BACKYARD ASSISTED LIVING FOR ELDERLY CAN SAVE STRESS AND DOLLARS

A 2010 AARP study revealed that 88% of the elderly want to live in their own homes in their own communities.  Grandma or Grandpa do not want to go to assisted living or a nursing home, so… what to do?

Consider MEDCottage, an open floor plan prefab 12’x24’ bedroom, bathroom, kitchenette unit, free-standing, that might fit into your backyard.  It includes high-tech monitoring and safety features, sometimes more or better than you can find in a nursing home.  Included are a microwave, washer-dryer combo and refrigerator.  Bathrooms can allow maneuvering a wheelchair.  Utilities and plumbing connect these temporary medical dwellings to primary residence, providing proximity to loved ones and reducing stress for all.

Cottage can cost under $50,000 new and some distributors buy it back after 24 months usage.  Nursing homes can run upwards of $6000 a month, making this purchase add up savings, while keeping an elderly person near their loved ones.  Professional care and meals will add to the cost.  Some health policies cover home health care.

Special rubber floors deter breaks when falls occur – “You can drop an egg from 18 inches onto the special flooring without breaking it.”  For safer bathroom visits, a runway mat that lights up when you step on it stretches from bed to toilet and turns off after 10 minutes.  A lift or trapeze hook is attached to ceiling tracks.  The hooks help with balance issues and the lift is for serious mobility challenges.  A camera can transmit to a house computer, e.g. with images of feet and ankles, in case of a fall.  More sophisticated equipment can be added, tracking various conditions and sharing the details with family and physicians.  An audio system can remind the patient to take medication and can text the caregiver.

Another prefab option is a Practical Assisted Living Structure, 14’x24’, with some models allowing access to the first floor of the primary home.

Forerunners of these updated homes, in the 1970’s, the Australians started building “granny flats,” simple backyard homes for the elderly.  Local zoning rules need to be checked out as some states allow these accessory dwellings for a family member and others don’t but may be considering appropriate legislation for them.  Some legislation states the cottages need a physician’s verification that the patient needs assistance with at least two daily functions,, e.g. bathing, eating and dressing.  The dwellings are removed when no longer needed.

Some long term care plans pay the patient for in home care and they can pay that to anyone, including a family member. 

Both companies above have facebook pages with more details and googling these companies can provide a great deal of further information.  Be aware of these solutions in case they are needed.

BOYNTON BEACH HOME VALUES 2001-2013

I-95 TRAFFIC RELIEF COMING SOON TO BOCA AND OTHER COUNTY AREAS

Have you noticed changes along the road on I-95 in Boca Raton?

Construction begins on the long-awaited I-95 new interchange, fourteen years in the making, with exit and entrance ramps going on to Spanish River Boulevard just north of the overpass, and leading directly to Florida Atlantic University.  Nearby exits on Glades Road, the most congested roadway in the county, and Palmetto Park Road, will get some traffic relief.  The downside is that this $66.6MM project will take three years to complete.  On the upside, FDOT is extending the city’s El Rio biking/walking trail under Yamato Road.

The ramp network will connect I-95, Spanish River and Yamato Roads with additional lanes on I-95 between the Glades and Spanish River interchanges and between the Yamato and Congress Avenue interchange.  Spanish River Road will be widened west of Florida Atlantic Boulevard.  The new FAU stadium will be more accessible.  One recorded comment from a student/retiree who wants to avoid the ensuing congestion is that her “next class will be in three years”.

New turn lanes or wider ramps are coming at other I-95 interchanges, including this year, construction at Woolbright Road, 10th Avenue North, Hypoluxo Road and Donald Ross Road.  Future improvements will be made at Atlantic Avenue, Linton Boulevard, Blue Heron Boulevard and  PGA Boulevard.

Installation of noise walls along I-95 has begun with construction near San de Vance and homes on Yamato near the entrance ramp.  Two bridges will be built over the El Rio Canal as part of the entrance ramps to I-95 and Yamato from Spanish River.  With one lane of traffic remaining open at all times, other lane closures will occur between 9 am and 5  pm Sunday thru Thursday.  Gear up with magazines in your car to browse when traffic is at a standstill, DVDs or radio to play, and texting to do safely.

THESE SIGNS YOU WILL PROBABLY NOT SEE

  

   

WATCH THIS BOYNTON BEACH NEIGHBORHOOD WEST OF THE TURNPIKE GROW AND THRIVE

 

Plans are being revived for a County Park west of Boynton Beach and Delray Beach on land donated by GL Homes who has built many communities in the area.  "We have got a lot of kids here," said Myrna Rosoff, president of the Coalition of Boynton West Residential Associations, which represents about 40,000 households. "There is no place for the sports. … The west Boynton area is underserved."

Plans for construction of a $14MM 50-acre park near Canyon Town Center shopping center were stalled due to budget problems.  GL Homes donated due to their effort to build new neighborhoods on farmlands.  The land starts at the southwest corner of Boynton Beach Boulevard and Acme Dairy Road in the county’s Agricultural Reserve, west of Boynton Beach and Delray Beach.

Envisioned are sports fields including soccer, flag football, lacrosse, baseball and softball diamonds.  The County plans to spend $500,000 to design and get permits for proposed Canyon Park for 2015, and they are seeking a way to find long term funding for the estimated $14MM construction cost.  Plans were not accepted for a half-cent sales tax increase that might generate $110MM for improvements to parks, roads, bridges and other infrastructure, but they are being discussed again, with the Coalition of Boynton West Residential Associations wanting the County Commission to let voters decide.

A tuition-free neighborhood charter middle school, Somerset Canyons Academy, has opened in Boynton on land donated by GL Homes.  For information about the school, see http://www.somersetcanyons.com/index.jsp.  Somerset Academy includes a series of high quality K-12 public charter schools throughout Florida, Texas, Nevada and Washington DC for over 16 years, with high schools ranking among state and nation’s top schools in US News & World Reports’ 2014 Best High Schools list and The Daily Beast’s 2014 list of top high schools.

 

For information about homes in the West Boynton Beach area, contact blog editor MARILYN JACOBS, Realtor with WEICHERT Heath & Joseph in Boynton Beach at 561-638-9818 or marilynfjacobs@gmail.com.

ABOUT WEICHERT REALTY

·       Independent research ranks Weichert.com among the top five of all real estate broker websites

·       Site averages over 3MM visits monthly and 700,000 to mobile website

·       Average visit duration of 11+ minutes outpaces most major real estate companies and in some cases nearly doubles them

·       Our full-time internet marketing team ensures maximum exposure by bidding on over 1MM keywords on major search engines to lead to Weichert.com

·       Weichert.com listings gain additional exposure on an ever-growing list of sites like Realtor.com, Zillow, Trulia, Wall St Journal and New York Times

Luxury Specialist MARILYN FARBER JACOBS is licensed with WEICHERT-Heath & Joseph, Boynton Beach – 82 agents in our office who may come to a caravan of your property when Marilyn lists it, for an open house!  Keep in mind that MARILYN KNOWS THE COUNTRY CLUBS, THE WATERFRONT, ACTIVE ADULT COMMUNITIES, HOMES IN A-RATED SCHOOL DISTRICTS and can list and quickly sell your property (even if it did not sell so far) and find you “the home of your dreams”!  Need an agent in another area?  No problem… ASK MARILYN!

MANDATORY CHANGES COMING TO YOUR DRIVERS LICENSE

Homeland Security developed the federal REAL ID ACT OF 2005 for the issuance of state-issued drivers licenses and identification cards.  After 2016, those under age  50  will need the new star on your drivers license for access to federal buildings and commercial airline flights (though 2 forms of ID suffice for airlines).  For those over 50, the date is 2017.  The purposes of this change are to reduce fraud and to fight terrorism.

This process cannot be done online.  You must appear in person at a service center (https://www.pbctax.com/locations) and have with you proof of date of birth, social security number and residential address.

If you need copies of these documents, see https://www.pbctax.com/sites/default/files/pdf/ENG_checklist_envelope_2013-04-02.pdf

LOCAL "TASTE HISTORY CULTURAL TOURS OF HISTORIC PALM BEACH" PROVIDES HISTORY, CULTURE, ART AND TRAVEL INFO

This multi-cultural culinary tour is for history buffs and foodies.  The Culture Trip, an international news agency cited this tour among their Florida’s 10 Best Food Festivals and Fiestas.   TripBuzz ranked this tour as #7 out of 118 nearby activities.  South Beach Wine and Food Festival and the Palm Beach Food and Wine Festival recognize this tour.

Visit 3 to 4 restaurants for hearty food tastings and trips to historic districts, unique restaurants, historic buildings, art districts and art galleries.  

Areas toured include Northwood Village/West Palm Beach; Lake Worth and Lantana; Delray Beach and Boynton Beach and private tours can be arranged. These local tours are available year-round and go on, rain or shine.

These guide-narrated 4-hour tours are done by bus for 15-20 people.  In Delray Beach, it’s early history is described from its first Midwest founders, William Linton and David Swinton, to early landowners including Henry Flagler and William and Sara Gleason.

Some eating experiences are standing-only.  Dietary restrictions and substitutions cannot be provided.  Some eateries are cafes, restaurants, bakeries, pastry shops, markets, food stands, an urban farm, historic buildings, cultural centers and art galleries.  See their facebook page for pix.

Tours are held on 2^nd, 3^rd and4th Saturdays at 11 a.m.  There is about 4-6 blocks of walking.  Tours travel through historic districts and neighborhoods.  Each tour varies its stops. 

Pre-payment of $40 per person is required; children under 18 are free when accompanied by an adult, but you must call to verify that space is available.  After February 15, 2015, the new tour rate will be $45 per person for Delray Beach, Boynton Beach, Lake Worth and Lantana; $50 per person for West Palm Beach as bus rental and insurance fees have gone up. 

Tours board at Macy’s outside east entrance at the Boynton Beach Mall in Boynton Beach.  The tours are sponsored partly by Macy’s, famous for its culinary tools department, and discounts are given to trip participants.

WHAT DO YOU THINK OF THE STATUE OF LIBERTY BECOMING A CONDO CONVERSION sez THE REAL DEAL

As a condo conversion, it would be hard to find the privacy, security and exclusivity plus the historic feeling and water views... and it is a landmark!

The article states that parking will be featured at the base of the statue along with high-end retail stores, a five star restaurants and maids quarters.  Affordable housing would be limited.  Applicants just have to pass the reasonable credit check.

See more including layout of condos and prices at: http://therealdeal.com/blog/2014/10/12/what-if-
the-statue-of-liberty-was-condo-conversion/#sthash.SFI2GuqF.dpuf

(THIS IS A SATIRE BUT CLICK THE LINK TO SEE THE 

IDEAS FOR THE INTERIOR OF THE STATUE) 

PALM BEACH CULTURAL INSTITUTIONS ARE FORGING AHEAD WITH NEW DEVELOPMENTS

The Dreher Park Zoo and Science Center are planning an ecotourism complex that is estimated to attract 2.2MM annual visitors, and to be the largest destination in the US focused on conservation and environment.  Cost slated to range between $93MM and $123MM, and result after 10 years, in an annual impact of $300MM. Joint venture agreement discussions to lay out roles and responsibilities are being held.  Plans call for a butterfly haven, rope canopy tour, IMAX theatre, outdoor Everglades exhibit, environment education center, and more.  Next February, completion is scheduled for the science center’s west wing, doubling its usable space over the past four years to 40,000 sq ft.  It’s last fiscal year ended with a $30,000 surplus.  By the end of the year, the zoo will have doubled the size of its Malayan tiger habitat.

 

 

The Norton Museum has begun rehabbing six historic houses it owns on Cranesnest Way and is planning an expansion to reorient the Dixie Highway entrance, and to add 15,000 sq ft of new or renovated gallery space.

Palm Beach Atlantic University’s 78-acre Marshall and Vera Lee Rinker Athletic Campus has raised more than $15MM to benefit the athletic campus, academic programs and scholarships.  The President of the College stated that the school’s economic impact on the community is $345MM.

GREAT AMERICAN PLACES NAMES WEST PALM BEACH'S HISTORIC CLEMATIS STREET AMONG TOP 10 BEST STREETS IN AMERICA

Since the 1890’s, Clematis Street has been the commercial district for Palm Beach County.  Initial surveyors and engineers for Henry Flagler’s East Coast Railroad (1893) planned the area’s configuration.  Since 1990 it has been a two-way street.  The 500 block is listed in the National Register of Historic Places since 1996.  A waterfront park and pavilion connects the waterfront to Clematis Street.  From the park you can walk the waterfront and admire the really big boats docked there. Since 2009, there is a new library and city hall complex.

Locals and visitors are drawn to the street with festivals, annual events and concerts.  Catch the trolley that connects CityPlace, train and bus stations, Palm Beach Atlantic University and downtown West Palm Beach.  Some call it, “Main Street,” and “the entertainment center of West Palm Beach”, a living room, where people relax, have fun, shop, dine and do business.  There are antique shops to browse, colorful boutiques to find that one-of-a-kind item, nightclubs, a movie plex and some upscale stores and restaurants nearby. Have a drink and dine at Bradleys across from the Intracoastal Waterway and enjoy crowd watching.  Architecture is authentic and eclectic, evolving over the last century, including every era and style. 

Historic buildings abound with shops and restaurants on the ground floors of historic buildings.  On higher floors you can find startups, small tech companies, and artists.  Residents’ non –traditional work schedules activate and energize the street, often in the later hours. Some retailers have been there for 100 years.  Drop in to Segway Tours, “the best way to see the area”, and voted # 1 by Trip Advisor of 24 West Palm Beach Activities.  Rent a self-balancing “Personal Transporter,” a motorized “scooter” that changes direction by leaning that way.  Modern dance clubs and health food emporiums are included.  “Clematis by Night” offers a fountain-side concert series, food art and children’s activities.  .  After browsing an art gallery, sit outside and have coffee or wine and cheese.  “SunFest,” the annual boat show and “Corvettes on Clematis” are well attended events with the area drawing about 80,000 visitors a week.

Nearby places to enjoy are The Kravis Center where top stars perform, the Convention Center with art, antiques and jewelry shows, and lots of interesting street browsing.  The area encompasses 5 blocks from Flagler Drive to Rosemary Avenue.

Next time you are looking to have fun, head over to Clematis Street!

ISREALIS DEVELOP BLOOD TEST FOR CANCER

Eventus Diagnostics, and Israeli life-sciences company, has produced a blood test for early detection of breast cancer, after 8 years of painstaking research.  Breast  cancer is by far the most common cancer in women worldwide, with 1.6MM new cases diagnosed in 2010. 

Called the Octavia Pink test, this first ever blood test to reveal cancer is available now in Israel and Italy and is undergoing clinical trials to receive US Food and Drug Administration approval.  It identifies markers that might indicate cancer or something else.  Its innovations also lie in its examination of antibodies in the blood to pinpoint this specific cancer.

The company released a peer-reviewed study that confirms the diagnostic accuracy of its Octava(TM) blood tests designed for use with screening mammography. The study showed that the Octava(TM) Blue test has excellent sensitivity and good specificity in helping to identify whether or not women who have had an abnormal mammography result actually have breast cancer. The study was conducted by researchers at Eventus Diagnostics and at major cancer centers in the U.S., Italy and Israel.

Galit Yahalom, Head of the 15-member Research Team, is a 43-year old Israeli mother of two who has worked on this project since its inception.  She says, “We know that it recognizes cancer as an external enemy that must be destroyed. It is possible that each of us has had instances of cancer we were unaware of, because our immune systems killed it when it was still very small. For whatever reason, the immune system of people with cancer is not functioning properly.” She also states, “For the last decade, we have known that there is a connection between cancer and the immune system.”

The Octava breast cancer tests are the first in a new class of rapid, accurate and cost-effective immune system-based blood tests that detect the presence or absence of cancer by measuring ratios of autoantibodies produced by the body in response to the presence of tumor-specific antigens.

For more information: http://www.israel21c.org/health/israelis-develop-first-blood-test-for-breast-cancer/

COME AND LOOK FOR A NEW BEST FRIEND...

APPARENTLY I'VE BEEN DOING IT WRONG ALL THESE YEARS...

http://cdnapi.kaltura.com/index.php/extwidget/openGraph/wid/0_u0r71mg5

WHAT IS LOCK BUMPING AND WHY SHOULD YOU KNOW ABOUT IT

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hr23tpWX8lM

 

HISTORIC INDEED... WITH ORIGINAL DETAILS... COME SEE THIS 1926 BEAUTIFUL UPGRADED HOME AND COTTAGE

Palm Beach County is known for its historic homes

 

Who's footsteps will you be walking in?

This property has been occupied by prominent locals

including a former Mayor of Palm Beach

 

 1926 Historic Home plus two apartments to rent out in separate cottage
* NOW UNDER CONTRACT *
Let Marilyn Find You a HISTORIC HOME!

El Cid Lafayette Park Neighborhood between Antique Row
and the Intracoastal Waterway
UPGRADES GALORE
Double Lot - 30'x15' pool - sizeable Yard

Front of house with Chicago Brick Pavers (all around grounds)

arched windows, pecky cypress arched wood door, arched French Doors

 

Side of house with Chicago Brick Pavers, luxurious "fauna"

Guest House has two entrances, kitchen, 2 apartments

Living Room - 20'x14' with working fireplace

Dining Room - 15'x12' with French Doors

Upstairs Master Bedroom - 21'x15' with updated gorgeous Master Bath

and Walk-In Closet with WINDOWS!

 

Kitchen - UPDATED - 16'x12'

 

Two more upstairs bedrooms, two downstairs dens

3880 living sq ft - High Privacy Hedges in Front and Sides

Beautiful, Tranquil, Serene Views from All Windows

 

GREAT house for entertaining and/or family fun

 

May I give you a tour?

Call Marilyn at 561-302-3388

 

GREAT HOME FOR A HISTORY BUFF

 

$999,000