More middle-aged women being treated for acneLee County student ran up and hit teacher in head, report shows
FORT MYERS More middle-aged women being treated for acne You probably thought you broke up with it after high school, but acne is rearing it’s ugly blackheads in adult women.
Lee County student ran up and hit teacher in head, report shows The report says a 13-year-old student ran up and smacked a teacher in the head because multiple classmates offered him money to do so.
Collier Planning Commission continues discussion for apartments near Fiddler’s Creek The developer of fiddler’s creek wants to build hundreds of luxury apartments on a slice of a 600 acre-plus property known as section 29.
CAPE CORAL Fatigue sets in for third day of FEMA hearings Flying several hours to come to a FEMA code compliance hearing in Cape Coral is the reality for John Gasparini from Maryland.
Prescription drug shortages lead to higher prices There are currently more than 250 medications on the nation’s drug shortage list, according to the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists. The organization says 2023 marked the worst year for shortages in about a decade.
Mental health resources to help children Here are some resources to help you navigate the mental health system when it comes to help for children. Park Royal Park Royal does not have in-patient options for youth; however, the facility’s launched a new intensive outpatient program for 14 to 17-year-olds. It typically last several weeks or months, and offers three to five […]
NAPLES Video: FWC releases bobcat after rehab stint at Naples Zoo Wildlife officials released a bobcat back into the wild after recovering from a broken leg at Naples Zoo for eight weeks.
Single-member vs. at-large voting debate intensifies in Lee County Three members of Southwest Florida’s state Legislature delegation hosted a public forum May 1 at Lehigh Acres Municipal Services Improvement District, established by the state in 2015.
Unsolved: sawfish deaths rise during Florida Keys mystery More endangered smalltooth sawfish deaths were reported in the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission’s weekly report.
Emails show beginnings, contradictions of South Seas resort amendment South Seas resort ownership group’s engineer proposed a land-use amendment for Lee County’s government at least six months before the first public discussions and at least seven weeks before the county’s official timeline began, emails between the resort’s representatives and county show.
ALVA SR 31: a dangerous road and persistent safety concern State Road 31 proves hazardous once again, with a recent fatal crash highlighting ongoing safety concerns. The road — particularly the stretch at the Lee/Charlotte county line — has seen numerous crashes, including Wednesday’s incident involving a 19-year-old who died after crashing with a car hauler. The Florida Highway Patrol has not released the victim’s […]
NORTH FORT MYERS Lee County deputy subdues convicted felon with Taser at North Fort Myers Walmart Lee County deputies used a Taser on a man after they raced through a North Fort Myers Walmart searching for him.
FORT MYERS 2 posing as Target Corporate employees steal over $6K at Fort Myers Target SWFL Crime Stoppers seeks information on two men who allegedly claimed to be employees of Target Corporate and stole over $6,000 at Target.
Punta Gorda cosiders fate of historic A.C. Freeman House It was built by politician and businessman Augustus C. Freeman whose name the house bears, and it was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1987.
CAPE CORAL Man arrested for armed robbery in Cape Coral The Cape Coral Police Department has arrested a man for armed robbery and giving a fake name to law enforcement.
FORT MYERS More middle-aged women being treated for acne You probably thought you broke up with it after high school, but acne is rearing it’s ugly blackheads in adult women.
Lee County student ran up and hit teacher in head, report shows The report says a 13-year-old student ran up and smacked a teacher in the head because multiple classmates offered him money to do so.
Collier Planning Commission continues discussion for apartments near Fiddler’s Creek The developer of fiddler’s creek wants to build hundreds of luxury apartments on a slice of a 600 acre-plus property known as section 29.
CAPE CORAL Fatigue sets in for third day of FEMA hearings Flying several hours to come to a FEMA code compliance hearing in Cape Coral is the reality for John Gasparini from Maryland.
Prescription drug shortages lead to higher prices There are currently more than 250 medications on the nation’s drug shortage list, according to the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists. The organization says 2023 marked the worst year for shortages in about a decade.
Mental health resources to help children Here are some resources to help you navigate the mental health system when it comes to help for children. Park Royal Park Royal does not have in-patient options for youth; however, the facility’s launched a new intensive outpatient program for 14 to 17-year-olds. It typically last several weeks or months, and offers three to five […]
NAPLES Video: FWC releases bobcat after rehab stint at Naples Zoo Wildlife officials released a bobcat back into the wild after recovering from a broken leg at Naples Zoo for eight weeks.
Single-member vs. at-large voting debate intensifies in Lee County Three members of Southwest Florida’s state Legislature delegation hosted a public forum May 1 at Lehigh Acres Municipal Services Improvement District, established by the state in 2015.
Unsolved: sawfish deaths rise during Florida Keys mystery More endangered smalltooth sawfish deaths were reported in the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission’s weekly report.
Emails show beginnings, contradictions of South Seas resort amendment South Seas resort ownership group’s engineer proposed a land-use amendment for Lee County’s government at least six months before the first public discussions and at least seven weeks before the county’s official timeline began, emails between the resort’s representatives and county show.
ALVA SR 31: a dangerous road and persistent safety concern State Road 31 proves hazardous once again, with a recent fatal crash highlighting ongoing safety concerns. The road — particularly the stretch at the Lee/Charlotte county line — has seen numerous crashes, including Wednesday’s incident involving a 19-year-old who died after crashing with a car hauler. The Florida Highway Patrol has not released the victim’s […]
NORTH FORT MYERS Lee County deputy subdues convicted felon with Taser at North Fort Myers Walmart Lee County deputies used a Taser on a man after they raced through a North Fort Myers Walmart searching for him.
FORT MYERS 2 posing as Target Corporate employees steal over $6K at Fort Myers Target SWFL Crime Stoppers seeks information on two men who allegedly claimed to be employees of Target Corporate and stole over $6,000 at Target.
Punta Gorda cosiders fate of historic A.C. Freeman House It was built by politician and businessman Augustus C. Freeman whose name the house bears, and it was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1987.
CAPE CORAL Man arrested for armed robbery in Cape Coral The Cape Coral Police Department has arrested a man for armed robbery and giving a fake name to law enforcement.
Diane Goldstein cares for her husband, Bob, who was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease. Credit: WINK News. Caregiving can take a toll on you financially and emotionally. About 48 million people in the United States are providing care to an adult family member or friend. For caregiver Diane Goldstein, it was never a question. “This is somebody that you cared about all your life,” Goldstein said. “If you love somebody, you don’t make that choice. That choice is you want to do this.” When doctors diagnosed her husband, Bob, with Alzheimer’s disease, she became his caregiver. “I realized now he retired because he could no longer handle what he was doing,” Goldstein said. “We certainly didn’t set aside funds to take care of him or with Alzheimer’s … We could not qualify for long-term care because, by the time I was approached that I should have it, Bob was already showing symptoms.” Goldstein feels fortunate that this happened to them later in life; otherwise, it could have been much worse. “We would have never been able to retire,” Goldstein said. “I would have had to give up working.” Jaclynn Faffer, the president and CEO of Naples Senior Center, explained caregiving takes a toll. “Seventeen percent of caregivers of people diagnosed with dementia quit their jobs either before or shortly after they become the caregivers of their loved ones,” Faffer said. “There is an estimate that there are 10 million family caregivers over the age of 50 who care for their loved ones, and it’s a loss of an estimated $3 trillion in wages, pensions, retirement funds and benefits.” “About 78% of family caregivers said that they’re paying out of pocket to help support the person that they’re taking care of, to the tune of on average about $7,200 a year, which is really significant. It came out to about 26% of the average annual income of these family caregivers,” said Jeff Johnson, the state director of AARP Florida. “They’ve either had to cut back their hours, or in some cases, they’ve picked up and taken on extra jobs because the cost of care has been so much.” But there is a new effort to provide some relief. “There is a federal bill that’s in both houses of Congress with bipartisan support called the Credit for Caring Act that would give a tax credit to family caregivers.” MORE: S.1670 – Credit for Caring Act of 2021 H.R. 2730 – Credit for Caring Act of 2021 If passed, the legislation would give working family caregivers up to $5,000 in federal tax credits. But retired caregivers or those who had to quit their jobs will have to wait for the next round. “Unfortunately, the Credit for Caring Act doesn’t cover everybody. It is for working family caregivers,” Johnson said. “Our hope, though, is that if we’re able to get this passed, then in future years, we’ll be able to expand it to include those folks.” That is unless they know where to look for help. “We’ve helped people get on Medicaid. We’ve helped people get a higher level of food stamps than they were getting before. So here again, once we’re made aware of the need, we can step in and make a difference,” Faffer said. “We happen to benefit from a program that the state funds that enables us to provide scholarships to people who can’t afford our respite program.” At the state level, Gov. Ron DeSantis set aside $6.7 million dollars for Florida’s Alzheimer’s disease initiative in the new budget. The program helps caregivers shoulder some of their financial burdens. MORE: Florida Department of Elder Affairs Sees Big Gains for Aging Services and Programs as Governor DeSantis Signs 2021-2022 Budget “My heart hurts for those people who are struggling to take care of their loved one, to be there with them 24/7, to pay for the drugs and not to have the support,” Goldstein said. “So many other people have no funds, and we don’t ask for that, and we don’t ask to take care of these people. It’s just there, and we’re doing it, and most of us do it out of love.” MORE: AARP – Credit for Caring Act Would Provide Tax Credit to Family Caregivers