Presbyterian Villages of Michigan is committed to serving seniors and communities. It’s our goal to be a first-line provider of resources, including information. Aging should be an adventure, not a scary trip!
In the PVM Blog, the experts at PVM will regularly publish articles and information. Topics may range from smart ways to age in place in your long-time home, to tips on how to shop for a senior community. We will have articles on transportation, wellness, nutrition, technology, activities, outlook-on-life, and more.
Please let us know your ideas for topics and comments on our articles. We succeed as seniors in our community have the best Aging Adventure! Reach me at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
Lynn Alexander
Senior VP & Chief Marketing Officer
Presbyterian Villages of Michigan
With the upcoming holidays I would like to share important information from the Oakland County Health Division:
Hot foods should be kept at 140 degrees Fahrenheit or warmer. On the buffet table, keep hot foods hot with chafing dishes, slow cookers and warming trays. Cold foods should be kept at 40 degrees Fahrenheit or colder. Keep foods cold by nesting dishes in bowls of ice and replenishing ice as it melts. Otherwise, use smaller serving dishes and exchange with cold dishes of food from the refrigerator at least every two hours.
Read more: Stay Healthy By Following The Four Basic Steps Of Food Safety.
NEWS FLASH! Our society is getting older! I call this a new flash in jest since almost everyone seems to know this either from the news itself or from personal experience. Every family and community in America is involved in some way with this dramatic demographic shift in our culture. Whether you are a senior citizen, a provider, a senior’s loved one or an advertiser this notion will resonate with you. Although we know this important fact, actually focusing in on specific statistics really brings the case home. The Administration on Aging has published some very interesting data which I thought you may find interesting:
All too often I hear terrible stories of how a senior has been exploited, sometimes by total strangers and sometimes by relatives, even their own children! So I decided it is time to review some tips for protecting oneself from a potential tragedy. Here are some tips recommended by the Michigan Attorney General’s Office:
Be alert to individuals who seem extremely interested in your personal finances.
Do not turn over your checkbook or any other financial affairs to another person unless you have established trust in them. Even so, it is good if possible to have two parties so there are checks and balances. Whenever possible these two parties should be a family member or close friend/ advisor of many years.
For most of us, we have had someone say this on many occasions in our lives, most likely from a parent or grandparent. Although great advice may be delivered in this message, it is important to note that young adults often want to forge their own way and may discount such sage advice. While observing many weddings and births recently, I was reminded of that popular saying: Mothers of the Groom should show up, shut up and wear beige. I told my son when he was married that I would honor the first two recommendations but would not wear beige since it is not my color! Actually, my son and daughter-in-law are very good about accepting advice graciously. I have learned to state: Here is some unsolicited advice for you to do with as you would like. That seems to soften the message.
I think for most of us being affirmed by noted experts is a joyful experience. This just happened to me the other day upon reading the September 26, 2016 issue of Time Magazine. For years I have led the charge on the notion of embracing aging. The aging process is going to occur no matter what our response is. We can either deny it, defy it or embrace it. I have found it sad that so many folks choose to be in denial. Plastic surgeons can tell you that the quest for The Fountain of Youth is surging. Yet, aging is much like everything else in life. If we have a positive attitude we create a far better life experience for ourselves. So imagine the joy I felt upon reading the Time article which was headlined with “How and social ties affect the way you age”. In it author Mandy Oaklander mirrors many of the messages my business as Your Aging Well Advisor has promoted over the years.