I'm always leery when a potential employer seems too eager to hire me, kind of like how Groucho Marx felt about not wanting to belong to a club where they'd accept him as a member. But when the woman who interviewed me told me this job would be "just having fun" and didn't raise her eyebrows at my colorful resume, I accepted her offer. ...more

December 16, 2007

LAKE PLACID — Local builder Chuck Oakes is poised to capitalize on the steady graying of county residents. On Tuesday, Oakes threw open the doors during a grand opening of a $6.5 million, 50,000 square foot, assisted living facility, located just north of town on U.S. 27. Oakes said he expected to open immediately after gaining state approval within 15 to 30 days for the Southern Lifestyle Assisted Living Facility. Oakes is not alone in an effort to capitalize locally on demographics that point to a large senior population in the county. Statistics provided by the U.S. Census Bureau show that 35 percent of Highlands County's residents are 65 and older, with a state average of 16.8 percent. George Hougthon, Inc., broke ground this year on Windsor Lakeside Village, a 70,000 square foot retirement community, with 129 independent living suites and 26 townhomes. Windsor Lakeside Village is located on County Road 621, on the shores of Lake Huntley. Sandy Foster, executive director of NU-HOPE, cited a large number of area seniors who should keep the new centers busy. ...more

December 2, 2007

Whatever one thinks of former Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O'Connor's jurisprudence, one can only admire the way she has handled her beloved husband's surrender to Alzheimer's Disease. ...more

November 16, 2007

TAMPA - More than a year ago, when Gary Wayne Fields wandered away from an assisted-living facility, his mother found him hours later, standing in front of a Wal-Mart. ...more

November 14, 2007

After 97 years of living, Bert Green is eager to reach 100. 'A hundred is a good number. Besides, my parts are beginning to wear out,' she said. ...more

October 13, 2007

In the chaotic hours before Hurricane Charley plowed over Florida three years ago, shelters opened their doors to an influx of frail seniors who had nowhere else to go. Some were so fragile, with so many health problems, that reporters began making inquiries. ...more

October 9, 2007

In the chaotic hours before Hurricane Charley plowed over Florida three years ago, shelters opened their doors to an influx of frail seniors who had nowhere else to go. Some were so fragile, with so many health problems, that reporters began making inquiries. What nursing homes, they demanded to know, were dumping all of these vulnerable, elderly people into public shelters? ...more

October 8, 2007

A 41-year-old female pedestrian was in critical condition Friday after contact with a van on U.S. 19, according to city police. ...more

September 29, 2007

NEW PORT RICHEY - A 41-year-old woman is in critical condition after colliding with a van on U.S. 19 this morning, according to police. ...more

September 28, 2007

One of our greatest joys is volunteering as facilitators of a weekly caregiver support group. Every Thursday at 1 p.m., we meet with a number of Highlands County residents who care for loved ones with dementia. Since October 2000, Crown Pointe Assisted Living Facility has donated its activity room, coffee and cookies. At present, the majority of caregivers in our group are spousal caregivers - they take care of their husbands or wives. Most of them don't work outside the home and a daytime meeting works best for them. However, there's also a growing need in the county for an evening group. Many adult children with daytime jobs care for elderly parents. Some spousal caregivers may prefer to attend an evening meeting. ...more

September 21, 2007