Wish of a Lifetime

Jeremy Bloom, two-time Olympic Skier and former NFL football player, founded Wish of a Lifetime in honor of his grandmother, Donna Wheeler, who at 83 still works in a bank.

He launched this charitable organization with a vision to initiate a cultural change by granting the wish of a lifetime to deserving, low-income seniors throughout the United States. In Europe, older people are more-respected with many families building apartments in their homes so they can take care of their family members as they age.

But here in the States, we Boomers are often pushed aside by a youth-obsessed media and society. So, it was very refreshing last night to work the 2nd annual fund-raising dinner with so many young volunteers.

Award recipients ranging from a Pearl Harbor survivor to your everyday grandmother were honored. Currently, the organization is active in Colorado and a chapter is being sponsored by Google in California.

If you know a worthy senior or would like to volunteer or donate, check it out at:
http://www.wishofalifetime.org/

Where's your MAP?

For us boomers, a map was a colorful piece of paper with lines, drawings and directions that clearly showed us how to get from Point A to B. Today, a lot of people use their iPhones to get directions using Google Maps. But, the MAP I’d like for you to think about is your Medical Action Plan (MAP). I know that this is a topic you hate to think about, let alone talk about but having a MAP will come in handy if you have a medical emergency and you’re unable to talk. As we get older it’s important that we have a good support system, especially if you live alone and your family is in another state. And whoever is your local go-to-person in a medical emergency will need this info immediately. Your MAP can be as simple as a list of relatives to contact, their phone #s, the medications you currently take, your primary Doctor and phone #, and the hospital you prefer to go to. Also, you might want to consider emailing this info to your support person as soon as you prepare it. If you’d like to develop a more detailed MAP/medical history, check out the website at http://www.vialoflife.com/ which provides excellent info on their free program and a free decal for your window like the one below. Just remember, you’re MAP should be clearly written and detailed as it's the set of directions that does the talking for you when you can't! Stay healthy!!