March 18, 2025 • 33 mins
75% of older adults want to continue living in their home – but as we age, “Health’ becomes a challenge. Let’s face it – Heart Disease and Cancer sneak up on us. Often, Dementias like Alzheimer’s are not far behind. But Dr. Jim Polakof has Good News for you! Join us in his podcast interview with a leading Independent Living expert, Todd Treml the CEO of Touching Hearts at Home.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 2 (00:06):
Welcome to Live Healthy Longer with Dr Jim.
Since many of our listeners areGen Xers and Baby Boomers, we
realize the ability to continueliving at home as you get older
is a very important topic andone we will cover in this
episode.
Topic and one we will cover inthis episode.
(00:27):
This podcast is supported inpart by Amazon Books.
Their slogan is everything fromA to Z.
I'll have some great readingrecommendations for you at the
conclusion of this episode.
So now here's our host,healthcare specialist author and
very popular podcaster, dr JimPolakoff.
Speaker 3 (00:50):
Yes, this is Dr Jim Polakoff.
Now, if you're in your 50s or60s, you might wonder what lies
ahead as you age or you mightalready be there, concerned
about living independently inyour own home.
You might be open to downsizing, but living in the facility for
older folks is slightly not onyour bucket list.
(01:12):
Aarp recently conducted a studythat reveals 75% of older
adults want to continue livingin their single-family home.
However, as we age, our healthoften takes a toll.
According to the NationalCouncil on Aging, nearly 95% of
(01:33):
adults 60 and older have atleast one chronic health
condition, while some 80% ofseniors are plagued with two or
more.
So let's face it heart disease,cancer, diabetes.
They can sneak up on us, andoften dementias such as
Alzheimer's are not too farbehind.
(01:54):
So is moving into an assistedliving facility unavoidable, or
is there a way to affordablyremain independently in your own
home?
Well, I have answers for you,Because my guest for this
episode is a leading expert inthe field of independent living.
Todd Trammell is the ChiefExecutive Officer of Touching
(02:17):
Hearts at Home.
His company is known for theircompassion in offering an array
of home care services forseniors, and they can be
provided in a few hours a day or, if needed, around the clock.
So welcome to Live HealthyLonger, Todd Jim thank you for
having me today.
Speaker 1 (02:35):
I appreciate it.
Speaker 3 (02:36):
Well, it's our pleasure.
This is a very importantsubject, particularly for a good
portion of our audience.
Now I understand your home carecompany has over 60 franchise
locations throughout America, Ofcourse, and you're on your way
to soon expand it to all 50states, which is impressive.
So let's begin by talking aboutthe origins of Touching Hearts
(02:57):
at Home.
I believe your founder, ReneePeterson, had a personal
motivation to help older adultslive independently.
Speaker 1 (03:06):
Jim, that's correct.
What a lot of people don't knowis that Renee, prior to being
in home care, owned two MaryMaids franchises, and so she
fell in love with the franchisemodel and you know proven
operating systems, and so shestarted actually a business
called Pairing Companions in1996.
(03:27):
She saw this need for seniorsthat wanted to age in place and
live and have a verycompassionate life living at
home, as the aging population,as we know, has just continued
to grow every single year.
She ran that business for 10years and finally, by 19, excuse
(03:47):
me, 2006, she decided to changethe name to Touching Hearts and
begin to franchise the model.
Speaker 3 (03:55):
I like that name Touching Hearts.
It really has a poignant feelto it.
Speaker 1 (04:00):
Yes, Wonderful name.
We love it, and so we'vesuccessfully been able to
franchise the model now for thepast 18 years and, as you said,
we have nearly 70 locations now.
Speaker 3 (04:12):
Oh, 70.
Okay, so you are growing veryquickly.
We are.
Now let's get to the termindependent.
You know it's got somewhat of asacred connotation.
You know it's got somewhat of asacred connotation, and there's
a famous quotation that Ilooked up the other day that
says freedom is the will to beresponsible for ourselves.
So it's somewhat of an ironythat, even though we're social
(04:47):
creatures by nature, as Imentioned in my opening, 75% of
older adults prefer to liveindependently in their own homes
.
So in your opinion, todd, isthis a desire to remain free
that has its roots in this need?
Jim?
Speaker 1 (04:53):
very much.
So you know, there's this largepercentage of our population,
an aging population, that doexactly what you say or want
exactly what you said, which isthey want to age in place, live
at home, and they don'tparticularly want to go into
facilities, which istraditionally kind of how we
were raised.
But what independent livingmeans, or what aging in place at
(05:16):
home really means to them, isstaying in a very familiar place
and a very comfortable place.
For them, it means stayingconnected to their families and
their communities that they'vebeen around for most of their
life, and so that gives them asense of control, and that's
vitally, vitally important.
It doesn't disrupt theirday-to-day routines and this is
(05:38):
where their memories are at.
Their memories are in theirhome, and so if we can give them
an opportunity and an avenue toage in place, live at home, and
we can provide care, I thinkeverybody wins.
Speaker 3 (05:52):
And, as I understand, when providing care, you can do
it on a short basis, a fewhours a day or, if necessary, 24
hours around the clock.
So, regardless of theindividual situation, you can
provide the care that they needfor the time that they need.
Speaker 1 (06:08):
Absolutely so.
We provide specific hoursduring the week, certain amount
of hours during the day.
We have clients that are whatwe call 24-7, so around the
clock home care, and we actuallyhave live-ins as well, where we
have our caregivers that areactual live-ins.
So a variety of different kindof service lines and care plans
(06:31):
that we provide.
Speaker 3 (06:32):
All right.
So on the flip side, as we age,we encounter health issues,
obviously.
That's another statistic that Iquoted earlier in my
introduction.
So there's another need that'srequired, namely assistance.
So can you discuss thechallenges as we grow older that
we face, and it's particularlytrying to live at home on our
(06:53):
own, independently?
I mean certainly housekeepingcomes into play.
Cleaning your home obviously,is increasingly difficult as you
get older.
How does Touching Hearts tohelp seniors address this
challenge?
Speaker 1 (07:14):
Yeah, so we primarily are what we call a non-medical
based care, in-home care plan orcompany.
So what that means is whatyou're describing is the
foundation of what we do iscompanion care.
Companion care is a very broadtopic for us, but essentially
what it means is anything sortof non-touching, so friendly
conversations that we're having,transportation that we can
(07:34):
provide, running errands, lightmeal prep is something that's
very important.
All of these things arecritically important.
We also then move into anothercategory of service that we call
personal care.
Now we're able to Jim, helpwith mobility, help with med
managements, bathing, toiletry,these types of things that are
(07:59):
critically important to ourseniors, and so we're able to
provide all of these servicesand functions for those again
living at home.
Speaker 3 (08:08):
Well, let's take a look at some of these a little
bit more closely.
Food preparation Obviously youknow, I'm sure, that your
caregivers aren't going to bepreparing gourmet meals, but
obviously for seniors it getsmore laborious as we age.
So what does this actually mean?
I mean helping put togetherfood during the day, if you come
(08:30):
for a few hours, perhaps dinnerat night that they could just
reach into the refrigerator andpull out and microwave, or
whatever the case might be.
Give us a description of that.
Speaker 1 (08:39):
Yeah, it's really Jim , it's all the above, and so it
really starts with understandingthe needs of the client.
So when we go in the home andwe do assessments prior to
actually putting together ourcare plans, we want to make sure
we understand the kind of foodsthey like to eat when they eat,
and so we will help with goingout and shop for those groceries
(09:00):
, bring those in, and we want tomake the kind of meals that
they enjoy, not the mealsnecessarily that we think they
should eat, and so that's partof the independence, and so our
caregivers are wonderful atpreparing meals.
They could be very simplelunches, as you said.
It could just be prepping foodfor later on for them to eat,
(09:20):
reminding them to continue toeat at the right hours of the
day.
These are all very, veryimportant.
Speaker 3 (09:25):
I think you just hit on it.
I mean, sometimes, as seniors,you know, really, I've noticed
some of the, shall we say, olderpeople that we're familiar with
.
They forget when to eat orthey're not eating nutritiously,
and so I'm assuming yourcaregivers help them in terms of
nutritional advice as well.
Yeah, 100%.
Speaker 1 (09:46):
It is really the full-on training that our
caregivers get to adapt to eachof those specific needs with
that client they have.
Speaker 3 (09:54):
Now you mentioned transportation, obviously.
One of the songs that when Iwas preparing the interview, I
just recalled the Beach Boyssong I Get Around.
I mean, many of our seniorswere young and used to dance to
I Get Around and other BeachBoys songs.
But you know, as agingprogresses, things like running
(10:14):
errands, getting the medicalappointments, shopping, are all
these things in the ballpark ofthe caregivers, what services
they provide.
Speaker 1 (10:23):
Yes, touching Hearts at Home does transportation.
We do provide opportunities torun errands.
We will drop off our clientsfor doctor's appointments, we
will, you know, and the seniornot able to perhaps drive is a
big loss of independence.
It's very important.
But when they can participatewith us and we can do
(10:46):
transportation, types oftransportation services for them
are really, really importantand it's a sense of freedom and
independence.
And so all those things thathave to do with transportation
are things that we do as a brand, as a company.
Speaker 3 (11:01):
Well, and I think it's very important to underline
the fact one of the things thatI noticed in terms of medical
appointments, for example, thereare buses, many communities
have, that pick up seniors andtake them to their medical
appointments, but then you findthem having to get there way
early, sit around for hourssometimes and then another few
(11:22):
hours waiting for the bus tocome back to pick them up.
Being able to have somebodydrive in their own car, that's
going to make a huge differenceand I assume that's a
transportation feature you offer.
Speaker 1 (11:33):
Very much so.
Again, you hit it on the head.
Being able to accommodate theclient in terms of where their
life is at right now, the timeof their appointments, making
sure that you know we'repunctual in doing all these
things on behalf of our client,is exactly what we do at
Touching Hearts at Home.
Speaker 3 (11:52):
Well, good.
So one thing that concerns me,and I've been looking at these
studies the past year and I dohave a great deal of empathy and
we're not really sure what todo about it or how to address it
as a nation these days.
But a recent survey on agingfound that one-third of people
between the ages of 50 to 80feel lonely and nearly as many
(12:16):
feel isolated.
So unquestionably there's agreat need for companionship.
Can you get into that a littlebit?
Speaker 1 (12:25):
yield for a great need for companionship.
Can you get into that a littlebit?
Yeah, again, companionship as aservice line for us is core to
what we do, and let's just kindof talk about the non-medical
companionship side of thebusiness.
What does that look like?
So when we go in, we want toreally get to know our clients.
Obviously, our caregivers buildincredible relationships with
them.
And, jim, when we talk aboutbeing able to be with a senior
(12:48):
and deal with these issues ofloneliness, we're talking about
simple things like friendlyconversations.
It may be streaming moviestogether, it may be looking at
old photos, it could be all thethings we described about meals
and prep and all that sort ofthing.
It's it's working on crafts andhobbies together.
It's spending time with themand we build these incredible
(13:11):
relationships.
Seniors love playing games andlove playing cards and it's
stimulating and those are thethings that we do to really help
fill that gap and do what wecan from a loneliness
perspective, and I love what wedo in this category.
It's.
It's very, very life-changing.
Speaker 3 (13:31):
Well, that's good to know because, I mean, this is a
growing problem in America.
It's unfortunate, but it'sdefinitely growing, and
particularly with the agingpopulation and one spouse
passing away and the othersometimes.
I just remember my dad 10 yearsof being a lonely person.
We tried to do the best wecould, but being lonely since my
(13:52):
mother passed away and thoseare very agonizing times.
We tried to do the best wecould, but being lonely since my
mother passed away and thoseare very agonizing times.
And having that relationship,having that companionship, I
know, can make a big difference.
Now, talking about studies, inJanuary 2025, there was another
study and I think this is a moreserious thing.
Obviously, you can deal withheart disease in terms of
(14:14):
medication, and diabetes, thesame way, many of the ills that
seniors face, but getting intodementia, the study that I read
stated that seniors the age of55 and older have a 42%
increased average risk ofdeveloping a dementia in their
(14:34):
lifetime, such as Alzheimer's,for example.
This is much higher than weprevious thought.
So it's a tough challenge andeven for, I would imagine, a
skilled caregiver, but this issomething you address as well
the dementia factor, correct itis Jim, it is.
Speaker 1 (14:51):
I'll put dementia and Alzheimer's in this category.
And first of all, we recognizethe big need for this type of
care and it's specialized careas well and so our caregivers
are trained in these areas to beable to address the very unique
needs of the dementia client,and so they're trained to deal
(15:14):
with the client on a veryphysical, emotional and
cognitive support basis.
So we understand what we'redoing in terms of our service
and support and we use positivereinforcement.
These things, when you'redealing in dementia, are
critically important because weknow how challenging it is.
We have a number of resourcesthat we use nationally as an
(15:35):
organization to help train ourcaregivers.
These are the best of the bestin terms of the resources and
training in the industry.
You know, people like Tipa Snowand others have been a big part
of our learnings throughout theprocess.
But let's not forget one otherthing that has to do with with
dementia specifically, withdementia specifically, and that
(15:57):
is the challenge that thefamilies have, because
oftentimes they're the ones thatare also dealing with
supporting their loved one withdementia, and so we also offer
respite, and respite isimportant because it gives that
family some time to sort of takea deep breath and get a break,
and so Well, that's veryimportant.
Again, we look at the dimension.
Alzheimer's side is acritically important part of
(16:19):
what we do so let's get aroundto.
Speaker 3 (16:22):
You mentioned your.
Your caregivers arewell-trained.
How do you go about selectingyour caregivers?
I think that's obviously that'sgoing to be a big question on
any older adults mind.
Speaker 1 (16:33):
Yeah, there's no service without caregivers.
I mean, caregivers are thelifeblood of the business and
they do incredible work.
They're very purpose-drivenpeople and they're a lot like
our franchisees that actuallyrun these businesses.
So, when we're looking torecruit and select caregivers,
(16:54):
we do the fundamental thingsthat are important in terms of
looking at things likeapplications, doing background
checks, kind of assessing theirexperience levels, all those
things you know in terms ofbackground and skill sets, but
what we're really looking forbeyond that, then, is
compassionate people that haveempathy.
(17:16):
That clearly has to be one ofthe most important things that
we're going to look at, becauseyou have to have good
communication skills, you haveto be reliable and punctual you
have to but you really have tohave the compassion, the empathy
for our client.
Speaker 3 (17:35):
You have to really care about the individual,
correct?
Speaker 1 (17:38):
You have to build these relationships and so you
know I just described the idealcandidate.
We're looking for somebody thatcan cover all those things and,
from you know, in differentstates there's different
licensing that we have to dealwith as well, so we need to make
sure that we're checkingcertifications.
But by and large, it's reallyabout the heart.
It's really about looking atthem as a human being and saying
(17:59):
do you love this and can youget passionate and behind the
mission of taking care ofseniors or disabled individuals?
Speaker 3 (18:09):
Right, because I would imagine it could be very
frustrating sometimes forcaregivers.
I mean, let's face it, evenwith those that suffer from a
bit of dementia, you haveoftentimes the anger that a
senior will express and thatsort of dealing with the
capacities and certain healthissues.
That's got to be putting a lotof stress on your caregiver.
(18:30):
So it's got to be that downdeep compassion that they have
correct.
Speaker 1 (18:35):
It really is Again, seeing the amazing caregivers in
our business, thousands ofcaregivers in our network.
They have a huge heart, theyhave incredible patience and
they love what they do.
They absolutely have gottenbehind this as a purpose-driven
(18:55):
work for them and we absolutelylove that.
So when we find thoseindividuals, they're absolutely
amazing people.
Speaker 3 (19:05):
Well, good to hear.
Well now and I know many of mylisteners are sitting back
saying, God, this soundswonderful.
But let's get to the elephantin the room, which is
affordability.
That's what people are probablysaying Well, how much is it
going to cost me?
Now, we all know that seniorsface a limited income challenge.
(19:26):
Some obviously have a lot putaway, but there are those who
are, you know, trying to get byon Social Security and maybe a
few dollars in savings.
So, in terms of cost, Iunderstand that you offer
different care plans, so there'sjust not one size that fits all
.
Can you talk about that alittle bit?
Speaker 1 (19:45):
Yeah, so there's a couple of sides to this.
One is the care plan that weput together can certainly be
adapted to someone's budget orbe adapted to the needs of that
particular client.
So that could range from, youknow, a few hours a day, several
hours a week or, depending onyou know, if they need more.
So that's one side of it, so wecan adapt a care plan based on
(20:06):
those things.
When we get into cost, it's aninteresting thing, jim, because
primarily in a business likeours, it's mostly private pay.
But what I want to point outalso is that we are incredible
supporters of the VA, and the VAis also a pay source that we're
now seeing more and more ofevery single day.
(20:28):
There are so many veterans thatneed the kind of service that
we provide that simply don'thave access to it today because
maybe those markets areunderserved with home care, and
so we work very closely with theVA.
That's a category of pay thatreally assists those veterans.
We also do LTC, which islong-term care plans, and many
(20:50):
of our seniors have that inplace already, so we can help
work through those processes.
Many of our seniors have thatin place already, so we can help
work through those processesand then, you know, from time to
time we'll also we havefranchisees that service
Medicaid clients as well, and sothere's a whole list of them.
But I think the message herefrom us is we can be very
flexible and adapt differentcare plans to the needs of the
(21:12):
client.
Speaker 3 (21:16):
And I would imagine that you could also advise
potential clients or prospectiveclients in other alternatives.
I mean, there are things suchas reverse mortgages that you
can look at.
I'm assuming that you areequipped to give a potential
client, shall we say, all theinformation they need to make it
as affordable as possible.
Yes, sir, absolutely Well.
That's good to hear.
Now we'll move to another areawhich you know many of baby
(21:41):
boomers.
We have a large audience ofbaby boomers and Gen Xers and,
of course, they've been able toput away savings.
They've had a fairly good lifeeconomically and with the idea
that 75% of seniors adults, aswe get older, want to remain at
(22:01):
home, I would think thatpurchasing a franchise would be
a terrific investment, andthat's why, obviously, with home
care skyrocketing, can you talka little bit about your
franchise program?
Some of our listeners might beinterested in that aspect of it.
Speaker 1 (22:18):
Yeah, Well, thank you for that.
First of all, we believe that Ibelieve and we believe that
franchising is a great businessmodel by which to go into
business, whether you've been abusiness owner or not in your
lifetime.
What franchising does is itallows someone to come into a
business, invest in a businessand already have a proven
(22:40):
operating system in place, withall the benefits of things like
buying power, training andsupport, operational support.
You have the rights to dobusiness with a national brand.
All these things aresignificant advantages to
joining a good franchise, whichwe are one of them.
Selecting home care specificallyis a great move because when
(23:03):
you look at the industry, thereare very few industries that you
can look at today to say we arelooking at Jim, 20 to 30 years
of straight growth.
The statistics don't lie Withthe aging population.
We know how many seniors turnor how many people turn 65 every
single day, and so there is atrajectory of growth in this
(23:24):
category that will not stop forquite some time.
Our particular franchise isalso very affordable.
You can get into our franchise.
The high-end investment in ourfranchise is just under $100,000
.
It's an office-based oragency-based business, so
there's no assets to buy.
It's very simple.
It's not seasonal, so it's notlike you're out there buying
(23:46):
inventory and running a retailbusiness, so that in itself is
very attractive to people.
And lastly, we have a greattrack record.
You know we've been infranchising now for 18 years.
We have seen tremendousyear-over-year growth in our
franchise itself and we'reseeing great interest in it
(24:08):
right now with our growth.
Speaker 3 (24:10):
So I'm assuming which some will be very interested in
that obviously you providetraining for your franchises.
You know people might say well,I really don't know anything
about the home care business.
I might be getting older and Iunderstand the need for it, but
I don't understand how I wouldoperate a business.
You give them training for this.
Speaker 1 (24:30):
Yes, yes, the most important thing about
understanding a franchise andwhat are the decisions of
getting into and investing, iswhat I would call the support
systems.
So a franchisee gets trained onevery aspect of how to run this
business.
We're with them every singlestep of the way through the
training process, and trainingisn't something we just did.
(24:53):
It's something we actually do,meaning that it goes on and on
and on, because, as you can seeand as we've talked about today,
with different needs whetherit's Alzheimer's, dementia or
other things, technology cominginto the marketplace we're
constantly training, and so ourcandidates that become
franchisees don't need previousexperience.
(25:14):
They can come in and we willteach them everything they need
to know about how to operatesuccessfully at Touching Hearts
at-home franchise.
Speaker 3 (25:22):
Well, wonderful.
Now, I'm someone who comes froma marketing background as well.
I'm assuming you provide themmarketing support.
Speaker 1 (25:30):
We do.
We like to say that we'rereally their marketing
department, and so we providethem everything from websites to
the ability to set up all theirsocial media platforms, digital
assets for every sort of needin terms of advertising and
marketing seasonal advertising.
We have a huge marketingtoolbox that our franchisees can
(25:54):
access, and not the least ofwhich is a marketing team here
at our home office inMinneapolis that they can rely
on for regular, ongoing supportat any time.
Speaker 3 (26:06):
Well, it sounds to me just to sort of recap it it's
something that you know, it's anaffordable investment, you
don't need prior experiencebecause of the training program
and you're Todd.
This has been a veryenlightening interview.
I think you've shined the lighton things, that there are so
(26:34):
many questions out there, and Ithink you've helped answer some
of those.
Of course, we probably justscratched the surface.
There's so much more we need toknow, so I'm assuming that, for
those who are interested, theywant to learn more about
Touching Hearts at Home, come tothe website, which is
touchingheartscom.
Speaker 1 (26:52):
Yes, touchingheartsathomecom, you can
enter into our website On whatI would say the family side or
the client side.
You'll be able to access all ofour locations from there to
find a location that's nearestto you and, as well as the
services that we provide, inthat marketplace, again, we have
wonderful franchisees.
(27:13):
I don't want to miss theopportunity to talk about how
incredible our franchisees are.
As a franchisor, we'resupporting them, but in the
marketplace, they're the onesthat are providing this
incredible compassionate care,and so if you have interest in
looking at us from an owner,from an ownership standpoint or
(27:33):
a franchise investmentstandpoint, you'll also find
links on our website to own afranchise and we can have more
discussion with you about thatas well.
Speaker 3 (27:42):
I want to thank you so much for joining us,
enlightening us and it'stouchingheartscom.
I'm going to be right back withmy essential nutrition tips for
aging bodies.
Speaker 2 (27:54):
Touching Hearts at Home offers an array of services
for seniors, people living withmedical conditions or
disabilities, as well as thosetransitioning from hospital to
home.
You can learn more about livingat home independently, as well
as Touching Hearts Home Care, byvisiting their website,
touchingheartscom.
(28:14):
You can find information andmany other great podcasts
directly on our websitejamespolakoffcom.
That's jamespolakoffcom.
Again.
That's jamespolakoffcom.
Again.
That's jamespolikoffcom.
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(28:34):
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Now back to Dr Jim.
Speaker 3 (29:42):
I once again wish to thank Todd Kreml for his
enlightening information aboutaging independently at home, and
be sure to check our websiteout for further information
about his company, touchingHearts.
Now let's turn to thehighlights of my nutritional
tips.
First, we really need toembrace the fact that, with
(30:03):
aging, our bodies undergovarious changes that are going
to impact our overall health andwell-being.
Thus, the foods we eat becomeall the more important.
As we age, our metabolism tendsto slow down, which is why one
must pay close attention to thequality of nutrients we consume.
(30:25):
More than ever, we require abalanced diet which are rich in
vitamins, minerals, fiber and,of course, protein.
We need these because we needto support our overall body
functions and to preventillnesses, and keep in mind that
our aging bodies experience adecrease in muscle mass and bone
(30:48):
density, which, of course,leads to a higher risk of falls
and fractures.
Yes, aging underlines theimportance of consuming adequate
protein and calcium-rich foods.
In fact, it's time we take alook at superfoods, so here are
a few on my list.
(31:08):
Let's begin with berries.
Berries provide a one-stopnutrition because they're high
in fiber, vitamin C andantioxidant flavonoids.
Plus.
Fiber in the berries keep usregular and protect against
disease.
Dark leafy green vegetablesthat's right like kale, arugula,
(31:29):
broccoli and spinach, which arealso high in fiber.
Plus, they're heart healthy and, at the same time, boost muscle
function.
Also, instead of side effectsof red meat, seafood is a much
better choice.
For example, salmon, tuna andtrout will provide you your
needed protein in a muchhealthier form.
(31:53):
And one of my favoritesuperfoods are avocados.
A Harvard study found thatthose who ate at least two
servings of avocados each weekhad a lower risk of developing
heart disease.
And the list of superfoods goeson beyond what I've stated.
There is so much more youreally need to know about the
(32:14):
important nutrients to eat,particularly as we grow older,
so I suggest you read my latestblog Essential Nutrition Tips
for Aging Bodies.
Simply come to our website,jamespolikoffcom.
This is Dr Jim Polikoff, withmy sincere thanks to you for
joining me once again, andremember a new episode of Live
(32:37):
Healthy Longer is available eachand every Wednesday.
In the meantime, my wishes toyou for a healthy, happy, long
life.
Welcome to Live Healthy Longer with Dr Jim.
Since many of our listeners areGen Xers and Baby Boomers, we
realize the ability to continueliving at home as you get older
is a very important topic andone we will cover in this
episode.
Topic and one we will cover inthis episode.
(00:27):
This podcast is supported inpart by Amazon Books.
Their slogan is everything fromA to Z.
I'll have some great readingrecommendations for you at the
conclusion of this episode.
So now here's our host,healthcare specialist author and
very popular podcaster, dr JimPolakoff.
Speaker 3 (00:50):
Yes, this is Dr Jim Polakoff.
Now, if you're in your 50s or60s, you might wonder what lies
ahead as you age or you mightalready be there, concerned
about living independently inyour own home.
You might be open to downsizing, but living in the facility for
older folks is slightly not onyour bucket list.
(01:12):
Aarp recently conducted a studythat reveals 75% of older
adults want to continue livingin their single-family home.
However, as we age, our healthoften takes a toll.
According to the NationalCouncil on Aging, nearly 95% of
(01:33):
adults 60 and older have atleast one chronic health
condition, while some 80% ofseniors are plagued with two or
more.
So let's face it heart disease,cancer, diabetes.
They can sneak up on us, andoften dementias such as
Alzheimer's are not too farbehind.
(01:54):
So is moving into an assistedliving facility unavoidable, or
is there a way to affordablyremain independently in your own
home?
Well, I have answers for you,Because my guest for this
episode is a leading expert inthe field of independent living.
Todd Trammell is the ChiefExecutive Officer of Touching
(02:17):
Hearts at Home.
His company is known for theircompassion in offering an array
of home care services forseniors, and they can be
provided in a few hours a day or, if needed, around the clock.
So welcome to Live HealthyLonger, Todd Jim thank you for
having me today.
Speaker 1 (02:35):
I appreciate it.
Speaker 3 (02:36):
Well, it's our pleasure.
This is a very importantsubject, particularly for a good
portion of our audience.
Now I understand your home carecompany has over 60 franchise
locations throughout America, Ofcourse, and you're on your way
to soon expand it to all 50states, which is impressive.
So let's begin by talking aboutthe origins of Touching Hearts
(02:57):
at Home.
I believe your founder, ReneePeterson, had a personal
motivation to help older adultslive independently.
Speaker 1 (03:06):
Jim, that's correct.
What a lot of people don't knowis that Renee, prior to being
in home care, owned two MaryMaids franchises, and so she
fell in love with the franchisemodel and you know proven
operating systems, and so shestarted actually a business
called Pairing Companions in1996.
(03:27):
She saw this need for seniorsthat wanted to age in place and
live and have a verycompassionate life living at
home, as the aging population,as we know, has just continued
to grow every single year.
She ran that business for 10years and finally, by 19, excuse
(03:47):
me, 2006, she decided to changethe name to Touching Hearts and
begin to franchise the model.
Speaker 3 (03:55):
I like that name Touching Hearts.
It really has a poignant feelto it.
Speaker 1 (04:00):
Yes, Wonderful name.
We love it, and so we'vesuccessfully been able to
franchise the model now for thepast 18 years and, as you said,
we have nearly 70 locations now.
Speaker 3 (04:12):
Oh, 70.
Okay, so you are growing veryquickly.
We are.
Now let's get to the termindependent.
You know it's got somewhat of asacred connotation.
You know it's got somewhat of asacred connotation, and there's
a famous quotation that Ilooked up the other day that
says freedom is the will to beresponsible for ourselves.
So it's somewhat of an ironythat, even though we're social
(04:47):
creatures by nature, as Imentioned in my opening, 75% of
older adults prefer to liveindependently in their own homes
.
So in your opinion, todd, isthis a desire to remain free
that has its roots in this need?
Jim?
Speaker 1 (04:53):
very much.
So you know, there's this largepercentage of our population,
an aging population, that doexactly what you say or want
exactly what you said, which isthey want to age in place, live
at home, and they don'tparticularly want to go into
facilities, which istraditionally kind of how we
were raised.
But what independent livingmeans, or what aging in place at
(05:16):
home really means to them, isstaying in a very familiar place
and a very comfortable place.
For them, it means stayingconnected to their families and
their communities that they'vebeen around for most of their
life, and so that gives them asense of control, and that's
vitally, vitally important.
It doesn't disrupt theirday-to-day routines and this is
(05:38):
where their memories are at.
Their memories are in theirhome, and so if we can give them
an opportunity and an avenue toage in place, live at home, and
we can provide care, I thinkeverybody wins.
Speaker 3 (05:52):
And, as I understand, when providing care, you can do
it on a short basis, a fewhours a day or, if necessary, 24
hours around the clock.
So, regardless of theindividual situation, you can
provide the care that they needfor the time that they need.
Speaker 1 (06:08):
Absolutely so.
We provide specific hoursduring the week, certain amount
of hours during the day.
We have clients that are whatwe call 24-7, so around the
clock home care, and we actuallyhave live-ins as well, where we
have our caregivers that areactual live-ins.
So a variety of different kindof service lines and care plans
(06:31):
that we provide.
Speaker 3 (06:32):
All right.
So on the flip side, as we age,we encounter health issues,
obviously.
That's another statistic that Iquoted earlier in my
introduction.
So there's another need that'srequired, namely assistance.
So can you discuss thechallenges as we grow older that
we face, and it's particularlytrying to live at home on our
(06:53):
own, independently?
I mean certainly housekeepingcomes into play.
Cleaning your home obviously,is increasingly difficult as you
get older.
How does Touching Hearts tohelp seniors address this
challenge?
Speaker 1 (07:14):
Yeah, so we primarily are what we call a non-medical
based care, in-home care plan orcompany.
So what that means is whatyou're describing is the
foundation of what we do iscompanion care.
Companion care is a very broadtopic for us, but essentially
what it means is anything sortof non-touching, so friendly
conversations that we're having,transportation that we can
(07:34):
provide, running errands, lightmeal prep is something that's
very important.
All of these things arecritically important.
We also then move into anothercategory of service that we call
personal care.
Now we're able to Jim, helpwith mobility, help with med
managements, bathing, toiletry,these types of things that are
(07:59):
critically important to ourseniors, and so we're able to
provide all of these servicesand functions for those again
living at home.
Speaker 3 (08:08):
Well, let's take a look at some of these a little
bit more closely.
Food preparation Obviously youknow, I'm sure, that your
caregivers aren't going to bepreparing gourmet meals, but
obviously for seniors it getsmore laborious as we age.
So what does this actually mean?
I mean helping put togetherfood during the day, if you come
(08:30):
for a few hours, perhaps dinnerat night that they could just
reach into the refrigerator andpull out and microwave, or
whatever the case might be.
Give us a description of that.
Speaker 1 (08:39):
Yeah, it's really Jim , it's all the above, and so it
really starts with understandingthe needs of the client.
So when we go in the home andwe do assessments prior to
actually putting together ourcare plans, we want to make sure
we understand the kind of foodsthey like to eat when they eat,
and so we will help with goingout and shop for those groceries
(09:00):
, bring those in, and we want tomake the kind of meals that
they enjoy, not the mealsnecessarily that we think they
should eat, and so that's partof the independence, and so our
caregivers are wonderful atpreparing meals.
They could be very simplelunches, as you said.
It could just be prepping foodfor later on for them to eat,
(09:20):
reminding them to continue toeat at the right hours of the
day.
These are all very, veryimportant.
Speaker 3 (09:25):
I think you just hit on it.
I mean, sometimes, as seniors,you know, really, I've noticed
some of the, shall we say, olderpeople that we're familiar with
.
They forget when to eat orthey're not eating nutritiously,
and so I'm assuming yourcaregivers help them in terms of
nutritional advice as well.
Yeah, 100%.
Speaker 1 (09:46):
It is really the full-on training that our
caregivers get to adapt to eachof those specific needs with
that client they have.
Speaker 3 (09:54):
Now you mentioned transportation, obviously.
One of the songs that when Iwas preparing the interview, I
just recalled the Beach Boyssong I Get Around.
I mean, many of our seniorswere young and used to dance to
I Get Around and other BeachBoys songs.
But you know, as agingprogresses, things like running
(10:14):
errands, getting the medicalappointments, shopping, are all
these things in the ballpark ofthe caregivers, what services
they provide.
Speaker 1 (10:23):
Yes, touching Hearts at Home does transportation.
We do provide opportunities torun errands.
We will drop off our clientsfor doctor's appointments, we
will, you know, and the seniornot able to perhaps drive is a
big loss of independence.
It's very important.
But when they can participatewith us and we can do
(10:46):
transportation, types oftransportation services for them
are really, really importantand it's a sense of freedom and
independence.
And so all those things thathave to do with transportation
are things that we do as a brand, as a company.
Speaker 3 (11:01):
Well, and I think it's very important to underline
the fact one of the things thatI noticed in terms of medical
appointments, for example, thereare buses, many communities
have, that pick up seniors andtake them to their medical
appointments, but then you findthem having to get there way
early, sit around for hourssometimes and then another few
(11:22):
hours waiting for the bus tocome back to pick them up.
Being able to have somebodydrive in their own car, that's
going to make a huge differenceand I assume that's a
transportation feature you offer.
Speaker 1 (11:33):
Very much so.
Again, you hit it on the head.
Being able to accommodate theclient in terms of where their
life is at right now, the timeof their appointments, making
sure that you know we'repunctual in doing all these
things on behalf of our client,is exactly what we do at
Touching Hearts at Home.
Speaker 3 (11:52):
Well, good.
So one thing that concerns me,and I've been looking at these
studies the past year and I dohave a great deal of empathy and
we're not really sure what todo about it or how to address it
as a nation these days.
But a recent survey on agingfound that one-third of people
between the ages of 50 to 80feel lonely and nearly as many
(12:16):
feel isolated.
So unquestionably there's agreat need for companionship.
Can you get into that a littlebit?
Speaker 1 (12:25):
yield for a great need for companionship.
Can you get into that a littlebit?
Yeah, again, companionship as aservice line for us is core to
what we do, and let's just kindof talk about the non-medical
companionship side of thebusiness.
What does that look like?
So when we go in, we want toreally get to know our clients.
Obviously, our caregivers buildincredible relationships with
them.
And, jim, when we talk aboutbeing able to be with a senior
(12:48):
and deal with these issues ofloneliness, we're talking about
simple things like friendlyconversations.
It may be streaming moviestogether, it may be looking at
old photos, it could be all thethings we described about meals
and prep and all that sort ofthing.
It's it's working on crafts andhobbies together.
It's spending time with themand we build these incredible
(13:11):
relationships.
Seniors love playing games andlove playing cards and it's
stimulating and those are thethings that we do to really help
fill that gap and do what wecan from a loneliness
perspective, and I love what wedo in this category.
It's.
It's very, very life-changing.
Speaker 3 (13:31):
Well, that's good to know because, I mean, this is a
growing problem in America.
It's unfortunate, but it'sdefinitely growing, and
particularly with the agingpopulation and one spouse
passing away and the othersometimes.
I just remember my dad 10 yearsof being a lonely person.
We tried to do the best wecould, but being lonely since my
(13:52):
mother passed away and thoseare very agonizing times.
We tried to do the best wecould, but being lonely since my
mother passed away and thoseare very agonizing times.
And having that relationship,having that companionship, I
know, can make a big difference.
Now, talking about studies, inJanuary 2025, there was another
study and I think this is a moreserious thing.
Obviously, you can deal withheart disease in terms of
(14:14):
medication, and diabetes, thesame way, many of the ills that
seniors face, but getting intodementia, the study that I read
stated that seniors the age of55 and older have a 42%
increased average risk ofdeveloping a dementia in their
(14:34):
lifetime, such as Alzheimer's,for example.
This is much higher than weprevious thought.
So it's a tough challenge andeven for, I would imagine, a
skilled caregiver, but this issomething you address as well
the dementia factor, correct itis Jim, it is.
Speaker 1 (14:51):
I'll put dementia and Alzheimer's in this category.
And first of all, we recognizethe big need for this type of
care and it's specialized careas well and so our caregivers
are trained in these areas to beable to address the very unique
needs of the dementia client,and so they're trained to deal
(15:14):
with the client on a veryphysical, emotional and
cognitive support basis.
So we understand what we'redoing in terms of our service
and support and we use positivereinforcement.
These things, when you'redealing in dementia, are
critically important because weknow how challenging it is.
We have a number of resourcesthat we use nationally as an
(15:35):
organization to help train ourcaregivers.
These are the best of the bestin terms of the resources and
training in the industry.
You know, people like Tipa Snowand others have been a big part
of our learnings throughout theprocess.
But let's not forget one otherthing that has to do with with
dementia specifically, withdementia specifically, and that
(15:57):
is the challenge that thefamilies have, because
oftentimes they're the ones thatare also dealing with
supporting their loved one withdementia, and so we also offer
respite, and respite isimportant because it gives that
family some time to sort of takea deep breath and get a break,
and so Well, that's veryimportant.
Again, we look at the dimension.
Alzheimer's side is acritically important part of
(16:19):
what we do so let's get aroundto.
Speaker 3 (16:22):
You mentioned your.
Your caregivers arewell-trained.
How do you go about selectingyour caregivers?
I think that's obviously that'sgoing to be a big question on
any older adults mind.
Speaker 1 (16:33):
Yeah, there's no service without caregivers.
I mean, caregivers are thelifeblood of the business and
they do incredible work.
They're very purpose-drivenpeople and they're a lot like
our franchisees that actuallyrun these businesses.
So, when we're looking torecruit and select caregivers,
(16:54):
we do the fundamental thingsthat are important in terms of
looking at things likeapplications, doing background
checks, kind of assessing theirexperience levels, all those
things you know in terms ofbackground and skill sets, but
what we're really looking forbeyond that, then, is
compassionate people that haveempathy.
(17:16):
That clearly has to be one ofthe most important things that
we're going to look at, becauseyou have to have good
communication skills, you haveto be reliable and punctual you
have to but you really have tohave the compassion, the empathy
for our client.
Speaker 3 (17:35):
You have to really care about the individual,
correct?
Speaker 1 (17:38):
You have to build these relationships and so you
know I just described the idealcandidate.
We're looking for somebody thatcan cover all those things and,
from you know, in differentstates there's different
licensing that we have to dealwith as well, so we need to make
sure that we're checkingcertifications.
But by and large, it's reallyabout the heart.
It's really about looking atthem as a human being and saying
(17:59):
do you love this and can youget passionate and behind the
mission of taking care ofseniors or disabled individuals?
Speaker 3 (18:09):
Right, because I would imagine it could be very
frustrating sometimes forcaregivers.
I mean, let's face it, evenwith those that suffer from a
bit of dementia, you haveoftentimes the anger that a
senior will express and thatsort of dealing with the
capacities and certain healthissues.
That's got to be putting a lotof stress on your caregiver.
(18:30):
So it's got to be that downdeep compassion that they have
correct.
Speaker 1 (18:35):
It really is Again, seeing the amazing caregivers in
our business, thousands ofcaregivers in our network.
They have a huge heart, theyhave incredible patience and
they love what they do.
They absolutely have gottenbehind this as a purpose-driven
(18:55):
work for them and we absolutelylove that.
So when we find thoseindividuals, they're absolutely
amazing people.
Speaker 3 (19:05):
Well, good to hear.
Well now and I know many of mylisteners are sitting back
saying, God, this soundswonderful.
But let's get to the elephantin the room, which is
affordability.
That's what people are probablysaying Well, how much is it
going to cost me?
Now, we all know that seniorsface a limited income challenge.
(19:26):
Some obviously have a lot putaway, but there are those who
are, you know, trying to get byon Social Security and maybe a
few dollars in savings.
So, in terms of cost, Iunderstand that you offer
different care plans, so there'sjust not one size that fits all
.
Can you talk about that alittle bit?
Speaker 1 (19:45):
Yeah, so there's a couple of sides to this.
One is the care plan that weput together can certainly be
adapted to someone's budget orbe adapted to the needs of that
particular client.
So that could range from, youknow, a few hours a day, several
hours a week or, depending onyou know, if they need more.
So that's one side of it, so wecan adapt a care plan based on
(20:06):
those things.
When we get into cost, it's aninteresting thing, jim, because
primarily in a business likeours, it's mostly private pay.
But what I want to point outalso is that we are incredible
supporters of the VA, and the VAis also a pay source that we're
now seeing more and more ofevery single day.
(20:28):
There are so many veterans thatneed the kind of service that
we provide that simply don'thave access to it today because
maybe those markets areunderserved with home care, and
so we work very closely with theVA.
That's a category of pay thatreally assists those veterans.
We also do LTC, which islong-term care plans, and many
(20:50):
of our seniors have that inplace already, so we can help
work through those processes.
Many of our seniors have thatin place already, so we can help
work through those processesand then, you know, from time to
time we'll also we havefranchisees that service
Medicaid clients as well, and sothere's a whole list of them.
But I think the message herefrom us is we can be very
flexible and adapt differentcare plans to the needs of the
(21:12):
client.
Speaker 3 (21:16):
And I would imagine that you could also advise
potential clients or prospectiveclients in other alternatives.
I mean, there are things suchas reverse mortgages that you
can look at.
I'm assuming that you areequipped to give a potential
client, shall we say, all theinformation they need to make it
as affordable as possible.
Yes, sir, absolutely Well.
That's good to hear.
Now we'll move to another areawhich you know many of baby
(21:41):
boomers.
We have a large audience ofbaby boomers and Gen Xers and,
of course, they've been able toput away savings.
They've had a fairly good lifeeconomically and with the idea
that 75% of seniors adults, aswe get older, want to remain at
(22:01):
home, I would think thatpurchasing a franchise would be
a terrific investment, andthat's why, obviously, with home
care skyrocketing, can you talka little bit about your
franchise program?
Some of our listeners might beinterested in that aspect of it.
Speaker 1 (22:18):
Yeah, Well, thank you for that.
First of all, we believe that Ibelieve and we believe that
franchising is a great businessmodel by which to go into
business, whether you've been abusiness owner or not in your
lifetime.
What franchising does is itallows someone to come into a
business, invest in a businessand already have a proven
(22:40):
operating system in place, withall the benefits of things like
buying power, training andsupport, operational support.
You have the rights to dobusiness with a national brand.
All these things aresignificant advantages to
joining a good franchise, whichwe are one of them.
Selecting home care specificallyis a great move because when
(23:03):
you look at the industry, thereare very few industries that you
can look at today to say we arelooking at Jim, 20 to 30 years
of straight growth.
The statistics don't lie Withthe aging population.
We know how many seniors turnor how many people turn 65 every
single day, and so there is atrajectory of growth in this
(23:24):
category that will not stop forquite some time.
Our particular franchise isalso very affordable.
You can get into our franchise.
The high-end investment in ourfranchise is just under $100,000
.
It's an office-based oragency-based business, so
there's no assets to buy.
It's very simple.
It's not seasonal, so it's notlike you're out there buying
(23:46):
inventory and running a retailbusiness, so that in itself is
very attractive to people.
And lastly, we have a greattrack record.
You know we've been infranchising now for 18 years.
We have seen tremendousyear-over-year growth in our
franchise itself and we'reseeing great interest in it
(24:08):
right now with our growth.
Speaker 3 (24:10):
So I'm assuming which some will be very interested in
that obviously you providetraining for your franchises.
You know people might say well,I really don't know anything
about the home care business.
I might be getting older and Iunderstand the need for it, but
I don't understand how I wouldoperate a business.
You give them training for this.
Speaker 1 (24:30):
Yes, yes, the most important thing about
understanding a franchise andwhat are the decisions of
getting into and investing, iswhat I would call the support
systems.
So a franchisee gets trained onevery aspect of how to run this
business.
We're with them every singlestep of the way through the
training process, and trainingisn't something we just did.
(24:53):
It's something we actually do,meaning that it goes on and on
and on, because, as you can seeand as we've talked about today,
with different needs whetherit's Alzheimer's, dementia or
other things, technology cominginto the marketplace we're
constantly training, and so ourcandidates that become
franchisees don't need previousexperience.
(25:14):
They can come in and we willteach them everything they need
to know about how to operatesuccessfully at Touching Hearts
at-home franchise.
Speaker 3 (25:22):
Well, wonderful.
Now, I'm someone who comes froma marketing background as well.
I'm assuming you provide themmarketing support.
Speaker 1 (25:30):
We do.
We like to say that we'rereally their marketing
department, and so we providethem everything from websites to
the ability to set up all theirsocial media platforms, digital
assets for every sort of needin terms of advertising and
marketing seasonal advertising.
We have a huge marketingtoolbox that our franchisees can
(25:54):
access, and not the least ofwhich is a marketing team here
at our home office inMinneapolis that they can rely
on for regular, ongoing supportat any time.
Speaker 3 (26:06):
Well, it sounds to me just to sort of recap it it's
something that you know, it's anaffordable investment, you
don't need prior experiencebecause of the training program
and you're Todd.
This has been a veryenlightening interview.
I think you've shined the lighton things, that there are so
(26:34):
many questions out there, and Ithink you've helped answer some
of those.
Of course, we probably justscratched the surface.
There's so much more we need toknow, so I'm assuming that, for
those who are interested, theywant to learn more about
Touching Hearts at Home, come tothe website, which is
touchingheartscom.
Speaker 1 (26:52):
Yes, touchingheartsathomecom, you can
enter into our website On whatI would say the family side or
the client side.
You'll be able to access all ofour locations from there to
find a location that's nearestto you and, as well as the
services that we provide, inthat marketplace, again, we have
wonderful franchisees.
(27:13):
I don't want to miss theopportunity to talk about how
incredible our franchisees are.
As a franchisor, we'resupporting them, but in the
marketplace, they're the onesthat are providing this
incredible compassionate care,and so if you have interest in
looking at us from an owner,from an ownership standpoint or
(27:33):
a franchise investmentstandpoint, you'll also find
links on our website to own afranchise and we can have more
discussion with you about thatas well.
Speaker 3 (27:42):
I want to thank you so much for joining us,
enlightening us and it'stouchingheartscom.
I'm going to be right back withmy essential nutrition tips for
aging bodies.
Speaker 2 (27:54):
Touching Hearts at Home offers an array of services
for seniors, people living withmedical conditions or
disabilities, as well as thosetransitioning from hospital to
home.
You can learn more about livingat home independently, as well
as Touching Hearts Home Care, byvisiting their website,
touchingheartscom.
(28:14):
You can find information andmany other great podcasts
directly on our websitejamespolakoffcom.
That's jamespolakoffcom.
Again.
That's jamespolakoffcom.
Again.
That's jamespolikoffcom.
Now let's turn to a great bookabout enjoying healthy life as
(28:34):
you grow older.
Live Healthy Longer with Dr Jimis written by our very own Dr
Jim Polikoff.
Leading experts proclaim thatLive Healthy Longer with Dr Jim
is the most comprehensive andmeaningful health, wellness and
longevity book published thisdecade.
But remember, you need to addWith Dr Jim to the title, but
(28:58):
don't take our word for it.
Check it out on Amazon and lookat all the terrific reviews.
Again, you can find LiveHealthy Longer with Dr Jim on
Amazon.
Also, for those cosmeticsurgery fans, the Real you Only
Better is a great read.
You'll be fascinated by a deeplook into the pros and cons of
(29:22):
cosmetic surgery.
Plus, if you love golf andromance, then Love in the Pines
is a must-read book for you.
You'll find these captivatingbooks on Amazoncom and on our
website jamespolikoffcom.
Now back to Dr Jim.
Speaker 3 (29:42):
I once again wish to thank Todd Kreml for his
enlightening information aboutaging independently at home, and
be sure to check our websiteout for further information
about his company, touchingHearts.
Now let's turn to thehighlights of my nutritional
tips.
First, we really need toembrace the fact that, with
(30:03):
aging, our bodies undergovarious changes that are going
to impact our overall health andwell-being.
Thus, the foods we eat becomeall the more important.
As we age, our metabolism tendsto slow down, which is why one
must pay close attention to thequality of nutrients we consume.
(30:25):
More than ever, we require abalanced diet which are rich in
vitamins, minerals, fiber and,of course, protein.
We need these because we needto support our overall body
functions and to preventillnesses, and keep in mind that
our aging bodies experience adecrease in muscle mass and bone
(30:48):
density, which, of course,leads to a higher risk of falls
and fractures.
Yes, aging underlines theimportance of consuming adequate
protein and calcium-rich foods.
In fact, it's time we take alook at superfoods, so here are
a few on my list.
(31:08):
Let's begin with berries.
Berries provide a one-stopnutrition because they're high
in fiber, vitamin C andantioxidant flavonoids.
Plus.
Fiber in the berries keep usregular and protect against
disease.
Dark leafy green vegetablesthat's right like kale, arugula,
(31:29):
broccoli and spinach, which arealso high in fiber.
Plus, they're heart healthy and, at the same time, boost muscle
function.
Also, instead of side effectsof red meat, seafood is a much
better choice.
For example, salmon, tuna andtrout will provide you your
needed protein in a muchhealthier form.
(31:53):
And one of my favoritesuperfoods are avocados.
A Harvard study found thatthose who ate at least two
servings of avocados each weekhad a lower risk of developing
heart disease.
And the list of superfoods goeson beyond what I've stated.
There is so much more youreally need to know about the
(32:14):
important nutrients to eat,particularly as we grow older,
so I suggest you read my latestblog Essential Nutrition Tips
for Aging Bodies.
Simply come to our website,jamespolikoffcom.
This is Dr Jim Polikoff, withmy sincere thanks to you for
joining me once again, andremember a new episode of Live
(32:37):
Healthy Longer is available eachand every Wednesday.
In the meantime, my wishes toyou for a healthy, happy, long
life.
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