Category: August – September 2013

What’s So Good About Growing Older?

So, the editor of Generations Magazine calls me and says, “Frank, let’s do another column for the magazine. We loved having your thoughts in the magazine, so please … hana hou!” Then the editor came back and said, “But this time, Frank, write about getting older and staying fit … snicker, snicker.” In my mind,…
AARP Hawai’i: Life Reimagined

After the kids were grown, Rhee, a career pharmacist turned fulltime mother, weighed second-career options. She thought of teaching or returning to a pharmacy, but memories of her church’s baking class brought back fond childhood memories of afternoon tea and pastries. Today, a little more than two years after launching her small business venture —…
A New & Innovative Dental Office

An innovative concept in dentistry has emerged in Kaimuki. This dental office focuses on patient comfort, relaxation, reduction of dental fear, and is paired with coordinated specialty treatment. This practice is breaking the mold of the traditional dental office our parents grew up with. The office has both specialists and general dentists together in the…
Al Harrington Discusses His Years … And Yours

At 77 years young, Al Harrington has seemingly lived the life of the American Dream—entertainer, actor, healer and educator. Yet, after experiencing cancer and diabetes, Al was compelled to build the healing spirit in Hawai‘i. For him, that meant illustrating how new and old methods of healing can work well together.
Do I Need Long-Term Care Insurance?

If you never experience chronic illness or an accident resulting in extended care, you won’t need long-term care insurance (LTCI). But, if either were to happen to you today, a nursing home in Hawai‘I could cost you $100,000 – $120,000/year and could last up to 3 years. People age 65 and older with Alzheimer’s survive…
Proper Hydration for Health

Staying hydrated everyday is the key to staying and feeling healthy. Our bodies have an intricate system of keeping fluids and electrolytes in balance. Due to changes in the body as we age, such as a decrease in total body water as well as a decreased sense of thirst, this regulation system may no longer…
What to Ask When Seeking a Care Home

Choosing a caregiver or nursing home for a family member is one of the most difficult decisions in life. It is a stressful, consuming task that is often made worse by the fact that a loved one has suffered a medical crisis. You may face great pressure to arrange care in a very short period…
25th Annual Talk Story Festival

Around the world, every culture has it’s own way of sharing information and stories. In the Islands, we know it as ‘talk story.’ These informal conversations are about slowing down and taking the time to share ideas, stories, history and opinions with the people around you. The upcoming annual Talk Story Festival aims to keep…
Medicare? Are You There Yet?

Remember the familiar line chanted by children being driven somewhere, “Are we there yet?” As I visit companies to conduct Medicare preretiree seminars, I hear employees nearing the age of Medicare eligibility, quietly asking each other something similar —“Are You There Yet?” Most can hardly believe they are reaching their 65th birthday and will soon…
Honoring End-of-Life Choices

Our community is facing a crisis, most recently evidenced by the Karen Okada case. The local news recently exposed this crisis, reporting that Ms. Okada made a living will in 1998 where she stated that she did not want her life to be “artificially prolonged” at “end of life.” The Queen’s Medical Center clinicians diagnosed…