r with you y p p a h e? Are you e coverag Medicar e lk to a liv a t o t t n a r Do you w lp maximize you e h person to re experience? healthca hat
3 to see w e g a p o t . Go o for you d n a c e w
Complimentary | Lancaster County Edition
October 2018 • Vol. 24 No. 10
A Fighting Chance page 6
highlights from the 50plus expo page 18
special focus: create a great funeral day page 26
Fire Prevention and Preparedness Essential for Older Adults By Kraig Herman Every year, most fire deaths occur in the home. As of September, Pennsylvania has experienced 104 civilian fire deaths in residential homes in 2018. Of these deaths, 55 have been older adults. Today’s home fires burn faster than ever. Decades ago, homeowners had five to seven minutes to escape a house fire, but now that time is down to one to two minutes. Please review the below points to prepare yourself in the event of a fire. Home Fire-Escape Planning Home fire-escape planning and drills are an essential part of fire safety. A home fire-escape plan needs to be developed and practiced before a fire strikes. A home-escape plan should include the following: • Two exits from every room in the home, usually a door and a window
that can catch fire away from your stovetop.
• Properly installed and working smoke alarms • A meeting place outside, in front of the home, where everyone will meet after they exit • A call to 9-1-1 or the local emergency number from a cellphone or a neighbor’s phone Smoke Alarms Smoke alarms detect and alert people to a fire in the early stages. Smoke alarms can mean the difference between life and death; working smoke alarms cut in half the risk of dying in a home fire. Install smoke alarms in every sleeping room, outside each separate
sleeping area, and on every level of the home, including the basement. Test smoke alarms at least once a month using the test button. Make sure everyone in the home understands the sound of the smoke alarm and knows how to respond. Cooking Cooking is the leading cause of home fires and home-fire injuries. The leading cause of fires in the kitchen is unattended cooking. Stay in the kitchen when you are frying, boiling, grilling, or broiling food. If you are simmering, baking, or roasting food, check it regularly and stay in the home. Keep anything
Heating Heating equipment is one of the leading causes of home fires during the winter months. Space heaters are the type of equipment most often involved in home heating-equipment fires. All heaters need space. Keep anything that can burn at least 3 feet (1 meter) away from heating equipment. Have a 3-foot (1-meter) “kid-free zone” around open fires and space heaters. Purchase and use only portable space heaters listed by a qualified testing laboratory. Have a qualified professional install heating equipment, and maintain heating equipment and chimneys by having them cleaned and inspected by a qualified professional. Kraig Herman is the public education specialist with the Pennsylvania Office of the State Fire Commissioner.
For active adults when apartment living is all you need! Affordable housing for those 62 and older, located in beautiful, historic Marietta
CANCER. WHERE YOU’RE TREATED CAN MAKE THE DIFFERENCE. A diagnosis of cancer can leave you feeling overwhelmed. At Lancaster Cancer Center, we offer hope, help, and healing. We deliver innovative protocols, symptom and side effect management as well as financial and nutrition counseling, support classes, and pet therapy without having to leave Lancaster County. All at a substantially lower cost than in a hospital setting.
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. For applications and information, please contact:
Community Basics, Inc. 717-735-9590 or info@communitybasics.com
601 East Market Street Marietta
You have a choice when it comes to your cancer care. For more information, call us at 717.291.1313.
Greenfield Corporate Center • 1858 Charter Lane, Suite 202 (717) 291-1313 • www.lancastercancercenter.com
2
October 2018
50plus LIFE •
www.50plusLifePA.com
Social Security News
Medicare, Explained By John Johnston
Social Security and Medicare have a few things in common. Both programs help safeguard millions of Americans as well as improve the quality of life for our family and friends. Although both programs are household names, many people may not be familiar with the details of Medicare. Medicare is our country’s health insurance program for people age 65 or older. The program helps with the cost of healthcare, but it doesn’t cover all medical expenses or the cost of most long-term care. You have choices for how you get Medicare coverage. If you choose to have original Medicare coverage, you can buy a Medicare supplement policy (called Medigap) from a private insurance company to cover some of the costs that Medicare does not. Medicare has four parts:
Medicare’s different parts are further explained in our publication at www.socialsecurity.gov/pubs/EN-0510043.pdf. If you can’t afford to pay your Medicare premiums and other medical costs, you may be able to get help from your state. States offer programs for people eligible for or entitled to Medicare who have low income. Some programs may pay for Medicare premiums, and some pay Medicare deductibles and coinsurance. To qualify, you must have Medicare Part A and have limited income and resources. You can learn more about Medicare, including how to apply for Medicare and get a replacement Medicare card, Medicare Annual Open Enrollment at www.socialsecurity.gov/benefits/medicare.
Oct. 15 – Dec. 7, 2018
Medicare Part A (hospital insurance) helps pay for inpatient care in a hospital or skilled nursing facility (following a hospital stay). Part A also pays for some home healthcare and hospice care. Medicare Part B (medical insurance) helps pay for services from doctors and other healthcare providers, outpatient care, home healthcare, durable medical equipment, and some preventive services. Medicare Part C (Medicare Advantage) includes all benefits and services covered under Part A and Part B. Some plans include Medicare prescription drug coverage (Medicare Part D) and other extra benefits and services. Medicare Part D (Medicare prescription drug coverage) helps cover the cost of prescription drugs. Some people with limited resources and income may also be able to get Extra Help with the costs — monthly premiums, annual deductibles, and prescription co-payments — related to a Medicare prescription drug plan. The Extra Help is estimated to be worth about $4,900 per year. You must meet the resources and income requirement.
Free Museum Admission Offered to Active-Duty Military This year the NAWCC National Watch & Clock Museum is expanding its Blue Star summer program to offer free, year-round admission for the nation’s active-duty military personnel and their families, including the National Guard and Reserve. Each summer since 2010, the Blue Star Families organization promotes free museum-admission events with museums across America under the Blue Star Museum program, supported by the NEA and the Department of Defense. Visit the Blue Star Museums website to learn more: www.arts.gov/national/ blue-star-museums. NAWCC is located at 514 Poplar St., Columbia. For more information, call (717) 684-8261 or visit www.museumoftime.org. www.50plusLifePA.com
Vibra Health Plan Seminar Dates and Locations:
John Johnston is a Social Security public affairs specialist. Oct. 15 th 1 p.m. • Four Points Sheraton, 1650 Toronita St., York, PA Oct. 30 th 2 p.m. • Four Points Sheraton, 1650 Toronita St., York, PA Oct. 17th 1 p.m. • Farm & Home Ctr., 1383 Arcadia Rd., Lancaster, PA Oct. 31st 10 a.m. • Homewood Suites, 200 Granite Run Dr., Lancaster, PA Nov 3rd 1 p.m. • Courtyard by Marriott, 2799 Concord Rd., York, PA Nov 14th 1 p.m. • Four Points Sheraton, 1650 Toronita St., York, PA Nov 14th 1 p.m. • Farm & Home Ctr., 1383 Arcadia Rd., Lancaster, PA
’‹›Šȹ ŽŠ•Â?‘ȹ Â•ÂŠÂ—ČąÂ˜Ä›ÂŽÂ›ÂœČą ÂŽÂ?Â’ÂŒÂŠÂ›ÂŽČą Â?Â&#x;Š—Â?ŠÂ?ÂŽČąÂ™Â•ÂŠÂ—Âœ ÂœÂ?Š›Â?’—Â?ȹŠÂ?ȹǞŖ*Š—Â?ČąÂ’Â—ÂŒÂ•ÂžÂ?ŽȹŠȹ Ž–‹Ž›ȹ Â?Â&#x;˜ŒŠÂ?ÂŽÇŻČą Čą Ž–‹Ž›ȹ Â?Â&#x;˜ŒŠÂ?ÂŽČąÂ˜Ä›ÂŽÂ›ÂœČąÂ˘Â˜ÂžÇą • Assistance with care navigation and resource referral • ÂŽÂ›ÂœÂ˜Â—ÂŠÂ•Â’ÂŁÂŽÂ?ȹŠĴŽ—Â?Â’Â˜Â—ČąÂ?Â˜ČąÂŽÂŠÂŒÂ‘ČąÂ–ÂŽÂ–Â‹ÂŽÂ›ČąÂ?Â˜ČąÂ?ÂŽÂ?ČąÂ?‘Ž–ȹÂ?Â˜Čą the right services at the right time • Information to make healthcare decisions that are right for you and your family • 7 days a week support ÂŠÂ•Â•ČąÂ—Â˜Â ČąÂ?Â˜ČąÂ›ÂŽÂœÂŽÂ›Â&#x;ÂŽČąÂŠČąÂœÂŽÂŠÂ?ȹŠÂ?ČąÂŠČąÂœÂŽÂ–Â’Â—ÂŠÂ›Ç°ČąÂ˜Â›ČąÂ?Â˜ČąÂ•ÂŽÂŠÂ›Â—ČąÂ–Â˜Â›ÂŽČąÂŠÂ‹Â˜ÂžÂ?ȹ ‘¢ȹ Vibra Health Plan is a Medicare Advantage plan that’s all about you! Ĺ—ČŹĹžĹšĹšČŹĹœĹœĹ–ČŹĹ˜Ĺ&#x;ĹœĹ—ČąÇť ČąĹ?ŗŗǟȹŞȹŠǯ–ǯȚȎȚŞȹ™ǯ–ǯǰȹĹ?ČąÂ?ÂŠÂ˘ÂœČąÂŠČąÂ ÂŽÂŽÂ”
Vibra Health Plan is a PPO Plan with a Medicare contract. Enrollment in Vibra Health Plan depends on contract renewal. You must continue to pay your Part B premiums. This information is not a complete Â?ŽœŒ›’™Â?Â’Â˜Â—ČąÂ˜Â?ȹ‹Ž—ŽęÂ?ÂœÇŻČą ˜—Â?ŠŒÂ?ČąÂ?‘Žȹ™•Š—ȹÂ?Â˜Â›ČąÂ–Â˜Â›ÂŽČąÂ’Â—Â?˜›–ŠÂ?Â’Â˜Â—ÇŻČą ’–’Â?ŠÂ?Â’Â˜Â—ÂœÇ°ČąÂŒÂ˜Â™ÂŠÂ˘Â–ÂŽÂ—Â?ÂœÇ°ČąÂŠÂ—Â?ČąÂ›ÂŽÂœÂ?›’ŒÂ?Â’Â˜Â—ÂœČąÂ–ÂŠÂ˘ČąÂŠÂ™Â™Â•Â˘ÇŻČą Ž—ŽęÂ?ÂœÇ°Čą premiums, and/or co-payments may change on January 1 of each year. The provider or pharmacy network may change at any time. You will receive notice when necessary. A licensed, authorized representative will be present with information and applications. H9408_MK18_50plusAd Accepted
50plus LIFE •
*Not available on all plans.
October 2018
3
Savvy Senior
Jim Miller
New Shingles Vaccine Provides Better Protection
Dear Savvy Senior, A good friend of mine got a bad case of shingles last year and has been urging me to get vaccinated. Should I? – Suspicious Susan Dear Susan, Yes! If you’re 50 or older, there’s a new shingles vaccine on the market that’s far superior to the older vaccine, so now is a great time to get inoculated. Here’s what you should know. Shingles, also known as herpes zoster, is a burning, blistering, often excruciating skin rash that affects around 1 million Americans each year. The same virus that causes chickenpox causes shingles. The chickenpox virus that most people get as kids never leaves the body. It hides in the nerve cells near the spinal cord and, for some people, emerges later in the form of shingles. In the U.S., almost 1 in 3 people will develop shingles during their lifetime. While anyone who’s had chickenpox can get shingles, it most commonly
occurs in people over age 50, along with people who have weakened immune systems. But you can’t catch shingles from someone else. Early signs of the disease include pain, itching, or tingling before a blistering rash appears several days later. The rash, which can last up to four weeks, typically occurs on one side of the body, often as a band of blisters that extends from the middle of your back around to the breastbone. It can also appear above an eye or on the side of the face or neck. In addition to the rash, about 20-25 percent of those who get shingles go on to develop severe nerve pain (postherpetic neuralgia, or PHN) that can last for months or even years. And in rare cases, shingles can also cause strokes, encephalitis, spinal cord damage, and vision loss. New Shingles Vaccine Late last year, the Food and Drug Administration approved a new vaccine
Be an Advocate in the Life of a Long-Term Care Resident Become a Volunteer Ombudsmen
The Lancaster County Office of Aging trains community members to serve as Volunteer Ombudsmen, advocating for residents of long-term care facilities. Duties include: • Educating residents about their rights
• Encouraging and assisting residents to ask questions and express concerns • Helping them reach solutions, in collaboration with facility staff and family
Background checks and a full-day training by PA Department of Aging are required. Schedule and assignments are flexible, based on volunteer’s availability. Visits can be made days, evenings, and/or weekends. To learn more about this unique volunteer opportunity, contact Sheri Snyder at 717-299-7979 or 1-800-801-3070 or by e-mail at aging@co.lancaster.pa.us.
4
October 2018
50plus LIFE •
www.50plusLifePA.com
for shingles called Shingrix (see www.shingrix.com), which provides much better protection than the older vaccine, Zostavax. Manufactured by GlaxoSmithKline, Shingrix is 97 percent effective in preventing shingles in people 50-69 years old and 91 percent effective in those 70 and older. By comparison, Zostavax is 70 percent effective in your 50s; 64 percent effective in your 60s; 41 percent effective in your 70s; and 18 percent effective in your 80s. Shingrix is also better than Zostavax in preventing nerve pain that continues after a shingles rash has cleared — about 90 percent effective versus 65 percent effective. Because of this enhanced protection, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends that everyone age 50 and older receive the Shingrix vaccine, which is given in two doses, two to six months apart. Even if you’ve already had shingles, you still need these vaccinations because reoccurring cases are possible. The CDC also recommends that anyone previously vaccinated with Zostavax be revaccinated with Shingrix.
You should also know that Shingrix can cause some adverse side effects for some people, including muscle pain, fatigue, headache, fever, and upset stomach. Shingrix — which costs around $280 for both doses — is (or will soon be) covered by private insurance, including Medicare Part D prescription drug plans, but be aware that the shingles vaccines are not always well covered. So before getting vaccinated, call your plan to find out if Shingrix is covered, and if so, which pharmacies and doctors in your area you should use to ensure the best coverage. Or, if you don’t have health insurance or you’re experiencing medical or financial hardship, you might qualify for GlaxoSmithKline’s Patient Assistance Program, which provides free vaccinations to those who are eligible. For details, go to www.gskforyou.com. 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 Passport Information (877) 487-2778
Insurance Medicare (800) 633-4227 Vibra Health Plan (844) 660-2961 (TTY: 711)
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 •
October 2018
5
Cover Story
A Fighting Chance 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
BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT Account Executives Janette McLaurin Angie Willis Account Representatives Joseph Herr 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.
6
October 2018
50plus LIFE •
By Melinda M. Williams/The Williams Group When someone you love is struck with a neurological disease, such as Parkinson’s or Alzheimer’s, life can undoubtedly become a trial for both the caregiver and the patient. Because of the slow but steady progression of these diseases, maintaining morale can also be a challenge. But recently, some new advances with exercise have proven helpful to Parkinson’s patients. Rock Steady Boxing is a new concept in the ongoing fight against a Goliath. Susan “Sue” Ludwig was born to help people. As a fitness coordinator and personal trainer at the Lititz Rec Center, she knew she could make a difference in people’s lives through exercise. Her belief was confirmed when she saw a news outlet run a story on Rock Steady Boxing. “I was working with people with Parkinson’s, and Rock Steady Boxing was all over the news as a great therapy for people with Parkinson’s disease. I wanted to give my fighters the most cutting-edge and effective tools available, so getting certified in Rock Steady Boxing was a nobrainer,” said Ludwig. A native of Leola, who lived briefly in Lititz, Ludwig came back home five months ago. She is now head coach/ owner/founder of NeuroSci Fit, Rock Steady Boxing Lancaster, and Rock Steady Boxing Lancaster at Willow Valley Communities. The Mayo Clinic explains Parkinson’s disease as a nervous system disorder that worsens over time. The initial symptoms, such as tremors, are barely noticeable at the disease’s onset. Although there is no cure, medications do prove helpful, with surgery being an occasional option to regulate regions of the brain. A 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, Rock Steady Boxing “gives people with Parkinson’s disease hope by improving their quality of life through a non-contact, boxing-based fitness curriculum,” according to RSB’s website. The program’s mission “is to empower people with Parkinson’s disease to fight back.” Rock Steady Boxing is member of the Parkinson’s Circle of Care Alliance, which is “a nonprofit created to help provide resources — such as educational materials, lists of neurologists and movement-disorder specialists in our area, information about local support groups, etc. — to people living in central Pennsylvania who have Parkinson’s disease and their caregivers,” Ludwig said. It is through a series of exercises that RSB succeeds, Ludwig explained. “Parkinson’s is a progressive disease that requires constant maintenance through medication and exercise, and just like any exercise program, you need to keep doing it to reap the benefits,” she said. Each RSB class generally starts with a light cardio www.50plusLifePA.com
warm-up and stretching, Ludwig said, followed by a circuit of exercises that includes some combination of Parkinson’s-specific strength training, range-ofmotion work, core strengthening, and boxing, as well as exercises to strengthen cognition and agility. “Each exercise we do is designed to make improvements in areas that we know can become impaired by Parkinson’s,” Ludwig said. Clients receive an initial evaluation to determine at which level of the program he or she can begin. “In Parkinson’s, the part of the brain that is mostly affected is called the substantia nigra,” Ludwig explained. “It is responsible for smooth, coordinated movement. Having Parkinson’s disease is like having bad or broken-down connections or neural pathways in the brain. “Neuroplasticity is why [RSB] works. When we get our heart rate up to around 80-85 percent of max, our brains become able to repair and to create new neural pathways more quickly,” Ludwig continued. “Boxing, along with other therapies we provide, is a really fun way to improve balance, coordination, speed of movement, and flexibility, as well as non-motor symptoms.” Ludwig smiled with pride as she related the story of Bill, one of the program’s many success stories. “He was not able to walk to his mailbox because he was so fatigued and weak; his wife even retired so she could take care of him. After just a few months in class, he was able to go on vacation to the Cayman Islands and even walked 5 miles a day on the beach!” To Ludwig, unlocking the mystery of this debilitative neurological disease was a personal challenge. “My grandmother had Parkinson’s; she was diagnosed in her 40s. She was told to go home and rest, not exert herself, and that exercise would make it worse. Unsightly Although that was the belief at varicose the time, it was the worst possible veins and advice,” Ludwig said. spider veins? “Then, about 10 years after she passed away, I had a client who had A simple office procedure Parkinson’s. His physical therapist will improve the health of encouraged me to get certified in your legs. the Parkinson Wellness Recovery Covered by [exercise] program. I fell in love insurances, with the program because it was so including Medicare effective and quickly knew this was my purpose in life!” The March 2012 newsletter from Harvard Medical School (Harvard Held Monthly—Call to Register! Health Publishing) addressed Lebanon – Saturday, Oct. 6 at 8:30 a.m. exercise as it relates to Parkinson’s. Lancaster – Saturday, Oct. 20 at 8:30 a.m. The newsletter described several studies that followed tens of thousands of Parkinson’s sufferers. of Lancaster Results showed a reduction in the Lancaster’s Most Trusted & risk of developing Parkinson’s if Experienced Vein Center exercise is performed decades before 90 Good Dr., Suite 301, Lancaster the disease’s onset, such as in one’s 918 Russel Dr., Lebanon 30s and 40s. 717-394-5401 The studies also noted that the www.veincenteroflancaster.com
Healthy Legs, Healthy You
FREE SCREENINGS
Vein Center
www.50plusLifePA.com
results could show a possible “reverse causation”: Exercise may not prevent Parkinson’s, but very early, presymptomatic forms of the disease may make people less willing to exercise. Ludwig tries to keep her classes at a manageable level for each student, with each Rock Steady class running 90 minutes. “We offer classes five days a week and encourage our members to participate in as many classes as possible,” she said. Seniors make up the majority of Ludwig’s client base, with most being over age 65. The focus on Parkinson’s patients currently accounts for about 90 percent of her business. “I’m beginning to feel a need to branch out into Alzheimer’s and multiple sclerosis as well,” she said. RSB is currently conducted at two locations in central Pennsylvania: Emerald Foundation, 2120 Oregon Pike, Lancaster, and at Willow Valley Communities in Willow Street. RSB is in the process of adding two more locations, in Hershey and in the Reading area. For more information on Rock Steady Boxing, contact Sue Ludwig at (717) 271-3067 or check out www.rocksteadyboxing.org. A 20-year veteran of The Philadelphia Inquirer, Melinda Williams is the managing partner of The Williams Group, a public relations and photography firm in Sadsburyville, Pa. Along with her photojournalist husband, Robert O. Williams, she wrote the book Wildwood’s Neon Nights & Motel Memories. www.thewilliamsgroup. info, melinda@thewilliamsgroup.info On the cover: Rock Steady Boxing participant Gerry Walters boxes with owner Sue Ludwig.
Tom & Randi LaNasa “MEMORY MUSIC”
Attention: RETIREMENT HOMES, CLUBS AND ORGANIZATIONS. Looking for entertainment?
We are currently booking our 2018 Christmas Show for holiday parties. We are also booking our variety and specialty shows for 2019. We have many variety shows featuring the music from the 1930s to the 60s. Songs by legendary artists like Bing Crosby, Frank Sinatra, Doris Day, Kay Starr, Dean Martin, Patsy Cline, and the Mills Brothers. Specialty shows include …
Songs from the WWII Years • The Post WWII Years: 1945 – 1955 AMERICA: From Sea to Shining Sea Salute to the Rat Pack (or if you prefer, just Sinatra) Elvis & Patsy • Classic Country • Christmas Please contact Memory Music to book your next event!
Phone: (717) 846-6126
E-mail: memrymusic@aol.com
50plus LIFE •
October 2018
7
Booming Voice
100 Years Too Early Bill Levine
My paternal grandparents’ Jan. 18 anniversary was a big deal in our family and elsewhere. My parents gave Grandma and Grandpa 40th and 50th anniversary parties in 1958 and 1968, respectively. For the 50th in 1968, my dad rented out a function room at our country club. A golden anniversary demanded such a posh venue, I guess. Being 16 at the 50th, I was able to appreciate the math that said that my dad was 49 and 4 months old at this 50th anniversary. It made me mostly believe that my grandparents got lucky on their wedding night or shortly thereafter — and also lucky when my dad was born healthy on Sept. 2, 1918, five or six weeks premature. Besides, as a callow 16-year-old, any other explanation besides prematurity quickly evaporated via my image of 1918 as still Victorian, and, after all, it was not in the anniversary spirit to question my dad’s
conception date. On or near Jan. 18, 1978, my grandmother, Minna, and grandfather, Harry, took their 60th anniversary public via a testimonial dinner sponsored by the Jewish War Veterans for my grandparents’ 30 years of dedication — especially my grandmother, who served as past president of the Ladies Auxiliary. I’m sure my grandmother gave a strong speech that night, rising from her guest-of-honor seat. At 81, this speech was probably as robust in lauding her veteran friends as her 97th birthday speech was 16 years later. Recently, while working on a family tree of my paternal grandfather’s (Harry’s) family, I had deduced that I could find my great-grandmother Levine’s missing maiden name on a copy of my paternal grandparents’ marriage certificate. When I perused the copy, I immediately got a bingo. There was my great-grandmother’s maiden name, Bessie Fivoshovitz. But more glaring than
Harry and Minna.
The ultimate resource for boomer and senior living and care options
50plus LIFE just earned 3 awards!
23rd annual edition
Your inclusion in 50plus Living will help professionals, boomers, and seniors as they move through life’s stages.
Online & In Print. onlinepub.com * Must reserve by Aug. 26, 2016
Last chance to Closing to receive early-birddate: savings. be included — 2, 2018. ClosingNov. date: Nov. 4, 2016. call now! Street date: January Street date: Jan. 2017 2019
To be included in the 2019 edition of 50plus LIVING, call your representative or (717) 285-1350 or email info@onlinepub.com 8
October 2018
50plus LIFE •
Silver Award
Bronze Award
Bronze Award
“American Bandstand: Still Hoppin’ after 60 Years” by Eddie Collins
“Get ‘Caught’ by Bluebirds” by Megan Joyce
“Mastering the Arts — Martial Arts, That Is” by Megan Joyce
www.50plusLIFEPA.com www.50plusLifePA.com
the “Fivoshovitz” discovery was the date of her son’s marriage to Minna — July 1, 1918! What about Jan. 18? What I took away most from this marriage certificate was not a blight on the family tree for my dad’s not-quite-kosher conception. No, I saw the certificate as evidence of my of grandmother’s independent spirit. First evidence of her independence was her gig as a teenage piano accompanist in a silent movie theater, when the vast majority of girls and women worked as clerks or in factories. Then, at 20, she had disregarded society’s behavioral expectations by marrying while visibly pregnant. Yet she was no true rebel. She forever made an effort not to observe her anniversary on the more compromising July 1 date. Family lore has it that my grandparents eloped on Jan. 18, 1918, and went to Rhode Island to get married once my grandmother did not get the family blessing. The blessing was denied because my grandmother would be leapfrogging into marriage over her older sister. The elopement, of course, would have been a characteristically feisty move by my grandmother. But I found no marriage of my grandparents recorded in Rhode Island, so maybe they claimed they eloped or just drove to Rhode Island to keep up the pretense. Grandma Minna, in her late 40s, expanded her life from preparing gefilte fish to cooking up a volunteer career with veterans associations. Her innate leadership and intelligence propelled her to become national president of the Ladies Auxiliary of JVW in 1951 and then to start up an Amputee Veterans of America group. With these voluntary leadership positions, she clearly expanded the ingrained roles of mother and housewife that were her generation’s expectation. Yet again, she didn’t transcend this role, although she had the capability and financial need to go after a decent-paying job. But she never saw herself as more than a housewife — where she was supposed to bake bread instead of earn it — until she was in her 70s. Perhaps 1823 WILLIAM PENN WAY LANCASTER, PA 17601 IN THE GREENFIELD CORPORATE CENTER (717) 945-6938 WWW.HERSHEYREHAB.COM
PAUL ERWIN, DPT, CO-OWNER
SCOTT RAMSEY, DPT, CO-OWNER
GEORGE ADKINS, PTA
Trinity Therapy TM The latest, most cutting-edge treatments in clinical practice helping many regain their function and relieve their pain without medication or surgery. Our therapists have successfully treated thousands of your local neighbors and friends, including nurses, doctors, and other health-care professionals. They pride themselves in being leading experts in relieving spine and joint pain without drugs or surgery, and most importantly — getting you back to doing what you love.
Have You Been Diagnosed With? • Degenerative Disc Disease • Herniated or Bulging Discs • Pinched Nerves • Sciatica or Stenosis
• Arthritis, Tendonitis, or Bursitis • Rotator Cuff Injury • Ligament or Cartilage Injury • Difficult Walking or Imbalance
Call Us Today At Our Lancaster Clinic:
(717) 945-6938 www.50plusLifePA.com
www.hersheyrehab.com
influenced by feminism, she became a real estate agent, but she wasn’t very successful because, as with many women of her generation, she didn’t drive. Sadly, I think Minna, my grandmother, got married 100 years too early. If she were 21 and pregnant now, and planning a July 1, 2018, wedding, I know she would be the kind of 21st-century woman who would post online an ultrasound photo of her in-utero boy together with details of her upcoming wedding. At any rate, I was happy to commemorate the real 100th wedding anniversary of my grandparents on July 1, 2018. With 15 hours of sunlight, it is more enlightening than Jan. 18. Bill Levine is a retired IT professional and active freelance writer. Bill aspires to be a humorist because it is easier to be pithy than funny.
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!
What Our Patients Say “With a history of degenerative disc disease, and arthritic changes in the lumbar spine and knees, I have undergone physical therapy multiple times in the last 9-10 years. My goals were to improve my mobility, flexibility, increase my walking distance, and reduce my pain. The therapy programs, under direction of therapists, were short-term, consisting primarily of the application of heat and exercise. While my mobility did improve somewhat, I experienced minimal or no gains in my other goals. Over time, the discomfort began to spread to other area, and I sought alternative methods to address the problems. At the time of my initial consult at Hershey Orthopedic & Spine Rehab, I had been experiencing significant back, hip, and leg pain for several months. The range of motion in my left leg and my overall strength had declined significantly. Following examination, Dr. Erwin outlined the issues that were present and causing my problems, and prescribed a program of manual therapy and focused exercise. Working with him and his team over several weeks, I have gained significant mobility, strength, and the pain in my back, hip and leg, is gone. I must say my goals have not only been achieved, but exceeded! I cannot applaud you enough for your dedicated approach to rehab treatment. Your caring attitude is apparent from the initial phone call, extends to the warm greeting each person receives at reception, to the knowledgeable, experienced, and friendly treatment I saw given to each patient. Congratulations on building a team that excels, and “Thank You” for allowing me to be on the receiving end of your excellent care.” * Local Former Physician
Medicare/major insurances accepted No referral needed Self-pay options available Safe, effective, long-term results
Take control of your pain and get your life back 50plus LIFE •
October 2018
9
Free Health and Wellness Workshops Begin This Month The Lancaster County Office of Aging is offering the following free health and wellness workshops this fall. These programs are free for Lancaster County residents 60 and older. For more information or to enroll, call Lancaster County Office of Aging (717) 299-7979.
The central activity of the program is walking, but each session includes stretching and strengthening, health education, and motivational strategies. Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays Oct. 8 – Nov. 16 1:30-2:30 p.m. Grace Fellowship Church of Ephrata 822 Pointview Ave., Ephrata
Walk with Ease A six-week workshop developed for people with arthritis who want to be more physically active, Walk with Ease is also appropriate for those living with diabetes, heart disease, and other chronic conditions.
Wellness Initiative for Senior Education This six-week program is designed to help adults celebrate
healthy aging, make healthy lifestyle choices, and avoid substance abuse. Classes are presented with a mix of lecture, discussion, smallgroup activities, and individual exercises. Wednesdays, Oct. 3 – Nov. 7 9-11 a.m. Wisdom Table at St. Peter’s United Church of Christ 816 Buchanan Ave., Lancaster Diabetes Self-Management Program This six-week program is for individuals living with diabetes,
those who are at risk of developing diabetes, and their families. Developed at Stanford University, the interactive workshop covers topics including: techniques to deal with symptoms, exercises for strength, healthy eating, use of medication, and working more effectively with healthcare providers. Tuesdays, Oct. 9 – Nov. 13 1-3:30 p.m. Ephrata Public Library – Exploratorium 560 S. Reading Road, Ephrata
Medicare Enrollment Counseling Available Medicare beneficiaries will have the chance to get personalized help from APPRISE Medicare counselors at numerous locations during the 2018 Open Enrollment Period, Oct. 15–Dec. 7. Because Medicare Advantage Plans and Part D prescription drug plans are allowed to change the amounts of their plan deductibles, co-pays, and total out-of-pocket expenses, as well as drug formularies, each year, Medicare strongly recommends that beneficiaries compare their current plan against other plans available for 2019. Changes made during the Annual Enrollment Period will go into effect on Jan. 1, 2019. APPRISE counselors offer impartial assistance to Medicare
beneficiaries so they can receive the most comprehensive healthcare and prescription coverage possible at the best price possible. They also screen beneficiaries to determine eligibility for several benefit programs that can help with the costs of Medicare and prescription coverage. If you are already in a Medicare Advantage plan or a Part D prescription drug plan, you can make an appointment to meet with an APPRISE counselor during the Open Enrollment Period by contacting Lancaster County Office of Aging at (717) 299-7979, (800) 801-3070, or aging@co.lancaster.pa.us. If you are a new Medicare beneficiary and would like to meet with a counselor for an
Colonial Lodge is a warm, caring,
homelike community. see what Home is where theToheart is. we have to offer firsthand, please call to schedule a tour today!
• Beauty Shop Onsite • Private Baths in Rooms • Social & Recreational Activities
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 10
October 2018
Adamstown Public Library Nov. 5, 10:30 a.m.–5:30 p.m. Denver Borough Hall Oct. 19, 9 a.m.–4 p.m. Elizabethtown Area Senior Center Nov. 1, 9 a.m.–1 p.m.
Ephrata Public Library Nov. 27, 10:30 a.m.–6:30 p.m. Lancaster County Office of Aging Oct. 15, 18, 22, 25, and 29, 9:30 a.m.–3:30 p.m. Nov. 1, 5, 8, 15, 19, 26, and 29, 9:30 a.m.–3:30 p.m. Dec. 3 and 6, 9:30 a.m.–3:30 p.m. Lancaster Neighborhood Senior Center Nov. 15, 9 a.m.–1 p.m. Lancaster Recreation Center (LRC) Senior Center Oct. 22, 9 a.m.–12:30 p.m. and 1–3:30 p.m. Lititz Public Library Oct. 29, 10 a.m.–6 p.m. Nov. 9, 10 a.m.–5 p.m.
Welcome Sylvia says: Home!
• Independent Living • Personal Care • Medication Monitoring • Assistance with ADLs
introduction to Medicare and to enroll in secondary coverage or a prescription drug plan, you will be scheduled during a time other than one of the Open Enrollment Period appointments. If you are unable to come to one of the following locations to have a plan comparison done, call APPRISE to have a comparison completed by an alternative method.
50plus LIFE •
Steinmetz is Buying & Selling All Gold & Silver — Call for Quotes! • U.S. COLLECTIONS • 1/2 Cents through U.S. Gold • All Silver Dollars • Jewelry • All U.S. Coins and Currency • Foreign Coins and Currency WE WILL TRAVEL FREE LS ISA Dennis E. Steinmetz A R P P A dsteinco@aol.com LANCASTER 350 Centerville Rd. 299-1211 or 800-334-3903 www.steinmetzcoins.com
Nov. 28, 10 a.m.–6 p.m. Manheim Township Library Oct. 24, 10:30 a.m.–6:30 p.m. Nov. 7 and 20, 10:30 a.m.–6:30 p.m. Milanof-Schock Library Oct. 23, 10:30 a.m.–4:30 p.m. Quarryville Public Library Nov. 14, noon–7 p.m. www.50plusLifePA.com
It Was 50 Years Ago Today
‘People Got to Be Free’ Randal Hill
All the world over, so easy to see People everywhere just want to be free •••
When the Rascals’ “People Got to Be Free” held down the top Billboard spot for five weeks in the fall of 1968, it gained fame as a tribute to both Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Bobby Kennedy. King had been murdered that April, and the future classic was recorded afterward but before Kennedy’s assassination that June. “People Got to Be Free” wasn’t released until after RFK’s death, but the timing of the song — with the twin tragedies still fresh in the public’s mind — allowed the rousing anthem to become a widely embraced plea for humanitarianism. The original genesis of “People Got to Be Free,” however, was something entirely unrelated. •••
“People Got to Be Free” The Rascals October 1968
Formed in 1965 as a white rock quartet in Garfield, New Jersey, the Young Rascals began as a “blue-eyed” soul outfit. Dressed like a group of English schoolboys to appropriate the then-trendy “British Invasion” look, they spent weekends playing at Garfield’s Choo Choo Club. The Young Rascals signed with Atlantic Records. The band’s debut 45, the oddly titled “I Ain’t Gonna Eat Out My Heart Anymore,” came and went quickly, but their second effort of “Good Lovin’” (a hard-driving cover of a minor hit nearly a year earlier by L.A. soul folks the Olympics) reached No. 1 on the Hot 100 chart, as did “Groovin’” a year later. After the release of “It’s Wonderful” at the end of 1967, the quartet became simply the Rascals. Group members Felix Cavaliere (vocals, keyboards) and Eddie Brigati (vocals, bass) co-wrote most of the songs and switched off lead vocals on the band’s 13 Top 40 winners. “People Got to Be Free” became the band’s third chart-topping 45, and their biggest hit ever, on its way to becoming an iconic civil rights tune. Cavaliere once said of the aggressive, horn-punctuated entreaty for altruism, “That [song] was a conscious effort to get a point across that was burning inside of me. I collaborated with Eddie on that, but on that one the majority of the
lyric is mine.” Cavaliere fittingly ends the song by half-singing, halfproclaiming that “The train of freedom is about to arrive any minute now,” and that “It’s been long, long overdue.” Before “People Got to Be Free” was issued, Atlantic balked at the idea of the Rascals releasing such an overtly political work. The musicians persevered, though, and in the end they enjoyed a hit that sold more than 4 million copies. The Rascals then adopted two policies unique in the world of rock music: They refused to tour on segregated bills, and they insisted that at least one of their supporting acts be black. An odd situation had inspired “People Got to Be Free” a while earlier. The song was conceived — but not developed at the time — after an ugly encounter when the Rascals’ tour bus broke down in Fort Pierce, Florida, and rowdy locals hassled the musicians over their long hair!
Randal C. Hill is a rock ’n’ roll historian who lives at the Oregon coast. He may be reached at wryterhill@msn.com.
ADVANCED HEARING AID TECHNOLOGY
“I was amazed! Sounds I hadn’t heard in years came back to me!” — Don W., Sherman, TX
For Less Than $200
How can a hearing aid that costs less than $200 be every bit as good as one that sells for $2,250 or more?
The answer: Although tremendous strides have been made in Advanced Hearing Aid Technology, those cost reductions have not been passed on to you. Until now... MDHearingAid® uses the same kind of Advanced Hearing Aid Technology incorporated into hearing aids that cost thousands more at a small fraction of the price. Over 300,000 satisfied MDHearingAid customers agree: High-quality, FDA-registered hearing aids don’t have to cost a fortune. The fact is, you don’t need to spend thousands for a hearing aid. MDHearingAid is a medical-grade hearing aid offering sophistication and high performance, and works right out of the box with no time-consuming “adjustment” appointments. You can contact a licensed hearing specialist conveniently online or by phone — even after your purchase at no cost. No other company provides such extensive support. Now that you know...why pay more?
Can a Hearing Aid Delay or Prevent Alzheimer’s and Dementia? A study by the National Institute on Aging suggests older individuals with hearing loss are significantly more likely to develop Alzheimer’s and dementia over time than those who retain their hearing. They suggest that an intervention — such as a hearing aid — could delay or prevent this by improving hearing!
TAKE ADVANTAGE OF OUR 45-DAY RISK-FREE TRIAL!
Hearing is believing and we invite you to try this nearly invisible hearing aid with no annoying whistling or background noise for yourself. If you are not completely satisfied with your MDHearingAid, return it within 45 days for a FULL REFUND. Use Code HQ99 and get
For the Lowest Price Call www.50plusLifePA.com
1-888-508-4879
50plus LIFE •
FREE Batteries for 1 Year Plus FREE Shipping
October 2018
11
The Beauty in Nature
Chestnut Oaks and Black Birches Clyde McMillan-Gamber
Chestnut oak and black birch on rugged ridges. Those trees together dominate dry, squirrel homes block wind rocky slopes and ridge tops in and rain and hide the furry southeastern Pennsylvania, as occupants from hawks and well as from southern Maine and owls. Ontario to Ohio and Delaware, Black birches are known and along the Appalachian for the pleasant, wintergreen Mountains to northern Georgia smell and taste of their twigs and Alabama. when crushed or chewed. These two species help hold Their simple, finely toothed down the soil against erosion leaves are about 3 inches and provide food and shelter for long and turn yellow during a variety of woodland wildlife. October. Their bark is dark, And each kind has beauties and shiny, and relatively thin intrigues unique to itself. and has that wintergreen Chestnut oaks have dark, fragrance. vertical ridges of rough bark Male catkins on black divided by deep furrows. Most birches, and other birches, oaks of this type have two to four droop decoratively from the main trunks that fork close to ends of twigs and sway in the ground. Their broad, simple breezes in early spring. Those leaves are about 7 inches long, catkins dispense pollen on the each one with rounded “teeth” on wind to female flowers along Photo by Jakec Photo by John Phelan its edges. the twigs. Female blossoms Chestnuk oak Black birch Chestnut oaks’ pretty, oblong develop upright cones that acorns are an inch long and house the maturing seeds. chestnut-brown. And their leaves turn red, yellow, and/or brown in October. When the tiny seeds are ready, the cones disintegrate, releasing those winged The acorns of chestnut oaks, and other kinds of oaks, feed a host of seeds into the wind to be scattered about. woodland creatures, including rodents such as deer mice; gray, red, and flying Several kinds of woodland critters feed on parts of black birches. Mice and squirrels; and eastern chipmunks. Squirrels and chipmunks are well known small, seed-eating birds ingest many winged seeds. White-tailed deer and for stashing nuts in tree cavities or burying them in the ground, where some cottontail rabbits consume the young, tender bark of twigs and trunks. And forgotten ones sprout into seedlings. ruffed grouse eat the buds of birch twigs. White-tailed deer, wild turkeys, and ruffed grouse feed heavily on acorns in Chestnut oaks and black birches are striking trees that feed a variety of autumn in preparation of the coming lean times in winter. Black bears gorge wildlife. And they have intrigues that we enjoy, including colored leaves and on acorns to put on enough fat to see them through their secluded winter’s rest. the smell and taste of wintergreen twigs. Some individuals of the three local squirrel species build nests of broken Clyde McMillan-Gamber is a retired Lancaster County Parks naturalist. twigs and dead leaves high in the twigs of forest trees, including chestnut oaks
12
October 2018
50plus LIFE •
Love.
When you truly love working with seniors, you make a diff erence in many lives, including your own. At Landis Communities, we take great pleasure in caring for all of those who rely on us. We strive to enrich each and every life we touch. To learn more about us and the broad spectrum of opportunities we provide for all of those whom we serve, contact us today. 1001 East Oregon Rd., Lititz, PA 17543 | (717) 381-3500 | landiscommunities.org
www.50plusLifePA.com
www.50plusLifePA.com
50plus LIFE •
October 2018
13
Top ‘Second Act’ Jobs that Interest Older Workers As more baby boomers approach retirement, growing numbers are passing it up in favor of “second act” jobs: work during their retirementage years, whether full or part time. As this avalanche of Americans approaches retirement age, “second act” jobseekers will also reshape the labor market. Nearly 1 in 4 Americans over the age of 65 without a disability is participating in the labor force, a rate that has been rising steadily for the past decade, although it has been relatively flat since 2015. New Indeed research pinpoints the top “second act” jobs clicked on disproportionately by Americans nearing retirement — those 62 years or older, the earliest age to qualify for Social Security. These jobs include a number of construction and transportation positions, as well as assorted superintendent roles and a few less common jobs, such as pastor and boat captain. The top “second act” job is piping designer. This occupation often uses computer-aided design (CAD) to assist oil and gas companies. Similar job titles, such as senior lead designer and electrical designer, are in the top 20. Other common “second act” jobs are construction positions, such as construction superintendent and senior construction superintendent, and transportation jobs, including courier driver, shuttle driver, and parts driver. Some variation of the “superintendent” role was found six times in the top 20 second-act jobs. However, this focus on overall clicks misses a crucial distinction older jobseekers make: full time versus part time. The part-time jobs that older Americans click on disproportionately include a number of driving roles, such as parts driver, shuttle driver, professional driver, van driver, and similar positions. Older workers flock to driving jobs for good reasons: It’s easily part time, not physically demanding, and, other than driving know-how itself, has few skill requirements. The list also has several part-time medical positions — telemedicine physician being No. 1. In addition, medical director, physician, and dentist are in the top 20. Perhaps many medical professionals nearing retirement want to continue working, but only part time. A multitude of factors is driving baby boomers toward longer careers, notably rising life expectancy and the need for greater retirement savings, especially in the wake of the Great Recession. As these boomers work later into life, they search for jobs compatible with their skills and lifestyle. Reprinted with permission from SeniorLiving.org.
Physical Therapy Can Prevent a Fall! If you have weakness in your legs or feel unstable when walking, you are at risk for a fall. Physical therapy can reduce your risk, so that you can continue those beach walks for years to come!
Health Partners Plans is enriching the lives of seniors and their families as a proud sponsor of the Lancaster Countyƫ Fall 50plus Expo.
It is ALWAYS the patient’s choice where to go to PT
HARTZ Physical Therapy Lititz 625.2228 Lancaster-East 396.7766 Lancaster-West 735.8880 Ephrata 738.0004 www.hartzpt.com Experience the Difference!
14
October 2018
50plus LIFE •
hpplans.com
www.50plusLifePA.com
Car Cruise Draws Antique Vehicles to Lititz
CALL FOR SPECIAL FALL SAVINGS!
United Zion’s 11th Annual Car and Motorcycle Cruise comprised 125 vehicles.
Best in Show went to Peter Poneros for his 1959 Cadillac Convertible.
HALDEMAN MECHANICAL INC.
PA7777
The 11 annual United Zion Retirement Community Car Cruise recently brought 125 cars, trucks, and motorcycles to the parking lot of Rock Lititz’s Pod 2 for the exhibition and competition. Local celebrity judges included Lancaster County Commissioner Dennis Stuckey, Lititz Mayor Tim Snyder, Rohrer’s Service Center representative Matt McGarvey, United Zion Retirement Community board chair Jess Musser, UZRC CEO Sue Verdegem, and Lititz Historical Society member Cory Van Brookhoven. Awards presented were as follows: th
• Oldest Vehicle: Doug and Sharon Rambler, 1923 Ford T-bucket • Family Heirloom: James Davidson, 1957 Pontiac • Best Use of a Flame: Herman Migdon, 1954 Ford Ranch Wagon • Best Use of a Stripe: Frank Kowlaski, 1940 Chevrolet • Best Use of a Fin: Peter Poneros, 1959 Cadillac Convertible • Best Accessory: Doug and Sharon Rambler, 1923 Ford T-bucket • People’s Choice (VIPs only): Keith Lehman, 1959 Ford Galaxie 500 Convertible • Best Interior: Tony Wood, 1957 Chevrolet Bel Air • Best Theme/Paint: Doug and Sharon Rambler, 1923 Ford T-bucket, and Herman Migdon, 1954 Ford Ranch Wagon • Best Motorcycle: Bruce Andrews, 1977 Harley Sportster • Best Convertible: Keith Lehman, 1959 Ford Galaxie 500 Convertible • Best Car: John Caterbone, Pontiac GTO • Best Truck: Rohrer’s International Cement Truck • CEO’s Choice: James Struck, 1958 Chevrolet Corvette • Mayor’s Choice: James Struck, 1958 Chevrolet Corvette • Best in Show: Peter Poneros, 1959 Cadillac Convertible www.50plusLifePA.com
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 •
October 2018
15
Traveltizers
Savannah: Stately Old and Proudly New By Andrea Gross
Historic buildings are a given in Savannah. After all, it’s the oldest city in Georgia. It was the Colonial capital when the area was ruled by Britain, and it was the first capital when the colony became a state. Therefore, when we visit Savannah, we fully expect to see a lot of stately, shuttered homes. We are not disappointed. But we’re also interested in
learning what the city is like today, 285 years after its founding. It doesn’t take us long to realize that throughout the famed historic district, this town of 150,000 people is filled with classy galleries, good music, and eclectic restaurants.
Aspiring as well as established artists participate in Savannah’s frequent art fairs.
RAISE YOUR VOICE!
NOW - NOVEMBER 10
Culinary Identity In order to bridge the centuries, we begin City Market is home to many of Savannah’s by looking at the top galleries. city’s cuisine. In Savannah, as in most places, favored foods reflect the traditions of the people who settled the area, but unlike parts of the United States that were primarily colonized by people from one area (think New England, which was mostly established by Europeans), Savannah’s early residents came from many parts of the world. The first group of Colonists arrived from England in the early 1700s. They brought indentured servants from Ireland and Scotland as well as slaves from the Caribbean and West Africa. Native Americans introduced the European setters to corn, and other Northeasterners decided that rather than eating their tomatoes green, they’d bring them south so they could ripen during the longer growing season. But the Southerners didn’t care about letting the tomatoes ripen in the field; they preferred to fry them and eat them green. Thus, a Northern problem became a Southern staple. During the next several days my husband and I munch our way though please see SAVANNAH page 19
opportunities Make a Volunteer for Seniors 55+ throughout Difference Lancaster County, with non-profits, agencies Volunteer schools, and community Today service organizations. BOOK YOUR SEATS NOW! Lancaster, PA
16
October 2018
Call 717-898-1900 or order online at DutchApple.com
50plus LIFE •
Contact for further information:
Margie Groy 717.454.8647
LancLeb@rsvpCapReg.org www.50plusLifePA.com
Reverse Mortgages — Gaining Recognition With guidelines in place, reverse mortgages are gaining recognition among those of us who have worked over the years to have a place to live without monthly payments. A paid-off mortgage is a “sigh of relief” for seniors who remember when a 30-year mortgage seemed like it would last forever. Thirty years plus have flown past. A reverse mortgage is a loan against the equity in the home that allows for tax-free cash advances but requires no payments during the lifetime of the loan. The loan is not due or payable until the borrower(s) no longer occupy the home as a principal residence (e.g., the last surviving borrower sells, moves out permanently, or passes away). Should there be an unexpected windfall of cash, payments can be made on the loan. Only one borrower must be at least 62 years of age and own the property as a principal residence in order to qualify for a reverse mortgage. The spouse can never be forced to leave his/her home as long as the property taxes and homeowner’s insurance are paid and the home is maintained. While income and credit references are assessed, they are not a determining factor. One is able to use the borrowed funds in any way they wish. Funds can
be withdrawn as a single lump sum, a monthly payment, or a combination of both. Loan amounts are dependent on age, the value of property, current interest rates, and, for some products, Rob Miller, President location of property. In general, the older the borrower(s) and the greater the equity, the larger the amount of the reverse mortgage. Costs of the loan are included within the amount of the applied loan, as is the case with most conventional loans. Before an application is accepted, borrowers must meet with an independent reverse mortgage counselor, who will then educate the borrowers on the pros and cons of the loan. If you are thinking about a cash shortfall and need some assistance, a reverse mortgage may be “the alternative.” Call Rob Miller, NMLS No. 142151, president of Glendale Mortgage, NMLS No. 127720, and Reverse Mortgage Specialist, to learn more. (610) 853-6500, (888) 4560988, 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
The December issue of 50plus LIFE will include a special focus —
Orthopedics & Pain 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
Whether you provide relief through standard care, complementary and alternative medicine, therapies, fitness options, or specialty products ...
50plus LIFE is the perfect venue to reach an ideal demographic who can benefit from your information.
Closing date for advertorial: Oct. 26, 2018 Closing date for ad copy: Nov. 2, 2018
Let our readers know what their options are and to whom they can turn when they hurt. Please contact your sales representative at 717.285.1350 or info@onlinepub.com today to reserve your space!
Online & In Print. onlinepub.com 50plus LIFE •
October 2018
17
Community Connects with Resources, Local Wildlife at 50plus EXPO By Megan Joyce While much of the morning world was still sipping coffee and coaxing groggy mental gears into full functionality, the waiting crowd of boomers and seniors inside Spooky Nook Sports was ready and raring to go by 9 a.m. Hundreds of attendees had lined up for the start of the 22nd annual Lancaster County 50plus EXPO, held at the Manheim sports complex in late September. The free, one-day event, which provided information and resources for the area’s 50+ community, was co-hosted by OLP Events and the Lancaster County Office of Aging. More than 100 exhibitors displayed products and services in travel, housing, medical services, nutrition, home improvements, finances, and healthcare. Sylvia Breneman, provider relations liaison with Regional GI, a supporting sponsor of the event, said the company exhibits at the 50plus EXPO to spread the word about the importance of gastrointestinal screenings and care. “We need to get out into the community and let the people know that they need screening colonoscopy, and they need to follow up on the colonoscopies that they have had before,” Breneman said. “Lancaster County’s percentage of people who should be getting colonoscopy and don’t is much higher than the standard should be for our area ... People tend to not talk about it.” Visitors were eligible for door prizes and took advantage of additional free health screenings for blood pressure, glucose, varicose veins, balance, spinal health, hearing, and others. Pharmacists from Kmart administered flu shots. For Randy Garrett, of Elizabethtown, the 50plus EXPO served as a reason to get out and about with some friends, but obtaining his annual flu shot was also part of his plan for the morning. “I’ve gotten it here the last couple years,” Garrett, of Elizabethtown, said. “It’s just a guy’s morning out. We go for breakfast — just to get together.” Waiting lists became necessary as guests signed up for free mini manicures from students of Lancaster School of Cosmetology & Therapeutic Bodywork and free Acu-Lift massages from Beauty Beyond Fifty. The EXPO’s main-stage entertainment offerings began with Jodie Morris, garden center general manager with Stauffers of Kissel Hill. Morris discussed proper care of succulents — ideally housed in an easternfacing, bright room — as well as houseplants that detoxify the air in our homes, such as the peace lily. Drew Nesbitt, DPT, and Hayden McDevitt, DPT, with HARTZ Physical Therapy addressed the body’s balance system (which includes the senses, central processing, and motor control) and its role in the likelihood of suffering a fall. One-third of adults over age 65 experience a fall each year, but Nesbitt said age on its own is not the biggest factor in assessing someone’s fall risk. “The biggest risk for causing falls is muscle weakness,” Nesbitt said. “So if you’re doing your job, staying strong, age really does not play as significant a role as [does] overall weakness in falls.” An explanation of Medicare Advantage plans was up next with Lanre Adebonojo from Health Partners Plans. Adebonojo explained the various components of Medicare and the ways an Advantage plan fits into a person’s overall coverage. Naturalist, falconer, and TV personality Jack Hubley entertained the EXPO crowd presenting several animals native to the area, including a skunk, rat and garter snakes, and a red-tailed hawk. “When a wild animal isn’t convenient, then we label it bad,” Hubley said.
18
October 2018
50plus LIFE •
“Just because we don’t like it doesn’t mean nature doesn’t like it. “If it’s out there, if it’s managed to occupy a niche in the ecosystem, well then, probably nature does like it and it does play a role, even if it doesn’t really seem to be apparent to us.” A SilverSneakers class, led by Rose Rickey, of Figure Firm Total Fitness in Lancaster, finished up the day’s presentations. Rickey encouraged audience members to join in on simple exercises that increase muscle strength and range of motion using light weights and a chair for support, if needed. “It’s been great,” Regina Olewiler, of West Hempfield Township, said of her time at the EXPO. Olewiler, who is hard-of-hearing, had connected with a representative from ClearCaptions, who will be setting up Olewiler with a free phone for the hearing impaired. “Plus, my husband’s handicapped, and I got some information for possibly getting some help [for him],” Olewiler said. “So it’s been helpful.” OLP Events’ next 50plus EXPO will be Wednesday, Oct. 17, at the Carlisle Expo Center, 100 K St., Carlisle. For more information, call (717) 285-1350 or visit www.50plusExpoPA. com. &
LANCASTER COUNTY
Principal Sponsor: Visitor Bag Sponsor: UPMC Pinnacle
Supporting Sponsors: ClearCaptions • Lancashire Terrace Landis Communities • MediPlan Connect Regional GI
Seminar Sponsors: HARTZ Physical Therapy Health Partners Plans Media Sponsors:
www.50plusLifePA.com
SAVANNAH from page 16 Savannah’s past. We feast on shrimp, grits, and fried green tomatoes; snack on British pies; and drink Scottish ale. And, for good measure, we have a pork-belly slider on a glazed doughnut with onionbacon jam because the chef tells us that pork, especially bacon, is used extensively in the South. It seems that pigs, which often ran wild in northern climes, Galleries and shops along River Street feature goods from many countries. came south on their own to find warm weather and watery environs. Unfortunately for the porkers, Southerners turned them into barbeque and bacon. We decide that Savannah’s culinary, and therefore cultural, identity can best be summed up in two words: “Savannah Fusion.”
Visitors who want a glimpse of Savannah’s past can visit the OwenThomas House and Slave Quarters.
Art Smart Endeavors Meanwhile, we visit galleries, lots of galleries. Some belong to people who A Savannah Riverboat Cruise gives Savannah’s historic district is have made Savannah their home visitors a good look at the city’s dotted with 22 squares that serve waterfront. as pocket parks for the surrounding for years; others showcase the neighborhoods. work of folks who came to the city to attend the Savannah School of Art and Design collections of African-American art. container laws. But during the 29(SCAD), one of the top design The Jepson Museum showcases year-old Savannah Music Festival, schools in the Southeast. Many of work by equally well-known artists, which is Georgia’s largest musical arts these people fell in love with the including abstract expressionist Jasper event, music is everywhere. city’s mix of Southern charm and Johns, pop artist Roy Lichtenstein, The 17-day extravaganza celebrates creative opportunity and stayed on and portrait photographer Richard a multitude of cultures, represents a post-graduation, thus bringing new Avedon. variety of musical styles, and features energy to a city that was in danger of performances by established artists as becoming stodgy. Musical Rhythms well as by talented beginners. We walk to City Market, where Even on a regular night, Savannah We don’t have time to attend warehouses that once were filled is alive with bars and night clubs, a well-reviewed presentation by a with fish and produce have been helped no doubt by the city’s openchamber orchestra, but that evening repurposed into studios and galleries. We see brightly colored canvases that portray the Gullah people, who live in the nearby coastal areas; paintings that celebrate the artist’s Caribbean homeland; baskets crafted by a woman whose work has been displayed at the Smithsonian … The AM 720 list goes on. Savannah also has two top-tier museums dedicated to contemporary art. The SCAD Museum features works by international stars such as Salvador Dali, Robert Mapplethorpe, Listen on air, online, or on the app! and Andy Warhol, as well as one of the United States’ most significant www.720WHYF.com
Catholic Radio Holy Family Radio
we go to a bluegrass concert, and the following day we catch a show by two wonderful guitarists. Then, alas, we have to go home. But first, we stop at Leopold’s, Savannah’s legendary ice cream shop. My husband opts for Tutti Frutti (rum ice cream with fruit and nuts) because it’s been a bestseller since the store opened nearly a century ago. I, on the other hand, chose the Savannah Socialite (a blend of vanilla and chocolate ice cream laden with Georgia pecans, swirled with bourbon, and infused with caramel). The ice cream server tells me that “it’s like today’s Savannah — rich, boozy, nutty, and the life of the party.” How perfect is that? For more on Georgia, go to www. traveltizers.com and see the Featured Special titled “Georgia’s Civil Rights Trail.” Photos © Irv Green unless otherwise noted; story by Andrea Gross (www. andreagross.com).
Locally RN Owned & Nationally Known Bathing and Dressing Assistance Medication Reminders Errands • Shopping • Light Housekeeping Meal Preparation • Friendly Companionship Flexible Hourly Care • Respite Care for Families
Specializing in dementia care for adults and their families
Serving South Central Pennsylvania
www.50plusLifePA.com
50plus LIFE •
VisitingAngels.com York
717-751-2488 Hanover
717-630-0067 Lancaster
717-393-3450 Each Visiting Angels agency is independently owned and operated.
October 2018
19
Fragments of History
Sticky Business: A History of Gum Victor Parachin
In the 1860s, Gen. Antonio López de Santa Anna, villain of the Alamo and exiled president of Mexico, was living on Staten Island, New York. There he met Thomas Adams, an inventor, and introduced Adams to a gummy tree sap called chicle, which Santa Anna brought with him from Mexico. Much like ancient Mayans and Aztecs, Santa Anna enjoyed chewing chicle for pleasure. Adams also enjoyed chewing the sap but saw a different opportunity in it. He imported a ton of chicle, experimenting with it and hoping to turn it into a synthetic rubber for toys, rubber balls, and tires. When he failed to convert it chemically into a rubber substitute, Adams, needing desperately to recoup his investment, decided to market chicle as an alternative to the then-popular wads of paraffin wax sold as chew. By 1871, Adams had a chewing gum factory operating. Today, gum is the most popular candy sold in the United States. Most gum is sold between Halloween and Christmas; more children receive gum in their trick-or-treat bags than any other item. Gum sales average $2.5 billion per year, with the average American chewing 310 sticks yearly. Here is a brief history and some fascinating facts about this chewy substance. Ancient treat. There are records of Greeks chewing some type of gum as early as 50 CE.
YOU Can Learn How to Help Others Navigate Their Medicare Options!
Probably long before that, indigenous peoples of Latin and South America were familiar with the dried, milky latex sap of the jungle tree, the sapodilla. It was the Aztecs who first called it chicli. Their version, while working the jaw muscles, was a tasteless resin. In North America, Native Americans also chewed gum made from the sap of spruce trees. In fact, gum was enjoyed by native peoples all over the world. Australian aborigines were fond of chewing hardened sap from various trees. Archaeologists found nine lumps of well-chewed birch-bark tar at a Neolithic site in southern Germany. After examining it, they concluded the sticky substance was used as a mild anesthetic or disinfectant. First U.S. sales. Once Thomas Adams figured out how to turn chicle into a chewable product, his tasteless chicle balls went on sale in a Hoboken, New Jersey, drugstore in February 1871 for a penny each. The unwrapped balls were labeled “Adams New York Gum – Snapping and Stretching.” Chicle proved to be a superior chew to wax and soon was marketed in long, thin, notched strips, permitting a druggist to break off a penny’s worth in length. The soap salesman who made gum a staple of American life. William Wrigley Jr. moved from Philadelphia to Chicago in 1891. With $32 and great sales talent, Wrigley began a business selling soap
You are invited to join the Lancaster County Office of Aging team of volunteer APPRISE counselors who assist Medicare-eligible beneficiaries navigate the often-confusing Medicare system. APPRISE counselors receive intensive training in Medicare Parts A, B and D, Supplemental Insurances, Medicare Advantage Plans, Medicaid, PACE Plus, and other health insurance-related topics. This training allows volunteers to provide unbiased assistance to consumers so they can make an informed decision and choose the plan that best meets their specific needs.
APPRISE counselors assist older and disabled individuals with: • Understanding Medicare A, B, and D • Making informed choices about Medicare Advantage Plans • Deciding what Medicare D Plan (prescription coverage) is best • Selecting a Medigap Policy • Applying for PACE Plus • Determining what financial assistance an individual may be eligible to receive
Become an APPRISE Volunteer Today!
APPRISE counselors must be available during weekdays for the shadowing, training, and counseling parts of this volunteer opportunity. For more information, please contact Bev Via at 717-299-7979 or 1-800-801-3070, or by e-mail at viab@co.lancaster.pa.us.
20
October 2018
50plus LIFE •
www.50plusLifePA.com
produced by his father’s soapmanufacturing company in Philadelphia. To entice merchants to buy Wrigley’s Scouring Soap, he offered a free container of baking powder with each order. When the baking powder proved to be more popular than the soap, Wrigley switched to selling only baking powder. Using the same sales strategy, he began offering two packages of chewing gum with every can of baking powder purchased. Again, when the gum became more popular than the baking powder, he devoted his full energies to the gum business. This was a highly competitive area, as there were at least a dozen gum companies in existence at the time. Believing the industry was underdeveloped, Wrigley began manufacturing gum under his name. In 1893 he developed Juicy Fruit gum, with Spearmint coming later that year. By the turn of the century, those two became America’s top-selling gums. Clearly a marketing genius, Wrigley built on his earlier sales success of giving away “something for nothing.” In 1915 he collected every telephone directory in the country and mailed four free sticks of gum to each of the 1.5 million listed subscribers. Four years later, he repeated the practice, even though the number of American phone subscribers exceeded 7 million. Sales soared and, for many, Wrigley became synonymous with gum. Gum opponents. Though gum gained an enormous following of chewers, there were opponents. Some religious people claimed gum chewing was a vice to be avoided. Those who chewed tobacco dismissed it as “sissified.” Teachers
charged that it disrupted a child’s concentration in school. Doctors believed excessive chewing dried up the salivary glands. Parents feared physical danger for their children if gum was swallowed. In 1932, engineering genius Nikola Tesla, inventor of the alternating current electrical system, gravely warned: “By exhaustion of the salivary glands, gum puts many a foolish victim in the grave.” Gum does not take seven years to digest if swallowed. Despite what children hear on the playground, gum doesn’t linger in the stomach when swallowed. It’s true the body can’t digest gum, but it still moves through the body’s system at the same rate as other foods. While swallowing isn’t necessarily harmful, it ought to be avoided. Pediatric studies have found rare cases in which children who swallowed multiple pieces a day ended up with the wads blocking intestinal movement. Gum evolution continues to this day. In recent times, scientists have developed a gum made with clay that cleans stains from teeth. Another innovation is the addition of xylitol, a natural sweetener found in fruits and vegetables. Because xylitol has cavity-fighting power, chewing gum with xylitol helps close up new cavities. As scientists continue to study this amazing product, they will undoubtedly create more reasons to chew.
omen’s Expo Lancaster County
Escape, Indulge, Explore Oct. 13, 2018 9 a.m. – 2 p.m. Spooky Nook Sports
2913 Spooky Nook Road, Manheim
Health & Wellness • Finance • Home Technology • Beauty • Nutrition Home-Based Businesses Puppy and more! WE C.A.R.E.S Hugging! Meet local nonprofits
Spa Treatments Health & Shopping Beauty
FREE
Victor M. Parachin, M. Div., is a grief counselor, bereavement educator, and author of several books, including Healing Grief.
advance guest registration online! ($5 at the door)
Medicare Confusion Ends Today! MediPlanConnect offers one-on-one
aGreatWayToSpendMyDay.com
advising at no cost to you. Call
principal sponsors:
BUSINESSWoman
717.285.1350
717-980-3201 to discover the best Medicare plan to fit your lifestyle.
Sponsored by: Lunch BAG SPONSOR:
UPMC Pinnacle
6360 Flank Drive, Suite 1100, Harrisburg, PA 17112 www.MediPlanConnect.com
www.50plusLifePA.com
SEMINAR SPONSOR:
Giant Food Stores
supporting SPONSORS:
Agora Cyber Charter School Homespire Windows & Doors Ricker Sweigart & Associates
MEDIA SPONSORS:
FREE advance guest registration online! ($5 at the door.) 50plus LIFE •
October 2018
21
Puzzle Page
CROSSWORD
Solutions for all puzzles can be found on page 24 SUDOKU
WORD SEARCH
At the Bookstore
Across 1. Title-holder 6. Percolate 10. Highway hauler 14. Eagle’s home 15. High point 16. Aid in crime 17. Billiards shot 18. Hoodlum 19. Sharpen 20. Distress letters 21. Mishmash 23. They can be magic 24. Kind of admiral 25. Billow
27. Casual attire 29. Court figures 34. Temperate 35. Shoestring 36. “... ___ he drove out of sight” 37. Capt.’s guess 38. Delighted 41. Panel truck 42. A Bobbsey twin 43. Pull down 44. Faction 45. Bier gardener? 49. Rub the wrong way
50. Stocking stuffers 51. St. Louis team 53. TV offering 56. As a result 57. Young newt 60. Kind of car 61. One of the Muppets 63. Pancho, for one 65. Lion’s pride 66. Low dam 67. Sink 68. Places 69. Diner sign 70. Foil relatives
Down 1. Street fleet 2. Achilles, e.g. 3. War god 4. Soccer star Hamm 5. Black tea 6. Type of play 7. Audio effect 8. Easily tamed bird 9. Dowel 10. 1943 Bogart film 11. Black, to poets 12. Repair 13. Residents (suffix) 22. Terhune novel, ___: A Dog
23. Walked into the water 24. Wine choice 25. Neptune’s realm 26. Story starter 27. Colossus 28. Spiral-horned antelope 30. Meat cut 31. At no time 32. Field’s partner 33. Dispatched 34. Waiter’s offering 38. Big name in Argentina 39. After curfew 40. Historic times 44. Close relative, briefly
46. Short compositions 47. Miscues 48. Maid’s cloth 52. Date place 53. Haunch 54. Isaac’s eldest 55. It’s overhead 56. Spew out 57. Dresden’s river 58. Skedaddle 59. Tiny bits 61. Female sheep 62. Grazing ground 64. Rascal
Denture Center Free Consultation
• Repairs in 30 Minutes • Natural-Looking Smile
• Superior Fit and Comfort • Immediate Dentures and Extractions
50
$
OFF
Any New Denture Purchase Exp. 10/31/18
Chambersburg: 166 S. Main St.
(717) 267-3838
22
October 2018
50plus LIFE •
Ephrata: 39 E. Main St.
(717) 721-3004 www.50plusLifePA.com
* lde La Natio rL wA n aw tto al A rn cad ey em sM y *P em of e Me nn be Eld mb syl r? er er? van ia Ba *P rA e sso of n n Eld sy cia er lva tio La nia n wA A s t s tor oc *L ne iat oc ys ion al Ba Me rA mb sso er? cia tio nM em be r?
ted in E
Ye ar Sta r
ed nd
Ye ar Fo u
rn ey sT ota l
#A tto
#E
lde rL
aw At to
rn ey s
Elder Law Attorneys
Specific areas of elder law in which the firm concentrates:
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
Yes
Wills, powers of attorney, living wills, estate settlement, probate, estate planning, nursing home planning, Medicaid, asset protection planning, trusts. We make house calls!
Yes
Compassionate guidance with Alzheimer’s and special-needs planning, Medicaid benefits, wills, powers of attorney, trusts, estate administration, care coordination, nurse on staff.
Yes
Spousal-crisis nursing home planning, estate planning: wills and powers of attorney; probate and estate administration.
Yes
Advanced estate planning and all aspects of administration and probate, including all tax returns (CPA on staff); asset protection: Medicaid planning; all trusts, including special needs and charitable giving; guardianships; veterans’ benefits. 16 convenient locations in PA and MD with evening and weekend appointments available, and we make house calls too!
Keystone Elder Law P.C. 555 Gettysburg Pike, Suite B-200, Mechanicsburg Satellite office in Carlisle 717-697-3223 toll-free 844-697-3223 karen@keystoneelderlaw.com www.keystoneelderlaw.com
3
3
2010
2010
Yes
Yes
Yes
Law Office of Shawn Pierson 105 East Oregon Road, Lititz, PA 17543 717-560-4966 fax 717-205-2005 questions@piersonelderlaw.com www.piersonelderlaw.com
1
1
2001
1998
Yes
Yes
Yes
Mooney Law
HARRISBURG: 105 North Front St.; YORK: 40 East Philadelphia St. CARLISLE: 2 South Hanover St.; SHIPPENSBURG: 34 West King St. GETTYSBURG: 18 E. Middle St.; HANOVER: 230 York St. Additional offices in Duncannon, Frederick (MD), Greencastle, Halifax, Lancaster, Lebanon, Mercersburg, New Oxford, Stewartstown, and Westminster (MD) 717-200-HELP; toll-free 877-632-4656 — CALL 24/7 info@mooney4law.com www.PAElderIssues.com; www.Mooney4Law.com
4
12
1997
1997
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.
Senators Co-Sponsor Bill to Lift Social Security Restrictions on Widows, Widowers In late September, U.S. Sen. Bob Casey (D-PA), Ranking Member of the U.S. Senate Special Committee on Aging, introduced the Surviving Widow(er) Income Fair Treatment (SWIFT) Act (S. 3457). To help Americans achieve financial security in retirement, the SWIFT Act would fix outdated and arbitrary restrictions that prevent many Social Security recipients, particularly women, from maximizing their benefits. The bill would also enhance outreach and education about when and how to claim Social Security. “Due to outdated laws, those who rely on Social Security the most are having their income cut by unfair rules,” Casey said. “These arbitrary restrictions disproportionately affect women.” www.50plusLifePA.com
The SWIFT Act would: • A llow widow(er)s and surviving divorced spouses with disabilities to receive 100 percent of the survivor benefit they are entitled to regardless of their age • Give widow(er)s and surviving divorced spouses the ability to increase the value of their survivor benefits beyond current arbitrary caps • Enable widow(er)s and surviving divorced spouses caring for children to receive child-in-care benefits until their children are age 18 or 19 if still in school • Require the federal government to proactively provide information to widow(er)s and surviving divorced spouses about benefits they are eligible for, claiming options, and important deadlines
The Social Security Administration estimates that the SWIFT Act would not accelerate the depletion year of the Social Security trust funds. Poverty rates for widows, widowers, and surviving divorced spouses, the majority of whom are women, are higher than poverty rates for other Social Security recipients. Those living with a disability or caring for children are even more likely to live in poverty. Senators Claire McCaskill (D-MO), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV), and Patty Murray (D-WA) are co-sponsors of the bill. The bill is also endorsed by more than a dozen organizations, including the Alliance for Retired Americans, Social Security Works, Strengthen Social Security Coalition, and the Women’s Institute for a Secure Retirement. 50plus LIFE •
October 2018
23
On Life and Love after 50
Tom’s Column Turns 24 Tom Blake
point of view. You are whining and complaining so much about the cost of dating, and being rejected by all sorts of women, we feel middle-aged women will have a field day reading your woe-is-me dating misadventures.” The first column was titled: “Home alone, with only dogs for company.” The editors were right about the anticipated responses from female readers. The first: “Who is this sniveling puke?” The second: “Get the boy a crying towel.” Welcome to the midlife dating trenches, Tom. I’ve written for a variety of papers. Two and a half years ago, I was fortunate to start writing for 50plus LIFE. The number of columns and electronic newsletters I’ve written in 24 years: approaching 3,700. That 1994 divorce was the catalyst for a rewarding writing career. It brought multiple appearances on the Today show and Good Morning America. And more importantly, it opened the door for me to meet Greta, my incredible life partner for 20 years. Have things changed on the senior dating scene in 24 years? There are three major differences. 1. Now, instead of focusing on age-50 dating, I focus on dating for ages 6090. 2. In 1994, there was no internet dating. Now, there are hundreds of online dating sites that seniors can access. 3. Back then, for women age 50, the ratio of single women to single men was about 1-to-1. Now, at age 70, the ratio is approximately 3-to-1 or greater. And women tell me that many men aren’t dating material, or just don’t want to date. So, as women age, meeting a compatible mate gets more difficult. It’s been a great ride; I’m a lucky guy. For dating information, previous articles, or to sign up for Tom’s complimentary, weekly e-newsletter, go to www.FindingLoveAfter50.com.
Puzzles shown on page 22
Puzzle Solutions
This July, I celebrated 24 years of writing newspaper columns on the topic of dating and finding love after 50. The first column appeared July 7, 1994, in the Dana Point News (California) weekly newspaper. People often ask, “Did you learn to write in journalism school?” I answer: “No journalism school. I learned to write because of a divorce.” That answer needs an explanation. On Christmas Eve 1993, my wife of six years took what furniture and belongings she wanted from our home and moved out of my life. I didn’t know she was leaving. I was away visiting my 83-year-old mom. On the drive home, I had a notepad in my lap. When you’ve got nine hours to drive, knowing your wife has bailed out, a million thoughts go through your mind. While driving, I carefully jotted them down. Items like, why did she do it without discussing it first? Although I wasn’t a writer, by trip’s end, I had a mishmash of notes on the notepad. I had no idea those notes would be the start of a writing career. A month later, during lunchtime at the sandwich shop I owned, I was served with divorce papers in front of customers and employees. That night, as I had done every night since she had moved out, I jotted down my thoughts in what by then had become a soon-to-be-divorced-man’s diary. I was 54 and thought dating would be a snap, with a plethora of single women coming through the deli doors. What a rude awakening. Women customers wouldn’t date me. In fact, most women wouldn’t date me. When I had a date, I’d come home and jot down the dating frustrations in my diary. After five months, I condensed the diary notes into a short story. I edited the material multiple times. It was 74 pages. I thought perhaps I could get the story published. I sent query letters to The New York Times, Playboy magazine, and Esquire. No response. I contacted my local weekly newspaper. After reading my material, the two female editors agreed to a meeting at their office. They said, “We think you can do a dating-after-50 column from the man’s
24
October 2018
50plus LIFE •
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 Oct. 3, 7-8:15 p.m. Alzheimer’s Caregivers Support Group Willow Lakes Outpatient Center 212 Willow Valley Lakes Drive Willow Street (717) 464-9365
Senior Center Activities
Landis Homes 1001 E. Oregon Road, Lititz (717) 509-5494
Sycamore North Recreation Room 1 Masonic Drive, Elizabethtown (717) 367-1121, ext. 33576
Oct. 16, 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
Oct. 18, noon Brain Tumor Support Group Lancaster General Health Campus Wellness Center 2100 Harrisburg Pike, Lancaster (717) 626-2894
Oct. 8, 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
Oct. 17, 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
Oct. 15, 2 p.m. Lancaster County Parkinson’s Support Group
Oct. 18, 10-11:30 a.m. Bereavement Support Group Masonic Village
Oct. 22, 2-3 p.m. Parkinson’s Support Group Garden Spot Village Theater 433 S. Kinzer Ave., New Holland (717) 355-6259 slapp@gardenspotvillage.org Oct. 30, 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
Community Programs Free and open to the public Oct. 1, 6 p.m. Red Rose Singles Meeting Centerville Diner 100 S. Centerville Road, Lancaster (717) 406-6098 Oct. 4, 4:30 p.m. Tobaccoland: Landscape, Culture, and the Transformation of Central Pa. LancasterHistory.org – Ryder Hall 230 N. President Ave., Lancaster (717) 392-4633 www.lancasterhistory.org/lectures Oct. 6, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Oct. 7, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. World War II Encampment LancasterHistory.org 230 N. President Ave., Lancaster (717) 392-4633 www.lancasterhistory.org/ww2
Oct. 10, noon Korean War Veterans Association Meeting Woodcrest Villa Bluebird Commons Room 2001 Harrisburg Pike, Lancaster (717) 299-1990 pcunningham1841@verizon.net Oct. 16, 2-3:30 p.m. Willow Valley Genealogy Club Willow Valley Communities Orr Auditorium 211 Willow Valley Square, Lancaster www.genealogyclubwv.com (717) 397-0439
Oct. 25, 2 p.m. Centerville AARP Chapter 4221 Meeting Pheasant Ridge Community Center 209 Longwood Court West Lancaster (717) 786-4714 Oct. 30, 7 p.m. Newton Dana of the B-24 Flying Tigers World War II Oral History Meeting St. Anne’s Retirement Community 3952 Columbia Ave., Columbia (717) 319-3430
Oct. 19, 6-9 p.m. Music Friday Downtown Lancaster visitlancastercity.com/music-Friday
If you have an event you would like to include, please email information to mjoyce@onlinepub.com for consideration.
Library Programs Lititz Public Library, 651 Kissel Hill Road, Lititz, (717) 626-2255 Oct. 8, 6:30 p.m. – History Book Club: Bodyguard of Lies by Anthony Cave Brown Oct. 10, 12:30 p.m. – Painting Club Oct. 23, 6:30 p.m. – Harvest Vegetables Class
www.50plusLifePA.com
Columbia Senior Center – (717) 684-4850 Oct. 5, 10:15 a.m. – Medicare Open Enrollment Info Session Oct. 18, 8:30 a.m. – ’50s Music and Celebration Oct. 19, 10 a.m. – Johnny Appleseed Program Elizabethtown Area Senior Center – (717) 367-7984 Oct. 3, 1:30 p.m. – Bingo 4 Bucks Oct. 23, 10:30 a.m. – Inspirational Slideshow Oct. 27, 10 a.m. – Fall Festival 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 Thursdays, 10 a.m. – Healthy Steps in Motion Oct. 16, 10 a.m. – Martin Foot and Ankle Oct. 17, 9 a.m. – School of Cosmetology Haircuts and Manicures Lancaster Rec. Senior Center – (717) 392-2115, ext. 147 Oct. 4, 10:30 a.m. – Easy Canvas Painting Oct. 18, 10:45 a.m. – Healthy Meals Made with Fruits, Veggies, and Grains Oct. 22, 9 a.m. – Medicare Enrollment Appointments Lititz Senior Center – (717) 626-2800 Oct. 15, 10:30 a.m. – Too Much Stuff: Dilemma of Downsizing Oct. 19, 10 a.m. – Rainbow Dinner Theater Oct. 25, 10:15 a.m. – Music and Dancing Luis Munoz Marin Senior Center – (717) 295-7989 Mondays, 10 a.m. – Reminiscing about the Old Times Oct. 5, 10 a.m. – Diabetic Care Oct. 26, all day – Breast Cancer Awareness Day Millersville Senior Center – (717) 871-9600 Oct. 5, 10:30 a.m. – Music with Sandy Heisey Oct. 10, 10:30 a.m. – Craft Oct. 22, 10:30 a.m. – Chair Yoga Next Gen Senior Center – (717) 786-4770 Oct. 11, 10:30 a.m. – Jerry Brown, “Monkey Man” Oct. 23, 10:30 a.m. – Spring Grove Alpaca Ranch Oct. 29, 9 a.m. – Blood Drive 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 •
October 2018
25
Create a Great Funeral Day
N
N
October 30th is
How to Prepare for Life’s Inevitabilities conversations that can be cherished for years to come. FAMIC’s checklist can be a resource for things to consider when preplanning a funeral and to help facilitate conversations with loved ones. It offers questions such as:
One inevitable life milestone that requires organization, consideration, and planning but often gets overlooked is the end of life, both for one’s self and loved ones. It is important to have conversations with loved ones, sooner rather than later, to learn about family history, reaffirm how much they mean to you, and gain an understanding of how family members want to be memorialized. To help families have important conversations about the things that matter and how a person’s life story can be meaningfully remembered and honored, the Funeral and Memorial Information Council created the “Have the Talk of a Lifetime” initiative, which offers families the resources to facilitate these
• W here would you like your service to be held? • Will there be a ceremony? If so, religious or non-religious? • How would you like to be remembered? • Do you have a specific charity you would like to honor?
advertisement
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
No Caskets
Cremation Society of Pennsylvania, Inc. serving all of Lancaster county since 1981 Largest in the state of PA
Furman Home for Funerals
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____________________________________________________ _______________________________ Phone (
)_________________
4100 Jonestown Rd., Hbg., PA 17109 Shawn E. Carper, Supervisor
26
October 2018
50plus LIFE •
By answering these questions and more, families can create a log of loved Photo courtesy of Getty Images ones’ preferences for how they want to be memorialized. Completing the checklist can take place anytime, not just when a family member is nearing the end of life. Answering these questions can also prompt larger conversations about defining experiences and relationships in a loved one’s life. Take notes and record your responses as you go through the checklist. Save the checklist in a safe place for when it is needed and to share with future generations. To take your conversations one step further, meet with a local, trusted funeral professional and share those thoughts and ideas with someone who can help you put a plan in place that eases the burden on your loved ones. Regardless of when it becomes necessary to refer to the preferences and memories recorded in the checklist, you can be grateful you took the time to have meaningful conversations with those most important to you. For more information and to download the checklist, visit talkofalifetime. org.
Code LSN
59 W. Main St. Leola, Pennsylvania 17540 Philip W. Furman, Funeral Director
Your local source for plain coffins, traditional and cremation arrangements, urns, and modest funerals. Phone: 717-656-6833 www.FurmanFuneralHome.com www.50plusLifePA.com
Create a Great Funeral Day
N
N
October 30th is
Such is Life
After I Kick the Bucket Saralee Perel
Last week my friend, Marilee, and I met for lunch for the purpose of me giving her a list of things to do when I’m dead. She ordered a salad and I ordered a turkey wrap. I said, “Would you say my eulogy?” “Let me hear it first.” I read, “Saralee was the first old Jewish woman to take a spacewalk from the International Space Station, where she established the first orbiting satellite Kosher deli.” Marilee was wide-eyed. “Saralee won her 10th Pulitzer Prize for her bestselling book, I Found My Cell Phone in My Casket. In later life, she was honored at the Kennedy Center, where she received the Lifetime Achievement Award for The Greatest Humanitarian in the Entire Universe — and Elsewhere.” Marilee sat back, shook her head, and said, “I refuse to say any of that.” “Well, would you put my obituary in the paper?” “I’ll need to hear that first too.” “Saralee’s funeral will be at the bus station tomorrow at noon. No early birds, please! It will be catered by Burger King. BYOB.” I told Marilee, “Make sure nobody gets any crumbs on my outfit. I want to be buried in my clown suit. It’s the red one hanging in my closet. Definitely not the black one or the yellow one or the green one. Oh, can you post the obit on Twitter?” She said, “No.” I went on: “Saralee’s rented 14-karat-gold casket will be surrounded by a one-day-only yard sale with all of her stuff. Everything must go! Items include: vintage, original, black-and-white photos of Saralee at summer camp when she was elected Miss Wohelo for winning their famous beauty and talent contest. “There will also be leftover pints of mint chocolate chip ice cream in a freezer. And so much more! All sales are final, since there’s nowhere to return anything anyway.” www.50plusLifePA.com
I finished my turkey wrap, and then continued, “Proceeds will go to the Red Cross, which was founded by Saralee and Clara Barton, who was so overwhelmed with charitable odds and ends that she asked Saralee to do the field work of helping millions of people.” Marilee agreed to helping with the pets and other sane things on my list, but she thought my eulogy and obit were warped. We walked arm and arm to our cars. Overwhelmed with loving gratitude, I took her in my arms, hugged her to me tightly, and whispered in her ear, “If you want to cremate me, I could live with that. Just make sure I’m dead first.” Award-winning nationally syndicated columnist Saralee Perel can be reached at sperel@saraleeperel.com or via her website: www.SaraleePerel.com.
Need more LIFE in your life?
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
50plus LIFE •
October 2018
27
Soldier Stories
Adventures of a Tunnel Rat Robert Naeye
Imagine crawling into a dark, narrow underground tunnel, not knowing if there are enemy soldiers waiting to slit your throat or shoot you without even a moment’s notice. This was the everyday experience of Douglas Graybill Jr., an American “tunnel rat” in the Vietnam War. Graybill grew up in West Lawn, Pennsylvania, and quit school in 10th grade. After being rejected by the U.S. Army at age 16, he met a Marine recruiter, who told him, “Let’s go.” His father signed the official paperwork on Graybill’s 17th birthday, and then he was sent to Parris Island in South Carolina for training. “It was nothing like what the recruiter told me,” Graybill recalls. Graybill was trained in demolition, landmines, and booby traps. He
Doug and Elizabeth Graybill’s Veterans Making a Difference group meets at the Paul R. Gordon Veteran Social Center in Reading.
learned to carry satchel charges, mortars, and various forms of ammunition. Training was like brainwashing; they were told to kill or be killed. Graybill was then sent to Vietnam
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.
28
October 2018
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.
For more information call: Bill Kelley, VP (717) 560-9424.
50plus LIFE •
in 1970, two months before his 18th birthday. “My job was to crawl through tunnels and then blow them up,” says Graybill. “I wasn’t afraid to go into the tunnel. That was my job; somebody had to do it. That’s what I was trained for.” From years of fighting the French and Americans, the Vietnamese became experts at digging tunnels. Many North Vietnamese soldiers literally lived and fought underground. Some tunnels were small and simple, meaning Graybill would have to crawl through them on his hands and knees. But others were large and complex, with supply depots, surgical rooms, headquarters rooms, and sleeping quarters. Graybill entered these tunnels alone and would often use candles to find his way around in the darkness, never spending more than 20 minutes in any tunnel. Graybill admits that once he was in a tunnel, he was gripped with fear, especially when he heard Vietnamese talking. “I was scared all the time — I mean all the time,” he recalls. But Graybill had one major advantage: The Vietnamese usually did not know he was there. He became an expert at hiding in the dark. Sometimes enemy soldiers would crawl so close that he could literally smell their breath.
“I was shaking so bad I could feel my heart beating, but they still didn’t hear me.” He shot several enemy soldiers with his 45-calibre pistol. To this day, he regrets killing two elderly Vietnamese women in a cooking area. “It was an accident. I could have killed my own guys if they had been there,” he says. “I’d rather come home in handcuffs than in a coffin.” And humans weren’t the only enemy. Graybill had to contend with booby traps and false walls. And the tunnels were rife with snakes, spiders, and biting centipedes. Graybill used 20 pounds of C-4 plastic explosives to blow up tunnels, usually after bringing out supplies. But he generally used more explosives than he needed. He once dragged a maggot-infested dead Vietnamese soldier out of a tunnel so he could get some R&R. Graybill says that exiting a tunnel was just as scary as entering one, since he didn’t know where he’d be coming out. “I was worried about being shot by my own men,” he says. Vietnam was a war without frontlines. The military brass emphasized body counts, not the taking and holding of territory. Marines were told that their enemies were subhuman. “You weren’t killing a person; you were killing a gook,” says Graybill. “That made it a lot easier. That was our job.” Vietnam left deep emotional scars that have never fully healed. After experiencing 16 months of violence, Graybill struggled to readjust to civilian life. “I was in trouble all the time. I hated God, I hated everyone, I hated myself,” he says. His troubles included arrests for assault and battery, flunking out of Ohio State University, finding and losing job after job, periods of homelessness, and two divorces. He www.50plusLifePA.com
would even doing simple beg policemen tasks, such to shoot him. as eating in “For almost restaurants. 10 years I Graybill is couldn’t even still haunted walk on a by his inner sidewalk. demons, but There was he has found always a his calling by sniper aiming helping fellow at me when I veterans in need. From left, Rich Burton, president of the was walking Central Pennsylvania Vietnam Roundtable, He has opened down a street a privately and Doug Graybill, who spoke at the organization’s recent meeting. in daylight,” funded center he says. in Reading that He would keep pistols in his provides food, shelter, and clothing for bedroom and five locks on his bedroom veterans with and without homes. door. “It’s a place where veterans can “Then I realized it was all in my come and socialize,” he explains. head,” he says. “Their financial status doesn’t matter: Graybill eventually reenlisted in the Loneliness is loneliness.” Marines. He was stationed in Beirut, To learn more about Graybill’s Lebanon, three times and participated veteran social center, visit the Veterans in the 1983 invasion of Grenada. He Making a Difference Facebook page or later served in both the Army and go to www2.readingeagle.com/article. Marine reserves, but continually got aspx?id=328668. into trouble. In 2006 he married an Army veteran Robert Naeye is a freelance journalist named Elizabeth, whom he credits with living in Derry Township. He is the former editor-in-chief of Sky & Telescope saving his life. She encouraged him to magazine. start attending veterans’ meetings and
Stories of ordinary men and women called to perform extraordinary military service. From 1999–2016, writer and World War II veteran Col. Robert D. Wilcox preserved the firsthand wartime experiences of more than 200 veterans through Salute to a Veteran, his monthly column featured in 50plus LIFE. Now, for the first time, 50 of those stories— selected by Wilcox himself—are available to own in this soft-cover book.
Simply complete and mail this form with your payment to the address below to order Salute to Our Veterans. On-Line Publishers • 3912 Abel Drive, Columbia, PA 17512 Name_ _______________________________________________________ Address_ ______________________________________________________ City_______________________________ State_ ____ Zip_ ______________ Phone_ _____________________ Email______________________________ Number of copies_ ______ (Please include $20.80 for each copy) Credit card #______________________________________ Exp. date________ Signature of cardholder_________________________________CVV #________
Or send a check made payable to On-Line Publishers, Inc. You can also order online at www.50plusLIFEpa.com!
www.50plusLifePA.com
Please, join us! This combined event is FREE for veterans of all ages, active military, and their families.
Nov. 1, 2018 9 a.m. – 2 p.m.
Farm and Home Center 1383 Arcadia Road, Lancaster
NEW LOCATION!
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 Sponsor:
Sponsored by: Blue Ridge Communications • Fulton Financial Corporation Disabled American Veterans • LCTV • Paul Smith’s College Pennsylvania State Headquarters VFW WFYL • WHTM ABC27
Sponsor & Exhibitor Opportunities Available
www.veteransexpo.com (717) 285-1350 www.olpevents.com
50plus LIFE •
Brought to you by:
October 2018
29
Home Care Services & Hospice Providers Listings with a screened background have additional information about their services in a display advertisement in this edition.
All Hands Home Care
Landis at Home
(717) 737-7905 www.allhandshomecare.com
Year Est.: 2014 Counties Served: Adams, Cumberland, Dauphin, Franklin, Lancaster, Lebanon, Perry, York RNs: No LPNs: No CNAs: Yes Home Aides: Yes Medicare Certified?: No
(717) 509-5800 www.landisathome.org Other Certifications and Services: We provide trained caregivers for in-home care for personal, respite, hospice, 24-hour, live-in, and companionship-care services to seniors and individuals of all ages in the Central Pennsylvania region. Our company is fully insured and bonded. Call now for a free in-home consultation!
Comfort Keepers
(717) 299-4007 www.lancaster-402.comfortkeepers.com Year Est.: 2001 Counties Served: Lancaster RNs: No LPNs: No CNAs: Yes Home Aides: Yes Medicare Certified?: No
Other Certifications and Services: We provide compassionate, in-home care that helps seniors live safe, happy, and independent lives in the comfort of their own homes. Companion care, light housekeeping, personal care, in-home safety solutions, incidental transportation, dementia/Alzheimer’s care, ongoing staff training. Member: Home Care Association of America
Homeland at Home
Homeland HomeCare: (717) 221-7892 Year Est.: 2016 Homeland HomeHealth: (717) 412-0166 Year Est.: 2017 Counties Served: Adams, Cumberland*, Dauphin*, Franklin, Fulton, Juniata, Lancaster, Lebanon*, Northumberland, Perry*, Schuylkill, Snyder, York* *Homeland HomeHealth currently serves five of 13 counties. RNs: Yes LPNs: Yes CNAs/Home Aides: Yes Direct Care Workers: Yes PT/OT/Speech Therapists: Yes Social Workers: Yes Spiritual Counselors: Yes
Other Certifications and Services: A licensed home-care agency, offering a variety of services to persons in their homes within 15 miles of the Landis Homes campus. Services, provided by carefully screened and qualified caregivers with oversight from RNs, may be used for a short visit or up to 24 hours a day. Call for a free, in-home consultation. A home-care service of Landis Communities.
MediQuest Staffing & Homecare (717) 560-5160 www.mediqueststaffing.net Year Est.: 2002 Counties Served: Lancaster RNs: Yes LPNs: Yes CNAs: Yes Home Aides: Yes Medicare Certified?: No
Other Certifications and Services: Our experienced caregivers will provide the level of care for your specific needs, including memory care, transportation to and from appointments, outpatient procedures, personal care, respite, and more. Services are provided wherever you reside. All caregivers are comprehensively screened, bonded, and insured. Call for a free RN assessment. Member: Pennsylvania Homecare Association.
PennCares Support Services
www.homelandathome.org Homeland Hospice: (717) 221-7890 Year Est.: 2008
Year Est.: 2007 Counties Served: Lancaster RNs: Yes LPNs: Yes CNAs: Yes Home Aides: Yes Medicare Certified?: No
(717) 632-5552 www.penncares.org Other Certifications and Services: Homeland at Home is a community outreach of Homeland Center, a non-profit CCRC that has served our region with excellent and benevolent care since 1867. Our expert team is dedicated to providing a continuum of At Home services—from non-medical personal assistance to skilled nursing and compassionate hospice and palliative care. We are privileged to care for you and your loved ones … any place you call “home.” We offer community and staff educational programs, including a “My Reflections” end-of-life planning workshop, as well as 15 unique bereavement support groups.
Year Est.: 1968 Counties Served: Adams, Cumberland, Dauphin, Franklin, Fulton, Lancaster, York RNs: No LPNs: No CNAs: No Home Aides: Yes Medicare Certified?: No
Other Certifications and Services: Private pay and waiver-based participants.
If you would like to be featured on this important page, please contact your account representative or call (717) 285-1350.
Complementary Therapies: Yes Medicare Certified: Yes
This is not an all-inclusive list of agencies and providers. These advertisers are eager to provide additional information about their services.
Home Care Services & Hospice Providers Listings with a screened background have additional information about their services in a display advertisement in this edition.
Pleasant View Care at Home
Visiting Angels
Year Est.: 2007 Counties Served: Lancaster, Lebanon RNs: Yes LPNs: Yes CNAs: Yes Home Aides: Yes Medicare Certified?: No
Year Est.: 2001 Counties Served: Adams, Cumberland, Dauphin, Franklin, Lancaster, Lebanon, Perry, and York RNs: No LPNs: No CNAs: Yes Home Aides: Yes Medicare Certified?: No
(717) 664-6646 www.pleasantviewrc.org/care-at-home Other Certifications and Services: Caring and professional staff provide supportive services to help maintain independence within the comfortable setting of home. Personal services, companion care, dementia care services, and transitional care offered — call for a free consultation.
(800) 365-4189 www.visitingangels.com Other Certifications and Services: Visiting Angels provides seniors and adults with the needed assistance to continue living at home. Flexible hours up to 24 hours per day. Companionship, personal hygiene, meal prep, and more. Our caregivers are thoroughly screened, bonded, and insured. Call today for a complimentary and informational meeting.
This is not an all-inclusive list of agencies and providers. These advertisers are eager to provide additional information about their services.
Dear Pharmacist
How Watercress Slows Down Cancer Growth Suzy Cohen
October is Breast Cancer Awareness month, so hours. Their blood evaluations found rather significant today I’d like to share with you some little-known levels of a plant compound called phenylethyl facts about one vegetable and its impact on breast isothiocyanate, or PEITC for short. This PEITC health. starves the cancer cells. It’s watercress, and even though most doctors will PEITC inhibits a protein called HIF (hypoxia argue that the more chemotherapeutic drugs (antiinducible factor), which is responsible for signaling cancer drugs), the better, I still feel strongly that we normal tissue around the tumor to send oxygen and can make dietary changes that improve outcomes, nutrients to the tumor cells. HIF is not playing nice; whether or not you take chemo. it’s making your own cells boost cancer growth. They may pooh-pooh this thinking, but I still feel Am I saying watercress cures cancer? Of course not, that eating specific foods can have a positive impact. but eating certain foods like watercress can’t hurt you. Research is clear and shows that a great deal of It can only help you, and more than anything, it puts people give up on chemotherapy and fail to adhere you in a proactive position, which is empowering. to conventional medical treatments. Many stop Let’s face it, hearing the word “cancer” is heartaltogether, or they begin to integrate various holistic stopping. Having something you can do that is so October is Breast Cancer remedies and dietary changes — which makes me simple is crucial. think of watercress. The researchers in the study actually validated the Awareness Month Watercress belongs to the cruciferous vegetables, effects of the watercress compound PEITC — they same as broccoli and cauliflower, but it’s not as popular weren’t guessing. They physically measured blood levels as those. of that HIF in their bloodstream and saw it declining progressively after eating Still, I want to give it some love and attention because it has some powerful watercress. That is just so amazing! tumor-fighting compounds in it. Plus, we already know from empirical evidence Another study back in 2004 evaluated how PEITC impacts the speed that 30-40 percent of all cancers somehow benefit or respond from proper at which cancer cells grow (proliferation) and the formation of tumors nutrition. (tumorigenesis). The scientists were able to confirm that watercress inhibits Researchers have investigated how watercress can be beneficial in breast cancer cell growth and not just that it makes cancer cells commit suicide, a cancer and other cancers. In a study published in the British Journal of Nutrition, process called apoptosis. a group of breast cancer survivors went through a phase of fasting, before It means the party’s over for the cancer cells. consuming a bowlful of watercress about the size of a cereal bowl (approximately This information is not intended to diagnose, prevent, or treat your disease. For more 80 grams of watercress). information about the author, visit SuzyCohen.com They took some blood samples from the women at intervals over the next 24 www.50plusLifePA.com
50plus LIFE •
October 2018
31
Healthcare Data Breach: What to Know, What to Do By Brian O’Connell
job, or even been fired by their employers.
Having your records stolen in a healthcare data breach can be a prescription for financial disaster. If scam artists break into healthcare networks and grab your medical information, they can impersonate you to get medical services, use your data to open credit accounts, break into your bank accounts, obtain drugs illegally, and even blackmail you with sensitive personal details. ID theft victims often have to spend money to fix problems related to having their data stolen, which averages $600, according to the Federal Trade Commission. But security research firm Ponemon Institute found that healthcare identitytheft victims spend nearly $13,500 dealing with their hassles, which can include the cost of paying off fraudulent medical bills. Victims of healthcare data breaches may also find themselves being denied care, coverage, or reimbursement by their medical insurers, having their policies canceled, or having to pay to reinstate their insurance, along with suffering damage to their credit ratings and scores. In the worst cases, they’ve been threatened with losing custody of their children, been charged with drug trafficking, found it hard to get hired for a
What is a Healthcare Data Breach? Healthcare data breaches occur when hackers infiltrate the computer network of a doctor’s office, clinic, hospital, medical lab, insurer, or other medical provider. In many cases, medical information is stolen by medical workers or accidentally exposed through lax office procedures and security. Medical data is a big target for fraudsters because it’s often much more valuable than other commonly available personal data. While a stolen credit card number might be sold for just a few cents, medical files can be worth as much as $1,000 each, according to Mariya Yao, chief technology officer and head of research and design at TOPBOTS, an artificial intelligence research firm. Signs that You’re the Victim of Medical Identity Theft Your first clue that your medical data may have been hacked might come in a statement, bill, or notice from your insurer, your doctor, or another medical provider, warns the FTC. According to the commission, you should be on the lookout for: please see BREACH page 35
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 32
October 2018
50plus LIFE •
E.O.E.
CAREGIVERS/CNAs – PT
Service company is seeking reliable, caring individuals for local client assignments, including transport, personal care, bathing, meal prep, and light housekeeping. Prior experience a plus, but company will train. Need background check/TB test. All shifts available. SN090006.01
CHAUFFEUR – PT
Transport service needs persons to drive clients to various locations, including airports and/ or other events such as weddings, business meetings, proms, special observances, etc. Use vans, sedans, limos, or buses. Need license, background check and PennDOT physical. SN090042.02
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.
ADMINISTRATIVE COORDINATOR – PT
Structural components company has an opening for an individual to perform administrative support functions in their service center, including reception, handling bill of ladings, distributing mail, and shipping packages. Need one to two years’ experience and MS Office familiarity. SN-GEN.03 SN090069.04
— 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
Art & Antiques by Dr. Lori
Is Your Collection Like the Rockefellers’? Lori Verderame
Photo by Mark Usciak
Recently, one of the most But in your home there are works of important and diverse fineart, antiques, and even small, collectible art and antiques collections objects or souvenirs from your travels amassed from all parts of the that your children and grandchildren world went up for sale on the associate with you and your values. auction block at Christie’s Perhaps many of them wouldn’t want in New York. The collection to watch your items go by the wayside belonged to David and Peggy either. Rockefeller. So, before you downsize, liquidate, or David Rockefeller died dispose of your heirlooms, have a chat at 101 and was head of with your kids and your grandkids, and Chase Manhattan Bank, a think about your friends and others philanthropist, and a grandson who would like a memento. Of course, The popular dish of baked oysters with a green of John D. Rockefeller. value is important, but their feelings are sauce and melted cheese was named after What struck me most about more important. family patriarch John D. Rockefeller (1839John D. Rockefeller the Rockefeller collection and When it comes to your children’s 1937), founder of the Standard Oil Company with grandson David their well-advertised art and attitude about your antiques, you may and a major philanthropist. The dish was Rockefeller. antiques auction had very little be just like the Rockefellers. associated with Rockefeller because it was deemed “an oyster dish as rich as Rockefeller.” to do with the exceptional Dr. Lori Verderame is the author, Ph.D. antiques appraiser, and award-winning beauty, artistry, or value of any TV personality on History channel’s The Curse of Oak Island. Dr. Lori provides expert of the nearly 2,000 items. appraisals and consulting services for art/antiques. Visit www.DrLoriV.com or call Certainly, there were fine paintings by Cezanne, Seurat, and Gris, to name (888) 431-1010. only a few. On the auction block was a highly sought-after Pablo Picasso painting, once owned by Gertrude Stein, of a girl holding a basket of flowers; various pieces of antique English furniture; and a Sèvres porcelain service INDEPENDENT BROADCAST commissioned by Napoleon himself. FOR THE COMMUNITY Yet the variety of objects in this highly publicized, once-in-a-lifetime auction was not what stuck with me when I read — in newspapers, trade publications, BY THE COMMUNITY magazines, and online — all about the Rockefellers’ collection and their prearranged donations to museums, foundations, and universities. In fact, what I remember about the reports of the Rockefeller auction was the comment that the couple’s youngest child, Eileen Rockefeller Growald, made when an interviewer asked her if she would attend the auction of her parents’ belongings. Her answer was no. “It feels like selling pieces of my parents, and I just can’t watch,” she explained. Lancaster Community TV Right there is why you, your children, and your grandchildren are probably is your local connection a lot more like the Rockefellers than you might think. for art, entertainment, While most of us don’t have the collections of note or the resources that the Rockefellers had to amass such a collection over generations, most of us do education, information, have objects that mean something special to our friends and family. local sports, and more. Rockefeller Growald’s comment moved me because so many people tell me that their children don’t want their stuff, that their family wouldn’t care about Comcast Channel 66 this collectible or that piece of furniture. I know that isn’t true. I think it is often a mechanism for people to take the easy road: the road far away from being hurt if a daughter rejects a family china dinnerware set from Austria, where your grandmother was born; or if a son doesn’t covet the violin that he took lessons on, which once belonged to his great-grandfather from Italy. 252 N QUEEN ST | LANCASTER, PA 17603 It is easier to contend that a family member doesn’t want a work of art, 717-394-5288 | WWW.LCTV66.ORG antique, or collectible instead of putting in the time, effort, and emotional resources to deal with it as it moves onto another person’s collection. Perhaps your collection is not like the Rockefellers’ in size, scope, or value. www.50plusLifePA.com
50plus LIFE •
October 2018
33
Día de los Muertos Not a ‘Spanish Halloween’ The Mexican celebration of Día de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) is often mistaken for a Spanish version of Halloween. It is actually a way for families to honor loved ones who are no longer living. Scholars believe the tradition is rooted in ancient Aztec culture. Thousands of years before Columbus ever set foot in the New World, Aztec people honored the lives of their deceased ancestors in celebrations that spanned what is now the month of August. Indigenous populations throughout central and southern Mexico maintained these practices for centuries. With the arrival of Spanish settlers in Mexico in the 16th century and the influence of Christianity that followed, the practice transformed into a threeday celebration paralleling the Allhallowtide of All Saint’s Eve, All Saint’s Day,
E
October 6, 2018
omen’s Expo Lancaster County
9 a.m. – 2 p.m.
Lebanon Expo Center 80 Rocherty Road Lebanon
WE C.A.R.E.S Meet local nonprofits
k for the
Loo
October 13, 2018 Puppy Hugging!
Pop-up!
omen’s Expo Cumberland County
November 10, 2018 9 a.m. – 2 p.m. Carlisle Expo Center
9 a.m. – 2 p.m. Spooky Nook Sports
2913 Spooky Nook Road Manheim
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 AUTOMOTIVE SPONSOR
Enterprise Car Sales
LUNCH bag SPONSORS
AAA Central Penn UPMC Pinnacle SEMINAR SPONSOR
Giant Food Stores
SUPPORTING SPONSORS
Agora Cyber Charter School Domestic Violence Intervention Homespire Windows & Doors Ricker Sweigart & Associates
Media SPONSORS
FREE advance guest registration online! ($5 at the door) Talk to us about sponsor and exhibitor opportunities.
aGreatWayToSpendMyDay.com
34
October 2018
50plus LIFE •
and All Soul’s Day, taking place Oct. 31–Nov. 2. In the 21st century, the observance of Día de los Muertos begins at midnight on Oct. 31, when it is believed that the souls of the dead are allowed to return to be with their loved ones. Día de los Angelitos (Day of the Little Angels) or Día de los Inocentes (Day of the Innocents) falls on Nov. 1, when the souls of deceased children and infants are believed to return. Día de los Muertos follows on Nov. 2, when the spirits of the ancestors are honored. During this time, families will create altars in their homes or at the cemetery, where they tidy and decorate the graves of their loved ones. Ofrendas (offerings) of food, sweets, toys, trinkets, marigolds, and beverages are left on these altars. Family and friends share stories of their loved ones, sing songs, offer prayers, and feast as a tribute to the departed. To dance, especially at the gravesite, is a way to awaken the spirits and invite them to join the family once more. The parades and large festive gatherings in cemeteries are just another way to show respect and celebrate the lives of those who have passed on. Día de los Muertos is observed throughout Mexico, most of North and South America, and around the world.
Different Cultures Celebrate Columbus Day Columbus Day became a federal holiday in the United States in 1934, but Christopher Columbus’s landing in the Americas was celebrated across the country long before that. In 1792, the Society of St. Tammany in New York City commemorated the 300th anniversary of Columbus’s voyage, and in 1892, President Benjamin Harrison called upon Americans to recognize the 400th anniversary. Teachers, politicians, and others used Columbus Day to urge patriotism, loyalty, and social progress. Columbus Day: Italian-Americans began supporting Monday, Oct. 8 Columbus Day celebrations in the 19th century as an expression of pride in their heritage. The Italian population of New York organized a celebration of the discovery of America on Oct. 12, 1866, and in 1869, Italians in San Francisco held their own celebration. The first official Columbus Day holiday was proclaimed by Colorado Gov. Jesse F. McDonald in 1905. President Franklin Roosevelt designated Oct. 12 a national holiday in 1934. Other countries recognize Columbus Day as well. In Costa Rica, it’s known as Dia de las Culturas (Day of the Cultures); Uruguay calls it Dia de las Americas (Day of the Americas); in the Bahamas, it’s Discovery Day; and in Spain it’s celebrated as Dia de la Hispanidad and Fiesta Nacional. www.50plusLifePA.com
BREACH from page 32 • A bill or statement of benefits showing medical services you didn’t receive • A call from a debt collector about a medical debt you don’t owe • One or more medical collection notices on your credit report that you don’t recognize • A notice from your health plan or insurer saying you reached your benefit limit • A denial of insurance because your medical records show a condition you don’t have How to Get Things Back on Track after a Healthcare Breach If you do get the sinking realization that your medical information has been stolen, here are three steps you can take to protect yourself and minimize the damage. 1. Gather Documents and File Reports • A fter checking your credit report and collecting any statements or paperwork, you’ll want to file an identity theft report with the FTC. • If it’s your Medicare or Medicaid information that’s been nabbed, report that online or call (800) HHS-TIPS. • Additionally, if there are medical collections appearing on your credit report, you’ll want to contact Experian or the other credit bureaus to get the fraudulent information removed. 2. Collect Current Copies of Medical Records Get current copies of all your medical records from your doctors and all other healthcare providers, along with your medical insurer, plus the records of any family members who also may be affected. Go through the reports, looking for any treatments, procedures, or prescriptions that weren’t authorized for you and your family. In some cases, a scam artist may have maxed out your benefits for the year or done something else that might threaten www.50plusLifePA.com
your coverage and eligibility for treatment. You’ll want to check that all your personal information is correct, from your mailing and billing address to your blood type. If your medical records have been changed to reflect treatment for an imposter, they could contain dangerous errors, such as listing incorrect allergic reactions to some medications, a chronic condition such as diabetes, conflicting medication lists, or even an incorrect blood type. If you’re in an accident and brought into an emergency room, that kind of falsified information could prompt a dangerous or even fatal medical mistake. 3. Ask for Corrections Once you’ve reviewed your health records, report any wrong information and request corrections in writing. You can copy the records and highlight or circle any wrong entries to be deleted and write out additions or corrections. Make copies of everything you send, keep the originals, and make a record of what was sent, where, and when. Ask the provider to correct or delete each error. Send your letter by certified mail, and ask for a “return receipt,” so you have proof of what the plan or provider received. Include a copy of the police report and the identity theft report filed with the FTC. The healthcare provider is required to correct your records and alert any laboratory or other provider that may have received incorrect information. The FTC advises that if a provider won’t make corrections, you should ask that a statement of your dispute and corrections be included with your medical records. For more information on medical ID theft, visit the Experian blog (www. experian.com/blogs/ask-experian). Brian O’Connell is an award-winning personal finance journalist, the founding managing editor of Bankrate.com, executive ghostwriter, and author of The $1,000 Challenge: How One Family Slashed Its Budget Without Moving Under a Bridge or Living on Government Cheese, which was named Best Money Management Book of the Year by The Institute for Financial Literacy.
“There’s no place like home.” We agree. –L. Frank Baum
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 •
October 2018
35
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