New Horizons Newspaper by Eastern Nebraska Office on Aging

A publication of the Eastern Nebraska Office on Aging

December 2014 VOL. 39 • NO. 12

ENOA 4223 Center Street Omaha, NE 68105-2431 ADDRESS SERVICE REQUESTED

PRSRT STD U.S. POSTAGE PAID OMAHA NE PERMIT NO. 389

New Horizons

orth’s star Gene Haynes has worked in the Omaha Public Schools system since 1967. His resume includes stints at Technical High School where he taught social studies and was Nebraska’s first African-American head basketball coach, assistant principal at McMillan Middle School, and as principal at North High School, a position he’s held since 2001. Leo Adam Biga profiles this legendary educator. See page 10.

Balancing act Tai Chi instructor Chris Cady-Jones demonstrates the “fair lady works as shuttles” movement. Learn more about Tai Chi, a program designed to improve balance, and where and when the classes are offered. See page 20.

What’s inside

Men and women like Pamela Bell (pictured) who are raising their grandchildren Decemberarecalendar of events .................................. 3 encouraged to attend as ‘Read it &theeat’Grandparents .......................................................... 4 Parents Conference on Treating your dry eyes ............................................. 5 Thursday, Sept. 18. ‘An ounceSee of prevention’ page 5........................................... 7

Enroll in Medicare Part D through Dec. 7 ................ 9 Douglas County honors Loren Johnson .................. 9 Home Instead’s Be a Santa to a Senior .................. 14 Keeping fit during the holiday season ................... 15 Intergenerational poetry contest winners ............... 16 Moses visits the Corrigan Senior Center ............... 17

Nebraska Senior Medicare Patrol Nebraska Senior Medicare Patrol, a Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services program that works to educate and empower older adults to help prevent health care fraud offers 10 tips to help you avoid Medicare scams. • Don’t provide your Medicare number to anyone except your trusted health care provider. • Ask friends and neighbors to pick up your mail while you’re away from home. • Shred important documents before throwing them

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away. • Read Medicare summary notices carefully looking for possible mistakes. • Use a calendar or health care journal to record information from doctor visits. • Compare your calendar or health care journal with your Medicare summary notices. • Count your prescription pills. If the total is less than expected, go back and tell the pharmacist. • Medicare Part D plans change annually. • Don’t speak to anyone claiming to be a Medicare representative about Medicare. • Medicare loses billions of dollars each year. It’s up to you to help fight fraud. If you believe you may be a victim of Medicare fraud, please call the Nebraska Senior Medicare Patrol at 800942-7830.

New Horizons

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December 2014

A ‘Reader’s Digest’ guide for do-it-yourself projects

or the first time in nearly a decade, the editors of The Family Handyman magazine – a Reader’s Digest publication and the largest home improvement magazine in the world – have revised and updated The Complete Do-It-Yourself Manual with new information, step-bystep instructions, and thousands of full-color photos. The Complete Do-It-Yourself Manual is the definitive reference book homeown-

ers need to save time and money on renovations, repairs, and DIY projects. It includes instructions and materials that address electrical, plumbing, and building codes, and has been revised to incorporate the latest in materials, tools, and technology. The guide is suitable for beginners and experts alike, written to provide home improvement buffs with user-friendly assistance with every DIY task. “The Complete Do-itYourself Manual combines the best elements of the original version, the magazine’s rich archives, new illustrations and photography, and the wisdom and experience of the best experts in the field today,” said Ken Collier, editor-in-chief of The Family Handyman. Highlights from The Complete Do-It-Yourself Manual include: • New landscaping and outdoor projects chapter: Refinishing a deck, repairing a fence, and laying brick patios are outlined in this new chapter. Concise instructions and clear images help guide readers to build various outdoor projects. • A new chapter on storage projects: By popular demand, The Family Handyman has added innovative storage solutions to maximize space and stay organized. The chapter shares tips to efficiently store everyday household items around the home. • Updated building codes, materials, and technology: The book is “up to code,” so home improvement is safer, more energyefficient, and trouble-free, giving readers access to the best information around. • Full-color photos: With more than 3,000 photos and detailed illustrations the book is even more comprehensive, covering any job a homeowner may tackle, indoors or out. • Step-by-step instructions: Reviewed by more than 150 home improvement and DIY experts, the stepby-step instructions simplify complex and daunting household repairs. • The Family Handyman’s Complete Do-It-Yourself Manual is available for purchase everywhere books are sold.

December 2014 events calendar 1 A Christmas Carol Omaha Community Playhouse Through Dec. 23 402-345-0606

8 Irish Christmas at Father Flanagan’s Historic Home Boys Town Through Dec. 15 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. FREE 402-498-1141

Christmas at Boys Town Historic Creche Displays Through Jan. 11 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. FREE 402-498-1141

18 Supper with Santa Through Dec. 21 Omaha’s Henry Doorly Zoo 6 to 8 p.m. $15 for zoo members $20 for non-members 402-738-2092

3 Christmas with the King’s Sisters Holland Performing Arts Center 7:30 p.m. $22 and up

Omaha Symphony Christmas Spectacular Through Dec. 21 Holland Performing Arts Center $22 and up 402-345-0606

The Madrigal Christmasse Feaste Through Dec. 5 Regency Marriott Ballroom $52 402-556-1400 5 A Christmas Story Through Dec. 28 The Rose Theater Friday @ 7 p.m. Saturday and Sunday @ 2 p.m. $20 and $25 402-345-4849

19 Beauty and the Beast Through Dec. 21 Orpheum Theater Friday and Saturday @ 8 p.m. Sunday @ 1:30 p.m. $35 and up 402-345-0606

Joslyn Castle Holiday Historic Home Tour Also Dec. 6 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. 402-595-2199 7 Christmas at Boys Town Tree Lighting 7:45 p.m. 402-498-1141 HorizonAD-2010:HorizonAD-08 2/4/10 8:00

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27 Penguins and Pancakes @ Omaha’s Henry Doorly Zoo Through Dec. 29 8:30 to 10 a.m. $15 for zoo members $20 for non-members 402-738-2038 1

Attorneys at Law William E. Seidler Jr.

www.seidler-seidler-law.com 10050 Regency Circle, Suite 525 Omaha, NE 68114-5705

402-397-3801

Delivering quality legal services since 1957.

December 2014

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New Horizons New Horizons is the official publication of the Eastern Nebraska Office on Aging. The paper is distributed free to people over age 60 in Douglas, Sarpy, Dodge, Washington, and Cass counties. Those living outside the 5-county region may subscribe for $5 annually. Address all correspondence to: Jeff Reinhardt, Editor, 4223 Center Street, Omaha, NE 68105-2431. Phone 402-444-6654. FAX 402-444-3076. E-mail: jeff.reinhardt@nebraska.gov Advertisements appearing in New Horizons do not imply endorsement of the advertiser by the Eastern Nebraska Office on Aging. However, complaints about advertisers will be reviewed and, if warranted, their advertising discontinued. Display and insert advertising rates available on request. Open rates are commissionable, with discounts for extended runs. Circulation is 20,000 through direct mail and freehand distribution.

Editor....................................................Jeff Reinhardt Ad Mgr................Mitch Laudenback, 402-444-4148 Contributing Writers......Nick Schinker, Leo Biga, & Lois Friedman ENOA Board of Governors: Mary Ann Borgeson, Douglas County, chairperson; Jim Warren, Sarpy County, vice-chairperson; Jerry Kruse, Washington County, secretary; Gary Osborn, Dodge County, & Jim Peterson, Cass County. The New Horizons and the Eastern Nebraska Office on Aging provide services without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, marital status, disability, or age.

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Corrigan Senior Center events You’re invited to visit the Corrigan Senior Center, 3819 X St., this month for: • Thursday, Dec. 4, 11, & 18: Free WhyArts? workshops led by Mike Giron at 10 a.m. No art experience is needed to participate in these classes. • Monday, Dec. 8: St. Nicholas celebration. Join us for chair volleyball @ 10 a.m., the Offutt Aires holiday show @ 11:15 a.m., lunch, and Bingo. Wear your holiday clothes and accessories. Seasonal door prizes will be available. Snacks to share are always welcome. The noon lunch is turkey Cordon Bleu or deli turkey ham salad. • Wednesday, Dec. 10: Carols at Corrigan with a visit by students from St. Peter and Paul School @ 12:30 p.m. • Monday, Dec. 15: Talk on Nebraska Deaf and Hard of Hearing Services for Seniors @ 11:30 a.m. Stay for a baked chicken breast or deli ham and Swiss sandwich lunch and Bingo. • Wednesday, Dec. 17: Come for a delicious noon lunch of baked ham with a pineapple glaze, baked sweet potatoes, broccoli with cheese sauce, a wheat roll, and red velvet cake. • Thursday, Dec. 18: Christmas party featuring entertainment by Nashville’s Billy Troy @ 11 a.m. Lunch features roast beef with a baked potato, California blend veggies, a tossed salad, a wheat roll, and chocolate pudding. The reservation deadline is noon on Friday, Dec. 12. • Monday, Dec. 29: Birthday party featuring music by Joyce Torchia from the Merrymakers. Stay for lunch and Bingo. New players are welcome to play chair volleyball every Tuesday and Thursday @ 11 a.m. A noon lunch will follow. Join us for Tai Chi (see page 20 for more information on Tai Chi), a relaxing and fun activity that’s proven to improve your balance Tuesdays and Thursdays at 10 a.m. in our spacious gym. Bingo, ceramics, exercise, woodcarving, and loads of fun are also available. The Corrigan Senior Center is open weekdays from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Lunch is served at noon. A $3.50 contribution is normally suggested for the meal. Reservations are normally due by noon the business day prior to the meal you wish to enjoy. For meal reservations or more information, please call Lynnette at 402-731-7210.

Computer users group meets each month

ou’re invited to join the Omaha Computer Users Group (OCUG), an organization dedicated to helping men and women age 50 and older learn more about their computers. Anyone can join OCUG regardless of his or her computer skills.

The organization’s 50 members meet the third Saturday of each month from 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at the Abrahams Library, 5111 N. 90th St. Annual dues to OCUG, which has existed for 15 years, are $25. Members will have access to updated laptop computers with Microsoft Office 2010, the Microsoft 8 operating system, a Power Point projector, and a printer. Each month, OCUG meetings address members’ questions and teach new techniques. For more information, please call OCUG’s president Phill Sherbon at 402-333-6529.

Read it & eat By Lois Friedman readitandeat@yahoo.com

Enjoy these holiday treats Happy holidays for everyone on your gift list for whatever holiday you celebrate. Enjoy the pleasures of the season with these delicious cookbooks. Cocktails for the Holidays By The Editors of Imbibe Magazine (Chronicle, $19.95) Celebrate with 50 cocktail recipes with tips and suggestions for gatherings of every size for toddy time, party time, winter warmers, festive sparklers, and seasonal sips. The Culinary Imagination By Sandra Gilbert (W.W. Norton, $29.95) This award-winning author explores food writing, memories, and gastronomic ideas. “All the ways we dread and delight in meals.” A Sweet Taste of History By Chef Walter Staib (Lyons Press, $29.95) The Philadelphia City Tavern chef shares the history of “America's legacy of the sweet table” and more than 100 18th Century recipes with headnotes and lush photographs. Baked Elements By M. Lewis & R. Polliafito (Stewart, Tabori, & Chang, $32.50) In this beautiful cookbook from their Brooklyn bakery – Baked – the authors share 75 recipes using their top 10 favorite ingredients, dazzling photographs, and graphics. From Houghton Mifflin: Baking Compiled By Better Homes and Gardens Editors ($29.99) This refresher baking course covers the hows, whys, and what nows of baking 350 recipes with tips and techniques for cookies, cakes, pies, and more. Tiny Bites By Betty Crocker Editors ($16.99) Think small and tiny menus, tidbits, 100 bite-size, sweet and savory recipes for petite breads, mini meals, sweet shots, pops, cookies-cakes, and pie bites. Try this quick and easy recipe for your next gathering.

Spicy mini dogs

Prep time: 20 minutes • Start to finish: 20 minutes Yields 24 mini dogs 1 package (9.25 oz.) dinner rolls 1 tablespoon olive oil 24 miniature Cajun-style andouille sausages or cocktail-size smoked link sausages 1/4 cup Creole mustard 1/4 cup sweet pepper relish Heat rolls as directed on package. Meanwhile in a 12-inch skillet, heat oil over medium heat. Cook sausages in oil five minutes, turning occasionally, until lightly browned and thoroughly heated. Cut slit in top of each roll. Place a sausage in each roll; top with 1/2 teaspoon each mustard and relish. Please support New Horizons advertisers

Law Offices of Charles E. Dorwart 33 years of legal experience • Wills • Living Trusts • Probate • Healthcare and Financial Powers of Attorney • In Home Consultations • Free Initial Consultation 6790 Grover Street • Suite 100 Omaha, NE 68106 Office: (402) 558-1404 • Fax: (402) 779-7498 cdorwartjd@dorwartlaw.com

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December 2014

While there’s no cure, there are treatments for dry eyes

he winter season is fast approaching and that change in weather can affect muscle, bone, and even eye health. According to recent statistics, approximately 33 million Americans suffer from eye health issues like dry eye syndrome. Although there’s no cure for dry eye syndrome, there are some effective treatment options available to keep your eyes healthy during the winter months. Here are five tips to help you prevent dry eye this winter: • Specialized treatments: LipiFlow® is a revolutionary dry eye treatment that opens up and cleans out the inflamed, clogged oil glands by gently heating the glands in the eyelid then “milking” out the inflammation-causing, clogged oils. The treatment is painless and only takes 12 minutes to perform. Ophthalmologist Dr. Brian Boxer Wachler said the procedure is easy. “There is no downtime, just like having your teeth cleaned at the dentist.” • Warm compresses: Dry eye is caused by a lack of natural tears, which are composed of water and a much-needed oily sub-

stance. Over time, cells in the glands may harden, keeping the oil from getting into the tear film. Without that oil, the water in tears evaporates too quickly, leaving eyes feeling dry. A warm compress can help liquefy those plugs so the oil can flow into tears.

(402)-291-5005 Please support New Horizons advertisers

• Artificial tears: Over the counter eye drops are excellent methods for treating dry eye, although short-term. These eye drops are synthetic chemicals that mimic natural tears, providing the eyes with the lubrication they need to remain comfortable throughout the day. • Keep your distance from fireplaces and indoor heaters: During the winter months, it’s normal for fireplaces and indoor heaters to be regularly in use. What many people don’t tend to realize is their effect on the eyes. Standing or sitting too close to indoor heaters and fireplaces can alter the room’s humidity level and dry out the eyes dramatically. • Sunglasses: The sun and wind can be harmful throughout the year. During the winter months, the snow on the ground can double as a blinding reflection surface and the harsh wind can lead to intense dry eye. This reflection of the sun directs sunlight right to the eyes, so wearing sunglasses can help protect eyes from harmful UV rays as well as keep cold wind from hitting the eyes.

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December 2014

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Dora Bingel Senior Center You’re invited to visit the Dora Bingel Senior Center, 923 N. 38th St., this month for the following: • Dec. 1, 8, 15, 22, & 29: Al-Anon meeting @ 7 p.m. • Dec. 2, 9, 16, & 23: Grief Support Group @ 10 a.m. • Dec. 3, 5, 10, 12, 17, & 19: Ceramics @ 9 a.m. • Dec. 3: Holy Communion. • Dec. 17: Music by Johnny Ray Gomez sponsored by the Merrymakers @ 11:30 a.m. Lunch is $3. • Dec. 17: Birthday party luncheon @ 11:30 a.m. Eat free if you have a December birthday. • Dec. 17: Foot care clinic from 9 a.m. to noon. The cost is $10. • Dec. 19: Hard of Hearing Support Group @10:30 a.m. The center will be closed Dec. 24 through Jan. 1 for the holidays. We’ll reopen on Jan. 2. Lunch is served on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. A $1 donation is suggested for the meals other than $3 on Merrymaker Day. Round-trip transportation is available for $3. Reservations are required 24 hours in advance for all meals. Other activities offered at the facility include: Tuesday: Matinee @ 12:30 p.m. & quilting group @ 1 p.m. Wednesday: Devotions @ 10:30 a.m., and Bible study @ 12:45 p.m., and Bingo @ 12:45 p.m. Friday: Joy Club Devotions @ 9:30 a.m., Tai Chi @ 11 a.m., and Bingo @ 12:45 p.m. For more information, please call 402-898-5854. Millard Senior Center at Montclair You're invited to visit the Millard Senior Center at Montclair, 2304 S. 135th Ave., for the following: • Dec. 3: Crafts day from 9 to 11:30 a.m. We’ll be painting tiles and making them into wood-based trivets. The cost is $5. Students will need to bring four tiles. Class size is limited, so call Susan at 402-546-1270 to reserve your spot. • Dec. 9: A harpist will entertain @ 11 a.m. • Dec. 11: Presentation on elder abuse @ 11:15 a.m. • Dec. 19: Christmas sing-along with Jim Snyder and Santa @ 11 a.m. On quilting day (Thursdays @ 9 a.m.) we’ll be making Quilts of Valor for our veterans. The Millard Senior Center is open weekdays from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Lunch is served at 11:30. A $3.50 donation (free on your birthday) is suggested for the meal. Reservations are due by noon the business day prior to the lunch you wish to enjoy. Center activities include a walking club @ 8 a.m. (join and get a free t-shirt), Tai Chi class (Mondays and Fridays from 10 to 10:45 a.m. for a $1 suggested donation), chair volleyball (Tuesdays and Thursdays @ 10 a.m.), card games, and Bingo (Tuesdays and Fridays @ noon). For meal reservations and more information, please call Susan at 402-546-1270.

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Book chronicles author’s battle with breast cancer, offers tips for supporting those fighting the disease

re you shy about asking, “What’s the etiquette for supporting my loved one, friend, or colleague in their battle against cancer?” Many people simply avoid the question altogether and offer nothing. “It’s OK to wonder, and it’s OK to ask. Be direct.” says Jane Schwartzberg, who has been battling stage 4 metastatic cancer for several years. She’s the coauthor with Marcy Tolkoff Levy of Naked Jane Bares All that shares Schwartzberg’s story with candor and humor. Jane was a 31-year-old newlywed when she was diagnosed with breast cancer. She underwent treatment and eventually was declared cancer free. She moved on with her life, giving birth to two children and launching a technology company. Then, when she was 42, the cancer returned. She’s now 45. “I’m a fighter, and the support I’ve received from my family and friends has given me an immeasurable amount of strength, without which I don’t know what I would do,” Schwartzberg says.

She offers these suggestions for providing support: • Do it without any expectations or requirements for a response. “I’m often asked, ‘What can I do to help?’” she says. “What I’ve suggested is be in my life at my pace, let me take the lead; make your presence, availability, and support known, but do it without any expectations or requirements for a response.” • Embrace their big dream, even if it doesn’t sound realistic. During a very low point, Schwartzberg was asked by a friend: “If you could have anything, swinging for the fences, what would help you get out of this pit?” Without skipping a beat, she answered, “I want to take [comedian] Larry David out to lunch.” As impossible as it seemed, her friend encouraged her to write the co-creator of television’s Seinfeld, and he accepted the lunch offer. “As terrible as having terminal cancer is, there is that undeniable quality of embracing every moment, including asking your heroes out to lunch,” Schwartzberg says. “Cancer brings out the boldness in people, which may entail a dream vacation to Hawaii. Don’t be afraid to embrace their wishes.” • Don’t hesitate to say, “You look beautiful,” when health has returned. After her chemotherapy treatments ended, Jane slowly started looking like her old self. Part of reengaging with life is caring about the superficial things, at least to some extent. On the unforgettable day she met Larry David, the maître d had beforehand told Jane she looked beautiful. Jane responded, “You have no idea how much I appreciate that.” • Don’t sugarcoat it. “If you want to really infuriate me, tell me this whole mess is beshert, Yiddish for ‘meant to be.’ That it’s all part of a plan from a higher power,” she says. “Maybe terminal cancer is part of some crazy plan, but I promise you these are the last things I want to hear from anyone.” Don’t sugarcoat or try to put a positive spin on what’s going on – in fact, it’s more of a comfort to Jane when others acknowledge that her situation stinks and that she is looking at a life that’s far different from, and likely to be shorter than, anything she’d imagined.

NCOA receives grant to open fall prevention center The National Council on Aging was recently awarded a grant from the Administration for Community Living to establish and lead the country’s first National Falls Prevention Resource Center to reach thousands of older adults and their families with information on how to prevent falls. In total, the ACL awarded nearly $5 million to 14 state and local grantees and the NCOA to support the implementation and dissemination of evidence-based falls prevention programs and strategies across the nation. Falls are the leading cause of both fatal and nonfatal injuries for people age 65 and older. One in three older adults – more than 14 million – falls every year, incurring over $30 billion in medical costs. These falls are often avoidable, but access to proven prevention programs is currently limited. As the National Falls Prevention Resource Center, the NCOA will: • Provide expert guidance, leadership, and resources for

December 2014

consumers and professionals. • Serve as a national clearinghouse for best practices for implementing evidencebased falls prevention programs. • Establish national leadership and technical assistance structures to scale and sustain successful programs. For more than nine years, NCOA’s Falls Free Initiative has been the national leader in raising awareness about older adult falls and how to prevent them. Today, more than 43 states and 70 national organizations, professional associations, and federal agencies work collaboratively through the Initiative to spread evidence-based falls prevention programs and strategies. “Falls are not an inevitable part of growing older,” said NCOA President and CEO James Firman. “The state and local grantees, working closely with the Resource Center, will improve access to proven programs and educate thousands of older Americans and their families about

simple steps to stay safe as they age.” In addition to the NCOA, 10 domestic and private nonprofit entities, and four tribal organizations received two-year grants. Awardees will work in collaboration with the Resource Center to implement or expand evidence-based falls prevention programs. The grants are part of falls prevention funding allocated from the Prevention and Public Health Fund that was established under the Affordable Care Act as the first mandatory funding stream dedicated to improving the nation’s public health. In September, 48 states and numerous community organizations celebrated the 7th Annual Falls Prevention Awareness Day, which the Falls Free Initiative sponsors each year on the first day of fall. This year’s event highlighted the important roles professionals, caregivers, and family members play in raising awareness and helping older adults have a Strong Today – Falls Free Tomorrow.

Make the holiday season joyful, safe

is the season to be jolly! Nothing can ruin the holiday spirit, however, more quickly than becoming a crime victim. For most people the holidays are a time for friends, family, and celebrations. Unfortunately thieves are also celebrating the season by taking advantage of easy targets. By being proactive and utilizing a few crime prevention strategies, you and your loved ones can enjoy this holiday season without incident. • Be extra cautious about locking your windows and doors. Utilize a dead bolt lock, if you have one. According to the FBI’s 2013 crime statistics, a little more than one-third of the burglaries in 2013 were nonforcible burglaries. In other words, these burglaries most likely were committed through an unlocked door or an open window. • Display your tree, not your gifts. Many families like to place their Christmas tree and gifts in front of the window, so it’s prominently displayed for all to enjoy. The problem is, thieves can also see the packages. Don’t put your gifts out until Christmas Eve or place the packages away from windows.

you

about

• Don’t advertise that you’re away for the holidays. Burglars look for clues such as outdoor lights burning 24 hours a day, piled up newspapers, advertising flyers on the door knob, or a buildup of snow on the driveway and sidewalks. Use an inexpensive auto-

• After Christmas day, don’t pile up empty gift boxes from your new “high dollar gifts” out on the street for the garbage collectors. Break the boxes down and conceal them in the containers. • Lastly, if you receive any high dollar gifts this

Wills • Trusts • Probate

Ask A Lawyer: Q — What rights does my “significant other” have at my death?

A — Your unmarried partner will not have any rights in your property at the time of your death other than rights you confer. Without a will, your children if any and siblings have priority over your “significant other” to inherit your assets and to the right to be named executor of your estate. We advise unmarried couples to hold assets in joint tenancy or designate their partner as POD beneficiary to provide for them in case of an unexpected death. We also recommend unmarried partners name each other as power of attorney agent in both financial and health care instruments. Have a question about estate planning? Give us a call! AARP Legal Service Network • No Charge For Initial Consultation

matic timer when you’re away and ask a trusted neighbor to pick up the newspapers and shovel your walks while you’re gone. • Don’t get too social on social media sites. While it can be exciting to “post” that you’ll be going out of town, announcing to your whole social network that you’re not home isn’t a good idea. Additionally, posting pictures of the very expensive gifts you’ve received is also advertising what’s in your home. Many people become friends with others via social media sites, without really knowing with whom they’re talking.

year, be sure to take a picture of the items and document their serial numbers. If you become the victim of a crime, police will better be able to locate your property with the serial numbers and photos. (Sgt. Payne supervises the Omaha Police Department’s Crime Prevention unit.)

enoa.org

The Eastern Nebraska Office on Aging’s Web site includes information about:

24 hours a day, • Homemakers 7 days a week! • Information & assistance telephone lines • Intergeneration Orchestra of Omaha • Legal services • Meals on Wheels • Medicaid Waiver • New Horizons • Nutrition counseling

The New Horizons is brought to you each month by the Eastern Nebraska Office on Aging.

Fontenelle Tours

Omaha/Council Bluffs

712-366-9596

“Christmas Belles” at the Lofte. December 7. $99. Come along to witness a church Christmas program spin hilariously out of control in this Southern comedy ........followed by a delicious dinner at the Main Street Café in Louisville.

aging services

Bath aides Care management Chore services Community education Durable medical equipment Emergency food pantry Emergency response systems ENOA facts and figures ENOA Library ENOA senior centers Grandparent Resource Center

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Motorcoach

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Log on to

7602 Pacific Street, Ste 200 • (402) 391-2400

Quoted prices are per person, double occupancy. For more information about our tours, please call Ward or Kathy Kinney at Fontenelle Tours at the number listed above.

in Douglas, Sarpy, Dodge, Cass, or Washington counties?

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WHITMORE LAW OFFICE

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Ombudsman advocates Respite care Respite Resource Center Rural transportation Senior Care Options Support of adult day facilities • Volunteer opportunities

December 2014

Kansas City Christmas. December 10 - 11. $319. Enjoy “Sheer Madness” at the New Theater Restaurant, Webster House holiday lunch, Strawberry Hill Povitica Bakery, Pryde’s in Westport, “Christmas in the Park,” Country Club Plaza lights, Crown Center, Federal Reserve Bank tour, and Arabia Steamboat Museum.

Laughlin Laughlin in December. $??? As of November 15, there were no Laughlin trips available, although we usually have a December trip to this exciting destination! Check with us if you’re interested in a December trip to Laughlin. Includes non-stop, round-trip airfare to Laughlin, Nevada, three or four nights lodging at the Riverside Resort and Casino on the banks of the Colorado River, and shuttle transportation to and from the airport. This vacation is a very affordable way to get out of the cold winter for a few days.

In Partnership with Collette Vacations Quoted prices are per person, double occupancy, and do not include airfare. MORE DESTINATIONS AVAILABLE! Hawaiian Adventure. 10 days for $2999. Waikiki Beach, Pearl Harbor, Oahu’s famous North Shore, Kilohana Plantation, Waimea Canyon, Kauai Coffee Company, Iao Valley Monument, Lahaina, Polynesian Luau! Visit the islands of Maui, Oahu, and Kauai. There is an option to extend this trip by three days to include Hawaii, the “Big Island.” Reflections of Italy ...................................................... 10 days from $2149 Shades of Ireland ........................................................ 10 days from $1799 Alaska Discovery with Cruise .................................... 13 days from $3031 Australia ....................................................................... 21 days from $4899 New York City ................................................................ 5 days from $1749 Discover Panama .......................................................... 9 days from $1699 Canadian Rockies by Train.......................................... .9 days from $3099 Discover Switzerland .................................................. 10 days from $2049 African Safari ............................................................... 14 days from $3849 The Galapagos Islands ............................................... 10 days from $4359 Rhine River Cruise ........................................................ 9 days from $2599 Discover Scotland ....................................................... 10 days from $1849 Tropical Costa Rica ....................................................... 9 days from $1349 Rose Bowl Parade......................................................... 5 days from $1449 San Antonio ................................................................... 5 days from $1149 Exploring Greece......................................................... 15 days from $2549 Complete South Pacific .............................................. 27 days from $6399 South Africa ................................................................. 13 days from $2499 British Landscapes ..................................................... 10 days from $2199 Flavors of Thailand........................................................ 4 days from $1549 Nova Scotia ................................................................. 11 days from $2949 Spain’s Classics .......................................................... 11 days from $2099 Beijing China ................................................................... 9 days from $899 Colors of New England ................................................. 8 days from $2299 Heritage of America .................................................... 10 days from $2199 Watch New Horizons and our website www.fontenelletours.com for our trip schedule. Our mailing address is: 2008 W. Broadway #329, Council Bluffs, Iowa 51501

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Presentations on elder abuse set for Dec. 11 at Papillion, Millard centers

epresentatives from the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services will be making a 20 to 30-minute presentation on elder abuse at two Eastern Nebraska Office on Aging seniors centers on Thursday, Dec. 11. While seating is limited, it’s possible that walk-ins may be accommodated. Here is the schedule:

Millard Montclair Senior Center 2304 S. 135th Ave. 11:15 a.m. Please call 402-546-1270 for reservations Papillion Senior Center 1001 Limerick Rd. 1:45 p.m. Please call 402-597-2059 for reservations

With hospice care, nobody has to die alone By Mark Kresl

recently became a hospice care volunteer through a local hospice agency. I hadn’t planned to do this. I’d never given it a thought, even though I work in a nursing facility. It started when the hospice care agency was conducting volunteer training at the Florence Home and my 25 year-old daughter called and asked if she could sign up for the course. It was a surprising question coming from someone so young. She’s always had a strong social conscience, but this particular interest caught me off guard. I decided since the training was in the room right next to my office, I might as well get some quality time with my daughter and sit with her while she was trained. Somehow, during the shuffling of papers between my daughter and the hospice trainer, I found myself reading and signing papers of my own. Next thing I knew, I had signed up to become a hospice volunteer. My daughter and I completed the training and were ready to be called. There are many elements to hospice care. The one that interested me most was called No One Dies Alone. This is a program designed to ensure when a hospice patient reaches life’s end, there is someone with them. With the help of volunteers in this program, no one has to die alone. The sad truth is that too many people die alone, so committing to this

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December 2014

program seemed like a great idea, if only in abstract terms. That abstract idea became reality recently. An older woman reached the end stages of her life. She had no friends or family who could be with her. The volunteer coordinator from the agency who trained my daughter and me got in touch and asked if I could spend a few hours with this woman whom I’d never met and knew nothing about. I agreed and arrived in her room right after work that day. When I entered her room, the only sound was her labored breathing. I looked around the room and noticed the pictures on her walls, and could only wonder why a stranger was accompanying her on this final journey. There were pictures of pets, children, and adults. There was a bible and a rosary on her desk. As I took it all in, I suddenly realized it didn’t matter why she was alone. The fact is she was, and I could change things. It created an almost immediate connection with her. I was with her for three hours, but wasn’t there for her passing. Another volunteer replaced me at the end of my shift and was present when the lady died. This woman didn’t die alone. I took a great deal of satisfaction in knowing that. There are a thousand worthwhile programs out there to which you could give your time and energy. I ask you to consider volunteering in hospice care. Nobody should face death alone – nobody. As I write this column, I’m at the bedside of another dying hospice patient. This one is different. This one is my friend. This one is the poet from my New Horizons column last month. I promised that he wouldn’t die alone. He won’t. To learn more about becoming a hospice volunteer, please contact Alexis Rands at 402-934-2742. (Kresl is with Midwest Geriatrics, Inc. in Omaha.)

Group for older widows, widowers meets second Monday of each month

HEOS, a group for older widows and widowers, meets the second Monday of each month at the Presbyterian Church of the Cross, 1517 S. 114th

St. The organization offers weekend activities, Wednesday night dinners, and pinochle twice a month. For more information, please call Dorothy at 402399-0759, Mary at 402-3933052, or Joan at 402-3938931.

211 network The 211 telephone network has been established in parts of Nebraska to give consumers a single source for information about community and human services. By dialing 211, consumers can access information about: • Human needs resources like food banks, shelters, rent and utility assistance, etc. • Physical and mental health resources. • Support for older Americans and persons with a disability. • Support for children and families. • Volunteer opportunities. The 211 network is open 24 hours a day, seven days a week. The information is also available online at www.ne211.org.

Enroll in Medicare prescription drug plan at VAS events through Sunday, Dec. 7

edicare beneficiaries will have an opportunity to change their Medicare prescription drug plans for 2015 during the open enrollment period through Dec. 7. By comparing prescription drug plans Medicare beneficiaries may be able to save money and receive improved coverage by switching to a different plan. During the open enrollment period, Medicare beneficiaries can also review and change their Medicare Advantage plans. These changes may include the cost of premiums, co-pays, and out-of-pocket maximums. Medicare beneficiaries should realize not all Medicare Advantage plans change each year. It’s also important they check with their physicians to make sure they’ll continue to accept their Medicare Advantage plan in 2015. Many Medicare beneficiaries have already received notice that their Humana Advantage plan won’t be accepted at Catholic Health Initiatives (CHI) facilities that were formerly known as Alegent/Creighton Health System in 2015. Medicare supplement (Medigap) plans don’t need to be reviewed annually during the open enrollment period, but beneficiaries do need to know their Blue Cross Blue Shield Medicare supplement plans aren’t affected by the ongoing negotiations between BCBS and CHI/ Alegent Creighton Health System. Men and women with BCBS supplements can continue to see their CHI physicians and hospital care teams. Volunteers Assisting Seniors (VAS) serves as the Nebraska Senior Health Insurance Information Program regional office in the Omaha area. VAS can provide free, unbiased information to Medicare beneficiaries. VAS will host a series of open enrollment events throughout the area through Dec. 7 (see the schedule below). Medicare beneficiaries will have a chance to sit down with a trained VAS counselor for assistance in evaluating their Medicare prescription drug plans for 2015. Contact VAS at 402-444-6617 to schedule an appointment. Assistance is also available outside the Omaha metropolitan area by calling SHIIP at 800234-7119.

Omaha grocer receives the Golden Beet Award

s a way to promote healthier eating in the community, the Douglas County Putting Prevention to Work initiative looked at retail food outlets in north Omaha and then enlisted the services of Loren Johnson, owner of J-N-J Grocery, 3247 N. 42nd St. Johnson and J-N-J became the first area grocer and grocery store to voluntarily implement the Healthy Neighborhood Store project. Now north Omaha shoppers have access to a wider variety of fresh and healthy food items promoted throughout the store. In recognition, the DCPPW has presented Johnson with its Golden Beet Award bestowed for just the second time to a person who has taken community goals and made them flourish in

their neighborhood. “Loren has become a neighborhood champion for health through his partnerships with other nearby small store owners,” said Douglas County Health Director Dr. Adi Pour. “By helping those businesses bring healthier food options to their stores, he is making healthy change happen in north Omaha.” In addition to his efforts at J-N-J, Johnson is also reinforcing a message of health and neighborhood transformation through healthy food and beverage donations for neighborhood block parties and community events. The DCPPW’s goal is to make Omaha a healthier city in which to live, work, play, and raise children. Its vision revolves around creating a physical and cultural environment that supports Loren Johnson, owner of healthy lifestyle choices J-N-J Grocery. at any time, in any place, and where the healthy choice becomes the easy choice. (The Douglas County Health Department provided this information.)

DOUGLAS COUNTY Tuesday, Dec. 2 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. VAS • 1941 S. 42nd St. Suite 312

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Haynes sets lofty expectations for North High School students By Leo Adam Biga Contributing Writer

t’s a marvel Omaha North High School principal Gene Haynes relates so well to students at the magnet school given how far removed his life experience is from theirs. The 70 year-old Mississippi native came of age in a time and place unlike anything his students know. Haynes grew up in the grip of poverty and segregation in the post-World War II southern United States. Yet he’s current and cool enough to accept either a handshake or a fist bump from students. He either calls them by name or by “brother man” or “sister girl” as he makes his presence known in the school’s hallways, cafeteria, and other common areas every school day. “When you say their name they know you’re paying attention to them,” Haynes says. “I take a lot of pride in going to the activities and seeing what the young people are doing and encouraging them to do their best.” He’s such a fixture at North High and in the community that he knows most students’ extended families. Omaha Public Schools Superintendent Mark Evans says, “It makes a huge difference when the person telling you which direction to go knows not only your mom and dad but your aunt and uncle, (and) your grandma and grandpa. I think it makes kids so responsive to Gene – much more so than

most administrators.” A message Haynes conveys to students is, “Do your best when no one is around.” When he’s around and sees students applying themselves, Gene says he knows “they want to be highlighted” and thus he singles them out. North High students increasingly shine academically and athletically in the transformation Haynes is leading there. “When you treat people right, good things happen,” he says. “I make it a point every day I come to this building to be outside greeting kids as they come in. They see this crusty old man. I’m not an office person. I have to do my paperwork on Saturdays or after school. When the kids are moving to and from class I’m out there to see what the kids are doing. You can’t stay in one place, you have to be able to move, and I do, which prompts kids to ask, ‘Are there two of you?’ I show up when they least expect it, not looking to catch them in anything but to give them that extra encouragement they need. “We have a staff at North High School that cares about every student. The kids know that. I think that’s the key. You have to go in with a positive attitude. Every student is worth something. The young people you’re working with on a daily basis are going to be your future.” For Haynes, there’s no conflict about his mission. “The bottom line has been and always will be what’s best for young people, not

A native of rural Mississippi, Gene Haynes graduated from Rust College. personally for me. It’s to make a difference in the lives of young people that you come across in your path.” It’s all about setting expectations. “If you don’t expect anything from them they’re not going to give you anything.

But if you have those high expectations and you communicate, there’s no wiggle room. You need to know how to do that. I’ve kind of mellowed in my latter years. I was very aggressive (before). It goes back to my father who said, ‘You’ll catch more bees with honey

than you will with a stick.’” When Haynes sees students acting out he handles it differently today than in the past, though he still bellows, “Hit the bricks” to stragglers. “If you reprimand or put them down in front of their peers you’re not going to get anywhere. The best thing to do is to approach them and treat them with all due respect.” A credo Haynes likes imparting is, “If you tell the truth you don’t have to worry about repeating it – it’s always going to be there.”

aynes realizes students confront a lot these days between the pressure to have sex at an early age, the lure of drugs, the threat of bullying, and the high incidence of teen depression and suicide. He’s aware many inner city students come from broken families and live in active gang areas where instability and fear rule. “I think the biggest challenge we face is we don’t have enough time for the magnitude of issues stu--Please turn to page 11.

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Gene’s life, career shaped by his early days in the Jim Crow South --Continued from page 10. dents bring to school. It’s not about books, it’s about time and effort to convince these young people there’s a better way of dealing with issues.” Rather than an having an extended school day or an extended school year, Gene advocates schools and communities “provide the best opportunities” for students to develop. Haynes says parents are vital cogs in their children’s education and he actively solicits their participation. “I pick up the phone and call them. If I need to go make a home visit I do that. We make them a part of the equation.” He says the trust level has improved among North High’s parent base. Haynes suspects some had bad experiences in school, making it incumbent on himself and his staff “to ease any apprehensions they feel.” He adds, “There’s a support system in place to eliminate some of those concerns. We have a very strong PTSO (Parent Teacher Student Organization).” Coming out of Mississippi in an era when blacks were denied basic human and civil rights, Gene knows about hard times and perseverance. You don’t forge a 47-year Omaha Public Schools career without overcoming odds. Haynes grew up the youngest of four sons to a sharecropping father and homemaking mother in a country hamlet between Gholson and Preston, Miss. During the off-season his father drove a truck. Like his brothers and cousins, Gene was delivered by his midwife grandmother. “We came in with the blessings of my grandmother,” is how he puts it. In that tight-knit community he says, “We kind of looked out after for each other.” In the fully segregated South, Haynes attended all black schools that got “hand-me-down” textbooks from the white schools. As a child he walked miles to a one-room schoolhouse. At age 9 he started taking a bus to school. By high school the routine found one bus picking up a white neighbor girl and another bus picking him up, the vehicles taking the youths to “separate and unequal schools.” Blacks were treated as second-class citizens in every way.

visiting Jake below the Mason-Dixon Line. “We talked about the olden days.”

Each school day, Haynes can be seen patrolling the hallways and other common areas at North High. “That was the way of life back in that time. Growing up in the Jim Crow South toughened your skin up,” Haynes says. His parents never got as far as high school but they stressed education’s importance. The black teachers who taught at the schoolhouse boarded with the Haynes family during the week. That close proximity to educators made “a big impact on me,” Gene says. An influential figure in Haynes’ life was a landed white man, Vardaman Vendevender, who took an interest in young Gene. “This gentleman was very dear to my family. On the weekends I worked for him. I did things around his house. I had access to his tractor, truck, (and) Jeep. If he needed things from the store I was able to go into town and get them. He called me Gene Robert after my grandfather. He once said to me, ‘If you ever want to be successful you have to leave the state of Mississippi.’ Here was a white guy sharing that with me. That was a relationship I treasured for years. Up until he passed (away) every time I would go back to Mississippi I would visit him.” Vendevender’s son, Jake, visited Haynes at North High a few years ago. “He said, ‘When I pulled up I couldn’t believe a young

skinny kid from Mississippi is the principal of this big high school. My father must have made an impression on you.’ That’s something that sticks with me even right now.” Haynes returned the favor,

December 2014

aynes was in high school, where he excelled in sports, when the civil rights movement came to Mississippi and all hell broke loose. Native son, James Meredith, integrated the University of Mississippi in 1962 but only with the full force of the nation’s highest court and National Guard troops behind him. “The most frightening thing in my life was riding the bus to school and having federal marshals on every corner. Tension ran very high,” Gene recalls. Every time activists or lawmakers threatened dismantling segregation, racist stakeholders in that apartheid system reacted violently. In 1964, Haynes’ freshman year in college, a trio of Freedom Riders was killed. The deaths of the “Mississippi Three” further heightened fear in the region. Haynes says despite the obstacles and dangers he never despaired things wouldn’t improve. He believed in the power of education and in letting the truth shine through ignorance. “I could see that because

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of my training and my teachers, who were always discussing how important it was to get an education. They embedded that into us – that education is a key for success.” Blacks were also resourceful in finding some kind of way through barriers to pursue their goals and dreams. “We managed in spite of the opportunities denied us.” Haynes says as a collegebound African-American in those days his higher education choices in the South were severely limited. In much of the region at that time blacks couldn’t attend anything but historically black colleges. “When I was coming out of high school if you were black and you didn’t go to Jackson State, Alcorn State, Mississippi Valley State, Rust College, or one of the other private black schools, you couldn’t go.” During the ’60s some challenged this exclusion but not without the federal government enforcing it. Even then there were serious, often ugly consequences. It would be some time before blacks were able to attend schools of their choice without incident. Haynes was fortunate to have as a mentor a male --Please turn to page 12.

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Working to make his school a community anchor, resource --Continued from page 11. high school biology teacher who also coached him in football. “He was very instrumental in working with me from grade 10 on, preparing me for college. He had gone to Rust College in Holly Springs, Miss., and he was very instrumental in my attending Rust. I felt that was the opportunity for me to do the things I need to do.” Before attending Rust, however, Haynes followed his brothers to Omaha, where the extended family put down roots during the Great Migration blacks made from the South to the northern U.S. in search of a better life. Omaha’s booming meatpacking plants and railroad operations drew many unskilled blacks and other minorities here. “We had relatives here and they hooked up my oldest brother who came here in ’59 with a job. It was a kind of networking that went on. He came here on a weekend and he went to work at the packinghouse on Monday. That started a chain of events,” says Haynes, whose other brothers followed. In 1963, Gene did, too. His brothers went back to Mississippi for his high school graduation and no sooner did the ceremony end than they took Haynes back to Omaha. “I left to the chagrin of my mom and dad. I was the baby and now the nest was empty. In 1964 my mother and father pulled up stakes and moved to Omaha. Mom couldn’t stand not being around her boys.” Unlike his brothers, Gene didn’t work in the packinghouses. Instead, a relative got him on at the fancy Blackstone Hotel, with its distinctive exterior, ornate interior, and popular Golden Spur and Orleans Room. He returned to Mississippi to attend Rust, majoring in social studies and economics. “They provided me with a great education,” he says of his alma mater. The school also served as his introduction to his life partner. “I met a great lady whom I ended up marrying – my wife, Annie. We graduated from Rust in 1967 and we got married in 1968.” Haynes and his wife are the parents of one son, Jerel, and the grandparents of Caleb and Jacob. Work-study and a scholarship put Haynes through college. He toiled in the dorms and athletic offices to pay his way in becoming his family’s first college graduate. Given the sway educators had in his life, he naturally looked at teaching as a career. Places like Omaha had a dearth of black college grads then, so OPS looked to historically black colleges for candidates. He joined other newly minted educators from the South as OPS hires, including Sam Crawford, Jim Freeman, and Tom Harvey, all of whom enjoyed long careers with the Omaha schools. “A large group of us that went to predominantly black schools came to Omaha to teach,” Haynes says. “We’ve been very blessed because

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we have carved out a legacy that’s been great. We stuck together.” Haynes didn’t intend staying in Omaha. When he started at Omaha Technical High School in 1967, he came alone while Annie pursued teaching opportunities in Alabama and Cleveland, Ohio. “My plan was to teach here one year and go to Miami, where I also applied. I lived with my parents to save money. Forty-seven years later I’m still here and I haven’t saved any money yet,” he says, laughing. After that first year in Omaha Gene went to Cleveland to court

looking at us. I had to tell the kids, ‘You have to play above that because let’s face it if it’s close, you can forget it,’” says Haynes, referring to blatantly bad calls by officials that went against his team and other minority-laden teams then at Omaha Central and Omaha South. “I told the kids, ‘You have to be twice as good as your competition.’ And so we tried to prepare them for that.” Gene says he instilled in his players the philosophy – “You give it your best. Winning is not everything, but a sincere effort is.” He

ed,” Warren says. “I have watched him spend countless hours serving the students of Omaha North High School and our community. He has been an advocate for at-risk students and I have never seen him give up on a kid. I consider Gene Haynes a friend, mentor, and role model and I will always refer to him as ‘Coach.’” Other students Haynes molded became entrepreneurs, lawyers, and professionals in one field or another. He finds it ironic many of them are now retired while he’s still working. “Doesn’t seem right,” he says, smiling.

Gene received his master’s degree in education administration supervision from the University of Nebraska at Omaha in 1974. Annie. “I convinced her Omaha was the place she needed to be.” She got a job teaching third grade at Lothrop Elementary School. Annie taught for 37-plus years in the Omaha school district. Haynes, who earned a master’s degree in education administration supervision from the University of Nebraska at Omaha in 1974, taught and coached at Tech High until the school closed in 1984. The massive Tech building is now the OPS headquarters, Gene was an assistant football coach at the school when future University of Nebraska All-American and Heisman Trophy-winner Johnny Rodgers played for the school. During his tenure at Tech, Haynes became the state’s first black head basketball coach. Breaking that new ground meant dealing with some racist coaches, officials, and fans. “With a predominantly black team we had some skewed eyes

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says he still believes that today. “It’s not about wins and losses it’s about the success of the young people at the end of their high school term.” Haynes has fond memories of his time at Technical High School. “I can think about so many young people I was fortunate enough to work with.” One of those is Thomas Warren Sr., who became Omaha’s police chief and is now president-CEO of the Urban League of Nebraska. Warren played basketball for Haynes and remembers his old coach as “a strict disciplinarian who had the respect of his players because he went the extra mile for them.” He sees Haynes doing the same thing today. “For many of his players he was responsible for facilitating scholarship opportunities. For me individually, he drove me to Sioux City, Iowa in his personal vehicle for my recruitment visit to Morningside College, where I eventually attend-

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aynes says “the passion the staff developed caring about individual students made all the difference in the world” at Tech. “That’s what I’ve attempted to do and incorporate here at North.” He and his staff work to create an environment where students “feel they can come and talk to us about their concerns and we’ll address the situation.” When Tech closed Haynes became assistant principal and athletic director at McMillan Magnet School for a year before joining the North High staff in 1987. At North he served as assistant principal and athletic director for 14 years until assuming the principal post in 2001. Since taking over at North, whose 4410 N. 36th St. campus borders some of Omaha’s highest crime areas, Haynes is credited with leading a turnaround there. But he says the transformation began under predecessor Tom Harvey, who changed the school’s image. Starting in the 1980s North’s once proud reputation suffered under the strain of urban pressures that saw school dropouts and disruptive behaviors rise and test scores decline. Haynes says Harvey began the process of turning this wasteland into an oasis of success. “Tom Harvey was a driving force behind the resurrection of North.” The impoverished neighborhoods around North High had fallen into a mire of drugs, gangs, violence, vacant homes, and hopelessness but have rebounded with help from community building organizations like Abide. North’s leaders, Haynes says, made a conscious effort to make the school an anchor and a resource in a community hungering for something it could be proud of and call its own. “Tom Harvey invited the alums and the Vikings of Distinction to turn North High School around. They talked about what would it take to change the perception. There used to be a fence around the place. When you saw that fence you thought about the prison mentality and we had to change that. The fence came down and there was a trust factor then within the community that North is the place to be.” Haynes has continued to enhance --Please turn to page 13.

OPS’ Evans: When you say North High, you think Gene Haynes --Continued from page 12. North High’s community engagement. “North High School is a key component of this community. We have opened up North for community events and activities. We found that when people in the community feel they are part of something your vandalism goes down. They feel they have ownership in this. The second Saturday of the month the Empowerment Network uses our facility. Every Sunday, Bridge Church holds services here.” Gene says if northeast Omaha is to realize its hoped-for revival then North High and its companion schools must be actors in that transformation. “If it’s going to change North High School and the Omaha Public Schools are going to be key players in turning things around. Right now I see we’re moving in the right direction.” Haynes welcomes community partners. John Backus, pastor of Trinity Lutheran Church, 6340 N. 40th St., says, “When we approached him about ways to be helpful in his school he was ready with ideas, answers, and the sort of willing spirit that accomplishes things. Gene Haynes is a capable leader and intensely interested in the well-being of his students.”

erhaps the biggest sea change for North High came when it was made a magnet center for STEM – science, technology, engineering, and math. “We wanted the best and the brightest people to be a part of North High School – students and staff. We went out and brought in the best and the brightest and we will continue to do so,” Haynes says. To accommodate this influx of students and the new curriculum Haynes invited the entire North High community of staff, students, alums, and neighbors to weigh-in on a vision for a new addition. A group of students took the initiative and drew up the initial design for what became the 34,000 square foot, multi-million dollar Haddix Center. “When the students are active I think it’s important you allow them to have input,” says Haynes. “It took 11 years from the time we started to plan until we were able to build. That was huge. We cherish the fact the alumni association and one gentleman, George Haddix, gave up $5 million. The district bought the project and supported it. We dedicated it in 2010. This is our fifth year in that facility.” As a magnet center North High draws students from around metropolitan Omaha. Haynes says one third of its students come from outside the school’s attendance area. North High’s test scores have soared and the number of academic college scholarship awarded its graduates has exploded.

OPS Superintendent Mark Evans says, “It’s a great success story and his leadership has made a difference there not only in the classrooms but in the extracurriculars. The principal sets the tone and is the leader of that culture and Gene Haynes is one of the best examples of that. When you say North High, you think Gene Haynes – that’s how much identification there is with him there.” Evans adds North’s success has a ripple effect on its student body and the surrounding community. “I think it’s huge. I think it sends a message of hope that we can and will succeed. We’ve got some young people who haven’t always thought they were going to be successful but because of North High and Gene Haynes they all believe they can be successful now and they are being successful.” Haynes feels the STEM experience students receive at North High is preparing them for working living wage 21st century jobs that demand tech savvy employees. He’s confident as technology becomes ever more important that North High’s on the cutting edge of utilizing it in the classroom. For example, some algebra classes are entirely taught on iPads (computers). A new Samsung Smart School Solutions pilot program invites students to use a 75-inch touch interactive display and tablets to make stock market purchases, deliver tech-driven business presentations, and get hands-on learning experiences with real life business partners. “We have the best technology persons in Rich Molettiere and Tracy Sage,” Haynes says of North High’s technology coordinators. “We really appreciate what they’ve been able to do. If someone tried to take them out of North High School, it’s (the battle to keep them) on.”

North students did an initial design of the stadium. Haynes and the school’s foundation are assessing if there’s enough support in the community for what would be a privately funded project costing millions of dollars. “We want it to be state of the art,” Haynes says. He believes the stadium would be another “bright light for this community” and he says the facility would be available for use by the nearby Skinner Magnet School and the Butler-Gast YMCA.

aynes keeps long hours at North High, whose doors hardly ever seem to close for all the activity going on there. He says he goes home satisfied when “I see the kids leaving school with a smile on their face and a pat on the back from the principal and they acknowledge it. “I have a post I go to at dismissal that borders the neighborhood. From my perch I can see kids coming and going and if anything’s going to happen from the outside that’s where it’s going to come from. The kids know that and I know that. That’s why I choose to go out there. As the kids walk by I acknowledge them and give them encouragement. That’s what I consider a most gratifying day. I try not

take anything from school home, and vice versa.” As for how much longer Haynes will remain at North High, he’s promised the class of 2017 he’ll walk with them at their graduation ceremony. “That’s the plan – if my health stays good,” he says. That would make 50 years at OPS. Gene won’t have any say in his successor at North High but he and others will be keeping a close eye to make sure this sweet ride continues. “I feel whoever comes in is going to do the right thing, and if not it’ll be a short tenure.” Whoever follows Haynes at North High will have big shoes to fill. A measure of the high esteem he’s held in is apparent. A section of 36th Street right outside the school is named after him. At the dedication for the street last summer and on social media people offered tributes, calling Haynes “humble, genuine, dedicated, a role model – commands true respect.” A grateful Haynes takes it all in stride, saying, “The Omaha community has been very gracious to me and my family and now I have to live up to it.” Read more of Leo Adam Biga’s work at leoadambiga.wordpress. com.

orth’s academic progress is matched by the success of its athletic programs. Until recently the school was best known for its wrestling dominance, including multiple Nebraska state team and individual champions and at least one Olympic hopeful, Vikings alum RaVaughn Perkins. More recently North’s footballteam has been the dominant force, winning back-to-back Class A state titles in 2013 and 2014 behind superstar running back Calvin Strong, a South Dakota University commit and University of Nebraska lineman recruit Michael Decker. The 2014 Vikings finished 13-0 and are widely considered to be one of the top teams in Nebraska prep football history. North High has done all this without having a true home field to play on. Its football team plays at Northwest High’s Kinnick Stadium some four miles away. A proposal for North High to build a stadium of its own, right in the neighborhood, is being examined. As with the earlier Haddix Center,

If all goes well, Gene Haynes hopes to celebrate 50 years with OPS in 2017. He plans to walk with the North High School seniors at their graduation ceremony that year.

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RSVP Retired and Senior Volunteer Program The Retired and Senior Volunteer Program is recruiting persons age 55 and older for a variety of opportunities. For more information in Douglas, Sarpy, and Cass counties, please call 402-444-6536, ext. 224. In Dodge and Washington counties, please call 402721-7780. The following have volunteer opportunities in Douglas, Sarpy, and Cass counties: • The Disabled American Veterans need volunteer drivers. • The American Cancer Society is looking for volunteers to assist walk in guests and for other duties. • The Douglas County Health Center wants volunteers for a variety of

assignments. • Bergan Mercy Medical Center is looking for volunteers to help in several areas. • Rebuilding Together wants volunteers to work on home projects. • The Omaha Convention & Visitors Bureau is looking for volunteers for a variety of duties. • Together Inc. needs an intake assistant. • Mount View Elementary School is looking for a TeamMates mentor. The following have a volunteer opportunity in Dodge and/or Washington County: • The Blair and Fremont Car-Go Program needs volunteer drivers. • The Fremont Friendship Center wants volunteers to facilitate classes. • The Danish American Archive Library needs volunteers to help with its archives. • The American Red Cross (Dodge County chapter) is looking for volunteers for a variety of duties.

The New Horizons is brought to you each month by the Eastern Nebraska Office on Aging.

We need your

! t r o p sup

Elder Access Line Legal Aid of Nebraska operates a free telephone access line for Nebraskans age 60 and older.

Information is offered to help the state’s older men and women with questions on topics like bankruptcy, homestead exemptions, collections, powers of attorney, Medicare, Medicaid, grandparent rights, and Section 8 housing. The telephone number for the Elder Access Line is 402-827-5656 in Omaha and 1-800-527-7249 statewide. This service is available to Nebraskans age 60 and older regardless of income, race, or ethnicity. For more information, log on the Internet to http:// www.legalaidofnebraska. com/EAL.

Traditional funding sources are making it more difficult for ENOA to fulfill its mission. Partnership opportunities are available to businesses and individuals wanting to help us. These opportunities include volunteering, memorials, honorariums, gift annuities, and other contributions.

I would like to become a partner with the Eastern Nebraska Office on Aging, and help fulfill your mission with older adults.

ENOA

$30 = 7 meals or 1.75 hours of in-home homemaker services or 1 bath aide service for frail older adults. $75 = 17 meals or 4.75 hours of in-home homemaker services or 4 bath aide services for frail older adults. $150 = 35 meals or 9.5 hours of in-home homemaker services or 8 bath aide services for frail older adults. $300 = 70 meals or 19.25 hours of in-home homemaker services or 16 bath aide services for frail older adults. Other amount (please designate)__________________________ Please contact me. I would like to learn more about how to include the Eastern Nebraska Office on Aging in my estate planning. Please ma il with thisyofour donation rm to: Eas

tern Office oNebraska n Aging Address:___________________________________ Attention : Jef Name:_____________________________________

City:______________State:_____ Zip: __________ Phone:____________________________________

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f Reinha 4223 C rdt Omaha, enter Street NE 6810 5-2431 (402

) 444-665

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December 2014

Fremont Friendship Center December 2014 events calendar You’re invited to visit the Fremont Friendship Center, 1730 W. 16th St. (Christensen Field) this month for the following: • Monday, Dec. 1: Trip to Lauritzen Gardens in Omaha. • Wednesday, Dec. 3: Music by Roger Webb @ 10:30 a.m. • Tuesday, Dec. 9: Presentation on hearing and how it affects your communication with others @ 10:30 a.m. • Wednesday, Dec. 10: Enjoy music with Lenny Eby @ 10:30 a.m. • Wednesday, Dec. 17: Christmas party with music by Wayne Miller @10:30 a.m. • Thursday, Dec. 18: Take Away Bingo @ 10:30 a.m. Please bring a wrapped white elephant gift. • Tuesday, Dec. 23: Cookie exchange @ 10:30 a.m. Please sign up in advance. • Wednesday, Dec. 31: Welcome 2015 party with special music by Jim Rathbun @ 10:30 a.m. The Fremont Friendship Center is open Monday through Thursday from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. and Friday from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Lunch is served at 11:30 a.m. A $3.50 donation is suggested for lunch. Reservations must be made by noon the business day prior to the meal you wish to enjoy. Other free activities include exercising, card games, billiards, and access to a computer lab. Transportation to and from the center is available. For meal reservations and more information, please call Laurie at 402-727-2815.

Assistive technology is available

lder adults may notice gradual changes in their hearing, memory, vision, and mobility that could create the need for assistive technology. Some of these older men and women may need a cane, a scooter, a listening device, or a lighted magnifier. One way to learn more

about obtaining assistive technology equipment is by contacting at4all. The service can help consumers borrow and try the equipment before buying, buy used and/or free equipment, and list items they want to share or sell. For more information, please call (toll free) 1-888-806-6287.

Brighten the holidays for area older adults through Home Instead’s BASTAS program Once again this year, Home Instead Senior Care is partnering with the Eastern Nebraska Office on Aging and other area non-profit agencies on a program that will collect and wrap presents for older adults who may be alone on Christmas Day or who otherwise may not receive a gift this holiday season. The Be a Santa to a Senior program Christmas trees will be displayed through Friday, Dec. 5 in Omaha area Hy-Vee stores. The trees feature ornaments with older adults’ first names and their gift requests. Shoppers can pick ornaments from the trees, buy the items listed, and then return the unwrapped gifts and the ornaments to the store. Program partners and volunteers will wrap the gifts on Friday, Dec. 12 from 9 a.m. to noon at Home Instead’s international headquarters, 13323 California St. “It is heartbreaking to think of the senior members of our community spending the holidays all by themselves, without any gifts or any way to celebrate the season,” said Vicki Castleman, director of franchise operations in Home Instead’s Omaha office. “We encourage shoppers to buy a little extra for a local senior.” For more information on the Be a Santa to a Senior program, please call 402-498-3444.

Staying healthy during the holidays It’s a sad statistical fact: The holidays, from Christmas to New Year’s, are a treacherous time when it comes to our health. “There’s a spike in heart attacks and other cardiac issues,” says Dr. John Young, a physician specializing in the treatment of chronic illnesses through biochemical, physiological, and nutraceutical technologies, and the author of Beyond Treatment: Discover How to Build a Cellular Foundation to Achieve Optimal Health. “The incidence of pneumonia cases spikes in both cold and warm climates. And deaths from natural causes spike. In fact, more people die of natural causes on Christmas Day than any other day of the year,” Dr. Young says. While those numbers are well documented, the cause or causes are not. “Stress plays a role, particularly if your immune system is weakened,” Dr. Young says. “If you look at how most of us eat from Halloween through New Year’s, it’s easy to see how the immune system takes a beating and otherwise healthy people become more susceptible to illness during the holidays.” It’s basic biochemistry, he says. “We eat a lot more refined sugar, for instance, which is a carbohydrate that’s been stripped of all the vitamins, minerals, and proteins that make up a complete carbohydrate,” he says. “Our bodies can’t use that, so the cells in our digestive organs work overtime, burning up a lot of energy, vitamins, and minerals to digest it, and they get nothing back. So, eventually, they grow

weak.” So, can we have a little sugar and good health, too? Dr. Young says we can. “The occasional slice of pumpkin pie is fine as long as you’re also feeding your cells with the nutrients they need – the minerals, vitamins, good quality protein, amino acids, and essential fatty acids to stay healthy.” He offers these tips for staying healthy through the holidays and throughout the year. • Get your vitamin D: Vitamin D is actually a hormone, not a vitamin, and one of our best sources for it is sunshine. Unfortunately, many people work indoors all day, so they get little sun exposure. When they do go outside, they wear long sleeves and sunblock to protect against skin cancer. And, of course, in the wintertime, people in cold climes tend to stay inside. As a result, many of us are vitamin D deficient, and should be taking supplements. “Vitamin D is crucial to many physiological systems, including our immune defenses,” Dr. Young says. “It helps fight bacterial and viral infections, including the flu. It supports our cardiovascular system. Optimal vitamin D levels can reduce hypertension, heart attacks, and stroke. “If I feel I’m coming down with a cold, I’ll take 40,000 units of vitamin D at bedtime,” he says. “The next morning, I usually feel like a new person.” • Eat one gram of protein for every 2.2 pounds of body weight daily: In this country, we think a healthy diet means eating a lot of fruits and vegetables. We’ve forgotten protein, Dr. Young says. “Our immune system is made up of proteins – our bones are 40 percent protein,” he says. “We need protein.” When calculating your protein intake, consider an egg has about eight grams, and eight ounces of fish, chicken, beef, or pork have about 30 grams. Dr. Young does not give any of his patients more than 100 grams of protein a day. • Get a good night’s sleep, exercise, and manage your stress: Some doctors’ orders never change. Rest, exercise, and finding effective, healthy ways to cope with stress are simple ways to pamper your cells. “One of the many cellular benefits of exercise is that it increases the oxygen in our bloodstream. Every cell in our body requires oxygen, so consider exercise as another means of feeding your cells.” It’s also important to manage stress during the holidays. With unchecked stress, our body releases large amounts of cortisol that, among other things, suppresses the immune system. “Take time out to meditate, listen to music, or take a walk in the woods,” Dr. Young says. “It feels good and it’s good for you!”

Poems written by, about women needed for next issue of ‘Celebrate’

Seniors Understanding Nature

The 19th volume of Celebrate, a collection of poems written by and about women, will be published during the spring of 2015. The University of Nebraska at Omaha’s Department of Gerontology is requesting submissions of poems for the book. Poets may submit one to three poems for consideration. The submission deadline is Friday, Dec. 5. If their work is published in the 19th volume of Celebrate, the poet will receive a free copy of the book during the March 2015 Women’s History Month reception. Please submit poems to Jane Meehan, University of Nebraska at Omaha, CB 211, 6001 Dodge St., Omaha, Neb. 68182-0202. Poems can also be e-mailed to Alayna Zach at alaynazach@unomaha.edu. For more information, please call Jane Meehan at 402-556-9452.

The Fontenelle Nature Association’s SUN (Seniors Understanding Nature) program offers activities for older adults the second Tuesday of each month at the Fontenelle Nature Center, 1111 Bellevue Blvd. North. The programs, held from 9:45 to 11 a.m., feature an indoor program, an optional nature walk, and refreshments. The cost is $6 per person each month. For more information, please call Catherine Kuper at 402-731-3140, ext. 1019. Here’s this month’s program: • Dec. 9: Glacial Creek Restoration – Allwine Prairie with Dr. Thomas Bragg and Barbi Hayes.

December 2014

See the ad on page 3

New Horizons Club gains new members this month $25 Anna Scheel $15 Grace Beck $10 Bernard Roche Patricia Remm Mary Ann Ramming $8 Virginia Stopak List reflects donations received through November 21, 2014.

Holiday Lights Bus Tour Once again this year, Touching Hearts at Home and Bloomfield Forum are partnering for the annual Holiday Lights Bus Tour. On Thursday, Dec. 18 (weather permitting), a bus will leave Bloomfield Forum, 9804 Nicholas St., at 6 p.m. Another bus will leave the facility that night at 7:30. Cookies and hot chocolate will be provided. For reservations or more information, please call Touching Hearts at Home at 402-934-3303.

Hearing loss group to meet on Dec. 9 The Omaha Area Hearing Loss Association of America, a support group for hard of hearing adults, will next meet on Tuesday, Dec. 9 at Dundee Presbyterian Church, 5312 Underwood Ave. Participants are asked to enter the church on the Happy Hollow Blvd. (east) side. The 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. meeting will feature social time and a speaker. For more information, please contact Beth Ellsworth at ellsworth.beth@cox.net or Verla at 402-558-6449.

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New Horizons

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Page 15

Missouri resident Norma Johnson College professor’s prize-winning poem receives Dale Wolf poetry award inspired by Paul McCartney’s 1967 song

orma Johnson, age 68, has a passion for writing poetry. “I love the expression and the creative flow process. It forces your mind to dig deeper into the things you’re thinking about and gives you a vehicle to share those reflections with others,” she said from her home in Sunrise Beach, Mo. Johnson said a good poem captures and expresses an idea that connects the poet to her readers in a variety of ways. Norma, who has written poetry since age 10, was the 2014 winner of the Dale Wolf poetry award. The honor and its $100 cash prize were part of the annual Poetry Across the Generations contest. Named after the local poet who died in 2013 at age 97, the Dale Wolf award recognizes poets who write traditional, classic, and rhyming poems. The University of Nebraska at Omaha, the Omaha Public Schools, and the Omaha Public Library system sponsored Poetry Across the Generations. The poets were divided into two categories: Norma Johnson One for students in grades seven through 12 and the other for men and women age 50 and older. In 2014, the poets were asked to write a poem about how the world views and treats older adults and another poem about how the world views and treats teenagers. ohnson retired in January 2014 after a 14-year career as manager at JMR Production in Omaha promoting the work of songwriter/playwright Karen Sokolof Javitch. Orlin Johnson, Norma’s husband for 23 years, died in July 2011. The couple’s son, Tim Suelter, and his wife, Shari, live in the Portland area. Johnson met her new partner Rick Pace through ChristianMingle.com in 2012. Earlier this year, the couple moved into a condominium on the Lake of the Ozarks. “I’m loving the new quieter lifestyle close to nature,” she said. “It’s inspiring me to get back into my love of writing.” Norma collected her prize at a recognition event held earlier this fall at UNO’s Milo Bail Student Center. She spent the $100 for gasoline used on her drive from Sunrise Beach to Omaha and back to Missouri. Here’s one of Johnson’s award-winning poems:

The church group led Bingo at the senior center today. As I drove the van home I heard the volunteers say: “Lilly was the mayor once and David cleaned the bank. Herman was in the guards but I don’t recall his rank.”

It’s not when I’m 64, As of today, I am 64. For this most recent birthday, I walked two miles in the pre-dawn darkness, Enjoying sleepy birdcalls, some well-lit stars, And a few barking dogs.

Ida was our first preacher’s wife; They always lived quite poor. Luella is the banker’s wife but she can’t remember him any more. Hulda, was a professor. I remember her as smart. Now she hardly speaks at all. Bless her heart! I listened to what they said and my eyes got moist with tears. They spoke of them like my old clay pots. Once beautiful and useful, Now cracked and faded from their years. If the seniors at the center heard, they likely would have moaned: “I am much more than what I did, Who I married, or what I owned.”

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ierk, married to Ron Mimick for 16 years, has been writing poetry for more than 40 years. She has two sons, two daughters-in-law, and 6-year-old triplet grandchildren. Janice became particularly interested in writing poetry in 1980 after taking a master’s degree level class at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln from William Kloefkorn and Charles Stubblefield. “I love words, playing with them, and putting pictures into words,” Vierk said when asked why she enjoys writing. She said a good poem typically gets her immediate attention, inspires her to read on, and finishes with a twist or turn. A good poet is someone who has a vivid imagination, who isn’t satisfied with the first draft of a poem, and who genuinely enjoys writing, Janice added. Vierk has no immediate plans for how to spend the $100 first place prize. “The money’s still sitting on my desk,” she said. Here’s Janice’s award-winning poem:

Thanks for the Song, Paul McCartney

Hobart was a gardener, and Janet a postal clerk. I never knew what Dan did but now he’s quite a jerk. Phyllis and Tony lived in the mansion on the lake. Poor Diane, I remember the yummy pies she used to bake!

Take time to hear my dreams, my loves, The losses I’ve had to bear. I now have creaky joints and I’ve lost my sight and hair. But in this tired, old body, though weak and frail, I LIVE … Please take some time to help me feel I have something yet to give.

he Beatles’ 1967 album, Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band included a song Paul McCartney wrote as a teenager about a young man, the woman he loved, and the life they would share together as they grew older. That song’s name was When I’m 64. More than four decades later, Dr. Janice Vierk, who has taught English, speech, and humanities at Metropolitan Community College for 15 years, wrote a poem to celebrate her 64th birthday in September 2014. Vierk entered that poem, titled Thanks for the Song, Paul McCartney (see below) in the 2014 Poetry Across the Generations contest. The University of Nebraska at Omaha, the Omaha Public Schools, and the Omaha Public Library system sponsored the annual poetry competition. The poets were divided into two categories: One for students in grades seven through 12 and the other for men and women age 50 and older. This year, the poets were asked to write a poem about how the world views and Dr. Janice Vierk treats older adults and another poem about how the world views and treats teenagers. Janice’s poem, Thanks for the Song, Paul McCartney took first place honors in the age 50 and older category.

Later I taught two college classes to a bunch of youngsters. I adore pounding English and speech into their millennial skulls. The evening presents me with a short bike ride down the Field Club trail through perfect pre-fall weather. The cool breeze invigorates my appetite, leading the way to Piccolo Pete’s Steakhouse, A birthday treat from my juvenile husband. His birthday, he reminds me yet again, Though less than a month from mine, Still makes me eight years his senior. He relishes each and every one of those 25 days Until we are once again a paltry seven years apart. Neither seven years nor eight years are hardly a hardship. In my not so distant future, I foresee: Retirement, Social Security, Medicare, senior discounts, And my younger man helping me hone my skills As a card-carrying, full-time cougar.

December 2014

Comfort dog Moses makes some new friends in south Omaha

n a cool afternoon recently, the men and women at the Corrigan Senior Center – 3819 X St. – sat quietly at round tables a few minutes after lunch awaiting the arrival of special visitor. A powerful message was being delivered that day despite the fact Moses, the featured guest, spoke no words and spent most of the presentation resting on the floor with his eyes closed. Moses, a 3-year-old golden retriever from Cairo, Neb. was brought to the south Omaha senior center by his handlers Shawn and Nancy Harder. The handsome blonde is a comfort dog whose ministry is sponsored by the congregation at Christ Lutheran Church in Cairo, a Hall County town near Grand Island. Lutheran Church Charities has 70 to 80 golden retrievers across the country trained to interact and bring comfort to people at church-

“Comfort dogs are friends who bring a calming influence, allowing people to open their hearts and receive help in times of need,” said Joanne Badura, an administrative assistant and volunteer coordinator at the Grand Island Veterans Home where Moses and his colleague, Eddie, (another golden retriever) visited

Corrigan participant Luella Jackson (seated) with Moses and handlers Shawn and Nancy Harder. es, schools, nursing homes, hospitals, senior centers, and disaster scenes. Moses – who received eight months of training before being sent out into the

field – has comforted men, women, boys, and girls following school shootings, tornadoes, fires, and at other disasters, both natural and man made.

Changing behavior in the kitchen can help prevent foodborne illness

recently. After the Harders finished their presentation at Corrigan, a line of dog lovers formed around Moses, each wanting to pet their new friend. For more information on Moses and the comfort dog ministry at Christ Lutheran Church in Cairo, please call 308-485-4863.

ach year, approximately 48 million Americans suffer from foodborne illness, leading to 128,000 hospitalizations and 3,000 deaths. According to a recent study, changing behavior in the kitchen can prevent many of these illnesses. This study from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) and Kansas State University will be published in the January-February 2015 issue of Food Protection Trends. It provides new insight into how common food preparation techniques at home are putting consumers, particularly children, at risk for foodborne illnesses. In the study, 120 parents were observed while cooking in a test kitchen. After participants were done cooking, samples were taken to find non-toxic tracer bacteria around the test kitchen. According to KSU researcher Jeannie Sneed, Ph.D., the most surprising finding from this study was “the kitchen towel was the number one source of cross contamination.” This high level of contamination was due to towels being used to dry inadequately washed hands. Towels were then used to dry or wipe hands multiple times allowing the bacteria to spread. Researchers also found paper towels were often used for multiple uses. Some participants used the same paper towel more than once to dry or wipe their hands and/or clean kitchen surfaces. To prevent cross-contamination, paper towels should be used once and then thrown out. Key findings of the study include: • Ninety percent of fruit salads prepared had some level of cross-contamination with bacteria. This occurred because the ready-to-eat fruit salad ingredients were not

properly separated from raw meat. • More than 82 percent of the participants contaminated the sink, refrigerator, oven, and/or trash cabinet handles. • The majority of participants did not properly wash their hands with soap and warm water for 20 seconds before starting to cook, after handling raw meat, raw meat packaging, and raw eggs, and after throwing away trash. Well over half the participants either did not wash their hands at all or merely rinsed them. • A third of participants did not use a food thermometer correctly. Participants were asked to use thermometers to check the doneness of prepared meat and many could not do so. The thermometer should be placed in the thickest part of the food and read after the manufacturer’s designated time. “The results for the KSU study guided the development of our new Food Safe Families Public Service Announcements,” said Maria Malagon, director of Food Safety Education with the USDA’s FSIS. “In particular, the segment describing the ‘separate’ step was developed because we saw study participants not separating meat and ready-to-eat items during this study. Participants used the same cutting board to cut raw meat and fruits and repeatedly used the same disposable towels to dry hands and clean surfaces.” The goal of the campaign is to educate consumers about the dangers of foodborne illnesses and how to make safer choices at home. “I am proud to say almost five years later; our efforts have diversified to an integrated communications program that includes advertising, public relations, partnerships, and social media efforts,” said Malagon.

December 2014

Moses during his recent visit to the Corrigan Senior Center, 3819 X St.

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Page 17

Volunteer opportunities

Plastic bags may be on their way out for shoppers

The Eastern Nebraska Office on Aging’s Foster Grandparent Program, Senior Companion Program, Ombudsman Advocate Program, and Senior Medicare Patrol Program are recruiting older adults to become volunteers. Foster Grandparents and Senior Companions must be age 55 or older, meet income guidelines, have a government issued identification card or a driver’s license, able to volunteer at least 15 hours a week, and must complete several background and reference checks. Foster Grandparents and Senior Companions receive a $2.65 an hour stipend, transportation and meal reimbursement, paid vacation, sick, and holiday leave, and supplemental accident insurance. Foster Grandparents work with children who have special needs while Senior Companions work to keep older adults living independently. Ombudsman advocates work to ensure residents of nursing homes and assisted living facilities enjoy the best possible quality of life. Ombudsman advocates, who must be age 18 or older, are enrolled through an application and screening process. These volunteers, who are not compensated monetarily for their time, must serve at least two hours a week. The Senior Medicare Patrol program helps Medicaid beneficiaries avoid, detect, and prevent health care fraud. For more information, please call 402-444-6536.

Alzheimer’s support groups available in Dodge, Douglas, Sarpy counties The Alzheimer’s Association Midlands Chapter offers several caregiver support groups and specialty support groups each month in Dodge, Douglas, and Sarpy counties. These support groups offer valuable space and educational opportunities for families impacted by Alzheimer’s disease or a related form of dementia to engage and learn. Please call Elizabeth at 402-502-4301, ext. 205 for more information. DODGE COUNTY

• OMAHA

• FREMONT Last Wednesday of month @ 2 p.m. Nye Square 655 W. 23rd St.

Third Tuesday @ 5 p.m. Immanuel Pathways 5755 Sorensen Pkwy. First Tuesday @ 5:30 p.m. Heritage Pointe 16811 Burdette St.

Second Tuesday @ 5:30 p.m. Shalimar Gardens 749 E. 29th St.

Third Saturday 10:30 a.m. to noon Younger Onset Support Group For persons age 65 or younger and a loved one Methodist Hospital 8303 Dodge St. REGISTRATION REQUIRED

DOUGLAS COUNTY • BENNINGTON Last Thursday @ 6 p.m. Ridgewood Active Retirement Community 12301 N. 149th Cr. • ELKHORN Third Monday @ 6 p.m. Elk Ridge Village Assisted Living 19400 Elk Ridge Dr.

Second Thursday @ 10 a.m. Country House 5030 S 155th St. Adult day services are provided on-site.

• BELLEVUE

Men’s Group Third Wednesday @ 11:30 a.m. Alzheimer’s Association office 1941 S. 42nd St. Third Tuesday @ 6:30 p.m. Fountain View Senior Living 5710 S 108th St. First and third Monday @ 1:30 p.m. New Cassel/Franciscan Centre 900 N. 90th St. Adult day services are provided on-site.

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Third Monday @ 7 p.m. Bellevue Senior Center 109 W. 22nd Ave. First Wednesday @ 1 p.m. Eastern Nebraska Vets Home 12505 S. 40th St. Fourth Thursday @ 6 p.m. Hillcrest Health Services 1804 Hillcrest Dr. Second Tuesday @ 5:30 p.m. Heritage Ridge 1502 Fort Crook Rd. South

New Horizons

Dinner available Christmas Day at St. Margaret Mary’s Church Omaha-area residents age 65 and older who otherwise will be alone on Christmas Day are invited to attend a holiday dinner and celebration at St. Margaret Mary’s Catholic Church, 6116 Dodge St., at 2 p.m. The Wonderful Elderly Friends and the St. Margaret Mary’s parishioners are sponsoring the event.

The University of Nebraska Medical Center’s ice skating rink will remain open through Jan. 31. The rink is located just east of 42nd Street, midway between Emile Street and Dewey Avenue on the north side of the Michael F. Sorrell Center for Health Science Education building. Admission, which includes skates, is $7. No checks or debit cards will be accepted. The hours of operation are 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. and 4 to 8 p.m., Tuesday through Friday and noon to 8 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday. The rink will be closed on Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, New Year’s Eve, and New Year’s Day. It’s also closed on Monday nights. Free parking is available in Lot 04 (southeast corner of 42nd and Emile streets) and Lot 15S (surface lot on 40th Street between Dewey Avenue and Emile Street) located on the north and east sides of the Student Life Center. The ice rink will be closed if the wind chill is 0 degrees or below, based on the Weather Channel. In the event of extreme snow, please call 402-559-0697 in advance to make sure the rink is open. This year, the Ronald McDonald benefit skate, Freezin' for a Reason, will take place Dec. 6, with the Skate-a-thon for Parkinson's set for Jan. 23 and 24. For more information contact Candace Peteler at 559-5192.

SARPY COUNTY

Every other Monday @ 7 p.m. Brighton Gardens 9220 Western Ave.

watch Institute reports at least 267 species of marine wildlife are known to have suffered from entanglement or ingestion of marine debris, most of which is composed of plastic. Tens of thousands of whales, birds, seals, and turtles die every year from contact with ocean-borne plastic bags. A recent European Commission study on the impact of litter on North Sea wildlife found 90 percent of the birds examined had plastic in their stomachs. Another reason for banning plastic bags is their fossil fuel burden. Plastic is made from petroleum and producing it typically requires a lot of fossil-fuel-derived energy. The fact Americans throw away 100 billion plastic grocery bags each year means we’re drilling for and importing millions of barrels worth of oil and natural gas for a convenient way to carry home a few groceries. It’s hard to measure the impact of pre-existing plastic bag bans, but some initial findings look promising. A plastic bag tax levied in Ireland in 2002 has reportedly led to a 95 percent reduction in plastic bag litter there. A study in San Jose, Calif. found a 2011 ban instituted there has led to plastic litter reduction of “approximately 89 percent in the storm drain system, 60 percent in the creeks and rivers, and 59 percent in city streets and neighborhoods.” Environmental groups continue to push for more plastic bag bans. “As U.S. natural gas production has surged and prices have fallen, the plastics industry is looking to ramp up domestic production,” reports the Earth Policy Institute. “Yet using this fossil fuel endowment to make something so short-lived, which can blow away at the slightest breeze and pollutes indefinitely, is illogical; particularly when there is a ready alternative: the reusable bag.” (EarthTalk® is written and edited by Roddy Scheer and Doug Moss and is a registered trademark of E - The Environmental Magazine.)

UNMC’s ice skating rink

• RALSTON Third Monday @ 9:30 a.m. Ralston Senior Center 7301 Q St. • Suite 100

• OMAHA

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First Thursday @ 6:30 p.m. Early Stage Support Group For persons age 65+ caregiver Security National Bank 1120 S. 101st St. REGISTRATION REQUIRED

California made big news recently when it announced the first statewide ban on plastic shopping bags set to kick in during the middle of 2015. Beginning in July, large grocery stores, pharmacies, and other food retailers in the Golden State will no longer be able to send shoppers home with plastic bags. Convenience markets, liquor stores, and other small food retailers will join the ranks a year later. In 2007, San Francisco became the first U.S. municipality to ban plastic shopping bags. In intervening years upwards of 132 other cities and counties in 18 states and the District of Columbia instituted similar measures. Americans are late to the party when it comes to banning plastic bags. The European Union, China, India, and dozens of other nations already have plastic bag bans or taxes in place. The trend here, however, toward banning plastic shopping bags comes in the wake of new findings regarding the extent and harm of plastic in our environment. Since plastic isn’t biodegradable, it ends up either in landfills or as litter on the landscape and in waterways and oceans. Plastic can take hundreds of years to decompose and releases toxins into the soil and water in the process. Littered plastic is also a huge problem for the health of wildlife, as many animals ingest it thinking it’s food and can have problems thereafter breathing and digesting. The non-profit World-

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December 2014

The program can also provide a home-delivered meal for older adults in the Omaha area who will be homebound on Christmas Day. For meal reservations, to arrange for round-trip transportation to and from the dinner, or for a homedelivered meal, please call 402-558-2255 by Thursday, December 18.

Christmas play at the Blue Barn Theatre through December 21 Every Christmas Story Ever Told (and Then Some) – a hilarious comedy written by Michael Carleton, James Fitzgerald, and John K. Alvarez – will be performed at the Blue Barn Theater, 614 S. 11th St., through Dec. 21. Every Christmas Story Ever Told (and Then Some) is a fast and furious look at the holiday traditions we all remember, and a few we’d like to forget. Show times are 7:30 p.m. Thursday through Saturday and Sunday at 6 p.m. Tickets are $30 for adults and $25 for persons age 65 and older. For reservations or more information, please call 402-345-1576.

Alzheimer’s caregivers invited to program on Dec. 11 at the VNA The Alzheimer’s Association is sponsoring a Caregiver 101 educational program titled, Conversations About Dementia on Dec. 11. The course provides an opportunity to share information, education, and support for caregivers. Walk-ins are

welcome to attend. The session, which runs from 5:30 to 7 p.m., will be held at the Visiting Nurse Association, 12565 W. Center Rd., Suite 100. For more information, please call Elizabeth at 402502-4301.

Retired fed employees meet at Omaha eatery The National Association of Retired Federal Employees’ Chapter 144 meets the first Wednesday of each month at 11:30 a.m. at the Amazing Pizza Machine, 13955 S Plz. For more information, please call 402-333-6460.

Dance Wednesdays at Legion Post #1

ou’re invited to attend a dance each Wednesday afternoon from 1 to 4 at American Legion Post #1, 7811 Davenport St. Admission is $2. For more information, please call 402-392-0444.

The National Association of Retired Federal Employees’ Aksarben Chapter 1370 meets the second Wednesday of each month at 11:30 a.m. at the Amazing Pizza Machine, 13955 S Plz. For more information, please call 402-392-0624.

AARP offering driving course AARP is offering a new four-hour, research-based Smart Driver Course for older adults. By completing the course, participants will learn research-based driving safety strategies that can reduce the likelihood of having an accident; understand the links between the driver, the vehicle, and the road environment, and how this awareness encourages safer driving; learn how aging, medications, alcohol, and health-related issues affect driving ability and ways to allow for these changes; increase confidence; know how to share the road safely with other drivers, and learn the newest safety and advance features in vehicles. The fee is $15 for AARP members and $20 for nonAARP members. No tests or examinations are involved, course completion certificates are provided, and auto insurance discounts may apply. Here’s this month’s schedule:

CLASSIFIEDS OLD STUFF WANTED (before 1975)

Military, political, toys, jewelry, fountain pens, pottery, kitchen ware, postcards, photos, books, and other old paper, old clothes, garden stuff, tools, old household, etc. Call anytime 402-397-0254 or 402-250-9389

Friday, Dec. 12 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Metropolitan Community College 9110 Giles Rd. Class ID: AUAV-004N-70 To register, call 402-457-5231 Saturday, Dec. 13 1 to 5 p.m. AARP Information Center 1941 S. 42nd St. To register, call 402-398-9568

Maplewood Estates

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Lifestyle • Community • Convenience • Family Values

Move-in Specials Get 6 months of FREE lot rent for moving a single wide home into the park, or $3,500 moving expenses. Call for more information.

Lamplighter II

POOL TABLES

Some of the nicest, newer 1 bedroom apartments. Elevator, w & d, heated parking garage. Small complex. By bus & shopping. No pets or smoking.

Moving, refelting, assemble, repair, tear down. Used slate tables. We pay CASH for slate pool tables.

93rd & Maple • 402-397-6921

Big Red Billiards 402-598-5225

HOUSE CLEANING

TOP CASH PAID

No job too large. No job too small.

You deserve a clean house! REFRESH CLEANING SERVICES JUDY: 402-885-8731

Friday, Dec. 5 Noon to 4 p.m. Metropolitan Community College South 27th and Q streets Class ID: AUAV-004N-71 To register, call 402-457-5231 Friday, Dec. 5 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Metropolitan Community College 829 N. 204th St. Class ID: AUAV-004N-72 To register, call 402-457-5231

Please call 402-444-4148 or 402- 444-6654 to place your ad

Tree Trimming Beat the falling flakes!

Best & honest prices paid for: Nice old vintage and costume jewelry, old watches, vintage toys, Fenton glassware, old postcards, advertising items, military items, pottery, and antique buttons. Also buying estates & partial estates. Call Bev at 402-339-2856

PAID THRO July 2014 Please support New Horizons advertisers

Chipping & removal. Your prunings chipped. Experienced & insured. Senior discount.

REPUTABLE SERVICES, INC.

Senior Citizens (62+)

402-894-9206

• Remodeling & Home Improvement

Accepting applications for HUD-subsidized apartments in Papillion & Bellevue. Rent determined by income and medical expenses.

“Laughter is the best medicine.”

• Safety Equipment Handrails Smoke and Fire Alarms

Monarch Villa West 201 Cedar Dale Road Papillion (402) 331-6882 Bellewood Courts 1002 Bellewood Court Bellevue (402) 292-3300 Managed by Kimball Management., Inc. We do business in accordance with the Fair Housing Law.

Comedy presentations tailored for: • Independent living centers • Assisted living centers • Support groups • Parent/grandparent groups • Educators Humorist Kirk R. Estee 402-616-0460 kirkestee@gmail.com

• Painting Interior & Exterior • Handyman Services • Senior Discounts • Free Estimates • References • Fully Insured Quality Professional Service Better Business Bureau Member

402-4 5 5-7 0 0 0

Amenities include: Playground Off street parking Clubhouse • Pool RV’s welcome

402.493.6000

Call: 12801 Spaulding Plaza www.maplewoodestatesonline.com Omaha, NE 68164

Enoa Aging December 2014

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New Horizons

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Tai Chi can improve balance, offer other health benefits

Judy Janisch enjoys the mental challenge of coordinating her Tai Chi movements.

Suzi Bazata leads a recent Tai Chi class at the Camelot Friendship Center.

Dottie Bechdolt has been taking Tai Chi classes for six years.

he instructor, Suzi Bazata, – with her back to a wall filled with floor to ceiling mirrors – led a class of seven women and one man arranged neatly in two rows of four, in a series of intricate movements. Serenity filled the room as soft music played in the background. The twice-weekly, 45 minutes each session, Tai Chi: Moving for Better Balance class was in session at the Camelot Friendship Center, 9270 Cady Ave. Tai Chi: Moving for Better Balance was created by Dr. Fuzhong Li from the Oregon Research Institute. The program is recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention as an effective community-based intervention to help prevent falls for older adults. Students, who should check with their healthcare provider before beginning Tai Chi, are charged $1 per week for classes taught at Eastern Nebraska Office on Aging senior centers (see below). Inexpensive classes are also offered through area churches and fitness facilities. Certified instructors, who go through 20 hours of training coordinated by a local collaboration called Tai Chi for Balance, teach the classes in the greater Omaha area. Tai Chi is a series of movements that are slow, gentle, and continuous, according to Chris CadyJones, program director for the Tai Chi for Bal-

ance program in Omaha. The fluid and graceful motions have the participants step side to side, forward and backward, using the arms and legs, while standing or seated. Originally developed as an ancient Chinese method of self-defense more than 2,000 years ago, Tai Chi has evolved into an exercise that can help prevent falls by improving balance. It can also decrease pain, improve sleep, lower blood pressure and cholesterol levels, and enhance social and mental well-being. “Studies have shown practicing Tai Chi also improves symptoms in people with arthritis and Parkinson’s disease,” Cady-Jones said. Participants, who wear comfortable clothing and flat heel shoes, perform a series of eight coordinated movements involving weight-bearing and non weight-bearing stances while concentrating on their breath. Because it’s a low-impact activity that puts minimal stress on the muscles and joints, Tai Chi – which doesn’t require any special equipment – is ideal for older men and women, Cady-Jones said.

“When you limit your activities, you actually increase your risk of falling because you’re losing muscle mass and flexibility,” Cady-Jones said. If done on a regular basis (twice a week for 45 to 60 minutes each time is recommended), Tai Chi – which improves balance and strengthens legs – can reduce falls by as much as 50 percent, she added. The benefits of Tai Chi can be felt almost immediately. “When you finish each class, you feel good, and the longer you do it, the more benefits you’ll get,” Cady-Jones said. “Tai Chi is a way to help yourself become healthier and stronger.”

ne in three older adults will fall each year leading to thousands of injuries and millions of dollars in medical expenses. The fear of falling may also lead to increased levels of social isolation.

ollowing a short cool down period at the end of the class, Bazata led the students in a brief mantra: “I am stronger every day, I am more balanced every day, I am more flexible every day, and every day, I decide to be the person I want to be,” they said in unison. For a list of sites – which includes several Eastern Nebraska Office on Aging senior centers – where Tai Chi: Moving for Better Balance classes are available, log on the Internet to www.taichibalance.org.

Do you have a loved one in a nursing home? Do you have a loved one who will soon be going into a nursing home? Before you send another check to the nursing home, visit nebraskamedicaidplanning.com or call Chartered Advisor for Senior Living, Mark Guilliatt. Not affiliated with any government agency.

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14301 First National Bank Parkway Suite 100 • Omaha, NE 68154

630 North D Street Fremont, NE 68025

1-800-886-8673

402-727-4845

New Horizons

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December 2014