Oravetz discussed how seniors can reduce their risk of heart disease and enjoy healthier (but tasty) healthy dining options.

Additional free Love Your Heart seminars are scheduled at Windsor in Glendale, Royal Oaks in Bradbury, Redwood Terrace in Escondido, Regents Point in Irvine, Kirkwood Orange in the city of Orange and Kirkwood Redding in Redding.

AARP shares 10 time-tested steps that every senior should know for the 2012 tax filing season.

Reuters reports on a new study that shows millions of seniors are missing out on $20 billion in aid that could pay for everything from food to heating.

Agingcare.com shares a list of 12 handy apps for caregivers.

The Atlantic reports that exercise enhanced by virtual reality is better for seniors due to the greater cognitive benefits.

The Washington Post shares a story on how millions of families are struggling to care for elderly parents from afar.

AARP offers guidance on the best vitamins, minerals and other supplements that seniors should know about for a balanced healthy life.

Just because you’re getting older doesn’t mean you have to give up running. The Los Angeles Times reports that several studies show running doesn’t necessarily lead to joint problems.

What NOT to do is panic, according to Darin L. Gibson, owner and president of Irvine-based Burnham Gibson Financial Group, Inc. But doing a critical assessment is definitely required. “Retirees need to take a hard look at their cash flow, expenses and overall investment allocations,” he said in the latest issue of be.magazine.

In his interview, Gibson shares some worthwhile advice on how to protect your retirement finances and stretch your dollars during a time of fiscal uncertainty. You can check out what he had to say in the be.magazine article.

Hudson moved to Royal Oaks more than six years ago, and she adored having her own apartment with three patios and a place to garden. In 2008, she fractured a couple of vertebrae which resulted in her moving from her independent lifestyle to Bradbury Oaks, Royal Oaks’ skilled nursing community. She had a goal of returning to her apartment, but further spine fractures resulted in her not being able to walk without assistance.

Sustained by her deep Christian faith, Hudson has found a way to see the positives and to be appreciative of the people who support her.

“When you find yourself in a situation like this, you better make the best of it,” she says. “The nurses are so thoughtful and patient. They as well as the rest of the staff do so much for me.”

While she practices walking with a walker every day under the supervision of a nurse, Hudson prefers to do as much as she can for herself.

“My power chair makes all the difference,” she says. “It gets me around the campus, up and down the hills.”

Hudson usually dines with friends in Bradbury Oaks, and every Wednesday she meets four other residents for dinner in Royal Oaks’ dining room to share the happy things that happened during the week.

“It’s wonderful to accentuate the positive,” she says.

Every Saturday from 7 a.m. to noon, listeners can tune in to KKSM-AM 1320 to hear everything from big band jazz and Dixieland to country and gospel on the “Doug Best Swings” radio show.

Best, a new Redwood Terrace resident, got his start in radio in 1950 and began hosting his own show in 1969. During his long career, he has interviewed some of the biggest names in music—Patti Page, Doris Day and Louis Armstrong—who would come through San Diego to perform in the city’s three ballrooms.

“It was very interesting to meet these people, especially for a guy who was born and raised on a farm in western Canada,” says Best.

A naturalized U.S. citizen, Best left Canada in 1946 after serving as a mid-upper gunner in the Royal Canadian Air Force during World War II. He flew night missions in a Lancaster bomber out of England. “I came through it unscathed,” he says.

Music isn’t his only interest. Best also served on the Escondido City Council for 12 years—two of them as mayor from 1978 to 1980. During his tenure, Escondido’s first major shopping center, North County Fair, and an auto park were opened. These ventures brought the city much-needed sales tax revenue. But one of Best’s favorite duties as an Escondido councilman was serving on a welcoming committee for the U.S. military, he says.

Best has served on the Redwood Senior Homes & Services board for 20 years. Last spring he moved to Redwood Terrace. “It’s really a beautiful place,” he says.

“I’m primarily a lurker,” says Prelock in the latest issue of be.magazine. “I want to keep in touch with what my family is doing, all of whom live in the Midwest.”

Prelock is one of the many seniors who are joining Facebook and other social networking sites at a fast clip. According to the Pew Research Center’s Internet & American Life Project, 33 percent of people 65 and older are using social networking sites such as Facebook, LinkedIn and MySpace. That’s up from 26 percent in 2010 and 13 percent in 2009, the survey shows.

The attraction to social media is understandable. For many it’s the quickest and best spot to check out what children and grandchildren are up to. That’s become especially true for those who have family who are spread out geographically.

Read more about our residents’ social media experiences in be.magazine.