50plus LIFE Lebanon County February 2018

Complimentary

Lebanon County Edition | February 2018 • Vol. 13 No. 2

February is american heart month High Blood Pressure Has Been Redefined

special section: tours and trips page 10

page 4

soldier stories page 14

On Life and Love after 50

5 Lessons I’ve Learned in 3 Years of Retirement Tom Blake

“Be a friend. Change a life.”

Volunteers NEEDed Make a difference and be a friend to someone who is lonely and isolated. All it takes is 4 hours per month, with training and support provided.

Caring adults like you are matched in one-to-one supportive friendships with people of the same gender who are living with mental illness.

Are you a veteran?

We need your help to be a friend to a fellow veteran who is living with a mental illness.

You can help a person in mental health recovery by being a friend!

4 South 4th St., Lebanon

(717) 272-8317

www.compeer-lebanon.org 2

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When I was pondering retirement from the deli I had founded and worked in for 25 years, the main thing I looked forward to was having “free time.” With it, I could do nothing — if I wanted — which sounded great after all those years of serving sandwiches.

Three years ago, I sold the deli. I’m glad I worked until age 75. Working until then helped me build a small financial nest egg and kept my body moving and my mind active.

However, I realized quickly that I didn’t want a lot of “free time.” It wasn’t good for me. I’m not built to sit around; I found I must have projects to work on.

Every morning, I make a to-do list for the day. If I haven’t crossed each item off by day’s end, so be it. But, the list keeps me focused.

Soon, that “free time” became “busy time.” And from three years of busy time came five lessons learned in retirement.

1. The most important retirement lesson learned is the need to have

social interaction with people. To be too isolated is not good for one’s health.

A good way to interact with people is by joining groups. Meetup.com lists thousands of groups and activities and should provide plenty of ideas for people not sure what to do to meet others.

Another important note about social interaction after retirement: Mix interactions with younger people into your life — kids, grandkids, great-grandkids, or friends younger than yourself — to keep you thinking young.

2. The second retirement lesson I’ve learned is the importance of keeping my body moving. It’s a daily priority for me.

My goal is 10,000 steps a day as measured by my wrist Fitbit device. I don’t always reach that goal, but I’m there four to five days a week.

And I admit that there are nights, when I haven’t quite reached the 10,000 goal, where I walk around the kitchen and living room enough times

Happy Fat Tuesday This year the revelry of the carnival season will culminate on Tuesday, Feb. 13, in celebrations around the world before the start of Lent.

In the United States, the city of New Orleans is the capital for all things Mardi Gras, which is French for “Fat Tuesday.”

Although the city has roots deeply centered in French heritage,

it was not the first American city to host this event. French-Canadian explorer Pierre Le Moyne d’Iberville is rumored to have held the first Mardi Gras in a location about 60 miles downriver.

Years later, settlers, along with French soldiers, would continue the practice by donning masks and enjoying festivities in the newly established town of Mobile, Alabama. www.50plusLifePA.com

to get the goal. It’s a little weird, but it keeps me moving.

Weather permitting, I do stand-up paddle boarding (SUP) four to five times a week with a buddy. We meet all kinds of friendly men and women who are walking or paddling. So, there is social interaction in addition to the exercise.

3. The third retirement lesson I’ve learned is the need to have a purpose in life — something with meaning. It doesn’t have to be a huge project.

Volunteering and helping others is a great way to fulfill this human need. Some people use the words “giving back.” There are lots of people around who are way less fortunate than I am. They can use a little help.

How I help them doesn’t matter — giving of my time, or what little money I can afford — makes me feel good.

For people still working, I think it’s important to start planning for retirement before the big day arrives. Find an interest, a purpose, or a passion so that you’ll be up to speed when the time comes.

4. The fourth retirement lesson I’ve learned is the importance of keeping one’s mind and brain stimulated. For some, it’s the love of reading that fulfills this need.

For me, it’s my writing. I’ve been a newspaper columnist for 23 years. I love it; every week I generate a column and/or a newsletter article. I am grateful for the opportunity.

5. The fifth retirement lesson I’ve learned is to be willing to step out of one’s comfort zone.

If you’re single, and you’ve made a list of the qualities you seek in a mate, don’t be shackled by the list. For example, let’s say one of the qualities is

to meet a widower of the same faith.

But you meet a divorced man instead. And he’s not of the same faith or the same nationality. But you like him because he’s a gentleman.

Step out of your comfort zone and take a chance on him. Let yourself be enlightened. You’d be surprised at the number of seniors unwilling to do that. Don’t be an old fuddy-duddy.

Those are the five biggest takeaways I’ve learned in three years of retirement. In 2018, I’ll probably learn a few more retirement lessons. But, if I can master these five, I will be ahead of the game.

For dating information, previous articles, or to sign up for Tom’s complimentary, weekly e-newsletter, go to www.FindingLoveAfter50.com.

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

Office of Aging Lebanon County Area Agency on Aging (717) 273-9262 Pharmacies CVS/pharmacy www.cvs.com Senior Centers Annville Senior Community Center (717) 867-1796

Emergency Numbers Poison Control Center (800) 222-1222 Food Resources Food Stamps (800) 692-7462

Bureau of Blindness and Visual Services (717) 787-7500

Medicaid (800) 692-7462

CONTACT Helpline (717) 652-4400

Medicare (800) 382-1274

Kidney Foundation (717) 652-8123

PennDOT (800) 932-4600

Lebanon County Area Agency on Aging Meals on Wheels (717) 273-9262

The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (717) 652-6520

Pennsylvania Crime Stoppers (800) 472-8477

Lupus Foundation (888) 215-8787 Hearing Services Melnick, Moffitt & Mesaros ENT Associates 927 Russell Drive, Lebanon (717) 274-9775

Recycling (800) 346-4242

Pennsylvania Office for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing (800) 233-3008 V/TTY Hospitals Medical Society of Lebanon County (717) 270-7500

U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (800) 827-1000 Housing Assistance Housing Assistance & Resources Program (HARP) (717) 273-9328

WellSpan Good Samaritan Hospital 252 S. Fourth St., Lebanon (717) 270-7500 Hotlines Energy Assistance (800) 692-7462

Lebanon County Housing & Redevelopment Authorities (717) 274-1401

Lebanon County Christian Ministries (717) 272-4400 Salvation Army (717) 273-2655 Funeral & Cremation Services Cremation Society of Pennsylvania Serving Lebanon County (800) 720-8221 Health & Medical Services Alzheimer’s Association (717) 651-5020 American Cancer Society (717) 231-4582 American Diabetes Association (717) 657-4310 American Heart Association/ American Stroke Association (717) 207-4265 American Lung Association (717) 541-5864 Arthritis Foundation (717) 274-0754

Environmental Protection Agency Emergency Hotline (800) 541-2050 IRS Income Tax Assistance (800) 829-1040

Maple Street Senior Community Center (717) 273-1048

Social Security Information (800) 772-1213

Myerstown Senior Community Center (717) 866-6786

United Way of Lebanon County 2-1-1

Lebanon HOPES (717) 274-7528, ext. 3201 Insurance Medicare Hotline (800) 638-6833 Legal Services Pennsylvania Bar Association (717) 238-6715

Northern Lebanon County Senior Community Center (717) 865-0944 Palmyra Senior Community Center (717) 838-8237 Senior Center of Lebanon Valley (717) 274-3451 Veterans Services Governor’s Veterans Outreach (717) 234-1681 Lebanon VA Medical Center 1700 S. Lincoln Ave., Lebanon (717) 228-6000 or (800) 409-8771 Volunteer opportunitIes Compeer of Lebanon County 4 S. Fourth St., Lebanon (717) 272-8317 RSVP of the Capital Region (717) 454-8647

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

www.50plusLifePA.com

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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 McNallen

BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT Account Executives Janette McLaurin Jessica Simmons Angie Willis Account Representatives Matthew Chesson Jennifer Schmalhofer Gina Yocum Events Manager Kimberly Shaffer Marketing Coordinator Martha Lawrence

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.

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February is American Heart Month Cover Story

High Blood Pressure Redefined High blood pressure should be treated earlier with lifestyle changes and in some patients with medication — at 130/80 mm Hg rather than 140/90 — according to the first new, comprehensive high blood pressure guidelines in more than a decade.

The guidelines are being published by the American Heart Association and the American College of Cardiology for detection, prevention, management, and treatment of high blood pressure.

Rather than 1 in 3 U.S. adults having high blood pressure (32 percent) with the previous definition, the new guidelines will result in nearly half of the U.S. adult population (46 percent) having high blood pressure, or hypertension.

However, there will only be a small increase in the number of U.S. adults who will require antihypertensive medication, authors said.

These guidelines, the first update to offer comprehensive guidance to doctors on managing adults with high blood pressure since 2003, are designed to help people address the potentially deadly condition much earlier.

The new guidelines stress the importance of using proper technique to measure blood pressure. Blood pressure levels should be based on an average of two to three readings on at least two different occasions, the authors said.

High blood pressure accounts for the second largest number of preventable heart disease and stroke deaths, second only to smoking. It’s known as the “silent killer” because often there are no symptoms, despite its role in significantly increasing the risk for heart disease and stroke.

Paul K. Whelton, M.B., M.D., M.Sc., lead author of the guidelines published in the American Heart Association journal, Hypertension, and the Journal of the American College of Cardiology, noted the dangers of blood pressure levels between 130-139/80-89 mm Hg. “You’ve already doubled your risk of cardiovascular complications compared to those with a normal level of blood pressure,” he said.

“We want to be straight with people — if you already have a doubling of risk, you need to know about it. It doesn’t mean you need medication, but it’s a yellow light that you need to be lowering your blood pressure, mainly with non-drug approaches.”

Blood pressure categories in the new guideline are:

• Normal: Less than 120/80 mm Hg • Elevated: Top number (systolic) between 120129 and bottom number (diastolic) less than 80 • Stage 1: Systolic between 130-139 or diastolic between 80-89 • Stage 2: Systolic at least 140 or diastolic at least 90 mm Hg • Hypertensive crisis: Top number over 180 and/or bottom number over 120, with patients needing prompt changes in medication if there are no other indications of problems, or immediate hospitalization if there are signs of organ damage The new guidelines eliminate the category of prehypertension, which was used for blood pressures with a top number (systolic) between 120-139 mm Hg or a bottom number (diastolic) between 80-89 mm Hg. People with those readings now will be categorized as having either elevated (120-129 and less than 80) or stage 1 hypertension (130-139 or 8089).

Previous guidelines classified 140/90 mm Hg as stage 1 hypertension. This level is classified as stage 2 hypertension under the new guidelines.

The impact of the new guidelines is expected to be greatest among younger people. The prevalence of high blood pressure is expected to triple among men under age 45 and double among women under 45, according to the report.

The guidelines stress the importance of home blood pressure monitoring using validated devices and appropriate training of healthcare providers to reveal “white-coat hypertension,” which occurs when pressure is elevated in a medical setting but not in everyday life.

Home readings can also identify “masked hypertension,” when pressure is normal in a medical setting but elevated at home, thus necessitating treatment with lifestyle and possibly medications.

“People with white-coat hypertension do not seem to have the same elevation in risk as someone with true sustained high blood pressure,” Whelton said. “Masked hypertension is more sinister and very important to recognize because these people seem to have a similar risk as those with sustained high blood pressure.” www.50plusLifePA.com

February is American Heart Month

50plus LIFE just earned 4 Media Awards!

1st Place

Other changes in the new guideline include: • Only prescribing medication for stage 1 hypertension if a patient has already had a cardiovascular event, such as a heart attack or stroke, or is at high risk of heart attack or stroke based on age, the presence of diabetes mellitus, chronic kidney disease, or calculation of atherosclerotic risk (using the same risk calculator used in evaluating high cholesterol) • Recognizing that many people will need two or more types of medications to control their blood pressure and that people may take

their pills more consistently if multiple medications are combined into a single pill • Identifying socioeconomic status and psychosocial stress as risk factors for high blood pressure that should be considered in a patient’s plan of care The American Heart Association, American College of Cardiology, and nine other health-professional organizations developed the new guidelines, which were written by a panel of 21 scientists and health experts who reviewed more than 900 published studies.

True Love or an Underlying Medical Condition?

In romance novels, a fluttering of the heart usually means true love.

In real life, the sudden sensation of your heart racing and pounding in your chest can be frightening enough to send you scrambling to call 911.

What’s behind heart palpitations, and how serious are they?

The human heart normally beats at a rate of 60–100 times a minute.

A heart rate of over 100 beats per minute is called tachycardia, a condition that may be serious.

But in most cases, a racing heart is of little concern. Common causes include stress, excessive caffeine, strenuous exercise, fever, www.50plusLifePA.com

hormone changes (connected with pregnancy, menstruation, or menopause), diet pills and some cold medications, or drug use.

If you feel your heart pounding, try to relax with some deep breathing or relaxation exercises. If such attacks are frequent, keep a record so you can discuss them with your doctor.

On the other hand, if your heart palpitations are accompanied by chest pain, shortness of breath, dizziness, or loss of conscious, seek emergency medical attention right away.

Palpitations can be a symptom of a more serious condition, such as hyperthyroidism or arrhythmia.

1st Place

Division C Profile “Suspense Author Rewrites ‘Retirement’”

by Megan Joyce

Division C Annual Directory

3rd Place

3rd Place

Division C General Excellence

Division C Profile “Get ‘Caught’

by Bluebirds”

by Megan Joyce

www.50plusLIFEpa.com

Your guide to choosing the right living and care options for you or a loved one.

Read it online, in print, and on mobile/tablet devices. onlinepub.com

22nd annual edition

Call today for your free copy!

(717) 285-1350 50plus LIFE p

February 2018

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February is American Heart Month Dear Pharmacist

5 Natural Remedies for High Blood Pressure that Really Work

Suzy Cohen

While waiting for a prescription, a friend of mine decided to check his blood pressure. He was dealing with a bout of walking pneumonia and his blood pressure spiked to 140/100!

Has this ever happened to you where you checked your BP at the pharmacy and it was suddenly high?

You can blame stress, the modern diet, lack of exercise, or a bad infection like my buddy had. You can blame other lifestyle factors, like smoking, too. Or it could simply be your genes, as high blood pressure, termed hypertension, tends to run in families.

If left untreated, hypertension can cause or lead to blindness, stroke, kidney failure, atherosclerosis, and heart failure.

Now, the good news. Here are five natural remedies that are proven to really work!

Account Representative

2. Magnesium Threonate Some forms of vitamins are better for certain conditions. With hypertension, look for the mineral magnesium threonate because this form of magnesium leaves your gut.

This type of magnesium can get into the bloodstream and get across your blood brain barrier, is easily absorbed by the cells, and has been proven to lower blood pressure and be stroke preventative as well.

Magnesium threonate is also great for helping promote good, healthy sleep and relaxation.

On-Line Publishers, Inc., a 22-year-old publisher and event-production company, is seeking an account representative to sell our award-winning 50plus LIFE, Resource Directories, events, and websites.

3. Garlic Garlic cloves and garlic supplements have been proven to lower blood pressure.

Garlic is an allium vegetable that is rich in antioxidants, good-for-you phytochemical and polyphenols, and sulfur-containing compounds called allicin (which are wonderful for collagen promotion too!).

Garlic is especially effective at lowering systolic blood pressure.

If you are hardworking, positive, outgoing, and enjoy selling products you believe in, please email your resumé and compensation history/requirements to danderson@onlinepub.com or mail to D. Anderson c/o On-Line Publishers, 3912 Abel Drive, Columbia, PA 17512.

www.onlinepub.com

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1. Hibiscus Tea Hibiscus tea is a wonderful remedy for high blood pressure. It’s been used to lower blood pressure in other countries for decades, and it really works.

In one study, researchers found that drinking hibiscus tea for just 12 days reduced systolic pressure by an average 11.7 percent and diastolic pressure by 10.7 percent.

You can buy commercially prepared teabags, or you can easily make your own fresh hibiscus tea each morning. It’s fabulous for memory.

In fact, if you email my customer service team (customerservice@suzycohen. com), I’ll send you the recipe card by email for “Memory Mint Hibiscus Tea.”

EOE

4. Omega-3 Fatty Acids Omega-3 fatty acids are found in fatty fish and some plant foods, such as nuts, seeds, and cruciferous vegetables.

Fish oil is wonderful for lowering high blood pressure because it contains the compounds EPA and DHA, which lower BP and keep your heart www.50plusLifePA.com

February is American Heart Month healthy overall. Fish oils help reduce triglycerides, and that reduces risk for heart attack and stroke.

5. Berries and Dark Chocolate I saved the best for last. Berries and dark chocolate … mmm! This sounds like a wonder-combo all of you can get on board with, right?

Raspberries, blueberries, blackberries, goji, and acai are rich in compounds called polyphenols, which lower blood pressure. Dark chocolate contains flavonoids, which dilate blood vessels, reducing pressure.

A tasty combo comes to mind: Try chocolate-covered blueberries or darkchocolate-dipped strawberries.

E March 10, 2018 9 a.m. – 2 p.m.

Hershey Lodge

This information is not intended to diagnose, prevent, or treat your disease. For more information about the author, visit SuzyCohen.com

Vitamin C, Vitamin E Help Reduce Stroke Risk The good news is that people are living longer, and the chance that you will live past age 65 is excellent (just 100 years ago, only 50 percent of Americans made it past 65).

The bad news? Women over 65 face double the stroke risk. But research shows that two supplements are excellent in helping reduce the stroke risk for older people.

In the survey, the participants with the highest amount of vitamin C intake — at least 133 milligrams per day — reduced their risk of stroke by 30 percent.

Smokers also benefited greatly from the highest vitamin C intake www.50plusLifePA.com

and cut their stroke risk by 70 percent.

And don’t forget your vitamin E, either, for added benefits. The study found that people whose intake was at least 15.5 milligrams per day reduced their risk for stroke by 20 percent.

To get an idea of how to get these nutrients in your diet, here are a few nutritional facts: a quarter cup of red bell peppers renders 71 milligrams of vitamin C, a half cup of strawberries renders 42 milligrams of vitamin C, and about 22 almonds renders 7.4 milligrams of vitamin E. – Adapted from Prevention magazine

325 University Drive, Hershey Look for

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Relax and unwind!

Women of all ages have enjoyed this fun-filled event!

Health & Wellness • Finance • Home Technology • Beauty • Nutrition Spa Treatments

and more!

Call about sponsor and exhibitor opportunitie s today!

aGreatWayToSpendMyDay.com principal sponsors:

717.770.0140 Lounge sponsor

supporting sponsors

Agora Cyber Charter School Homeland at Home Renewal by Andersen

media sponsors

FREE advance guest registration online! ($5 at the door.)

50plus LIFE p

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

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

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

Bethany Village

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

Cornwall Manor

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

Homeland Center

Homestead Village

Pleasant View Retirement Community

Woodcrest Villa Mennonite Home Communities

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

Cross Keys Village The Brethren Home Community 2990 Carlisle Pike New Oxford, PA 17350 Amy Beste Senior Retirement Counselor (717) 624-5350 a.beste@crosskeysvillage.org www.crosskeysvillage.org

Landis Homes

Enhanced Senior Living 1800 Marietta Avenue P.O. Box 3227 Lancaster, PA 17604-3227 Christina Gallagher Director of Marketing (717) 397-4831, ext. 158 www.homesteadvillage.org

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

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

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

2001 Harrisburg Pike Lancaster, PA 17601 Connie Buckwalter Director of Marketing (717) 390-4126 www.woodcrestvilla.org The CCRCs listed are sponsoring this message. This is not an all-inclusive list.

Nominations Sought for County Musicians Hall of Fame Applications for nominations to the Lebanon County Musicians Hall of Fame are being accepted by event sponsor Harmonia Music Association.

Applicants should be a native of Lebanon County and/or have been active in Lebanon

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County music for at least 15 years.

To sponsor an applicant, complete and submit the official form by Feb. 20. Applications received after the deadline will be held for next year’s consideration.

Those applicants not selected in this current

year will be held on file for seven years and will be considered in succeeding years.

Applications may be obtained online at Pennsylvania Federation of Music Clubs/ Harmonia (www.pfmc-music.org/clubHarmonia. html) or by calling (717) 273-0915. www.50plusLifePA.com

Fragments of History

Victor Parachin

Fascinating Facts about the ‘Feel-Good Food’

Chocolate has been making Americans smile for at least 4,000 years now — South Americans, that is.

Scientists believe the first cocoa trees grew wild in the Amazon valleys of South America. Archaeologists note that cocoa was cultivated by the ancient Mayans, who took it with them when they migrated to the Yucatan.

The Aztecs were also familiar with the cocoa bean, and they too carried it with them as they journeyed through Central America. Spanish explorers reported that the Aztec emperor, Montezuma, drank up to 50 cups of chocolate daily.

Today, four millennia later, chocolate has won over the world. Here are some fascinating chocolate facts.

Chocolate has been transformed. Today’s chocolate is quite different from what the ancient Mayans and Aztecs consumed. They allowed beans to ferment in the pod, and then roasted them and ground them into a fine powder, which was mixed with water.

The drink was cold, somewhat bitter, and called chocolatl. Some of the bitterness could be tempered with the addition of vanilla beans.

Columbus brings chocolate to Europe. Among the treasures Columbus brought back from the New World was a beverage he called cocoa. His mixture was more pleasing to European tastes because of the generous addition of sugar and milk.

It became such a sensation in the Spanish court of King Ferdinand that he demanded a vow of silence; no one was permitted to reveal the new, secret drink. The penalty for doing so was death.

His demand, combined with the threat of capital punishment, was effective. The Spanish had chocolate to themselves for nearly a full century before word of it leaked out.

It was believed to be a medicine. Early Spanish explorers declared chocolate a “divine drink” and believed it heightened resistance to disease and guarded against fatigue. Like the Aztecs, they also used it as a medicine for dysentery.

As the popularity of this mystical bean first spread to Europe, it was promoted as a chocolate medicinal drink that could cure various ills.

Many Europeans, including Italian adventurer and author Giacomo please see FACTS page 13

Please join us for these FREE events!

19th Annual

May 2, 2018 9 a.m. – 2 p.m.

DAUPHIN COUNTY

Hershey Lodge 325 University Drive Hershey

19th Annual

May 9, 2018 9 a.m. – 2 p.m.

LANCASTER COUNTY

Shady Maple Conference Center Smorgasbord Building 129 Toddy Drive, East Earl

15th Annual

June 6, 2018 9 a.m. – 2 p.m.

CHESTER COUNTY

For Love of Family Devotion. Compassion. Dignity. When your loved one needs help, join hands with Homeland at Home.

We are privileged to be part of your caregiving team.

Church Farm School 1001 East Lincoln Highway Exton

Exhibitors • Health Screenings • Seminars • Demonstrations • Entertainment • Door Prizes Limited Sponsorship Opportunities Available

Hospice

717-221-7890 (717) 285-1350 (717) 770-0140 (610) 675-6240

www.50plusExpoPA.com

www.50plusLifePA.com

HomeHealth

717-412-0166

HomeCare

717-221-7892

HomelandatHome.org Community Outreach of Homeland Center | Harrisburg, PA 50plus LIFE p

February 2018

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Tours and Trips Traveltizers

By Andrea Gross

In Their Shoes: Special Museums with a Personal Touch

It’s one thing to envision yourself as a fictional person who represents a group of anonymous folks, like a soldier or farmer. It’s another to imagine the thoughts of a real man or woman whose story has been well documented.

But here, in three extraordinary museums, each visitor actually takes on the identity of a particular individual whose future is still unknown.

Upon entering the museum, the participant is randomly assigned to follow a specific person who took part in a historic event.

Through a combination of digital technology, threedimensional displays, and a host of diaries, documents, and artifacts, he is able to see his alter ego’s actions and become privy to his thoughts.

According to the old proverb, you can’t truly know someone until you’ve walked a mile in his shoes. These are walks you’ll long remember.

Dioramas depict typical Civil War military camps at the National Museum of the Civil War.

Costumed interpreters fire canons at the National Museum of the Civil War.

The Grand Staircase has become symbolic of the opulence that defined the Titanic. It was 60 feet high and 16 feet wide.

A replica of a 1940s Pullman train, like that used by soldiers leaving for war, takes visitors to the first stop on their interactive journey through World War II.

A Civil War Soldier I’m communing with 13-year-old Delavan Miller, a drummer boy in the Union Army of the Potomac, circa 1862.

As I stop in front of a diorama depicting a typical military camp, Delavan confides that he had considered “falling out of line.” Across the room, my

husband is listening to 21-yearold Eli Pinson Landers, who fought for the South.

Delavan and Eli were real people, and my husband and I are using personal digital players to listen to their actual words, as recorded in letters and journals and spoken by actors.

The two boy-men fought for different causes, yet their thoughts were remarkably similar.

And this — the similarities of those on both sides of the war — is the overriding lesson of the National Museum of the Civil War Soldier at Pamplin Historical Park (www. pamplinpark.org) in Petersburg, Virginia.

As I don my headphones and listen to Delavan describe his experiences, I suddenly hear a gasp from another visitor.

Her “comrade” was describing a battle when a loud shot interrupted his words.

“He was killed,” she says quietly.

A Titanic Passenger The stars are out tonight. The weather is chilly; I pull my wrap around me more tightly … Oh my! What’s that? The ship shudders. I reach for a chair to keep my balance.

My name, according to the “boarding pass” I received when I entered the Titanic Museum in Branson, Missouri, is Eleanor Widener, and my cabin

From cruise vacations to flights, hotels and guided tours, let Krouse Travel help you plan the adventure of a lifetime.

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4 guests, 7 nights for only $6000 www.JamannSailingAdventures.com (717) 917-7118 Jim@JamannSailingAdventures.com

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Tours and Trips number aboard the ill-fated ship is C-80-82.

The Titanic left Southampton, England, on April 10, 1912, and was due to arrive in New York seven days later. Five days into the journey and about 1,300 miles northeast of its destination, it struck an iceberg. Most of the passengers drowned.

Unlike other museums Visitors stop at the “Wall of Stories” to that match visitors with a see if the Titanic passenger whom they real person and depict history represent lived or died. through the diaries and photographs of that person, Branson’s Titanic Museum (www.titanicbranson.com) recreates the past in its three-dimensional glory through a half-size replica of the actual ship as well as more than 4,000 artifacts.

Thus, in my role as the real Eleanor, I spend what may be my few remaining hours in this world climbing the grand staircase, shivering in the cold night air, and finally sitting in a lifeboat and praying that I’ll make it to safety.

Finally the real me goes to the ship’s Memorial Hall to find out what happened to my counterpart. Eleanor survived. Her husband and son did not.

In their honor, she donated more than $3.5 million to establish a Harry Elkins Widener Library at Harvard University, at the same time insisting that all Harvard students pass a swimming test before graduation.

After all, Harry might have saved himself had he been able to swim.

A World War II Aviator I’m so busy munching a beignet that I almost miss my train.

• U.S. Military • Active • Retired • Veterans • Motorcycle Clubs

• Law Enforcement • Fire Fighters • EMS • Paramedics • Friends/Family

American Heroes & Hogs Cruise 2019 Cheryl Whipple, Owner/Agent Whipple’s CruiseOne cwhipple@cruiseone.com

915 Harmony Hill Lebanon, PA 17046

(717) 639-3551

Sailing Nov. 10–17, 2019 Royal Caribbean’s Liberty of the Seas Port of Galveston, TX 7-night Western Caribbean Cruise Register today at

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www.50plusLifePA.com

I sink into my seat on the recreated Pullman car and stare at my digital dog tag. It contains the individual story of “my” veteran, the person I will follow as I go on a multimedia journey through World War II. Suddenly the train stops, and I’m in the Campaigns of Courage Pavilion, a 32,000-square-foot exhibition hall at New Orleans’ National World War II Museum The National World War II Museum (www.nationalww2museum.org). has thousands of artifacts, It contains two permanent from small helmets to huge jeeps. exhibits: “The Road to Berlin,” where people become immersed in the sights and sounds of war-torn Europe, and “The Road to Tokyo,” which leads visitors on a digital and experiential journey through the jungles of Southeast Asia and onto the beaches of the Pacific.

I begin in Europe, where, at various stops, I use my dog tag to unlock the story of John Morgan.

He was quite a man — a Medal of Honor winner, a POW, and a member of the unit that inspired the award-winning film Twelve O’Clock High. I feel honored to have known Lt. Col. Morgan, if only for a few hours.

I also feel incredibly lucky. I’ve accompanied three people on my museum visits, and they all survived.

My husband wasn’t as fortunate. His alter egos left him thrice dead.

For more information on these museums and the surrounding areas, go to www. traveltizers.com. Photos © Irv Green unless otherwise noted; story by Andrea Gross (www.andreagross.com).

For information or reservations : 717-569-1111 2018 catalog available, or visit our website: www.conestogatours.com MULTI-DAY TOURS • Nashville, Memphis & New Orleans.....................Mar 16 – 25 • Florida Winter Escape..........................................Mar 17 – 25 • Texas and San Antonio........................................... Apr 3 – 12 • Charleston, Savannah & Myrtle Beach................... Apr 8 – 13 • Biltmore Festival of Flowers & Dollywood............. Apr 9 – 13 • Creation Museum & Ark Encounter...................... Apr 18 – 21 • Boston Spring Getaway Weekend........................Apr 27 – 29 • Holland Tulip Festival............................................ May 7 – 11 • Myrtle Beach Spring Fling................................... May 14 – 18 • Nashville & Branson............................................ May 14 – 20 • Hudson Valley Springtime Holiday......................May 20 – 23 • Boston & Plymouth............................................. May 21 – 24 • Wine, Women & Waterfalls...................................... Jun 1 – 3 • Quechee Hot Air Balloon Festival......................... Jun 15 – 17 • Niagara Falls & African Lion Safari..................... Jun 19 – 22 • Black Hills of South Dakota & Yellowstone............. Jul 8 – 22 • California & the Pacific Northwest..........................Sep 9 – 28 • Canadian Rockies by Rail.................................Sep 30 – Oct 7 • Iceland – Land of Fire & Ice..................................Oct 21 – 27

ONE-DAY TOURS • Westminster Dog Show..................................................Feb 12 • New York Winter Special..................................Feb 17, Mar 10 • Terracotta Warriors – Franklin Institute.......................Feb 24 • Philadelphia Flower Show....................................... Mar 3 – 9 • Washington DC Kickoff................................................. Mar 17 • NY 9/11 Museum...............................................Mar 24, May 5 • Cherry Blossoms in DC.....................................Mar 31, Apr 4,7 • NY Auto Show..................................................................Apr 7 • NY World Trade Center Observation Tower...................Apr 14 • Monticello & Charlottesville..........................................Apr 14 • Museum of the Bible in DC.............................. Apr 21, May 19 • Georgetown House Tour................................................Apr 28 • NY Gourmet Shopping..................................................Apr 28 • Annapolis and the Naval Academy................................Apr 28 • Ocean City, MD Springfest..............................................May 5 • St Michaels, MD............................................................May 12 • Embassy Tour in DC......................................................May 12 • Cape May Mother’s Day................................................May 13 • Mt Vernon & Potomac River Cruise..............................May 30

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February 2018

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Tours and Trips Savvy Senior

Jim Miller

Escort Services that Can Help Seniors with the Rigors of Travel If, however, your mom doesn’t require a lot of assistance, or if you can’t afford a travel escort, consider asking a trusted family member or friend that has some air travel experience.

Dear Savvy Senior, Do you know of any services that help seniors with the rigors of traveling? My youngest daughter is getting married in a few months and would love to have my 82-year-old mother attend, but she needs help flying across the country.

– Searching Daughter Dear Searching, Traveling can be daunting under the best circumstances, but for elderly seniors, those with disabilities, or those recovering or rehabilitating from an illness or injury, it can seem particularly overwhelming or unmanageable.

Fortunately, there are a number of companies that provide traveling companion/escort services to help older adults with the rigors of travel.

Whether it’s seniors going on vacation or grandparents wanting to join their far-off families for weddings and graduations, travel companions help clients who need help moving through airports, managing luggage, navigating busy terminals and hotel lobbies, and much more.

Some companion services even provide personal care, such as medication reminders, dressing, bathing, and feeding. And for those with specific medical needs, traveling nurse services are available too.

But be aware that these services aren’t cheap.

You will pay for the travel companion’s tickets, the companion’s hotel room if necessary, meals,

incidentals, and fees for the service.

The price to accompany a client on a plane trip within the United States — including the companion fees and travel costs for all parties — can range anywhere from $1,500 to $5,000 or more for coach airfare. Business or first class would cost more.

To locate a travel-companion service in your area, search online for “senior travel companion” or “senior travel escort,” followed by your mom’s city or state.

Or use an experienced national service, such as Flying Companions (www.flyingcompanions.com) or FirstLight Home Care (www.firstlighthomecare. com), which has a national network of franchises that provide in-home care for seniors and offers travel companion programs in about one-third of its 130 franchises.

Or, for medical travel companions, do a search for “traveling nurse escort” or “medical travel companion,” or check out Travel Care & Logistics (www.yourflightnurse.com), which provides registered nurses as escorts.

Questions to Ask If you’re interested in hiring a travel-companion service to help your mom, there are a number of things you need to check into to ensure you get the right escort.

First, if your mom requires personal or medical care while traveling, find out if the escort is trained to manage her healthcare needs. What sort of medical certifications do they have (nursing credentials, CPR training, etc.)?

Also, find out how many trips the companion has taken with clients. Have they completed trips with travelers like your mom? How long has the travel service company been in business?

What is the company’s safety record? And what sort of insurance does it carry, and what and whom does it cover?

Also, get a quote breaking down exactly what you’ll be required to pay, in addition to the companion’s fees. And, get a list of two or three clients/references who have used their service and call them.

Jim Miller is a regular contributor to the NBC Today show and author of The Savvy Senior Book. www. savvysenior.org

Watch Your Manners When You Travel Traveling abroad is stressful enough without accidentally offending the people you’re visiting.

Check out these warnings from the BuzzFeed

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February 2018

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website to steer clear of a faux pas in a foreign nation: China – Don’t give any kind of gift with the number four in it. The Chinese word for “four” sounds close to the word for “death.”

Denmark – You’ll show bad manners if you take the last item of food off a plate. If you want a little more, take only part of it and leave the rest.

India – Use your right hand when eating or passing food, never your left. The left hand is considered unclean in India, as well as other places like Africa and the Middle East.

Japan – Don’t stick your chopsticks straight up in a bowl of rice. Rice is presented this way during funerals.

Doing it at a meal will be seen as bad luck.

Mexico – Your server won’t bring your check to the table before you ask for it, so don’t assume he or she isn’t paying attention to you. www.50plusLifePA.com

Lebanon County

Calendar of Events

Community Programs/Support Groups Free and open to the public

Senior Center Activities

Feb. 28, 6-7 p.m.

Alzheimer’s and Dementia Family Support Group Linden Village 100 Tuck Court, Lebanon (717) 274-7400

Annville Senior Activity Center (717) 867-1796 200 S. White Oak St., Annville Feb. 1, 9 a.m. – Midwinter Pajama Party with Catered Breakfast Feb. 15, 11:30 a.m. – Lunch Club Meeting at Hilltop Café Feb. 20, 11 a.m. – Movie Day

If you have an event you would like to include, please email information to mjoyce@onlinepub.com for consideration.

Library Programs Annville Free Library, 216 E. Main St., Annville, (717) 867-1802 Feb. 6, 6:30 p.m. – Adult Coloring Club Feb. 13, 6:30-8 p.m. – Uke Jam Night Feb. 28, 6:30-8 p.m. – The Spectacular Spinners of Annville

parks and recreation All events held at the Park at Governor Dick unless noted.

Feb. 17, 10 a.m. – Great Backyard Bird Count

FACTS from page 9 Casanova, claimed it was an inducement to romance. Called an “inflamer of passions,” chocolate was said to tempt monks to break their vows. Its romantic powers are likely the reason chocolate is connected to Valentine’s Day. Chocolate spreads across Europe. The first country beyond Spain to enjoy chocolate was Italy in 1606. An Italian visiting Spain — Antonio Carletti — encountered chocolate and brought samples back to Italy. Soon Italians were in search of their own source of chocolate.

France received chocolate as part of the dowry for the marriage of the Spanish princess Maria Theresa to King Louis XIV in 1660. French royals, like their Spanish counterparts, were enthralled with chocolate. In fact, King Louis established a new court position: royal chocolate maker to the king.

It was a French citizen who brought chocolate to England when he opened a London shop in 1657, where he sold blocks of chocolate to turn into a drink. Soon cocoa pubs were appearing all over England, developing such a following that ale makers tried to restrict the sale of their new competitor.

The Swiss produce a new chocolate texture.

Rodolphe Lindt, a Swiss citizen, experimented with producing a smoother, creamier chocolate, one that would melt on the tongue.

To do this he invented the “conching” machine. To “conche” meant to heat and roll chocolate in order to further refine it. He conched chocolate for 72 hours, adding more www.50plusLifePA.com

cocoa butter until it became smooth and creamy.

It’s called the ‘Food of the Gods.’ In 1753 the Swedish botanist, Carolus Linnaeus, gave the cocoa plant its scientific name: Theobroma cacao, literally “the food of the gods.”

The tree is cacao, the bean is cocoa, and the food is chocolate. This plant bears no relation to coconuts or coca, the source of cocaine.

North Americans experience chocolate.

The first North American chocolate was manufactured in 1765 in the corner of a Boston factory by John Hannon, an Irish immigrant.

America’s most famous chocolatier was a Pennsylvanian named Milton Hershey. In 1894 Hershey presented Americans with the first Hershey bar. He made it out of simple, basic ingredients: sugar, cocoa, chocolate, and milk.

The Hershey bar, which sold for a few pennies, was affordable to most Americans and was an astounding success.

Chocolate is heavenly and healthy. If you’re concerned that this delicious treat may not be all that good for you, take heart — some research indicates that chocolate may be the olive oil of desserts.

Three separate studies indicate that even when chocolate is consumed on a daily basis over a long period of time, it does not raise blood cholesterol levels in healthy individuals, while other forms of saturated fat do.

Those studies confirm what most of us already know — namely, that chocolate tastes good and may even be good for us!

Maple Street Senior Community Center (717) 273-1048 710 Maple St., Lebanon Feb. 2, 9 a.m. – Groundhog Day: Fruit and French Toast Breakfast Ball Participants Feb. 16, 9 a.m. – Meet and Mingle Pancake Breakfast with Dave Feb. 28, 11 a.m. – Lunch Bunch at Kleinfelter Hotel Myerstown Senior Community Center (717) 866-6786 Myerstown Baptist Church, 59 Ramona Road Myerstown Feb. 7, 10:30 a.m. – Board Games Feb. 14, 11:30 a.m. – Valentine’s Luncheon at Hoss’s Steak & Sea House Feb. 21, 7:45 a.m. – Breakfast Club at Blue Star Family Restaurant Northern Lebanon Senior Community Center (717) 865-0944 335 N. Lancaster St., Jonestown www.jonestownpa.org/senior.html Feb. 7, 10 a.m. – Dance to the Oldies Feb. 16, 20, 27, 10 a.m. – Meditation Feb. 21, 10 a.m. – Adult Coloring Palmyra Senior Community Center (717) 838-8237 101 S. Railroad St., Palmyra Feb. 5, 10:30 a.m. – “12 Ways to Survive Cabin Fever” Quiz Feb. 6, 10:15 a.m. – Blood Pressure Screening Feb. 22, 10:45 a.m. – Discussion: How to Avoid the Grandparent Scam Privately Owned Centers Senior Center of Lebanon Valley, Inc. (717) 274-3451 710 Maple St., Lebanon Washington Arms – (717) 274-1401 303 Chestnut St., Lebanon Just a snippet of what you may be missing … please call or visit their website for more information.

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February 2018

13

Soldier Stories

Robert Naeye

Near Chu Lai, Army Nurse Treated Civilians, Soldiers — and Vietcong

In the December 2017 issue of 50plus LIFE I told the story of Ann Thompson, who served as an Army nurse during the early period of direct American involvement in the Vietnam War. Now I turn to her friend and fellow nurse, Linda Goodhart, of Palmyra, who served in Vietnam four years after Thompson, from October 1969 to October 1970.

Goodhart was born in Philadelphia in 1947 and graduated from nearby West Chester High School. She went directly into a three-year nursing program at Philadelphia General Hospital, where she received her diploma.

The Army helped pay for her training in return for two years of service and four years of active reserve — although she was never specifically

Goodhart at the 91st Evacuation Bunker near Chu Lai Air Base, 1970.

told about the additional four years.

“The Army was my way of saving

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!

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February 2018

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Linda Goodhart today, right, with Ann Thompson, a fellow Vietnam nurse, in Goodhart’s backyard.

money for college,” says Goodhart.

Like Thompson, Goodhart attended officer’s training school at Fort Sam Houston in Texas. She learned basic navigation skills and how to shoot 45-calibre pistols. She also performed tracheotomies on goats to learn basic combat surgery.

But she agrees with Thompson that her Army training was woefully inadequate for the grim realities of wartime medicine.

“I wasn’t expecting to go to Vietnam, so I didn’t think about it,” she recalls.

But her Philly hospital would often treat very sick patients or victims of gunshot wounds or domestic abuse.

“You really got to see terrible things, so I felt, ‘I can do this, no problem,’” Goodhart says. “I thought it couldn’t get much worse than this — then I found out it could.”

Goodhart took a flight across the Pacific to Saigon. When she arrived, the heat and humidity hit her hard.

Making matters worse, nobody at the airport had her name, so she had no idea where to go. But she eventually figured things out by asking questions.

A few days later she was flown by helicopter to the 91st Evacuation

Hospital in the area of Chu Lai Air Base, about 100 miles south of the demilitarized zone. The pilot flew over the South China Sea to avoid enemy fire.

She spent her first three months in the South Vietnamese ward, treating primarily civilians and children. She was overwhelmed by the sight of so many patients.

“It was difficult at times dealing with that population because you couldn’t speak their language, but eventually we could figure out what they wanted,” says Goodhart.

Goodhart recalls one tragic incident where she and her colleagues were treating a comatose boy about 2 or 3 years old. His brain was swollen from malaria.

As was common in Vietnam hospitals, family members came to stay with the patients. The boy’s mother spoke very good English, so a nurse took her to the intensive care unit to translate for an enemy patient.

Shortly thereafter, the boy went into cardiac arrest. The doctors and nurses tried everything they could to save him, but he didn’t make it.

“When the mother came back, I had to tell her that her son had died and that we did everything we could,” recalls Goodhart.

The mother spent the night holding her baby. The next day the mother thanked Goodhart for trying to save her child, and Goodhart broke out in tears. But that was the last time she cried in Vietnam.

Goodhart’s evacuation hospital was relatively small, with about 70 beds and 20-25 nurses. But her Army base also had a surgical hospital.

Goodhart’s hospital was located on a gorgeous beach, but with 12-hour shifts six days a week, she had little time to appreciate it.

Conditions were often primitive.

The hospital’s only air conditioning was in the ICU. All personnel were given daily doses of antibiotics to fend off infections. And they had to www.50plusLifePA.com

contend with pouring rain without adequate clothing and footwear.

Goodhart asked her parents to send her a heating blanket, which she used to prevent items on her bed from collecting mildew.

Officers had to pay for their meals.

The Army food wasn’t great, but it was edible. To spice things up, Goodhart wrote home and asked her parents to send bottles of A.1.

“Pretty soon people started sitting with me so they could use my steak sauce,” she says.

Her parents also sent her copies of The Philadelphia Inquirer, which would generally arrive about a week late.

“I would read these stories and think, ‘This isn’t what’s going on here.’ The secret war in Cambodia was secret to the news people and to the people in the United States, but it wasn’t so secret to us because we’d get those folks [at the hospital].”

The hospital had a triage system that prioritized military personnel over civilians. Abdominal wounds usually came first, and brain injuries often came last. Patients with less severe injuries were kept either in “the rear” or at another hospital.

“Our philosophy was that if they live 12 hours, they’ll live for the rest of the time. But if they get too well too quickly, they get to go back to the fight. That’s what Army medical is for — to preserve the fighting strength.”

Goodhart frequently cared for enemy prisoners. There was always a military police officer present — two if prisoners were numerous — so Goodhart felt safe.

North Vietnamese POWs sometimes showed genuine appreciation for the care they received. Goodhart befriended two North Vietnamese captives who were later shot in cold blood by South Vietnamese soldiers while being driven to a POW camp.

In stark contrast, Goodhart describes Vietcong prisoners as “very scary people” who would sometimes threaten to slit the throats of the doctors and nurses. These guerillas

were often from the local area, so from their perspective, they were defending their homeland against foreign invaders.

The movie M*A*S*H came out in 1970, when Goodhart was on leave in Hong Kong. She says many of the characters were similar to doctors and nurses in Vietnam. The movie was set in the Korean War, but it was really about Vietnam.

One thing the movie (and television series) depicted accurately was what happened when wounded soldiers were coming in fast and furious. The doctors would have to practice “meatball surgery,” meaning they’d have to sew up patients and move them on.

“One of the biggest problems is that when we had new doctors coming in, they wanted to practice their specialties; they wanted to practice stateside medicine,” says Goodhart. “We would say, ‘No, you can’t do that.’”

Goodhart came home in October 1970 and attended college in Connecticut. She later went on to earn two master’s degrees in healthcare from Yale University. She moved back to Pennsylvania in 1980 to work in a nursing administration job at the Lebanon VA Medical Center.

After meeting at a Vietnam nurses group more than 25 years ago, in 1997 Goodhart and Thompson traveled with other nurses to Vietnam.

The trip was pleasant and cathartic, and most of the locals were very friendly. She even got to reacquaint herself with one of her Vietnamese patients.

Besides their friendship born of common hardship and experiences, Goodhart and Thompson got together with three other Vietnam War nurses to coauthor the book Another Kind of War Story, which is available through Amazon.

Robert Naeye is a freelance journalist living in Derry Township. He is the former editor-in-chief of Sky & Telescope magazine.

Subscribe Online At:

50plusLIFEPA.com www.50plusLifePA.com

April 9, 2018 May 30, 2018 9 a.m. – 2 p.m.

Wyndham Hotel York

NEW LOCATION!

2000 Loucks Road York

9 a.m. – 2 p.m.

Crowne Plaza Reading Hotel 1741 Papermill Road Wyomissing

Please, join us!

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

At the Expo

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

At the Job Fair

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

Sponsor & Exhibitor Opportunities Available

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

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February 2018

15

We’d Like to Know More About You Complete Our Reader Survey to be Entered in Our Drawing

Please participate in our confidential reader survey. The information you provide is important to us.

The results are for 50 LIFE’s use only. Thank you for participating and good luck in the drawing!

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It Was 50 Years Ago Today

‘(Sittin’ on) The Dock of the Bay’ Randal Hill

Sittin’ in the morning sun/I’ll be sittin’ when the evening comes Otis Redding was at peace — sort of — when he began his best-known creation on a friend’s houseboat in Sausalito, California.

On one lazy, sunny afternoon in 1967, Redding strummed his acoustic guitar and softly sang whatever lyrics drifted into his head.

He was going somewhere with a tune; he just didn’t know where.

Looks like nothing’s gonna change/ Everything still remains the same Were those lines meant to be ironic? At that point Otis Redding was really all about change.

He had wowed the (overwhelmingly white) crowd at the recent Monterey Pop Festival.

Aretha Franklin had taken his “Respect” to No. 1 on Billboard’s pop chart.

He had been listening to Bob Dylan and the Beatles.

He talked of starting his own record label.

•••

Born in 1941, Redding had grown up in Macon, Georgia, the home of Little Richard and James Brown, both early major influences. Redding left school at age 15 and went on the road to sing with the Upsetters, Little Richard’s former backup group.

Later on, Redding market,” Cropper Redding died at age 26 when his hooked up — as would say later. small private plane slammed into a But only Redding Wisconsin lake. lead singer — with another Macon and Cropper He and his five-piece band, the outfit, Johnny believed in the future Bar-Kays, had been heading to Jenkins and the classic. The power Madison for a club date. One band Pinetoppers. They people behind Volt member survived the crash. had scored a regional Records (Redding’s Steve Cropper ended up tinkering hit called “Love label) hated what with Redding’s work by adding sound Twist,” and Atlantic was offered and effects of gently lapping waves. The Records was showing condemned the result was a fine point on what rock interest. song as being too historian Dave Marsh once declared In October 1962 “pop” for Redding’s was “as whole, as fully realized and Atlantic invited hardcore fans. mature, as any record ever made.”

Jenkins to do Where was that Music fans obviously agreed; by “(Sittin’ on) The Dock of the Bay” signature Otis some recording in the end of the century, “Dock” had Otis Redding Memphis. Jenkins Redding soul? And earned a phenomenal 6 million spins February 1968 didn’t drive, so what was with that on the radio.

Redding chauffeured adlibbed whistling of his friend in a borrowed station Redding’s that showed up at the end? Randal C. Hill is a rock ’n’ roll historian wagon.

Three days after finishing recording who lives at the Oregon coast. He may be reached at wryterhill@msn.com.

The Memphis house band that “(Sittin’ on) The Dock of the Bay,” day included a future Redding advertisement collaborator, guitarist Steve Cropper.

The Jenkins session never came together, but in the studio that afternoon Redding cut an original soul ballad called “These Arms of If you want a funeral with an expensive casket Mine.”

It became the first of 21 hit singles and embalming, go to a funeral home! he would record in his brief lifetime.

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•••

On Oct. 4, 1967, Redding met with Cropper in a Memphis recording studio to polish Redding’s “(Sittin’ on) The Dock of the Bay.” “We knew we finally had the song that would cross him over to the pop

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February 2018

17

5 Things Everyone Should Do to Stay Safe Online, Particularly Older Adults

By Davis Park As we increasingly depend on an interconnected world, we also have a responsibility to practice safe internet behaviors every day of the year.

Unfortunately, as the number of adults 65 and older using connected devices continues to rise, so does the population of individuals most at risk for cyber crime.

Sixty percent of Americans aged 65 and above have reported using the internet. Yet for every incident of violent crime, three incidents of internet crime are committed against seniors. Older adults are estimated to lose $2.9 billion annually to financial abuse.

Although internet “hygiene” may seem overwhelming to people unfamiliar with new technologies, including the older adult population, anyone can feel confident and empowered by following a few easy steps.

This is exactly why the not-for-profit Front Porch Center of Innovation and Wellbeing offers five tips for internet safety for older adults, families, and caregivers everywhere.

1. Choose a Password.

Passwords are important “keys” to give us access to specific resources on the internet (such as email or bank accounts) and inform the websites we’re doing business with who we are.

While it can be a challenge keeping track of passwords, it’s important we avoid reusing them and protect this information.

Instead of changing your password: • Use a strong password rather than changing passwords regularly.

• Create passwords of 12–15 characters; focus on length over complexity.

• Strategically place special characters or symbols to avoid patterns rather than grouping them at the end.

• Using different passwords on each of your online accounts prevents hackers from accessing additional accounts.

• Add another layer of protection, if available, such as fingerprints or security questions.

Don’t panic. These guidelines can go a long way to keep you safe. Most websites, applications, and software limit the number of password guesses, which prevents someone from “nonstop guessing” your password.

Are You Reading?

Join the 2018 One Book, One Community campaign by reading Poison Study by Maria V. Snyder of Elizabethtown, Pa.

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February 2018

• Help prevent people from hacking your computer, laptop, smartphone, and even, in some cases, your smart home device (like Amazon Alexa or Google Home) • A lert you to websites and downloads that could be an entry point for suspicious software • Reduce the likelihood that malicious software is installed on your computer 3. Use Only Trusted Wi-Fi Resources.

Who doesn’t like free Wi-Fi? Many mobile devices come with wireless internet capabilities to help us stay connected while we’re traveling and wherever we go — but be wary. Hackers also love free or less secure Wi-Fi networks because they can use tools to intercept your internet communications.

Not all free Wi-Fi connections are created equal. Confirm that the business Wi-Fi connection you want to join belongs to the business you know and trust.

If you aren’t sure, ask.

• Avoid conducting personal business on community devices, such as public computers. Software may have been installed to track what you type and where you go on the internet to steal your information.

• W hen in doubt, try to use your personal Wi-Fi, hotspot, or the network connection on your smartphone.

4. Google it! Yahoo it! Bing it!

Regardless of what search engine you favor, use it to research an unfamiliar website before giving up your information.

Oftentimes, hackers create a link that may appear, at first glance, to be a legitimate website to trick you into giving up your personal data.

5. Safeguard your personal information.

Personal information, such as date of birth, Social Security numbers, bank account numbers, and passwords, are like gold to nefarious hackers, so treat and protect them as such.

Be wary of unsolicited phone calls and emails. Did you know that most banks are not allowed to ask you for passwords or personal identification numbers (PINs)? Asking for password/PIN information is a breach of “terms of service.”

• A sk which websites will have the personal information you have provided.

• A sk who else can access your information.

• Be careful where you put your current or past information. Dispose of everything as safely as possible (whether online or on paper).

80 libraries in Berks, Dauphin, Lancaster, Lebanon, Perry, and York counties and their community partners present the regional reading campaign.

Attend free library programs and discussions throughout February and early spring!

2. Keep that Antivirus Software Up to Date!

Your antivirus company is doing its part to be a step ahead of hackers. To get the best use of the software, stay current on your updates!

Antivirus software can:

The internet is a lively, expansive world of information, resources, and experiences. As many more older adults increasingly go online to take advantage of these conveniences and powerful tools, it’s important to use responsible and safe internet practices!

Visit www.oboc.org or your library to learn more

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Davis Park is the director of the Front Porch Center for Innovation and Wellbeing in Glendale, Calif. FPCIW has an ongoing mission of using technology to enhance wellbeing among older adults. For more information and resources, visit http://fpciw.org.

www.50plusLifePA.com

The Beauty in Nature

Wintering Feathered Commuters

Reach Active, Affluent Boomers & Seniors!

Clyde McMillan-Gamber

Several kinds of adaptable, whistling of duck wings as those birds wintering birds — including horned pass overhead. larks, Canada geese, mallard ducks, Sometimes those geese and ducks rock pigeons, mourning doves, land in croplands seething with pinkAmerican crows, red-tailed hawks, tinted, drifting snow. The geese mostly American kestrels, and screech owls — consume green blades of rye while the feed in fields harvested to the ground ducks shovel up corn. in southeastern Rock pigeons Pennsylvania, and mourning but they rest and doves eat weed digest their food and grass seeds elsewhere. and corn kernels Fields are in farmland. banquet tables Interestingly, flocks but not bedrooms of pigeons resemble between feeding gray-and-white forays for those confetti tossed common birds, across the fields except one species: when they land to horned larks. consume seeds and Sparrow-sized grain. horned larks eat Pigeons roost Mallard duck weed and grass on top of silos and seeds and bits in barns between of corn kernels feeding forays, but lying in harvested doves generally fields. These little perch on roadside brown birds, with wires and in attractive blacksheltering spruce and-yellow face trees on lawns. patterns, are the Gangs of only ones that wintering American winter exclusively crows ingest bits in those barren of corn and other fields. edible tidbits in They blend into cropland but roost bare ground, or overnight in stands nearly so, making of coniferous trees, Mourning dove them impossible deciduous trees in to see until they cities, or in larger fly. trees near shopping malls.

Canada geese and mallard ducks Red-tailed hawks hunt mice, rest on slow waterways and humansquirrels, and other critters in made impoundments but do much farmland but spend nights in spruce of their feeding in rye fields and trees in suburban areas. harvested cornfields. Both species are American kestrels and screech owls exciting to watch leaving their watery hunt mice in cropland — kestrels by roosts at sunset to fly to feeding fields. day and owls at night. But both these Flock after flock of them, for a few species roost in tree cavities, many of minutes, sweep swiftly up from the them in suburban lawns. water and power silhouetted across Fields are dining tables for these the brilliant sunset. One can hear birds. But each species rests and the excited honking of the geese and digests elsewhere. www.50plusLifePA.com

Reserve your space now for the 19th annual

Sponsor and exhibitor applications are now being accepted!

May 9, 2018 9 a.m. – 2 p.m.

Shady Maple Conference Center • Smorgasbord Building 129 Toddy Drive, East Earl Exhibitors • Health Screenings • Seminars Entertainment • Door Prizes

Why Participate?

It’s the premier event for baby boomers, caregivers, and seniors in Lancaster County • Face-to-face interaction with 3,000+ attendees • Strengthen brand recognition/launch new products

For sponsorship and exhibitor information:

(717) 285-1350

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February 2018

19

Taking Rx meds for high blood pressure and cholesterol after a heart attack?

Adding a BayerÂŽ Aspirin regimen can further help reduce your risk of another one.

#1 Doctor Recommended Aspirin Brand Aspirin is not appropriate for everyone, so be sure to talk to your doctor before you begin an aspirin regimen. Š2018 Bayer

Use as directed.