If you are a caregiver or in a relationship with one, Caregiver Tsunami is for you. This book is a quick entertaining read full of good information and based on real life experience. The author navigates the rough seas of caregiving with sensitivity and practical intelligence mixed in with a bit of magic and humor. This book teaches families and everyone involved with caregiving easy skills to follow. Professionals and government officials can also benefit. This is a fantastic “How To” book–the perfect thing at the perfect time.

Lynn Alexander has inspired caregivers over several decades. As a Michigan Cabinet official, she was known for innovative policies which support caregiver families. As a writer for a variety of publications and a public speaker, she has helped caregivers to stay the course. This book is a major step in her desire to provide important information for caregivers all across America.

Publish America is the home of 40,000 talented authors.  Publish America is a traditional publishing company whose primary goal is to encourage and promote the works of new, previously undiscovered writers.  Like more mainstream publishers, Publish America pays its authors advances and royalties and makes its books available through all bookstores.  PublishAmerica offers a distinctly personal, supportive alternative to vanity presses and less accessible publishers.

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The U.S. Census Bureau uses a workforce of trained federal employees to conduct the U.S. Census survey; however, the Census Bureau cannot stop or warn against all bogus or false collections of data.  Here are some tips issued by the state of Michigan’s Intelligence Operations Center to help protect your personal information.

Do not give out your full social security number, bank account number, credit card number, usernames or passwords.

Do not respond to the U.S. Census via the internet.

The U.S. Census will not send you an e-mail regarding participating in the Census.

The U.S. Census will not ask for donations.

The U.S. Census will not send requests on behalf of a political party.

If a U.S. Census worker comes to your home, ask to see a valid ID badge.

If you receive a U.S. Census e-mail and suspect it may be bogus, do not reply or click on any link or open attachments.  Forward the e-mail to http://www.ITSO.fraud.reporting@census.gov then delete the e-mail.

Please feel free to share this information with family and friends to assist them with determining the validity of Census requests.

1.  JAY LENO  -  First of all, it’s nice to have “the older guy” win out in a popularity contest.  Secondly, for his Super Bowl commercial with Oprah and Dave Letterman.  And for supporting Detroit and the auto industry when many were silent or antagonistic towards them.

2.  BRETT FAVRE  -   Okay, so he didn’t make it all the way to the Super Bowl; but he did prove that turning forty does not mean the end of the line.  And he did lead the Minnesota Vikings to a winning season.

3. DIANE SAWYER  -  This extremely popular news anchor keeps reinventing herself as a journalist beloved by all and known for her professionalism and integrity.  After a lengthy tenure working in the White House over several administrations, Ms. Sawyer is best known for her work on 60 Minutes, Primetime, and  Good Morning America. Now she is making a seamless transition to ABC’s “World News”.  We will continue to see her bring noteworthy newscasts into our homes.

4.  DON RICKLES  -  An award winning comedian known for his sarcasm,  Don Rickles has much to celebrate!  At 83 years of age Rickles has just been resigned to a multi-million dollar contract in Vegas.  He continues to make his audiences laugh while he is laughing all the way to the bank!

5.  BETTY WHITE  -  Another timeless comedian, Betty continues to land great roles in the latest movies; and she has great relationships with fellow actors of all ages.  She is respected by her peers having received a Lifetime Achievement Award by the Screen Actors’ Guild.  She is also known for her philanthropic work for the protection of  animals.  Betty will continue to be making us laugh for years to come!

6.  SOPHIA LOREN  -  with sophistication and mystery,  Sophia Loren is a great beauty blessed with acting ability.  She personifies beauty inside and out and portrays a wonderful attitude on life and aging well.  Sophia has tremendous presence.  At a recent awards show she mesmerized males in the audience of all ages.  Sophia has always been an inspiration when it comes to family and career as well.

7.  EBBY HALLIDAY  -  A new author at 98 years of age,  her motivational book is an inspiration for business professionals.  A founder of her real estate company and now Chair of the Board for Ebby Halliday Realtors, she leads a company which is one of the largest in the nation.  Ms. Halliday has received numerous awards and continues to maintain a presence throughout Texas and now throughout America.  We will see and hear much more from Ebby Halliday!

Check with your local health department. In most cases they require pre-registration to keep the process flowing.  So don’t just show up and expect to be taken care of.  Check out your county’s website for information. Public Health officials deserve praise for the efficient manner in which they have dealt with this latest potential pandemic

“The link provided in the email takes you to a very convincing looking imitation of a CDC web page where you are given a temporary ID and a link to your ‘vaccination profile’. The link is in fact an executable file that contains a copy of a Trojan most commonly identified as xpack or Kryptik.once installed on your PC, this Trojan will create a security-free gateway on your system and will proceed to download and install additional malware without your authorization. It also enables a remote hacker to take complete control of your computer.”

The messages are being received at a rate of 18,000 per minute, more than one million per hour.

CDC reminds users to take the following steps to reduce the risk of being a victim of a phishing attack:

* Do not open or respond to unsolicited email messages.
* Do not click links embedded in emails from unknown senders.
* Use caution when entering personal information online.
* Update anti-virus, spyware, firewall, and anti-spam software regularly.

Thanks to Lynne Weinstein McCollum, Legal Services Developer at Michigan Office of Services to the Aging, for passing along this timely information.

Photo by Kelly Kennedy

As the story goes there was a Bride named Emily. She was very anxious about her wedding, not because of her relationship with the groom. Rather, Emily was worried about her mother’s reaction to her step mom. Sure enough, the “wicked” step mom bought an identical dress to the one Mom had purchased as the Mother of the Bride. Much to Emily’s surprise, her mother said: “Don’t worry. She can wear the dress to the wedding. I’ll select another!” Out of relief and appreciation, Emily offered to return the disputed dress to the store. Her Mom replied: “Oh that won’t be necessary sweetheart. I’ll be wearing it to the rehearsal dinner.”

This story may seem extreme. Unfortunately, it is not so unusual. Ask any Family Law Judge or attorney; and they can match or best this story with many of their own. It seems that the movie “War of the Roses” starring Kathleen Turner and Michael Douglas was not so fictional after all. Then there are the second and third marriages taking place in which the bride and groom assume new parenting duties. Unlike the Brady Bunch, many blended families are ill-equipped to deal with these new roles. Resentment over their parents’ divorce may cause children to sabotage the new marriage. Sometimes the parents are less mature than the children, using them as pawns in an evil game of “divorce chess”.

Today, at weddings and Bar Mitzvahs all across the country, it is the norm to have anywhere from six to eight grandparents involved as opposed to the traditional two to four seen years ago. Family trees have many more branches these days! Amidst these changing times there are families who manage to deal with relationship issues in a tasteful and loving manner. Often stepchildren and stepparents are a welcome addition to the family and an integral part of family celebrations. How do they manage this feat? Family therapists, Judges and attorneys all agree that some simple rules can help blended families treat “The Wedding” as a celebration as opposed to a nightmare. These include:

Adult children of newlyweds should be thankful that their parents have found love again and will have a partner to look out for them. Not only will your parent be happier, you will have another caregiver partner if the need arises.

Brides and grooms should have realistic expectations. If “The War of the Roses” mentality exists, don’t try to reach group consensus when it comes to wedding planning. Take charge of the process or use a wedding planner.

Everyone should remember that the wedding is the Bride and Groom’s day – their chance to be in the spotlight. Don’t upstage them with public displays or rude behavior.

In a divorce situation don’t ever denigrate your ex in front of the children. In doing so you insult them as well. Remember that they share a gene pool with that spouse.

Step-parents should defer to biological parents on this day. Wear what the bride wants and bite your tongue if necessary.

This is also the day for parents of the bride and groom. The Honorable Wendy Potts, Chief Judge of the Oakland County Circuit Court, recommends that you include your children in the ceremony. Make them part of the experience; and don’t treat them as an afterthought. She states: “The children are not just passengers for the ride. They are the ride!” Judge Potts ciated a wedding which was a second marriage for both the bride and groom. They each came into the marriage with two children. After their wedding ceremony, the new family of six walked to a nearby lake and enjoyed some private time together to celebrate becoming a family. On many occasions children of wedding couples are a part of the ceremony and symbolically unite as a family. Finally, as parents, keep in mind that you love your child more than you dislike your ex – no matter how difficult they may have been. If everyone follows these tips and truly commits to family relationships, life will be easier for all concerned. And when the strains of “Here Comes the Bride” are heard, there will be a smile on everyone’s face.

Keynote Speaker: Lynn Alexander

AARP now has questions about what is being proposed and wants more clarity before signing on. I agree that due diligence is the order of the day. We all know that reform is needed. What I recommend is that anyone 50+ years in age be vigilant of the following wording. Pay careful attention when a clear plan is recommended and look out for the 5 R’s in any wording:

RATION, REQUIRE, REGULATE, RESTRICT, OR REDUCE