Chester County 50plus Senior News June 2013 by On-Line Publishers, Inc.

Chester County Edition

June 2013

Vol. 10 No. 6

Made to Move Diver, Bicyclist, and Hiker Finds Health on Land and Sea By Megan Joyce Our bodies—no matter their age—are designed to move. Health professionals are continually extolling this wisdom to their patients for improved physical and mental well-being. In surprisingly varied ways, Bill Hager has built a lifestyle with this maxim at its center. Hager, a successful businessman with a local family history that’s generations deep, likes to keep most of his time anything but spare. Hager is an avid bicyclist, hiker, and scuba diver—not to mention magician and photographer. “I have found that, for myself, if I’m moving, I’m feeling better, and if I’m moving, I’m less convinced that I can’t do it anymore,” Hager laughed. Hager’s affinity for the sea and its depths began as a boy, born into a family that always loved the seashore. “There were a couple of shows on TV that really motivated me and turned on my imagination, and one of those shows was Flipper,” he said. “I had this dream that someday I would live in Florida and have my own dolphin, of course.” Fast forward a few decades, and Hager has dozens of scuba dives under his water-logged belt. In the 18 years since he got hooked on diving—after trying out a resort course on scuba diving while vacationing in Nassau— Hager has dived in locales such as Grand Cayman Island and the Turks and Caicos Islands, both in the Caribbean. He has also taken scuba courses both locally and on subsequent vacations, which culminated in his earning his advanced open water certification. please see MOVE page 11 Bill Hager astride his bicycle in front of Erb’s Covered Bridge near Rothsville, which is included in his bicycle club’s Covered Bridge Metric Century ride.

Inside:

Traveltizers: Follow the Gold page 8

How Health Insurance Marketplaces Will Help Early Retirees page 12

Such is Life

No More Patiently Waiting Saralee Perel ost veterinary practices have TVs in the waiting rooms. Just like in an elevator where nobody acknowledges the other, everyone stares at that TV. Our dog, Becky, is terrified at the vet’s. When I cuddled her the last time we were there, I could feel her shaking. I saw other dogs crying and trembling while their owners were trying to comfort them. But did I offer a treat from my pocket or even pet them? Nope. There aren’t many places where we’re more connected to each other than in waiting rooms. Yet when I’m in one, I keep to myself, hiding behind a magazine while pretending I can’t hear the voices of people sitting right next to me. But the thing is—basically we’re in these rooms for the same reasons. In my neurologist’s waiting room, we’re all sitting there with various forms of paralysis. And we don’t speak to each

other? Sheesh! On one visit, when I was wearing my awful, rock-solid, Darth-Vader-style neck brace, I actually turned away from anybody who was wearing the same brace, intentionally avoiding eye contact. Double sheesh! It’s not like we don’t notice these huge, dreadful appliances around our necks. Yet we handle this strong group connection by isolating ourselves from one another. Last week, I was in a dentist’s waiting room while my husband, Bob, was having a tooth extracted. This time I brought a book to use as a barricade.

Within a few feet of me, a young boy was crying. “I’m scared,” he said to his father. So what did I do? I kept reading. And then I had that moment. That once-in-a-lifetime moment. I made a change—one from which I will never return. I put my book down and whispered to them, “I’m the same way at dentist appointments. A friend taught me to massage the skin between my left thumb and forefinger whenever I’m anxious.” I showed them what I meant. Then I watched as the father cradled his son’s

hand and helped him to relax. “It’s working,” the boy’s dad said to me, as his son slowly stopped his rapid breathing and began yawning. The next time I’m in a waiting room, I will not miss the opportunity to connect with another who’s scared. Many are just as frightened as I am, just as lonely, just as needful for a human, or dog, connection. From now on, I’m going to try to break through the isolation and hopefully make it a tiny bit better—for patients, their families, their caregivers, their friends, for me, for Bob … and especially for Becky. Saralee Perel is an award-winning, nationally syndicated columnist. Her new book is Cracked Nuts & Sentimental Journeys: Stories From a Life Out of Balance. To find out more, visit www.saraleeperel.com or email sperel@saraleeperel.com.

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June 2013

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4100 Jonestown Rd. Hbg., PA 17109 Shawn E. Carper Supervisor

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Book Review

The Spruce Gum Box By Elizabeth Egerton Wilder

ddie loved to run along the river’s edge so the wind could blow through her long hair, released from the strict bun her father demanded. When Jed returned from the lumber harvest in the spring, she would fly into his arms, releasing her pent-up passion from its winter prison. Little did they know their forbidden love would set in motion a series of events that would forever change their lives and make Jed a fugitive. With a bounty on his head and his infant son hidden beneath his coat, Jed sought out the only man he felt he could

Resource Directory Cemeteries Valley Forge Memorial Gardens & Mausoleum 325 Baltimore Pike, Glen Mills 352 S. Gulph Road, King of Prussia (610) 265-1660 Dental Services Family Cosmetic and Implant Dentistry 1646 West Chester Pike, Suite 1,West Chester (610) 692-8454 Disasters American Red Cross Greater Brandywine (610) 692-1200 Chester County Emergency Services (610) 344-5000 Salvation Army Coatesville (610) 384-2954 Salvation Army West Chester (610) 696-8746 Emergency Numbers Central PA Poison Center (800) 521-6110 Office of Aging (610) 344-6350/(800) 692-1100 Financial Services Internal Revenue Service (800) 829-3676

About the Author With a background in art and education while raising her family, award-winning author Elizabeth Wilder achieved her lifetime dream of writing a novel when The Spruce Gum Box was released on her 72nd birthday. Its sequel, Granite Hearts, was published at age 74 and, to complete the Maine historical fiction trilogy, Beneath Mackerel Skies is due in fall 2013. She lives an active life at Simpson Meadows in Downingtown with her husband of 53 years and likes to talk about age as attitude over number.

and the United States over the border between Maine and New Brunswick, Canada, and the rights to its lucrative lumber industry, determination to survive and create a life for his young son drove Jed into uncharted territory and perilous adventure.

trust—a Native American Sagamore, the leader of a nearby Micmac settlement. The unlikely partnership defied all odds, overcoming bigotry, betrayal, and the unforgiving 1820s Maine wilderness, to stake a claim on the primitive New England landscape. As the strife escalated between Great Britain

This Resource Directory recognizes advertisers who have made an extended commitment to your health and well-being.

Funeral & Cremation Services D’Anjolell Memorial Homes & Crematory 392 Lancaster Ave., Frazer (610) 356-4200

Senior Healthlink (610) 431-1852

Health & Medical Services Advanced Hearing Aid Audiology Locations in Exton, Honeybrook, Kennett Square, Malvern, Pottstown, and West Grove (610) 781-9001

Southeastern PA Medical Institute (610) 446-0662

Alzheimer’s Association (800) 272-3900

Office of Aging

Social Security Administration (800) 772-1213

Housing Eastwood Village Homes, LLC 102 Summers Drive, Lancaster (717) 397-3138 Housing Assistance

Chester County Department of Aging Services (610) 344-6350 Pharmacies CVS/pharmacy www.cvs.com Physicians Gateway Medical Associates Locations in Coatesville, Downingtown, Lionville, and West Chester (610) 423-8181

American Cancer Society (800) 227-2345

Community Impact Legal Services (610) 380-7111

American Heart Association (610) 940-9540

Housing Authority of Chester County (610) 436-9200

Coatesville (610) 383-6900

Arthritis Foundation (215) 665-9200

Housing Authority of Phoenixville (610) 933-8801

Downingtown (610) 269-3939

Center for Disease Control Prevention (888) 232-3228 Coatesville VA Medical Center (610) 383-7711 Domestic Violence (800) 799-7233

Legal Services Lawyer Referral Service (610) 429-1500 Legal Aid of Southeastern PA (610) 436-4510 Nutrition

National Osteoporosis Foundation (800) 223-9994

Meals on Wheels Chester County Inc. (610) 430-8500

PACE (800) 225-7223

Pennsylvania Hunger Action Center (800) 366-3997

Senior Centers

Great Valley (610) 889-2121 Kennett Square (610) 444-4819 Oxford (610) 932-5244 Phoenixville (610) 935-1515 Wayne (610) 688-6246 West Chester (610) 431-4242

Not an all-inclusive list of advertisers in your area.

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50plus SeniorNews

June 2013

Salute to a Veteran

They Took a Bullet from His Leg 18 Years after Combat

Corporate Office: 3912 Abel Drive, Columbia, PA 17512 Phone 717.285.1350 • Fax 717.285.1360 Chester County: 610.675.6240 Cumberland County/Dauphin County: 717.770.0140 Berks County/Lancaster County/ Lebanon County/York County: 717.285.1350 E-mail address: info@onlinepub.com Website address: www.onlinepub.com

PRESIDENT AND PUBLISHER Donna K. Anderson

EDITORIAL VICE-PRESIDENT AND MANAGING EDITOR Christianne Rupp EDITOR, 50PLUS PUBLICATIONS Megan Joyce EDITORIAL INTERN Jessica Johns

ART DEPARTMENT PROJECT COORDINATOR Renee McWilliams PRODUCTION ARTIST Janys Cuffe

BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT ACCOUNT EXECUTIVES Karla Back Angie McComsey Jacoby Valerie Kissinger Doug Kline Ranee Shaub Miller Sue Rugh SALES & EVENT COORDINATOR Eileen Culp

CIRCULATION PROJECT COORDINATOR Loren Gochnauer

ADMINISTRATION BUSINESS MANAGER Elizabeth Duvall Member of

Winner

50plus Senior News is published by On-Line Publishers, Inc. and is distributed monthly among senior centers, retirement communities, banks, grocers, libraries and other outlets serving the senior community. On-Line Publishers, Inc. will not knowingly accept or publish advertising which may be fraudulent or misleading in nature. Views expressed in opinion stories, contributions, articles and letters are not necessarily the views of the publisher. The appearance of advertisements for products or services does not constitute an endorsement of the particular product or service. The publisher will not be responsible for mistakes in advertisements unless notified within five days of publication. On-Line Publishers, Inc. reserves the right to revise or reject any and all advertising. No part of this publication may be reproduced or reprinted without permission of On-Line Publishers, Inc. We will not knowingly publish any advertisement or information not in compliance with the Federal Fair Housing Act, Pennsylvania State laws or other local laws.

June 2013

Robert D. Wilcox erald Cramer grew up in Harrisburg. He had always been the kind of guy who had looked for where the action was. He had, for example, hitchhiked to the West Coast through the northern states, and then returned the same way through the southern states. He had left with $60 in his pocket and came back with $6 and change. Wanting to fly, he applied to the Navy but found that he was colorblind. So he enlisted in the Army while a senior in high school, and then completed a semester at Dickinson College before being called in. At the time, he was raring to go … never guessing that he was to be grievously wounded in combat or that he was to be awarded a Purple Heart with three Battle Stars. He took his basic training at Fort Benning, Ga., and then was assigned to the 87th Division. When he learned that he was to ship out of New York on the Queen Elizabeth, he figured things couldn’t get much better than that. He was to go on the largest ocean liner ever built, with luxurious amenities and a peacetime crew of 1,200. What he found when boarding in New York, however, was that all the amenities had been exchanged in wartime for a refitting to carry 10,000 troops jammed into every spare inch of space on the great vessel. Not that it mattered a lot, because the ship, cruising at 26 knots, made the crossing to Scotland in a mere 4.5 days. She was so much faster than the German u-boats that she sailed without a convoy, zigzagging her way across the sea with only her great speed to protect her. Cramer later learned that, by the end of the war, the Queen Elizabeth had carried more than a million troops to the warzone in the course of sailing 500,000 miles. Arriving safely in Scotland, the division moved south to England, where they joined General George Patton’s Third Army and staged for movement to France. Reaching

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LeHavre, France, on Nov. 28, 1944, they joined the VIII Corps that played a key role in exploiting the breakout from the Normandy beachhead. They surged into Brittany and then across northern France. Bypassing Paris, they liberated large chunks of territory. When the 101st Airborne Division was besieged at Bastogne during the Battle of the Bulge, the Third Army was quickly turned north to successfully relieve the division.

Staff Sergeant Gerald Cramer, after leaving the Army in 1946.

Cramer shakes his head as he tells of the fighting at the “bulge.” “It was so cold,” he says, “that lots of men lost toes and feet from freezing. I poured rifle oil over mine, and that seemed to insulate them enough.” The Third Army successfully sealed off the western end of the “bulge” and moved on through Luxembourg. In the first week of February, they pushed through the vaunted Siegfried Line into Germany. And that’s where Cramer’s war ended. On Feb. 28, 1945, he was a staff sergeant leading a dozen or so men toward Germans who were in a wooded area ahead of them. Suddenly, fire from a German machine gun ripped him with bullets

that took out his right eye, broke ribs in the right side of his chest, and hit his right leg. As the Germans were driven back, he remembers one of his buddies who came to recover him saying to another, “I think he’s dead.” “That’s when I managed a moan to let them know that, at least, I was still alive.” They moved him to a field hospital, then to a hospital in Belgium, and finally to a major hospital in England. The hospital in Belgium patched up his ribs, using 32 sutures to close the wound. They removed his right eye and took skin from his neck and leg to reconstruct the eye socket. In England, they decided that the eye socket would look more normal if they used skin from his mouth. So the surgery was done and he was fitted with a glass eye. He was then flown back to the U.S. and admitted to Valley Forge General Hospital for further recuperation until he was discharged from the Army in July of 1946. He adds, “They thought it better not to take out that bullet in my right thigh. But, over 18 years, it had migrated to just behind my right knee, making it hard for me to bend my leg. So they took it out. But,” he says, feeling his left thigh, “I still have a piece of shrapnel here.” After he was discharged, he went back to Dickinson College and earned his degree. He worked in a hardware store his dad owned in Carlisle. Then, in 1951, he moved to York to help his dad run City Floors, which he managed for 40 years. He’s a much-honored veteran in York and makes it a point to take part in many veterans activities. He’s always aware, of course, of how close he came to sacrificing his life in the service of his country … and is thankful for the skilled Army surgeons who permitted him to enjoy so many more years of an active life. Colonel Wilcox flew a B-17 bomber in Europe in World War II.

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Art and Antiques by Dr. Lori

Appraising Thomas Jefferson’s Desk Dr. Lori uring a recent episode of Discovery channel’s TV show Auction Kings, I appraised a Federal-period writing desk that was once owned by President Thomas Jefferson. I described the desk as Hepplewhite in style. Like Jefferson, many of us own examples of Hepplewhite furniture today, both originals and reproductions. In its day, Hepplewhite was often referred to as “city furniture.” George Hepplewhite (died 1786) was a London designer and cabinetmaker. His famous guidebook, The Cabinet Maker and Upholsterers Guide, was published in 1788 after his death. The guidebook sparked a period of popularity for the furniture designs known as Hepplewhite style from 1780 to 1810. Hepplewhite furniture was especially popular in American states from New England to the Carolinas

during the Federal styled and period. straightforward. One of the They may be a most popular rectangular spade pieces in the foot (like the Hepplewhite style garden tool) or in is the dining-room the shape of an sideboard or arrow (as if the buffet. In the early arrow is shot 1800s, a sideboard directly down into was a new the ground) at the Photo courtesy staff of www.DrLoriV.com furniture form. bottom of the leg Dr. Lori on the set of Discovery’s Auction Hepplewhite of a chair or sofa. Kings with President Thomas Jefferson’s Hepplewhite slant-top writing desk. sideboards are On heavier often bow-shaped, pieces of furniture Bombay-shaped, or serpentine (curved). like a desk, chest, or tall case, bracketed In the late Victorian period, circa 1870s feet are common. and ’80s, Hepplewhite reproductions Also, an H stretcher is common on came to the market. Hepplewhite chairs and sofas. It is a One of the distinguishing traits of reinforcing piece of wood that connects true Hepplewhite furniture is a the legs of a chair or sofa to form the consistency of formal design. shape of the letter H. The Hepplewhite-style feet are simply One of the most characteristic traits of

Hepplewhite furniture is the use of intricate inlays of contrasting woods and burl veneers. Hepplewhite pieces may be made of sycamore veneers, birch, rosewood, satinwood, maple, and mahogany. Decorative motifs include urns, feathers, geometric shapes, shields, ribbons, swags, and leaves. Today, Hepplewhite furniture commands high values at auction. A reproduction Hepplewhite sideboard can command a few thousand dollars on the open market whereas a good, original example of Hepplewhite furniture can bring $50,000 to $75,000 at auction. Ph.D. antiques appraiser, author, awardwinning TV personality, and TV talk show host, Dr. Lori presents antiques appraisal events nationwide. Dr. Lori is the expert appraiser on Discovery channel’s hit TV show Auction Kings. Visit www.DrLoriV.com, www.Facebook.com/DoctorLori, or call (888) 431-1010.

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June 2013

Assisted Living Residences/Personal Care Homes Bethany Village — Maplewood

Colonial Lodge Community

325 Wesley Drive • Mechanicsburg, PA 17055 717-766-0279 • www.bethanyvillage.org

2015 North Reading Road • Denver, PA 17519 717-336-5501 • www.coloniallodgepa.com

Total AL and/or PC Beds: 100 Assisted Living Residence: Yes Private: 100 Private Pay: Yes SSI Accepted: No Short-term Lease: Yes Entrance Fee/Security Deposit: No Outdoor Areas/Fitness Center: Yes Medication Management: Yes On-call Medical Service: Yes Health Fee-for-Service Available: Yes

Total AL and/or PC Beds: 70 Personal Care Home: Yes Private: Yes Semi-private: Yes Private Pay: Yes SSI Accepted: No Short-term Lease: No Entrance Fee/Security Deposit: No Part/Totally Refundable: No Outdoor Areas/Fitness Center: Yes Medication Management: Yes On-call Medical Service: Yes

Alzheimer’s Care: Yes Respite Care: Yes Social Programs: Yes Housekeeping/Laundry Service: Yes Transportation (Scheduled): Yes Personal Car Permitted: Yes Pets Permitted: Yes Comments: 1-bedroom suites; secured memory support neighborhood; skilled nursing – The Oaks.

Health Fee-for-Service Available: No Alzheimer’s Care: No Respite Care: Yes Social Programs: Yes Housekeeping/Laundry Service: Yes Transportation (Scheduled): Yes Personal Car Permitted: Yes Pets Permitted: No Comments: Beautiful environment, rural setting yet within walking distance of area shopping and community services.

Brandywine Senior Living at Longwood

Garden Spot Village

301 Victoria Gardens Drive • Kennett Square, PA 19348 484-734-6200 • www.brandycare.com

433 South Kinzer Avenue • New Holland, PA 17557 717-355-6272 • www.gardenspotvillage.org

Total AL and/or PC Beds: 70 Personal Care Home: Yes Private: Yes Semi-private: Yes Private Pay: Yes SSI Accepted: No Short-term Lease: No Entrance Fee/Security Deposit: Yes Part/Totally Refundable: No Outdoor Areas/Fitness Center: Yes Medication Management: Yes

Total AL and/or PC Beds: 86 Personal Care Home: Yes Private: Yes Semi-private: Yes Private Pay: Yes SSI Accepted: No Short-term Lease: Yes Entrance Fee/Security Deposit: Yes Part/Totally Refundable: No Outdoor Areas/Fitness Center: Yes Medication Management: Yes On-call Medical Service: Yes

On-call Medical Service: No Health Fee-for-Service Available: No Alzheimer’s Care: Yes Respite Care: Yes Social Programs: Yes Housekeeping/Laundry Service: Yes Transportation (Scheduled): Yes Personal Car Permitted: Yes Pets Permitted: Yes Comments: At Brandywine Senior Living – life is beautiful!

Health Fee-for-Service Available: Yes Alzheimer’s Care: Yes Respite Care: Yes Social Programs: Yes Housekeeping/Laundry Service: Yes Transportation (Scheduled): Yes Personal Car Permitted: Yes Pets Permitted: No Comments: Ideal for people who relish independence yet welcome caring assistance. Live with Opportunity.

Chapel Pointe

Homeland Center

770 South Hanover Street • Carlisle, PA 17013 717-249-1363 • www.chapelpointe.org

1901 North Fifth Street • Harrisburg, PA 17102 717-221-7727 • www.homelandcenter.org

Total AL and/or PC Beds: 53 Personal Care Home: Yes Private: Yes Semi-private: No Private Pay: Yes SSI Accepted: No Short-term Lease: No Entrance Fee/Security Deposit: No Part/Totally Refundable: No Outdoor Areas/Fitness Center: No Medication Management: Yes On-call Medical Service: Yes

Total AL and/or PC Beds: 50 Personal Care Home: Yes Private: Yes Semi-private: No Private Pay: Yes SSI Accepted: No Short-term Lease: Yes Entrance Fee/Security Deposit: Yes Part/Totally Refundable: Yes Outdoor Areas/Fitness Center: Yes Medication Management: Yes On-call Medical Service: Yes

Health Fee-for-Service Available: Yes Alzheimer’s Care: No Respite Care: No Social Programs: Yes Housekeeping/Laundry Service: Yes Transportation (Scheduled): Yes Personal Car Permitted: No Pets Permitted: No

Health Fee-for-Service Available: No Alzheimer’s Care: Yes Respite Care: Yes Social Programs: Yes Housekeeping/Laundry Service: Yes Transportation (Scheduled): Yes Personal Car Permitted: Yes Pets Permitted: Yes Comments: Exemplary care in a caring, beautiful environment has been provided for more than 140 years. Our continuum includes a hospice program.

This is not an all-inclusive list of agencies and providers. These advertisers are eager to provide additional information about their services.

Attorney General Issues Warning about Scam

June 2013

“Do not ever give out personal, healthcare, or bank account information over the phone, unless you initiated the call and you know who is on

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“

Attorney General Kathleen G. Kane recently issued a consumer alert about an apparent scam concerning the Affordable Care Act. In recent days, people across the country have received calls asking for personal information, in order to obtain a “national medical card” from the government. No such card exists.

Do not ever give out personal, healthcare, or bank account information over the phone.

the other end,” said Kane. Kane said if someone calls, offering to help you obtain this nonexistent national medical card, you should

call the AG’s Health Care Hotline at (877) 888-4877. Any information you can provide—such as the name, telephone number, or location of the caller—will be very helpful. You can learn more about this (and other scams) by visiting the attorney general’s website at www.attorneygeneral.gov. www.50plusSeniorNewsPA.com

Assisted Living Residences/Personal Care Homes Homewood at Plum Creek

Mennonite Home Communities

425 Westminster Avenue • Hanover, PA 17331 717-637-4166 • www.homewood.com

1520 Harrisburg Pike • Lancaster, PA 17601 717-393-1301 • www.mennonitehome.org

Total AL and/or PC Beds: 98 Personal Care Home: Yes Private: Yes Semi-private: No Private Pay: Yes SSI Accepted: No Short-term Lease: Yes Entrance Fee/Security Deposit: No Part/Totally Refundable: No Outdoor Areas/Fitness Center: Yes Medication Management: Yes On-call Medical Service: Yes

Total AL and/or PC Beds: 165 Personal Care Home: Yes Private: Yes Semi-private: Yes Private Pay: Yes SSI Accepted: Yes Short-term Lease: No Entrance Fee/Security Deposit: Yes Part/Totally Refundable: No Outdoor Areas/Fitness Center: Yes Medication Management: Yes On-call Medical Service: Yes

Health Fee-for-Service Available: Yes Alzheimer’s Care: No Respite Care: Yes Social Programs: Yes Housekeeping/Laundry Service: Yes Transportation (Scheduled): Yes Personal Car Permitted: Yes Pets Permitted: No Comments: Excellent care in a lovely environment. Call to schedule a visit.

Health Fee-for-Service Available: Yes Alzheimer’s Care: Yes Respite Care: No Social Programs: Yes Housekeeping/Laundry Service: Yes Transportation (Scheduled): Yes Personal Car Permitted: Yes Pets Permitted: No Comments: Supportive, encouraging environment. Various room types and suites available. Secure memory care offered.

Lakeview at Tel Hai Retirement Community

Normandie Ridge Senior Living Community

1200 Tel Hai Circle • Honey Brook, PA 19344 610-273-4602 • www.telhai.org

1700 Normandie Drive • York, PA 17408 717-764-6262 • www.normandieridge.org

Total AL and/or PC Beds: 100 Personal Care Home: Yes Private: Yes Semi-private: Yes Private Pay: Yes SSI Accepted: No Short-term Lease: No Entrance Fee/Security Deposit: Yes Part/Totally Refundable: No Outdoor Areas/Fitness Center: Yes Medication Management: Yes On-call Medical Service: Yes

Total AL and/or PC Beds: 55 Personal Care Home: Yes Private: Yes Semi-private: Yes Private Pay: Yes SSI Accepted: No Short-term Lease: No Entrance Fee/Security Deposit: No Part/Totally Refundable: No Outdoor Areas/Fitness Center: Yes Medication Management: Yes On-call Medical Service: Yes

Health Fee-for-Service Available: Yes Alzheimer’s Care: Yes Respite Care: Yes Social Programs: Yes Housekeeping/Laundry Service: Yes Transportation (Scheduled): Yes Personal Car Permitted: Yes Pets Permitted: Yes Comments: Discover a vibrant community of peers where you can enjoy life and loved ones can relax.

Health Fee-for-Service Available: Yes Alzheimer’s Care: No Respite Care: Yes Social Programs: Yes Housekeeping/Laundry Service: Yes Transportation (Scheduled): Yes Personal Car Permitted: Yes Pets Permitted: No Comments: Private or shared living in spacious rooms with private baths. Friendly staff assist where needed to help maintain your independence.

This is not an all-inclusive list of agencies and providers. These advertisers are eager to provide additional information about their services.

The Squint-Eyed Senior

Why We Need More Grandkids Theodore Rickard hat’s all this talk about Social Security running short of money? It seems to have something to do with “the fiduciary.” “The fiduciary” sounds very important to me, but it also sounds like something to do with Wall Street, and that makes me pretty skittish about it in view of what’s happened over the past few years. I have learned the gist of Social Security’s problems via a seriously bald pundit on TV. Seriously bald men, I believe, should be taken seriously. Jokesters and other trivial people always seem to have full heads of hair. Anyway, the concern is that there are too many people drawing Social Security

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and not enough people paying it. That situation, I can see, could have dire consequences. I have broached this subject with the treasurer of our fiscal family unit, she of the lifetime spousal appointment as family comptroller. “I’m sure they’ll straighten it out, dear,” was her response. And the more I thought about it, she was probably right. Again. For example: The year that two of the grandkids were old enough to spend the summer working as lifeguards, they got great suntans—which will delight the local dermatologists a few years from now—and read a lot of trashy novels. Nobody drowned.

The paychecks were deposited at the local bank to provide funding for the next year’s freshman college expenses. These turned out to include spring break, which pretty well wiped out the funding. I remember their father’s remarking about this with considerable emphasis at the time. Then as the future rushed upon them, at the end of the year, and before spring break, each of the lifeguards got an official form that summarized their year’s income and withheld taxes. One could call this the “wage-earner’s great awakening.” Their father—who hadn’t yet discovered the educational necessity of

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spring break and was still speaking to both of them—explained what FICA actually meant. Just what the initials do stand for escapes me for the moment. I’ll bet it did him, too, but he also let drop that the FICA tax was what paid Social Security checks to Grandmother and Gramps every month. This proved too much information, in my opinion. I won’t say it really changed the children’s attitudes, but they’ve been looking at us kind of funny ever since and, sometimes, rather askance or even snootily, I think. Since then, I have been doing some head counting. Each of our adult please see GRANDKIDS page 13

June 2013

Traveltizers

Travel Appetizers: Stories that Whet the Appetite for Travel

Follow the Gold By Andrea Gross I enter my hotel room, open the drape, and there it is—Colorado’s Pikes Peak, one of the world’s most famous mountains, outlined against the setting sun. This is the very same view that greeted Katharine Lee Bates when, after a day atop the 14,000-foot granite mound, she penned the words to “America the Beautiful.” As I look out the window of our hotel, the Hilton Antler (called the Antler Hotel in Bates’ day), I’m similarly inspired but less talented. Fortunately, my husband captures the scene with his camera. Long before Bates wrote about the “spacious skies,” the mountain had energized other Americans. As the easternmost big peak of the Rocky Mountains, visible for 100 miles, it was a beacon for gold prospectors as they set forth on the last, and longest-lasting, American gold rush.

Katharine Lee Bates wrote the words to “America the Beautiful” while looking at this view of Pikes Peak.

Dahlonega Square is rich with historic buildings that house restaurants and boutiques.

A tour of Consolidated Gold Mines takes folks back to the first major gold rush in American history.

Locals try to strike it rich at the Crisson Gold Mine in Dahlonega.

Where it All Began – Georgia, 1826 We begin our Gold Route Tour 1,500 miles from Pikes Peak in the small towns west and north of Atlanta. Both the Cherokee and the Spanish found nuggets of Georgia gold as early as the 16th century, but the real rush didn’t begin until the mid-1820s. We learn this while watching a film at Villa Rica’s Pine Mountain Gold Museum, which is built on the site of an old gold mine. Afterward we walk a 3-mile trail that’s dotted with old mining equipment. Interpretative signs tell us that the equipment was abandoned when a man who was out hunting deer 100 miles to the northeast quite literally tripped over a golden rock. Within a year, 15,000 men left Villa Rica to go to the new site, Dahlonega, which gets its name from the Cherokee word for “yellow.” The town has a charming main square, a museum located in a historic courthouse, two gold mines, and, best of

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all, a place where we can—or so we fantasize—strike it rich. After touring the underground Consolidated Gold Mines, we head to Crisson Gold Mine, where we find several locals panning for gold. “I come every weekend,” one confesses. “It’s fun, but I’d be better off playing the stock market.” We leave without investing in a gold-panning experience. For more information, visit www.villaricatourism.com and www.dahlonega.org. The Rush in the West – California, 1849 The Dahlonega rush paled in comparison to the one that took place in California in the late 1840s. On Jan. 24, 1848, a man named James Marshall was building a mill for Captain John Sutter when he spotted a gold rock. News traveled fast, and soon an estimated 300,000 people headed west to try their luck and test their skill. The old mill is long gone, but there’s a replica in Marshall Gold Discovery State Historic Park near Coloma, along with other reminders of gold rush days: a store mill, a 19th-century school, and two stores that are reminders of the Chinese who helped settle the area. Later we drive south on Highway 49, which links old mining towns filled with

Mining is still big business near Cripple Creek, Colo.

A narrow-gauge train through Colorado’s mining country is an excellent way to learn the history of the area.

Pine Mountain Gold Museum in Villa Rica’s Stockmar Park features an old water wheel.

quaint bed-and-breakfasts and awardwinning wineries housed in restored gold-era buildings. After about two hours we reach Columbia State Park, where costumed actors show us how folks lived during the golden days. We visit period-specific stores, see blacksmiths at work, and take a ride in a stagecoach. For more information, visit www.coloma.com and www.visitcolumbiacalifornia.com.

Pikes Peak or Bust – Colorado, 1859 Not long after disheartened prospectors abandoned California, gold was found in a Colorado creek. More than 50,000 ever-hopeful men, urged on by the slogan “Pikes Peak or Bust,” raced to find their fortune in the Rockies. The nearby towns of Cripple Creek and Victor became go-to, get-rich places. We begin our tour at the Mollie Kathleen Gold Mine, where we’re

crammed into an elevator for a twominute ride that takes us 1,000 feet underground. A guide lets us experience what it was like for the miners by turning off the lights and turning on the drills. The darkness is oppressive, the noise deafening. Although I believe him when he says that conditions are better now, I still cross “miner” off my list of possible second careers. To learn more about the history of the area, we board a narrow-gauge steamengine railroad for a 45-minute ride through rocky hills covered with spindly pines and abandoned mine structures, some of which sit atop mines that are as deep as the Empire State Building is tall. Many folks estimate that these hills still hold more than $6 billion of gold. In the meantime, as trucks and drill rigs race around the stepped walls of the vast caldera where the mineral is hidden, Cripple Creek is almost as well known for its casinos as for its mining. It seems that the search for gold takes many forms. For more information, visit www.visitcripplecreek.com and www.pikes-peak.com. Photos © Irv Green unless otherwise noted; story by Andrea Gross (www.andreagross.com).

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June 2013

Calendar of Events

Chester County

Chester County Department of Parks and Recreation

Senior Center Activities

www.chesco.org/ccparks

Coatesville Area Senior Center – (610) 383-6900 22 N. Fifth Ave., Coatesville – www.cascweb.org

June 1, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. – Family Fishing at Hibernia, Hibernia County Park June 1, 10 to 11 a.m. – Hike for the Physically Challenged, Black Rock Sanctuary June 23, 2 to 3 p.m. – Honeybees 101, Warwick County Park

Support Groups Tuesdays, 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. The Wellness Community of Philadelphia: Support Group for People with Cancer The Cancer Center at Paoli Hospital 255 W. Lancaster Ave., Paoli (215) 879-7733 June 4, 2 p.m. Grief Support Group Phoenixville Senior Center 153 Church St., Phoenixville (610) 327-7216 June 5, 6 p.m. Memory Loss and Dementia Support Group Sunrise Assisted Living of Paoli 324 W. Lancaster Ave., Malvern (610) 251-9994

Free and open to the public June 10 and 24, 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Caregiver Support Group Adult Care of Chester County 201 Sharp Lane, Exton (610) 363-8044

June 12, noon Family Caregiver Support Group Sarah Care 425 Technology Drive, Suite 200 Malvern (610) 251-0801

June 11 and 25, 5 to 6:30 p.m. Bereavement Support Group Main Line Unitarian Church 816 S. Valley Forge Road, Devon (610) 585-6604 phoenixbereavement@yahoo.com Nondenominational; all are welcome.

June 18, 6 p.m. Family Caregiver Support Group Sunrise of Westtown 501 Skiles Blvd., West Chester (610) 399-4464

June 4, 11:30 a.m. West Chester University Retirees Luncheon For restaurant location, please email darsie@verizon.net June 6, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Chester County 50plus EXPO Church Farm School 1001 E. Lincoln Highway, Exton (717) 285-1350 www.50plusexpopa.com June 11, 11 a.m. New Century Club Meeting (Women’s Charity Club) Days Hotel 943 S. High St., West Chester (610) 436-9158 eichhornb@verizon.net

Free and open to the public June 11, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Chester County LINK Resource Fair West Chester University Earl F. Sykes Student Union Ballroom 117 A and B 110 W. Rosedale Ave., West Chester (610) 353-6640 kelsey@fvdc.net June 11, 6 to 8:30 p.m. Medicare 101 Presentation Chester County Library 450 Exton Square Parkway, Exton (610) 344-6035 June 15, 8:30 a.m. Busy Buddies: Widows & Widowers Social Group of Chester County Dutch Way Restaurant 365 Route 41, Gap (484) 667-0738

June 24, 3 to 5 p.m. Medicare 101 Presentation Coatesville Area Senior Center 22 N. Fifth Ave., Coatesville (610) 383-6900 June 28, 7:30 p.m. Concert Series: QuintEssentially Brass Tel Hai Retirement Community Auditorium 1200 Tel Hai Circle, Honey Brook (610) 273-9333 www.telhai.org

If you have an event you would like to include, please email information to mjoyce@onlinepub.com for consideration.

June 2013

Oxford Senior Center – (610) 932-5244 12 E. Locust St., Oxford – www.oxfordseniors.org

West Chester Area Senior Center – (610) 431-4242 530 E. Union St., West Chester – www.wcseniors.org Please call or visit the centers’ websites for additional activities.

Chester County Library Programs Downingtown Library, 330 E. Lancaster Ave., Downingtown, (610) 269-2741 June 18, 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. – The History of Marinelli Park June 20, 6:30 p.m. – Downingtown Library Writers Group June 27, 1 p.m. – Senior Book Club Easttown Library, 720 First Ave., Berwyn (610) 644-0138

Honey Brook Community Library 687 Compass Road, Honey Brook, (610) 273-3303 Malvern Library, 1 E. First Ave., Malvern (610) 644-7259 Oxford Library, 48 S. Second St., Oxford (610) 932-9625

Please send us your press releases so we can let our readers know about free events occurring in Chester County! Email preferred to: mjoyce@onlinepub.com

Kennett Area Senior Center – (610) 444-4819 427 S. Walnut St., Kennett Square www.kennettseniorcenter.org June 3, 10, 17, 24, 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. – Legal Issues Talks June 20, noon to 4 p.m. – AARP Driver Safety Program June 23, 1 to 3 p.m. – Sunday Dinner with Friends: Wilmington International Exhibition of Photography

Henrietta Hankin Library, 215 Windgate Drive Chester Springs, (610) 321-1700

What’s Happening? Give Us the Scoop! Let

Great Valley Senior Center – (610) 889-2121 47 Church Road, Malvern

Phoenixville Area Senior Center – (610) 935-1515 153 Church St., Phoenixville – www.phoenixvilleseniorcenter.org

Community Programs June 1 and 15, 5 to 10 p.m. Bingo Nights Marine Corps League Detachment 430 Chestnut St., Downingtown (610) 431-2234

Downingtown Senior Center – (610) 269-3939 983 E. Lancaster Ave., Downingtown http://home.ccil.org/~dasc

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50plus SeniorNews

(610) 675-6240

Paoli Library, 18 Darby Road, Paoli, (610) 296-7996 Mystery Book Club – Call for dates/times Phoenixville Library, 183 Second Ave., Phoenixville (610) 933-3013 www.50plusSeniorNewsPA.com

MOVE

from page 1

“I didn’t have to become a master diver to feel safe, but I did feel more secure in the water if I had the advanced open water certificate,” he explained. “You know more about the sport and things like how to navigate under water.” Of his many dives, there are a few that rank as his favorites. One occurred in the water off Providencialis Island. Hager was scuba diving with a group at night, taking underwater photographs, when he finally had his own long-awaited Flipper experience. A lone dolphin was spotted swimming around their boat, a rare sight that excited the divers. At night, dolphins feed and are not usually visible; moreover, they normally travel in pods, not alone. “Suddenly, everybody’s flashlights were pointed toward me … It turns out the dolphin had come in on this night dive and was resting itself vertically against my tank, nuzzle down,” Hager said. In the water again two days later, Hager heard a dolphin’s telltale clicking sound—and saw the same dolphin swimming alongside him for a few seconds before bolting ahead. “Then it came back! It does a 180 and swims right back to me and puts his muzzle right up against my mask,” Hager recalled. “And it was absolutely fantastic. So I got to have my Flipper fantasy realized.” Hager stays active on dry land as well. He is a past co-president and current board member of a local chapter of the Road Runners Club of America, a national organization that includes runners, hikers, and walkers of all abilities and ages. Hager only began hiking and running a decade ago when his physical therapist recommended the sport as a way to ward off his recurring back problems. “There are runners at all different levels. You don’t have to be a marathon runner or a winner of a 5K race to join,” said Hager. “There are a number of people who just walk, but they belong to the club and participate. “Plus, I found that running, hiking, and bicycling on a regular basis—it actually reduced the aches and pains that we sometimes develop when we get to be this age,” he added. “I had more energy, less pain, and felt much better.” Hager’s legs are also kept in motion through his membership in a local bicycle club. He hits the open road during the warmer months, often traveling 15 to 30 miles per ride, and when the weather turns cold, he heads indoors for spinning classes at a gym. Hager enjoys the solitary freedom of bicycling, where he can grab his helmet www.50plusSeniorNewsPA.com

and take off on his own. He sometimes performs what is called a “utility ride” that accomplishes a chore by biking instead of driving, like returning a rented movie. But Hager also benefits from biking with a companion, which pushes him athletically and enhances his social life. “I learn a lot from talking with people,” Hager said. “For those of us who are entering their senior years, I’ve always found that when I ride bicycle with someone who’s better than I am, I have a better ride.” Hager participates in three or four formal bicycling events per year, either riding in the event or volunteering his time to help with setup and other support activities. “I don’t consider myself an expert or an athlete, but my claim to fame on the bicycle is that the summer before last I rode the Dream Ride. I rode to raise money for UDS [United Disabilities Services] service dogs,” said Hager. “And I broke my record to do that. [My record] had been a 40-mile bike ride, and I rode 100 miles that day. Of course, I trained for it—you don’t go from 40 miles to 100 overnight.” A healthy brain is as important as a healthy body, and Hager keeps his mind’s eye sharp through his keen interest in photography. And he maintains his mental and social health by realizing yet another childhood dream. “My father was an amateur magician; he belonged to a local magician’s club,” Hager said. “After he died, I found his old, dusty magic bag upstairs—boy, I had fun with that.” For the last 25 years, Hager has moonlighted as a professional magician. He performs his comedic magic show to local, national, and international audiences. Although he is not yet retired, Hager views the coming years through the wise lens of an old neighborhood friend, a man in his 80s who advised him not to retire from his life when he retires from his job. He took those words to heart, and now, decades later, Hager has used them to form the basis of his life philosophy. “It’s one of the best pieces of advice I ever got from anybody,” he said. “And that’s why I’m involved with people. I sit on two boards of directors, I’m an avid photographer, I belong to a couple of clubs—[socializing] with people is what keeps the energy going for me. “You can only experience your own life, but you can enjoy numerous life experiences by mixing it up with other people, and that’s what’s tremendously valuable for me.”

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ONE GIANT STEP FOR MANKIND! This may not be the same story you’re thinking of. This one’s about a young, itinerant engineer with job assignments in two states: Decorah, Iowa, and Lancaster, PA.

The step he is considering is marriage! Bob Hansen is smitten by two young women in Iowa, and one in Lancaster, PA. But he has to find a full-time job and decide which of the three young women to pursue.

Pick up or order Choices and Decisions at Masthof Bookstore – 219 Mill Road, Morgantown, PA 19543 ($13.95 plus 84¢ tax and $4 shipping) 610-286-0258 www.Masthof.com

— or — Available on Amazon.com in paperback or Kindle Use a gallon of gas and take a beautiful 9-mile trip through Amish and Mennonite farm country on Route 23 between Blue Ball and Morgantown. This stretch of road, which follows an old Native American trade route, was declared “The Conestoga Ridge Road Heritage Byway” in the fall of 2012. Stop off in Morgantown at the Masthof Bookstore (first road after Old Village Inn) and pick up a copy of Choices and Decisions and a local history book.

50plus SeniorNews

June 2013

Savvy Senior

How Health Insurance Marketplaces Will Help Early Retirees Jim Miller Dear Savvy Senior, What can you tell me about the new Obamacare health insurance exchanges that begin next year? I am interested in retiring early at age 61, but I need to find some affordable health insurance until my Medicare benefits begin in a few years. – Ready to Retire Dear Ready, The new health insurance exchanges—also known as Health Insurance Marketplaces—that begin in 2014 will be a welcome benefit to millions of Americans who need health insurance, especially uninsured baby boomers and pre-Medicare retirees who often have a difficult time finding affordable coverage. How It Will Work As part of the Affordable Care Act,

starting Oct. 1 you will be able to shop and compare health insurance policies in your area and enroll in one directly through your state’s Health Insurance Marketplace website. The policies will go into effect on Jan. 1, 2014. You’ll also be happy to know that federal law dictates that Marketplace insurers cannot deny you coverage

or charge you higher rates based on preexisting health conditions, and they can’t charge women more than men. But, they can charge older customers more than younger ones—up to three times more. Every state will have a Marketplace, but each state can choose how it will operate. Seventeen states and the District of Columbia will run

their own state-based Marketplace, seven states will partner with the federal government, and 26 states will offer federal Marketplaces. Pennsylvania is among the latter. The differences between federal and state programs will be subtle. You will be able to access each state’s Health Insurance Marketplace at www.healthcare.gov. The policies available through these Marketplaces will be sold by insurance companies and will provide a package of 10 essential benefits, including emergency services, hospital care, lab services, prescription drugs, doctor visits, preventive care, and rehab services. To make shopping and comparing a little easier, the health plans will be divided into four different levels— bronze, silver, gold, and platinum—each offering similar benefits but with a

Smile of the Month This month’s smile belongs to Noah Lee Iannetta, smiling up at his mother, Krista Burnell, fiancée of Andrew Iannetta, both of Brookhaven, Pa. Noah is the grandson of Angela Iannetta Lee of Oxford, Pa.

Send us your favorite smile—your children, grandchildren, friends, even your “smiling” pet!—and it could be 50plus Senior News’ next Smile of the Month! You can submit your photos (with captions) either digitally to mjoyce@onlinepub.com or by mail to:

50plus Senior News Smile of the Month 3912 Abel Drive, Columbia, PA 17512 Digital photos must be at least 4x6'' with a resolution of 300 dpi. No professional photos, please. Please include a SASE if you would like to have your photo returned.

June 2013

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Jim Miller is a regular contributor to the NBC Today show and author of The Savvy Senior Book. www.savvysenior.org

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Costs and Tax Credits Prices will vary depending on where you live, your age, and the health plan you choose. Exact cost structures for most Marketplaces will be released within the next few months. To help make coverage affordable, sliding-scale tax credits will be available if you earn less than 400 percent of the poverty level—that’s $45,960 for a

single person and $62,040 for couples. These tax-credit subsidies will provide immediate savings off your monthly premiums. To find out if you qualify, or to see how much a tax credit will reduce your monthly costs, you’ll need to submit a Marketplace application in October or when you decide enroll. In the meantime, you can calculate your potential tax-credit premium savings by using the Kaiser Family Foundation calculator at http://healthreform.kff.org. Click on “Interactive Features” and then scroll down to “Subsidy Calculator.” For more information on the Health Insurance Marketplaces, including a checklist of things you can do now to help you choose a plan, visit www.healthcare.gov/marketplace.