oaringSWestcott Lakes at SouthWood kicked offOlder AmericansMonth with aninformational seminar atthe Florida StateUniversity College ofMedicine entitled“Positive Aging…aStimulus Package forLife.” In keeping with theU.S. Administration onAging theme, “LivingToday for a BetterTomorrow,” a panel ofexperts shared researchstudies and their ownprofessional experienceon how to get the most from life’s second half.The event was held on May 6th featuring

FSU’s own Dr. Kenneth Brummel-Smith, theCharlotte Edwards MaguireProfessor and Chair of theDepartment of Geriatricsfor the Florida StateUniversity College ofMedicine. Dr. Brummel-Smith was joined by G.Richard Ambrosius, VicePresident of Communica-tions for PRAXEIS, LLC anda nationally respectedexpert on future agingtrends. The panel wasmoderated by WestcottLakes CEO and gerontolo-gist Dr. ChristopherMulrooney. “There is no secret to successfulaging - it simply takes a positive attitude and

© Westcott Lakes®, June, 2009

A Positive Response for Positive Aging!Volume 1, Issue 8; June 2009

Guests enjoying the Positive Aging Forum

Guests enjoying the Grits Bar! Dick Ambrosius with member “Fancy” Funk andCollege of Medicine administrator Mollie Hill

(continued on page 6)

by Renee Prasek

In this month’s Eagle Visioncolumn, I am stepping in forChris Mulrooney to write onthe progress of one keystrategy in the marketingsection of Westcott Lakes’Action Plan. It’s a strategy wecall, “enhancing theendorsement of Florida StateUniversity.” With apologies toZero Mostel, Phil Silvers, andthe rest of the cast from thezany 1966 motion pictureclassic, “a funny thing hap-pened on the way to theforum”! In this case, I amreferring to the recent WestcottLakes Medical Forum (“PositiveAging, A Stimulus Package forLife”). We have heard frommany members that this wasthe best event…ever! Whereasthe Westcott Lakes team Tinds

those complimentarycomments gratifying, it’sprobably not in the way youmight think.Yes, it is great to execute awell planned event. And howcould anything top a “gritsbar”! (Rumor has it thatMassachusetts-born ChrisMulrooney went back forseconds.) But it is what theevent represented that is the“funny thing that happened…”.What happened on the way tothe Medical Forum wasWestcott Lakes took anotherhuge step toward its keystrategic initiative to enhancethe endorsement of FloridaState University. And althoughI am referring speciTically toour progress with the Collegeof Medicine (COM), it is atestament to what is possibleacross the University.To have a presentation fromDr. Brummel-Smith, DickAmbrosius and ChrisMulrooney, uniting theirunique talents and perspec-tives under the brick andcolumns of the College ofMedicine, is an afTirmation ofWestcott Lakes. Not what thecommunity will be…but whatthe community is!From a marketingstandpoint, this type of eventcreates terriTic word-of-mouthactivity. From a sales

perspective, Life PlanConsultants Susan Mahoneyand Casey Chapman bothreported that a number ofleads became more engaged asa result of this event, and thatseveral prospects stated “itTinally clicked,” referring to thevalue of the afTiliations withFSU.As good as the event was,this is just the tip of theiceberg. The partnership withthe COM continues to evolve inan exponential fashion. Irecently attended a meetingwith Chris Mulrooney, Dr.Brummel-Smith and Mollie Hill(Director of CommunityClinical Relations at the Collegeof Medicine). The ideas ofcollaboration and subsequentbeneTits to both entities will betruly groundbreaking whenimplemented. A fully developedpartnership with the COMwillliterally set the bar forafTiliated, university-integratedcommunities like WestcottLakes.In this economic environ-ment where every inch forwardrequires a herculean effort, it isTitting that we celebrate andproclaim with a bit of bravado,successes such as thepartnership with the College ofMedicine. However, the reallygreat news is that it’s only thebeginning!

2 Soaring

Eagle VisionThis month’s guest contributor is Mark GrifDis, Westcott Lakes VP of Public Relations/Marketing

Mark GrifDisVP of Public Relations/Marketing

“A funny thing happened on the way to the Forum….”

3Soaring

Summer has arrived inTallahassee withtemperatures going up, butactivities not slowing down. Inthe past weeks, Westcott Lakesmembers have enjoyedwatching tennis matches at theTallahassee Tennis Challengerand FSU softball and baseballgames. Surrounding townshave offered an amazing arrayof choices for wonderful funTilled day trips.In Tallahassee at Maclay

Gardens State Park there was aTour of Gardens, and MissionSan Luis invited dog lovers,particularly those with littledogs, to participate in aChihuahua Parade. As it wasthe Tirst Friday of the month,galleries, museums andbusinesses were open forthree-hour tours. Trolley ridesadded to the special evenings.The Tallahassee Film Festivalwas absolutely outstanding aswere concerts by the Tallahas-see Symphony and the FSUCollege of Music.The FSU AlumniAssociation hosted two highlysuccessful Emeritus Alumniluncheons. Gainesville areafriends and alums were enter-tained as Allen Durham toldthe history of the greatestcollege football tradition - thatof Osceola and Renegade. Thefollowing day, a gathering ofTampa Emeritus members

were introduced to the amaz-ing Underwater Crime SceneInvestigation program offeredat the Panama City Campus.In addition to participatingin these current activities,many of us are already makingreservations for weekends inthe fall. The FSU Alumni Asso-ciation is offering a “SeminolesAt Sea” on the Disney Wondercruise to the Bahamas andCastaway Cay, October 22-25.It will be a wonderful opportu-nity for all generations offamily members to be togetherand enjoy activities. Some ofthe plans include watching theSeminole football team playthe University of North Car-olina on a poolside big screen.There will be cocktail recep-tions, ice cream socials andopportunities to enjoy friendsand dignitaries. Check out thedetails at alumni.fsu.edu. Thebooking deadline is June 25!

Seminole Patchworkby Dr. Betty Lou Joanos

Dr. Betty Lou JoanosDirector of Alumni Relations

Volunteers May Live LongerRetirees who volunteer havelower mortality rates thantheir cohorts who don’tvolunteer, according to a studypresented at the 2009 AnnualScientiTic Meeting of the Ameri-can Geriatrics Society, held fromApril 29 to May 2 in Chicago.Sei J. Lee, M.D., of the Uni-versity of California in San Fran-cisco, and colleagues examined6,360 retired people older than65 who took part in the 2002nationwide Health andRetirement Study. Subjects

were asked if they had done anyvolunteer work over the pastyear for educational, religious,health-related, or othercharities. The researchersascertained deaths in the groupby 2006 and then compared theself-reported volunteers andnon-volunteers, while adjustingfor possible confoundingfactors, such as demographicdifferences, geriatricsyndromes, chronic conditionsand disabilities.The researchersconcluded that volunteering is

strongly associated with lowermortality, with 12 percent of thegroup of 1,766 self-reportedvolunteers dying by 2006compared to 26 percent of thegroup of 4,594 non-volunteers."In this population-basedstudy, we found that volunteer-ing remains a powerful predic-tor of decreased mortality ratesamong current United States’retirees, even after extensiveadjustment for possibleconfounding factors," theauthors write. (Reuters Health)

4 Soaring

The invitation to last month’sFounders Club Event, onbehalf of your Social Committee,resulted in a fabulous evening of

enjoyment, delicious food,getting to know future ‘neigh-bors’ and just plain ole’ FUN!Members were greeted andpresented their Westcott LakesFoundersClubnametagsand a copyprogramfor theevening astheyenteredthe thirdTloor of theUniversityCenterClub.Immedi-ately, the sounds of music fromthe Origami Cats Jazz Triowelcomed all to the social partof the evening, from 6:00 p.m. –6:40 p.m. Delicious horsd’oeuvres were served - crispTlat bread spoons with tuna and

diakon salad plus tropical crabsalad and shrimp with mizunoslaw, smoked salmon pinwheelswith sevruga caviar, roastedvegetable tapenade on frenchcrouton, strawberry chickensalad in mini-sugar cones, agourmet cheese displaygarnished with seasonal fruitand berries served with Tlatbread complimented thedelicious wines and other drinkselections.At approximately 6:40p.m., the Social Committeeinvited Founders Clubmembers to move through aspecial entranceway into thedining area of the Ballroom.As folks entered this area,they were given a very specialKEY… with their name andapartment or club homenumber. Thus the theme forthe evening: “Coming Home, AGathering of Westcott LakesNeighbors”. Members wereseated by apartment and clubhome locations. Individual placecards were ateach table. Thecolor theme forthe evening: goldtable cloths,Bordeauxoverlays, goldnapkins, goldchair covers andBordeaux ties.Floral arrange-ments and candlesadorned eachtable.Bridget Chandler, President,

Partnership Council of Advisors,brought greetings andintroduced Dr. David Edelson forthe Opening Prayer, members ofthe Social Committee and Dr.“Fancy” Funk, Committee Chair.“Fancy” extended greetings andquickly got folks involved byasking them to open the smalltreasure chest at their seats.Inside was a slip of paper thatincluded information aboutsomeone at their table. The fun

then began with memberseagerly guessing ‘who’ theparticular neighbor might be.ThedeliciousSpinachSaladwithGrannySmithApples,Walnutsand GoatCheesewithBalsamicVinaigrette began the meal.Members had pre-selected

by Dr. Fanchon “Fancy” Funk and June Alford

Socially Speaking

Members Rita O’Connell and PeggyMoore enjoying the wonderful dinner

Members Dr. Mary Pankowski,Jimmie Hinkle and Anna Johnson-Riedel

Carolyn Shackelfordpresented Bridget

Chandler with award

The UCC was beautifullydecorated for the occassion!

5Soaring

an entrée from the following:chicken oscar – sautéed chickenwith crabmeat, asparagus andsun dried tomato hollandaiseover mashed potatoes;macadamia encrusted grouperwith fresh crab, curry andcoconut butter served withjasmine rice and island vegetablemedley or sliced peppercornsirloin with sautéed burgundymushrooms.During the dinner, theenergized conversationscontinued and folks were seengoing from table to table to sayhello and meet other neighbors.The various dessert selections

were placed on a Dessert Islandand as members made theirselections, they continuedconversations and enjoyedwonderful mouthwateringdelicacies with their coffee, teaand red and white wine whichwas offered throughout the meal.A special fan with the name of theevent, date and venue was at eachplace setting.Carolyn Shackelford drew thisexceptional evening to a close.Her unique ability to tell stories,jokes and make each of us feel sovery special was the perfect wayto end the evening. Carolyn alsopresented PCA President Bridget

Chandler with a plaque whichcelebrated her as the FoundingPresident of the PCA.Special thanks was expressedto the Social Committee forplanning such an enjoyableevening for Westcott LakesNeighbors. Committee Membersimmediately shared: we’ll do itagain!Indeed, this evening was justwhat it was planned and themedto be: “Coming Home,A Gathering of Westcott Lakes

Neighbors.”

Life CollegeHeartMath Training at Westcott Lakes

Wecan’t do much about the things that stress us - the economy, changesin health and conTlicts with certain people. BUT we can change theways we respond to those stresses, and more importantly, stop the damagethat stress causes. We now have ample evidence of the adverse effects ofchronic stress on our bodies, our emotions and our social relationships. Wealso know that the damage stress causes is subtle and cumulative.HeartMath teaches you techniques for changing the way you respond tostress – physically, mentally and emotionally. It is done by using the powerof the heart and shifting perception toward a healthier, more invigoratingresponse. It goes beyond simple “biofeedback” because it involves the use ofpositive emotions to change the way our heart reacts and our brain thinks.

Since last summer, a group of vital, life-long learners have enjoyed a variety of coursesto stretch our minds and to be inspired to learn more about living a more fulTillinglife. We have had ongoing programs in Brain Fitness, Insight and Life Bio. How fortunatewe are to have these available to us through Westcott Lakes to enhance our youthfulvigor and vitality.Westcott Lakes has done it again! Dr. Ken Brummel-Smith, Chair of Geriatrics atFlorida States’ College of Medicine, recently conducted a four-hour course on HeartMath.It is designed to help us alter our emotional responses to stress. IT WORKS! We evenwere given electronic devices to monitor our progress as we incorporate this into ourdaily lives. For further information, visit www.heartmath.com.by memberDon Alford, M.D.

by Ken Brummel-Smith, M.D.Westcott Lakes Medical Advisor

6 Soaring

focus on the Six Keys to LivingWellsm,” says Dr. Mulrooney.“Research indicates thatpeople who accept aging as atime of decline and loss aremore likely to become victimsof a self-fulTilling prophecythat could result in prematurefrailty and dependence.”Mulrooney opened byproviding an overview of theneed to redeTine the agingprocess in positive terms.“Obviously, we can’t deTine ahuman experience with factsalone, but moving from anegative view of aging to a falsepositive view isn’t all thathelpful either. Both views leaveus with normal late lifedevelopment not really Tittingin anywhere. Ageism is presentwhether we are placing toomuch emphasis on the realitiesthat accompany growing olderby seeing them only as loss, orwhether we are placing toolittle emphasis on them bytrying to ignore them in ourstay-young world.”Dr. Brummel-Smith beganthe discussion by pointing outthe advances made in lifeexpectancy. Many weresurprised to learn that in-creased longevity is due moreto lifestyle changes than ad-vances in medical care. Whilemedical advances eliminatedchildhood diseases and im-proved surgical and treatmenttechniques, life expectancy in-creases are due much more tosafer work places, less smok-ing, better diets and exercise.

What’s more, adults can makeimprovement in their own lifeexpectancy regardless of theircurrent health status.Brummel-Smith providedattendees with speciTicexamples of older adults thathad improved their upper bodystrength in later life. Oneexample was 81-year-old HelenZechmeister, who could deadlift 245 lbs. She once competedin a competition for men 35-years and older because therewere no other women enteredin her age bracket… and shewon! He encouraged all inattendance to know theiroptions even though Tindingthose options in today’s long-term care system is difTicult.Ambrosius opened byaddressing the damages doneover the decades due to mediastereotypes. Quoting from avariety of authors and researchstudies, Ambrosius warnedhow fear of aging can speed theaging process and become thesingle most powerful agentcreating exactly what wefear…the universal expectationof memory loss may actuallybring that fate upon us. In

addition to the dangers ofnegative aging and self-fulTilling prophecies, hehighlighted advances inbrain Titness fromprograms such as PositScience, which areavailable to members ofthe Westcott Lakescommunity at no cost.Ambrosius sharedhow, just a few decades ago,scientists believed the brainbecame hard-wired within theTirst year or so of life – then de-teriorated. While mental agilitybegins declining around age 24,he shared how cognitive abili-ties can be improved anddecline reversed. In fact, recentindependent research hasveriTied reversing the cognitiveeffects of aging by 10 years,improving memory by 10 to 15years and increasing process-ing speed by 200% to 300%.Following the forum, guestsenjoyed a reception hosted byWestcott Lakes in the Atrium.There was an open bar with achoice of wine, beer, soft drinksor iced tea. Guests also dinedon delicious beef tenderloin,roasted vegetables, a beautifulcheese and fruit display, and apopular “grits bar” thatconsisted of grits served inmartini glasses topped withshrimp, chicken, bacon,scallions, cheddar cheese, tassosauce and andouille sausage.Dessert options included petitekey lime pies, pecan tassies,and chocolate dippedstrawberry shortbread cookies.

Positive Aging (continued from page 1)

Guests enjoying the Positive Aging receptionat the College of Medicine

7Soaring

Meet Your Neighbors

Former FSU Professor Loves Being Involved with Westcott LakesWerecently had thepleasure of speaking withDr. Charles “Charlie” Nam, oneof Westcott Lakes’ mostinvolved members, and wewere able to discuss manytopics with him including hispast, his relationship with FSUand his involvement withWestcott Lakes.Charlie grew up inLynbrook, New York. Hisfather, who left school in the8th grade, and his motherwho left school after the 3rdgrade, always encouraged himto graduate high school. Oncethis goal was accomplishedand he had served in theWWII Army, Charlie went onto attend New York Universityfor his undergraduate studies,and the University of NorthCarolina, Chapel Hill for bothhis Masters and Ph.D.“Needless to say, it was agrand day when they saw mehooded for the Ph.D. in 1959,”says Charlie.Charlie spent 31 years atFSU teaching and conductingresearch, and is still a researchassociate in the Center forDemography and PopulationHealth at the university. Asidefrom his work with FSU, Charlieenjoys traveling all over theworld, in addition to having au-thored 12 academic books andone historical mystery novel.He is a voracious reader, andenjoys watching spectator

sports, although “at 83, I haverecently had to quit playingbasketball,” he says. Addition-ally, the father of two, who waswidowed 8 years ago, has a son,

David, who works as anAssistant General Counsel forFlorida’s Agency for Health CareAdministration. He also has adaughter, Rebecca, who worksas a Financial Manager for anational photography companyin Charlotte, North Carolina andhis grandchildren range in agefrom 5 to 20!A notice about FSUsponsoring a life care commu-nity is what initially promptedCharlie to sign up for Westcott

Lakes, but he says, “the healthassurance program excites memost because it enables me toplan the rest of my life withoutburdening my children. Also, Ihave visited retirementcommunities in Tallahassee andother areas and only OakHammock in Gainesvillematches the promise ofWestcott Lakes.”Aside from his position onthe Westcott Lakes PCA, Charlieis also the Chairman of theLibrary Committee, and theincoming editor of Soaring!When asked why he has chosento become so involved withWestcott Lakes, Charlie said, “Ihave always been active inorganizations I belonged to. Ifeel it is a responsibilitymembers have. I’m especiallyexcited about spearheadingSoaring. It has gotten off to aroaring start under thedirection of Dick Ambrosius andPRAXEIS staff, and I hope tokeep Westcott Lakes Membersinformed about their commu-nity! As new committees andfunctions are added to WestcottLakes, we will add persons toreport on these activities.”It sounds like it is going tobe a busy year for Charlie andwe were thrilled he could taketime out of his busy schedule totalk to us! For more informa-tion on the Newsletter Commit-tee, you can email Charlie at:charlesnam2@embarqmail.com.

Dr. Charles “Charlie” Nam at abook signing for his book

The Golden Door

by Bronwen Krause

8 Soaring

Soaring is a publication of the members of Westcott Lakes at SouthWood,3800 Esplanade Way, Suite 180, Tallahassee, FL 32311.To submit questions or articles, please email charlesnam2@embarqmail.com. © PRAXEIS, 2009

June Calendar of EventsMonday, June 8th

Bridge Club (1:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m.)Join fellowWestcott Lakes members at thehome of Barbara and Billy Beggs (3117 RueRoyale) for a fun afternoon of bridge! To R.S.V.P.or for directions, call Barbara at 681-9898!Tuesday, June 9th

Life Collegesm Series (2:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m.)Special guests will be FSU’s Strozier LibraryGroup who will be discussing“Electronic Forms of Communication.”Tuesday, June 9th

Second Tuesdays Event (4:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m.)This is a casual opportunity for members tobring new prospects to the Welcome Center tomingle and meet other members and guests.To R.S.V.P. for an event, call the Welcome Center at (850) 645-7110. For more information onWestcott Lakes events, visit our website at www.westcottlakes.org/events, or give us a call.

®

3800 Esplanade WaySuite 180

Tallahassee, FL 323111-866-510-1515 (Toll Free)

www.westcottlakes.org

Tuesday, June 16thPCAMeeting(1:30p.m. – Social;2:00p.m. – Meeting)The Westcott Lakes Partnership Council ofAdvisors will be meeting at the Welcome Centerto discuss new developments at Westcott Lakes.

Wednesday, June 17thHeartMathFollow-upSession(3:00p.m. – 5:00p.m.)Join Dr. Ken Brummel-Smith for a follow uppresentation on the HeartMath program.

Tuesday, June 23rdSocial Committee Meeting (1:30 p.m.)The Social Committee will have a meetingand special guest Ruth Bass will be speaking onthe theme and primary decorations for theHoliday season.