Seniors
Palouse
Senior Fair 2010
A STRIKING LIFE Bovill bowler is dedicated to her sport - page 3
TASTE OF THE PALOUSE Longtime resident compiles recipes, stories in new book - page 4
A special publication of the Moscow-Pullman Daily News
Senior Fair 2010 • Palouse Mall • Moscow • June 1 • 10am – 5pm
SENIOR FAIR
2 | Weekend, May 29 & 30, 2010 |
Palouse Seniors Summer 2010
MOSCOWPULLMAN DAILY NEWS
10AM – 5PM 2 0 1 0
JUNE 1 • PALOUSE MALL • MOSCOW WORKSHOPS! • VENDORS • DOOR PRIZES! • BINGO!
2010 WORKSHOP SCHEDULE at the Ross entrance to Mall
10 am .............Fit and Fall Proofing Yourself Odette Engan (Gritman Therapy Solutions)
11 am ........................... Let’s Get Up and Go Greg Neely (Neely’s Travel)
12 pm ............................ Mystery Workshop Mystery Presenter
1 pm .......................Pilates Movement Class Joanna Alford (Moscow Mountain Sport and Physical Therapy)
2 pm ................... How “Healthcare Reform” will Affect Your Medicare Tonya Steele (SHIBA: State Health Insurance Benefits Adviser)
3 pm ............Cooking with Grains and Greens Carol Spurling (Moscow Food Coop)
4 pm ............... Fit and Fall Proofing Yourself Odette Engan (Gritman Wellness Center) A representative from Gritman’s Therapy Solutions will be doing individual sessions about proper shoe tting from 11 am to 1 pm
Palouse Seniors Summer 2010
MOSCOWPULLMAN DAILY NEWS
| Weekend, May 29 & 30, 2010 | 3
In her
Spare time Septuagenarian bowler from Bovill never misses a game By Vera White Daily News staff writer
What do you call a 70-year-old woman who has bowled weekly for 42 years and only missed four times? Dedicated! “I’ve had a perfect attendance record since 1991, but up until then had to miss four times because of a bad inner ear infection,” Glenna Shook boasted. “And believe
Geoff Crimmins/Daily News
Glenna Shook, center, talks with friends during the awards banquet for the Spare Timers bowling league in Moscow on April 28. Shook, of Bovill, has been bowling since 1967.
See SPARE, Page 13
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Some very good years Longtime Latah County resident looks back on people, food and life By Vera White Daily News staff writer
Lucille Magnuson’s new book contains some recipes, but “Food and People of Latah County” is much more than a cookbook, as attested by the foreword written by her son, Dana Magnuson of Kendrick. “This collection should be considered a tribute to a life of creativity and productivity,” Dana wrote about his 90-yearold mother, who now lives in Moscow. This extraordinary woman has lived a life many would envy, and she shows few signs of slowing down. Her computer skills equals that of a savvy teenager, she is involved with numerous groups, church and, first and foremost, family. Going through her biography, the reader is left with the impression that Lucille Magnuson, nee Rudd, has
Palouse Seniors Summer 2010
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Geoff Crimmins/Daily News
Lucille Magnuson of Moscow is publishing a cookbook titled “Food and People of Latah County.” “done it all.” Born March 15, 1920, in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, she moved with her family to Washington as an infant. Her lifetime passion for poet-
ry started as a teenager at Lincoln High School in Tacoma See YEARS, Page 14
Book available in Kendrick By Vera White Daily News staff writer
Dana Magnuson of Kendrick has been helping his mother, Lucille Magnuson, with her self-published book, “Food and People of Latah County,” a collection of articles written for the Lewiston Tribune through the years when she was a Kendrick correspondent. It also includes photos and recipes, as well as a selection of poetry written throughout her lifetime. Their target date for the past few months was to have it ready to introduce at the annual Kendrick Locust Blossom Festival today. Dana said the 42-page spiral-bound paperback book contains 13 Tribune articles, 53 indexed recipes, a “forward and an afterward.” “Food and People” will be sold for $20 (which includes Idaho sales tax) and will be available the day of the festival at a table inside Dana’s art gallery next to the city park.
“We’re hoping Mother will be there that day to sign books,” he said. Those wishing to order a copy of the book can do so by check or money order to Magnuson Gallery, P.O. Box 179, Kendrick, ID 83537. “We also plan to make it available through selected retail stores as arrangements can be made,” Dana added. Describing his mother as an “amazing woman,” Dana wrote in the book’s forward he hoped the publication would serve as a keepsake for those families represented in its pages. The Locust Blossom Festival also will herald the opening of Dana’s latest show at the gallery, featuring the works of his late brother-inlaw Rick Olsen, who died last year of Lou Gehrig’s Disease. “He taught art at Kootenai High School in Harrison, where my sister Gisele still teaches,” Dana explained. See BOOK, Page 12
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Palouse Seniors Summer 2010
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| Weekend, May 29 & 30, 2010 | 5
COMMENTARY
Serving social and nutritional needs of senior citizens By Leonard C. Johnson Friendly Neighbors
Friendly Neighbors is a group of active volunteers probably best known for operating the weekly meal sites at the 1912 Center in Moscow where seniors over 60 can eat for free twice a week. Friendly Neighbors Senior Citizens Inc., a non-profit service group, also operates the Moscow Senior Center at the 1912 Center, located at 412 E. Third St. I invited Friendly Neighbors to contribute a series of articles this year for the quarterly senior tabs to help raise awareness of the good work done by their group and their host of volunteers. This is their second article for 2010. — Vera White
A
ging is something that happens to each of us, if we live long enough. We may try to prepare for it, mentally, financially and otherwise, but as years pass we begin to notice more aches and pains; our children have grown up, moved on and are busy with their lives and families of their own; names
Courtesy of Kay Keskinen
Duane LeTourneau of Moscow serves as the Friendly Neighbors meal site emcee at a meal in the Great Room at the 1912 Center. of folks we know appear in the obituary column, some of them close friends. Then perhaps our spouse passes away, and we find ourselves living alone. Cooking for one is not fun, and eating alone becomes a drag. Physical infirmities, lack of interest, lack of appetite, lack of nutritional awareness, lack of cooking skill, lack
of companionship and lack of money can result in inadequate intake of nutrients and calories. Some of these “lacks” also tend to keep the elderly more or less secluded in their homes, unable or unwilling to be out and about enjoying mentally and physically stimulating interactions with other people.
Senior citizen support groups have been organized throughout America and are working to help older folk enjoy more healthful and stimulating lives. Since 1978 the Friendly Neighbors Senior Citizens, Inc., has been active in our local Moscow community. The impetus for organizing this club and others like it stems from a federal law, the Older Americans Act of 1965, in particular reflecting the stated purposes of the Nutrition Services Titles of the OAA: Reducing hunger and food insecurity, promoting socialization of older individuals, and promoting the health and well being of older indi-
viduals, by delaying the onset of adverse health conditions through access to nutrition, et cetera. The Friendly Neighbors club helps meet the need for socialization by maintaining a Senior Center in the 1912 Center at 412 East Third Street, where seniors and friends gather to relax, read, watch television, play games, receive instruction in computer use, assemble jig-saw puzzles, or just talk. Also, a support group for people afflicted with diabetes and blindness holds weekly meetings in the Senior Center. See SERVING, Page 11
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Get rid of old meds at fair By Vera White Daily News staff writer
The Moscow Police Department is teaming up with Gritman Adult Day Health for a table at the annual Senior Fair from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday at the Palouse Mall. MPD is inviting anyone who wants to dispose of their unwanted medications to bring them to the fair where Crime Prevention Officer Jesse Applehans will be present to take possession of the medications and ensure they are disposed of properly. “The police is excited to be able to provide this service for the public in order to prevent these medications from falling into the wrong hands,” Applehans said. “It also gives us the opportunity to ensure proper disposal.” To his knowledge, Applehans said this is the first time such a service has been offered in Moscow. “Chief Dan Weaver saw the Post Falls Police Department doing this and liked the idea,”
Palouse Seniors Summer 2010
MOSCOWPULLMAN DAILY NEWS
he said. “He decided this was what we were going to do and I was given the assignment to kick it off at the senior fair.” The medications collected will be transported to Coeur d’Alene where they will be incinerated in a medicalgrade incinerator to prevent any pollution. “This type of collection also helps prevent medications from getting into the hands of young people who frequently abuse prescription and nonprescription medications in order to get high or to sell them,” Applehans added. Applehans, 29, has been with MPD five years, during which time he finished degrees in justice studies and Spanish at the University of Idaho. The Alaska native and his wife, Michele, have two children. For addition information on the drug disposal table at the fair, contact Applehans at (208) 883-7051. Vera White can be reached at (208) 882-5561, ext. 251, or by e-mail vnwhite@cableone.net.
Senior Fair promises mix of good info, good times Tuesday event takes place at Palouse Mall, features booths and classes By Vera White Daily News staff writer
The Moscow-Pullman Daily News and Gritman Medical Center are extending an invitation to attend their jointly sponsored annual Senior Fair, set from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. today at the Palouse Mall in Moscow. Visitors will be treated to dozens of vendor booths and a schedule of informational presentations. Among other activities, visitors will have an opportunity to get rid of old medications at a table manned by the Moscow Police Department. “The number of seniors on the Palouse is growing, and so is the number of businesses and nonprofits who cater to
their needs,” said Daily News advertising manager Craig Staszkow. “The senior fair is a great opportunity to bring the two together, learn a little bit and have a good time.” For the second year, Barb Mahoney, director of Gritman Adult Day Health, has put together some exciting workshops for the fair. “I’m trying to make them more fun this year,” she said. “They meet more of what Gritman’s mission is, which is serving the people of the region for all their health care needs.”
Senior Fair schedule I 10 a.m. “Fit and Fall Proofing Yourself” with Odette Engan of Gritman Therapy Solutions. I 11 a.m. “Let’s Get Up and Go” with Greg Neely of Neely’s Travel. I Noon. “Mystery Class” with “Mystery Speaker.” I 1 p.m. “Pilates Movement Class” with Joanna Alford of Moscow Mountain Sport and Physical Therapy. I 2 p.m. “How Healthcare Reform will Affect Your Medicare Benefits” with
SHIBA (state health insurance) adviser Tonya Steele. I 3 p.m. “Cooking with Grains and Greens” with Carol Spurling of the Moscow Food Co-op. I 4 p.m. “Fit and Fall Proofing Yourself” with Odette Engan of Gritman Wellness Center. Mahoney said there would be signup sheets by each mall entrance for the classes. The workshops will take place in the area outside Ross. The fair is expected to draw more than 30 vendors. Mahoney has lined up a number of nonprofit groups to participate as well — 12 at last count. Senior facilities across the Palouse are being encouraged to bring residents to the event, which is free to the public. “Our goal is to make this THE event for seniors each spring,” Staszkow said. “Something they put on their calendars and look forward to every year.”
Vera White can be reached at (208) 882-5561, ext. 251, or by e-mail vnwhite@cableone.net.
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Palouse Seniors Summer 2010
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| Weekend, May 29 & 30, 2010 | 7
COMMENTARY
Seniors group offers good advice about strokes I recently received a press release from a group called Senior Helpers (SH) offering what I thought was good advice about strokes, timely since May is American Stroke Month. Like many groups dealing with us old folks, SH is aware of what havoc an unexpected stroke can bring and quick to note that catching it early at the “very first signs can make a world of difference on longterm quality of life.� As an older person living alone, the possibility of a stroke is never far from my thoughts, one of the many reasons I wear a Lifeline around my neck, 24/7. Strokes are the nation’s leading cause of long-term disability. The fact that an American suffers a stroke every 40 seconds is a pretty sobering thought. I thought the release from SH was comprehensive, and I am sharing some of the main points below, which are
pretty much in keeping with other information I’ve read recently. From everything I know about strokes, being able to detect Vera early warning White signs is vital. Another important fact, more than 75 percent of strokes occur in people older than 65, but the good news is that fewer than 20 percent of all strokes are fatal. But be aware that most stroke survivors suffer some lingering health problems that affect long-term quality of life. Another fact many of us don’t want to hear is that even though strokes “seemingly strike without warning, there are some simple lifestyle changes that can help reduce the risk.� Peter Ross, CEO of SH, reiterated that risks go up “drastically with age,� adding
that after a person suffers a stroke, “there is a high likelihood they will require a little bit more help and a little bit more attention to their daily life.�
Below are some facts furnished by SH and well worth taking time to read:
I Strokes are the sudden damage or loss of a section of brain cells caused by restricted
Quick Facts about Stroke and Seniors:
See STROKES, Page 12
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Duo offers free financial help for area seniors Bosh, Lightfield work locally for Financial Security Staff report
Dave Bosh and Kris Lightfield are offering free financial help for seniors in Moscow. They are in the Moscow office of Financial Security, a division of Northwest Farmers Stockman, Inc. The duo, with more than 50 years combined experience. speak on topics and give updates regarding IRA/401(k)/ 403(b)/Roth rollovers, Roth conversions, long-term care, Medicare, Medicaid, Wall Street, probate and taxes. They have held more than a dozen workshops in Moscow, which Lightfield said “are very well attended.” Seminars are planned for the first Wednesday of each month. The next seminar, “Senior Tax and Estate Planning Workshop,” will be 11 a.m., and 5:30 p.m. Wednesday at the Best Western-University Inn. The workshop is free and includes lunch or dinner. Reservations are requested by calling the toll free reservation line at (800) 858-6448.
Palouse Seniors Summer 2010
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Lightfield believes it is important for seniors to grow their retirement dollars at a rate greater than inflation but at the same time keep their funds free from risk. Most clients say they wish they could have met Bosh and Lightfield 10 years ago, they said. The duo always tell them “there is no time like the present to protect your life savings while growing for retirement needs.” The Moscow office for Financial Security is located in the Shook-Leavitt Insurance Agency at 217 South Main Street. The regional office is in Spokane. Financial Security is the urban division of Northwest Farmer Stockman, which has been in the business of writing insurance and helping with retirement plans and needs, selling to farmers since 1939. Bosch is the director of financial services for Financial Security’s offices, located in 14 states. Lightfield was a former partner/owner of Northwest Insurance Services in Moscow for 18 years.
In social dealings, being older is being wiser By Randolph E. Schmid Associated Press
WASHINGTON — It turns out grandma was right: Listen to your elders. New research indicates they are indeed wise — in knowing how to deal with conflicts and accepting life’s uncertainties and change. It isn’t a question of how many facts someone knows, or being able to operate a TV remote, but rather how to handle disagreements — social wisdom. And researchers led by Richard E. Nisbett of the University of Michigan found that older people were more likely than younger or middleaged ones to recognize that values differ, to acknowledge uncertainties, to accept that things change over time and to acknowledge others’ points of view. “Age effects on wisdom hold at every level of social class, education, and IQ,” they report in Tuesday’s edition of Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. In modern America, older people generally don’t have greater knowledge about computers and other technology, Nisbett acknowledged, “but our results do indicate that
the elderly have some advantages for analysis of social problems.” “I hope our results will encourage people to assume that older people may have something to contribute for thinking about social problems,” Nisbett said. In one part of the study the researchers recruited 247 people in Michigan, divided into groups aged 25-to-40, 41-to-59 and 60 plus. Participants were given fictitious reports about conflict between groups in a foreign country and asked what they thought the outcome would be. For example, one of the reports said that because of the economic growth of Tajikistan, many people from Kyrgyzstan moved to that country. While Kyrgyz people tried to preserve their customs, Tajiks wanted them to assimilate fully and abandon their customs. The responses were then rated by researchers who did not know which individual or age group a response came from. Ratings were based on things like searching for compromise, flexibility, taking others’ perspective and searching for conflict resolution. About 200 of the participants joined in a second session, and a third section was
conducted using 141 scholars, psychotherapists, clergy and consulting professionals. The study concluded that economic status, education and IQ also were significantly related to increased wisdom, but they found that “academics were no wiser than nonacademics” with similar education levels. While the researchers expected wisdom to increase with age they were surprised at how strong the results were for disputes in society, Nisbett said. “There is a very large advantage for older people over younger people for those.” Lynn A. Hasher, a psychology professor at the University of Toronto, called the study “the single best demonstration of a long-held view that wisdom increases with age.” “What I think is most important about the paper is that it shows a major benefit that accrues with aging — rather than the mostly lossbased findings reported in psychology. As such, it provides a richer base of understanding of aging processes. It also suggests the critical importance of workplaces’ maintaining the opportunity for older employees to continue to contribute,” said Hasher, who was not part of the research team.
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| Weekend, May 29 & 30, 2010 | 9
LOCAL BRIEFS Send news items to briefs@dnews.com
IDAHO Regence reports rise in fraudulent claims Regence insurance members in Idaho, Oregon, Utah and Washington report they are seeing claims for services not received on their Explanation of Benefits. The claims were filed on behalf of companies that sell nutritional supplements. The members bought products from these companies, whose ads state they can receive nutritional supplements reimbursed up to 100 percent through their insurance provider. Regence issued a nationwide alert to all Blue Cross and Blue Shield plans in April after an investigation showed that parties filing for reimbursement were submitting fraudulent claims from providers involved in the scheme. The fraudulent claims are coded for legitimate covered services such as consultations, lab and x-ray, which members did not receive. Further, the supplement companies essentially advise consumers to disregard any notes on their health plan’s EOB about coding for services, alleging the health plan is attempting to pay less for the services. The alert affects nearly 190,000 Regence members in Idaho and 100 million people nationally who are members of a Blue Cross or Blue Shield health plan.
Regence is charged with stewardship over members’ resources, including protection against con artists. Charging for services not rendered is one of the most common forms of health care fraud and abuse. In this case, members provided the marketing companies with their Regence member identification number, so a company could bill Regence for legitimate covered services — which were not received — as a way of getting money for the vitamin supplements, which are not a covered benefit.
against health care fraud and abuse, please contact Mike Tatko at (208) 798-2221. Additional information may also be found at: http://www. regence.com/legal/fraud-andabuse.jsp.
IDAHO Seniors should beware of financial scams
Idaho Governor C. L. “Butch” Otter declared April as “Financial Literacy Month” with a special alert to seniors to be aware of scams. Tips In a news release, Otter noted that from the I Guard your insurance benefits. Members are the first “Greatest Generation” to “Baby Boomers,” seniors line of defense against fraud. have worked hard to build Examine EOBs as carefully as bank and credit card state- America’s economic prosperity and a lifetime’s worth of savments, and report any claims ings. for services, procedures or Today’s retirees have more devices not received. than $8.5 trillion in investI Report discrepancies to able assets, and they stand Regence Fraud Hotline, (800) to inherit at least $7 trillion 323-1693 or the customer service number on your mem- over the next 40 years. As a result, financial services ber card. This is an ongoing investigation and Regence will firms are increasingly focusing their marketing and sales cooperate with law enforceefforts toward senior investors ment. as well as investors nearing I Know your coverage. Do not give your member number retirement age. So, too, are criminals. to companies that imply they Gavin Gee, director of the can get reimbursement for goods or services not normally Idaho Department of Finance, cautioned investors to be wary covered by your insurance, such as vitamins. Their activ- of this targeted campaign. “Free meal” investment semiity is potentially fraudulent. nars, for instance, are someFor more on this and other times just a means of finding older investors with assets. In tips for protecting yourself
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fact, a 2009 AARP study found that 78 percent of people who attended such seminars expected to hear an educational presentation about financial issues. However, once at the seminar, half said they were asked for personal information; 46 percent said the presenter tried to make follow-up appointment at their home; and 39 percent said their presenter tried to sell them something during or after the seminar. Gee said the potential impact of cases under investigation by the department ballooned into hundreds of millions of dollars in recent years. Virtually every enforcement action pursued by the department included at least one and often multiple victims of retirement age. You can avoid becoming an
investment fraud victim by following these self-defense tips: I Before you invest, check out investments and those selling them by calling the Department of Finance at (208) 332-8804 or checking the website listed below. I Stay in charge of your money. Invest only in things you understand. I Don’t invest solely because persons in your church, club, association, workplace, etc., have invested and are making “extraordinary” returns. This could be a red flag for a “Ponzi” scheme and/or Affinity fraud. I Watch out for salespeople who prey on your fears or pressure you to invest on the spot. See BRIEFS, Page 15
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10 | Weekend, May 29 & 30, 2010 |
Palouse Seniors Summer 2010
MOSCOWPULLMAN DAILY NEWS
Gay seniors come out late, start second lifetime By Matt Sedenksy Associated Press
MIAMI — On his 75th birthday, Bill Farthing decided to be reborn. In the six years since he’d buried his wife of 45 years, he’d felt as he did long before: Lonesome, different, outcast. He wondered if he was going crazy; he contemplated suicide. Looking back, the clues leading to this day had been scattered throughout his life, but only made sense just now. So Farthing dressed in the most basic of blue wool skirt suits he could find on the Internet, with a white blouse and lowheeled, open-toed white shoes, and went shopping. Arms loaded with skirts and blouses from the clearance rack, Farthing approached the checkout. “Did you find everything you wanted, ma’am?” the cashier asked. Farthing looked over his shoulder, then realized she was talking to him. He had pulled it off. He had become a she.
Increased awareness and acceptance of varied sexualities and gender identities has led Americans to come out far younger, as early as middle school. A less noticed but parallel shift is happening at the other end of the age spectrum, with people in their 60s, 70s and 80s coming to terms with the truth that they are gay, lesbian, bisexual or transgender. While no one tracks the numbers of the elderly who come out, those who work with older adults say the trend is undeniable, and a resulting network of support groups and services has cropped up. The decision can fracture lifelong relationships. Or it can bring the long-sought relief of an unloaded secret. “For the first time in my life, I’m not putting on a show,” said Farthing, who eventually had sexual reassignment surgery and changed her first name to Chrissie. “It seems like I’ve been out on a cloud all my life and now I’m not.
with LGBT seniors. “There’s a I’m me.” Outing yourself late in life real sense of regret and loss for can be complicated after having somebody who comes out later in life, even lived through when talktimes when ing to them being openly and they say gay could get the decision you arrested, was the right put in an instione.” tution and S t i l l , given shock many seniors treatments. have felt It’s snarled in empowered a lifetime of by the growtrudging along ing presence through sociChrissie (Bill) Farthing of gays and ety’s view of Transgendered senior lesbians in normalcy and pop culture the resulting fear of being ostracized by chil- and some high-profile, late-indren and grandchildren. And life outings. Among the most it’s marked by a nagging doubt notable, “Family Ties” star that all the heartache, all the Meredith Baxter came out potential for it to go wrong, may in December at 62; Richard Chamberlain, long the target not be worth it with one’s years of rumors, came out in 2003 at numbered. 69, decades after the height of “When somebody comes out his career as a TV heartthrob. at the age of 20, they have their Those who’ve mustered the whole life ahead of them,” said gumption to out themselves Karen Taylor, the director of say they feel as if they’ve been training and advocacy for SAGE, given a second chance. a national group that works Carl Martin, 83, of Falls Church, Va., came out as gay not long after his wife died in 1997. He says he was happy in his marriage but had known of his feelings for men since he was in high school and
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revealed an unrequited crush to a friend. Coming out, he says, has changed him from a withdrawn, tense, reticent bystander to a vibrant social butterfly who even talks to strangers in the supermarket. “I would describe these as the happiest years of my life,” he said. “I’m free to be who I am. I was not free to be who I was before.” The realization often doesn’t come easily. Sue Pratt, 74, of Kirkwood, Mo., remembers having feelings for her high school English teacher, but she wasn’t sure what to do with them when she always dreamed of getting married and having a husband. She got her wish, but even when her husband left her, she still couldn’t come to terms with the truth. “You would think I would say, ‘I’m free now,’ ” she said. “But that thought never occurred to me. I was so deep in denial.” Eventually, in her 60s, she answered a personal ad and slowly began coming out to her loved ones as a lesbian. Not everyone has taken it well, as she feared would be the case, but she has no regrets. “I didn’t want to have a secret,” she said. “It doesn’t matter if I lose every friend that I have, this is what I have to do.”
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Serving from Page 5 Nutritional needs of senior citizens are addressed through a meal service program. This program is operated under a contract with the Community Action Partnership, a private, nonprofit service organization with offices in Lewiston that perform administrative and management services on behalf of the Idaho State Commission on Aging. Twice weekly, at noon on Tuesday and Thursday, complete hot meals are served in the Great Room of the 1912 Center. These meals are carefully prepared, using menus and recipes approved by trained nutritionists and supplied by CAP. Also, age-appropriate information about nutrition and food safety in the home is presented to meal program participants. The principal focus of the meal program is senior citizens 60 years and older in age. They are not charged a fee for their meals, but a voluntary donation of four dollars per meal is requested. Those under age 60 are charged six dollars per meal. Meals also are furnished for
MOSCOWPULLMAN DAILY NEWS
delivery to home-bound senior citizens. CAP provides a small cash subsidy on a per-mealserved basis, in accordance with state and federal government rules. Members of Friendly Neighbors voluntarily support the work of the club by serving as officers; monitoring the activities of the Senior Center; preparing the dining room for meals and helping serve meals; clearing, cleaning and stowing tables and chairs after each meal; maintaining membership records; registering meal participants and collecting payments, and preparing accurate reports for monthly submissions to the CAP. In order to finance its services the Friendly Neighbors club depends on, and gratefully acknowledges, grants and gifts from local businesses and service clubs, private donors and Latah County through the Board of Commissioners. Since Friendly Neighbors is a 501(c)3 charitable, non-profit organization, all donations received are deductible for income tax purposes.
| Weekend, May 29 & 30, 2010 | 11
Older women need 1-hour workouts By Lindsey Tanner Associated Press
CHICAGO — Rev up the treadmill: Sobering new research spells out just how much exercise women need to keep the flab off as they age — and it’s a lot. At least an hour of moderate activity a day is needed for older women at a healthy weight who aren’t dieting. For those who are already overweight — and that’s most American women — even more exercise is called for to avoid gaining weight without eating less, the study results suggest. “We all have to work at it. If it were easy to be skinny, we would all be skinny,” said John Foreyt, a behavioral medicine expert who reviewed the study but wasn’t involved
in the research. Brisk walking, leisurely bicycling and golfing are all examples of moderate exercise. But don’t throw in the towel if you can’t do those things for at least an hour a day. Even a little exercise is good for your health even if it won’t make you thin, the researchers said. Their findings are based on 34,079 non-dieting middle-aged women followed for about 13 years. The women gained an average of almost 6 pounds during the study. Those who started out at a healthy weight, with a body mass index less than 25, and who gained little or no weight during the study consistently got the equivalent of about an hour of moderate activity daily. Few women — only 13 percent — were in this cat-
egory. Few already overweight women got that amount of exercise, and the results suggest it wasn’t enough to stop them from gaining weight. The results echo what gymfuls of middle-aged American women see every time they step off the treadmill and onto the scale. “Talk to any group of women and they all say the same thing,” said Janet Katzin, 61, a “slightly overweight” marketing director from Long Island who exercises for an hour twice a week. Thin as a younger adult, Katzin said the pounds started creeping up after she had her two children in the 1980s, despite exercising and watching what she eats. “It’s just extremely frustrating and discouraging.”
Leonard C. Johnson is Acting-President for the Friendly Neighbors Senior Citizens, Inc. Club member Karen Davis and Treasurer Kay Keskinen also contributed to the column.
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and returned to his hometown in 1976 to purchase the R. E. Magnuson Agency from his father. Dana’s political career included serving on the Kendrick City Council during the 1980s, as a Latah County commissioner from 1988-1994, and as mayor of Kendrick from 2000-2004. When Dana sold the insurance agency, he retired in 2008 and currently operates the R. E. Magnuson Agency and Gallery in the same location at 101 North 6th St. “I will also be offering a small inventory of craft items as well as Mom’s book,” he said.
from Page 4 “His work is in various graphic and woodworking media and makes for a very impressive show.” After the festival, the gallery will have limited regular weekday hours and will be generally available by appointment. Like his mother, the 63year-old Dana has enjoyed a rich, full life, ranging from politics to business endeavors. He came to Kendrick when he was 8 months old, and graduated from Kendrick High School in 1965. He graduated from Pomona College in Claremont, Calif., in 1969
Vera White can be reached at (208) 882-5561, ext. 251, or by e-mail vnwhite@cableone.net.
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Palouse Seniors Summer 2010
Strokes from Page 7 flow of oxygen to the brain, usually due to hardened arteries or blood clots. I Stroke is the leading cause of disability and third-leading cause of death across the country (Alliance for Aging Research). I
The latest research from the American Stroke Association shows that women tend to be at a slightly greater risk of suffering a fatal stroke than men. Also, seniors living in the Southeast are more at risk than individuals in most other geographic regions. There are a number of factors that increase the risk of stroke, including age, family history, high blood pressure, smoking, alcohol and drug abuse, and any medical history involving previous episodes or symptoms of stroke. However, some basic and simple lifestyle changes can reduce the overall risk for millions of aging Americans.
Simple lifestyle changes can reduce the overall stroke risk for millions of aging Americans.
Almost 800,000 Americans suffer a stroke every year, and more than 185,000 of these are recurrent attacks (U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention). I Chances of having a stroke doubles each decade after turning 55 (Alliance for Aging Research). I 75 percent of all strokes occur in seniors older than 65 (American Stroke Association). I 90 percent of all stroke victims suffer lingering, longterm effects (University of Medicine and Dentistry in New Jersey).
Stroke Prevention Tips for Seniors: I Exercise regularly to reduce high blood pressure. I Avoid high-fat and cholesterol foods on a regular basis. I For seniors with or at risk of diabetes, keep blood sugar levels under control. I Reduce sodium in daily diet.
I Quit smoking immediately.
Warning Signs of Stroke for Seniors: I Sudden numbness or weakness of the face, arms or legs, especially on one side of the body. I Sudden confusion or trouble speaking and understanding. I Sudden trouble seeing out of one eye. I Sudden trouble walking or loss of balance. I Sudden, severe headaches without cause.
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Vera White can be reached at (208) 882-5561, ext. 251, or by e-mail vnwhite@cableone.net.
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Spare
is no doubt where her main calories, it also works muscle interests lie, especially when groups not usually exercised. “There are probably some she reminisces about the good gals in their 80s old days. that are still “Years ago on leagues,” when we had Shook said. “I come out in would definitefirst place on ly recommend the league, we bowling for stopped at a seniors as they bar in Deary seem to like it and had a real well, espefew drinks,” cially being she recalled, able to associquickly addate with other ing that “was people.” just a oneLeague time thing.” activity is Socializing over for the is an imporsummer, and tant factor Shook can’t for the Bovill wait until it grandmother, starts back however. up again in “I get to September. see a lot of the Glenna Shook “I’m going gals I know on Senior bowler to keep bowlbowling days, ing as long as I and if I didn’t bowl, I wouldn’t get to see any can stand on my own two feet,” she promised. of them,” she said. Exercise is also a consideration. Bowling is considered to Vera White can be reached be an aerobic type of physical at (208) 882-5561, ext. 251, exercise. In addition to burning or by e-mail vnwhite@cableone.net.
from Page 3 me, I even hated to do that.” Shook, a native of Garfield, has lived in the small town of Bovill for 52 years. There were two teams in Bovill when Shook started her pursuit of the sport. “I had never bowled in my life,” she said. “I was asked to join one of the teams and that was the start of it. I’ve never been sorry.” “My first year of bowling in 1967 was on a league at the old Bowl-A-Rama in Moscow,” she recalled. Shook currently bowls in Pullman on the SpareTimers League, a group she describes as “mostly the older ladies.” Their sponsor is North Idaho Crushing. “There are three of us that bowl on Wednesdays,” she added. Last month, Shook’s league held its annual banquet at the Sandpiper in Moscow. Not surprisingly, the team received a certificate noting her “perfect attendance for the whole year.” Shook finished the season with a 138 average. “My best game was 198,” she said. “We had a 500 series for three games in a row, but
“
Geoff Crimmins/Daily News
Glenna Shook talks with friends during the awards banquet for the Spare Timers bowling league in Moscow on April 28. that was quite a few years ago.” While Shook admits there is not a “heck of a lot to do in Bovill,” it’s her love of the game that has driven her through the years. “If I didn’t like the sport so much, I wouldn’t be so committed,” she said. “But I like it real well and hate to miss a bowling day. It is something for me to do and gets me out of the house one day a week.” Her husband, Bob Shook, a retired self-employed logger, doesn’t like to bowl. “He tried it a lot of years ago and wasn’t interested,” she
noted with a chuckle. The couple has three children — Richard Shook of Elk River, Shelia Lunsford of Clarkston and Jim Shook of Moscow, as well as six grandchildren. “I never had to work so I just stayed home and raised three kids,” she said. During the school year, Shook does make time to go to the grade school twice a week where second graders “read to me and I occasionally read to them.” She also “keeps up the house and mows the lawn.” But when she drifts back to the subject of bowling, there
If I didn’t like the sport so much, I wouldn’t be so committed. But I like it real well and hate to miss a bowling day. It is something for me to do and gets me out of the house one day a week.”
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| Weekend, May 29 & 30, 2010 | 13
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Years
aspiring musicians from town and the surrounding area. She was also instrumental in forming the Lewis-Clark Chapter of Sweet Adelines, which continues to flourish as the Inland Harmony Chorus. Bob became postmaster at Kendrick, where Lucille served as his chief clerk from 1963 to 1980. “My husband was excellent as postmaster and his other employees always told me he was the best boss they had ever worked for,” Lucille boasted. “We were true partners in all our life, and being with him at work was extra time we enjoyed having together” During this busy time, Lucille continued writing poetry and was active in the Gem State Writers Guild, honored for her efforts by that group. Somehow, she also found time to start writing for the Lewiston Tribune, employed as the newspaper’s local correspondent, a job she held from 1974-78. “I replaced Millie Corkill when she retired,” Lucille recalled. “The Tribune’s late Sula Keeling helped me to learn the methods and gave
from Page 4 when she had her first writings published. During that period, she also found time to hone her skills as a figure skater and accordionist at Mt. Rainier’s Paradise Lodge. But life took a turn for Lucille when she met Robert “Bob” Magnuson in Tacoma. The couple married August 13, 1943, at the University of Washington Chapel. “That was a lucky day for me,” said Lucille, who spent the next 50 years with him in Kendrick. Five children were born to that union: Dana; Robin of Moscow; Dee of Olympia; Lee of Washington, D.C.; and Gisele of Harrison. There are also eight grandchildren and seven great-grandchildren. While the energetic Lucille was raising her family, she also found time to participate in the choir and leadership roles at the Kendrick United Methodist Church and the PTA, and give piano lessons to
W
Health n a m h it
Palouse Seniors Summer 2010 me rules to follow which were very helpful.” Some of these articles with photos and recipes are in “Food and People,” including Florence Lyons’ Many Bean Casserole. Liking to cook at home was helpful when Lucille was dealing with local chefs. “My family ate with gusto when I used my grandmother’s Norwegian recipes,” Lucille said. “I still make frugt suppe at Christmas, but cooking seems difficult now with use of my right arm limited.” She underwent surgical removal of an infected elbow in 2003. Lucille’s new book will of course contain a collection of her poems, many of which have been published in the Tribune, the Moscow-Pullman Daily News, the Spokane Daily Chronicle, and the former Kendrick Gazette. But Lucille, who took history classes at the University of Puget Sound and the University of Idaho, said when it came to articles written for the Tribune, her favorites were historical interviews. “I interviewed the Locust
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Blossom parade marshals each year and they were usually full of interesting information we all loved to learn about,” she said. During her 50 years in Kendrick. Lucille saw many changes in the charming little town, including a new school and consolidated school district, train service discontinued, the beginning of the popular Locust Blossom Festival and a new fire station. “There was always a constant struggle for improvement,” she observed. After Bob suffered a severe stroke in 1990, he was moved to Latah Care Center. Lucille moved to Moscow in 1996 to a home across the street from her eldest son, Robin. “Moving to Moscow was not difficult because the driving back and forth every day for six years had been tiring,” she sighed. “After settling in near Robin, it was much easier to be with Bob, but he succumbed to a fatal second stroke later in the year.” Not surprising, Lucille adapted to living in Moscow with her usual savoir-faire. She transferred her church
membership to the First United Methodist Church, where she enjoyed being in the choir and bell choir as long as she was physically able. She also became a member of Friendly Neighbors at the Senior Center. “That group made me feel really welcome,” she said. “I helped with the “RhythmRascaleers (the musical kitchen band) and choral group until my arm surgery.” For a 90-year-old, Lucille is in pretty good shape other than some back problems. However, that situation is improving with therapy. “I am a firm advocate of helpful therapy,” she said Lucille didn’t hesitate to look back over the decades and cite her greatest accomplishment. “Surely my most valuable accomplishment are the grown children we helped to raise to be college graduates and good citizens,” she said.
Vera White can be reached at (208) 882-5561, ext. 251, or by e-mail vnwhite@cableone.net.
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| Weekend, May 29 & 30, 2010 | 15
Stepped-up Medicare fraud enforcement snags $2.5B
Briefs
Associated Press
from Page 9 I Don’t make a tragedy
worse with rash financial decisions. The death or hospitalization of a spouse has many sad consequences — financial fraud shouldn’t be one of them. Don’t make emotional decisions. I Don’t let embarrassment or fear keep you from reporting suspected fraud or abuse. For additional information, visit the Department of Finance website at http://finance.idaho. gov or call toll-free at 1-888-3463378.
WASHINGTON — The government reported in March it recovered $2.5 billion in overpayments for the Medicare trust fund last year as the Obama administration focused attention on fraud enforcement efforts in the health care industry. Investigators have new tools this year to help crack down on health care fraud, with the Justice Department and the Health and Human Services Department working cooperatively to police companies. The
newly enacted Affordable Care Act is designed to lengthen prison sentences in criminal cases, and the new law provides an additional $300 million over the next 10 years for stronger enforcement. It also gives the government new authority to step up oversight of companies participating in Medicare and Medicaid. “We’re going to attack fraud at every stage of the process,” Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius said Thursday at a news conference. Attorney General Eric
Holder said “as long as health care fraud pays and goes unpunished, our health care system will remain under siege.” Under the Affordable Care Act, providers could be subject to fingerprinting, site visits and criminal background checks before they begin billing Medicare and Medicaid. To combat fraud, the act allows Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius to bar providers from joining the programs and allows her to withhold payment to Medicare or Medicaid
providers if an investigation is pending. In a report released Thursday, the Justice Department and HHS say they are putting investigative resources in areas where health care fraud is especially widespread, including south Florida; Los Angeles; Houston; Detroit; New York City’s Brooklyn borough; Baton Rouge, La.; and Tampa, Fla. The result is a rising number of criminal prosecutions and the return of more stolen money to the government.
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