Category: Column

New Ways to Live & Work

As we begin to put the harshest effects of COVID behind us, large numbers of us are developing ways to live and work that create positive outcomes from negative change.

The emerging opportunities featured in this post are associated with fast-growing careers throughout Hawai‘i.

The suggested options offer flexible pay for the good of community as well as benefits for your own health and wellness over your ever-longer lifetime expectancy. What do I mean by that? Well, as you know, Hawai‘i is the longest-living state in the US — currently, our average is 82.5. And research suggests that by engaging in healthful habits, we might even add five or more years.

Think… what could be better than health and wellness habits that improve the quality of day-today life and increase longevity? The following examples are food for thought and a call to action!

YOGA. Yoga is much more than bending and stretching. It is a practice for body, mind and spirit. All ages can benefit — many an 80-year-old is actively engaging in the practice. A teaching credential is a matter of earning it. Learn more about credentialing by searching online for a school or studio near you.

DIET AND NUTRITION. It has been a long haul for all of us who seek to overcome the effects of the COVID pandemic. Many of us are now promoting a good nutrient baseline on our road to the future. They are positively impacting food choices for themselves and their families. Have you noticed the nutritional changes in your local supermarket? Do you appreciate the connection between wellness and the foods that place a growing emphasis on eating phytonutrients? Might this be an area for you to explore both for your own physical and financial benefit as well as that of others? If so, visit www.hawaiibusiness.com/change-health-wellness-2.

HEALTH COACHING. Search online for information on health and life coaching certification programs and services. Research and explore well-known organizations that offer coaching advice by their counselors. Call them up and ask them about the qualifications they seek.

HEALTH & WELLNESS. Online job sites are a great source for exploring health and wellness opportunities. Startups abound. So, if you have a product or service to promote, study the winners in this emerging area. Its revenue growth over the past several years will astound you and might encourage you to start your own business or find a buyer for your unique offering.

Ask yourself: “Am I creating the meaningful longer lifetime I deserve? Will some form of work in health and wellness help me achieve this goal?” These options can help you and help others while adding to your income and quality of life.

NEW WORKFORCE HAWAII
Carleen MacKay
916-316-0143 | carleenmackayhi@gmail.com
www.linkedin.com/in/carleenmackay

As we begin to put the harshest effects of COVID behind us, large numbers of us are developing ways to live and work that create positive outcomes from negative change. The emerging opportunities featured in this post are associated with fast-growing careers throughout Hawai‘i.
Adapting to a Changing Job Market

This past year has has served as a glaring stoplight for many people who assessed their slim chances of ever working again. The truth is that the changes we have experienced — those due to COVID-19 and more — have opportunities embedded within their threats. As previously promised, here is a straightforward, basic planning model for future work. It’s a guiding light to follow as you plan to continue to work in one of several ways in the foreseeable future.

Forget endless chronology and look instead at your unique interests, gifts and verifiable accomplishments. Write them down. What do you want to highlight in any work you do in the future? For example, you may have been working in a company full-time as an accountant. You loved some — but not all — of the work. The work you loved are the highlights you are selling to a future employer, client or customer. Ask former teammates for their strongest impressions regarding your contributions. Think about new areas of interest and how your strengths might be an asset. Ask yourself how the work you will do in your older years will contribute to achieving your goal of living a purposeful and even longer life?

Keeping your interests in the forefront of your mind as you check the market. Where are the strongest opportunities that meet your interests? Be sure to check options beyond the fulltime job market because you may find that one of the strongest opportunities for mature workers is in the flexible workforce.

The flexible workforce option is growing at warp-speed and is a treasured opportunity for many of us facing the need to continue to earn, learn and to be a part of a larger community.

Yes, you may need to enhance your skills by learning how to use a laptop, the internet and social media. Fear alone, not competency, makes this hard for many seniors. Be aware that the answers to most of your questions about your future work are at your fingertips.

Put this in perspective! Do you still drive in the crazy traffic on most of our islands? If so, learning to use the basic technology at your fingertips will seem simple by comparison.

Where might you learn and/or improve your knowledge? Any adult school, the community colleges, the universities and vocational schools across all islands are here to help now.

Finally, for today, ask yourself life’s central questions — “Am I creating the meaningful, longer lifetime I desire and deserve? What form of work, beyond the old-world of jobs, will help me achieve this goal?”

In the next issue, I will address flexible opportunities in the field of health and wellness; options that are exploding for older workers.

NEW WORKFORCE HAWAII
Carleen MacKay
916-316-0143 | carleenmackayhi@gmail.com
www.linkedin.com/in/carleenmackay

This past year has has served as a glaring stoplight for many people who assessed their slim chances of ever working again. The truth is that the changes we have experienced — those due to COVID-19 and more — have opportunities embedded within their threats. As previously promised, here is a straightforward, basic planning model…
Prepare Yourself to Sleep Better

Have you ever examined your bedtime routine? You probably take care of basic bodily needs like brushing your teeth, but what about the rest of you? Where does your mind go? What about the stress and tension you’ve carried all day? Do you do anything to show your body and brain you really care about them?

If you want to age well, getting proper rest is essential for your health, happiness and relationships. Quality of sleep is just as important as quantity when it comes to focusing and functioning well during the day. If you go to bed with stressful thoughts, you will probably not sleep well. If you do manage some shut eye, you may end up feeling tired in the morning.

So how can you help yourself find better rest? Start by turning off the TV and putting your phone out of reach when you get in bed. Then, raise your feet and do some ankle rotations. Use your arms and hands to gently stretch your legs, hips and lower back as you inhale through your nose, and exhale long, slow breaths through your mouth.

Say, “Thank you, body. Today has ended. Anything unfinished will still be there tomorrow. Rest now.” Release your thoughts and reassure your mind and body that all is well. Try it for a week. Your body and mind will thank you.

KAIMUKI BODY & BRAIN
3569 Harding Ave., #B, Honolulu, HI 96816
808-738-5522 | www.bodynbrain.com/kaimuki

Have you ever examined your bedtime routine? You probably take care of basic bodily needs like brushing your teeth, but what about the rest of you? Where does your mind go? What about the stress and tension you’ve carried all day?
Beware of COVID-19 Scams

Now that COVID-19 vaccination is in full swing along with economic relief packages from the federal government, scammers are using phishing emails and texts, bogus social media posts, robocalls, impostor schemes and more to prey on the public. Federal and state agencies are reporting a flood of vaccine scams, with phony websites and email campaigns promising easy and early access to coronavirus shots. They also anticipate a rise in financial stimulus scams targeting relief payments, unemployment benefits and small business loans.

From the earliest beginnings of the COVID pandemic, fraudsters have been luring consumers with fake remedies; now they’re using the vaccine rollout as bait to lure unsuspecting consumers.

The Hawai‘i Department of Health and Human Services says consumers should be on the lookout for the following signs of vaccine scams:

• Requests that you to pay out-of-pocket to receive a shot or get on a vaccine waiting list
• Ads for vaccines via websites, social media posts, emails or phone calls
• Marketers offering to sell or ship doses of COVID-19 vaccines

The FBI says con artists are still advertising fake COVID-19 antibody tests to mine personal information to be used in identity theft or health insurance scams. This includes fake unemployment filings and even stealing one’s stimulus check.

Other scammers claim to be selling or offering supplies such as masks, test kits and sanitizers, often in robocalls, texts or social media ads.

Scammers are also impersonating banks and money lenders, offering bogus help with bills, credit card debt or student loan forgiveness.

Beware of calls, texts or emails, and social media posts originating from what appear to be government agencies that instruct you to click a link, pay a fee or confirm personal data (your Social Security number) to secure your stimulus check.

The FTC and the Justice Department also issued an alert about phishing texts and phone calls that are supposedly from contact tracers, warning you that you’ve been exposed to someone with COVID-19. If you click the text message link, malware downloads to your device. These messages will appear to be from actual businesses or government agencies, but clicking on links or downloading attached files could enable the theft of personal information and your identity. Messages from actual contact tracers will not include a link, or ask you for money or personal data.

Also use care when conducting an internet search for coronavirus information. Are you going to the actual CDC or WHO website, or to a scam portal created by a cybercriminal?

Christopher Duque | aikea808@gmail.com

Now that COVID-19 vaccination is in full swing along with economic relief packages from the federal government, scammers are using phishing emails and texts, bogus social media posts, robocalls, impostor schemes and more to prey on the public.
Finding Freedom Once More

COVID-19 impacted this industry greatly — it may never be the same again. We had to stop large gatherings, monthly meetings and communal dining, restrict visitors, volunteers and even family members who uplifted our community on a daily basis, and social distance ourselves when hugs and closeness were once shared.

Many administrators like myself had to take swift action to attain the balance of retaining the simple freedoms of our residents and fighting to keep our communities safe.

Over a year later, the pandemic continues to defer our freedom — the freedom to do what we please, visit with others at any time and travel anywhere in the world to live our best life.

Independence Day 2021 will be a period of reflection on our own personal freedoms and our nation’s. Don’t give up hope; we are turning a new leaf. It will take courage to gain back our freedom and a sense of peace.

ROSELANI PLACE (501(c) 3 nonprofit)
88 South Papa Ave., Kahului, Maui, HI 96732
808-871-7720 | Toll Free: 800-554-9853
info@roselaniplace.com | www.roselaniplace.com

The overall mission for senior living communities is to provide socialization, wellness, a sense of community and independence. As the general manager for Roselani Place, my mission is to enrich the lives of our kūpuna and manifest my passion to enable them to live their lives to the fullest each and every day.
Dealing With Our Feelings

No problem has ever been resolved through emotional upheaval.

As I mentioned in my April/May column (“Nine Coping Skills For Managing Stress”), to find our way to productive solutions, we’ll first want to deal with our feelings.

Feelings are important because they can tell us what we need to do. To deal with our feelings, we must name them, realize it’s ok to feel them and express them in a safe way. Then we can decide what to do to feel better.

It’s ok to have negative feelings. But owning our feelings rather than blaming others for them is the key to a sustainable resolution.

Using the “I feel” sentence is helpful, for example, “I feel lonely because I’m social distancing for my safety.” Remember, life is 10 percent what happens and 90 percent how we respond. No one makes us do or feel anything. We are responsible for our feelings or responses. So if we own our feelings and actions, we’ll be on our way to more reasonable outcomes.

To change or break a negative response pattern, note these few physiological facts:

• Our brain needs oxygen to think clearly.
• Negative feelings like anger and fear trigger adrenaline, shifting oxygen from our brain to our air passages to provide our muscles with the oxygen needed for flight-or-fight responses.
• Without oxygen, our brain focuses on familiar reactive, defensive response patterns rather than proactive, solution-oriented, productive outcomes.

To relearn and find helpful stopgaps to break patterns, we’ll first need to agree there’s an issue we’d like to change. Once motivated to change, we’ll face the realization that change is a challenging process. But with patience, persistence and practice, anyone committed to change can break the habit of engrained negative response patterns.

The simplest tool used to manage a stressful event is the STOP sign acronym technique: Stop, Think, Options, Plan.

If we stop our undesirable emotions before they escalate, we’ll automatically think of options and create a more reasonable plan. By stopping, we’ll breathe, calm down and reach a better plan than if we fly out of control driven by emotions.

Because we are all human, we all experience negative emotions. But it’s what we do with them that defines us. Working toward eliminating personal attacks or put-downs will enhance the quality of our relationships with ourselves and others. Learning to manage stressors also improves our physical and mental health.

Accept imperfection, practice forgiveness, and give yourself and loved ones a break.

RICK TABOR
GM Community Development Director
808-285-5936 | Rick@Generations808.com

Feelings are important because they can tell us what we need to do. To deal with our feelings, we must name them, realize it’s ok to feel them and express them in a safe way. Then we can decide what to do to feel better. It’s ok to have negative feelings. But owning our feelings…
Silver Lining of a COVID Cloud

When we all closed our doors, fluffed our couch pillows and settled in for what we thought was only going to be a two-week lockdown, no one could have imagined where we would be in 2021. We’re here now and life has a breeze of normalcy amid the chaos. Zoom family celebrations or business meetings are regularly scheduled in our calendars, delivery drivers know our routines and we’ve become more okay with staying in.

Supply and restaurant delivery are some of the conveniences the disabled and aged communities have needed for so long. Yet, seemingly overnight, these options are now available. Farmers markets are doing drive-by delivery, offices switched entirely to remote work and schools became “anywhere,” using distance learning.

And along the way, members of the disabled and senior communities have found that they can get a break from sheltering in place and stay safe by taking a drive, using their auto adaptive equipment. During their solo drive, they can avoid the virus. Their vehicle becomes a safe haven, an escape and a silver lining in this dark pandemic cloud. So taking care of your vehicle is more important than ever to stay safe and healthy in 2021.

SODERHOLM MOBILITY, INC.
2044 Dillingham Blvd., Honolulu, HI 96819
P: 808-834-1417 | F: 808-834-1070
www.soderholmbus.com
Soderholm Sales and Leasing Inc.
PO Box 19010, Honolulu, HI 96817

When we all closed our doors, fluffed our couch pillows and settled in for what we thought was only going to be a two-week lockdown, no one could have imagined where we would be in 2021. We’re here now and life has a breeze of normalcy amid the chaos. Zoom family celebrations or business meetings…
New Rules for the New Game of WORK

Our changing workplace dynamic at this stage of life requires a new set of rules to help us navigate our careers.

■ The first rule of the “new game:” To remain financially secure, most of us (over 50 percent) will need to continue to work — in some capacity — much later than in past generations.

■ So-called “entitlements” and social systems set up to ensure cradle-to-grave support are rapidly becoming obsolete in all countries and nations. People who count on these entitlements are going to be in for an unpleasant surprise.

■ Organizations will never again hire full-time “office workers” to solve short-term problems. They will keep very few people who do not serve their immediate needs because the world is in play. Technology and innovation are not birthrights. Work that can be done somewhere else by someone else will be!

■ “Work” is to the 21st century what “jobs” were to the 20th. Many people will do more than one thing and serve several clients or customers at any given time. Portfolio careers, so long predicted, are now a fact, along with highly specialized
careers that support marketplace needs.

■ There is opportunity awaiting those who plan and act, because change will continue to be fast and discontinuous, meaning that frequent upgrading of competencies, reinvention and innovation are, now and forever, part of the new rules of the game. Careers that served millions once-upon-a-time in the not-so-distant past may now be obsolete or so materially changed that they bear little resemblance to once-familiar careers.

■ Those who model their career planning after our strategic business (yes, your career is your business) model, will succeed while many others will live hand-to-mouth in an economy that favors the consistently prepared. We will present this business planning model in our next article.

■ “Why am I here and has my life mattered?” This question arises in virtually everyone’s life. You will matter in ways never previously imagined in younger lifetimes.

Remember, those who ask this question at mid-career have the time to create the meaningful lives they long for and deserve. Those who don’t, won’t!

NEW WORKFORCE HAWAII
Carleen MacKay
916-316-0143 | carleenmackayhi@gmail.com
www.linkedin.com/in/carleenmackay

Our changing workplace dynamic at this stage of life requires a new set of rules to help us navigate our careers. The first rule of the “new game:” To remain financially secure, most of us (over 50 percent) will need to continue to work — in some capacity — much later than in past generations.
Morning Habits Bring All-Day Joy

Have you ever observed how you wake up? Are you quick to rise or slow to get moving? Do you wake up happy or with a sense of dread, or is your mind already dealing with problems?

If feeling better is important to you, consider starting your day more deliberately. When you first wake up, smile! Smiling has positive chemical effects in the brain, including the release of dopamine, endorphins and serotonin, the happy hormones that help lower stress, anxiety and can aid in lowering heart rate and blood pressure.

Make a positive declaration that feels good to you, and if possible, say it aloud and express it with your body. It can be a simple thing like, “I am healthy!” or “I feel bright!” Try different phrases until you find one that resonates with you. Then, take a moment to thank your body and brain for keeping you alive while you slept. Your internal systems worked hard detoxing, purging, processing and rebuilding, all without any work or thought on your part. When you take that moment to appreciate your body’s functions, you might even start to feel your body responding to your attention.

The first time you do this, it may feel strange, but after a week, you will feel the difference!

KAIMUKI BODY & BRAIN
3569 Harding Ave., #B, Honolulu, HI 96816
808-738-5522 | www.bodynbrain.com/kaimuki

Have you ever observed how you wake up? Are you quick to rise or slow to get moving? Do you wake up happy or with a sense of dread, or is your mind already dealing with problems? If feeling better is important to you, consider starting your day more deliberately.
Nine Coping Skills For Managing Stress

Stress is a part of life. And our ability to manage stress is part of the resilience needed to live a well-balanced life. Our ability to cope with stress determines the quality of our life. How we handle stress defines who we are.

Here are nine very practical coping skills strategies to help us cope with our stressors:

The 9 Coping Skills

1. Deal with your feelings. Feelings tell us what we need to do. To deal with them, we must name them, realize it’s ok to feel them, express them in a safe way, then decide what to do to feel better.

2. Adjust your attitude. What we tell ourselves about the situation will determine how we feel about it. Looking at the good side of things (having a positive attitude) can help us feel better.

3. Discover your choices. In every situation, there are things that can and cannot change. We help ourselves when we choose something that can be changed. Your attitude can always be changed.

4. Accept imperfection. Everyone makes mistakes. We can help ourselves feel better by adjusting our attitude and assessing our choices.

5. Give yourself a break. When you become physically and/or emotionally tired, get your energy back and make yourself feel better by relaxing and taking a break from what you are doing.

6. Take things one step at a time. When you have too much to do, you can feel overwhelmed. Feel better by slowing down, prioritizing and taking things one step at a time.

7. Treat yourself kindly. The stress caused by being angry, frustrated or pushing yourself too hard can make you feel worse. Feel better by using patience and gentle affirmations.

8. Plan ahead. When we have a lot to do or think about, planning ahead can help prevent problems before they arise. Planning ahead helps us to have enough time, energy & tools to complete the task.

9. Ask for help. When no matter how hard we try or how many coping skills we use, we still can’t solve our problem, it’s time to ask for help.

Which of these nine coping skills do you frequently use? Which are hard for you? Which are easier? You will benefit by practicing all nine, with an emphasis on the harder ones.

Practicing them during routine situations will help make them a part of your daily navigation, so when things become rough, you’re more comfortable finding your way.

RICK TABOR
GM Community Development Director
808-285-5936 | Rick@Generations808.com

Stress is a part of life. And our ability to manage stress is part of the resilience needed to live a well-balanced life. Our ability to cope with stress determines the quality of our life. How we handle stress defines who we are. Here are nine very practical coping skills strategies to help us cope…
Vaccination – A Lesson from the Past

The scientific study of disease management and infection control has certainly come a long way. Effective vaccines exist for many diseases, including polio and measles. A more tolerable vaccine for smallpox has also been developed.

Some early vaccines were discovered by accident. The word “vaccination” has a Latin origin in which “vacca” means “cow.” Dr. Edward Jenner noticed that cowpox (much less severe than smallpox) caused milkmaids at the time to be immune to smallpox, which was much more deadly. This finding lead him to use the cowpox material in the vaccine.

In 1796, Dr. Edward Jenner, a pioneer of vaccination, inoculated 8-year-old James Phipps with cowpox vaccine to provide immunity against the much more deadly smallpox virus.

Thomas Jefferson was an advocate for getting vaccinated and responded to Dr. Jenner’s report with this remark: “Having been among the early converts, in this part of the globe, to its efficacy, I took an early part in recommending it [the vaccine] to my countrymen.” In those days, this statement could have great power to convince the American public to roll up their sleeves. Vaccines have virtually eradicated some of these horrible diseases that caused daily restrictions and great loss of life.

It makes good sense for our kūpuna to get the vaccine as soon as possible. With everything we know about the history of vaccine development, there should be acceptance and cooperation from our kūpuna. The option of contracting the virus is less appealing than getting the shot (or series of shots). Talking to your loved ones now can help prepare them to accept the vaccine. Set a date and make the appointments. If it helps to have medical professionals discuss this with them, since trust lies within that relationship, then connect them with their healthcare provider.

The eradication of diseases has been accomplished before. The trust of the population is required before this can happen. First, we must hear that the vaccine has been proven safe by a stringent approval process. Douglas Kriner, a professor of government at Cornell University, said, “The rollout of the vaccine and the public health effort to communicate to people the importance of doing this, that it’s safe and effective and trying to encourage people to vaccinate, should really be left to the public health professionals.”

Since over 31 million people follow anti-vaccine groups on Facebook, it is apparent that we have a challenge in order to get at least 80 percent of the population vaccinated, which is what it will take to end COVID-19.

ATTENTION PLUS CARE HOME HEALTHCARE
Accredited by The Joint Commission
1580 Makaloa St., Ste. 1060, Honolulu, HI 96814
808-739-2811 | www.attentionplus.com
AGING IN HAWAII EDUCATIONAL OUTREACH PROGRAM
by Attention Plus Care — a program providing resources for seniors and their families, covering different aging topics each month. For class information and upcoming topics, call 808-440-9356.

When the vaccine for COVID-19 is finally available, the decision to get inoculated will depend on where trust lies. When the doctor recommends a vaccine, will folks get it? The term “inoculation” was used as early as the year 1000 AD, when Chinese doctors were trying to eradicate smallpox. Their method involved grinding up smallpox…
A 91-Year-Old Advocate of Healthy Living

Toyoko and her daughter, Jo Ann, go swimming together nearly every day.

Hawai‘i is fortunate to have many people living well into their 90s and even 100s. Toyoko Nishiki, a 91-year-old woman, is one of the most active we have met.

Her parents were plantation workers in Lahaina. She was the sixth of 10 children — three boys and seven girls. After high school, Toyoko worked as a live-in nanny in Nu‘uanu while putting herself through the Honolulu Community College’s cafeteria management program. She secured a job at the Richards Street YWCA in Laniākea.

As a recreational break from the daily monotony of her food service employment, Toyoko would often walk from Old Waialae Road, down Kapahulu Avenue, for a brief swim at Kaimana Beach before catching the bus to work. This early affect for swimming would eventually become a lifelong practice.
When she began to suffer debilitating backaches, she borrowed a page from JFK and found that regular swimming eased and eventually completely alleviated her back pain.

Life-changing events occur in everyone’s world. For Toyoko, it was when her husband passed away suddenly from a heart attack at age 49. That was when Toyoko decided to become an advocate of healthy living. She became conscious of not only physical exercise but aware of proper nutrition. Toyoko believes in maintaining the fitness of mind (reading, word searches and puzzles), body (exercise, the physicality of gardening, proper nutrition) and spirit (gardening, the aesthetics of nature, communing with friends and relatives — since COVID-19, via phone and Zoom — and attending online church services).

Toyoko’s garden is another favorite spot for exercise and the appreciation of nature.

Her daughter, Jo Ann Nishiki, remembers that her mother has always enjoyed working out, going back to when Toyoko went to the Punahou Fitness and Spa, where she met good friends until it closed. Before the pandemic spread to O‘ahu, she was going to 24-Hour Fitness in Pearl City. Using their machines and the jacuzzi, attending classes and swimming laps were all part of her routine.

If a friend couldn’t take her to the gym, Toyoko would catch the bus to and from Palolo/Pearl City. This is what you call “dedication.”

Daughter Jo Ann has joined her mother, driving them both to swimming. In the beginning, it took some coaxing to get Jo Ann in the water, but now they are inseparable. When COVID restrictions closed city pools, mother and daughter switched to Ala Moana Beach for their daily swim. As Hawai‘i once again began welcoming visitors, they returned to reopened city pools. The pool uses CDC protocols, so swimming is just an hour long — just enough to work up an appetite for dinner!

With a routine that would challenge much younger folks, this 91-year-old keeps on going.

Hawai‘i is fortunate to have many people living well into their 90s and even 100s. Toyoko Nishiki, a 91-year-old woman, is one of the most active we have met.