Help at home
Homebound seniors living alone often slip through health system’s cracks / PAGE 8
monthly magazine for the region’s seniors
SATURDAY, JAN. 4, 2025/ VOL. 35, NO. 1
ON THE COVER: Sandra Pettway gets medical assistance from physician Peter Gliatto. Many homebound seniors struggle with getting the treatment they need. The story is on Page 8.
JANUARY BIRTHDAYS: Leo Snider on Page 3.
EDITOR: Dallas Marshall, (208) 848-2232/ dmarshall@lmtribune.com
SUBMISSION DEADLINE for the February issue is 5 p.m. Jan. 20. GOLDEN TIMES: P.O. Box 957, Lewiston, ID 83501 goldentimes@lmtribune.com
JANUARY BIRTHDAYS
> JAN. 12
Leo Snider, 100
Leo Snider was born in 1925 to Cecil and Flossie Snider in Cereal, Alberta, Canada. In 1928, the family moved to Clarkston, where he still lives.
Leo attended school in Clarkston, graduating in 1942. He started playing golf at the Clarkston Country Club the year it was built, 1937. He excelled at golf and was proud of winning the Wingding tournament in Lewiston, making three hole-in-one shots and shooting his age more than once until age 87.
A er graduating high school, he went to work at Mason Ehrman. When World War II started, he enlisted in the Navy, serving on Peleliu Island and on the USS Pocomoke for two years. He returned to Clarkston and married Mildred Byers in 1949. They had two sons, Mark, of Clarkston, and
He worked at Morgan Brothers in Lewiston until retiring at 59. He is a member of the First Presbyterian Church in Clarkston. Leo loves to tell a good story and enjoys singing at church and karaoke at any opportunity. He took loving care of his wife, keeping her at home until her death in September 2018. He lives at Evergreen Estates.
Friends and family are invited to a birthday party in his honor at 2 p.m. Jan. 12 at Evergreen Estates.
To submit birthdays: Birthday announcements starting at age 70 are accepted for free publication in the month of the birthday only. Length limit is 200 words. All submissions must include the name and contact info of the person submitting the announcement. Current photos are welcome — please no dated pictures. To have photos returned, please include a stamped, self-addressed envelope. Submissions may be sent to goldentimes@lmtribune.com or Golden Times, P.O. Box 957, Lewiston, ID 83501. Questions may be directed to editor Dallas Marshall at dmarshall@ lmtribune.com or (208) 848-2232. February birthday announcements must be received by 5 p.m. Jan. 20.
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January
Sharing resolutions
Last month, we asked our Golden Times readers and columnists to share their New Year’s resolutions. While our readers wanted to keep theirs private, a few of our columnists shared theirs. Here they are:
When asked to reveal your resolutions, it puts a person on the spot. Eons ago when I was a 10-day newlywed, a reporter asked me that question. Since I had received a cookbook from my husband for Christmas, I said it was to learn to cook — which I did. Now after 60-plus years of marriage, we have accumulated far too much “stuff,” and I realize it’s time to sort and thin possessions. So after being asked that question again, I have only one resolution — to spend at least one hour each day going through it all. One year from now, after 365 days (give or take a few) I expect to have at least made a considerable dent in the project.
— Dixie Johnson
I used to make so many resolutions at the first of the year, only to forget them two weeks later. This year I have one important one and it is merely to be a better person today than I was yesterday. I will wake up in a state of gratitude, read more, judge less, ask myself who can I help and how can I make the world a better place.
— Hazel Christiansen
Forty years ago, I saw a resolution which I adopted. Each year I renew it. It’s hands off, and allows for Godopened doors. I’ve walked boldly into those opportunities and create a spacious life for myself.
“This year I will do something that I’ve never done before.”
Sometimes the challenge is simple, like trying a new food or learning a new art form.
Sometimes the world becomes my home as I travel across vast oceans.
Sometimes my world connects to someone living in my home for a short time.
Sometimes I bravely reach out to help someone.
A wonderful open door occurred during COVID-19. It was a shutdown, an isolated time, but there was a great need for masks. I watched a video on the process. I had material. I had a sewing machine and iron. I ordered elastic and taught my granddaughter how to sew. We made 2,263 masks and gave them away on my front porch.
I’ve done many things I never dreamed of by watching for the chance to do something that I’ve never done before. I highly recommend this resolution.
— Sharon Chase Hoseley
Sometimes, TV can give us a little taste of home
Clark Gable, in the old 1936 movie “San Francisco,” more or less saved my sanity.
It played on Czech TV the month I lived in the basement of the 95-year-old school in Holešov. At that point, I was very depressed and homesick. And luckily, it was subtitled rather than dubbed so I could understand the original dialogue as spoken. You don’t realize how wonderful it is to hear your native tongue when you’re all alone and far from home.
Good old Clark Gable: How wonderful it was to hear his voice. There were several American programs on TV there, but usually they were dubbed so all I could hear was a harsh Czech voice speaking the dialogue.
In Slovenia, things were much better. Besides local and Italian stations, I was able to get CNN International and Sky News from England, as well as Eurosport. The local stations primarily featured “talking heads,”
but in the evenings they played American sitcoms such as “Rosanne” and “Green Acres,” which were subtitled. It helped me learn the Slovene language since I could read it as I listened to the dialogue.
CNN kept me up to date on world events, and I became something of a news junkie. In fact, I was able to see the 2003 breakup of the space shuttle Columbia as it happened, as well as the tragic terrorist takeover on the rst day of school in Beslan, Russia. It lasted three days and more than 330 people, including young students, were killed. Sky News kept me informed on the increasing tensions before the U.S. invasion of Iraq. The coverage of winter sports in Europe was wonderful. I could view Alpine and Nordic ski races from beginning to end on weekends as well as ski jumping. When I lived in Slovenia, the world champion ski jumper one year was a Slovene youngster named Primož
Peterka. He was that country’s hero for sure. When I visited relatives in Austria, watching ski races was a must. Skiing is the national sport in Austria, and they knew all the skiers’ names and what countries they were from, as well as their successes and failures.
American Bode Miller was in top form then, and it tickled me to hear my relatives call him “Der Bode” (the Bode).
When I lived on the Slovene seacoast I could also get a couple of Croatian TV channels. They were delightful because they almost always subtitled the English language shows. On holidays such as New Year’s Day or Easter they usually broadcast a special American movie such as “The Sound of Music” or “Gone With the Wind,” a real treat for me.
During the ski season, however, there was o en an unusual type of problem. A Croatian brother and sister were excellent ski racers and o en winners on the podiums. So when Ivica (ee-VEE-tsa) and Janica (yawn-IT-tsa) Kostelić arrived home in Zagreb, normal programming was preempted. They were greeted with live TV coverage and the downtown celebration lasted for hours.
Another surprise was to learn the prime-time soap opera, “Dallas,” was a favorite among folks of all ages. One evening I was chatting with a friend about the show, and when I mentioned the episode where J.R. Ewing was shot, she exclaimed, “Oh no! J.R. gets shot? Who did it?” That was in 1997, and in America J.R. had been shot 17 years before in 1980. I felt just horrible for spilling the beans about an event that had not yet aired there. So sorry, my friend.
Johnson, of Grangeville, worked in three different European countries — Hungary, Czech Republic and Slovenia — in the 1990s and early 2000s. She can be reached at johnsondixie@hotmail.com.
Back when I taught in Czech Republic, I was amazed that many of my students had favorite American TV shows. One of the most popular was “Murder She Wrote” and they liked to discuss what Jessica Fletcher had done in the most recent episode. It occurred to me that perhaps I got along with my students so well because I reminded them of her. We were similar in age and both had short blond hair — but Jessica was much more clever than I could ever be.
Woods Trish Brown
For the LewistonClarkston Valley
> Monday-Friday
Coffee, 10 a.m. to noon, Valley Community Center, 549 Fifth St., Clarkston.
> Monday, Wednesday, Friday
Coffee, 10 a.m. to noon, $1 donation, Sixth Street Senior Center, 832 Sixth St., Clarkston.
Fit and Fall Proof, 9-9:45 a.m., Congregational Presbyterian Church, 709 Sixth St., Lewiston.
Fit and Fall Proof, 10:4511:30 a.m., Orchards United Methodist Church, 1213 Burrell Ave., Lewiston.
> Mondays and Wednesdays
Yoga/low-impact exercise, 9-10 a.m., Valley Community Center.
SENIOR CALENDAR
> Mondays and Thursdays
S.A.I.L. (Fit & Fall Prevention) class, 10:30-11:30 a.m.,
Valley Community Center.
> Mondays and Fridays
Fit and Fall Proof, 10-11 a.m., Emmanuel Baptist Church, 2200 11th Ave., Lewiston.
> Mondays
Painting group, noon to 4 p.m., Valley Community Center.
Dance practice, 6-7:30 p.m., Sixth Street Senior Center.
> Tuesdays and Thursdays
Fit and Fall Proof, 8:159:15 a.m., Elks Lodge, 3444 Country Club Drive, Lewiston.
> Wednesdays
Bridge, 12:30-4 p.m.,
Valley Community Center.
Line dancing, 2 p.m. and 3:15 p.m., Valley
Community Center. Zumba, 5:30 p.m., Sixth Street Senior Center.
> Thursdays
Footcare, Valley Community Center. By appointment only: (253) 218-7091.
Line dancing, 10:30 a.m., Valley Community Center. Card games, 1-3 p.m., Valley Community Center.
> Fridays
Country jam, 10 a.m. to noon, Sixth Street Senior Center.
> Sundays
Dance lessons, 5 p.m., Sixth Street Senior Center.
> Jan. 7 and 21
Foot care, Valley Community Center. By appointment only: (253) 218-7091.
Karaoke, 6:30-9 p.m., Valley Community Center.
> Jan. 7
Karaoke, 6:30-9 p.m., Sixth Street Senior Center.
> Jan. 18
Sons of Norway, 12:30-3 p.m., Valley Community Center.
> Jan. 19
Dance and covereddish dinner, 6 p.m., Sixth Street Senior Center.
> Jan. 27
Seaport Quilters, 6-9 p.m., Valley Community Center.
> Jan. 30
Themed dance and covereddish dinner, 6 p.m., Sixth Street Senior Center.
To submit your event for the senior calendar, email goldentimes@lmtribune. com. For more information about events at the Sixth Street Senior Center, see the calendar at sixthstreetsrcenter.com.
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Making it more than just ‘stuff’
My mother’s bean pot brings great memories and a bit of nostalgia. At every family get-together on either Mom’s or Dad’s side of my family, this pot was lled with yummy baked beans made from scratch. It hasn’t held a single bean for 30 years, but it sits on the shelf in my kitchen as a reminder of my mom. I am so thankful for her love, kindness, respect, encouragement and expectations as she guided me across her bridge. We hang onto “things” that have meaning because of a person. I have them all over my house. The little ceramic house was lled with bacon grease used for frying and when we ran out of meat, for sandwiches. (I wonder how many other kids took bacon grease sandwiches to school?) The two matching salt and pepper shakers were never used but stood like guards next to the house on our cupboard shelf.
to a memory or it’s old enough to be worth a lot of money. Why would the next generations want to clutter their houses with “where am I going to put this” items that have no purpose or meaning?
Two cut-glass bowls were always on my grandmother’s table. One had tempting pink-and-white mint candies. The other held horehound. Of course, my choice was always the mint, but if I had a cough, Grandma would pass me the horehound. It was the cure-all for a cold.
My little red iron has sat on my shelf for 50 years. This toy was used by young me every Tuesday on a small, wooden ironing board (made by my uncle) in the kitchen alongside Mom’s real one. We did ironing together. Most kids now have no idea what that even is. The hours mom and I spent together “ironing” as we listened to soap operas on the radio are precious memories.
I hear complaints from my generation about “no one wants my stu .” Let’s face it. Stu is just stu unless it’s attached
So how do we give meaning to our stu ? If there’s a possibility of someone being interested in it, write a note about the item and stick it to the bottom. If your kids don’t want it maybe a person visiting your yard sale would be a history bu and snatch it up. We have two very nice museums in the Lewiston-Clarkston Valley — the Nez Perce County
Historical Society Museum in Lewiston and the Asotin County Museum in Asotin. If you want to have a nostalgic day, I highly recommend you spend it at one of these great places. They might even covet some of your “stu ” to add to their collection.
If you have a hard time parting with things that bring back good memories, take pictures. Make an album of them and write a story to go with each piece. Then you can share with others the story of what life used to be like. Then gi your precious treasures to others. It will make it easier to
downsize your possessions, bless others and leave a book of legacy. Most of all, put your heart and soul into making your own used things in uence your children and grandchildren. Build into your possessions active memories so they’ll enjoy special thoughts about times they’ve spent with you. It’s the item that triggers our recall of the person. Love, be kind, respect, encourage and give much.
Chase Hoseley is a freelance writer and retired kindergarten teacher who lives in Clarkston. She can be reached at shoseley8@gmail.com.
Sharon Chase Hoseley
Help for the
Seniors living alone often slip through the cracks in the health system
By JUDITH GRAHAM KFF HEALTH NEWS
Carolyn Dickens, 76, was sitting at her dining room table, struggling to catch her breath as her physician looked on with concern.
“What’s going on with your breathing?” asked Peter Gliatto, director of Mount Sinai’s Visiting Doctors Program.
“I don’t know,” she answered, so softly it was hard to hear. “Going from here to the bathroom or the door, I get really winded. I don’t know when it’s going to be my last breath.”
Dickens, a lung cancer survivor, lives in central Harlem, barely getting by. She has serious lung disease and high blood pressure and suffers regular fainting spells. In the past year, she’s fallen several times and dropped to 85 pounds, a dangerously low weight.
And she lives alone, without any help — a highly perilous situation.
Across the country, about 2 million adults 65 and older are completely or mostly homebound, while an additional 5.5 million seniors can get out only with significant difficulty or assistance. This is almost surely an undercount, since the data is from more than a dozen years ago.
It’s a population whose numbers far exceed those living in nursing homes — about 1.2 million — and yet it receives much less attention from policymakers, legislators and academics who study aging.
Consider some eyeopening statistics about completely homebound seniors from a study published in 2020 in JAMA Internal Medicine: Nearly 40% have five or more chronic medical conditions, such as heart or lung disease. Almost 30% are believed to have “probable dementia.” Seventy-seven percent have difficulty with at least one daily task such as bathing or dressing.
Almost 40% live by themselves.
That “on my own” status magnifies these individuals’ already considerable vulnerability, something that became acutely obvious during the COVID-19 outbreak, when the number of sick and disabled seniors confined to their homes doubled.
“People who are homebound, like other individuals who are seriously ill, rely on other people for so much,” said Katherine Ornstein, director of the Center for Equity in Aging at the Johns Hopkins School of Nursing. “If they don’t have
someone there with them, they’re at risk of not having food, not having access to health care, not living in a safe environment.”
Research has shown that older homebound adults are less likely to receive regular primary care than other seniors. They’re also more likely to end up in the hospital with medical crises that might have been prevented if someone had been checking on them.
To better understand the experiences of these seniors, I accompanied Gliatto on some home visits in New York City. Mount Sinai’s Visiting Doctors Program, established in 1995, is one of the oldest in the nation. Only 12% of older U.S. adults who rarely or never leave home have access to this kind of homebased primary care.
Gliatto and his staff — seven part-time doctors, three nurse practitioners, two nurses, two social workers, and three administrative staffers — serve about 1,000 patients in Manhattan each year.
These patients have complicated needs and require high levels of assistance. In recent years, Gliatto has had to cut staff as Mount Sinai has reduced
HELP, Page 10
LEFT: Physician Peter Gliatto visits Carolyn Dickens, a lung cancer from Gliatto. RIGHT: Gliatto, director of Mount Sinai’s Visiting Doctors
homebound
Judith Graham for KFF Health News via TNS cancer survivor who lives alone in a one-bedroom Harlem apartment she’s had for 31 years. Dickens doesn’t know what she’d do without ongoing medical attention Doctors Program, bikes to patients’ homes for his scheduled visits.
its nancial contribution to the program. It doesn’t turn a pro t, because reimbursement for services is low and expenses are high.
First, Gliatto stopped in to see Sandra Pettway, 79, who never married or had children and has lived by herself in a two-bedroom Harlem apartment for 30 years.
Pettway has severe spinal problems and back pain, as well as Type 2 diabetes and depression. She has di culty moving around and rarely leaves her apartment. “Since the pandemic, it’s been awfully lonely,” she said.
When asked who checks in on her, Pettway mentioned her next-door neighbor. There’s no one else she sees regularly.
Pettway told the doctor she was increasingly apprehensive about an upcoming spinal surgery. He reassured her that Medicare would cover in-home nursing care, aides and physical therapy services.
“Someone will be with you, at least for six weeks,”
he said. Le unsaid: A erward, she would be on her own. (The surgery in April went well, Gliatto reported later.)
The doctor listened carefully as Pettway talked about her memory lapses.
“I can remember when I was a year old, but I can’t remember 10 minutes ago,” she said. He told her that he thought she was managing well but that he would arrange testing if there was further evidence of cognitive decline. For now, he said, he’s not particularly worried about her ability to manage on her own.
Several blocks away, Gliatto visited Dickens, who has lived in her one-bedroom Harlem apartment for 31 years. Dickens told me she hasn’t seen other people regularly since her sister, who used to help her out, had a stroke. Most of the neighbors she knew well have died. Her only other close relative is a niece in the Bronx whom she sees about once a month.
Dickens worked with special-education students for decades in New York City’s public schools. Now
she lives on a small pension and Social Security — too much to qualify for Medicaid. (Medicaid, the program for low-income people, will pay for aides in the home. Medicare, which covers people older than 65, does not.) Like Pettway, she has only a small xed income, so she can’t a ord in-home help.
Every Friday, God’s Love We Deliver, an organization that prepares medically tailored meals for sick people, delivers a week’s worth of frozen breakfasts and dinners that Dickens reheats in the microwave. She almost never goes out. When she has energy, she tries to do a bit of cleaning.
Without the ongoing attention from Gliatto, Dickens doesn’t know what she’d do. “Having to get up and go out, you know, putting on your clothes, it’s a task,” she said. “And I have the fear of falling.”
The next day, Gliatto visited Marianne Gluck Morrison, 73, a former survey researcher for New York City’s personnel department, in her cluttered Greenwich Village apartment. Morrison, who doesn’t have any siblings or children, was widowed in 2010 and has lived alone since.
Gliatto gave her a basic neurological exam, asking her to follow his ngers with her eyes and touch her ngers to her nose.
“I think your problem is with your ear, not your brain,” he told her, describing symptoms of vertigo.
Because she had severe wounds on her feet related to Type 2 diabetes, Morrison had been getting home health care for several weeks through Medicare. But those services — help from aides, nurses and physical therapists — were set to expire in two weeks.
“I don’t know what I’ll do then, probably just spend a lot of time in bed,” Morrison told me. Among her other medical conditions: congestive heart failure, osteoarthritis, an irregular heartbeat, chronic kidney disease and depression.
Morrison hasn’t le her apartment since November 2023, when she returned home a er a hospitalization and several months at a rehabilitation center. Climbing the three steps that lead up into her apartment building is simply too hard.
Morrison said she’d been feeling dizzy over the past few weeks, and
“It’s hard to be by myself so much of the time. It’s lonely,” she told me. “I would love to have people see me in the house. But at this point, because of
the clutter, I can’t do it.”
When I asked Morrison who she feels she can count on, she listed Gliatto and a mental health therapist from Henry Street Settlement, a social services organization. She has one close friend she speaks with on the phone most nights.
“The problem is I’ve lost eight to nine friends in the last 15 years,” she said, sighing heavily. “They’ve died or moved away.”
Bruce Le , director of the Center for Transformative Geriatric Research at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, is a leading advocate of homebased medical care. “It’s kind of amazing how people nd ways to get by,” he said when I asked him about homebound older adults who live alone. “There’s a signi cant degree of frailty and vulnerability, but there is also substantial resilience.”
With the rapid expansion of the aging population in the years ahead, Le is convinced that more kinds of care will move into the home, everything from rehab services to palliative care to hospital-level services.
“It will simply be impossible to build enough hospitals and health facilities to meet the demand from an aging population,” he said.
But that will be challenging for homebound older adults who are on their own. Without on-site family caregivers, there may be no one around to help manage this home-based care.
WA-ID Volunteer Center, in the Lewiston Community Center at 1424 Main St., strives to provide individualized volunteer opportunities for those wishing to serve in Lewiston, Clarkston, Asotin, Pomeroy, Moscow and the Oro no area. Information and other volunteer openings can be found at waidvolunteercenter.org or by calling (208) 746-7787. Volunteer needs include:
Tutors — Help students to be pro cient readers by the third grade. One-on-one reading tutoring in schools for students below reading grade level. Volunteers need to be able to commit to at least an hour a week for the school year. Background check required.
Food bank help Volunteers are needed to repack frozen and dry foods for distribution. Front counter volunteers and drivers for morning food pickups also are needed.
AARP tax preparer Do you feel comfortable with computers? Can you spare a couple of mornings a week? AARP Tax Aide Program needs volunteers to help prepare free basic tax returns for seniors and low-income individuals. No experience necessary. Training and materials are provided.
VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES
Senior Companion program provides companionship and respite care to the elderly and disabled. It allows low-income senior volunteers an opportunity to assist those who need minor help to continue living independently. Senior Companions visit clients in their homes, but it is not an in-home care program.
Medicare counselor —
The State Health Insurance Bene ts Advisors (SHIBA) program trains volunteers to assist local seniors with Medicare questions for Asotin, Gar eld and Whitman counties.
Local hospital auxiliary — Volunteers are needed to greet people, deliver
the gi shop, create baby and child items, do clerical work, provide hospital tours and more.
Lewiston City Library — Volunteer needs include circulation support, tech tutors and programming support.
Museum docents — Skills include meet-andgreet abilities, friendly personality and the ability to answer questions about the displays at the center. Training is provided.
Transportation — Drive seniors or disabled community members to and from destinations across the LewistonClarkston Valley.
auto insurance.
Garden and park volunteers — General lawn maintenance, weeding, sweeping, etc. Training provided. Community service approved.
Interlink Inc. is a nonpro t organization in Clarkston that matches community volunteers to people needing assistance to remain independent in their own homes. For information about becoming a volunteer and volunteer opportunities, call (509) 751-9143.
Volunteer applications and
Project Warmup — Cra ers are needed to make hats, scarves, mittens and lap blankets (yarn is provided). Completed items are donated to local nonpro t agencies. If you have yarn to donate, our volunteers will put it to good use.
Companions — The
additional information also can be found online at interlinkvolunteers.org. Volunteer needs include:
Drivers to transport senior citizens to appointments. Drivers are paid a mileage stipend.
People who can do small home safety repairs for senior citizens and persons with disabilities.
Volunteers interested in serving as volunteer helpers in the Interlink office.
Volunteers willing to help compile a senior social directory.
In the 35 years that we have been around we have found that people need a little help now and then, but that doesn’t mean they don’t want to have a fun time! of our residents are free to enjoy a worry-free lifestyle, because we provide the necessities. Things like housekeeping, laundry services, group activities, and caregiver support* are all included in the monthly rent! Plus, we’re conveniently located on TriState Health’s campus. So come by and take a look around.
Being open to change
The new year has always been a time to look back and try to improve upon ourselves.
While in Costa Rica, I met a man who summed up his ideals in one sentence: “I try to be a better person today than I was yesterday.” He went on to say that he prepared and maintained some land so neighborhood children could play soccer. A soccer match with professional players was happening that weekend which he organized as a fundraiser to help a neighbor pay medical bills. He told of how he spends time to stop for co ee and pastry with his mother each day even though she had nine children. He was such an inspiration.
New Year’s resolutions seem to be forgotten two weeks a er I’ve made them. This year I’m going to read more, complain and judge less, be more thoughtful and mindful. It’s sometimes hard to stay in the present. We look back at the past and ahead at the future and lose sight of the wonder in front of us. Trying to gure out what to say next before someone nishes their sentence is a habit some of us wish to break.
I plan to ask myself more frequently how can I make the world a better place and who am I able to help.
Kindness seems to come more easily to me than thoughtfulness. The latter takes a great deal more consideration before action and I’m prone to want to jump in and x things for others instead of letting them muddle through and gure things out for themselves. I guess in the short term it shortens my anxiety about them, but didn’t x the reason that they’d gotten themselves into the mess in the rst place.
The older I’ve become, the more I realize that I need to trust in the
universe more than I have. People will disappoint or hurt us with or without intent, knowingly or not, and I’m sure we’ve done the same. I wonder just how much of my disappointment in life was caused by my own expectations and not really what the other person did or said, or the way some situation turned out. Sometimes what seemed a disaster turned out to be what needed to happen to change a bad circumstance into something better.
Recently I was getting an MRI when the thought popped into my head that perfection and control are merely illusions. I had spent so much of my work life on a rigid schedule that I carried it into my retired life. Being in countries where people don’t worship their watch and adhere to tight schedules was disconcerting, but in hindsight, maybe I’ve been too uptight my entire life. Getting someplace ve minutes earlier to arrive on time isn’t worth speeding. Maybe I need to learn to slow down, to savor the moments that are slipping by so quickly. Leaving the country taught me some things that I admire in other cultures and yet let me be so grateful that I was born in the U.S.
If I don’t follow through on any other resolution, this year is all about making memories with family and friends. Those will be the real treasures we leave behind or will retrieve from the memory bank on a rainy day. I count my blessings every day to have so many ne people to share life with, to learn from, and to love.
I hope each of us will become just a little better person than we were the day before. Happy New Year.
From saving to spending
By SAMANTHA LAMAS MORNINGSTAR
The narrative of a miserly, Scrooge-like gure hoarding his wealth for years instead of enjoying his retirement might seem unbelievable — but unfortunately, it isn’t relegated only to ction. It’s a cold reality for many retirees.
According to the Life Cycle Hypothesis, this shouldn’t need to happen. A retiree who is nancially prepared for retirement should keep a consistent income in retirement, and her overall consumption should not change.
Who Is struggling to spend their retirement income?
About 25% of retirees fall into the camp of people who decrease spending during retirement. Moreover, research suggests this problem may worsen. Researchers found that the issue was most pronounced with individuals who use their own savings for retirement income — whereas people with guaranteed sources of income, such as annuities, Social Security, and pensions, were more likely to spend their income.
Why do people have trouble shifting from a saving to spending mindset?
One line of thinking posits that people simply don’t need to spend as much in retirement. For example, when people retire, they may experience a drop in work-related expenses. They may be able to spend more time doing things they had to pay for in the past — now making meals
at home or mowing their own lawn — and searching for the best deals for their purchases. And they may pay o their mortgage, thus decreasing their expenses.
Another line of thought points to more psychological reasons behind a change in spending patterns.
Before retirement, a person may be more susceptible to present bias (the tendency to focus more on the present situation at the expense of long-term planning) because their future labor income is uncertain, and they don’t yet feel an ownership of that money. That uncertainty gives them the exibility to think things like, “I’ll work more hours next month to make up for this trip,” or “My boss will cough up that bonus soon.”
However, a er retirement, they are on a xed income and the money they are spending is coming from their own pocket. This shi triggers loss aversion — that is, the desire to avoid losses outweighs the desire to experience gains. In retirement, we know that overspending today will result in a sure loss in future consumption. In a world where that future
you is 85 years old and unable to work, that future loss looms much larger than an extra extravagance today.
How to manage retirement spending woes
Every retiree is di erent, and di erent explanations may ring true based on their personal circumstances, so retirees may bene t from taking stock of their retirement spending. Start by gauging your nancial a airs and have a clear understanding of how much you can spend. Try tracking your spending using an online tool that breaks down spending by category. It’s ideal to do this before you retire, but not essential. On a quarterly basis, check your overall spending and take note of any categories where your spending patterns have changed. Do these changes align with your nancial goals? Did your spending on eating out suddenly drop, even though you love trying new cuisines with friends?
The pieces to the retirement income puzzle
If you fall into the underspending camp, research suggests that people using
guaranteed income sources are more willing to spend their income.
If you don’t want to take the leap to guaranteed income sources, try reframing your retirement income as a paycheck that someone else is paying you.
Although not spending enough money in retirement may not be a universal problem, it does represent a huge, missed opportunity for the retirees
in question. It’s important to remember that this is the money you’ve spent years toiling over and protecting. Now, during a long and happy retirement, is the time to put that money and free time to good use, funneling both resources into your version of a life well-lived.
ALTERNATIVE Nursing
This article was provided to The Associated Press by Morningstar. Lamas is a senior behavioral researcher at Morningstar.
Serving these Counties Nez Perce, Latah, Clearwater, Lewis, Idaho, Adams, Valley, Benton, Franklin, Yakima, Walla Walla, Columbia, Garfield, Whitman, Spokane, Asotin and Surrounding Counties
Cottonwood Community Hall
506 King St., basement, Cottonwood, (208) 792-2465, meals at noon Tuesdays.
Craig Mountain Senior Center
413 Nezperce St., Winchester, (208) 9246581, meals at noon Wednesdays.
Daley Senior Care
30302 Harley Lane, Culdesac, (208) 791-7438, meals at 1 p.m. and 4 p.m. daily.
Friendly Senior Citizens of Troy
100 S. Main St., Troy, (208) 835-6092, dinein or pick-up; noon Wednesdays.
Grangeville Senior Center
108 Truck Route,
Grangeville, (208) 9832033, meals are at noon Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays.
Juliaetta-Kendrick Senior Citizens Center
104 S. Sixth St., Kendrick, (208) 2895031, meals from noon to 1 p.m. Wednesdays and Fridays.
Kamiah Senior Center
125 N. Maple St., Kamiah, (208) 935-0244, meals at noon Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays.
Lewiston Community Center
1424 Main St., Lewiston, (208) 7436983, meals at noon Mondays, Tuesdays and
Wednesdays.
Moscow Senior Center
412 E. Third St., Moscow, (208) 882-1562, noon Tuesdays and Thursdays.
Nezperce Senior Citizens
501 Cedar St., Nezperce, (208) 9372465, noon Mondays and Thursdays.
Orofino Senior Center
930 Michigan Ave., Orofino, (208) 476-4238, noon Tuesdays and Fridays.
Palouse Senior Meals
220 E. Main St., Palouse, (509) 8782301, meals at noon Wednesdays.
Pomeroy Senior Center
695 Main St., Pomeroy, (509) 843-3308, noon Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays.
Potlatch Senior Citizens
Potlatch Senior Citizens Meal Site, 645 Pine St., Potlatch, (208) 875-1071, meals at noon Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays.
Pullman Senior Center
190 SE Crestview St., Building B, Northside Entrance, Pullman, (509) 338-3307, meals at noon Tuesdays and Fridays.
Riggins Odd Fellows Building
121 S. Lodge St., Riggins, (208) 628-4147,
meals at noon Tuesdays.
Spud Hill Seniors
401 Line St., Deary, (208) 877-1717, meals at noon Tuesdays.
Senior Round Table
549 Fifth St., Clarkston, (509) 295-8685, noon Tues-days, Thursdays, Fridays.
Weippe Hilltop Senior Citizens Center
115 First St. W., Weippe, (208) 435-4553, meals noon Mondays and Thursdays.
Pullman Meals on Wheels (509) 397-4305. Valley Meals on Wheels (208) 799-5767.
Books hold history, near and far
Ihave a library of a couple hundred books or so. Most are nonfiction, and I want to discuss a few of them.
The 10 books I have authored are full of articles I have written and had published. These books are, “An 80 Year Old Looks at Local Sports History,” “Just Another Sports Book,” “Baseball in Small Town America,” “Remember When,” “This and That from Here to There,” “Memories of Jolyn,” “Pictures on the Wall,” “Saying Goodbye” and “600+ Lives Remembered, Obituaries, and Cemeteries.”
called “Walking With Tigers,” and it is about Dahmen and his Lewiston caddy, Geno Bonnalie. Both books by my former students are signed to me and make me smile and make me glad I was a teacher. John’s says, “To Dick Riggs, the best teacher and mentor a guy could ever have.”
Dick Riggs
Beside my own books, I have three books which were written and published by students of mine. Two were by eighthgrade students (John Black and Susan Berman) I taught at the old Lewiston Junior High School in 1959. Both of my eighthgrade authors have passed away.
John Black’s 2018 book is a biography about my grandson, professional PGA golfer Joel Dahmen. His book is
Susan Berman wrote a book about her dad, Davie Berman, a Las Vegas mobster. Her book is called “Easy Street.” The book jacket says, “The story of a mob family.” Her autograph to me says, “To Mr. Riggs, the teacher who first told me I could write. Thank you so much. Love, Sue.” Susan was one of the smartest, nicest students I had, and I enjoyed her so very much. I remember taking her to Lewiston’s KLEW-TV where she was interviewed about an article she had written about a local event. Susan came to Lewiston with her uncle Chickie Berman because her mother and dad had both died in Las Vegas that year, but she left Lewiston after that one year. She went on to
get a bachelor’s degree at UCLA and a masters from the University of California. Sadly, she was murdered in Los Angeles in December of 2000. I have seen the story of her murder on TV.
“Idaho and the Pacific Northwest” is a 1956, 400-page book I used while teaching my 1959 class. I have “Lewiston, a Pictorial History” with a 1986 copyright. The Lewiston Tribune’s, “Two Rivers, One History” is in two volumes full of good pictures. The “Historical Sign Program in Idaho” shows more than 250 signs — places on the state’s highways explaining the history of each area. “Remembering the B” is a very thorough history of small Washington high school tournament history.
Two books by Keith Petersen give an enjoyable tour through two of Idaho’s state colleges. “This Crested Hill” is about the University of Idaho and “Educating in the American West” tells the history of Lewiston’s Lewis-Clark State College.
“Crimson and Gray” is the story of Washington State University’s athletic teams. “Legendary Locals of Moscow” is filled with
pictures of well-known Moscow citizens.
“The Boy Who Shot the Sheriff” is about a boy who shot and killed the Asotin sheriff in 1931. The boy’s name was Herbert Niccolls, and after his release from prison, he worked in California where he kept the secret for the rest of his long life.
How every school in the state of Washington was named is in, “Name of the Schoolhouse.” Clarkston’s Charles Francis Adams High School is included in the book.
“The Toppenish Murals” has more than 60 historical murals in that Washington town. “Hillside Letters” is about hundreds of towns who have the first letter of the town on a hill or by the town. We who live in Lewiston and Clarkston have the L and the C on the Lewiston Hill. “Big Trouble” is an 800-page book about the murder of Idaho Gov. Frank Streunenberg in
1905.
Interesting children’s books include, “The President Visits Lewiston, Idaho,” “Mailing May,” “Caboose Cobey,” “Seaman’s Journal,” “Ida Visits the Capital,” “Exploring Idaho from A to Z,” “P Is for Potato” and “E is for Evergreen.” Adults could enjoy and learn from these books, too.
A few other books of possible interest to some include “First Ladies of Idaho,” “A Lifelong Affair” by Sen. Frank Church’s wife, Bethine Church, and two volumes of “Pioneer Days in Idaho County,” by Sister Elsensohn. Books by Lewiston’s Marion Shinn are “Eyewitness to Idaho History” and “Pacific Patrol.”
Do enjoy your reading.
Riggs, 90, is a lifelong Lewistonian. He’s an avid Warriors fan, a retired educator, coach and school superintendent and volunteers his time at the Nez Perce County Historical Society. He can be reached at bdriggo@gmail.com.
COUNTING
LEWISTON SENIOR NUTRITION PROGRAM — When: Noon, Mon./Tues. and 11:30 a.m. Wed.
6 Tater Tot casserole
13 Chicken parmesan
7 Biscuits and gravy
8 Beef enchiladas
14 Shepherd’s pie 15 Ham
20 Closed for holiday. 21 Spaghetti
T27 Taco pie 28 Beef stroganoff
All meals served with: hot veggies, salad, fruit and bread.
22 Sloppy Joe
W
29 Chicken casserole
• Where: Lewiston Community Center, 1424 Main St., or call for delivery at (208) 743-6983. On-site meals are every Monday through Wednesday. • Cost: $4 suggested for seniors 60 and older; $5 for nonseniors • Note: Menu is subject to change.
SENIOR MENUS FOR JANUARY
SENIOR ROUND TABLE NUTRITION PROGRAM — When: Noon, Tues./Thurs./Fri. • Where: Valley Community and Senior Center, 549 Fifth St., No. F, Clarkston, or call (509) 758-3816 for delivery. • Cost: Donations appreciated for seniors 60 and older; $7 for nonseniors • Note: Menu is subject to change.
M
7 Chicken fried steak/mashed potatoes with gravy/corn/peaches/roll
9 Hamburger/lettuce/onion and tomato/ baked beans/applesauce/chips
10 Corn chowder/salad bar/ garlic toast
14 Meatloaf/roasted red potatoes/peas/peaches/ roll/cookie
W TH F M
T21 Beef stroganoff/green beans/pickled beets/ pears/garlic toast
28 Birthday dinner: Roast pork/mashed potatoes with gravy/carrots/juice/roll/cake/ice cream
16 Chicken bacon ranch/broccoli/cauliflower/ Jell-O with fruit/garlic toast
23 Hot turkey sandwich/mashed potatoes with gravy/veggie medley/mandarin oranges
30 Goulash/veggie medley/Jell-O/ fruit cocktail/garlic toast
17 Chicken and wild rice/salad bar/ cheddar biscuits
24 Potato soup/salad bar/ garlic toast
31 Cream of broccoli soup/salad bar/ cheddar biscuits
MOSCOW SENIOR NUTRITION PROGRAM — When: Noon, Tues./Thurs. • Where: 1912 Center, 412 E. Third St. or call (208) 310-3779 for delivery. Cost: $5 suggested for seniors 60 and older; $7 for nonseniors. • Notes: Soup (starting at 10:30 a.m.), salad bar (at 11:30 a.m.) and dessert are available daily. Menu is subject to change. • Online: users.moscow.com/srcenter.
7 Ground beef stroganoff/noodles/fruit/veggies/roll
14 Lemon pepper chicken thigh/pasta alfredo/carrots/pears/roll
9 Bean and cheese burrito/Mexican rice/buttered corn/pears
M W TH F
21 Meat lasagna/green beans/peaches/garlic bread
T28 Pot roast/mashed potatoes/green beans/roll
VALLEY MEALS ON WHEELS — JANUARY MENU
16 Smoked sausage/seasoned cabbage/potatoes/mixed fruit
23 Pork egg roll/jasmine rice/Asian veggies/pears
30 Cheddar cheese omelet/sausage patties/fruit/biscuit/juice
5 HOT: Pot roast/ mashed potatoes/ carrots
HOT: Chicken cordon bleu/scalloped potatoes/broccoli
SACK: Tuna salad/garbanzo bean salad/Rice Krispie treat
SACK: Chicken salad/ crackers/banana pudding 6
SACK: Roast beef/ pea salad/cake 7
HOT: Teriyaki chicken/rice/ cabbage
SACK: Ham/ celery sticks and cucumber/orange 8
HOT: Lasagna/ corn
HOT: Pork loin/stuffing/ cauliflower
SACK: Uncrustable/ carrot-raisin salad/pears 9
12 13
HOT: Chicken fried steak/mashed potatoes/carrots
SACK: Uncrustable/ yogurt/apple
HOT: Turkey/ stuffing/squash
SACK: Ham/ veggie cup/chocolate pudding 19
26
HOT: Ham/ yams/corn
SACK: Seafood salad/ chips/peaches
HOT: Pork loin/ rice/mushrooms
SACK: Egg salad/cottage cheese/banana 20 21
HOT: Chicken cordon bleu/scalloped potatoes/broccoli
SACK: Tuna salad/garbanzo bean salad/Rice Krispie treat
Menus are prepared by St. Joseph Regional Medical Center and are subject to change. Meals are delivered to established clients between 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. 365 days of the year, with delivery guaranteed by 1 p.m. each day. Individuals can have a hot meal delivered to their residence for $4 per day or a hot meal and a sack lunch for $5 per day. More info: (208) 799-5767. 17
HOT: Veggie lasagna/ broccoli
SACK: Ham/pasta salad/Jell-O fluff 14
HOT: Beef stew/roasted potatoes/carrots
SACK: Chicken salad/ spinach salad/cookie
HOT: Pot roast/ mashed potatoes/ carrots
SACK: Chicken salad/ crackers/banana pudding 27
15
HOT: Chicken cordon bleu/mac and cheese/green beans
SACK: Egg salad/marinated cucumbers/cookie
HOT: Italian baked chicken/mashed potatoes/broccoli
SACK: Roast beef/marinated mushroom salad/bread pudding
HOT: Teriyaki chicken/rice/ cabbage
SACK: Roast beef/ pea salad/cake 28
SACK: Ham/ celery sticks and cucumber/orange 29
HOT: Lasagna/ corn
HOT: Meatloaf/ baked beans/ cauliflower
SACK: Roast beef/pickled beet salad/applesauce 16
HOT: Tater Tot casserole/peas
HOT: Tuna noodle casserole/green beans
SACK: Egg salad/potato salad/peach cobbler 10
HOT: Pasta bolognese/ peas
SACK: Tuna salad/ green salad/cake
HOT: Ribs/roasted potatoes/corn
SACK: Uncrustable/ green bean and onion salad/blondie dessert
HOT: Sweet-andsour meatballs/ rice/peas
SACK: Turkey/green salad/cookie 11
HOT: Stroganoff/ noodles/cabbage
SACK: Turkey/ broccoli salad/ pineapple 18
HOT: Chicken strips/mac and cheese/green beans
SACK: Turkey/ tomato, rice-and-feta salad/mandarin oranges 23 25 24
HOT: Pork loin/stuffing/ cauliflower
SACK: Uncrustable/ carrot-raisin salad/pears 30
SACK: Seafood salad/ chips/coleslaw
31
HOT: Tuna noodle casserole/green beans
SACK: Egg salad/potato salad/peach cobbler
HOT: Ribs/roasted potatoes/corn
SACK: Uncrustable/ green bean and onion salad/blondie dessert
HOT: Sweet-andsour meatballs/ rice/peas
SACK: Turkey/green salad/cookie 1