September/October 2016

As people age and face the challenges of growing older, many turn to fitness programs to stay healthy and active.

When people enter their fourth, fifth or sixth decade, their bodies lose some resiliency. A well-rounded exercise routine can help reduce injuries and the onset or frequency of conditions associated with aging, such as heart disease, Type II diabetes, osteoporosis and some neurological conditions.

A RECIPE FOR SUCCESS

A fitness regime should include exercises that work on the cardiovascular system, muscular strength and endurance, flexibility, balance or neuromuscular control, and proper nutrition.

It’s important to begin slowly and progress steadily. Exercise two to three times weekly at a minimum.

Strength training exercises should focus on the whole body. Lifting weights, pulling on resistance bands or using exercise machines, for example, can develop strength with proper use. Lift weights very slowly with proper form for best results.

FLEX IT

Over the decades, joint flexibility usually begins decreasing due to the natural aging of soft tissue and posture position. While it’s important to spend a lot of time stretching, it does not have to be intensely painful. Hold stretches for 20 to 30 seconds or longer in a position that causes slight discomfort.

A GOOD BALANCE

Weakness from muscle loss can lead to balance problems, especially when changing positions too quickly or walking on uneven or unstable ground.

Balance problems lead to falls and injuries. Simple drills such as balancing on one leg with the eyes open and then closed can help the nervous system stay “in tune” with the musculoskeletal system.

Lifelong learning is one of the keys to active aging, defined as “the process of optimizing opportunities for health, participation and security in order to enhance quality of life as people age.” That’s according to the World Health Organization, which encourages older adults to stay active by participating in social, cultural, economic, spiritual and civic affairs in order to extend healthy life expectancies. In short: learn more to live better (and longer).

KEEP LEARNING

Health refers to physical, mental and social well-being. Activity is not just physical; it’s also cognitive. According to Psychology Today, gerontological research shows that enriched learning environments (formal academics or self-directed learning) help to reduce cognitive and emotional decline (including depression and poor self-image) due to aging. Conversely, reduced mental stimulation might lead to a decrease in cognitive functioning as people age.

There’s no need to leave learning behind once you graduate high school or college. When you stop learning, studies show you’re inviting mental stagnation and reduce the potential for exploration and growth. The good news? In Northeast Ohio, lifelong learning is an accessible alternative. Regardless of age, you don’t need to travel far to keep your mind and body engaged by pursuing knowledge and experience.

At Cuyahoga Community College’s Encore Senior Adult Program, manager Suzanne Ortiz says classes double as social gatherings. “It’s a great opportunity for friends to get together on a Friday afternoon on our eastern or western campus and learn about any topic they can think of: history, art, the sciences, exercise. …It’s an opportunity for them to get together and do what they’ve always wanted to do.”

CLASS WITH BENEFITS

Whether it’s learning to dance, speak a foreign language, gain computer skills, improve your golf swing or master a craft, encore education delivers real benefits for older adults by:

• keeping the mind sharp

• improving memory

• increasing self-confidence

• offering an inexpensive (or free) way to try something new

• gaining independence by learning to “do it yourself”

• offering a sense of accomplishment

• meeting like-minded people

• building upon existing skills

• learning a marketable skill or trade

Adult students are the nation’s fastest growing educational demographic, according to the U.S.

There is a special joy that grandchildren bring to the family. In the 21st century, grandparents are finding themselves more involved with their school-aged grandchildren than any other generation as they take on roles as guests, volunteers, teacher aides and storytellers at local schools.

Dr. Carol Rosiak, principal of Goldwood Primary School in Rocky River, sees grandparents as a welcome addition to the classroom.

“We are very fortunate in our school to have strong parental involvement,” she says. “When grandparents also get involved in education, the children see how the whole family unit supports education. Grandparents who come into our school either to volunteer or to be part of special events show a genuine love and excitement for education and are so supportive of the teachers and staff.

“They share their appreciation for the educators and are very kind when they are in the building. This is witnessed by all and again positively impacts our school community,” Rosiak says.

GETTING INVOLVED — GRANDPARENT STYLE

To accommodate a variety of family situations, Goldwood Primary celebrates “Special Persons’ Day” because some children do not have grandparents.

“On this special day, the special person comes to school, the children sing songs and show their guests how technology in the classroom enhances educational opportunities with Smart Boards, iPads, specific software programming and other tools,” Rosiak explains. “Some do a craft with their special person or go to the book fair hosted by the PTA so their grandparents are able to take them to shop.”

Bob Whitaker, principal at Fort Island Primary School in Copley, sees many opportunities for grandparents to become active in their grandchildren’s schools.

“Our PTA sponsors two Grandparents Day breakfasts with over 250 participants each day,” he says. “We also have had a ‘Silver Readers’ program in collaboration with the local Copley seniors group.

The produce shelves in Family Grocer in Akron’s North Hill are a snapshot of the exotic.

Pumpkin leaves, tiny eggplants, colorful peppers almost too hot to touch. Prickly-looking vegetables, skinny squashes. These are the foods that help feed a community of Southeast Asian refugees and immigrants, among the latest to call this dynamic neighborhood home.

For decades, newcomers to this country have settled here and thrived. Italians, Poles, Hispanics and others followed family members for affordable housing and employment to gradually assimilate to their new country.

The learning works both ways. While they work to fit into their Northeast Ohio neighborhood, the existing residents gain plenty, too. Naresh Subba’s Family Grocer and dozens of other ethnic markets and restaurants are attracting people of all ages and ethnicities.

GROWING TOGETHER, NOT APART

In recent years, North Hill has been a centerpiece of refugee and resettlement due in large part to the International Institute of Akron. The agency on East Tallmadge Avenue is housed in an old brick building. Its labyrinth-like offices and cubicles host a steady stream of refugees and others seeking support.

These days, many clients are from Bhutan and other Southeast Asian countries. The agency earlier this summer received its first Syrian families. More are expected, said Liz Walters, IIA’s community outreach director.

Throughout the year, IIA hosts market tours and other events to introduce long-time residents to newer residents and their businesses. The small business owners — mostly of restaurants and markets — use the opportunity to talk about their immigrant or refugee experience. Refugees are people forced to leave their country, almost always because of violence. Immigrants are those who chose to leave, usually for economic or educational reasons.

Subba, 48, is Bhutanese and had lived in refugee camps in Nepal before moving to the area in 2002 to attend Kent State University.

Northeast Ohio parents send their kids to Columbus for college. And they turn up again for Parent & Family Weekend and sports.

But vacation there? Without Ohio State sports? Why?

Because the state capital is close enough for a quick trip, and it’s far enough to feel like an escape. This city in the center of the state offers vibrant daytime and nightlife activities for active adults. The new Scioto Mile park adds 33 acres of riverfront parkland to downtown for hiking, biking and kayaking. And for art-minded folks, the Columbus Museum of Art just added a new wing.

Microbreweries, brewpubs, distilleries, wineries and cider houses beckon the thirsty. And the Short North neighborhood calls to shoppers of art galleries and independent boutiques.

German Village alone can consume a weekend. The gentrified, historic neighborhood offers peaceful strolls and interesting cuisine. Stately brick houses and cottages line bumpy brick streets. Circled by ample (more brick) sidewalks, the houses sport details worth notice — a hosta shade garden here, a slate-tiled roof there.

Plan judiciously and you may enjoy a festival or art crawl. This neighborhood is best explored by foot to catch a glimpse of interesting garden art, late-blooming flowers and colorful doorways.

Try a restorative weekend exploring this Columbus enclave and its surroundings. Get started with these destinations. All are within walking distance of anywhere in German Village.

German Village Guest House

748 Jaeger St.

gvguesthouse.com;

866-587-2738 or 614-437-9712.

Guest house is synonymous with bed and breakfast at this quiet, European-styled, three-bedroom house with a welcoming back patio. Guests are greeted by cookies and iced tea. An invisible host delivers homemade yogurt, granola, cereals and much more in the morning. Details, right down to a GVGH-monogrammed rubber duck in the shower, are handled seamlessly. Just one minute from downtown, the guest house has no sign and fits right into the neighborhood.

A change in tax rules that went into effect in 2015 created potential problems for investors who roll money from one IRA into a new IRA. Now, with a new ruling, the IRS is offering relief for some who inadvertently violate the rules.

Prior to 2015, if you owned more than one IRA, you could roll over each one once a year. As long as you completed the rollover within 60 days of the payout, there was no tax. After the 2015 U.S. Tax Court opinion, such IRA rollovers could be very costly. The new rules allow only one rollover in any 12-month period.

You can avoid trouble by using direct IRA-to-IRA transfers. With a transfer, the IRA custodian sends the money directly to the new IRA custodian. There are no tax consequences and you are not required to report anything on your income tax return. An individual is permitted to make as many transfers a year as they would like.

A rollover may appear similar to a transfer but it is a very different operation. With a rollover, if the distributed assets are not contributed back into a qualified retirement account within 60 days, the distribution is considered a withdrawal and becomes taxable. Additionally, if you are under age 59 1⁄2, an extra 10 percent penalty for an early withdrawal may apply.

With the one rollover per year rule, all additional rollovers are treated as distributions, and the full amount is included on your tax return.

Realizing there could be circumstances where meeting the 60-day rollover rule could be difficult, the IRS in Revenue Procedure 2016-47, which went into effect Aug. 24, 2016, will grant a waiver. Taxpayers can self-certify that due to certain circumstances — such as a death or serious illness in the family, an error by the financial institution, severe damage to your residence, incarceration or a postal error — the time limit was not met, and avoid the penalties associated with the 60-day rollover rule.

Last fall we kicked off Northeast Ohio Boomer and Beyond magazine as an innovative publication for active adults 50 and older in Greater Cleveland. We have been thrilled to see the support that has come from numerous expected and unexpected places.

From the Medina Community Recreation Center to the Brecksville Women’s Club to the Menorah Park cafeteria, we thank you for welcoming Boomer and Beyond into your homes and businesses. We also thank those advertisers who have supported the magazine’s launch by believing in the reach and impact this publication can make.

We look forward to year two with anticipation and openness. We want to hear more from you, our trusted reader. What information do you need? What’s on your mind? What joys do you want to share and what concerns you? Reach out to me or to our editor Marie Elium and share what’s in your heart.

LEARN & GROW

Now for this issue. Almost no one exemplifies the spirit of “Learn & Grow” more than radio favorite Jimmy Malone. The popular WMJI morning co-host has made a second career out of raising money for scholarships and mentoring young people as they navigate college and careers. Read more about Jimmy on page 26.

You’ve heard it said many times — Northeast Ohio is a melting pot. For more than a century, refugees and immigrants have made this region their home. You could say it’s a “learn-learn” opportunity; they figure out how to navigate their new neighborhoods, and long-time residents learn about different cultures and customs. A story about Akron’s newest residents begins on page 20.

Finally, this is the time of year for fall festivals and foliage, pigskins and pumpkins, and Medicare — specifically, Medicare enrollment. It’s a complicated subject. Our panel of experts clarifies the process. Their columns begin on page 32.