50plus LIFE Lancaster County August 2018

Complimentary | Lancaster County Edition

August 2018 • Vol. 24 No. 8

On Wings and Waves, His Life’s Path Led to PA page 4

A Time-Traveling Trip to an Earlier America page 12

soldier stories: the fighting quaker page 22

Please join us for this FREE event!

22nd annual

LANCASTER COUNTY

Sept. 19, 2018 FREE !

A P RKING

9 a.m. – 2 p.m.

Spooky Nook Sports

2913 Spooky Nook Road, Manheim

Exhibitors • Health Screenings • Seminars Entertainment • Door Prizes

Fun! Informative!

Sponsored by:

Principal Sponsors: Visitor Bag Sponsor:

Seminar Sponsors: HARTZ Physical Therapy • Health Partners Plans

Supporting Sponsors: ClearCaptions • Lancashire Terrace • Landis Communities • Regional GI Media Sponsors:

&

www.50plusExpoPA.com 2

August 2018

50plus LIFE •

Naturalist Jack Hubley to Appear at 50plus EXPO Local naturalist and TV personality Jack Hubley will make a special wildlife presentation during the 22nd annual Lancaster County 50plus EXPO, to be held from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 19, at Spooky Nook Sports, Manheim.

A lifelong Lancaster County resident, Hubley has been a multimedia advocate for the natural world for more than 40 years.

During his EXPO presentation, “Critters Beyond Your Back Door,” Hubley will offer a close look at some live, native wildlife species that may or may not be popular with Photo credit: Mike Miville, MM Visuals humans but are all important Jack Hubley cogs on nature’s wheel. Many can be found in our own backyards.

The former outdoors editor for the Lancaster Sunday News, he was also the News 8 Naturalist at WGAL, hosting three wildlife shows and the popular news vignette, A Wild Moment, over the course of 30 years.

A master falconer, Hubley is also the program director of the Falconry Experience at Hershey Entertainment & Resorts.

For more information on the Lancaster County 50plus EXPO, call (717) 2851350 or visit www.50plusexpopa.com.

Pet of the Month

Daisy

Are you on the search for your next cuddle buddy? If so, look no further!

Meet Daisy, a sweet 12year-old border collie mix that came to the shelter when her family did not have enough time to give her.

Daisy has lived with other dogs and does OK with them but would prefer to be the only pet in the home. She enjoys going for walks, playing with toys, and lounging around.

Daisy would do best in a home where someone can be home with her often. She cannot wait to find her forever home soon, so stop in and adopt today!

Daisy’s ID number is 218707. For more information, please contact the Humane League of Lancaster County at (717) 393-6551. www.50plusLifePA.com

Alzheimer’s State Plan Task Force Launched The Pennsylvania Department of Aging recently announced the formation of Pennsylvania’s Alzheimer’s State Plan Task Force.

The task force was created to take a lead role in implementing and championing the goals and recommendations of Pennsylvania’s State Plan for Alzheimer’s Disease and Related Disorders.

“Over 400,000 Pennsylvanians are living with Alzheimer’s disease or a related disorder and the toll of this disease extends beyond those affected to their families, friends, and communities,” Gov. Tom Wolf said.

Objectives of the task force include: • Working with local organizations, entities, advocates, and other stakeholders to identify and share best practices that support the goals and the overall success of the plan • Leading efforts to review and revise the state plan, as necessary • Developing and facilitating the actions needed to carry out the plan

ursuing research and reviewing P any other issues that are relevant to Alzheimer’s disease and related disorders • A ssisting in planning the annual Alzheimer’s Disease and Related Disorders Forum • A ssisting in the development of an annual update to the plan “We are confident that the task force will help us ensure that homeand community-based services and supports are available, accessible, and responsive to the needs of both caregivers and those living with dementia,” Secretary of Aging Teresa Osborne said.

Since the plan was developed, the department has held three statewide forums and seven regional roundtable discussions to engage with stakeholders and inspire action at the local level.

For more information on the Pennsylvania Department of Aging, visit www.aging.pa.gov.

“There’s no place like home.”

We agree.

–L. Frank Baum

Humor Visit Our Website At:

50plusLIFEPA.com

Humor. Lighthearted laughter.

It’s always been Frank’s way. He handled treatment for a brain tumor the same way.

He’s grateful that Lancaster Cancer Center’s staff combined expert medical care and positive encouragement to save his life.

Today, he feels great and is enjoying life with his wife and family. When he visits the cancer center for a checkup, he’s met with a smile ... and smiles in return.

Proud to be the longest-running independent, community-based oncology/hematology practice in Lancaster County.

Central Pennsylvania’s Award-Winning 50+ Publication

We will help answer all of your questions.

Call us at 717-291-1313.

Greenfield Corporate Center • 1858 Charter Lane, Suite 202 (717) 291-1313 • www.lancastercancercenter.com

www.50plusLifePA.com

That’s why Harrison Senior Living strives to provide warmth, comfort, and exceptional care from people you can trust, making our communities the next best thing.

www.Harrisonseniorliving.com Harrison House—Chester County 300 Strode Avenue East Fallowfield, PA 19320 610.384.6310 Harrison House—Christiana 41 Newport Avenue Christiana, PA 17509 610.593.6901

50plus LIFE •

August 2018

3

Cover Story

On Wings and Waves, His Life’s Path Led to Pa. Corporate Office

3912 Abel Drive, Columbia, PA 17512 Phone 717.285.1350 • Fax 717.285.1360 Chester County: 610.675.6240 Cumberland County/Dauphin County: 717.770.0140 Berks County/Lancaster County/ Lebanon County/York County: 717.285.1350 E-mail address: info@onlinepub.com Website address: www.onlinepub.com

PRESIDENT AND PUBLISHER Donna K. Anderson

EDITORIAL

Vice President and Managing Editor Christianne Rupp Editor, 50plus Publications Megan Joyce

ART DEPARTMENT Project Coordinator Renee McWilliams Production Artist Lauren Phillips Production Intern Kaelyn Buskey

BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT Account Executives Wendy Letoski Janette McLaurin Jessica Simmons Angie Willis Account Representatives Matthew Chesson Jennifer Schmalhofer Events Manager Kimberly Shaffer Marketing Coordinator Kelsey Fishburn

ADMINISTRATION Business Manager Elizabeth Duvall

Member of

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.

4

August 2018

50plus LIFE •

By Jason Tabor As he jumped from the plane and floated through the air, wind blasting his face and brown-and-green squares of New Jersey farmland rushing up to meet him, Stephen DeBock thought, “Wow, I’m finally flying like Superman!”

DeBock is a natural storyteller, and he has quite a long list of stories to tell. Fifteen years into his retirement from teaching, DeBock stays busy as ever as a published author — writing fantasy, horror, and zombie literature.

As a young man, he achieved his dream of flying like his boyhood hero after taking up the hobby of sport parachuting, and this same drive guided him through an exciting and unconventional path in life before he and his wife, Joy, settled in Central Pennsylvania in 2006.

“I couldn’t have known it at the time, but all roads eventually led me back to Hershey, Pa.,” laughs DeBock, a New Jersey native.

At 76, DeBock’s life stories weave a complicated tapestry of a well-lived life governed by an attitude of “have a goal, work hard, pursue it, and make it happen!”

Born outside of Newark, New Jersey, DeBock grew up with a passion for fishing and swimming; studied art, literature, and writing; and had a young man’s desire for adventure, which led him to enlisting in the Marine Corps after his high school graduation.

“I didn’t know what I wanted to be when I grew up, but after meeting with the Marine recruiter, I thought that would be an avenue where I would mature and figure it out,” he says.

After completing boot camp at Parris Island, DeBock

DeBock at Camp Lejeune in 1963, shortly before his release from active duty.

Following his summer vacation in Newport, 1960, President Eisenhower authorized this coin to be struck for each of the Marines who formed his security detail (including then-Pfc. DeBock).

DeBock has co-authored a trilogy of zombie novels with award-winning horror writer Ralph W. Bieber.

was selected to serve in the President’s Honor Guard, a prestigious Marine drill group where he would march in parades and ceremonial occasions in Washington, D.C., as well as military funerals at Arlington Cemetery.

His unit also provided security for President Eisenhower at Camp David, and DeBock recounts the time when he was chosen to serve as a lifeguard for then-Vice President Nixon’s daughters, who wished to use the pool while on vacation.

“They were 12 and 14 at the time,” he says. “Very pleasant kids.”

DeBock remained in Washington long enough to march in President Kennedy’s inaugural parade and to serve as sentry during one of his Camp David visits. His Washington tour over, he transferred to Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, and participated in the Cuban blockade in 1962.

He was released from active duty in 1963 and returned to his parents’ home in Toms River, New Jersey.

“I didn’t realize it at the time, of course, but had I reenlisted, I probably would have ended up in Vietnam two years later,” he says.

During his time at Camp Lejeune, DeBock would drive to Washington on the weekends, and one Saturday he went on a blind date with a young lady named Joy, whom he would marry in 1964.

They took a winding road trip on their honeymoon, stopping in Hershey to tour the chocolate factory before reaching their destination of Niagara Falls.

This long trip with many unexpected stops along the way would prove to be an overarching theme for their life together.

Before the ’60s came to a close, the couple had two children, and DeBock was www.50plusLifePA.com

enrolled at Trenton State College (now College of “I feel wealthy because of the friendships I’ve made New Jersey), studying elementary education while throughout my life, especially the relationships forged working days as a lab technician at a chemical with former students — it sets my heart aglow,” he corporation. says. “My true passion was always the kids.”

DeBock spent 33 years teaching fifth- to eighthDeBock and his wife are looking forward to grade English, reading, and social studies. celebrating their upcoming 54th wedding anniversary During this time, he completed a master’s degree with a Viking ocean cruise through Scandinavian in media studies and: taught night classes at a local countries in Europe, having already crossed the U.S. community college; opened a video rental store by car in 2011. with Joy; started a wedding video business; dabbled “Joy’s encouragement on these adventures, and her in sport parachuting; and, after earning his pilot’s participation in many, inspired me in too many ways license, he became a 20-year member of the Jersey to count. Our children and three grandchildren are Aero Club. continuing sources of pride and inspiration as well,” DeBock recounts flying friends and family into he says. the small airport adjoining Hersheypark to spend the “The world has so much to offer, and we’ve seen day in Chocolatetown, as well as bringing groups of so many families rooted to one job, one town, one schoolchildren to the park on field trips during his address for most of their lives,” DeBock says. “Roots teaching years. are important, but then again, so are wings.”

Then there was the time he sold most of his earthly belongings to move onto a 42-foot trawler yacht with To read DeBock’s story on how he inspired an DeBock and his granddaughter, Adrienne, Joy. aviation career or two, see page 21. standing in the shadow of a “The kids were out of the house by this time, and Cessna Skyhawk’s wing following we’d done a lot of research and just decided to try the her first light airplane ride.

On the cover, clockwise from left: During his teaching live-aboard life,” he says. years, DeBock flew friends and family from New Jersey Life on the yacht, which they named Homeroom, into the small airport adjoining Hersheypark. included summer cruises up and down the East Coast with friends and family.

The Homeroom, the 42-year trawler yacht on which the DeBocks lived for three After three years as live-aboards, he and Joy sold the boat and designed and years. built a home on riverfront property in Toms River.

President Eisenhower lays a wreath at tomb of World War I Gen. John “Black Jack” DeBock retired from teaching in 2003, and not surprisingly, has stayed Pershing, September 1960. DeBock is among the Marines in the second row. consistently busy ever since.

Photo credit: United Press International In 2006, he and Joy sold their New Jersey home and moved to Hershey to be closer to a new grandchild, and “after 33 years of reading and grading students’ stories, I figured it was time for me to start writing in earnest as well.”

A lifelong horror fan, DeBock says his writing career began as a whim.

“I just wanted to see if I could do it. And then my short story about werewolves turned into a novel, and that turned into the Pentacle Pendant trilogy, blending horror and historical fiction that stretches back to the time of King James,” he says.

This trilogy was followed by fantasy and adventure novels, and his most recent work is a trilogy of zombie novels co-authored with award-winning horror writer Ralph W. Bieber.

DeBock has also authored a media education plan published by the state of New Jersey and contributed to essays appearing in Time magazine and on ABC Date: Saturday, August 18, 2018 from 10 – 11 a.m.

World News Tonight.

Where: Hershey Orthopedic & Spine Rehab He and Bieber will appear at the Scares that Care Charity Weekend in 1823 William Penn Way • Lancaster, PA 17601 Williamsburg, Virginia, the first weekend in August, to display and sell their 717-945-6938 work.

(Inside the Greenfield Corporate Center) In his limited free time, DeBock likes to stay active at the gym and remains in contact with more than 300 of his former students on social media.

This seminar will be extremely helpful for anyone who is dealing with issues

Get Back to Doing What You Love Back Pain and Sciatica Workshop

Like 50plus LIFE? Then “Like” 50plus LIFE!

www.facebook.com/50plusLIFEPA “Like” us on Facebook to receive a free 6-month subscription!

Plus, you’ll receive event updates, story links, and more!

www.50plusLifePA.com

related to back pain and sciatica. So please join us on Saturday, Aug. 18 from 10 – 11 a.m. for an informative (and fun!) hour.

In this workshop you will learn: 1) What causes back pain and sciatica 2) Common reasons why it may not be better yet (but the vast majority of cases can, and DO, fully recover! — with the right treatment.)

3) What the latest treatments are that have been shown to relieve pain (both quickly, and in the long-term), and get you back to doing what you love.

Please call 717-945-6938 to register.

Registration is free. Attendees will receive our e-book about back pain and sciatica free for attending. www.hersheyrehab.com

50plus LIFE •

August 2018

5

Savvy Senior

Welcome Sylvia says: Home!

Tips and Resources for Older Job Seekers

Colonial Lodge is a warm, caring, homelike community. To see what we have to offer firsthand, please call to schedule a tour today!

Home is where the heart is.

• Independent Living • Personal Care • Medication Monitoring • Assistance with ADLs

• Beauty Shop Onsite • Private Baths in Rooms • Social & Recreational Activities • VA Approved

All in a peaceful country setting at the PA Turnpike Interchange 286, Rt. 272

717-336-5501 x-309 or 800-406-2273 www.coloniallodgepa.com

MULTI-DAY TOURS • Montreal, Quebec City and Boston.........Sept 10–14 • Niagara Falls Getaway...........................Sept 12–14 • Vermont, New Hampshire & Maine........Sept 16–21 • Cape Cod Getaway..................................Sept 17–21 • Hudson River Valley...............................Sept 19–21 • Mountain Trains of New England...........Sept 22–26 • Branson, Nashville, St Louis & Memphis....Sept 23–30 • Creation Museum & Ark Encounter....... Sept 26–29 • New England Rail and Sail................ Sept 29–Oct 3 • Lake George and Lake Placid........... Sept 30–Oct 4 • Biltmore Estate & Asheville..........................Oct 1–4 • Island Hopping in New England...................Oct 1–5 • Bar Harbor & Campobello Island.................Oct 1–6 • Fall Mystery Tour......................................... Oct 3–5 • Mystic Seaport............................................. Oct 5–7 • Autumn in the Smoky Mountains...............Oct 8–11 • Best of Pittsburgh.....................................Oct 10–12 • Lifestyles of the Rich & Famous...............Oct 14–17 • Charleston, Savannah & Myrtle Beach.....Oct 14–19

ONE-DAY TOURS • New York City........................Aug 11,18, Sept 1 • Atlantic City or Ocean City, NJ.................Aug 18 • New York Gourmet Shopping................. Sept 1 • Cape May Whale & Dolphin Cruise..........Aug 4 • Ocean City, MD or Tangier Island............Aug 4 • Stone Harbor Craft Show.........................Aug 5 • Rehoboth Beach & Outlets......................Aug 8 • Baltimore Harbor & Aquarium..........Aug 11,16 • Museum of the Bible, Washington DC.... Aug 11 • Washington DC.......................... Aug 11, Sept 1 • Hooper’s Island Experience...................Aug 18 • New York 9/11 Museum.........................Aug 18 • Atlantic City Air Show & Casino.............Aug 22 • Cape May or Wildwood, NJ...................Aug 25 • Holocaust Museum & Arlington Cemetery....Sept 1 • Mt Vernon & Potomac River Cruise........ Sept 6 • Annapolis & Navy Academy................... Sept 8 • St Michaels, MD – Lunch and Cruise.... Sept 15

For information or reservations : 717-569-1111 2018 catalog available, or visit our website: www.conestogatours.com 6

August 2018

50plus LIFE •

Jim Miller

Dear Savvy Senior, What resources can you recommend to help older jobseekers? I’m 60 and have been out of work for nearly a year now and need some help.

– Seeking Employment Dear Seeking, While the U.S. job market has improved dramatically over the past few years, challenges still persist for many older workers.

To help you find employment, there are job resource centers and a wide variety of online tools specifically created for older jobseekers. Here’s where you can find help.

Job Centers Depending on where you live, there are career service centers located throughout the U.S. that can help you find a job. One of the best is the American Job Center, which has around 2,500 centers nationwide.

Funded by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Employment and Training Administration, AJCs are free-touse resource centers that can help you explore your career options, search for jobs, find training, write a resume, prepare for an interview, and much more.

To find a center near you, call (877) 872-5627 or go online to CareerOneStop (www. careeronestop.org).

Some other good programs for older workers include the Senior Community Service Employment

Program and AARP’s Back to Work 50+ program.

The SCSEP — sponsored by the Department of Labor — helps place incomeeligible workers over age 55 in part-time, temporary communityservice positions where they can learn job skills. To learn more or locate a program in your area, visit www.doleta.gov/seniors or call (877) 872-5627.

AARP’s Back to Work 50+ program currently offers workshops in 19 locations around the U.S. that provide career counseling, job coaching, and skills development for 50-plus job seekers.

Or, if you can’t attend their workshop, they also offer an excellent guide called 7 Smart Strategies for 50+ Jobseekers. To get a free copy, or to see if there’s a workshop in your area, call (855) 850-2525 or visit www.aarp.org/aarp-foundation.

If none of the above programs is available in your area, check with your local public library or nearby community college to see if they provide career services.

Job-Search Sites There are also a number of online job-search sites that can help you connect with companies that are looking for mature, experienced workers.

Some good sites for 50-and-older jobseekers include: www.50plusLifePA.com

• W hat’s Next (www.whatsnext.com) offers a job-search site and has online assessment tools, calculators, career guides, and career coaches • Retired Brains (www.retiredbrains.com) provides information on finding temporary or seasonal jobs, as well as starting your own business, working from home, writing your resume, finding full-time work, and continuing your education • RetirementJobs.com lets you post your resume and search for full-time or part-time jobs online

paydays without much effort.

Some popular work-at-home jobs include sales and marketing, customer service, teaching and tutoring, writing and editing, web development and design, consulting, interpreting, and medical coding, just to name a few.

To find these types of jobs, a good place to start is FlexJobs (www.flexjobs. com), which filters out the job scams and lists thousands of legitimate work-athome jobs in dozens of categories. You can gain access to their listings for $15 for one month, $30 for three months, or $50 for a year.

• Workforce50.com has job-search functions, a list of favorite friendly employers by industry, and allows users to sign up for job alerts

Start a Business If you’re interested in starting a small business but could use some help getting started, the U.S. Small Business Administration offers tips, tools, and free online courses that you can access at www.sba.gov.

Work at Home If you’re interested in working at home, there are many opportunities depending on your skills, but be careful of work-at-home scams that offer big

Send your senior questions to: Savvy Senior, P.O. Box 5443, Norman, OK 73070, or visit www.savvysenior.org. Jim Miller is a contributor to the NBC Today show and author of The Savvy Senior book.

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

Cancer care Lancaster Cancer Center Greenfield Corporate Center 1858 Charter Lane, Suite 202 (717) 291-1313 Dental Services Dental Health Associates 951 Rohrerstown Road, Lancaster (717) 394-9231 Lancaster Denture Center 951 Rohrerstown Road, Lancaster (717) 394-3773 Emergency Numbers Central Pennsylvania Poison Center (800) 521-6110 Office of Aging (717) 299-7979 or (800) 801-3070 Employment Lancaster County Office of Aging (717) 299-7979 Entertainment Dutch Apple Dinner Theatre 510 Centerville Road, Lancaster (717) 898-1900 Financial Services Internal Revenue Service (717) 291-1994 U.S. Financial (800) 595-1925, ext. 2122 Funeral & Cremation Services Cremation Society of Pennsylvania Serving Lancaster County (800) 720-8221 www.50plusLifePA.com

Health & Medical Services Alzheimer’s Association (717) 651-5020 American Cancer Society (717) 397-3744 American Diabetes Association (888) DIABETES American Heart Association (717) 393-0725 American Lung Association (717) 397-5203 or (800) LungUSA American Red Cross (717) 299-5561 Arthritis Foundation (717) 397-6271 Consumer Information (888) 878-3256 CONTACT Helpline (717) 652-4400 Disease and Health Risk (888) 232-3228 Domestic Violence (800) 799-7233 Flu or Influenza (888) 232-3228 Hearing Services Pennsylvania Office for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing (800) 233-3008 V/TTY Home Care Services Visiting Angels Living Assistance Services Hanover: (717) 630-0067 Lancaster: (717) 393-3450 York: (717) 751-2488

home equity loans Glendale Mortgage (610) 853-6500; (888) 456-0988 Home Improvement Haldeman Mechanical Inc. 1148 Old Line Road, Manheim (717) 665-6910 Housing Marietta Senior Apartments 601 E. Market St., Marietta (717) 735-9590

Supermarkets Darrenkamp’s Elizabethtown: (717) 367-2286 Lancaster: (717) 464-2708 Mount Joy: (717) 653-8200 John Herr’s Village Market 25 Manor Ave., Millersville (717) 872-5457 Travel Conestoga Tours 1619 Manheim Pike, Lancaster (717) 560-6996

Insurance

Passport Information (877) 487-2778

Capital Blue (888) 989-9015 (TTY: 711) Medicare (800) 633-4227

Vein treatment Vein Center of Lancaster Locations in Lancaster and Lebanon (717) 394-5401

Nutrition Meals on Wheels (717) 392-4842 Pharmacies CVS/pharmacy www.cvs.com Retirement Communities Colonial Lodge Community 2015 N. Reading Road, Denver (717) 336-5501 Harrison Senior Living Locations in Christiana and East Fallowfield (610) 384-6310 Lancashire Terrace Retirement Village 6 Terrace Drive, Lancaster (800) 343-9765

Veterans Services Korean War Veterans Association (717) 506-9424 Lebanon VA Medical Center 1700 S. Lincoln Ave., Lebanon (717) 228-6000 or (800) 409-8771 Volunteer opportunities RSVP of the Capital Region (717) 454-8647 yoga Little Yoga Place Semi-Private and Private Yoga Landisville, Pa. (717) 471-8328

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

50plus LIFE •

August 2018

7

CCRCs/ Life Plan Communities Designed with their residents’ changing needs in mind, CCRCs (Continuing Care Retirement Communities)/Life Plan Communities offer a tiered approach to the aging process.

Healthy adults entering these communities can live independently. When assistance with everyday activities becomes necessary, they can transition to personal care, assisted living, rehabilitation, or nursing care facilities.

Some CCRCs/Life Plan Communities have designated dementia areas that address the progressing needs of people who have any form of dementia. In addition, some communities have sought out and earned accreditation from CARF International, signifying they have met CARF’s stringent set of quality standards. CCRCs/Life Plan Communities enable older adults to remain in one care system for the duration of their lives, with much of their future care already figured out—creating both comfort and peace of mind.

Bethany Village

325 Wesley Drive Mechanicsburg, PA 17055 Stephanie Lightfoot Director of Sales & Marketing (717) 766-0279 www.bethanyvillage.org

Homeland Center

Cornwall Manor

Cross Keys Village The Brethren Home Community

1 Boyd Street, P.O. Box 125 Cornwall, PA 17016 Jennifer Margut Director of Marketing (717) 274-8092 info@cornwallmanor.org www.cornwallmanor.org

2990 Carlisle Pike New Oxford, PA 17350 Amy Beste Senior Retirement Counselor (717) 624-5350 a.beste@crosskeysvillage.org www.crosskeysvillage.org

Pleasant View Retirement Community

Landis Homes

1901 North Fifth Street Harrisburg, PA 17102-1598 Barry S. Ramper II, N.H.A. President/CEO (717) 221-7902 www.homelandcenter.org

1001 East Oregon Road Lititz, PA 17543 Sarah Short Director of Residency Planning (717) 381-3549 sshort@landishomes.org www.landishomes.org

Woodcrest Villa Mennonite Home Communities

544 North Penryn Road Manheim, PA 17545 Amanda Hall Sales & Marketing Manager (717) 664-6207 ahall@pleasantviewrc.org www.pleasantviewrc.org

Zerbe Retirement Community

2499 Zerbe Road Narvon, PA 17555 Lynne Bickta Director of Independent Living (717) 445-8741 lbickta@zerberetirementcommunity.com www.zerberetirementcommunity.com

2001 Harrisburg Pike Lancaster, PA 17601 Connie Buckwalter Director of Marketing (717) 390-4126 www.woodcrestvilla.org

If you would like your CCRC/Life Plan Community to be featured on this page, please contact your account representative or call (717) 285-1350.

The CCRCs listed are sponsoring this message. This is not an all-inclusive list.

Exercise Boosts Immunity in Older Adults Exercise is good at any age, but scientists now think that regular exercise as you get older may help boost your immune system and prevent infections.

An article on the BBC website reports that scientists in the United Kingdom tracked 125 long-distance cyclists, some in their 80s, and discovered they had immune systems comparable to those of 20-year-olds.

The researchers examined the cyclists’ blood for

8

August 2018

50plus LIFE •

T-cells, which aid the immune system in fighting off infections.

The long-distance riders had the same level of T-cells as adults in their 20s, but a similar group of older adults who were less active produced fewer T-cells.

The research suggests that increased physical activity can also help older people respond better to vaccines for such infections as the flu. www.50plusLifePA.com

Lancaster County

Calendar of Events

Support Groups Free and open to the public Mondays, 10 a.m.; Thursdays, 2 p.m.

Our Journey Together Cancer Support Group Lancaster Cancer Center Greenfield Corporate Center 1858 Charter Lane, Suite 202 Lancaster (717) 291-1313, ext. 143

Aug. 15, 7 p.m.

Memory Loss Support Group Pleasant View Retirement Community Stiegel Dining Room Town Square North 544 N. Penryn Road, Manheim (717) 664-6696 kdisalvo@pleasantviewrc.org

Aug. 1, 7-8:15 p.m.

Alzheimer’s Caregivers Support Group Willow Lakes Outpatient Center 212 Willow Valley Lakes Drive Willow Street (717) 464-9365

Aug. 16, 10-11:30 a.m.

Bereavement Support Group Masonic Village Sycamore North Recreation Room 1 Masonic Drive, Elizabethtown (717) 367-1121, ext. 33576

Aug. 13, 10-11 a.m.

Alzheimer’s Caregivers Support Group Garden Spot Village Concord Room 433 S. Kinzer Ave., New Holland (717) 355-6076 jmorton@gardenspotvillage.org

Aug. 16, noon Brain Tumor Support Group Lancaster General Health Campus Wellness Center 2100 Harrisburg Pike, Lancaster (717) 626-2894 Aug. 20, 2 p.m.

Lancaster County Parkinson’s Support Group Landis Homes

Senior Center Activities 1001 E. Oregon Road, Lititz (717) 509-5494 Aug. 21, 10:30-11:30 a.m.

Dementia Caregiver Support and Education Group Masonic Village Health Care Center Courtyard Conference Room 1 Masonic Drive, Elizabethtown (717) 367-1121, ext. 33764 Aug. 22, 6-8 p.m.

Epilepsy Foundation of Eastern Pennsylvania Support Group Community Meeting Room Kohl’s Wing 142 Park City Center, Lancaster (800) 887-7165, ext. 104 Aug. 27, 2-3 p.m.

Parkinson’s Support Group Garden Spot Village Theater 433 S. Kinzer Ave., New Holland (717) 355-6259 slapp@gardenspotvillage.org

Community Programs Free and open to the public Aug. 5, 7 p.m.

Singspiration – 16th Annual Community Hymn Sings Series Historic Old Leacock Presbyterian Church 3181 Lincoln Highway East, Paradise (717) 687-6619 www.leacockpres.org Aug. 6, 6 p.m.

Red Rose Singles Meeting Centerville Diner 100 S. Centerville Road, Lancaster (717) 406-6098 Aug. 8, 2 p.m.

Korean War Veterans Association Meeting Woodcrest Villa – Bluebird Commons Room 2001 Harrisburg Pike, Lancaster (717) 299-1990 pcunningham1841@verizon.net Aug. 9, 10-11 a.m. or 3-4 p.m.

Unwrap the Truth: Organic Foods by Dishes 2 Nourish Lancaster Cancer Center

1858 Charter Lane, Greenfield Corporate Center Lancaster (717) 291-1313, ext. 102 lcoleman@lancastercancercenter.com Aug. 17, 6-9 p.m.

Music Friday Downtown Lancaster visitlancastercity.com/music-Friday Aug. 24, noon Lunchtime Lecture Series: Breaking Through: The Barney Ewell Story LancasterHistory.org – Ryder Hall 230 N. President Ave., Lancaster (717) 392-4633, ext. 133 www.lancasterhistory.org/lunchtime Aug. 28, 7 p.m.

World War II Oral History Meeting St. Anne’s Retirement Community 3952 Columbia Ave., Columbia (717) 319-3430

Library Programs Lancaster Public Library, 125 N. Duke St., Lancaster, (717) 394-2651 Aug. 23, 5:30 p.m. – How to Help a Loved One Struggling with Drug Use Lititz Public Library, 651 Kissel Hill Road, Lititz, (717) 626-2255 Aug. 7, 6:30 p.m. – Vegan/Vegetarian Lifestyle Class Aug. 8, 6:30 p.m. – Great Decisions Discussion Group: South Africa’s Fragile Democracy Aug. 15, 6 p.m. – Art of Letter Writing

www.50plusLifePA.com

Columbia Senior Center – (717) 684-4850 Aug. 7, 10:30 a.m. – Stress-Relieving Techniques Aug. 22, 10 a.m. – Summer Songs and Stories with Matt Dodd Aug. 28, 9 a.m. – Trip to Root’s Elizabethtown Area Senior Center – (717) 367-7984 Mondays, 9:30 a.m. – Ladder Golf Wednesdays, 10 a.m. – Bible Study Fridays, 10 a.m. – Wii Bowling Lancaster House North Happy Hearts Club Senior Center – (717) 299-1278 Mondays, 9:30 a.m. – Senior Exercise Class Thursdays, 12:30 p.m. – Bingo and Pinochle Fridays, 12:30 p.m. – Party Bridge Lancaster Neighborhood Senior Center – (717) 2993943 Aug. 1, 9:30 a.m. – Pottery Works Aug. 8, 9:30 a.m. – Painting with Ramiro Aug. 15, 9:30 a.m. – School of Cosmetology Haircuts and Manicures Lancaster Rec. Senior Center – (717) 392-2115, ext.

147 Aug. 2, 10 a.m. – Create Your Own Easy-to-Do Canvas Painting Aug. 17, 9:30 a.m. – Healthy and Not-So-Healthy Streams by Lancaster County Park Naturalist Aug. 30, 1 0:45 a.m. – Forest Therapy by Lancaster Rec. Environmental Education Specialist Lititz Senior Center – (717) 626-2800 Mondays and Thursdays, 9:15 a.m. – Exercise Aug. 15, 10 a.m. – Trip to Mt. Gretna Aug. 30, 10:15 a.m. – Music and Dancing Luis Munoz Marin Senior Center – (717) 295-7989 Aug. 3, 9 a.m. – Diabetic Care with Madelin from Southeast Clinic Aug. 8, 9 a.m. – Hospice Questions and Answers Aug. 10, 10:45 a.m. – Fresh Fruit Express Millersville Senior Center – (717) 871-9600 Aug. 1, 10:30 a.m. – Ceramics with Clare Aug. 6, 10:30 a.m. – Chair Yoga with Maricelle Aug. 24, 10:30 a.m. – Storytelling with Sophie Glutz Next Gen Senior Center – (717) 786-4770 Aug. 1, 10:30 a.m. – Debbie’s School of Dance Aug. 13, 10:30 a.m. – A rmy Navy Nurse of Pearl Harbor Aug. 31, all day – Ephrata Cloister Rodney Park Happy Hearts Club Senior Center (717) 393-7786 Tuesdays, noon – Pinochle Wednesdays, 1 p.m. – Varied Activities Thursdays, noon – Bingo Submit senior center events to mjoyce@onlinepub.com.

50plus LIFE •

August 2018

9

Study Names 10 Worst States for Women’s Retirement New research by comparison site Expert Market has investigated the best and worst states for women to retire to, identifying the places that offer the best quality of life for women who are ready to stop working and lead a life of leisure.

At a time when American women are almost twice as likely as men to live below the poverty line during retirement, the new study is the first to deliver a female-first outlook on the

best states to retire.

“Since women often get the rough deal in terms of retirement and increasingly cash-strapped pension funds risk leaving millions of Americans high and dry, we thought it was important to look into the factors that can make or break a state’s appeal for women of retirement age,” Karla McDougall, who headed up this research for Expert Market, said.

The study investigates the retirement environment in 50 states by cross-referencing data on women’s opportunities and well-being, the number of retirees in each state, the

Bottom 10 States for Women’s Retirement 50. New York 49. Illinois 48. Alaska 47. Mississippi 46. New Jersey 45. Louisiana 44. Wyoming 43. Connecticut 42. Washington 41. Indiana

Top 10 States for Women’s Retirement 1. Hawaii 2. New Hampshire 3. Tennessee 4. Iowa 5. Delaware 6. Oregon 7. Vermont 8. North Dakota 9. Maine 10. Arizona

E

October 6, 2018

omen’s Expo Lancaster County

9 a.m. – 2 p.m.

Lebanon Expo Center 80 Rocherty Road Lebanon

October 13, 2018 9 a.m. – 2 p.m.

Spooky Nook Sports

omen’s Expo Cumberland County

2913 Spooky Nook Road Manheim

November 10, 2018 9 a.m. – 2 p.m.

Carlisle Expo Center

Holiday Shopping Health & Beauty

Fun!

100 K Street Carlisle

Please, join us!

717.285.1350 COMMUNITY OUTREACH SPONSOR

Homeland at Home

event guide SPONSOR

MedExpress Urgent Care

LUNCH bag SPONSORS

AAA Central Penn UPMC Pinnacle SEMINAR SPONSOR

SUPPORTING SPONSORS

Agora Cyber Charter School Ricker Sweigart & Associates

Media SPONSORS

Giant Food Stores

FREE advance guest registration online! ($5 at the door) Talk to us about sponsor and exhibitor opportunities.

aGreatWayToSpendMyDay.com

10

August 2018

50plus LIFE •

cost of living, healthcare quality, weather statistics, economic health scores, and state-tax friendliness to determine the best place for women to head to when they’re ready to retire.

Ready for Retirement?

Avoid New York New York scored a disappointing 27th for women’s opportunities and well-being, rendering it the worst of all the states in which to be a woman in retirement.

The Empire State performs poorly across the board, particularly in terms of its tough economy, ranking in the

bottom two for state-tax friendliness, where the tax rate is 27 percent higher than the U.S. average.

Expensive living costs and a high unemployment rate (5 percent) pushed New York to the bottom of the ranking.

Mississippi and Louisiana also placed among the five worst states to retire to, scoring poorly for women’s opportunities and well-being.

Mississippi has the worst healthcare of all 50 states, and Louisiana comes in the bottom 10 having one of the smallest retiree communities in the study.

opportunities Make a Volunteer for Seniors 55+ throughout Difference Lancaster County, with non-profits, agencies Volunteer schools, and community Today service organizations.

Contact for further information:

Margie Groy 717.454.8647

LancLeb@rsvpCapReg.org www.50plusLifePA.com

Aloha, Hawaii At the other end of the spectrum, Hawaii has emerged as the No. 1 state for women to retire to, with the best healthcare ranking of any state in the study.

With one of the most accessible Medicaid criteria seen across all 50 states, it’s no wonder that Hawaiians have one of the highest life expectancies in the country.

The island state also showed high women’s-opportunities score and a thriving retiree community — 16 percent of the population is over 65.

Retirement Party in Florida or Vermont?

With nearly a fifth of the population (19 percent) over 65, Florida has the largest retiree community of all 50 states.

Despite Florida’s popularity amongst senior citizens, however, the Sunshine State scored particularly badly in terms of women’s opportunities and wellbeing, with one of the highest rates of uninsured females, pushing it into 11th place.

Conversely, Vermont fairs much better. The state has one of the biggest elderly communities (17 percent of inhabitants are over the age of 65), good-quality healthcare, and the third-highest women’s well-being score, making it the seventh best place overall for women of retirement age.

Pennsylvania came in 33rd in the research rankings.

For more about the retirement study, visit www.expertmarket. com/focus/research/best-statesfor-women-to-retire.

Subscribe Online At:

50plusLIFEPA.com

Lancaster Native Takes Helm of UZRC United Zion Retirement Community welcomed its new chief executive officer, Sue Verdegem, on July 1.

Verdegem comes to UZRC with more than three decades of experience in the nonprofit, faithbased, senior-living sector.

She previously served as senior executive vice president of finance and administration at Tel Hai Retirement Community and is a licensed nursing home administrator.

Verdegem has a master’s in Sue Verdegem, CEO for business administration from United Zion Retirement Community Alvernia College and a Bachelor of Arts in business administration and accounting from Franklin & Marshall College.

Verdegem is a recognized leader in the senior living industry and was the 2014 recipient of the Professional Development Award by LeadingAge PA (the industry’s state trade association).

She has served on numerous boards of directors in senior care, including CARE and FTH Services.

If you have pain in your bones or joints, it can be difficult just to make it through your daily routine. Don’t delay seeking help.

Let us help get you back on track. At Orthopaedic Specialists of Central Pennsylvania, we treat injuries and illnesses that affect bones, cartilage, muscles, tendons, joints, and ligaments. Our physicians are fellowship trained and use state-of-the art imaging, pain management, and rehabilitation therapies, as well as surgical treatments for a full-range of orthopaedic conditions.

Orthopaedic Specialists of Central PA

Seth Baublitz, DO

William Parrish, MD

Thomas Ring, MD

Expert Care to Keep You Moving UPMCPinnacle.com/OSCP | 717-735-1972

Now offering less invasive total knee replacement with the Mako® Robotic-Arm Assisted Technological System, which allows a personalized surgical plan to be developed for your unique anatomy. We’re investing in your health by being the first hospital in Lancaster County to invest in this technology.

www.50plusLifePA.com

50plus LIFE •

August 2018

11

Traveltizers

A Time-Traveling Trip to an Earlier America

By Andrea Gross

I’m standing on a mesa 370 feet above the New Mexican desert.

The sky is turquoise blue, the winds are blowing, and nearby a few people are making pottery while others are preparing food on outdoor ovens.

This is the Acoma Pueblo, the oldest continuously inhabited community in North Homes in the age-old Acoma America.

Pueblo lack water, electricity, As my husband and sewers. and I stroll the mesa’s dusty roads, we feel as if we’ve been transported to another world, one that existed a century or more ago. We want to learn more about this world, to experience it as best we can.

Thus we decide to time travel to an earlier America.

The next day we return to Acoma, and in the following weeks we expand

our journey to include three other parts of the country: the antebellum South, the rugged Northwest, and the more established Northeast.

Tillicum Village lets visitors glimpse the beliefs and traditions of life in the Pacific Northwest centuries ago.

The Ancient Southwest In my mind, it’s 1861. Abraham Lincoln has just been elected president, the country is at war, and 2,000 miles from the battlefields, Pueblo Indians are living in

mud homes hardened by the sun.

Their village, part of present-day New Mexico, won’t become part of the United States for another 50 years.

Sky City, as the pueblo is often called, isn’t like most so-called living history

The ultimate resource for boomer and senior living and care options Your inclusion in 50plus Living will help professionals, boomers, and seniors as they move through life’s stages.

Online & In Print. onlinepub.com BENEFITS

23rd annual edition

Online Drives traffic to your site Digital e-dition

Easily accessible on mobile devices

Call about Early-Bird Savings! *

* Must reserve by Sept. 30, 2018,

to receive early-bird savings.

Closing date: Nov. 2, 2018 Street date: Jan. 2019

Print

For those who rely on traditional media

Distribution

Available at more than 15 events annually

Direct mailed

To professional offices throughout the Susquehanna and Delaware valleys

On-Demand

Where readers pick up 50plus LIFE

Community

Reaches your targeted audience: healthcare professionals, adult decision-making children, and 50+ consumers

To be included in the 2019 edition of 50plus LIVING, call your representative or (717) 285-1350 or email info@onlinepub.com 12

August 2018

50plus LIFE •

www.50plusLifePA.com

museums, which are filled with reconstructed buildings and costumed interpreters.

It’s authentic to the core, a genuine community where about 50 people choose to live in their ancestral homes and follow ancient traditions.

Acoma offers us an unfiltered view of a time and world long gone. It’s exactly what we wanted.

The Pacific Northwest A 45-minute boat ride from Seattle takes us to Tillicum Village, where we’re introduced to the lifestyle of people who lived in the Pacific Northwest long before white settlers began arriving in the early 1850s.

We’re greeted by a man in Native garb who hands us an appetizer of steamed clams before leading us to a long buffet Many Native cultures used totems to table filled with fresh fruits and symbolize the relationship between vegetables, venison stew, and animals, humans, and the land. salmon that was prepared over an open-pit fire.

“This is the same type of food that was eaten by Chief Sealth, the Duwarmish Indian leader after whom Seattle was named,” he says.

After dinner, we watch a multimedia show, replete with masked dancers and a narrator who relates ancient tales.

Like the village itself, the presentation doesn’t focus on a specific tribe but instead helps visitors understand the beliefs and traditions of a generalized group of people. To ensure cultural accuracy, the show was developed with the help of local tribes.

The Antebellum Southeast It takes us two days to explore the Great River Road that runs 70 miles between New Orleans and Baton Rouge.

In the mid-19th century, there were more than 300 plantations in this part of Louisiana; today, about a dozen have been restored and are open to visitors.

Each plantation is different, and each deepens our understanding of the country that Abraham Lincoln was elected to govern.

We begin at Whitney Plantation, which is dedicated to interpreting the experience of enslaved people in Louisiana.

Although we walk through the plantation home, which has the oldest kitchen in Louisiana, it’s the memorial walls and first-person slave narratives that more fully transport us back to the past. It’s a sobering introduction to the Antebellum South.

At Destrehan we see an old sugar plantation. At Laura Plantation we tour a house that was home to four generations of a Creole family, both free and enslaved.

And at Oak Alley we get a multidimensional view of antebellum life by touring six reconstructed slave quarters as well the stately master’s home.

The More Established Northeast Not far from the well-known living history sites of the East Coast, such as Plymouth and Williamsburg, both of which represent specific time periods, is the Bronck House, a lesser-known and truly fascinating museum in Coxsackie, New York.

Here, visitors can immerse themselves in the life of one family for 276 years. www.50plusLifePA.com

Grand oak trees line the road to Oak Alley plantation, which is built in the Greek Revival style.

Eleven original buildings are still standing on the old Bronck family property.

Pieter Bronck, a Swedish immigrant, purchased the land from the Katskill Indians in 1662. The property passed from generation to generation until 1939, when the last family owner willed the entire complex to the Greene County Historical Society.

There’s a 1663 stone house and a 1738 brick house, as well as a kitchen dependency (detached kitchen).

In addition, there’s a 13sided barn built in the 1830s, a New World Dutch barn, and a Victorian horse barn. Taken together, these structures show how the family was affected by the changing economy and new architectural techniques.

As was the case with Acoma, Tillicum Village, and the Louisiana plantations, the Bronck House is indeed a passport to another world.

For more information on these and other such sites, see “Napkin Notes” on www.traveltizers.com. Photos © Irv Green unless otherwise noted; story by Andrea Gross (www.andreagross.com).

HALDEMAN MECHANICAL INC.

PA7777

Circa 1957

Our customers NEVER pay in advance for our services, including our service contracts.

717�665�6910

Plumbing, Heating, Cooling and Water Conditioning Services Since 1939

www.haldemanmechanical.com 50plus LIFE •

August 2018

13

It Was 50 Years Ago Today

For active adults when apartment living is all you need!

Affordable housing for those 62 and older, located in beautiful, historic Marietta Rents start at $692 and include all utilities (heat, electric, water, sewer, trash), off-street parking, on-site laundry, community room, and community garden.

Two-bedrooms start at $831.

Randal Hill

For applications and information, please contact:

Community Basics, Inc. 717-735-9590 or info@communitybasics.com

601 East Market Street Marietta

August 9 – September 15

Hear over 30 fabulous songs from the Big Band Era in this all singing, all dancing extravaganza!

Hear It Don’t Mean a Thing If It Ain’t Got That Swing, Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy, In the Mood and more!

GET YOUR TICKETS NOW!

DutchApple.com • 717.898.1900 510 Centerville Rd, Lancaster, PA

14

August 2018

‘Harper Valley PTA’

50plus LIFE •

In 1967, country artist Margie Johnson — storms into the Singleton recorded a Top 40 country afternoon PTA meeting, boldly hit with her cover version of Bobbie dressed in a miniskirt, and exposes Gentry’s “Ode to Billie Joe.” A year various instances of board-member later, Singleton asked songwriter Tom indiscretion and misbehavior, with her T. Hall, who had a knack for narrative final salvo being: and a keen eye for detail, to write her a This is just a little Peyton Place, and similar tune. you’re all Harper Valley hypocrites.

Hall, who had once been a DJ in Ouch!

Salem, Virginia, used to spend his free Jeannie C. Riley was a striking time writing poetry and strumming his 22-year-old from Stamford, Texas, $46 guitar. Later, after who in 1966 had moved creating minor country to Nashville with her hits for Jimmy Newman husband and infant and Dave Dudley, he daughter. Riley worked relocated to “Music as a $41-a-week secretary City”— Nashville, for a music publisher Tennessee. while recording demos Hall honored (demonstration records) Singleton’s request, part time. basing his “Harper Valley One day Riley cut PTA” melody on “Ode to a demo — in just one Billie Joe” and his lyrics take — of Hall’s “Harper on gossip that he had Valley PTA” for newly once overheard about formed Plantation “Harper Valley PTA” a young widow while Records. Upon learning By Jeannie C. Riley growing up in Olive Hill, that Margie Singleton had August 1968 Kentucky. already recorded Hall’s He later recounted, “I as-yet-unreleased ditty, was fascinated by [the widow’s] grit. the Plantation honchos rushed Riley’s To see this very insignificant, socially version onto the market in order to disenfranchised lady — a single beat the competition. mother — who was willing to march It turned out to be a wise business down to the local aristocracy and read move. Riley’s mini soap opera caught them the riot act, so to speak, was fire overnight and eventually topped fascinating.” both the country and the pop charts, His inspiration for the song’s title the first such feat for any female came about one afternoon when country recording artist. he noted the name Harpeth Valley Her song later inspired a 1978 film Elementary School as he drove through and, in 1981, a spinoff TV series, both the Nashville suburb of Bellevue. starring Barbara (I Dream of Jeannie) Hall’s slice-of-life song involves Eden playing put-upon Mrs. Johnson, a raucous confrontation between a who now had a first name: Stella. young widow and the local powers that Riley recorded five more Top 10 be, who object to her mode of dress, country hits for Plantation Records but her familiarity with the local men, and would never again enjoy another pop her social drinking. success, although her now-iconic single In the story, a junior-high girl brings proved popular enough to ensure her a her mother a note from the local PTA place of honor in 1960s music history. board that berates the lady for her Randal C. Hill is a rock ’n’ roll historian behavior and the bad example she is who lives at the Oregon coast. He may be setting for her daughter. reached at wryterhill@msn.com.

The offended mother — Mrs. www.50plusLifePA.com

Reverse Mortgage: Extend Retirement Funds Many financial planners are now advising their clients to get a reverse mortgage as soon as they are able (when one spouse is 62) for several reasons.

First, it eliminates your mortgage payment, although property taxes and insurance must continue to be paid.

This frees up money that may be used for any purpose, including savings or investment.

Second, by using the often substantial reverse mortgage proceeds, taking Social Security benefits can be delayed to the age of 70. This increases that monthly check by 76 percent over what would be received at 62 years old, according to Forbes magazine.

Third, having a reverse mortgage in place allows you to have a backup plan if the stock market falters, which eliminates “sequence of returns” risk.

You can forgo withdrawals from your stock portfolio, allowing it to recover.

Fourth, when rates are as low as they are now, a person in his/her 60s can access about 50 percent of the home’s equity (the older you are, the more you can access).

Any money not drawn out becomes a line of credit on which you do not pay interest and grows at about 5 percent a year. This provides a Rob Miller, President “safety net” of ready cash should a need arise in the future.

Whether you are in your 60s or your 90s, a reverse mortgage is an excellent financial tool and can benefit you by adding to your financial stability.

It is government insured and is a non-recourse loan, meaning that no debt is passed along to your estate or your heirs. You are the only one who will own the home (the lender does not go on the title), and you may will the property to your heirs.

Call Rob Miller, NMLS No. 142151, president of Glendale Mortgage, NMLS No. 127720, and Reverse Mortgage Specialist, to learn more.

(610) 853-6500, (888) 456-0988, RMiller@GlendaleMortgage.com, www.nmlsconsumeraccess.org

Put Your Equity to Work!

Get Tax-Free Cash for Any Purpose

P A re you 62 years old or

older?

P Do you need more monthly income, and want to retain ownership of your home?

P D o you own your home

and live there?

PW ould you like to remain in your home and eliminate your mortgage payment?

Call today to receive a FREE consultation!

Contact Rob Miller at Glendale Mortgage to learn about the benefits of obtaining a Home Equity Conversion Mortgage.

ROB MILLER, NMLS #142151

President, HECM Mortgage Specialist

Direct: 610.853.6500 Toll Free: 888.456.0988 RMiller@GlendaleMortgage.com

Your Financial Partner Glendale Mortgage NMLS 127720 is an Equal Housing Lender. Some products and services may not be available in all states. Credit and collateral are subject to approval.

Terms and conditions apply. If you qualify we will reimburse you for the cost of the appraisal at closing. This is not a commitment to lend. Programs, rates, terms and conditions are subject to change without notice. Licensed by the Pennsylvania Department of Banking, State of Delaware Bank Commissioner, and the New Jersey Department of Banking and Insurance. www.nmlsconsumeraccess.org

Schreiber Pediatric & R GET YOU

NOW!

S

DUCKIE

— P R E S E N T—

Semi-Private and Private Yoga In our classes, we combine thoughtful sequencing, a dose of inspiration, and a spirit of playfulness to help you deepen your practice and awareness of your body. We seek to help others in nurturing their body, mind, and soul with yoga.

Our hope is that the practice you develop on mat will transfer off mat, leaving you feeling nourished, balanced, and refreshed.

Breathe@LittleYogaPlace.com

www.LittleYogaPlace.com facebook.com/ LittleYogaPlace

717-471-8328

Landisville, PA

www.50plusLifePA.com

FEST I BEGINVAL at 2p S m

SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 9, 2018 Lancaster County Central Park

Present this ad at the event for 5 FREE festival game tickets!

RAC BEGINE at 5p S m

(Limit 1 coupon per child)

For more information, go to: www.schreiberpediatric.org/duck • 717-393-0425

50plus LIFE •

August 2018

15

The Beauty in Nature

Birds Benefitting from Mowing Clyde McMillan-Gamber

A few kinds of summering birds that I have watched getting food in southeastern Pennsylvania benefit from lawn mowing in suburban areas and hay cutting in croplands.

These species are adaptable, common in much of North America, and entertaining to watch as they snap up invertebrates stirred into the air by machinery mowing grass or hay.

September 29, 2018 Overlook Park, Lancaster

Registration at 8:30 a.m. • Walk at 10:20 a.m.

October 8, 2018

City Island, Harrisburg Registration at 10 a.m. • Walk at 11:30 a.m.

October 20, 2018 John C. Rudy Park, York

Registration at 8:30 a.m. • Walk at 10:20 a.m.

Easy online registration at http://www.alz.org/walk • Volunteer opportunities available.

• Teams and individuals welcome.

Chapter Presenting Sponsors Registration brochures, team packets, and sponsorship packets available. For more information, please contact: Harrisburg Walk Katherine Ensell, Constituent Events Manager (717) 651-5020; klensell@alz.org

Lancaster/York Walk Fran Gibbons, Constituent Events Manager (717) 568-2595; fgibbons@alz.org

Alzheimer’s Association 2595 Interstate Drive, Suite 100 • Harrisburg, PA 17110

16

August 2018

50plus LIFE •

And, most which are interestingly, another kind these birds of swallow, are have learned built similarly to associate for catching mowers of flying insects various kinds in midair. with suddenly Examples of available food. convergent American evolution, they robins run and are all small, stop, run and speedy, and stop over shortmaneuverable Gray catbird grass lawns in flight and and watch have large and listen for mouths to invertebrates engulf their at grass’s root prey. level when they Entertaining stop. to watch, Mowers swallows and moving over swifts swoop lawns flush out swiftly over flying insects, hayfields after particularly flying insects froghoppers stirred out of and small, pretty clover Barn swallow brown moths, and alfalfa fields which the by hay mowers. robins see and Beautiful grab with their beaks. Mowers make poetry in motion, the many swallows it easier for robins to get the food and swifts weave in and out among they already prey upon, and in greater their fellows without collision, ever. abundance.

And that collection of graceful, Gray catbirds roam over lawns airborne birds moves up and down in search of food much the way the hayfields close behind and to the robins do. Catbirds, however, nest in sides of the mowers. thickets of shrubbery and vines along When full of insects, the swallows woodland edges and streambanks and line up on roadside wires to rest, in older suburban areas. digest their meals, socialize, and preen I chuckle when mowing grass and their feathers. And when hungry see a catbird perched on the edge again, off they go to follow the of shrubbery to watch the mower’s mowers across the hay fields to catch progress across the lawn. more flying insects.

When the catbird spots a moth These adaptable birds all get food rising from the grass before the more easily by following mowing mower, it zips low across our lawn, machines on lawns and in fields. And seizes the insect in its bill right in we are entertained by their foodfront of the mower, and flips away gathering activities on those humanwith it to a perch to swallow its victim made habitats, right at home. and watch for more.

Clyde McMillan-Gamber is a retired Barn swallows, tree swallows, Lancaster County Parks naturalist. chimney swifts, and purple martins, www.50plusLifePA.com

Landis Homes Hosts Grand Opening of Wellness Center, Apartments

Healthy Legs, Healthy You

Unsightly The ribbon was recently cut on the varicose newest addition to the Landis Homes veins and campus in Lititz. spider veins?

Many gathered to mark the official opening of the Calvin G. & Janet C. A simple office procedure High Learning & Wellness Center will improve the health of and new Crossings apartments. Those your legs. in attendance included residents, Covered by family members, donors, business insurances, partners, employees, and neighbors. including Medicare The new center, which is centrally located on the 114-acre campus, includes an indoor pool, fitness room and studio, bistro, hair salon, Held Monthly—Call to Register!

Front row, from left, Craig Smith, RGS Associates; Gregg Scott, RLPS pharmacy, bank, art gallery, offices, Lebanon – Saturday, Aug. 11 at 8:30 a.m.

Architects; Linford Good, Landis Homes vice president of marketing and and classrooms.

Lancaster – Saturday, Aug. 25 at 8:30 a.m. planning; Elvin Kraybill, Capital Campaign co-chair; Larry Zook, Landis The top two floors in the 103,000Homes president/CEO; Calvin and Janet High; Connie Stauffer, campaign cosquare-foot, four-level center holds chair; Dottie and Roland Yoder, Capital Campaign Communications co-chairs.

22 apartments. New apartment of Lancaster Back row, from left, Michel Gibeault, High Construction; Eric McRoberts, residents began moving in on May Lancaster’s Most Trusted & RLPS Architects; Dan Mast, Landis Homes board chair; and Allon Lefever, 21, followed shortly by the opening of Experienced Vein Center Landis Communities board chair. the aquatics and fitness center.

90 Good Dr., Suite 301, Lancaster The total cost of the project is $53 918 Russel Dr., Lebanon The Connections Capital Land Associates, RLPS Architects, million and will include two more 717-394-5401 M&T Bank, BB&T Capital Markets, Campaign raised over $3.4 million structures. Now under construction, www.veincenteroflancaster.com through 340 donations in both small and High Construction Company. these will bring 57 additional and large amounts. Local business apartments that will open in late partners in the effort included RGS 2018 and spring of 2019. advertisement

FREE SCREENINGS

Vein Center

Did you know? is available online for anytime/anywhere reading!

AFFORDABLE CREMATION SERVICES

If you want a funeral with an expensive casket and embalming, go to a funeral home!

If you are interested in affordable cremation services, we are the name to remember!

We specialize in cremation only, statewide, no removal fees.

No Embalming

www.50plusLIFEPA.com

 

                 

No Caskets

Cremation Society of Pennsylvania, Inc. serving all of Lancaster county since 1981 Largest in the state of PA

For FREE brochures and pricing, call:

1-800-720-8221 (toll-free) or mail us ...

Please send me FREE brochures and pricing! www.cremationsocietyofpa.com Name______________________________________________________ Address____________________________________________________

   

 



www.50plusLifePA.com

_______________________________ Phone (

)_________________

4100 Jonestown Rd., Hbg., PA 17109 Shawn E. Carper, Supervisor

50plus LIFE •

Code LSN

August 2018

17

Lifting Therapy Caps is a Load off Medicare Patients’ Shoulders

By Susan Jaffe Physical therapy helps Leon Beers, 73, get out of bed in the morning and maneuver around his home using his walker. Other treatment strengthens his throat muscles so that he can communicate and swallow food, said his sister, Karen Morse.

But in mid-January, his home healthcare agency told Morse it could no longer provide these services because he had used all his therapy benefits allowed under Medicare for the year.

Beers, a retired railroad engineer, has a form of Parkinson’s disease. The treatments slow its destructive progress and “he will need it for the rest of his life,” Morse said.

But under a recent change in federal law, people who qualify for Medicare’s therapy services will no longer lose them because they used too much.

“It is a great idea,” said Beers. “It will help me get back to walking.”

The federal budget agreement Congress approved in February removes annual caps on how much Medicare pays for physical, occupational, or speech therapy and streamlines the medical review process.

It applies to people in traditional Medicare as well as those with private Medicare Advantage policies.

As of Jan. 1, Medicare beneficiaries are eligible for therapy indefinitely as

long as their doctor — or in some states, physician assistant, clinical nurse specialist, or nurse practitioner — confirms their need for therapy and they continue to meet other requirements.

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services has notified healthcare providers about the change.

And under a 2013 court settlement, they won’t lose coverage simply because they have a chronic disease that doesn’t get better.

“Put those two things together, and it means that if the care is ordered by a doctor and it is medically necessary to have a skilled person provide the services to maintain the patient’s condition, or prevent or slow decline, there is not an arbitrary limit on how long or how much Medicare will pay for that,” said Judith Stein, executive director of the Center for Medicare Advocacy.

But don’t be surprised if the Medicare website doesn’t mention the change. Information on the website will be revised “as soon as possible,” said a spokesman, who declined to be identified. However, information from the 800-Medicare helpline has been updated.

Until then, patients can refer to the CMS update posted for providers.

Kaiser Health News is a nonprofit news service covering health issues. It is an editorially independent program of the Kaiser Family Foundation, which is not affiliated with Kaiser Permanente. https://khn.org

Job Opportunities LANCASTER COUNTY EMPLOYERS NEED YOU!!

Age 55 or over? Unemployed? The 55+ Job Bank is one of three services offered by Employment Unit at the Office of Aging.

Jobs are matched with those looking for work. Based on an evaluation of your skills and abilities, we can match you with a position needed by a local employer. Some employers are specifically looking for older workers because of the reliability and experience they bring to the workplace. There is a mix of full-time and part-time jobs covering all shifts, requiring varying levels of skill and experience, and offering a wide range of salaries.

The other services available through the Office of Aging are the Senior Community Service Employment Program (SCSEP) and the regularly scheduled Job Search Workshops.

For more job listings, call the Lancaster County Office of Aging at

(717) 299-7979 or visit

www.co.lancaster.pa.us/lanco_aging

Lancaster County Office of Aging 150 N. Queen Street, Suite 415 Lancaster, PA 18

August 2018

50plus LIFE •

E.O.E.

HAIRSTYLIST – PT

Recruiter is looking to fill a position at a county retirement community. Requires valid Pennsylvania cosmetologist license; access to a personal vehicle; and the ability to devote two days per week to the site.

Hours are 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. No weekends.

SN070051.01

RECEPTIONIST – PT

Local company is seeking energetic, positive person for long-term temporary opportunity.

Duties cover phones, greeting visitors, light accounting, filing, data entry, and other tasks.

Need one to three years’ office experience; Word/Excel. Work 40 hours each two weeks.

SN070062.02

VIEW OUR JOB LIST

We list other jobs on the Web at www.co.lancaster.pa.us/ lanco_aging. To learn more about applying for the 55+ Job Bank and these jobs, call the Employment Unit at (717) 299-7979.

SN-GEN.03

CASUAL DRIVERS – PT

Local auto dealer has need for responsible persons to transport vehicles to local or more distant locations in Pennsylvania. You may choose to accept/decline trips without issue. Need valid Pennsylvania driver’s license; acceptable driving record; and good communication skills.

SN070064.04

— Volunteer Opportunities — One of the available specialized volunteer opportunities at Lancaster County Office of Aging is that of APPRISE counselor.

Counselors work with a diverse group of consumers with one commonality: There is some type of connection to Medicare.

You may work with a consumer who is receiving Medicare and having problems with secondary coverage, or you may be helping the child of a Medicare consumer who’s trying to help a parent who doesn’t have drug coverage.

APPRISE counselors meet with consumers who are new to Medicare, and they screen consumers to determine if they’re eligible for any benefits that help pay for the costs of Medicare.

The orientation process includes shadowing experienced APPRISE counselors, working through online training modules, and attending new counselor training provided by the state Department of Aging. This process occurs during weekdays, mostly at the Office of Aging in Lancaster.

For more information about this volunteer opportunity, contact Bev Via, volunteer coordinator, at (717) 299-7979 or aging@co.lancaster.pa.us.

www.50plusLifePA.com

Puzzle Page

CROSSWORD

Solutions for all puzzles can be found on page 20 SUDOKU

Across WORD SEARCH

Double “O” Words

1. Golden, for one 5. Small lizard 10. Energy source 14. Between ports 15. Elaine’s last name on Seinfeld 16. French Sudan, today 17. Twinge 18. Gives off 19. Rainbow goddess 20. Dismounted 22. Daisy ___ 23. Sheltered nook 24. Maple genus 25. The ocean, e.g.

27. Cut of meat 29. Have a bawl 30. Shogun’s capital 31. Driving hazard 34. African antelope 38. ___ de force 40. Wrangles 42. Buffalo’s lake 43. Illegal firing 45. Position 47. Gasteyer of Mean Girls 48. Defective 50. Drool 52. Yellow or orange flowers

57. Salon supplies 58. Astronaut Bean 59. Quilting party 60. Brewer’s need 61. Bill & ___ Excellent Adventure 62. Corkwood 64. Water color 67. Donald Duck’s nephews, e.g.

68. Cay 69. Beach feature 70. Collar type 71. Retreats 72. On its way

25. Walks 26. Heartache 27. Kind of blocker 28. Raised railroads 32. “Mangia!”

33. Lock of hair 35. 1966 Peck, Loren thriller 36. He was dressed to the ___ 37. Expensive 39. First name in a Defoe book 41. Dog Day Afternoon role

44. Henpeck 46. Extinct pigeon relative 49. Workhorse 51. Go around 52. Photo finish 53. Like Argus 54. Dashboard feature 55. Renter’s paper 56. Small wooded hollows 60. Derbies 63. Tennis unit 65. Fancy vase 66. Toward the stern

Down 1. Mountain pass 2. Fit ___ fiddle 3. Obstinate 4. High fliers 5. Opposite of hinder 6. Rare find 7. True inner self 8. Beryllium, e.g.

9. Stocks and such 10. Friendly 11. Gypsy’s deck 12. Martini garnish 13. Scrooge 21. Nettles 24. Passion

Your ad could be here on this popular page!

Please call (717) 285-1350 for more information.

www.50plusLifePA.com

50plus LIFE •

August 2018

19

Building a Strong Social Network is Job No. 1 for ‘Solo Agers’

By Sara Zeff Geber, Ph.D. If you are like me, a child-free Solo Ager, you have a more limited network of relationships than your parent peers.

For a parent, each child represents another factor in their network of relationships. The children’s relationships with their friends and, eventually, in-laws become part of the parents’ relationship network as well.

As a Solo Ager, if you are part of a couple, the strongest connection in your social network is probably your partner. If you are single, the strongest connections might be with your siblings or close friends.

Lesser, but still important, relationships are with cousins, sometimes nieces and nephews, and often with additional friends. Community ties are often stronger for people without children as well.

Strong evidence exists for a direct connection between social support resources (relationships) and good mental health. Strong social networks have buffering effects when we go through painful events or experience temporary stressors.

Relationships are critical for everyone, and especially for those of us who are child-free. Friends, relatives, and community ties are not just nice-to-have pieces of your life; they are key to your survival!

Anyone over 60 will likely tell you they have seen their primary relationships change over the years. Ideally, these changes marked a steady progression toward a core social support system, one that is mutual and rewarding to both parties.

For older parents, primary relationships include their adult children, whether those children are enjoyable to be around or not. For the rest of us, relationships are much more a matter of choice.

If you are finding you need to bolster your friendship network and you aren’t sure where to start, you may find the following suggestions helpful: Look around you. Who lives in your neighborhood that you don’t yet know? Could you form a stronger friendship with a close neighbor?

Go back to school. Is there a language you have always wanted to learn? A hobby you would like to pursue? A computer skill you wish you possessed? Classes are a great place to meet new friends with similar interests.

In addition to extension programs at local colleges, Osher Lifelong Learning Institute (OLLI) programs can be found on the campuses of many colleges across the country. Check out the Bernard Osher Foundation’s website (www.osherfoundation.org).

Are you interested in traveling? Taking a trip with likeminded older adults can spark some terrific friendships. Road Scholar (formerly Elder Hostel) is a tour company that serves only older adults.

Start online. In the same way young people are now meeting and getting to know one another through social media before they ever have a face-to-face encounter, older people can begin to form friendships in the same way. You can connect with all kinds of special-interest groups by searching online.

My husband likes to quote something his mother told him when he was in junior high: “To have a friend, you need to be a friend.”

Somewhere along the way, as your relationship develops, look for an opportunity to do something for your new friend. Offer a ride to the airport or an invitation to a dinner party. You may have the opportunity to offer caregiving after a minor medical procedure.

These kinds of small gestures are the glue that holds relationships together.

Sara Zeff Geber, Ph.D., is a speaker, retirement coach, founder of LifeEncore, and author of Essential Retirement Planning for Solo Agers: A Retirement and Aging Roadmap for Single and Child-free Adults. Geber lives with her husband in Santa Rosa, Calif. www.lifeencore.com

Puzzles shown on page 19

Puzzle Solutions

What are you interested in? Join one of the thousands of “Meetups” occurring in communities every day around the United States (www.meetup. com). Stitch (www.stitch.net) also links people who share interests.

What do you care about? Whether your passion is local politics, animal rights, road safety, or practicing medicine halfway around the globe, volunteer opportunities exist for you to help change the world and at the same time meet likeminded people.

If you are unsure about how to get started, try VolunteerMatch (www. volunteermatch.org).

20

August 2018

50plus LIFE •

www.50plusLifePA.com

The Ripple Effect: A Pilot, a Teacher, and a Teen

By Stephen M. DeBock

and one day he told me he’d been approved to fly the F-117 stealth fighter.

My friend Bill passed No sooner had he checked away some years ago, and out in the craft than Gulf following his interment War I broke out, and he I wrote two letters. One was off to do battle, always was to his wife, expressing in the zero dark thirty gratitude for his having hours, returning to base introduced me to the world before first light. of private flying, as well as Following the war’s his encouragement while conclusion, I received a I earned my own pilot’s phone call from Dale. license.

“Would you like to The other was to a see some cockpit tapes?” younger friend named Dale Dale Zelko, seen here in a An F-117 Nighthawk stealth fighter jet, he asked. “I’m on leave Zelko, to inform him that U.S. Air Force portrait, wasn’t rarely seen by civilians. visiting my mom. You’re although he’d never had the only one of DeBock’s invited to join the family the pleasure of meeting former students to go on to for dinner.”

Bill, had it not been for his become a pilot.

The next evening, as earlier influence on me, I watched the incredible he — Dale — might never night-vision videos have embarked upon his taken from his cockpit, I own aviation career. noticed Dale fiddling with Here’s how it unfolded: something in his hand. It looked like a piece of broken lanyard with a metal Back in the days before litigation eclipsed baseball as the national pastime, clip at one end. Captain Queeg with the ball bearings came to mind, but I I used to offer my middle-school students afterschool sightseeing flights in pretended not to notice. my flying club’s single-engine aircraft. Once at cruising altitude, I’d show the Afterward, he said something I’ve never forgotten: youngster in the right seat the dual controls, explain how they work, and invite “I love to fly; I love my country; and I love to fly for my country. Now, on him or her to try flying the plane. one of my sorties, I realized that if it hadn’t been for that flight you took me on The kids would usually be quick to take hold of the yoke — whereupon the way back when, I almost certainly wouldn’t be doing what I’m doing today.” plane would porpoise through the sky as they tried to adapt to the delicacy of I nodded, unsure where this was going. the controls.

“So I dedicated my target that night to you, and although I can’t tell you Most quickly gave up, but Dale didn’t. From the start, he held the Cessna what it was, you’ll be pleased to know it’s now a pile of debris.” He held out stable and maintained altitude; further, he kept a proper scan forward, to the what he’d been holding. “This is the arming clip from that smart bomb. It’s sides, and up and down. yours.”

Oh, he’s flown before, I thought, maybe with a relative who owns a plane.

Dale asked me next what the instruments represented, and he nodded as *** I explained their functions. Soon he was making precision turns to specific headings, at my direction. The kid was good.

By the time Dale presented me with this treasured memento, the attorney Oh yeah, he’s done this a lot of times before. for the board of education had long put an end to my student flights.

When the hour was up, I landed the plane, refueled it, and returned it to He opined that even though the permission slips I’d sent home specified I the tie-down area, with Dale studying my every move. I thought he might be was acting as a private citizen and not as a school employee, the fact that I’d comparing me with his pilot relative. used the school’s ditto machine to print the slips, and that I’d mentioned the Once I’d settled my account for the hour flown, I walked Dale to the flights during school time and on school grounds, made the board liable for parking lot, where his mother was waiting. As we walked, I asked him how any student injuries that might occur. many times he’d flown before today.

He was right, of course, and yes, I’d been naïve even to risk driving my “None,” he answered. “This was my first time in a plane.” students to the airport, much less putting them aboard a plane.

I was stunned. After a moment’s thought, I said, “Dale, it’s not my place But when I consider the beauty of introducing my kids to the wonders of to tell you what to do with your life. But from what you’ve demonstrated just flight — Dale wasn’t the only one who went on to become a pilot — I bless my now, I’d say you were born to the yoke.” youthful naïveté.

A modest sort, he gave me a simple thank-you as we greeted his mom and As for Dale, his career took him to the Yugoslavian conflict in 1999, where made our farewells for the day. his stealth fighter was blown out of the sky by a ground-fired missile.

His account of the against-all-odds, literally-in-the-nick-of-time combat *** search and rescue made for a compelling two-hour debriefing he gave his Time passed, and when Dale was a high school junior, he sent a letter asking family, my wife, and me upon his safe return.

But that’s a story for another time. if I would consider writing a commendation for him to the Air Force Academy, something I was proud and honored to do.

Dale graduated the academy and became a fighter pilot. We stayed in touch, Please see our profile of writer Stephen DeBock on page 4.

Air Force Day is Aug. 1

www.50plusLifePA.com

50plus LIFE •

August 2018

21

Soldier Stories

The Fighting Quaker Robert Naeye

Please, join us!

This combined event is FREE for veterans of all ages, active military, and their families.

Aug. 28, 2018 Nov. 1, 2018 9 a.m. – 2 p.m.

Radisson Hotel Harrisburg 1150 Camp Hill Bypass Camp Hill

9 a.m. – 2 p.m.

Farm and Home Center

1383 Arcadia Road NEW LOCATION! Lancaster

At the Expo

Veterans Benefits Community Services Products and Services Available Support/Assistance Programs Education/Training Services

At the Job Fair

Employers Job Counseling Workshops/Seminars Resume Writing Assistance Principal Sponsors:

Need more LIFE in your life?

LIFE

Sponsored by:

Blue Ridge Communications • Disabled American Veterans • DMP Solutions Fulton Financial Corporation • LCTV • Pennsylvania State Headquarters VFW Vibra Health Plan • WFYL • WHTM ABC27

Sponsor & Exhibitor Opportunities Available

www.veteransexpo.com (717) 285-1350 www.olpevents.com

22

August 2018

50plus LIFE •

Retired Lancaster schoolteacher Dixon decided to join the Marine Jim Dixon was raised a Quaker.

Corps. When he told them he was a But unlike most Quakers, who are Quaker, he had to sign extra papers, pacifists, Dixon joined the U.S. and later he had to sign additional Marine Corps and experienced brutal papers to be sent to Vietnam. combat in the Vietnam War. The marines trained Dixon to be Dixon grew up in the countryside, an MP, a military policeman. His with the closest city being unit spent four months in California Wilmington, working Delaware. with the “Some highway patrol people say they learning how had to walk a to conduct mile to school. arrests and use Well, I had to handcuffs. walk a mile Dixon, to get to the along with school bus,” he the other men recalls. in his unit, His parents crossed the were members Dixon was recently the guest speaker at Pacific on the a meeting of the Central Pennsylvania of the Society Upshur. It was Vietnam Roundtable. of Friends, a miserable better known experience. as Quakers. But Dixon’s father had “There were 600 marines and 593 fought against Germany in World of them were seasick,” he recalls.

War II, and his uncle fought in the But when his unit arrived in Korean War. Vietnam, they were assigned regular “I thought it was my turn to infantry duties and never used any of fight for the country and stop the the police training they received in communists from taking over California.

Southeast Asia. That’s one of the The infantry took 83.5 percent of reasons I joined the military,” says the casualties in Vietnam. According Dixon, who adds that he knew he to Dixon, World War II infantrymen was fully capable of aiming a gun at experienced an average of 40 days of another human being and pulling the combat. In Vietnam, that number trigger. skyrocketed to 240 days.

Brought to you by:

&

Get 50plus LIFE sent straight to your mailbox!

Simply mail this form and $15 for an annual subscription to: 50plus LIFE • 3912 Abel Drive, Columbia, PA 17512 Call (717) 285-8131, or subscribe online at www.50plusLIFEPA.com!

Name_ ________________________________________________________ Address_ _______________________________________________________ City_______________________________ State_ ____ Zip_ _______________ Please specify edition: oChester oCumberland oDauphin oLancaster oLebanon oYork

www.50plusLifePA.com

“I was a grunt. If you were in the infantry, you didn’t have tents. You’d just find a dry puddle and crawl up in there and go to sleep,” he says.

On Christmas Day 1966, a cargo plane crashed near his base. Dixon and his men had to collect the bodies, many of them charred and burned, and then place them in plastic bags in the pouring rain.

Not surprisingly, Dixon describes this as “the worst Christmas I have ever had.”

Dixon also explains how he and his colleagues often had to remove leeches, which were omnipresent in water.

As a Quaker, Dixon had to sign extra The men couldn’t feel these creatures at all, even as they papers to enter the Marine Corps. burrowed one of their two heads under the skin. The leeches could enter anywhere on the body but would frequently crawl toward a man’s private parts.

The men would often have to burn them off with a cigarette. Often men would burn leeches off each other.

“But when it comes time to burn them off your genitalia, you’d have to do that yourself,” says Dixon.

And if all this wasn’t bad enough, often their M16 rifles would jam during combat. Dixon recalls an incident where his unit came across five dead Marines, all of whom were in various stages of using a cleaning rod to unjam their rifles.

Near the end of his tour, he was involved in a firefight with North Vietnamese soldiers.

“There were basically 240 of us that walked into the valley, and 80 of us walked out.”

Speaking of his unit, Dixon says, “We were together that Dixon and his colleagues often had to remove leeches, which whole time; I got to know those guys and they knew me, were omnipresent in water, right up until the time they died. Sometimes we had to go from their bodies. and identify their bodies.”

We Want YOU! •K orean war veterans (of all service branches) who served anywhere in the world 1950–1955 • Veterans (of all service branches) who served in Korea 1945–present

The mission of the KWVA/USA is to defend our nation. Care for our veterans. Perpetuate our legacy. remember our missing and fallen. Maintain our memorial.

Support a free Korea.

www.50plusLifePA.com

Come and enjoy the camaraderie of your fellow veterans at a monthly meeting of the local chapter of the Korean War Veterans Association (KWVA).

We meet on the second Wednesday of each month at Wood Crest Villa — Bluebird Commons, 2001 Harrisburg Pike, Lancaster, PA 17601, starting with lunch at noon. This invitation includes spouses/companions and drivers. There is no charge for attendance. Dress code is casual.

We currently have 90+ registered members. Come join us. Hopefully, you will find it habit forming.

After returning stateside, Dixon served as a guard at the Pentagon until his tour of duty ended. He later attended Millersville University and married a woman named Patricia.

“When I came back, I never told anybody I had been to Vietnam. When I went to Millersville, every student and professor was antiwar. They all hated the war.

“So I just kept it a secret. I took all my memories, put them in a box, and carried them around in my brain inside my head, and I locked them in a closet and forgot about them. My wife didn’t know a lot of the things that went on.”

Dixon taught junior high school history classes for 28 years in Lancaster public schools. He and Patricia have two sons, one of whom drove a Bradley tank during Operation Desert Storm.

Dixon says he still suffers mildly from post-traumatic stress syndrome, a common illness for Vietnam veterans.

“To this day, I still don’t like fireworks on the Fourth of July,” says Dixon. “I don’t like the sounds of helicopters.

The last time I was on a helicopter, they shot the pilot.

That’s one reason I don’t fly helicopters.”

At his wife’s suggestion, he wrote a book about his experiences, Things I’ ll Never Forget: Memories of a Marine in Vietnam. It took him 47 years to summon the energy to write this memoir, but Dixon says the writing process was therapeutic. The book is available from Amazon and some of the proceeds go to veterans.

Robert Naeye is a freelance journalist living in Derry Township.

He is the former editor-in-chief of Sky & Telescope magazine.

Sizzling

SUMMER SALE Please Join Us For Our Exciting Upcoming Events:

Just Peachy

OPEN HOUSE

THURS., AUGUST 30 10 a.m. – 1 p.m.

•C ome and enjoy a tour and eat peach desserts: Ice Cream and Peaches, Peach Pie, Peach Cobbler, and Peach Tea Please RSVP to 717.569.3215

by August 27th

Prepare For Your Move

DOWNSIZING PRESENTATION

THURS., SEPTEMBER 20 10 a.m. – 1 p.m.

• Presentation by Pete Shaub at 10 a.m.

•H ors d’oeuvres served at 11 a.m.

Tours from 11:30 a.m – 1 p.m.

Please RSVP to 717.569.3215

by September 17th

For more information call: Bill Kelley, VP (717) 560-9424.

THE COUNTY’S FIRST ALL-LEASE COTTAGE COMMUNITY! 6 Terrace Drive, Lancaster, PA 17601 717.569.3215 www.LancashireTerrace.com

50plus LIFE •

August 2018

23

DENTAL Insurance Physicians Mutual Insurance Company

A less expensive way to help get the dental care you deserve If you’re over 50, you can get coverage for about $1 a day* Keep your own dentist! You can go to any dentist you want No wait for preventive care and no deductibles – you could get a checkup tomorrow

Coverage for over 350 procedures – including cleanings, exams,

fillings, crowns…even dentures

NO annual or lifetime cap on the cash benefits you can receive

FREE Information Kit

1-855-995-0759 www.dental50plus.com/73

*Individual plan.

Product not available in MN, MT, NH, NM, RI, VT, WA. Acceptance guaranteed for one insurance policy/certificate of this type. Contact us for complete details about this insurance solicitation. This specific offer is not available in CO, NY; call 1-800-969-4781 or respond for similar offer. Certificate C250A (ID: C250E; PA: C250Q); Insurance Policy P150 (GA: P150GA; NY: P150NY; OK: P150OK; TN: P150TN) 6096E-0917 MB17-NM008Ec