50plus LIFE Chester County June 2018

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Complimentary | Chester County Edition

June 2018 • Vol. 15 No. 6

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Daisies and Poppies and Peonies, Oh My page 4

Veteran Stopped Runaway Train page 6

The Civil Rights Trail page 12

Ms. Pennsylvania America Pageant July 15, 2018, Harrisburg Are you a woman who has reached the “Age of Elegance” — 60 years and older?

Pa. Senior America is looking for you.

At the pageant, you will compete for the title by completing four categories: 1. 5-minute interview with judges 2. State your philosophy of life

3. Stage gown walk 4. Presenting a talent performance

Senior America, Inc., is a non-profit corporation designed not only to enrich the lives of seniors, but also to tap their energy to enrich the lives of others. Find out more at the Senior America website: www.senioramerica.org

Ms. Pennsylvania Senior America 1994 Merle Adele Millhimes mmillhimes@verizon.net (717) 533-3471 www.senioramerica.org Ms. Senior America Pennsylvania Administrator Denise Russo-Caiazzo Ms. Pennsylvania Senior America 2015 (610) 417-7905 pasenioramerica@gmail.com Honoring the “Age of Elegance”

To apply, please call (610) 417-7905 or email pasenioramerica@gmail.com 2

June 2018

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www.50plusLifePA.com

Senior Emergency Preparedness Video Debuts The Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency and Department of Aging recently hosted a debut screening of “Preparing Together for Emergencies,” a video that prepares older Pennsylvanians for disaster and emergency situations.

Secretary of Aging Teresa Osborne welcomed local seniors to the screening and emphasized the importance of having a preparedness plan.

A PEMA survey from last year revealed that only 26 percent of Pennsylvanians age 65 and older had a plan in place for disaster circumstances.

As a result, the Department

of Aging and PEMA collaborated with the Salvation Army and WITF to create an educational video as part of the Department of Aging’s MindMatters series.

“A disaster can strike at any time, and it’s imperative that seniors and their families have considered their unique needs, such as necessary medical equipment or prescription medications, in order to successfully evacuate or take shelter,” Osborne said.

PEMA Director Richard Flinn Jr. also stressed the importance of having

a plan in place, keeping in mind that those 65 and older can be more vulnerable if faced with periods of time lacking food, water, or shelter.

“We encourage people of all ages to prepare for emergencies, but as we get older, our needs change, and those needs must be taken into consideration when we make our plans,” said Flinn. “There are lots of resources available to help, but this episode of MindMatters is a great starting point.”

The “Preparing Together for Emergencies” video will be free to view in participating senior centers throughout the commonwealth.

Additionally, PEMA and the Department of Aging encourage older Pennsylvanians and their families to download the “Get Ready Now” three-step pocket guide on emergency preparedness for older adults. You can find additional information on how to be informed, prepared, and involved at ReadyPA (www.ready.pa.gov).

For more information on the Pennsylvania Department of Aging, visit www.aging.pa.gov. For more information on PEMA, visit www. pema.pa.gov.

At Your Fingertips Helpful numbers, hotlines, and local businesses and organizations eager to serve you—all just a phone call away.

Disasters American Red Cross Greater Brandywine (610) 692-1200 Chester County Emergency Services (610) 344-5000 Salvation Army Coatesville (610) 384-2954

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (800) 232-4636 Coatesville VA Medical Center (610) 383-7711 Domestic Violence (800) 799-7233 National Osteoporosis Foundation (800) 223-9994

Housing Authority of Chester County (610) 436-9200 Housing Authority of Phoenixville (610) 933-8801 JEWELERS American Gold & Estate Buyers, Inc. 363 E. Lincoln Highway, Exton (484) 872-8216

PACE (800) 225-7223

Legal Services Lawyer Referral Service (610) 429-1500

Senior Healthlink (610) 431-1852

Legal Aid of Southeastern Pennsylvania (610) 436-4510

Office of Aging (610) 344-6350/(800) 692-1100

Social Security Administration (800) 772-1213

Financial Services Internal Revenue Service (800) 829-3676

Southeastern Pennsylvania Medical Institute (610) 446-0662

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

Salvation Army West Chester (610) 696-8746 Emergency Numbers Central Pennsylvania Poison Center (800) 521-6110

Funeral & Cremation Services Cremation Society of Pennsylvania Serving Chester County (800) 720-8221 Health & Medical Services Alzheimer’s Association (800) 272-3900 American Cancer Society (800) 227-2345 American Heart Association (610) 940-9540 Arthritis Foundation (215) 665-9200 www.50plusLifePA.com

Hearing Services Pennsylvania Office for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing (800) 233-3008 V/TTY home care services Shanahan Home Care & Hospice (610) 314-1667 home equity loans Glendale Mortgage (610) 853-6500; (888) 456-0988 Housing Assistance Community Impact Legal Services (610) 876-0804

Pennsylvania Hunger Action Center (800) 366-3997 Office of Aging Chester County Department of Aging Services (610) 344-6350 Orthopedics Premier Orthopaedics Locations in Coatesville and Pottstown (610) 792-9292 Pharmacies CVS/pharmacy www.cvs.com

Physicians Gateway Medical Associates Locations in Coatesville, Downingtown, Lionville, and West Chester (610) 423-8181 retirement living Friends Home in Kennett 147 W. State St., Kennett Square (610) 444-2577 Harrison Senior Living Locations in Christiana and East Fallowfield (610) 384-6310 Senior Centers Coatesville (610) 383-6900 Downingtown (610) 269-3939 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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Cover Story

Daisies and Poppies and Peonies, Oh My 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

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EDITORIAL

Vice President and Managing Editor Christianne Rupp Editor, 50plus Publications Megan Joyce

ART DEPARTMENT Project Coordinator Renee McWilliams Production Artist Lauren McNallen

BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT Account Executives Wendy Letoski Janette McLaurin Jessica Simmons Angie Willis Account Representatives Matthew Chesson Lauren Rosier Jennifer Schmalhofer Events Manager Kimberly Shaffer Marketing Coordinator Kelsey Fishburn

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50plus LIFE 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.

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June 2018

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By Megan Joyce

Over the years, the Ozrelated tchotchkes kept rolling in to Denenberg’s When Dorothy and Co. are possession, many as gifts finally granted entrance into from family and friends. Salt Emerald City in the classic and pepper shakers, mugs, 1939 film The Wizard of Oz, glasses, plates, music boxes, the Scarecrow, Tin Man, neckties, picture frames, Cowardly Lion, and the girl figurines, artwork, books from Kansas climb aboard a … Denenberg’s collection horse-drawn carriage and are comprises, as he puts it, “a whisked around on a lively little bit of everything.” tour of the city’s people, sights, The home’s interior décor and songs. incorporates numerous Art There is beauty everywhere, Denenberg had this Art Deco railing Deco elements. Popular and there is warmth and specially made for his staircase. The welcome.

Wizard of Oz’s Emerald City was designed in the 1920s and ’30s, the architectural style was It’s much the same when using Art Deco stylistic elements. featured prominently in Dennis Denenberg leads you Emerald City’s design. around his Oz-themed home Denenberg owns the and gardens. country’s largest collection You don’t get the colorof Moderne-pattern Indiana changing horse, but in both his Glass as well as extensive environs and his own congenial collections of Chase chrome spirit, Denenberg has managed and Kensington aluminum to capture not only the sights dinnerware, serving pieces, of Oz, but also its essence and and houseware, all crafted in especially its warmth.

Deco style.

Like most of us, Denenberg The upstairs guest first saw The Wizard of Oz bedroom is furnished with an as a child during its annual antique Art Deco headboard, television broadcast. Once his family owned a color TV, he When Denenberg remodeled his kitchen, dresser, bureau, and chairs, nods to Oz made their way into the which complement one was struck by the visual shift redesign, such as the poppy-paneled of Denenberg’s other Dorothy experiences as she cabinet doors and the copper Art Deco collections: framed studio steps outside after a tornado pieces above the stove. photos of stars from the has deposited her home in Depression era — including, mysterious Oz. of course, Judy Garland, “When you saw the referred to in Denenberg’s transition from the beginning home as simply “Judy.” of the movie, the black and Although every room white to the color — for a kid in his home contains some it was magical,” Denenberg (mostly) subtle nod to the said. “So I just really fell in movie, it all comes to a head love with it then, and as I aged, — somewhat literally — in I just appreciated it more and his “Oz room”: a working more, the incredible quality of bathroom decorated floor the movie. to sink to ceiling with Oz “It’s 78 years old, and it memorabilia and the image stands the test of time. The of the wizard’s green head acting still holds up, the special Denenberg owns an extensive “floating” on the mirror. effects — it’s amazing. So I collection of Kensington aluminum dinnerware, serving pieces, and Denenberg had the wizard appreciate that, and I also houseware, all crafted in Deco style. mirror and coordinating appreciate the lessons in the sink designed in 2014 to movie,” he added.

Denenberg’s lifelong affinity for the film is literally commemorate Oz’s 75th anniversary.

Hovering overhead on the bathroom ceiling are on display throughout his home and Oz-inspired the words, “Surrender Dorothy”; the Wicked Witch gardens and landscaping. www.50plusLifePA.com

of the West has painted her warning in blackened puffs of broom smoke. If you head down to the finished basement, you’ll find her watery, melted remains and pointed hat on a hallway floor, not far from her sister witch’s dearly departed legs, which stick out from under a guest bed.

A basement window and windowed door let multihued light in through depictions of the Emerald City and of the Gales’ tornado-swept home, respectively. An artist friend created both for Denenberg out of basic craft glue.

A few feet farther down the hall, a lifelike cutout of the Wizard himself waits for Toto to expose his presence behind a makeshift curtain.

When Denenberg, a retired Millersville University elementary education professor, purchased his early-’70s rancher in 1995, it sat on an acre of grass, all of which is now gone, replaced by several thoughtfully planned, Ozthemed gardens that explode in The “garden goddesses,” a.k.a., Inge waves of varying color during Storey and Greta Stoner, are Denenberg’s spring and summer. vital partners in the design and upkeep of “All the gardens are his acre of gardens. connected by pathways, so you actually walk through the gardens,” Denenberg explained. “That’s a concept that’s hard to explain to people because they still picture flowerbeds against the house.”

To one side of the property the Asian garden’s bamboo grove rises high, and on the other end of the yard, an all-pink garden blooms for breast cancer awareness; it is dedicated to Denenberg’s sister, Diana, who battled the disease for 18 years.

There are three floral “shows” of Oz blooms that take place over the season, allowing Denenberg and his guests a different visual experience depending on the month.

The property’s 7,000 daffodils are the first to burst forward, along with winter aconite and snowdrops; these are followed mid-May to mid-June by the early perennials, which include daisies, poppies, irises, and 75 peony bushes.

The biggest show, according to Denenberg, is the mid-July through midAugust late perennials: more than 250 hibiscus bushes, each containing 30-50 blooms.

Maintaining thousands of flowers and bushes is a massive undertaking, one that Denenberg, who never seriously gardened before buying his current property, does not do alone.

He has hired two “garden goddesses,” as he nicknamed them, otherwise known as Inge Storey and Greta Stoner. With degrees in horticulture, the gardening professionals not only put in the grunt work of cutting, digging, feeding, and clearing out, but also use their expertise to advise Denenberg on garden design and flower selection.

“Spring is the most fun, mainly because it’s moving plants, getting beds presentable, and finding out what you’ve lost over the winter,” Denenberg said.

“Fall is the brutal time because, with an acre of perennials, there’s an incredible amount of cutting back. We usually take about 15 pickup-truck loads to the recycling area. The summer is really the most enjoyable [season].”

Denenberg and the “goddesses” try to add one new garden element each year, he said. In 2017 it was a mini yellow-brick road leading to Emerald City, its waist-high green-and-gold towers constructed from PVC piping. It joined 2016’s addition, a wavelike wooden sculpture.

These features accompany two fish- and frog-filled ponds and a newly renovated deck with glass-block bar, built around a colorfully beaded honey locust tree and an above-ground pool.

Toto’s dressing room, adjacent to the bamboo grove, is a small, rainbowcolored doghouse containing a replica of the famous canine’s basket alongside a pair of ruby slippers made for the cast party Denenberg hosted for the Fulton

Theatre’s 2015 production of The Wizard of Oz. Denenberg now offers his house and outdoor garden spaces to charitable groups for fundraisers, benefits, or retreats, taking no money for himself while serving as host and tour guide.

“I just think it’s important to give back and, with the gardens, to share the beauty,” he said. “It’s fun to let other people look at them, too.”

Although Denenberg does not host weddings, birthday parties, or events for any for-profit organizations, “[the garden] is here for any nonprofit group.

If your charity wants to raise money, you can schedule an event here. I also allow nonprofits to have retreats here — any way that a nonprofit can use it.”

Cancer charities are close to Denenberg’s heart and frequently take advantage of his home and gardens for their events. Denenberg also The all-pink garden blooms for maintains a garden in his breast cancer awareness and honors sister’s honor at Millersville Denenberg’s sister, Diana, who battled University and runs its breast the disease for 18 years. cancer awareness program, Diana’s Dreamers: Determined to Defeat Breast Cancer (www.millersville.edu/nursing/breast-cancerawareness-program/breast-a-ville.php).

And his “second career” as a book author and speaker takes him across the country, educating kids and adults about America’s real-life heroes (heroes4us. com).

Last summer, 650 people visited Denenberg’s Oz. Of those, 450 came during Lancaster’s Demuth Museum Garden Tour, which has already booked a return visit for June 2018.

Though he’s not distributing much-coveted hearts, brains, courage, or balloon rides home, Denenberg, like his favorite movie’s titular wizard, finds great and powerful fulfillment in the ways his Oz heightens the happiness of its visitors.

“The thrill for me now,” Denenberg said, “is giving back through events …

One person said, ‘You know, I just can’t believe anybody would leave here and not smile.”

To contact Denenberg about booking an event for a charity or nonprofit group, contact him at drdenden@aol.com or (717) 581-8293.

On the cover: Clockwise, from top, Dennis Denenberg surrounded by hundreds of Wizard of Oz items in his Oz-themed bathroom; the Wicked Witch of the East’s feet peek out from beneath a guest bed; Toto’s dressing room; the Oz bathroom’s wizard mirror and sink; and the miniature yellow-brick road and Emerald City. For more photos of Denenberg’s home and gardens, visit www.50plusLIFEpa.com.

Credit: Readers.com

www.50plusLifePA.com

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June 2018

5

Soldier Stories

Robert Naeye

Vietnam Artillery Veteran Stopped Runaway Train

After serving eight months in traveled home to visit his parents.

Vietnam as an artilleryman, Jon He promised them he would do his Hosfeld was no stranger to danger. job and come home.

Decades later, in a moment “My father never showed emotion, of crisis, Hosfeld summoned the but when we went to the Harrisburg physical, mental, and spiritual train station for him to leave, tears strength to hop aboard a runaway were running down. He said, train carrying hazardous materials ‘Jonnie, I thought I fought in a war — an example of courage that to end all wars.’” inspired the critically acclaimed As Hosfeld’s flight from Japan movie Unstoppable. was coming in for a landing at Born in 1948, Hosfeld grew up Cam Ranh Bay, he looked out in Central Pennsylvania to religious the window and saw tracers and parents who taught him patriotism explosions. His plane circled the When the North Vietnamese infantry pinned down an infantry platoon, Hosfeld’s and how to tell right from wrong. airfield five times before landing. artillery unit fired nine rounds every 10 minutes for 36 hours.

His father served in the Army Air On his third day in Vietnam, Corps in World War II but never he flew on a transport airplane “I did not have any trouble I could Pennsylvania Railroad. He passed talked about his tour of duty. to Pleiku and then by chopper the test, but the company told him it Hosfeld was small growing up and not handle,” he recalls. to his unit. He explained to the After high school, Hosfeld would not waste its money hiring and commanding officer that he was not was frequently bullied. His parents training him and then watch him get trained in artillery. applied to be a brakeman with the told him to stand his ground. killed in Vietnam.

“What the hell are you doing “I was 17 years old. What a jolt here?” the officer asked. that was to a young man,” he says.

“You tell me and we’ll both know,” Stories of ordinary men and women He turned 18 the very next day replied Hosfeld. called to perform extraordinary military service. and registered for the draft. But just Hosfeld was given a two-week two months later he volunteered for crash course in artillery operations.

From 1999–2016, writer and World War II the U.S. Army’s deferred program in His battery consisted of about 100 veteran Col. Robert D. Wilcox preserved the communications. men. Six 105-millimeter artillery firsthand wartime experiences of more than “That will keep you out of ’Nam,” pieces were arranged in a star pattern, 200 veterans through Salute to a Veteran, his said his recruiter. with five guns at the points and one monthly column featured in 50plus LIFE. After training at Fort Bragg and in the center. An infantry company Fort Dix, the Army sent Hosfeld of similar size guarded the outer Now, for the first time, 50 of those stories— to South Korea, where he received perimeter. selected by Wilcox himself—are available to rapid promotions to E5 sergeant. He The temperature often exceeded own in this soft-cover book. describes his Korean service as “very 100 degrees, and at times they Simply complete and mail this form with your payment intense and demanding.” suffered through torrential monsoon to the address below to order Salute to Our Veterans.

But because of a bizarre rain so thick they couldn’t see their bureaucratic maneuver, Hosfeld was hands in front of their faces. By the On-Line Publishers • 3912 Abel Drive, Columbia, PA 17512 transferred to West Germany in end of his deployment, Hosfeld and Name_ _______________________________________________________ August 1968 to serve with an artillery his men were eating C rations left unit. This was despite the fact that he over from World War II. Address_ ______________________________________________________ had no training in this field.

Several times the men had to pack City_______________________________ State_ ____ Zip_ ______________ In March 1969, Hosfeld received up all their weapons and gear and fly his orders for Vietnam. Surprisingly, in helicopters to a new landing zone, Phone_ _____________________ Email______________________________ he was “elated” to leave Germany where they had to set everything up because of the poor NCOs and yet again.

Number of copies_ ______ (Please include $20.80 for each copy) officers. He describes his garrison They were often attacked during Credit card #______________________________________ Exp. date________ duty as “a nightmare” due to racial this period, when they were most tensions and drug problems. vulnerable. It would take 24-36 hours Signature of cardholder_________________________________CVV #________ “I wanted to get away from it,” he just to dig their personnel bunkers, Or send a check made payable to On-Line Publishers, Inc. says. which Hosfeld says made the men “as You can also order online at www.50plusLIFEpa.com!

Before heading to ’Nam, he strong as oxen.”

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June 2018

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Hosfeld and then viewed married everyone in Judy Snyder, his unit as whom he an asset, so describes as his job was his “rock.” to find that His postasset in each Vietnam man and moment of use it to its truth came maximum on May 15, potential.

2001. Due But to a series not every of errors, a Photo credit: Robert Naeye soldier fit in. locomotive Hosfeld, right, with Rich Burton, from the Hosfeld sent pulling a Central Pennsylvania Vietnam Roundtable. three men train of 47 Hosfeld — who had recently injured his leg in back to base cars was a fall — shared his Vietnam experiences with camp. One of running the group during its March 2018 meeting. them became uncontrolled depressed for two when he learned his wife was being hours in northwestern Ohio. Two of unfaithful. Another accidentally shot the cars contained liquid phenol, a off a round inside a bunker, nearly toxic chemical used in paints, dyes, killing a fellow soldier. and glues.

Hosfeld describes a battle where an A locomotive with a two-man crew, infantry platoon was pinned down Jess Knowlton and Terry Forson,

by North Vietnamese infantry. His chased down the runaway train, artillery unit fired nine rounds every hooked to the rear car, and slowed it 10 minutes for 36 hours. The platoon down. When the train was traveling called in the rounds practically upon at 11 miles per hour, Hosfeld ran themselves, eventually forcing the alongside it, jumped on board, and NVA to pull back. shut down the engine just south of Three days later, the platoon the town of Kenton. entered their landing zone.

“I saw my men ahead of the “I saw bandaged, injured, crippled runaway train in jeopardy, and soldiers, and thought, ‘They’re mad I knew I had to make it,” recalls as hell; they’re gonna kick our asses.’

Hosfeld.

Instead, it was just the opposite.

Hosfeld received widespread They hugged us and said, ‘Thank accolades for his courageous act, and you, brothers.’ That was one of my he later met President George W. proudest moments, protecting my Bush. That day’s events inspired the fellow soldiers.”

2010 movie Unstoppable, starring One night, Hosfeld was holed up Denzel Washington and Chris Pine. in a bunker, packed in ice with a 105Hosfeld has since retired. He works degree fever. But his landing zone was with homeless veterans and is active overrun by NVA. During the firefight in the VFW and American Legion. he ran out to his gun section.

He and Judy have a daughter and two His CO yelled, “You’re sick — grandchildren. what are you doing?”

In his darkest times in Vietnam, Hosfeld replied, “I don’t have time Hosfeld wondered if he’d make it to get sick; I have to get back to my home to get married, have children, men. I have a couple hurt.” and maybe even have grandchildren.

He took charge and directed “That has all happened. We are small arms fire on the perimeter. so blessed,” says Hosfeld. But, he Hosfeld was awarded an Army adds, “Vietnam was a long time ago.

Commendation Medal for valor.

Hopefully I have adjusted. However, Like many Vietnam veterans, at the blink of an eye, it’s all back.”

Hosfeld had difficulties readjusting To read an interview with to civilian life, but he eventually got Jon Hosfeld about the runaway back on his feet. He landed his dream train, visit www.cnn.com/chat/ job with the Penn Central Railroad transcripts/2001/05/16/hosfeld.cnna/. www.50plusLifePA.com

Aug. 28, 2018 Nov. 1, 2018 9 a.m. – 2 p.m.

Radisson Hotel Harrisburg 1150 Camp Hill Bypass Camp Hill

9 a.m. – 2 p.m.

Farm and Home Center

1383 Arcadia Road NEW LOCATION! Lancaster

Please, join us!

This combined event is FREE for veterans of all ages, active military, and their families.

At the Expo

Veterans Benefits Community Services Products and Services Available Support/Assistance Programs Education/Training Services

At the Job Fair

Employers Job Counseling Workshops/Seminars Resume Writing Assistance Principal Sponsors: Sponsored by:

Blue Ridge Communications • Disabled American Veterans • DMP Solutions Fulton Financial Corporation • LCTV • Pennsylvania State Headquarters VFW Vibra Health Plan • WFYL • WHTM ABC27

Sponsor & Exhibitor Opportunities Available

www.veteransexpo.com (717) 285-1350 www.olpevents.com

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June 2018

7

Grief Relief

Victor Parachin

A Dozen Ways to Live with Loss and Heal with Hope

Reaching out on social media, a woman wrote: “My husband died suddenly of a massive heart attack. He was 55 and had no symptoms or warning signs. I can’t bear to live without him.

We’ve been together since I was 16, and I’m 46 now.

“I’ve never lived on my own, and I don’t know what it’s like to be ‘single’ — I’ve always been part of a couple. I cry every day … I don’t want to live without him.”

Her experience reveals the depth and anguish of grief. As intense as bereavement can be, the reality is that the vast majority of people do recover from the shock and pain of loss.

Here are a dozen ways people have found to live with loss and heal with hope.

1. Begin with patience. It takes time, a much longer time than most people expect, to heal from grief. Remind yourself there is no quick fix. Most people find it takes a year or so for the intensity to ease up.

Your guide to choosing the right living and care options for you or a loved one.

Read it online, in print, and on mobile/tablet devices. onlinepub.com

2. Expect confusing and conflicting emotions. Grief brings a wide variety of feelings and emotions, such as: guilt, regret, sadness, depression, anxiety, fear, and difficulty concentrating.

While these may feel extreme and troubling, they are common symptoms of the grief process.

Expect them; accept them; and continue on, knowing they will ease up and fade away as you adapt and adjust to the loss.

3. Express yourself. Talking with a good listener is healing. Every time you talk about the loss and its ramifications, you peel away a layer of pain.

4. Let yourself feel sad. Don’t deny your grief.

Feel the pain. Experience the loss. Cry if you need to. Tears cleanse the body of stress toxins.

5. Follow a routine. Adhere to a regular daily schedule. This will build emotional security and confidence for you. A routine will also keep you organized and on top of things.

6. Sleep. The emotional strain of grief is exhausting. Get good rest. If you can’t sleep for a prolonged period of time, check in with your physician.

7. Don’t numb the pain. Avoid alcohol and drugs. They may dull the pain, but once the effect wears off, the pain emerges.

8. Eat nutritious meals. A time of grieving is not the time to fill up on “junk” foods. Eat healthy meals. Limit eating at restaurants.

9. Take care of your body. Exercise daily for at least 30 minutes. Walk, bike, jog, or join a gym and take fitness classes.

10. Delay major life changes. If possible, don’t make any big changes during the first year. Don’t remarry, don’t move, don’t leave your job. Give yourself time to adjust and adapt to the loss.

11. Be part of a support group. When there has been a loss to death, it often creates relationship shifts. Some friends drop away because they don’t know how to be helpful to a griever.

A grief support group is made up of people who understand and will be comforting. Join with them, learn from them, and, in turn, be supportive of others who are grieving.

22nd annual edition

Call today for your free copy!

(717) 285-1350 8

June 2018

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12. Remain positive. Trust yourself and believe that you will heal from loss.

Stay positive throughout the grief journey. Hold on to hope.

Victor M. Parachin, M.Div., is a grief counselor, bereavement educator, and author of several books, including Healing Grief.

www.50plusLifePA.com

It Was 50 Years Ago Today

‘Angel of the Morning’ Randal Hill

By 1967 songwriter Chip Taylor had one hit tune to his credit: the Troggs’ “Wild Thing” from the previous year.

Now he was summoning his muse again in hopes of hitting pay dirt for a second time. In the book Behind the Hits by Bob Shannon and John Javna, Taylor explains: “The day I wrote ‘Angel’ I was fooling around with some chords for three or four hours. Then, all of a sudden, out of nowhere, came ‘There’ll be no strings to bind your hands, not if my love can’t bind your heart.’

“I said, ‘That is beautiful!’ …

Within 10 minutes I’d written the whole song, including the chorus.”

Then there was the matter of what followed those opening lines. Sex had to be soft-pedaled during rock’s early days; “Angel of the Morning” changed all that.

As its story unfolded, listeners heard such eyebrow-lifting lyrics as, “I see no need to take me home/I’m old enough to face the dawn,” as well as “If morning’s echo says we’ve sinned/ Well, it was what I wanted now.”

Wow. But, after all, this was the “progressive” ’60s.

Taylor and a partner recorded the song — which featured a simple “Louie Louie” chord progression — with a young singer named Evie Sands. Released on Cameo Records, “Angel” quickly caught fire and

won airplay in the Raiders’ 1967 tour.

Seattle rhythmseveral key radio While in Memphis, Raiders lead and-blues markets. singer Mark Lindsay introduced Rush collective called But, two to record producer Chips Moman, Tiny Tony weeks after and the Statics who had recorded the Box Tops’ Sands’ 45 was megahit of “The Letter.”

(Tony being a released, Cameo Moman had Rush cut a breathy 300-pound soul unexpectedly rendition of “Angel of the Morning,” belter). went bankrupt, a haunting future Top 10 winner.

In 1965 and Sands’ rising the Rushes Released on Bell Records, Rush’s star fizzled out. version became a million-seller created Merrilee Later, Taylor Rush and the and even earned her a Grammy received a phone nomination.

Turnabouts, a call from Seattle In 1981 country singer Juice rock/R&B group that another that soon became Newton breathed new life into Rush’s artist, Merrilee a top draw on the song, which some rock historians Rush and the local club circuit. now cite as being a forerunner of the Turnabouts, had women’s liberation movement.

In time they “Angel of the Morning” cut his song. signed on as the Merrilee Rush and the Turnabouts Randal C. Hill is a rock ’n’ roll historian “I was looking opening act for June 1968 who lives at the Oregon coast. He may be forward to Paul Revere and reached at wryterhill@msn.com. hearing it,” Taylor said. “It came out, and I had a advertisement copy sent to me. But I took one listen and said, ‘Uh-uh, I don’t think so.’”

Taylor spoke too soon; Rush’s disc went Top Five in Seattle and then spread rapidly across the country.

Merrilee Rush began her life as If you want a funeral with an expensive casket Merrilee Gunst in Seattle in 1944. At and embalming, go to a funeral home! age 16 she became the lead singer of If you are interested in affordable cremation services, a local rock outfit called the Amazing we are the name to remember!

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June 2018

9

Older But Not Wiser

Sienna’s Not Talking Sy Rosen

My second granddaughter, 16-month-old Sienna, isn’t quite talking yet.

Well, she does say a few words: momma, daddy, big, ball, and bawl (yes, I’m counting that as two words).

Supposedly, at her age, she should have a vocabulary of about eight words.

As a grandfather, I have two jobs. The first is to tell everybody not to worry — Sienna is very bright.

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And my second job is to whisper “grandpa” to Sienna 8 million times so that will be her next word.

As far as Sienna being very bright, that goes without saying, but I’ll say it anyway. Sienna’s obviously a genius. She gets everybody to run around and do her bidding by just grunting and pointing.

And if that’s not proof enough, she can hide a valuable necklace or the remote control where nobody can find it, and she instinctively knows which cardboard puzzle piece tastes the best.

Sienna’s parents, my daughter and son-in-law, aren’t really worried about this. However, her being a slightly late talker immediately brought the rest of our family into action.

Aunts, uncles, and cousins all gathered and came up with reasons for Sienna’s slightly limited vocabulary. These reasons consisted of excuses, denials, conspiracy theories, alternative facts, exaggerations, and anger.

In other words, it was a typical dinner at the Rosen house.

My Uncle Hy, who is considered the intellect of the family because he has a subscription to The New Yorker (although I think he just reads the cartoons), immediately brought up Einstein. Uncle Hy said it is a well-known fact that Einstein didn’t talk until he was 3.

Unfortunately, Uncle Hy then added that Mussolini didn’t talk until he was 4. None of us thought that Mussolini was a great role model.

Cousin Arnie, who loves to watch Animal Planet, said that Sienna is talking but she’s using sign language, like the famous chimp, Nim, or Koko the gorilla.

Uncle Hy then said, “You realize you just compared Sienna to an ape.”

“At least I didn’t compare her to Mussolini,” Cousin Arnie retorted.

Aunt Irene, who never found a conspiracy theory she didn’t like, said, “Sienna’s not talking because of the fluoride in the water.”

Cousin Shirley, who has a knack for saying the obvious, chimed in, “Sienna can say five words, and the average is eight words, so that’s a three-word difference.” She then smiled as though she solved the problem.

Uncle George said, “Anybody can talk. It’s the smart people who know when to keep their mouths shut, like when my wonderful wife, Flora, said she was worried that her dress makes her look fat. I knew enough to keep my mouth shut.” Flora then punched him in the arm.

As the family continued bickering, I sat down next to Sienna. It was just the two of us, and I told her I was sorry for all this craziness.

Sienna then looked at me and said, “I just wish they would be as quiet and as smart as you, Grandpa. They are just projecting their own fears and problems onto me. I am going at my own pace, and I’ll talk when I’m ready to talk. And when the time is right, I will do great things for myself, my family, and my country.”

OK, she actually said, “Blobityyaayaa.” But I could tell by the expression in her eyes what she was really saying.

Sy Rosen has written for many TV shows, including The Bob Newhart Show, Taxi, M.A.S.H., Maude, The Jeffersons, Rhoda, Frasier, Northern Exposure, and The Wonder Years. He now spends much of his time telling jokes to his grandkids and trying to convince his wife that he’s funny.

www.50plusLifePA.com

The Beauty in Nature

Nesting Pasture Birds Clyde McMillan-Gamber

“There’s no place like home.”

We agree.

–L. Frank Baum

Southeastern Pennsylvania Bluebirds and tree swallows meadows, dotted with deciduous trees compete for abandoned woodpecker both young and mature, are beautiful holes and other hollows in dead trees farmland habitats. in meadows. But the lovely bluebirds And a variety of small birds nest ingest invertebrates from shrubbery in them, including Baltimore orioles, and grass, while the handsome orchard orioles, eastern kingbirds, swallows catch flying insects in red-headed midair, thus woodpeckers, reducing rivalry eastern bluebirds, for food. tree swallows, redSmall colonies winged blackbirds, of red-winged and eastern blackbirds rear phoebes. babies in cattail All these species marshes in low eat invertebrates in parts of some summer and have meadows. The attractive plumages. black males, And each kind sporting red has its own niche, shoulder which reduces patches, sing Baltimore oriole competition for from swaying nesting sites and cattails, while food among the their mates species. attach nests of Female cattail leaves and Baltimore orioles, grass to standing orchard orioles, cattail stalks a and kingbirds build couple of feet nurseries on tree above the water twigs in pastures. or shorelines.

Baltimore orioles Phoebes place their deeply traditionally nest pouched cradles on on rock ledges the ends of twigs, under sheltering, Eastern bluebird particularly on overhanging larger sycamore boulders near trees along creeks and streams. streams in woods. And pairs of Orchard orioles and kingbirds create phoebes build cradles of mud and nurseries on the inner twigs of trees. moss on support beams under small Both the colorful oriole species bridges on rural roads spanning consume invertebrates from shrubs streams that border tree-dotted and trees. Kingbirds, however, snare pastures. Phoebes nab flying insects in flying insects from the air. midair.

The striking red-headed These beautiful and interesting woodpeckers are attracted to one or birds help make an already pretty, two dead, but still-standing, trees human-made habitat even more among living trees in pastures. Redattractive to nature explorers. heads, like all woodpeckers, chip out And these lovely nesting birds cavities in dead wood in which to increase their numbers by adapting to raise young. They eat invertebrates niches created by people, for people. from inside dead wood and off living These are winning situations in trees. human-made environments. www.50plusLifePA.com

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June 2018

11

Traveltizers

Pursuing the Dream: The Civil Rights Trail

By Andrea Gross

At first glance it’s an unassuming little church, one that befits a small town in central Georgia.

Along with about 20 other people, I walk through the arched doorway. A woman hands me a sheet of paper.

“Inside this building it is April 17, 1944,” she says. “Here in the First African Baptist Church of Dublin, we’re having an oratory contest. We will all attend that contest, and you will each play the part of the person whose name is on the paper I gave you.”

She pauses and smiles broadly.

“One of the contestants is a 15-yearA statue of Martin Luther King old boy named Martin Luther King. The speech he gave on this day was the first stands in front of the Georgia state capital in Atlanta. public speech of his career.”

King did well in the competition, but it wasn’t his speech, titled “The Negro and the Constitution,” that changed the course of history. It was what happened afterward.

I look at my paper. I’m to play the part of Sarah Bradley, the teacher who

accompanied King to the competition. I stand up when my name is called.

I tell about our bus ride back to Atlanta, how King and I were told “by the brutish driver” to move to the back of the bus to make room for a group of white passengers, and how King resisted but, when I pleaded with him not to make a scene, eventually moved with me to the back.

It was, I say, the angriest he had ever been and a moment that would stick with him forever.

Later, back as myself — a simple visitor to Dublin rather than a Visitors tour the home where chaperone at an oratory contest — I Martin Luther King was born. realize that it was here that Martin Luther King began to formulate his dream to “one day live in a nation where [people] will not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character.”

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the launching of Harris pauses, the United States takes a deep breath, Civil Rights Trail. and — oh my, Spanning her voice fills the more than 100 room. Shivers run sites in 15 states up my spine as this plus the District woman belts out of Columbia, it songs that show showcases places how courageous that played leaders and significant roles ordinary people during the civil fought, prayed, The tombs of Martin Luther King rights movement and, yes, sang to and his wife, Coretta Scott King, of the ’50s, when win equal rights A display at the Albany Civil Rights Institute reminds people of the time sit in a reflecting pool at the the first large for all people. Her when African-Americans were forced to sit in the back of the bus.

Martin Luther King Jr. National demonstration voice is powerful, Historical Park in Atlanta. against her passion segregation took undeniable. place in Montgomery, Alabama, and the ’60s, when King was assassinated in At the end of my tour, with the songs of the Freedom Singers still ringing in Memphis, Tennessee. my ears, my thoughts go back to that time nearly 75 years ago when a 15-yearBy the ’70s, the fight for equality had shifted to a new phase, one that may old boy and his teacher were forced to the back of the bus. be explored in a future Civil Rights Trail.

Today, in front of Dublin’s First Baptist Church of Dublin, a giant wall The sites include well-known places, such as Central High School in Little painting shows a young girl blowing on a dandelion, the ancient symbol of Rock, Arkansas, where nine teenagers were refused entrance to an all-white hope — expressing her wish that Martin Luther King’s dream will continue to high school, as well as less familiar places, such as Monroe Elementary School inspire future generations. in Topeka, Kansas, where segregationist policies led to the Supreme Court For more information about these destinations and others on the Civil decision that legally ended racial segregation in the United States (Brown v.

Rights Trail, see “Napkin Notes” on www.traveltizers.com.

Board of Education).

I begin my exploration of the Civil Rights Trail in Atlanta, the city where Photos © Irv Green unless otherwise noted; story by Andrea Gross (www.

Martin Luther King was born and where he was living with his wife and andreagross.com). children when, having gone on a quick trip to Memphis to give a speech, he was assassinated.

At the Martin Luther King Jr. National Historical Park, I tour his birth Premier Orthopaedics is delighted to house, visit the church where he was baptized, and spend a quiet moment welcome Dr. Scott Ritterman to our medical staff sitting by the reflecting pool that surrounds his tomb and that of his wife, Coretta Scott King.

A three-hour drive brings me to Albany, where a group of young teens used music to publicize and win support for the burgeoning civil rights movement.

Rutha Mae Harris, now 76 and the only one of the original Freedom Singers who still performs regularly, enters a small auditorium. She flashes a megawatt smile and tells us how folksinger Pete Seeger realized that the group’s heartfelt songs, which were often derived from familiar hymns or spirituals, would help Glenn E. Lipton, M.D. James T. Guille, M.D. Scott Ritterman, M.D. Nikos K. Pavlides, M.D. Linda P. D’Andrea, M.D. spread the movement’s message to folks across the nation.

Dr. Ritterman specializes in joint replacement surgery Within the next year the teens traveled to 46 of the then-48 states, and is trained in all aspects of fracture care, including OPERATIVE and singing songs like “We Shall Overcome” and “This Little Light of Mine.”

NON-OPERATIVE TREATMENT as well as sports medicine.

They performed alone, with Seeger, and eventually with other well-known entertainers, such as Peter, Paul and Mary, John Denver, and Bob Dylan.

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June 2018

13

On Life and Love after 50

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June 6, 2018 9 a.m. – 2 p.m.

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15 Tips to Combat Single-Senior Loneliness

Last fall, CBS News featured an article on their website titled, “Former surgeon general sounds the alarm on the loneliness epidemic.”

In the article, the former surgeon general, Dr. Vivek Murthy, stated loneliness can increase the possibility of heart disease and stroke and can even accelerate Alzheimer’s disease. He added that loneliness might be as bad for health as smoking.

The article mentioned that about 30 percent of people older than 65 live alone, and by 85 that percentage exceeds 50 percent. Murthy declared loneliness a public-health epidemic.

Each week, I publish a complimentary online e-newsletter.

I recently asked my subscribers how they deal with single-senior loneliness.

Based on their suggestions, here are 15 tips for combating single-senior loneliness: 1. Get off the couch and out of the house. Pursue activities you enjoy.

Attend diverse cultural and social events. Find group activities several days or evenings a week.

2. Incorporate as much social

interaction into your life as possible.

3. Maintain contact with a small group of close friends. Share birthdays, holidays, and life events.

Join a book club.

Create a group of former employees and get together once a month to socialize.

4. Interact with people of all ages. Take a free class at a local college.

5. Never miss a regularly scheduled appointment, whether it be dental, medical, or at the salon.

6. Granted, not everybody has the financial means or physical ability to travel. But for those who can, traveling on a tour or with a group is a good way to make new friends.

7. Exercise regularly at a gym. Many facilities have SilverSneakers programs for the 60-plus age group. Not only will it ease loneliness, but you will also get fit.

8. Volunteer. Where? The choices are endless. Drive for Meals on Wheels. Be a greeter at the local airport. Be a docent at a museum.

Assist at your house of worship, senior center, animal shelter, or zoo.

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9. Get a dog. You will have a new best friend, plus reasons to laugh and cuddle. Walk the dog where others walk their dogs. Friendly dogs are often “chick or bachelor” magnets.

Everybody loves to pet them.

10. While waiting in line at Starbucks, say hello to the person behind or in front of you.

Home Depot, Lowe’s, your local hardware store, or anyplace that welcomes and needs senior help.

13. Have a once-a-month potluck dinner at your home. Invite friends to bring new friends. Keep expanding your circle of friends.

14. For people who are limited physically and cannot get out of the 11. Join the local orchid society house, interact via computer on the club or botanical garden group. internet. It’s not a perfect solution, but 12. Get a part-time job at Walmart, it can help.

The internet is also a great way to keep contact with old friends, relatives, and classmates who live far away.

15. Still need ideas? Check out Meetup.com. It’s free. They have thousands of meetings across the country. You can choose activities that fit your interest.

Engaging in activities in which a person finds fulfillment — not solely to be busy and take up time — can reduce loneliness.

Remember, a few close friends can help combat loneliness. But, you cannot sit back and wait for people to come to you.

You must initiate contact. Smile, be friendly, ask questions, or start a conversation with someone at Costco or your local market. Soon, your loneliness will be a thing of the past.

For dating information, previous articles, or to sign up for Tom’s complimentary, weekly e-newsletter, go to www.

FindingLoveAfter50.com.

Booming Voice

Old Granddad Bill Levine

One of my least favorite bumper stickers is “Ask Me about My Grandkids” — for a couple of reasons.

First, it is a presumptuous request. OK, I suppose if the driver’s grandchildren graduated Harvard as 12- and 14-year-olds, or better yet have appeared on Master Chef Junior, the sticker is appropriate.

Otherwise, I’d rather see “Ask Me about Selling Stocks Short.”

Reason No. 2 is that I couldn’t slap on the “Ask Me about My Grandchildren” bumper sticker, even if I had the chutzpah to do so. I know that I look old enough to have grandchildren: I have thinning hair, a well-hidden but significant hearing aid, and wrinkles that scream out “collecting Social Security.”

I am 66, but in fact I do not yet have grandchildren.

I was an old dad, being 40 and 43 when my boys, Craig and Matt, were born. My classmates who are granddads have kids eight to 12 years older than mine — thus my nongranddad status.

I don’t think that as a nongranddad I am missing a life www.50plusLifePA.com

affirmation as I did when my wife and I were childless. But right now we can only spoil our dog, Cookie.

It would be nice to have that threegenerational presence in my life so our gifts wouldn’t be chewed up. And I miss the existential calm of knowing I will have a lengthening family tree branch.

I hope to be a meaningful granddad, not just a patriarch on the family treetop.

Right now, conventional wisdom, at least on TV, is that meaningful grandfathering is active-touchfootball-playing grandfathering.

I am impressed by my friends who are engaged in frolicking grandparenting, like in the Celebrex ads. One friend mentioned that he went trick-or-treating with his grandchildren in full costume.

Other friends treat their kids and grandkids to a weekend at an indoor all-inclusive waterpark resort in midwinter. As a sucker for indoor pools and fake Hawaiian décor, this three-generational splash-in is appealing rather than claustrophobic.

I fear, though, that I will be

too old to do hands-on, active, three-generational events with my grandchildren. I can envision that my go-to intergenerational activity will be hosting family sit-down dinners in my senior-living dining room. I hope my

grandkids will enjoy salt-free foods.

This was my dad’s standard grandparenting event once he moved into Hebrew Senior Life when my kids were 12 and 9. I do

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please see GRANDDAD page 18

June 2018

15

Art & Antiques by Dr. Lori

Lori Verderame

Antiques at President Trump’s First State Dinner

President Trump invited President Emmanuel Macron, France’s youngest president (elected at age 39), and approximately 150 guests to the White House for the first state dinner of the Trump Administration on April 24.

Previous administrations hosted large numbers of guests on the White House grounds, sometimes White House china room. beneath a tent. The Trumps decided this state dinner would be an elegant, understated, and small affair.

The Washington National Opera was the featured entertainment, along with a menu prepared by White House Executive Chef Cristeta Pasia Comerford, a Filipino-American who has been in that position since 2005.

Wines, a popular collecting niche today, recall the historic relationship between the United States and France dating back to the American Revolution.

One wine served at the state dinner was Domaine Serene Chardonnay Evenstad Reserve 2015 ($68/bottle), made from Dijon’s plants grown in Oregon’s rich soil.

The setting for the dinner was the state dining room; first lady Melania Trump organized the event and decided on its many details, ranging from the dinner menu and seating chart to the décor’s color scheme and table linens.

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June 2018

50plus LIFE u

The antiques on display for the event included late 19th-century gold and wooden chairs, seasonal centerpieces, presidential china drawn from two previous administrations, vermeil flatware, gold-rimmed etched drinking glasses, and other decorative accessories.

As guests entered the state dining room, they White House display of presidential china in china cabinet. walked through Cross Hall. The hall was lined with oversized classical urns hosting Washington’s famous cherry blossoms, an annual sign of spring in our nation’s capital.

Visitors flock to Washington each year to see the lovely buds, and for the state dinner, the interior was filled with more than 1,200 cherry blossom branches. The scene was reminiscent of Europe’s promenades, as the White House decorations highlighted grand classicism in Western culture.

The dinner’s color scheme was cream and gold, which should come as no surprise to those who have been watching Trump working from the Oval Office over the last year or so. Like the gold décor found throughout the grand palaces of Europe and in the Oval Office’s curtains, gold is the color of choice for the Trump White House.

The table settings for the state dinner included use of the Clinton presidential china for the baseplate and pieces from both the Clinton and George W. Bush china services for the dinner service.

Melania Trump chose the Bush china, which has a green border, to highlight each table’s floral centerpieces. China from both the Clinton and Bush services offer a quiet yet elegant feel.

Other pieces on display were from the White House’s famous vermeil collection, which numbers more than 1,000 gilt objects, including flatware, pitchers, salvers, plates, chalices, and tureens.

Gilt silver objects, known as vermeil, have a 1/10,000th of an inch of gold overlay atop a base of silver. The White House vermeil collection was bequeathed by Margaret Thompson Biddle during the Eisenhower Administration with an undisclosed estimated value and includes works by artisans Paul Storr (1771-1844) and Jean Baptiste Claude Odiot (1763-1850).

Other accessory objects in use during the state dinner and on display in the state dining room were by Tiffany & Company and S. Kirk & Sons of Baltimore.

The historic event demonstrated America’s history, position, and style on the world stage. It is certainly also a fine opportunity to view some of our country’s most coveted antiques and collectibles.

Dr. Lori Verderame is the author, Ph.D. antiques appraiser, and award-winning TV personality on History channel. Dr. Lori provides expert appraisals and consulting services for art/antiques. Visit www.DrLoriV.com or call (888) 431-1010.

www.50plusLifePA.com

Chester County

Calendar of Events

Support Groups Free and open to the public Mondays (except holidays), 10-11:30 a.m.

Sunshine Memory Café United Methodist Church of West Chester 129 S. High St., West Chester (610) 349-3401 adean0413@gmail.com June 5, 1:30 p.m.

Grief Support Group Phoenixville Senior Center 153 Church St., Phoenixville (610) 327-7216 June 5 and 19, 6:30-8 p.m.

Bereavement Support Group Brandywine Hospital Conference Room 2N 201 Reeceville Road, Coatesville (610) 998-1700, ext. 226 June 6, 6 p.m.

Memory Loss and Dementia Support Group Sunrise Assisted Living of Paoli 324 W. Lancaster Ave., Malvern (610) 251-9994

June 11 and 25, 10:30 a.m. to noon Caregiver Coffee Break/Support Group Active Day of Exton 201 Sharp Lane, Exton (610) 363-8044 June 12 and 26, 5-6:30 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 12 and 26, 6:30-8 p.m.

Bereavement Support Group Jennersville Hospital Conference Room B 1015 W. Baltimore Pike West Grove (610) 998-1700, ext. 226

Senior Center Activities June 13, 1:30 p.m.

Family Caregiver Support Group Sarah Care 425 Technology Drive Suite 200, Malvern (610) 251-0801 June 13, 7-8:30 p.m.

Hearing Loss Support Group Christ Community Church 1190 Phoenixville Pike West Chester (610) 444-445 www.hearinglosschesco.com June 20, 6 p.m.

Family Caregiver Support Group Sunrise of Westtown 501 Skiles Blvd., West Chester (610) 399-4464 June 27, 6 p.m.

Living with Cancer Support Group Paoli Hospital Cancer Center 255 W. Lancaster Ave., Paoli (484) 565-1253

Community Programs Free and open to the public June 2 and 16, 5-10 p.m.

Bingo Night Marine Corps League Detachment 430 Chestnut St., Downingtown (610) 429-8174 June 5, 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 (610) 675-6240 www.50plusexpopa.com

June 7, 7:30 p.m.

Compassionate Friends Valley Forge Chapter Good Shepherd Lutheran Church 132 E. Valley Forge Road, King of Prussia (484) 919-0820 www.tcfvalleyforge.org June 19, noon AARP Valley Forge Chapter Meeting St. Luke Evangelical Lutheran Church 203 N. Valley Forge Road, Devon (610) 647-1823

Downingtown Senior Center – (610) 269-3939 983 E. Lancaster Ave., Downingtown www.downingtownseniors.org Tuesdays, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. – Games and Puzzles Thursdays, 2-3 p.m. – Soul Line Dancing Fridays, 2 p.m. – Aquatics Great Valley Senior Center – (610) 889-2121 47 Church Road, Malvern Thursdays, 10 a.m. – Card Games June 7, 10 a.m. – Flower Arranging and Luncheon June 20, 4:45 p.m. – Senior Supper Kennett Area Senior Center – (610) 444-4819 427 S. Walnut St., Kennett Square www.kennettseniorcenter.org Oxford Senior Center – (610) 932-5244 12 E. Locust St., Oxford – www.oxfordseniors.org Wednesdays, 8:30-11:30 a.m. – Paint Class Phoenixville Area Senior Center – (610) 935-1515 153 Church St., Phoenixville www.phoenixvilleseniorcenter.org West Chester Area Senior Center – (610) 431-4242 530 E. Union St., West Chester www.wcseniors.org Thursdays, 1 p.m. – WCASC Chorus Submit senior center events to mjoyce@onlinepub. com.

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

parks and recreation June 3, 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. – Hibernia’s Hike through History, Hibernia Mansion June 16, 8:30-10:30 a.m. – Nottingham’s (Almost) Summer Star Party, Nottingham County Park June 17, 10-11:30 a.m. – Father’s Day Hike, Hatfield House www.50plusLifePA.com

Coatesville Area Senior Center (610) 383-6900 250 Harmony St., Coatesville www.coatesvilleseniorcenter.org Mondays, Wed nesdays, and Fridays, 10:30-11:15 a.m. – Going Fit Exercise Program June 7 and 21, 11 a.m. to noon – Veterans Coffee Club June 13 and 27, 1-2 p.m. – Bingo

Downingtown Library, 330 E. Lancaster Ave., Downingtown, (610) 269-2741 June 11, 6:30 p.m. – Fantasy Book Club June 19, 10-11 a.m. – Book Walkers at Kerr Park June 19, 6:30 p.m. – Crafters Maker Space Paoli Library, 18 Darby Road, Paoli, (610) 296-7996 Mystery Book Club – Call for dates/times

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17

Avoiding Foodborne Illness as We Age

By Adam Ghering Did you know that 128,000 Americans are hospitalized from food poisoning each year, and it’s estimated that millions more get sick?

It is essential for individuals of every age to prevent food poisoning; however, as we age we become more at risk, and once ill, it can take longer to recover.

Older adults are at an increased risk due to age-related changes to the gastrointestinal tract, underlying chronic conditions (diabetes, cancer, etc.), changes in functioning of organs like the liver and kidney, and side effects caused by medication.

The good news is that the USDA’s four steps to food safety (clean, separate, cook, and chill) can help you prevent food poisoning.

Food poisoning is never fun and can include symptoms such as upset stomach, abdominal cramps, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, fever, and dehydration.

Common pathogens that cause illness in older adults include: • E. coli from undercooked ground beef, unpasteurized milk and juices, and contaminated raw fruits and vegetables • Campylobacter from unpasteurized milk; raw or undercooked meat, poultry, or shellfish; and untreated or contaminated water • Salmonella from raw or undercooked eggs, poultry, or meat; unpasteurized milk, juice, or cheese; and animals (reptiles and birds) and their environment Avoiding certain foods, or preparing them in a safe manner, can decrease your risk of becoming ill

Cook. Cook foods to a safe internal temperature to destroy harmful bacteria. You cannot use color alone as an indicator of doneness. Always use a food thermometer to verify meat and poultry are safe to eat.

• Cook raw beef, pork, lamb, and veal steaks, chops, and roasts to 145 degrees F. For safety and quality, allow meat to rest for at least three minutes before carving or consuming.

• Cook raw ground beef, pork, lamb, and veal to 160 degrees F. • Cook raw poultry to 165 degrees F. • Reheat cooked foods to 165 degrees F.

from these pathogens.

Follow the four steps to food safety to make sure you avoid illness: Clean. Clean surfaces, utensils, and hands with soap and warm water. Wash hands the right way for 20 seconds, and make sure to focus on scrubbing your palms and in between fingers and fingertips.

Wash fruit and vegetables, but do not wash raw meat and poultry. Doing so can cause bacteria to cross-contaminate surfaces throughout the kitchen.

Separate. Separate raw meat, poultry, and seafood from ready-to-eat foods, fruits, and vegetables. Raw meat juices can contain bacteria that can cross-contaminate ready-to-eat foods.

When shopping, place raw meats in a plastic bag before placing them in your shopping cart.

When at home, use one cutting board for fruits and vegetables and a different one for raw meat, poultry, and seafood.

Chill. Refrigerate foods within two hours after cooking or within one hour after cooking if the temperature is 90 degrees F during the summer.

Divide leftovers into small, shallow containers and place in a refrigerator set at 40 degrees F or below.

To learn more about food storage and how to use foods at peak quality while reducing waste, download the free FoodKeeper mobile app for Android and iPhone.

If you have any questions about food safety, you can call the USDA Meat and Poultry Hotline at (888) MPHotline or (888) 674-6854.

Or you can chat live with a food-safety specialist in English or Spanish at Ask Karen (www.askkaren. gov), available from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. ET, Monday through Friday. Ask Karen also provides automated food safety information 24/7.

Adam Ghering is a public affairs specialist with the USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service.

GRANDDAD from page 15 hope, though, that I can better Dad and have the wherewithal to orchestrate active family events. I would like to babysit my potential grandchildren, provided I don’t need my own sitter.

Yet I understand that hands-on grandparenting is not the only scheme in the grandparenting playbook. My dad showed me this.

Though my dad did not engage in immersive, hands-on grandparenting because of his age, he demonstrated that you are never too late to do

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meaningful grandparenting.

My nephew mentioned to his grandfather (my dad) that, at age 20, he wanted a bar mitzvah. My dad, at age 94, took this request and ran with it.

Several months later, in the function room of Dad’s Hebrew Senior Life complex, my nephew was called to a portable Torah in front of 80 or so guests.

Due to his age, Dad delegated many of the tasks, but he footed the bill and was the impetus for this event. He sat in his wheelchair and took in a perfect

grandfatherly moment.

He died about six months later, leaving a wonderful grandfatherly legacy. I know all his four grandchildren were touched by this unique event.

I hope I can, if lucky enough to achieve grandfatherhood, proudly affix “Ask Me about Older Grandparenting” to my car … or my walker.

Bill Levine is a retired IT professional and active freelance writer. Bill aspires to be a humorist because it is easier to be pithy than funny.

www.50plusLifePA.com

Assisted Living Residences/Personal Care Homes Bethany Village — MapleWood

325 Wesley Drive • Mechanicsburg, PA 17055 717-766-0279 • www.BethanyVillage.org Total AL and/or PC Beds: 100 Assisted Living Residence: Yes Personal Care Home: No Private: 100 Private Pay: Yes SSI Accepted: No Short-term Lease: Yes Entrance Fee/Security Deposit: Yes 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: One-bedroom suites; secured memory support neighborhood; skilled nursing – The Oaks.

Colonial Lodge Community

2015 North Reading Road • Denver, PA 17519 717-336-5501 • www.coloniallodgepa.com Total AL and/or PC Beds: 70 Assisted Living Residence: No 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: 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: A veteran-approved “home for heroes” facility, all in a beautiful, rural setting. Respite services available as space permits.

Homewood at Plum Creek

425 Westminster Avenue • Hanover, PA 17331 717-637-4166 • www.homewood.com Total AL and/or PC Beds: 92 Assisted Living Residence: No 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

Mennonite Home Communities

1520 Harrisburg Pike • Lancaster, PA 17601 717-393-1301 • www.mennonitehome.org Total AL and/or PC Beds: 150 Assisted Living Residence: No Personal Care Home: Yes Private: Yes Semi-private: Yes Private Pay: Yes SSI Accepted: Yes 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

The Hickman Friends Senior Community

Normandie Ridge

Total AL and/or PC Beds: 114 Assisted Living Residence: No 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

Total AL and/or PC Beds: 35 Assisted Living Residence: No 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

400 North Walnut Street • West Chester, PA 19380 484-760-6300 • www.TheHickman.org 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: Nonprofit personal care community in downtown West Chester. Includes secure dementia care neighborhood. Call to schedule a personal tour.

Homeland Center

1901 North Fifth Street • Harrisburg, PA 17102 717-221-7727 • www.homelandcenter.org Total AL and/or PC Beds: 56 Assisted Living Residence: No Personal Care Home: Yes Private: Yes Private Pay: Yes SSI Accepted: No Short-term Lease: No Entrance Fee/Security Deposit: No Part/Totally Refundable: No Outdoor Areas: Yes Medication Management: Yes On-call Medical Service: Yes Health Fee-for-Service Available: Yes

Respite Care: Yes Social Programs: Yes Housekeeping/Laundry Service: Yes Transportation (Scheduled): Yes Personal Car Permitted: Yes Pets Permitted: Yes Comments: Providing exemplary care in a beautiful environment for more than 150 years. Our continuum includes a hospice program, therapy services, home care and home health services, and 24-hour medical staffing. All-private rooms with full baths and kitchenettes.

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: Excellent care in a lovely environment. Call to schedule a visit.

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: No Comments: Supportive, encouraging environment. Various room types and suites available. Secure memory care offered.

1700 Normandie Drive • York, PA 17408 717-764-6262 • https://normandieridge.org 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: Our dementia care residence features the Kaleidoscope therapeutic engagement program designed for our residents.

Pleasant View Retirement Community

544 North Penryn Road • Manheim, PA 17545 717-665-2445 • www.pleasantviewrc.org Total AL and/or PC Beds: 96 Assisted Living Residence: No 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: Yes Respite Care: Yes Social Programs: Yes Housekeeping/Laundry Service: Yes Transportation (Scheduled): Yes Personal Car Permitted: Yes Pets Permitted: No Comments: *Three-year private pay spending. Maintain independence in an enriching and supportive environment.

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

www.50plusLifePA.com

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Travel Trends for 2018 If you’re looking to get away from it all in 2018, you’re not alone.

The AARP Travel survey looked at what baby boomers and millennials are planning for their vacations this year. Here’s some of what the survey found: • Boomers expect to take four or five trips for leisure this year and spend about $6,400 on their travel.

49 percent say they travel to relax and rejuvenate, and 47 percent are looking for an escape from everyday life.

• Forty-nine percent of boomers plan to travel only domestically, with Florida and California the most popular destinations.

• Seventy-four percent of millennials expect to take work with them.

• Forty-seven percent plan to travel both domestically and internationally. Top international destinations are the Caribbean/Latin America and Europe.

• Fifty-seven percent of boomers travel to spend time with family and friends,

• Traveling abroad is a “bucket list” item for 22 percent of boomers.

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Puzzle Page

CROSSWORD

Solutions for all puzzles can be found on page 22 SUDOKU

Across WORD SEARCH

1. Shell game 5. Tourist guides 9. Capital of Ghana 14. Others, to Ovid 15. Fictional terrier 16. Church section 17. Bad place for a change of mind 19. Recycle 20. Illinois river city 21. Bovril, e.g.

23. A Bobbsey twin 24. Menu phrase 25. Store posting (abbr.)

26. G.I.’s mail drop 29. Singer Seeger 32. In times past 34. Jack of Dragnet 36. Bring to life again 41. Buffalo’s county 42. Turkish honorific 43. Kind of table 44. Frown upon 48. Positive 49. Pa. neighbor 50. Barbershop call 52. Trendy

53. Back on board 56. Modern (prefix) 58. Embrace 60. Haiphong locale 62. Cereal topper 65. Top dog 66. Copycats 69. Hipbone 70. Charades, e.g.

71. Girasol, e.g.

72. Pigeon’s perch 73. Heidi’s home 74. Depend

22. Brio 26. Impressed 27. Persian spirit 28. Kimono sashes 30. Eye drop 31. Encourage 33. Table scraps 35. Bit of sweat 37. Gutter site 38. Starch 39. Poi source 40. Ogled 45. Nom de plume 46. Entreaty

47. Breathes out 51. Yellowfin, e.g.

53. Benefit 54. Girl, in France 55. Lukewarm 57. Alpha’s opposite 59. Swamp snapper 61. Hoodlum 62. Can be found in the road 63. Slangy denial 64. Shrinking Asian sea 67. Bien’s opposite 68. Artful

Down 1. Casablanca pianist 2. Paper holder 3. Assistant 4. Kind of jar 5. Jack-tar 6. Perplexed 7. School org.

8. Brazilian dance 9. A lot of plot 10. White hat wearer 11. Refined 12. Stair part 13. Vicinities 18. Pitfall

Your ad could be here on this popular page!

Please call (610) 675-6240 for more information.

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21

Savvy Senior

Best Bicycles for Aging Baby Boomers Jim Miller

Dear Savvy Senior, My husband and I are interested in getting a couple of bicycles for leisurely exercise and fun and would like to get your recommendation.

We’re both approaching 60 and are a little overweight, and it’s been a while since we rode.

– Easy Riders Dear Easy, If you’re interested in leisurely, recreational riding for fitness and fun, a great option is a “comfort bike,” which is very popular among baby boomers.

Here’s what you should know about these bikes, along with some tips to help you shop and choose.

Photo by Oxensepp, own work.

Recumbent bicycle

Recumbent Bikes If the comfort bikes don’t meet your needs, another popular style among older riders is a recumbent bike. These are the low-to-the-ground, stretched-out frame bikes with recliner-style seats that allow you to lie back with your legs positioned in front of you.

Recumbent bikes are very comfy; easy on the back, arms, and shoulders; and aerodynamic, which make them ideal for long rides.

The disadvantages: Because they are low to the ground, recumbent bikes can be harder to balance and maneuver and are more difficult for other vehicles to see.

If you worry about falling or want more stability when you ride, consider a three-wheel recumbent trike. See Sun Seeker (www.sunseeker.bike) and TerraTrike (www.terratrike.com) for a nice variety, but be aware that recumbent bikes are more expensive, typically ranging between $1,000 and $2,500.

Send your senior questions to: Savvy Senior, P.O. Box 5443, Norman, OK 73070, or visit www.savvysenior.org. Jim Miller is a contributor to the NBC Today show and author of The Savvy Senior book.

Puzzles shown on page 21

Puzzle Solutions

Comfort Bikes A comfort bike is a style of bicycle that’s easy on an aging body because it lets you ride in a more comfortable, upright position.

These bikes have high handlebars, so you don’t have to hunch over, which eases lower-back strain and reduces pressure on the wrists and hands. They also come with wide tires for a smooth ride, offer fewer gears, and have soft, wide seats to eliminate saddle soreness.

Most comfort bikes also come with shock-absorbing forks and seat posts for additional comfort.

And some offer unique design features, such as an ultra-low step-over bar that makes getting on and off easy for people with limited flexibility (like the Biria Easy Boarding at www.biria.com).

Or you could try the “flat-foot” design offered by many manufacturers, where the pedals are moved forward, away from the seat.

This allows you to get a full-leg extension when you pedal but keeps the seat in a lower position so when you’re stopped, you can put your feet down flat on the ground while seated, which is a great safety feature for older riders.

Most major manufacturers — including Electra, Sun, Raleigh, GT, Giant, and Trek — all make a line of comfort bikes that costs between $300 and $800 or more, depending on features.

Shopping Tips To find a quality comfort bike, your best option is to find a good bike shop in your area.

Bikes from big box stores, like Walmart and Target, are mass-market bikes that may be less expensive, but the quality isn’t as good, and they’re typically 7-8 pounds heavier. They also come in only one size, so you’re not likely to get a great fit.

Before you buy any bike, be sure you take it for a test ride to ensure the seat and fit of the bike is comfortable, the brakes and shifters are easy to use, the gears can go low enough for climbing hills, and the frame and suspension adequately smooth the bumps.

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More Baby Boomers Turn to Reverse Mortgages According to a study recently released by Fannie Mae, more baby boomer retirees have mortgage debt than those retirees who were born between 1931 and 1935.

“Paying off the mortgage, once a widespread rite of passage for homeowners approaching retirement, has become less common in recent years,” wrote Patrick Simmons, director of strategic planning for Fannie Mae’s Economic & Strategic Research Group.

“The relatively high incidence of housing debt among boomer homeowners has the potential to strain their retirement finances,” Simmons wrote. “Given that income typically declines in retirement, monthly mortgage payments could stretch the household budgets of boomers who exit the labor force without first extinguishing their housing debts.”

Many of those boomer retirees turn to a reverse mortgage to eliminate their mortgage payments as they enter retirement. While property taxes and homeowners insurance must continue to be paid, the removal of an often-

substantial mortgage payment allows homeowners to ease the pressure of stretched financial obligations.

Rob Miller, President With less outgo comes a sigh of relief as retirees may be able to delay taking Social Security until age 70, pay off high credit card debt, allow time for the retirement portfolio to grow, and find myriad other uses for the tax-free proceeds of a reverse mortgage.

Recent changes to the governmentinsured HECM (reverse mortgage) program by HUD have reduced the amount of mortgage insurance paid annually, thereby slowing the growth of the loan balance over time.

Call Rob Miller, NMLS No. 142151, president of Glendale Mortgage, NMLS No. 127720, and Reverse Mortgage Specialist, to learn more.

(610) 853-6500, (888) 456-0988, RMiller@GlendaleMortgage.com, www.nmlsconsumeraccess.org

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Direct: 610.853.6500 Toll Free: 888.456.0988 RMiller@GlendaleMortgage.com

Your Financial Partner Glendale Mortgage NMLS 127720 is an Equal Housing Lender. Some products and services may not be available in all states. Credit and collateral are subject to approval.

Terms and conditions apply. If you qualify we will reimburse you for the cost of the appraisal at closing. This is not a commitment to lend. Programs, rates, terms and conditions are subject to change without notice. Licensed by the Pennsylvania Department of Banking, State of Delaware Bank Commissioner, and the New Jersey Department of Banking and Insurance. www.nmlsconsumeraccess.org

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Faith comes by hearing.

www.wfil.com God’s Word 24/7. On-air, online, on demand, and on the app.