9 a.m. urg otel Harrisb Hill Radisson H p am C s, 1150 Camp
Hill Bypas
Complimentary | Cumberland County Edition
August 2018 • Vol. 19 No. 8
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2018 , 8 2 . g u A – 2 p.m.
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m sExpo.co Veteran Reviews Resumé
On Wings and Waves, His Life’s Path Led to PA page 4
A Time-Traveling Trip to an Earlier America page 10
soldier stories: the fighting quaker page 12
Savvy Senior
Tips and Resources for Older Job Seekers Jim Miller
Dear Savvy Senior, What resources can you recommend to help older jobseekers? I’m 60 and have been out of work for nearly a year now and need some help. – Seeking Employment
Dear Seeking, While the U.S. job market has improved dramatically over the past few years, challenges still persist for many older workers. To help you find employment,
E
October 6, 2018
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there are job resource centers and a wide variety of online tools specifically created for older jobseekers. Here’s where you can find help. Job Centers Depending on where you live, there are career service centers located throughout the U.S. that can help you find a job. One of the best is the American Job Center, which has around 2,500 centers nationwide. Funded by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Employment and Training Administration, AJCs are free-to-use resource centers that can help you explore your career options, search for jobs, find training, write a resume, prepare for an interview, and much more. To find a center near you, call (877) 872-5627 or go online to CareerOneStop (www. careeronestop.org). Some other good programs for older workers include the Senior Community Service Employment Program and AARP’s Back to Work 50+ program. The SCSEP — sponsored by the Department of Labor — helps place income-eligible workers over age 55 in part-time, temporary communityservice positions where they can learn job skills. To learn more or locate a program in your area, visit www. doleta.gov/seniors or call (877) 8725627. AARP’s Back to Work 50+
program currently offers workshops in 19 locations around the U.S. that provide career counseling, job coaching, and skills development for 50-plus job seekers. Or, if you can’t attend their workshop, they also offer an excellent guide called 7 Smart Strategies for 50+ Jobseekers. To get a free copy, or to see if there’s a workshop in your area, call (855) 850-2525 or visit www.aarp.org/ aarp-foundation. If none of the above programs is available in your area, check with your local public library or nearby community college to see if they provide career services. Job-Search Sites There are also a number of online job-search sites that can help you connect with companies that are looking for mature, experienced workers. Some good sites for 50-and-older jobseekers include: • W hat’s Next (www.whatsnext. com) offers a job-search site and has online assessment tools, calculators, career guides, and career coaches • Retired Brains (www.retiredbrains. com) provides information on finding temporary or seasonal jobs, as well as starting your own business, working from home, www.50plusLifePA.com
writing your resume, finding full-time work, and continuing your education • RetirementJobs.com lets you post your resume and search for full-time or part-time jobs online • Workforce50.com has job-search functions, a list of favorite friendly employers by industry, and allows users to sign up for job alerts Work at Home If you’re interested in working at home, there are many opportunities depending on your skills, but be careful of work-at-home scams that offer big paydays without much effort. Some popular work-at-home jobs include sales and marketing, customer service, teaching and tutoring, writing and editing, web development and
design, consulting, interpreting, and medical coding, just to name a few. To find these types of jobs, a good place to start is FlexJobs (www.flexjobs. com), which filters out the job scams and lists thousands of legitimate work-athome jobs in dozens of categories. You can gain access to their listings for $15 for one month, $30 for three months, or $50 for a year. Start a Business If you’re interested in starting a small business but could use some help getting started, the U.S. Small Business Administration offers tips, tools, and free online courses that you can access at www.sba.gov. Send your senior questions to: Savvy Senior, P.O. Box 5443, Norman, OK 73070, or visit www.savvysenior.org. Jim Miller is a contributor to the NBC Today show and author of The Savvy Senior book.
At Your Fingertips Helpful numbers, hotlines, and local businesses and organizations eager to serve you—all just a phone call away. adult day care Life Time Adult Day Care 3 Crossgate Drive, Mechanicsburg (717) 975-9762 Emergency Numbers American Red Cross (717) 845-2751 Central Pennsylvania Poison Center (800) 521-6110 Cumberland County Assistance (800) 269-0173 Energy Assistance Cumberland County Board of Assistance (800) 269-0173 Eye care services Kilmore Eye Associates 890 Century Drive, Mechanicsburg (717) 697-1414 Funeral & Cremation Services Cremation Society of Pennsylvania Serving Cumberland County (800) 720-8221 Funeral Directors Cocklin Funeral Home, Inc. 30 N. Chestnut St., Dillsburg (717) 432-5312 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 www.50plusLifePA.com
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 Home care Services Homeland at Home Serving all of Cumberland County (717) 221-7892 Hospice Services Homeland at Home Serving all of Cumberland County (717) 221-7890 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 Capital Blue (888) 989-9015 (TTY: 711) Medicare (800) 633-4227
Nursing/Rehab Homeland Center 1901 N. Fifth St., Harrisburg (717) 221-7900 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 Homeland Center 1901 N. Fifth St., Harrisburg (717) 221-7900 Pharmacies CVS/pharmacy www.cvs.com Services Cumberland County Aging & Community Services (717) 240-6110 Toll-Free Numbers Bureau of Consumer Protection (800) 441-2555 Cancer Information Service (800) 422-6237
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 Passport Information (877) 487-2778 (V); 888-874-7793 (TTY) Social Security Fraud (800) 269-0217 Social Security Office (800) 772-1213 Veterans Services American Legion (717) 730-9100 Governor’s Veterans Outreach (717) 234-1681 Lebanon VA Medical Center 1700 S. Lincoln Ave., Lebanon (717) 228-6000 or (800) 409-8771 Veterans Affairs (717) 240-6178 or (717) 697-0371
Consumer Information (888) 878-3256
Not an all-inclusive list of advertisers in your area.
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August 2018
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Cover Story
On Wings and Waves, His Life’s Path Led to Pa. Corporate Office
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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 Jason Tabor As he jumped from the plane and floated through the air, wind blasting his face and brown-and-green squares of New Jersey farmland rushing up to meet him, Stephen DeBock thought, “Wow, I’m finally flying like Superman!” DeBock is a natural storyteller, and he has quite a long list of stories to tell. Fifteen years into his retirement from teaching, DeBock stays busy as ever as a published author — writing fantasy, horror, and zombie literature. As a young man, he achieved his dream of flying like his boyhood hero after taking up the hobby of sport parachuting, and this same drive guided him through an exciting and unconventional path in life before he and his wife, Joy, settled in Central Pennsylvania in 2006. “I couldn’t have known it at the time, but all roads eventually led me back to Hershey, Pa.,” laughs DeBock, a New Jersey native. At 76, DeBock’s life stories weave a complicated tapestry of a well-lived life governed by an attitude of “have a goal, work hard, pursue it, and make it happen!” Born outside of Newark, New Jersey, DeBock grew up with a passion for fishing and swimming; studied art, literature, and writing; and had a young man’s desire for adventure, which led him to enlisting in the Marine Corps after his high school graduation. “I didn’t know what I wanted to be when I grew up, but after meeting with the Marine recruiter, I thought that would be an avenue where I would mature and figure it out,” he says. After completing boot camp at Parris Island, DeBock
DeBock at Camp Lejeune in 1963, shortly before his release from active duty.
Following his summer vacation in Newport, 1960, President Eisenhower authorized this coin to be struck for each of the Marines who formed his security detail (including then-Pfc. DeBock).
DeBock has co-authored a trilogy of zombie novels with award-winning horror writer Ralph W. Bieber.
was selected to serve in the President’s Honor Guard, a prestigious Marine drill group where he would march in parades and ceremonial occasions in Washington, D.C., as well as military funerals at Arlington Cemetery. His unit also provided security for President Eisenhower at Camp David, and DeBock recounts the time when he was chosen to serve as a lifeguard for then-Vice President Nixon’s daughters, who wished to use the pool while on vacation. “They were 12 and 14 at the time,” he says. “Very pleasant kids.” DeBock remained in Washington long enough to march in President Kennedy’s inaugural parade and to serve as sentry during one of his Camp David visits. His Washington tour over, he transferred to Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, and participated in the Cuban blockade in 1962. He was released from active duty in 1963 and returned to his parents’ home in Toms River, New Jersey. “I didn’t realize it at the time, of course, but had I reenlisted, I probably would have ended up in Vietnam two years later,” he says. During his time at Camp Lejeune, DeBock would drive to Washington on the weekends, and one Saturday he went on a blind date with a young lady named Joy, whom he would marry in 1964. They took a winding road trip on their honeymoon, stopping in Hershey to tour the chocolate factory before reaching their destination of Niagara Falls. This long trip with many unexpected stops along the way would prove to be an overarching theme for their life together. Before the ’60s came to a close, the couple had two children, and DeBock was www.50plusLifePA.com
enrolled at Trenton State College (now College of “I feel wealthy because of the friendships I’ve made New Jersey), studying elementary education while throughout my life, especially the relationships forged working days as a lab technician at a chemical with former students — it sets my heart aglow,” he corporation. says. “My true passion was always the kids.” DeBock spent 33 years teaching fifth- to eighthDeBock and his wife are looking forward to grade English, reading, and social studies. celebrating their upcoming 54th wedding anniversary During this time, he completed a master’s degree with a Viking ocean cruise through Scandinavian in media studies and: taught night classes at a local countries in Europe, having already crossed the U.S. community college; opened a video rental store by car in 2011. with Joy; started a wedding video business; dabbled “Joy’s encouragement on these adventures, and her in sport parachuting; and, after earning his pilot’s participation in many, inspired me in too many ways license, he became a 20-year member of the Jersey to count. Our children and three grandchildren are Aero Club. continuing sources of pride and inspiration as well,” DeBock recounts flying friends and family into he says. the small airport adjoining Hersheypark to spend the “The world has so much to offer, and we’ve seen day in Chocolatetown, as well as bringing groups of so many families rooted to one job, one town, one schoolchildren to the park on field trips during his address for most of their lives,” DeBock says. “Roots teaching years. are important, but then again, so are wings.” Then there was the time he sold most of his earthly belongings to move onto a 42-foot trawler yacht with To read DeBock’s story on how he inspired an DeBock and his granddaughter, Adrienne, Joy. aviation career or two, see page 16. standing in the shadow of a “The kids were out of the house by this time, and Cessna Skyhawk’s wing following we’d done a lot of research and just decided to try the her first light airplane ride. On the cover, clockwise from left: During his teaching live-aboard life,” he says. years, DeBock flew friends and family from New Jersey Life on the yacht, which they named Homeroom, into the small airport adjoining Hersheypark. included summer cruises up and down the East Coast with friends and family. The Homeroom, the 42-year trawler yacht on which the DeBocks lived for three After three years as live-aboards, he and Joy sold the boat and designed and years. built a home on riverfront property in Toms River. President Eisenhower lays a wreath at tomb of World War I Gen. John “Black Jack” DeBock retired from teaching in 2003, and not surprisingly, has stayed Pershing, September 1960. DeBock is among the Marines in the second row. consistently busy ever since. Photo credit: United Press International In 2006, he and Joy sold their New Jersey home and moved to Hershey to be closer to a new grandchild, and “after 33 years of reading and grading students’ stories, I figured it was time for me to start writing in earnest as well.” A lifelong horror fan, DeBock says his writing career began as a whim. “I just wanted to see if I could do it. And then my short story about werewolves turned into a novel, and that turned into the Pentacle Pendant trilogy, blending horror and historical fiction that stretches back to the time of King James,” he says. This trilogy was followed by fantasy and adventure novels, and his most recent work is a trilogy of zombie novels co-authored with award-winning horror writer Ralph W. Bieber. DeBock has also authored a media education plan published by the state of New Jersey and contributed to essays appearing in Time magazine and on ABC World News Tonight. He and Bieber will appear at the Scares that Care Charity Weekend in Williamsburg, Virginia, the first weekend in August, to display and sell their work. In his limited free time, DeBock likes to stay active at the gym and remains in contact with more than 300 of his former students on social media.
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August 2018
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The Beauty in Nature
Birds Benefitting from Mowing Clyde McMillan-Gamber
A few kinds of summering birds that I have watched getting food in southeastern Pennsylvania benefit from lawn mowing in suburban areas and hay cutting in croplands.
These species are adaptable, common in much of North America, and entertaining to watch as they snap up invertebrates stirred into the air by machinery mowing grass or hay.
September 29, 2018 Overlook Park, Lancaster
Registration at 8:30 a.m. • Walk at 10:20 a.m.
October 8, 2018
City Island, Harrisburg Registration at 10 a.m. • Walk at 11:30 a.m.
October 20, 2018 John C. Rudy Park, York
Registration at 8:30 a.m. • Walk at 10:20 a.m. Easy online registration at http://www.alz.org/walk • Volunteer opportunities available. • Teams and individuals welcome.
Chapter Presenting Sponsors Registration brochures, team packets, and sponsorship packets available. For more information, please contact: Harrisburg Walk Katherine Ensell, Constituent Events Manager (717) 651-5020; klensell@alz.org
Lancaster/York Walk Fran Gibbons, Constituent Events Manager (717) 568-2595; fgibbons@alz.org
Alzheimer’s Association 2595 Interstate Drive, Suite 100 • Harrisburg, PA 17110
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And, most chimney swifts, interestingly, and purple these birds martins, which have learned are another kind to associate of swallow, are mowers of built similarly various kinds for catching with suddenly flying insects available food. in midair. American Examples of robins run and convergent stop, run and evolution, they stop over shortare all small, grass lawns speedy, and and watch maneuverable Gray catbird and listen for in flight and invertebrates have large at grass’s root mouths to level when they engulf their stop. prey. Mowers Entertaining moving over to watch, lawns flush out swallows and flying insects, swifts swoop particularly swiftly over froghoppers hayfields after and small, flying insects brown moths, stirred out of which the pretty clover robins see and and alfalfa fields Barn swallow grab with their by hay mowers. beaks. Mowers Beautiful make it easier poetry in for robins to get the food they already motion, the many swallows and swifts prey upon, and in greater abundance. weave in and out among their fellows Gray catbirds roam over lawns without collision, ever. And that in search of food much the way collection of graceful, airborne birds robins do. Catbirds, however, nest in moves up and down the hayfields thickets of shrubbery and vines along close behind and to the sides of the woodland edges and streambanks and mowers. in older suburban areas. When full of insects, the swallows I chuckle when mowing grass and line up on roadside wires to rest, see a catbird perched on the edge digest their meals, socialize, and preen of shrubbery to watch the mower’s their feathers. And when hungry progress across the lawn. again, off they go to follow the When the catbird spots a moth mowers across the hay fields to catch rising from the grass before the more flying insects. mower, it zips low across our lawn, These adaptable birds all get food seizes the insect in its bill right in more easily by following mowing front of the mower, and flips away machines on lawns and in fields. And with it to a perch to swallow its victim we are entertained by their foodand watch for more. gathering activities on those humanBarn swallows, tree swallows, made habitats, right at home. www.50plusLifePA.com
It Was 50 Years Ago Today
‘Harper Valley PTA’
Reach Active, Affluent Boomers & Seniors!
Randal Hill
In 1967, country artist Margie Johnson — storms into the Singleton recorded a Top 40 country afternoon PTA meeting, boldly hit with her cover version of Bobbie dressed in a miniskirt, and exposes Gentry’s “Ode to Billie Joe.” A year various instances of board-member later, Singleton asked songwriter Tom indiscretion and misbehavior, with her T. Hall, who had a knack for narrative final salvo being: and a keen eye for detail, to write her a This is just a little Peyton Place, and similar tune. you’re all Harper Valley hypocrites. Hall, who had once been a DJ in Ouch! Salem, Virginia, used to spend his free Jeannie C. Riley was a striking time writing poetry and strumming his 22-year-old from Stamford, Texas, $46 guitar. Later, after who in 1966 had moved creating minor country to Nashville with her hits for Jimmy Newman husband and infant and Dave Dudley, he daughter. Riley worked relocated to “Music as a $41-a-week secretary City”— Nashville, for a music publisher Tennessee. while recording demos Hall honored (demonstration records) Singleton’s request, part time. basing his “Harper Valley One day Riley cut PTA” melody on “Ode to a demo — in just one Billie Joe” and his lyrics take — of Hall’s “Harper on gossip that he had Valley PTA” for newly once overheard about formed Plantation “Harper Valley PTA” a young widow while Records. Upon learning By Jeannie C. Riley growing up in Olive Hill, that Margie Singleton had August 1968 Kentucky. already recorded Hall’s He later recounted, “I as-yet-unreleased ditty, was fascinated by [the widow’s] grit. the Plantation honchos rushed Riley’s To see this very insignificant, socially version onto the market in order to disenfranchised lady — a single beat the competition. mother — who was willing to march It turned out to be a wise business down to the local aristocracy and read move. Riley’s mini soap opera caught them the riot act, so to speak, was fire overnight and eventually topped fascinating.” both the country and the pop charts, His inspiration for the song’s title the first such feat for any female came about one afternoon when country recording artist. he noted the name Harpeth Valley Her song later inspired a 1978 film Elementary School as he drove through and, in 1981, a spinoff TV series, both the Nashville suburb of Bellevue. starring Barbara (I Dream of Jeannie) Hall’s slice-of-life song involves Eden playing put-upon Mrs. Johnson, a raucous confrontation between a who now had a first name: Stella. young widow and the local powers that Riley recorded five more Top 10 be, who object to her mode of dress, country hits for Plantation Records but her familiarity with the local men, and would never again enjoy another pop her social drinking. success, although her now-iconic single In the story, a junior-high girl brings proved popular enough to ensure her a her mother a note from the local PTA place of honor in 1960s music history. board that berates the lady for her Randal C. Hill is a rock ’n’ roll historian behavior and the bad example she is who lives at the Oregon coast. He may be setting for her daughter. reached at wryterhill@msn.com. The offended mother — Mrs. www.50plusLifePA.com
Reserve your space now for the 19th annual
Limited Sponsorship Opportunities Available
Oct. 17, 2018 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
For sponsorship and exhibitor information:
(717) 770-0140 &
www.50plusExpoPA.com 50plus LIFE ›
August 2018
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CCRCs/ Life Plan Communities Designed with their residents’ changing needs in mind, CCRCs (Continuing Care Retirement Communities)/Life Plan Communities offer a tiered approach to the aging process. Healthy adults entering these communities can live independently. When assistance with everyday activities becomes necessary, they can transition to personal care, assisted living, rehabilitation, or nursing care facilities. Some CCRCs/Life Plan Communities have designated dementia areas that address the progressing needs of people who have any form of dementia. In addition, some communities have sought out and earned accreditation from CARF International, signifying they have met CARF’s stringent set of quality standards. CCRCs/Life Plan Communities enable older adults to remain in one care system for the duration of their lives, with much of their future care already figured out—creating both comfort and peace of mind.
The listings with a shaded background have additional information about their center in a display advertisement in this edition. Bethany Village
325 Wesley Drive Mechanicsburg, PA 17055 Stephanie Lightfoot Director of Sales & Marketing (717) 766-0279 www.bethanyvillage.org
Homeland Center
Cornwall Manor
Cross Keys Village The Brethren Home Community
1 Boyd Street, P.O. Box 125 Cornwall, PA 17016 Jennifer Margut Director of Marketing (717) 274-8092 info@cornwallmanor.org www.cornwallmanor.org
2990 Carlisle Pike New Oxford, PA 17350 Amy Beste Senior Retirement Counselor (717) 624-5350 a.beste@crosskeysvillage.org www.crosskeysvillage.org
Pleasant View Retirement Community
Landis Homes
1901 North Fifth Street Harrisburg, PA 17102-1598 Barry S. Ramper II, N.H.A. President/CEO (717) 221-7902 www.homelandcenter.org
1001 East Oregon Road Lititz, PA 17543 Sarah Short Director of Residency Planning (717) 381-3549 sshort@landishomes.org www.landishomes.org
Woodcrest Villa Mennonite Home Communities
544 North Penryn Road Manheim, PA 17545 Amanda Hall Sales & Marketing Manager (717) 664-6207 ahall@pleasantviewrc.org www.pleasantviewrc.org
Zerbe Retirement Community
2499 Zerbe Road Narvon, PA 17555 Lynne Bickta Director of Independent Living (717) 445-8741 lbickta@zerberetirementcommunity.com www.zerberetirementcommunity.com
2001 Harrisburg Pike Lancaster, PA 17601 Connie Buckwalter Director of Marketing (717) 390-4126 www.woodcrestvilla.org
If you would like your CCRC/Life Plan Community to be featured on this page, please contact your account representative or call (717) 285-1350.
The CCRCs listed are sponsoring this message. This is not an all-inclusive list.
Exercise Boosts Immunity in Older Adults Exercise is good at any age, but scientists now think that regular exercise as you get older may help boost your immune system and prevent infections. An article on the BBC website reports that scientists in the United Kingdom tracked 125 long-distance cyclists, some in their 80s, and discovered they had immune systems comparable to those of 20-year-olds. The researchers examined the cyclists’ blood for
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T-cells, which aid the immune system in fighting off infections. The long-distance riders had the same level of T-cells as adults in their 20s, but a similar group of older adults who were less active produced fewer T-cells. The research suggests that increased physical activity can also help older people respond better to vaccines for such infections as the flu. www.50plusLifePA.com
Puzzle Page
CROSSWORD
Solutions for all puzzles can be found on page 18 SUDOKU
Across 1. Golden, for one 5. Small lizard 10. Energy source 14. Between ports 15. Elaine’s last name on Seinfeld 16. French Sudan, today 17. Twinge 18. Gives off 19. Rainbow goddess 20. Dismounted 22. Daisy ___ 23. Sheltered nook 24. Maple genus 25. The ocean, e.g.
WORD SEARCH
Double “O” Words
27. Cut of meat 29. Have a bawl 30. Shogun’s capital 31. Driving hazard 34. African antelope 38. ___ de force 40. Wrangles 42. Buffalo’s lake 43. Illegal firing 45. Position 47. Gasteyer of Mean Girls 48. Defective 50. Drool 52. Yellow or orange flowers
57. Salon supplies 58. Astronaut Bean 59. Quilting party 60. Brewer’s need 61. Bill & ___ Excellent Adventure 62. Corkwood 64. Water color 67. Donald Duck’s nephews, e.g. 68. Cay 69. Beach feature 70. Collar type 71. Retreats 72. On its way
25. Walks 26. Heartache 27. Kind of blocker 28. Raised railroads 32. “Mangia!” 33. Lock of hair 35. 1966 Peck, Loren thriller 36. He was dressed to the ___ 37. Expensive 39. First name in a Defoe book 41. Dog Day Afternoon role
44. Henpeck 46. Extinct pigeon relative 49. Workhorse 51. Go around 52. Photo finish 53. Like Argus 54. Dashboard feature 55. Renter’s paper 56. Small wooded hollows 60. Derbies 63. Tennis unit 65. Fancy vase 66. Toward the stern
Down 1. Mountain pass 2. Fit ___ fiddle 3. Obstinate 4. High fliers 5. Opposite of hinder 6. Rare find 7. True inner self 8. Beryllium, e.g. 9. Stocks and such 10. Friendly 11. Gypsy’s deck 12. Martini garnish 13. Scrooge 21. Nettles 24. Passion
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(717) 721-3004 50plus LIFE ›
August 2018
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Traveltizers
A Time-Traveling Trip to an Earlier America By Andrea Gross
I’m standing on a mesa 370 feet above the New Mexican desert. The sky is turquoise blue, the winds are blowing, and nearby a few people are making pottery while others are preparing food on outdoor ovens. This is the Acoma Pueblo, the oldest continuously inhabited community in North Homes in the age-old Acoma America. Pueblo lack water, electricity, As my husband and sewers. and I stroll the mesa’s dusty roads, we feel as if we’ve been transported to another world, one that existed a century or more ago. We want to learn more about this world, to experience it as best we can. Thus we decide to time travel to an earlier America. The next day we return to Acoma, and in the following weeks we expand
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our journey to include three other parts of the country: the antebellum South, the rugged Northwest, and the more established Northeast.
Tillicum Village lets visitors glimpse the beliefs and traditions of life in the Pacific Northwest centuries ago.
The Ancient Southwest In my mind, it’s 1861. Abraham Lincoln has just been elected president, the country is at war, and 2,000 miles from the battlefields, Pueblo Indians are living in
mud homes hardened by the sun. Their village, part of present-day New Mexico, won’t become part of the United States for another 50 years. Sky City, as the pueblo is often called, isn’t like most so-called living history
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museums, which are filled with reconstructed buildings and costumed interpreters. It’s authentic to the core, a genuine community where about 50 people choose to live in their ancestral homes and follow ancient traditions. Acoma offers us an unfiltered view of a time and world long gone. It’s exactly what we wanted. The Pacific Northwest A 45-minute boat ride from Seattle takes us to Tillicum Village, where we’re introduced to the lifestyle of people who lived in the Pacific Northwest long before white settlers began arriving in the early 1850s. We’re greeted by a man in Native garb who hands us an appetizer of steamed clams before leading us to a long buffet Many Native cultures used totems to table filled with fresh fruits and symbolize the relationship between vegetables, venison stew, and animals, humans, and the land. salmon that was prepared over an open-pit fire. “This is the same type of food that was eaten by Chief Sealth, the Duwarmish Indian leader after whom Seattle was named,” he says. After dinner, we watch a multimedia show, replete with masked dancers and a narrator who relates ancient tales. Like the village itself, the presentation doesn’t focus on a specific tribe but instead helps visitors understand the beliefs and traditions of a generalized group of people. To ensure cultural accuracy, the show was developed with the help of local tribes. The Antebellum Southeast It takes us two days to explore the Great River Road that runs 70 miles between New Orleans and Baton Rouge. In the mid-19th century, there were more than 300 plantations in this part of Louisiana; today, about a dozen have been restored and are open to visitors. Each plantation is different, and each deepens our understanding of the country that Abraham Lincoln was elected to govern. We begin at Whitney Plantation, which is dedicated to interpreting the experience of enslaved people in Louisiana. Although we walk through the plantation home, which has the oldest kitchen in Louisiana, it’s the memorial walls and first-person slave narratives that more fully transport us back to the past. It’s a sobering introduction to the Antebellum South. At Destrehan we see an old sugar plantation. At Laura Plantation we tour a house that was home to four generations of a Creole family, both free and enslaved. And at Oak Alley we get a multidimensional view of antebellum life by touring six reconstructed slave quarters as well the stately master’s home. The More Established Northeast Not far from the well-known living history sites of the East Coast, such as Plymouth and Williamsburg, both of which represent specific time periods, is the Bronck House, a lesser-known and truly fascinating museum in Coxsackie, New York. Here, visitors can immerse themselves in the life of one family for 276 years. www.50plusLifePA.com
Pieter Bronck, a Swedish immigrant, purchased the land from the Katskill Indians in 1662. The property passed from generation to generation until 1939, when the last family owner willed the entire complex to the Greene County Historical Society. There’s a 1663 stone house and a 1738 brick house, as well as a kitchen dependency (detached kitchen). In addition, there’s a 13sided barn built in the 1830s, a New World Dutch barn, and a Victorian horse barn. Taken together, these structures show how the family was affected by the changing economy and new architectural techniques. As was the case with Acoma, Tillicum Village, and the Louisiana plantations, the Bronck House is indeed a passport to another world.
Grand oak trees line the road to Oak Alley plantation, which is built in the Greek Revival style.
Eleven original buildings are still standing on the old Bronck family property.
For more information on these and other such sites, see “Napkin Notes” on www.traveltizers.com. Photos © Irv Green unless otherwise noted; story by Andrea Gross (www.andreagross.com).
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Soldier Stories
The Fighting Quaker Robert Naeye
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Retired schoolteacher Jim Dixon Dixon decided to join the Marine was raised a Quaker. But unlike most Corps. When he told them he was a Quakers, who are pacifists, Dixon Quaker, he had to sign extra papers, joined the U.S. Marine Corps and and later he had to sign additional experienced brutal combat in the papers to be sent to Vietnam. Vietnam War. The marines trained Dixon to be Dixon grew up in the countryside, an MP, a military policeman. His with the closest city being unit spent four months in California Wilmington, working Delaware. with the “Some highway patrol people say they learning how had to walk a to conduct mile to school. arrests and use Well, I had to handcuffs. walk a mile Dixon, to get to the along with school bus,” he the other men recalls. in his unit, His parents crossed the were members Dixon was recently the guest speaker at Pacific on the a meeting of the Central Pennsylvania of the Society Upshur. It was Vietnam Roundtable. of Friends, a miserable better known experience. as Quakers. “There were But Dixon’s father had fought against 600 marines and 593 of them were Germany in World War II, and his seasick,” he recalls. uncle fought in the Korean War. But when his unit arrived in “I thought it was my turn to Vietnam, they were assigned regular fight for the country and stop the infantry duties and never used any of communists from taking over the police training they received in Southeast Asia. That’s one of the California. reasons I joined the military,” says The infantry took 83.5 percent of Dixon, who adds that he knew he the casualties in Vietnam. According was fully capable of aiming a gun at to Dixon, World War II infantrymen another human being and pulling the experienced an average of 40 days of trigger. combat. In Vietnam, that number
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skyrocketed to 240 days. “I was a grunt. If you were in the infantry, you didn’t have tents. You’d just find a dry puddle and crawl up in there and go to sleep,” he says. On Christmas Day 1966, a cargo plane crashed near his base. Dixon and his men had to collect the bodies, many of them charred and burned, and then place them in plastic bags in the pouring rain. Not surprisingly, Dixon describes this as “the worst Christmas I have ever had.” Dixon also explains how he and his colleagues often As a Quaker, Dixon had to sign extra had to remove leeches, which were omnipresent in water. papers to enter the Marine Corps. The men couldn’t feel these creatures at all, even as they burrowed one of their two heads under the skin. The leeches could enter anywhere on the body but would frequently crawl toward a man’s private parts. The men would often have to burn them off with a cigarette. Often men would burn leeches off each other. “But when it comes time to burn them off your genitalia, you’d have to do that yourself,” says Dixon. And if all this wasn’t bad enough, often their M16 rifles would jam during combat. Dixon recalls an incident where his unit came across five dead Marines, all of whom were in various stages of using a cleaning rod to unjam their rifles. Near the end of his tour, he was involved in a firefight with North Vietnamese soldiers. “There were basically 240 of us that walked into the Dixon and his colleagues often had valley, and 80 of us walked out.” to remove leeches, which Speaking of his unit, Dixon says, “We were together that were omnipresent in water, whole time; I got to know those guys and they knew me, from their bodies. right up until the time they died. Sometimes we had to go
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and identify their bodies.” After returning stateside, Dixon served as a guard at the Pentagon until his tour of duty ended. He later attended Millersville University and married a woman named Patricia. “When I came back, I never told anybody I had been to Vietnam. When I went to Millersville, every student and professor was antiwar. They all hated the war. “So I just kept it a secret. I took all my memories, put them in a box, and carried them around in my brain inside my head, and I locked them in a closet and forgot about them. My wife didn’t know a lot of the things that went on.” Dixon taught junior high school history classes for 28 years. He and Patricia have two sons, one of whom drove a Bradley tank during Operation Desert Storm. Dixon says he still suffers mildly from post-traumatic stress syndrome, a common illness for Vietnam veterans. “To this day, I still don’t like fireworks on the Fourth of July,” says Dixon. “I don’t like the sounds of helicopters. The last time I was on a helicopter, they shot the pilot. That’s one reason I don’t fly helicopters.” At his wife’s suggestion, he wrote a book about his experiences, Things I’ ll Never Forget: Memories of a Marine in Vietnam. It took him 47 years to summon the energy to write this memoir, but Dixon says the writing process was therapeutic. The book is available from Amazon and some of the proceeds go to veterans. Robert Naeye is a freelance journalist living in Derry Township. He is the former editor-in-chief of Sky & Telescope magazine. advertisement
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Cumberland County
Calendar of Events
Support Groups Free and open to the public Sundays, 7:15 p.m. Outreach Al-Anon Family Group Meeting Chapel Hill United Church of Christ 701 Poplar Church Road Camp Hill (717) 448-7881 Other meeting times/locations at www.pa-al-anon.org
Aug. 2, 6:30 p.m. Too Sweet: Diabetes Support Group Chapel Hill United Church of Christ 701 Poplar Church Road Camp Hill (717) 557-9041 Aug. 6, 4-5 p.m. Caregivers Support Group Messiah Lifeways Meetinghouse 1155 Walnut Bottom Road, Carlisle (717) 243-0447
Mondays, 7 p.m. Hope on Simpson Al-Anon Family Group Meeting First United Methodist Church 135 W. Simpson St., Mechanicsburg (717) 448-7881 Other meeting times/locations at www.pa-al-anon.org
Aug. 7, 6 p.m. CanSurmount Cancer Support Group HealthSouth Acute Rehab Hospital 175 Lancaster Blvd., Mechanicsburg (717) 691-6786
Tuesdays, noon Anchor Al-Anon Family Group Meeting The Harbor 55 W. King St., Shippensburg (717) 448-7881 Other meeting times/locations at www.pa-al-anon.org
Aug. 7, 6-7 p.m. Alzheimer’s Support Group Senior Helpers 3806 Market St., Suite 3 Camp Hill (717) 920-0707 Aug. 8, 1:30 p.m. Parkinson’s Support Group Bethany Village West Springfield Room 325 Asbury Drive, Mechanicsburg (717) 877-0624
Aug. 1, 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
Aug. 8, 5-6 p.m. Weight Loss Support Group Geisinger Holy Spirit Hospital Auditorium 503 N. 21st St., Camp Hill (717) 761-7244, ext. 5 https://events.geisinger.org
Aug. 1, 7 p.m. Caregivers Support Group Cumberland County Office of Aging 1100 Claremont Road, Carlisle (717) 240-6110
Senior Center Activities Aug. 13, 1:30-3 p.m. Caregivers Support Group St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Church 310 Hertzler Road Upper Allen Township (717) 766-8806 Aug. 13, 6 p.m. A Touch of Sugar: Diabetes Support Group Wegmans 6416 Carlisle Pike, Mechanicsburg (717) 763-2466 https://events.geisinger.org Aug. 14, 6:30-8 p.m. Carlisle Area Men’s Cancer Support Group The Live Well Center 3 Alexandria Court, Carlisle (717) 877-7561 sirbrady12@gmail.com Aug. 16, 1 p.m. Caregiver Support Group Mechanicsburg Church of the Brethren 501 Gale St., Mechanicsburg (717) 766-8880 Aug. 21, 6:30 p.m. Alzheimer’s/Dementia Caregivers Support Group Cumberland Crossings 1 Longsdorf Way, Carlisle (717) 243-0113 Aug. 28, 6 p.m. Multiple Sclerosis Support Group HealthSouth Rehabilitation Hospital 175 Lancaster Blvd., Mechanicsburg (717) 486-3596 apcoulson@comcast.net
Library Programs Bosler Memorial Library, 158 W. High St., Carlisle, (717) 243-4642 Aug. 8, 11:30 a.m. – Know Your Options: Building Blocks for Financial Success Aug. 9, 6 p.m. – Overview of Life Insurance Aug. 8, 10:30 a.m.; Aug. 9, 7 p.m. – How to Guarantee Your Retirement Income Cleve J. Fredricksen Library, 100 N. 19th St., Camp Hill, (717) 761-3900 Aug. 7, 10 a.m. – Curl Up with the Classics: Murder on the Orient Express Aug. 16, 9:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. – Blood Pressure Screenings by Geisinger Holy Spirit
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Aug. 28, 7 p.m. – Dare 2B Tick Aware by Pa. Lyme Resource Network New Cumberland Public Library, 1 Benjamin Plaza, New Cumberland, (717) 774-7820 Aug. 3, 6:30 p.m. – Diane Ruth Armour Bartels and the Story of Evelyn Sharp Aug. 11, 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. – Write-On Writers Workshop Aug. 22, 6 p.m. – PennWriters Writing Group If you have an event you would like to include, please email information to mjoyce@onlinepub.com for consideration.
Big Spring Senior Center – (717) 776-4478 91 Doubling Gap Road, Suite 1, Newville Wednesdays, 8:30-9:30 a.m. – Yoga at Big Spring Presbyterian Church Aug. 15, 8 a.m. – Camp Eder Aug. 22, 9:3 0 a.m. – MindMatters: Human Trafficking in the United States Branch Creek Place – (717) 300-3563 115 N. Fayette St., Shippensburg Carlisle Senior Action Center – (717) 249-5007 20 E. Pomfret St., Carlisle July 10, 10-11 a.m. – Free Blood Pressure Checks 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 Submit senior center events to mjoyce@onlinepub.com.
Community Programs
Free and open to the public
Mondays and Wednesdays, noon SilverSneakers Exercise Class Susquehanna View Apartments Community Room 208 Senate Ave., Camp Hill (717) 439-4070 jesseswoyer.com@gmail.com Aug. 8, 11:30 a.m. NARFE West Shore Chapter 1465 VFW Post 7530 4545 Westport Drive, Mechanicsburg (717) 774-4031 www.narfe1465.org Visitors welcome; meeting is free but fee for food. Aug. 12, 6 p.m. New Cumberland Town Band Performance Concert on the Lawn St. Theresa Church 1300 Bridge St., New Cumberland www.nctownband.org Aug. 19, 6:30 p.m. New Cumberland Town Band Performance Adams-Ricci Park 100 E. Penn Drive, Enola www.nctownband.org Aug. 28, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Veterans’ Expo & Job Fair – Capital Area Radisson Hotel Harrisburg 1150 Camp Hill Bypass, Camp Hill (717) 285-1350 www.50plusexpopa.com
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Booming Voice
Fun, Fun, Fun Until … Bill Levine
A decade ago, my 88-year-old dad lamented being forced to stop driving. “I should never have stopped driving. It is killing me,” he said. He even fancifully insinuated that my sister had squealed on him to the doctor who de-licensed him just so she could appropriate his car. From the bully pulpit of his corduroy couch, I rebutted Dad’s wisdom of voyaging in his Volvo by reminding him that his across-hall neighbor was the poster person for tragic senior driving, as she had killed a pedestrian. But after this cautionary speech, I still felt sad for him because 70 years of his independence had been siphoned off. Now I am contemplating buying a new car, which just might be my last car, even though I am only 65. I may be off the road before 75 and struggling with a new reduced normal myself. The culprit forcing me off the road will not be incipient dementia or glaucoma. It will be non-verbal learning disorder (NLD), a spatial disability. If I do have to hang up my key fob in the next few years, I will still proudly acknowledge that I held NLD to a drawer by remaining in good standing on the road for 48 years. Right now, though, my wife and two sons don’t see it that way. Last summer, my younger son, Matt, insisted I ride shotgun in my own car because he experienced a near-demo-derby with me at the wheel. I was not insulted by this request because I have been an uneasy passenger during my own driving. For instance, at 16 I started driving
lessons, and once the lessons migrated to two lanes, the wheel felt unusually clammy. Calibrating the safe timeand-space window for lane changing seemed overwhelming. I wasn’t very surprised or angry, then, when the driving instructor said I would need an extra batch of 12 lessons to be road-test ready. After all, locomotive independence was not my strong suit. I had only cast off my bike’s training wheels at age 9. I practiced until I finally felt less endangered when driving my own car, and at 21 I acquired a ’68 Ford Fairlane. But through the Fairlane, Pinto, Previa, and three Corollas, I have never inspired confidence or gained total self-confidence as a driver. This is because of too many of the following: missed turns, abrupt stops, interminable looping in public garages, ill-advised lane changing, and 5,000 miles driven completely lost. In 2014 my wife was worried over the prospect of my soloing in the family Highlander for 300 miles to pick up Matt at college. First she asked that I take a friend with me
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who could at the least say, “Watch out.” Then, fearing for the Highlander, she espoused my renting a car for the trip. This didn’t make sense. Was I supposed to go to Enterprise and say, “I need to rent a car in case I crash”? Eventually, I was able to argue for my dignity, if not my driving skills, and with some trepidation set the Highlander’s GPS toward Pennsylvania. Then, last year, I had a disturbing conversation with my insurance company. I asked about the impact of committing two fender benders in a calendar year. The customer rep replied in a confidential tone, “Normally, after two at-fault accidents you are put in a high-risk pool, but since you have been such a long-term customer, we won’t do this.”
There are a lot of experiences I could conjure up to ease the pain of no wheels and spearhead a prompt decision. I survived college for three years without a car when friends where tooling around campus in VW bugs or pink El Dorados. Presumably, my wife would let me warm the passenger seat, or, if I can somehow figure out the app, Uber could save the day. Still, I imagine that giving up driving involves a down-shifting that is not easy to execute. It will be hard to abandon the notion that anyone with one good eye and a GPS can at least drive down the block to get a newspaper — except me. Maybe I will luck out and production of the driverless car will ramp up sooner than later. Otherwise, I will be faced with the agonizing decision of when to turn in my ice scraper and old AAA maps. I picture myself as having the strength to do this. If not, my fate will be like the girl in the Beach Boys song: I’ll have “fun, fun, fun” until an authoritative relative takes my T-bird or Toyota Corolla or used Hyundai away. Bill Levine is a retired IT professional and active freelance writer. Bill aspires to be a humorist because it is easier to be pithy than funny.
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August 2018
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The Ripple Effect: A Pilot, a Teacher, and a Teen By Stephen M. DeBock
and one day he told me he’d been approved to fly the F-117 stealth fighter. My friend Bill passed No sooner had he checked away some years ago, and out in the craft than Gulf following his interment War I broke out, and he I wrote two letters. One was off to do battle, always was to his wife, expressing in the zero dark thirty gratitude for his having hours, returning to base introduced me to the world before first light. of private flying, as well as Following the war’s his encouragement while conclusion, I received a I earned my own pilot’s phone call from Dale. license. “Would you like to The other was to a see some cockpit tapes?” younger friend named Dale Dale Zelko, seen here in a An F-117 Nighthawk stealth fighter jet, he asked. “I’m on leave Zelko, to inform him that U.S. Air Force portrait, wasn’t rarely seen by civilians. visiting my mom. You’re although he’d never had the only one of DeBock’s invited to join the family the pleasure of meeting former students to go on to for dinner.” Bill, had it not been for his become a pilot. The next evening, as earlier influence on me, I watched the incredible he — Dale — might never night-vision videos have embarked upon his taken from his cockpit, I own aviation career. noticed Dale fiddling with Here’s how it unfolded: something in his hand. It looked like a piece of broken lanyard with a metal Back in the days before litigation eclipsed baseball as the national pastime, clip at one end. Captain Queeg with the ball bearings came to mind, but I I used to offer my middle-school students afterschool sightseeing flights in pretended not to notice. my flying club’s single-engine aircraft. Once at cruising altitude, I’d show the Afterward, he said something I’ve never forgotten: youngster in the right seat the dual controls, explain how they work, and invite “I love to fly; I love my country; and I love to fly for my country. Now, on him or her to try flying the plane. one of my sorties, I realized that if it hadn’t been for that flight you took me on The kids would usually be quick to take hold of the yoke — whereupon the way back when, I almost certainly wouldn’t be doing what I’m doing today.” plane would porpoise through the sky as they tried to adapt to the delicacy of I nodded, unsure where this was going. the controls. “So I dedicated my target that night to you, and although I can’t tell you Most quickly gave up, but Dale didn’t. From the start, he held the Cessna what it was, you’ll be pleased to know it’s now a pile of debris.” He held out stable and maintained altitude; further, he kept a proper scan forward, to the what he’d been holding. “This is the arming clip from that smart bomb. It’s sides, and up and down. yours.” Oh, he’s flown before, I thought, maybe with a relative who owns a plane. Dale asked me next what the instruments represented, and he nodded as *** I explained their functions. Soon he was making precision turns to specific headings, at my direction. The kid was good. By the time Dale presented me with this treasured memento, the attorney Oh yeah, he’s done this a lot of times before. for the board of education had long put an end to my student flights. When the hour was up, I landed the plane, refueled it, and returned it to He opined that even though the permission slips I’d sent home specified I the tie-down area, with Dale studying my every move. I thought he might be was acting as a private citizen and not as a school employee, the fact that I’d comparing me with his pilot relative. used the school’s ditto machine to print the slips, and that I’d mentioned the Once I’d settled my account for the hour flown, I walked Dale to the flights during school time and on school grounds, made the board liable for parking lot, where his mother was waiting. As we walked, I asked him how any student injuries that might occur. many times he’d flown before today. He was right, of course, and yes, I’d been naïve even to risk driving my “None,” he answered. “This was my first time in a plane.” students to the airport, much less putting them aboard a plane. I was stunned. After a moment’s thought, I said, “Dale, it’s not my place But when I consider the beauty of introducing my kids to the wonders of to tell you what to do with your life. But from what you’ve demonstrated just flight — Dale wasn’t the only one who went on to become a pilot — I bless my now, I’d say you were born to the yoke.” youthful naïveté. A modest sort, he gave me a simple thank-you as we greeted his mom and As for Dale, his career took him to the Yugoslavian conflict in 1999, where made our farewells for the day. his stealth fighter was blown out of the sky by a ground-fired missile. His account of the against-all-odds, literally-in-the-nick-of-time combat *** search and rescue made for a compelling two-hour debriefing he gave his Time passed, and when Dale was a high school junior, he sent a letter asking family, my wife, and me upon his safe return. But that’s a story for another time. if I would consider writing a commendation for him to the Air Force Academy, something I was proud and honored to do. Dale graduated the academy and became a fighter pilot. We stayed in touch, Please see our profile of writer Stephen DeBock on page 4.
Air Force Day is Aug. 1
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Lifting Therapy Caps is a Load off Medicare Patients’ Shoulders By Susan Jaffe Physical therapy helps Leon Beers, 73, get out of bed in the morning and maneuver around his home using his walker. Other treatment strengthens his throat muscles so that he can communicate and swallow food, said his sister, Karen Morse. But in mid-January, his home healthcare agency told Morse it could no longer provide these services because he had used all his therapy benefits allowed under Medicare for the year. Beers, a retired railroad engineer, has a form of Parkinson’s disease. The treatments slow its destructive progress and “he will need it for the rest of his life,” Morse said. But under a recent change in federal law, people who qualify for Medicare’s therapy services will no longer lose them because they used too much. “It is a great idea,” said Beers. “It will help me get back to walking.” The federal budget agreement Congress approved in February removes annual caps on how much Medicare pays for physical, occupational, or speech therapy and streamlines the medical review process. It applies to people in traditional Medicare as well as those with private Medicare Advantage policies. As of Jan. 1, Medicare beneficiaries are eligible for therapy indefinitely as
long as their doctor — or in some states, physician assistant, clinical nurse specialist, or nurse practitioner — confirms their need for therapy and they continue to meet other requirements. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services has notified healthcare providers about the change. And under a 2013 court settlement, they won’t lose coverage simply because they have a chronic disease that doesn’t get better. “Put those two things together, and it means that if the care is ordered by a doctor and it is medically necessary to have a skilled person provide the services to maintain the patient’s condition, or prevent or slow decline, there is not an arbitrary limit on how long or how much Medicare will pay for that,” said Judith Stein, executive director of the Center for Medicare Advocacy. But don’t be surprised if the Medicare website doesn’t mention the change. Information on the website will be revised “as soon as possible,” said a spokesman, who declined to be identified. However, information from the 800-Medicare helpline has been updated. Until then, patients can refer to the CMS update posted for providers. Kaiser Health News is a nonprofit news service covering health issues. It is an editorially independent program of the Kaiser Family Foundation, which is not affiliated with Kaiser Permanente. https://khn.org
Study Names 10 Worst States for Women’s Retirement New research by comparison site Expert Market has investigated the best and worst states for women to retire to, identifying the places that offer the best quality of life for women who are ready to stop working and lead a life of leisure. At a time when American women are almost twice as likely as men to live below the poverty line during retirement, the new study is the first to deliver a femalefirst outlook on the best states to retire. “Since women often get the rough deal in terms of retirement and increasingly cash-strapped pension funds risk leaving millions of Americans high and dry, we thought it was important to look into the factors that can make or break a state’s appeal for women of retirement age,” Karla McDougall, who headed up this research for Expert Market, said. The study investigates the retirement environment in 50 states by cross-referencing data on women’s opportunities and well-being, the number of retirees in each state, the cost of living, healthcare quality, weather statistics, economic health scores, and state-tax friendliness to determine the best place for women to head to when they’re ready to retire. Ready for Retirement? Avoid New York New York scored a disappointing 27th for women’s www.50plusLifePA.com
opportunities and well-being, rendering it the worst of all the states in which to be a woman in retirement. The Empire State performs poorly across the board, particularly in terms of its tough economy, ranking in the bottom two for state-tax friendliness, where the tax rate is 27 percent higher than the U.S. average. Expensive living costs and a high unemployment rate (5 percent) pushed New York to the bottom of the ranking. Mississippi and Louisiana also placed among the five worst states to retire to, scoring poorly for women’s
Bottom 10 States for Women’s Retirement 50. New York 49. Illinois 48. Alaska 47. Mississippi 46. New Jersey 45. Louisiana 44. Wyoming 43. Connecticut 42. Washington 41. Indiana
Top 10 States for Women’s Retirement 1. Hawaii 2. New Hampshire 3. Tennessee 4. Iowa 5. Delaware 6. Oregon 7. Vermont 8. North Dakota 9. Maine 10. Arizona
please see STUDY page 19
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Building a Strong Social Network is Job No. 1 for ‘Solo Agers’ By Sara Zeff Geber, Ph.D. If you are like me, a child-free Solo Ager, you have a more limited network of relationships than your parent peers. For a parent, each child represents another factor in their network of relationships. The children’s relationships with their friends and, eventually, in-laws become part of the parents’ relationship network as well. As a Solo Ager, if you are part of a couple, the strongest connection in your social network is probably your partner. If you are single, the strongest connections might be with your siblings or close friends. Lesser, but still important, relationships are with cousins, sometimes nieces and nephews, and often with additional friends. Community ties are often stronger for people without children as well. Strong evidence exists for a direct connection between social support resources (relationships) and good mental health. Strong social networks have buffering effects when we go through painful events or experience temporary stressors. Relationships are critical for everyone, and especially for those of us who are child-free. Friends, relatives, and community ties are not just nice-to-have pieces of your life; they are key to your survival! Anyone over 60 will likely tell you they have seen their primary relationships change over the years. Ideally, these changes marked a steady progression toward a core social support system, one that is mutual and rewarding to both parties. For older parents, primary relationships include their adult children, whether those children are enjoyable to be around or not. For the rest of us, relationships are much more a matter of choice. If you are finding you need to bolster your friendship network and you aren’t sure where to start, you may find the following suggestions helpful: Look around you. Who lives in your neighborhood that you don’t yet know? Could you form a stronger friendship with a close neighbor?
Go back to school. Is there a language you have always wanted to learn? A hobby you would like to pursue? A computer skill you wish you possessed? Classes are a great place to meet new friends with similar interests. In addition to extension programs at local colleges, Osher Lifelong Learning Institute (OLLI) programs can be found on the campuses of many colleges across the country. Check out the Bernard Osher Foundation’s website (www.osherfoundation.org). Are you interested in traveling? Taking a trip with likeminded older adults can spark some terrific friendships. Road Scholar (formerly Elder Hostel) is a tour company that serves only older adults. Start online. In the same way young people are now meeting and getting to know one another through social media before they ever have a face-to-face encounter, older people can begin to form friendships in the same way. You can connect with all kinds of special-interest groups by searching online. My husband likes to quote something his mother told him when he was in junior high: “To have a friend, you need to be a friend.” Somewhere along the way, as your relationship develops, look for an opportunity to do something for your new friend. Offer a ride to the airport or an invitation to a dinner party. You may have the opportunity to offer caregiving after a minor medical procedure. These kinds of small gestures are the glue that holds relationships together. Sara Zeff Geber, Ph.D., is a speaker, retirement coach, founder of LifeEncore, and author of Essential Retirement Planning for Solo Agers: A Retirement and Aging Roadmap for Single and Child-free Adults. Geber lives with her husband in Santa Rosa, Calif. www.lifeencore.com
Puzzles shown on page 9
Puzzle Solutions
What are you interested in? Join one of the thousands of “Meetups” occurring in communities every day around the United States (www.meetup. com). Stitch (www.stitch.net) also links people who share interests.
What do you care about? Whether your passion is local politics, animal rights, road safety, or practicing medicine halfway around the globe, volunteer opportunities exist for you to help change the world and at the same time meet likeminded people. If you are unsure about how to get started, try VolunteerMatch (www. volunteermatch.org).
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www.50plusLifePA.com
From left, Jean Adams, Joe Bistline, Phyllis Frederick, Ellsworth Miller, Alma Stewart, Barrie Ann George (director, BB/BS Capital Region), Helen Milliron (organizer and chief cheerleader), John Durnin, Joan Wolfe, Louise Makowski, Eileen Allison; and Jeanne Milesend.
Wii Bowlers Raise $6,643 for Big Brothers Big Sisters In their second year of hosting a Wii Bowling competition among the residents of Letort Manor at Church of God Home in Carlisle, Helen Milliron and a cadre of likeminded neighbors recently raised $6,643 for Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Capital Region. That brings their two-year total to nearly $14,000.
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Aloha, Hawaii At the other end of the spectrum, Hawaii has emerged as the No. 1 state for women to retire to, with the best healthcare ranking of any state in the study. With one of the most accessible Medicaid criteria seen across all 50 states, it’s no wonder that Hawaiians have one of the highest life expectancies in the country. The island state also showed high women’s-opportunities score and a thriving retiree community — 16 percent of the population is over 65. Retirement Party in Florida or Vermont? With nearly a fifth of the population (19 percent) over 65, Florida has the largest retiree community of all 50 states. Despite Florida’s popularity amongst senior citizens, however, the Sunshine State scored particularly badly in terms of women’s opportunities and wellbeing, with one of the highest rates of uninsured females, pushing it into 11th place. Conversely, Vermont fairs much better. The state has one of the biggest elderly communities (17 percent of inhabitants are over the age of 65), good-quality healthcare, and the third-highest women’s well-being score, making it the seventh best place overall for women of retirement age. Pennsylvania came in 33rd in the research rankings. For more about the retirement study, visit www.expertmarket.com/focus/ research/best-states-for-women-to-retire. www.50plusLifePA.com
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STUDY from page 17 opportunities and well-being. Mississippi has the worst healthcare of all 50 states, and Louisiana comes in the bottom 10 having one of the smallest retiree communities in the study.
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DENTAL Insurance Physicians Mutual Insurance Company
A less expensive way to help get the dental care you deserve If you’re over 50, you can get coverage for about $1 a day* Keep your own dentist! You can go to any dentist you want No wait for preventive care and no deductibles – you could get a checkup tomorrow
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*Individual plan. Product not available in MN, MT, NH, NM, RI, VT, WA. Acceptance guaranteed for one insurance policy/certificate of this type. Contact us for complete details about this insurance solicitation. This specific offer is not available in CO, NY; call 1-800-969-4781 or respond for similar offer. Certificate C250A (ID: C250E; PA: C250Q); Insurance Policy P150 (GA: P150GA; NY: P150NY; OK: P150OK; TN: P150TN) 6096E-0917 MB17-NM008Ec