More Workers Turn to Freelancing Full-Time During the Pandemic
As the coronavirus pandemic caused widespread unemployment and layoffs this year, more people turned to full-time freelance work as a way to earn, according to a new survey. Freelance is the term used to describe the variety of ways people can work outside of traditional employment. These include side jobs people do in addition to their regular
Friends Homes Breaks Ground on $67 Million Expansion
GREENSBORO, N.C. (July 31, 2020) – Friends Homes has broken ground on a $67 million expansion of its two campuses in Greensboro, Friends Homes Guilford and Friends Homes West. The project will offer more amenities and add 140 new residents to the community. “With this expansion, Friends Homes is making a significant investment in furthering
As our virtual groundbreaking gets ready to take place on July 31st, Susan Brewer, Director of Sales and Marketing at Friends Homes provides an update on the upcoming expansion projects for our Guilford and West campuses. “We’ve been at a standstill for obvious reasons,” says Susan. “We had hoped to have had ‘meet and greets’
For most people, exercising during the pandemic has meant exercising at home. What it also has meant, according to fitness trainers and physical therapists: things like strained muscles from warriorlike weightlifting in the basement; sprained ankles from extra-long hikes; and something called “jumper’s knee,” the result of sudden and enthusiastic participation in high-impact exercise video
At home just outside Orlando, Florida, Rhonda Camen has a stockpile of about 100 jigsaw puzzles. At the rate she’s going, she figures that should last her until the end of the year. Camen, who retired about a year and a half ago, picked up puzzling as a hobby to keep her mind active and
Jonathan and Emille Cox have always known they’d end up at Friends Homes. And as future residents of the community’s upcoming expansion, they can’t wait to make the move. “We’ve always known it was where we wanted to be,” says Jonathan. “As soon as the expansion popped up, we jumped right on it.” The couple
Technological advances are about much more than the new electric car from Tesla or autonomous vehicles by Mercedes. It is much more than just advanced wrist jewelry from Apple and fitness trackers that can tell you what you ate two weeks ago. For senior people, technological change can mean the difference between dependency and independence.
In normal times, Italians outlive Americans by an average of four years. But in the Sicani Mountain region of Sicily, marked by rolling hills covered with olive trees, the locals live past 100 at a rate more than four times greater than Italy as a whole. Sicani Mountain villagers eat a Mediterranean diet, snacking on olives
Expert Advice on Daily Activities During Coronavirus Crisis
With the news about coronavirus changing rapidly, it’s difficult to know how to go about your daily routine. What was considered acceptable behavior — or even possible — three days ago may not be an option any longer. As restrictions on public gatherings are announced and business closings continue, people need to weigh the risks of engaging
Secret Service Warns: Cybercriminals Exploiting Coronavirus Fears
The U.S. Secret Service is warning that cybercriminals are trying to steal from people using several scams tied to the coronavirus pandemic. “As more and more people have tested positive for coronavirus, we’ve seen an increase in the number of scams that are occurring,” says Special Agent Chris McMahon, who spoke to AARP in an interview on Monday.
Gary and Susan Dent Are Back Where It All Began, Almost
After 15 years of enjoying retirement on the shores of W. Kerr Scott Reservoir in Wilkes County, Susan and Gary Dent are happy to be back in Greensboro and enjoying all the activities and friendly faces at Friends Homes. This area has always been special to the couple, who have been married for over 58
Social Butterflies & Couch Potatoes: How Older Adults’ Health is Affected by Their Partner’s Activities
Recent research examined the activities of older couples to understand the link between activities and health, with a focus on the relationship between partner activities and individuals’ health. Using data from the longitudinal and nationally representative Household, Income and Labour Dynamics in Australia (HILDA) Survey, researchers utilized a sample of over 1,500 couples living in
Top 10 Moments From AARP’s Movies for Grownups Awards Show
AARP’s Movies for Grownups Awards Saturday in Beverly Hills, California was full of big stars making memorable moments as they accepted and presented honors for films made in 2019. Conan O’Brien’s tribute to his friend of three decades, Adam Sandler, became an impromptu comedy show. O’Brien presented Sandler with the best actor award for his
Friends Homes’ upcoming expansion has many current and future residents excited, including Ellen and Elwood Parker. And for good reason. In addition to 93 new homes, plans include upgrades and additions to the amenities available to all residents and residents of the future. For the Parkers, the expansion made their decision to move here relatively
Trending Now: Older Adults Have a Say in Product Development That Targets Their Demographic
A group of older adults who call themselves Longevity Explorers are breaking new ground with businesses and product developers. These older adults are providing valuable input to entrepreneurs and businesses after assessing their tech products. Richard Caro, a businessman with experience in startups and medical-device companies, decided to take on a common problem: he believed
Although Sandy and Peggy Holder both grew up and lived nearly all of their lives in the Asheboro area — Sandy is originally from Liberty while Peggy is from Seagrove — the couple found each other only 12 years ago. Today, the happy couple is enjoying their new home at Friends Homes. Sandy worked for
Margaret Maynard, 68, loved to head from her home in Plainfield, Connecticut, to a casino in New York with a busload of fellow gamblers. Maynard, who is retired from her job making potato chips for a snack manufacturer, and her husband, Joseph Mangarelli, played the slots with relatives and friends for three years as part
Friends Homes to Add Villa Apartments, Townhomes and Cottages; Enhance Dining, Wellness and Amenity Areas
GREENSBORO, NC – Friends Homes is excited to announce the expansion of its continuing care retirement community located in Greensboro, NC. The planned development, expected to be finished in 2021, will offer independent living residents several different floor plans including villa apartments, townhomes and cottages. Friends Homes currently has two campuses, Friends Homes at Guilford
These Experts Can Ease Seniors’ Stress About Relocating
As we have discussed in previous blogs, many seniors are resistant to making the move to a continuing care retirement community (CCRC), and they offer a variety of valid reasons from not wanting to leave a beloved home to not feeling confident about their financial situation. But another big reason that people either put off
For Jerry and Al Dew, one of the biggest challenges of moving to Friends Homes (Guilford campus) was making the move itself from their home in Greensboro to their new apartment here. Two decisions that they made — one long ago and one more recently — were keys to helping the move go much easier.
Your mother always nagged you to stand up straight. But even if you followed her advice all these years, sitting for so long in front of screens — and age itself — have likely taken your posture down a few notches. “We begin to naturally lose muscle mass in our 30s, and it really starts
Caring for Grandchildren: The Benefits for Cognitive Health
Spending time with grandchildren can be emotionally meaningful to many older adults, but one study showed that there may be an added cognitive benefit from caring for grandchildren. Using data from the Health and Retirement Study, researchers compared cognitive functioning scores of 656 grandparent caregivers and 2,373 non-caregivers in 2006 and in two- and four-year
Let’s cut to the chase: Those relentless robocalls are a pain in the you-know-what. Defined as automated calls with a recorded message, robocalls are “by far” the No. 1 compliant to the Federal Trade Commission, says Ian Barlow, the FTC’s Do Not Call Program coordinator, with about 500,000 complaints about these unwanted calls — per
Tom and Emilie Sandin waited a long time for this. It was the moment back in January 2018 when they heard that the apartment in Friends Homes Guilford was finally going to be theirs. Not just any apartment. But apartment 204. It started more than 25 years ago with a visit to Friends Homes and
Think about it: The foods you eat have a huge impact on your body, from your energy level to your heart health and beyond. Your brain is no exception, and research shows that things like the MIND (Mediterranean — Intervention for Neurodegenerative Delay) diet, which focuses on specific brain-beneficial food groups, is linked with better
Exercising with a friend or acquaintance has long been recommended as a practical way to make sure you don’t skip something like your daily walk. For one thing, “It’s almost impossible to say you’re skipping your workout when you have someone waiting for you,” notes personal trainer Allison Earnst. Jean Fifield, 74, agrees. If it’s
Margaret Postels has no trouble making friends or making up her mind. Her decision to come to Friends Homes was quick. And she’s been enjoying herself ever since. “I had a friend who lived at Friends Homes, and she liked it here because everybody does,” she says. She visited, saw all that Friends Homes had
Intergenerational Programs Unite the Young and the Young-at-Heart
Intergenerational programs, where older and younger people are given opportunities to live, work, learn, and/or play together, have been a hot topic lately. And with good reason. Nancy Henkin, Ph.D., founder and executive director of The Intergenerational Center at Temple University, has described intergenerational programs as integral to the health and happiness of the young and
Older Americans are becoming a larger share of the pool of people employers turn to when it comes to finding on-call help for positions from management consulting to substitute teaching, according to a new report. Between 2005 and 2017, the percentage of people age 55 and older working as independent contractors, freelancers and other types
Jim Rouse has quite a story to tell. As an officer in the U.S. Navy during the Cold War, Jim spent part of his time stationed on the Eniwetok Atoll in the Marshall Islands in the North Pacific as a member of the Naval Air Special Weapons group conducting nuclear weapons testing. “If those weapons
