It might shock far too many TV executives that women in 2023 don’t die when they turn 50 years old!
What else but cluelessness would explain that while 63 million women in the United States are 50+ – that’s 20 percent- they receive only 8 percent of on-air screen time?
Fact is, these women are “the most active, ambitious, and influential group of women in a generation,” stresses Dorthy Miller Shore, board chair and CEO of Prime Women Media. What’s more, they account for 27 percent of all consumer spending, generally making household purchase decisions for video entertainment, wifi, mobile phones, and other products and services.
A popular digital community for women over 50, Prime Women tackles critical topics including health, fitness and beauty; small business, finances and retirement; volunteering and charity work; grandparenting, and caregiving. Now, Dorthy is expanding Prime Women Media’s reach with a 24/7 linear television network bringing informative, entertaining, and inspiring content to women in their prime.
Like Prime Women, the new TV network will embrace major subjects that impact women in their prime. It also will help redefine what it means to be a woman at this dynamic stage of her life.
Menopause changes women over 50, mentally and physically. It impacts their careers, relationships, health, appearances, and libidos. “We are the most active, ambitious and influential group of women in a generation, “Dorthy said. “Yet no television network gives us the information and inspiration that comes from seeing how other women like them are tackling these problems.”
Segments will cover subjects such as dating after divorce or widowhood; caring for a parent or spouse; overcoming ageism in the workforce; managing finances post-retirement, and discovering a second act. Building on the content of its online magazine, the Prime Women television network will educate and entertain viewers with documentaries, specials, and reality series, all featuring women over 50.
“Women over 50 embrace traditional television and love to channel surf. They may have a streaming service, but they are not cord-cutters. “This demographic is especially appealing to advertisers and to cable and satellite providers.”
The founder of Miller Ad Agency, an award-winning automotive and digital advertising agency, Dorthy is joined by four other accomplished women entrepreneurs, business leaders, and investors:
Valerie Freeman
Jan Fletcher
Kristine Davis
Deborah KauffmanValerie Freeman is a leader in the staffing, recruiting, human resource, and outsourcing sectors. Jan Fletcher is an executive in the nutrition, wellness, real estate and investment businesses. Kristine Davis currently co-manages a family-owned diversified investment company. Deborah Kauffman is a residential and commercial real estate investor and owner, as well as a philanthropist and community volunteer.
Life Line Screening compensated FOF with an advertising sponsorship to write this post. Regardless, I started having its health screenings years before this, and I only recommend products or services that I believe will benefit others. Geri Brin, Founder, faboverfifty.com
When my calves began to ache, I immediately thought about my former partner Edgar complaining of the same issue when he was sixty-something. Edgar learned his calf pain was a symptom of peripheral arterial disease (PAD), a circulatory condition which narrows blood vessels with plaque and reduces blood flow to the limbs.
PAD usually affects the arteries in the legs, like it did with Edgar. It also can affect the arteries that carry blood from your heart to your head, arms, kidneys, and stomach. And, it can lead to a stroke.
Most prevalent starting in our mid-fifties, PAD is associated with risk factors including diabetes, obesity, smoking (past or present), high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and genetics.
Since approximately 40 percent of undiagnosed PAD cases don’t have symptoms, a preventive screening is recommended for anyone with risk factors. As a former (heavy) smoker with elevated cholesterol, I made an appointment to be tested by Life Line Screening. I trust Life Line Screening because a previous screening test revealed a 50 to 70 percent plaque obstruction of my carotid artery.
The Value of Preventive Screening & Seeing the Right Doctor
The doctor who monitors my carotid artery will review the results of my Life Line Screening PAD test since he specializes in disease of the arteries and veins. And, if I ever need someone to unblock the vessel supplying blood to my neck, face and brain – or anywhere – I’d want my own vascular specialist to perform the surgery.
Life Line Screening’s stroke and cardiovascular disease risk screenings are designed to give us control over our own health care. By discovering issues early, we can take steps to prevent them from worsening. That’s what makes Life Line Screening a smart idea. A really smart idea.
Life Line Screening suggests you consult with a physician who has deep experience with your particular concern. My screening, for example, showed above average plaque in my carotid artery. Your primary care doctor can recommend a specialist to discuss next steps if he or she believes it’s necessary, particularly if test results are outside the ‘normal’ range.
“If you’re feeling well and have risk factors, screening is good,” my doctor told me. I fall into that category. Fortunately, the plaque in my carotid artery has remained stable.
The Life Line Screening Difference
Life Line Screening has provided preventive screening to millions, and at remarkably fair prices, since it began in 1993. When Life Line Screening recently contacted me about introducing its screening service to my FOFriends, I didn’t hesitate. After all, they discovered the plaque in my carotid artery at an early stage, and suggested that I see my own doctor. Pretty foolish not to heed their advice. Everyday Life Line Screening finds people across the country with significant carotid artery disease.
Besides the screenings for peripheral arterial disease and carotid artery plaque, a Life Line Screening special package offers two additional tests for:
Abdominal aortic aneurysm, a bulging, weakened area in the wall of the aorta, which is the largest artery in the body. Over time, the blood vessel balloons and is at risk for bursting or tearing, which can cause life- threatening bleeding and potentially death.
Heart rhythm aka atrial fibrillation or AFib, a quivering or irregular heartbeat that can lead to blood clots, stroke, heart failure and other heart-related complications.
All four screenings are only $159.
In And Out In 90 Minutes Or Less
Life Line Screening serves about 60 cities across the country each day. Teams at the screening sites include at least two ultrasound stenographers who hold certificates in ultrasound technology, and two medical assistants who are cross trained to perform tests including electrocardiograms for heart rhythm, fingerstick blood tests, and peripheral pulses.
While most people opt for the basic, four-screening package I described earlier, many decide to get their cholesterol and glucose checked during the same appointment. Life Line Screening offers 15 preventive screening blood tests, including thyroid function, vitamin D, and hemoglobin A1c for diabetes. It also provides a take-home test to screen for colorectal cancer. A call center with 300 trained employees helps participants decide what tests are right for them, based on their age, risk factors and medical history.
Testing is done in churches, at community centers, fraternal organizations and occasionally in hotel ballrooms. It also offers exclusive screenings for employees of large corporations as part of their healthcare plans. Life Line Screening’s goal is to get people in and out in 60 to 90 minutes, which includes paperwork and waiting time.
The Results Are In
A board-certified physician reviews most results before they are securely shared with you via an online portal within 7 days of your screening. Life Line Screening stresses the importance of sharing atypical results with a physician so you can take appropriate action if necessary.
People generally have their first stroke and cardiovascular disease risk screening at 50 years old, but patients in their 40s with a family history of early strokes, for example, get screened too.
Get preventive screenings once you’re age fifty, whether or not you have symptoms. And pay attention to what you learn.
Treat your ears and mind to affordable, medical-quality hearing aids you can buy online
We’ll sprint to the salon to banish the first signs of gray. Dash to the dermatologist to zap furrows in our brow. Seek a surgeon to lift suddenly sagging breasts.
But when we start straining to hear our dinner companion over the din in a crowded restaurant, or the dialogue in our favorite streaming series, we quickly chalk it up to natural aging.
Big mistake. Pretending we know what someone is saying to us is not a good look. Worse, untreated hearing loss can lead to cognitive decline, isolation and dementia, asserts the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders. Yikes!
Of the 28.8 million Americans who could benefit from hearing aids, just 16 percent of adults under 69 years old and 30 percent of those over 70 have them.
HOW CAN SO MANY SMART PEOPLE MAKE SUCH A DUMB DECISION?
It’s actually an easy question to answer!
Millions of us are embarrassed to admit we need hearing aids, as if wearing them confirms we’re not only older, but weak. Besides, they’re so big, bulky and unattractive.
And the price! Hearing aids can cost thousands of dollars. Think as much as $8K.
What’s more, an audiologist must perform a hearing test and write a prescription. Who has time for that!
HEAR! HEAR! YOU CAN STOP MAKING EXCUSES
Hearing aids today are actually compact, stylish and available in colors that complement our hair. They tuck firmly behind the ears, so someone would have to be nuzzling you to know you’re wearing them. Maybe not even then.
And, thanks to new regulations and new technology, we can now buy FDA-certified, medical-quality hearing aids over the counter – or online – for a whopping 80 percent less than traditional aids.
I’ve been wearing ridiculously high-priced aids since I started miss-hearing words about a decade ago. So I was intrigued to try new Lexie Lumen $799 hearing aids from Lexie Hearing that reportedly would perform every bit as well as my expensive style.
“Our team of audiologists, scientists and engineers has developed the hearing aid technology to put the power in the hands of the consumer,” explained Seline van der Wat, COO at Lexie Hearing. By eliminating costly recurring visits at healthcare professionals, Lexie Hearing can bring its hearing aids to market at exceptional prices.
SEE BOX BELOW TO LEARN ABOUT LEXIE HEARING AND ITS THREE LEXIE MODELS
I could purchase Lexie Lumen in person at stores including Walgreens and Best Buy, or order online, which I did. The hearing aids arrived within a week, along with one of the clearest, well-written, easy-to-understand user manuals that’s ever accompanied a product I’ve purchased.
The manual explains everything you need to know about your new hearing aids: Setting them up; properly placing them in your ears; cleaning and storage; changing the volume and listening environments. The Lexie app also explains through animation how to set up the hearing aids.
When your aids are ready to be automatically programmed to your hearing check results through the Lexie app on your phone, you’re guided through the simple steps. If you’re not entirely comfortable doing this on your own, ask a friend or relative to help. I assure you it’s quite easy to accomplish. You won’t need a computer engineering degree!
After wearing Lexie Lumen for almost three weeks, I can confirm they allow me to hear every bit as well as my uber-expensive model. Everything sounds louder, crisper and clearer. You truly can’t understand what a difference it makes to hear properly again. Think about how you can miraculously read small print and highway signs with your prescription glasses.
Unlike the costly rechargeable hearing aids, Lexie Lumen requires batteries and can’t connect to my iPhone or TV. Considering the massive price difference ($799 V. $7K), who cares?
If you’ve never worn hearing aids, it may take you a few weeks to get used to them. Your brain will be surprised to receive signals it’s been missing, and needs time to again become familiar with the high-frequency sounds of speech and environmental noises.
The Lexie app also gives you access to:
Lexie Hearing is so convinced Lexie hearing aids will make a consequential difference in your life, it offers a 45-day free trial. If you don’t hear the difference during the first 45 days, return Lexie for a full refund.
No questions asked.
Hearing Loss Isn’t a Good Look!
Wake up your ears – and brain – to the sweet sounds of Lexie
Lexie Hearing At A Glance
WHAT’S THE HISTORY OF LEXIE HEARING?
hearX Group began in 2016 by selling clinical digital tools to audiologists and other medical professionals that allowed them to screen hearing in low-income communities at affordable prices.
“Our smart, evidence-based digital tools provide clinical, screening and self-test solutions for easier, more efficient and cost-effective hearing care. We have pioneered digital hearing solutions to detect, diagnose and treat hearing loss around the globe,” explained Seline van der Wat, COO at Lexie Hearing.
The company branched out to the consumer side in 2020, when Lexie Hearing was born.
CAN EVERYONE WEAR LEXIE HEARING AIDS?
Lexie is suitable for individuals over 18 years old with perceived mild-to-moderate hearing loss. It is necessary to see an audiologist for more severe hearing loss.
WHAT’S THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE THREE LEXIE MODELS?
Lexie Lumen $799 or $42 a month for 24 months*
Battery-operated, these bluetooth-enabled hearing aids can be customized according to your hearing profile. Sounds are transmitted through a tube. Available in five colors.
Lexie B1 Powered by Bose $849 or $47 a month for 24 months*
Self-fitting and battery-operated, these bluetooth-enabled hearing aids can be customized according to your hearing profile. Sounds are transmitted through a wire. Available in gray.
Lexis B2 Powered by Bose $999 or $49 a month for 24 months*
Self-fitting and rechargeable – a three-hour charge lasts 18 hours – these bluetooth-enabled hearing aids feature a receiver that sits in the ear canal. Sounds are transmitted through a wire. Available in gray.
* Lexie hearing aids can be purchased with Flexible Spending (FSA) or Health Saving Accounts (HSA)
ARE LEXIE HEARING AIDS THE SAME AS SOUND AMPLIFIERS?
Definitely not. Amplifiers simply amplify everything. Lexie hearing aids can be programmed to work effectively in every hearing environment, including noisy restaurants, everyday use, outdoors and when you’re listening to your favorite music. They will block out background noise in a restaurant so you can hear your dinner companion.
DO MEN OR WOMEN BUY MORE HEARING AIDS?
Lexie Hearing is seeing more online purchases from women, but said they might be purchasing for their husbands. The two Bose models tend to attract a 45+ year old, tech-savvy male audience.
HOW DO I REALLY KNOW IF I SHOULD WEAR HEARING AIDS?
If you suspect you have hearing loss, but Lexie hearing aids aren’t making a difference in your life, you can send them back – no questions asked – within 45 days. It’s crucial to understand that it takes at least one month to get used to them, and should be worn for increasingly longer periods every day during the break-in period.
Life Line Screening compensated FOF with an advertising sponsorship to write this post. Regardless, I started having its health screenings years before this, and I only recommend products or services that I believe will benefit others. Geri Brin, Founder, faboverfifty.com
As a young woman, I rarely paid attention to the results of the routine blood tests from my annual physicals. Blessed with good health, I was blissfully ignorant that the doctor took my blood to check for certain infections, diseases and conditions, not to mention the performance of my vital organs.
Now that I know better, I’m always grateful when my blood tests reveal that my body seems to be in good working order. Considering the many health issues that can arise with every passing year, the tests can detect problems early, when treatments can be most effective.
And thanks to breakthroughs in medical technology, we can safely, painlessly, and privately perform many crucial blood tests ourselves – right at home – with Life Line Home Tests from Life Line Screening! Prices are super affordable, too!
Life Line Home Tests is a division of Life Line Screening, a national leader in community-based preventive health screenings since 1993. Test categories include General Wellness, Sexual Health, Men’s Health and Women’s Health. Specific tests include a FIT Colon Cancer Screening Test; Vitamin D & Inflammation Test; Liver, Kidney, Hepatitis C Test, Heart Health & Diabetes Test and more.
“At-home lab tests enable customers to purchase affordable and convenient health tests and take charge of their health in the privacy of their own home,” said Joe Jahnke, president and CFO of Life Line Screening.
As a long time fan of Life Line Screening’s preventive health screenings, I was excited to see how its home testing process works. I ordered the Heart Health & Diabetes Test for two big reasons: (1) Heart disease is the leading cause of death for women in the United States, claiming the lives of 314K women in 2020, and (2) Diabetes increases a woman’s risk of heart disease by about four times (CDC). What’s more, my mom developed Type 2 diabetes in her seventies, which increases my risk for getting it too.
The Heart Health & Diabetes Test measures total cholesterol, HDL (high density lipoprotein) cholesterol, calculated LDL (low density lipoprotein) cholesterol, triglycerides, hs-CRP (high sensitivity C Reactive Protein) and HbA1c (Hemoglobin A1c). The Hemoglobin A1c blood test shows your average blood sugar (glucose) level over the past three months and is the gold standard for diagnosing diabetes.
Of the 38 million people with diabetes in the United States, 20 percent aren’t aware that they even have this disease, which can involve serious complications, stressed Dr. Benjamin Gerson, Laboratory Director of Life Line Screening. Symptoms may not be obvious in the early years, and Life Line Home Tests provide a convenient way to check if you might have diabetes, Dr. Gerson added.
My compact test kit arrived a few days after I placed the order. Easy-to-follow instructions explain precisely how to collect a small blood sample using a little plastic lancet that pricks the skin of a finger. It’s completely painless, I assure you.
Illustrations then clearly show how to deposit the blood drops from your finger onto a collection card. Once the sample dries, the card goes into a foil bag. The foil bag goes into a prepaid mailer, and you’re done. The entire process took about 10 minutes.
To ensure quality, the blood analysis is performed in laboratories certified by CLIA (Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendments of 1988) and accredited by the College of American Pathologists (CAP). All test results are reviewed by independent, board-certified physicians licensed in your state before you receive the results.
A barcode sticker with a unique ID identifies each kit and is used to track your sample as it’s being processed. The ID is assigned to you when you register your kit online, and is matched to your sample when it arrives at the lab. After processing, the lab transmits the results with the unique ID. You will receive your results online within 3-5 days of the lab receiving your sample.
Test kits start at $79 and include shipping. They can be purchased through HSA and FSAs,
and are available throughout the U.S., except in New York State due to regulatory restrictions. Life Line’s Home Tests can be purchased online at www.lifelinescreening.com/hometests
Matt knew his mother needed to adjust energy and macronutrient intake (fats, carbs & proteins) to avoid gaining weight and fat, and maintaining good health. So he created a meal plan, and had it packaged in an app to benefit her and other women like her. The plan features whole foods rich in protein and fiber, as well as micronutrients (vitamins & minerals) and phytonutrients (compounds found in plants and mushrooms). 
Although you’re encouraged to track your meals on the app, you can forget about the dreadful practice of counting countries. “Food loses its identity when all you do is count calories,” Monika said. Besides, we develop unnecessary guilt feelings if we consume even an extra 50 calories. Instead,
