Anita Finley, who publishes Boomer Times & Senior Life magazine,
is leading a series of C.U.R.E. (Cutting-edge Understanding of Research
& Education) symposiums. Tim Stepien/The Coastal Star
Anita Finley remembers how very kind and interested in her the elderly in Miami Beach were when she grew up there. Later, she observed how many people weren’t so nice to the senior population she had come to love and admire.
Finley drew on those feelings to become a gerontologist. She writes books and stories, publishes magazines, hosts radio shows, and has become a sought-after speaker on issues concerning an aging population.
She and her husband, Bill, 89, wrote a book called Live to be 100 Plus.
“I care very much about the older adults and want to help them live a long, healthy and satisfying life,” Finley, 74, said.
“My mother lived to 94 and my grandmother to 95,” she said. “We’re Hungarian. Good genes run in the family. They didn’t even exercise. They just lived their lives.”
That doesn’t mean Finley takes her health for granted. There is always a bowl of fruit on her counter and when she wants a snack, she reaches for an apple or a banana.
She cooks healthy dishes and she and her husband walk the beach most days. Some days, they swim in their lap pool, too. They live in a two-story house on the beach in Ocean Ridge, so they’re up and down the stairs many times a day.
As publisher of Boomer Times & Senior Life magazine, a publication the Finleys founded 22 years ago, Finley interviews many people, including local doctors.
The more she learned about them and cutting-edge medical procedures, the more she wanted to share the information beyond her magazine and weekly radio broadcasts on WWNN 1470 AM and WSBR.
So she started what have become very popular Boomer Expos at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Hollywood.
Her current project is C.U.R.E. (Cutting-edge Understanding of Research & Education) Symposiums at the Boca Raton Marriott. The next one is set for April 6.
“I keep hearing about people who think they have to fly north to find a good doctor, but I know we have great doctors doing great work right here,” Finley said. The symposiums give people a chance to meet some of them.
— Mary Thurwachter
Q. Where did you grow up and go to school?
A. I was born in New York, but grew up Miami Beach. I did two years of undergraduate study in literature at the University of Miami, have a bachelor’s of fine arts in radio and film from Sam Houston State University, and a master’s of professional services from Lynn University Institute of Gerontology.
Q. What are some highlights of your life?
A. I have three children and nine grandchildren, including two sets of triplets.
Q. What is your favorite childhood memory?
A. My mom cooking me all good things and my grandmother’s loving ways.
Q. How did you choose to make your home in Ocean Ridge?
A. Bill, my husband, was looking for a special community between Miami and West Palm Beach and found Ocean Ridge. We built our home here 22 years ago.
Q. What is your favorite part about living in Ocean Ridge?
A. The environment, the mixed housing and the proximity to the beach and I-95, and the small-town features.
Q. If someone made a movie of your life, who would play you and why?
A. Meryl Streep, because she seems to have very strong values and is so talented at her craft.
Q. What music do you like to listen to?
A. I like Carole King, Cher, Barbra Streisand, Frank Sinatra and Helen Reddy.
Q. Who/what makes you laugh?
A. Puppies and kittens, Lucille Ball, Robin Williams.
Q. Do you have a favorite quote that inspires your decisions?
A. “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.’’ And, ‘If you can’t put it on the front page of the newspaper, don’t do it.’’
Q. Have you had mentors in your life, individuals who have inspired your decisions?
A. My mom; John Barette, the director of the Miami art museum (and a former boss); and my beloved husband, Bill.
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