Information about Inflammation and Your Body

This is really worth sharing; it was a definite eye-opener.

Get ready for the health buzzword of 2011: inflammation. A key biochemical process inside every one of us, inflammation is the cornerstone of health and healing -- and yet -- unless you learn the secrets to managing it -- it will also probably eventually kill you.

The good news: As scientists slowly but surely uncover how the inflammatory response works, they're learning how we can influence it to our benefit.

Here, five surprising -- and life-changing -- facts.

Surprise #1: Inflammation is both your body's best friend -- and its worst enemy.

Inflammation is what happens when a bee stings, a paper cut slices your skin, or pollen or a virus land up your nose. Your body reacts. More specifically, your white blood cells issue a short-term response to defend your body against the assault and help it heal. So far, so good.

Unfortunately, sometimes this process goes haywire. In a classic "too much of a good thing," certain triggers create chronic inflammation -- the body's defense team doesn't quit. Immune cells never wind down, causing damage to various body systems and, ironically, leaving them more vulnerable to attack.

Why it's important: "Inflammation is the basic mechanism that maintains the well-being of our cells," says Janko Nikolich-Zugich, chair of the department of immunobiology at the University of Arizona College of Medicine and codirector of its Arizona Center on Aging. "But pretty much every disease is also connected to it."

Luck (good or bad) is a factor; some people are genetically prone to inflammation overload, Nikolich-Zugich says. But within the span of your genes, you have a lot of individual control, he adds. "The key is to have well-controlled inflammation, to keep it regulated so that it switches on when you need it and switches off when you don't need it anymore."

Action step: Consume healthier fats: Fats we eat are the building blocks of both proinflammatory hormones (needed to fight the invader) and anti-inflammatory hormones (needed to calm down the healing process after the wound or other threat is gone), says Beth Reardon, director of integrative nutrition at Duke University. We need both kinds.

The trouble: We live in such an inflammatory environment (from pollution, germs, diet, and other sources) that it's tough to keep the inflammation process in balance. The best way to do this is with diet: Decrease the inflammatory fats you eat (called omega 6s, found mostly animal fats from meat and dairy) while increasing anti-inflammatory fats (called omega 3s, found mostly in cold-water fish such as salmon and herring or in fish-oil supplements).

A tricky point: You need two kinds of omega 3s. There are long-chain omega 3s (from fish) and short-chain omega 3s (from flax, seeds, and fortified products, like omega-3 eggs or juice). The two types work in different ways in the body. "People think if they eat foods fortified with omega 3s, they're doing enough. But most people don't get enough long-chain omega 3 fats," Reardon says. Eating cold-water fish twice a week does the trick.

Surprise #2: Chronic inflammation contributes to almost every major disease.

Most people have heard of so-called autoimmune diseases, when the body turns on itself with a hyperactive defense mechanism. Common examples include hay fever, rheumatoid arthritis, gout, pelvic inflammatory disease, colitis, and bursitis.

You can add to this list cancer, Alzheimer's disease, type 2 diabetes, hypertension, heart disease, Parkinson's, osteoporosis, and even depression. "The one thing that unifies most major diseases is inflammation," says the Arizona Center on Aging's Nikolich-Zugich. "Whether inflammation is the root cause or whether these diseases are made worse by the inflammatory process isn't entirely clear yet -- but inflammation is almost always a factor."

Why it's important: Scientists believe that the key to extending lifespan and late-life well-being lies in figuring out how to manipulate and cut off chronic inflammation. While all the diseases listed above manifest themselves in the body in very different ways, they seem to share many commonalities down at the cellular level.

Action step: Eat a more anti-inflammatory diet. Because our bodies are exposed to more damage at the cell level than they can handle -- a process called oxidative stress -- shoring up defenses is key. And there's no easier way to do that than by carefully choosing what we eat and drink.

What foods contain the most antioxidants? You needn't be a chemist. Just think three words: color, taste, aroma. In whole (not processed) foods, these traits signal high-antioxidant chemical content, Duke University's Beth Reardon says. This means:

• Bright or deep-hued fruits and vegetables (berries, eggplant, purple grapes, sweet potato, dark green leafy veggies)

o Find Delish recipes for berries, sweet potatoesand dark leafy greens

• Foods with strong flavors (bell pepper, watermelon, tomatoes, cruciferous vegetables)

o Find Delish recipes including bell peppers, broccoli, tomatoand watermelon

• Foods with powerful odors (garlic, onion, chives)

o Find Delish recipes including garlic, onionsand chives
Other beneficial foods: the spices turmeric, ginger, cinnamon; curry; tart cherries; green tea; red wine; dark chocolate. These help inhibit the formation of inflammatory prostaglandins and COX inhibitors (the same enzyme-inhibiting substances in medications such as Vioxx or Celebrex).

At the same time, avoid highly processed foods full of sugar and saturated fats. These so-called high-glycemic index foods (chips, cookies, crackers, cakes) pour sugar into the bloodstream, upping inflammation.

Surprise #3: It's not the look of your body fat but what's inside it that really hurts you.

Little wonder obesity is linked with so many damaging diseases, from diabetes to Alzheimer's. In just the past five years or so, researchers have discovered that being overweight is a huge cause of inflammation.

"We tend to think of body fat as an inert, annoying consequence of eating too much and not exercising enough," Beth Reardon says. "We need to think of it as what it really is: metabolically active tissue that's actually a source of the compounds that trigger inflammation."

Why it's important: Having too many extra fat cells basically amps up the inflammatory process. That's because fat cells are producers of hormones, such as estrogen and leptin, and other molecules that signal the immune system. Excess fat creates excess inflammation.

Belly fat (accumulated around the abdomen) may be especially dangerous, compared with fat in the hips or rear, because midsection fat tends to produce even more estrogens and inflammatory compounds called cytokines, Reardon says.

There's a silver lining to perimenopausal weight gain, though, she adds. A stubborn muffin top may be nature's way of trying to hang onto estrogen when hormone levels shift as the ovaries close up shop, in order to protect heart health and make symptoms like hot flashes less severe. (Postmenopause, though, you still want to maintain a healthy weight.)

Action step: Aim for a healthy weight. Possibly the single best health move you can make: Keep moving. Why? In addition to burning fat and warding off unhealthy fat cells, vigorous exercise three to four times a week subjects the body to controlled stress. That trains the immune system to deal with high-energy demands followed by lower, maintenance levels of functioning. "This allows inflammation to recalibrate," says Janko Nikolich-Zugich.

Exercise also produces hormones like endorphins, which make you feel good and therefore encourage you to continue this important, immune-boosting activity.

Surprise #4: You can't control everything that trips inflammation -- but you might want to conquer that fear of public speaking.

Inflammatory agents (things that set off our immune system) are all around us -- in the air we breathe, the UV rays we absorb, the cleaning agents we use, the makeup we wear, the candles we light, the germs we encounter.

Another surprising source of chronic inflammation: chronic (long-term) stress. Know how some faces flush and palms sweat before the person gives a speech? That's an inflammatory response. So is breaking out in hives during an argument, or getting a headache and racing heart when pulling an all-nighter.

Why it's important: In concentrated doses, emotional stress is no big deal. But when the stress is constant -- as when dealing with a ongoing personal crisis -- it trips a constant inflammatory response.

You can't control the fact that your aging skin or gut may be a "leaky barrier," for example, letting in more invaders that cause the body to mount an inflammatory response, Nikolich-Zugich says. Also, as we age, changes to the immune system itself may make it harder to fight familiar bugs and viruses. But, as with diet and exercise, emotions and stress are areas most people can control. And when it comes to inflammation, the body needs all the help it can get.

Action step: Sweep your life of stressors as much as you can. In addition to following basic advice about using sun protection, washing your hands, exercising, eating an anti-inflammatory diet, and avoiding known toxins (don't smoke and don't live with someone who does!), it pays to curb your emotional stress as much as you can.

Some areas many overlook:

• Don't scrimp on sleep
• Get depression symptoms treated; it's a form of chronic stress on the body.
• Know that short-term anxiety is unavoidable, but seek confidence-building help if you're constantly in an edgy situation (the frequent flyer who hates to fly, the CEO who's terrified of public speaking).

Surprise #5: Many of us have infections and allergies we don't know about, which send us into a state of constant high inflammation.

Here's a classic case: Someone has inflammatory bowel disease, migraines or other chronic headaches, chronic fatigue syndrome. The various maladies are treated with medications, but the underlying cause of the problem -- an undiagnosed food sensitivity, for example -- goes untreated. Get to the root of the problem (the food sensitivity upsetting the balance of bacteria in the gut, say) and you're closer to a cure.

Our medical system tends to treat specific issues rather than the whole person. "When things go wrong, we take something to fix it, instead of trying to control the underlying cause: inflammation," integrative nutritionist Beth Reardon says.

Why it's important: Up to 40 percent of the population has a gluten sensitivity, Reardon says. That's different from a full intolerance (celiac disease), but enough to notice brain fog, bloating, gastric distress, or fatigue after eating wheat. Dairy sensitivity (lactose intolerance, which is short of true milk allergy) is similar. Both sensitivities tend to grow more common as people get older.

Living With Relatives or Neighbors With Dementia

Starting in April, my neighbor had a raccoon invasion. Focused as we all were on catching and releasing the raccoons into a better area for them and us, I did not really realize that my neighbors had dementia.  I should have seen it - the subtle change from the man being a person who spent some time each day cleaning up, trimming and overall caring for his own and neighbors' properties to someone who was clearly no longer taking good care of anything. He was clearly not able to do anything correctly. And this was just one of the signs I should have recognized.

Sometimes it is not easy to recognize the signs of Dementia.  We might tend to assign them to what we all think of as old age, where people tend to forget things, become hard of hearing, or have little physical problems.  And to be truthful, the signs of dementia can be very subtle unless we see the people every day.
 Here are 10 of the more common signs, but they are not really exclusive.  It is good to go on one of the web sites and read up on Dementia and Alzheimer's.


1. Memory loss that disrupts daily life
Forgetting of recently learned information (such as how my neighbor came out to check under his house and couldn't understand where the raccoon cage went, when the person who came to trap the raccoons had told him that he was taking the cage; it was inadequate to catch the raccoon. He trapped it once, but it easily worked its way out of the cage, and then would not be fooled a second time.  Others include forgetting important dates and events, asking for the same information repeatedly, relying on memory assistance such as reminder notes, electronic devices or even family members when they have always remembered on their own. Now a person with normal elder functioning ,might be forgetting names or appointments, but remember them again shortly.

2. Changes in planning or solving problems
Some people might develop an inability to develop and follow a plan, or to work with numbers. Tasks like following a recipe correctly or managing monthly bills would be included in this.  Normal elder functioning might be making occasional errors in checkbooks or some other infrequent error, but nothing that is happening daily and generally nothing serious.

3. Difficulty finishing tasks at home, at work, or even leisure tasks
This would include difficulty completing normal tasks that are done repetitively. Normal elder functioning might be asking for help to do something like record a favorite TV show, or explaining the functioning of a new piece of equipment.

4. Confusion of Time and Place
Elders might have confusion regularly about time, place or date.  They might not be able to comprehend an event unless it is happening immediately.  Normal elder functioning would be something like confusing a date, but remembering the correct date once they see a reminder such as a calendar.

5. Difficulty comprehending visual images and spacial relationships
This might include difficulty reading, judging distance, or determining color or contrast. They may look in a mirror and not realize who is in the mirror, or they might believe someone else is in the room. Normal functioning elders might have vision problems related to cataracts or some other age-related challenges.

6. New problems with speaking or writing words
For example, a person with dementia might stop in the middle of the conversation and not be able to continue, or change the topic in a way that doesn't make any sense.  They might repeat themselves or not be able to think of the right words for things. A person might call a watch a wall clock.  Normal elder functioning might including temporarily forgetting something in the midst of a conversation, but remembering it ultimately.

7. Misplacing things and the inability to go back and retrace steps.
Elders might misplace things more and more frequently and be unable to go back and retrace their steps to determine where they were misplaced. Or they might accuse others of stealing for them.  The key is that it would happen more and more frequently. Normal senior functioning would including misplacing something like glasses or the remote control, but finding it again quickly.

8. Decreased or Poor Judgment
This is another one of those things that is recognized by frequency with which it takes place.  Such incidents would be mismanagement of money, or perhaps giving telemarketing huge sums of money, or failing to keep themselves clean and groomed. We all use poor judgment from time to time, but again, the key is the frequency with which it happens.

9. Withdrawal from social or work activities
We might see an increase in withdrawal from work or social activities such as sports, or even the stopping of doing a much enjoyed hobby. The person might be withdrawing because they realize somehow that they are unable to function in these activities normally. Normal elder functioning includes changing social activities; for instance, a person who liked to play cards might begn to go hiking or take up gardening instead.

10. Changes in mood or personality
With dementia, a person becomes more confused, more anxious, more aggitated, suspicious, fearful, aggitated, or even violent.  Usually when a person becomes violent, they are already pretty far along with dementia.

In order to explain the difference between dementia and Alzheimer’s we first need to know what dementia is. Dementia is the deterioration of our cognition. In Latin it means ‘ apart mind.’ In fact it states that your mind is losing the grip of your body. It is important to understand that dementia consists of signs and symptoms. This is because it is a syndrome, not a disease like Alzheimer's. There are many causes for dementia and it can be progressive or stable.


Dementia is a non-specific syndrome that targets different areas on the brain. For this reason there are many different symptoms associated with dementia. Typical areas of the brain that are affects are: communication, memory, orientation, problem solving and attention. Dementia occurs when someone has significant memory loss plus another impairment that together cause social disfunctioning. Unlike Alzheimer’s, dementia is not a disease on itself, but a syndrome with a variety of causes, Alzheimer being one of them.

As stated before, there are different types of dementia and Alzheimer disease is one of them. Alzheimer disease is characterized by the appearance of plaques and tangles in the brain. You can find these tangles and plaques in every aging brain but in people with Alzheimer disease there is an abnormal quantity. These plaques and tangles interfere with the functioning of our brain on different areas on the brain. Alzheimer is also referred to as pathological rapidly aging of the brain.

To summarize, the difference between dementia and Alzheimer's is that dementia is a non-specific syndrome and Alzheimer is a specific disease. Many people can not explain the difference and this is probably because Alzheimer is the most prominent cause of dementia. Almost 70% of all people with dementia have Alzheimer's. Other causes of dementia are stroke; Parkinson's; Lewy Body Dementia (also called Dementia with Lewy bodies, is a form of dementia that shares characteristics with both Alzheimer's and Parkinson's diseases; Pick's Disease or frontotemporal dementia (a rare form of dementia caused by an overabundance of a protein called Tau, which causes shrinking of the frontal and temporal lobes, and it can occur as early as age 20, but the general age at which it occurs is 54); Huntington's Disease (caused by a genetic defect on chromosome #4, and it causes destruction of brain cells. There is adult-onset Huntington's and another form that can start during childhood); and even Aids/HIV.

And then there were more . . .

In the ongoing saga of the raccoon invasion in the mobile home park where mostly seniors live, some interesting facts have come to light, and more questions have arisen. First, the people in the park have wondered who is responsible for the trapping/removal of the raccoons. Somehow they believe that the park management should be responsible. But in fact, neither the mobile home owners nor the park management invited the raccoons in. They come with the area we live in.  And if a home suffers damage, will the insurance pay for the damage?  Likely not, because the mobile homes have inadequate skirting (i.e., it is flimsy).  And if an owner chooses to try to shore up the holes where the skirting has been moved out by the raccoons, it is at best going to be a tacky looking job as is the case with my senior disabled neighbor.  And this is a low-rent mobile home park, so there really aren't any specific rules regarding what a mobile home owner does.  And what is more, the park owners could care less what happens to the park as long as they get their monthly rent.  As for the raccoons, you have trees, and you will likely have raccoons.

To make matters worse in here, there are cats living outside everywhere.  When seniors pass on, frequently their neighbors or relatives simply release the cats outside, where they continue to stay since this is the area where they lived. Also, the seniors, who are often alone and lonely, feed the cats outside since they like the feeling of company and watching the cats come daily to sleep on their little stairs or porches or even under their houses. Some owners have actually taken out some of their skirting panels to make it possible for the cats to go under the houses to sleep.  And no one seems concerned abut the health issues of all of this.  Of course the cat food attracts the raccoons, skunks, possums, and even rats and mice and squirrels as well as the cats.  And we have learned that the managers actually put food out daily for the raccoons because they think the raccoons are cute.

Spring through summer is breeding time, so this mom sought refuge most likely under my neighbor's mobile home, where she then gave birth in the warmth of the insulation under their home. The insulation is broken out in several areas - not just tiny holes either, and there is insulation all over the ground.  For those who have never lived in a mobile home, when the insulation and moisture barrier is broken into, it leaves nice entry points for additional creatures such as those I have mentioned above.  But even worse is that the droppings of the creatures are going to be everywhere, and eventually this is a definite health problem. Bugs will start coming to eat the droppings, and then there are also the bugs to contend with.  And of course we haven't mentioned why there is a moisture barrier to begin with.  Yes, you might have guessed, it is to keep moisture out from under the home.  With the moisture barrier broken out, moisture gets into the pressboard most mobile home floors are made of and then you have soft areas in the flooring where you can ultimately fall through.  And even if THAT doesn't happen, you are going to start getting mold from the moisture, and everyone knows, or I hope they know, the damage and danger to our health that mold brings.

Yes, the raccoons are cute to look at from a distance, but they do pose health issues that can be quite serious. Raccoon feces can carry several diseases that are potentially serious.  Rabies and distemper are sometimes an issue, but they are rare.  Distemper will make the raccoons forage more during the day and act unusually aggressive.  Distemper can spread from the infected animal to any domestic pets that come into contact with the raccoon feces.

A more dangerous disease that raccoon feces can contain is a parasite called Baylisascaris procyonis.  This is a type of roundworm that can also infect humans.  If this parasite is transferred to humans, it can be extremely dangerous.  In children, the elderly, and people with compromised immune systems, infection with this roundworm can even be fatal.  Infections occur when someone comes into contact with raccoon droppings.  Million of this parasite’s eggs are often present in the droppings.  Even though roundworm parasites need to be inside the host to survive, the eggs can remain alive and dangerous for years in the soil.  This is how people can come into contact with the parasite without even knowing that they have.

If you have been exposed to this parasite or its eggs, your symptoms could include becoming nauseous, tired, and you may notice a lack of attention or coordination.  Other more serious symptoms are the loss of muscle control, blindness, and coma.  It can also cause a person’s liver to become enlarged.  If you have come into contact with raccoon feces, which are very similar in appearance to those of a dog, and you have any of these symptoms, contact a doctor as soon as possible.  With the proper treatment, the ringworms can be eliminated before they travel throughout the body.

 If you are trying to clean up a mess left by raccoons, you need to have eye and breathing apparatus and you need to wear very thick or even plastic coated gloves and pants, etc. to protect yourself.
 This is the story of how a single raccoon can turn your neighborhood (like it has ours) into a true raccoon invasion.  I have not heard of this being the case with possums or skunks, but I am sure it could be a similar situation. 

If you are considering buying a mobile home, as much as most of us love beautiful trees and woods-like environments around us, make this a consideration in your decision. Have an inspection of the property to discover if the moisture barrier is sound before you buy, and if it has the old panel type skirting, you can either have the panel skirting replaced with the new type skirting or you can get some of the plastic X-shaped trellis material and have it screwed on in place all around the bottom. If there is evidence that the moisture barrier is broken out, you need to have that repaired and have the house inspected for health issues before buying it.  It costs more than $1,000 to get the moisture barrier replaced, and more than $1,500 to get the new type of skirting, so you can be looking at a huge investment before even moving in.  And of course there is the inspection that you need to get done.  If you are a senior, these issues are especially important since our immune systems are not what they were when we were even 30 years old. 

Just Another Day in the Life of a Senior . . .

Early in the morning, I heard frantic knocking on my door. Next door neighbors had a raccoon invasion during the night for their mobile home.  The raccoon had actually torn the skirting off the mobile home, and they wanted me to come and check it out. The man had a hoe and was banging on the skirting of his mobile home, causing further damage. He is disabled and cannot always understand everything that needs to happen. So his idea was just to kill it. He already had a raccoon get into the roof of his mobile home and ended up paying to get that fixed, so it is understandable that he just wanted to do whatever it took to rid himself of this problem. But I had to carefully remind him that it is against the law to kill wildlife, even something like a destructive raccoon.

It has been very cold here at night and even during the day. I had this feeling that it was a raccoon looking for a warm place to nest or possibly a pregnant raccoon looking for a warm place to have her kits.

Since my neighbor is unable to get down on the ground and look under the mobile home (and I am not a lot better off), I went over with digital camera and flashlight to survey the damage and try to figure out what to do next.   When I stuck my head and part of my body under the mobile home after making sure the raccoon was nowhere close, I was able to get photos of what was going on underneath. The raccoon had apparently torn a rather large hole in the moisture barrier under the home and actually managed to get all the way to the front of the home. There was insulation lying all around the ground underneath.  The woman of the house had noted that she had heard its noises up near the front end of the house.  So apparently it had burrowed its way to the front

My first thought was to borrow one of the neighbor's humane traps and try to catch it and then release it into the wild.  And we did set the trap the first night.  But then talking to other neighbors about how vicious those raccoons could be, I had second thoughts about that.  I am a senior myself and not that strong.  After thinking more about it, I called Animal Control, and then I was shocked to learn that they will no longer come and remove a wild animal on your property, and it is illegal for private people to remove them either.  You can go to court and the fines are very large.  So there was really one option, and that was to call a private removal place.  It isn't cheap. $130 for two traps, and if they catch more than one, it is extra. My neighbors and I are splitting the cost; I too have something at stake with a tortoise that goes out into the yard and other small pets at risk.

This is just one of the things seniors have to contend with. Are the raccoons the responsibility of the park or are they the responsibility of the owners?  I've spent a good amount of my time trying to find answers through the various mobile home owners' associations, legal organizations that help seniors and in the end result, it looks as though it is up to us to fight our own battles mostly.

Whatever happens, it was important to me that the raccoons be treated humanely. I love all creatures, and they are just trying to ensure their own survival. It isn't like they are just looking to wreck havoc.  Like us, they need shelter and food and warmth when it is cold.  So as long as they can be relocated where they will not be doing harm, but be able to survive, I guess that will be enough.  Now, how are we seniors to survive?

Mobile Home Living at Its Best and Worst

A lot of seniors are living in mobile home parks, and for many of us, it is an excellent housing alternative. The cost of a mobile home is generally cheaper than most single family homes today, at least if you want to live in a safe and decent neighborhood. There is not so much maintenance required on the part of the owner, property taxes are lower, parks are generally safer for a senior in that your neighbors will notice more quickly if you don't show signs of being around for days, and senior parks are generally a good sense of community for most seniors. The photo to the left is a sculpture in Angels Gate Cultural Center and I took it.  I like this photo because it feels like someone imploring the Gods to protect him


At their worst, however, mobile home parks can become a nightmare for seniors living on a fixed income, or those who have sunk a lot of their savings into getting a home in a park.  You can have all sorts of problems with management or owners of parks, or even natural disasters or other disasters  that essentially leave you homeless and with all of your precious life belongings and even pets gone.  Some examples of this are the mobile home parks in Louisiana that were hit by Hurricane Katrina, and the Oakridge Mobile Home Park near Sylmar, CA.

As I read with an inward cringe at some of the mobile home horror stories in Southern California, I wonder if there are actually many that are truly decent while remaining affordable for the lower income folks.  Apparently, there are more with problems than there are good mobile home parks in Southern California, and this may well be a problem in other states as well.

I am going to try to present as well as I am able with the research I am able to find, some assistance to you if you are looking to buy a mobile home in Southern California. Hopefully this can help avoid some serious problems for you in the future.

Let's look at the worst of the worst of mobile home parks.  These are all owned by one allegedly mobile home park ownership groups, Kaplan-Tatum.  They own some approximately 20 mobile home parks in Southern California, and they have beeen listed on every bad boy mobile home owner site and there are numerous articles about some of the illegal things they have done.  Here is a very good resource to read about them and see some photos of the real thing from some of the actual parks owned. http://badlease.blogspot.com/2009/10/tatum-kaplan-gangexposed.html. And actually, they are written up if you research the name on www.google.com for all the lawsuits, etc. they have had, so I am not telling you anything that is not already all over the place.

Probably the worst park in Southern California I read about is Swan Lake Mobile Home Park in Mira Loma.  It is overrun with gangs, crime and destruction, to say nothing of a bunch of other nasty things like huge raccoons running rampant throughout the park. And to add to the nightmare for the mobile home owners, people are paying huge space rent (up close to $1,000).

We could say it is just the owners at fault, but how did a park come to be like this without anyone doing anything? The thing is, I have seen it here in my own park over the many years. Once again, this is not intended to defame anyone; I am sharing my own experience in hopes of helping you to be careful when making a decision to move into a mobile home.

When I bought my first mobile home in the park, I knew basically nothing about mobile home ownership, like most seniors buying their first mobile home.  I did not know my rights and was just so happy to be in a little community in a decent neighborhood, but I soon realized that all was not what it appeared to be. We were told that we had to use a certain group to do any maintenance that needed to be done, so of course we used that group.  But it became quickly apparent that those people were totally dishonest and lazy to boot. They would do a job halfway and then expect to be paid the entire amount. I had numerous first-hand experiences with this and others who used them reported the same problems. I knew nothing about leveling a mobile home, so that first year, I had to keep calling the people to level my home, each time costing me $80!  One day I came home from work to find my door was standing wide open and my pets had gotten out because the mobile home was not level and it had JUST been leveled.  This time, however, I got really mad (fear will sometimes do that), and I went to a neighbor's house and asked him what was needed to level a mobile home.  He told me, and loaned me the tool to take care of it.  That very afternoon, I crawled under the home myself and leveled it, and it was actually so loose on all the pylons, I am quite surprised that the home didn't fall off of them. I tightened every single one as tight as I could. I never had another problem. In fact, I leveled several of my neighbor's homes, and they too never had another problem.

Despite that proactive action though, there was still so much I needed to learn.  I was a consultant at the time and so much of my business began to take me further and further away from home until I was getting so tired on the road, I realized I had to stop driving.  I found a place to rent near my clients and even though it wasn't my own home like the mobile home had been, it was essential for me.  So I put my home up for sale and listed it in an open listing with a mobile home sales person that the management told me we had to use to sell our homes.  Right then and there I should have questioned that one, but again, I had a lot yet to learn, and this would be a very hard lesson learned.  So even though I had it listed, I found a buyer myself who was just a year short of being senior, and who had good references. I trustingly sent her over to talk to the management to get approval to buy the home.  Soon I got a call from management that I could not sell to her as she was not a senior.  What I didn't know then was that there was nothing at all saying the park was a senior park and I had never signed anything to that affect.  I had noticed that there were people living in the park who weren't seniors, but again, management had a quick answer for that - the 80/20% rule, and there were already 20% people who were not seniors.  And then management added (to make sure I would not ask any more questions I guess), and of course the person could not get financing since the mobile home was only 10' wide, and the financing would only cover 12' wide. Of course the mobile home sales company that I had bought from did private financing so they were able to sell to me.

Now this manager had told me and some other folks in the park that the manager got $1,000 every time a mobile home was sold through that mobile home sales company. In fact, the manager had been quite proud of this fact.  But again, did I know that this just might be a conflict of interest?

To make a long story not quite so long, the gist of all this is that I lost my buyer and couldn't find another one, and meanwhile the mobile home sales person had done absolutely nothing to find a buyer for me, and they had actually other homes for sale in the park as well (this will be important to remember since mine was the smallest and oldest of the ones that were available at the time).  Eventually it became too much to take care of and I had to let it go.  And funny thing, I learned later after I moved back in once again, that the home sold immediately after I turned it back to the bank (which later went under and had been investigated for a lot of hanky panky).  And the buyer?  Hmmm, just a little more hanky and probably a lot of panky too.  Basically, I had to start my life over from scratch and that was not at all easy, especially as a senior, and this is something you want to avoid at any cost for you or your loved ones.

So mobile homes ARE a good deal if you can get into a really good park where the owners AND managers have a good reputation.  But whatever you do, be sure you learn 1) what the natural dangers are in the area, i.e. is this on the San Andreas Fault, or in a highly wooded area, or in an area where there has ever been flooding, etc.  2)  Who are the owners of the park and check out their reputation. 3) make sure that the park isn't going to be sold or in process of being sold. 4) Join the mobile home owners organizations listed in my resource list under Housing. 5) Be sure you read very carefully the Mobile Home Residency Laws which change almost yearly. 6) Be sure you understand the kinds of things you need to check in a mobile home you are buying.  Look carefully at the ceiling and make sure there are no signs of leaks. Turn on the A/C if there is one, and also make sure the wall furnace or other heating system is working properly.  Make sure you check the water pressure (which hopefully is turned on).

Talk to some of the neighbors to ask them how long they have lived there and if there have been any problems. You can sometimes read about such problems on www.google.com if you search on problems for that park - for example, Swan Lake Mobile Home Park is written about all over the place, but then it would be pretty obvious if you just drove by there and saw what was going on.  Check the number of vacancies. A high vacancy rate does not sit well.  And check to find out how often the rent has been increased and how much too.  The management is going to question you; you have the right and it is your responsibility to question management too. ALL management is going to give you their best foot forward when you are interviewing them, but you might need to check up on their background too and see if there have been any problems with them.

You might think that you can move in if a park is going to be sold because you can get the home cheap.   But what you don't know is that some owners might have paid $200,000 for their mobile home, only to be offered $80,000 during the forced sales.  Oh yes, it has happened, and if you read enough mobile home owners organization web sites, sooner or later you will realize that  this is a very real thing, even though it also is not ethical for sure, to say the least.

And when you are in the park, you cannot just sit back and forget to pay attention. You need to be involved with any owner's association that might be within the park, and also to stay informed on what is happening.  And if things aren't right, as I have done and am continuing to do, you need to take a stand and make sure you are getting your rights and that anything that is promised or noted in the rules about maintenance, etc. is being done. 

I am quoting the words below from a newsletter I subscribe to: Heron Dance, written by an artist whose watercolors I enjoy very much. While it is talking about art, I truly believe this is important for all of us in life. It is not easy to stand up and fight for our rights, especially when it involves our dwelling places and where we might be the only ones willing to take a stand. 

"The final statement should be that in the realm of art the most important characteristic is courage. Courage to pursue what some voice inside of you, against the tidal wave of everything that's happening in the society, says go this way. Courage to pursue what you know you really have to pursue. That's what counts.

- Richard Foreman, filmmaker

 

"Courage counts. Courage gives life to art; courage inspires those who  open themselves up to it.

"Part of the role of artists is to show us courage, give us courage." 

I wish that life could be simple for all of us seniors and that we could just live our lives enjoying all those things people told us we would get to enjoy when we got older. But the truth is that some of us at least do have to stand and fight, not just for ourselves but for others as well. We might not be comfortable doing it and we might have to stand alone, and that is always scary. But it is a lot less scary somehow than it was when I was 20 years old and didn't know half the things I know now. People who have lived side by side with us for years will suddenly turn against us with those we might do battle with.  The truth is that they are afraid, and they also somehow believe if they do nothing, or they somehow support the management, everything will stay the same and that everything will be alright. But that is not the case, and ultimately, way too late they realize the truth. Look at all the mobile home parks standing abandoned or in such terrible states that they SHOULD be abandoned.

I became a senior advocate because I had to stand up and fight for my rights, and I also had to help those who are even less able to stand up for themselves because of disabilities or illnesses. And suddenly this role has wrapped itself around me. What once was a story of victimization has blossomed into what I perceive to be a positive thing. What better thing to do something to help other seniors in every way I can. I hope this will be helpful for you and your loved ones. Feel free to write me any time if I can answer any questions for you and I am always willing to research until I DO find an answer.

Should a Physician Tell a Patient He/She Only Has So Long to Live?

I was thinking about my neighbors, whose doctor told the wife she had but six weeks left to live. On the one hand, I can understand the need to make sure that the patient has time to gather family members, or that they are in some way notified of the impending event, and also that the patient has time to get his/her affairs in order.

But reflecting back on my research the other day on how many people were in hospice, I remembered how in 2008, some 800,000 were in hospice, and of those, some 200,000 plus were still hanging in at the end of 2008, and some 200,000 plus more made it beyond that.  So what does that tell us?  I think that it would be ok to tell the person that they might not get better, but not to give it a time line. Let them live on as long as they do with some sense of hope. Everyone deserves to die still believing that they will live to see another day unless they are ready to go, and then that is something else. But it should be our choosing or our time, not that said to us by someone who gives us but a few minutes or possibly half an hour or so, while we live in our bodies 24/7.
This little quilt, "What Would Water Do?" was based on a poem that I had permission to reprint. In fact that lady now has the quilt which was made by me. Somehow it seemed to want to join this article.

What If There isn't Any More?

A man in the mobile home where I live told a friend and me the other day that his wife just went to the hospital and is back home in hospice and they gave her six more weeks to live.

This affected me greatly, not just because they are friends of mine, but because many of us seniors live all alone.  It is interesting that we come into this world all alone, and when we die, we have to go alone too, though we might be lucky to be surrounded by loved ones. I know that won't likely be the case for me. My brother lives in another state and is 100% disabled. He does get around some, but travel for him is not likely a good option. And I don't think he could handle it since he suffers, among other things, from post traumatic stress syndrome from the Vietnam War. I made this little quilt to let my brother know I love him.  I am not sure he got the idea, but I think he will someday.

So when a friend sent this to me, I had to share it because it is so true. Many times we take our lives for granted, and those of folks we love around us. We might be angry at them, or we might not have been in contact for a long time.

One day a woman's husband died, and on that clear, cold morning, in the warmth of their bedroom, the wife was struck with the pain of learning that sometimes there isn't "anymore".

No more hugs, no more special moments to celebrate together, no more phone calls just to chat, no more "just one minute."

Sometimes, what we care about the most gets all used up and goes away, never to return before we can say “good-bye”, say "I love you."

So while we have it, it's best we love it, care for it, fix it when it's broken and heal it when it's sick.

This is true for marriage.....And old cars... And children with bad report cards, and dogs with bad hips, and aging parents and grandparents. We keep them because they are worth it, because we are worth it.

Some things we keep -- like a best friend who moved away or a sister-in-law after divorce. There are just some things that make us happy, no matter what.

Life is important, like people we know who are special.. And so, we keep them close!

Suppose one morning you never wake up, do all your friends know you love them?

Let every one of your friends know you love them. Even if you think they don't love you back.

Live today because tomorrow is not promised.

Orphan Plates

I have a bunch of orphan plates I have always loved. Most people would have thrown them out, but for me, they are tiny everyday works of art and I treasure them.

I think some of the seniors are like those orphan plates, for they might be struggling to make it on their own, and many of the relatives might have "discarded them," or assigned them a lower priority in their lives as their care became more demanding.

I see each and every human being no matter how old they are or how infirm, as someone special who still has gifts to offer the world. There is a fiber artist whose art I have always loved, Deidre Scherer, who worked with hospice patients and other elders in their final year, months or days of their lives. She created the most beautiful, loving and compassionate fabric portraits of each of them. Although I cannot put them up here because of copyright issues, I will point you to her web site, http://www.dscherer.com/, where you can see her work. I hope you will appreciate the beauty and treasure these elders as I do.

There are 1.8 million seniors living in nursing homes today throughout the United States. The nursing home numbers do not include assisted-living facilities. There is currently no federal definition of assisted living, so there is a void in the data.

In 2008, there were some 1.45 million receiving hospice services. Of those, some 963,000 died, and 276,000 remained on the hospital census at the end of 2008 (these are known as carryovers). And still another 212,000 were released from hospice in 2008 (these are known as live releases) and for a variety of reasons.

And I often wonder about those who are left behind when a senior passes on. Sometimes a spouse is left or a grown child, and again, the relatives might feel uncomfortable continuing a loving and welcoming relationship with the survivor. And I think if the person or persons left behind have any physical/developmental challenges, the situation may be intensified.

Someone I know if facing such a situation right now, and some of you might also know people who are facing similar situations. I hope that each of us can get over that uncomfortable feeling and help the person to make that transition and find his or her way back to a productive and peaceful life. I know there are grief support groups and other forms of assistance, but the person or persons remaining might not always get connected up with them for whatever reasons, so it is important for us to reach out to them and help them find their way.

On the Senior Experience

Tonight in a women's evolutionary consciousness group, the theme of our sharing was Death. Sounds pretty gruesome, but it wasn't any of that.  Most of what we shared was about transitioning from our younger selves to the winter years of our lives. For some of us, there was a sense of mourning the loss, or a sort of death as it were. For others, the transition came in the form of reinventing ourselves in such a way that we accept the changes taking place with dignity and grace, and that we find a new and meaningful role for the people we have become.

I have often thought that when we get to be seniors, we have learned a lot of life lessons - some wonderful, some good, some bad, and some tragic, but we have learned a lot of things through our lives. The benefit in this is that it enables us to have compassion for others, to understand how to best offer advice that can help others, and it helps us, or should help us to know that we can manage our own lives.

I wish it were always that simple.  But sometimes things happen that make it difficult for us to manage our own lives. We get ill, or we fall on other hard times. And that is when we need every resource we can get to help us to get through it. Unfortunately, there are a lot of seniors right now who don't know their options, and so there is resulting homelessness, people having stress and concerns they shouldn't have, and people doing without things they need - basic things like food, medicine or medical care. I work with physically and developmentally challenged folks, and I see way too much of this.

I'm just one person, but I am a senior too, and I have decided that if there is anything I can do to help others like me and to also try to make some small change in this world while I am still able, that is just what I am going to do. I don't always have much myself, but I have a lot of skills, and one of them is being a good researcher and a decent writer. So I am going to try to provide resources and answer questions and try to help seniors in any way that I can. The way I see it, if people don't start helping each other, we will all be struggling to stay afloat.