Mature Arkansas

Mature Arkansas MARCH 8, 2012

STILL ON A MISSION Milton Crenchaw, TUSKEGEE AIRMAN Page 8

ALSO in this issue

More housing options pages 2, 12, 15

Get a good night’s sleep pages 4-5

Make retirement income last page 14

MATURE ARKANSAS

march 8, 2012

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from th e editor

H O U SI N G E D I T I ON , part two

More Housing Options Getting a Good Night’s sleep

By Anne Howard Wasson

T

his week we finish our two-part emphasis on housing options in central Arkansas, with a look at Adult Day Services (ADS).

This option for family caregivers is important because it keeps families together and saves money. ADS provides a safe and stimulating place during the day for those who cannot be left alone.

If you need a nursing home, the tips on page 2 will help you find the best facility for your needs.

The relatively new service of hospice care is explained on page 13. Hospice is good healthcare for end-of-life needs and focuses on the quality of life. Talk to any family who has used hospice and you’ll understand why this popular service helps patients and families in more than 43% of American deaths.

Need a break from caregiving? Respite care is available from a variety of sources. Good caregivers need a respite in order to keep providing care—see page 13.

Paige Parham is back with part two of Mature Arkansas’ fourpart series on sleep. She explains what happens in a sleep study on pages 12-13.

I had the great honor to meet the last surviving instructor for the Tuskegee Airmen this week. Milton Crenchaw is an Arkansas treasure and an extraordinary role model. I know you will enjoy reading Cal Wasson’s retrospective cover feature on Mr. Crenchaw.

Learn how he helped change World War II history, along with Eleanor Roosevelt and Seaman Dorie Miller.

We Want To Hear From YOU MATURE ARKANSAS welcomes letters or emails from readers on any subject of interest to older Arkansans. Letters to columnists are also welcome. Email your letters to annewasson@arktimes.com and include “letter” on the subject line.

phone 501-375-2985

Mature Arkansas Publisher Alan Leveritt Editor Anne Wasson Art Director Mike Spain Assistant to the Editor Paige Parham Photographer Brian Chilson Director of sales Katherine Daniels Account Executive Erin Holland Production Manager Weldon Wilson Production Assistant Tracy Whitaker

ad Coordinators Roland Gladden Kelly Schlachter Graphic Artists Bryan Moats Katie Cook Controller Weldon Wilson Office Manager Angie Fambrough IT Director Robert Curfman Billing and Collections Linda Phillips Circulation Director Anitra Hickman

Mature Arkansas is published each week by Arkansas Times Limited Partnership, 201 East Markham Street, 200 Heritage Center West, P.O. Box 34010, Little Rock, Arkansas 72203, phone (501) 375-2985. Reproduction or use in whole or in part of the contents without the written consent of the publishers is prohibited. Manuscripts and artwork will not be returned or acknowledged unless sufficient return postage and a self-addressed stamped envelope are included. All materials are handled with due care, however, the publisher assumes no responsibility for care and safe return of unsolicited materials. All letters sent to Mature Arkansas will be treated as intended for publication and are subject to Mature Arkansas’ unrestricted right to edit or to comment editorially. All content © 2012 Mature Arkansas

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2 march 8, 2012 MATURE ARKANSAS

Tips to Pick a Great Nursing Home W

hen choosing a nursing facility, it is important to visit and get a feel for the building, the staff and the services they offer. If you are helping a loved one make this decision, involve them at every step of the selection process. The transition will be easier and more successful if the future resident feels this is their choice.

The following tips will help you decide: • Visit each facility you are considering. As you tour the nursing home, remember it is not the décor that counts. It is the quality of care you will receive and the variety of services and activities available, that will make it seem like home.

• Cleanliness—is it clean and does it smell fresh? Look past the furniture and paint colors and into corners, baseboards and windows.

How often is housekeeping provided? Odors could either mean a lack of cleanliness or just a temporary problem caused by a recent incident. If you find odors in a concentrated area this may indicate a single incident. Odors throughout the community are likely to indicate a widespread problem.

• Observe residents’ activities. Are they well attended? Does the staff seem to be enjoying the activity as well? View the events calendar. Do the events and activities interest you? Look for small and large group activities, trips or outings. Inquire about religious services if this is important to you.

• Staff attitude, friendliness and number of staff are of the utmost importance. Do staff listen and make eye contact with residents?

Do they treat the residents with respect, both in word and attitude?

Do you feel welcome while you tour? Get a good understanding of the staffing pattern, specifically about hands-on, direct care. Check staffing patterns at night. How many licensed nurses are available?

What Medicare Pays

It is a myth that Medicare will pay for

L

ong-term care (LTC) includes services and supports delivered over a sustained period of time to people with chronic care needs.

LTC can be delivered in any setting a person calls home, including a nursing home or other institution, assisted living facility, adult day center, hospice and other community-based settings.

Medicare does NOT include a comprehensive LTC benefit. What it does cover includes: •Up to 100 days of care in a Medicare-certified skilled nursing facility after you have spent three days in the hospital, and if you need skilled care • Home healthcare if you receive services through a Medicarecertified home health agency, and require skilled care and meet other criteria

Is the manager willing and available to meet with you? Do you have confidence in the facilities’ management style and experience?

• Observe outdoor areas that are available to residents. Do they feel safe and secure? Do staff use the same area for breaks? Do they host activities such as gardening in these areas? Is there a place to sit and enjoy nature?

• Safety and security features should be evident. Are bathrooms accessible and do they have grab bars in convenient locations? How does a resident contact staff if they have an emergency in their room?

What other safety features are available in residents rooms and throughout the community? How are medications managed?

• Ask questions about personal care. Are current residents cleanshaven, with wellgroomed hair and nails, and dressed appropriately? Discuss bathing options. Ask about the circumstances under which a resident could be asked to move?

What type of notice is required by you and the facility?

• Trust your instincts. As you tour, imagine yourself living there and being comfortable. Do you feel at ease and welcome?

The property doesn’t have to be the most beautiful to be the best place to live comfortably.

Consider taking an objective family member or close friend for a second tour, at a different time of day. Listen to others’ observations of the facility and then follow your instincts.

Chenal Adult Day Center

“Sharing the Caring.”

Home Setting Rich in Socialization Nutritious Meals, Daily Activities Medication Management Memory & Cognition Program Therapeautic Techniques & Activities Caregiver Support

501-716-9180

ChenalAdultDayCenter.org ElderChoices Medicaid Waiver Program Arkansas Licensure Financial Assistance

Trust your instincts. As you

tour, imagine yourself living there and being comfortable. Do you feel at

ease and welcome?

• Discuss meal choices and ask about dining hours and procedures. Be sure to taste the food and meet some of the residents in the dining room. Discuss what happens if a resident cannot make it to the dining room for a meal.

• Amenities and other services should be observed, such as laundry service, special units for dementia patients, private rooms versus having a roommate, and common areas for activities.

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If you are interested in learning more about Mature Arkansas and how you could promote your business or services, please contact us at matureadvertising@arktimes.com or call 501-375-2985.

Excellence Within Reach!

Our mission is to provide a quality, affordable living experience to the elderly in a faith-based community committed to the dignity of our residents.

Good Shepherd sits on a 145-acre campus located off Aldersgate Road in the heart of West Little Rock and provides convenient access to West Little Rock’s medical, financial and retail business districts.

your long-term care needs.

• Hospice care for people who are terminally ill (six months or less), as certified by a physician.

If you have a chronic illness or disability and need LTC support services, you will need to find another way to pay for it. If you have a low-income and few assets, you may be eligible for Medicaid.

Medicaid programs can pay for home healthcare, nursing home care and some other LTC services. Check with your county office of the Department of Human Services for details.

Private pay and private LTC insurance are other options.

The Veterans Administration has a LTC program called Aid and Attendance that provides financial assistance to help families pay for LTC. Call toll free 855-260-3274 for details. This service can also pay for the LTC of a veteran’s surviving spouse.

Over four hundred elderly residents live in four apartment buildings surrounded by tree-covered landscape that includes an 8-acre lake.

• Affordable housing with no sacrifice to service • Four living facilities - the Moore, the Rhinehart and Shepherd’s Cove, which caters to independent living, and the Roberts Building, a Residential Care Facility • 24-hour Security and/or Staff on duty • On-site exercise facilities • On-site beauty salons • Personal emergency alert pendant systems • Three full-service dining rooms offering home-cooked meals • Transportation with fully equipped wheelchair lift vans • An award-winning wellness program • A family atmosphere in a faith-based community

Call Today For More Information! 501-224-7200 MATURE ARKANSAS

march 8, 2012

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health n B y Pa ige Par ham

Getting a Good Night's Sleep

Part II

What's a Sleep Study Like?

J

ennifer Daniel, 62, of Little Rock, has had distractions like the dog wanting to go outside,” levels…just a lot of things. We also pay attenvarious issues with sleep throughout her life. she says. “I felt tired as soon as I settled in, and tion to the movements of the patient. Do they When her spouse complained about snoring wanted to get the show on the road!” jerk and twitch? Are they sleeping on their and restless sleep, she decided it was time to The polysomnographer taped and glued back, which can sometimes cause snoring and talk to her doctor. After assessing her for health electrodes and sensors to record her brain apnea problems? We take all this data, over the issues that could be causing sleep problems, activity, oxygen levels, and other information entire sleeping period, and figure out what is Daniel’s doctor referred her to a local sleep as she slept. Massey says, in preparation for the causing this individual’s poor sleep.” Massey clinic for an overnight sleep study. Daniel’s test, you should bathe or shower at home. Do says if the first few hours of testing indicate a says she was nervous and not sure what to not use any lotions or creams as they can interclear apnea problem, it’s not uncommon for expect at this appointment, as are many people fere with the adhesives the technicians use. the technician to wake the patient and fit them referred to a sleep study.

“When they attached the sensors, it wasn’t with a CPAP, or positive airflow machine.

A sleep study is an overnight visit to a sleep painful,” Daniel says. “It took a bit of getting The CPAP treats the most common form of clinic during the hours you normally sleep. The used to the wires in the bed, but once I settled sleep disorder, obstructive sleep apnea. Apnea sleep clinic is set up to monitor your body and down with my book I didn’t mind them at all.” is a disorder that causes abnormal pauses in the changes it goes through as you sleep. John After the technicians finish hooking you up to breathing during sleep. It can cause sympMassey is a registered polysomtoms such as snoring, nographer, certified respiratory restlessness, frequent therapist, certified pulmonary waking and fatigue. function technologist and superThe CPAP consists visor of the Mercy Sleep Center of a mask that is placed at St. Joseph’s Mercy Hospital over the patient’s mouth, in Hot Springs. Massey says nose or possibly both. most sleep studies are covered The CPAP blows a little by insurance policies, Medicare puff or stream of fresh, and Medicaid. oxygenated air into the “Your first step will be to talk sleeper’s mask to open to your primary care physician, up the obstruction in the who will then order a study. We patient’s airway. Tubes set up a convenient time to come connect the mask to in.” Massey says people who the CPAP machine. do not keep “normal” sleeping Sometimes, after a hours can schedule their study CPAP is prescribed, a during the day or early evening, second sleep study is if that’s when they normally conducted to adjust sleep. “We have a room we can the CPAP machine to A bank of computers track and process data from a sleep study completely black out – you’d make it more effective. at Mercy Sleep Center. never know it was daytime,” This process consists Massey says. “We try to fit our of measuring the blood studies to the patients; it’s the best way to get the monitors, you can go about your nightly oxygen content of the patient constantly while them to sleep as they would at home.” routine. You can stay up as late as you wish. If the CPAP machine is in place.

When you arrive at the clinic, you’ll be you are taking medications regularly, you will Benefits of CPAP treatment can be felt immeshown to your room. It generally looks like take them as normal during for the study. diately, in many cases. With proper oxygena high-end hotel room, equipped with a full Once you turn off the lights, the monitoring ation, deeper levels of sleep can be obtained or queen-sized bed covered in luxury linens. begins. Sleep labs are equipped with nightand the healing processes present during sleep These rooms offer a comfortable, home-like vision cameras, allowing the technicians to resume. In a “split” sleep study the patient atmosphere, allowing patients to relax and watch the patient and record their movements. is woken up halfway through the night and unwind. Most sleep center rooms, like Mercy’s, Data from the monitors are transmitted to a fitted with a CPAP machine. Massey says they have televisions and snacks available for late system of computers, where the polysomnogracomment the next morning on how it was the night cravings. pher and his technicians monitor the informabest night’s sleep they’ve had in a long time.

Daniel was anxious to get started. “It was a tion and look for patterns that indicate sleep In patients with apnea, getting more oxygen much more restful sleeping environment than problems. Massey explains, “We look at eye to their brains makes a huge difference in the sleeping at home, maybe because there were no movements, heart rate, airflow, blood oxygen quality of their sleep. This improvement in 4 march 8, 2012 MATURE ARKANSAS

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Providing care in a 50 mile radius around each location.

A CPAP machine blows air into the mask to open the obstructions in the patient’s airway. sleep quality is the main reason patients keep using their CPAP machines.

Not all patients have apnea and not everyone needs a CPAP. The Mercy Sleep Center clinic sees patients with a variety of disorders, including insomnia, restless leg syndrome and narcolepsy. Pulmonologist Nizar Suleman, MD, the center’s medical director, says, “The most common sleep disorder we see is obstructive sleep apnea but there are other complex disorders we diagnose in our lab. We try to see patients without apnea upstairs in the Sleep Clinic,” Suleman says. “Other sleep problems are better treated by the patient’s primary care doctor.” Suleman say after the sleep test is completed, “we give the primary care doctor a report that says, ‘Here is the problem and here is what needs to be done to fix it.’ They can take that information and treat them, or we can treat them upstairs in our sleep clinic. In fact, right now, we’re trying to implement a comprehensive follow-up program so that we don’t drop the ball at any point,” Suleman added.

Daniel had a restful night of sleep during her stay at the clinic, and was diagnosed with obstructive sleep apnea. She received a CPAP machine to take home and sleep with every night. “Since I have been sleeping with the CPAP, I feel more awake during the day,” Daniel says. “I am sleeping deeper and longer, and I don’t feel like I need a nap every afternoon.

It’s really changed my life!”

Next week, our sleep series will explore the different types of positive air pressure machines and what it’s like to use one.

Annual subscriptions to MATURE ARKANSAS are $60 per year for 52 issues, via the U.S. Postal Service. Send your check to: Mature Arkansas, P.O. Box 34010, Little Rock, AR 72203-4010. Allow three weeks for processing. Expect mail delivery to take about a week.

support your community

A vote FOR refinancing the library’s capital improvement bonds will decrease property taxes and lower the library’s interest rates on its bonds.

A vote FOR the library is a vote FOR books • eBooks • DVDs • parking audiobooks • CDs • children’s materials genealogy resources • meeting space Arkansas history materials • land for future library

Vote FOR the library on Tuesday, March 13.

Paid for by the Coalition for Neighborhood Libraries; Bob Razer, treasurer

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The arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice. — Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr.

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CALEN DAR P I C KS

Learn About Gardening, Yoga, Music, Cooking and Ballet 7 free lectures and 3 fundraisers

By Paige Parham Mar 8 – “Abelard to Apple: Th e F at e o f A m e r i ca n Colleges and Universities” lecture, Clinton School of Public Service, Sturgis Hall, Little Rock, 6:00 PM. Professor Rich Demillo argues that American colleges are clinging to a centuries-old model of higher education and must adapt to new technologies. Reservations at 683-5239 or www.clintonschool. uasys.edu M ar 8 – Gar d e n i n g 1 0 1 Workshop: Daffodils and Gar d e n W a l k , Gar v a n Woodland Gardens, 550 Arkridge Road, Hot Springs, 9:30 AM – 12:00 PM. Daffodil enthusiast Kay Shearer will give the‘basics’of the daffodil and show how daffodils can be used in the landscape. Workshop cost included in admission to Garvan Gardens--$9 for adults; $8 for seniors over 55; $4 for ages 12-5; free for under age 5. For more information, call 262-9300 or visit www.garvangardens.com

the Dr. and Mrs. Warren Boop Memory Care Program at Presbyterian Village.

Enjoy heavy hors d’oeuvres, entertainment, live and silent auctions. Tickets are $100; to purchase call 225-1615.

Mar 8 – Beginners Yoga at the Terry Branch Library, 2015 Napa Valley Drive, Little Rock, 6:30 PM. This free class will teach basic yoga techniques, taught by Sage Yoga School. Bring yoga mat and wear comfortable clothes. Registration is required; spaces are limited, 228-0129.

Mar 8 – Live at Laman: The Blue Fiddle Band, Laman Library, 2801 Orange Street, North Little Rock, 7:00 PM. Blue Fiddle is the long, rich history of American music, including Irish, bluegrass, folk, roots, jazz and polka. Call 758-1720 or visit www. lamanlibrary.org for more information. Free M ar 9 – “ Th e W i z ” at Th e Arkansas Repertory Theatre, 601 Main St., Little Rock. A musical adaptation of Frank Baum’s beloved classic “The Wonderful Wizard of Oz” explodes onstage with a vibrant fusion of 1970s rock and Motown melodies. Tickets are $25 - $40; call the Box Office at 379-0405 or visit www.therep.org Runs through April 1.

M ar 8 – Gar d e n i n g 1 0 1 Mar 9-11 – Ballet Arkansas presents “Beyond Workshop: Garden Lighting, Category” at Wildwood Park for the Arts, 20919 Garvan Woodland Gardens, Denny Road, Little Rock, 8:00 PM, Friday and Saturday; 2:00 550 Arkridge Road, Hot Springs, PM Sunday. Beyond Category explores various musical and 1:00 - 3:00 PM. Charlie Mowery and dance genres, transitioning from classical to jazz and blues, Jeremy Nail of Keeling Company will finishing with contemporary ballet to classic rock. Tickets are discuss how outdoor lighting can help $25; $20 for students or military (with ID.) Purchase tickets at Mar 9 – Masters of Masters you enjoy your garden during evening 800-595-4849 or order online at http://balletarkansas.tix.com/ in the Hall, St. James United hours. They will discuss advantages, Methodist Church, 321 Pleasant options, innovations and installation write and speak English. Funds will help recruit, Valley Road, Little Rock, 7:30 PM. The Chamber of low-voltage outdoor lighting. Workshop cost train volunteer tutors and purchase teaching Singers, accompanied by a full orchestra, present included in admission to Garvan Gardens. (see materials in central Arkansas. Tickets are $45; $75 the Little Rock premiere of the ethereal “Berliner prices above) couples. Purchase tickets at www.literacyaction.

Mass” by Arvo Part. Tickets are $18 adults, $12 Mar 8 – The 4th Annual Shine a Light com Sponsorships are available through Shana Seniors 60+; at http://ar-chambersingers.org/ on Literacy fundraiser, Grand Beal at sbeal@literacylittlerock.org or 372-7323. purchase_tickets.asp or at the door. For more Hall of the Arkansas Governor’s information, call 377-1121.

Mansion, Little Rock, 6:00 - 8:00 PM. Literacy Mar 8 –“It Takes a Village”fundraiser at Arkansas Arts Center, 501 E. 9th Mar 10 – Daylight Savings Time begins, Action of Central Arkansas teaches adults to Street, Little Rock, 6:30 PM. This benefit will help set your clocks FORWARD 1 hour at midnight. This read and non-native English speakers to read,

6 march 8, 2012 MATURE ARKANSAS

Grandkids Eat FREE

is also a great time to check your smoke alarms. Remember, if your alarms are over 10 years old, they should be replaced. Even if they test OK, they are not designed to protect you from smoke and fire after about 10 years of use. Alarms should be on every floor of your home, outside the bedroom area and in the kitchen area.

Mar 10 – “Made from Scratch” C u l i n ar y W o r k s h o p a t W i n t hr o p R o c k e f e l l e r Institute, 1 Rockefeller Drive, Morrilton, 10:00 AM – 3:00 PM. Guest Chef Don Bingham will teach a new approach to the traditional Easter buffet. Classes are $80, register at www.livethelegacy.org or contact Robert Hall at 727-5435.

M ar 1 0 - 1 1 – H at M a k i n g Workshop, Ramada Inn and Suites, 8 Shackleford Drive, Little Rock.

Saturday and Sunday, 10:00 AM – 6:00 PM; $350 for both days including supplies; $175 for one day with supplies ($125 without supplies). This workshop will focus on covering and frame making. Those

Mar 12 – Reel Classics with The Rep at Laman Library, Main Branch, 2801 Orange Street, North Little Rock, 6:00 PM. Bring classic film to life with pre-film discussion by The Rep’s artistic production staff. Join “The Wiz” costume designer Rafael Castanera for an exclusive sneak peek at the costume sketches for The Rep’s production of“The Wiz,” Call 501-758-1720 or visit www.

LamanLibrary.org Mar 13 – “Intelligent Cities,” lecture by architect Susan Piedmont-Palladino, Clinton Sch o o l o f Pu b l i c S e rv i c e, Sturgis Hall, 1200 President Clinton Ave., Little Rock, 6:00 PM. Learn about the intersection of information technology and urban life and design. Free but reservations can be made by emailing publicprograms@clintonschool.uasys. edu or calling 683-5239.

Mar 14 – “Judicial Election R e f o rm ,” by To m Ph i l l i p s , retired Chief Justice of the Texas Supreme Court, Clinton School of Public Service, 1200 President Clinton Ave., Little Rock, noon.

Free, but reservations can be made by emailing publicprograms@clintonschool. uasys.edu or calling 683-5239.

CICI’S PIZZA Ages 3 and under eat free at buffet; Hot Springs 3321 Central Ave.; Jacksonville 120 John Harden Dr.; North Little Rock 2815 Lakewood Village Dr. DENNY’S RESTAURANT 4:00-10:00 PM ages 10 and under; Benton 16732 Interstate 30; Little Rock 4300 S. University; Little Rock 310 S. Shackelford Rd. GOLDEN CORRAL Ages 3 and under eat free at buffet. Discounted prices for kids on Tuesdays; North Little Rock 5001 Warden Road LARRY’S PIZZA Ages 4 and under daily and from 4:00-8:00 PM on Wednesdays only, with purchase of one adult meal--up to two kids get a small one topping pizza, drink, and $1 in tokens; Cabot 2798 S. Second St.; Bryant 4500 Hwy. 5 North; Little Rock 12th & Center St.; Little Rock 12911 Cantrell Rd. SAN FRANCISCO BREAD COMPANY Daily and Mondays, one free kid’s meal with the purchase of adult meal, after 5:00 PM; Hot Springs 261 Cornerstone Blvd.

ZAXBY’S 5:00 PM-close, dine-in only; Jacksonville 209 Marshall Rd.; Maumelle 104 Carnahan Dr.; Sherwood 208 Brookswood Rd.

THURSDAY CAPTAIN D’s Benton 1419 Military Rd; Hot Springs 1906 Central St; Jacksonville 1109 West Main St; Little Rock 6301 Col. Glenn Rd; North Little Rock 5320 JFK Blvd.

MEXICO CHIQUITO One FREE kid's meal per adult entree for kids 12 and under (Dine-in only) Jacksonville 1524 W. Main St; Little Rock 13924 Cantrell; 102 S. Rodney Parham; 4511 Camp Robinson; and 11406 W. Markham MOE’S SOUTHWEST GRILL 4:00 PM-close. One free kids meal with paid adult meal; Bryant 7409 Alcoa Rd; Little Rock 12312 Chenal Pkwy; North Little Rock 4834 North Hills Blvd.

SATURDAY BOSTON’S GOURMET PIZZA RESTAURANT Little Rock 3201 Bankhead Dr.—Sat. & Sun. LUBY’S CAFETERIA Little Rock 12501 West Markham

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M ar 10 – 6t h A n n ua l Bar d Ball: “The Taming of the Brew,” Argenta Community Theater, 405 Main Street, North Little Rock, 7:00 – 11:00 PM; Tickets are $75—a fundraiser for Arkansas Shakespeare Theatre.

Mar 11 – “Finding Family Facts” at Arkansas Studies Institute, 401 Pr e s i d e n t C l i n t o n Avenue, Little Rock, 3:30 PM. Rhonda Stewart teaches this beginning genealogy research class every second Monday.

Free, call 320-5700 for more information.

DAILY

May each day be a window through which you see what is possible — Japanese poem

M ar 10 – W ye M o u n ta i n Daff o d i l Festival, 22300 Hwy 113, Wye, 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM. Wye Mountain is the place to go for spring’s sunniest flowers. Fields are always open, but festival activities only take place on weekends. Admission is free although donations are welcomed and will go to the Wye United Methodist Church. For more information, call 330-2403 or visit http://www. wyemountainumc-daffodilfestival.com

These local restaurants offer kids-eat-free options, for children under 12, with purchase of an adult entrée (unless otherwise specified.)

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attending will have access to more than 35 wooden hat blocks and will create three basic hat shapes of their choice.

Workshops limited to 10.

For more information, visit www.kaysatyofmillinerycalifstyle.com or email kaydurdenusa@ netscape.net

SUNDAY CORKY’S 4:00 PM-close, Little Rock 12005 Westhaven Dr. EL PORTON North Little Rock 5021 Warden Rd.

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8 march 8, 2012 MATURE ARKANSAS

As Above, So Below ar drums were beating and America would soon need pilots and lots of them, maybe even colored History Month program at that. Crenchaw, son of Little Rock NAACP Mabelvale Elementary shows leader Rev. Joseph Crenchaw, is an alpha Roosevelt thought so. War Department traditionalists balked, queswhy he was to become a male. The Army Air Corps made the first major figure in aviation or of many good choices with the Tuskegee tioning whether blacks had the courage and intelligence to fly an anywhere else he chose.

Airmen. airplane, a lingering prejudice that cost lives during World War II. He's tall, fit, intelligent, alert Testing whether blacks could fly in and 93-years-old. He hears 1941 was silly as there were already 150 Proving the obvious brings in one of a child's whispered question from across licensed black pilots. Since blacks have Dunbar High School's class of 1937's top the room. He refers to notes in dim light fought for America since before 1776, alum, and still Little Rock resident Milton without glasses. bravery was not a factor. Buffalo Soldiers, Pitts Crenchaw. He would become the He's able to keep this well-comported the black cavalry of the old West, were primary civilian flight instructor for the assembly that way without even a hint of some of the toughest troops America has now immortalized Tuskegee Airmen, the reprimand. Grade school kids are a really ever put on the ground. highly decorated African American pilots tough audience. Shoot- 'em-up-scenes But perception always trumps reality and the subject of new George Lucas film from the Red Tails movie got the students’ and tests there must be. This lead to the "Red Tails.” attention. But it was Crenchaw, a man old creation of Psychological Research Unit A few miles away from the Tuskegee enough to be the their great, great-grand1 at nearby Maxwell Air Base. The work Airmen’s training base, a highly secret test father, that kept them rapt from Unit 1 is embedded in involving African Americans was in its with tales of his children most pilot-selection regimes ninth year. This one didn't use the best and how, by obeying God and the paradigm is used and the brightest. It recruited 600 nearby and getting an education, to pick astronauts. Then as black sharecroppers under the lure of free you can change the world. now, it corrals the best and medical care. They were injected with It's an old message but he brightest. Scanning the literalive syphilis and studied while they died. massages it with a dignity ture, you feel the instructors The cure, penicillin, came in 1947 but and tenderness that seemed always assumed blacks could the victims were never treated. This too to penetrate what's usually qualify as pilots. The chalwas known as the Tuskegee Experiment. a grade school assembly lenge was to pick the right While it was never really a secret study, it veil of boredom. More than ones. would not become public knowledge for anything, Crenchaw was Two things happened in WWII recruiting 30 years. giving out hope. a hurry that would erode a poster featuring Watching Crenchaw deliver the Black There is no doubt about few prejudices to make the Dorie Miller.

PHOTO Courtesy U.S. Army

ones. The Army Air Corps thought so. President

MATURE ARKANSAS

march 8, 2012

9

Milton Crenchaw explains where he received his many awards, citations, and historical clippings and photos.

Tuskegee Airmen a reality and Crenchaw a another image would forever change percepprobably have also designed the planes and seminal figure in civil rights history. tions. When Japanese bombs hit the USS West factories to build them. Their success in the By 1941 the program was up but Virginia in Pearl Harbor, Seaman Dorie Miller air was a near given. languishing. Black support crews were being came up from the galley where he worked, "These were university men. Half of them trained in Illinois, but no pilots were coming rescued his mortally wounded captain, grabbed had never even been in the South before," out of Tuskegee and its pilots program was a machine gun and shot down an incoming Crenchaw says. Little Rock hadn’t been that a favorite of the first lady's. In March 1941, plane. America had its first World War II hero much better. Its already mean streets must Eleanor Roosevelt visited Tuskegee and took and he was black. have been meaner for the heroic looking, higha ride that forever changed military history.

With the path opened by the first lady and achieving kid of a civil rights leader. Even for "When Mrs. Roosevelt came, she went a cook, the “Tuskegee Experiment" took off. him, Tuskegee was tough. For the elite black right to the airfield and went up in a Piper They changed the image of the black soldier supermen, some from elite universities and Cub for a ride around campus and all with and the mindset that a racial, ethnic, or sexual elite families, it was worse, much worse. "They Alfred Anderson.

I was there," Here his voice perceptibly drops and a gravity comes out Crenchaw says. revealing his unquestionable, "Those pictures were all over," he added. type was necessarily unfit for service. weren't ready to be treated like that," Crenchaw The pictures from that flight went worldThe selection process worked and brought recalls. wide and moved public perception enough that the nation's best and brightest young black men The Red Tails movie uses racism as a running

by June, the program was funded and in full to one of its worst racist hellholes: Depression plot device but it's like a Disney cartoon bear, operation. An image did what stacks of test era central Alabama. Universities had already growling with feigned ferocity. While Crenchaw results never could--prove that blacks can fly. found many exceptional blacks and the Army doesn't complain, Tuskegee’s 1941 racism was The second history-changing event came Air Corps skimmed many of the best of those. harder and more pervasive. six months later, on December 7, 1941, when The candidates stationed in Tuskegee could Their training, from basic to flight school, 10 march 8, 2012 MATURE ARKANSAS

PHOTO by julie alexander

PHOTO Courtesy U.S. Army

Eleanor Roosevelt takes an airplane ride with black pilot Alfred Anderson (above left). Milton Crenchaw encourages Mabelvale Elementary students to get a good education (above right). was at an all-black post with an all-white officer corps. The first base commander was relieved of duty because he ruled his black guards could arrest white trespassers.

"It was awful" Crenchaw says about how the new airmen were treated. "Here they were, brand new 2nd Lieutenants and they couldn't go anywhere or do anything," he added. There were five nearby forts with officer's clubs, tennis courts and gyms. But not for the Tuskegee Airmen.

"They couldn't go to an officer's club and get a beer," he says as his jaw begins to tighten, "If they did, they'd get beat up. They could beat them up anytime they wanted to."

Here his voice perceptibly drops and a gravity comes out revealing his unquestionable, but unstated commitments, "This had to stop."

There's an eerily similar scene in the Lucas film where an Airman is beaten by a gang of officers in a club and the victim is punished.

Something bad happened in Tuskegee.

To the world at least, Crenchaw is remarkably circumspect, keeping an attitude that the goal is to keep progress moving; not looking

Joe Johnston. The two Confederate legacies struck up an odd friendship and Crenchaw got his deal. A year later Forrest died in a B-17 crash while leading a dangerous mission as a brigadier general. War does bring out the alphas and that is one of the reasons it is so hideously attractive.

Crenchaw's ensuing six-plus decades all involved aspects of aviation and a subtle theme of black advancement. While his credentials could have taken him anywhere, he came back to Little Rock after the war to start an aviation program at predominately black Philander Smith College. One of his next careers took him back to the Department of Defense as a race relations specialist. Lately he's been advising U.S. Senator Pryor and Governor Beebe on education and veterans matters. Do not count him out.

Crenchaw has been well recognized: Arkansas' Aviation and Black halls of fame and a wall full of citations. Five years ago this month he stood with the remaining airmen while President Bush pinned the Congressional Gold Medal on him, the nation's highest civilian award.

but unstated commitments, "This had to stop." back. A passion is there, but tempered by living in the South for nearly a century. It is strong but subtle.

It worked well for him when he needed to get a concession from Col. Nathan Bedford Forrest, great-grandson of the Civil War general and Ku Klux Klan founder. Crenchaw's great grandfather fought as a slave under Gen.

Crenchaw didn't hear about the other Tuskegee Experiment until the rest of us did in 1972, after it was leaked. Ask him about this and you'll be hit by a magnanimity that will rock you. "They did what they had to do to stop a disease," he says.

"It's a shame those people died but we are all better off now.”

Crenchaw Inspires Book

P

ioneering African-American aviators featuring theTuskegee Airmen of Arkansas is the subject of a new book inspired by Milton P. Crenchaw, written by Edmond Davis, professor at Arkansas Baptist College in Little Rock. The book contains two stories, one about the trailblazing men and women of color who flew before the Tuskegee Airmen. The second part is a brief history of all the Tuskegee Airmen from Arkansas. One chapter is dedicated to Milton P. Crenchaw, whom Davis calls “the original inspiration behind this book.” A collection of historical photographs is included.

To purchase the book, go to aviatethroughknowledge.com

MATURE ARKANSAS

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☛

Made weak by time and fate, but strong in will to strive, to seek, to find, and not to yield. — Alfred, Lord Tennyson

☛

HOUSING, part t w o n B y A . H . Wasson

Care at Home for Terminally Ill H

ospice care is a special course of treathome, instead of a hospital or other instituHospice is a cooperative effort between the ment for those with a terminal illness. tion. The support of family and friends is patient’s family and a multi-disciplinary team Hospice provides palliative care to relieve maintained, as they provide much of the care. of healthcare professionals and volunteers. pain or suffering without curing it, when a Help with bereavement is available to the Hospice treatment is directed by a doctor, with cure is no longer an option. Hospice does family for 13 months after the patient’s death. the day-to-day care managed by nurses. Other not hasten death nor does it try to postpone Many hospices provide support groups open members of the team include social workers, or prevent it. to the public. chaplains, home health aides, counselors and Care focuses on maximizing trained volunteers. Volunteers quality of life for the time that is can provide companionship, left and on pain relief. Hospice run errands, or just sit with the also includes comfort and patient while family members support, counseling, homecare, take a break. Hospices also plus support for the patient’s provide medical equipment family. Hospice works to keep and supplies. the patient at home as long as To be eligible for hospice, possible and in control of their a doctor must certify the life. patient’s life expectancy is Why should terminal patients six months or less. Hospices consider a hospice for end-of-life are regulated by Medicare, healthcare? According to Charles through the Centers for Broadbent, director of Hospice Medicare and Medicaid Home Care in Hot Springs, (CMS).

A common area at Hospice Home Care’s residential hospice “Patients should consider what Medicare is the primary in Little Rock. the return is, in terms of quality funding source but hospices of life, for any treatments they also accept private pay, are considering,” Broadbent says. “Will the Hospice programs provide four types of private insurance, Medicaid, VA, and some treatment return the same quality of life care: provide indigent care. Generally, the patient before their illness?” Broadbent says modern • In-patient care is provided in a hospital, has no out-of-pocket costs for any prescribed technology can permit over-treatment that nursing home or residential hospice. treatment related to the hospice diagnosis. extends life, but actually lessens quality of • Routine home care is provided in the Hospice is flexible. If the patient improves life. “Hospice focuses on quality of life,” he patient’s home. and the disease seems to be in remission, says.

• Respite care provides a break for the the patient can leave the program. They may More than 43% of deaths in the U.S. occur caregiver. return to aggressive therapy if they choose. within hospice care. Hospice continues to • Continuous care is the same as in-patient If the discharged patient needs to return to grow in popularity because, in most cases, a care, but provided outside a hospital or hospice, Medicare and most private insurpatient can remain in the comfort of his/her in-patient setting and it is provided 24/7. ance will allow additional coverage.

Respite Care Gives You a Break R

espite care provides a temporary break from caregiving responsibilities. This increasingly popular support service strengthens caregivers’ ability to continue providing care. Studies have shown that caregivers who have regular respite from their loved one can continue caregiving for a longer period, are healthier and happier, take fewer medications and have fewer complaints about depression.

Respite care is provided in the home, nursing facilities and assisted living facilities. Most adult daycare services offer respite, as do most hospices and many churches and community organizations. Also, having regular in-home personal care services is a type of respite for family caregivers.

12 march 8, 2012 MATURE ARKANSAS

To find respite services to meet your family’s individual needs, contact: • Alzheimer’s Arkansas Programs and Services 501-913-1878 or at www.alzark.org • Alzheimer’s Association, Oklahoma and Arkansas Chapter 501-2650027 or toll free 800-272-3900 or at admin@alzokar.org • Choices in Living Resource Center toll free 866-801-3435 • Eldercare Locator toll free 800-677-1116 or eldercare.gov • The National Respite Care Locator web site at respitelocator.org

Medicare

Man

Finding Hospice Care Q. My uncle has cancer and the doctor recommended hospice care. How do we find a hospice that will accept his Medicare Advantage Plan?

A. The hospice benefit is paid by Original Medicare. Even though your uncle has a Medicare Advantage plan, if he chooses hospice it will be paid for by Original Medicare. His doctor may have some recommendations for providers but be sure to check the comparison tool at medicare. gov to view report cards for hospice providers.

Medicare will help pay for hospice care if these criteria are met: • Patient has Medicare Part A • Doctor certifies you have a terminal illness and are expected to live six months or less • You sign a statement electing to have Medicare pay for palliative care such as pain management, rather than care to try to cure your condition • Your terminal condition is documented in your medical record • You receive care from a Medicare-certified hospice agency.

Q. I’m starting Medicare soon. Where can I find information about what medical care it covers?

A. Medicare’s website is http://www.medicare.gov/Coverage/Home. asp Select your state from the drop down menu and search through a list of preset options like hospital bed, blood tests, seat lifters, and much more. Select a topic and a new screen will open detailing whether Medicare pays for the item and the percentage the patient will owe.

Send your questions for Medicare Man to insurance.shiip@arkansas. gov or call toll free 800-224-6330.

MEDI CAR E MAT T E RS n By S all y Jo hnson

M

Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month

arch is National Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month. Throughout March we will focus on colorectal cancer – what it is, who’s at highest risk, how to prevent it and how to screen for it.

Colorectal cancer, which is cancer of the colon or the rectum, affects both men and women. Colorectal cancer is the second leading cause of cancer deaths in the United States. In 2007, 53,219 people in the United States died of colorectal cancer, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Symptoms of colorectal cancer include blood in the stool, unexplained weight loss and stomach pains that don’t go away. However, sometimes people with colorectal cancer or polyps (an abnormal growth in the colon) don’t experience any symptoms. The lack of symptoms is why it is so important to get regular screenings.

There are three tests doctors use to screen for colorectal cancer: the high-sensitivity fecal occult blood test (FOBT), a colonoscopy and a flexible sigmoidoscopy. We will discuss these tests in more detail in future columns. Healthcare providers recommend you start screening for colorectal cancer soon after you turn 50. How often you should receive screenings depends on the test and your risk for colorectal cancer.

Medicare will pay for most colorectal cancer screenings because this is considered a preventative service. Go to www.medicare.gov for more information and click on “Manage Your Health.”

MATURE ARKANSAS

march 8, 2012

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mone y n By Jo hn L . O stner , C h F C , C L U

Is it Time to Annuitize?

N

obody wants to outlive their money. A Types of annuities client recently asked me, “How do I orgaThere are two phases to an annuity: the accunize my money so I spend my last dollar on my mulation phase and the income phase. With a last day of life?” deferred annuity, assets grow during the accuWe selected an immediate annuity as mulation phase. At a certain date, the income the solution. This is a good component of phase begins and payments will be made to the any retirement plan. Immediate annuities, annuity holder, from the accumulated principal. issued by insurance companies, are one With an immediate annuity, you put a of the few retirement income sources that lump sum of money into the annuity and the guarantee an income until death, like Social payments begin. Some immediate annuities let Security. you defer income payments for a year.

As long as my client lives, the insurance You have different payout options with an The New York Times Syndication Sales Corporation company must send him income payments immediate annuity: 500 Seventh Avenue, New York, N.Y. 10018 resulting from his annuity investment.

Upon life-only option gives you an income for For Information Call:• A 1-800-972-3550 For Release Thursday, March 08,2012 2012 March 02, his death, payments will cease. For Release Friday, the remainder of your life.

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• A joint and survivor option lets you add a second life to the contract, for example, allowing your surviving spouse to receive payments for the rest of his/her life, after your death.

• Structure your annuity payout for a set number of years.

Longevity rewarded Insurance policies and annuities are structured around projections of life expectancy. With an annuity, if you die sooner than expected, the insurance company won’t have to pay you as much income as projected. If you outlive their projections, they will have to pay you more. So the healthier you are, the more attractive immediate annuities are.

If your immediate annuity No. 0202 0126 provides income payments for life, the older you are when you purchase 9 10 11 12 13 10 11 12 13 it, the greater payments will be.

16 16 Life expectancy for annuity payout 19 purposes is determined by the insurance company not by a physical 22 examination. If you have a joint and 27 24 26 survivor annuity, two lives are used 31 29 in the calculation and the payout is 31 36 32 33 34 smaller than with a single life.

39 37 Immediate annuity income is also 39 affected by how much interest the 46 insurer expects the investment to earn.

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Puzzle Puzzle by

by Stu Joe Ockman Krozel

26 2011 28 Memorable True hurricane companion?

27 29 Sights Pundit at Occupy protests 32 Highness: Abbr.

30 More 33 Mass action 32 Stores 34 Mosel tributary 33 “Pagliacci” clown 41 Begin a 34 Turns conversation 36 Mushroom stem with 38 jolie 42 ___ Cut back

39 Saint 43 Chicago’s Contact liquid ___ University 44 Nail topper 44 Fishermen with 45 Home to a traps much-visited 45 Browning piece tomb 48 Hindu princess 46 Sticks in a makeup bag 50 Bad 47 demonstrations Sweep the board?with 51 Prefix 48 meter Mosul money

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Miss Piggy’s 54 white It maypoodle knock you out 58 N.H.L.’s 55 Laperriere Concert pieces 59 of anfor a 58 Start 54-Down alphabet book trip

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Tax advantages If an annuity is purchased with after-tax money, the income stream comes with significant tax advantages.

In a deferred annuity, all earnings and investment results grow taxdeferred. When the income phase starts and the tax-deferred earnings are paid out, taxes must be paid.

Since an immediate annuity is paying back both principal and taxdeferred earnings, a portion of each payment is considered income and a portion is tax-free return of principal.

The shorter the payout period, the more that can be excluded from tax.

The income stream from immediate annuities can be used in IRAs that require minimum distributions beginning at age 70 ½.

H O USING , part t w o n By A . H . Wasson

Adult Daycare Services Keep You at Home

T

he National Adult Daycare Services Association recommends choosing a center that:

• Provides a safe, secure environment • Offers a range of activities to meet the individual’s social and rehabilitative needs • Offers a full range of services including personal care, meals, transportation, health monitoring, stimulating activities and rehabilitative services • Conducts an assessment of the individual before admission to determine their range of abilities and needs • Develops an individual treatment plan and monitors its progress • Provides referrals to other community services • Lets you drop in unannounced. Lynda Sikes, owner of Chenal Adult

☛

Selecting a Center Day Center, advises visitors to “just drop in unannounced. You’ll get a lot better feel for day-to-day activities and staffing that way,” she says.

• Has a home-like atmosphere. Sikes says it’s important for people who stay at the center all day to feel like it’s home.

• Has activities that make the clients still feel useful and needed.

“They all have talents that can still be utilized,” Sikes says.

“Look for a center that “gets it” that people still need to feel useful and provides activities they can still participate in,” she advises.

• Employs staff who work well with people who have cognitive impairments like Alzheimer’s disease. Sikes says staff must always let clients participate in every activity at their own level of ability. “If all they can do is dry their hands, let them do that.

It’s so important to let them still do what they can,” Sikes says.

MATURE ARKANSAS

march 8, 2012

We grow too soon old and smart too late.

goal of adult day services is to keep them out of nursing homes a bit longer.” Taylor says more ADC services are needed for middleincome people who aren’t eligible for public support. “Many of them would have to go to a nursing home if the centers weren’t available,” she says.

This is a cost-effective service because many clients would have been institutionalized before centers were available.

Institutional care is about five times more expensive than daycare. The option to live with family reduces food and shelter costs for the individual. Care in a group setting is much less expensive than having an attendant come to the home. Attendees can return home to their families every afternoon, thus maintaining ties to their family and their community.

As families learn about this service, the number of centers is rapidly increasing, reflecting an increasing preference for community-based care. There are about 75 centers in Arkansas and about 18% of them use the health model. Taylor says that centers using the health model can also provide help taking medications, provide some therapies and they have additional nursing staff.

ADCs are regulated by the Arkansas Office of Long-Term Care.

☛

any people with cognitive problems to accept,” she says. “When families observe can live at home, if their caregivers can abnormal behavior, they shouldn’t deny it’s continue to work outside the home. Similar happening but address it and try to get help to working moms who need a safe daycare for their family member,” Sykes says. for their toddlers, adult day services make it Centers are open on weekdays during possible for a loved one to live at home at normal business hours. Occasional respite night and stay in a safe and stimulating environment during the day.

This service is designed for people with Alzheimer’s or other dementias, or who have chronic illnesses, physical disabilities or other impairments.

Adult day centers (ADC) provide health and socialization services for people who need help with activities of daily living, but cannot be left alone during the day. Attendees receive companionship with others their age, engage in crafts, games or other mentally stimulating activiSocialization is important for people ties and can get help with eating or with cognitive problems. toileting if needed. Most centers also provide meals and snacks. The program is care is also available for a few hours or few especially good for isolated people because days. The cost ranges from $8 to $10 an hour. they get socialization.

If the client is Medicaid-eligible, the state’s Lynda Sikes, owner of Chenal Adult Day ElderChoices Program may pay for their care.

Center in Little Rock, says ADC is as much for Private pay or private insurance are the other the family caregivers as it is for the patient. payment options.

“Objectivity about a loved one’s deteriorating Kaye Taylor, director of Arkansas’ Adult mental condition is hard for many families Day Services Association, says, “The main

Chenal Adult Day Center

M

15

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16 march 8, 2012 MATURE ARKANSAS