• Ask Uncle

    Ask Your Uncle: Do 10,000 Steps a Day Really Make a Difference for Your Health?

    May 2, 2022 /

    Welcome to Ask Your Uncle, a regular feature at LGBTSr.com answering questions big and small. Have something to ask your uncle? Email us at Uncle@LGBTSr.com.

    Q: Everyone seems to be counting their steps these days, with the general consensus being a minimum of 10,000 per day to maintain basic step-health. Where does that come from, and is 10,000 steps really a magic number?

    A: Uncle sees step counters everywhere and wonders the same thing. Why do so many people consider 10,000 steps to be a basic daily requirement? What are they basing this belief on?

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  • Savvy Senior

    Savvy Senior: Specialized Moving Services That Help Seniors Downsize and Relocate

    May 2, 2022 /

    By Jim Miller

    Dear Savvy Senior,

    Can you recommend any businesses or services that specialize in helping seniors downsize and relocate? I need to find some help moving my mother from her four-bedroom home – where she’s lived for nearly 50 years – to an apartment near me.

    Overwhelmed Daughter

    Dear Overwhelmed,

    The process of downsizing and moving to a new home is a big job for anyone, but it can be especially overwhelming for seniors who are moving from a long-time residence filled with decade’s worth of stuff and a lifetime of memories. Fortunately, there’s a specialized service available today that can help make your mom’s move a lot easier for her, and for you. 

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  • Savvy Senior

    Savvy Senior: How to Find Educational Trips for Retirees Who Love to Learn

    April 29, 2022 /


    By Jim Miller

    Dear Savvy Senior,

    My wife and I planning to travel much more frequently in retirement and are very interested in educational trips and adventures. Can you recommend any groups or firms that specialize in this type of travel geared towards retirees?

    Love to Learn

    Dear Love,

    Educational travel, which combines travel with in-depth learning opportunities has become a very popular way of travel among retirees. Here are a few good places to turn to find these types of trips in the U.S. and abroad.

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  • DIY Day

    DIY Day: Changing a Home Light Switch

    April 27, 2022 /

    Welcome to DIY Day at LGBTSr, a weekly feature about doing things ourselves – in the home, outside, wherever a project needs completing. My husband Frank and I moved to our rural home in New Jersey five years ago, after commuting back and forth to our apartment in New York City for ten years. The apartment is gone, and I’ve had to learn to take care of a home without the help of a building super! We call experts when it’s needed (plumber, electrician, landscaper), but there are a lot of little things a house demands of you that you can do yourself.

    I’ll also be including other DIY projects in the coming weeks and months: crafts, gardening, starting microbusinesses (eBay here I come!), as I embrace my own retirement from full-time work and dive into life with a lot more free time. I recently had to replace a switch in our bathroom, so this was my first choice for DIY Day. Be sure the electricity to any switch or circuit is off before you try fixing it! And if you’re not confident, ask for help.

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  • Listen Lounge

    The Listen Lounge Opens at the Corner of Murder and Madness

    April 16, 2022 /

    Stop by sometime for a killer martini at The Listen Lounge, where the sounds of smooth jazz meet the chilling screams of murder. Enjoy 3-chapter samples of all my audiobooks, with links to purchase the entire selection if fear doesn’t stop you first. Our first drink special is ‘A House in the Woods,’ narrated by Daniela Acitelli. We’re just getting orders in across the bar, so stay tuned for small plate samples of them all at MarkMcNease.com/listenlounge:

    A House in the Woods, Black Cat White Paws, Murder at Pride Lodge, Pride and Perilous, Death by Pride, Murder at the Paisley Parrot, Beautiful Corpse, Death in the Headlights, and Stop the Car. 

     

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  • LGBTSR,  Savvy Senior

    Savvy Senior: How to Choose a Medicare Advantage Plan

    April 13, 2022 /

    By Jim Miller

    Dear Savvy Senior,

    I will be 65 and eligible for Medicare in a few months and am interested in getting a Medicare Advantage plan to cover my health care and medications. What tips can you provide to help me pick a plan?

    Ready to Retire

    Dear Ready,

    Medicare Advantage plans have become very popular among retirees over the past 15 years, as nearly half of all new Medicare enrollees are signing up for Advantage plans, which accounts for about 42 percent of the entire Medicare market. Here are some tips and tools to help you pick a plan that fits your needs.

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  • Being Well,  LGBTSR

    Being Well: Let’s Talk About Diverticulitis

    April 13, 2022 /

    Being Well is a regular feature at LGBTSr highlighting health and wellness.

    It started with sharp recurring pain in my abdomen and ended with a three-hour visit to the emergency room at 2:00 a.m. I waited four days for it to go away, thinking it was related to the acid reflux (GERD) I’ve been treating with medication the past three years. I’d had a virtual visit with my gastroenterologist on Monday to set up my next colonoscopy. He asked how my acid problem was doing and I said fine, because I hadn’t yet experienced any problems. Then, because life works this way, it hit me on Tuesday. Bloating, pain, and the bowel problems usually associated with those symptoms. Was it food poisoning? I wondered. I kept thinking back on what I’d eaten the past couple days. And then it went away … only to return every few hours.

    Finally, on Saturday morning just after midnight, I woke up in excruciating pain. Was my esophagus rupturing? Was I having a heart attack? I called the 24-hour nurse line provided by my insurance company, spoke to a very helpful nurse, and it was decided I should go to the emergency room.

    Three hours after arriving, and an hour after a CT scan, I was diagnosed with acute diverticulitis. Course of treatment: antibiotics, clear liquids only for two days, and a list of mitigating measures provided in the paperwork they gave me when I left. As it turned out, the doctor was the daughter of our forester, who takes care of our annual filing to keep our property designated as a tree farm. It’s a small world.

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  • Being Well,  LGBTSR

    Being Well: Let’s Talk About Diverticulitis

    April 10, 2022 /

    Being Well is a regular feature at LGBTSr highlighting health and wellness.

    It started with sharp recurring pain in my abdomen and ended with a three-hour visit to the emergency room at 2:00 a.m. I waited four days for it to go away, thinking it was related to the acid reflux (GERD) I’ve been treating with medication the past three years. I’d had a virtual visit with my gastroenterologist on Monday to set up my next colonoscopy. He asked how my acid problem was doing and I said fine, because I hadn’t yet experienced any problems. Then, because life works this way, it hit me on Tuesday. Bloating, pain, and the bowel problems usually associated with those symptoms. Was it food poisoning? I wondered. I kept thinking back on what I’d eaten the past couple days. And then it went away … only to return every few hours.

    Finally, on Saturday morning just after midnight, I woke up in excruciating pain. Was my esophagus rupturing? Was I having a heart attack? I called the 24-hour nurse line provided by my insurance company, spoke to a very helpful nurse, and it was decided I should go to the emergency room.

    Three hours after arriving, and an hour after a CT scan, I was diagnosed with acute diverticulitis. Course of treatment: antibiotics, clear liquids only for two days, and a list of mitigating measures provided in the paperwork they gave me when I left. As it turned out, the doctor was the daughter of our forester, who takes care of our annual filing to keep our property designated as a tree farm. It’s a small world.

    Read More