time of your life north kitsap - fall 2014

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TIME LIFE the of your fall 2014 FITNESS • VOLUNTEERING • HOME CARE • HEALTH CARE • DENTAL CARE LOCAL SERVICES • FAMILY ISSUES • AGING IN PLACE • RETIREMENT This publication is sponsored by: Your guide to mature living, health, finances and lifestyle A SUPPLEMENT OF THE NORTH KITSAP HERALD, PORT ORCHARD INDEPENDENT, CENTRAL KITSAP REPORTER, BREMERTON PATRIOT AND BAINBRIDGE REVIEW

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TIME LIFETIME LIFEtheTIME LIFETIME LIFEof your

fall 2014

FITNESS • VOLUNTEERING • HOME CARE • HEALTH CARE • DENTAL CARELOCAL SERVICES • FAMILY ISSUES • AGING IN PLACE • RETIREMENT

This publication is sponsored by:

Your guide to mature living, health, � nances and lifestyle

A SUPPLEMENT OF THE NORTH KITSAP HERALD, PORT ORCHARD INDEPENDENT, CENTRAL KITSAP REPORTER, BREMERTON PATRIOT AND BAINBRIDGE REVIEW

This publication is sponsored by:

Most Insurances Accepted

• Denturist & Dentist on Staff • Crowns & Bridges• Cosmetic & General

Dentistry• Extractions

• Emergency Care• Dentures / Partials • Denture Repair• Relines (while you wait)• Crown & Denture Implants

FREE*New patient consultation

and oral exam*X-Rays excluded. Must present this

ad to receive.

If time, quality & gentle care are important to you. . . then we are here to serve

Anderson Dental and Denture has been helping people smile since 1995

19410 8th Ave. N.E., Suite 102, Poulsbo • 360-779-1566 • 800-990-9116 www.andersondenturedental.com

800-990-9116

Page 2 TIME OF YOUR LIFE Friday, September 19, 2014

BAINBRIDGE ISLAND

The Bainbridge Island Metro Parks & Recreation District organizes a range of classes and events for people age 50 and older. Go to www.biparks.org or 206-842-2306 for dates, times and fees.

CLASSES AND CLUBS■ Astrology Club■ Bainbridge Island

Photo Club ■ Casual Spanish Club

■ Evergreen Singers■ French Conversation

Club■ German Conversation

Club■ Knitting Club■ Liberation Laughter■ Library/Waterfront

Book Group■ Sing-a-long

GAMES ■ Bingo■ Bridge■ Chess■ Cribbage■ Mahjong

■ Pinochle■ Scrabble

SPORTS■ Co-ed softball■ Petanque■ Pickleball■ Table tennis

WELLNESS■ Funtastic fitness■ Line dancing■ Morning exercise■ Stay strong■ T’ai Chi■ Walk in the park■ Yoga

TRIPSOct. 4: Step back in

time “Old Bainbridge”Oct. 25: Thrift shops of

SequimNov. 8 and Dec. 6:

Kitsap Mall holiday shop-ping

Nov. 12-13: Harness Races at Fraser Downs

Dec. 11: Bellevue Botanical Garden

BREMERTONThe City of Bremerton

has a variety of clubs,

classes and activities organized through the Bremerton Senior Center. Go to www.ci.bremerton.wa.us or call 360-473-5305 for dates, times and fees.

CLASSES AND CLUBS■ AARP Safe Drivers

Program■ Bremerton Art Guild■ Coffee talk with

Edward Jones■ Computer lab■ Craft Club with Sally■ Drop-in Watercolors■ Quilting Class

■ WoodcarversGAMES

■ Bridge■ Canasta■ Cribbage■ Mahjong■ Ping Pong■ Pinochle■ Pool■ Rummikub

PERFORMANCE■ Center line dancers■ Spectapulars Dance

Troupe

Friday, September 19, 2014 TIME OF YOUR LIFE Page 3

BY MEGAN NIGHTINGALE, AuDPeninsula Hearing

There is a lot of evidence out there to remind

us to stay active, mov-ing and socializing.

Physical fitness immediately comes to mind when we think of staying active, but staying mentally active is also equally as important if not more so for long-term health benefits. It has been shown by researchers who study longevi-ty that keeping connected to one’s family, home or work community is crucial to long term mental health and can help us avoid a myriad of long term health issues such as dementia, heart disease, diabetes and Alzheimer’s. There is now evidence that links hearing problems with the above-mentioned chronic conditions.

Nothing interferes with staying close to family, friends or co-workers more than hearing problems. It is worth noting that 65 percent of people who have hear-ing problems are below retirement age. This has a significant impact in the work-place (source: NIDCD Health Statistics on hearing loss).

A recent survey study done by the U.S. Department of Education notes that mid-dle-aged (45-64) participants who had a hearing problem but no treatment (no hearing aids) felt that they were being passed over for promotion much more often that their normal hearing counter-parts, OR their counterparts who had hearing problems but wore hearing aids. The study also found that those with unaided hearing problems were unem-ployed at a higher rate than their aided peers. Middle-aged to older working peo-ple with untreated hearing problems are

also found to be three times more likely to fall at work as their normal hearing peers.

When a hearing problem affects one at work, there is usually little sympathy among co-workers and supervisors. One reason may be that hearing problems are invisible. There is no outside visual evidence of an issue. Therefore, many suspect the hearing-impaired person of not paying attention or, worse, ignoring their co-workers or supervisor.

Having a hearing problem can be very hard to self-identify in the beginning stages because our brain so easily adapts and compensates for it. Our brain works hard to find the right words that make sense, compare what a colleague says to what they have said before and uses other means to help us make sense of a conversation.

I have personal experience with this. I have a hearing problem and I am in the

business! My hearing loss came on gradually

starting in my 40s. I only noticed it in really noisy places where I struggled to hear someone across from me. But in my mid-40s, I found that I was second-guess-ing at what my clients were saying during a critical testing segment for identifying hearing problems and solutions. I had to ask people to repeat themselves. It was then I realized I was suffering from the same difficulty that I was helping people with in my career.

My work was being affected, so I began to wear hearing aids right away, allowing me a firsthand knowledge of the advantages of the latest hearing aid technology. I can report from personal experience on how hearing technology works in both the workplace, at home and in social situations.

If you find you are having more trouble lately hearing what your co-worker or

supervisor is saying, or if you find your-self exhausted at the end of the day from trying to hear at work, it is time to get a hearing test. Some physician’s offices will screen hearing and send you on for a comprehensive hearing evaluation if the screening shows a problem.

Most health insurance plans will cover a comprehensive hearing test. Some require a physician referral to an audiolo-gist. The most important thing to remem-ber is that a hearing problem does not usually go away. The faster it is treated, the more natural one’s hearing will be both at work and at home. Don’t let hear-ing problems keep you from being your best at home, work or in your community.

If you are interested in learning more about hearing or are interested in a hear-ing test, contact Peninsula Hearing at 360-697-3061 or 800-540-8698. We offer free hearing screenings.

It’s easy, fast (1 minute) and fun.

Hearing problems in the workplacePENINSULA HEARING■ 19319 7th Ave. NE, No. 102,

Poulsbo, WA 98370 360-697-3061 www.peninsulahearing.com

When a hearing problem affects one at work, there is usually little sympathy among co-workers and supervisors. Creative Outlet

Dr. Megan Nightingale of Peninsula Hearing

See FIT AND FUN, Page 4

Stay fit, and have fun, with local rec programs

■ Sunshine SingersSPORTS

■ Badminton■ Softball■ Women’s indoor soccer

WELLNESS■ Aerobics■ Footcare■ Open ice skate■ Jazz exercise■ Tai Chi■ Tap dance■ Yoga

TRIPSOct. 2: Museum of

Flight & Claim Jumper, Tukwila

Oct. 7: Mystery tripOct. 12: Teatro

Zinzanni theater and brunch, Seattle

April 10-17: Tuscany and the Italian Riviera

POULSBOThe Poulsbo Parks and

Recreation offers day trips and workshops. Go to www.cityofpoulsbo.com or call 360-779-9898 for dates, times and fees.

CLASSES■ Self-Defense Workshop

for Seniors: Nov. 8, Jan. 31, March 7.

TRIPSOct. 3: LaConner Quilt

and Fiber Arts Festival Oct. 11: Dungeness

Grab and Seafood Festival, Port Angeles

Oct. 16: Leavenworth in fall colors

Oct. 21: Future of flight

aviation center and Boeing tour

Oct. 30, March 19: Pyrex Museum and Kitsap Historical Museum

Nov. 6: Seattle muse-ums

Nov. 13: IKEA and Brown & Haley outlet store, Renton

Nov. 18: Popular thrift

stores in SeattleNov. 24: Holidays at

Wights and Molbak’s nurs-eries, Woodinville

Dec. 6: Seattle Pops — Holiday pops with Cirque Musica

Dec. 12: Hansville Ladies Aid Holiday Home Tour, Port Gamble and Hansville

Jan. 22: Northwest and Pike Street Market, KING 5 studio, Seattle

Jan. 29: Theo Chocolate Factory, Seattle

Feb. 3: Best breakfast

in Tacoma and the Lemay Car Museum

Feb. 14: Olympic Peninsula wineries — Red Wine and Chocolate

Feb. 19: Maltby Cafe & Antiques, Snohomish

Feb. 28: Rodgers and Hammerstein’s “Carousel” at the 5th Avenue Theater

March 5: Wolfhaven in

TeninoMarch 10: Bill and

Melinda Gates Foundation and the Chihuly Museum, Seattle

March 23: Keepsake Cottage Fabrics and Martingale and Co., Bothell

Page 4 TIME OF YOUR LIFE Friday, September 19, 2014

Fit and funContinued from page 3

Local recreation programs make it easy to stay fit and have fun.

Creative Outlet

Make a difference in your community

As the Baby Boomer generation moves into retire-ment, its members bring with them a concentration of diverse and transferable professional skills they can leverage toward causes they care about.

Volunteering provides boomers the opportunity to pursue interests that they may not have had time to do previously, and stay intellectually and physically engaged in community activ-ities. Their new roles provide challenging and meaningful experiences that positively impact the community.

Learn more about how you can make a difference in the Sept. 19 Kitsap Week.

Full Line of Digital Hearing InstrumentsBluetooth Connectivity

Hearing TestVideo Ear Inspections

Accept most insurancesL&I, Self Insured, and Federal Claims

BREMERTON5971 St Hwy 303 NE

Suite C2(360)415-0421

PORT ORCHARD1501 Piperberry Way

Suite 121(360)874-0953

Two Convenient Locations:

Friday, September 19, 2014 TIME OF YOUR LIFE Page 5

It’s high praise when a competitor recom-mends your practice.

Marian Trammell wasn’t satisfied with the work of her dentist in Port Hadlock, so her dentist recommended Anderson Denture & Dental.

“My husband was hav-ing a problem with his den-tures that needed special attention that our current dental company could not provide,” she said. “We are very happy with our decision to move here. It’s been a great experience all the way.

“Last week, I chipped a front tooth because they were thinning. I called and they got me in within a few days and bonded the tooth to 100 percent satisfaction. It’s just super. I’m recom-mending them to a friend of mine who will need den-tures soon.”

Annette Murrell said she was “terrified” of going to the dentist – until she started going to Anderson Denture & Dental.

“A coworker that goes there recommended I give them a try. She just had a baby and they even know the baby’s name,” Murrell said. “They really under-stand my fear and have a great tolerance for me.”

Murrell had an emergen-cy visit for a broken tooth. Soon after, she broke another tooth and needed another emergency visit.

“They took me in right away,” she said. “I have never felt any pain during or after [treatment], even with only local anesthetic.”

She doesn’t plan on changing dentists. “You go to the people who take care of you when you’re in a jam,” she said.

The work environment is one of the reasons why Dr. Martin Messah joined the Anderson team on Nov. 1, 2013.

The team at Anderson Denture & Dental strives to make patient visits a comfortable, relaxed expe-rience — right down to the homey decor designed to enhance the atmosphere

and to help patients feel comfortable.

The dental assistants are known for their calm, assuring manner that helps put patients at ease. And office manager Wanda Anderson, a former coun-selor and psychologist, also helps put patients at ease before major dental treatment.

“We know that getting major dental work is a big occurrence,” she said in an earlier interview. “We feel that concern and realize it’s a big step, psychologi-cally and aesthetically.”

Meet the staffDentist Martin

Messah’s family moved to the U.S. from Indonesia in 1998 during that coun-try’s Social and Cultural Revolution. The family set-tled in Seattle’s Lake City. He graduated from UW in 2008 with a degree in bio-chemistry, earned his DDS at University of California, San Francisco in 2012, and completed a one-year internship in oral maxillo-facial surgery at The Ohio State University.

He traveled to Haiti in 2010, 2011 and 2012 as part of the Christian Medical & Dental Association team. “Doing mission work is life changing,” he said. “I empathize more with my patients. I try to feel what it is like on their side so I can make them as relaxed as possible.”

The staff at Anderson Denture & Dental focus on

good dental health while giving people with missing or problem teeth a healthy, full smile.

Denturist Bruce Anderson received his bachelor of science degree from Covenant College, Chattanooga, Tenn., and earned his diploma in den-turitry from George Brown College. He studied for certification in denturitry at the University of Florida School of Dentistry, Idaho State University and the American Denturist Academy.

Anderson grew up in the industry; his father was a denturist, a professional specializing in removable dental prosthetics. He worked in his father’s lab during his teenage years and summers between college semesters. “My dad was a master, and the skills he taught me have proved invaluable,” Anderson said in an earlier interview.

After 40 years as a den-turist, Anderson is a mas-ter in his own right. He designs custom dentures, paying close attention to how a patient smiles and speaks, the shape of the face, etc., and uses a natu-ral complimentary color to match the original shade.

The dentures he makes are so realistic “we have patients whose spouse or family members have no idea they wear dentures,” he said.

Anderson enjoys his

work and its challenges. He especially enjoys chatting with his older patients and the invaluable history lessons from their experiences. “Many of my older patients are vignettes out of history,” he said. “My daily highlight is when patients share their experiences. They are my heroes.”

Outside the office, his free time is spent enjoying his grandchildren and his many hobbies, including restoring and showing his 1951 Ford Victoria.

Office Manager Wanda Anderson, wife of denturist Bruce Anderson, received her bachelor of science degree from Metropolitan State University of Denver in Denver, Colo., and a master’s degree from Illinois State University, in Bloomington, Ill. Earlier in her career, she worked as a school psychologist and as a marriage, family and children’s counselor.

“The goal of our office is to help people have good oral hygiene and maintain their natural teeth. Oral hygiene affects the whole body,” she said. “The fact that we provide dental and denture services reflects the quality of care we want to provide. If we didn’t have both, a patient would have to be referred to two or three different provid-ers.

Anderson Denture & Dental’s range of services

is reflected in its patients — from children to age 101.

Elaine Bowen, den-tal assistant, has been known to hold a patient’s hand to comfort them and put them at ease -- yet still have enough hands to assist the dentist. She has been dental assisting for more than 20 years and has been a member of the Anderson Denture & Dental team for 10 years.

Minjee Fitzpatrick, dental assistant, has been a part of the team for almost six years. Her man-ner is described as “calm and assuring,” which is an asset and is especially comforting to each patient. She loves dental assisting and has a genuine desire to help make patients’ den-tal experience comfortable and pleasant.

Vickie Thacker, financial, is described as a “super sleuth” in her

ability to help each patient maximize their insurance coverage. She also com-pletes the necessary insur-ance paper work, a relief for patients.

She attended Christ the King Lutheran School, graduated from Central Kitsap High School, and attended Clatsop Community College in Astoria, Oregon. She moved to California to begin her career in the dental profession as an administrator, and returned to Washington in 2005 and joined the Anderson Denture & Dental team.

Murrell gives Thacker and the office high praise. “There are no surprise fees and my bill is always lower than their ‘guessti-mate,’ ” she said. “They really work hard to save me money.”

You’re not just a patient, you’re familyANDERSON DENTURE

& DENTAL CENTER ■ 19410 8th Ave. NE,

Suite 102 Poulsbo, WA 98370 360-779-1566 www.andersonden-

turedental.com

The team at Anderson Denture & Dental strives to make patient visits a comfortable, relaxed experience. Melinda Weer

ANDERSON DENTURE & DENTAL CENTER OFFERS THE FOLLOWING SERVICES:General/Cosmetic Dentistry ■ Crowns ■ Restorations ■ Surgery ■ Emergency care

Full and Partial Dentures ■ Specializing in immediate dentures ■ Same-day repairs and relines ■ Emergency care

Financial options ■ Visa and MasterCard ■ Payment plans with no interest for up to six months ■ Extended payment plans ■ Most insurance plans accepted ■ Personal checks accepted

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FROM JESSIE NINOFor Edward Jones

Here’s an interesting statistic: Over the past three decades,

the centenarian population in the United States has grown about 66 percent, accord-ing to the U.S. Census Bureau. Of course, this doesn’t neces-sarily mean that you have a good chance of living to 100 — but the possibility may not be as remote as it once was. In any case, if you do plan to retire in your mid-60s, and you are in good health, you may well have two, or even three, decades ahead of you.

To enjoy this time to the fullest — and to help prevent the possibility of outliving your financial resources — you will need to invest for income and growth throughout your retirement years.

As a retiree, how much income do you need from your investments? There’s no one “right” percentage for everyone. Furthermore, you shouldn’t have to rely solely on your investment portfolio, because you

may have other sources — such as Social Security and potentially your employ-er-sponsored retirement plan — from which to draw income. Nonetheless, your investments can play a big role in

providing you with the income you’ll need during retirement.

Many retirees depend on fixed-rate investments for a good portion of their retire-ment income — so it’s a real challenge when inter-est rates are low, as they have been for the past sev-eral years. Consequently, when you retire, you’ll certainly need to be aware of the interest-rate envi-ronment and the income

you can expect from these investments. Longer-term fixed-rate vehicles may be tempting, as they typically offer higher rates than shorter-term ones, but these longer-term invest-ments may have more price fluctuation and inflation risk than shorter-term investments. Ultimately, you’ll likely need a balance between short-, intermedi-ate- and long-term fixed-in-come investments to pro-vide for a portion of your income in retirement.

While it’s important to invest for income, you can’t ignore the need for growth — because you won’t want to lose purchasing power to inflation. As you know, we’ve experienced quite mild inflation recently. But over time, even a low rate of inflation can seriously erode your purchasing power. To illustrate: If your current monthly costs are $3,000, they will be about $4,000 in 10 years with only a 3 percent annual inflation rate. And in 25 years at that same rate,

your monthly costs will have more than doubled, to about $6,200.

To help protect yourself against inflation risk, you should consider having at least some investments that offer growth potential, rather than only owning fixed-income vehicles. And some investment vehicles, such as dividend-paying stocks, can offer both growth potential and cur-rent income. In fact, some stocks have paid, and even increased, their dividends for many years in a row, giving you not just income, but rising income. (Keep in mind, though, that com-panies are not obligated to pay dividends, and can reduce or discontinue them at any time.)

To determine the right mix of growth and income vehicles for your individual needs, consult with a finan-cial adviser who is famil-iar with your retirement plans, your risk tolerance and your family situation. And it may well be a good idea to plan for a very long retirement. You may not live to be 100 — but it would be a good feeling to know that you could afford to do so.

Prepare for your health care costs

As you save and invest for retirement, what are your ulti-

mate goals? Do you plan

on traveling the world? Purchasing a vacation home? Pursuing your hob-bies? People often think and plan for these costs. Yet, too often, many of us overlook what potentially could be a major expense during our retirement years: health care. By pre-paring for these costs, you can help yourself enjoy the retirement lifestyle you’ve envisioned.

Many of us may ignore the impact of health care costs because we just assume Medicare will pay for everything. But that’s not the case. In estimating health care costs during retirement, you may find that $4,000 to $6,000 per year per person for tradi-tional medical expenses is a good starting point, although the amount varies by individual. Furthermore, this figure does not include the costs of long-term care, which can be considerable. To illustrate: The national average for home health aide services is nearly $45,000 per year, and a private room in a nursing home is nearly $84,000 per year, according to a recent survey by Genworth, a financial security company.

So what can you do to help cope with these costs? Here are a few suggestions:

■ Estimate your costs. Try to estimate what your out-of-pocket health care costs might be, based on your health, your age at retirement, whatever supplemental insurance you may carry and other factors.

■ Know the key dates. Things can change in your life, but try to identify, as closely as possible, the age at which you plan to retire. This will help you spot any coverage gaps before you become eligi-ble for Medicare at age

65. Also, be aware of the seven-month window for enrolling in Medicare, beginning three months before your 65th birthday.

■ Review your insur-ance options. Medicare-approved insurance compa-nies offer some other parts to Medicare, including Part D, which covers prescrip-tion drugs; Medigap, which covers gaps in Parts A and B (in-hospital expenses, doctor services, outpatient care and some preventive services); and Part C (also known as Medicare Advantage, which is designed to replace Parts A, B, Medigap and, poten-tially, part D). You have several options for Part D, Medigap and Medicare Advantage, each with vary-ing coverage and costs, so choose the plans that best fit your needs. (To learn more about Medicare and supplemental insurance, go to www.medicare.gov.)

■ Develop a long-term care strategy. To meet long-term care costs, you could self-insure or pur-chase insurance coverage. To learn about long-term care insurance solutions, contact your financial adviser.

■ Invest for growth and rising income. Health care costs typically rise as you move further into retirement, so make sure that a reasonable portion of your assets is allocated to investments with the potential for both growth and rising income.

■ Think about health care directives. If you were to become inca-pacitated, you might be unable to make health care decisions — and these decisions may affect not only your quality of life but also your financial situation, and that of your family. Talk to your legal advisor about establishing a health care directive, which allows you to name someone to make choices on your behalf.

Health care costs during your retirement may be unavoidable. But by antici-pating these costs, you can put yourself in a position to deal with them — and that’s a healthy place to be.

This article was written by Edward Jones for use by financial adviser Jessie Nino. 19740 7th Ave. NE, Suite 114, Poulsbo 98370. 360-779-6450. [email protected]

Page 6 TIME OF YOUR LIFE Friday, September 19, 2014

Can you afford to live to 100? Here’s how“Many of us ignore the impact of health care costs because we just assume Medicare will pay for everything. But that’s not the case.”

Jessie Nino

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Friday, September 19, 2014 TIME OF YOUR LIFE Page 7

BY AARON D. MURPHYADM Architecture

Eighty-nine percent of those polled by AARP favor staying in their home as they get older as

a first priority. What are the best ways we can do that?

Each year, thousands of older Americans fall at home. Many of them are seriously injured and some are disabled. In 2002, more than 12,800 people over age 65 died and 1.6 million were treated in emergency depart-ments because of falls. One-third of people older than 65 fall each year; one half of those falls are recurrent, and 1 in 10 falls result in serious injury or death. Eighty-seven percent of elder fractures are due to falls.

Falls are often due to hazards that are easy to overlook but easy to fix. Let’s take a common-sense review of your home.

■ Furniture layout: Is the path in your home un-necessarily circuitous to get through and around the pieces of furniture? Are there furniture legs and arms that stick out into the easiest route of travel through the home? Fix it. Make moving around in your home a clear, wide, and intuitive path.

■ Rugs: Loose rugs are one of the top fall culprits. That 24 by 42 rug that lays in front of the kitchen sink or just inside the entry door can be the end of living at home if not careful and aware. “Your favorite throw has got to go!”

■ Drop zones: Ask my wife where she finds things of mine when I’m on a deadline or distracted. I leave a trail of “set downs” — shoes on the stairs, planner on the dining room table, keys and wallet on the window sill by the front door … you get the idea. We all do it, and so do our parents.

The difference is that if you leave the pile of read sections of the newspaper

on the third step of the stairs for the next time you go down to the garage, it could be forgotten and send you direct-ly from the third step to the bottom step. That minor oversight could turn a

trip to the recycling bin into a trip to the E.R. Pick up and put up your things so they aren’t in your walking spaces and routes of travel.

■ Stairs and thresholds: Since we are talking “better on a budget,” I won’t go into it here about how much cheaper a stair or even an elevator in your home is versus a slip or fall and cost of moving into assisted living or a nursing

home for the months/years ahead. Here, I want to think maintenance and upkeep.

Stairs with carpets are notorious for coming loose over time. The angle and speed the installers staple into the treads and riser corners (especially the back interior corner) lead to attach-ments that aren’t fully sunken in and secure. A loosening carpet can cause your next step to miss a stair tread, and you’d be at the bottom sooner than you intended. Wood stairs are slippery to many of the warm socks and slippers older folks like to wear for warmth, and that can be a safety issue as well. Keep your stair carpet tightly affixed.

■ Floors and moisture: Overly smooth floor finishes (hardwoods, tile) and “wet rooms” are also regular culprits to serious-injury falls. Keeping your floor areas clear, and applications to the floor surfaces that help create some “grit” for traction where floor areas get wet, are crucial to keep us safe in our home as we bathe and get ready in the bathroom and laundry areas.

■ Reaching and stability: Are you using things in your upper kitchen cabinets that you need daily or weekly? Move them down. There is a cost alter-native, which is equipment to retrofit

your upper cabinets to come out and down to the user. Meanwhile, getting someone to help you re-organize your kitchen based on what you use most, so you aren’t reaching above your head or using a step stool as often, can go a long way to a longer and safer life at home.

Safety in your home goes a very long way toward staying in your home as you get older. There are a multitude of psy-chological benefits to making your home safe as well. It makes you feel in control. It makes you feel empow-ered. Taking charge of your future, and how you want your home to work and function for how you specif-ically use your own space is a key to the success of making

your house your “forever home.”

— Aaron D. Murphy, Architect, CAPS, is the author of “Aging in Place: 5 Steps to Designing a Successful Living Environment for your Second Half of Life,” available at Amazon.com and www.ADM-Architecture.com.

Having a ‘forever home’ starts with common sense

Aaron D. Murphy

Stairs with carpets are notorious for coming loose over time. Keep your stair carpet tightly affixed. Creative Outlet

Call today for your FREE hearing screening!

It has been proven that the sound level at our local stadiumscan reach 130 decibals, the same level as standing next to a commercial jet taking off!

The American Medical Association recommends anyone overthe age of 55 have their hearing screened annually.

When was the last time you had your hearing screened?

POULSBO19319 7TH AVE, SUITE 102 - 360-697-3061PORT TOWNSEND1136 WATER ST, SUITE 103 - 360-379-5458TOLL FREE - 800-540-8698

www.peninsulahearing.com

BEEN TO A GAME LATELY?Page 8 TIME OF YOUR LIFE Friday, September 19, 2014