A free publication focusing on issues important to our senior community

[00:00:01] Mike, Mike, Mike, Mike

[00:00:03] Mikes on Mic, a conversation about politics, government, and Jacksonville, with 50-year opinion leaders Mike Hightower, Mike Tolbert, and award-winning broadcaster and longtime political observer, Mike Miller.

[00:00:17] Welcome to the latest episode of Mikes on Mic. I'm Mike Miller in studio, along with Mike Hightower and Mike Tolbert. We're all here today to do a very special edition of our broadcast.

[00:00:27] And of course, as always, Mikes on Mic is brought to you by the Jacksonville History Center, where our friend Dr. Alan Bliss has been so kind to help in sponsoring our program and also the many fine donors who have helped in keeping our lights on and our cameras rolling.

[00:00:42] Well, inexplicably to us, Mikes on Mic is the cover story of the latest First Coast Senior Living.

[00:00:48] We hope you're going to find it online, if you would like, at firstcoastseniorliving.com or pick it up at one of your favorite stores where you find such publications.

[00:00:57] Today, our guest is Michelle Grant. Michelle is the publisher of First Coast Senior Living, which started back in July of 2023, which just ironically was about the same time as Mikes on Mic started.

[00:01:08] So that's kind of an interesting piece of trivia for you.

[00:01:12] Michelle is a Jacksonville native born into a military family at NAS Jaxx.

[00:01:16] She grew up at the beaches and was one of 11 siblings.

[00:01:20] I still can't wrap my head around that one.

[00:01:23] I really can't.

[00:01:24] So quite obviously, she knows how to get along with people and has a tremendous amount of patience as she was when they were interviewing us for the cover story.

[00:01:34] The three Mikes have known Michelle for quite a long time.

[00:01:36] I always had great respect for her.

[00:01:38] So welcome once again to Mikes on Mic, Michelle, and thank you again for the story.

[00:01:43] Yeah.

[00:01:43] Thanks for having me, guys.

[00:01:46] This is really a fantastic honor, really.

[00:01:50] As you said, I've known you guys for a long time.

[00:01:53] And somebody reached out to me, Lori DeFrank, and I hadn't talked to Lori in over 20 years.

[00:02:01] She goes, Michelle, you're back in town, and I've got this great story idea for you.

[00:02:06] And I said, well, let's hear it.

[00:02:07] And here we are.

[00:02:09] And the rest is history.

[00:02:10] Thank you, Lori.

[00:02:11] Thank you, Lori.

[00:02:12] Yeah, it's nice to reconnect with you guys.

[00:02:14] Thank you.

[00:02:15] She probably talked to one of our parole officers, and that's how she came up with the idea.

[00:02:20] Well, it worked.

[00:02:21] Somebody gave you the green light.

[00:02:24] Very good to have you, too.

[00:02:26] Thank you.

[00:02:26] Thank you.

[00:02:26] Mr. Tober, why don't you kick it off for us, please?

[00:02:28] Yeah, Michelle, before we get into questions about senior living in Northeast Florida, let's talk about the publication some.

[00:02:36] Not about the story about us, but about the publication.

[00:02:39] Tell us why you started it.

[00:02:42] What your expectations were, what your goals are for the publication, and how has it been for the first 16 months?

[00:02:48] Well, let's start with how it's been and how it's going.

[00:02:53] The first issue actually was published in October of 23, and we had our good friend Sam Kavaris on that cover.

[00:03:01] It was good to hear his story.

[00:03:04] He's taking care of a 94-year-old father, so we're all kind of there.

[00:03:09] Well, I had a personal experience.

[00:03:11] I got a phone call just out of the blue from, and this is tell all.

[00:03:17] I'm telling everything, okay?

[00:03:18] I'm among friends, and I can share, right?

[00:03:20] Right.

[00:03:20] No one's listening.

[00:03:21] Don't worry.

[00:03:24] From the brother of a former husband.

[00:03:26] I only had one former husband.

[00:03:28] That sounded like I had multiple.

[00:03:30] There was only one.

[00:03:32] And he said he'd had a stroke, and could I come to California to take a peek?

[00:03:37] Well, the older brother had Parkinson's, so he couldn't get to him.

[00:03:42] And I said, well, I guess I could, but I hadn't seen the former in almost 30 years.

[00:03:47] Wow.

[00:03:48] And I thought, God, why me?

[00:03:50] Why me?

[00:03:52] And it was me because my name was on a document.

[00:03:56] It's a good old thing called a POA or power of attorney.

[00:03:59] Sometimes we forget about that.

[00:04:01] And I was talking with Mike about this.

[00:04:05] So I got the call and says, well, your name's on here.

[00:04:08] You're listed as the person who's supposed to be in charge in the event of an emergency.

[00:04:13] If you don't mean it, don't sign it.

[00:04:15] If you don't think it's going to happen, think it's going to happen because you never know when you're going to get the call.

[00:04:20] It could be 30 years later in my case.

[00:04:22] Well, I started doing this, and it was so much work.

[00:04:26] So much work.

[00:04:28] That's not where I expected to be.

[00:04:30] It's not what I was expected to be doing over the course of the last four years.

[00:04:36] And I thought, you know, people need to understand and realize how much work this is.

[00:04:42] And if I can do anything to prepare the next POA or the next nice person, the next nice former ex-wife,

[00:04:53] to prepare them to get ready for this, I felt like I was obligated to do it.

[00:04:58] But one of the first things I thought I wanted to do was to make sure that we were healthy.

[00:05:03] What can we do to make sure that we take care of ourselves so that we can live as long as we can live?

[00:05:11] We are not our parents.

[00:05:14] At age 62, I am not.

[00:05:16] You are not your fathers.

[00:05:18] They were very different people than we are today.

[00:05:22] We are part of what I call the new longevity.

[00:05:27] You know, we're still riding skateboards at 70.

[00:05:30] We're still surfing at 80.

[00:05:33] I don't think our parents did that.

[00:05:35] So how do we do it?

[00:05:36] Are we eating healthy?

[00:05:38] Are we working out?

[00:05:39] Are we engaging in social connections?

[00:05:41] And that's how I started this.

[00:05:43] I thought, you know what?

[00:05:43] I've been in publishing for 43 years.

[00:05:46] If this is my swan song, so be it.

[00:05:48] You know, let's all go out with a bang.

[00:05:50] And if this is my contribution, let's have some fun.

[00:05:55] Are you having fun?

[00:05:56] I am having fun.

[00:05:58] It's hard.

[00:05:59] It's hard.

[00:06:01] Advertising is a dirty word now, so that's a little tough.

[00:06:05] Nobody wants to, you know, they all want to spend money on social media.

[00:06:08] And that's fine.

[00:06:09] But for this market, what do we like to read?

[00:06:14] Paper, right?

[00:06:16] Seniors like paper.

[00:06:18] They're also digitally savvy, so that's good.

[00:06:21] But I like a good old-fashioned newspaper.

[00:06:24] Present company excluded.

[00:06:27] Who are we talking about here?

[00:06:28] Who needs tech support?

[00:06:29] It's him.

[00:06:30] I'm the IT expert.

[00:06:34] Oh, you're embarrassing.

[00:06:37] But it is fun.

[00:06:39] It is fun.

[00:06:40] I'm not moving.

[00:06:42] No, no.

[00:06:42] We were talking about the practice of being social.

[00:06:46] I teach.

[00:06:47] I'm IT.

[00:06:48] Talbert and I are IT challenged.

[00:06:50] And I'm not much higher than that than they are.

[00:06:53] So, yes.

[00:06:54] Well, then I'm in trouble.

[00:06:55] That's why we have Scott.

[00:06:58] That's what Scott.

[00:06:59] Scott Westerman, our producer.

[00:07:01] That's what he is.

[00:07:01] That's his real purpose in being here.

[00:07:03] He has to somehow take all this and make it look.

[00:07:06] Can we get back to the story?

[00:07:08] Okay.

[00:07:08] Okay.

[00:07:10] So, what else do you want to know?

[00:07:13] Picking up on that.

[00:07:15] So, restating that though, Michelle.

[00:07:18] So, it was one, the experience of having to deal with a senior someone in your family.

[00:07:25] But the other part, which is unique to the publication, it's not only like be prepared to be a caregiver.

[00:07:33] Uh-huh.

[00:07:34] But then when in reading the publication, it's talking about how to be healthy because it looks like, I think I heard you say, we are living longer as opposed to our parents, which means the chances of being a caregiver or being cared for is a reality.

[00:07:50] Is that correct?

[00:07:51] That is correct, correct, and correct.

[00:07:54] Uh-huh.

[00:07:55] We're all going to need some help.

[00:07:56] We'll mark that down.

[00:07:58] I mean, what was it like when your parents were aging?

[00:08:02] You know, were they at home?

[00:08:04] Think about Florida.

[00:08:05] Florida has more assisted living communities than almost any other state in the country.

[00:08:15] Every other corner in Jacksonville lately, over the last few years, there's a new independent and assisted living community.

[00:08:24] How do you live your best life?

[00:08:26] Come and give us your $12,000 a month and we're going to help you live your best life.

[00:08:31] Yeah.

[00:08:32] That's a lot of money.

[00:08:33] Okay.

[00:08:33] So what happens when you're not at home because there's no one there to help you?

[00:08:39] Your kids are grown and gone or maybe you didn't have any children.

[00:08:44] You sell your house.

[00:08:45] You use that money for care.

[00:08:49] And that lasts for about five years, six years.

[00:08:51] What happens after that?

[00:08:53] Where does the money go?

[00:08:54] You're tapped out of money.

[00:08:56] Will that community say, you know what?

[00:08:58] Sorry, Mr. Miller.

[00:08:59] We know that you can't afford to stay here anymore and we've enjoyed having you, but you got to go.

[00:09:05] What do you do next?

[00:09:07] Where do you go?

[00:09:08] Nursing home.

[00:09:09] How?

[00:09:09] You can't get in there either.

[00:09:12] How do you pay for that?

[00:09:13] If you don't have long-term health care, which is something, unfortunately, I never subscribed to when I was younger because I never thought I would need it.

[00:09:21] Thank God so far I don't.

[00:09:23] But that's for those who have long-term health care.

[00:09:27] That's how they get it paid for.

[00:09:29] And after you've used up all of your assets except for your home, then you can apply for Medicaid and Medicaid then will take over that part of it.

[00:09:38] It is complicated.

[00:09:39] It's very complicated.

[00:09:41] But what you should know is that ElderSource is an agency here in Jacksonville.

[00:09:46] They have federal and state funds and private donations, and they are the conduit to Medicaid long-term waivers.

[00:09:56] So if you are at a certain income threshold, if your Social Security is $2,600 a month, I think the new number is $2,759 or something like that.

[00:10:10] You can't exceed that.

[00:10:13] And you're out of funds.

[00:10:14] Call ElderSource.

[00:10:16] They are the agency that will send the application, handle all of the paperwork, and get you the help that you need.

[00:10:24] That's great.

[00:10:25] Most people don't know that.

[00:10:27] You know, there are other organizations like that.

[00:10:29] I'm not exactly like ElderSource, but you've got the Community Foundation.

[00:10:34] You've got Aging Truths.

[00:10:36] Yes.

[00:10:38] You've got United Way that will help seniors.

[00:10:40] And then you've got a lot of philanthropists in Jacksonville who donate funds to help people, help seniors.

[00:10:48] How does Jacksonville rank with other Florida cities when it comes to providing services for seniors?

[00:10:56] From my understanding, we're doing okay.

[00:11:00] We're not great.

[00:11:02] That's interesting.

[00:11:03] I met with the director, the new chief of senior services recently within the last few weeks.

[00:11:09] She's been on the job for a couple of months.

[00:11:12] And one of her key priorities is to reach more seniors.

[00:11:23] Nobody wants to be called a senior.

[00:11:24] First of all, it's like a dirty word.

[00:11:26] I'm not a senior.

[00:11:27] You know, it's like that means you're old.

[00:11:30] I'm a senior.

[00:11:32] Not as senior as we are.

[00:11:34] I know.

[00:11:35] I will catch you at some point.

[00:11:38] I will catch you at some point.

[00:11:39] But we have a lot of work to do.

[00:11:42] You know, one of her things that she's mentioned to me was she goes, Michelle, we don't want to just play bingo.

[00:11:51] You know, I want to make sure that we have lifelong learning programs for adults that are 60 plus.

[00:11:59] I'm 60 plus.

[00:12:00] I'm a senior.

[00:12:01] I don't want to play bingo.

[00:12:02] Are you kidding me?

[00:12:04] No.

[00:12:05] What's wrong with bingo?

[00:12:06] Who plays bingo?

[00:12:07] I don't.

[00:12:08] The church.

[00:12:09] The Catholic church.

[00:12:10] I still think they do it on Tuesdays, but I'm not sure.

[00:12:13] Bingo's okay.

[00:12:14] Okay.

[00:12:14] Bingo's okay.

[00:12:15] But I'm not the bingo et.

[00:12:18] But if there is a lecture or a class or a travel adventure, you know, I would be interested in something like that.

[00:12:26] If there is a fitness class.

[00:12:27] Well, picking up on that, on this issue of bingo, it sort of goes back to your publication, you know, and on it, the moniker on your thing says, given this discussion, senior versus old.

[00:12:42] You have the pulse of the good life.

[00:12:44] Help us understand, because I thought that was very interesting, particularly given the way that you talked about that.

[00:12:51] Pulse.

[00:12:52] We all have one.

[00:12:53] Right.

[00:12:53] Thank God.

[00:12:54] So I was trying to be a little flip, you know, using my marketing expertise.

[00:13:00] Uh-huh.

[00:13:01] Pulse means we're still alive and breathing.

[00:13:04] Exactly.

[00:13:04] Seniors not old, not dead.

[00:13:06] Right?

[00:13:06] We're still alive.

[00:13:07] The pulse of the good life.

[00:13:09] And when you think about the good life, the good life is the life that you live today at whatever age, in my opinion.

[00:13:16] I think I have a good life.

[00:13:18] I take care of myself, I think.

[00:13:21] I still have a pulse.

[00:13:23] So the pulse of a good life sounds like, hey, this is great, you know, still alive.

[00:13:28] I couldn't call the publication longevity magazine or newspaper.

[00:13:33] I could have, but nobody would get it.

[00:13:37] Exactly.

[00:13:37] Yeah.

[00:13:38] Right.

[00:13:38] It's like being called AARP Jr., you know.

[00:13:42] It's First Coast Senior Living, the pulse of the good life.

[00:13:47] I thought it sounded refreshing.

[00:13:49] What do you think?

[00:13:50] I love it.

[00:13:51] I think it's great.

[00:13:52] I think the three of us, I will speak for us.

[00:13:56] I think we have a pretty good life.

[00:13:58] I think what I heard you say was staying active and the healthy part, there's a part in that that's very important.

[00:14:07] It is personal accountability and responsibility.

[00:14:09] Correct?

[00:14:10] Oh, absolutely.

[00:14:12] Activity is important.

[00:14:14] As opposed to bingo.

[00:14:15] As opposed to bingo.

[00:14:16] You got to get out and walk.

[00:14:18] You have to talk.

[00:14:20] You have to ride a bike or go to the gym or social interaction.

[00:14:25] Mike, Mike and Mike.

[00:14:27] It is very important.

[00:14:29] If I can jump in on that.

[00:14:31] One of the things that I have found that it's one of my pastimes, to be honest with you, is I go out to hear live bands and dance every weekend.

[00:14:41] Love it.

[00:14:41] I'm looking at who's playing where and whether or not there's a dance floor or not.

[00:14:47] And that's what I do.

[00:14:49] Are you a good dancer?

[00:14:51] I think so.

[00:14:53] I will tell you this.

[00:14:54] I go by myself.

[00:14:56] Does anybody dance with you?

[00:14:57] Yes.

[00:14:58] Oh, good.

[00:14:58] In fact, a number of ladies have come on.

[00:15:01] But here's the important thing.

[00:15:03] More than once?

[00:15:03] The interesting thing.

[00:15:04] Are they doing more than once?

[00:15:04] No.

[00:15:05] I've had enough of you.

[00:15:08] That's what I hear from everybody.

[00:15:10] I don't want to bring that up.

[00:15:11] No, no, no.

[00:15:11] But that's exactly right.

[00:15:14] But the point is that the people that are there, who I either am dancing with or not dancing with, are all my age.

[00:15:23] They're all in their 60s, 70s, and even into their 80s.

[00:15:26] And you should see them.

[00:15:27] They're out there dancing.

[00:15:29] It's a wonderful story for you guys, to be honest with you, of just seniors dancing all over the First Coast.

[00:15:36] There are great venues out there.

[00:15:37] Well, interestingly enough, in the paper, there is a section called hip joint.

[00:15:44] Get it?

[00:15:45] Hip joint.

[00:15:46] Arr.

[00:15:46] Arr.

[00:15:48] And that's where we feature bands, and we talk about different musicians and different places to go shake your thing.

[00:16:00] Shameless plug.

[00:16:01] Whiskey Jacks on Bay Meadows has fantastic groups every Friday and Saturday night.

[00:16:07] And Tom and Betty's in Orange Park.

[00:16:09] Tom and Betty's.

[00:16:10] Yes.

[00:16:10] They're still around.

[00:16:11] Oh, yes.

[00:16:12] Not the one that's on Roosevelt Mall.

[00:16:14] That's close.

[00:16:15] This is down now closer to Wells and 17.

[00:16:20] Yeah.

[00:16:20] So it's down there.

[00:16:21] But they have wonderful bands.

[00:16:22] I go there all the time to hear bands.

[00:16:24] And at Whiskey Jacks, I'm there just about every week.

[00:16:26] I used to go to the Whiskey Jacks at Marsh Landing.

[00:16:29] And they had fun bands.

[00:16:31] They closed up the one on Atlantic Boulevard, which is a shame.

[00:16:34] But yeah.

[00:16:34] You know, the other part.

[00:16:35] It's on the Marsh Landing, too.

[00:16:36] Yeah.

[00:16:36] The other thing is the gym that I go to.

[00:16:41] It used to be surprised that they had this.

[00:16:44] It's for people a lot younger, of course, come in there.

[00:16:48] But they talk about this is not judgment.

[00:16:50] And the number of people around my age are a little bit around that thing that come in there.

[00:16:56] You know, when I first went in there, you know, not quite as old as Talbert, but within a few months.

[00:17:03] But I thought I'd be kind of out there by myself.

[00:17:07] No.

[00:17:07] No.

[00:17:07] And they're on the treadmill.

[00:17:09] And some of them come in together.

[00:17:11] And it really does make a difference.

[00:17:13] And there's an interaction with that, which really kind of comes back to the question that Mike asked you.

[00:17:19] Given that, though, and given the person that you talked to, how would you grade Jacksonville now on looking senior citizen friendly?

[00:17:31] And what would you do to help us move the needle to a better spot?

[00:17:37] If you could do that, how would you move the needle?

[00:17:41] Great question.

[00:17:42] Mm-hmm.

[00:17:43] Let's all think about it.

[00:17:48] I would make sure that housing was okay.

[00:17:51] I wouldn't want someone to worry about how or where they were going to live when they ran out of money.

[00:17:58] Not many of us have endless pocketbooks.

[00:18:03] So I think if we took care of housing for our adults, our older adults, that's number one.

[00:18:13] Number two, food insecurities.

[00:18:16] We're working on that.

[00:18:17] There are lots of places in our area to get food if you need food.

[00:18:24] And, Mike, you mentioned Mike, Mike and Mike.

[00:18:27] Mike Tolbert, you mentioned about philanthropists.

[00:18:31] We have some great, great people in this city.

[00:18:35] Very generous.

[00:18:36] They give and they give and they give and they give.

[00:18:40] I don't know what it's like in other cities in terms of private donations.

[00:18:45] But I think we beat the drum on that one.

[00:18:51] Yeah.

[00:18:52] From my lens, we have some work to do.

[00:18:57] We have some work to do.

[00:18:59] I'll give you an example.

[00:19:00] The city of Jacksonville has an annual Christmas party.

[00:19:04] And that Christmas party is this year.

[00:19:06] Have you guys ever attended that?

[00:19:07] Yes.

[00:19:08] Oh, God.

[00:19:08] How was it the first one?

[00:19:09] Yeah.

[00:19:10] Is that right?

[00:19:10] How did that happen?

[00:19:11] Jake did it.

[00:19:12] Jake.

[00:19:14] He did it way back.

[00:19:14] He did it way back.

[00:19:15] What was the name of the woman that was named after her?

[00:19:17] I'm sorry.

[00:19:17] Duke?

[00:19:18] No.

[00:19:19] Drake.

[00:19:21] That's different.

[00:19:22] That was a different one?

[00:19:23] Yeah.

[00:19:23] Doris.

[00:19:24] Doris.

[00:19:25] Doris.

[00:19:25] Doris.

[00:19:26] Yeah.

[00:19:27] We're talking about two different things.

[00:19:28] Doris Drake was the judge who started the Christmas party for kids.

[00:19:34] For kids.

[00:19:35] That's right.

[00:19:35] That was for the kids.

[00:19:36] That's been the Christmas party you're talking about for seniors is something Jake started.

[00:19:41] How about that?

[00:19:42] Yeah.

[00:19:43] And how many years later?

[00:19:44] Here we are.

[00:19:45] Yeah.

[00:19:45] I don't want to tell you how many years it was.

[00:19:47] Well, the other thing that Jake did was the fishing thing that he and Jake and Mike put together.

[00:19:53] The fishing time down in Hannah Park.

[00:19:55] Yeah.

[00:19:56] That's real popular.

[00:19:57] And those two events, I know those sell out.

[00:20:01] Tickets are only $10.

[00:20:02] Okay.

[00:20:02] And there might be a few free tickets floating around somewhere, but there's 900 people that

[00:20:10] come to this Christmas party.

[00:20:11] Yeah.

[00:20:12] I mean, it's people that are in go-go mode, slow go, and no-go mode.

[00:20:18] I mean, it's...

[00:20:19] Well, you can go there and dance.

[00:20:21] There you go.

[00:20:22] I mean, you can.

[00:20:23] You have people dancing in wheelchairs.

[00:20:25] They've got line dancing.

[00:20:26] And the food is really, really good.

[00:20:28] I think last year was catered by biscottis.

[00:20:31] Ah.

[00:20:31] So it's not like, you know, Meals on Wheels open a plastic...

[00:20:37] It's not like sandwiches and french fries, huh?

[00:20:39] No.

[00:20:39] No.

[00:20:40] It's really good food.

[00:20:41] Don't go there.

[00:20:42] Don't go there.

[00:20:43] Wait.

[00:20:44] Does somebody feed you sandwiches?

[00:20:46] No.

[00:20:46] No.

[00:20:46] Are you kidding?

[00:20:47] We're much more important than just having sandwiches and french fries from a local drive-thru.

[00:20:56] I'm sorry.

[00:20:57] We're finished now with this show.

[00:20:59] Or we're going to have a new announcer.

[00:21:00] We're going to have a new announcer here.

[00:21:02] Mike Miller, this is his last show.

[00:21:04] So long, ringmaster general.

[00:21:07] I'm sorry.

[00:21:08] It's very rude.

[00:21:09] It was a private joke.

[00:21:10] And I had a couple of these guys at my house.

[00:21:12] And I will just say that my menu did not meet their standards.

[00:21:16] And they've never let me forget it.

[00:21:17] Is our producer going to edit this out?

[00:21:20] It wasn't peanut butter and jelly.

[00:21:22] No.

[00:21:22] No.

[00:21:23] No.

[00:21:23] No, it wasn't.

[00:21:24] A little bit better.

[00:21:25] There was no jelly.

[00:21:27] Let me move on to something a little more serious.

[00:21:29] You talked about housing, of course.

[00:21:31] And you talked about food deserts and things.

[00:21:33] But health care.

[00:21:35] Health care.

[00:21:35] The reality is a lot of seniors here in Northeast Florida have trouble living a good life because of the absence of health care.

[00:21:43] Florida is one of only a few states that's not yet expanded Medicare.

[00:21:48] Or taking advantage of the federal funding that comes along with that expansion of Medicare, which is a very important part.

[00:21:55] But while a lot of seniors are struggling just to afford life-saving health care, speak to that, including your own experiences.

[00:22:02] And does First Girls Senior Living address the issue of health care for seniors?

[00:22:06] And how do you do it?

[00:22:07] We do.

[00:22:07] We have a monthly column for health care.

[00:22:13] And we might talk about different health conditions.

[00:22:18] We did a piece on Medicare.

[00:22:21] It's open enrollment season right now.

[00:22:23] Yeah.

[00:22:23] Tell me.

[00:22:24] Really?

[00:22:25] Tell my phone about it.

[00:22:26] Your phone.

[00:22:27] Oh, my God.

[00:22:28] Yeah.

[00:22:29] Just don't even answer the phone.

[00:22:30] I know.

[00:22:31] I don't.

[00:22:33] But we've got some work to do.

[00:22:34] You know, I have to kind of tread lightly and not be too controversial, you know, because I don't want to offend anybody.

[00:22:43] Or you're in the wrong show here then.

[00:22:45] Well, you think about the insurance companies that are here.

[00:22:48] Yeah.

[00:22:50] I mean, we're not in bed with anybody.

[00:22:51] We're not tied to an insurance company where they say, please don't write about this or please don't write about that.

[00:22:59] Well, it's our first year.

[00:23:01] I think I'd tread a little lightly to start.

[00:23:05] You know, once I figure out where all the bones are buried, then we can address some of the more hardcore issues, I think.

[00:23:12] Picking up, though, Michelle, on that in the magazine, when people read the magazine, are you also sort of like a, I would call it like a ringmaster?

[00:23:27] If someone calls there and talks to you about something they have read, do you sort of direct them and say, this is to something about housing or health or something?

[00:23:37] Do you direct them sometimes?

[00:23:40] Sometimes.

[00:23:40] Always open to listen.

[00:23:42] Always open to listen.

[00:23:44] I get calls about transportation.

[00:23:48] How do I get transportation?

[00:23:51] I get calls about somebody who was mistreated.

[00:23:55] I get letters where people are needing help.

[00:23:59] I always respond.

[00:24:01] Oh, that's great.

[00:24:02] Always respond.

[00:24:05] One of the good things about publishing First Coast Senior Living is I can be a good resource.

[00:24:12] Right.

[00:24:12] And these are questions and answers that never would have crossed my mind before because I was not in this mix.

[00:24:20] That was not my career focus.

[00:24:25] But everybody needs help.

[00:24:27] I'll tell you what I noticed today, and you guys probably hadn't seen this yet, but the Jacksonville Transportation Authority today announced that seniors, adults, 65 and older, can ride for free.

[00:24:41] Actually, I'm sorry to interrupt, but Mike Blalock put that in place over 20 years ago.

[00:24:50] Is that right?

[00:24:50] Yes.

[00:24:51] Did it stop?

[00:24:52] No.

[00:24:52] I don't know whether it stopped because I haven't been with them for five years.

[00:24:55] But in the 15 years I was with JTA, we instituted that where it would be free for seniors to ride the buses.

[00:25:03] So they just sort of all they do is show an ID.

[00:25:08] I read something today.

[00:25:09] I guess it's a relaunch.

[00:25:11] Yeah.

[00:25:12] If you have a Florida ID card, you swipe that.

[00:25:16] Oh, that may be the thing.

[00:25:18] We never had a swipe.

[00:25:19] We just showed the driver an ID and that would get that person on board.

[00:25:25] So the swiping must be something different.

[00:25:27] That's what they probably did.

[00:25:29] And they have an Uber-like service for seniors.

[00:25:32] Yes, we do.

[00:25:32] It's called Rideshare.

[00:25:33] And we, yes, we, they, they do.

[00:25:37] And there's also the connection service that JTA runs, which is-

[00:25:41] Talk about that.

[00:25:41] That's the paratransit.

[00:25:43] That's for people that don't have other forms of transportation to get to doctor's appointments,

[00:25:48] to get to dialysis.

[00:25:50] Dialysis was always the biggest destination for the connection program.

[00:25:55] The connection, C-O-N-N-E-X-I-O-N.

[00:25:58] But that's a service that JTA has been running for as many years.

[00:26:03] As that has been around.

[00:26:05] JTA is designated the, what's called the CTC, which is the Community Transportation Coordinator.

[00:26:12] So as part of the requirements for federal funding, they must provide some kind of service for

[00:26:20] those people who need paratransit.

[00:26:22] And that's this, that's, and they, there's a company that they deal with that they, they're

[00:26:28] not JTA drivers.

[00:26:30] They're another company.

[00:26:31] I've forgotten who they're doing it with now.

[00:26:33] But they provide that service.

[00:26:34] There's a nominal fee because it's door-to-door service and you make reservations to pick you

[00:26:41] up because it's for doctor's appointments and things of that sort.

[00:26:44] So they have to be prompt.

[00:26:45] It can't be like normal bus routes where they're allowed to be late and nobody says too much

[00:26:50] about it except for the riders.

[00:26:52] But the connection service, one of the areas that we used to grade them on when every year

[00:27:00] was their time and whether or not they hit their times and how often they hit their times.

[00:27:05] Is it just for the disabled or if there's not a route nearby or?

[00:27:12] That's another program they have, if there's not a route nearby.

[00:27:15] But the connection service is you have to go through a physical, well, it's not a, this

[00:27:22] sounds right.

[00:27:22] It's a physical examination, but it's access.

[00:27:25] Can you, can you climb stairs?

[00:27:26] Can you get from one place to another?

[00:27:29] And if you can't?

[00:27:30] If you can't, then you qualify for connection.

[00:27:33] Okay.

[00:27:33] Sorry for a long dissertation.

[00:27:34] I want to kind of change the lanes a little bit on this.

[00:27:37] I want to go back to your original story.

[00:27:39] Okay.

[00:27:39] We have a, we have a very diverse audience and I'm, and I mean this respectfully in a couple

[00:27:44] weeks, two weeks ago, we were at Mike Miller's Jewish temple.

[00:27:49] Then there were some extraordinary folks that were there and then other folks.

[00:27:53] So we have, we have a tremendous age difference of gap for the people who listen to us.

[00:27:59] Going back to your story about the power of attorney.

[00:28:03] If you were someone who is younger than we were, and we're listening to this, what would

[00:28:08] you give him your experience?

[00:28:11] What would you be telling them if they have a senior member of their family?

[00:28:17] What would you be asking them or suggest they need to be doing?

[00:28:20] And if it was a senior member, what would you be suggesting to them that they need to

[00:28:25] be talking to their younger member, family members about?

[00:28:29] Starts with a P.

[00:28:31] Guess what it is.

[00:28:33] Three words.

[00:28:35] Two.

[00:28:37] Plan and prepare.

[00:28:39] Uh-huh.

[00:28:40] Okay.

[00:28:40] Plan and prepare.

[00:28:41] I mean, anything could happen at any time.

[00:28:43] You know.

[00:28:44] Plan and prepare.

[00:28:45] Plan and prepare.

[00:28:46] What happens if you were asked to do what I was asked to do?

[00:28:52] Would that be okay?

[00:28:53] Yeah, sure.

[00:28:54] I'll sign this today.

[00:28:55] But 20 years from now, you're off doing something else.

[00:28:57] What if you change your mind?

[00:28:58] If you change your mind, remember to change the document.

[00:29:03] Or if your situation changes yourself.

[00:29:05] Change.

[00:29:06] Change.

[00:29:07] Plan and prepare.

[00:29:07] Make sure if you are a senior that all of your wishes are known.

[00:29:13] You know.

[00:29:14] There are lots of online documents.

[00:29:17] There are free documents at libraries.

[00:29:20] Community hospice has documents.

[00:29:22] Your doctor's offices have documents that help you outline your wishes.

[00:29:30] The last thing you want to do is put somebody in a position to go through your stuff.

[00:29:36] And try to figure out where the money is.

[00:29:40] If it's in a pants pocket or under a mattress or is it in the bank.

[00:29:43] Where is the money?

[00:29:44] Have those conversations with your family members.

[00:29:47] They're tough.

[00:29:48] Nobody wants to talk about what if.

[00:29:52] And nobody wants to ask a sick person about their wishes because it may feel invasive.

[00:30:00] But you have to ask those tough questions.

[00:30:03] And plan.

[00:30:05] Thank you.

[00:30:07] And thank you.

[00:30:08] Time is running out, unfortunately, as I'm looking at the clock.

[00:30:11] Ran really quickly this afternoon.

[00:30:13] And Michelle, thank you so very, very much for joining us today.

[00:30:16] To talk about the publication First Coast Senior Living.

[00:30:18] You can pick it up at multiple locations.

[00:30:20] And we're running a list on the air so you can see where you can pick it up.

[00:30:24] Or you can go to the website, of course, at First Coast Living.

[00:30:28] FirstCoastSeniorLiving.com to pick it up.

[00:30:30] That is where you can find it.

[00:30:32] Before we sign off, I know Mr. Tolbert has something he wanted to bring into the story.

[00:30:37] Yeah, this is a totally different subject.

[00:30:38] And I appreciate the opportunity.

[00:30:39] You know, Saturday after Thanksgiving every year is the time for the Light Boat Christmas Parade downtown.

[00:30:49] And in 1984, after the South Bank Riverwalk had opened,

[00:30:56] Mayor Godbow said we need to program that riverwalk so people will come down there and enjoy the river.

[00:31:01] So there were dances and all kind of entertainment.

[00:31:04] He put Pat Craig in charge of the riverwalk.

[00:31:08] She'd been a member of my staff.

[00:31:09] And worked on the Jazz Festival and everything else with me.

[00:31:13] And Pat came up with the idea of the Light Boat Parade.

[00:31:17] Forty years later, it's still happening.

[00:31:19] Yeah, wow.

[00:31:20] And it's a glorious night for Jacksonville.

[00:31:24] Pat's no longer with us.

[00:31:25] But I just wanted to remind people about the gift that she gave us.

[00:31:29] Yep.

[00:31:30] And I understand they had a phenomenal firework display after it this year.

[00:31:33] They always do.

[00:31:34] Do they every year?

[00:31:35] Yeah.

[00:31:35] And they have 51 boats.

[00:31:37] Wow.

[00:31:37] It is.

[00:31:37] And it goes back to what that river is to us.

[00:31:42] Yeah.

[00:31:42] That gift.

[00:31:43] It is.

[00:31:44] Thank you.

[00:31:45] Michelle, thank you for what you're doing for our community.

[00:31:48] Yeah.

[00:31:48] Thank you.

[00:31:49] Seriously.

[00:31:49] It's good to reconnect with you guys and keep doing what you're doing.

[00:31:55] And thank Lori for the article again, too.

[00:31:57] She did a great job in writing that.

[00:31:58] Thank you.

[00:31:58] She really did.

[00:32:00] Fantastic.

[00:32:00] That's going to do it for another episode of Mike's on Mike.

[00:32:02] Thank you all for joining us.

[00:32:03] Our thanks to Dr. Alan Bliss and the Jacksonville History Center for their financial support of Mike's on Mike, and to the many donors who helped make these shows possible.

[00:32:12] And, of course, you can find us on Facebook, on our website, MikesonMike.com, or you can find it on Spotify or Apple iPodcasts or just about any other platform where you'll find your podcast.

[00:32:23] We'll see you all again next week.

[00:32:24] Have a good week, everyone.

[00:32:25] Y'all take care.

[00:32:27] Mike's on Mike.

[00:32:28] With Mike Tolbert, Mike Hightower, and Mike Miller can be found on your favorite podcasting platform, Facebook, and YouTube.

[00:32:36] Visit the website at MikesonMike.com.

[00:32:39] Join us next time for more conversation with Mike's on Mike.

[00:32:45] Mike.