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Bingeworthy TV from the ‘60s

rev77.info@gmail.com (Yong Lee) — Fri, 24 Jul 2020 17:43:28 GMT

Whether you’re living at home, in an active retirement community or even an assisted living facility, chances are you’re stuck inside looking for something to keep you entertained during these summer days. Even if coronavirus wasn’t a serious threat, you’d still likely be avoiding the outdoors due to the unrelenting and inescapable heat.

Wouldn’t it be great if you could find a form of entertainment that:

• Could deliver laughs, drama or warm nostalgic memories

• Is essentially a bottomless well of content

• Doesn’t cost you anything extra

• Can be enjoyed in the comfort of your room with relatively little effort on your part

Streaming on-demand content certainly isn’t the only thing you can do right now, but it is an activity that seems to be tailor-made for this exact scenario. You have a lot of free time and may not be able to participate in the activities you’d normally be doing, so why not reconnect with some old favorites you may not have seen since you were a kid?

We’ve done a bit of research to take the legwork out of finding some of the content you may be interested in watching.

Leave It to Beaver ( Available on peacock )

If you’re in the mood for the wholesome antics of a guileless but well-intentioned youngster and his quirky friends, “Leave It to Beaver” may be the perfect throwback for you. This show, which lasted for six years, made its cast work extraordinarily hard with massive 39-week seasons, resulting in more than 230 episodes for your bingeing pleasure.

“Leave It to Beaver,” one of the most beloved sitcoms of the latter 1950s and early ‘60s, can be streamed for free (with ads) through peacock, NBC’s new streaming service . Every episode is also available on YouTube , where you can watch them with limited commercial interruption.

Perry Mason ( Available on CBS )

People who want to watch the original morally ambiguous TV lawyer should look no further than “Perry Mason.” The first ‘50s run of the series can be watched on CBS All Access if you have an account or have access to it through your current cable subscription.

HBO has recently rebooted “Perry Mason” for today’s audiences. Be forewarned, this HBO version contains nudity, swearing and grizzly murder investigations. TV makers today don’t have to adhere to the stricter guidelines required 60 years ago. That being said, the reviews for HBO’s reboot have been, on the whole, quite positive.

Bonanza

“Bonanza,” an American Western from the ‘60s, is still a historic show on account of its popularity and legendary longevity. Its 431 hour-long episodes aired between 1959 and 1973. If you’re looking for a show that will keep you busy for a long, long time, “Bonanza” is here for you.

Some seasons of “Bonanza” are available on demand to DIRECTV customers, while others can be purchased through Amazon . You can also find a ton of free full episodes of “Bonanza” on YouTube .

The Rifleman ( Available on IMDbTV )

If “Bonanza’s” more than 400 hours of Western entertainment isn’t enough for you, or you ran out of free episodes to binge, consider switching over to “The Rifleman.” You can find free (with ads) episodes of “The Rifleman” streaming through IMDbTV, but you will have to login through another provider to gain access to the content. If you have an Amazon account, you should be able to watch episodes through that platform.

Gunsmoke ( Available on CBS )

One thing the ‘50s and ‘60s didn’t lack was Western TV. “Gunsmoke” started out as a radio drama before jumping to the TV screen. “Bonanza’s” impressive run pales in comparison to “Gunsmoke”, which aired from 1955 through 1975, totaling 635 episodes. The only reason “Bonanza” has technically produced more content was “Gunsmoke’s” 30-minute format.

Two seasons of “Gunsmoke” are available for streaming on CBS All Access, and 17 seasons are available on-demand through DIRECTV. You can also find many full episodes of the original radio show on YouTube .

What’s My Line? ( Available on Amazon )

“What’s My Line?” first aired in 1950 and continued airing for an impressive 25 years. The show featured a panel of celebrities that would ask non-celebrity contestant’s questions in an effort to figure out their occupations. It’s still considered one of the greatest game shows in TV history. If you’re an Amazon Prime member you can stream two seasons of the show for free, but they’re also available for purchase through the platform if you’re not a Prime member. You can find another 150 full episodes available for free on YouTube.

Dragnet

Sergeant Joe Friday of the LAPD may be the most influential TV detectives in history. Friday was an unpretentious tough guy who pioneered gritty realism in small-screen police dramas. The show truly helped pave the way for the dozens of modern police dramas that portrayed law enforcement as real, flawed but heroic people who are dedicated to keeping the nation’s cities safe. It’s safe to say today’s police procedurals wouldn’t exist without “Dragnet” blazing the path.

You can find a lot of full episodes of 1950s-era “Dragnet ” as well as the late-‘60s run of “Dragnet ” on YouTube for free.

Your Safety and Comfort Is Important to Our Community

Things are hard for everyone right now, but the staff at Timberhill Villa is determined to make these months as bearable as possible for residents of our active retirement community. There’s nothing more important to us than the health and safety of the people living here, which is why we take all the necessary precautions to ensure COVID-19 doesn’t gain a foothold in our facility.

We also know how quickly boredom can reduce a person’s quality of life, which is why our staff is happy to help our residents set up streaming services, find great TV to watch, books to read and other forms of entertainment to stay busy.

If you’d like to learn more about Timberhill Villa, please feel free to call us at (210) 684-3480.

Great Ways to Stay Connected to Distant Family While Living in a Retirement Community

rev77.info@gmail.com (Yong Lee) — Mon, 13 Jul 2020 22:36:44 GMT

Staying connected is one of the biggest hurdles facing both independent and assisted retirement community residents and their families. COVID-19 has essentially put a stop to face-to-face meetings between residents and their loved ones, even if those loved ones are nearby.

The difficulty of interacting frequently isn’t a new struggle for retirees. Countless older Americans live hundreds of miles from their children and grandchildren, making in-person visits few and far between. It has only become a more widespread challenge in 2020 with the coronavirus.

There are, thankfully, a variety of convenient technological and software options that can give you face-to-face time with your family members, albeit virtually.

Zoom

Probably the most popular free video conferencing app, Zoom can accommodate up to 100 users at a time, meaning it’s likely more than enough for you and your family to connect. Getting software like Zoom to work isn’t always the easiest thing for many older users who may not have a lot of experience with operating these types of platforms.

Thankfully the folks at Zoom have created a number of guides designed to help new users easily set up the application and join conferences.

Residents of independent or assisted living communities should hopefully feel comfortable asking onsite staff to assist with setting up and joining a Zoom meeting. If you or your loved one are in Timberhill Villa, don’t hesitate to reach out to a friendly member of our staff for assistance.

Skype

Anyone familiar with how smartphones work will recognize Skype. In many respects it functions like a traditional phone application, making it an accessible option for a lot of older people. You can enter family members into a contact list and start a video call with them in a way that’s not entirely dissimilar to making a normal voice call.

Skype doesn’t boast the 100-user maximum that Zoom does but most families wanting to see and speak with their loved one in a retirement community likely don’t need that many participants in a call.

Skype also boasts a live subtitle setting, which can be a huge help for older users who may have trouble clearly understanding all the words coming out of a phone’s small and often low-quality speaker.

FaceTime

If you’re a dedicated Apple family then FaceTime may be the application for you. FaceTime is a proprietary video chat platform developed by Apple and included on most of their devices, including iPhones and iPads.

FaceTime imports an Apple devices’ contact list, so there’s no extra step of having to enter in the contact information for other family members.

Google Duo

Google Duo, another free video chat software, is considered by some to be the easiest option. This software, like FaceTime, is phone number based, so you can automatically initiate video calls with people in your contact list.

Google Duo isn’t the most robust video conferencing platform, but its ease of use makes it a good choice for many older seniors who aren’t interested in investing the time and effort into getting familiar with a new application.

Facebook Messenger

If your older family member in an assisted living or independent living retirement community already uses social media, they may already be familiar with Facebook Messenger. Facebook Messenger has a built-in video chat feature, allowing users to quickly initiate a face-to-face chat with a loved one without jumping through the hoops necessary to set up a new piece of software and learn how to use it

Using Social Media

For some seniors being able to connect with family on Facebook and seeing updates regarding each other’s lives can be a great relief. Not everything on social media is altogether wholesome or politically benign, but Facebook does have settings that let users hide posts and content from certain friends or friend groups. If younger family members don’t want their older family members to see certain things, they can hide those particular posts and still be friends and engage with each other’s lives.

Face-to-Face Communication Isn’t the Only Option

While the ability to talk over video chats is a huge comfort to many families, it’s certainly not the only way to communicate. There’s nothing wrong with using video chat with the grandkids a couple of times a month and interspersing phone calls, emails and other communications in between.

The most important factors for many older people in assisted living and independent retirement communities is:

· Having a community around them, even if family isn’t always right there

· Knowing the people they love care about them enough to reach out frequently

It’s good to remember just hearing the voice of a loved one and having a 15- or 20-minute conversation can improve a senior’s mood and ensure they continue to feel valued and remembered.

We Help Our Residents Stay in Touch

At Timberhill Villa in San Antonio , many of our independent senior living residents keep in touch with family both near and far remotely through a variety of technological solutions. Our team has experience helping residents set up these systems. Making sure families can stay connected during the coronavirus pandemic is an important service every retirement community should be providing, even those that emphasize independence and freedom.

If you want to learn more about Timberhill Villa, please feel free to call us at (210) 684-3840.

How to Choose a Retirement Community that Is Right for Your Loved One

rev77.info@gmail.com (Yong Lee) — Mon, 06 Apr 2020 19:55:59 GMT

Choosing to put your loved one in a retirement community or even broach the topic is understandably a struggle for many adult children in the United States. It’s also an often-unavoidable conversation that many people eventually must go through.

Independence is hugely important to most older Americans. Luckily, that’s not something they have to give up at every retirement community. Active retirement communities, for example, put an emphasis on encouraging and nurturing independence for as long as possible.

It’s important to make the distinction to your parents in these conversations. An active retirement community is not a daycare for old people. No one will invade your personal space, try to help you get into and out of the shower or treat you like an invalid.

The communities may serve three meals a day, offer cleaning services, transportation to and from doctor’s appointments or bring in personal trainers and Yoga instructors, but that’s as close as they get to providing meaningful hands-on assistance to residents.

Seniors in active retirements communities essentially get to continue living the same way they were before except without the responsibilities of homeownership and all the hassles that entails. If residents want, they can go to the grocery store, but they also don’t have to because great meals are served everyday in a restaurant-like setting.

Some of the distinctions between an assisted living community and an independent senior living community are becoming even clearer with the coronavirus.

Every person, whether they’re old or young, should be worrying about the coronavirus. Much of the early emphasis of Covid-19 was specifically focused on at-risk people, mainly older Americans. The world’s experience as the pandemic progressed proved this virus is dangerous for everyone, regardless of their age.

At Timberhill Villa, we take the safety of our residents seriously. Residents at Timberhill Villa are currently sheltering in place. The temperatures and health of staff and medical personnel on the premises are being monitored to ensure no one showing symptoms is entering the premises. Timberhill Villa’s team are delivering meals to residents as well as daily newsletters filled with timely information, inspiration messages, humor, puzzles and other entertainment to help residents stay informed and pass the time as comfortably as possible.

Only Timberhill Villa staff and medical personnel are currently allowed on the premises, which is why we can unfortunately not offer tours of our facility at this time. We are following all necessary precautions and regulations recommended or mandated by city, county and state health officials. Our staff and residents are looking forward to getting back to normal, and we’ll be happy to resume offering tours as soon as the COVID-19 pandemic recedes!

Finding a Community That’s a Right Fit for Your Loved One

It’s a good idea to do some research before you go into a conversation with your loved one about moving into an assisted living or active retirement community. There’s understandably a stigma around these communities – mainly because there are many out there that reinforce the negative stereotypes.

Find communities that have large populations of people in your parent’s cohort. Getting a loved one moved into an environment where they have companionship again is often a significant motivator for many adult children looking for a new home for their parents. You want to make sure that community is healthy and filled with people your parents can easily relate to on a peer level.

It’s also important to look at the community’s food and dining options. A good active retirement community will even invite you to have a meal during a tour so you can get an accurate idea of the food quality before committing.

No one wants to go back to “school cafeteria” style meals sitting on fold out chairs or wooden benches.

When considering different communities, make sure to look through their schedule of activities. You can differentiate the “active” communities from the more traditional “retirement” communities based on the activities they regularly organize for residents. Are there lots of exercise opportunities? Are there community gatherings like BBQs and happy hours? Are there educational opportunities that allow residents to expand their minds?

Retirement can be a fulfilling experience where people grow intellectually and spiritually. A good active retirement community will embrace that opportunity.

What Makes Timberhill Villa One of the Good Ones

Timberhill Villa is all about making retirement safe, comfortable and pleasant. Features like our impressive library , elegant dining room , billiards room and our beautiful outdoor spaces make the environment welcoming and feel more like living in a bed and breakfast than a retirement home.

Each day of the week has exercise activities, games, events and other entertainment options in which residents can choose to participate. Each weekday there’s a Yoga or Fit for Life exercise class. We have regularly available vital checks as well as medical transportation to and from doctors’ appointments if residents want to make use of those services. Some specialists are also on the schedule to come in and check on residents and provide health guidance and advice.

Some of the other current weekday activities include:

Bingo
Arts and crafts
Armchair astronomy
Sewing, knitting and crochet groups
Sing-a-longs
Poker
Wii bowling
Bob’s Happy Hour with live music and poker
Trivia challenges
Dinners out and about
BBQs
Sunday brunch
Shopping trips
Nights at the movies with popcorn and sodas
Hymn singing and worship services for multiple denominations

Under normal circumstances, our experienced staff and administrators maintain a balance between promoting health and safety and planning events and activities that appeal to all types of residents. Participation is optional but the goal is to offer every person something they enjoy and can bond and socialize with other residents over.

If you want to find out what life is like on Timberhill Villa’s 24-acre family-run retirement community, we encourage you to call (210) 684-3480 to schedule a tour or contact us through our website once the COVID-19 threat is over!

How to Make the Transition into Retirement as Seamless as Possible

rev77.info@gmail.com (Yong Lee) — Tue, 03 Mar 2020 17:31:24 GMT

Transitioning from filling your days with work and chores to a more relaxing lifestyle with fewer responsibilities and demands for your time is often more stressful than people expect. Too many retirees fail to plan and end up feeling bored, listless or lack the drive to find meaningful pursuits during retirement.

That’s not the way retirement has to be, but it is a real risk if retirement isn’t approached in a thoughtful way. You or your loved one can make the transition to retirement an easier, more productive one with some forethought and planning.

Things to Consider Before Retirement

Self-reflection can be a helpful first step when thinking about retirement. What have you always wanted to do? Was there ever something you told yourself you would do someday? Maybe it was to read the “classics,” learn an instrument or a second language or pick up a hobby you’ve always thought looked interesting.

It’s dangerous to think of retirement as simply the last phase of life where you winnow away your last years without accomplishing anything new or contributing meaningfully to society. If anything, there are a lot more options for retirees in modern times.

One of the popular recommendations for slowing cognitive aging is keeping the mind active. Doing crossword puzzles or similar games can help, but so can furthering your education and learning something new.

More retirees are going back to school, oftentimes taking specific elective courses that interest them. Greek mythology, the history of the French Revolution, philosophy – the options are endless.

In the months or even years leading up to retirement, think about these things and truly ask yourself what you would find fulfilling.

What people do in retirement is often dictated by their health, finances and abilities. Some people can travel the world and see new places. Others may want to visit each of the contiguous 48 states in an RV. There’s also nothing wrong with wanting to stay close to home and family and enjoy the company of your children and grandchildren.

Whatever you decide, the important part is embracing retirement as an opportunity to pursue new experiences, self-improvement or just doing the things that make you feel fulfilled and content.

Think About Companionship and Friendships

For many people, the bulk of their social interactions occur with coworkers. It’s not something many workers really think about on a regular basis, but it’s worth considering before you retire. Loneliness and the related health consequences are a lot easier to avoid when you’re always working with other people. You lose those interactions when you retire.

Think about what you can replace those relationship with. You don’t necessarily have to go out to bars and talk to strangers to make new friends. Find out about book clubs, knitting clubs or local charitable organizations like the Rotary Club, Kiwanis or Lions Club.

Charity is often a great way to not only feel good about yourself and your contribution to the world but also interact with other people and make friends. In retirement, you may end up having more free time and energy that you can put towards making your community better.

When it comes to living arrangements in retirement, the “community” in active retirement communities is one of the biggest selling points. Many seniors living on their own during retirement become isolated and experience the physical and mental ramifications of loneliness.

Active retirement communities make it easy to meet new people and avoid that loneliness. Residents frequently interact with like-minded, similarly aged individuals. You aren’t forced to make friends, but chances are there are other seniors with similar interests and complimentary personalities living just doors away.

Know Your Finances Ahead of Time

This one is probably obvious to most soon-to-be retirees, but speaking with a retirement or financial advisor in the years leading up to retirement is probably a good idea.

Retirees are living a lot longer than they used to. The only downside to longer life expectances is the risk of outliving one’s retirement savings and being forced to pinch pennies to make ends meet.

A financial advisor or even an estate planning attorney may be able to work with you on ways to protect your retirement savings, qualify for certain types of insurance or invest your money so you can continue generating supplemental income without having to punch the clock in a 9-to-5 job.

Find Out How Timberhill Villa Makes Active Retirement a Fulfilling Experience

The administrators and staff of Timberhill Villa believe retirement should be about maximizing enjoyment , not feeling lonely or dealing with monotonous, tedious chores. As an independent, active retiree community, you have the freedom to do what you want with your retirement.

There are activities to participate in and resources to take advantage of if you want, but your retirement is your own to do with as you see fit. We encourage our retirees to remain active and pursue whatever will make their retirement a fulfilling one.

If you want to find out what life at Timberhill Villa is like, we encourage you to schedule a tour by calling (210) 684-3480.

What Is an Active Retirement Community? How Does It Differ from a Traditional Senior Living or Assisted Living Home?

rev77.info@gmail.com (Yong Lee) — Tue, 03 Mar 2020 17:07:03 GMT

Living in an active retirement community is often a lot like living in a nice hotel or bed and breakfast. You have the independence to do what you want but without the stress of home maintenance, paying utilities, cleaning and chores. All the menial tasks of owning your own home or living in your own condo or apartment are taken care of by people who are paid to do those things.

Traditional or assisted senior living facilities are more akin to what people usually think of when they hear the term “retirement home.” The focus shifts from fostering and promoting independence to more hands-on assistance with all aspects of life, from getting dressed and taking medications to getting in and out of the shower. People can still live good, fulfilling lives in an assisted living community, but there is necessarily less independence because the residents simply need more assistance than residents who live in an active retirement community.

Activities and Facilities Catered to Active Retirees w Title

Active living seniors are, by definition, still energetic and have a desire to do things, whether that’s participating in a hobby, enjoying coffee or drinks with friends, taking walks, swimming or doing Yoga. The activities at an active senior living facility usually reflect the capabilities and interests of the residents.

Assisted living facilities have activities too, but they’re usually designed and implemented with resident’s often limited mobility, dexterity and endurance in mind.

There’s flexibility at both types of facilities. Residents are encouraged to participate, get involved and gain a group of friends at both active senior and assisted living communities, but the activity options are likely a bit more limited at an assisted living facility.

There can also be a marked difference in food. There are assisted living-focused facilities that have good food, but active senior living communities usually have dining experiences that are closer to restaurant in style and quality instead of a cafeteria.

Difference in Cost

Active retirement community residents no longer worry about the cost of home maintenance – no more replacing roofs, having new HVAC systems installed or paying property taxes – but Medicare and other insurance options likely won’t cover independent living retirement communities.

Assisted living communities are sometimes covered by Medicaid if the resident qualifies, but only in cases where a person has few remaining assets. Long-term care insurance will usually cover assisted living costs, but with that coverage comes limitations.

Assisted living by its nature is a much more medical/health care-oriented operation. Skilled nurses may be on staff and doctors may make regular visits. Vitals are monitored, medication is administered and there’s an emphasis on providing care.

Active retirement communities like Timberhill Villa have exercise classes, Yoga and provide transportation to and from doctors’ appointments, but health care isn’t regularly provided on the premises.

If you have long-term care insurance, it will likely cover assisted living but won’t cover active retirement living. However, seniors who value independence and maintaining an active, adventurous lifestyle and enjoy spending time with other retirees who feel the same may discover that an active retirement community is worth the added cost.

Even though it may not be covered by insurance, some retirees may find moving into an active retirement community to be preferable from a financial perspective as well. Selling a paid-off home and using the proceeds to move into an independent 55+ senior community means you’re trading in the costs of upkeep, property taxes, large home projects and utilities for a worry-free, financially simplified lifestyle.

Schedule a Visit and Discover What Makes Active Senior Communities Great

The team Timberhill Villa goes the extra mile to create an environment that exemplifies what makes active retirement communities a great option for many seniors. Living at Timberhill Villa doesn’t feel all that different from living in a condo association, except there are a lot of added conveniences, such as house cleaning, restaurant-quality meals, exercise classes and Yoga, free laundry, onsite church services and more – all included.

Find out what life is like on the 24-acre Timberhill Villa property by scheduling a tour . Give us a call at (210) 684-3480 to learn more.