Continuing our series on interviews, today we present to you our interview with Rachel Clark. Rachel Clark is a Certified Holistic Health Counselor and practices in the New York City under the business name RenewForANewYou. She is trained in both eastern and western nutrition and various diet theories. We are proud to also let you know that Rachel has been a very active Boomer411 trustee, (by the user name RenewForANewYou) recommending great resources/articles on Boomer411.com that you have come to rely on. So we want to take this opportunity to present to you our interview with Rachel, so that you can get to know her better…

Boomer411: What is a Health counselor?

RC: As a Health Counselor, I am your personal advocate for living an energized and passionate life. Whatever your concerns are, my job is to help you find which food and lifestyle choices will work best for you and the life you desire. WHEN DIET CHANGES, EVERYTHING CHANGES.

A true holistic approach to life incorporates things that nourish you other than food, including honest and open relationships, a meaningful spiritual practice, a career that inspires you, and physical activity that you enjoy. I work with clients to help them find long lasting balance in both diet and lifestyle.

Boomer411: Why diets don’t work, but Health Counseling does?

RC: Our culture touts diet pills, celebrity workouts, convenience foods, and trendy diets to help us achieve our desired weight, but these quick fix solutions have backfired. America’s populace has reached its highest weight in history. About half of Americans are overweight; one third obese. Diets steer us away from our common sense and dip deeply into our pocketbooks while eliciting few, if any, lasting results. Diets don’t work because each person is unique, with different needs based on gender, age, ancestry and lifestyle; how could one diet be right for everyone?

Health counseling programs are designed to radically improve your life, resolve concerns specific to you and your body, help you look and feel younger, and to provide you with tools for a lifetime of balance and wellness. With the help of a Health Counselor, you can feed yourself wisely, purposefully and be completely nourished. Working with your body rather than against it will bring about increased energy, stabilized weight and sustainable health.

Boomer411: Why should I invest in my health during these tough economic times?

RC: We are being bombarded every day with stress and worry wondering what will happen to our futures, our money, and our investments. Constant stress will cause physical and emotional deterioration. Start to take personal control today. During times like these, the most important thing you can choose to invest in is you. You have control over one thing. What you do, and what you eat. Your health and wellness is the one thing you CAN CONTROL. Get ready-to-use, day-to-day guidance on how to eat and live better in these turbulent times.

Boomer411: How can I control my snacking and cravings?

RC: The important thing is to understand why you crave what you crave; to deconstruct your craving. Perhaps your diet is too restrictive or devoid of essential nutrients. Perhaps you are living a lifestyle that is too boring or stressful. Your body tries to correct the imbalance by sending you a message: a craving. A craving for something sweet could mean you need more protein, more exercise, more water, or more love in your life. The key to stopping the sugar craving is to understand and deliver what your body really needs.

Foods like refined sugar and processed foods can throw your body off balance and leave you with strong cravings. A diet rich in whole foods will help your body remain in balance and provide you with a healthier and happier life.

Boomer411: How can one slow down the aging process?

RC: What you put in your body, can not only help to maintain a healthy weight, but can slow down the aging process and even reverse the damage that has already been done. Nutrition is the real fountain of youth. The general guidelines for looking and feeling younger include keeping your calorie intake down, limiting the number of saturated fats you eat, eating whole grains, fruits, vegetables and lean protein (especially fish) and lowering your salt and sugar intake. Make sure to include some anti-aging super foods like beans, berries, nuts and whole grains.

Boomer411: Why should I eat organic?

RC: When we eat, food goes into our mouth, into our stomach and as it gets digested, our blood absorbs it; and our blood is what creates our cells, our tissues, our organs and some even believe OUR THOUGHTS. So what you eat can not only affect how you feel physically; but it can also affect your thoughts, behavior and even feelings. Originally, all food was organic; grown and prepared without pesticides, herbicides, chemical fertilizers, hormones, or irradiation. Much of our food today, be it meat or vegetable is not only grown in nutrient deficient soil, therefore providing us less nutrients, but also contains many pollutants, farming chemicals, hormones and antibiotics. Buying organic meat, dairy, fruits and veggies assures you that you are keeping chemicals off your plate, giving your body more nourishment, saving energy, supporting local farmers and eating more ethically.

Boomer411: Are there simple ways for me to control my portion sizes?

RC: We are a society being weighed down (literally) by the bigger is better motto. Bigger portions mean we typically eat 30-50% more than we would have with smaller portions, hungry or not. In the last 2 decades, portion size has dramatically increased. Here are a few suggestions to help you start downsizing today.

• At the beginning of a meal out, ask for a to-go box and pack up half your meal for lunch tomorrow. Not only will you save yourself from being super full tonight, but also you’ll be really happy not having to think about what is for lunch tomorrow.
• I am a big fan of the cook once; eat 2-3 times idea, just not all in one sitting. When eating in and cooking extra, be sure to dole out 1 or 2 extra portions into Tupperware and put them in the fridge before you even sit to eat. You may not be so inclined to reach for a second serving then.
• Try not to snack straight from the container or package and certainly not standing over the kitchen sink. Putting a snack portion into a small bowl or on a plate will help you eat less; taking the time to sit and eat helps the body register that it is being fed and avoids mindless eating.
• Want to know just how out of proportion your portion sizes are? Measure out a serving of pasta or rice, typically a ½ cup cooked, or look at the size of your lean protein at dinner tonight, which should be the size of a deck of cards. What size do you see? Start to look at labels to get a better idea of what exactly a portion size should look like.

And remember, when it comes to food and size of our backsides, bigger is not always better.

To learn more about Rachel…

Visit her website packed with lots of good information

         OR

Find her on FaceBook

You can also check her recent webcast interview by New York Mother

Popularity: 19% [?]

By Rita R. Robison, Consumer Specialist, Blogging at The Survive and Thrive Boomer Guide

The technology is being used now. Sensors attached to older people’s medicine cabinets, beds, and toilets and room sensors to monitor whether they’re moving around in their assisted living facilities. The information is available to family members and caregivers to determine whether the older person needs assistance.

How technology can help baby boomers will be the topic of discussion at the Silvers Summit from 8 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. on Saturday Jan. 10 in Las Vegas as part of the 2009 International Computer Electronics Show.

The summit will display a variety of technologies for boomer as they use digital devices for texting their kids in college, caring for elderly parents, traveling, or reinventing their careers in a home office. About a dozen speakers will offer the latest information on technological advances for boomer consumers.

One of the presenters at the summit, Majd Alwan, Ph.D., director, Center for Aging Services Technologies, agreed to answer the following questions about technology and aging:

Rita: What do you see as the biggest need for baby boomers as they grow older?

Majd: The ability to remain independent, safe, socially engaged, and connected, and the ability to manage chronic conditions.

Rita: What does your organization offer to help boomers age in place?

Majd: The Center for Aging Services Technologies advocates a vision for independent living with the support of a caregiver network that includes the family (informal caregiver), the primary care provider, and aging services connected and empowered with technology and information.

We raise awareness to available solutions, conduct research to identify barriers, and advocate to remove such barriers. We encourage technology companies to partner with providers to design needs-driven solutions with the intended target users. We also help providers objectively evaluate technology, adopt best practices, and share the lessons learned with other providers.

Rita: What technology do you see working today to help older people and how will it be able to assist boomers in the years ahead? How expensive is this technology now? Will it become more affordable in coming years?

Majd: That’s a big question. Please see the state of technology report. Some technologies are quite affordable even today (personal emergency response systems at $35 a month and behavioral monitoring systems at $99 plus $60 a month). With mass production and sales, prices will come down.

See the Silvers Summit Web site for further information on presenters at the summit.

Popularity: 26% [?]

Continuing our series on interviews, today we are presenting our interview with Susan Levine. Susan Levine is the founder of 50somethinginfo.com, a new and coming site for Baby Boomers that is supposed to be a one stop source of pre-screened information. With a recent surge of businesses hoping to tap this under-served market without much knowledge of the needs/wants of the actual audience they hope to serve, Susan claims to solve the problem meaningfully. She says that her site, launched recently, is designed to deliver reliable 50something information and resources that are not just age-relevant-but more importantly, lifestyle relevant. If you are curious to find out more about Susan and what she has to offer, be sure to checkout her blog here that she has had for a good while now. We at Boomer411 congratulate her on the upcoming launch of her site.

Also, we would like to let you know that Susan has been a very active Boomer411 Trustee, under the user name Ms50SomethingInfo. You can gain instant access to all of her recommendations on Boomer411 here.

So without further ado, here is our interview with Susan Levine…

Boomer411:Tell us about the origins of 50somethinginfo.com.

SL: I was hearing from so many people in my life that the Internet was difficult to navigate. How do you find what you’re looking for? And if you do stumble upon something of interest, how do you know it’s from a good, trustworthy source?

They were having a hard time separating fact from fiction and also complained about the amount of time it took them to sift through all the information out there.

As a trained information professional, I was able to help friends and family members get information on the Internet. And that’s when I had the idea to create a website to help everyone who didn’t grow up with computers and the Internet, but still wanted to use them to enhance their lives.

Boomer411: What makes 50somethinginfo.com different from other search engines?

SL: 50somethinginfo is a human-powered search engine dedicated to delivering the best of the net to adults (both men and women) 50 years old and better.

We are committed to providing a trustworthy, reliable, easy-to-use resource to serve the needs and wants of the 50something audience.

My friends were telling me about their experiences with traditional mainstream search engines. In addition to being directed to cluttered websites and a deluge of advertising, many sites were difficult to read and understand. I even know people who’ve come across medical misinformation – which can be deadly in some cases! 

All the information on 50somethinginfo.com has been sorted and culled by me – a real-life reliable librarian – and my expert team.

Boomer411: What are the benefits of 50somethinginfo.com for users?

SL: Our unique boomer search engine empowers users to find EXACTLY the specific information they need with the goal of shortening their time online. We wanted to create an online destination with concise and dependable information that people could navigate in a jiffy – so they could get on with living their lives!

Our goal is to deliver the best of the net to adults 50 years old and better by assuring our users of an online experience they will trust and enjoy.

Boomer411: How did you make the transition from being a librarian to a boomer web entrepreneur?

SL: I have always loved information and the process of managing, classifying and disseminating it. I have a Masters of Library Science degree from UCLA, and as a librarian I have helped guide patrons through comprehensive volumes of information so they could locate the exact resources they needed. I would also help them extract and organize everything into something tailored to serve their specific information needs. 

What I do now on 50somethinginfo.com is very similar. My friends even call me the “Information Tamer” because I enjoy organizing and sifting through resources so much. Now I extract useful information on the web and deliver it to users in a condensed and easily digestible format! My life as an Information Tamer – both online and offline – is extremely rewarding.

Boomer411: How do you see 50somethinginfo.com serving the needs of its users?

SL: Our site is unique because it applies a 50something lens to every search query – bringing boomers and seniors the best of the net.

One thing I wanted to do was embrace an audience that may have at one time been alienated by the web. So our site is designed to be clean and simple for effortless navigation so visitors can search less, save time, and find more.

We want the experience to be enjoyable, informative and reliable for those interested in using the web to make the most of their lives (online and offline). Our site is geared toward enhancing all aspects of the 50something lifestyle by helping them find the information they need as it relates to retirement, medical, entertainment, eldercare, food, travel, and beyond!

Boomer411: What can our readers expect next?

SL: In addition to being a trustee for Boomer411, I am also very proud of my Boomer blog  http://50somethinginfo.blogspot.com/, which is another great source of useful sites and information. We will be launching the 50somethinginfo.com web site around the holidays and will be welcoming any comments or suggestions from our valued users. You can sign up now for our e-mail newsletter at www.50somethinginfo.com or send your thoughts and feedback to susan@50somethinginfo.com

Additional Resources:

Susan’s profile page on Boomer411.com

Susan’s recommendations on Boomer411.com

Susan’s Blog

Susan’s website for Boomers

Susan’s profile page on blogger.com

Popularity: 18% [?]

Last Monday we published part 1 of our interview with Jill Gilbert. Jill Gilbert is the founder and CEO of Gilbert Guide. Gilbert Guide is the leading resource on the topic of elder care or senior care. It educates, entertains and provides listings of service providers in your local area for senior care. We would also like to highlight that GilbertGuide is a Boomer411 Trustee and you can find their recommended articles here. This interview is being presented in two parts. Part 1 of this interview can be accessed here. Today we present the second and concluding part of this interview…

Boomer411: What motivated you to start GilbertGuide? How long has it been?

JG: Well, to make a long story short, I was motivated by another idea first. I began my career working in the film industry and decided it was time for a change. My parents run a cancer center in Lodi, CA, where my dad is a radiation oncologist. Their patients received excellent treatment, but they were at a loss when it came to accessing all the other, supplemental information they needed. We originally discussed building a cancer resource center to complement their practice, but when I started looking for resource books and couldn’t find anything that encompassed every category, the idea began to change. One thing you should understand is that I came from a really different background-for one thing, the film industry has amazing resource books. And for another, I didn’t know anything about senior care, and the books that I did find didn’t answer my questions. It was 2003. That’s basically when Gilbert Guide began, and almost a year later, my brother Jason joined the team, really making it a family company. Gilbert Guide started out publishing geo-centric guidebooks with comprehensive reviews of every senior care provider in the area. Before then, I’d never set foot inside a nursing home. But I learned from the ground up and surrounded myself with experts. I wouldn’t have done it any other way. It gave me a unique perspective. And since then, of course, Gilbert Guide has expanded its offerings greatly.

Boomer411: You have an impressive team that produces interesting, informative articles on a variety of topics. Can you tell our readers more about your panel of experts and the topics covered by GilbertGuide?

JG: We have a wonderful, articulate bunch of experts who write their own columns on GilbertGuide.com. The authors and the topics they write on are wide-ranging. We have an incontinence specialist, a cancer doctor who is a practicing radiation oncologist, a pharmacologist, a naturopath, a dentist whose practice focuses on geriatric dentistry, a nutritionist, two geriatric care managers, a senior move manager, a long-term care insurance specialist, a financial planner who works exclusively with the elderly, hospice experts and more. In addition to our columnists, we have select experts who contribute original articles to other areas of the site. Also, we have many readers who leave insightful questions and comments to the authors at the end of their articles, which often starts an in-depth conversation between the author and other readers, so it’s really quite an incredible collaboration. It’s very community-oriented.

Boomer411: How do you come up with the topics?

JG: Oftentimes, the topics come from our readers. They’re very vocal in letting us know what they want to learn more about. A conversation that develops in a comment thread following a particular article might pose interesting questions that expose the need for developing that topic further. Sometimes people email us asking for coverage on a certain topic. We work very closely with our contributors to help guide the topics and answer our readers’ questions. All of our experts work in some professional capacity in the senior care world, so they propose topics as well, often writing on topics their patients and clients come to them for advice on. And of course, we’re a part of the senior care industry, so we report on current trends and issues in a more journalistic vein, to keep our readers abreast of those developments.

Boomer411: What criteria should one use when trying to determine what kind of care a loved one requires?

JG: I could go on for hours and still never completely answer this question! Let me explain. Every senior, every family, every facility-and every situation is different. That’s not to say that this question is unanswerable. Of course it is-but I’m going to point you to our Care Planner to answer it! The Care Planner provides each individual with a personalized care plan tailored to their unique situation, guiding them through the process step by step, and granting them access to our supportive “how-to” tool-kits.

Boomer411: What are some of the common pitfalls and mistakes that Boomers make in choosing a care provider and/or facility?

JG: You know, the biggest-and most common-mistake that I see is that people tend to get stuck in the present and they don’t troubleshoot the future. They think, “Oh, Mom’s healthy now, and Grandma died peacefully in her sleep, and never went to the doctor a day in her life” Or something like that. But the reality is: we are all living longer, and that presents complications. Many boomers are facing the challenge of caring for an aging parent, having them move in or choosing a facility for them, in addition to simultaneously caring for a spouse and children, and working and planning for their own retirement. The best move they can make is to plan for the future and try to avoid making uninformed choices. Many families that don’t plan ahead end up having to move a parent from one facility to the next as needs change. Doing so can be extremely costly and take a heavy toll, both emotionally and physically, on the senior and the entire family. It’s worth taking the time to consider all the factors and weigh your options instead of basing decisions on what’s relevant today.

Boomer411: What are your thoughts on the ‘aging in-place’ initiative being experimented around the country?

JG: Aging in-place is what most of us want for ourselves when the time comes. A lot of people don’t realize there’s such a thing as nonmedical homecare available. It means that you can get help for your mom or dad to help them remain at home for as long as possible, giving them access to the care they need without having to move them to a facility. Home care workers can help with all kinds of everyday activities, ranging from light housekeeping, to helping an elder eat, bathe, use the toilet and so on. They can even provide medication reminders. Some simple home modifications can go a long way to help, too. And the assistive technology that’s available today-well, it’s pretty amazing! Just wait until you see what’s coming in the near future.

Aging in place is also possible in a facility. For example, if a senior lives in an assisted living community, she could potentially remain there for the rest of her life, without having to move again, even if her health status changes. Of course, all of this depends on the contractual agreement that she has with the facility. But the idea is the same: the senior remains in the residence where he or she is comfortable, obtaining the necessary care as health needs increase.

Boomer411: What is your outlook for the future of retirement communities and long-term care facilities?

JG: There has been a huge growth in these types of communities and I think the industry is trying to figure itself out. There will always be a need for them. There’s a growing trend of communities specializing in particular interests, which I believe we’ll begin to see more and more of. For example, there are university-based retirement communities and Hollywood actor communities, and of course those which are backed by religious organizations. Lately there’s been a rise in the number of LGBT-oriented communities. But I think we will start to see more “special interest” communities forming. Those will really be the most successful-common interests make for much happier residents.

Boomer411: Any closing comments, insights you would like to share with our readers?  

JG: Gilbert Guide’s goal is to ease the process of searching for senior care. It’s a big world, and you can be sure that there will be questions and issues that creep up every step of the way. When that happens, Gilbert Guide will be there to lend support, advice and information.

This concludes our interview with Jill Gilbert, founder of Gilbert Guide. Please use the links below to learn more about GilbertGuide, what they have to offer and a listing of articles recommended by GilbertGuide. 

Resources:  

Gilbert Guide profile on Boomer411 

Gilbert Guide’s article recommendations on Boomer411 

Gilbert Guide Resources

Care Planner      

Find a Provider        

Senior Housing Solutions Center   

Alzheimer’s & Dementia Solutions Center  

Care at Home Solutions Center

Partner Marketplace        http://www.gilbertguide.com/preferred-partners/

Popularity: 35% [?]

Continuing our series on interviews with interesting people and providers, today we bring you our interview with Jill Gilbert. Jill Gilbert is the founder and CEO of Gilbert Guide. Gilbert Guide is the leading resource on the topic of elder care or senior care. It educates, entertains and provides listings of service providers in your local area for senior care. This interview is being presented in two parts. The first part of the interview is presented here for your information, education and enjoyment…

Boomer411: Tell me about Gilbert Guide and how you see it fulfilling a niche in the marketplace?
JG: Gilbert Guide is a “mecca” for Baby Boomers with aging parents. What I mean by that is we provide the most diverse wealth of information regarding senior care on the Web. Very simply, we guide people through the process of searching for senior care—answering hard questions, and tackling tough topics that you won’t see anywhere else. That’s where the “guide” in Gilbert Guide comes from.

GilbertGuide.com is supported by a virtual community of topic experts, senior care professionals and family caregivers. The idea is that by bringing all of these people together, the caregivers will become well-informed consumers, and the experts and professionals will learn from the people who require their services—to really understand, in great depth, what those needs are and how they evolve. In that way, Gilbert Guide is an agent of change for senior care world.

Boomer411: What services and products does Gilbert Guide offer? Briefly explain each
JG: A few of the many incredible services GilbertGuide.com offers are our Care Planner (I like to call it the “Action Plan”), Partner Marketplace and Provider Finder. The Care Planner is a great interactive tool that guides users through a series of questions and delivers a personalized action plan, expert recommendations, names of providers and contact information for them, and maps—all within minutes.

One of the services I’m most proud of is called “Find Senior Care” or “Provider Finder”. It is the most comprehensive, detailed national directory of senior care providers and senior service providers on the Web. It lists independent living, assisted living, nursing homes, continuing care retirement communities, home care providers (both nonmedical and medical), geriatric care managers, adult day services, hospice providers, and senior move managers. Basically, no matter where you live in the country, and no matter what your needs are, you will find what you need. One really cool feature is that anyone can review their experience with a particular provider—good, bad or just in between—so that others can make more informed decisions in the future. The best part is: every single service we offer is 100% free.

Boomer411: What’s new at Gilbert Guide?
JG: We recently expanded the site with the addition of three new Solutions Centers: Alzheimer’s & Dementia Care, Senior Housing and Care at Home. These centers  support readers through the entire process—for example, in the Senior Housing Solutions Center, you’ll learn about all of the housing options, beginning with independent living, continuing care and life care, assisted living and nursing homes. There’s detailed information, provided by the industry’s leading experts, on each of these subcategories as well as related topics like moving and downsizing. That’s actually a big issue—it’s tough downsizing after you’ve lived in your home for many years, accumulating more and more possessions. Readers come to Gilbert Guide for answers, and our Solutions Centers are where they find them. We take a very consumer-oriented approach in creating all of the content on our site. No matter what your level of knowledge, be it beginner, expert or something in between, Gilbert Guide’s job is to answer your questions.

Each center features multiple tool-kits with essential “how-to” information. In the Senior Housing Solutions Center, you’ve got access to an Assisted Living Evaluation & Moving Kit, in the Care at Home Solutions Center, you have How to Evaluate Home Care and How to Evaluate Home Health Care kits, and so on. We equip our readers with the best tools to get the solutions they need.

In the Alzheimer’s Care Solutions Center, users are guided through diagnosis and treatment, finding Alzheimer’s home care, finding care communities, and managing Alzheimer’s care. The topics encompass a broad range—for example, in terms of managing Alzheimer’s care, there are in-depth articles on: creating an Alzheimer’s friendly home (a step-by-step guide), dealing with combativeness, managing the behaviors associated with Sundowner’s Syndrome and much, much more. There’s a lot of information, but it’s all organized so that even first-time visitors to the site will have no problem finding what they need.

Boomer411: Do you have another outlet for communicating with your readers other than through your Web site?
JG: In April we launched our newsletter, Gilbert Guide Monthly to make sure our readers stay on top of what’s going on in the senior care world. It has been a huge success. I know a lot of people see senior care as boring and dry—so my biggest goal is to make sure everyone has a little fun with it! 

Boomer411: What can we expect next?
JG: We recently launched our version of Daily Candy (my personal newsletter staple—it gives me the skinny on new local restaurants and stores). It’s called The Weekly Insider. Here’s a sneak preview of what you can expect: “Get in-the-know advice and reviews on home modification tips and tools, senior gadgets, must-have services—and anything that’s new, helpful or just impressed the heck out us!”

Boomer411: What else makes Gilbert Guide unique?
JG: Our Partner Marketplace is a special part of the site where we link to the best senior-related products and services—but first, we do all the background research to make sure they’re reputable. Boomers are probably the busiest people on earth, so we’ve eliminated the time they would otherwise need to spend comparison shopping. When they click on the Partner Marketplace, they can feel good about making a solidly researched choice.

Boomer411: Who can benefit from your services? Where do they start?
JG: Baby Boomers who are searching for services for their parents OR who want to understand more about an aging parent’s condition OR who want to connect with other boomers and caregivers—these are the people who are on our site every day. Baby Boomers drive GilbertGuide.com. They tell us what they want to read about, what they want to educate themselves on, and we fill those needs. The starting point for most everyone is our Care Planner.

This concludes Part 1 of our interview with Jill Gilbert. Stay tuned for the second and concluding part of this interview to be published this Thursday…

Popularity: 30% [?]