When people retire, they want to say goodbye to fighting traffic, office politics and planning their life according to a clock.

Seniors who want to keep working may have the same goals. Some are discovering the luxury of working at home, managing their own time to make the most of their talents.

Three, at The Watermark at Logan Square, have designed home “studios” that suit them perfectly.

‘Good light’ for painting
Meyer Shulick, an 81-year-old widower, has retired as an art teacher, but not as an artist. He has remodeled part of his one-bedroom 13^th-floor apartment to accommodate his paints and easels. It faces northeast with large windows that afford just the kind of light an artist needs. He is currently working on a 48-by-32-inch oil painting for his daughter.

Even on a cloudy day I get good light up here, and I even laid down a wooden floor over the existing rug so that I could move things around more easily.”

Much of Shulick’s work has been dedicated to Philadelphia, the city he loves. His painting of “Boathouse Row” recently earned jurors’ recognition for the national 2012 Expressions Calendar, featuring the work of artists selected from 25 Watermark communities nationwide.

Shulick is also a former pilot, but had to give it up because of a stroke; plays classical guitar; and is working on a scale-model of the sailing ship The C.W. Morgan.

“Keep involved and stay active. Keep moving, even if it’s just going for a walk every day. Do something you’ve always loved — especially if you can do it from home,” Shulick advises other seniors.

Clients buy a package of ten 55-minute lessons, Smith explains. Groups may participate; Smith will work out the schedule and pricing -- "for $250, they can come as often as they want in a month. We recommend twice a week." Or, sessions can be spread out over a few months, he adds.

Pilates integrates yoga, traditional stretching forms and relaxation methods. Pilates in Germantown uses "state-of-the art Balanced Body equipment," says Smith, 65. His participants are both men and women, ranging in age from late 20s to 78.

Conditioning, not body building

"Age doesn't matter," he says. "This is not body building training. It's not putting excessive force on the body. We're looking for form of movement and developing muscles through a range of motion."

While participants are not made to go beyond their "comfort zones," Smith says he has seen the difference in his own movements and abilities: "My left shoulder used to be a lot more limited," but he has extended his range of motion through an arm circles exercise.

No one ever hurts him/herself, stresses Smith. "The system is designed to lengthen and strengthen muscle tissue.

Pilates -- an exercise for building "strength, grace and rehabilitative effects" -- is named for Joseph Pilates (1880-1967) who invented the equipment for injury rehabilitation, viewing his method as developing a mind/body connection.

Refined over the years, the exercise regimen is "helpful for spine, shoulder, hip and core conditioning," the Pilates in Germantown website (www.pilatesingermantown.com) explains.

One participant in the Monday evening class came to Pilates in Germantown for fitness, but there have been added benefits, she says. She is more flexible and feels better, generally, and although "I didn't notice any signs of weight loss, other people noticed."

Weight loss is not a goal of Pilates, Smith observes, but clients benefit from a better physique. 
For information: 215-848-3275.

Photo of Jeff Smith in his Germantown Pilates studio by Paolo Nogueras

“There used to be a factory on every corner of this city
North and south and east and west, Philly made the very best
From Stetson hats to Quaker lace…
And then one day I looked around. …
And there ain’t no factories to be found…”

During much of the last century, Philadelphia was famous as a manufacturing hub that produced candy and furniture; aluminum and paper products; mattresses; electronics; carpets; clothing; rail cars and much more. 

“I never had a problem getting a job. You could walk from one factory to the next. There was always someplace hiring,” says Grenfell, who depended on that income as a single mother of three during the 70s and 80s, when she worked in Philadelphia’s Kensington neighborhood. 

The factories and the well-being of their adjacent communities were bound up together, according to Grenfell. In her poem  “Neighborhoods,” she writes:

   “First there was a factory and the people came to work, and the area started to grow with houses here and there, and a corner stores and schools and churches were built around the factories./And people were Proud of what they had./A good job and family, a nice house and good friends, and life was good./And the city grew and grew to become nice neighborhoods here and there...”

Grenfell’s decades in factory work included stints at manufacturers of local and national renown, such as  Jantzen’s swimsuits and sportswear; Data Display; Robert Bruce sweaters; and Burgoyne Cards, the site of her one of her last factory jobs, where she operated a Heidelberg printing machine and became a supervisor.

In her view, the 1980s marked the beginning, and the 1990s saw the trend fully realized, as one by one, the manufacturing plants on which so many livelihoods depended, shut down.

“Work weeks would be reduced because the factories weren’t getting as many orders. Then, they would dismiss the ‘odds-and-ends’ people on the production lines. Those of us who were left would do our jobs and theirs. Finally, there was nothing left to do. I remember at one of my last jobs, we would wipe the table and let the dirt fall on the floor, and then sweep it up,” she recalls, describing the final weeks of one such shutdown.

Many of these Philadelphia factories merged into other companies or relocated elsewhere in the U.S., where labor was cheaper. Eventually, much of American manufacturing moved overseas.

   “Whatever happened to/Buy local/or/Made in the U.S.A./or/Look for the union label/…,” Grenfell laments in “American Factory Workers.”

While factory owners focused on cutting costs, the cost to their surrounding communities was devastating, she says. When factory workers lost their source of income, mom-and-pop stores, restaurants, dime stores, butcher shops, clothing stores, and other commercial establishments that catered to workers and their families shut down. These once-proud neighborhoods have yet to recover, as Grenfell points out in her poem “Neighborhoods.”

    “…No factory, just a shell. No people, no nice houses. Because the people lost faith in where they lived…”

Grenfell trained as an animal laboratory technician and also as a pharmacy technician as the factory era ended. Soon after, she retired for good. Now remarried, and living in Frankford — another onetime Philadelphia factory neighborhood — she devotes herself  to  family and to self-taught  artistic pursuits.

These include painting in addition to poetry.  Her idyllic and colorful rock painting, “Red Roof House,” was one of 167 artworks by seniors showcased for “Celebrate Arts and Aging,” presented by Philadelphia Corporation for Aging this past May.

Known in her neighborhood for her Italian bread, Grenfell also hosts regular sessions in her home to teach her neighbors this domestic art.  

The return of city factories, which could do so much to revive struggling neighborhoods, is likely a dream, Grenfell concedes. It is one she cherishes nevertheless. She writes in “American Factory Workers:"

 "American factory workers are proud workers and hard workers
Bring our factories back home.”

While those were exciting days, filled with the adrenalin rush of readying a collection for its debut, the work “not only had to be beautiful and look great on the runway, it had to sell. If the work didn’t sell, it negated all the rest,” the designer remembers.

DeJohn cites fashion icons Jackie Kennedy, Audrey Hepburn and Grace Kelly as among his all-time favorites for the “nice, clean, elegant lines” in the way they dressed. “It made the world a pretty place,” he reflects.

A particular highlight in his long career occurred when he was asked by a colleague to provide items from his collection for a young woman described to him as an “an amazing singer with the voice of an angel.”
“She’s going to be great some day,” DeJohn’s colleague assured him, “and when she becomes famous she’ll be wearing clothes you designed.” The prediction was borne out soon after, when Barbra Streisand wore a DeJohn “day-to-evening” creation during one of her first TV appearances.   

DeJohn switched to teaching 15 years ago when he joined the design faculty of AIPH. He also served during part of that period as director of the Fashion Design Department at Drexel University and as chairman of the Fashion Design Department at Moore College of Art and Design.

In his current role with AIPH, he is proud to use his passion to teach and his contacts to help students get jobs and internships. His students have worked for such celebrated merchandisers and designers as at Saks Fifth Avenue, Bloomingdale’s, Jones New York, Betsey Johnson, Narcisso Roriguez, Diane Von Furstenberg, Michael Kors and Oscar de la Renta. 

Much of the U.S. fashion industry today centers on clothing by companies like Anthropologie and Urban Outfitters, reflecting a more casual trend. But, says DeJohn, “People will always need to dress and go out and there will always be a place for good design.”  

Photo courtesy of Emil DeJohn

• When age is posted as a job requirement even though it is not a bona fide requirement for being able to do the job
• When an applicant is told he/she is overqualified. Note: Ask to see a job description.

For those currently employed, some red flags could be:

• Being repeatedly bypassed for job-related training and education in favor of younger colleagues
• Being passed over for promotions in favor of younger colleague despite a history of good performance reviews

• Complete criminal history clearances.
• Have satisfactory financial, medical and personal references.
• Attend on-going training sessions.
• Work as a team member with care managers and consumers.

He wanted to “test the waters of his own dream.”   Then working in product marketing for the telecommunications industry, he wondered whether there was some way he might experiment with other vocations while on a traditional vacation. Learning that nothing like that was available, he created it,  Since its founding six years ago, the organization has provided hundreds of individuals, ranging in age from 18 to 80, with a chance to try out vocations by immersing themselves for one to three days in their dream career.

Headquartered in Portland Oregon, VocationVacations® operates in more than 30 states and teams with more than 300 mentors to offer short-term vocation experiences. The organization offers more than 150 one-on-one mentorships including: animation producer, antique dealer, bison rancher, comedian, chef, chocolatier, singer/songwriter, stained glass artist, wildlife rehabilitator, and more.

Costs range from a one-day brew master experience at $549 to a two-day Broadway producer/director experience at $2,999. According to the VocationVacations’® website, “approximately 20 percent of ‘vocationers’ have either switched careers or have undertaken strategic steps to attain their dream job."

Toni Cory, owner of Almost Home Dog Day Care and Boarding   in Iowa, is one of them. A one-time computer programmer for a factory, she spent a day on a dog daycare career mentorship to check out the possibility of her next career move. “I thought owning that kind of business was a great idea, but I had no idea what I was getting into,” she remembers. “There I was ready to go off and throw every penny I had into it without knowing if it was right for me. I had tried to educate myself, but until you’re in that situation, you have no idea what it entails.”

Her one-day experience with mentors Dawn and Dick Walton at Dog Zone Daycare was invaluable, according to Cory. “We covered everything that day,” she says.  “We spent time in the morning with dogs – I had never been around a group of dogs before—and spent the afternoon looking into the business aspects of running an operation like this. It showed me that I could do this and that I wanted to do this.”

Her mentors also shared with her the kind of problems they encountered when building their facility and, as a result, “I was able to save thousands of dollars when we built our building by avoiding those kinds of problems,” Cory notes.

Now in its fourth year, Cory’s business “has really taken off,” she says. “We now have four dog handlers, two people to do the cleaning and about 1,000 clients in our data base. It’s so rewarding to be able to love dogs and help people.”

Cory Chacon is another satisfied customer. Chacon, who had worked for more than 15 years as an international marketing executive for major record labels, went on a vocation vacation to try out her dream of working in the hotel industry. Now a concierge at the luxury Muse Hotel in Manhattan, she credits this experience with providing the foundation she needed, in addition to affirming her interest in her new career choice. “It provided contacts. I was able to follow up with these contacts and get interviews and eventually, a job,” she says.

Mentors make VocationVacations® possible, and they are enthusiastic about their role, according to Kurth. “We used to scout out mentors. We still do,” he says. “But increasingly they come to us.” While mentors are paid for their services, they also understand it’s a way to give back. “One of our mentors, a former CNN correspondent, became a baseball announcer,” Kurth recalls, and now mentors other aspiring sports broadcasters. “He told us ‘I love what I do. It would be criminal not to share it.’”

Nancy Collier remembers vividly the call she received a year ago. The caller’s elderly husband had suffered a stroke that left him paralyzed on his right side and unable to speak. “He sits around all day watching TV and follows me around when I clean,” the woman said, adding that the stress of the situation was becoming unbearable.

But all that has changed over the past year. Collier's patient, once a master carpenter, now produces  drawings and paintings notable for their precise attention to detail as well as their beauty. “We started simply at first,” Collier recalls of his early sessions with her. “He wanted to draw. In the beginning, I had him copy images laid upside down upon the table — a technique frequently used with brain-damaged patients to stimulate the brain’s more creative right hemisphere to take over."

Over time, he’s become much more confident, independent and calm, she says. His wife has set up a studio for him in the dining room, and his neurologist can’t get over how much he is improving.

This late-blooming artist is one of thousands of people Collier and her colleagues at New Outlook Therapy have helped over the years  —  in hospitals and rehabilitation centers, classrooms and in their homes. 

A former art and music teacher, Collier first fully realized the healing power of the arts when her mother was diagnosed with terminal cancer 26 years ago. “The doctor said she would live at most two weeks, and there was nothing to do but put her in a nursing home,” Collier recalls.

Instead she brought her mother home to live with her family.  “I knew she always wanted to play the drums, so one night, when a colleague’s son’s band was having a reunion, I invited my mother to come along. She joined in playing the full drum set as if she had played for years,” Collier says. “She stayed past midnight, then was up bright and early the next day.” Her mother continued to pursue arts activities and lived for 13 months instead of the two weeks predicted. “It taught me that the arts have healing powers,” Collier says.

That experience inspired her to leave teaching and found the program. The name was inspired by a patient’s wife, who said the therapy gave her husband a “new outlook” on life. Described on its website as “providing a quality of life, restoring hope, humor, healing and an enthusiastic 'New Outlook,'” the program currently serves clients in Bucks, Lehigh, Montgomery, and Philadelphia counties. In addition to Collier, there are six  volunteer teachers and “we are always looking for more,” she says.

Their logo is a butterfly, and the symbol is apt. “Many of the people we see are in a cocoon, a chrysalis of fear, pain and despair,“ she explains.  “They think there is nothing they can do. We help them to spread their wings and be free.” 

The program has helped patients with conditions ranging from Alzheimer’s Disease and stroke to Down’s Syndrome, cancer, multiple sclerosis and more. Therapy is matched to  the needs, abilities and interests of each patient or group and can comprise visual arts; music; creative writing;  telling jokes and humorous stories; or such  multi-sensory activities as simultaneous singing and painting; writing and illustrating a children’s book; or setting an original poem to music.

Success stories include a mother with terminal brain cancer who created a scrapbook of paintings and poems for her young daughter; a patient with Lou Gehrig’s Disease who learned to paint by holding a paintbrush in his mouth; and a older, isolated  woman suffering from depression who created a cookbook of her special recipes and then became involved in planning weekly family dinners.

One of her most memorable clients was a 92-year-old woman, whose daughter had described her as “always complaining about life and all the things she could not do,”  Collier says, “but once she learned to paint,  she took off like anything.” While formerly dreading her weekly calls to her mom, the woman’s daughter now happily calls her twice a week. “Instead of telling me what she’s not doing,” the daughter says, “ she tells me all about her latest masterpiece.”

Photo: Nancy Collier, founder of New Outlook Therapy

When Patti Dougherty talks about glass, it sounds like the elixir of life. And if that seems like a paradox (because after all, who would drink glass?) it's no more so than glass itself.

People have been making glass for more than 4,000 years. But we still don't understand it. Nobel Prize-winning physicist Philip W. Anderson has called the nature of glass the "deepest and most intersting unsolved problem in solid state theory."

It melts when heated, then solidifies - or seems to. In fact, glass has the random atomic structure of a liquid even when it is solid. Once solidified, it's fragile - but strong. For those who work with it, those paradoxes are utterly seductive.

"It's molten - you dip your blow pipe in and you begin to make a shape, and if you don't like it, you bag it and start over," Dougherty says.

"I like the fluidity of the material. And there's something about the way light can transform color in a liquid." (Click here to see a video of Dougherty in her studio.)

She started out as a ceramics major, but when one of her teachers introduced her to glass, she was hooked.

"It was more immediate than ceramics, where there are so many steps - build it, let it dry, fire it, glaze it, fire it, she said." The whole process can take a week. "I like the spontaneous quality of glass, and the immediacy of it."

Over the years, she changed direction from blowing glass to lampworking - a process of heating rods of glass with a torch, and shaping them with a variety of hand tools. On a 1987 trip to Murano, Italy, she saw the legendary glass beadmaking that has been a tradition there since the 13th century, and began collecting and making glass beads.

Her work gradually evolved from Venetian-style beads to pieces based on organic forms. "I wanted to make something personal and different, so I brought my biomorphic designs in and changed the surface so it wasn't shiny." Snorkeling, exploring beaches, and combing through marine text books all provide inspiration for her work.

A beachcomber would recognize the small, plump rectangles with tendrils stretching out from each of the four corners; fancifully called mermaid's purses or devil's purses, they're actually shark egg cases. Unlike the dark brown of the real thing, hers shimmer in blues and greens.  

Only a marine biologist could name others - endoprocts, little one-celled marine organizms; microscopic diatoms; all transformed into delicate glass, wearable sculptures in beautiful colors.

She's held various teaching jobs over the years, in both schools and art centers. Most recently, she has set herself up to take workshops on the road - kind of a "have torch, will travel."

"I have a mobile lampworking shop for eight students," she said. She has torches, safety glasses, hand tools - even a small portable kiln. "This way I can serve nonprofits that can't afford this equipment." She teaches glass workshops at the Main Line, Wayne and Abington Art Centers, among others.

Her work is sold through "Art Works for Music," a collaborative created to raise funds for the music programs in the Cheltenham Township Schools. For more information, visit her website. 

The books run the gamut from those about the Philly mob to a more esoteric exploration of Hegelian philosophy, from offbeat survival guides to juvenile fiction; and from Tuscan cooking to cubicle decor. But they all share something in common — they were produced by independent publishers based in Philadelphia. 

Camino Books, established in 1987, publishes “quality nonfiction books of regional interest to people in the middle Atlantic states,” according to its website    Cooking, travel, gardening, and history books dominate, but Camino also publishes biographies, local reference books, and books concerning parenting and health. Among its list are  “Mob Files,” a compilation of articles by Philadelphia Inquirer crime writer George Anastasia; “Being Red in Philadelphia,” a memoir of  the McCarthy era by Sherman Labovitz;  “Going Underground: Your Guide to Caves in the Mid-Atlantic;” and an updated paperback reissue of  the book “Cancer and Vitamin C” by Linus Pauling and Evan Cameron.

The firm releases an average of six to 10 books  a year, according to publisher Edward Jutkowitz, who finds satisfaction in knowing that with each book “you can have a lot of influence on a lot of lives.” While noting that many former Philadelphia publishers were bought out by corporate conglomerates, Jutkowitz is proud to stay independent.  “I’m having too much fun,” he says.

Paul Dry Books, Inc., founded 10 years ago, publishes an average of six to eight books a year, all of which aim to “‘awaken, delight, and educate’—and to spark conversation,” according its website. The firm publishes fiction, including novels and short stories; biography; memoirs; history; and essays. Titles include original works such as “Hotel Kid: A Times Square Childhood” by Stephen Lewis firm also publishes  out- of-print- books it seeks to bring back to the public, such as  Thomas Mann’s novel “The Tablets of the Law” and Johannes Kepler’s 1611 book “The Six-Cornered Snowflake,” the first scientific reference on snow crystals.

 “Some of our books may be tough to read, but they have a lot of nourishment,” says Dry. “If you give them time, you realize there is a lot to them.” Others are very accessible, like “Rocky Stories: Tales of Love, Hope, and Happiness at America's Most Famous Steps,” by author  Michael Vitez and photographer Tom Gralish. It captures stories and photos of “Rocky runners,” people who come from all over the world to run up the steps at the Philadelphia Museum of Art steps, as did the title character in the 1976 movie. “How do we find a moment to stamp as special?” Dry asks. “Here’s something that speaks to people all over the world.”

Founded in 2002, Quirk Books publishes books on such topics as love and relationships; pop culture; life style; crafts, family and pets and its popular “Worst Case Scenario” survival handbooks. As its name might suggest, Quirk Books is hard to peg.  Among its titles is “Dawn of the Dreadfuls: Pride Prejudice and Zombies,” a horror fiction work by Steve Hockensmith, described on Book List, as “must-read for the growing legion of alternate-Austen fans;”

Others include “The Encyclopedia Shatnerica: An A to Z Guide to the Man and His Universe,”  by Robert Schnakenberg; “Cube Chic: Take Your Office from Drab to Fab” by Kelley L. Moore; and “Creepy Cute Crochet” by Christen Haden, featuring  crochet patterns  for zombies, ninjas, vampires, aliens, and more. 

All three publishers accept unsolicited work, and submission, and each offers submission guidelines on its website. Foremost among the advice is that prospective authors become familiar with the publisher's list. According to its website, some of Quirk Books’ favorites have come from unsolicited manuscripts. 

Now remarried, Williams along with the enthusiastic support of her husband, James, continues this work. The couple’s current household includes a 40-year-old man with Down’s Syndrome and a 50-year-old woman with bipolar disorder.  
 
Dom Care is a state program, which is administered in Philadelphia by Philadelphia Corporation for Aging, PCA’s Dom Care program has provided more than  30 years of service to consumers. Through the program, PCA matches adults, who are elderly and/or who may have physical or mental disabilities, with providers who are willing to share their home and provide meals, housekeeping and laundry assistance, arrange transportation to medical appointments, and administer medications and assist with personal hygiene as needed. Most of all, they provide attention and support to consumers who might otherwise be living in an institutional setting, according to Jean Janik, PCA director of community living options. There are approximately 100 openings for consumers available currently, she said.
 
Consumers pay providers a monthly fee, set by the Pennsylvania Department of Aging. PCA arranges the consumer-provider matches. Providers must pass background checks, meet home safety requirements, and participate in ongoing training. Once a living arrangement is established, a PCA care manager remains involved to monitor the situation and provide support. PCA providers are allowed to care for up to two consumers at a time.
 
Williams, who previously cared for seniors through the dom care program, says her life with  her two current dom care residents has evolved into a pleasant routine. In the morning, Williams gets the consumers up, makes sure they are dressed, serves them breakfast and then sees them off to their separate day programs. When the consumers return home, “I make sure they have dinner. We go for a walk, watch TV, and then it’s time to get ready for bed.” Most important, are the talks they have. The two residents  often see their family members on the weekends, go on outings, or enjoy other relaxing activities. James Williams, who works the night shift at a local hospital, is available to help out during his off-hours.
 
“We take great care in arranging the best possible provider-consumer matches,” Janik explained, adding that “There are providers who have been with the program all of its 30 years and consumers who have been with a particular provider 20-plus years.”  


Bessie Williams knows what makes it work for her: When I was younger, I had four kids of my own. They grew up and moved out. I’m a homebody. I enjoy being home – this is my own little world…. The residents love living here. They enjoy the companionship.  They like my cooking. We’re bonded, so we really are ‘family.’” 

For information about becoming a domiciliary care provider, call 215-765-9000, ext. 4437. For domiciliary care consumer inquiries, call the PCA Helpline at 215-765-9040.
 
 
 

 


A friend of mine talked to me about her plans for retiring soon from her teaching job.  After three long decades of bratty, bored kids, unappreciative, complaining parents, miserly salaries and out of touch and indifferent administrators, she’s ready to be done. 


But she’s troubled by stories she keeps hearing about people starting new, exciting careers after finishing the old ones. She candidly admits that she has no idea of anything else she’d like to do. Having worked long and hard for 30 years, she feels she’s earned the right to do absolutely nothing.  But all these boomers recreating themselves after retirement have been making her feel guilty.  She asked me: “Do I really need to put on my list of New Year’s resolutions: lose ten pounds and reinvent myself?”

What’s a British guy doing, giving tours of Philadelphia?

Andy Maunder’s “Awfully Nice Tours” are a long way from both his native London and his first career.  “I’d been 30 years in tech and software and running companies,” he said, and in 2007 he found himself asking “what now?”


“What” turned out to be a one-man personalized guide service to Philadelphia and its surroundings.

“It seemed to me there was a hole in the marketplace,” he said.”At one end you had Ride the Ducks and Big Bus, and at the other end, walking tours.” There were no guided driving tours, “only limo companies who will take you places but are not going to be a guide.”

He’s modeled his tours on a company in Rome he read about in the Philadelphia Inquirer, and tried out in summer 2006 with his wife and two daughters. “I phoned this guy who was in the article. He took us everywhere – the Vatican, the Caves, he found us the best spot for a vista of Rome.”

So, how do you set up as a tour guide? “I spent 2008 researching, and last summer I went on all the tours,” he said. Then he needed transportation. “You have to have a vehicle which is registered as a limousine, and insurance.” Prices range from $150 for a two-hour city tour for up to six people- to full-day tours for six at $395. If his six-seat van isn’t big enough, he will rent a larger vehicle and driver as needed, at additional cost.

Finally, he hung out his electronic “shingle,” creating and launching his website, www.awfullynicetours.com; and had a brochure printed up. And then he set about visiting all of the hotel concierges in center city to make them aware of this new touring option, hoping they will refer customers to him.

Maunder may not be a native, but he is an unabashed enthusiast for the charms and attractions of Philadelphia “I could tour the city of Philadelphia for days and not exhaust it.” Let him count the ways: “public art, with murals and statues, to gardens, open space, museums, cultural activities, neighborhoods,” he rattles off. And when he’s worked his magic for folks, “they say ‘I never knew this was such a grand city.’ Then I feel I’ve done my job.”

He offers all of the expected options – Philadelphia city tour, Valley Forge, Brandywine Valley and Amish country tours. He’s also open to suggestions, even while the tour is going on – and he can include many options that the Big Bus can’t, such as Fairmount Park, the River Rink and baseball games. “You do the basic sites, then you try to find out more.”


“A fellow from England found me on the web and said he wanted to do a “Rocky” tour. He sent a list of locations – Rocky’s apartment, the gym, the pet shop, Victor’s Café, and of course the Art Museum.” He’s  given that tour several times since.


Another time, three women came to him and wanted to tour Philadelphia’s places of worship. Thanks to William Penn’s “holy experiment” in of religious tolerance, there are many to choose among. The tour included an ecumenical cross-section, including the Arch Street Friends Meeting House, St. George’s United Methodist Church, the Cathedral Basilica of Saints Peter and Paul, the Old Pine Street Presbyterian Church and Christ Church. It’s now one of his regular tours.


He did his first tour on January 4, 2009 -- for a friend. Since then, he’s done almost 70 tours and hopes to double that next year. Clients have come from all over the globe – Russia, Finland, New Zealand.


As for why a Brit is giving guided tours to the birthplace of independence, he answers with a grin, “We’re here to take the city back.” But he's being awfully nice about it, this time around.


For more information, call: 215-280-3746 or email: info@awfullynicetours.com.

The portraits depict people of varying backgrounds and ethnicities, from all walks of life, all of whom are  caring for those with Alzheimer’s Disease or other forms of dementia.  Accompanied by a short record of the caregiver’s story, Holman's portraits were displayed at the African American Museum in Philadelphia during the summer of 2008 in an exhibit entitled “The Raymond Holman, Jr. Caregivers Portrait Project.” Among those featured were Joan and Mae, the two women who helped the Holman family care for their father from 1997 until his death four years later.

 
In all that time, Joan and Mae never missed a day, Holman says. They worked in shifts altogether seeing to “Big Ray’s” care from 8:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. weekdays. Raymond Holman Sr.’s children took over evenings and weekends. Joan and Mae helped with cooking, personal care, dispensing medication, medical appointments, and countless other tasks, and were vital to the older man’s support and comfort. If one of the women had an appointment during her regularly scheduled time, she would switch shifts. Often Joan would come back in the middle of the night on her own accord, to make sure “Big Ray” was okay, according to Holman.  “My father passed away peacefully in 2001 in his home, just as he would have wished,” he says.  “Because of these two women, he lived a lot better than he might have.”

 
Holman witnessed another remarkable caregiver in action in 2003, when WHYY- TV assigned him to photograph a man with dementia and his wife, who was his  primary caregiver, in connection with a series the station was running.  “When I saw them, I recognized that same love” he remarks. The woman’s  compassion and commitment in caring for her husband were “24/7.”  She had  many serious health problems herself, he remembers, “but she was always there to see to his needs.”

 
He returned on his own to document the couple’s struggles and their inspirational story. “I did this weekly for eight months; then it started to wear on me. In many ways, I was reliving the time of my father dying,” he says. 

 
Holman’s professional photography covers the gamut, from photojournalism to work for corporations and nonprofit organizations, and wedding and portrait photography. But the subject of caregivers has stayed with him. With support from WHYY, the Alzheimer’s Association of the Delaware Valley, and Philadelphia City Councilwoman Blondell Reynolds Brown’s office, he embarked on his portrait series for the African American Museum in 2007, dedicated to those “…who have placed their lives on a shelf, altered it dramatically, or taken on care giving as a career, whose biggest reward is finding joy in a smile, and peace in taking care of another.” 

 
“For years I wondered why I felt driven to change careers and become a professional photographer,” says Holman, who was employed in the banking industry prior to switching his vocation in 1989. “No one in my family had any experience with the arts.”

During the caregiver reception that accompanied the exhibit’s debut at the African American Museum, he says he found the answer.  “One of caregivers there came up to thank me for having the exhibit. He didn’t expect anything like this. He never thought he was special.  I realized then that I was destined to do this work — to bring attention to these special people, who often go unrecognized.”

Holman says he would like to complete 200 caregiver portraits and to mount more exhibits nationwide, funding permitted. With part of the proceeds generated by his previous caregiver exhibit, he has established the Raymond Holman, Sr. Fund with the Philadelphia Foundation. His  goal is to raise $1 million to provide respite for caregivers.  “They are extraordinary human beings,” he says, “and they need to take care of themselves.”

 
For more information, visit http://rholmanjrphoto.com or call 215-232-1221.
 
Photo caption: My father in his living room eating some food. In this picture he is bent over looking real weak. When my father was younger he weighted 225 and stood 6′4″. - Raymond W. Holman Jr.

Marcia Z. Siegal is public relations manager for Philadelphia Corporation for Aging. She has also written for the Jewish Exponent and Inside Magazine.

“There’s an old saying that ‘Jazz can be learned but not taught,’” says composer and pianist Tom Lawton. “It’s something you learn by osmosis.” His absorption process began at age 19, when he first heard the music of jazz great John Coltrane. “It combined all the types of music I liked into one,” he remembers.

 
He’s honed his talent over more than thirty years, performing in venues ranging from the intimacy of jazz clubs and weddings to concert halls and jazz festivals; composing; and teaching at several area colleges.  


This year, he had the singular distinction of being chosen to compose a piece to honor the 60^th anniversary of Philadelphia Senior Center, a member of the NewCourtland Network. “Tom is an inventive soloist with a vivid imagination,” said Robert Groves, chief executive officer of PSC.

His composition, “Seven Vignettes from Broad and Lombard” presents a medley of musical motifs ranging from Hebraic and gospel to Argentine tango. Lawton says  the piece aims to capture the essence of PSC and celebrate its members’ lives, through the language of music. Written for piano, string bass, and drums, “Seven Vignettes from Broad and Lombard” consists of a prologue and seven distinct pieces, inspired by the people Lawton met at PSC and “filtered through a jazz lens,” he says.

 
In preparation for composing the piece, Lawton made several visits to PSC’s Broad and Lombard site to immerse himself in the spirit of the center and interview its members about their lives and the music that figured so prominently in their experiences.

 
“I found it to be a place where very active seniors come for all types of activities. It’s a city within the city, with an amazing diversity of experiences and backgrounds,”  he says.

 
The composer found himself pleasantly surprised by how forthcoming his interviewees were.  Among those he met were a self-proclaimed “tango junkie,” who “went to a lesson and fell in love” with this highly stylized dance form; a prolific painter, whose abstract, wild painting entitled “Darwin” proved inspirational to him; and a now-retired jazz musician, who   “wanted to be a drummer before I knew what a drum was” and got his start playing on tin cans and buckets.

 
The premier of  “Seven Vignettes from Broad and Lombard” was held at PSC on September 22, followed by a performance on October 16 at PSC’s 60^th Anniversary Gala. Lawton anticipates performing at other senior centers and for the general public at jazz clubs and other venues. 
 
 
Some may say the golden age of jazz is long past, but Lawton doesn’t see it that way – “not in the circles I travel.”  Lawton finds there is a tremendous amount of activity going on, both “high profile and under-the-radar.  It’s a very vibrant scene,” he says.
 
***
The PSC anniversary music project was made possible by a grant from the American Composers Forum (“ACF”), through its Community Partners Program, with funding from the William Penn Foundation. For more information about the CD “Seven Vignettes at Broad and Lombard,” contact PSC at 215-546-5879 or visit http://www.philaseniorcenter.org

Marcia Z. Siegal is public relations manager for Philadelphia Corporation for Aging. She has also written for the Jewish Exponent and Inside Magazine.

How's this for a mid-life career change?

"I went from a smoking, drinking, cynical crime reporter to a healthy, optimistic, fit Yoga teacher."

That's exactly what Theresa Conroy did. She put down her note pad and picked up a yoga mat. Lost 50 pounds in the process, too. And also lost more than a few bucks in income.

The economic downturn has changged the employment picture generally, and torpedoed many peoples' plans for retirement, forcing them to rethink their plans entirely. For job hunters over age 55, there are helpful resources available.

Philadelphia Corporation for Aging (PCA) funds two agencies that help find employment for Philadelphians 55 and over. 

The Mayor's Commission on Services to the Aging (215-686-8455) offers subsidized part-time positions in non-profit and public organizations to income-eligible applicants, helping them develop new skills if they have been out of the job market for a while.

They receive training in computer and clerical skills, and a job counselor in the Mayor's Office helps them develop an employment plan. It also offers job counseling and job search assistance, even if not eligible for placement with an agency. 

Career Solutions 55+ (215-560-5465, ext. 268), administered by JEVS, provides career counseling, help with writing a resumé and job interview skills.     

"Baby boomers are discovering that because of the rising cost of living, their retirement packages are not supporting their retirement plans as adequately as they had hoped," says RuthAnn Platt, a recruitment consultant at TAPFIN, a human capital management company with regional offices in Audubon. "They can't afford to retire and maintain the lifestyle they've become accustomed to."  

Platt offered tips to those looking to change jobs or change direction: 

*If you want to transfer from one executive-level position to another, speak to a career counselor.   
*Don't be intimidated about going back to school to learn new skills and to explore your options.