Complimentary | Dauphin County Edition
April 2019 • Vol. 21 No. 4
have books, will travel page 4
special focus: foot health awareness month page 14
5 mistakes to avoid in retirement page 18
Booming Voice
Time of My Life Bill Levine
A few months ago, my childhood friend asked me if I would help out with our high school’s 50th reunion. I immediately said yes. Then I immediately had second thoughts. Certainly, I had no obvious incentives to attend a prospective Newton South High 50th reunion. For one thing, all my close friends from high school continued to live in the area, so there was no need to meet, say, a high school buddy who had been incognito since heading off to breed yaks in Tibet. And besides, I was never fixated on rekindling my relationship with my imaginary high school sweetheart. I can offer only normal bragging rights at the reunion, telling classmates that I have had a decent career and been blessed with a family of a wife and two boys. I wouldn’t be attending to bask in the limelight of a Nobel Prize or to flaunt my killing in cryptocurrency. I wouldn’t be exacting the revenge of the A/V club nerd by touting my invention of the hologram. Why, then, was I even thinking of rehashing these years via attending the reunion, and worse, extending the rehash via committee work? I’m going to my 50th for one reason: to tap into the collective consciousness of our Newton childhoods that will permeate the function hall.
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It will be the cumulative creation of 100 or so reunionattendee classmates who all existed with me in time at the same age and at the same longitude and latitude, with the added bonus of 50 years’ perspective on our most evocative years. Truly, I expect a memorable event that will be nostalgia on steroids with a dose of wistfulness. For a couple of hours, my mirror image will feature my acne and freckles instead of this other person’s wrinkles and lines. Our class’s collective consciousness will, I’m sure, unearth a buried-memory time capsule circa 1969 of long-forgotten objects. We will pull out our mental map of a less busy Route 9, where instead of today’s mega-mall, featuring American Girl Doll tea parties and resident Apple Inc. genius techies, we will see Shopper’s World in Framingham. This was the premier local shopping center, holding the only west suburban Jordan Marsh and the largest suburban movie showcase: a real, live twincinema complex. Our class’s aggregate consciousness will dig up memories of all the old shop signs of Newton Center in the 1950s and ’60s. This means that we will see GARB DRUG where the CVS sign is today. We will remember, instead of CVS’s Goldfish crackers and caramel-based Turtles candy, GARB’s offerings of real goldfish and pre-salmonella-days pet turtles. The most cogent collective consciousness for me will be the common cultural recollections of the perhaps one-third of my class that called home the Jewish enclave of Oak Hill, a Newton village. These memories are for me are both nostalgic and, 50 years later, still possessing identity clout. For me and no doubt many of my fellow members of NSHS’s class of 1969, Oak Hill was, in our baby boomer childhoods, under a postwar Jewish cultural current that blew strongly in our neighborhood. Indeed, the one collective memory that will be as palpable in the room as the NSHS banner is the Oak Hill postwar mantra that we Jews were lukewarmly thrown into the melting pot. We remember our parents telling us to just be cautious around the gentiles. We heard the Yiddish names for non-Jewish spouses recited to us, not flatly, but with a sneer. The Holocaust was not history back then; it was more current events in its emotional impact on the neighborhood. We knew parents who were survivors. Finally, even if we disregarded some of our parents’ attitudes, the fact that we were living in a Jewish “golden ghetto” gave some credence to the existence of a still anti-Semitic world out there. The powerful memories of growing up not-quite-assimilated 50 or 60 years ago lurk in all of us Oak Hillers. Thus I wouldn’t be unhappy if my younger son meets a Jewish girl on his current birthright trip to Israel, as I remember Oak Hill’s block after block of Jewish couples in the ’60s. Maybe there will be a 60th reunion, and maybe I will be around to attend. But maybe not. I am then taking in our 50th as my last shot to experience the wistful and nostalgic collective consciousness of my graduating class. I won’t need to snag a door prize. I will win by just showing up and grooving out like it’s 1969. 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. He may be reached at wlevine0607@comcast.net.
www.50plusLifePA.com
Tech Talk
Mark Rinaudo
Slow Computers: When Is it Time for a New One?
Question: My computer is running slower and slower, it seems, and I’m not sure if it’s worth upgrading. Is there any hope for this old machine? I get this question a lot. I usually tell my customers that if you’ve owned the machine for seven years or more, then you have used the effective life of the machine. If the computer is older than 7 years and it’s running slow or locking up, it’s not really worth the money to try to save it. It’s time to move on to a new or newer computer. If your machine is newer than 7 years old, then this is where the answer gets tricky. Most new computers that
are running slower are suffering from some form of malware on them. The malware landscape has changed quite a bit over the years. Malware started out as viruses and has grown into a gray area where it’s not as malicious as a virus, but it’s not exactly harmless. Most malware is installed on your machine by an outside source and is aimed at directing your computer to
some location on the internet to financially benefit the malware’s creator. If your computer is running slowly, the first place to start is to scan the machine with several malwarescanning tools. I usually recommend starting with the free version of Malwarebytes. This is the first scan tool I normally use on a machine just to get an idea of how
badly infected the machine is. From there, I typically move on to other scan tools that go deeper and search for more obscure malware. In my findings, malware is the culprit 80 percent of the time. The other 20 percent of the time, it’s hardware related. A computer has many parts to it, and any one of those parts can cause a severe slowdown. If your hard drive is starting to die, then you’ll notice your machine running slower and slower and, if you’re able to check it, you’ll notice that the CPU (central processing unit) is barely being used. If you find yourself in this boat, please see COMPUTERS page 8
At Your Fingertips Helpful numbers, hotlines, and local businesses and organizations eager to serve you—all just a phone call away. Emergency Central Pennsylvania Poison Center (800) 521-6110 Dauphin County Area Agency on Aging (717) 780-6130 financial services Morgan Stanley Wealth Management (302) 573-4027 Funeral & Cremation Services Cremation Society of Pennsylvania Serving Dauphin County (800) 720-8221 Health & Medical Services Alzheimer’s Association (717) 651-5020 American Diabetes Association (800) 342-2383 Arthritis Foundation Central Pennsylvania Chapter (717) 763-0900 CONTACT Helpline (717) 652-4400 The National Kidney Foundation (717) 757-0604 (800) 697-7007 www.50plusLifePA.com
PACE (800) 225-7223 Social Security Information (800) 772-1213 Vision Resources of Central Pennsylvania (717) 238-2531 Healthcare Information Pennsylvania Healthcare Cost Containment Council (717) 232-6787 Hearing Services Pennsylvania Office for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing (800) 233-3008 V/TTY Hospice Services Homeland Hospice 2300 Vartan Way, Suite 115, Harrisburg (717) 221-7890 Housing/Apartments B’Nai B’rith Apartments 130 S. Third St., Harrisburg (717) 232-7516
Housing Assistance Dauphin County Housing Authority (717) 939-9301
Services Dauphin County Area Agency on Aging (717) 780-6130
Property Tax/Rent Rebate (888) 728-2937
The Salvation Army Edgemont Temple Corps (717) 238-8678
Insurance Apprise Insurance Counseling (800) 783-7067
Toll-Free Numbers American Lung Association (800) LUNG-USA
Capital Blue (888) 989-9015 (TTY: 711)
Bureau of Consumer Protection (800) 441-2555
Medicare (800) 633-4227
Meals on Wheels (800) 621-6325
Nursing/Rehab Homeland Center 1901 N. Fifth St., Harrisburg (717) 221-7902
National Council on Aging (800) 424-9046
Personal Care Homes Homeland Center 1901 N. Fifth St., Harrisburg (717) 221-7902 Pharmacies CVS/pharmacy www.cvs.com
Social Security Office (800) 772-1213 Veterans Affairs (717) 626-1171 or (800) 827-1000 Veterans Services Lebanon VA Medical Center 1700 S. Lincoln Ave., Lebanon (717) 228-6000 or (800) 409-8771
Not an all-inclusive list of advertisers in your area.
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Cover Story
Have Books, Will Travel
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Awards
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 John Crawford Liz Richardson has always loved books and always wanted to help people, so she knew her career choice from an early age. “I have always read and was encouraged to find the answers to my own questions,” Richardson said. “I knew from a young child that I wanted to be a librarian.” A native of Sharpsville, Pennsylvania, now living at Messiah Village, Richardson graduated from Seton Hill College with a Bachelor of the Arts in English and a master’s in library science from the University of Pittsburgh. Retiring in 2007 did not lessen her desire to help or her love of books; therefore, Richardson decided to bring books to homebound adults at Messiah Village through Cumberland County Library System’s Service to Adult Readers (STAR) program. Christa Bassett, adult outreach services coordinator for the library system, explained that Richardson participates in STAR’s site-delivery program, in which a volunteer selects and delivers books to a retirement home, adult daycare, or senior center. “It’s been about four years that I’ve been doing it,” Richardson said. Through the program, Richardson gathers books from the local community library and takes them to Messiah Village. This way, seniors unable to get to the library can have access to the collection. Her task involves going through the collection to find books that interest her fellow residents without repeating previous selections. She sorts among the subjects the homebound seniors enjoy, and then refers to the sign-out card to be sure she hasn’t previously checked out the book. She will occasionally get a specific request and will do her best to follow through on it. “The people at Messiah Village are like the people anywhere,” Richardson said. “There are some who don’t want to [read about harder topics], and some who want to think about it. It’s not any different from the community as a whole. “I keep a list of things that are popular,” she added. Her role requires considerable insight but not necessarily a set schedule or deadline. The community residents know when to expect a new selection. “They’re not waiting, but if I miss a day or two, they want to know where I’ve been,” she explained with a smile. Richardson’s work for the residents doesn’t end with the delivery of the Simpson Library books. Concurrent with her STAR duties, she helps to maintain and enlarge the nascent library at the retirement community.
“I have worked there about four years and been the librarian about three,” said Richardson. “Someone is at the library every day for a few hours to check in what has been returned and help people find what they need. Most of the time, readers help themselves.” Helping the library grow has been a community effort that Richardson helps direct. “Our library is very small and gets most of our books through donations,” Richardson said. “There also is a small budget to buy books. Last year we received a donation from a resident’s family to buy large-print books.” Large-print books may be an obvious fit for a senior community, but the books themselves weren’t, at least not for the after-hours return receptacle. Richardson and the community needed to upgrade the return and managed to do so from within the village. “I recently designed a new book return, which is being made in the village’s woodshop” by fellow resident Max Van Buskirk, she said. “Our circulation is increasing, and we are getting more large-print books, which are bigger than a normal book.” STAR also features a homebound delivery program, where a volunteer selects and delivers library items to a single homebound individual. “Currently, we serve approximately 100 homebound people across the county with this individualized service,” Bassett said. “This is the type of volunteer service that our volunteer Heidi Stadnicki assists with.” Massachusetts native Heidi Stadnicki, now of Boiling Springs, has a background similar to Richardson’s, which drew her to the program. “As a former librarian, I was drawn to STAR as a way to use my skills and give back to others who are unable to visit a library,” said Stadnicki, who delivers books and DVDs to four nursing-home residents and two homebound clients. “I am thankful for the opportunity to bring pleasure to others in such a simple way.” Stadnicki works to develop an understanding of her clients’ preferences, much like a site volunteer, but does so on a one-to-one basis. This delivery service provides not only library materials, but also companionship to homebound individuals. “I enjoy doing reader’s advisory,” said Stadnicki. “Once I am familiar with my clients’ favorite genres and authors, I choose books that I think they will enjoy. “Learning their preferences involves chatting about the books they have read and why they liked or disliked a particular author,” she said. “This input provides me with valuable insight into making my next selections for each client.” www.50plusLifePA.com
As she gets familiar with each participant’s preferences, the former librarian enjoys trying to expand their choices. “It is also fun to introduce new fiction and nonfiction books tailored to a client’s interests or hobbies,” Stadnicki said. “Not every choice is a success, but the challenge makes it enjoyable for me as well.” “Heidi and Liz both willingly go above and beyond the expectations for STAR volunteers,” Bassett said. “They have a love for the homebound participants we serve and for our program. Our program would not be as vibrant as it currently is without the support of volunteers such as Heidi and Liz.” The STAR program also includes self-service and digital-only programs. As Bassett explained, the self-service program is “for those residents who are still
mobile enough to visit their library but, due to health or other concerns, they may not be able to visit as frequently as necessary.” The digital-only program is for homebound individuals who strictly want to be able to access from their homes the library system’s electronic databases and the e-book and e-audiobook resources available on its website. While Bassett will always welcome new volunteers for the STAR program, she really wants to reach more recipients. “Our greater need, for the moment, is to get the word out about our wonderful program to those homebound individuals who could benefit from it,” she said. “We currently have extra volunteers, but I am looking for homebound participants for these volunteers to serve.”
On Life and Love After 50
Do Multiple Past Marriages Matter? Tom Blake
A woman, age 69, recently emailed me with a dating question. “I’ve been married three times,” she said. “Should three marriages matter to the men I meet? Might they be a deal-breaker? Turn-off? Red flag? Or, (hopefully) a nonissue?” My response: There’s no automatic answer; it depends on several circumstances. Here are nine of my thoughts: 1. What is your dating goal? To marry again? Or to meet a nice man-friend with whom you can have a committed relationship? Would you want to live together, or perhaps have an LAT, a living-apart-together relationship? Your answer could determine how a potential mate feels about your three marriages. If it’s your hope to marry a fourth time, most men are going to head for the exit before the second date. 2. What are the dating goals of the man you meet? If he wants to remarry, your three marriages may be a red flag to him. You’ll need to explain what happened. But, if he’s looking for a similar arrangement as you, your three marriages may be a nonissue. 3. How many marriages has he had and why did his marriages end? How long did they last? Or maybe he never married? Is he willing to reveal how many marriages he’s had? Answers to those questions are important to know. You wouldn’t want to become involved with someone who has a history of terrible marriages or relationships. You need to protect yourself.
7. Before a budding relationship turns serious, the number of prior marriages isn’t as important as the disclosure of them. Also, people had the courage and were willing to take the risk to find happiness. 8. Understanding what happened in your three marriages can help you build a more solid relationship the next time around. please see MARRIAGES page 9
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4. When a man or a woman is widowed, he or she had no control over losing that spouse. Should that count in his or her previous-marriage tally? Of course not. (Well, if they’ve had four, and all have died under suspicious circumstances, then that would be a red flag). 5. One woman described her three divorces as “failed” marriages. I don’t like that term. Why? Because most marriages were the right thing to do at that time. But, as years passed, people changed, and marriages faded. Does that make the marriages failures? No. They just didn’t last forever, although they were good for a while. 6. Often, marriages that end in divorce turn out to be a blessing in disguise, although at the time of the breakup, it didn’t seem that way. Hence, three marriages that ended could be three blessings in disguise. www.50plusLifePA.com
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Home Care Services & Hospice Providers Listings with a screened background have additional information about their services in a display advertisement in this edition.
Comfort Keepers
(717) 299-4007 www.lancaster-402.comfortkeepers.com Year Est.: 2001 Counties Served: Lancaster RNs: No LPNs: No CNAs: Yes Home Aides: Yes Medicare Certified?: No
Other Certifications and Services: We provide compassionate, in-home care that helps seniors live safe, happy, and independent lives in the comfort of their own homes. Companion care, light housekeeping, personal care, in-home safety solutions, incidental transportation, dementia/Alzheimer’s care, ongoing staff training. Member: Home Care Association of America
Homeland at Home
Homeland HomeCare: (717) 221-7892 Year Est.: 2016 Homeland HomeHealth: (717) 412-0166 Year Est.: 2017 Counties Served: Adams, Cumberland*, Dauphin*, Franklin, Fulton, Juniata, Lancaster, Lebanon*, Northumberland, Perry*, Schuylkill, Snyder, York* *Homeland HomeHealth currently serves five of 13 counties. RNs: Yes LPNs: Yes CNAs/Home Aides: Yes Direct Care Workers: Yes PT/OT/Speech Therapists: Yes
(717) 560-5160 www.mediqueststaffing.net Year Est.: 2002 Counties Served: Lancaster RNs: Yes LPNs: Yes CNAs: Yes Home Aides: Yes Medicare Certified?: No
Other Certifications and Services: Our experienced caregivers will provide the level of care for your specific needs, including memory care, transportation to and from appointments, outpatient procedures, personal care, respite, and more. Services are provided wherever you reside. All caregivers are comprehensively screened, bonded, and insured. Call for a free RN assessment. Member: Pennsylvania Homecare Association.
PennCares Support Services
www.homelandathome.org Homeland Hospice: (717) 221-7890 Year Est.: 2008
MediQuest Staffing & Homecare
(717) 632-5552 www.penncares.org Other Certifications and Services: Homeland at Home is a community outreach of Homeland Center, a non-profit CCRC that has served our region with excellent and benevolent care since 1867. Our expert team is dedicated to providing a continuum of At Home services—from non-medical personal assistance to skilled nursing and compassionate hospice and palliative care. We are privileged to care for you and your loved ones … any place you call “home.” We offer community and staff educational programs, including a “My Reflections” end-of-life planning workshop, as well as 15 unique bereavement support groups.
Social Workers: Yes Spiritual Counselors: Yes Complementary Therapies: Yes Medicare Certified: Yes
Year Est.: 1968 Counties Served: Adams, Cumberland, Dauphin, Franklin, Fulton, Lancaster, York RNs: No LPNs: No CNAs: No Home Aides: Yes Medicare Certified?: No
Other Certifications and Services: Private pay and waiver-based participants.
Pleasant View Care at Home
(717) 664-6646 www.pleasantviewrc.org/care-at-home Year Est.: 2007 Counties Served: Lancaster, Lebanon RNs: Yes LPNs: Yes CNAs: Yes Home Aides: Yes Medicare Certified?: No
Other Certifications and Services: Caring and professional staff provide supportive services to help maintain independence within the comfortable setting of home. Personal services, companion care, dementia care services, and transitional care offered — call for a free consultation.
Landis at Home
(717) 509-5800 www.landisathome.org Year Est.: 2007 Counties Served: Lancaster RNs: Yes LPNs: Yes CNAs: Yes Home Aides: Yes Medicare Certified?: No
Other Certifications and Services: A licensed home-care agency, offering a variety of services to persons in their homes within 15 miles of the Landis Homes campus. Services, provided by carefully screened and qualified caregivers with oversight from RNs, may be used for a short visit or up to 24 hours a day. Call for a free, in-home consultation. A home-care service of Landis Communities.
If you would like to be featured on this important page, please contact your account representative or call (717) 285-1350.
This is not an all-inclusive list of agencies and providers. These advertisers are eager to provide additional information about their services.
Home Care Services & Hospice Providers Listings with a screened background have additional information about their services in a display advertisement in this edition.
Surrey Home Care Services
Visiting Angels
(610) 647-9840 www.surreyhomecare.org
Year Est.: 1981 Counties Served: Chester, Delaware, Montgomery RNs: Yes LPNs: No CNAs: Yes Home Aides: Yes Medicare Certified?: No
(800) 365-4189 www.visitingangels.com Other Certifications and Services: Surrey, a nonprofit, provides inhome services including personal care, social companions, medical procedure transportation, geriatric care management, RN care management, and live-in caregivers. We also offer house cleaning and weekend respite care.
Year Est.: 2001 Counties Served: Adams, Cumberland, Dauphin, Franklin, Lancaster, Lebanon, Perry, and York RNs: No LPNs: No CNAs: Yes Home Aides: Yes Medicare Certified?: No
Other Certifications and Services: Visiting Angels provides seniors and adults with the needed assistance to continue living at home. Flexible hours up to 24 hours per day. Companionship, personal hygiene, meal prep, and more. Our caregivers are thoroughly screened, bonded, and insured. Call today for a complimentary and informational meeting.
This is not an all-inclusive list of agencies and providers. These advertisers are eager to provide additional information about their services.
Dear Pharmacist
5 Reasons You’ll Want a Weighted Blanket Suzy Cohen
Suffering from sleep problems? One strategy that I think is helpful is to use a weighted blanket. This is an easy, completely natural way to improve your mood, lower stress levels, and fall asleep faster. Weighted blankets are simply blankets that are specially designed to weigh much more than a typical quilt or comforter. These blankets range in weight from as few as 4 pounds to well over 30 pounds, and most are filled with plastic beads or natural materials, such as rice or barley. This extra heft means that the blanket puts pressure on your body when you sleep under it, and this mimics the feeling of close physical contact. In this way, weighted blankets create an atmosphere of physical intimacy and security that can improve your mood and sometimes soothe sensory disorders. I think these are a great idea if you have akathisia or restless leg syndrome. If you’re still skeptical of the general health benefits weighted blankets could offer, let me share five interesting facts.
3. The modern world makes many people feel isolated. Wrapping yourself in a weighted blanket when you feel alone can increase oxytocin levels and provide instant calm. 4. Could it help with attention problems? The gentle, tactile feeling of deep-touch pressure can work as a relaxer to significantly increase the concentration and performance of people with ADHD. 5. Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) can be challenging to manage, but using a weighted blanket might help to control the symptoms. These heavier blankets boost your serotonin levels, which works to reduce symptoms of OCD, calm the mind, and, ideally, reduce compulsions.
1. Using a weighted blanket can lower your stress levels and improve your ability to relax. It’s all from an increase in serotonin, which converts to melatonin, your sleep hormone.
For these same reasons, the blankets can also improve other emotional issues or cognitive problems connected to low serotonin levels, including aggression, bipolar disorder, and PTSD. At our deepest core, we all want to be cuddled, right? It’s kind of like that! There are some people who should not use a weighted blanket. Choosing the best weighted blanket for you is critical and is based on many factors. I’ve written a longer version of this article, and if you’d like it, just sign up for my free newsletter at suzycohen.com, and I’ll email you.
2. Reducing cortisol allows for a better night’s sleep. Studies support a reduction in this stress hormone when using a weighted blanket.
This information is not intended to diagnose, prevent, or treat your disease. For more information about the author, visit suzycohen.com.
www.50plusLifePA.com
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Art and Antiques
Collecting American Girl Dolls Dr. Lori Verderame
If you don’t think the millennial generation is saving objects, collecting vintage pieces, or displaying antiques, maybe you should think again. I have been evaluating the collections of 20- and 30-year-old collectors for a long time. They are seasoned collectors who know a lot about the market for a special, historic collectible called American Girl Dolls. American Girl Dolls were produced by the Pleasant Company — prior to the company’s acquisition by Mattel, Inc. — and came onto the scene in 1986. The first three dolls captured the background of historical figures in the forms of 9-year-old girls living at specific times in American history. The first dolls produced from 1986 to 1991 were character dolls Molly McIntire, Kirsten Larson, and Samantha Parkington. These three original American Girl Dolls are valuable collectibles and attract both adult and youth audiences today. The dolls are robustly traded online, at American Girl Doll events, and on social media. The dolls’ collectors are very active on Instagram, showing off their varied customization of the figural dolls, fashion outfits, and books. The values for American Girl Dolls vary based on several factors, including condition of the doll body, hair, outfits, and accessories, as well as the type of doll and the popularity of
the doll’s character and a picture of her father story. inside of a locket. A Some of the doll fine-condition example characters were featured of the Molly McIntire in television and fulldoll is valued in a length feature movies, range between $1,000 making those particular and $10,000. American Girl Doll Molly is the topic of characters better known a line of American Girl and thus, more valuable Doll books, and the than other dolls. character was featured Also, some dolls in the American have since been Girl television movie discontinued, making entitled Molly: An those particular dolls American Girl on the somewhat rare and Home Front, which typically pricier and debuted in 2006. more desirable with Another American collectors. Girl Doll of the American Girl Doll Samantha To recognize the original three dolls, Parkington, circa 1986-91. Kirsten Larson, is a American Girl Dolls, collectors have to learn Swedish immigrant the background of each doll. Arguably living in the 1850s as member of the most valuable of the dolls include a pioneer family in the Minnesota the originals: Molly, Kirsten, and territory. Kirsten has traditional period Samantha. boots and braided hair looped and tied The Molly McIntire doll represents with ribbons. a 9-year-old girl living during World Based on the related book, Meet War II, circa 1941-45. Like all Kirsten Larson, the character comes American Girl Dolls, Molly has books with a wooden spoon and a heartand accessories based on her story, including eyeglasses, skirt, blouse, COMPUTERS from page 3 sweater, socks, and shoes. Molly, like other American Girl then there is some good news. With Dolls, has additional accessories, called the introduction of the solid-state “Meet accessories,” including a purse, drive (SSD) — a new kind of hard a wartime steel penny from 1943, and drive — you can replace that faulty hard drive with new technology that’s 10 times faster than the hard drive Attention Rotator Cuff & Shoulder Pain Sufferers! your machine originally came with. Do you have shoulder pain when you reach up high overhead? This upgrade can sometimes make Having trouble reaching behind your back? Problems sleeping at night? your machine faster than when it was If you have answered YES to any of the questions above … brand new. st I usually recommend an SSD Join us on Wednesday, May 1 , 2019, from 7–8 p.m upgrade for machines with failing for our FREE Rotator Cuff & Shoulder Pain Workshop drives that are 5 years old or newer. at Madden Physical Therapy at 5425 Jonestown Rd., Harrisburg, PA 17112 This upgrade is very beneficial to the You will learn about: older Mac line of computers. • The single biggest #1 mistake shoulder pain sufferers make ... Other factors that dictate whether • The 3 most common causes of rotator cuff problems ... • What successful treatment looks like without the side effects of the machine is worth upgrading medications, injections, or surgery (instead of trashing) are the operating system (for example, which version RSVP: Call 717-210-9945 Limited to the first 20 people. of Windows or Mac OS you have
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shaped amber necklace typical of the girl’s native Scandinavia homeland. In very good condition, Kirsten dolls are actively traded online. The Samantha Parkington doll was in production from 1986-1991. Samantha was an orphan who lived in the late 19th/early 20th century. Her accessories, which impact the doll’s value, include a Victorian dress, stockings and shoes, and a large hair bow. When collecting American Girl Dolls, look for historical figure dolls in original condition with styled hair, original outfits, and character accessories, when available. If you think your favorite millennial isn’t into collecting, then ask them if they have an American Girl Doll from childhood. Odds are, they do. Dr. Lori Verderame is an author and award-winning TV personality who appears on History channel’s The Curse of Oak Island. With a Ph.D. from Penn State University and experience appraising 20,000 antiques every year, Dr. Lori presents antique appraisal events nationwide. Visit DrLoriV.com or call (888) 431-1010.
installed). Your machine may be running an operating system that’s no longer supported with security updates, or is about to be unsupported. With these guides in mind, hopefully you’ll be better informed to make a decision on whether to invest your money into an aging machine that may just have another two or three years of life in it, or if it’s time to start shopping for your next computer. Mark Rinaudo has worked in IT in Shreveport, La., for more than 20 years. He is the owner and operator of Preferred Data Solutions. Email mark@ preferreddatasolutions.com to submit a question for this column.
www.50plusLifePA.com
Retirement Workshop Planned for Public School Employees The Pennsylvania Association of School Retirees for Adams, Cumberland, Dauphin, Juniata, Perry, and York County chapters will hold a free preretirement workshop from 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Saturday, May 4, at Mechanicsburg Middle School, 1750 S. Market St., Mechanicsburg. Hosted by Cumberland County PASR, the workshop is open to teachers, librarians, counselors, nurses, maintenance, custodial, transportation, cafeteria, administration, paraprofessionals, and office staff considering retirement in one to four years.
Speakers will be available to provide current and useful information about retirement options, health insurance options, supplemental insurance, and Social Security benefits. There is no charge for attendance. Go to the DCPASR website (dcpasr. org) for further details. Preregistration is required. For questions and to preregister, contact Donna Plummer at dplum733@gmail. com or (717) 545-8833 for Dauphin County districts. Please register by April 30 so that refreshments and materials can be prepared.
MARRIAGES from page 5 9. There are many other factors to look at besides the number of former marriages. How about adult children? Do any of them live at home? Might they interfere with a new relationship? And, what about a potential mate’s attitude, or outlook on life? Is the person happy, upbeat, cheerful, in good health, and physically fit? How does he treat you? These days, seniors may have had two or three marriages. Does that make the people tainted? Are they bad people? No. They’ve just lived life. I’ve had three marriages, and Greta, my partner of 21 years, also had three. Having the same number of marriages was one of the things we had in common when we were sharing information on our first date, so it was a positive thing that we both had “multiple marriages.” And despite three marriages each, we’ve enjoyed the best relationship we could ever have hoped for. We live together but aren’t married. I’ve never had children. And yet, in effect, I have four kids, eight grandkids, and three great-grandkids, www.50plusLifePA.com
thanks to Greta. I love her family dearly, and I’m pretty sure they appreciate me, so why risk changing that dynamic by getting married? For seniors, should the number of marriages matter? I don’t think so … but when the number reaches four, it’s time to scratch your head. Five or more, well, it depends on the circumstances, so obviously proceed with caution. One of my readers, Stella, said, “Take marriage out as a goal, and you open up endless possibilities.” Another reader, Mary Lou, age 70, married once, said, “Multiple marriages don’t matter at this stage of my life. If I met a man with whom I clicked, no matter the number of marriages or whether he had children, I would be glad for him in my life.” And reader Jim stated wisely, “Just because a person is available and willing, doesn’t make him or her a good candidate for marriage.” For dating information, previous articles, or to sign up for Tom’s complimentary, weekly e-newsletter, go to www. findingloveafter50.com.
May 30, 2019 9 a.m. – 2 p.m.
Crowne Plaza Reading Hotel
1741 Papermill Road, Wyomissing
This event is FREE to attend. Veterans (of all ages) and the military community and their families are invited to join us!
The Expo brings federal, state, and local agencies together with area businesses to provide information and resources to veterans and their families.
The Job Fair brings veterans and spouses who need jobs together with employers who can benefit from this rich source of talent to aid their organizations.
At the Expo
Veterans Benefits & Services Medical/Nonmedical Resources Products and Services Available Support/Assistance Programs Education/Training Services
At the Job Fair
Employers Job Counseling Workshops Employment Seminars Resume Writing Assistance Hosted by:
Sponsor & Exhibitor Opportunities Available
www.veteransexpo.com
Brought to you by: &
(717) 285-1350 www.olpevents.com
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Soldier Stories
Robert Naeye
Severely Wounded in Vietnam, He Spent a Year in an Upper Body Cast
In high school, Novak found himself getting Harrisburg native Joe Novak survived into trouble. He realized the best option for him grievous wounds as a Marine reconnaissance sergeant in Vietnam. Now he is a collector of was to go into the Marine Corps. But he did not tell his mother, fearing her disapproval. knickknacks, from an autographed photo of an Just before his 17th birthday, he boarded a archbishop to a motorcycle once owned by rock ’n’ roll legend Jimi Hendrix. train for Washington, D.C. But his mother Novak was born in Harrisburg in 1951 and expected him home for dinner. In reality, he was grew up in nearby Highspire. But when he heading to Parris Island in South Carolina for was only 2 months old, his father was killed in Marine boot camp. action in the Korean War. His mother tried to get him to come home, His mother remarried in 1955 to a World but Novak was determined to become a Marine. War II veteran, but Novak recalls that he and His stepfather was proud that he was going into his stepfather never saw eye to eye and always the corps, but Novak recalls, “He didn’t think had a distant relationship. And his stepfather I’d make it.” never talked about his war experiences. But Novak passed every test, often with flying Blessed with a high IQ, Novak found school colors. He recalls surviving brutal training boring. conditions, with swamps, snakes, and alligators “Football was the best thing going for me,” he all around. Joe Novak, right, and his wife, Terry, inside their recalls. He had run-ins with his drill instructor that log cabin home, which Novak built in the 1980s. He was such a good offensive lineman that he were so bad that he refused to shake his hand played varsity for Central Dauphin High School even when he was in eighth when he graduated. But when he later ran into him in Vietnam, Novak told grade. him, “If it wasn’t for you, I wouldn’t still be here.”
Can you help in a caregiver’s journey? Many readers of 50plus LIFE are caregivers and are looking for products, services, and support.
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Features: Articles • Directory of Providers Ancillary and Support Services
View the 2018 edition online at www.BusinessWomanPA.com
CAREGIVER A key resource for individuals who work SOLUTIONS and provide care to a loved one. Space Reservation Deadline – May 17, 2019 Call your representative or 717.285.1350 or email info@businesswomanpa.com. 10
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After Parris Island, Novak spent 12 weeks chopper got hit by enemy ground fire. in demolition school, where he finished Novak was sprayed with shrapnel, getting first in his class. He next finished a course hit in the back, neck, and legs. The helicopter in underwater demolition near Tallahassee, flew away while Novak was still in the basket, Florida, again first in his class. swinging back and forth. Novak is proud that he was promoted He spent 28 days recovering aboard from private to corporal to sergeant in less the USS Sanctuary. Because his mission had than a year, which was rare. been top secret, he couldn’t tell anyone where But Novak did not go to Vietnam right he had been wounded. away. He received further demolition training But three months later, Novak suffered in Virginia and North Carolina. Novak even severe wounds that ended his tour in learned how to assemble and disassemble Vietnam. This time, a rocket landed just 20 Novak’s home is a veritable museum of artifacts relating to atomic bombs. yards away. He suffered a broken collarbone, his hobbies and interests, including this pedal car signed Because Novak’s father had been killed two broken bones in his neck, and the right by late NASCAR driver Dale Earnhardt Sr. in action in Korea, he didn’t have to go into side of his body was ripped open. combat. But Novak begged to go to ’Nam, He spent 12 days undergoing surgery asking, “Why waste my capabilities?” aboard the Sanctuary before he was flown to Novak spent six days of intensive jungleDa Nang and back to the U.S. combat training on Okinawa, where, he says, Tragically, his mother received a letter “snakes fall on you.” from the Red Cross telling her that her son The Marines sent Novak first to Da Nang, had been killed in action. But a friend in then Chu Lai, and then back to Da Nang, Steelton informed her that Novak was alive where he sat around doing not much of and staying in Walter Reed Hospital in anything for a month. Washington, D.C. He spent a full year in “The colonel didn’t know what the heck to an upper body cast, and one of his legs was do with me,” Novak remembers. wrapped. Finally, he was sent to the A Shau Valley, Novak was not released until 1973, when A few examples of the explosive devices near the borders of Laos and Cambodia. he was still in a body cast. He returned home made by the North Vietnamese Army. Americans in this intense combat zone had a to Bressler, a town just south of Harrisburg. life expectancy of 30 days. When he walked the streets, people would Novak jury-rigged mines by filling run away. root beer cans with napalm, jet fuel, “They thought they were seeing a ghost — glass fragments — anything that could they thought I was dead!” says Novak. be fashioned into weapons. He attached Like many Vietnam veterans, Novak electronic detonators and then set them up had his ups and downs after returning around the perimeter of American bases. stateside. He had successful careers as an auto Enemy soldiers would ignite the makeshift mechanic and then as a property manager for bombs whenever they tried to infiltrate at a realtor, and he developed strong interests in night. fishing and auto racing. “We never knew until Jan. 7, 1970, how But his first two marriages ended in deadly they were,” says Novak. divorces. He takes full responsibility for these After a battle on Landing Zone Ross failures. Novak on Landing Zone Ross in 1969. that night, the Americans counted 139 Speaking of his first wife, he says, “I had North Vietnamese bodies (and three POWs) at the cost of 14 Marines and 58 severe alcohol problems and severe PTSD. She couldn’t take it anymore, and I wounded. don’t blame her. I was really bad.” Novak also created small mines and put the sensors in elephant and tiger He spent seven months in detox in 1975 and says he hasn’t touched booze poop in and around the Ho Chi Minh Trail. Enemy soldiers would trigger the since. He married his wife Terry, a cousin of President Richard Nixon, in 2013, sensors, sending radio signals back to gunners, who would know exactly where after six years of dating. The couple lives in log house in the mountains north the targets were located. They would fire on the trail all night long. of Harrisburg, which Novak built himself in the 1980s. “You would not believe the number of bodies we’d find there; they were The house is a veritable museum of pieces he bought or collected over many food for tigers,” he says. years. The photos, models, and knickknacks come from sports, music, religion, In April 1970, Novak used C4 and Semtex explosives to blow up a North hot rods, and other areas relating to his many personal interests. He owns a Vietnamese Army bunker inside caves. Right before detonation, a colonel flew 1949 Ford Convertible and a 1985 Corvette. in on a chopper and ordered Novak to wait until he could pluck souvenirs from “It’s quite a museum between my stuff and her stuff,” he says, speaking of the cave. Terry. Novak refused the order, telling the colonel that “he came an hour too late.” Novak now devotes much of his time to assisting local veterans by helping When the charge was set off, the entire mountain rose up, and the colonel them get medical care, benefits, and pensions. He also helped found Feed My and his helicopter were literally pushed back by the concussion. Sheep Church and is an active member of Vietnam Veterans Chapter 542 and “I thought, ‘If only the officers listened to the sergeants more, I might Marine Riders. survive this war,’” Novak recalls. Robert Naeye is a freelance journalist living in Derry Township. He is the former After catching malaria in the jungle, Novak was placed in a basket and was being pulled into a medevac chopper. But before he got into the helicopter, the editor-in-chief of Sky & Telescope magazine. www.50plusLifePA.com
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Please join us for these FREE events! 20th Annual
April 30, 2019 9 a.m. – 2 p.m.
LANCASTER COUNTY
Shady Maple Conference Center Smorgasbord Building 129 Toddy Drive, East Earl
20th Annual
May 28, 2019 9 a.m. – 2 p.m.
DAUPHIN COUNTY
Hershey Lodge 325 University Drive Hershey
16th Annual
June 5, 2019 9 a.m. – 2 p.m.
CHESTER COUNTY
Church Farm School 1001 East Lincoln Highway Exton
23rd Annual
Sept. 18, 2019 9 a.m. – 2 p.m.
LANCASTER COUNTY
Spooky Nook Sports 2913 Spooky Nook Road Manheim
17th Annual
Sept. 25, 2019 9 a.m. – 2 p.m.
YORK COUNTY
York Expo Center Memorial Hall East 334 Carlisle Ave., York
20th Annual
Oct. 16, 2019 9 a.m. – 2 p.m.
CUMBERLAND COUNTY
Carlisle Expo Center 100 K Street Carlisle
Exhibitors • Health Screenings • Seminars Demonstrations • Entertainment • Door Prizes
Sponsor & Exhibitor Opportunities Available
(717) 285-1350 (717) 770-0140 (610) 675-6240
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www.50plusExpoPA.com
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The Beauty in Nature
Woodcock Courtship Clyde McMillan-Gamber
I remember the first time I saw a woodcocks fly out of nearby woods or courting male American woodcock woody thickets and land in the little silhouetted against a striking sunset clearing where I am standing and one evening early in April several years facing the western sky. ago. Almost immediately I hear the nasal I was standing in a weedy field by “beeping” of a nearby, love-struck a bottomland thicket of young trees male woodcock, each beep emitted at and facing the red, western sky in two-second intervals in the gathering hopes that I would spot at least one darkness. woodcock before that lovely sunset. After a minute, or more, of beeping, Soon, a chunky, robin-sized bird he suddenly takes off in spiral flight with a long beak fluttered out of the upward and upward, silhouetted thicket and landed on a bare patch of before the brilliant sunset. As he soil near me. It was ascends on rapidly a woodcock! beating wings, two Male woodcocks outer feathers on each begin their daily wing twitter audibly. courtship displays And when that at dusk from midmale woodcock February to early reaches the zenith May, weather of his flight, and, permitting. But the perhaps, is out of most comfortable sight, but with wings time for us to still twittering, he observe those vocally sings a few intriguing exhibits series of musical notes American woodcock. is during pleasant that seem to tumble April evenings. to the ground: “tew, Often while waiting for the tew, tew — tew, tew, tew, tew.” woodcocks to begin their wooing, I Then he plummets to the same spot hear spring peeper frogs peeping and of bare ground and starts his display American toads trilling musically from again. Only hunger, or a female nearby wooded wetlands … or a pair interested in mating with him, stop his or small group of Canada geese flying courtship displays. overhead, some of them honking American woodcocks are inland incessantly. sandpipers that use their long, flexible Then, suddenly, one or a few male beaks to probe in soft, damp soil in wooded bottomlands to snare earthworms and other invertebrates. Are you 62+ Woodcocks poke in soil like other or Older? sandpipers probe in sandy beaches Welcome to or coastal mud flats. But woodcocks your new home! adapted to a different habitat from their relatives, producing a different utilities included! species. Look at all we have to offer ... Being sandpipers, female woodcocks Newly Renovated Units, Fitness Center, lay four eggs in a clutch. Young hatch Service Coordinator, and More ... fuzzy, open-eyed, and ready to feed Give us a call and check out themselves in woodland floors. our fabulous facilities. We offer congregate meals to Readers, too, can spot woodcock all residents, Mon.–Fri., at 11:30 a.m. courtship displays in the fading light b’nai B’rith Apartments of an enchanting April evening. Just be 130 South Third Street • Harrisburg in the right place at the right time. (717) 232-7516 www.50plusLifePA.com
It Was 50 Years Ago Today
‘Aquarius/Let the Sunshine In’ Randal C. Hill
When the moon is in the seventh house, and Jupiter witnessing the audience joyfully singing along with the aligns with Mars line “Let the sunshine in” over and over. Then peace will guide the planets, and love will steer The single’s instrumental tracks were recorded in Los the stars Angeles when the Fifth Dimension were opening shows ··· for Frank Sinatra at Caesar’s Palace in Las Vegas. The Fifth Dimension would never have made their At a primitive Sin City recording studio where trains best-known record if not for a wallet inadvertently left rumbling by would stop recording sessions mid-song, behind in a taxicab. Howe cut the group’s soon-to-be-signature tune using The quintet started as a mid-1960s Los Angeles pop/ two microphones for the five singers. soul outfit called the Versatiles. When they signed “Aquarius/Let the Sunshine In” ran long, so Howe with Johnny Rivers’s nascent Soul City label, Rivers edited it to less than five minutes — a better fit for demanded that they update their name; thus was born radio playlists of the time. As the Fifth Dimension’s the cooler-than-cool title of the Fifth Dimension. eighth Top 40 single, it spent six weeks at No. 1 on the Fast-forward to the fall of 1968. The outfit, by then charts and sold 3 million copies. hit-making headliners, was performing at New York’s In 1968, the Fifth Dimension had earned a Grammy Americana Hotel. Group member Billy Daniels Jr. took for Record of the Year for their hit “Up, Up and Away”; a cab to do some shopping one afternoon before the “Aquarius/Let the Sunshine In” brought them that evening’s show and forgot his wallet on the taxi’s back same coveted honor two years later. “Aquarius/Let the Sunshine In” seat. The Fifth Dimension Randal C. Hill is a rock ’n’ roll historian who lives at the The next person to enter the cab was one of the Oregon coast. He may be reached at wryterhill@msn.com. producers of the groundbreaking Broadway rock opera Hair, which had been playing to packed houses since April. Before long, Daniels’s phone rang with the good news that his wallet had been found and that the caller wanted to return it. The relieved Daniels invited Tom & Randi LaNasa “MEMORY MUSIC” the producer and his wife to see the Fifth Dimension in concert; the producer, in turn, invited Daniels’s group to see Hair. At the show, the Fifth Dimension members were so taken with the music that they declared “Aquarius,” the musical’s uplifting opening number, to be a work that they absolutely must record. But their L.A.-based producer, “Bones” Howe, felt otherwise, as he was concerned about a possible overexposure of the song. The original Broadway cast album had been out for a while and had soared to the top of the Billboard LP charts, where it had stayed for 13 weeks. Howe harbored another issue, as well. “I said [that] it’s half a song,” he recalled. “It’s an introduction. It needs Attention: RETIREMENT HOMES, something on the back end.” CLUBS AND ORGANIZATIONS. He jetted to New York to evaluate the 33-tune musical for himself and decided that the last three bars of the show’s closing (and decidedly antiwar) Looking for entertainment? tune “The Flesh Failures” would make a perfect ending, especially after Now booking our Christmas, variety, and specialty shows for 2019.
Musicians Sought for Cancer Benefit
A local musician is seeking fellow performers to play in a benefit concert with proceeds to go toward individuals affected by cancer. Guitarist Steve Wallace, of Gratz, is looking for a keyboardist, bass player, drummer, and vocalists interested in performing music from the 1960s for a Rock Against Cancer benefit show. Interested individuals should contact Wallace at (717) 379-8010 for more information. www.50plusLifePA.com
We have many variety shows featuring the music from the 1930s to the 60s. Songs by legendary artists like Bing Crosby, Frank Sinatra, Doris Day, Kay Starr, Dean Martin, Patsy Cline, and the Mills Brothers. Specialty shows include …
Songs from the WWII Years • The Post WWII Years: 1945 – 1955 AMERICA: From Sea to Shining Sea Salute to the Rat Pack (or if you prefer, just Sinatra) Elvis & Patsy • Classic Country Please contact Memory Music to book your next event!
Phone: (717) 846-6126
E-mail: memrymusic@aol.com
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National Foot Health Awareness Month The High Impact of Flat Feet By Dr. Charlton Woodly
The way I look at a flat foot is based on pronation, or the way your foot goes inward. The main tendon, which holds the arch of your foot up, eventually becomes damaged if it is stretched too much. This results in flat feet.
As we age, we worry about the changes that are overtly affecting our bodies — whether that’s noticing wrinkles or paying attention to something that’s causing pain. We overlook the fact that aging affects all parts of our bodies, even those that often go unseen, like our feet. But our feet keep us grounded — they are the foundation of the rest of our body and deserve our care and attention. One of the most common issues people face as they age is flat feet. What are Flat Feet? “Flat feet” simply means there is a low arch or lack of an arch under the foot. All babies are born flat footed; as they grow, arches begin to develop. For some, the arch never develops. For others, the arch will develop but can fall after an injury or experiencing the stress of age. This is because the tendons in your foot, or both feet, can become damaged.
Symptoms While this sounds like a minor inconvenience, flat feet can lead to strain on the entire body. When you have flat feet, the pain you feel does not usually come from the feet but rather the knee. The foot is in an abnormal position, which makes your knee hurt. A lack of an arch can stress your ankles, calves, knees, hips, lower back, and lower legs. Neck and back pain are extremely common from flat feet.
April is National Foot Health Awareness Month
Warning Signs and Preventative Care While flat feet can go unnoticed, there are some warning signs that treatment is needed. For example, some people may feel pain in the arch or ankle, and this pain can get worse after being on your feet all day or working out. Some may notice
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(717) 761-3161 www.cumberlandvalleyfootandankle.com
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National Foot Health Awareness Month swelling along the inside of the ankle as well. It’s important to get your feet examined by a podiatrist to determine if you have flat feet and what steps to take moving forward. For those who don’t have flat feet, a podiatrist can determine what preventative measures to take to avoid developing them, such as wearing protective footwear or losing weight. Treatment Options There is a range of different methods to treat the symptoms of fallen arches and flat feet. Most podiatrists will recommend being mindful of the shoes you wear. This means wearing extra-wide fitted shoes or orthotics that are custom designed to support your arch, which can relieve the arch and reduce pain. Custom inserts can also help by taking pressure off the tendon. Medication for pain and inflammation helps in some cases. While these methods treat the symptoms, they are not long lasting. Long-lasting treatment options include being conscious of your body and movement. This could mean losing weight to reduce pressure on your feet or not walking or standing for prolonged periods.
People may also resort to therapeutic massages, such as rolling a ball under your foot. A massage is a powerful treatment tool for soft tissue. It allows the muscle to release built-up tension, therefore reducing pain. In more severe cases, individuals can turn to surgery. Surgery is minimally invasive and restores the tendons and ligaments that support the arch. This means it does not involve a long incision and avoids significant damage to the muscles and soft tissue surrounding the foot. In most cases, this approach results in less pain after foot surgery and a faster recovery; patients can go in and leave the same day. Though our feet are what keep us grounded, the arches of our feet shouldn’t be touching the ground. I recommend visiting a podiatrist to learn more about flat-feet prevention to make sure it’s not one of the issues you have to worry about as you age. Dr. Charlton Woodly is a board-certified podiatrist with more than 14 years’ experience providing conservative and surgical treatments at Woodly Foot & Ankle in Texas. A specialist in minimally invasive procedures and a hyprocure master surgeon, Woodly is an expert in treating the full spectrum of foot and ankle conditions and injuries.
New Treatment Options Available for Heel Pain Imagine getting out of bed every morning and feeling a temporary pain shoot through your heel. For many people, this is an everyday occurrence. Heel pain, an inflammation of a thick band of tissue that connects the heel bone to the toes, can start as a minor annoyance that people deal with for months before being properly identified as plantar fasciitis — a condition that 1 in 10 people will suffer from in their lifetimes. The condition manifests over time and is often attributed to normal wear and tear, but heel pain of this type can have serious repercussions if not treated promptly and properly by a foot and ankle surgeon. Greg Catalano, DPM, FACFAS, a Massachusetts foot and ankle surgeon and fellow member of the American College of Food and Ankle Surgeons, says options for heel pain are becoming more advanced and focused on helping the patient’s body heal the injury itself. According to ACFAS, depending on the severity of a patient’s plantar fasciitis, these latest treatment options can include: Injection therapy: Foot and ankle surgeons use growth-factor injections and platelet-rich plasma injections to boost the body’s healing response to help repair the injured band of tissue causing the pain. Shockwave therapy: This in-office treatment uses soundwaves delivered over the skin to slightly damage the tissue and stimulate the body’s natural repair process. This helps the plantar fasciitis heal and relieves pain symptoms without making an incision. Patients can expect to be up and moving immediately after the treatment, but it may take three to six months to see the results. www.50plusLifePA.com
Ultrasonic treatment: This procedure is a newer treatment option where foot and ankle surgeons make a small incision into the heel of the foot and use a probe to direct ultrasonic energy at the fascia to break down bad tissue and help the healing process. A diagnostic ultrasound tool is used to create an image of the foot and to guide the probe. Patients may need to wear a boot immediately after the procedure for up to two weeks, and they can expect to see improvements anywhere from three to six months after the procedure. Surgery: Also called a plantar fasciotomy, this procedure is a minimally invasive and minimally traumatic surgical treatment where the foot and ankle surgeon makes a small incision through the heel into the damaged tendon to try to lengthen it and relieve some of the tension. Patients tend to recover in six to 10 weeks, but it may take up to three months to resume exercise and more vigorous activities. Heel pain that is present for more than four weeks and has not responded to changes in support or anti-inflammatory medications are signs it is time to seek help. When visiting a foot and ankle surgeon, patients need to be honest about how their pain developed, their level of activity, what type of shoes they wear, and what type of treatment they’ve completed, if any. Foot and ankle surgeons will look at conservative treatments first — such as stretching exercises, icing, modifying shoe gear and activity, and sometimes physical therapy. They may also recommend using a night splint or a cortisone injection for patients who experience chronic pain in the morning. For more information, visit foothealthfacts.org. 50plus LIFE H
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Dauphin County
Calendar of Events
Support Groups Free and open to the public Tuesdays, noon Al-Anon Family Group at Work Meeting Penn State Hershey Medical Center Seventh Floor, Room C7521 500 University Drive, Hershey (717) 448-7881 Other meeting times/locations at pa-al-anon.org Wednesdays, 6 p.m. Swatara Serenity Al-Anon Family Group Meeting Unitarian Church of Harrisburg 1280 Clover Lane, Harrisburg (717) 448-7881 Other meeting times/locations at pa-al-anon.org Wednesdays, 7:30 p.m. Adult Children of Alcoholics Support Group St. Mark’s Lutheran Church 2200 Londonderry Road Harrisburg (717) 526-9252 ymt57@comcast.net April 3, 10-11:30 a.m. Life Enrichment Group for Blind and Low-Vision Adults Vision Resources of Central Pennsylvania 1130 S. 19th St., Harrisburg (717) 238-2531 April 3 and 17, 7-8:30 p.m. ANAD Eating Disorders Support Group
PinnacleHealth Polyclinic Landis Building, Sixth Floor Classroom 1 2501 N. Third St., Harrisburg (717) 712-9535 April 4, 7-8 p.m. Fibromyalgia Support Group LeVan Chiropractic 1000 Briarsdale Road, Suite C Harrisburg (717) 558-3500 April 5, 10:30 a.m. Parkinson’s Disease Support Group Helen M. Simpson Rehabilitation Hospital Second Floor Pinnacle Conference Room 2 4300 Londonderry Road Harrisburg (717) 216-2730 elcassel@simpson-rehab.com April 9, 6-7 p.m. Alzheimer’s Caregivers Support Group Greenfield Senior Living at Graysonview 150 Kempton Ave., Harrisburg (717) 561-8010 April 10, 6-7 p.m. Alzheimer’s Support Group Brookdale Harrisburg 3560 N. Progress Ave., Harrisburg (717) 671-4700
Senior Center Activities April 15, 6:30 p.m. Support Group for Families of Those with Memory-Related Illnesses Frey Village 1020 N. Union St., Middletown (717) 930-1218 April 17, 2-4 p.m. Parkinson’s Support Group The Residence of the Jewish Home Second Floor Library 4004 Linglestown Road Harrisburg (717) 697-2513 April 18, 6 p.m. Alzheimer’s Support Group Country Meadows of Hershey Second Floor Training Room 451 Sand Hill Road, Hershey (717) 533-6996 astoner@countrymeadows.com April 18, 6-8 p.m. Harrisburg Area Parkinson’s Disease Caregiver Support Group Giant Food Stores – Second Floor 2300 Linglestown Road Harrisburg (717) 580-7772 April 24, 7-8 p.m. Connections Support Group: Families of Memory Impaired Ecumenical Retirement Community Building 3, Second Floor 3525 Canby St., Harrisburg (717) 561-2590
Community Programs
Free and open to the public April 3, 7 p.m. World Culture Club of Central Pennsylvania Meeting Penn State Hershey Medical Center Fifth Floor, Lecture Room B 500 University Drive, Hershey worldcultureclubpa.org
Roundtable Meeting Vietnam Veterans of America Michael Novosel MOH Chapter 542 8000 Derry St., Harrisburg (717) 545-2336 centralpavietnamrt@verizon.net centralpavietnamroundtable.org
April 4, 7 p.m. Central Pennsylvania World War II Roundtable Meeting Grace United Methodist Church 433 E. Main St., Hummelstown (717) 503-2862 charlie.centralpaww2rt@gmail.com centralpaww2roundtable.org
April 23, 7 p.m. Piecemakers Quilt Guild of Middletown St. Peter’s Lutheran Church
April 11, 7:30 p.m. Central Pennsylvania Vietnam
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Spring and Union streets Middletown (717) 915-5555 gsk1308@gmail.com April 30, 6 p.m. Susquehanna Rovers Volksmarch Walking Club Bass Pro Shop – Hunt Room Harrisburg Mall 3501 Paxton St., Harrisburg (717) 805-9540
PARKS & RECREATION April 13, 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. – Clean Up Your Earth Day, Wildwood Park April 18, 5:45-7:15 p.m. – Get in Shape Walk, Wildwood Park April 27, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. – Wetlands Festival, Wildwood Park
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Friendship Senior Center – (717) 657-1547 Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, 8-9 a.m. – Light Aerobics Wednesdays, 12:30 p.m. – Mah Jong Mohler Senior Center – (717) 533-2002 hersheyseniorcenter.com April 8, noon – Lunch and Learn: The Dos and Don’ts of Retirement April 15, noon – Director of Lifesong Angus Patterson Rutherford House – (717) 564-5682 rutherfordcenter.org Mondays, 10 a.m. – Line Dancing Tuesdays and Thursdays, 9:30 a.m. – Art Class Wednesdays, 9 a.m. to noon – Computer Assistance Submit senior center events to mjoyce@onlinepub.com.
Library Programs East Shore Area Library, 4501 Ethel St., Harrisburg, (717) 652-9380 April 7, noon to 3 p.m. – Local Author Festival April 14, 1-2 p.m. – All Aboard the RMS Titanic Elizabethville Area Library, 80 N. Market St., Elizabethville, (717) 362-9825 April 3, 6-7 p.m . – One Book, One Community Discussion: Killers of the Flower Moon April 10, 6:30-7 :30 p.m. – Lively Minds Workshop: Spirit Wing – Native American Music Johnson Memorial Library, 799 E. Center St., Millersburg, (717) 692-2658 April 11, 6-7:30 p.m. – Book Page Origami Kline Library, 530 S. 29th St., Harrisburg, (717) 2343934 April 10, 6-7:30 p.m. – Upcycled Book Journals April 11, 6:30-7:3 0 p.m. – Let’s Vote! Locating Accurate Voting Information Madeline L. Olewine Memorial Library, 2410 N. Third St., Harrisburg, (717) 232-7286 April 9 and 23, 1-2:30 p.m. – Job Seekers Resources April 15, 6-7 p.m. – Cookbook Book Club: Handhelds and Finger Foods McCormick Riverfront Library, 101 Walnut St., Harrisburg, (717) 234-4976 April 13, noon to 1:30 p.m. – Poetry and Pizza April 19, 6-7 p.m. – Literary Trivia Northern Dauphin Library, 683 Main St., Lykens, (717) 453-9315 April 12, 6:30-8:30 p.m. – Mini Golf in the Library William H. & Marion C. Alexander Family Library, 200 W. Second St., Hummelstown, (717) 566-0949 April 10, 6-8 p.m. – Second Wednesday Cinema April 25, 6:30-7:30 p.m. – All Aboard the RMS Titanic
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Puzzle Page
CROSSWORD
Solutions for all puzzles can be found on page 18 SUDOKU
WORD SEARCH
Sweets
Across 1. Driver’s need 4. “___ boom bah!” 7. Assumed name 12. Pessimist’s action 13. Inactive 15. Tubular pasta 16. Check for errors 18. Adjust, as laces 19. Star in Perseus 20. Copycat 22. Hunter’s quarry 23. Door opener 25. Sci-fi weaponry 28. ___ mode
31. Dig in 33. Young seal 34. Elm Street dream 37. Used to be 39. Medea rode on it 40. Luau souvenir 41. Tableland 43. Synagogue chests 45. Teeny-weeny 48. Continental money 50. Tool with teeth 51. Behold 52. Heavy metal 53. Golfer’s goal
55. Photo ___ (media events) 56. Small amounts 59. Handrail post 63. Pantheon member 66. Juicy fruit 68. Pilotless plane 69. Gin flavor 70. Condo division 71. Father Christmas 72. Female with a wool coat 73. Nancy Drew’s beau
21. Arena shout 24. Air potato 26. Patch up 27. Fragrant resin 28. Santa ___, Calif. 29. Old Italian money 30. Hostility 32. Amulets 35. Nonsense 36. On Social Security 38. To be, to Brutus 42. Reply to a captain 44. ___ Lanka 46. Canine cry 47. Master, in Swahili
49. Ump’s call 52. The Barber of Seville, e.g. 54. TV show type 55. Bookie’s quote 57. Remove from a manuscript 58. Harbor vessel 60. Soave, e.g. 61. Author Bagnold 62. Permit 64. Blast maker 65. Roll-call vote 67. Kind of time
Down 1. Demoiselle 2. In awe 3. Moved back and forth 4. Paul McCartney, for one 5. Creative spark 6. Certain hockey shot 7. Abbr. in car ads 8. Loser at Antietam 9. Translates 10. Dye-yielding shrubs 11. Pursue 12. Health resort 14. Alpine plant 17. Armada
Your ad could be here on this popular page! Please call (717) 770-0140 for more information.
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Financial Focus
5 Mistakes to Avoid in Retirement Steven Brettler
After a lifetime of planning and saving, you’re finally on the verge of retirement. However, retirement planning doesn’t stop just because you’re beginning to draw income from your investments. As you embark on this exciting new chapter of your life, keep your retirement goals on track by avoiding these common pitfalls: 1. Claiming Social Security Too Early It may be tempting to apply for Social Security benefits when you’re first eligible at age 62. But doing so may be costly. Choosing to receive your benefits before your full retirement age (which varies depending on the year you were born but is around 66 for most people nearing retirement) could reduce your monthly benefit by 25 percent or more. And if you continue working, for every $2 you earn above a specific threshold — $17,040 in 2018, $17,640 in 2019 — your benefit is withheld by $1 until you reach full retirement age.1 Conversely, for every year you wait to claim benefits beyond full retirement age, the benefit you receive increases by 8 percent annually until age 70.2 So, unless you really need the money, you may want to consider waiting to apply. 2. Taking on Too Much Risk When time is on your side, you may be able to afford to take on riskier investments for greater growth. As you begin retirement, however, the assets you’ve accumulated to meet your day-to-day expenses become harder to recoup if you suffer an investment loss. So, it’s important to make sure you’re not taking on too much risk. But as retirement can last a very long time, you may want to consider maintaining some exposure to stocks, especially in the early years of your retirement.
4. Miscalculating Required Minimum Distributions Generally, once you reach age 70.5, you must take annual distributions — called required minimum distributions (RMDs) — from your 401(k), IRA, or other qualified plan, whether you need the money or not. (Roth IRAs and some employer-sponsored qualified retirement plan investors are exempt from this requirement.3) Properly planning your minimum distributions is essential. They are usually taxable at your individual tax rate, and failure to take them could subject you to a penalty — 50 percent of the RMD or whatever portion of it you neglected to take. Given the complexity of the requirement and the potential for penalties, it’s a good idea to seek RMD guidance from your accountant or tax adviser. 5. Ignoring Healthcare Expenses Overlooking healthcare costs is another area where retirees can face unwelcome surprises. A 2017 survey by the Nationwide Retirement Institute found that health issues often happened sooner than retirees expected and interfered with their ability to afford to do the things they want to do.4 A couple with high prescription-drug expenses throughout retirement could need roughly $350,000 in savings to have a 90 percent chance of having enough money saved to cover their healthcare costs, according to the Employee Benefit Research Institute.5 Long-term care insurance can help protect and preserve assets meant for your loved ones, while relieving them of fulltime caregiving responsibilities by providing more options for your care. With many options available and decisions to make as you approach this important milestone, a financial adviser who is familiar with your individual
Puzzles shown on page 17
Puzzle Solutions
3. Spending Too Much The assets you have accumulated over a lifetime may seem like an enormous financial resource you can tap into whenever you like. However, those investments may need to last 30 years or more.
Create a list of all your likely expenses, compare it against your income sources, and develop a spending strategy to help you maintain your retirement lifestyle for as long as possible.
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circumstances can help you create a strategy tailored to your goals and the retirement you envision. Steven Brettler is a financial adviser and branch manager with Morgan Stanley in Greenville, Del. He may be reached at (302) 573-4027 or advisor. morganstanley.com/steven.brettler. Footnotes 1 Social Security Administration Fact Sheet, “2019 Social Security Changes.” Retrieved from: https://www.ssa.gov/ news/press/factsheets/colafacts2019.pdf 2 Social Security Administration Benefits Planner: Retirement, Increase for Delayed Retirement section. Retrieved from: https://www.ssa.gov/planners/retire/delayret.html 3 Note: If you are still working for a company where you hold a workplace retirement plan and you don’t own more than 5% of the company, you may be able to delay your required distribution date to April 1 of the year following the year you retire. Nationwide Retirement Institute, “The Nationwide Retirement Institute Consumer Social Security PR Study 2017,” August 2017. Retrieved from: https:// nationwidefinancial.com/media/pdf/NFM-16829AO. pdf?_ga=2.11555895.207418086.1524007905449381559.1524007905
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Employee Benefits Research Institute, “Savings Medicare Beneficiaries Need for Health Expenses: Some Couples Could Need as Much as $350,000” January 2017. Retrieved from: https://www.ebri.org/publications/notes/index. cfm?fa=notesDisp&content_id=5527
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Disclosures
Article by Morgan Stanley and provided courtesy of Morgan Stanley Financial Advisor. Steven Brettler is a Financial Advisor in Greenville, DE at Morgan Stanley Smith Barney LLC (“Morgan Stanley. He can be reached by email at Steven.Brettler@morganstanley. com or by telephone at (302) 573-4027. His website is https:// advisor.morganstanley.com/steven.brettler This article has been prepared for informational purposes only. The information and data in the article has been obtained from sources outside of Morgan Stanley. Morgan Stanley makes no representations or guarantees as to the accuracy or completeness of the information or data from sources outside of Morgan Stanley. It does not provide individually tailored investment advice and has been prepared without regard to the individual financial circumstances and objectives of persons who receive it. The strategies and/ or investments discussed in this article may not be suitable for all investors. Morgan Stanley recommends that investors independently evaluate particular investments and strategies, and encourages investors to seek the advice of a Financial Advisor. The appropriateness of a particular investment or strategy will depend on an investor’s individual circumstances and objectives. Tax laws are complex and subject to change. Morgan Stanley Smith Barney LLC (“Morgan Stanley”), its affiliates and Morgan Stanley Financial Advisors or Private Wealth Advisors do not provide tax or legal advice. Individuals are urged to consult their personal tax or legal advisors to understand the tax and legal consequences of any actions, including any implementation of any strategies or investments described herein. Steven Brettler may only transact business, follow-up with individualized responses, or render personalized investment advice for compensation, in states where he is registered or excluded or exempted from registration, https://advisor. morganstanley.com/steven.brettler
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© 2018 Morgan Stanley Smith Barney LLC. Member SIPC. CRC 2300657 11/2018
Local Coroner, TV Personality Graham Hetrick to Speak at 50plus EXPO Dauphin County coroner and medical legal death investigator Graham Hetrick will be discussing his work during a special presentation at the 20th annual Dauphin County 50plus EXPO on Tuesday, May 28, at Hershey Lodge, 325 University Drive, Hershey. Since being elected coroner of Dauphin County almost 30 years ago, Hetrick, a Harrisburg native, has certified more than 13,000 deaths, investigated approximately 600 homicides, and participated in about 3,000 autopsies. Hetrick’s case studies are featured on the Investigation Discovery (ID) channel show The Coroner: I Speak for the Dead. Hetrick is a subject-matter expert on drug abuse, child death and child abuse, organ tissue donation, violent crimes, medical legal death investigation, forensic methodology, and the grieving process.
Reach Active, Affluent Boomers & Seniors!
He has advanced training in bloodpattern analysis, crime scene management, forensic sculpting, and shallow-grave recovery. Hetrick advises the news media and consults attorneys on the investigative process for cases facing litigation. An adjunct professor of forensics and human anatomy at Harrisburg University School of Science and Technology, Hetrick lectures widely on forensic autopsy, crime-scene management, and critical thinking within the investigative process. He is also a motivational speaker for students and troubled youth. Over the last 35 years Hetrick has written and lectured on grief and loss recovery to the medical community, hospice groups, and loss-recovery organizations. The Dauphin County 50plus EXPO will be held 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. on May 28. For more information, call (717) 285-1350 or visit 50plusexpopa.com.
DAUPHIN COUNTY
May 28, 2019 9 a.m. – 2 p.m.
Hershey Lodge • 325 University Drive, Hershey
Exhibitors • Health Screenings Demonstrations • Door Prizes
Why Participate?
Premier events for baby boomers, caregivers, and seniors • Face-to-face interaction with 1,500+ attendees • Strengthen brand recognition/launch new products
For sponsorship and exhibitor information:
(717) 770-0140
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This is JuJu’s superpower. Giving kids like JuJu the best chance for a brighter future. This is why we’re continuing to innovate, expand and invest in the people of central PA, and why we’re always raising the bar on advanced care at our Children’s Hospital. Because this is the health we need to live the way we want.
This is Penn State Health.
pennstatehealth.org/ChildrensHeart
CHI-14410-19-106901-0119