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Savvy Senior: Could I Have COPD and Not Know It?
By Jim Miller
Dear Savvy Senior,
I have struggled with shortness of breath for several years now. I just thought I was getting old and fat, but a friend recently told me about COPD. So, my question is could I have COPD and not know it?
Huffing and Puffing
Dear Huffing,
Yes. COPD, or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, is a progressive lung disease that affects an estimated 30 million Americans, but about half of them don’t know they have it.
Many people mistake shortness of breath as a normal part of aging, or a result of being out of shape, but that’s not necessarily the case. COPD – a term used to describe a variety of lung diseases including emphysema and chronic bronchitis – develops slowly, so symptoms may not be obvious until damage has occurred.
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An Emmy Nomination Once Again! (It’s Only Been 20 Years)
Yes, it’s true. I’ve been nominated for an Emmy again, as a co-creator of the multiple Emmy-winning children’s TV program, Into the Outdoors. I have an Emmy on my shelf from 2002. What better way to ease into my retirement next April than with another statue?
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Lee Lynch Retires Her Amazon Trail Column
Crossposted from LGBTSr.com
For almost as long as I’ve had this website I’ve enjoyed sharing author Lee Lynch’s Amazon Trail columns. I often said, if it’s a new month, it’s a new Amazon Trail. I looked forward to each and every one, offering Lee’s wisdom, experience, humor, and passion, as she shared her perspective on the world she’s lived in and the world we share. Lee is not shy, and her candor is among the most refreshing things about her. She’s also a legend in lesbian fiction, most deservedly so, with a Golden Crown Literary Society award named in her honor. My appreciation for her wit, her talent, and her personal generosity is boundless, and I’m most pleased to call her a friend. Some people lead by simply being who they are, and Lee has always been, and will always be, one of them.
You can read many of her collected columns in her book, An American Queer: The Amazon Trail
“This collection of Lee Lynch’s columns chronicles over a quarter century of queer life in the United States, from the last decades of the twentieth century into the twenty-first.
“From the beginning of my writing career, I just wanted to write about lesbian/gay life as I experienced it. Like so many, I came from a place of great isolation. At the same time, being gay filled me with great pride and joy. Writers Jane Rule, Isabelle Miller, Radclyffe Hall, Valerie Taylor, Ann Bannon, and Vin Packer gave me inspiration and even the lesbian companionship I needed as a baby dyke. More than anything, I want to give to gay people what those writers gave me. And I want to do it well enough that my words might someday be considered literature and, as such, might endure because, as open as some societies have become, there are always haters, and cycles of oppression. Our writers strengthen us, offer a sense of solidarity and validation that we are both more than our sexualities and are among the best that humanity offers.”
About Lee Lynch
Photo by Sue Hardesty Lee Lynch is the co-curator, with S. Renee Bass, of the recent collection, Our Happy Hours, LGBT Voices From the Gay Bars, available from Flashpoint Publications. Her novel, Rainbow Gap, is available from Bold Strokes Books and other outlets. Her book, An American Queer, a collection of “The Amazon Trail” columns, was presented with the 2015 Golden Crown Literary Society Award in Anthology/Collection Creative Non Fiction. This, and her award-winning fiction, including The Raid, The Swashbuckler, and Beggar of Love, can be found at http://www.boldstrokesbooks.com/Author-Lee-Lynch.html.
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Lee Lynch Retires Her Amazon Trail Column
For almost as long as I’ve had this website I’ve enjoyed sharing author Lee Lynch’s Amazon Trail columns. I often said, if it’s a new month, it’s a new Amazon Trail. I looked forward to each and every one, offering Lee’s wisdom, experience, humor, and passion, as she shared her perspective on the world she’s lived in and the world we share. Lee is not shy, and her candor is among the most refreshing things about her. She’s also a legend in lesbian fiction, most deservedly so, with a Golden Crown Literary Society award named in her honor. My appreciation for her wit, her talent, and her personal generosity is boundless, and I’m most pleased to call her a friend. Some people lead by simply being who they are, and Lee has always been, and will always be, one of them.
You can read many of her collected columns in her book, An American Queer: The Amazon Trail
“This collection of Lee Lynch’s columns chronicles over a quarter century of queer life in the United States, from the last decades of the twentieth century into the twenty-first.
“From the beginning of my writing career, I just wanted to write about lesbian/gay life as I experienced it. Like so many, I came from a place of great isolation. At the same time, being gay filled me with great pride and joy. Writers Jane Rule, Isabelle Miller, Radclyffe Hall, Valerie Taylor, Ann Bannon, and Vin Packer gave me inspiration and even the lesbian companionship I needed as a baby dyke. More than anything, I want to give to gay people what those writers gave me. And I want to do it well enough that my words might someday be considered literature and, as such, might endure because, as open as some societies have become, there are always haters, and cycles of oppression. Our writers strengthen us, offer a sense of solidarity and validation that we are both more than our sexualities and are among the best that humanity offers.”
About Lee Lynch
Photo by Sue Hardesty Lee Lynch is the co-curator, with S. Renee Bass, of the recent collection, Our Happy Hours, LGBT Voices From the Gay Bars, available from Flashpoint Publications. Her novel, Rainbow Gap, is available from Bold Strokes Books and other outlets. Her book, An American Queer, a collection of “The Amazon Trail” columns, was presented with the 2015 Golden Crown Literary Society Award in Anthology/Collection Creative Non Fiction. This, and her award-winning fiction, including The Raid, The Swashbuckler, and Beggar of Love, can be found at http://www.boldstrokesbooks.com/Author-Lee-Lynch.html.
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LGBTSr Subscriber Giveaway: Custom LGBTSr.com Coffee Mug!
What better way to start your morning than with some coffee, tea, or your favorite beverage sipped from a custom LGBTSr.com coffee cup! I’ll be giving 5 of them away on my birthday, October 28. Yes, it’s my birthday, and I’m doing the giving! This will be for subscribers only, so subscribe HERE, and look for more details in October. I’ll be selecting 5 random subscribers and getting the cups off to them in time to curl up by a November fire. – Mark
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The Twist Podcast #170: Biden Drops the Hammer, Bush Drops the Mic, COVID Calamity, and Remembering 9/11
Join co-hosts Mark McNease and Rick Rose as we consider President Biden’s performance, appreciate the candor of George W. Bush, consider the calamity called COVID, and share some thoughts on 9/11. Plus the weekly headlines and lots of inside jokes.
Enjoy The Twist on Libsyn, iTunes, Stitcher, Spotify, iHeart Radio, Amazon Music, and TheTwistPodcast.com.
Copyright 2021 MadeMark Publishing
Join Mark’s email list for updates, podcasts, giveaways, and his monthly newsletter!
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The Twist Podcast #170: Biden Drops the Hammer, Bush Drops the Mic, COVID Calamity, and Remembering 9/11
Join co-hosts Mark McNease and Rick Rose as we consider President Biden’s performance, appreciate the candor of George W. Bush, consider the calamity called COVID, and share some thoughts on 9/11. Plus the weekly headlines and lots of inside jokes.
Enjoy The Twist on Libsyn, iTunes, Stitcher, Spotify, iHeart Radio, Amazon Music, and TheTwistPodcast.com.
Copyright 2021 MadeMark Publishing
Join Mark’s email list for updates, podcasts, giveaways, and his monthly newsletter!
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Kapok Aging and Caregiver Resources: Holistic Pain Management for Seniors
This article is excerpted with permission from Kapok Aging and Caregiver Resources. You can listen to my conversation with Angelica here. – Mark/Editor
By Angelica Herrera Venson,DrPH, MPH
Angelica Herrera Venson Pain is a serious problem for many seniors and caregivers. When Western medicine fails us, or is out of reach financially, the pain can drive many of us to explore alternative forms of therapy. Indeed, holistic pain management for seniors can be a powerful tool, where you are combining multiple approaches for reducing and managing your pain.
However, before you do that, make sure you understand the strength of the science behind these options and the limitations of what they can and cannot treat. You should also be aware of the risks, along with when such techniques might not be suitable.
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Ronni Sanlo’s This Day in LGBTQ History (September 3 – 9)
Ronni Sanlo’s This Day in LGBTQ History makes the past ever-present with daily rundowns of historic events and people.
Ronni SanloTHIS DAY in LGBTQ HISTORYSEPTEMBER 91898John Beverley Nichols (9 September 1898 – 15 September 1983) was an English author, playwright, journalist, composer, and public speaker. He wrote over 60 books and is best remembered for his books about his homes and gardens, the first of which was Down the Garden Path (1932). He was gay and is thought to have had a brief affair with a famous war poet, Siegfried Sassoon (8 September 1886 – 1 September 1967). Nichols’s long-time companion was actor and director Cyril Butcher (31 July 1909 – 23 February 1987).1992The Lesbian Avengers stage their first public action in the New York City borough of Queens when right-wingers attempt to suppress a multicultural “Children of the Rainbow” curriculum for elementary school children. The Lesbian Avengers was founded in New York City by Ana Maria Simo, Sarah Schulman, Maxine Wolfe, Anne-christine D’Adesky, Marie Honan, and Anne Maguire as “a direct action group focused on issues vital to lesbian survival and visibility.” Dozens of other chapters quickly emerged world-wide, a few expanding their mission to include questions of gender, race, and class. On their first action, the Lesbian Avengers targeted right-wing attempts to suppress.This Day in LGBTQ History, Vol. 1 January-March – https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08SB3C75VThis Day in LGBTQ History, Vol. 2 – April-June.This Day in LGBTQ History, Vol. 3 – July-September -
An App for That: MyFitnessPal
An App for That is a regular feature at LGBTSr highlighting useful apps and technology tips for our readers. Have an app to recommend? Email me at: Editor @ LGBTSr.com
On my recent podcast interview with Angelica Herrera Venson of Kapok Caregiving Resources, she mentioned MyFitnessPal when we talked about apps and technology for older adults. I know this app well, having had it on my phone for the past couple years. It offers a lot of data, tracking and helpful information, and can be a handy tool in our health routine, especially if we want to keep track of what we eat and lose a few pounds in the process. I use the free version, of course, and only recommend apps that offer one.
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EVENTS: New Hope Celebrates Book Club, ‘Gay Bar’ by Jeremy Aherton Lin
When: Wednesday, Sep 22, 6:30 PMWhere: 162 Carousel Lane,Lahaska, PA 18931
Join us on Wednesday, September 22nd at 6:30 PM at the Lahaska Book Shop for the New Hope Celebrates Book Club! We will be discussing Gay Bar by Jeremy Atherton Lin.Jeremy Atherton Lin is an Asian-American essayist based in the UK. Jeremy studied playwriting at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), then worked as an editor in San Francisco before transplanting to London, where he took a job in retail and hung out at bars. After gaining some attention for his candid observations in blogs and zines, he wound up on the Writing MA at the Royal College of Art (RCA). He has since contributed to The Yale Review, Granta, The White Review, ArtReview, Literary Hub, The Face, W, Tinted Window, and the Times Literary Supplement. His debut book Gay Bar (2021) was selected as a New York Times Editors’ Choice and Guardian Book of the Week. Jeremy’s mixtapes can be heard on NTS Radio, Spotify, and Mixcloud.
Learn more at https://bit.ly/3yQQpAO
Have an event you’d like announced? Email the details to: events @ lgbtsr.com
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Savvy Senior: How to Handle Your Medicare Coverage if You Move
By Jim Miller
Dear Savvy Senior,
My husband and I are moving to a different area of the country to be near our daughter. Will this affect our Medicare benefits? Will we need to adjust our coverage or re-enroll in a new plan?
Moving Away
Dear Moving,
Moving can indeed affect your Medicare benefits depending on the type of coverage you have and where you move to.
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On Dreamshaping: Today I (Insert Behavior Here)
Mark McNease
One of the tools I’ve used in shaping my own dreams is the ‘TODAY I’ list. It’s very simple: a regular, running list of things I’ve either stopped doing or begun to do. While putting things in the positive (‘Today I started ….’) is important, it’s also fine to say I stopped doing things that have been corrosive to my heath, mind, spirit, and dream.
It helps me stay observant of myself. I’ll notice myself engaging in some behavior, such as talking badly about someone at work, or gossiping, or being gratuitously negative, and I’ll add stopping it to my list. There’s a beginning to it the first time I write something down, but there is not set end: I may add to the list for the rest of my life, or, preferably, until I’m shaped my dream to the best of my liking and can confidently say ‘TODAY I stopped adding to my TODAY I list!’