Calling all artists!
You may have noticed that we’ve been highlighting the arts for a number of months in our pages, featuring in nearly every issue older adults who have either returned to an art or craft they enjoyed in their youth, or taken up something completely new in retirement. We have also recently published lists of the many arts and craft classes offered in the local area. All of this has... READ MORE
A Columbia sculptor with animal instincts
What have we here? There’s an elephant with its trunk holding up a striped umbrella, a bear sitting behind a desk, a bird perched on an outhouse titled “Bird with an Urge,” and a “Sweet Beak” work with another bird tipping into a scoop of ice cream in a cone. These are but a few of the sculptured works created by Columbia artist Ken Beerbohm. About 10 years ago, Beerbohm,... READ MORE
Expressing our inner essence
Iambic pentameter, free verse, quatrains and a haiku or two will resound around Howard Community College on April 26, as students, local writers and prize-winning poets Marilyn Chin and Joseph Ross gather on the Columbia campus for the 10th annual Blackbird Poetry Festival. The all-day event, co-sponsored by HCC and HoCoPoLitSo (the Howard County Poetry and Literary Society), will be... READ MORE
55+ cohousing communities taking off
The 5-mile hikes, yoga classes and communal dinners are now routines for the residents at PDX Commons Cohousing in Portland, Ore. These 39 individuals (about half married or partnered, but largely strangers to the others at first) started forging relationships well before they moved in late last summer to join a trend called cohousing. “Here, you walk in and know every one of the... READ MORE
Baltimore Housing Notes – April 2018
First CCRC in Harford County Harford County’s first Continuing Care Retirement Community is slated to open in 2020 on a 47-acre campus in Bel Air, Md. Called Carsins Run at Eva Mar, the community is part of the nonprofit Presbyterian Home of Maryland. Carsins Run will include independent and assisted living, as well as nursing and memory care for those over 60. There are six... READ MORE
Chronically ill can get Medicare home care
Colin Campbell needs help dressing, bathing and moving between his bed and his wheelchair. He has a feeding tube because his partially paralyzed tongue makes swallowing “almost impossible,” he said. Campbell, 58, spends $4,000 a month on home healthcare services so he can continue to live in his home just outside Los Angeles. Eight years ago, he was diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral ... READ MORE
Smart homes – Not just for high-tech geeks
Internet-connected lights, locks and laundry machines are close to becoming everyday household items, thanks in part to voice-activated speakers such as Amazon’s Echo and Google Home. Market research groups are seeing increased sales of lights that turn off when you say “good night,” smart locks that let in your friends before you get home, and similar smart-home gadgets. While... READ MORE
Immigration Museum welcomes newcomers
“Not many people know that Baltimore was the third most active port — following New York and Boston — at which immigrants from many different nationalities across Europe would arrive in the United States,” said Brigitte Fessenden, president of the Baltimore Immigration Museum in Locust Point. “We want to highlight and promote the role Baltimore played during the country’s... READ MORE
Testing acupuncture against side effects
Studies have shown that complementary medical therapies, such as acupuncture, can be highly effective in controlling symptoms of disease without the unpleasant side effects many traditional therapies have. GBMC and Mend Acupuncture are currently conducting a study to look at the use of acupuncture during cancer treatment as a cost-effective, non-drug tool for symptom management. The... READ MORE
Montessori programs grow in popularity
More than five million Americans are currently living with Alzheimer’s disease or other dementias. As this number continues to grow, many senior living communities are incorporating specially designed memory care programs based on the Montessori method of education. Montessori schools for children focus on learning that engages the senses and focuses on a child’s particular needs and ... READ MORE
