Complimentary | November 2020
Not the Usual Grind page 4
Why a WAC Clerk Volunteered for Vietnam page 11
Recognizing Elder Abuse during COVID
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DO THE RIGHT THING. MASK UP LEBANON COUNTY. For more information visit health.pa.gov 2
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5 Tips for Remote Caregiving during COVID-19 By BPT If you’re one of the millions of caregivers in the United States, you know that COVID-19 — and the realities of social distancing and isolation — may complicate the dayto-day tasks of caregiving. But even now, it’s important to remember that you can continue to make a positive impact on your loved one’s life. While you may be unable to physically be with your loved one, remind yourself that what you’re doing from a distance does matter. Careful, thoughtful planning and clear communication may help make remote caregiving easier on you and the person you’re caring for.
2. Get smart with prescriptions. If the person in your care regularly takes medication, talk to his or her pharmacist to see if they offer a mailorder option. You may even be able to order early refills or get 30- or 90-day supplies. During the COVID-19 outbreak, some pharmacies may waive delivery fees. 3. Explore remote options for food. Visiting the grocery store may feel unsafe for those who are at a higher risk of serious infection. The good news is, there are many options for food delivery. Whether it’s groceries, meal kits, or Meals on Wheels, there are ways to help make sure your loved one is taken care of with nutritious meals.
November is National Family Caregivers Month
1. Stay connected. Communicate through video chats whenever possible to help them feel engaged. Encourage family and friends to call often or write letters and notes. You may also be able to set up a medical alert system that can help you track and monitor the person in your care. Look for a system that’s designed with caregivers in mind.
4. Consider telehealth for medical needs. If a medical appointment is necessary, connecting virtually through a phone or video app may be a good please see Remote Caregiving page 7
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Not the Usual Grind Corporate Office
P.O. Box 8049, Lancaster, PA 17604 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 Email address: info@onlinepub.com Website address: www.onlinepub.com
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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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By Bart A. Stump Dave this engineering Rollenhagen background, doesn’t work and I was just the typical 9-5 as happy to be grind. Grinding, working at an old however, is mill,” he recalled. exactly the type The Mill at of work he does. Anselma was Rollenhagen is built in 1747 by the miller at the Samuel Lightfoot Mill at Anselma and is on the in Chester National Register Springs. of Historic Rollenhagen, Places. It was in 78, retired as an continual use According to plaque designating it as a National Historic electrical engineer from 1747 to the Landmark, the Mill at Anselma in Chester Springs, Pa., is an “extremely rare archetypal example of a small, 18th-century at Lockheed1930s. custom grain mill.” Martin in 2003. “It’s a very old He and his wife, Deborah, mill … and the remarkable have lived in the Chester thing about that mill is the Springs area for 30 years. machinery operates exactly They have three children the same today as it did and six grandchildren. when the mill was first Rollenhagen became built. It’s totally preserved,” intrigued with mills when explained Rollenhagen. his children were young. “My role in the mill is “We used to vacation, to continue to preserve the usually in the New machinery, of course, but England area, and I just to make products that we got interested in old mills. can use to demonstrate Everywhere we went, I how the mill actually would search them out and works. We make pastry drag my family to them,” flour, bread flour, and he said. cornmeal. Upon moving to Chester “It’s a balance between Springs, Rollenhagen preservation and heard of a mill in the area operation,” he added. “We but couldn’t find it. really want to keep the “Finally, one Saturday mill operational to show morning I noticed a lot of how it works because commotion out in a field when you see that rotating The mill’s 16-foot steel water wheel was down the road from me. machinery, it just gives manufactured by the Fitz Waterwheel Company I stopped in to see what an entirely different in Hanover, Pa., circa 1906. was going on, and it was impression than if it’s just a spring celebration of the mill to attract interested a static display.” people to see it. Having volunteered at the mill for 20 years, “That’s when I realized, that’s where the mill Rollenhagen has a lot of memories. His most was located. I had heard so much about it, and it’s memorable recollection, however, was not a good literally a mile down the road from where I live,” one. Rollenhagen laughed. “We were grinding wheat, and we had a After meeting the people in charge, Rollenhagen malfunction with one of the gears, and all of a was invited to join the board of the mill. sudden the place started shaking and creaking, and “They were real happy to have me because I had this huge water wheel moved out of place.” www.50plusLifePA.com
They later learned a gear misalignment had been overlooked in the restoration. “Fortunately, we were able to recover from that. We set the water wheel back in place, readjusted everything, and replaced some broken cogs,” recalled Rollenhagen. “We did get [the mill] back operationally, but not with those set of [mill] stones. So, we used another set of stones.” While Rollenhagen’s background in engineering made him extremely well suited to deal with the science behind the milling process — e.g., the mechanical aspects A 3,200-pound runner stone, at left, ready for reassembly of the moving gears and machinery — on top of the bed stone. learning the art of milling was a completely different challenge. “I began to realize that being a miller is just as complex as knowing how to repair all the wooden gears and all the mechanical aspects, which is all I ever knew about,” Rollenhagen said. “But as I got into it, I realized how much there is to know about milling. How to get the stones at the right spacing. How to do the sifting. How to do the grain cleaning … And over time, I did learn it, but the experience was tough because there is no book you can pick up and read and learn The drive gear (called the stone nut) turns the runner stone above. how to be a miller.” This loss of traditional knowledge became apparent as the millstones began to wear down from grinding the hard wheat. There are precious few craftsmen who still know how to dress the millstones in the traditional manner. Rollenhagen explained that every few years, the Mill at Anselma brings in someone from California to sharpen the stones using a traditional flatbilled pick. In trying to learn how to produce flour from hard wheat, Rollenhagen encountered another obstacle. “Most of my friends who are millers at other mills, they didn’t make flour; they made cornmeal because it’s easy to do, and there’s no sifting involved,” he said. Running out of options, Rollenhagen turned to a couple of big commercialmilling operations for their expertise. “They were extremely helpful. They bent over backward to help me since they knew I wasn’t going to be competition for them. I was just trying to get a historical site in operation,” recalled Rollenhagen.
Paula Musselman
Selling or buying a house? Please call me – I’ll guide you every step of the way! Office: (717) 793-9678 Cell: (717) 309-6921
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Rollenhagen learned his lessons well, and the Mill at Anselma started producing highquality flour. “We do a pretty good job to the point that really good bakers will request our flour and want to purchase it,” he said. “The problem is, I really can’t do that because [that would] overstress the machinery … So, I grind enough just to sell 2-pound bags in our gift shop. It’s a testament to the quality of our product.” The Mill at Anselma’s overall goal is education, and Rollenhagen’s favorite part of working at the mill is sharing his knowledge with children. “By far and away, the most rewarding thing that I do is have little children’s groups tour the mill and try as best I can to have them understand the role of a mill,” he said. A lot has changed over the 273 years that the Mill at Anselma has been in existence. But the one thing that hasn’t has been the way the mill has always tied the community together. Dave Rollenhagen has been a vital part of that legacy, and his passionate stewardship has helped educate numerous generations about the bygone days of waterpowered mills.
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Deal with the Stress of Caregiving — and Help the Caregivers You Know Being a caregiver for an elderly parent or relative, or anyone who suffers health problems, can be exhausting. The Healthline website offers these tips for avoiding burnout:
talk. An empathetic ear can do wonders.
• Go one day at a time. Don’t let yourself get overwhelmed by the big picture. Focus on what you have to do today for yourself and your loved one without worrying about the future.
• Learn about conditions. Do some research into whatever issues the caregiver’s loved one is facing — dementia, disability, disease, or whatever. This will help you understand the caregiver’s situation better so you can offer the support he or she seeks.
• Stay in touch. Many caregivers feel isolated. Make a point of checking in as often as you can.
• Give yourself some “me time.” Schedule your day so you have at least an hour or two doing something you enjoy. Exercising, reading, talking a walk, or bingeing your favorite TV show can provide a much-needed break. • Manage your stress. Practice deep breathing, meditation, or yoga to control your stress levels. Exercise is a good strategy, too. Consider seeing a therapist or joining a support group. If a friend seems at risk of burning out from his or her caregiving duties, these steps can help: • Listen. Instead of offering advice, just listen when the person wants to
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• Offer your time. Give the caregiver a few hours off from his or her duties. Volunteer to handle doctor’s appointments, help with cooking and housekeeping, take care of the kids, or whatever he or she needs so the caregiver can take a break.
• Give a gift card. A card for a movie or even a cup of coffee can nudge the caregiver into doing something fun. • Support research. Donating to an organization that does research or spreads awareness about the loved one’s condition shows that you care.
For 25 years, On-Line Publishers, Inc. has celebrated serving the mind, heart, and spirit of the 50plus community of central Pennsylvania.
Publications 50plus LIFE is a monthly newsprint magazine touching on issues and events relevant to the 50+ community. Resource Directory is published annually in distinct The county editions with information from local businesses and organizations that meet the needs of these groups. 50plus Living, an annual publication, is a guide to residences and healthcare options for mature adults in the Susquehanna and Delaware valleys. BusinessWoman is a monthly magazine with a focus on business. It features profiles of local executive women who are an inspiration to other professionals. Lifestyle and wellness articles are also included to round out the publication and address the many facets of a woman’s life. All publications are available in print and digital formats. Events OLP Events, our events division, hosts 50plus EXPOs Women’s Expos, and Veterans’ Expo & Job Fairs. In 2020, most expos transitioned to a virtual platform in light of the COVID-19 pandemic, although we do anticipate returning to onsite events at some point in 2021.
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50plus EXPOs are held annually in Chester, Cumberland, Dauphin, Lancaster (two), and York counties. Entrance to the event, health screenings, and seminars held throughout the day are free to visitors. The Women’s Expo is a one-day event featuring exhibitors and interactive fun that encompass many aspects of a woman’s life. Generally, Women’s Expos are held in Hershey in the spring and in Lebanon, Lancaster, and Carlisle in the fall. Veterans’ Expos & Job Fairs are free, two-part events that take place in York and Wyomissing in the spring, in the Capital Area in late summer, and in Lebanon and Lancaster in the fall. The Veterans’ Expo connects active and retired military members and their families with benefits, resources, and employers. Jobs610 and Jobs717 are online job fairs during which jobseekers can view an organization’s information, website link, job vacancies, social media links, and contact info to connect one-on-one with company representatives. In 2020, we had the opportunity to add some new online events as well. The 50plus Living Virtual Open House enables baby boomers, caregivers, and seniors to “visit” mature living communities and service providers online from the comfort of their home or office.
For more information, call 717-285-1350 or visit www.onlinepub.com. 6
November 2020
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Remote Caregiving page 3 option for non-emergency needs. Call your loved one’s doctor’s office to see what options are available. 5. Have a plan of action. With the current uncertainty surrounding COVID-19, it’s important to regain a sense of control and confidence. Some steps may include: • Collect contact information. Build a list of contacts, including family members, care providers, pharmacies, care managers, senior service agencies, and anyone else you may need to get a hold of.
Same great events but they’re online . . .
Virtually!
Entertainment -JWF 7JEFPT t 4FNJOBST Demonstrations 17TH ANNUAL
• Gather health documents. Because care recipients often have complicated medical situations, keeping all paperwork — including important financial and legal records — in one place can be invaluable. This could be accomplished using a physical or an online organizational tool, or both. UnitedHealthcare, for example, has a Care Organizer available, which can be a way to keep all your information together.
CHESTER COUNTY
Nov. 5–8, 2020
ŪŪŪ 410/403&% #: ŪŪŪ Principal Sponsors:
Seminar Sponsor: Independence Blue Cross
• Become an authorized representative. As an authorized representative, you’re able to help with payments, the choice of doctor, and other care decisions. To add an authorized representative, your loved one can visit his or her health plan website or call the customer service number on the back of the ID card. Caring for loved ones at a distance may be unfamiliar territory, but knowing what tools and programs are available to help you can help ease uncertainty — both for you and those in your care.
Pet of the Month
No. 175
24TH ANNUAL
Of the 182 cats rescued recently in a cruelty case from a single home in deplorable conditions, he was called Cat No. 175. He’s a handsome cream-andwhite boy with unusual markings that make him stand out in a crowd. A senior fellow, No. 175 is hoping for a quiet home where he can spend his golden years. Having lived with other cats before, he’s open to having feline siblings. For more information, contact Brandywine Valley SPCA, 1212 Phoenixville Pike, West Chester, at (484) 302-0865 or bvspca.org.
Nov. 19–22, 2020 LANCASTER COUNTY
ŪŪŪ 410/403&% #: ŪŪŪ Principal Sponsors:
Co-Host:
Seminar Sponsors:
Supporting Sponsor:
Bellomo and Associates
Health Partners Plans
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How the Virus is Changing Thanksgiving The pandemic will have an impact on Thanksgiving this year (along with other winter holidays). Getting together with family and friends will be off the table for many. Here’s a roundup of some of the many ways this Thanksgiving will be different:
(according to the Inside Higher Ed website).
Socially distant meals. The Chicago Tribune reports on one local family planning an outdoor Thanksgiving dinner. They’ll set up plywood tables on sawhorses in a garage to allow people to sit 6 feet apart. They anticipate sitting in their coats and sweaters and liken the experience to camping, but they’re ready to do it regardless. Other families, of course, will join together on Zoom. College learning. Some colleges and universities, including the University of California, Berkeley, and the University of Wisconsin at Madison, will suspend in-person classes after the Thanksgiving recess, thus avoiding the prospect of students rushing home to be with their family, then returning to possibly spread the virus. This will also reduce end-of-year stress as students cram for final exams
Shopping. Target and Walmart (along with its Sam’s Club locations) plan to close their doors for Thanksgiving, but Black Friday is still on — with some precautions. Target will stretch out its holiday sales beginning in October and will make 20,000 more products available for pickup and delivery. Similarly, Macy’s will shift its Black Friday sales more toward online shopping and will stagger events to prevent crowding in stores. Walmart will give a special cash bonus to employees at its U.S. stores and distribution centers as a reward for serving customers during the coronavirus pandemic (according to the KARE website and the Wall Street Journal). Travel. Getting home, or to relatives, will be trickier this year. The CBS8 website suggests four tips: Travel by car if possible to avoid busy airports and bus/train stations; avoid traveling to and from viral hotspots; wear a mask indoors and sanitize your hands often; and spend as much time as possible outdoors.
If YOU or someone you know is looking for employment opportunities, please visit
Jobs717.com Nov. 7–22
Open to employees in transition, those actively seeking a career change, and those who may consider a change for the right opportunity.
Join Jobs717.com from the comfort of your home or office or on your mobile device.
Employers –
• Choose employers you want to interact with • Explore each employer’s information • Engage one-on-one with company representatives • Upload resume and other documents immediately
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Call today!
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November 2020
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Lancaster Office of Aging Announces Free Virtual Senior Center
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are encouraged to contact Lancaster County Office of Aging. Like many businesses and programs, the eight Lancaster County senior centers closed in March due to the pandemic. During this time, senior center staff members kept in contact with center participants by telephone and delivery of food, and many seniors expressed feelings of loneliness and isolation. Lancaster County reopened the centers in August and September, but due to social-distancing protocols, the centers have restrictions on the number of participants allowed inside at a time and are serving about one-third of the previous number of people each day. Once programming is established, LCOA Virtual Connections will form partnerships with local businesses and hopes that when businesses upgrade their computer equipment, they will donate used equipment to be distributed to local seniors in need, who would then receive instruction on computer use and accessing the virtual center programs. For more information about LCOA Virtual Connections, contact Lancaster County Office of Aging at (717) 299-7979 or email Lisa Paulson at paulsonl@ co.lancaster.pa.us.
About Us – The Lancaster County Office of Aging (LCOA) was established 45 years ago as a
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Lancaster County Office of Aging has announced the opening of LCOA Virtual Connections, a free virtual senior center for Lancaster County residents age 55-plus. The program is the first virtual senior center in Pennsylvania to be offered by an Area Agency on Aging. LCOA Virtual Connections is a free program that started in September. All classes are live with an instructor using ZOOM as the virtual platform. Exercise classes are offered each week and include chair exercises, yoga, Zumba, barre class, and Move Your Body. Bingo, Family Face-Off, Scattergories, Outburst, and other board games are also offered weekly. New class additions starting in November and December include ukulele lessons, technology classes, various art classes, and chat sessions. While seniors have many choices with online activities, Lancaster County Office of Aging staff developed and are managing LCOA Virtual Connections and can also explain Lancaster County Office of Aging services or make referrals as needed. Community volunteers who are interested in hosting a class for the center
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Lancaster County Office of Aging Maintaining the independence and quality of life for seniors through information, services, and protection since 1974.
result of the passage of the Older Americans Act. This act directed states to develop a network of services and supports to help keep older adults healthy and independent. The Pennsylvania Department of Aging was created to fulfill this mandate. In turn, a network of 52 Area Agencies on Aging (AAA) was established throughout the commonwealth to carry out this mission at the local level. Funding for aging-related services is a combination of state and federal monies, with the Pennsylvania Lottery providing the major source of funding. In Lancaster County, the AAA is part of county government. We are dedicated to providing Lancaster County residents, 60 years of age and older, with a wide range of informational resources and services as well as advocacy efforts and elder abuse protection. The LCOA offers the following services:
Our Philosophy:
• Information and referral services
u Support
the older person’s right to decide his/her own destiny. Encourage consumer self-determination and choice.
• Long-term living assessments • H ome and community-based support services
u Support
the older person’s right to risk.
• Protection from abuse and neglect
u Promote
independence and dignity.
• A PPRISE, Medicare, and related health insurance counseling
u Avoid
unnecessary/inappropriate institutionalization.
• Senior center services
• • • • • • • •
Adult daily living services Caregiver support Employment Ombudsman services Transportation Legal services Health and wellness programming Volunteer opportunities
For more information, please call us Monday – Friday from 8:30 a.m. – 5 p.m. at 717-299-7979/1-800-801-3070, visit our website at www.lancoaging.org, or email aging@co.lancaster.pa.us. www.50plusLifePA.com
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November 2020
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Service Stories
Robert Naeye
A WAC Clerk, She Volunteered for Vietnam to Spare Her Brother
jobs. This put isolated women at risk. After honorably serving three years in “We had built-in protection against the the U.S. Army, Audrey Bergstresser had sexual problem,” she said. “We went home the opportunity to go home and return to at night and talked to women, and they civilian life. don’t have that anymore. Unfortunately, But to help her brother, she decided to sexual problems happen way too much.” reenlist, which she knew would involve She then added, “They gave up a whole deployment to Vietnam. There, she lot more than they earned when they experienced several close calls from enemy did away with the women’s branches. It shelling during her two years in Southeast opened up assignments and promotional Asia. opportunities for female officers, but it Bergstresser was born in 1947. She and didn’t do a lot of beneficial things for her five siblings grew up in the small town enlisted women. That’s my opinion from of Fleetwood, Pennsylvania, about 10 having lived through the transition.” miles northeast of Reading. But the town Bergstresser with her brother, Bruce. After her time in Maryland, the Army was in economic decline. sent her to Belgium, where she worked As Bergstresser recalls, “Fleetwood at SHAPE headquarters. There, she had very limited employment, especially worked as a typist in communications for females. We didn’t even have a administration. She lived in an McDonald’s, so I couldn’t go flip international barracks for women, enabling hamburgers.” her to meet women from France, West She saw little hope for a better future, Germany, and the U.K. and her parents lacked the money to send In September 1969, Bergstresser was her to college. Making matters worse, only three weeks from being discharged she had attention deficit disorder and when she received a message that would struggled in school. change the course of her life. The Army “I thought I was not very smart. I was a offered her an opportunity to serve in C student, and I had two English teachers Vietnam. who basically terrorized me,” she recalls. She extended her enlistment to deploy Bergstresser had two older brothers who to Vietnam. By going there, she hoped it served in the Navy reserves, so she saw would keep her younger brother, Bruce, military service as an opportunity to learn Bergstresser with classified docs in Long Binh, 1970. out of the war, because the military had a a trade, travel, and receive GI benefits. A rule that only one family member could high school guidance counselor agreed. serve in Vietnam at any given time. Her parents were also supportive. In fact, four of Bergstresser’s five siblings “I volunteered to go to keep him out, because if I was there, they couldn’t would serve in the military. send him unless he agreed to it. He was married. And I thought it was a Bergstresser was particularly influenced by her older brother Charles, who whole lot easier for me to go as a clerk typist at some headquarters because she calls “her hero.” On her 18th birthday, in October 1965, Charles drove her they didn’t have enlisted women in field units,” says Bergstresser. “It was just a to the naval recruiting office in Reading. better deal for me to go than for him.” But there was a problem. At the time, the Navy didn’t have any positions But things did not work out as planned. By the time the Army approved her available for women. In April 1966 she applied to the Women’s Army Corp transfer, Bruce was already serving as a medic in Vietnam. (WAC). Bergstresser flew across the Pacific and on Thanksgiving Day landed at As she fondly recalls, “I went to talk to the Army, and I was gone by the end Cam Rahn Bay, a major U.S. base. From there, she flew to Saigon, staying of the month.” briefly before being bused to Long Binh. As the Army headquarters for She received her basic training at Fort McClellan in Alabama, an experience Vietnam, it needed clerks and typists. she describes as “a piece of cake.” She served KP duty and took police calls, all “I loved the assignment,” she says. the while forging strong bonds with the other women in her platoon. She worked on R&D projects, where the Army tested new technologies to Next, she went to Aberdeen Proving Ground in Maryland, where she see if they would work in combat situations. These gadgets included nightworked at Kirk Army Hospital as a clerk. She had a supportive commanding vision goggles, xenon search lights mounted on helicopters, and Kevlar vests officer in the WAC detachment who protected women against any risk of for small arms and shrapnel protection. sexual assault. And she says the men treated WAC soldiers respectfully back Bergstresser would read handwritten progress reports written by six majors then, even at the lower ranks. But according to Bergstresser, all of that changed when the Army eliminated the WAC in 1978 and allowed women to serve in nontraditional please see WAC Clerk page 12 www.50plusLifePA.com
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WAC Clerk page 11 “The colonel was and then bang them awesome; I really out on a typewriter. loved the man,” she This was often easier says. said than done, given Bergstresser learned the poor handwriting to drive in Vietnam and poor grammar of so she could work some of the officers. in recruiting. And “But eventually she took classes from you learned how the University of to decipher it,” she Maryland, which recalls. offered extension Within a year she courses to military was promoted to personnel. It gave her E-6 staff sergeant something to do at and then assigned night at a base where as NCOIC (Nonshe didn’t really fit Commissioned Photo credit Robert Naeye in with the drinking, Officer in Charge) Bergstresser in her hooch in Vietnam. Bergstresser at a recent meeting of the Central Pennsylvania drug, or lesbian of the repository for Vietnam Roundtable. cultures. classified documents. She had a great professor (a West Point graduate) who got her through Even though she was not in a combat unit, she was never far from danger in a English 101, and she learned she had a natural writing style. After returning war that had no frontlines. to the States, she graduated from LaRoche College with a degree in business Whenever her base took incoming enemy fire, something that Bergstresser management. says happened “often enough,” she would run to the bunker and wait it out. She left Vietnam in January 1972 and flew across country to Philadelphia, She recalls getting particularly frustrated when enemy sappers disrupted the where her family was waiting. water supply, which could interrupt a much-needed shower. “I refused to leave the airport until they warmed up the car, because I was She and her fellow WAC servicewomen were considered noncombatants and traveling in my summer uniform. It was 120 degrees when I left Vietnam, and did not carry weapons, so they had no way to fight back. when I got to Philadelphia it was like 26,” she recalls. “You just sat in a bunker and hoped they didn’t zero in and hit it,” she says. Bergstresser remained in the Army and went on to have a distinguished 23Fortunately, Bergstresser never came particularly close to enemy soldiers, year career. She worked in many jobs and in many places, including eastern although she did see POWs in a local evacuation hospital, where she went for and western Pennsylvania, Indiana, and Texas. meals. There, she sometimes smelled a strange, sweet odor that she would One of the highlights of her career was being the first sergeant of the never forget, which turned out to be burned human flesh from the operating Schweinfurt, Germany, Headquarters Company. It was rare for women to be rooms. assigned first sergeant. “Can you understand why I would have trouble going to the dining facility Upon returning from Germany, she was assigned to the Letterkenny Army to eat when I walked past that place?” she asks. Depot in Chambersburg, Pennsylvania. She later graduated from the U.S. Bergstresser vividly recalls one close call when she was walking uphill to a Army Sergeants Major Academy in January 1985. headquarters building. An incoming round hit nearby, punching a hole in the She remained at the academy as an author and instructor and then worked roof of a medical building and detonating in one of the rooms. Fortunately, in staff development. That gave her an opportunity to earn a master’s degree nobody was there at that moment. in management and human resources development. Among her awards are “It was the luckiest thing,” says Bergstresser. “If they had done it 15 or 20 two Bronze Stars and three Meritorious Service Medals. minutes later, the room would have been filled with people waiting to go on After retiring from the Army in June 1989, Bergstresser moved back to sick call.” Pennsylvania and worked for the state’s Department of Labor and Industry. During Bergstresser’s two years in Vietnam, her colonel cut through some Most of her positions involved assisting her fellow veterans. bureaucratic red tape to arrange a joyful reunion with her brother Bruce, She retired in 2009 but continued to work for the Veterans of Foreign Wars whom she hadn’t seen since September 1967. Bruce was on hand to see his as a service officer. She currently works part-time as a service officer for the sister promoted to E-6. Vietnam Veterans of America. She now lives just east of Harrisburg with her two dogs, Polly and Athena. Need more fun in your life? She stays in close contact with her siblings, her 14 nieces and nephews, 40 great-nieces and -nephews, and three great-great-nephews. For fun, she reads Look for novels by Sandra Brown, Danielle Steele, Robyn Carr, and others. She also Available in print enjoys crossword puzzles, Sudoku, and gardening. and online Reflecting on her life, she says, “I figured if I went into the military, I could for anywhere, have money for an education; I would get a chance to travel and learn a trade. anytime reading! I did all of that, so I figure I accomplished it.”
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Robert Naeye is a freelance journalist based in Derry Township. Please visit his website at www.robertnaeye.com.
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Savvy Senior
Jim Miller
How to Recognize and Stop Elder Abuse in the COVID Era
Dear Savvy Senior, Can you write a column on how to recognize elder abuse and what to do if you suspect it? – Concerned Relative Dear Concerned, Elder abuse is a big problem in the United States that has escalated during the COVID19 pandemic. According to the National Council on Aging, as many as 5 million seniors are victims of abuse each year, but studies suggest this crime is significantly underreported. Only 1 in 14 cases of elder abuse ever gets reported to the authorities because victims are usually too afraid, too embarrassed, too helpless, or too trusting to call for help. The term “elder abuse” is defined as intentional or negligent acts by a caregiver or trusted individual that cause or can cause harm to a vulnerable senior. Elder abuse also comes in many different forms: emotional,
psychological, physical, or sexual abuse; abandonment, neglect, and self-neglect; and financial exploitation. Those most vulnerable are seniors who are ill, frail, disabled, socially isolated, or mentally impaired due to dementia or Alzheimer’s disease. It’s also important to know that while elder abuse does happen in nursing homes and other long-term care facilities, the vast majority of incidents take place at home where the senior lives. And tragically, the abusers are most often their own family members (usually the victim’s adult child or spouse) or caregiver. How to Recognize Abuse So, how can you tell if an elderly relative or friend is being abused, and what can you do to help? please see Elder Abuse page 14
Stories of ordinary men and women called to perform extraordinary military service. From 1999–2016, writer and World War II veteran Col. Robert D. Wilcox preserved the firsthand wartime experiences of more than 200 veterans through Salute to a Veteran, his monthly column featured in 50plus LIFE. Now, for the first time, 50 of those stories— selected by Wilcox himself—are available to own in this soft-cover book.
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Elder Abuse page 13 A change in general behavior is a universal warning sign that a problem exists. If you notice that your relative or friend has become very depressed or withdrawn, or gets upset or agitated easily, you need to start asking questions. Here are some additional warning signs of the different types of elder abuse that can help you spot a possible problem.
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• Physical or sexual abuse: Suspicious bruises or other injuries that can’t be explained; sudden changes in behavior (upset, withdrawn, fearful); broken eyeglasses; caregiver’s refusal to allow visitors to see an elder alone
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www.veteransexpo.com www.jobs717.com
The Expo brings federal, state, and local agencies together with area businesses to provide information and resources to veterans and their families.
For more tips on how to recognize the warning signs of abuse during the pandemic, see the National Center on Elder Abuse website at ncea.acl.gov/ resources/covid-19.aspx.
The Job Fair brings veterans and spouses who need jobs together with employers who can benefit from this rich source of talent.
Veterans Benefits & Services Medical/Nonmedical Resources Products and Services Available Support/Assistance Programs Education/Training Services
What to Do The best way to help stop elder abuse is to be in touch and keep the lines of communication open. If you suspect any type of abuse or neglect in your relative’s or friend’s home, report it to your local protective services agency. Adult Protective Services is the government agency responsible for investigating elder abuse cases and providing help and guidance. Call the Eldercare Locator at (800) 677-1116 to get the agency contact number in your area, or visit ncea.acl.gov/resources/state.aspx. The agency will ask what you observed, who was involved, and whom they can contact to learn more. You don’t need to prove that abuse is occurring; it is up to the professional. Or, to report suspected abuse in a nursing home or assisted living facility, call the local long-term care ombudsman — see ltcombudsman.org for contact information. If, however, you feel the person is in immediate danger, call 911 or the local police for immediate help.
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Jobseekers can check out various opportunities available and connect with employers about those potential positions.
Send your senior questions to: Savvy Senior, P.O. Box 5443, Norman, OK 73070, or visit SavvySenior.org. Jim Miller is a contributor to the NBC Today show and author of The Savvy Senior book.
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• Emotional or psychological abuse: The senior is extremely upset, agitated, withdrawn, unresponsive, fearful, or depressed or demonstrates some other unusual behavior • Financial exploitation: Missing money or valuables; unexplained withdrawals from bank accounts or transfers between accounts; unauthorized use of credit, debit, or ATM cards; unpaid bills despite available funds; checks written as a loan or gift; abrupt changes in a will or other documents
Veterans (of all ages), the military community, and their families are invited to this free event!
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Pennsylvania Veterans Make Up 7.3% of Population Pennsylvania adults who have served in the military account for 7.3% of the state’s population, the 35th highest percentage among the 50 states, according to an analysis by the website 24/7 Wall St. Military veterans in Pennsylvania number 745,909, the study based on U.S. Census Bureau data found. Among the veterans, 6.9% live in poverty, and 857 of them are homeless, according to 24/7 Wall St.
Veterans Day is Wednesday, Nov. 11
Nationwide, about 20% of the 18 million veterans did their service after the 9/11 terrorist acts, while about 33% served during the Vietnam era. At the same time, 1.2 million of the veterans live in poverty, and 37,000 of them are homeless, the analysis found. Many of the states where large percentages of veterans live have major military installations and large shares of active-duty troops, researchers said.
Rank
State
Veteran Population
Veterans as % of State Population
# of Veterans Who Served in Wars After Sept. 11, 2001
# of Vietnam-era Veterans
Veteran Labor Force Participation Rate
% of Veterans Living in Poverty
# of Homeless Veterans
1
Alaska
67,635
12.6%
25,373
20,885
76.8%
7.5%
111
2
Virginia
670,273
10.3%
221,696
198,524
83.6%
4.9%
447
3
Wyoming
45,252
10.3%
10,543
17,919
84.3%
4.5%
51
4
Montana
84,392
10.2%
17,989
32,940
78.5%
7.6%
205
5
Maine
105,385
9.7%
15,403
41,119
71.1%
5.9%
116
6
Hawaii
102,915
9.6%
34,911
33,908
84.7%
4.3%
505
7
Idaho
121,327
9.3%
24,245
46,036
76.0%
6.4%
201
8
South Carolina
363,194
9.2%
77,043
136,178
76.0%
8.5%
462
9
New Mexico
146,147
9.1%
33,962
57,060
72.0%
9.4%
257
10
Nevada
211,114
9.0%
45,362
76,028
76.6%
8.0%
674
11
Arizona
496,239
9.0%
100,002
190,010
76.5%
6.8%
910
12
Oklahoma
266,513
9.0%
63,647
98,743
74.4%
7.2%
280
13
Washington
520,226
8.9%
124,157
185,141
78.1%
5.8%
1,585
14
Delaware
66,896
8.8%
12,053
25,349
78.0%
6.0%
65
15
West Virginia
126,473
8.8%
19,690
50,933
68.1%
9.9%
137
16
Alabama
324,612
8.6%
76,638
114,539
71.3%
7.3%
292
17
New Hampshire
93,957
8.6%
14,488
35,982
81.0%
3.7%
113
18
Florida
1,439,606
8.5%
264,521
520,697
75.0%
6.6%
2,472
19
Colorado
371,081
8.4%
98,231
125,501
80.2%
6.2%
1,068
20
Oregon
279,132
8.4%
46,392
110,596
72.7%
7.2%
1,438
21
North Carolina
667,035
8.3%
161,466
224,691
76.0%
6.8%
907
22
South Dakota
54,691
8.2%
12,178
20,923
78.3%
5.4%
66
23
Tennessee
429,585
8.2%
96,531
153,462
73.5%
6.3%
679
24
Kansas
178,959
8.2%
44,131
60,993
78.5%
7.4%
189
25
Arkansas
187,903
8.1%
36,393
69,185
69.7%
8.2%
238
26
Missouri
384,150
8.1%
70,919
148,953
75.3%
7.3%
488
27
Nebraska
116,754
8.1%
24,870
40,072
84.7%
5.4%
175
28
North Dakota
45,135
7.8%
10,874
15,677
85.2%
7.7%
49
29
Maryland
363,178
7.8%
96,715
111,591
83.1%
4.2%
490
30
Georgia
609,508
7.6%
144,746
200,319
76.9%
6.4%
801
31
Iowa
184,032
7.6%
29,563
66,990
80.5%
5.7%
149
please see Pennsylvania Veterans page 16
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Pennsylvania Veterans from page 15 Rank
State
Veteran Population
32
Kentucky
261,887
7.6%
33
Ohio
680,310
34
Indiana
35
Source: 24/7 Wall St. The Center Square
Veterans as % of State # of Veterans Who Served in Population Wars After Sept. 11, 2001
# of Vietnam-era Veterans
Veteran Labor Force Participation Rate
% of Veterans Living in Poverty
# of Homeless Veterans
52,350
92,698
70.8%
7.8%
447
7.5%
111,617
245,852
77.4%
7.2%
676
380,079
7.4%
67,155
136,161
78.8%
7.4%
572
Pennsylvania
745,909
7.3%
112,778
278,351
77.6%
6.9%
857
36
Wisconsin
326,288
7.2%
49,132
124,986
77.7%
5.8%
359
37
Mississippi
162,926
7.2%
37,216
52,935
73.3%
6.8%
72
38
Louisiana
247,339
7.0%
53,908
87,280
72.3%
9.5%
360
39
Minnesota
294,377
6.8%
46,837
111,668
79.6%
6.3%
297
40
Michigan
530,572
6.8%
74,655
203,602
74.7%
7.4%
599
41
Texas
1,435,787
6.8%
396,060
471,690
78.0%
6.5%
1,806
42
Vermont
33,986
6.7%
3,806
15,017
73.3%
6.2%
87
43
Rhode Island
54,848
6.5%
11,227
21,323
81.4%
8.3%
92
44
Connecticut
165,029
5.8%
26,712
61,354
81.1%
5.8%
195
45
Illinois
559,656
5.7%
98,857
203,913
78.5%
6.6%
690
46
Utah
120,410
5.4%
29,671
41,246
82.1%
4.9%
211
47
Massachusetts
292,644
5.3%
48,182
103,306
79.8%
6.3%
917
48
California
1,538,797
5.1%
325,615
537,650
76.4%
7.1%
10,980
49
New Jersey
308,012
4.4%
49,242
112,419
81.3%
4.9%
551
50
New York
678,833
4.4%
106,916
246,548
74.0%
6.8%
1,270
Support the Troops This Holiday Season! Our troops deserve our help and to know they aren’t forgotten!
Keystone Military Families, a PA-based nonprofit, encourages you to brighten the holidays for our troops overseas by sponsoring a care package!
Monetary Donations Accepted for Stockings for Soldiers Program 000 10, oops g n tr di . Sen ings to world k e c sto ver th al l o
Thousands of essential items have been received for veterans, but monetary donations to defray shipping costs are desperately needed.
Registered 501c-3
Please send your monetary donation by Dec. 15 The cost for one box is $27-$77, depending on the destination.
Donations can be made online at We need your www.KeystoneMilitaryFamilies.com help to make or mail checks to: this happen!
Keystone Military Families 331 Main Street, Shoemakersville, PA 19555
For more information, visit KeystoneMilitaryFamilies.com, call (610) 698-2122, or email keystonemilitary@yahoo.com. 16
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For the 11th year, Blue Ridge Communications is partnering with Keystone Military Families to support the Stockings for Soldiers program. Keystone Military Families annually ships 8,000-10,000 holiday stockings filled with food, hygiene products, and other items — along with holiday decorations and Christmas cards — to servicemen and women stationed around the world, just in time for Christmas. This year, collection efforts have shifted to an emphasis on monetary donations, which will then be used to purchase care package items for the soldiers. To make a donation, visit www. brctv.com/stockingsforsoldiers, select a monetary amount, and
choose the donation method through either PayPal or a debit/ credit card. Blue Ridge is accepting monetary donations through Nov. 16. In addition, to help defray the cost of shipping these packages around the world, Blue Ridge offers the opportunity to “sponsor” a diecut paper stocking with a minimum $5 online donation. The paper stocking includes a special holiday message and will be tucked into the stockings delivered to soldiers. For more information, contact Cindy Mellinger, BRC marketing/ community relations coordinator and SFS Central PA project coordinator, at (717) 733-6006, ext. 2551, or cmellinger@brctv.com. www.50plusLifePA.com
Aid & Attendance Veterans’ Benefit Vets May Be Eligible for Aid and Attendance, Housebound Benefits For many aging or disabled veterans who need help with activities of daily living, finding the funds to pay for the care they need is a common concern. Many veterans aren’t aware of the Aid & Attendance pension they have earned for themselves and their surviving spouses through their service to their country. VA Aid and Attendance or Housebound benefits provide monthly payments added to the amount of a monthly VA pension for qualified veterans and their survivors.
disability affects your ability to do things, like take a bath, on your own If you’re in a nursing home, you’ll also need to fill out a Request for Nursing Home Information in Connection with Claim for Aid and Attendance (VA Form 21-0779). 2. Apply in person – You can bring your information to a VA regional office near you. Be sure to check if they are accepting in-person applications due to COVID-19 regulations.
Am I Eligible for Aid and Attendance Benefits? You may be eligible for this benefit if you get a VA pension and you meet at least one of the requirements listed below.
How Long Does it Take the VA to Make a Decision? The VA processes claim in the order they are received, unless a claim requires priority processing.
• You need another person to help you perform daily activities, like bathing, feeding, and dressing
For more information, visit www.va.gov/pension/aid-attendancehousebound.
• You have to stay in bed — or spend a large portion of the day in bed — because of illness • You are a patient in a nursing home due to the loss of mental or physical abilities related to a disability • Your eyesight is limited (even with glasses or contact lenses you have only 5/200 or less in both eyes or concentric contraction of the visual field to 5 degrees or less) Housebound Benefits Eligibility You may be eligible for this benefit if you get a VA pension and you spend most of your time in your home because of a permanent disability (a disability that doesn’t go away). Note: You can’t get Aid and Attendance benefits and Housebound benefits at the same time. How Do I Get One of These Benefits? You can apply for VA Aid and Attendance or Housebound benefits in one of these ways: 1. Send a completed VA form to your pension management center (PMC) – Fill out VA Form 21-2680 (Examination for Housebound Status or Permanent Need for Regular Aid and Attendance) and mail it to the PMC for your state. You can have your doctor fill out the examination information section. You can also include with your VA form: • Other evidence, like a doctor’s report, that shows you need Aid and Attendance or Housebound care • Details about what you normally do during the day and how you get to places
Veteran Disability Benefits
You fought for us. Let us fight for you. If your veteran’s benefits have been denied, then you need a veteran lawyer on your side.
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Remember Yourself When Making Caregiving Decisions By Eileen Silverberg Oftentimes, many of us, when making decisions as caregivers, tend to leave out a vital factor: ourselves. As caregivers of our loved ones with dementia or Alzheimer’s, our role as the decision maker gets emotionally demanding. As the disease progresses, more decisions seem to pile up. As time goes by, we forget that we are the most important part of any decision making. There is no denying the many responsibilities that come with caring for our loved ones with dementia or Alzheimer’s. From cost of medications, treatments, and finding help, to feasibility, time management, and time constraints, to simply understanding what our loved ones really want — it becomes a lot. As our loved ones face yet a new phase of the disease, many of us realize we must look for additional help with care. One fantastic way to help, bringing great benefit to our loved ones, is considering an adult day healthcare facility.
Adult care facilities have many advantages. Many of these day healthcare facilities provide dementia/Alzheimer’s patients with increased social socialization, cognitive stimulation, and an opportunity to get your loved one out of the house. Consequently, it is a great way to provide caregivers with a welldeserved break that can be used to run errands, meet with friends, go to our own appointments, or just take a breather. Clearly, there will be many times that our loved one’s mindset may be very negative. Their objections can and will create feelings of frustration, negative self-talk, and auto-criticism, not to mention the questions and feelings of guilt attached to the financial expenses. However, when the question of “How can I make my loved one go somewhere he or she is not comfortable with, just so we have time for
November is National Family Caregivers Month
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please see Remember Yourself page 22
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Free Insurance Counseling Available through Department of Aging The Pennsylvania Department of Aging is reminding consumers that free, objective health benefits counseling is available through the APPRISE Program, which is designed to counsel and encourage Medicare-eligible individuals, their families, and caregivers to make informed healthcare coverage decisions. During open enrollment — Oct. 15 to Dec. 7 — new Medicare beneficiaries can sign up for Medicare Prescription Drug coverage and health plans to complement Medicare, and current Medicare beneficiaries can review and join, switch, or drop Medicare Advantage or Prescription Drug Coverage so that it better meets their needs. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, counseling sessions will be conducted over the phone, virtually, or, at the discretion of the Area Agencies on Aging, face-toface with proper health and safety precautions in place. “Navigating any kind of healthcare option can be confusing, tedious, and overwhelming. Whether an older adult is a new Medicare beneficiary or interested in learning all their coverage options, we encourage all seniors to take advantage of the free independent counseling services available through APPRISE,” said Secretary of Aging Robert Torres.
“The trained APPRISE counselors can guide beneficiaries through their choices and help them be more informed and confident in deciding what may be the best option for them.” With almost 800 trained counselors in the commonwealth, the APPRISE Program provides free, confidential, objective, and easyto-understand information about Medicare Advantage plans, prescription drug plans, and Medicare Supplement plans, and allows Medicare beneficiaries to compare plans and determine what best meets their needs. In 2019, 148,423 of the commonwealth’s 2.7 million Medicare beneficiaries were advised by APPRISE counselors. APPRISE volunteer counselors receive free training about Medicare, Medicaid, Medicare Advantage, Medigap, Medicare prescription drug coverage, appeals, fraud, abuse, and more. To learn more about the APPRISE Program or becoming a volunteer, or to find an open enrollment event in your area, call the APPRISE Helpline at (800) 783-7067. Medicare beneficiaries can also complete their own plan comparisons by using the Medicare plan finder tool or calling 1-800-MEDICARE.
Become a Volunteer Ombudsman
The Lancaster County Office of Aging trains community members to serve as Volunteer Ombudsmen, advocating for residents of long-term care facilities. Duties include: • Educating residents about their rights
• Encouraging and assisting residents to ask questions and express concerns • Helping them reach solutions, in collaboration with facility staff and family
Background checks and a full-day training by PA Department of Aging are required. Schedule and assignments are flexible, based on volunteer’s availability. Visits can be made days, evenings, and/or weekends. To learn more about this unique volunteer opportunity, contact Sheri Snyder at 717-299-7979 or 1-800-801-3070 or by e-mail at aging@co.lancaster.pa.us.
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Serving the mind, heart, and spirit of the 50plus community for 25 years.
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Join us in celebrating our silver anniversary by taking a look back at life over the last 25 years … as well as a blast from one of our covers past!
1997 Top Headlines
Entertainment
• On Feb. 5, O.J. Simpson was found liable for the deaths of ex-wife Nicole Brown Simpson and her friend Ron Goldman in civil suits filed by the victims’ families. The jury awarded the Goldman family $8.5 million in compensatory damages; the Browns did not seek compensatory damages.
• Michael Joseph “Prince” Jackson Jr. was born to pop star Michael Jackson and wife Debbie Rowe on Feb. 13 in Los Angeles. Jackson made actors Elizabeth Taylor and Macaulay Culkin his son’s godparents. • A merican rapper Notorious B.I.G. (Christopher Wallace) was murdered March 9 in a drive-by shooting in Los Angeles; fashion designer Gianni Versace was shot and killed outside his Miami home on July 15 by serial killer Andrew Cunanan.
• The largest mass suicide ever on U.S. soil took place March 26 when 39 men and women in the Heaven’s Gate cult took their own lives in a villa in Rancho Santa Fe, California. Cult leader Marshall Applewhite had combined parts of Christian theology with belief in extraterrestrials.
• I n an April 30 episode of the ABC sitcom Ellen, TV character Ellen Morgan (played by Ellen DeGeneres) announced that she is gay. DeGeneres herself had come out on the cover of an April 14 issue of Time magazine and became the first openly gay woman to have her own sitcom.
• In the early hours of Aug. 31, Diana, Princess of Wales, died in a French hospital after being injured in a car accident in a road tunnel in Paris. Her death at age 36 prompted an unprecedented outpouring of grief in the United Kingdom and around the world. • The El Niño weather event of 1997-98 — one of the most powerful in recorded history — caused widespread droughts, flooding, and natural disasters around the world. El Niño is the warm phase of a complex weather cycle resulting from variations in ocean temperatures in the Equatorial Pacific.
• British author J.K. Rowling’s debut novel, Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone, was published in the U.K. on June 26. It would come to the U.S. in September 1998 as Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone. The book has since been translated into more than 70 languages.
Nov. 1997
Science & Technology
Sports
• During a game against the Minnesota Timberwolves on Jan. 15, Chicago Bulls player Dennis Rodman kicked sideline cameraman Eugene Amos in his groin after Rodman fell during a play. Rodman was suspended for 11 games for the incident and paid a $200,000 out-of-court settlement after Amos filed an assault report.
• In late January, Swiss tennis player Martina Hingis won the Australian Open for her first Grand Slam title at just 16 years and 3 months of age, the youngest player to ever to win a Grand Slam. By year’s end, Hingis had won Wimbledon and the U.S. Open and was ranked No. 1 in the world. • Super Bowl XXXI, held in New Orleans on Jan. 26, saw the Green Bay Packers overtake the New England Patriots with a final score of 35-21. The Florida Marlins defeated the Cleveland Indians on Oct. 26 to clinch the 93rd World Series. • During the June 28 boxing match between heavyweights Mike Tyson and Evander Holyfield, Tyson bit off a piece of Holyfield’s right ear. The match continued until Tyson attempted to then bite Holyfield’s left ear. Tyson was soon suspended and later banned from boxing.
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• In February 1997, biotechnologists in Scotland announced the July 1996 birth of Dolly, a female domestic sheep who was the first mammal successfully cloned from an adult cell. Dolly had three “mothers”: one provided the egg, one the DNA, and a third carried the cloned embryo to term.
• DVD players arrived in the United States in March, promising better picture quality and resistance to the wear and tear that often plagued VHS tapes. Panasonic and Toshiba offered the first DVD players, which retailed for about $600-$750. • Discovered in 1995 by astronomers Alan Hale and Thomas Bopp, the Comet Hale-Bopp became visible to the naked eye in May and would remain so for a record 18 months. To viewers in the northern hemisphere, the comet was visible even before the sky was fully dark and was brighter than any star except Sirius. • NASA’s Mars Pathfinder lander and rover arrived on Mars on July 4 to take photos of the planet’s surface and study the composition of its rocks. The lander, named Sojourner, and the rover, the Carl Sagan Memorial Station, were also charged with collecting information on Mars’ soil, wind, and atmosphere.
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Since 2000, 50plus LIFE (previously Senior News and 50plus Senior News) has won more than 130 awards for its editorial content and design. Here’s a look at an award-winning article from our archives.
Balancing Act: The Joys of Aging
First Place
February 2010 issue NAMPA Award: First Place, Senior Issues By Candace O’Donnell The aging process is often viewed as a sad evolution. In fact, it can be joyful. Let’s count just a few of our blessings.
“Let us count a few of the blessings of the aging process.”
We Don’t Have to Impress Anyone There’s no need to climb any more ladders — career or social. We can spend time with the people we truly enjoy, who appreciate us for what we are, not how much money we make or how attractive we are — people who judge us on the internals, not the externals. Life is too short to have our energy siphoned away with negatives. This means we’re free of the burden of “political correctness” — left or right. We shouldn’t be strident or overbearing. It no longer matters if we convince our listeners, but in Lillian Hellman’s words, “I cannot and will not cut my conscience to fit this year’s fashion.” On a practical and personal level, I have stopped cooking elaborate meals to impress company. My guests know I can be a creative hostess — oh, yes — the layered verrine, the Harvey Wallbanger cake! Now, I grab delicious prepared treats at the farmer’s market and spend my precious leisure reveling in the presence of cherished friends. We Finally Understand Time We know time is a valuable, finite commodity. We don’t want to waste it on “trivial pursuits.” We refuse to cram our schedules with meaningless obligations. We realized, with some surprises, that childhood flashes by in a blink, so we insist on savoring every possible moment with our children and grandchildren. We now believe, deep in our souls, that “babies don’t keep.” For myself, I’d rather cuddle a baby, romp with a toddler, or watch a middle-schooler play baseball than make small talk at a gathering of strangers, attend a board meeting, or polish the silver. We’ve Lived Long Enough that Our Children Appreciate Us Mark Twain put it best. “When I was a boy of 14, my father was so ignorant I could hardly stand to have the old man around. But when I got to be 21, I was astonished at how much the old man had learned in seven years.” This is especially striking when our children have children of their own. With a sudden epiphany, they “get it” — the piercing,
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breathtaking love a parent has for each child, the worry, the pride, the endless sacrifices and rewards. This epiphany came for me years ago when I was scheduling dental appointments for my four kids — what a hassle! Suddenly I remembered that my mother, a young divorcee, had faced a far more serious problem. How on the earth would she pay my dentist? This put my whining into perspective.
We Are at Peace with Our Accomplishments At some point, we must face the reality that, no, we probably won’t make partner or CEO, earn a billion dollars, or win the Nobel Prize, but we might have launched happy adults or have been a steady coworker or a supportive friend. At this stage, most of us are content to bloom where we are planted. I’ll never star on Broadway, but I’m profoundly grateful that I’ve had the honor of performing in our local theater, especially the Fulton Opera House. We Can See the Grand Design Dr. Martin Luther King predicted, “The arc of history is long, and it tends towards justice.” We can comprehend this in global and national history and in our personal lives as well. Despite staggering tragedies that we might have witnessed or even experienced, we now have the distance of years to look back and recognize the many, many times we were — in William Wordsworth’s magnificent phrase — “surprised by joy.” We recall those delicious serendipities, the chance meeting with the person we were destined to marry, the miracles when we were at exactly the right place at the perfect moment to provide crucial help. We actually had a guest rescue a drowning boy on the beach directly across from our summer home. We see the times, without number, that one door closed, only to have another open. This is why I keep a gratitude journal every night. It’s my running thank-you note to God. There you have just a few of my reasons to celebrate aging. What are yours? Isn’t it a relief to finally be grown up?
Serving the mind, heart, and spirit of the 50plus community for 25 years.
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Remember Yourself from page 18 ourselves?” arises, it is the precise moment when we must aim the focus back to us and our well-being. When facing difficult decisions as a caregiver, here are a few points to consider: 1. R emember that considering ourselves and our emotional needs is healthy. When we include ourselves as a factor in all the decisions we make in taking care of our loved ones with dementia/Alzheimer’s, we recognize the importance of our own well-being. It can be helpful to imagine if we were advising our best friend or perhaps our adult child. When making decisions for our loved ones with dementia /Alzheimer’s, we owe it to ourselves to ask better questions. This, in turn, will allow us to calm the intensity of our negative self-talk and auto criticism. Here are the questions we should allow ourselves to explore when making decisions for our loved ones. 2. A sk yourself, “Will the decision give us time to focus on our health?” When our loved ones resist or battle us over dementia care, asking ourselves if the decision will allow us time to focus on our health can make us see the situation from a different perspective. As the disease progresses, so will the needs of our loved ones. If our health is not optimal or we are not ensuring we are in good health, we cannot be responsible caregivers. Having good health will make things easier for us and, of course, for our care recipients. Remembering that high levels of stress affect our health is vital.
3. A sk yourself, “Will the decision give us time to refresh?” Caring for our loved ones not only brings high levels of stress to our lives, but may also bring feelings of grief. Having proper time to acknowledge and cope with moments of grief is healthy. The importance of learning how to cope in a healthy fashion with the grief of losing that loved one to dementia should not be overlooked. Talking to someone about these feelings, including burnouts, helps us reset our outlook in life, thus allowing us to be calmer when dealing with our loved ones. 4. A sk yourself, “Will the decision allow us to connect with others and do things we have been wanting to do?” Connecting with other people in our lives is crucial — people like our own spouses, whom we may be neglecting due to exhaustion. Visits with friends or family members, who perhaps we have not been able to talk with or see, can bring a boost of joy to our lives. Consider that our caregiving can improve by taking time to socialize more and having time to enjoy our individuality. When caring for our loved ones, viewing ourselves as equally important is perhaps the best way to honor our health, our well-being, and our care recipients. We are an equal part of the consideration when making crucial and important caring decisions. Eileen Silverberg is a life coach in emotional management and the author of the new book, A Warrior of Light: A Guide of Inner Wisdom for Challenging Times. She is also the founder and creator of E.S. Being Aloha Soul Meditation. For more information, visit www.eileensilverberg.com or connect with her on Instagram and Facebook.
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Social Security News
By John Johnston
Social Security Announces 1.3% Benefit Increase for 2021
Social Security and Supplemental Security Income (SSI) benefits for approximately 70 million Americans will increase 1.3% in 2021, the Social Security Administration announced in October. The 1.3% cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) will begin with benefits payable to more than 64 million Social Security beneficiaries in January 2021. Increased payments to more than 8 million SSI beneficiaries will begin on Dec. 31, 2020. (Note: Some people receive both Social Security and SSI benefits). The Social Security Act ties the annual COLA to the increase in the Consumer Price Index as determined by the Department of Labor’s Bureau of Labor Statistics. Some other adjustments that take effect in January of each year are based on the increase in average wages. Based on that increase, the maximum amount of earnings subject to the Social Security tax (taxable maximum) will increase to $142,800 from $137,700. Social Security and SSI beneficiaries are normally notified by mail starting in early December about their new benefit amount.
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Most people who receive Social Security payments will be able to view their COLA notice online through their personal my Social Security account. People may create or access their my Social Security account online at www. socialsecurity.gov/myaccount. Information about Medicare changes for 2021, when announced, will be available at www. medicare.gov. For Social Security beneficiaries receiving Medicare, Social Security will not be able to compute their new benefit amount until after the Medicare premium amounts for 2021 are announced. Final 2021 benefit amounts will be communicated to beneficiaries in December through the mailed COLA notice and my Social Security’s Message Center. The Social Security Act provides for how the COLA is calculated. To read more, please visit www.socialsecurity.gov/cola. John Johnston is a Social Security public affairs specialist.
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7:49 PM
The Beauty in Nature
Farmland Thicket Beauties in Winter Clyde McMillan-Gamber
Thickets are a dense, human-made year. All have wildlife throughout the year, community of young deciduous trees, including field and deer mice; gray squirrels; shrubbery and vines, and tall weeds and cottontail rabbits; skunks; opossums; red grasses growing where they took root in soil foxes; red-tailed hawks; screech owls; a that was disturbed, then abandoned. variety of small, wintering birds; and other Thickets in southeastern Pennsylvania kinds of farmland creatures. form mostly in hedgerows between fields, And, as we enter wintry weather in in deserted fields and meadows, and along southeastern Pennsylvania, local thickets rural roadsides and railroad tracks, places are still interesting to visit because of their that are seldom, if ever, manicured. plants’ beauties and handsome, intriguing Seeds of these wild plants blew in on the wildlife. wind, sprouted from bird droppings, or were The bare, delicate twigs of trees and buried as nuts and seeds by gray squirrels bushes are strikingly silhouetted black and blue jays. As that vegetation grows, it before sunrises and sunsets. That woody is the first to heal nature’s wounds after the vegetation and the glowing sky enhance soil was laid bare. each other’s dramatic, winter-only beauties. Waxwings feeding on berries. This first vegetation colonizes barren soil The lovely forms of dried seed heads in this area. It provides ground cover against — including those of spindly foxtail grass, soil erosion, food and shelter for a variety of wildlife, and a variety of beauty in fluffy goldenrods, upright teasels, and birds’-nest-shaped Queen-Anne’s-lace nature. — and the open, chunky seedpods of common milkweed lend more beauties Thickets are pretty habitats that are interesting to visit at all times of the to thickets. And it’s the seeds of these plants that feed mice and a variety of seed-eating wintering birds, including northern cardinals, song sparrows, American goldfinches, house finches, white-throated sparrows, dark-eyed juncos, and other species that add their own wonderful beauties to winter thickets. Red berries on Tatarian honeysuckle and multiflora rose bushes and orange ones on bittersweet vines add more beauty to local thickets in winter. And those same berries are food for flocks of starlings, cedar waxwings, Cookies and Cream American robins, eastern bluebirds, and other kinds of berry-eating birds is a 10-year-old UTD/ through winter. Those birds, too, add their beauties to that of winter thickets. neutered male pit bull. This winter, visit a farmland thicket, where there once was only Cookies was saved from uninteresting bare ground. The beauties and intrigues of those thickets being timestamped at stem from their adaptable pioneer plant life and the adaptable wildlife that ACCT Philly. vegetation supports in what, otherwise, was bare ground. When he arrived at the Humane Society Clyde McMillan-Gamber is a retired Lancaster County Parks naturalist. of Lebanon County, this poor soul had a couple of tumors on his body and was in poor condition all around. This handsome fella loves to go for walks. A nature blog Playing ball in the yard is the go-to thing to destress from by Clyde McMillan-Gamber, the kennel. retired Lancaster County Parks naturalist Please consider adopting this sweet senior. He is and longtime 50plus LIFE columnist searching for his forever home, a loving family to keep him active in his golden years. For adoption-process details, please visit www. lebanonhumane.org or call (717) 628-1369.
Pet of the Month
Cookies and Cream
NaturesWondersByClyde.BlogSpot.com
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Studies Show Blood Test Could Predict Development of Alzheimer’s unavailable because they are not covered by A simple blood test for Alzheimer’s would be a insurance or difficult to access, or both. great advance for individuals with — and at risk “There is an urgent need for simple, for — the disease, as well as families, doctors, and inexpensive, noninvasive, and easily available researchers. diagnostic tools for Alzheimer’s. New testing At the Alzheimer’s Association International technologies could also support drug development Conference® 2020, scientists reported results of in many ways — for example, by helping identify multiple studies on advances in blood “tests” for the right people for clinical trials, and by tracking abnormal versions of the tau protein, one of which the impact of therapies being tested,” said Maria may be able to detect changes in the brain 20 years C. Carrillo, Ph.D., Alzheimer’s Association chief before dementia symptoms occur. science officer. In particular, the reports focus on a specific November is National Alzheimer’s “The possibility of early detection and form of tau known as p-tau217, which seems to be being able to intervene with a treatment before the most specific to Alzheimer’s and the earliest to Disease Awareness Month significant damage to the brain from Alzheimer’s show measurable changes. disease would be game changing for individuals, families, and our healthcare Changes in brain proteins amyloid and tau, and their formation into clumps system.” known as plaques and tangles, respectively, are defining physical features of A blood test, for example, will enable interpretation and understanding Alzheimer’s disease in the brain. of Alzheimer’s progression in much larger, more diverse, and more robust Buildup of tau tangles is thought to correlate closely with cognitive decline. populations. In these newly reported results, blood/plasma levels of p-tau 217, one of the “While these new reports are encouraging, these are early results, and we do forms of tau found in tangles, also seem to correlate closely with buildup of not yet know how long it will be until these tests are available for clinical use. amyloid. They need to be tested in long-term, large-scale studies, such as Alzheimer’s Currently, the brain changes that occur before Alzheimer’s dementia clinical trials,” Carrillo added. symptoms appear can only be reliably assessed by positron-emission “In addition, we need to continue research to refine and verify the tests tomography (PET) scans and from measuring amyloid and tau proteins in that are the current state-of-the-art — including cerebrospinal fluid and PET spinal fluid (CSF). imaging biomarkers.” These methods are expensive and invasive. And, too often, they are
You know a good story when you hear it. Think you or someone you know would make an interesting profile story for 50plus LIFE? We are looking for central Pennsylvanians over age 50 who have a unique hobby, passion, or history of volunteer work, or who are a part of an interesting local club. Ideal story candidates are willing to talk about themselves and to be photographed. Your name: _______________________________________________________________ Your address: ____________________________________________________________________ Your phone: ________________________________________ Email:_____________________________________________ Nominee’s name (if not self): ____________________________________________________________________________ Nominee’s town of residence: ___________________________________________________________________________ Nominee’s phone: __________________________________ Email: _____________________________________________ Why they would make a great story: _____________________________________________________________________ Note: Please get your nominee’s permission before submitting them!
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When Bowling Dominated Saturday-Afternoon Television By Barry Sparks While it may seem inconceivable today, there “Everyone I knew watched bowling on was a time when bowling dominated SaturdaySaturday afternoons,” said Joe Andreone, 67, afternoon television. of New Freedom, who starting watching the The Professional Bowlers Association Tour television competition in the early 1960s. on ABC-TV, which aired from 1961 to 1997, “Whatever happened on Saturday was a big was a popular staple for most of its 36-year run. topic among bowlers the following week.” It owned the 3:30-5 p.m. time slot and was Andreone said he improved his bowling followed by ABC’s Wide World of Sports. by watching the pros, listening to the color How dominant was the bowling program? commentators, and paying attention to the As late as 1983, it outdrew the NCAA’s Hula weekly bowling tips. Bowl, the semifinals of the NCAA basketball “When I was growing up, you bowled in tournament, and the third round of the PGA the junior league on Saturday morning and Masters tournament. watched the PBA on Saturday afternoon,” said Photo credit – Professional Bowlers Association. Johnny Petraglia, center, accepts a $10,000 check for Bowlers such as Earl Anthony, Mark Roth, Mike Wolfrom, 60, of York. “Watching the PBA winning the 1977 U.S. Open. At left is C.C. Bearden, Marshall Holman, Johnny Petraglia, Steve motivated me. It made me want to go bowling president of the Bowling Proprietors Association of Cook, and others were idols for millions of right after that. If watching the PBA didn’t America. At right is ABC announcer Chris Schenkel. viewers. pump you up, nothing would.” On Feb. 16, 1980, a record 22.7 million viewers tuned into the AMF Wolfrom said he was fortunate to watch the PBA Tour in the 1970s and MagicScore Open. The following week, 22.4 million people watched the Ford 1980s, which he termed bowling’s “golden era.” Open. The average weekly viewership was 12 million to 14 million, fueled by Dane Slenker, 65, of York, said the PBA Tour on ABC was “the highlight of 9 million league bowlers. the week,” and he tried not to miss it. Of course, it was the time of only three network stations and no cable “I wanted to emulate the PBA bowlers. I wanted to be as good as they television. were,” Slenker said. “I found out, however, that they made it look easier than it Watching the PBA Tour on ABC-TV was a fond memory for many area is.” bowlers. Jerry Weaver, 64, of Red Lion, grew up in Idaho. He started to watch the PBA in the early to mid-1960s. “I loved watching bowling with my father, who was a league bowler,” he said. “It was a bonding experience for us. The PBA Tour was my only way to connect with bowling and its stars. I definitely looked forward to it every week.” The first chink in the PBA armor occurred in 1985, when viewership for the PBA Tour dropped by 5 million viewers and a record low in its 24-year of Baby Boomers have taken action history. Reasons cited for the dip included a decrease in overall television as a result of seeing an ad in a print viewership and a change in the starting time from 3:30 p.m. to 3 p.m. newspaper in the past 30 days.2 Despite the decline, it remained the highest-rated show in its time slot. Its downward spiral, however, had begun. In 1991, ABC paid the PBA $200,000 in television rights for each event. In 1992, ABC cut the amount to $50,000. That gave the PBA $3.6 million less in its coffers and put it on shaky financial grounds. In 1996, the PBA Tour was bumped from its traditional January-throughApril slot and moved to March-through-May. Predictably, the overall result was a dramatic decrease in viewers. Near the end, the PBA Tour was perceived as a weakling by advertisers, who sought a younger demographic. Nielsen rates had slipped to a 2.0, meaning that 2% of homes nationwide that had a television set watched on a typical Saturday. This was compared to a 9.0 rating in the mid-70s and a 5.8 rating in the mid-80s. Because in print or online, newspapers are Today, the PBA on Fox draws a fraction of the viewers it did in its heyday on ABC. The 2019 PBA Tournament of Championships attracted 1.1 million of news and information among all age groups.1 viewers, which was 75% more than the tournament attracted the year before on ESPN. Although the PBA Tour will never return to its halcyon days, any increase in viewership is encouraging. To advertise your products and services, call
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Sources: 1Coda Ventures; 2NAA
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November 2020
50plus LIFE
Barry Sparks is the author of EARL: The Greatest Bowler of All Time.
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Now More than Ever, It’s Important to Get a Flu Vaccine Flu causes millions of illnesses, hundreds of thousands of hospitalizations, and tens of thousands of deaths in the United States yearly. This year, because of the COVID-19 pandemic, it is more important than ever to get a flu vaccine to protect yourself, your family, and your community from flu and its potentially serious consequences. Both flu and COVID-19 are respiratory illnesses that are thought to spread mainly by droplets when people who are infected cough, sneeze, or talk. Both flu and COVID-19 can be spread to others before infected people know they are sick. There are also some key differences between flu and COVID-19. COVID-19 seems to spread more easily than flu and causes more serious illnesses in some people. It can also take longer before people show symptoms, and people can be contagious for longer. Another important difference is there is a vaccine to protect against flu. There is currently no vaccine to prevent COVID-19. The best way to prevent infection is to avoid being exposed to the virus. While what will happen this fall and winter is uncertain, CDC is preparing for flu and COVID-19 to spread at the same time. Besides making people sick, this could result in a dangerous public health situation because both diseases can cause serious illness that might require hospitalization. Getting a flu vaccine provides the best protection against flu and is particularly important this year. Flu vaccines help reduce the risk of developing potentially serious flu complications.
! r a e r u o y s u Lend
This is especially important for people with certain long-term health conditions like diabetes, asthma, and heart disease. Flu vaccines are also important for people who are 65 years or older who are more likely to get very sick from flu. Reducing the number of people who are sick with flu also can reduce the burden on our medical systems. More people getting vaccinated can mean that fewer people will need to go to doctors’ offices for flu treatment and testing, and fewer people will need to seek urgent medical care or be hospitalized with flu. These reductions in doctor visits and hospitalizations can help save medical resources needed for the care of COVID-19 patients. CDC recommends everyone 6 months and older get their flu vaccine. Talk to your healthcare provider, pharmacy, or health department about getting your flu shot. Doctors, pharmacists, and other health professionals are putting new procedures in place to keep people safe from COVID-19 during vaccination. It’s also important to continue social distancing, wearing a mask, and washing hands often — all these actions help slow the spread of respiratory illnesses, including COVID-19 and flu. Not sure where to get a flu vaccine? Visit VaccineFinder (vaccinefinder.org) to find a vaccination location near you. BPT
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Sixties Flashback
‘It’s de Wolfman, Baybeee!’ Randal C. Hill
He couldn’t shapeshift into a wolf, and his real name wasn’t just-over-the-Texas-border signal blasted throughout the Jack. In fact, when he was born in 1938, Wolfman Jack was southern American landscape each night, the Wolfman’s raspy known back then simply as Bob Smith from Brooklyn. delivery, eerie howls, and demented schtick were often fueled by Smith, who grew up entranced by radio personalities, wanted unfiltered cigarettes and throat-searing whiskey. to “deejay” for a living. In doing so, he quickly realized that he His rapt listeners dug the day’s grooviest platters amid spiels would need a unique persona and style to make his mark in an for everything from diet pills (made of sugar) to religious tracts overcrowded and competitive field. to medical “cures.” Thus, he spent countless hours mimicking the patter of In the studio, Wolfman was said to act every bit as “off the Black radio hosts who spun the day’s coolest discs while wall” as he sounded, his face contorting, his eyes bulging, and apparently having a blast on the air. his hands waving as he howled and growled his way through Brooklynite Bob started his career in the early 1960s when each shift. Wolfman Jack in 1979 he signed on with WYOU-AM in Newport News, Virginia. Returning to the States, he drifted from station to station Enchanted listeners became convinced that they were grooving for years. Along the way, many listeners found themselves with a Black hepcat by the name of “Daddy Jules.” wondering: Just what does this guy actually look like? (The Wolfman felt that His next move took him to KCIJ-AM in Shreveport, Louisiana, where he not being seen added to his mystique.) called himself Big Smith with the Records. It was here that the horror-movieEventually several Kansas City college students offered him enough serious loving personality created his Wolfman Jack character, which featured Black cash for an in-person appearance. He reluctantly agreed, insisting that first his argot and rapid-fire, offbeat (and often racy) gobbledygook. payment — all in $20 bills — be brought to his house via a Brinks truck. His nationwide popularity, though, wouldn’t transpire until he went to Later, after he arrived at the designated venue in a limousine, he strolled work for XERF-AM in northern Mexico. onstage exhibiting prosthetic rubber cheeks, foot-long fingernails, a flowing At 250,000 powerful watts — five times the limit set in America — the cape, and oversized sunglasses. (He recalled later that he looked “real Neanderthal.”) Wolfman Jack portrayed himself in the 1973 film American Graffiti, where millions of viewers could finally connect a face to the voice. His appearance in George Lucas’s movie led to Wolfman TV commercials for acne cream, bathing suits, stereos, and fast-food burgers. By 1974, he was co-hosting NBC-TV’s rock-oriented Midnight Special; in that same year, “Clap for the Wolfman” gave Canadian rockers Guess Who their final Top 10 single. He wrote his autobiography — Have Mercy: Confessions of the Original Rock and Roll Animal — shortly before dying of a heart attack in 1995. Residential Move Services • Move Planning The Wolfman was 57 years old. • • • • • • • •
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November 2020
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Although Randal C. Hill’s heart lives in the past, the rest of him resides in Bandon, Ore. He can be reached at wryterhill@msn.com.
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COVID-19 Won’t Curtail Holiday Gift Shopping
Now Engaging Women of All Ages Online . . .
Virtually!
9TH ANNUAL
omen’s Expo Cumberland County
Nov. 12–15
Plan to join us online — comfy, cozy, and from home! The holiday shopping season is fast approaching, but will the pandemic curtail consumer spending on gifts and other festive products? The Supply Chain Quarterly website, citing a study of 1,000 consumers by the omnichannel technology provider Radial, reports that most Americans don’t expect to cut their holiday spending significantly in 2020 compared to last year, although 66% expect to do more of their shopping online. Overall, 60% of consumers say they plan to do less in-store shopping in 2020 due to fear of coronavirus exposure. Although a rise in delivery times is a concern, 41% don’t plan to start shopping for holiday gifts
earlier, meaning that retailers won’t experience any break between normal online orders (already increased by the pandemic) and the rush of orders during the holiday season. Thirty-nine percent of shoppers expect to start their holiday shopping in October and early November, and 30% won’t start until the Black Friday/Cyber Monday sales after Thanksgiving. Most consumers in the survey say they expect to spend about the same on gifts this year as last year. As far as in-store shopping goes, 63% of consumers say they are slightly to very much more likely to frequent retailers who are following COVID19 safety guidelines in their stores.
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Serving the mind, heart, and spirit of the 50plus community for 25 years.
November 2020
31
The Bookworm Sez
It’s Not All Downhill from Here Terri Schlichenmeyer
Getting old ain’t for sissies. Aging is not for the weak, whiners, or wimps, not for ’fraidy-cats or those with no confidence, and aging is absolutely not for the inflexible. But then again, as in the new novel by Terry McMillan, It’s Not All Downhill from Here, either. The last thing Loretha Curry wanted was another “surprise” birthday party. Good heavens, she was going to be 68 on New Year’s Eve, and she told her husband, Carl, that she didn’t want the fuss again this year. He would listen to her wishes, but her girlfriends? They never would. Yet, they did. Korynthia, Poochie, Lucky, and Sadie stepped back and let Carl handle a special treat: a weekend at Loretha’s favorite hotel
in Palm Springs, just the two of them. It was exactly what she needed to take her mind off everything: Her mother had been moved into assisted living; her sister, Odessa, was some kind of witch; her daughter, Jalecia, was heaven-knows-where and probably high on something; her granddaughter, Cinnamon, was a “space cadet”; and Loretha was just plain tired. A weekend away with Carl would be perfect. But before it had even started, her birthday weekend ended in a way that Loretha could never have imagined, with a loss both unfathomable and unfair. When it was all over and everybody Photo credit: Matthew Jordan Smith went home, she could barely remember It’s Not All Downhill from Here what hour it was. She closed her businesses By Terry McMillan because she had no energy to run them. c. 2020, Ballantine Books Staying at home, alone and staring 350 pages at four walls, wasn’t an option, though. Jalecia moved in with Loretha’s ex-sister-inlaw, who was always calling for money. Cinnamon announced that she was pregnant with twins, and could she have one of Loretha’s rentals? Then Korynthia insisted that Loretha join her dance class, some young man showed up and announced that he was Carl’s long-lost son, and Poochie started planning an all-girls cruise week. And life goes on after a bad event: uphill sometimes and sometimes not … FaceTime isn’t cuttin’ it. Skype’s not enough. You can get by with phone calls and texts, but it isn’t the same: You need your friends, just as in It’s Not All Downhill from Here. And yet, don’t think that this is just another “girlfriends” book. Yes, absolutely, it’s a story about women’s friendships, but author Terry McMillan also explores what it’s like to grow older, when a body’s “of a certain age” but the mind forgets that’s so. Readers who’ve glued together the pieces of a life shattered know all about this, and what it’s like to do it again tomorrow, if the need arises. McMillan’s characters possess just the right amount of wisdom for that, which will appeal not so much to her younger readers as, perhaps, to the age group that originally loved Waiting to Exhale. It’s Not All Downhill from Here actually comes at the right time: It reminds readers that even in Novel-Land, things can get messy, and you’ll be OK. Find it for your next book-group virtual-meet. Read it, and share with your “sissies.” The Bookworm is Terri Schlichenmeyer. Terri has been reading since she was 3 years old, and she never goes anywhere without a book. She lives on a hill in Wisconsin with two dogs and 14,000 books.
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50plus LIFE
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The Reel Deal
No Time to Die Randal Hill
An Aston-Martin mysterious Safin sprays bullets (Rami Malek), who from Gatling is actually more gun headlight sinister than Bloefeld cavities. Powerful and is armed with motorcycles leap treacherous new over low walls and technology. roar across rooftops. “License to kill … Speeding high-end history of violence,” cars sail dramatically Safin sneers through in slo-mo off steep a Phantom of the cliffs. Opera-type mask. “I This can only could be speaking to mean one thing: my own reflection.” Image © Universal Pictures. It’s time for another Bond retorts, Used for publicity and promotional purposes. https://www.movieinsider.com/posters/564037 James Bond “History isn’t kind to adventure, rescheduled from earlier men who play God.” this year and once again replete The 2020 Bond is a bit more with high-speed chases, menacing human than his all-but-perfect futuristic gadgets, mind-bending predecessors. He is shown here less stunts, amazing explosions, and as an immortal superhero than breathtaking European locales. as someone who makes errors in In No Time to Die, James Bond judgment, asks for help when needed, (Daniel Craig) has retired and is and often seems just plain exhausted living in a remote waterfront home from his daily grind of helping to rid in Jamaica. But an old friend, CIA the world of bad guys. agent Felix Leiter (Jeffrey Wright), Producer Barbara Broccoli drops by with a request. says, “[Daniel] has been the most “I need a favor, brother,” Leiter extraordinary Bond. When you trace says. “You’re the only one the evolution of the Bond character I trust for this.” from [2006’s] Casino Royale to now, Leiter needs to find a kidnapped it feels very epic. This film feels like a scientist of maximum importance to culmination.” world safety. Bond reluctantly accepts No Time to Die is the 25th movie the assignment, not knowing that his featuring James Bond in the series mission will be far more treacherous created by British writer Ian Fleming. than expected. Fleming penned his first 007 thriller Bond’s old love interest, Dr. in 1952. Madeleine Swann (Lea Seydoux), The movie is directed by Cary Joji returns, as does Bond’s old nemesis, Fukunaga, with a screenplay by Neal the disfigured supervillain Bloefeld Purvis, Robert Wade, Scott Z. Burns, (Christoph Waltz). Before long, we and Phoebe Waller-Bridge. meet a new agent, the stunning Nomi This will mark the fifth and final (Lashana Lynch), who surprisingly Bond film by 51-year-old Craig. has been given Bond’s old number. The onscreen action detonates Nomi’s broad smile belies her nationwide in November. words when she says, “The world Randal C. Hill enjoys getting sneak has moved on, Commander Bond. peeks of forthcoming movies from his Stay in your lane.” The pair ends up home on the Oregon coast. He can be forming an uneasy alliance. reached at wryterhill@msn.com. A new villain appears via the www.50plusLifePA.com
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Pet of the Month
Cider
I know what you are thinking, how is a girl as pretty as me still looking for her forever home? My name is Cider and I am a 6-year-old spayed female DSH. While the staff here doesn’t know a lot about me, they know I am as sweet as my name. You see, a few of my friends here and I were taken from a home with nearly 200 cats — you wouldn’t have guessed that as I follow my humans here around for pets (I can’t get enough!) and love to play with toys. I am ready to put the past behind me and start fresh with a new family — do you have room in your home for one more? Cider’s ID number is 227171. Please send your application to adoptlancaster@humanepa.org, or give the shelter a call at (717) 393-6551 to learn more.
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Nursing & Rehabilitation Centers Listings with a screened background have additional information about their services in a display advertisement in this edition.
This is not an all-inclusive list of agencies and providers. These advertisers are eager to provide additional information about their services.
Bethany Village – The Oaks
325 Wesley Drive • Mechanicsburg, PA 17055 (717) 766-0279 • www.bethanyvillage.org Number of Beds: 69 Rehabilitation Unit: Yes Alzheimer’s Unit: Yes Skilled Licensed Nursing: Yes Therapy: Speech, Occupational, Physical Long-Term Care: Yes Respite Care: Yes 24-Hour Medical Care: Yes
Recreational Activities: Yes Scheduled Entertainment: Yes Private Rooms Available: Yes Semi-Private Rooms Available: Yes Pet Visitation Allowed: Yes Beauty/Barber Shop: Yes Medicare: Yes Medicaid: Yes Accreditations/Affiliations: CARF; Eagle, LeadingAge PA Comments: Maplewood Assisted Living also available.
Claremont Nursing & Rehabilitation Center
1000 Claremont Road • Carlisle, PA 17013 (717) 243-2031 • www.claremontnursing.com
Number of Beds: 282 Rehabilitation Unit: Yes Alzheimer’s Unit: Yes Skilled Licensed Nursing: Yes Therapy: Speech, Occupational, Physical Long-Term Care: Yes Respite Care: Yes 24-Hour Medical Care: Yes
Homeland Center
Mennonite Home Communities
1901 North Fifth Street • Harrisburg, PA 17102-1598 (717) 221-7902 • www.homelandcenter.org Number of Beds: 95 Rehabilitation Unit: Yes Alzheimer’s Unit: Yes Skilled Licensed Nursing: Yes Therapy: Speech, Occupational, Physical Long-Term Care: Yes Short-Term Care: Yes Respite Care: Yes 24-Hour Medical Care: Yes Recreational Activities: Yes
Scheduled Entertainment: Yes Private Rooms Available: Yes Semi-Private Rooms Available: Yes Pet Visitation Allowed: Yes Beauty/Barber Shop: Yes Medicare: Yes Medicaid: Yes Accreditations/Affiliations: AAHSA, LeadingAge PA (PANPHA), NHPCO, PHN, HPNA Comments: A beautiful, full-service continuing care retirement community with a history of more than 150 years of exemplary care.
Recreational Activities: Yes Scheduled Entertainment: Yes Private Rooms Available: No Semi-Private Rooms Available: Yes Pet Visitation Allowed: Yes Beauty/Barber Shop: Yes Medicare: Yes Medicaid: Yes Comments: Featuring Transitions at Claremont, a dedicated, 39-bed, short-term rehab unit. Claremont provides quality skilled nursing and secured dementia care.
1520 Harrisburg Pike • Lancaster, PA 17601 (717) 393-1301 • www.mennonitehome.org Number of Beds: 188 Rehabilitation Unit: Yes Alzheimer’s Unit: Yes Skilled Licensed Nursing: Yes Therapy: Speech, Occupational, Physical Long-Term Care: Yes Respite Care: Yes 24-Hour Medical Care: Yes Recreational Activities: Yes
Scheduled Entertainment: Yes Private Rooms Available: Yes Semi-Private Rooms Available: Yes Pet Visitation Allowed: Yes Beauty/Barber Shop: Yes Medicare: Yes Medicaid: Yes Accreditations/Affiliations: Equal Housing, LeadingAge PA Comments: Person-centered care with reputation for compassion and excellence. Established in 1903. Respite care available w/minimum stay.
Art & Antiques by Dr. Lori
Tips for Treasure Hunting at the Thrift Store Lori Verderame
Many people are sticking to their budgets or supplementing their income by shopping at and selling wares from thrift stores like Goodwill, Care and Share Thrift Shoppes, the Salvation Army, and others. On my Real Bargains videos on www.youtube.com/drloriv, I feature real-life stories of thriftstore finds, and I share insider information about how to identify all types of fine and decorative art, antiques, furniture, lamps, clocks, and collectibles.
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What’s more, I show you how to put a true value on thriftstore finds for buyers and sellers. Buying thrift online or in person has become the first stop for savvy shoppers. What you’ll need for your own thrift-store treasure hunt: • A very good internet connection or Wi-Fi hotspot and a fully charged smartphone for quick online searches. Photo credit: Staff of www.DrLoriV.com
Glidden potteries in a mid-century modern pink feature 1950s organic forms and make a pretty group of functional and eye-catching bathroom catchalls.
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please see Treasure page 38
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s 11/20 Sudoku
PuzzleJunction.com
Tinseltown Talks
Daughter Recalls Thanksgiving with Natalie Wood
To solve the Sudoku puzzle, each row, column and box must contain the numbers 1 to 9.
5 7
Nick Thomas
4 3 4 8 7 6 6 4 9 1 2
With the holidays marshmallows — delicious!” approaching, seasonal movie Gregson Wagner has shared favorites will soon be inching other memories of her mother by their way into television contributing personal photos and schedules. thoughts to Manoah Bowman’s While considered perennial 2016 book Natalie Wood: Christmas entertainment fare, Reflections on a Legendary Life, the opening scenes of Miracle on as well as co-producing the 2020 th 34 Street actually take place at TV documentary Natalie Wood: Thanksgiving with the annual What Remains Behind. Macy’s parade. The 1947 movie And two years ago, she created Photo provided by Natasha Gregson Wagner Publicity still and Thanksgiving festivities hold a line of products Natalie Wood Natalie Wood and daughter Natasha Edmund Gwenn, Natalie Wood, and special significance for actress Gregson Wagner in the early 1970s. Maureen O’Hara in Miracle on 34th Street. fans might enjoy, including a Natasha Gregson Wagner. gardenia-scented candle and “I don’t recall the first time perfume. my mother showed me Miracle on “When I was growing up, my 34th Street, but I remember as a mom always burned scented candles, child knowing she was in the cast and gardenia was her favorite scent. and enjoyed watching her as a little Our ‘Natalie’ perfume (is) gardenia girl,” said Gregson Wagner from Los based, too, with my favorite citrus Angeles. notes added, such as orange blossom.” Copyright ©2020 PuzzleJunction.com That child actress in the movie was But with fragrances from her mother, Natalie Wood. contemporary entertainers such as “The first time I saw my mom on Mariah Carey and Kim Kardashian the television was on one of those big, dominating today’s market, could a old, square box sets, and I actually perfume named after a classic film Photo provided by Natasha Gregson Wagner Photo provided by Natasha Gregson Wagner found it a little scary,” she recalled. “I star compete? Cover of Manoah Bowman’s Natasha Gregson Wagner at a Natalie Gift even went around the back to try and “You’d be surprised,” says Gregson book, Natalie Wood: Set event in New York City, October 2016. figure out how she got inside!” Wagner. “A lot of young people Reflections on a Legendary Life Thanksgiving meals with her seem to know who my mother was, mother remain memorable for Gregson Wagner. especially if they grew up with parents watching her movies. But it’s also a “She loved Thanksgiving, which was always very festive, and our house modern fragrance that speaks to young women. was filled with a large extended family. But my mom was not a big cook, so a “And for those familiar with my mother, it’s a way to celebrate her life.” Solution lovely couple, Helen and Gene, would prepare the dinner every year. Solution Nick Thomas teaches at Auburn University at Montgomery, Ala., and has written “And the lady who helped raise us, (housekeeper and nanny) Willie-Mae, features, columns, and interviews for over 850 magazines and newspapers. would make sweet potato puree in a hulled-out orange shell topped with
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Puzzle Solutions
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I D L E R
S T E O E S T E A A D O B R A B O N O N E A F L P R E W A I T O R E O T S D E
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F E S T I V A S L I S A M I M R A A G T E Z A I R E
A R E O
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T O T E M
E P O S
U C U P I J Y R R E B E U L B
Q S L X U Y R R E B P S A R Y
F U T Q F I N A N S K S X D C
M K E R R O T A M O T X T E T
T H P P A F P A O J M Y H N P
U O A Z F W Y I I F Z E E U F
X X R I F A B R N Y Q O L R N
W I G R P C X E R E C X X P P
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Melinda’s Garden
Melinda Myers
Gardening Gifts that Provide Years of Enjoyment
The popularity of gardening is watering to ensure success. at an all-time high, and people are Do the same for indoor plant discovering its many benefits. Some enthusiasts with stylish terrariums, want to grow safe and nutritious food, plant stands, and lighting features. others are boosting the beauty of their Terrariums are still popular, creating landscape, and many are turning to a decorative means for providing gardening to relieve stress. the moisture and humidity tropical With the holidays right around the plants need. Copper and rot-resistant corner, it’s the perfect opportunity to mango wood terrariums add a new support new and experienced gardeners and decorative twist to this traditional with a thoughtful garden-related gift. growing system. Help small-space gardeners expand Plant stands allow your favorite their growing space and reduce indoor gardener to maximize any maintenance with a self-watering available space. Shelves filled with elevated cedar planter. Elevated greenery help improve indoor air gardens add garden space to a balcony, quality, reduce stress, and can elevate Photo courtesy of Gardener’s Supply Company deck, or patio while raising the garden one’s mood. New metal plant stands Terrariums bed to a comfortable and easily add a modern vibe to the indoor accessible height. garden display. The self-watering system makes gardening easy with proper, less frequent When space is at a premium, give the gift of vertical gardening accessories.
Are you 62+ or 18 to 61 with permanent disabilities? Welcome to your new home!
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Locally RN Owned & Nationally Known • D octors of Audiology With Over 40 Years of Combined Experience • F ull Line of Digital Hearing Aids Including Open Fit • P articipates With Most Insurances • F inancing Available For Qualified Applicants Dr. Danette Nulph, Au.D. Dr. Kristen A. Duncan, Au.D. Dr. Michelle Tewell, Au.D.
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Improve Your Hearing, Improve Your Life 5020 Ritter Road, Suite 106 Mechanicsburg, PA 17055 (Off Rt. 15 Rossmoyne Business Park)
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Specializing in dementia care for adults and their families VisitingAngels.com York
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Birdcage planters provide a unique way to display tropical or seasonal flowers. Lower them to tabletop level to use as a centerpiece or decorative element in seasonal indoor displays. Don’t overlook the cooks in your life who may be intrigued by moving their garden indoors. Keep them stocked with fresh herbs and vegetables. Increase their growing space and needed light with a gift of energy-efficient LED grow lights in an attractive stand, like the Oslo customizable LED Grow Lights. For those with very limited space, consider an organic kitchen-caddy planter kit. A windowsill or countertop herb garden is a great way for anyone to add garden-fresh flavor to winter meals. Make gardening a fun and accessible experience with the help of a deep-seat kneeler that, when flipped over, converts. Or add storage and mobility with a Deluxe Tractor Scoot with Bucket Basket. The handle allows you to easily take your tools and garden scoot with you to every corner of your landscape. And don’t forget the stocking stuffers. Who doesn’t need extra plant tags, ties, and gloves? Consider replacing the stocking with a colorful Tubtrug. These flexible, lightweight tubs are perfect for harvesting garden produce, collecting weeds, or transporting anything from one space to another. The gift of gardening provides lifelong benefits. Supporting family and friends with useful tools and equipment can increase their gardening enjoyment and success. And don’t forget to add a few of your favorite garden-related items to your gift list. You will eliminate the stress and guesswork for the giver, and you both will appreciate a gift that provides years of function, beauty, and memories. Melinda Myers has written more than 20 gardening books, including Small Space Gardening. She hosts The Great Courses’ How to Grow Anything DVD series and the nationally syndicated Melinda’s Garden Moment TV and radio program. www. melindamyers.com, www.longfield-gardens.com
www.HomelandCenter.org
www.HomelandatHome.org
EVERY WOMAN SHOULD GET SCREENED. Breast cancer is the second leading cause of death among women, and 1 in 8 women will be diagnosed with breast cancer in her lifetime. But UPMC Pinnacle is working to beat breast cancer. Our experts offer personalized therapies, access to breast cancer trials, and advanced imaging technology, like 3D mammograms. Early detection saves lives, so every woman should schedule her screening today. To learn more, visit UPMCPinnacle.com/3D
TO SCHEDULE A MAMMOGRAM, CALL 717-230-3700.
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November 2020
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Treasure from page 34 • Cleaning supplies for various materials: ceramics, silver, brass, chrome, wood (follow directions for easy cleaning jobs, and for items like fine art, consult with a conservation or restoration professional). • Look for ceramic marks, labels, tags, original packaging and boxes, and artists’ signatures. • Shop at thrift stores located in affluent neighborhoods, as the donated objects in these areas may be of high quality with name brands, trendy pieces, and greater value. • A ntique and vintage items aren’t the only items of value at thrift stores. Don’t overlook items that are considered newer, circa 2000s and younger. They can be valuable too. If you are keeping thrift-store finds for yourself: • Thoroughly check the item for damage that cannot be repaired. Use your nose — if you smell mold or mildew (a musty, damp smell), leave the item at the thrift store. • If you are buying clothes from a thrift store, a trip to the dry cleaner is a must. And check out the size in the store; try it on right on site so you don’t go home with something that doesn’t fit. • Books and cardboard can attract insects, so be sure that a used book
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or cardboard box is free of pests. Check toys and board games made of cardboard, along with calendars and other cardboard objects. • G lassware is abundant at thrift stores. Keep crystal (more than 24% lead content), hand-decorated art-glass pieces, and items that are obviously from a particular era. Look around the thrift store for full sets or additional pieces to an existing set, as often times pieces get moved around or relocated in the store. When you can, always buy the full set. • W hen thrift-store shopping to decorate your home, buy items by category for greatest visual impact and appraised value. Whether your category of choice is based on maker, color, era, or material, thrifting will present many options while sticking to a budget. Remember, in order to avoid clutter, it is a category that makes a true collection. • A nd one last thing: If a thrift-store item retains its original store tag, it is a good item to keep for yourself. In future columns, I’ll share tips on thrift-store finds that can be flipped online and starting your own thrift-store-flipping online business. Dr. Lori Verderame is the award-winning Ph.D. antiques appraiser on History channel’s No. 1 hit show about the world’s oldest treasure hunt, The Curse of Oak Island. For more information, visit www.DrLoriV.com and www.YouTube.com/ DrLoriV.
www.50plusLifePA.com
Virtual Support Groups, Webinars Available for Caregivers Taking precautions to keep all staff, volunteers, and constituents safe during the ongoing COVID19 pandemic, the Alzheimer’s Association Greater Pennsylvania Chapter continues to offer virtual support groups for dementia caregivers through the end of the year. Virtual support groups are held 2-3:30 p.m. the first and second Thursdays of the month and 6-7:30 p.m. the third Thursday of the month. Attendees can participate via computer or phone. Register for a virtual support group at www.alz.org/events or by calling (800) 272-3900. Space is limited. The Alzheimer’s Association is also offering free virtual webinars in November: • C OVID-19 and Caregiving – Nov. 3, 10-11:30 a.m.; Nov. 4, 2-3:30 p.m. • U nderstanding Alzheimer’s and Dementia – Nov. 10, 10-11:30 a.m.
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• U nderstanding and Responding to DementiaRelated Behavior – Nov. 11, 6-7:30 p.m. • 1 0 Warning Signs – Nov. 17, 10-11:30 a.m. • E ffective Communication Strategies – Nov. 18, 6-7:30 p.m. Registration for the webinars is required. Visit www.alz.org/crf or call the Alzheimer’s Association Helpline at (800) 272-3900.
Your guide to choosing the right living and care options for you or a loved one. Read it online and on mobile/tablet devices.
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363 E. Lincoln Hwy. (Bus. Rt. 30), Exton, PA 19341 484-872-8216 • Mon.–Fri. 10–5, Sat. 10–3, or call for appointment
www.50plusLifePA.com
50plus LIFE
24th annual edition
Additional
25 th
www.onlinepub.com/Living
Serving the mind, heart, and spirit of the 50plus community for 25 years.
November 2020
39
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