Those of us in tourism usually talk in superlatives but it's no exaggeration that the Quad Cities will be the epicenter of tourism in Eastern Iowa and Western Illinois during National Travel & Tourism Week on May 3-11, 2014, as we celebrate $7.6 billion in visitor spending in Iowa and $29 billion in Illinois.

Iowa's Power of Tourism motorcoach will make a stop at the Iowa 80 Trucking Museum at the Iowa 80 Truckstop in Walcott from  11:15 to 11:45 a.m. on Monday, May 5th.  This eye-catching motorcoach is making a 2,000 mile, 9-day visit across Iowa to showcase how vital tourism is to Iowa's economy.  You are invited to attend! www.traveliowa.com/epiciowaroadtrip

Then from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Wednesday, May 7th, the Iowa 80 Trucking Museum will host the Eastern Iowa Tourism Association general membership meeting.  Nearly 100 tourism promoters from throughout Eastern Iowa will meet to discuss ways to promote Iowa and hear Dublin, Ohio, CVB Director Scott Dring speak on "License to Steal."

Join the Quad Cities CVB for the Grand Opening & Ribbon Cutting for the new Visitor Center location at the Quad  City International Airport in Moline at 10 a.m. on Thursday, May 8th.  The new location is near baggage claim. Refreshments and parking validation provided.

All of this follows the Quad Cities hosting nearly 75 international tour operators and journalists on FAM (familiarization) tours who attended IPW in Chicago in early April.

The U.S. Travel Association reports that visitors to Scott County, Iowa and Rock Island County, Illinois generated total direct expenditures of $810 million; $40 million in state taxes; $12.8 million in local taxes; and 7,680 jobs with a total payroll of $142 million.

That's the Power of Tourism!

Festivities take place all day at the 11th St. Location 

Davenport, IA/ April 14, 2014 - Rudy's Tacos is celebrating Cinco de Mayo with a big party starting at noon on Saturday, May 3rd located at their newly renovated 11th Street location in Davenport.  Bands this year include, "The Blues All Stars", "Pieces of Candy" and "The Hooks".  The big news this year is the Taco Eating Contest starting at 5:00pm.  Those who would like to participate for a grand prize of a $100 Rudy's Tacos Gift Card can register at the 11th Street location in the Village of East Davenport.  As in the past, there will be great food and drink specials to celebrate the day as well.

So what is Cinco de Mayo all about??  Cinco de Mayo or May 5th in English, is a day commemorating the anniversary of a battle where Mexican forces defeated French invading forces against great odds.  This early victory in the campaign to drive the French out, is known as the Battle of Puebla, and it took place on May 5, 1862.

About Rudy's Tacos: Rudy's Tacos was founded in 1973 by Rudy and Marilyn Quijas. This first restaurant located at 2214 East 11th Street in the Village of East Davenport, seated 15-20 people. By 1977 the business had out grown the tiny building.  Work began in the late fall tearing down the old building, and the new larger building opened for business in the summer of 1977. Since the late 70's Rudy's business has grown to include 11 other locations in both Iowa and Illinois.

3 Tips for Choosing an Assisted-Living Home for Your Parent
Expert Also Shares the Biggest Mistake You Can Make

Seventy percent of people age 65 and older will need long-term care at some point in their lives, according to a 2014 study by CareScout, a division of Genworth Financial Services.

"But that doesn't mean they have to sacrifice their quality of life," says Peder Johnsen, CEO of Concordis Senior Living, www.concordisseniorliving.com, which owns, operates and develops senior housing communities.

"In fact, a person who needs some assistance with day-to-day living will often find he or she is much happier in a good assisted-living community with an atmosphere that reminds them of their former home."

And it doesn't have to be outrageously priced, notes Johnsen, a third-generation ALF operator whose family pioneered the contemporary congregate community model.

The median price for a private, one-bed home in an ALF community is $42,000, he says, citing the CareScout report. By contrast, a semi-private nursing home bed costs a median $77,000 a year.

But it's up to prospective residents and their families to ascertain the quality of the community and whether it's a good match for the person who will be living there.

"ALFs are not federally regulated and states vary widely on the breadth of oversight they provide, so you can't necessarily rely on the law," Johnsen says. "And don't rely on salespeople either - that's the biggest mistake people make."

There are, however, a number of easy ways to see if a home has a truly caring atmosphere and well-trained staff.

Johnsen offers these tips:

•  Ask to see the home's state licensing survey, an assessment that usually includes inspections, audits, interviews with residents, etc.

Every state has an ALF licensing agency and all have some form of survey system for ensuring that certain standards of quality are met, according to the Assisted Living Federation of America.

"Requirements vary from state to state about how often the surveys are conducted and how the public can access the reports, but no matter what state you live in, you should be able to ask the ALF for its most recent report, or obtain it from the licensing agency," Johnsen says.

The surveys will tell you if problems were found - or not - and what the ALF did to address them.

•  Visit the ALF during non-business hours.

Go before breakfast or after dinner - times when the administrators aren't around. What's the atmosphere? How do employees behave with the residents?

"That's a good time to talk to residents, too," Johnsen says.

Be a "mystery shopper," he suggests. Pretend you're just visiting the community - not scouting it out as a prospective customer.

•  Ascertain how truly "homelike" the community is.

In your own home, if you don't feel like eating breakfast at 7:30 a.m., you don't have to. You can have breakfast at 10. You can get snacks when you want them.

"Depending on what's important to your loved one, there are potentially many rules that can affect how 'at home' a person feels," Johnsen says. "Some communities allow residents to have pets, others don't. Some provide lots of activities. At some, residents can quickly and easily arrange for transportation or a service like hair styling."

Not every community can offer everything, he notes. That's why it's important to look for those features that are especially important to your loved one.

About Peder Johnsen

Peder Johnsen is the CEO of Concordis Senior Living, www.concordisseniorliving.com, which owns, operates and develops senior housing communities. He's a third-generation assisted-living specialist whose grandfather and father built one of the first contemporary-style ALFs in Florida more than 30 years ago. Johnsen took over administration of two small facilities at age 18. Today, he specializes the full spectrum of ALFs - from "ALF lites," where most residents live very independent lifestyles but know assisted-living services are available if they should need them, to homes specializing in care for residents with Alzheimer's and dementia. He is an industry leader in staff development and training, and has overseen the development, acquisition and financing of several communities.

QUAD CITIES - The Epilepsy Foundation announces Illinois Epilepsy Awareness Day on May 14, 2014.  Individuals with epilepsy, parents of children with epilepsy, and supporting family members and friends will join with representatives of the Epilepsy Foundation throughout the state to meet with Illinois State Representatives at the statehouse in Springfield.  Discussed will be issues relevant to those living with Epilepsy including the support of Illinois Senate Bill 2636.  The bill, which adds seizure conditions, including those characteristic of epilepsy, to the list of qualifying medical conditions in Illinois' Medical Cannabis Program was passed by the Illinois Senate by a vote of 49-5 on April 2, 2014.  The bill has been sent to the House for approval.

The Iowa Senate just recently voted 36-12 to approve their Senate File 2360. The bill creates a licensing system for patients with "intractable" epilepsy and their caregivers to pursue treatment with cannabidiol, an oil derived from marijuana.  Patients or their caregivers who receive a neurologist's recommendation for cannabidiol would be able to apply for a state-issued identification card allowing them to possess and use the oil without fear of prosecution under state marijuana laws.  That bill has been sent to the Iowa House for approval.

The Epilepsy Foundation's national office issued a press release on 2.20.2014 calling for increased medical marijuana access and research:

http://epilepsyfoundation.org/news/Epilepsy-Foundation-Calls-for-Increased-Medical-Marijuana-Access-and-Research.cfm

• 1 in 26 have or will have epilepsy at some point in their lives - that means over 14,700 people in the Quad Cities Metro Area currently have or will develop epilepsy, a neurological condition that include recurring seizures.

• Approximately 1/3 of those will live with uncontrolled seizures.

• People living with uncontrolled seizures live with the continual risk of serious injury and loss of life.

• Illinois has a law that lists 35 other conditions for which medical marijuana may be prescribed.

• Unlike 18 of the other 20 states that permit the use of medical marijuana, epilepsy is not included in the conditions for which marijuana may be prescribed under Illinois law.

• In vitro and in vivo evidence exists of the impact that cannabidiol ("CBD") can have on seizures, as well as anecdotal human evidence.

• For epilepsy, the useful form of marijuana is an oil; it is not smoked.

• It is high in CBD and low in THC, the hallucinogenic component of marijuana.

• There is no alternative recreational use for this form of marijuana; it is formulated to treat seizures.

• It is appropriate to allow patients, parents and physicians the ability to determine collectively if the compassionate use of medical marijuana is reasonable in each individual epilepsy case, including intractable pediatric cases.

• Illinois residents suffering from seizures should be afforded the same benefits available to those suffering from any of the 35 conditions included in the Illinois medical marijuana law.

• Illinois families shouldn't have to split up and move out of state in order to gain access to a viable treatment for intractable seizures.

• Senate Bill SB2636 Adds "Seizures, including those characteristic of Epilepsy" to the list of qualifying conditions.

• Senate Bill SB2636 also adds pediatric patients, under the age of 18, suffering from "Seizures, including those characteristic of Epilepsy" as qualifying patients.

For more information contact the Epilepsy Foundation - Quad Cities at 309.373.0377 or email to efqc@efncil.org.

Epilepsy affects 65 million people worldwide.  Epilepsy is the fourth most common neurological disorder in the U.S. after migraine, stroke, and Alzheimer's disease. Its prevalence is greater than autism spectrum disorder, cerebral palsy, multiple sclerosis and Parkinson's disease combined. 1 in 26 will develop epilepsy at some point in their lifetime:  that translates to over 14,700 individuals in our Quad Cities region.

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