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Aging Gracefully is now published every other month with occasional changes for holidays. Resources can always be found on our website page.
| | Featured Medical and Wellness Articles | | Build Lifestyle Habits to Keep Your Brain Healthy | | |
Today, there are nearly 7 million people aged 65 and older in the U.S. are living with Alzheimer’s dementia, including 236,200 in Ohio. The lifetime risk for the disease at age 45 is 1 in 5 for women and 1 in 10 for men. The brain changes that cause Alzheimer’s are thought to begin 20 years or more before symptoms start, which suggests that there may be a substantial window of time in which we can intervene in the progression of the disease.
Experts believe there isn’t a single cause of Alzheimer’s, and it’s likely the disease develops as a result of multiple factors.
Click here to read more in MLiving News about what those factors are, what habits can help you reduce the risk or address signs of Alzheimer's, and how you can help the Northwest Ohio Chapter of the Alzheimer's Association fight the disease at the societal level - as well as how they can help you.
Other articles featured below address lifestyle factors for healthy aging.
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Highly accurate blood test diagnoses Alzheimer's disease, measures extent of dementia
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A newly developed blood test for Alzheimer's disease not only aids in the diagnosis of the neurodegenerative condition but also indicates how far it has progressed, according to a study by researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis and Lund University in Sweden.
Click here for the full article.
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Getting this vaccine lowered seniors’ dementia risk by 20%
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Most people know that exercising, eating healthy and keeping your mind active can lower your risk of dementia.
But with the expected number of Americans living with dementia projected to increase to 13.8 million by 2060, the hunt is on for anything that could help prevent this devastating disease.
Now, a new study out of Stanford Medicine has presented some of the strongest evidence yet that a vaccine to help prevent dementia already exists — except it’s for a totally different condition.
Click here for the full article about how the shingles vaccine and some other vaccines may lower the risk of dementia.
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Gamma stimulation for Alzheimer's patients: 40-hertz sensory therapy shows tremendous promise
In a world where pharmaceutical giants pour billions into developing complex drugs with modest results and significant side effects, an elegantly simple approach to treating Alzheimer’s disease is gaining scientific traction. Researchers at MIT have discovered that exposing the brain to light and sound pulses at a specific frequency—40 hertz, or 40 cycles per second—can induce brain rhythms that reduce the hallmark pathologies of Alzheimer’s disease and improve cognitive function.
Click here for the full article.
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How can strength training build healthier bodies as we age?
NIA-supported researchers have been studying the effects of strength training for more than 40 years and have identified multiple ways it can benefit older adults, including maintaining muscle mass, improving mobility, and increasing the healthy years of life. Learn more below about these findings from NIA-supported researchers, along with their tips for maintaining strength or becoming stronger as we age.
Click here for the full article.
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The Living Better and Longer Podcast
In this monthly podcast hosted by a nationally recognized leader in the field of aging, Justin Moor, CEO of the Area Office on Aging of Northwestern Ohio, features guests from different backgrounds and experiences who share the life-changing decisions they have made to live longer and happier lives.
Living Better and Longer is a podcast that focuses on the health, well-being and safety of older adults, persons with disabilities, and family caregivers.
Click here for more information and to listen
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Ohio Department of Aging
Senior Farmer's Market Nutrition Program
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This is a benefit that provides Ohioans 60 and older with a household income within 185% of the Federal Poverty Level with convenient access to locally-grown fruits, vegetables, herbs, and honey from local Farmer's Markets. The benefit comes in the form of an annual amount per year, and participants must re-apply each year. The 2025 application is currently open.
Learn more, apply, and find participating Farmers Markets in your area at the program's web page (part of the Ohio Department of Aging site).
Call 1-866-243-5678 to be connected to your local Area Agency on Aging for more information and help with applying.
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Activities for Healthy Aging:
Things to Do in Northwest Ohio
May - June
| | Historical tourist attractions, fairs, festivals, parties and outdoor-themed activities offering opportunities for socialization, entertainment, and better quality of life for all ages. For this time of year, we're emphasizing festivals, concert series, and local markets. | |
Friday May 9 - Sunday May 18
Main Headquarters:
Maumee Bay Lodge and Conference Center
1750 State Park Road #2 Oregon, Ohio
One of the largest annual birding festivals in the nation, held here in Northwest Ohio each May. This event attracts tens of thousands of visitors and multi-millions in spending, according to various sources, including this Audubon Magazine article.
Additional locations and much more information at the Biggest Week in American Birding site.
Click here and here for information about the accessible birding field trips.
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Saturday, May 17, 8:30 am- noon
Toledo Zoo
5K Run/Walk Event at the Toledo Zoo
Choose a competitive 5K Run with prizes, a 5K Walk, a Kids' Fun Run and an inclusive Zoo For All Walk - designed to be non-competitive and accessible to all.
Starting times and locations and routes are different for the different events - with the earliest beginning at 8:30. 5K-themed animal enrichment after the runs/walks through noon.
Runners and walkers are encouraged to pick up the run/walk packets on May 15 and 16, between 3 and 6:30 pm, at
Dave's Running Shop
5700 Monroe Street
Sylvania, OH
Packets are also available for pick-up the morning of May 17, beginning at 7 am at the Zoom Aquarium
Click here for the information.
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2025 Spring Fling Senior Expo
Tuesday, May 20, 10 am - 2 pm
Tam-O-Shanter
7060 West Sylvania Avenue,
Sylvania, Ohio
Sponsored by the Area Office on Aging of Northwest Ohio and the Toledo Blade.
Free health screenings, demonstrations, and dozens of booths with information about state and local resources, plus prizes and giveaways, and entertainment from the band 1964 The Tribute 12 pm to 2 pm.
Admission is free to all. Lunch is available for a suggested donation of $5 for adults 60 and over, and $15 for those under 60. Pre-registering is not necessary to attend, but purchasing a lunch ticket in advance is recommended. Tickets should be available by the week of May 9.
Click here for the Area Office on Aging Event Page.
Contact: Corey Clagg
419-725-6995, cclagg@areaofficeonaging.com
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First Siege 1813
Reenactment at Fort Meigs
Saturday May 24 - Sunday May 25
Schedule of events pending
29100 West River Road
Perrysburg, Ohio
Fort Meigs hosts re-enactors from across the U.S. and Canada to commemorate the First Siege of Fort Meigs - which turned the tide of war for the United States. Experience authentic 1812 military camps, musket and cannon demonstrations, battle re-enactments, hands-on activities, and more!
Click here for information from the Fort Meigs website.
Click here for the event page from Toledo.com
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Flower Day Weekend
Memorial Day Weekend, Saturday, May 24 - Monday, May 26,
8 am - 2 pm
Toledo Famer's Market
525 Market Street, Toledo, OH
Local flowers, plants, produce, yard art, and more available for sale from more than 80 vendors.
Click here for the toledo.com event page. (Toledo.com will have a page for each day, and the actual Farmer's Market website page is available there.)
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Toledo Art Loop Summer Kick-Off
at Middle Grounds
Saturday, June 21, 12 pm to 4 pm
Oliver House
(which houses Maumee Bay Brew Pub)
Intersection of 27 Broadway Street and
201 Morris Street, Toledo, Ohio
Art Loop summer kick-off celebration in Toledo’s historic Middle Grounds district! Live music, hands-on craft stations, sidewalk chalking, aerial performances, pop-up art installations, a mini artist market, and a Studio Loop featuring some of Toledo’s most celebrated artists on nearby Morris and Ottawa Streets. All entertainment and activities are free and open to the public. Food, beverages and art available for purchase.
The Art Loop is a Toledo Arts Commission program that showcases the Downtown creative community.
Click here for the Art Loop page.
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Sylvania Arts
Maple & Main Art & Music Festival In the Park
Saturday, May 31, 11 am - 9:30 pm
Sunday, June 1, 10 am to 4:30 pm
Olander Park, 6390 Sylvania Avenue, Sylvania
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More than 90 artists' booths, live bands/musicians, food trucks, kids' art area and more.
(The usual location in the past has been Downtown Sylvania; the change this year is due to construction.)
Click here for the Maple & Main information page.
| | 52nd Annual Old West End Festival | | |
Saturday, June 7 - Sunday, June 8
Beginning with King Wamba Carnival Parade
Saturday Morning, 10 am
Robinwood and Collins Street
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The Annual Old West End Festival is a two-day event celebrating Toledo's Old West End - one of the largest historic districts in the country - with live music from 26 bands, multiple food markets, a beer garden, house tours, shopping, and much more.
Click here for the Old West End Festival page.
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Wednesday, June 11 - Sunday June 15
Community Homecoming Park
7807 Angola Road in Springfield Township
Pies, milkshakes, and other treats with strawberries as the main ingredient, carnival rides, and more. Wraps up with a parade and bake-off on Sunday.
Proceeds go to community services and improvements, including parks and youth activities.
$5.00 Gate Admission CASH ONLY
Strawberry Festival website
Facebook page
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59th Annual Crosby Festival of the Arts
Saturday, June 28 - Sunday, June 29
Toledo Botanical Gardens, 5403 Elmer Drive, Toledo
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Discover and purchase unique, high-quality artwork from a carefully curated selected of artists using a range of media. (This is a juried art show.)
Plus live music and food trucks. Proceeds support Toledo GROWs, which supports community-based gardens.
Crosby Festival of the Arts web page
Facebook page
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Concerts and Music Performance Series
There are many opportunities in Toledo to see local and touring musical acts in the summer and all year long - many outdoors. Click the links to see times, costs, and scheduled performers for the series if not listed here.
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Bittersweet Farms Music Vine Concert Series
All Fridays, 11:30 am - 1:30 pm
May - September Location:
Bittersweet Farms Pavilion, 12660 Archbold-Whitehouse Road, Whitehouse, Ohio
October-April Location: Grand Rapids Town Hall, 24282 Front St,
Grand Rapids, Ohio
All shows free and open at the public.
Bittersweet Farms Events website
MLiving News calendar information
Live at the Library
Thursdays, May 29, June 12, and July 10, 6:30 to 8 pm
Main Library
325 North Michigan Street, Toledo, Ohio
FREE Live Music
For more details, as well as other dates and other similar Toledo Library programs, visit the Toledo Library Programs page and click on the dates.
Party in the Park
Fridays, May 30 - August 29, 6 to 9 pm
Promenade Park
Downtown Toledo along the River
400 Water Street is the best street address
Free - No tickets required - but food and drink will be available for purchase
Read here about how ConnecToledo Downtown Development Corporation is bringing back this tradition from Toledo's past.
Click here for a Facebook post with more information from the Office of the Mayor of Toledo
See the lineup of performers on the Destination Toledo site
Verandah Concerts at the
Rutherford B. Hayes Presidential Library and Museums
(Hayes Estate)
Wednesdays, June 11, June 25, and July 9
Starting at 6:30 pm with Old-fashioned Ice Cream Social
Concerts start at 7 pm
There is no house number - the address is given as
Spiegel Grove, Fremont, OH 43420
1337 Hayes Avenue may also work for GPS
Concerts feature musical acts from across the region on the lawn in front of the house - attendees are encouraged to bring their own chairs and blankets
Attendance is free - donations accepted but not required for ice cream.
See the Hayes Library Event page for more details and additional concert dates.
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Lunch at Levis Daytime Concert Series
All Thursdays, June 5 - October 2, 11:30 am to 1:30 pm
Levis Square Park (newly renovated),
at the corner of St. Clair Street and Madison Avenue
Downtown Toledo
Live entertainment, food vendors, and sometimes pop-up activities hosted by Toledo institutions such as The Arts Commission or Imagination Station.
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Huron River Sunday Harbor Rides
offered by the Family-Owned business, River Monster Tours
Sundays Only
Tours leave every hour 10 am to 2 pm
Meet at and depart from the Huron Boat Basin, at 330 Main Street, Huron, Ohio
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Return to Turtle Island:
Indigenous Nation-Building in the Eighteenth Century
March 1 - June 29
Toledo Museum of Art, Green Building, Gallery 18
2445 Monroe Street, Toledo
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This exhibition celebrates the sophisticated social, political, and creative systems developed by Indigenous peoples prior to and during their interactions with European settlers.
"Turtle Island" is the name given to the North American continent by several First American and Canadian First Nations peoples, referencing the origin story of a landmass built on the back of a great turtle.
The exhibition showcases indigenous objects, overwhelmingly created by women, that French and English colonists took home to their family estates as prized possessions - which are now back in the US as acquisitions of the Toledo Museum of Art.
Free for everyone to visit.
Read more, see some of the objects, and learn how you can see the exhibition in person at this link.
Return to Turtle Island MLiving News Event Page
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Accessible Outdoor Space,
Managed by ODNR
The Ohio Department of Natural Resources offers an Accessible Trails Guide, with information about accessible trails found at state parks and other ODNR properties around the state
Other ODNR facilities to allow people of all abilities to enjoy the outdoors include accessible hunting, fishing, and boating opportunities, accessible overnight facilities, and more.
Accessible Trails Guide
ODNR Accessible Activities page
Accessible ODNR places and activities were recently spotlighted in the Ohio Department of DD ongoing Space for Me campaign, featuring information about various inclusive attractions around Ohio. See the Space for Me video page, especially the "All are Welcome - Inclusive State Parks" video.
| | | Don't forget to the visit the Lucas DD Senior Committee web page to find even more event calendars and other resources for things to do. (General activity sites, not senior-specific, at the bottom.) | | Activities for a Healthy Brain As We Age | | |
This classic numbers game combines elements of rummy and mahjong.
Players aim to create sets and runs from numbered tiles, using strategy and a bit of luck. Rummikub enhances numerical skills and logical thinking, making it ideal for seniors.
For more information, click the following links:
https://rummikub.com/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rummikub
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Aging Gracefully is published and edited by the
Lucas County Board of Developmental Disabilities (Lucas DD) Senior Supports Committee, which is made up of staff, plus providers and family members who experience caring for older individuals or those with dementia.
Are you working with or taking care of someone who:
- is diagnosed with, or shows signs of dementia,
- has changing needs because they're now in their 50s, or 60s, or older?
- or has been depending on a family member who is now older or ailing?
Visit the Senior Support Committee website page (lucasdd.org/senior-committee or scan the QR code below)
| | Copyright © May 2025 Aging Gracefully, All rights reserved. | | | | |
