.

This year Father's Day will be celebrated on June 19. Not sure what to get dad this year? Relax, we've put together a list of great gifts ideas.

Gifts for dad:

• Membership in Aging with Grace 
• MedReady Pill Dispenser 
• Medical Alert System 
• Aging with Grace Personal Health Record, powered by miCARD 

Wear Blue During Men's Health Week

There is an ongoing, increasing and predominantly silent crisis in the health and well-being of men. Due to a lack of awareness, poor health education, and culturally induced behavior patterns in their work and personal lives, men's health and well-being are deteriorating steadily.

• On average, men live 5 years less than women
• 1 in 2 men and 1 in 3 women will develop cancer in their lifetime
• 1 in 6 men will get prostate cancer and approximately 28,000 men will die from the disease this year
• Men die at higher rates from 9 of the top 10 causes

Show the men in your life that you care by wearing blue during Men's Health Week, June 13 -19. Join the Wear Blue Campaign to end the silence and remind the men in your life of the importance of getting and staying healthy.

How to Select a Medicare Supplement Plan 

Understanding your needs and choices for selecting the right Medicare Supplement Insurance Plan can be overwhelming. To help you with this significant event, Aging with Grace is pleased to announce that we have partnered with Medicare MarketPlace®.  

Medicare MarketPlace® offers you a unique multi-carrier and multi-state platform; combined with their licensed and certified agents, they give you one-on-one attention, taking the time to explain your options and help you understand and select the right Medicare Supplement, Medicare Advantage, or Prescription Part D Plan.

Click here to learn more information about Medicare MarketPlace® or call 800-326-1298 to speak with a licensed representative.

Energize your Aging! with Dr. Wayne Phillips  

Dr. Wayne Phillips, Ph.D. FACSM, Intrinsic Coach

The Lifestyle Habits of
Successful Aging: Get Lean!  

For the past several months I have been writing about the concept of "Successful Aging," beginning with a brief overview of 9 "Habits of Successful Aging." My subsequent columns have described and explained these habits in greater detail and suggested some avenues and options to more successfully include them in your lifestyle. This month's habit for discussion is "Get Lean."   

"Eat food, not too much, mainly plants" I am not a food scientist or a certified nutritionist (nor do I play one on TV), so my take on eating is very non-scientific - although still evidence-based. Resolving these two apparent contradictions involves looking at 'the science' and coming up with a consensus of easily understood approaches to shopping and preparing food (The eating takes care of itself!). Even this approach, however, can be complicated by the unimaginably vast amount of information out there on 'diet' or the more politically correct 'weight management' (both of which really amount to 'losing weight' for most people). To avoid this bottomless pitfall I am going to base this column on two major but straightforward sources of information, both of which are founded on unimpeachable evidence.  

Read more... 

Wayne T. Phillips, PhD, FACSM, Intrinsic Coach®, is an internationally recognized author, consultant and speaker in the field of active aging, strength and health-related behavior change. A member of the Aging with Grace Expert Panel, Dr. Phillips is co-founder and chair of The STRIVE Wellness Corporation, a company whose mission is to improve the functional independence, health and quality of life of older adults. For more information about STRIVE visit www.strivealive.com. For more information about Dr. Phillips' work and research visit www.drwaynephillips.com. Have a question on this article, or a wellness topic you would like Dr. Phillips to write about in the column? Email him.