50plus LIFE Cumberland County July 2016

Complimentary | Cumberland County Edition | July 2016 • Vol. 17 No. 7

Dancing Boosts Body, Mind, and Soul page 4

Book review: POLITICAL SUICIDE page 9

6 Travel Tips for Smartphones page 16

Dear Pharmacist

Which Should You Take, Advil or Tylenol?

Suzy Cohen

When you’re in pain, what do you reach for, Tylenol or Advil?

What about fever or body aches from the flu?

How about if your precious grandbaby is teething or gets an earache—which do you give?

These are questions that you might be asking yourself today, and I’m going to help you.

There are some primary differences between these two medications, both blockbusters sold worldwide under various brand names. The ingredients themselves are included in thousands of multitasking formulas.

If you read labels, you’ll see the generic names as follows: Tylenol = acetaminophen Advil, Motrin = ibuprofen

Fever – You can use either one unless you’re giving it to a baby less than 6 months old.

Babies less than 6 months old should be given acetaminophen (Tylenol).

Pain – I’d choose ibuprofen because it directly reduces some pain-causing cytokines, whereas acetaminophen impacts the way you feel pain, essentially “numbing” you to the sensation. No one is 100 percent sure how it works; we just have clues. We know it works, though.

If you have severe pain, it’s

sometimes recommended to alternate between ibuprofen and acetaminophen every few hours.

Back pain and osteoarthritis respond better to ibuprofen, according to the British Medical Journal.

PMS or cramps – Definitely ibuprofen for this; it is a stronger anti-inflammatory. Just FYI, a combination of B complex and magnesium may help mood swings, water retention, tearfulness, and cramps.

If you are normally a wine drinker

at dinner, or you drink alcohol, stay away from Tylenol because it could exacerbate the liver damage caused by the alcohol.

Ibuprofen is a drug mugger of folate, whereas acetaminophen is a drug mugger of glutathione.

If you run out of folate, you could develop high homocysteine (increases risk of heart disease), cervical dysplasia, depression, chronic diarrhea, gray hair, and mouth sores.

If you run low on glutathione, fatigue, general pain, and liver problems occur.

There are dozens of other symptoms that I don’t have space to list, and also, these depletions take time. You don’t run out of the nutrients with normal dosages, taken properly for a short term.

Don’t live in pain because you

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July 2016

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We know you want to live

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are worried about this; just keep it in mind if you take them every day.

Supplement with what the drug mugger stole.

Do you take blood thinners (warfarin) or anticoagulant medications? You’re better off with acetaminophen in this case because

ibuprofen can further thin the blood.

Heart disease or hypertension?

You’re better off with acetaminophen.

A recent study suggests taking acetaminophen affects your ability to empathize with someone else during their own physical or emotional pain.

Does ibuprofen blunt your emotional reactions too? While no study ever tested ibuprofen, I personally think it does. Whenever you reduce your own ability to feel pain, it’s certainly harder to feel pain for another.

Finally, you may be concerned

about addiction, so let me reassure you, both medications are completely safe in this regard.

This information is not intended to diagnose, prevent, or treat your disease.

For more information about the author, visit SuzyCohen.com

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

Assisted Living Residences Brookdale Grandon Farms 1100 Grandon Way, Mechanicsburg (717) 730-4033 Funeral & Cremation Services Cremation Society of Pennsylvania Serving Cumberland County (800) 720-8221 Emergency Numbers American Red Cross (717) 845-2751 Central PA Poison Center (800) 521-6110 Cumberland County Assistance (800) 269-0173 Energy Assistance Cumberland County Board of Assistance (800) 269-0173 Funeral Directors Cocklin Funeral Home, Inc. 30 N. Chestnut St., Dillsburg (717) 432-5312 Myers-Harner Funeral & Cremation Services, Inc. 1903 Market St., Camp Hill (717) 737-9961 Health & Medical Services Alzheimer’s Association (717) 651-5020 American Diabetes Association (800) 342-2383 Arthritis Foundation (717) 763-0900 CONTACT Helpline (717) 652-4400 The National Kidney Foundation (800) 697-7007 PACE (800) 225-7223 Social Security Administration (Medicare) (800) 302-1274 Vision Resources of Central Pennsylvania (717) 238-2531

Healthcare Information Pa. HealthCare Cost Containment Council (717) 232-6787 Hearing Services Duncan Nulph Hearing Associates 5020 Ritter Road, Suite 10G Mechanicsburg (717) 766-1500 Pennsylvania Office for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing (800) 233-3008 V/TTY Heating/AC/Plumbing Farr Tech Heat 3537 Hartzdale Drive, Camp Hill (717) 889-3960 Home Care Services Asbury Home Services (717) 591-8332 Senior Helpers (717) 920-0707 Home IMPROVEMENT Grand Opening Windows & Doors 46 Warwick Circle, Mechanicsburg (717) 691-5670 Hospice Services Homeland Hospice 2300 Vartan Way, Suite 115, Harrisburg (717) 221-7890 Hospitals Carlisle Regional Medical Center (717) 960-1696 Housing Assistance Cumberland County Housing Authority 114 N. Hanover St., Carlisle (717) 249-1315 Property Tax/Rent Rebate (888) 728-2937 Salvation Army (717) 249-1411 Insurance Apprise Insurance Counseling (800) 783-7067 Intellectual Disabilities Keystone Human Services 124 Pine St., Harrisburg (717) 232-7509

Nursing/Rehab Homeland Center 1901 N. Fifth St., Harrisburg (717) 221-7902 Nutrition Meals on Wheels Carlisle (717) 245-0707 Mechanicsburg (717) 697-5011 Newville (717) 776-5251 Shippensburg (717) 532-4904 West Shore (717) 737-3942 Orthopedics OSS Health 856 Century Drive, Mechanicsburg (717) 747-8315 Personal Care Homes The Bridges at Bent Creek 2100 Bent Creek Blvd., Mechanicsburg (717) 795-1100

Disease and Health Risk (888) 232-3228

Homeland Center 1901 N. Fifth St., Harrisburg (717) 221-7902 Pharmacies CVS/pharmacy www.cvs.com Services Cumberland County Aging & Community Services (717) 240-6110 Therapies Vitality to You by Genesis Rehab Services (717) 599-0539 Toll-Free Numbers Bureau of Consumer Protection (800) 441-2555

Smoking Information (800) 232-1331

Cancer Information Service (800) 422-6237

Lebanon VA Medical Center 1700 S. Lincoln Ave., Lebanon (717) 228-6000 or (800) 409-8771

Consumer Information (888) 878-3256

Domestic Violence (800) 799-7233 Drug Information (800) 729-6686 Flu or Influenza (888) 232-3228 Health and Human Services Discrimination (800) 368-1019 Internal Revenue Service (800) 829-1040 Liberty Program (866) 542-3788 Medicare Hotline (800) 638-6833 National Council on Aging (800) 424-9046 Organ Donor Hotline (800) 243-6667 Passport Information (888) 362-8668

Social Security Fraud (800) 269-0217 Social Security Office (800) 772-1213 Travel AAA Central Penn (717) 657-2244 Journease Travel Specialists (717) 462-4806 Veterans Services American Legion (717) 730-9100 Governor’s Veterans Outreach (717) 234-1681

Veterans Affairs (717) 240-6178 or (717) 697-0371

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

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July 2016

3

Cover Story

Dancing Boosts Body, Mind, and Soul

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July 2016

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By Lori Van Ingen At age 65, Marian Condon wasn’t miserable or depressed, but she wasn’t joyous either.

She had been divorced for a number of years, but had a “wonderful job and good friends.”

Condon is an adjunct nursing professor and has two grown sons.

“I was not as happy as I could be,” Condon said. “It was not as much fun. It was like I was marching, not skipping, through life,” Condon said. “I could feel better if I exercised, but I hated exercise. I tried it all—running, lifting weights, machines, gyms, yoga studios. I was never a physical person.”

However, weighing over 200 pounds, Condon was a good 65 pounds overweight and the doctor was warning her about her blood pressure and blood sugar.

And as a registered nurse with a master’s degree in primary care from the University of Pennsylvania and a doctorate in adult education from Penn State, Condon knew she needed to make a “significant change in my life.”

Condon said she “felt bad being overweight. I was chubby by 11 years old. I went through the cycle of emotional eating, being ashamed of how I look [followed by] more eating,” she said.

It is very difficult to stay away from sweet foods when you are “addicted” to them, she said.

“I know as a nurse what an addiction is. You can become dependent on sugary foods.

They elevate your mood almost instantly. You eat chocolate cake and it makes you feel better physiologically. (It’s made with sugar and flour) and the glucose, or the sugar, triggers the release of endorphins and dopamine, which raise your mood instantly.”

That’s the mechanism behind emotional eating and few educated people know that it’s unhealthy, she said. A lot of women can relate to it.

Photos courtesy Keith J. Bowers Photography

Marian Condon and Arthur Murray instructor Tim Hippert competing at the 2015 Harrisburg Area Showcase ballroom dance event.

“I know how difficult it is to control when you are 60, 70, 80 pounds overweight. You think it’s an impossible challenge. ‘So what if I give up? I’ll just die a few years early,’” Condon said.

That’s when one day in her email she found a Groupon coupon for a dance studio.

“My parents liked to jitterbug and took me with them. I loved it,” she said.

But Condon thought she couldn’t learn to dance because she didn’t have a partner. She contacted the dance studio anyway and was told it didn’t matter that she didn’t have a partner because one of the instructors would dance with her at their dance parties.

She decided to give it a try and “it changed my life, absolutely,” Condon said.

She learned ballroom dancing, which encompasses many smooth dances like the foxtrot, waltz, tango, Latin dances (rumba, merengue, cha-cha), swing, hustle, and country-western.

“There’s something for everyone,” she said.

Dancing is “so much fun. I felt happier. I went almost every night after work. I got into better shape and became more attracted to

exercise. I’d go to the park to walk, then jog. I bought weights ... ” She finally could fit into the “sparkly” dresses the dancers wore.

Condon had a new motivation, a joy in the music and the positive people around her laughing and joking as they danced. She felt happier and able to control her eating. She was able to stick to a healthy diet and she lost 65 pounds in a year.

“I’m five years out now and have not regained any weight.”

Most people, she said, regain the weight they have lost over time.

Condon loved dancing so much that she decided she would write a book about how dancing can help people lose weight.

For her book, Thinner, Fitter, Happier: Dancing Will Change Your Life!, Condon interviewed 40 dancers around the country: Some are teachers and some are students, but all said dancing changed their lives.

Dancing affects your mind, spirit, soul, and relationships.

“It’s the best-kept health secret,” Condon said.

Some of the benefits of dancing are that it’s an aerobic activity, you get a mental lift from the music, you are with people having fun, and you make new friends.

“You don’t talk about politics or religion. There’s no negative conversation on the dance floor.

It’s a very positive, upbeat, happy place to be,” Condon said.

“Research shows the people you hang around affect your mood.

Debbie Downers suck your energy, but you don’t find that at dance studios. Music uplifts your soul.

You learn to move in sync with another person and it reminds us of being rocked in the womb. It’s sublime.

“You don’t think about your feet or your body; you just feel every slight shift in weight. Longstanding married couples have rekindled their relationships through dance. Dancing also is www.50plusLifePA.com

phenomenal for the brain.”

Condon said dancing is not only for the young, slim, and athletic.

“If you can walk, you can dance”—even at age 98, like one of Condon’s new friends at her dance studio.

“I took up dancing late in life,” said Condon, who is now 71. “I did a lot of research. Dancing confers more protection against dementia than any other activity.”

According to a 20-year longitudinal study on people in their 70s, dancing had the highest degree of protection for their cognition. It was higher than chess, board games, walking, golf, or tennis.

“While dancing, the aerobic exercise is pumping blood to the

brain, and it keeps you thinking where your body is in space, processing the music and processing where your partner’s body is located.

Dancing puts a demand on your brain and you form new neurons.”

Dancing also could fit into anyone’s budget. You don’t have to dance at a franchise studio. There are dance clubs around the area that are inexpensive because they rent their studios from fire halls, she said.

Thinner, Fitter, Happier: Dancing Will Change Your Life! is available through http://thinnerfitterhappier. drmariancondon.com and Amazon. com.

Condon also can be contacted on her Facebook page or on her website (www.doctormariancondon.com).

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July 2016

5

Savvy Senior

Jim Miller

How Medicare Handles Second Medical Opinions

Does Medicare cover second medical opinions? The doctor I currently see thinks I need back surgery, but I would like to get some other treatment options before I proceed. What can you tell me?

– Searching Senior Dear Searching, Getting a second medical opinion from another doctor is a smart idea that may offer you a fresh perspective and additional options for treating your back condition so you can make a more informed decision.

Or, if the second doctor agrees with your current one, it can give you some reassurance.

Yes, Medicare does pay for second opinions if your current doctor has recommended surgery or some other major diagnostic or therapeutic procedure.

If you’re enrolled in original Medicare, 80 percent of the costs for second medical opinions is covered under Part B (you or your Medicare supplemental policy are responsible for the other 20 percent), and you don’t need an order or referral from your doctor to get one.

Medicare will even pay 80 percent for a third opinion, if the first two differ.

Most Medicare Advantage plans

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July 2016

50plus LIFE ›

cover second opinions too, but you may need to follow certain steps to get it paid for.

For example, some plans will only help pay for a second opinion if you have a referral from your primary-care doctor, and/or they may require that you can only use a doctor in their network.

If you have a Medicare Advantage plan, you’ll need to call it to find out their rules.

Finding another Doctor To find another doctor for a second opinion, you can either ask your current doctor for a name or two, or you can ask another doctor you trust for a referral, or you can find one on your own.

Whatever route you choose, it’s best to go with a doctor that’s affiliated with a different practice or hospital from your original doctor. Hospitals and practices can be set in their ways when it comes to treatments and are likely to offer similar advice.

If you choose to find one on your own, use Medicare’s online Physician Compare tool (www.medicare.gov/ physiciancompare). This will let you find doctors by name, medical specialty, or geographic location that accept original Medicare.

You can also get this information

Who Has the Best Bites in Central PA? 50plus LIFE readers have spoken!

Here are the Cumberland County dining favorites for 2016!

Breakfast: Marie’s Café

Fast Food: Burger King

Lunch: Peppino’s Italian Restaurant

Seafood: The Progress Grill

Dinner: Snapper’s Bar & Grille

Steak: Dodge City Steakhouse

Ethnic Cuisine: El Sol Expres

Outdoor Dining: Duke’s Bar & Grille

Celebrating: Black ‘n’ Bleu

Romantic Setting: Tavern on the Hill

Bakery: Pennsylvania Bakery

Smorgasbord/Buffet: Hoss’s Steak & Sea House

Coffeehouse: One Good Woman

Caterer: Flavors Catering

Winner of $50 Giant Food Stores Gift Card: Linda S. Peters Congratulations!

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by calling Medicare at (800) 6334227. Or, if you’re enrolled in a Medicare Advantage plan, call or visit your plan’s website for a list of candidates.

After you’ve gotten a few doctors’ names, there are a number of free online resources to help you research them, like Healthgrades (www.healthgrades.com) and Vitals

(www.vitals.com).

Or, consider Angie’s List (www. angieslist.com, (888) 888-5478), which is a membership service that currently offers doctor ratings and reviews from other members in your area for $3.50 for one month or $11.32 for the year, but the site will be offering free reviews this summer.

After you find another doctor,

before you get a second opinion you’ll need to have your current doctor’s office send your medical records ahead to the second doctor, or you may have to pick them up and deliver them yourself.

That way, you won’t have to repeat the tests you already had. But, if the second doctor wants you to have additional tests performed as a result

of your visit, Medicare will help pay for these tests too.

For more information, see the Medicare publication Getting a Second Opinion Before Surgery (www. medicare.gov/pubs/pdf/02173.pdf).

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

Social Security News

By John Johnston

Pa. Residents Can Now Order Replacement Cards Online

The Social Security Administration introduced the expansion of online services for residents of Pennsylvania available through its my Social Security portal (www.socialsecurity. gov/myaccount).

Carolyn W. Colvin, acting commissioner of Social Security, announced that residents of Pennsylvania can use the portal for

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many replacement Social Security number card requests.

This will allow people to replace their SSN card from the comfort of their home or office, without the need to travel to a Social Security office.

The agency plans to conduct a gradual rollout of this service; Pennsylvania is one of eight states, plus the District of Columbia, where

this option is initially available.

Throughout 2016, the agency will continue to expand the service option to other states and plans to offer this to half of the nation’s population by the end of the year.

This service will mean shorter wait times for the public in the more than 1,200 Social Security offices across the country and allows staff more

time to work with customers who have extensive service needs.

U.S. citizens age 18 or older and who are residents of Pennsylvania can obtain a replacement SSN card online by creating a my Social Security account. They must also have a U.S. domestic mailing address, not require a change to their record (such as a

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please see REPLACEMENT page 14

July 2016

7

Art & Antiques by Dr. Lori

The Art of Storing China and Heirlooms Lori Verderame

If you have your heirloom china, crystal, porcelain, and knickknacks in a lighted china closet or display case with lamps inside, don’t position your collectibles too close to the lamps.

Once, during an in-home appraisal service call, I had to break some bad news to a Waterford crystal collector who had her entire collection on display in just such a cabinet. She told me that every Sunday she turned on the lights inside that cabinet so her dinner guests could admire her lovely collection.

Well, I found all of the damage that they were admiring. Every one of those Waterford pieces on the top shelf, the ones closest to the lights, were cracked from the heat trapped in that glass display cabinet.

My client had been unknowingly damaging her crystal with a weekly

Circa 1930s ceramic Mickey Mouse child’s tea set in original box.

dose of high-intensity heat.

And, like the hot china cabinet, another poor locale for storing

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your art or antiques is the attic, where temperature and humidity changes take place as often as the seasons change.

The basement has all the room in the world for the storage of your treasures, like china and crystal, yet it is usually too damp to store those precious pieces.

Now that you know where not to store your stuff, here’s a tip on how to store it. No cardboard boxes.

That’s right, no cardboard boxes.

They attract bugs, are high in acid content, and will stain your ceramics, photographs, and works on paper.

Cardboard boxes will soak up any water like a sponge. Water means

moisture, moisture means mold, and then we have a recipe for disaster.

I have had clients and audience members ask me, “Dr. Lori, what if my antique or collectible (like my circa 1930s Mickey Mouse child’s tea set worth $500) came in a cardboard box originally? Should I keep that box?”

Just because it came in a cardboard box doesn’t mean it has to stay in a cardboard box when you store it. Of course, the original box should be kept and does have value, but to preserve the antique object, take it out of the cardboard box for long-term storage.

Depending on what your object is, store the object and the box separately wrapped in acid-free paper or in a plastic tub.

Remember, bubble wrap is not for long-term storage but for short-term transport. You should wrap your heirlooms in white, acid-free tissue paper or white cotton cloths. Bubble wrap traps heat, and it captures damaging moisture.

You want to keep your art and antiques dry and in good shape, even while you are storing them.

Ph.D. antique appraiser and awardwinning TV expert Dr. Lori Verderame is the star appraiser on Discovery channel’s international hit TV show, Auction Kings, and appears on FOX Business Network’s Strange Inheritance. Visit www.DrLoriV. com or call (888) 431-1010.

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The Bookworm Sez

Political Suicide Terri Schlichenmeyer

Politicians are human. comptroller-treasurer “stole $53 There are surely times when you’d million ‌ money right out of the like to think otherwise, but the truth pockets of her friends and neighbors.â€? is that they laugh, they cry, they There have been sex scandals love—and they do boneheaded things. aplenty in politics, words that went In the new book Political Suicide by awry, and a lot of big mouths. Racism Erin McHugh, you’ll see that all kinds has reared its terrible head, as has of things can go wrong. double-crossing and blame-laying.

Their greed gets the better of them.

History repeats itself in contentious Their egos need stroking, or their elections and Supreme Court tempers take over. nominations. And at least one political Take, for instance, Daniel Sickles. “man among menâ€? wasn’t a man at all Though the New York state ‌ assemblyman was a known Looking for a little levity in the philanderer himself, wreckage of this political he was furious that year? his missus enjoyed a You’ll find some dalliance. Sickles killed between the lines in his wife’s lover and went Political Suicide, but to trial but pleaded don’t expect belly laughs temporary insanity, or goofy stories. No, becoming the first author Erin McHugh person to successfully gives readers lots of true be acquitted in that (and outrageous!) tales, manner. but the humor comes Also lucky was a from the situations California congressman themselves more than who killed a man over from the author. a lack of breakfast; he McHugh is quick Political Suicide

By Erin McHugh likewise served no jail to point out the c. 2016, Pegasus Books ridiculousness of what time.

258 pages Throughout history, happened, but she there have been many also puts things into scandalous quirks in politics. One historical and cultural perspective; sitting congressman served his country what’s more, her accounts seem from an insane asylum. One was sympathetic now and then, especially reelected to Congress while in jail. when naivetÊ is involved.

And one notable congressman told That gives readers a nice balance of a mega-whopper of a lie to gain his silly, sad, and scandalous. What’s not seat, and then tried to explain it by to like about that? saying that he was “a prisoner� of his Nothing, that’s what—so, White own story.

House watchers, voters, fed-up folks, There’s money to be found in and historians should want to read politics—although, unfortunately, it this book. If you need a hint of doesn’t always belong to the politician. disgracefully laden lightheartedness That doesn’t necessarily stop them between now and Nov. 8, Political from taking the cash, however: One Suicide is just the ticket. state treasurer who called himself The Bookworm is Terri Schlichenmeyer.

Honest Dick “in fact, was not.�

Terri has been reading since she was 3 Questionable loans are altogether too years old and she never goes anywhere common. without a book. She lives on a hill in And imagine the shock when Wisconsin with two dogs and 14,000 books. one small town discovered that its

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July 2016

9

6/13/16 4:32 PM

Tinseltown Talks

Singer Toni Tennille’s Brush with Hollywood Nick Thomas

She put the “Tennille” in the popular ’70s music duo of the Captain and Tennille and enjoyed two huge No. 1 Billboard hits: “Love Will Keep Us Together” and “Do That to Me One More Time.”

But Toni Tennille also brushed shoulders with Hollywood’s biggest stars.

Born and raised in Montgomery, Alabama, Tennille recently left five decades of West Coast life behind her, as well as nearly 40 years of marriage to musical partner Daryl “the Captain” Dragon, and returned to the South.

“I’m now living just northeast of Orlando near my sister,” said Tennille, who released her April autobiography Toni Tennille: A Memoir, written with niece Caroline Tennille St. Clair (see www.tonitennille.net).

The Captain and Tennille in early years.

“It took two years to write and looks back at my childhood growing up in the segregated South,” she said.

After arriving in California in 1961, Tennille worked in repertory theater, wrote music, and eventually met and married musician Daryl Dragon.

When the Captain and Tennille

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exploded onto the pop music scene in 1975, they were given their own primetime weekly TV variety show on ABC also called The Captain and Tennille.

Tennille says working with the weekly guests was a highlight.

“I was so excited about meeting all

those fabulous stars like George Burns and Bob Hope.”

A reoccurring skit throughout the series was Masterjoke Theater, where a guest would perform a short monologue and close by tossing a pie in his own face.

“Big stars like Vincent Price, Raymond Burr, Bob Hope, and Tony Randall were all game to be silly.”

The show, however, only lasted one season. But with her cheerful and engaging personality, Tennille was back on television again in 1980 starring in her own program, The Toni Tennille Show, a nationally syndicated series featuring musical numbers and her interviews with special guests.

She also drew on advice her mother had offered years before.

“She once told me: ‘Toni, always be really nice to your lighting guys,

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Toni Tennille today with niece and book co-author Caroline Tennille St. Clair.

because they can make you look like an old hag if they want!’ So that’s what I did.”

The show only lasted a year, too, but the parade of stars was once again stellar and included Ginger Rogers, Ernest Borgnine, and Charlton Heston. However, one of her most memorable encounters occurred offscreen at Dodger Stadium in 1978.

“I used to sing the national anthem there,” she recalled. “I was sitting at a table during one of the events and a man came up to me and said, ‘Miss Tennille, I’m Cary Grant. I just wanted to tell you that I have never heard the national anthem sung more beautifully.’

“Wow, such high praise from Cary Grant. And I found it so endearing that he felt the need to introduce himself to me!”

Her glitzy entertainment career now in the distant past, Tennille, 75, says she found the perfect house

Tennille and Dragon with George Burns on The Captain and Tennille Show.

last summer after moving to Florida and easily slipped back into Southern living.

But her decision to divorce Dragon in 2014 took many fans by surprise, as the duo was publicly perceived as a devoted couple performing their string of love songs for years.

However, says Tennille, throughout the marriage there were problems that became overwhelming, so it was time to move on.

“We were not the lovebirds that the public saw,” she said. “We still talk regularly and care for each other. But my message for people who are in a bad relationship is to get all the help you can to remove yourself from the situation. We all deserve happiness.”

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50plus LIFE ›

July 2016

11

Salute to a Veteran

For Him, His Time in the Navy Was a Life-Changer Robert D. Wilcox

Aug. 25, 2016 Nov. 15, 2016 9 a.m. – 2 p.m.

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hated school, didn’t study, and who When George T. Heidig says, “The ran the streets with all the wrong kind Navy saved my life,” he doesn’t mean it saved him from death. He means it of people.”

He says, “If there was a saved him from the worseway to go wrong, I found than-hopeless path his life it and took it.” had taken to that point.

He was a lad whose He asked his mother to sign a note with her father had trouble holding a job and was away from permission for him to leave school after the home a lot. His mother, ninth grade. Of course, on the other hand, “was she wouldn’t, and she a saint” who spent much begged him to stay on and of her time working a low-paying job so she do well in school. So he asked his father, and no would be home when the rd Radarman 3 Class youngsters got there and problem. He got the note George T. Heidig at he needed, and at age 16 so she could provide food Charleston Naval Base, left school. for the family.

S.C., in 1957.

He got the kind of jobs Eventually, the parents a kid that age could expect, making separated, and, without ever having had the father figure he needed, no more than a dollar a day. When his last employer turned down his request Heidig grew up as a “cocky kid who

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accepted, because I for a 10-cent increase, missed my mother he impetuously joined and brother so the Navy in order to much, and this leave. touch of family At 18 he was on meant a lot to me.” his way to “boot At one point, camp” training at the that radar training U.S. Naval Training became very Center, Bainbridge, important, when the Navy base at Port Deposit, Maryland.

The USS Tills, the Navy destroyer the radarman 1st There, recruits escort on which George Heidig class became ill and served in the 1950s. were given a battery couldn’t make the of tests to determine cruise. The ship’s their educational and skill levels. And captain then questioned Heidig at with his spotty school experience, length before deciding Heidig could Heidig did not do well. All recruits well fill the berth, and the captain were then trained in ordnance and permitted the cruise to go on. gunnery, seamanship, firefighting, Although his Navy hitch was for physical training, and military drill. only two years, it gave Heidig the Upon graduation, Heidig was structure and discipline he needed to shipped to Charleston, South straighten out his life.

Carolina, where he was assigned to Leaving active duty in 1958 as a the destroyer escort USS Tills. She radarman 3rd class, he found that his high school would not accept him to made two-week training cruises to make up the high school years he had the Caribbean with naval reservists missed, so he used his G.I. Bill to get undertaking refresher and reserve training cruises, and she also used her his high school credits during two years at a trade school. radar to perform a host of tasks.

He then worked his way through Heidig fondly recalls the day when Millersville State College, earning a he was lingering near the “off-limits” B.A. in industrial arts. radar room, and the older radarman st He taught at a junior high school 1 class in charge invited him in and visited with him over a cup of coffee. for 30 years before he retired in “I don’t know exactly why he did 1988 and went to work for a funeral home. Since his retirement from their that,” Heidig says, “but he became support staff in 1996, he has kept in much like the father figure I never had. He invited me to come back shape by swimming, playing golf, and whenever I had time. And, over time, riding his bicycle. he taught me all about the radar …

Does he think often of his Navy days? doing navigation, recommending “All the time,” he says quietly. “It courses to avoid a collision course absolutely laid the solid foundation for with other ships, how to make emergency entrance to ports, spotting everything I did with my life.” subs, etc.

Col. Wilcox flew a B-17 bomber in “Once, he also invited me for Europe in World War II. dinner with his family. I gladly

Would you like to serve those who have served?

Stories of ordinary men and women called to perform extraordinary military service.

Since 1999, writer and World War II veteran Col. Robert D. Wilcox has 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.

Simply complete and mail this form with your payment to the address below to order Salute to Our Veterans.

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He survived the Bataan Death March.

He bombed the Bridge on the River Kwai.

He escorted MacArthur ashore in the Philippines.

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50plus LIFE ›

July 2016

13

Cumberland County

Calendar of Events

Support Groups Free and open to the public July 5, 6 p.m.

CanSurmount Cancer Support Group HealthSouth Acute Rehab Hospital 175 Lancaster Blvd., Mechanicsburg (717) 691-6786 July 5, 6 to 7 p.m.

Alzheimer’s Support Group Senior Helpers 3806 Market St., Suite 3, Camp Hill (717) 920-0707 July 6, 1:30 p.m.

The Bridges Support Group for the Alzheimer’s Association The Bridges at Bent Creek 2100 Bent Creek Blvd., Mechanicsburg (717) 795-1100 July 7, 6:30 p.m.

Too Sweet: Diabetes Support Group Chapel Hill United Church of Christ 701 Poplar Church Road, Camp Hill (717) 557-9041 July 12, 6 to 8 p.m.

Bladder Cancer Discussion Group Urology of Central PA 100 Corporate Center Drive, Camp Hill (717) 724-0380

July 12, 6:30 to 8 p.m.

Carlisle Area Men’s Cancer Support Group The Live Well Center 3 Alexandria Court, Carlisle (717) 877-7561 sirbrady12@gmail.com July 13, 1:30 p.m.

Parkinson’s Support Group Bethany Village West – Springfield Room 325 Asbury Drive, Mechanicsburg (717) 877-0624 July 13, 6:30 p.m.

Amputee Support Team Meeting HealthSouth Rehabilitation Hospital 175 Lancaster Blvd., Mechanicsburg (717) 939-6655 www.astamputees.com July 19, 1 p.m.

Caregiver Support Group Mechanicsburg Church of the Brethren 501 Gale St., Mechanicsburg (717) 766-8880 July 26, 6 p.m.

Multiple Sclerosis Support Group HealthSouth Rehabilitation Hospital 175 Lancaster Blvd., Mechanicsburg (717) 486-3596 apcoulson@comcast.net

Community Programs Free and open to the public Mondays and Wednesdays, noon to 12:45 p.m.

SilverSneakers and Silver and Fit Classes Living Well Fitness Center 207 House Ave., Suite 107, Camp Hill (717) 439-4070

July 13, 11:30 a.m.

NARFE West Shore Chapter 1465 VFW Post 7530 4545 Westport Drive, Mechanicsburg (717) 737-1486 www.narfe1465.org Visitors welcome; meeting is free but fee for food.

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

14

July 2016

50plus LIFE ›

Big Spring Senior Center – (717) 776-4478 91 Doubling Gap Road, Suite 1, Newville Branch Creek Place – (717) 300-3563 115 N. Fayette St., Shippensburg Carlisle Senior Action Center – (717) 249-5007 20 E. Pomfret St., Carlisle Mary Schaner Senior Citizens Center (717) 732-3915 98 S. Enola Drive, Enola Mechanicsburg Place – (717) 697-5947 97 W. Portland St., Mechanicsburg West Shore Senior Citizens Center (717) 774-0409 122 Geary St., New Cumberland Please call or visit their website for more information.

Library Programs Amelia Givin Library, 114 N. Baltimore Ave., Mt. Holly Springs, (717) 486-3688 Bosler Memorial Library, 158 W. High St., Carlisle, (717) 243-4642 July 1, 7 p.m. – Music at Bosler July 13, 1 to 2 p.m. – Wicked Wednesday Book Discussion Group July 22, 1 to 2 p.m. – Just Mysteries! Book Club Cleve J. Fredricksen Library, 100 N. 19th St., Camp Hill, (717) 761-3900 July 8, 2 and 7 p.m. – Foreign Film Friday July 11, 7 p.m. – West Shore Symphony Orchestra Concert on the Lawn July 21, 7 p.m. – Greater Harrisburg Concert Band Concert on the Lawn East Pennsboro Branch Library, 98 S. Enola Drive, Enola, (717) 732-4274 John Graham Public Library, 9 Parsonage St., Newville, (717) 776-5900

REPLACEMENT from page 7 name change), and have a valid driver’s license. my Social Security is a secure online hub for doing business with Social Security, and more than 25 million people have created an account.

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Medicare beneficiaries can request a replacement Medicare card without waiting for a replacement form in the mail. Account holders still in the workforce can verify their earnings and obtain estimates of future benefits.

For more information about this online service, visit www.socialsecurity gov/ssnumber.

John Johnston is a Social Security public affairs specialist.

Joseph T. Simpson Public Library, 16 N. Walnut St., Mechanicsburg, (717) 766-0171 New Cumberland Public Library, 1 Benjamin Plaza, New Cumberland, (717) 774-7820 July 4, 10:30 a.m . – Community July Fourth Independence Day Celebration July 13 and 27, 1 0:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. – Great Books Discussion Group July 27, 6 to 9 p.m. – Pennwriters Writing Group www.50plusLifePA.com

Older But Not Wiser

Sy Rosen

Early-Morning Greatness

As I’ve gotten older, I’ve been sleeping less. I’m now waking up at 4:30 in the morning.

There’re a lot of scientific explanations for this, but I like to think it’s because I want to boldly face the world and can’t wait to get started each morning (it may also be because I have to go to the bathroom).

The question is, what should I do with myself in these early-morning hours?

Just recently I’ve read a few articles saying that before you die, you should achieve what you really want to achieve.

That’s a lot of pressure. I mean, why can’t we just be happy with what we’ve already done?!

However, since I am getting up at 4:30, I decided to use these early hours to accomplish my real goal in life.

I just have to figure out what that is. Here are a few things I’ve tried in my attempt to leave my mark on the world: Write the great American novel – For a week I awoke at 4:30 and faced the blank page of my great American novel. I then decided that it didn’t have to be that great; there’s nothing wrong with a mediocre novel.

I then decided that a novel is a lot of words—maybe it should be a novella. After another week I decided I should write a short story.

I now have decided to write the great American letter to the editor. I’m still working on it.

Invent something – I figured I just had to identify a need and fill it.

In the early-morning hours I walked around the house barefoot and noticed that my feet were picking up dust and crumbs—my feet were like human Swiffers.

Greatness awaited me—I just www.50plusLifePA.com

needed to invent something that would do a better job of cleaning.

I designed, I sketched, I edited, I redesigned, and then after several days of perfecting my work, I looked at my drawings and realized I had invented … the broom.

Do something heroic – I would love to be a hero. I could go to the Middle East and help destroy ISIS. However, I am afraid to fly. I therefore decided to do something locally.

I got dressed at 5 a.m. and, with my trusty flashlight in hand, started to patrol the neighborhood.

Maybe I’d see a coyote and rescue a small dog or kitten.

I walked about a block, got a little nervous (and a cramp in my leg), and went home.

Write a song – 4:30 a.m. is a good time to write the lyrics of a hit song that would pave my way to greatness. By 6 a.m. I had written, “me and you, you and me.”

By 7 a.m. I had written, “me and you, you and me, we is we.”

By 8 a.m. I had decided to give up on writing a song.

Run for political office – In the early-morning hours, I hatched my plan. I would run for the mayor of my small city, and then after one successful term I would run for president. It was a very exciting plan and I would certainly be doing something important with my life.

However, I then looked at the map on my wall and realized I couldn’t locate Pakistan, Afghanistan, Syria, or Utah. I decided I wasn’t qualified to be president. Now if only some of the other candidates would also come to that conclusion.

I have now decided to concentrate all of my efforts on a way to sleep later so I won’t have to go through this craziness.

Share Some Independence Day Trivia Here are some fun facts to share with your family and friends on the Fourth of July while waiting for the hot dogs to cook on the grill:

• Three presidents died on July Fourth: Thomas Jefferson and John Adams in 1826 and James Monroe in 1831. Calvin Coolidge was the only president born on July Fourth, in 1872.

• The Massachusetts General Court was the first state legislature to recognize July Fourth as a state celebration, in 1781.

• The first recorded use of the name “Independence Day” occurred in 1791.

• The U.S. Congress established Independence Day as an unpaid holiday for federal employees in 1870. It became a federal paid holiday in 1931.

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15

Is This Thing On?

6 Travel Tips for Smartphones Abby Stokes

Are you planning a trip out of the country this summer? Let’s talk about precautions you should take so you don’t come home to a smartphone bill that’ll ruin your vacation afterglow.

1. Call Your Cellphone Service Provider – Before traveling overseas, call the company you pay for your cellphone service and ask what packages they offer for international use.

Think about how you might use your phone (calling the U.S., calling within the country you’re visiting, texting, email …) and ask how each of those is billed under your provider’s international plan.

2. Turn Off Data Roaming – The moment you board the plane for your international destination, go into

the settings on your smartphone and turn off data roaming and the cellular data plan. That’s the best way to prevent your phone from randomly using data to search for emails and texts throughout the day.

Better that you control specifically when the cellular data is used. You can turn the cellular data on and off as you need it so as not to exceed the plan you’ve chosen.

3. Wi-Fi Is Your New BFF – If the hotel or home you’re visiting has Wi-

Fi, you’re all set.

When on Wi-Fi you can check email, visit websites, send photos, text, and use the GPS

feature on your phone.

You want to be careful when you’re outside of that Wi-Fi area. That’s when things can get pricey. Wi-Fi is a free zone where you can use almost all of the features of your phone without incurring additional charges.

The one exception is voice calling.

You may still be charged international fees for phone calls (in and out). You might have the option of turning

on Wi-Fi calling, or better yet, use a service like Skype.

4. Skype Your Phone Calls – Skype is a free app that allows you to use your smartphone, tablet, or computer to call, text, or video chat internationally for free or at greatly reduced prices.

When you’re in a Wi-Fi area and communicating with another Skype user, your calls, video chats, or texts are free. Free!

Using a credit card, you can open a Skype account and pay a very small (and I mean very small) amount to call people who aren’t registered with Skype. I have yet to see a phone company offer more competitive pricing than Skype for international phone calls.

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5. When in Doubt, Use Airplane Mode – If you arrive at your destination and can’t remember what your smartphone plan allows for, simply go to your settings and turn on airplane mode.

Airplane mode will stop all transmission to or from the phone.

So no emails, texts, phone calls, or visiting websites. No signal = no ugly phone bills. You can still take and view photos, read your notes, or listen to any music saved on your phone.

Once back in the safety of a Wi-Fi area, you can turn off airplane mode and turn on Wi-Fi. 6. Document with Your Camera – Of course you’re going to take photos of everything you love about your visit. Why not also take a photo of your passport and the back and front of your credit cards so you’ll

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have that information on your phone at all times?

When traveling, I even take a photo of my rental car and its license plate to make it easier to identify in a parking lot full of cars.

Remember that to put away your smartphone for a day is a great vacation choice. Smell the roses, enjoy the sea breeze, and linger in a museum while your smartphone becomes your personal assistant taking all of your messages.

Bon voyage!

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50plus LIFE ›

July 2016

17

Deal Me In

By Mark Pilarski

A Shorter Timeline is No Predictor of Winning

Dear Mark: Any time I start playing slots, I always seem to win at the beginning but end up going home a loser. I should just quit while ahead, but I do not because it takes me an hour to drive to the casino, and I do not want to play for just 15 minutes and leave.

Is there any chance that the slot machine senses a new player has not been at a particular machine for a specific period and then pays off initially, and then stops paying?

– Joy C. First off, Joy, slot machines do not have an onboard motion detector or operate with artificial intelligence.

Slots are preprogrammed to pay out a certain percentage on a random basis with streaks—both good and bad— appearing at any time.

The slot machine doesn’t reason: “If I give Joy a bunch of loot on the front end, after we’ve hooked her, we’ll snag all that money back.”

The grind is that the casino is capable of eventually winning your entire bankroll due to the huge, builtin advantage it has over you when you play slots. And your willingness to keep playing these cybernetic onearmed bandits is the reason you will eventually be relieved of your hardearned money.

Actually, Joy, when you begin playing, it doesn’t take much to prove a winning session because you have

not been playing long enough to lose a sufficient sum of money to the machine, at least yet.

That doesn’t take away from the fact that slot machines are rigged—I think that’s a good word—so that they pay back less money than you invest in them. Therefore, the longer you play, the more likely you are to give back whatever winnings the machine provided you at the outset.

By the way, Joy, I believe you might be the victim of selective memory here and somehow seem to have forgotten all those sessions when you struggled

from the get-go and never did get ahead.

Another factor is that the casino knows that you, as you stated, won’t stay for just 15 minutes and play through your money just once, but you will keep playing your credits over and over again during your stay.

So, for example, on a 93 percent return machine, if you were to play your entire $100, you can expect back, “in theory,” $93. Of course, the casino anticipates your playing the $93, so expect a return of $86. Put in the $86, and your return will be $80.

Play through the $80 and you will get back $74.

Can you see how the casino is grinding away at your initial $100, and why coming home a winner after a lengthy session is an unlikely outcome for any slot player?

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BENEFITS

21st annual edition

Online & In Print. onlinepub.com

Online Drives traffic to your site Digital e-dition Easily accessible on mobile devices Print For those who rely on traditional media Distribution Available at more than 15 events annually Direct mailed To professional offices throughout the Susquehanna and Delaware valleys On-Demand Where readers pick up 50plus LIFE Community Reaches your targeted audience: healthcare professionals, adult decision-making children, and 50+ consumers

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The bottom line here, Joy, is that the result of every spin is an independent event. What is for sure is that you lose less money when you play for a shorter time; but a shorter timeline is no predictor of winning.

Gambling Wisdom of the Month: “This is the third time; I hope good luck lies in odd numbers … There is a divinity in odd

numbers, either in nativity, chance, or death.” – Sir John Falstaff, in William Shakespeare’s Merry Wives of Windsor (1592) Mark Pilarski is a recognized authority on casino gambling, having survived 18 years in the casino trenches. Pilarski is the creator of the bestselling, awardwinning audio book series on casino gambling, Hooked on Winning. www. markpilarski.com

Reach Active, Affluent Boomers & Seniors!

The Beauty in Nature

2 Kinds of Dragonflies Clyde McMillan-Gamber

Anyone who has brown and clear. visited a pond or Twelve-spotted sluggish waterway skimmers look a little in southeastern like white-tails. But Pennsylvania in summer male twelve-spots have probably experienced three brown spots dragonflies. alternating with two Some people are white spots on each Twelve-spotted skimmer. wing. Females of this afraid of those large, fast-flying insects, but species have clear wings. there is no reason for Females of both fear because dragonflies species, after being are harmless to us. In fertilized, spawn by fact, they are beneficial hovering just above the in eating mosquitoes water and repeatedly and other kinds of pesky dipping the end of insects. their abdomens into And dragonflies are Harum Koh it, dropping an egg on White-tailed skimmer. entertaining to watch, a water plant at the zipping low on their surface with each dip. four stiff wings over water after When they hatch, the tiny, brown flying-insect prey and mates. naiads sink to the bottom of the White-tailed and twelve-spotted impoundment where they blend into skimmers are two kinds of attractive the mud, which makes them invisible dragonflies commonly seen around to fish and other predators. impoundments and sluggish streams There they catch and consume in this area. aquatic invertebrates until grown in a Like all their kind, they are fast year’s time. And there they have gills flyers, skimming swiftly and low to take oxygen from the water. over water and land alike after food When grown, the naiads climb and mates. Both these species have plant stems out of the water, 2-inch-long bodies and 3-inch emerge from their larval shells, and, wingspans and live around water in eventually, fly away to look for food much of the United States. and mates. Only empty shells on White-tailed skimmers have brown emergent plants silently testify to the heads and gray-brown thoraxes. dragonflies’ past in the water.

Female white-tails have brown Dragonflies are attractive, abdomens with a row of yellow spots. interesting, and entertaining, as well But males have white abdomens, as beneficial. This summer, enjoy hence the species’ name. And the four these large, darting insects around wings of both genders are alternately waterways and impoundments. www.50plusLifePA.com

Reserve your space now for the 17th annual

Limited Sponsorship Opportunities Available

Oct. 19, 2016 9 a.m. – 2 p.m.

Carlisle Expo Center 100 K Street, Carlisle Exhibitors • Health Screenings • Seminars Entertainment • Door Prizes

Why Participate?

It’s the premier event for baby boomers, caregivers, and seniors in Cumberland County • Face-to-face interaction with 1,500+ attendees • Strengthen brand recognition/launch new products

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