John R. Wood Properties is #1 in market share in SWFL. They are a luxury residential real estate brokerage with over 60 years of industry and market experience. More than a local brand, they are a highly revered organization offering best-in-class training and data resources for its agents, broad international exposure to buyers, and highly-focused marketing resources that drive results for sellers. John R. Wood Properties currently has over 500 real estate agents, is in the process of opening their 16th office in the area, and actively serves Marco Island, Naples, Bonita Springs, Estero, Fort Myers, Cape Coral, Ave Maria, and Sanibel/Captiva Islands. For more information, visit www.JohnRWood.com.
Avow was founded in 1983 as Collier County’s original, nonprofit hospice. Today, Avow’s nonprofit companies provide palliative care consultations for adults facing chronic or serious illness, hospice care and bereavement support services for children and adults
Avow delivers a better quality of life by providing comfort, care, understanding and dignity to those who are seriously ill and their caregivers, as well as those mourning a loved one’s passing. We are a support system in our community, providing our services to anyone who needs them, including those whose loved ones were not in our programs. We also support those who are suffering the illness or loss of a companion animal.
Avow’s promise is to help members of our community provide care at home and live at home during an illness or death, surrounded by the people, pets and things they love most. We are teachers and guides, offering our expertise and loving support but always respecting the beliefs, choices and wishes of those we serve.
We often make positive, life-altering changes in someone’s life in as little as a moment. Therefore, even if our time with a patient, family member or community resident is brief, we bring it our full attention and focus on resolution and healing.
Help for Those in Grief
Whether you’ve lost someone who utilized our hospice care or not, Avow welcomes the grieving with open arms.
The following grief support services are available to anyone in the community…
Grief and bereavement support through individual or group meetings and regular follow-up.
Support for children who will or have experienced the loss of a parent or other loved one.
Help planning a private memorial service, if desired.
Community memorial programs including Butterfly Releases and Avow RememberingSM memorial services. Invite family and friends. Click Here To Learn More(Check ourcalendarfor the date of our next offering or call us.).
Pet Loss Support, for those who have suffered the death of a companion animal.
Support for the mind, body and spirit
Dealing with the symptoms of any painful or serious illness is difficult. Palliative care can help. Palliative care can be offered at the same time you’re receiving treatments for your illness. Its primary purpose is to relieve the pain and other symptoms you are experiencing and improve your quality of life.
Live your life more comfortably
Palliative care provides relief from distressing symptoms including pain, shortness of breath, fatigue, constipation, nausea, loss of appetite, problems with sleep and many other symptoms. It can also help you deal with the side effects of the medical treatments you receive. Most important, palliative care can help improve the quality of your life.
Palliative care also provides support for you and your family and can improve communication between you and your health care providers.
It’s never too early to learn about the benefits of hospice care. It’s not just for people in the last days of their lives. The reality is that, in many cases, hospice care can actually help people live longer. In virtually every case, hospice care brings significant comfort, peace and dignity to patients who are fearful, vulnerable, confused or exhausted from curative medical treatments that have failed to stop the progress of their illness.
Hospice cares is for people who are terminally ill and have an estimated lifespan of six months or less. Hospice is for anyone, of any age, who has a life-limited illness.
Each hospice patient and family has a team working together that supplements, but does not replace, the care provided by families, staff at an adult living facility, and other full-time caregivers.
Caregiver Support Programs
Caring for someone with a serious illness can be very rewarding, but it can also be difficult and overwhelming. Avow is here to ease your mind and help you cope. We offer a variety of services including support groups, volunteer support and help finding resources in the community that can help you.
Avow’s caregiver support groups are open to anyone in the community; neither the caregiver nor the patient needs to be associated with Avow’s hospice services in any way. Attendees may be parents, spouses, children or friends of people suffering from cancer, dementia, heart disease, Parkinson’s disease, stroke, frailty or any other condition. Attendees can participate at whatever level they feel comfortable. Group leaders also help caregivers find resources in the community for whatever types of assistance their loved ones may need. See the link at the bottom of the page to view monthly support group schedules.
The Seniors Blue Book is Southwest Florida’s most comprehensive and reliable source to find and compare Senior Housing such as Retirement Communities, Assisted Living, Memory Care, Skilled Nursing. Health at Home options like Home Health Care, Non-Medical Home Care, Hospice and Senior Resources.
Mission Statement
The mission of The Seniors Blue Book and SeniorsBlueBook.com is to provide seniors, caregivers and senior professionals a comprehensive source of services, senior housing options, resources and information that enrich the lives of our elder population while affording those businesses and individuals serving that population a unique medium to present their products and services
Our History
The Seniors Blue Book was first published in 1983 by Clifton Chadwick. At the time Cliff was 69 years old and enjoying his retirement when his wife experienced a debilitating stroke. Cliff became her full-time caregiver, a job he cherished, but he was distraught that there was no place to turn for a comprehensive list of resources and services. It was from the love for his wife and commitment to his community that the Seniors Blue Book was born.
It wasn’t until fifteen years later in 1997, when Cliff was 83 years old, that Gil & Marion Hersch crossed paths with Cliff and the Seniors Blue Book. With a history in publishing and Gerontology Gil & Marion were very impressed with the publication Cliff had nurtured along and wanted to become a part of it. After Cliff was certain that Gil & Marion had enough integrity to take over the guide and keep intact the many free listings and helpful editorials that he had published, Gil & Marion took over the Seniors Blue Book and soon joined forces with their children Oliver & Samantha. SeniorsBlueBook.com was launched soon after their arrival in 1999.
Today
In 2009 Gil & Marion went into “semi-retirement” and the majority of the day-to-day operations are now controlled by Oliver. The Seniors Blue Book and SeniorsBlueBook.com has grown from a small 40 page publication serving one market into serving 27 markets throughout the United States. Our largest guide, South Metro Denver, is now over 300 pages. We print over 2.7 Million Senior Blue Books annually and SeniorsBlueBook.com receives over 500K page views annually. The Hersch family truly appreciates and values the opportunity we have had to work with and help the many communities we serve. We are looking forward to continued growth and providing this incredibly valuable resource to more communities in the future.
Senior & Caregiver’s Resource of Choice
The Seniors Blue Book and SeniorsBlueBook.com is the resource of choice in every market we serve. We are committed to providing the most complete and comprehensive resources available and are constantly working on compiling new information, expanding our distribution and enhancing existing categories. We list over 70 categories of information, most of which are free resources that support the community. We understand that there are many valuable services available, whether they are paying advertisers or not, and we are proud to support the communities we serve by listing all options available to our readers, not solely based on advertising. Seniors and Caregivers also love our senior activities calendar where they can find out about local events and activities, many of which are free, all of which are worthwhile.
Professionals Resource of Choice
The Seniors Blue Book understands the value of having a strong relationship with the professionals that serve the senior population, particularly with Case Managers, Social Workers and Discharge Planners. We now publish a special printing, just for Case Managers, Social Workers and Discharge Planners, that not only lists the comprehensive comparison grid information they have become accustomed to, but also lists address and fax #’s to help make their jobs a little easier. Additionally we offer a professionals networking calendar and a job opportunities page as well.
Senior Housing Solutions, the first locally owned senior housing placement company in Southwest Florida is celebrating its 10th anniversary. In the last year, the company has successfully expanded its market base to cover both Collier and Lee counties. In addition, consumers have access to a free online Preferred Provider Network of services for seniors. This expansion resulted in 38 percent revenue increase in the first quarter of 2018 compared to the same time frame in 2017. “We started in 2008 when our local economy was taking a nosedive. To start something during that time took a great deal of fortitude and perseverance,” said Bruce Rosenblatt, founder of Senior Housing Solutions. In addition to their free referral service, Senior Housing Solutions has also organized senior housing bus tours as a way for people to tour senior living properties in the area and produced educational seminars for many organizations, churches and civic groups. Rosenblatt also authors a senior housing column for the Naples Daily News. “We are passionate about providing knowledgeable advice to our clients. Therefore we stay current on significant trends in the marketplace and quality of care at the various facilities in the area.” The firm engages with other senior-related organizations including the Leadership Coalition on Aging, CAMEO of Lee County and Naples Interagency Council. The Preferred Provider Network is available for free to the public at seniorhousingsolutions.net.
Senior Housing Solutions is locally owned and operated. We have been proudly serving Lee and Collier counties since 2008. Being locally owned and operated, what does this mean to you?
Firsthand knowledge
One of the most important aspects of being locally owned and operated is our firsthand knowledge of all the senior living communities in the area. We make it our passion to get to know each community in the area so we can provide you with expert advice on which community best fits your needs, lifestyle and finances. We stay current on pricing, availability, operational and staffing issues as well as trends in the market place. Yes, you can try to do it on your own, however wouldn’t it better to make one phone call and find the right solution? Being a qualified resource to you is our core mission.
Quality reputation
Our reputation is everything to our business. Since 2008, we have established ourselves in the local community as a qualified and trusted resource. We are not a franchise and are not controlled by any outside influences. We build trust with our clients and from that relationship, we grow our business through referrals. We also partner with other quality businesses in the area and support them in their efforts. In fact, our online Eldercare Directory is a free resource for people looking for reputable businesses that we feel comfortable recommending to you.
We live here
We are residents of SWFL and are familiar with the wonderful lifestyle in our area. We dine at the same restaurants as you and play golf and tennis at similar clubs that you belong. We watch our amazing sunsets and walk on our beautiful sandy beaches. We attend the same cultural events as you and participate in local charities and religious events along with you. Our parents and our friends live in this area too. We understand why you enjoy this lifestyle and want to maintain it.
Personally, I have lived in this area since 1992 and Peggy has lived here since 1974. I am a native Floridian and a graduate of Florida State University. My dad was one of the first men to attend FSU (which was originally a college for women). I have a unique connection with our Florida history and a special appreciation for the Florida nature and ecosystem.
Community-minded
Dear to my heart is our desire to give back to the community. During Hurricane Irma, I personally volunteered with Operation BBQ Relief and served over 126,000 meals to people in need to people in our area and in Keys. We are active in our places of worship and donate either monetarily or with our time to many worthwhile causes in the local area. Being community-minded is who we are. It defines our character and provides a solid foundation with the people we serve.
Advocate for area seniors
As an advocate for local area seniors, I have served on the board of Area Agency on Aging for Southwest Florida, Jewish Family Services, Napes Interagency Council and the Retirement Housing Council for the State of Florida.
We are proud to support the many seniors and their families in the area and look forward to building even stronger ties in the greater community in the future.
The Seniors Blue Book was first published in 1983 by Clifton Chadwick. At the time Cliff was 69 years old and enjoying his retirement when his wife experienced a debilitating stroke. Cliff became her full-time caregiver, a job he cherished, but he was distraught that there was no place to turn for a comprehensive list of resources and services. It was from the love for his wife and commitment to his community that the Seniors Blue Book was born.
