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BOOK REPORTS: Leaving your legacy your way

By Marian Dinwiddie

Seniors need to read this book–“What to do With Everything You Own to Leave the Legacy You Want” by Marni Jameson, author of over five books on the subject.

Chapter titles include Understanding Wills and Trusts; How Much to Leave Your Children; What to do With Important Papers, Jewelry, Even an old Tractor; and How to Handle Matters for a Blended Home. Subjects also include how to let go of things, what to sell, donate, toss, and finding an expert or appraiser about an item. Many people have high-value items but don’t realize it.

A checklist at the end of the book will help the reader record information that your family, beneficiaries, or an estate planner will one day need.

Book published in June 2021. 258 pages.

Jameson also published “Downsizing the Family Home: What to Save, What to Let Go. Check if your local library has (or can get) a copy of  either or both books. To buy a copy, contact Amazon. If you “don’t do Amazon,” ask a friend or family member to order it for you.

 

Marian Dinwiddie lives in Spanaway.

srmedia by — November 22, 2022 in Lifestyles

By Chad Larson  

The best way to reduce your risk of Alzheimer’s disease is to take preventative measures aimed at decreasing cognitive decline. Prevention should start early to minimize risk, and a healthful lifestyle geared toward cognitive support is an important component.

Alzheimer’s is the most common type of dementia, and about 5 million people in the U.S. have been diagnosed with it. It’s anticipated that the number of people affected by Alzheimer’s will increase to 14 million people by the year 2060. These large numbers are alarming, so it is vital that we recognize there’s time to reduce the amount of people who will be affected by lowering personal risk.  Here are some lifestyle tips for preventing cognitive decline:

Get quality sleep.  
A solid night of sleep allows your brain to rest and repair itself from the demanding work of the day. During sleep, the brain and body complete essential functions, including allowing the brain to store new information and the body to rid itself of toxic waste, allowing nerve cells to communicate and reorganize in order to repair cell. So, if you want to keep your brain in top-notch condition, sleep should be a priority.

Keep an eye on what you eat. 
Of course, diet plays a significant role in preventing cognitive decline. In fact, neurogenesis, the body’s process of forming new neurons in the brain, can be affected by diet. A study showed that high-fat (from processed fat like corn oil and soybean oil) and high-sugar diets negatively affected neurogenesis. Additionally, healthful diets induced neurogenesis. If the neurons in the brain can’t effectively regenerate, cognitive decline could be the result.

Cultivate a strong intestinal microbiome.  
A 2020 investigation showed an association between gut microbiota and inflammation in the brain, linking the intestinal microbiome to Alzheimer’s. Amyloid pathology was linked to short-chain fatty acids (SCFA) and lipopolysaccharide (LPS) which acted as inflammatory mediators for Alzheimer’s disease. Examining your gut health to check your levels of SCFAs and LPS could help identify if any dietary or probiotic changes should be made to boost prevention. Is there a specific food that triggers your condition? Do you know if you are consuming any cross-reactive foods? Are you better off consuming food in raw, cooked or modified forms?.

Stay active.
This aids physical and mental health, and even brain health. The national Centers for Disease Control (CDC) notes that regular physical activity can improve our ability to think, learn and problem-solve, and can reduce our risk of cognitive decline, including dementia. The CDC cites a study  showing that inactivity can double risk of cognitive decline. In short, keeping up with regular activity, even a simple daily walk, can help prevent Alzheimer’s.

Challenge your brain.  
As it turns out, you can teach an old dog new tricks. Lifetime intellectual enrichment could delay cognitive decline and is a good preventative measure for reducing the risk of dementia. People who continue to challenge themselves mentally by learning new information or skills throughout their lifetime are less likely to experience cognitive decline.

These lifestyle practices are easy to incorporate and could prevent serious cognitive decline as we age. In addition, Cyrex Laboratories, a clinical laboratory specializing in functional immunology and autoimmunity, has developed a test panel called the Alzheimer’s LINX™ Alzheimer’s-Associated Immune Reactivity. This test can help identify patients at greater risk and reactivity triggers for developing Alzheimer’s disease or other neurological disorder.

 

Dr. Chad Larson is a consultant for Cyrex Laboratories and a clinical nutritionist and conditioning specialist.

 

srmedia by — November 10, 2022 in Lifestyles
‘Junk’ in the attic could be a gold mine

You may have “junk” in your basement, garage or attic, such as

Trunks that are gathering dust and look like junk could actualy contain valuable treasure. (Delpixart/iStock, Getty Images Plus)

. Before you toss them out, consider that the value of such ephemera is skyrocketing.

A widely accepted rule is that older items are worth more. However, these days, even more recent items are also commanding high prices.

“Vintage sports cards from the early periods of a sport are almost always highly collectible,” said Al Crisafulli, auction director at Love of the Game Auctions, an Internet sports and memorabilia auction service that helps families sell collectibles. “But don’t assume sports cards or other memorabilia have to be old to be valuable. Modern cards of such stars as Tom Brady and Michael Jordan can sell for lots of money.“

Crisafulli offers tips to help determine if your belongings are valuable:

  • Sports cards from the 1960s and earlier are collectible, and those from before the 1940s can be extremely valuable. Big-name Hall of Famers like Babe Ruth, Ty Cobb, Lou Gehrig, Honus Wagner, Mickey Mantle, and others bring high prices.

With old cards from the 1880s and early 1900s, look for tobacco and candy brands, such as Old Judge, Piedmont, Sweet Caporal, or American Caramel. Really old memorabilia from the 19th and early-20th centuries, such as photographs, postcards, bats, gloves and balls, are also collectible.

To sell sports items for top dollar, consider a specialty auctioneer that has the expertise to professionally research  items and maintains lists of bidders specializing in this area.

  • Prices on recent, modern-day baseball, basketball and football cards have risen rapidly. The three keys are condition, star power, and cards from early in player careers.

Do you have major current stars, like Mike Trout, Patrick Mahomes, Tom Brady and LeBron James? Or do you have greats from the recent past, like Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant, Magic Johnson, Derek Jeter or Joe Montana?  Check if they are denoted as Rookie, Prospect, Draft Pick, or other indicators they’re from a player’s first season. And cards that look pack-fresh with sharp corners and a well-centered image command highest prices. Additionally, unopened packs and boxes from almost any year can be valuable.

  • Do you have old advertising posters depicting sports stars or famous entertainment personalities together with food, tobacco or sporting goods brands? Many original signs, store displays, and promotional items are collectible, especially those dating from the early 1900s into the 1960s. But low-quality reproductions aren’t. Look for memorabilia spotlighting sports heroes, superheroes, early Walt Disney characters, and Star Wars subjects.

 

Source: StatePoint Media

srmedia by — October 26, 2022 in Lifestyles
Grads return for Garfield High’s belated 100th

In 2020, Garfield High School turned 100. But the Seattle institution couldn’t celebrate its centennial celebration because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Two years later,

Residents of the Mirabella senior living community in Seattle who graduated from Garfield High School were among the celebrants at a centennial observance for the school.

the school finally had its party, as hundreds of Garfield supporters, alumni, and current students gathered for a day of musical performances by alums and students, mini-reunions, historical displays, and student-led exhibits.

Among the Garfield graduates on hand for the better-late-than-never festivities Aug. 27 were residents of Mirabella, a senior living community in Seattle. Musician Quincy Jones, a 1950 grad, was honorary chairman of the event, and Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell (1976) was among the dignitaries participating.

Founded in 1920 as East High, the school was later renamed for former president James A. Garfield in 1922 and relocated to its current building in 1923. The building has been remodeled since then.

srmedia by — October 13, 2022 in Lifestyles