Dauphin County Edition
October 2013
Vol. 15 No. 10
The Six-Decade Chase Seasoned Hunter Recalls Exotic Catches and Locales By Chelsea Peifer The thrill of the hunt started for Jim Wagner when he was only 5 years old, and the thrill is just as strong and persistent today at age 73. A Central Pennsylvania native, Wagner followed his father around in the fields and through the woods while he hunted for small game. They shot pheasants on a regular basis—a bird that is much more difficult to spot in the region today than it was during his childhood. Wagner started hunting on his own as soon as he turned 12 years old and it was legal for him to do so. He has been hunting every year since then, skipping out on his favorite hobby only for the four years after high school that he spent serving in the United States Navy, where he had the dangerous job of operating the boilers in a destroyer ship. Once back stateside, that boiler knowledge translated into a more than 40-year career in the field. Now retired and working part-time, Wagner’s hunting adventures have taken him not only all throughout the state of Pennsylvania, but into several other states and countries including Canada, Argentina, New Zealand, and the African plains. More than 50 mounts of animals he has killed are on display in his home. His wife, Janet, “puts up with it,” said Wagner with a chuckle. At first the mounts were scattered throughout different rooms of their please see CHASE page 9 Jim Wagner’s hunting excursions have taken him around the globe, including New Zealand and Argentina.
Inside:
Senior Idol Moves to Fall page 5
Getting Your Affairs Organized page 17
Art and Antiques by Dr. Lori
Animals in Art & Antiques Dr. Lori have appraised many antique and vintage objects in the form of animals—from cow creamers to Kermit the Frog dolls. While objects are collectible for many reasons, when it comes to animals in art and antiques, it is interesting to note what an animal form symbolizes and why a particular animal was highlighted in a certain period of art history. We love the animals that share our lives, and in art and antiques, these beloved creatures reference important life lessons. When found in a work of art (painting, sculpture, print) or an antique object (figurine, decorative carving, fetish), the appearance of animals has special meaning.
paintings of their family coat of arms to suggest their public interest in serving the community.
I
Bee – Industry and community. Famous wealthy families of the Renaissance and Baroque periods oftentimes commissioned artists to include bees in
Bear – Gentle strength and nurturing. In Native American totem poles, bears are oftentimes carved to suggest the strength of nature and the nurturing characteristics of forest animals. Lithograph print with girl and her cat
19th-century painting with rabbits Dragonfly lamp by Louis Comfort Tiffany
Bull – Wealth. Associated with the financial world today, images of bulls were painted on cave walls in Lascaux, France, and Santander, Spain, dating back to prehistoric times. Cat – Pride. The ancient Egyptians via sculptures associated cats with pride in beauty and personal accomplishment. The French Impressionist artist, Edouard Manet, painted cats in his masterpieces to suggest the abilities of a woman to attract male suitors.
Cumberland County
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Cock – Passion. Ceramic figurines of cocks are common decorations in the kitchens of female chefs in France as they are female power symbols. Deer – Sensitivity. Walt Disney’s animated feature film, Bambi, captured the longstanding art historical symbol of the deer. Dog – Fidelity. A dog is shown at the feet of a couple on their wedding day in the world-known Arnolfini Wedding Portrait (National Gallery, London) from 1434 by Jan van Eyck. Dragonfly – Carefree. Louis Comfort Tiffany highlighted the dragonfly and other insects in many of his decorative creations, including jewelry and lamps. Eagle – Protection from evil. American
flag collectors look for intricate and decorative flags featuring the eagle from the late 1700s and 1800s. Fish – Long life. In their numerous forms, fish symbolize longevity in works of art dating from the early Christian era to the present. Horse – Stamina and power. The famous sculpture of a horse turned machine by Futurist artist Raymond Duchamp Villon highlighted society’s change from an agricultural society to an industrial one in the early 1900s. Lion – Power and majesty, guardian. Lions have guarded the gates and entrances of some of the most famous sites in the world. Lions are featured on the Ishtar Gate, the eighth gate (north) to the inner city of Babylon. The gate
Resource Directory PACE (800) 225-7223
Emergency Central PA Poison Center (800) 521-6110
Tri-County Association for the Blind (717) 238-2531
Social Security Information (800) 772-1213
Dauphin County Area Agency on Aging (717) 780-6130
Healthcare Information PA Healthcare Cost Containment Council (717) 232-6787
Floor Coverings Gipe Floor & Wall Covering 5435 Jonestown Road, Harrisburg (717) 545-6103
Hearing Services Pennsylvania Office for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing (800) 233-3008 V/TTY
Funeral Directors Zimmerman Auer Funeral Home, Inc. 4100 Jonestown Road, Harrisburg (717) 545-4001
Home Care Services Home Care Assistance Serving Cumberland, Dauphin, Lancaster, Lebanon, and York counties (717) 540-4663
American Diabetes Association (800) 342-2383 Arthritis Foundation – Central PA Chapter (717) 763-0900 CONTACT Helpline (717) 652-4400 The National Kidney Foundation (717) 757-0604 (800) 697-7007
Rabbit – Rebirth. Female artists often choose rabbits as subject matter for paintings, prints, and works on paper to suggest the rejuvenation of the earth in spring. Tiger – Strength, ferocity, power. Japanese artists of the 1700s often featured tigers in their gouaches, watercolors, woodblock prints, and paintings. Turtle – Perseverance. French sculptors cast forms of turtles in bronze and other metals in the art movement called animalier. Animalier, or animal sculptures, were popular with artists such as Barye and Bonheur in the mid-1860s to the 1880s.
Personally, I have collected art and antiques that feature fish for decades. It started when I was a youngster on the swim team and the association meant something important to me. Over the years, fish have served as pets, and fish objects have been the basis for some of my collections. This glossary of animal symbolism may help you collect with a vision in mind and learn about the history of your favorite animals. Ph.D. antiques appraiser, author, awardwinning TV personality, and TV talk show host, Dr. Lori presents antiques appraisal events nationwide. Dr. Lori is the expert appraiser on Discovery channel’s hit TV show Auction Kings. Visit www.DrLoriV.com, www.Facebook.com/DoctorLori, or call (888) 431-1010.
This Resource Directory recognizes advertisers who have made an extended commitment to your health and well-being.
Cremation Zimmerman Auer Funeral Home, Inc. 4100 Jonestown Road, Harrisburg (717) 545-4001
Health & Medical Services Alzheimer’s Association (717) 651-5020
was ordered by King Nebuchadnezzar II in 575 BC.
Housing/Apartments B’Nai B’rith Apartments 130 S.Third St., Harrisburg (717) 232-7516 Housing Assistance Dauphin County Housing Authority (717) 939-9301 Homeland Center Cumberland and Dauphin counties (717) 221-7727 Property Tax/Rent Rebate (888) 728-2937 Insurance Apprise Insurance Counseling (800) 783-7067
StoneRidge Retirement Living (717) 866-3204 Services Dauphin County Area Agency on Aging (717) 255-2790 The Salvation Army Edgemont Temple Corps (717) 238-8678 Toll-Free Numbers American Lung Association (800) LUNG-USA Bureau of Consumer Protection (800) 441-2555 Meals on Wheels (800) 621-6325
Lincoln Heritage (484) 945-3213
National Council on Aging (800) 424-9046
Nursing/Rehab Colonial Park Care Center 800 King Russ Road, Harrisburg (717) 657-1520
Social Security Office (800) 772-1213
Visiting Angels Serving East and West Shores (717) 652-8899 or (717) 737-8899
Pharmacy CVS/pharmacy www.cvs.com
Transportation CAT Share-A-Ride (717) 232-6100
Hospice Services Homeland Hospice 2300 Vartan Way, Suite 115, Harrisburg (717) 221-7890
Retirement Communities Homeland Center 1901 N. Fifth St., Harrisburg (717) 221-7902
Veterans Services Lebanon VA Medical Center 1700 S. Lincoln Ave., Lebanon (717) 228-6000 or (800) 409-8771
Safe Haven Quality Care Serving Cumberland, Dauphin, and Perry counties (717) 238-1111
Veterans Affairs (717) 626-1171 or (800) 827-1000
Not an all-inclusive list of advertisers in your area.
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October 2013
He Felt a Guardian Angel Watched Over Him during WWII Alvin S. Goodman avid Press, 89, of Germans penetrated our Mechanicsburg, position, and both sides had many suffered casualties. We kept interesting experiences in firing and prevented them the U.S. Army during from retaking our position, World War II. And in his but one soldier was able to lob civilian job afterward, a grenade into our foxhole distributing recorded music before he was killed.” in five Mid-Atlantic States, Press was able to jump out he came in contact with of the foxhole, but he was several famous celebrities. knocked unconscious and Born on Christmas Day woke up in a hospital 1923 in Harrisburg, Press building. They said he had a graduated from William concussion and was Penn High School in June disoriented but was returned 1941. That summer he went to his outfit in three days. to work for D&H “Unfortunately, I found out Distributors of Harrisburg, a that the private first class with large distributor of me didn’t make it because the phonograph records in the machine gun he was firing was Mid-Atlantic States. in his way to get out. He was drafted into the “Another time, we were Group photos of Press and his buddies in Germany. Army in February 1943. He taking a small village, going received basic training at Ft. house to house, when a didn’t want to be in a rifle platoon, th Fisher, N.C., in the 557 AA German soldier stepped around the so I said I had training in big guns.” Battalion and was made a corporal corner and fired a burp gun, an He was put in a platoon with mortar automatic weapon that sounds like a two weeks after he arrived for basic training, helping to train the men in and machine-gun operations. burp, at Ray DiBagro and me. “My platoon sergeant, Sammy his company. “He must have been Cohen, made me a mortar man. I After Press’s company finished inexperienced in combat because carried the ammo and fed the mortar when firing an automatic weapon basic, they left to go overseas. but was not allowed to arm or fire it “As a cadre man (trainer), I was such as a burp gun, it has a tendency until I got more experience.” sent to train another outfit at Camp to elevate if you do not control it, so The first night Press was in Stewart, Ga. After finishing their the bullets flew over our heads.” combat, the GIs were being bombed training, I asked to be shipped out Both DiBagro and Press fired by two lone bombers. with them, but because I was cadre, their carbines from the hip at the “I was never so scared in my life, my captain would not let me go.” same time, and the German soldier and although the bombs never Press later learned that this same fell. dropped near enough to injure us, I Another time after he was moved outfit had 98 percent casualties in began praying like I never prayed to machine gunner, he was trying to Normandy. After D-Day, the Army cross an open field when a sniper needed infantry to replace the losses, before.” kept firing at the men, who were so he was sent to Camp Stewart for Close Calls trying to pinpoint his position. infantry training. Then it was onto “I think I must have had one or “We thought we had him, and as the Queen Mary, bound for Europe, more guardian angels because I had I was running across the field with where Press was chosen for guard some close calls, and I survived, the gun in front of my waist, a duty and had the run of the ship. thankfully.” sniper bullet hit the gun. It stung When the Queen Mary landed in Because of the many casualties in like hell, but I was able to get across Glasgow, Scotland, the men were put the machine gun section, Press was to safety.” on a train to Dover, and then on a moved there. He didn’t fire the gun They did eventually get the boat across the English Channel to but carried the ammo and fed the sniper. Le Havre, France. They were taken by truck to their respective divisions. gun. “After we crossed the Roer River, Other Close Calls His was the 84th Infantry Division, we took the hill from the Germans th 335 Infantry Regiment, Company “When going through a small outside the town of Baal. We took B. German village, I got the urge to “When I arrived, the first sergeant over their foxholes and dug in for their expected counterattack. The please see ANGEL page 9 asked me what my training was. I
D
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Senior Idol Moves to Fall, Talent Follows published in a poetry anthology. Jeanette Miller of Shippensburg performed a Some sat in the waiting area silently, rapid-fingered tune on the flute. Tom sporting serious game faces. Others LaNasa of York and Eugene Constantine alleviated performance jitters by chatting Hrynkiewicz of Harrisburg both and laughing with fellow contestants. No presented dramatic monologues: LaNasa matter their prep tactic, though, all the with "Ragged Old Flag" by Johnny Cash nearly 100 people who auditioned for and Hrynkiewicz with The Tell-Tale Heart by Edgar Allan Poe. 2013 PA STATE SENIOR IDOL came And several contestants prepared and ready to impress. complemented Produced by OLP their vocals with EVENTS, the eighth Ray Ricke Jr., their own York annual PA STATE SENIOR accompaniment, IDOL competition such as Paul showcases the vocal, Zavinsky of instrumental, comedic, Hummelstown or dance abilities of the and Tom state’s over-50 Williams of population. West Traditionally held in Brandywine, the spring, the Ernest Batz, both on guitar, competition was moved Ephrata and Ross to the fall for 2013, a Mounds of move that did not Harrisburg on affect the spectrum or the keyboard. quantity of contestant Deb Olsen of turnout. Individuals from as Manheim and far west as Westmoreland Ray Ricke Jr. of County traveled to the York both paid competition’s Central tribute to Pennsylvania audition sites. Michael Jackson From this vast talent pool, with a medley of 15 his most semifinalists memorable have been hits—Olsen on the drums and Ricke selected, with his moonwalking feet. having been When the chosen semifinalists judged on the return to the stage, they will be merits of performing for both a packed ability, audience as well as local celebrity originality, judges: R.J. Harris of WHP580, appearance, Buddy King of The Magnificent and stage Jeanette Miller, Shippensburg Men, Valerie Pritchett of abc27, and presentation. Janelle Stelson of WGAL-8 will These 15 select three finalists after the first round performers will vie for the title of 2013 of performances. PA STATE SENIOR IDOL at the sold-out The finalists will then perform a finals night competition on Monday, second selection, after which the judges Oct. 14, at The Dutch Apple Dinner Theater, Lancaster. Emcee of the evening and the audience will vote together to select the 2013 Pennsylvania State will be Diane Dayton of Dayton SENIOR IDOL. The winner will receive a Communications. limousine trip for two to New York City Although the majority of contestants to enjoy dinner and a Broadway show. flexed their vocal abilities, SENIOR IDOL The 2013 PA STATE SENIOR IDOL judges still saw a fair share of other competition is brought to you by OLP talents represented. Steve Gallion of EVENTS. Media sponsors are abc27, Blue Lancaster performed a stand-up comedy routine. Ernest Batz, Ephrata, played the Ridge Communications, WHP580, and WHYL. accordion that he has played for the last For more information, call On-Line 70 of his 75 years. Publishers at (717) 285-1350 or visit Christian Kendig, Millersville, recited www.SeniorIdolPA.com. a poem—one of his own that had been By Megan Joyce
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Congratulations to the 2013 PA STATE SENIOR IDOL Semifinalists!
Maudie Becker
Cheri Coleman
Tamara (Tammy) Estep
Constance Fisher
Steve Gallion
Roy Jacobs Thomasville
Philadelphia
Tom LaNasa
John “Legs” Lawrenzi
Kevin Pierce
Ray Ricke Jr.
Paul Zavinsky
?
Seltzer
Mechanicsburg
York
Chris Roda Lancaster
Coatesville
Lancaster
Sutersville
Tom Williams
West Brandywine
York
Coatesville
Hummelstown
Nick Ferraro Harrisburg
Dan Kelly
York
2013 PA STATE SENIOR IDOL
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“Solace for Wounded Spirits” BY LORI VAN INGEN
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here have you been?” a going to ride my trike.” neighbor named Stacy He tried to stop me. said. “You’ve been on your feet all day. You “Where have you been?” my neighbor, can hardly walk after that. And you Robert, asked. haven’t been on your trike for ages!” I was riding my three-wheeler bike “Bob, if I don’t do this now, I am down our road. The bike is made never going to do it.” I knew that. I knew specifically for people like me who are that from the depths of me. I had to do disabled. something to help “Well,” I said to the myself. dozen or so And it had to be neighborhood folks now. who asked me the I’d have never done same question. “I took this had I thought, time off to be “I’m going to grab my depressed.” cane, find the keys, I was on my bike check the weather, find that day because of a the bike lock,” and on breakthrough. I can and on, ending with still visualize myself on something a recent afternoon, overwhelmingly when I debated about sabotaging like, “and opening our front door ride every day for the and reentering the rest of my entire life.” outside world. The I biked down our breakthrough occurred road, loving every National Depression minute. It’s a new me, because of this thought: “If I keep a new life, and all Screening Day is waiting until I want to because of one simple Oct. 10 do something, I’ll be decision. waiting forever.” And so, the secret of Oddly, this new way of thinking began life that Mitch learned? because of a 22-year-old movie I watched To paraphrase from the movie: “Just called City Slickers. Mitch, played by Billy one thing,” Curly, the wise cowboy, said. Crystal, is dreadfully depressed as he “You stick to that and the rest is foolish takes us through his comical mid-life detail.” funk. “What is that one thing?” During his journey of recovery, he was “That’s what you have to find out for taught “the secret of life.” But here’s the yourself.” thing: Finding that secret could never For Mitch, it was not about taking an have happened until Mitch stopped adventurous trip out West; it was merely waiting for happiness to come to him agreeing to read the brochure. and instead took the first step himself. For Mitch’s wife, it was just saying First steps, I have learned, are nowhere these words to him: “I want you to have near as huge as they sound. They’re that adventure and find … your smile.” actually quite simple. They have to be. It was when Mitch realized by simply My husband, Bob, heard me crying giving his wife one single kiss: “Today is when the movie ended. my very best day!” “I thought it was a comedy,” he said. And for me, it was grabbing my old “It was hysterical.” wooden walking stick. “Then why are you crying?” Saralee Perel is an award-winning, nationally “Because it made me realize I’ve syndicated columnist. Her new book is wasted six months of my life by settling Cracked Nuts & Sentimental Journeys: Stories into depression and waiting, waiting, From a Life Out of Balance. To find out more, waiting to come out of it.” visit www.saraleeperel.com or email That was the instant I took that first sperel@saraleeperel.com. step. I grabbed my cane and said, “I’m
“W
Media Division
October 2013
The First Step is a Cinch Saralee Perel
Media Division, Magazine Fall 2012
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Such is Life
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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.
Alliance Home Help
Good Samaritan Home Health
(800) 444-4598 (toll-free); 717-283-1444 www.alliancehomehelp.com
(717) 274-2591 www.gshleb.org
Year Est.: 2010 Counties Served: Lancaster RNs: No LPNs: No CNAs: Yes Home Aides: Yes Medicare Certified?: No
Year Est.: 1911 Counties Served: Berks, Dauphin, Lancaster, Lebanon, Schuylkill RNs: Yes LPNs: Yes CNAs: Yes Home Aides: Yes Medicare Certified?: Yes
Other Certifications and Services: Providing non-medical companion, respite, and personal care services throughout Lancaster County. Caregivers matched specifically to you and your needs. Compassion, 24/7 on-call availability, trained, competent, and reliable. Medicaid Waiver approved.
Central Penn Nursing Care, Inc.
Good Samaritan Hospice
(717) 569-0451 www.cpnc.com
(717) 274-2591 www.gshleb.org
Year Est.: 1984 Counties Served: Cumberland, Dauphin, Lancaster, Lebanon, York RNs: Yes LPNs: Yes CNAs: Yes Home Aides: Yes Medicare Certified?: No
Other Certifications and Services: Providing all levels of care (PCAs, CNAs, LPNs, RNs), in the home, hospital, or retirement communities with specifically trained caregivers for Alzheimer's and dementia clients. Home care provided up to 24 hours a day to assist with personal care and housekeeping. A FREE nursing assessment is offered.
Year Est.: 1979 Counties Served: Berks, Dauphin, Lancaster, Lebanon, Schuylkill RNs: Yes LPNs: Yes CNAs: Yes Home Aides: Yes Medicare Certified?: Yes
ComForcare Home Care
Homeland Hospice
(610) 363-1485; (717) 421-0607 www.comforcare.com
(717) 221-7890 www.homelandcenter.org
Year Est.: 2009 Counties Served: Chester, Dauphin, Lancaster, York RNs: No LPNs: No CNAs: Yes Home Aides: Yes Medicare Certified?: No
Other Certifications and Services: 2013 Best of Home Care. Employer of Choice Award from Home Care Pulse. ComForcare provides companionship and/or personal care services up to 24 hours/day, 365 days/year with our meticulously selected, highly qualified, and reliable caregivers. When you can’t be there, ComForcare!
Year Est.: 2009 Counties Served: Cumberland, Dauphin, Lebanon, Perry, York RNs: Yes LPNs: No CNAs: Yes Home Aides: Yes Medicare Certified?: Yes
Other Certifications and Services: Good Samaritan Home Health is a Pennsylvania-licensed home health agency that is Medicare certified and Joint Commission accredited. We work with your physician to provide nursing, physical therapy, occupational therapy, speech therapy, wound care, and specialized care as needed.
Other Certifications and Services: Good Samaritan Hospice provides services to patients and their families facing a life-limiting illness. We are Pennsylvania licensed, JCAHO accredited, and Medicare certified. We provide services 24 hours per day with a team approach for medical, emotional, spiritual, and social needs.
Other Certifications and Services: Exemplary care provided by a highly trained staff who address all patient and caregiver needs.
Garden Spot Village
Hospice & Community Care
(717) 355-6000 www.gardenspotvillage.org
Founded as Hospice of Lancaster County
Year Est.: 2006 Counties Served: Lancaster RNs: No LPNs: No CNAs: No Home Aides: Yes Medicare Certified?: No
(717) 295-3900 www.hospicecommunity.org Other Certifications and Services: Personal care and companionship services in your home with all the professionalism, friendliness, and excellence you expect of Garden Spot Village. Contact info@gardenspotvillage.org.
Year Est.: 1980 Counties Served: Adams, Berks, Chester, Dauphin, Lancaster, Lebanon, York RNs: Yes LPNs: Yes CNAs: Yes Home Aides: Yes Medicare Certified?: Yes
Other Certifications and Services: Hospice & Community Care provides compassionate care and support for patients and their families facing serious illness, end of life, and loss. Care is provided at home, in nursing homes, hospitals, and our Inpatient Center. Joint Commission accredited. You are welcome to call with questions.
Continued on following pages.
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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.
Keystone In-Home Care, Inc.
Senior Helpers
(717) 898-2825; (866) 857-4601 (toll-free) www.keystoneinhomecare.com
(717) 738-0588 www.seniorhelpers.com/lancastercounty
Year Est.: 2004 Counties Served: Dauphin, Lancaster, Lebanon, York RNs: No LPNs: No CNAs: Yes Home Aides: Yes Medicare Certified?: Yes
Other Certifications and Services: Two- to 24-hour non-medical assistance provided by qualified, caring, competent, compassionate, and compatible caregivers. Personalized service with Assistance for Daily Living (ADL, IADL): companionship, meal prep, bathing, cleaning, and personal care needs. Respite care, day surgery assistance. Assistance with veterans homecare benefits.
Year Est.: 2002 Counties Served: Berks, Lancaster, Lebanon RNs: Yes LPNs: Yes CNAs: Yes Home Aides: Yes Medicare Certified?: No
Live-In Care of PA, Inc.
Synergy HomeCare
(717) 519-6860; (888) 327-7477 (toll-free) www.liveincareofpa.com
(717) 243-5473 www.synergyhomecare.com
Year Est.: 1997 Counties Served: Providing service to over 20 counties including Adams, Berks, Chester, Cumberland, Dauphin, Franklin, Lancaster, Lebanon, York RNs: No LPNs: No CNAs: Yes Home Aides: Yes Medicare Certified?: No
Year Est.: 2012 Counties Served: Adams, Cumberland, Dauphin, Franklin, York RNs: No LPNs: No CNAs: No Home Aides: Yes Medicare Certified?: No
Other Certifications and Services: For everyone’s peace of mind, 24-hour personal care in the home you love, yours! Premier, professional caregivers. Extensive background checks. Free home evaluations.
Safe Haven Skilled Services
UCP of South Central PA
(717) 238-1111; (717) 582-4110; (717) 582-9977 www.safehavenqualitycare.com
(800) 333-3873 (Toll Free) www.ucpsouthcentral.org
Year Est.: 2005 Counties Served: Cumberland, Dauphin, Perry RNs: Yes LPNs: Yes CNAs: Yes Home Aides: Yes Medicare Certified?: Yes
Other Certifications and Services: Owners Leslie and Sandra Hardy are members of the Society of Certified Senior Advisors. We have contracts with the VA and the Area Agency on Aging. Private insurance and selfpayment are also accepted. Friendly faces, helping hands, warm hearts. Skilled nursing also available.
Year Est.: 1962 Counties Served: Adams, Franklin, Lancaster, York RNs: No LPNs: No CNAs: No Home Aides: Yes Medicare Certified?: No
Senior Helpers
Visiting Angels
(717) 920-0707 www.seniorhelpers.com/harrisburg
(717) 393-3450; (717) 737-8899 (717) 751-2488; (717) 630-0067 (717) 652-8899; (800) 365-4189 www.visitingangels.com
Year Est.: 2007 Counties Served: Adams, Cumberland, Dauphin, Perry, York RNs: No LPNs: No CNAs: Yes Home Aides: Yes Medicare Certified?: No
Other Certifications and Services: Offering nonmedical home care to provide positive solutions for aging in place. Companionship, personal care and our specialized dementia care. No minimum number of hours. Medicaid Waiver approved. Convenient, free assessment.
Year Est.: 2001 Counties Served: Cumberland, Dauphin, Lancaster, York RNs: No LPNs: No CNAs: Yes Home Aides: Yes Medicare Certified?: No
Other Certifications and Services: A PA-licensed, non-medical home care company providing companion, personal, Alzheimer’s, & dementia care from two to 24 hours a day. Call for a FREE homecare assessment and to learn more about benefits available for veterans and their spouse.
Other Certifications and Services: Personal care, companionship, respite care, light housekeeping, meal preparation, medication reminders, errands.
Other Certifications and Services: UCP provides non-medical adult in-home care services to adults under DPW and aging waiver programs. PA licensed and working hand in hand with your service coordinator, UCP provides personal care attendants who implement your individualized service plan.
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.
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October 2013
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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.
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home, but now just one entire room is devoted to displaying the mounts. At this point, when he has a noteworthy catch, he just puts the nice rack on a plaque rather than adding more mounts to the collection. Wagner devotes four weeks of each year to rifle hunting. “I just prefer rifle,” he said. “I never got into archery. I’ve done a lot of hunting, but there are a lot of guys who would make me look pretty small.” Internationally, he has captured zebra, wildebeest, gemsbuck, impala, bushbuck, blezbuck, nyala, southern greater kudu, fallow deer, red hartebeest, Spanish goats, axis deer, black buck antelope, and more. Wagner has hunted for moose and black bear in Newfoundland, caribou in Quebec and other parts of the Arctic, black bear in Manitoba and New Brunswick, and for black bear and mountain goats in British Columbia. Within the United States he has gotten mountain lions in Idaho; whitetail deer in Pennsylvania, Maryland, Missouri, and South Carolina; and mule
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deer, elk, and antelope in Colorado. Elk hunting is challenging because the elk can be so elusive, he said. “The elk is the ultimate animal you can get,” Wagner said. Hunting for mountain goats is a great adventure because it usually involves traversing the rocky crags that the animals do in order to capture them. Wagner has memories of crawling on his hands and knees all day through the mountains of British Columbia to get to the mountain goats. “Some of that’s scary when it’s straight peaks on both sides of you,” he said. “You crawl all day, and it’s dark when you leave and dark when you come back. Or sometimes you just camp right out on the mountain.” Sometimes the hardest part about hunting is coping with the extremes in temperature. Wagner has been hunting when the thermometer read as low as 17 degrees below zero and says that’s just “terrible.” “It gets cold and miserable sometimes, and you feel like you’re freezing to
death,” Wagner said. “And you ask yourself if this is supposed to be fun.” Usually it’s between zero and 15 degrees, which isn’t quite so bad, he said. Hunters put in long hours, but when you capture the animal you’ve been pursuing, Wagner says that everything you’ve put yourself through is more than worth it. “The more you hunt, the better you get, just like everything else,” said Wagner. “Once you get something, you just keep going for something else.” South Carolina is his favorite spot to hunt in the country, and he has been traveling there once a year for the past 10 years to hunt deer and wild boar. He hunts at a 10,000-acre plantation there and said some of the deer are bigger than those in Pennsylvania, reaching 180 pounds. “In Pennsylvania, deer hunting isn’t what it used to be, but a lot of organizations are fighting to make it better,” he said. Still on his wish list of places to hunt is Texas, where he hopes to get some
whitetail deer. “I think I’ll go until I can’t go anymore,” Wagner said with a smile on his face. On international hunts he gets to try the meat after it’s been killed and cooked for the hunters, but none of that can be transported home. But his freezer at home is always stocked with meat— usually whitetail deer, elk, and mule deer. Wagner says that moose is the best meat he has tasted on all of his hunts and is close to beef in flavor. Wagner is a life member of the North American Hunting Club and a member of the National Rifle Association, Safari Club International, and a board member of the Unified Sportsmen of Pennsylvania. Out of Wagner’s four children and two stepchildren, none have become his hunting buddies. “It’s something that is born in you,” he said. “Some people love it and some people hate it. Some people try it for a year and don’t like it, but I guess it was just born in me.”
week except for the chocolates in my rations.” Just after Press’s unit crossed the Rhine River, it was attached to Gen. George Patton’s army. His tanks were moving fast, and the Germans were on the run. Press was walking along when something told him to turn his body fast. “I think I saw the bullet coming
toward me. It tore through the upper sleeve of my left arm. Talk about guardian angels!” By now the German Air Force was almost completely destroyed, but one day Press’s platoon was clearing out a small town when he saw a “beautiful black plane” coming toward him. “I was up against the wall of a house and couldn’t move. The bullets hit the
side of the house on either side of me. Had the plane or I been a few feet in either direction, I surely would have had it.” He later learned that he was strafed by what was one of the first jet airplanes, a Focke-Wulf. “Thank God for guardian angels!”
from page 4
move my bowels, so I entered a bombedout house and did my business. In the process, I heard an incoming mortar round, and I somehow knew that it was going to hit the house. I quickly pulled up my pants before finishing and dove out of the house. The shell landed on the roof and exploded through the house. “I was so scared that I traded all my K rations for cheese and that’s all I ate for a www.50plusSeniorNewsPA.com
50plus SeniorNews +
To be continued next month … October 2013
9
The Search for Our Ancestry
Why Research Your Ancestors? Angelo Coniglio fellow 50plus Senior News writer recently expounded on his lack of interest in the origins of his European ancestry. He engagingly wrote, “None of my ancestors ever looked back with anything like nostalgia. As far as they were concerned, it was ‘good riddance’ to the Old Country and the quaint customs of impressment, bonded servitude, and nothing to eat.”
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He wrote that “now, several generations removed from the terror of it, I still have no desire to seek my roots,” and he finds “secret satisfaction in being the descendant of refugees who were nobodies.” I share some of those feelings, but I must
address a widespread misconception that genealogy is of little use unless it results in the knowledge that one’s ancestors were rich, or noble, or famous, or all three. If finding famous ancestors is your sole reason for doing genealogical research, you are likely to be disappointed. The great preponderance
of souls who have inhabited this earth have been neither “members of the U.S. Senate, nor generals on horseback, nor millionaire entrepreneurs,” so don’t be surprised if you find none in your family tree. Ancestral “celebrity searches” can have an undesired effect. As a novice researcher, you may go online and find family trees posted by others that purport please see RESEARCH page 19
Flu Shots Available in Dauphin County The Dauphin County Area Agency on Aging (DCAAA) and the Visiting Nurse Association of Central Pennsylvania (VNACP), with a grant from the PA Department of Health, will again provide the 2013 standard yearly flu shot and pneumonia shot clinics.
If you are 65+ and your primary insurance plan is Medical Assistance, you must go to your primary physician. Medicare HMO subscribers, except those with Geisinger Gold and Unison Advantage, must receive shots through their HMO.
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All other Dauphin County residents age 60 and older are eligible. You will be completing a consent form on site. Flu shot and pneumonia shot forms will be available at the clinics. Bring all your medical insurance cards, including your Medicare card. Also, please bring a return address label for your 2014 mailing. Anyone with an egg allergy may not receive a flu shot but can receive a pneumonia shot. Each clinic will have designated time slots for shots organized by last name. Please call (717) 780-6130 with questions. Tuesday, Oct. 1 Royalton Senior Center 101 Northumberland St., Royalton A–F: 1 to 1:30 p.m. G–M: 1:30 to 2 p.m. N–R: 2 to 2:30 p.m. S–Z: 2:30 to 3 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 2 Hoy Towers Senior Center 301 Mohn St., Steelton A–F: 9 to 9:30 a.m. G–M: 9:30 to 10 a.m. N–R: 10 to 10:30 a.m. S–Z: 10:30 to 11 a.m. Friday, Oct. 4 Rutherford House 3300 Parkview Lane, Harrisburg A–F: 9 to 9:30 a.m. G–M: 9:30 to 10 a.m. N–R: 10 to 10:30 a.m. S–Z: 10:30 to 11 a.m.
Monday, Oct. 7 Colonial Park UCC 5000 Devonshire Road, Harrisburg A–D: 9 to 9:30 a.m. E–H: 9:30 to 10 a.m. I–K: 10 to 10:30 a.m. L–N: 10:30 to 11 a.m. M–P: 11 to 11:30 a.m. Q–S: 11:30 a.m. to noon T–V: noon to 12:30 p.m. W–Z: 12:30 to 1 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 9 Heinz-Menaker Senior Center 1824 N. Fourth St., Harrisburg A–F: 9 to 9:30 a.m. G–M: 9:30 to 10 a.m. N–R: 10 to 10:30 a.m. S–Z: 10:30 to 11 a.m. Friday, Oct. 11 East Hanover Township Municipal Building 8848 Jonestown Road, Grantville A–D: 9 to 9:30 a.m. E–H: 9:30 to 10 a.m. I–L: 10 to 10:30 a.m. M–P: 10:30 to 11 a.m. Q–S: 11 to 11:30 a.m. T–Z: 11:30 a.m. to noon Monday, Oct. 21 Mohler Senior Center 25 Hope Drive, Hershey A–D: 9 to 9:30 a.m. E–H: 9:30 to 10 a.m. I–K: 10 to 10:30 a.m. L–N: 10:30 to 11 a.m. M–P: 11 to 11:30 a.m. Q–S: 11:30 a.m. to noon T–V: noon to 12:30 p.m. W–Z: 12:30 to 1 p.m. www.50plusSeniorNewsPA.com
My 22 Cents’ Worth
Doing Without a College Degree Walt Sonneville f one wishes to become a physician, physicist, lawyer, or any other profession where entry is limited to college graduates, higher education is unavoidable. Success has come, nevertheless, to some who have not graduated from college, and to others who dropped out of, or never attended, high school. Familiar names of those who never attended high school include authors Walt Whitman, Charles Dickens, and Mark Twain. High-school dropouts include authors H.G. Wells, Jack London, Dashiell Hammett, George Bernard Shaw, and Leon Uris; entertainers Julie Andrews, Lucille Ball, Gene Autry, George Gershwin, and Walt Disney; inventors Ben Franklin, Thomas Edison, and Orville Wright; media leaders Horace Greeley and David Sarnoff; food
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entrepreneurs Wally “Famous” Amos (cookies), Ray Kroc (McDonald’s), and Dave Thomas (Wendy’s); and four-time New York Governor Al Smith. Prominent computertechnology developers rose to fame despite dropping out of college. Among them are Bill Gates, Steve Jobs, Mark Zuckerberg, Michael Dell, and Laurence Ellison. Another category heavily represented by college dropouts is writers of fiction. F. Scott Fitzgerald, John Steinbeck, and William Faulkner are standouts in this field.
Countless other college dropouts are in other career categories, including newscaster Brian Williams, cable-TV tycoon Ted Turner, White House advisor Karl Rove, Minnesota Governor Jesse Ventura, and Michigan Governor George Romney, the father of Mitt Romney. Eight of our nation’s presidents did not graduate from college. President Lincoln did not attend either high school or college. Prime Minister Winston Churchill never attended college.
A college degree was not a career pathway for most adult Americans. As of 2008, only 29.4 percent of Americans, 25 years of age and older, were college graduates. That percentage does not appear to be rising. Approximately 72 percent of students in the past decade finished high school and, of these, 52 percent earned a bachelor’s degree within six years. Hence, these numbers indicate that 37 percent of 21st-century high-school graduates earned a college degree. How many college graduates, known to you, work in the field in which their degree is related? The Heldrich Center at Rutgers University recently surveyed 571 college graduates and found “the portion of graduates who described their first job as a ‘career’ fell from 30 percent, if they had graduated in 2006 or 2007—before please see DEGREE page 15
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October 2013
11
Traveltizers
Travel Appetizers: Stories that Whet the Appetite for Travel
Alligators, Birds, and Plants, Oh My! By Andrea Gross t’s 9:30 in the morning, but the air is still cool. Nevertheless, I’m slathered in sunscreen and dripping with insect repellant. In other words, I’m ready to meet some alligators on a trip that will take my husband and me from Georgia’s Okefenokee Swamp, the largest blackwater swamp in North America, to Florida’s Everglades National Park, a UNESCO International Biosphere Reserve as well as a World Heritage Site.
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Okefenokee Swamp Along with a dozen other passengers, we climb into a 24-foot flat-bottomed boat and set out through water that’s the color of strong tea—a result of tannic acid caused by decaying vegetation. At 10:08, we spot our first alligator. At 10:12, there’s another one, and then another. At 10:32, one leaps out of the water, arcing in front of us.
The American alligator sometimes grows to more than 14 feet in length.
Georgia’s Okefenokee Swamp is home to turtles as well as alligators and snakes.
Visitors glide through the Okefenokee in a 24-foot flat-bottomed boat.
The guide pushes the boat through the shallow swamp waters.
“Sometimes they leap 6 feet into the air,” says our guide, Chip Campbell, owner of Okefenokee Adventures. It’s a fact I find most disconcerting. By this time, the gators are appearing every two, three minutes. There’s one over there, curled in the grass, gazing at us with steely eyes. And that log over there … It moved! I stop counting when I realize I may be tracking fallen trees as well as prehistoric reptiles. In short order we become miniexperts on alligators. We learn how to tell an alligator from a crocodile (it’s all in the teeth—a croc’s lower teeth overlap his upper); to judge the reptile’s length (estimate the distance between the eye bumps and snout bump; that distance in inches pretty much equals the gator’s length in feet); and to escape one that’s chasing you. “Climb a tree, run in zigzags, or …” Chip laughs heartily, “outrun your friend!” It’s obviously a good day for alligators, but even on gatorless days, there’d be
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plenty to see. The swamp is home to a large variety of other reptiles, as well as amphibians, fish, mammals, butterflies, and more than 230 species of birds, including egrets, herons, ibis, sandhill cranes, and red-shouldered hawks. Chip puts the boat in reverse so we can better see a softshell turtle, which instantly submerges to avoid us. No problem. Chip heads toward a flooded forest, where, he says, we’re likely to see a snake. “Most, but not all, poisonous snakes have cat-shaped eyes,” he tells us. Since I have no intention of getting close enough to a snake to see the shape of its eyes, I dismiss this piece of information as superfluous. I’m more interested in learning about the medicinal properties of various plants—spotting those that will repel insects, relieve depression, grow hair, and clean hands. “But there’s no remedy for folks who get their hands eaten while plucking plants,” says Chip, and I decide to stick with the pharmacy for my medications. By 11 a.m., as another gator glides by, we’ve seen so many that we’ve become blasé. We turn our heads but don’t rush for our cameras. Our memory cards are full, but even without more photos, we know we’ve had a trip we’ll never forget.
www.50plusSeniorNewsPA.com
A boardwalk along the Anhinga Trail in Everglades National Park makes wildlife viewing accessible to all.
A cormorant spreads his wings before diving into the water for his dinner.
An osprey can have a wingspan of 6 feet.
http://www.fws.gov/okefenokee; www.okefenokeeadventures.com Everglades National Park It’s a seven-hour, 385-mile drive from Okefenokee to the Everglades, and I didn’t want to go. When I read that the best way to see the alligators is to walk along a 0.8-mile
boardwalk, I turned up my nose. After all, I rode in a low-lying boat through a swamp in Georgia, so why would I want to peer down at gators from a raised walkway? So tame. So tacky. I was wrong. Everglades National Park is nature at its most convenient and abundant. A one-hour walk along the Anhinga Trail lets us get up close and
personal with more alligators and birds than we’d seen from farther away and during much longer expeditions. We get about 10 feet down the path when a giant black bird with a yellow bill hops on the rail in front of us. He’s waving a small fish in his mouth. We stand mesmerized for several minutes while the cormorant shakes the fish into submission, positions him in line with his throat, and swallows him whole. A few feet farther, a large osprey spreads his wings, his white upper feathers looking like a fringed cape against the black background. We turn left along a nice plank pathway. With the water undisturbed by a moving boat, dozens of alligators sun in peace, some half-submerged, others happily snoozing in the roots of swamp trees, others completely visible. The boardwalk makes a stable resting place for tripods, and there seem to be more photographers than gators or birds. Yet the mood is serene. Despite the manmade conveniences, we feel at one with nature. www.nationalparks.org/exploreparks/everglades-national-park Photos © Irv Green unless otherwise noted; story by Andrea Gross (www.andreagross.com).
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Clyde McMillan-Gamber ept. 22 marked the autumn equinox, and the middle of fall, biologically speaking, at the local latitude. March 20, 2014, will be the spring equinox, or mid-spring. Those dates are six months apart and the preludes to two unique months in the Middle Atlantic States: October and April. November through March has the look and feel of winter, with denuded deciduous trees and cold. The Arctic comes to call in winter. And May through September has the look and feel of summer, with green leaves and warmth. In summer, the heat and humidity of the South comes north. But autumn and spring belong to the temperate zone, particularly October and April. The weather and beautiful scenery of those months are unique and appreciated. In October, afternoons are comfortably warm, but nights are refreshingly chilly. And the variety and volume of warm leaf colors—red, yellow, orange, and brown—during that month are unmatched at any other time of year. Only October has masses of brightly
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colored, dead leaves falling from their twigs and carpeting the ground. Autumn foliage on crisp, sunny days is inspiring. Many people go out of their way to enjoy the splendor of colored leaves, including bus trips to areas of magnificent leaf color. The weather and scenery of April are also unparalleled. Days are warm, but evenings can still be cold. The color of the landscape quickly changes from winter gray and brown to the light-green of newly developing plant growth, which is darker through summer. In October, plants become dormant and wildlife migrates, stores food, or retains fat in preparation of winter. April is the time of plant growth and wildlife migration, courtship, and reproduction. Many people are lured outdoors by pleasant weather in October and April. They enjoy hiking, hunting, fishing, gardening, watching the dynamics of wild plants and animals, and experiencing nature in other ways. Get out in nature this month, and any time of year, to enjoy its many splendors. Nature is always beautiful and intriguing.
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Social Security News
Q&A’s for October Question: My wife doesn’t have enough work under Social Security to qualify for Social Security or Medicare. But I am fully insured and eligible. Can she qualify on my record? Answer: Yes. The question you’ve raised applies to husbands as well as wives. Even if your spouse has never worked under Social Security, she (or he) can, at full retirement age, receive a benefit equal to one-half of your full retirement amount. Your wife is eligible for reduced spouse’s benefits as early as age 62, as long as you are already receiving benefits. If your spouse will receive a pension for work not covered by Social Security such as government employment, the amount of his or her Social Security benefits on your record may be reduced. For more information, take a look at
DEGREE
the fact sheet, benefits when you Government reach your full Is there a limit on Pension retirement age, your how long I can receive Offset, disability benefits will Publication automatically be disability benefits? No. 05converted to retirement 10007, at benefits. Learn more www.socialsecurity.gov/pubs/10007.pdf. about disability benefits at www.social For more information, visit security.gov/disability. www.socialsecurity.gov and select the “Retirement” tab. Question: Why is there a five-month waiting period for Social Security Question: Is there a time limit on disability benefits? how long I can receive Social Security disability benefits? Answer: The law states Social Security disability benefits can be paid only after Answer: Your disability benefits will you have been disabled continuously continue as long as your medical throughout a period of five full calendar condition has not improved and you months. cannot work. Social Security will Social Security disability benefits periodically review your case to begin with the sixth full month after the determine whether you continue to be date your disability began. You are not eligible. able to receive benefits for any month If you are still receiving disability during the waiting period. Learn more at
“
from page 11
the 2008 economic downturn—to 22 percent if they had graduated in 2009 or 2010” (as reported by the International Herald Tribune Sept. 2, 2011). Gaining a college degree is a worthy aspiration for students who believe their career prospects merit the risk of defaulting on their student loan. Such defaults are below the levels seen in the economic recession of the early 1990s but, at 8.8 percent in mid-2011, they have reached their highest rate since 1997, nearly double the lowest rate of 4.6 percent in 2005, according to the Department of Education. There are trade schools and two-year colleges that may offer better pathways toward gainful employment than fouryear institutions. College graduates, unable to find acceptable employment, too frequently “park their employment search” by attending graduate school. This postponement strategy can expand the debt burden of one’s higher education without enhancing future job prospects. Many discover upon graduation they are educated in fields lacking marketability. They are underemployed—working at jobs that www.50plusSeniorNewsPA.com
“
By John Johnston
do not require a four-year college education—more often than unemployed. Data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics indicate at least onethird of college graduates in 2008 were underemployed. “Fats” Domino, the singer and songwriter, summed up the situation succinctly, saying, “A lot of fellows nowadays have a B.A., M.D., or Ph.D. Unfortunately, they don’t have a J.O.B.” Our country needs college graduates pursuing those disciplines responsive to market demand. High schools fail to produce enough graduates keen about the fields of science, engineering, or math—all essential to our national economic security. Too often the goal is selfaggrandizement in financial careers, an illusion exposed as fantasy once the market bubbles burst. Walt Sonneville, a retired market-research analyst, is the author of My 22 Cents’ Worth: The Higher-Valued Opinion of a Senior Citizen and A Musing Moment: Meditative Essays on Life and Learning, books of personal-opinion essays, free of partisan and sectarian viewpoints. Contact him at waltsonneville@earthlink.net.
our website: www.socialsecurity.gov/ disability. Question: I found out that my daughter and I submitted incorrect information about my resources when she helped me complete my Application for Help with Medicare Prescription Drug Plan Costs. How can I get my application amended now to show the correct amount? Answer: You can call (800) 772-1213 and let us know. Or you can contact your local Social Security office by using our office locator at www.socialsecurity.gov/ locator. Information on your application will be matched with data from other federal agencies. If there is a discrepancy that requires verification, we will contact you. John Johnston is a Social Security public affairs specialist.
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In print. Online at onlinepub.com. To include your community or service in the 2014 edition or for a free copy of the 2013 edition, call your representative or (717) 285-1350 or email info@onlinepub.com Your key to choosing the right living and care options for you or a loved one.
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October 2013
15
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Elder Law Attorneys
Specific areas of elder law in which the firm specializes:
Blakey, Yost, Bupp & Rausch, LLP David A. Mills, Esquire
17 East Market Street, York, PA 17401 717-845-3674 fax 717-854-7839 dmills@blakeyyost.com www.blakeyyost.com
2
7
1980
1980
No
Yes
No
Yes
Estate planning, wills, trusts, powers of attorney, estate administration, guardianships.
Yes
Robert Clofine is the current president of the Pennsylvania Association of Elder Law Attorneys. Medicaid; nursing home asset protection; estate planning; estate settlement.
Yes
Wills; powers of attorney; living wills; estate settlement; probate; estate planning; nursing home planning; Medicaid; asset protection planning; trusts. We make house calls!
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Alzheimer’s & special needs planning; VA & Medicaid benefits; wills; powers of attorney; trusts; long-term care insurance; estate administration; care coordination; nurse on staff.
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Philip Levin, Esq. concentrates his practice on wills, trusts, elder law, asset protection planning, probate and estate administration.
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Estate planning and administration; long-term care planning; medical assistance; special needs planning and trusts; guardianships.
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Estate planning & administration; wills, trusts & powers; Medicaid planning; succession planning; tax consultation & preparation.
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Wills; trusts; living trusts; powers of attorney; long-term care planning; estate planning and administration; Medicaid planning.
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Asset protection; estate planning; probate & estate administration; trusts; Medicaid planning; long-term care planning; guardianships; conserving assets, securities & annuities; wills; living wills; financial & healthcare powers of attorney.
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The firm provides a full range of legal services for seniors and special-needs clients (including estate, trust and medical assistance planning, guardianship and estate administration). In-house care manager, a CRNP, provides care planning and oversight, as well as client advocacy.
The Elder Law Firm of Robert Clofine 120 Pine Grove Commons, York, PA 17403 717-747-5995 fax 717-747-5996 clofine@estateattorney.com www.estateattorney.com
2
2
1985
1985
Yes
Yes
Yes
Gettle & Veltri 13 East Market Street, York, PA 17401 717-854-4899 fax 717-848-1603 ghg@gettleveltri.com www.gettleveltri.com
2
4
1997
1997
Yes
Yes
Yes
Keystone Elder Law
555 Gettysburg Pike — Suite C-100, Mechanicsburg, PA 17055 717-697-3223 fax 717-691-8070 karen@keystoneelderlaw.com www.keystoneelderlaw.com
2
2
2010
2010
Yes
Yes
Yes
The Levin Law Firm
150 North Radnor Chester Road, Suite F-200, Radnor, PA 19087 610-977-2443 philip@levinlawyer.com www.levinlawyer.com
1
1
2007
2007
No
Yes
Yes
Scott Alan Mitchell Rhoads & Sinon LLP Lancaster & Harrisburg 717-397-4431 (L) and 717-231-6602 (H) smitchell@rhoads-sinon.com • www.rhoadssinon.com
1
60
1935
1995
Yes
Yes
Yes
MPL Law Firm, LLP 137 East Philadelphia Street, York, PA 17401 717-845-1524 fax 717-854-6999 jmiller@mpl-law.com, nstankoski@mpl-law.com www.mpl-law.com
2
7
1987
1998
No
Yes
No
Saidis, Sullivan & Rogers 26 West High Street, Carlisle, PA 17013 • 717-243-6222 635 North 12th Street, Lemoyne, PA 17043 • 717-612-5800 attorney@ssr-attorneys.com www.ssr-attorneys.com
4
12
2010
2006
Yes
Yes
Yes
Scheib Law Offices 4813 Jonestown Road, Suite 102, Harrisburg, PA 17109 717-525-9291 fax 717-525-9467 scheiblawoffices@outlook.com www.scheiblaw.com
1
1
1992
2000
Yes
Yes
No
SkarlatosZonarich LLC 17 South Second Street, 6th Floor, Harrisburg, PA 17101 717-233-1000 fax 717-233-6740 ebp@skarlatoszonarich.com www.skarlatoszonarich.com
2
11
1966
1966
Yes
Yes
Yes
This is not an all-inclusive list. These advertisers are eager to provide additional information about their services. * Indicates that at least one attorney in the firm is a member. Information contained herein was provided by the firm.
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October 2013
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Savvy Senior
Getting Your Affairs Organized Jim Miller Dear Savvy Senior, My husband and I (both in our 70s) would like to get our personal and financial information better organized so our kids will know what’s going on when we die. Any tips on how to get started? – Unorganized Edna Dear Edna, Collecting and organizing your important papers and information is a smart idea and a great gift to your loved ones. Here’s what you should know. The first step in getting your affairs in order is to gather up all your important personal, financial, and legal information so you can arrange it in a format that will benefit your caregivers, survivors, and even yourself. Then you’ll need to sit down and create various lists of important information and instructions of how you want certain things handled. Here are some key areas to help you get started. Personal Information • Contact list: A good starting point is to make a master list of names and phone numbers of family members, close friends, clergy, doctor(s), and professional advisers such as your lawyer, tax accountant, broker, and insurance agent. • Personal documents: This can include such items as your birth certificate, Social Security number, marriage license, military discharge papers, etc. • Secured places: List all the places you keep under lock and key (or protected by password), such as safe-deposit boxes, safe combination, security alarms, etc. • Service providers: Provide contact information of the companies or people who provide you regular services, such as utility companies, lawn service, etc. • Pets: If you have a pet, give instructions for the care of the animal. • Organ donation: Indicate your wishes for organ, tissue, or body donation, including documentation (see www.donatelife.net). • Funeral instructions: Write out your final wishes. If you’ve made www.50plusSeniorNewsPA.com
prearrangements with a funeral home, provide their contact information and whether you’ve prepaid or not, and include a copy of the agreement. Legal Documents • Will and trust: In your files, have the original copy of your will (not a photocopy) and other estate-planning documents you’ve made, including trusts. • Financial power of attorney: This is the legal document that names someone you trust to handle money matters if you’re incapacitated. Talk to an elder law attorney (National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys, www.naela.org) to learn more. • Advance directives: These are the legal documents (living will and medical power of attorney) that spell out your wishes regarding your end-of-life medical treatment when you can no longer make decisions for yourself. For state-specific advance directive forms, visit Caring Connections (www.caringinfo.org). Financial Records • Income and debt: Make a list of all your income sources such as pensions, Social Security, IRAs, 401(k)s, interest, investments, etc. And do the same for any debt you may have—mortgage, credit cards, medical bills, car payment. • Financial accounts: List all your bank and brokerage accounts (checking, savings, stocks, bonds, mutual funds, IRAs, etc.), including their location and contact information. And keep current statements from each institution in your files. • Pensions and benefits: List any retirement plans, pensions, or benefits from your current or former employer, including the contact information of the benefits administrator.
• Government benefits: Information about Social Security, Medicare, or other government benefits you’re receiving. • Insurance: List the insurance policies you own (life, health, long-term care, home, and car), including the policy numbers and agents’ names and phone numbers. • Credit cards: List all your credit and charge cards, including the card numbers and contact information. • Taxes: Keep copies of your income tax
returns over the last five years and the contact information of your tax preparer. • Property: List the real estate, vehicles, and other personal properties you own, rent, or lease and include important documents such as deeds, titles, and loan or lease agreements. Savvy Tips: It’s best to keep all your organized information and files together in one convenient location — ideally in a fireproof filing cabinet or safe in your home. Also be sure to review and update your information every year, and don’t forget to tell your loved ones where they can find it. Jim Miller is a regular contributor to the NBC Today show and author of The Savvy Senior Book. www.savvysenior.org
Scheib Law Offices Asset Protection • Estate Planning Probate and Estate Administration • Trusts Medicaid Planning • Long-Term Care Planning Guardianships • Conserving Assets Wills • Living Wills Financial and Health Care Power of Attorneys Richard G. Scheib, Esq. Attorney at Law 4813 Jonestown Road, Suite 102 • Harrisburg, PA 17109
(717) 525-9291 www.scheiblaw.com • scheiblaw@outlook.com 50plus SeniorNews +
October 2013
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Calendar of Events
Dauphin County
Dauphin County Department of Parks and Recreation
Senior Center Activities
Oct. 12, 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. – Volunteer Workday, Wildwood Park
Bistline Senior Center – (717) 564-5633
Oct. 23, 8 to 10 a.m. – Autumn Bird Walk, Wildwood Park
B’Nai B’rith Senior Center – (717) 232-6757 East Hanover Township Senior Center – (717) 469-7514
Dauphin County Library Programs East Shore Area Library, 4501 Ethel St., Harrisburg, (717) 652-9380 Oct. 17, 10 a.m. to 9 p.m.; Oct 18 and 19, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. – Book Sale Collection Oct. 24, 9 a.m. to 9 p.m.; Oct. 25, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Oct. 26, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. – Book Sale
Edgemont Senior Center – (717) 236-2221 Friendship Senior Center – (717) 657-1547
Elizabethville Area Library, 80 N. Market St., Elizabethville, (717) 362-9825 Oct. 3, 6:30 p.m. – Friends of the Elizabethville Library Meeting
Heinz-Menaker Senior Center – (717) 238-7860
Harrisburg Downtown Library, 101 Walnut St., Harrisburg, (717) 234-4976
Jewish Community Center – (717) 236-9555
Johnson Memorial Library, 799 E. Center St., Millersburg, (717) 692-2658
Lick Towers Senior Center – (717) 233-0388
Hoy/Latsha Senior Center – (717) 939-9833
Kline Branch, 530 S. 29th St., Harrisburg, (717) 234-3934 Oct. 24, 6:30 p.m. – Friends of the Kline Library Meeting Oct. 31, 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.; Nov. 1, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.; Nov. 2, 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. – Book Sale Madeline L. Olewine Memorial Library, 2410 N. Third St., Harrisburg, (717) 232-7286 McCormick Riverfront Library, 101 Walnut St., Harrisburg, (717) 234-4976 Northern Dauphin Library, 683 Main St., Lykens, (717) 453-9315 William H. & Marion C. Alexander Family Library, 200 W. Second St., Hummelstown, (717) 566-0949 Oct. 2, 3, 4, 9 a.m. to 9 p.m.; Oct. 5, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. – Annual Book Sale Oct. 8, 6:30 p.m. – Novel Thoughts Book Club Oct. 22, 1 p.m. – Novel Thoughts, Too! Book Club
Lykens Senior Center – (717) 453-7985 Millersburg Senior Center – (717) 692-2657 Mohler Senior Center – (717) 533-2002, www.hersheyseniorcenter.com Oct. 3, 2 to 3 p.m. – College of Knowledge: Emergency Preparedness Oct. 10, 2 to 3 p.m. – College of Knowledge: Balance in Action Oct. 17, 2 to 3 p.m. – College of Knowledge: Eating Well as We Age
Programs and Support Groups
Rutherford House – (717) 564-5682, www.rutherfordhouse.org Mondays, 9 a.m. – Aerobics Wednesdays, 9 a.m. – Computer Assistance Fridays, 11 a.m. – Zumba
Free and open to the public.
Steelton Senior Center – (717) 939-0693
Oct. 8, 6 to 7 p.m. Alzheimer’s Caregivers Support Group Graysonview Personal Care Community 150 Kempton Ave., Harrisburg (717) 561-8010
Oct. 17, 12:30 p.m. Hershey Area AARP Chapter #3466 Meeting Spring Creek Church of the Brethren 335 E. Areba Ave., Hershey (717) 832-3282
AARP Driver Safety Programs
Oct. 16, 1:30 p.m. Parkinson’s Support Group on East Shore Jewish Home of Harrisburg 4004 Linglestown Road, Harrisburg (717) 441-8627
Oct. 29, 6 p.m. Susquehanna Rovers Volksmarch Walking Club Gander Mountain 5005 Jonestown Road, Harrisburg (717) 991-5232
Oct. 21 and 22, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Mohler Senior Center 25 Hope Drive, Hershey (717) 533-2002
What’s Happening?
Please call or visit the centers’ websites for additional activities.
For a Safe Driving Class near you, call toll-free (888) 227-7669 or visit www.aarp.org/findacourse.
Oct. 24, 12:30 to 4:30 p.m. Jewish Community Center 3001 N. Front St., Harrisburg (717) 236-9555, ext. 3115
Give Us the Scoop! Please send us your press releases so we can let our readers know about free events occurring in Dauphin County! Email preferred to: mjoyce@onlinepub.com
Let
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October 2013
help you get the word out!
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Medicare Beneficiaries Unaffected by New Health Insurance Marketplace
1. Your Medicare coverage is protected. Medicare isn’t part of the Health Insurance Marketplace established by the ACA, so you don’t have to replace your
RESEARCH
Medicare coverage with Marketplace also can get a free yearly “wellness” visit. coverage. No matter how you get Medicare, 3. You can save money on brand-name whether through Original Medicare or a drugs. If you’re in the doughnut hole, Medicare Advantage Plan, you’ll still you’ll also get a 50 percent discount have the same when buying Part benefits and security D-covered brandyou have now. You name prescription Medicare isn’t don’t need to do drugs. The discount part of the new anything with the is applied Marketplace during automatically at the Health Insurance Open Enrollment, counter of your Marketplace. which is still Oct. 15 pharmacy—you through Dec. 7. don’t have to do anything to get it. 2. You get more preventive services for The doughnut hole will be closed less. Medicare now covers certain completely by 2020. preventive services, like mammograms or colonoscopies, without charging you for 4. Your doctor gets more support. With the Part B coinsurance or deductible. You new initiatives to support care
coordination, your doctor may get additional resources to make sure that your treatments are consistent.
at backbreaking labor in the fields or the sulfur mines. Their rights were virtually nonexistent. Women married as young as 13, to bear children every two years until their mid-40s, or later. If a woman’s husband died young, she immediately had to remarry, to gain a father for her children; then she commenced having a child every other year with her second husband. So, what had I to gain from researching the escapees from such a wretched life? I gained the knowledge that my ancestors, and my wife’s as well, trace back to mid-1700s Sicily. That my Coniglio ancestors back to my greatgreat-great-great-grandfather were born in tiny Serradifalco (The Mountain of the Hawk), dead center in the island of Sicily.
ancestors I have identified, before my own parents, could read or write. So, even though my ancestors were “nobodies,” I’m glad to have found out about them and their lives. I feel that not only their genes, but their experiences as well, have shaped me and my living relatives into what we are today. I’m proud of their perseverance and the fact that my family, which descended from such simple folk, continues to emulate their examples of strength and resolve.
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Federal health officials are trying to assuage public confusion over the effect the Affordable Care Act will have on Medicare. Medicare isn’t part of the new Health Insurance Marketplace, so Medicare beneficiaries need not be concerned. If you have Medicare, you are considered covered. The Marketplace won’t affect your Medicare choices, and your benefits won’t be changing because of it. Here are the top five things to know about the Affordable Care Act (ACA) if you have Medicare:
5. The ACA ensures the protection of Medicare for years to come. The life of the Medicare trust fund will be extended to at least 2029—a 12-year extension due to reductions in waste, fraud, abuse, and Medicare costs, which will provide you with future savings on your premiums and coinsurance. To learn more about your Medicare coverage and choices, visit www.medicare.gov. Sources: www.healthcare.gov and www.medicare.gov
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not only to show your ancestors, but also that one or more of your ancestral lines descends from a prince, a famous author, or other luminary. You must do your homework and corroborate each connection to the princely supposed ancestor by confirming the sources of the information. If you don’t, the presumed connection to glory is worthless. I was the ninth and last child of Sicilian immigrants who came to America 100 years ago. My father was a laborer, my mother a housewife (what else would she be, with nine kids?). I didn’t know it as a child, but my historical and genealogic studies have shown me that they lived in an impoverished land where the ruling classes excluded the common folk from education. To survive, they had to work
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Write to Angelo at genealogytips@aol.com or visit his website, www.bit.ly/AFCGen. He is the author of the book The Lady of the Wheel (La Ruotaia), based on his genealogical research of Sicilian foundlings. See www.bit.ly/ruotaia or www.amzn.to/racalmuto for more information.
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I found that Gaetano Coniglio was not only the name of my eldest brother, but also of four of my direct ancestors. I learned that my father had more than the one brother that I had known of, and that “Pa,” like I, was a seventh son. I learned that my father, and his father before him, worked in the fetid sulfur mines from before dawn until after dusk. And that as the near-caste system required, my father married the daughter of a sulfur miner. My investigations revealed that on my mother’s side, one ancestor was an abandoned child, left in the town’s foundling wheel, who beat the overwhelming odds for such children and survived to marry and to generate more than 600 descendants (that I know of ). I learned that none of the 120 direct
93 libraries in Cumberland, Dauphin, Lancaster, Lebanon, Perry, and York counties and their community partners will host special events and group discussions in October.
One Book, One Community Get a copy at your local library or area bookseller
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Visit www.oboc.org or your library to learn more October 2013
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NurseNews
The Pros and Cons of DTC Meds Gloria May, M.S., R.N., CHES he direct-to-consumer (DTC) pharmaceutical advertising format that leapfrogs over health professionals and delivers its pitch right to consumers began back in the early ’80s with a small ad for a pneumonia vaccine placed in Reader’s Digest. Today, you can hardly get through 15 minutes of television or talk radio without a DTC pitch for an antidepressant, a medication to lower your “bad” cholesterol, or a remedy for erectile dysfunction. (And isn’t it fun, explaining that one to your grandchildren?) In print, about half of all magazine ad pages are devoted to health/medical products, and your email junk box is probably full of promos for diet products, incontinence remedies, and pain relievers. Given this bombardment, have you ever actually taken the next step and asked your physician about or for a DTC
T
product? If so, how did it go? Did you feel it enhanced your professional relationship or was it met with edgy dismissal? In one study of 500 randomly selected physicians, 95 percent of them reported that their patients do indeed ask about DTC products. And were these interactions seen by the doctors as beneficial? “Yes” for 41 percent in that the conversations were perceived to facilitate more open communication and to provide an opportunity to educate the patient. However, for the 59 percent who said, “No, they weren’t beneficial,” it was, in part, because doctors felt that, in the first place, the ads encouraged the overuse of medications as an easy fix for problems that could be alleviated by other means, particularly lifestyle changes. They also felt that manipulative and misleading marketing tactics created
confusion in their patients’ minds. Doctors reported that patients are so often befuddled and misinformed about the drug, its appropriateness for them and its risks and benefits for them, that the doctors needed to spend considerable time away from their busy practices in order to address these misunderstandings; they felt this was not the most effective use of their time. On the other hand, if those 59 percent don’t take the time to educate their patients who come to them waving a DTC drug ad and asking if it’s the right drug for them, you know what that patient might then do? Stop talking and buy the prescription drugs he is so intent on having online without a prescription! Millions of Americans do this (yes, millions), and if you think it’s complicated, it’s not. Illegal, yes; complicated, no. There are not only websites that will sell you the drugs, but
there are also websites that will walk you through how to do it. I know there are many patients who, with their own doctor’s consent and prescription, order drugs from foreign pharmacies, those that meet the standards of care established by the National Association of Boards of Pharmacy. There is no denying the financial savings involved. But buying prescription drugs without your own doctor’s prescription? Remember Groucho Marx’s line about not wanting to join any club that would have him as a member? Same thing: You don’t want to deal with any pharmacy willing to sell you a prescription drug without your own doctor’s prescription. Gloria May is a registered nurse with a master’s degree in adult health education and a Certified Health Education Specialist designation.
Each month, 50plus Senior News profiles one of your friends or neighbors on its cover, and many of our best cover-profile suggestions have come from you, our readers! Do you or does someone you know have an interesting hobby or collection? A special passion or inspirational experience? A history of dedicated volunteer work? If so, tell us, and we’ll consider your suggestion for a future cover story! Just fill out the questionnaire below and return it to 50plus Senior News, 3912 Abel Drive, Columbia, PA 17512, or email your responses to Megan Joyce, editor, at mjoyce@onlinepub.com. Your name:___________________________ Your address:_________________________________________________________________________ Your phone number/email address: ___________________________________________________________________________________________ Name of person nominated (if not you): _______________________________________________________________________________________ Please receive their permission to nominate them. Nominee’s age range: 50–59
60–69
70–79
80–89
90+
Why would you/your nominee make a great cover profile? _______________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 3912 Abel Drive, Columbia, PA 17512
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October 2013
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CROSSWORD
Solutions for all puzzles can be found on page 22
WORD SEARCH
SUDOKU
Across 1. Overhead railways 4. Curved doorway 8. Haze 12. College military inits. 14. Roofing material 15. John Jacob ___ 17. Thin Man character 18. Ushered journey 19. Identical copy 20. Essential food item 22. Quagmire 24. Primates 25. Secret agents 26. Jog
28. Explosive (abbr.) 29. Never used 34. Perspiration 37. Chassis 38. Lyric poem 39. Testament 40. Pulls behind 41. Bench 42. Common contraction 43. Delete 44. Ship parts 45. Pickles 47. Wicked 48. Soft-finned fish
Down 1. Sea eagles 2. Pillages 3. Dress holder 4. Bear witness 5. Brazilian port 6. After country or book 7. Champion 8. Raincoat, for short 9. Aruba, for example 10. Discontinue 11. Chord 13. Cash 16. Thing, in law 21. Holy season
23. Metric weights 27. One (Fr.) 29. Band section 30. Intense anger 31. Yuletide 32. Dutch cheese 33. Dampens 34. Gulp 35. Accompanying 36. Other 37. Nanny actress Drescher 40. Dentist’s tool 41. Tranquilizes 43. Piece out
49. Use to advantage 52. Marries 55. Cover 58. Correspondence 60. Author Jong 62. Unfeeling 64. Roof part 65. Dividend 66. Egypt queen, familiarly 67. Toboggan 68. Hunt for 69. M*A*S*H actor Alan 70. Time periods (abbr.)
44. Acquire 46. Save 47. Stallone’s Rocky ___ 50. Mount Vesuvius location 51. Jimmy 52. Spider’s work 53. God of love 54. Sup 56. Peruvian Indian 57. Boring 59. Ohio team 61. Request 63. School type, for short
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October 2013
21
The Green Mountain Gardener
Fragrant Paperwhites Dr. Leonard Perry popular and easy-to-flower bulb for late fall and the holidays is the paperwhite narcissus. Sweetsmelling paperwhites can be coaxed into bloom with very little effort. Prepotted paperwhites can be purchased at many garden stores. All you do is add water! These potted bulbs also make a nice gift or a fun activity for children. The correct term is actually “forcing,” as you are forcing the spring-flowering bulbs to fast-forward their natural growth cycles and bloom in winter instead. Many bulbs can be forced—grape hyacinths, tulips, daffodils, and crocuses, for example—but paperwhites are probably the easiest as they don’t require a long cold-storage period to root. Paperwhites produce small, starshaped flowers that will last for several weeks. Some varieties have pure white flowers; others have white perianths (outer petals) with pale-yellow “cups” in the center. Paperwhites, which come from the
A
Mediterranean, are tender bulbs and not suitable for outdoor growing in the Northeast. However, most garden centers and seed catalogs sell bulbs for indoor forcing. If purchasing locally, choose healthy bulbs with no soft spots or signs of discoloration. Store in a cool, dry place until time to plant. Paperwhites will bloom about four to six weeks after planting, so plan accordingly if you want flowers for the holidays or other special occasions. For continuous bloom throughout the winter, plant bulbs every two weeks from late fall through February. Use shallow containers, about 3 to 4 inches deep, without drainage holes. You can find these specially designed containers for forcing at many garden centers. Add about 2 inches of washed pebbles
or large glass beads similar to marbles (available at craft stores and some garden stores) in the bottom of the container. If using the colorful glass beads, use a clear container so they can be seen. Or, similar to other forcing bulbs, you can plant in pots with soil. Gently place the bulbs, pointed side up, on the gravel or beads. They should be close but not touching. (Five bulbs will fit nicely in a 6-inch pot.) Then add enough pebbles around the bulbs to hold them in place. If using soil, make sure the bulb tops are at or above the surface. The tricky part is watering the bulbs if not in soil. You want to add just enough water so it reaches the base of the bulbs. You don’t want the bulbs to sit in water as this will cause rot. Maintain this level of water throughout the growing period. You’ll probably need to replenish the water
every two or three days. Don’t fertilize— the bulb already contains the nutrients it needs. Place the container in a cool, dark place (about 50 degrees F) for a few weeks until green shoots appear (but don’t forget about them). Then move to full, bright light— generally, a window with southern exposure. Too little light, and the plants will grow leggy as they stretch to reach the light. Initially, room temperature should be 60 to 65 degrees. To prolong bloom, after the plants begin to flower, remove them from direct sunlight and place in a cooler, less sunny part of your home. Paperwhites require USDA zones 8 to 11 outdoors; they can’t be planted successfully outside in the North, nor can they be saved to force again next year. Nevertheless, they provide easy, inexpensive, cheery, and long-lasting flowers. Dr. Leonard P. Perry is an extension professor at the University of Vermont.
Why Do We Enjoy Being Scared?
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We like the adrenaline. Fear has the same adrenaline-producing effect as excitement. It feels good. Scary movies, stories, and books are methods of releasing adrenaline in a controlled environment.
Shared fear helps us bond. The “creeps” create social bonding. Activities like telling ghost stories around a campfire or watching a scary movie together allow us to form ties with strangers as well as family and friends.
Horror helps us deal with real-life terrors. We can deal with the very real horrors of modern times by transforming them into fictional movies and stories in which the monsters and bad guys are always caught and punished.
Puzzles shown on page 21
Puzzle Solutions
Halloween may be one of the scariest holidays of the year, but people seem to take delight in being scared in every season. What’s the appeal of ghost stories, horror movies, frightening novels, and things that go bump in the night? Experts have a few theories:
October 2013
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Today’s Seniors Hear Better than Their Grandparents Did The prevalence of hearing impairment in adults 65–74 years old is lower now than it was 40 years ago, according to a study funded by the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders and published in the May 2012 issue of Ear and Hearing. The findings are consistent with the researchers’ earlier discovery that younger adults are hearing much better than their grandparents did at their age. The new study analyzed audiometric data (hearing tests) collected in 1999–2006 and compared them to similar data for adults 65–74 years of age collected 40 years earlier in 1959–1962. Hearing impairment in adults in this age group dropped from
48 percent in 1959–1962 to 36 percent in 1999–2006. Hence, the researchers concluded the rate of hearing impairment for adults who are currently 65–74 years of age is 25 percent better than it was for adults of the same age 40 years ago. “It’s difficult to explain why this decrease in hearing impairment occurred, since the two age groups we
looked at were born in the decades circa 1890 and 1930,” said Howard Hoffman, NIDCD epidemiologist and lead author of the paper. “They became adults before the general availability of antibiotics to treat childhood ear infections or the widespread introduction of vaccines, which have since greatly reduced the incidence of common childhood diseases, such as measles and mumps, that may result in permanent hearing loss.”
The researchers suggest instead that the improvement in hearing may owe less to advances in medical treatments and more to incremental advances made in public health (for example, sanitation and safer and healthier foods), education, and transportation in the first half of the 20th century. More specific reasons for the improvement may include safer working conditions, fewer noisy jobs and more use of hearing protection, less smoking, better control of infectious diseases, and, more recently, improved control of diabetes and other cardiovascular risk factors. Source: National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders
Couple Celebrates 62 Years Arthur Preston and Esther May (McNeal) Hall of Harrisburg celebrated their 62nd anniversary Aug. 26. They were married in Linglestown in 1951. Mr. Hall is retired; Mrs. Hall is a homemaker. They are the parents of a daughter, Patty, and a son, Mike. They have four grandchildren and three great-grandchildren.
Mark Your Calendar! Join Us for FREE Lunch & Learn Seminars Hear from the experts: Wed., Oct. 16th, 2013 • 10:45 a.m.: Sign In; 11 a.m.: Seminar; Noon: Lunch Build Your Retirement Income Strategy Are you considering retirement, or in retirement, and want to enjoy the lifestyle you pictured? We’ll explore the various challenges that are faced at retirement and prudent steps to consider. Deborah E. Pajak, CFP®, ChFC®, CLTC, CDFA™, CFBS, Partner of uFinancial Group assists clients to prepare for retirement and how to manage their assets during retirement.
Wed., Nov. 20th, 2013 • 10:45 a.m.: Sign In; 11 a.m.: Seminar; Noon: Lunch
Medicare 101 Do you have unanswered questions about Medicare? We’ll review the basics of Medicare – the different parts of Medicare, eligibility, and important programs – that may help you save money. Shannon Vallier, Administrative Officer I APPRISE Coordinator/Long Term Care Ombudsman Dauphin County Area Agency on Aging
Seminars held at:
Wolf Furniture Showroom • 4661 Lindle Road, Harrisburg, PA Limited seating available. Please call between 11 a.m. – 5 p.m. one week prior to each seminar to register: (717) 939-7851 www.50plusSeniorNewsPA.com
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