Complimentary | Lebanon County Edition
March 2019 • Vol. 14 No. 3
jack of all trades, master of many page 4
Russia: Cruising the Waterways of the Tsars page 2
special section: living your best retirement
page 9
Traveltizers
Russia: Cruising the Waterways of the Tsars Andrea Gross
“Russia is a riddle, wrapped in a mystery, inside an enigma,” said Winston Churchill in a 1939 radio broadcast. Things haven’t changed much in the intervening years. The world’s largest country is still a land of gilded domes and golden spires as well as grand art, great music, and blue waterways. St. Petersburg is filled with magnificent But it’s also a domed cathedrals. land that has been ruled by those who win revolutions as well as by those who win elections; is sometimes officially
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communistic and other times casually capitalistic; and whose relationship with the United States has ranged from somewhat cooperative to outright confrontational. An enigma indeed — which is, of course, exactly why my husband and I wanted to go there. The first thing we learn is that Russia Cathedrals abound in the small towns isn’t a particularly between St. Petersburg and Moscow. easy place for American tourists. Most find the language unintelligible, the alphabet indecipherable, and the regulations innumerable. For example, individual travelers need an “invitation” from an authorized Russian travel agency verifying exactly where they’ll be staying each night during their visit. Spontaneity is not allowed. Thus we opt for a riverboat cruise specifically designed for English-speaking passengers, which will let us travel in comfort and security. Our first stop is St. Petersburg, the cultural gem of Russia. It’s here that I see my first onion-domed cathedral, proudly presiding over a watery maze that splinters the city into 100 islands connected by nearly 400 canals and bridges. We spend three days amongst spectacular palaces, world-renowned museums, and magnificent gardens. We thrill to the performance of Swan Lake, which was first presented to the Imperial Ballet in St. Petersburg in 1895; tap our feet in rhythm to the rollicking music of the Cossacks; and are overwhelmed by the art of the Hermitage Museum, which has prehistoric artifacts as well as Greek sculptures and Impressionist paintings. Experts say that if a person were to spend one minute per exhibit, it would take him 11 years to see it all. Finally we visit a kommunalka, a communal home owned by several unrelated families. Each family has its own small room for living and dining, but they all share a common bathroom and small cooking area, which, in this case, consists of two stoves, a mini-refrigerator, and a few overloaded shelves. I don’t want to leave St. Petersburg. It has an air of restrained elegance — historically important, regally proud, and visually stunning. But it’s time for the Viking Akun, our 200-passenger ship, to head south to Moscow. For the next five days we cruise down the Svir and Volga rivers, stopping at a variety of small and midsize towns. A guide introduces us to a woman who’s making matryoshka dolls, those small sets of figures that decrease in size so that they nest one inside another. Traditionally these dolls were painted in intricate designs; today many have more contemporary, and sometimes controversial, motifs. One set, for example, depicts the largest doll as Putin and the smaller ones as former leaders of the Soviet Union, from Lenin to Yeltsin. Other sets are in www.50plusLifePA.com
the reverse, with Lenin outsizing Putin. We opt for one that features the Disney characters Anna and Elsa. All things considered, it seems a safer choice than the one that portrays Putin and Trump. We visit a school, eat lunch with a typical middle-class family, and tour churches filled with outstanding art. Before we leave I decide to be purified in a banya, St. Petersburg is a city of islands which involves taking a steam bath The Cossacks perform lively folk dances in a private performance for cruise connected by nearly 400 bridges and and birch-broom massage before passengers. canals. plunging into the cold river. Back aboard the ship we sit in the Panorama Bar and enjoy the river views as we listen to presentations on all things Russian, from the Volga to the vodka. Finally, sated with knowledge and food, the Viking Akun docks at Moscow. Like St. Petersburg, Moscow is gilded with domes, but while St. Petersburg is magical, Moscow is muscular. The cars are flashier, the streets more crowded, the malls Matryoshka dolls, also called nesting or stacking larger. There’s even a toy store that dolls, were first carved in Russia in 1890. covers more than a block.
We tour the Kremlin, where we hear stories of Romanov tsars and Communist leaders; enjoy the festive ambience of Red Square; and lunch at the enormous GUM department store, where any thoughts of Russia as a country devoid of luxury goods are quickly dispelled. But of course Moscow isn’t Russia. Nearly 80 percent of Russia’s people live west of the Ural Mountains, where traditions may be stronger but life may be harder. “But in Moscow there are more billionaires than babushkas,” says our guide. On the last night of our cruise a group of us reflects on our trip while we enjoy a Russian-inspired meal. “Churchill was right,” says one man. “Russia is most definitely an enigma.” For an expanded form of this story, see traveltizers.com. Photos ©Irv Green unless otherwise noted; story by Andrea Gross (andreagross.com).
Pet of the Month
Lolli Introducing Lolli! Lolli is a simply beautiful 9-month-old adult female kitty. She has lovely markings in all the right places. Lolli promises to try her hardest to always climb onto your lap instead of onto your curtains. One visit with this young lady and we are quite certain you will fall in love! For adoption process details, please visit lebanonhumaneleague.org, call (717) 628-1369, or stop in the Humane Society of Lebanon County, 150 N. Ramona Road, Myerstown.
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.
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Cover Story
Jack of All Trades, Master of Many
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50plus LIFE is published by On-Line Publishers, Inc. and is distributed monthly among senior centers, retirement communities, banks, grocers, libraries and other outlets serving the senior community. On-Line Publishers, Inc. will not knowingly accept or publish advertising which may be fraudulent or misleading in nature. Views expressed in opinion stories, contributions, articles and letters are not necessarily the views of the publisher. The appearance of advertisements for products or services does not constitute an endorsement of the particular product or service. The publisher will not be responsible for mistakes in advertisements unless notified within five days of publication. On-Line Publishers, Inc. reserves the right to revise or reject any and all advertising. No part of this publication may be reproduced or reprinted without permission of On-Line Publishers, Inc. We will not knowingly publish any advertisement or information not in compliance with the Federal Fair Housing Act, Pennsylvania State laws or other local laws.
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By Jason J. Tabor
Island as an officer on a destroyer escort ship, a small vessel with a small staff that was tasked with patrolling waters in the Caribbean. Visitors to historic Cornwall Iron Furnace in Freeland was in charge of the communications Lebanon have the opportunity to learn all about division of the operations the Revolutionary-War-era department (while also forge from local history serving as tactical signals buff-turned-tour guide Pat officer, cryptosecurity officer, Freeland. communications officer, “The furnace opened postal officer, Protestant lay in 1742 and has a lot of leader, and legal officer. historical significance. After his stint in the Cannonballs and cannons military ended, Freeland used by the Navy during returned to the area and the Revolutionary War were began his career in education made here, but not a lot of as a sixth-grade English people know about it,” he teacher — a job he enjoyed says. for 17 years, first in Maryland Freeland, now retired As a Navy officer during the Vietnam War and then in Massachusetts from a wide-ranging, eclectic era, Freeland spent three years based in after moving there to career, lives with his wife Rhode Island on a destroyer escort. pursue a master’s degree in of 40 years, Vicki, close to educational administration where he grew up in Lebanon at Northeastern and Boston County. A fan of all things universities. historical, Freeland’s own Along the way, he and personal history could fill a Vicki married in 1978 book or two. and soon had a son and a “I never knew exactly what daughter. I wanted to do with my life While in Massachusetts, when I was young, and I still a co-worker at his school don’t think I’ve figured it introduced Freeland to flying out,” he laughs. small single-engine planes, After graduating from and he soon received his own Cornwall High School, he pilot’s license. attended Lafayette College “My friend took me flying to earn a bachelor’s degree in a few times, and as usual, psychology, with the vague I wanted to know how all notion that he may one day The furnace’s “Great Wheel” weighs of those dials, levers, and become a school principal. 4 tons and measures 24 feet in diameter. instruments worked, and I He attributes his interest ended up becoming a pilot in education with his passion myself,” he remembers. for language, including a Tragedy was narrowly “passing familiarity with averted on one of Freeland’s French, Latin, German, and first solo flights when the Pennsylvania Dutch.” plane’s engine sputtered to a Shortly after his college stop shortly after takeoff. graduation, however, “I was relatively Freeland’s career plans were inexperienced, so instead put on hold when war broke of letting the plane spiral out in Vietnam and many downward and reduce speed, young men in the U.S. faced Cannonballs were cast in Cornwall for I just wanted to get back military conscription or the American Revolution. Pictured down on the ground as soon enlistment. here are “12-pounders.” as possible,” he laughs. “It was 1966 and the draft He guided the plane back down to a rough had begun. I figured my best option would be to go landing on a dirt runway at 120 miles per hour, ahead and enlist in the Navy,” he recalls. Freeland spent the next three years based in Rhode stopping just short of a stone wall bordering a www.50plusLifePA.com
he worked with a crew of volunteers to build and restore homes for needy cemetery at the edge of the airport. families in Lebanon. “I lost a couple teeth that day, but kept flying for years afterwards,” he remembers. But in 2016, Freeland was diagnosed with stage 4 bowel and liver cancer and After almost two decades in public education, Freeland would make the first told by his doctor that he may have only six months to live. Doctors advised him to discontinue the home renovations due to the possible infections that of many about-faces in his career. “The best part of teaching could result. was dealing with the kids each “I started chemotherapy day. I loved teaching the kids, immediately, and within a few but ultimately I just got tired months the lab results showed of dealing with the parents day that the cancer had gone into in and day out,” he laughs. remission. I’m really lucky, but After teaching, Freeland I’m still here tickin’.” dabbled in real estate sales, Cancer may have slowed but ultimately found his niche him down a little bit, but at 75 doing home renovation and Freeland remains busy. maintenance, founding a “We see our grandkids company that would perform every day, and when I’m not these services for realtors before puttering around the house homes went on the market. or yard, working, I’m at the Forty-two cannon were cast at the furnace; 41 were taken by wagon to Revolution-era ships “I’ve always enjoyed furnace giving tours or doing in Philadelphia. This one may not have proved tinkering, problem-solving, maintenance work,” he says. structurally sound. and being handy, so this was a In the casting house, the molten “One of the biggest lessons iron was tapped twice daily. Each much more natural fit for me I’ve learned through all of my tap was 2,800 pounds at 3,000 than sales,” he says. experiences is the importance of treating everyone you meet with respect. Every degrees. Two years later, he would one of us has a story to tell, and we can learn a lot if we take the time to listen.” jump into a completely Visit the Cornwall Iron Furnace website at cornwallironfurnace.org or call different career field by chance, when his neighbor offered him a job in (717) 272-9711. computer software programming — a field in which Freeland had no formal training. On the cover: “It was the late ’80s, and software companies were getting huge and needing Installed around 1841, this 20-horsepower, single-cylinder steam engine powered the furnace’s blowing equipment. to increase their staffing. I just dove into coding; I really loved it. There is something about problem-solving combined with creating something new that has always appealed to me,” he says. advertisement Freeland contributed coding to what would become one of the world’s most popular business email and calendar programs, Lotus Notes, and would go on to co-author a Lotus Notes for Dummies book and other tech-related publications. After retiring from the tech industry in 2002, he and Vicki moved back to If you want a funeral with an expensive casket the Cornwall area to be closer to family, including their five grandchildren. and embalming, go to a funeral home! While living in Massachusetts, Freeland spent his free time volunteering as a tour guide at WGBH Boston, a PBS television and radio affiliate. If you are interested in affordable cremation services, He also served as a guide aboard sightseeing ships in 1992 during the visit of we are the name to remember! the tall ships to celebrate the 1492 voyage of Columbus, “narrating the arrival No Embalming No Caskets of the ships and describing anything I could think of about Boston, its history, and its sights.” Those experiences, and his interest in teaching local history, led him to volunteer at Cornwall Iron Furnace in 2003, where he has been ever since. A unique survivor of the early American iron industry originally built by serving all of lebanon county since 1981 Peter Grubb in 1742, Cornwall Iron Furnace underwent extensive renovations Largest in the state of PA in 1856-57 under its subsequent owners, the Coleman family, and closed in For FREE brochures and pricing, call: 1883, according to its website (cornwallironfurnace.org). It is this mid-19th century ironmaking complex — furnace, blast equipment, 1-800-720-8221 (toll-free) or mail us ... and related buildings — that survives today as a National Historic Landmark. “I continue to do tours at the furnace and can supply lots of information Please send me FREE brochures and pricing! about its history and the processes involved in the production of iron,” Freeland www.cremationsocietyofpa.com says. “Recently I created a PowerPoint ‘Virtual Tour of the Cornwall Iron Name______________________________________________________ Furnace’ for people who could not manage the 90-plus steps in the furnace Address____________________________________________________ building. We hope to present it in the future to retirement homes around this area.” _______________________________ Phone ( )_________________ After Freeland returned to Central Pennsylvania he had also put his jack-of4100 Jonestown Rd., Hbg., PA 17109 Code all-trades skillset to use renovating homes with Habitat for Humanity, where LebSN Michael Weakland, Supervisor
AFFORDABLE CREMATION SERVICES
Cremation Society of Pennsylvania, Inc.
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Grief Relief
7 Ways to Grieve Mindfully Victor M. Parachin
Mounting scientific evidence from scores of universities strongly suggests that mindfulness not only reduces stress, but also gently builds an inner strength so that future stressors have less impact on our happiness and physical well-being. Simply stated, mindfulness is the natural human ability to be paying attention and aware of what is happening around us, to us, and within us. When we are mindful, we are more able to respond rather than react to issues, events, and people. Mindfulness is an important quality to bring into the bereavement process. Here are seven ways to grieve mindfully. 1. Mindful breathing. Grief produces stress, and when you are stressed, there are physical changes, such as increased heart rate, fast breathing, and high blood pressure. The shortest route to reducing this stress is to breathe deeply and slowly. When you breathe deeply, it sends a message to your brain to calm down and relax. Here is a simple breath exercise to do when feeling stressed called CPR. It’s done with three inhales and exhales. First, inhale slowly and say, “I am,” and then exhale slowly and say, “calm.” Second, inhale slowly and say, “I am,” and then exhale slowly and say, “peaceful.” Third, inhale slowly and say, “I am,” and then exhale slowly and say, “relaxed.” Do this for several minutes until you feel more calm, peaceful, and relaxed. 2. Mindful thoughts. When grieving, it’s easy to let the mind gravitate toward negative, catastrophic thinking. However, it doesn’t need to be that way. Rather than having your mind
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manage you and your feelings, flip the switch and manage your mind, training it to think positively and optimistically. Whenever negative thoughts emerge, replace them with positive ones. Move from “I can’t” and “I’m not able” toward “I can” and “I am able.” 3. Mindful words. Pay attention to the way you speak. Is your vocabulary positive and uplifting, or does it tend to focus on the negative and pessimistic? Use words, phrases, and sentences that build up, encourage, inspire, and applaud yourself and all those you come in contact with. 4. Mindful action. Take steps necessary to educate and inform yourself about the grief process. Read books and magazine articles, take workshops, join a grief support group. Some of the many benefits of being in a selfhelp group include: • Emotional, psychological, and spiritual support in a safe and nonjudgmental environment • Sympathy and understanding from others who have experienced a similar loss • The opportunity to accelerate the healing process through sharing your own story and hearing the stories of other grievers • Coping skills to help you through the most difficult days of your grief journey • New friendships with people who “get it” and understand firsthand what you’re going through • In a grief support group, you will meet people who are adjusting and adapting to their loss; these women and men can become inspiring role models for you • Permission to grieve and permission to live a happy, productive life 5. Mindful eating. Grief disrupts appetite. Some grievers eat too little, while others overeat. Practice mindfulness at meals. Be sure to mindfully eat fresh, healthy foods to keep your body strong during your grief journey. If preparing meals for just yourself is uninspiring, use this as a reason to invite company over for a meal or try a new restaurant with a friend. 6. Mindful exercise. To offset the shock and sadness of grief, engage in regular exercise most days of the week. Studies reveal that exercise can be just as effective for reducing depression as anti-depressant drugs. www.50plusLifePA.com
Even if you feel you can’t possibly drag yourself out of bed, get up and get moving. Think carefully about an activity that appeals to you — hiking, biking, swimming, yoga, group fitness classes, dancing, kayaking — and do it.
7. Mindful possibilities. As grief eases and days become lighter and brighter, begin to be mindful about your future. One chapter of your life has concluded, and now is the time to begin writing a new chapter.
Be mindful about your ability to tap into inner strength, move forward, and reinvent yourself. Victor M. Parachin, M.Div., is a grief counselor, bereavement educator, and author of several books, including Healing Grief.
Free Tax Assistance Offered Through April 16, the AARP Tax-Aide program will offer free one-on-one counseling as well as assistance on the telephone and internet to help individuals prepare basic tax forms, including the 1040, 1040A, 1040EZ, and other standard documents. The following are locations in your area. Please call for an appointment (unless otherwise noted) or visit aarp.org/money/taxaide for more information.
Lebanon Area Evangelical Free Church 600 Shepherd St., Jonestown Thursdays by appointment (717) 274-2596
Myerstown Church of the Brethren 51 W. Stoever Ave., Myerstown Tuesdays, 9 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. (717) 274-2596
Lebanon Senior Citizen Center 710 Maple St., Lebanon Tuesdays and Thursdays, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. (717) 274-2596
Trinity Lutheran Church 723 Lehman St., Lebanon Saturdays, 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. (717) 274-2596
At Your Fingertips Helpful numbers, hotlines, and local businesses and organizations eager to serve you—all just a phone call away. Emergency Numbers Poison Control Center (800) 222-1222 Food Resources Food Stamps (800) 692-7462
CONTACT Helpline (717) 652-4400
Medicaid (800) 692-7462
Kidney Foundation (717) 652-8123
Medicare (800) 382-1274
The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (717) 652-6520
PennDOT (800) 932-4600
Lebanon County Area Agency on Aging Meals on Wheels (717) 273-9262
Lupus Foundation (888) 215-8787 Hearing Services Pennsylvania Office for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing (800) 233-3008 V/TTY Home Care Services Homeland at Home Serving all of Lebanon County (717) 221-7892 Hospice Services Homeland at Home Serving all of Lebanon County (717) 221-7890 Hospitals Medical Society of Lebanon County (717) 270-7500
Pennsylvania Crime Stoppers (800) 472-8477
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
WellSpan Good Samaritan Hospital 252 S. Fourth St., Lebanon (717) 270-7500 Hotlines Energy Assistance (800) 692-7462
Arthritis Foundation (717) 274-0754
Environmental Protection Agency Emergency Hotline (800) 541-2050
Bureau of Blindness and Visual Services (717) 787-7500
IRS Income Tax Assistance (800) 829-1040
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Pharmacies CVS/pharmacy www.cvs.com real estate Heart & Home Properties (717) 276-9951 Senior Centers Annville Senior Community Center (717) 867-1796
Recycling (800) 346-4242
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 U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (800) 827-1000 Housing Assistance Housing Assistance & Resources Program (HARP) (717) 273-9328 Lebanon County Housing & Redevelopment Authorities (717) 274-1401 Lebanon HOPES (717) 274-7528, ext. 3201 Insurance Medicare Hotline (800) 638-6833 Legal Services Pennsylvania Bar Association (717) 238-6715 Office of Aging Lebanon County Area Agency on Aging (717) 273-9262
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 RSVP of the Capital Region (717) 454-8647
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Not an all-inclusive list of advertisers in your area.
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Reach Active, Affluent Boomers & Seniors!
Reserve your space now! April 30, 2019 9 a.m. – 2 p.m.
Shady Maple Conference Center LANCASTER COUNTY
Smorgasbord Building 129 Toddy Drive, East Earl
May 28, 2019 9 a.m. – 2 p.m. Hershey Lodge
DAUPHIN COUNTY
325 University Drive Hershey
Exhibitors • Health Screenings • Seminars Entertainment • Door Prizes
Why Participate?
Premier events for baby boomers, caregivers, and seniors • Face-to-face interaction with 1,500+ attendees • Strengthen brand recognition/launch new products
For sponsorship and exhibitor information:
(717) 285-1350 • (717) 770-0140
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March Used to Be the First Month of the Year Before the ancient Roman calendar was updated to include the winter months of January and February, the year started with March. Named for Mars, the Roman god of war, March was the time of year in ancient Rome when military campaigns could begin anew as the inclement days of winter were past. Here are a few other tidbits about March you might find interesting: It’s all about the weather. The phrase “in like a lion and out like a lamb” is often used to refer to this month. The snow and bone-chilling cold weather at the beginning of March will often give way to warmer temperatures that allow for the first buds of the year to come forth by the time April rolls around. However, there are times when the weather at the end of March makes one doubt that warmer days are ahead. According to folklore, “borrowing days” occur when it rains during the last three days of the month because March has borrowed the weather from traditionally rainy April. By comparison, the first three days of month are referred to as “blind days,” during which time farmers should avoid sowing their crops. Rainfall during blind days is considered an omen for a poor harvest later in the year. You must believe in spring, at some point. Regardless of the weather, a change is on the horizon, and it has a lot to do with the sun. The hours of day and night are nearly the same when the vernal equinox arrives, heralding the first day of spring for those of us living in the Northern Hemisphere. In places such as Australia, New Zealand, most of South America, a portion of Africa, and a bunch of tiny island nations in the South Pacific, this is the beginning of autumn. In bloom. The daffodil is considered the flower of March, and if you planted bulbs last fall, you should enjoy blooms this month. The daffodil is believed to symbolize deep love or regard. To give a gift of daffodils shows your unequivocal regard for the recipient. In stone. The modern birthstone for March is aquamarine, but ancient Arabic, Hebrew, and Hindu practices associate the bloodstone with this month. Tibetan mystics consider jade to be March’s birthstone. A month of madness. The overwhelming insanity that rules this time of year has little to do with brackets and college basketball. The phrase “mad as a March hare” references the aggressive behaviors the male of this species exhibits during mating season. www.50plusLifePA.com
Living Your Best Retirement
Navigating the 3 Financial Stages of Retirement People often view retirement as just one more stage of life. But that’s not exactly the case. Retirement isn’t just one stage; it’s at least three — although all three do share something in common. “Every stage of retirement requires planning,” says Jack Teboda, president of Teboda & Associates, a financial services firm in Illinois. “Otherwise, you could end up running out of money, or your health might take a turn for the worse and negatively impact your retirement savings because you hadn’t planned for it in those early years of retirement.” It’s not easy to put exact ages on each of the three stages of retirement. That likely will vary from person to person, depending on their finances, health, and family situation. But here’s what to look for in each stage: please see STAGES page 10
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Please join us for these FREE events!
Living Your Best Retirement
20th Annual
April 30, 2019 9 a.m. – 2 p.m.
LANCASTER COUNTY
Shady Maple Conference Center Smorgasbord Building 129 Toddy Drive, East Earl
20th Annual
May 28, 2019 9 a.m. – 2 p.m.
DAUPHIN COUNTY
Hershey Lodge 325 University Drive Hershey
16th Annual
June 5, 2019 9 a.m. – 2 p.m.
CHESTER COUNTY
Church Farm School 1001 East Lincoln Highway Exton
23rd Annual
Sept. 18, 2019 9 a.m. – 2 p.m.
LANCASTER COUNTY
Spooky Nook Sports 2913 Spooky Nook Road Manheim
17th Annual
Sept. 25, 2019 9 a.m. – 2 p.m.
YORK COUNTY
York Expo Center Memorial Hall East 334 Carlisle Ave., York
20th Annual
Oct. 16, 2019 9 a.m. – 2 p.m.
CUMBERLAND COUNTY
Carlisle Expo Center 100 K Street Carlisle
Exhibitors • Health Screenings • Seminars Demonstrations • Entertainment • Door Prizes
STAGES from page 9 Stage One: Adjust to a new lifestyle. Many new retirees brim with excitement when retirement begins. They can golf, visit museums, play with their grandchildren, travel, or catch up on their reading. Not everyone adjusts well, though. It’s not easy to flip the switch overnight after you’ve spent several decades reporting to work every day. Also, if your retirement income is largely dependent on your savings, you’ll want to be careful that you don’t spend too much in those initial years. “Your adviser should be able to help you come up with a plan that will give you income for life so you don’t have to worry about running out of money,” Teboda says. Stage Two: Staying socially connected. As the years pass, many retirees move closer to their children or move into a retirement community because it makes them feel more socially connected. “Sometimes at this point, especially if they haven’t planned well, people may start to have even more worries that they will outlive their money,” Teboda says. “One way to address that is to cut back on expenses. Some people even decide to get a part-time job to bring in extra money, and working becomes another way to stay connected.” Stage Three: Realizing you may need assistance. More than 70 percent of Americans older than 65 will need some form of long-term care at some point in their lives, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. “When people map out their retirement,” Teboda says, “they need to plan for that possibility because the cost of long-term care can be devastating to your finances.” He says people need to consider a number of factors — taxes, longevity, and market risks, among others — to improve the odds of a joyful retirement. This is one reason Teboda says his firm takes a team approach to advising, using financial professionals with different areas of expertise. For example, one team member is an associate financial adviser and another is an attorney specializing in estate planning. “In each stage of retirement,” Teboda says, “it’s important to confer regularly with your adviser and to be ready to adjust your financial plans if necessary.” Jack Teboda, president and founder of Teboda & Associates (teboda.com), has more than 35 years’ experience helping people pursue financial independence through personalized investment strategies. An investment adviser representative, Teboda’s firm takes a team approach to advising clients on retirement concerns and other financial-planning issues.
Sponsor & Exhibitor Opportunities Available
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“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.
Living Your Best Retirement
For Love of Family
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
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Savvy Senior
Deciding What to Do in Retirement
Living Your Best Retirement
Jim Miller
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Dear Savvy Senior, I just turned 62 and am financially prepared for retirement, but I’m less certain about how to spend my time after leaving work. Can you recommend some resources or tools that can help me with this? – Feeling Lost Dear Lost, This is a great question! Many people, when asked what they want to do when they retire, will say they want a mix of travel, play, and meaningful work. Specifics, however, tend to be few and far between. But planning how to fill your time in retirement is just as important as the financialplanning aspect. Here are some resources that can help. Online Tools A good starting point to figuring out what you want to do in retirement is at Life Reimagined (lifereimagined.aarp.org). This is an AARP website (you don’t have to be a member to use it) that can help you rediscover what truly matters to you and focus on what you really want to do. It offers a variety of online exercises and programs that will hopefully spark some ideas and give you inspiration. Encore.org is another good resource that helps people who are seeking work that matters in the second half of life. Click on “Resources” on the menu bar and download their free Encore guide, and consider purchasing a copy of their Encore Career Handbook by Marci Alboher, which is excellent. Also check out the free e-book called The Age for Change, which can help answer the question: “What now?” You can download this from Coming of Age (comingofage.org). And if you’ve never taken a personality test before, this too can be a good tool to help you figure out what type of activities or work you’d like to do. A good option for this is the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator assessment, which you can take online at mbticomplete. com. Personalized Guidance If you want personalized help, you can also get one-on-one guidance from a retirement or life planning coach. Some resources that can help you here include Life Planning for You (lifeplanningforyou.com), which has a free exercise called EVOKE to help identify a path that might suit you best in later life and provides a directory to registered life planners to help guide you. Also see Retirement Options (retirementoptions.com), which will connect you with a retirement coach who will give you an assessment to help reveal your attitudes and opinions about work, family life, relationship, leisure time, and more.
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And check out the Life Planning Network (lifeplanningnetwork. org), a group of professionals and organizations that help people navigate the second half of life. You can also find life and retirement coaching at the International Coach Federation (coachfederation.org). Coaching sessions typically range from $75 to $300 or more and usually require four to six sessions to get the most out of the process. Other Resources If you’re primarily interested in volunteering, finding a retirement job, or even starting a business when you retire, there are lots of resources that can help here too. For volunteering, Points of Light (pointsoflife.weebly.com), VolunteerMatch (volunteermatch.org), and Senior Corps (seniorcorps. gov) can help you search for opportunities or even create one on your own. To look for job ideas, sites like RetirementJobs.com, Workforce50. com, and Retired Brains (retiredbrains.com) list thousands of jobs nationwide from companies that are actively seeking older workers. FlexJobs (flexjobs.com) can help you find good work-at-home jobs. CoolWorks (coolworks.com) and Backdoorjobs.com are great for locating seasonal or summer jobs in terrific places. Or to search for freelance opportunities in a wide variety of areas, there’s Upwork (upwork.com) and Guru (guru.com). And if you’re interested in starting a new business, the U.S. Small Business Administration (sba.gov/content/50-entrepreneurs) offers tips, tools, and free online courses to entrepreneurs who are 50 and older, as does the nonprofit association Score (score.org). Send your senior questions to: Savvy Senior, P.O. Box 5443, Norman, OK 73070, or visit savvysenior.org. Jim Miller is a contributor to NBC’s Today show and author of The Savvy Senior book.
www.50plusLifePA.com
Living Your Best Retirement
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Fifties Flashback
The Cat with 10 Million Lives Randal C. Hill
“Write me a story that first-graders can’t put down.” the while balancing himself precariously upon a huge ball. To This was the challenge that William Spaulding, a director nobody’s surprise, the cat and all his accoutrements crash to the at Houghton Mifflin Publishers, offered to Theodor Geisel one floor in a heap. day in 1955 as he handed Geisel a list of vocabulary words for Undaunted, he then hauls in a huge box that contains two 6- and 7-year-olds. wild-haired, impish creatures called Thing One and Thing Two. At the time, Geisel was a little-known children’s author They proceed to run amok throughout the house, flying kites who wrote under the name Dr. Seuss. (Seuss was his mother’s and scattering things everywhere. maiden name.) His fortunes — and his life — would change When the children and the fish realize that Mother will be forever when he accepted Spaulding’s unconventional coming home soon, panic sets in. That’s when the irrepressible assignment. invader removes both Things, then zips about the house in an Geisel had scanned the list and decided that creating and ingenuous machine that quickly tidies up everything. illustrating such a book should be quite easy. By the time Mother returns, the cat has slipped out, the “I figured I could knock it off in a week or so,” he admitted house is back in order, and Mother is none the wiser. later. “It took a year and a half.” ••• Cover of the book Geisel had underestimated just how hard it would be to Published in March 1957 and composed mostly of oneThe Cat in the Hat. write a truly compelling children’s tale that utilized a mere 200 syllable words, The Cat in the Hat sold 1 million copies by the words. decade’s end and, in the process, made Dr. Seuss a household name. Determined to outdo the ubiquitous — and boring — Dick and Jane books Geisel later proclaimed, “I have great pride in taking Dick and Jane out of found throughout American elementary schools, Geisel decided to write a fun- most school libraries. That is my greatest satisfaction.” to-read story predicated on the first two rhyming words that appeared on his His delightful classic has now sold over 10 million books, and The Cat in list. the Hat has lived on through a 1971 animated TV special and a live-action They happened to be cat and hat. 2003 film. But when the movie was panned for its adult humor and innuendo, ••• Geisel’s widow, Audrey, disallowed any future films based on her husband’s Seuss’s clever creation tells of an outrageous anthropomorphic feline who works. wears an impossibly tall striped hat. One rainy day, this odd intruder drops by Theodor Geisel was childless by choice, but he always enjoyed telling others, to relieve the boredom of two housebound youngsters, a girl called Sally and “You have ’em, I’ll entertain ’em.” her unnamed brother, who narrates the story. The cheerful cat sets about performing a bizarre trick that involves balancing Although Randal C. Hill’s heart lives in the past, the rest of him resides in Bandon, Ore. He can be reached at wryterhill@msn.com. plates, books, a cake, toys, a milk bottle, and even the family goldfish, all
Women’s History: France’s First Female University Graduate During Women’s History Month, we celebrate the efforts and accomplishments of women in America. Yet we can also find inspiration in the achievements of women from anywhere in the world throughout the course of history. One such woman is Julie-Victoire Daubié. Born in France in 1824 as one of eight children, Daubié’s father died when she was less than 2 years old. She studied Latin, Greek, German, history, and geography with help from her brother and grew to adulthood frustrated by the constraints limiting women’s roles in society. By 1844, she received a teacher’s certificate and had studied zoology at the Museum of Natural History in Paris by renowned specialist Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire. Despite her education and lack of laws explicitly barring women from entering academia, Daubié was rejected from numerous French universities. She continued taking classes while working as a governess. In 1859 she submitted her nearly 300-page essay, titled
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“The Poor Woman in the 19th Century: Female Conditions and Resources,” to an essay contest held by the Imperial Academy of Science and Fine Letters of Lyon. Her work, which centered on the opportunities denied women during that Portrait of era, earned her first place in the contest Julie-Victoire and a spot in the academy’s baccalaureate Daubié program. In 1861, at age 37, Daubié became the first woman to graduate from March is a French university. Women’s Julie-Victoire Daubié spent her adult History life engaged in activism and scholarship focused on gender equality. A recognized Month economic journalist, in 1871, she also became a literature graduate in Lyon, becoming the first female graduate in letters. March 26 is the 195th anniversary of her birth.
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The Beauty in Nature
Hazelnuts and Alders Clyde McMillan-Gamber
American hazelnuts and speckled alders are wild shrubs native to northeastern North America. Both species have beautiful, intriguing parts early in spring that make them interesting. Both bushes are fairly common, each in its sun-filled habitat. And both are part of the beauty and intrigue of early spring in southeastern Pennsylvania. Hazelnut shrubbery flourishes in sunny woodland clearings and edges and along hedgerows between fields. Fruit cluster of an American Their wooded, multi-stemmed crowns hazelnut. Nuts are enclosed in grow up to 15 feet tall. And they have leaflike bracts. unique flowers in March. Each hazelnut shrub has male and female flowers. The many obvious male blossoms are 3-inch-long, pendulant catkins that sway back and forth in the wind. These attractive male catkins are yellow with pollen that is blown by the wind to female flowers. The beautiful female blooms are clusters of two to five tiny, red styles protruding from each of several little, bark “vases” near the tips of slender twigs. The job of the styles is to receive pollen from male catkins and grow the nuts their shrubs are named for. The nuts of American hazelnuts are lovely in and of themselves when ripe in September. They are warm brown and the diameter of dimes when mature. They developed in summer in green, leaf-like bracts that turn brown on their twig moorings toward autumn. Several kinds of birds and mammals eat those pretty nuts during fall and winter, including wild turkeys, ruffed grouse, blue jays, white-tailed deer, foxes,
and various kinds of rodents. Jays and squirrels stash many hazelnuts in tree cavities and holes they dig in the ground to house the nuts until they are consumed in winter. Speckled alders grow almost exclusively on the edges of streams and ponds, where they associate with crack willows and red-twigged dogwoods. Alders often grow thickets of themselves along water, shading and cooling it. Photo by Quadell, 14 February 2005. Their many woody stems provide Cone cluster from female blossoms shelter for wildlife. And some beavers of a speckled alder. chew them off to use their stems in their dams and lodges. Each alder has male and female blooms. The many attractive male catkins are 1 inch long and deep purple in winter. In March they grow to 4 inches, are pendulous, and are yellow with pollen. Female catkins on alders grow to a half inch. They are upright and dull red and receive pollen from male catkins. Little clusters of half-inch, woody cones grow where female blossoms were. A tiny, golden-brown seed grows under each protective scale of each cone. When the seeds mature, the scales die, turn brown, and open to release their seeds into the wind. Many seeds are eaten by mice and birds. American hazelnuts and speckled alders benefit wildlife and have esthetic beauty to appreciate. But their greatest beauties are their unique flowers in March.
Dear Pharmacist
6 Startling Reasons to Be Less Nice This Year Suzy Cohen
Do you currently strive to be superhuman — always loving, kind, and generous? Do you demand this of yourself, in all of your relationships? Inside you may feel resentful, burnt out, and unappreciated. Depending on how nice you are, you might experience insomnia, depression, minor compulsions or phobias, resentment, nagging aches and pains, autoimmune problems, or chronic infections. I propose that in 2019, you be less nice. “Nice” often includes the following: • Don’t interrupt a person, even if they’re boring.
• Text back within 15 minutes. • Like everyone’s Facebook post, even if you don’t. • Let the neighbor’s dog urinate on and kill your lawn. • Don’t say a word about her drinking. • Don’t scold your son, even if he’s obnoxious and deserves it. • Let your co-worker pile more on your desk and take credit for the work. • Just say yes. Say yes to everything! please see NICE page 19
• A lways compliment; don’t tell the truth. www.50plusLifePA.com
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Calendar of Events
Lebanon County
Community Programs/Support Groups Free and open to the public
Senior Center Activities
March 2, 2 p.m. The Seasons: A Celtic Music Concert Londonderry Village 1200 Grubb Road, Palmyra (717) 279-7494
Annville Senior Activity Center (717) 867-1796 200 S. White Oak St., Annville March 11, 12:30 p.m. – Pinochle (New Players Welcome) March 12, 11 a.m. – Tai Chi Gentle Exercise Class March 14, 11 a.m. – Line Dancing Class (Dropins Welcome)
March 27, 6-7 p.m. Alzheimer’s and Dementia Family Support Group Linden Village 100 Tuck Court, Lebanon (717) 274-7400
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 March 5, 6:30 p.m. – Adult Coloring Club March 7 and 14, 6:30 p.m. – iPads for Seniors, Parts One and Two
Myerstown Community Library, 199 N. College St., Myerstown, (717) 866-2800 March 11, 6:30 p.m. – Facebook for Seniors May 18, 6:30 p.m. – Kindle Fire for Beginners March 21, 6 p.m. – Intro to eBay
Lebanon Community Library, 125 N. Seventh St., Lebanon, (717) 273-7624 Mondays in March, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. – Tech Help March 6, 1 p.m. – Intro to eBay March 25, 6 p.m. – Facebook for Seniors
Palmyra Public Library, 50 Landings Drive, Suite B, Annville, (717) 838-1347 March 7, noon to 4 p.m. – Tech Help March 9, 10 a.m. – iPads for Seniors, Part 2 March 20, 1 p.m. – Spotted Lanternfly: Stopping the Invasion
Matthews Public Library, 102 W. Main St., Fredericksburg, (717) 865-5523 March 14, noon to 4 p.m. – Tech Help
Richland Community Library, 111 E. Main St., Richland, (717) 866-4939 Marc h 19, 1 p.m. – Homeschool and Cyberschool: What I Should Know, Part 2 March 23, 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. – Organic Gardening
parks and recreation All events held at the Park at Governor Dick. March 3, 1-4 p.m. – Bluegrass Music by the Fireplace March 24, 1:30 p.m. – Golden Eagle Hikers (For Hikers Over 50) March 31, 10 a.m. – Orienteering Event; 11 a.m. – Beginners Orienteering Class
Event Planned to Honor Vietnam-Era Veterans Rep. Sue Helm (R-Dauphin/Lebanon) and Sen. John DiSanto (R-Dauphin/Perry) will cohost a special ceremony to honor area veterans of the Vietnam War at 9 a.m. on Friday, March 29, at Widener University School of Law, 3800 Vartan Way, Harrisburg. Maj. Gen. Anthony Carelli, adjutant general of Pennsylvania, will be the event’s keynote speaker. A 50-year commemorative lapel pin will be presented to those veterans in attendance. This is the third year National Vietnam War
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Veterans Day is observed on March 29. March 29, 1973, was the day the last combat troops were ordered out of Vietnam. Vietnam veterans who reside in the 104th Legislative District and/or the 15th Senatorial District, and who served in the U.S. Armed Forces between Nov. 1, 1955, and May 15, 1975, regardless of location, are invited to attend. Veterans must RSVP to attend the event and receive a pin. Call Helm’s district office in Millersburg at (717) 692-0833 or register online at suehelm.net.
Maple Street Senior Community Center (717) 273-1048 710 Maple St., Lebanon March 8, 11 a.m. – Spring Fling Party March 13, 11 a.m. – The Missing Apron at Hilltop Café March 19, noon – Planning Meeting with Lunch Myerstown Senior Community Center (717) 866-6786 Myerstown Baptist Church, 59 Ramona Road Myerstown March 6, 10:30 a.m. – Board Games and Snacks March 21, noon – Spring Luau March 27, 7:45 a.m. – Breakfast at Brickerville Restaurant Northern Lebanon Senior Community Center (717) 865-0944 335 N. Lancaster St., Jonestown jonestownpa.org/senior.html March 5, 10:30 a.m. – History of Mardi Gras March 18, 11:30 a.m. – Covered Dish Social with Green Milkshakes March 22, 12:30 p. m. – The ’60s: Memories of Peace, Love, and Rock ’n’ Roll Palmyra Senior Community Center (717) 838-8237 101 S. Railroad St., Palmyra March 5, 10:45 a.m. – Mardi Gras Doughnut Social March 20, 11 a.m. – Consumer Education Nutrition Quiz March 27, 10:45 a.m. – Wellness Bingo 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
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Interactive App Improves Colorectal Cancer Screening Rates Clinical Trial Included Those Most Likely to Although screening for colorectal cancer has Face Barriers to Screening been shown to decrease deaths from the disease, The U.S. Preventive Services Task only about two-thirds of Americans are up to date Force recommends screening for colorectal with screening. cancer for average-risk adults ages 50–75 with A 2018 study suggested that giving people a colonoscopy once every 10 years or a stool-based an easy way to order their own screening tests test every year. may help increase the number of people who get People with an abnormal stool test result (signs screened. of blood in the stool) are advised to undergo a In the NCI-funded study, people waiting to see colonoscopy to investigate the cause. their doctors for routine checkups were given a Many factors contribute to low screening rates in tablet computer loaded with an interactive app that the United States, including fear of the procedure provides information about the need for colorectal and/or the preparation; lack of awareness of the need cancer screening, helps patients make decisions for screening; and absent or inadequate doctor– about screening, and allows them to “self-order” their own screening test. patient discussions about screening. Screening rates are particularly low among people with less People who used the app, the study showed, education or low incomes. were twice as likely to be screened as those viewing Researchers have tested different approaches to a video that did not provide information about increasing colorectal cancer screening rates, such screening or the option to order a test. as small financial incentives and mailed invitation The “interesting and innovative” aspect of the letters and free testing kits, and found varying levels approach used in the new study is that “once March is Colorectal Cancer of success. patients made a choice about screening, they had Awareness Month In the study, David P. Miller Jr., M.D., of Wake the opportunity to order the test themselves,” said healthcare delivery researcher Caitlin Murphy, Forest School of Medicine, and his colleagues tested the Mobile Patient Technology for Health-CRC Ph.D., M.P.H., of the University of Texas (mPATH-CRC) app, which they designed for people with low health literacy Southwestern Medical Center, who was not involved in the new study. and low computer literacy, at six community-based primary care practices in North Carolina. The 450 study participants were 50–74 years old, scheduled to see a primary care provider, and due for colorectal cancer screening. The mPATH-CRC app tells patients about the two tests most commonly used to screen for colorectal cancer in the United States — colonoscopy and fecal occult blood testing, which looks for hidden (occult) blood in patient stool samples — and helps them decide which test to use. Patients were randomly assigned to use either the mPATH-CRC app or a control app that included a video about diet and exercise and did not give patients the option to self-order screening tests. Primary care providers of patients who self-ordered a screening test with the app were notified and asked to approve or deny the test order. Patients who self-ordered a screening test received a series of automated follow-up email or text messages to help them follow through with the test.
Check out our online Resource Directory!
Convenient print edition plus extensive online, searchable directory. Discover support and services available to meet challenges you may encounter as a senior, as someone who is caring for an older loved one, or as a person with a disability.
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App Improved Screening but Left Room for Improvement Of the participants assigned to the mPATH-CRC group, 30 percent completed a screening test within the study’s 24-week follow-up period, compared with 15 percent of people in the control group. But the 30 percent screening rate “is still far from ideal,” Miller said. Researchers did look at detection of colon polyps (precancerous growths) and cancers in both groups. They found 15 people with polyps and one with cancer among those who used the app, compared with only six people with polyps in the control group. “That suggests that for every 22 people who use the app, we’ll find polyps in one extra person — and that’s potentially one person we will prevent from getting colon cancer,” Miller said. The researchers were surprised to find that roughly half (53 percent) of patients in the mPATH-CRC group ordered a test for themselves via the app. This was a higher number than expected, Miller said. Source: National Cancer Institute
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NICE from page 15 You’re nice, right? Saying no, or calling someone out, is not nice. I submit to you that I am not a nice person. I propose that in 2019, you be less nice as a method of improving your health and mental well-being. Let’s go over the six startling benefits of not being nice: 1. You have more time. When you stop saying yes to doing things and going places that don’t bring you enjoyment, you regain precious time in your own schedule. Remember, people’s agendas are most important to them, but as they try to claim your time, once that time is spent by you, it’s literally gone forever. 2. You will have more energy. Not being nice is liberating sometimes, especially when you disconnect from a situation, person, job, or relationship that has been weighing on you for years. On the days when you feel overly tired or spent, as yourself, “Whom am I meeting with today or what is on my agenda that is weighing me down?”
March 26, 2019
May 30, 2019
Wyndham Hotel York 2000 Loucks Road York
Crowne Plaza Reading Hotel 1741 Papermill Road Wyomissing
9 a.m. – 2 p.m.
9 a.m. – 2 p.m.
This event is FREE to attend. Veterans (of all ages) and the military community and their families are invited to join us!
The Expo brings federal, state, and local agencies together with area businesses to provide information and resources to veterans and their families.
The Job Fair brings veterans and spouses who need jobs together with employers who can benefit from this rich source of talent to aid their organizations.
3. You will feel empowered. Have you ever wished your time was spent doing something different, but it was too late? You have the power to say yes or no, as well as the power to decide what to do with your time. It’s not infinite, so spend it wisely. When you say no to someone else’s plan for you, you are simultaneously saying yes to your own plan. 4. You’ll feel less anxiety and sleep better. When you spend months in frustration mode, or ruminate, you figuratively chew something in your mind over and over. Every thought you have squirts out a chemical that locks you into “sympathetic alarm.” This blunts your parasympathetic nervous system, the one that allows you to rest and digest. 5. You’ll develop stronger relationships. You’ll lose toxic friends; you might become estranged from needy siblings. People don’t like to be cut off from their source of help, their battering board, or their support system. Being less nice will ultimately translate to stronger relationships, as people will like you for who you are.
At the Expo
Veterans Benefits & Services Medical/Nonmedical Resources Products and Services Available Support/Assistance Programs Education/Training Services
At the Job Fair
Employers Job Counseling Workshops Employment Seminars Resume Writing Assistance
6. Your schedule becomes more reliable. Nice people have erratic schedules because they jump to it when others are in need. When you become “not nice” and stop agreeing to someone’s sudden whim for you or perceived emergency, your schedule suddenly becomes more consistent, decluttered, and efficient. So, at this point, let me ask you: Can you be less nice this year? Being warm, enthusiastic, upbeat, affirming, and kind is important. I used to be a saint, but full disclosure … I’ve put down my crown! It’s exhausting. This information is not intended to diagnose, prevent, or treat your disease. For more information about the author, visit suzycohen.com.
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Sponsor & Exhibitor Opportunities Available
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This is JuJu’s superpower. Giving kids like JuJu the best chance for a brighter future. This is why we’re continuing to innovate, expand and invest in the people of central PA, and why we’re always raising the bar on advanced care at our Children’s Hospital. Because this is the health we need to live the way we want.
This is Penn State Health.
pennstatehealth.org/ChildrensHeart
CHI-14410-19-106901-0119