Fifty Plus Advocate

Barry Scott with David Cassidy during his 1997 book-signing appearance for “Could It Be Forever? My Story” at downtown Boston’s Barnes & Noble By Ed Karvoski Jr., Culture Editor Boston – Radio deejay Barry Scott is committed to keeping more of the notable 1970s and ‘80s recording artists’ songs heard during an era of tight playlists. He coined the phrase “The Lost...

Dr. Jerry Gurwitz photo/Jane Keller Gordon By Jane Keller Gordon, Assistant Editor Geriatrician Dr. Jerry Gurwitz’s challenge is to help his older patients maximize their quality of life. Longevity is not the ultimate goal. “Successful aging is not defined by how long you live,” explained Gurwitz, 61. “It’s maintaining a functional and healthy lifespan that’s most important. A lot of people would trade...

Volunteers show off some of the produce they harvested from a local farm. photo/submitted By Valerie Franchi, Contributing Writer Most of us don’t think about what happens to surplus crops that are unharvested, but a Massachusetts nonprofit organization has made it its mission to ensure they are not wasted. Boston Area Gleaners, founded in 2004, coordinates with local farms to harvest and...

  By Jane Keller Gordon, Assistant Editor Southborough – Chris Robbins, 74, believes that military training creates a lifelong backbone of leadership and character. “We were trained in ways to optimize performance. I know that these skills carry over to business and government,” he said. “I can always tell when someone is military.” Robbins served in the U.S. Army for 21 years: three years...

Leslie Reichert on “The Dr. Oz Show” By Ed Karvoski Jr., Culture Editor Northbridge – Leslie Reichert of Northbridge often got sick in the 1990s when she owned a home cleaning service and used certain products. While her doctor diagnosed the frequent illnesses as possibly an immune deficiency, she stumbled upon a different solution. Green cleaning became her natural remedy. Now as the...

Team Hoyt and their supporters at the finish line of the 2014 Boston Marathon By Bonnie Adams, Managing Editor The words “heroes,” “legends” and “icons” are used so often now, they have almost become trite. But those words are truly ways to describe the father-son duo of Dick Hoyt and Rick Hoyt. For over 40 years, the two have inspired millions around...

By Alain Valles, CRMP, MBA, CSA, Managing Director Helping Hands Community Partners, Inc. “The winner is...” – YOU! I enjoyed watching the Academy Awards last month to see the surprised and happy faces of the film artists in the lesser known categories like best production design, costume design, or sound mixing – all the people behind the scenes who work so hard but...

By Micha Shalev, MHA CDP CDCM Deep breathing exercises just might save your sanity. The next time you feel angry, stressed or anxious, pay attention to your breathing. Chances are, when negative emotions run high, your breaths become short and shallow. In fact, I would bet that many of us rarely more than a couple deep breaths during an entire day, even when...

By Alice Bonner, Ph.D., RN, FAAN Secretary, Massachusetts Executive Office of Elder Affairs A top priority for the Executive Office of Elder Affairs (EOEA) is promoting the best possible quality of life for individuals living with dementia and their care partners. Dementia may be an unfamiliar term or one that is misunderstood. It describes a variety of changes in thinking, memory, and...

By Marianne Delorey My grandmother was a crafter and a collector. She hand-braided rugs, created beautiful decoupage, quilted, and probably had her hand in many, many other crafts. She also collected antiques. Her house was full of interesting knick-knacks – a spinning wheel, mahogany bedroom set, bookcases full of hair receivers, hat pins, and various and sundry other prizes. When she...