Selecting a nursing home

A recent entry in the New York Times blog “The New Old Age”" talks about the writer’s experience in selecting a nursing home for his aging mother. His number one tipoff of a good provider? The length of tenure of nurses aides. It’s a must read for those of us who may be facing this decision-making process in the near future. Check out the piece and give us your thoughts. Maybe we’ll do a feature about 5 things to look for when selecting a nursing home.

If you think you don’t like opera. Try Cosi Fan Tutte.

And if you do like opera, this one is sure to please. A delightfully clever Don Alfonso, an old philosopher and cynic is determined to prove to his two young friends, Guglielmo and Ferrando, that their fiancees, Fiordiligi and Dorabella, are not be trusted, just like any other woman. With a sleek set and superb staging, this romantic romp takes off and is hilarious. The comic timing is so fine tuned it is as smooth as silk. with some fine professional singers both local and imported, the quality is outstanding.  Enjoy, even though it is a little far for some of you, it is worth it. Dubbed “Everyone Does It.” Young, Sexy, A Comic Masterpiece.

Delaware Valley Opera
Tusten Theater, Narrowsburg
July 24-August 21, 2010

*Roanne is one of our newest staff members and is a lover of the arts. She will be periodically blogging for Hudson Valley Life.

August Book Giveaway

Although it doesn’t officially start till August 1, I’m testing the waters for our month-long weekly book giveaway. At least once a week in August, we will be giving away a book on our blog. To enter, simply leave a comment below mentioning your favorite AKC dog breed and you will be eligible to win our first book, The 50+ Dog Owner, Complete dog parenting for baby boomers and beyond. The book has been endorsed by Senator Robert Cl Byred of West Virginia, who will be able to endorse The 100+ Dog Owner in only a very short while.

Note: You need to fill in your name and email so we can contact the winner. Thanks.

Finding a Job When You’re 50 or older

The August edition of Hudson Valley Life will feature an article about finding a job at 50 and beyond. Here’s a press release about a grant given to seven colleges to help retrain people 50 and older. One college from our area was included.   Seven Community Colleges Win Grants to Help Older Adults Prepare for In-Demand Health and Education Encore CareersIn Tough Economic Times, Civic Ventures and MetLife Foundation Expand Encore Colleges Initiative to Match Encore Talent with Community Needs

San Francisco, CA - July 13, 2010 – Civic Ventures and MetLife Foundation awarded seven new grants today to community colleges that are helping adults over the age of 50 prepare for encore careers in health and education. As an integral part of Civic Ventures’ Encore Colleges Initiative, the $25,000 grants are designed to nurture innovative higher education programs that identify social purpose jobs available in communities – teachers, adjunct college instructors, caregivers and clinical nursing instructors – and to help prepare Baby Boomers to fill them.  Program innovations geared toward older students include flexible scheduling, intensive, fast-track programming and courses on technology and social media.While jobs in many sectors are hard to find right now, recent studies by Northeastern University labor economist Barry Bluestone and others show that in the next few years there will likely be more health and education jobs than people to fill them.  Currently, despite a rate of high unemployment, demand remains for employees in the health and education fields nationwide. ”This is a good time for older adults to train for the important public service jobs of today and tomorrow,” says Dennis White, president and CEO of MetLife Foundation. “We commend these community colleges for having the foresight to offer training that matches the experience of older adults with new skill sets.”Westchester Community College (Valhalla, NY), which will offer a curriculum for primary care nurses who want to become clinical nursing instructors. The pilot “Nursing Encore Career Center” program will train veteran nurses to supervise students in a wide range of health-care settings. “Too many experienced workers are trying to figure out what’s next without help, support or retraining,” said Judy Goggin, vice president at Civic Ventures. “With help from these seed grants, community colleges are developing new approaches targeted at boomers seeking jobs with meaning.” For more information on labor projections in social sector jobs and emerging jobs in health and education, see www.encore.org/research. ###

Getting the best phone deals (part one)

Recently I decided to review my phone bills. My bills can run between $800 -$1,000 a month because I not only use my phones for personal use but for business as well.

And the experience was pretty shocking.

For the past eight years I have used a company headquartered in New York City called MetTel. And I had no problems. I am the type that once I work with a company it takes a lot to make me change. But with money tight I decided to look at some of my vendors and see where I could save money without sacrificing customer service and quality.

I called MetTel sales and told the sales rep that I felt it was time to review my account. “No problem,” I was told. “Get back to you in two days.” That sounded good to me, although I must admit, I like more immediate feedback.

While waiting for MetTel, I got a quote from Verizon that appeared too good to be true. It cut my costs by 31%. You know the adage, if it is too good to be true, it probably is.

So I looked online for Verizon deals and without going into detail, I had contact with three different Verison reps who all gave me different prices.

By the way, I still had not heard from my MetTel sales rep.

When I finally got a Verizon senior vice-president of sales, tell me that I could get the discounted price I decided to make the change.

What did I learn? 
      1.  Always review your options on a regular basis…maybe once a year.
     2.  The best price is not always the first price you get. Many times you get a better deal by just asking for it.
     3.  Make sure the deal you are getting is a real deal. Get it in writing. Speak to someone in authority.

I must tell you that the phone saga does not end there. The first bill I got from Verizon and the last one from MetTel ran close to $2,000.  You can be sure I was not taking this quietly.

Sleep Dealer…a movie worth seeing

My husband, Clay and I often go to the movies. In fact, we reserve Friday as date night which usually means dinner out and a movie…I admit that some weeks there is just nothing good to see. And sometimes we turn to DVDs.

Recently my son suggested Sleep Dealer, a Spanish subtitled movie mostly set in Mexico. Sometimes Clay hates subtitles because while reading you miss the action. But in this movie the setting is the story.

It tells the tale of a young man, who lives in a remote village who must travel to Tijuana to earn money for the family when his father is killed. At first glance this appears to be a simple plot, but it is set in the future.

Although the film is set in the future, so much of the story is a comment on the current issues we face. For example, there is a 15 ft border fence separating us from Mexico, but we use their workforce to work remotely with a newly created technology.  America keeps our county safe using drone patrols over our southern neighbor which manytimes results in wrongful deaths.

A thoughtfully done movie, well worth seeing.

Heat Wave Hurting Local Farmers

We’re big on eating local and supporting local farms here at Hudson Valley Life. Sometimes that involves sacrifes from us as consumers. Last year, the blight made local tomatoes a scarce commodity. This year, as reported in the Times Record, the lack of significant rain may take it’s toll by driving up farmer costs and affecting the growth of certain crops. A few tips for the home gardener from the Times Record article:

PROTECTING YOUR GARDEN

Even if you’re not growing commercial crops, you still don’t want your lettuce to wilt. So here are a few tips on how to avoid the toll that the heat wave and dry spell can have on home gardens:

• Water early in the morning. That gives the foliage the most time to dry, which minimizes the risk of disease.

• Water thoroughly and less often. If you only water briefly, the water evaporates and the roots don’t get any. A good soaking, say 15 minutes of water every three days, allows water to get to the roots.

• Sandy soil needs more water; clay soil needs less.

• Know how much water your crops need. Tomatoes, basil, eggplant and corn, for instance, love the heat. Lettuces and onions, not so much.

Source: Cornell Cooperative Extension Orange County

Theater moves into Newburgh train station

We just received this press release about a non-profit performance space moving into the beautiful Newburgh Train Station.  Meanwhile, the old theater in Beacon  is in contract with another non-profit theater group. (More about that soon.)

RAILROAD PLAYHOUSE, INC.

www.rrplayhouse.org

JULY 6, 2010

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

RAILROAD PLAYHOUSE, INC.,

a NEW non-profit performance space,

will occupy the historic

West Shore Railroad Station in Newburgh, NY!

 Anticipated to open in Fall 2010!

 On June 25, 2010, Railroad Playhouse, Inc. signed a lease with West Shore Station, LLC for the historic West Shore Railroad Station at 27 South Water Street, Newburgh, NY 12550 and expects to open its doors in the Fall of 2010!!

The Railroad Playhouse is a non-profit arts organization dedicated to the revitalization of the Newburgh Waterfront and the preservation of Newburgh’s historic West Shore Railroad Station by providing a space for high-quality, artistically creative performing arts experiences.

The Railroad Playhouse will strive to provide a home for playwrights to workshop and showcase new plays; present local, national, and international artists of all genres; create partnerships with local businesses and organizations to continue revitalizing the area; implement a summer arts camp for local children; and create teaching-artist residencies and after-school programs in local schools.

Americans are drowning in salt

Nine out of ten Americans now eat twice the recommended amount of salt. A study taken by  U.S. government researchers shows that  ”an estimated 77 percent of dietary sodium comes from processed foods and restaurant foods.” It is becoming increasingly difficult for Americans to stay within the guidelines of daily salt intake. The survey, published in the CDC’s weekly report on death and disease, is the latest from government researchers looking at sodium intake in the U.S. diet.

I recently started a new diet and I found that sticking to the daily intake of sodium is quite difficult. What about you? What are your thoughts? How do you limit your salt intake?

Nice job, sun

 

Our July issue, now available at locations across the region, has a feature about solar power in the Hudson Valley. Now comes the news that the award-winning design in SUNY Orange Architecture Club’s annual design competition went to a solar-powered bus shelter:

NEW WINDSOR — When is a bus shelter more than a bus shelter? When it’s a solar-powered, off the grid, sustainable bus shelter. Joseph J. Minuta, Registered Architect, of New Windsor, is proud to announce that Bradley Cashin, an intern at Minuta Architecture, had the award-winning design in SUNY Orange Architecture Club’s annual design competition.

Here’s an article describing the competition.