Lebanon County Edition
June 2014
Vol. 9 No. 6
In It for the Long, Long Run Athlete, Cancer Survivor Ran First Marathon at 51 By Chelsea Peifer Some people spend months or even years training to run a marathon. After all, the 26.2 grueling miles require the human body to be in topnotch condition. But after beating cancer in her late 30s—and with a long-running commitment to exercise driving her—Karen Charlesworth decided to go for it, running her first marathon at age 51. While the now 59-year-old said that she was “definitely sore the next day,” Charlesworth strives to always try something new, and the marathon was just one of many adventures she seeks out each passing year. “I love running with others and getting them to the finish line, especially newbies,” she said. “I will run at their pace, regardless, and talk with them to divert their uncomfortable feelings with the first run they have done.” Since surviving colon cancer at age 37, Charlesworth is incredibly grateful for her life, and she hopes to make every year special. Initially, Charlesworth’s doctor misdiagnosed her as having depression, but she knew that wasn’t the case. Always energetic and in tune with her body, Charlesworth could tell that something was amiss because she no longer had her normal energy level. She was becoming out of breath just walking from parking lots and into buildings, in spite of her attempts to build up her stamina. please see RUN page 15 Athlete and cancer survivor Karen Charlesworth ran her first marathon at age 51 and hopes to inspire others to take control of their own health.
Inside:
A Salute to Our Veterans of D-Day page 4
Beyond the Beaches of Puerto Rico page 8
Does Your Marketing Reach Active, Affluent Boomers & Seniors?
NurseNews
Between the Lines of the Headlines Gloria May, M.S., R.N., CHES learned the art of successful napping from my dad. Almost every Saturday afternoon, he would put on his pajamas, turn off the bedroom phone, and even don a sleep shade that looked like the one the Lone Ranger wore, only without the eyeholes. He loved being able to sleep for about an hour, awake refreshed, and go about his evening energized as if it were a new day. If you too are a devotee of the afternoon snooze, you’ll appreciate my concern over a recent headline, “Daily Siesta Linked to Increased Mortality in Older Women” and the article’s lead sentence, “Older women who take a daily nap may be at increased risk of death, researchers here [University of Pennsylvania] said.” The second paragraph reported that in a particular study of some 800 women over age 69, those who self-reported a nap every day were 44 percent more likely to die over a seven-year follow-up period than those who didn’t report a daily doze. Should I urge my friends, family, and readers to stay awake all day? What about all the Mediterranean country shopkeepers who shut their businesses in the afternoon so they can take their siestas? Are we women napping ourselves to death? And has all the research that to date has extolled the physical and mental benefits of the “power nap” now been scrapped? Not until I got to the third paragraph could I exhale. It said, “… the findings are likely attributable to underlying medical conditions or sleep disorders.” In other words, the naps themselves weren’t the cause of premature deaths, as was suggested in the headline, but were assessed as signs that something else was medically awry with these women. Taking a nap is not in itself an act that will shorten our lives (thank goodness!), but it took three paragraphs to get there! Headlines are designed to quickly catch our eye and, as such, are often
I Reserve your space now for the 18 th annual
November 5, 2014 9 a.m. – 2 p.m. Spooky Nook Sports 2913 Spooky Nook Road, Manheim (Just off Rt. 283 at the Salunga exit)
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 Brought to you by:
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sensationalized and misleading. Most of us are eager to know as much as possible about our health, but when skimming the headlines, we need to keep in mind that: • “News” is just that, fresh information, and it may not endure the test of time. The Journal of the American Medical Association has reported that as many as a third of published studies are contradicted or at least weakened by subsequent research. • A single study seldom provides a definitive answer or a sound reason for any lifestyle or habit change. • Studies like the “nap” study are called “observational studies,” meaning, in this case, that the women were merely tracked for a period of time; nothing was done to them like changing their diet or giving them medication. Observational studies suggest areas for further research but rarely provide solid conclusions that would warrant big changes in your life. • Animal studies provide direction for future research, not necessarily conclusions for humans. Do not be overly concerned about results of research done on rats. It’s only a beginning. • Studies funded by companies that have a vested interest in the outcomes should be set aside until an independent researcher takes a look. Follow the money. • If the news is either too good or too bad to be true, it probably isn’t. Many folks lay at the feet of the media the responsibility for improving our understanding of medical and health news. It seems more reasonable that we share in this task. Gloria May is a registered nurse with a master’s degree in adult health education and a Certified Health Education Specialist designation.
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Resource Directory This Resource Directory recognizes advertisers who have made an extended commitment to your health and well-being.
Emergency Numbers Poison Control Center (800) 222-1222 Food Resources Food & Clothing Bank (717) 274-2490 Food Stamps (800) 692-7462 Hope/Christian Ministries (717) 272-4400 Lebanon County Area Agency on Aging Meals on Wheels (717) 273-9262
Hearing Services Melnick, Moffitt, and Mesaros 927 Russell Drive, Lebanon (717) 274-9775 Pennsylvania Office for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing (800) 233-3008 V/TTY Hospitals Good Samaritan Hospital 252 S. Fourth St., Lebanon (717) 270-7500 Medical Society of Lebanon County (717) 270-7500
Salvation Army (717) 273-2655
Hotlines Energy Assistance (800) 692-7462
Health & Medical Services Alzheimer’s Association (717) 651-5020
Environmental Protection Agency Emergency Hotline (800) 541-2050
American Cancer Society (717) 231-4582
IRS Income Tax Assistance (800) 829-1040
American Diabetes Association (717) 657-4310
Medicaid (800) 692-7462
American Heart Association/ American Stroke Association (717) 207-4265
Medicare (800) 382-1274
American Lung Association (717) 541-5864 Arthritis Foundation (717) 274-0754 Bureau of Blindness and Visual Services (717) 787-7500 CONTACT Helpline (717) 652-4400 Kidney Foundation (717) 652-8123 The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (717) 652-6520 Lupus Foundation (888) 215-8787
Housing Assistance & Resources Program (HARP) (717) 273-9328 Lebanon County Housing & Redevelopment Authorities (717) 274-1401
Maple Street Senior Community Center (717) 273-1048 Myerstown Senior Community Center (717) 866-6786 Northern Lebanon County Senior Community Center (717) 865-0944
Insurance Medicare Hotline (800) 638-6833
Palmyra Senior Community Center (717) 838-8237
Legal Services Pennsylvania Bar Association (717) 238-6715 Office of Aging Lebanon County Area Agency on Aging (717) 273-9262 Pharmacies CVS/pharmacy www.cvs.com Retirement Communities
Senior Center of Lebanon Valley (717) 274-3451 Southern Lebanon County Senior Community Center (717) 274-7541 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
StoneRidge Retirement Living (717) 866-3204 Senior Centers Annville Senior Community Center (717) 867-1796
Volunteer Opportunities RSVP of Capital Region, Inc. (717) 847-1539
PA Crime Stoppers (800) 472-8477 PennDOT (800) 932-4600
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Recycling (800) 346-4242 Social Security Information (800) 772-1213 U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (800) 827-1000 Housing Assistance Hope (Helping Our People in Emergencies) (717) 272-4400
Simply mail this form and $15 for an annual subscription to: 50 plus Senior News • 3912 Abel Drive, Columbia, PA 17512 Or, subscribe online at www.50plusSeniorNewsPA.com! Name: _______________________________________________________ Address: ______________________________________________________ City:__________________________State: _____ Zip: _________________
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A Salute to Our Veterans of D-Day 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
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EDITORIAL VICE PRESIDENT AND MANAGING EDITOR Christianne Rupp EDITOR, 50PLUS PUBLICATIONS Megan Joyce
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50plus Senior News 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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In World He says, “Actually, I felt no fear War II, 70 until the bullets began to tear years ago this through the fuselage of the C-47. month, on Then, with exploding ack-ack and June 6, 1944, burning planes, it was like the most some 156,000 awesome fireworks display you ever American, saw.” By Colonel British, and Robert Wilcox Canadian soldiers landed on five beaches along a 50-mile stretch of the heavily fortified cost of France. It was called D-Day, and the gigantic assault was the first step in the liberation of Europe from the hands of German troops. The world had never seen such a massive amphibious assault. And many military men from Central Pennsylvania were part of the American soldiers, hardened and ready, force that made it happen. This is lounge under full fighting equipment on how a few remember it: the deck of a Coast Guard assault. Eston White says he will never forget how bad the weather was. When you went over the side of the mother transport, the swells were so high that you could easily find yourself falling 4 feet as you let go of the cargo net to enter the landing craft that had been ready to step into a moment before. He says, “I was one of 30 men aboard the Higgins boat that took us the 12,000 yards to the beach, and I was the only one who didn’t get violently sick aboard the pitching boat. Men were so sick they were heaving everywhere, and they were glad to see land even though they were being machine-gunned.” Dick Winters was a paratrooper who was dropped at 1:15 a.m. on D-Day, 8 miles from the intended drop zone. The C-47 plane carrying him, dodging heavy flak, dove so fast that, when he exited the plane, the wind tore away his jump pack with his rifle, grenades— everything but the trench knife The beachhead is secure, but the price was secured in his boot. high. A Coast Guard combat photographer Yet he and seven other men came upon this monument to a dead who joined him found their way American soldier somewhere on the shellto the causeway that our GIs blasted shore of Normandy. would use to get off Utah Beach. Facing 55 Germans who manned four 105s lobbing shells at our The plan was to bail out at 800 troops, they were able to destroy all feet, but because of the evasion four guns and free our tanks to tactics of the plane, it was more like rumble from the beach. 300 feet. Paul Miller was a paratrooper “You jumped, the parachute medic who headed for France in the deployed, and you were on the middle of the night. ground,” Miller says. S
Paul Winters was in the first wave to hit Omaha Beach. He says, “It was chaos. Very few of us were dropped off where we were supposed to be. We had to advance over open beach to a far sea wall that would give us some cover from the machine-gun fire and mortar and artillery shells being thrown at us. Everyone was just trying to stay alive. “We were off the beach in five hours, but I didn’t realize how bad it really was until I went back the next day for medical supplies and saw all the bodies bobbing in the water and corpses everywhere on the beach, many of them stacked like cordwood.” Richard Meck made the landing on Omaha Beach. He says, “It was terrifying. We were being hit with shells and machine-gun fire constantly. Men were being killed all around me. Our orders were not to stop for anybody, just wade as fast as we could and get out of the water, cross the beach, and get to the sea wall, where the German guns couldn’t swivel down to kill you. Bodies were littering the beach and bobbing in the surf. It was a sight I’ve never been able to forget.” Otis Harrison says, “The number of ships was simply unbelievable. It seemed like you could just walk from ship to ship, there were so many of them. LSTs loaded with troops were being blown up all around us. “The Germans had placed ‘hedgehogs’ all along the approach to the beach. They were steel rails that would snare LSTs as the tide receded and leave them sitting ducks. Many men tried to jump off and wade in, only to be weighed down by all their gear and sink to their deaths. It was hell on earth.” There are few such vets alive today, and every day there are fewer. We have only the memory of most of them. But what memories they are, and we can best honor them by never forgetting the sacrifices they made for our country, which they served so willingly and so well. Photos courtesy of U.S. National Archives and Records Administration. Colonel Wilcox flew a B-17 bomber in Europe in World War II.
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Savvy Senior
Men’s Health Resources Jim Miller Dear Savvy Senior, Any suggestions on how can I get my 55year-old husband to see a doctor? He’s got some personal health issues he needs to address, but he’s stubborn and embarrassed and keeps putting it off. – Nagging Nancy Dear Nancy, When it comes to their health, many men take the John Wayne approach. They tough it out! That’s one of the reasons men die more than five years younger than women. Here are some facts and resources that may help you motivate your husband. The Facts In every stage of life—from infancy to the teen years to middle age—men (on average) are 40 percent more likely to get sick and die than women. (Current life expectancy for a man in the U.S. is 75.6
versus 80.8 for a cancer) are in the woman.) national spotlight. Why? The reasons are complex; however, What to Do most experts agree that Doctors say that by biology, such as the paying attention to just different ways men and a few key areas like women react to stress, blood pressure, likely plays a role. cholesterol, waist size, And men, taught and sexual function since boyhood to be (which can be an early stoic in the face of pain, indicator of heart often are their own disease), men can make worst enemy, avoiding Men’s Health Week dramatic improvements doctors and engaging in for their overall health. is June 9–15 risky health behaviors If you’re having a like excessive alcohol difficult time getting consumption, unhealthy eating habits, your husband to see a doctor, try reckless driving, and overexposure to sun, motivating him with relevant health which all threaten health. information, including treatment Men’s health issues also get less public options, along with the consequences of attention and funding at a time when doing nothing. women’s health concerns (like breast The Web is a good place to start, with
Your key to choosing the right living and care options for you or a loved one. th
18 Edition Now Available!
Call today for your free copy!
a growing number of user-friendly resources dedicated to men’s health issues. Here are some good ones to check: Mayo Clinic: Provides a special men’s health section (www.mayoclinic.com/health/ mens-health/MY00394) that offers information on prostate health, sexual health, and diseases, including a multimedia section. Mayo experts offer up guidance on issues ranging from male depression to the dangers of belly fat, along with screenings and self-assessment quizzes. WebMD: At men.webmd.com, you find a wide variety of information and videos on issues ranging from hair loss and plastic surgery for men to sex and intimacy. please see RESOURCES page 15
Please join us for these free events!
12th Annual
• Exhibitors • • Health Screenings • • Seminars • • Entertainment • • Door Prizes •
Sept. 17, 2014
Limited Sponsorship Opportunities Available
Memorial Hall East 334 Carlisle Avenue York
YORK COUNTY
9 a.m. – 2 p.m. York Expo Center
18th Annual
15th Annual
(717) 285-1350 LANCASTER COUNTY
CUMBERLAND COUNTY
In print. Online at onlinepub.com.
Oct. 22, 2014
Nov. 5, 2014
9 a.m. – 2 p.m. Carlisle Expo Center
9 a.m. – 2 p.m. Spooky Nook Sports
100 K Street Carlisle
2913 Spooky Nook Road Manheim (Just off Rt. 283 at the Salunga exit) (717) 285-1350 • (717) 770-0140 (610) 675-6240
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Assisted Living Residences/Personal Care Homes Bethany Village — MapleWood
Homewood at Plum Creek
325 Wesley Drive • Mechanicsburg, PA 17055 717-766-0279 • www.BethanyVillage.org
425 Westminster Avenue • Hanover, PA 17331 717-637-4166 • www.homewood.com
Total AL and/or PC Beds: 100 Assisted Living Residence: Yes Private: 100 Private Pay: Yes SSI Accepted: No Short-term Lease: Yes Entrance Fee/Security Deposit: No Outdoor Areas/Fitness Center: Yes Medication Management: Yes On-call Medical Service: Yes Health Fee-for-Service Available: Yes
Total AL and/or PC Beds: 98 Personal Care Home: Yes Private: Yes Semi-private: No Private Pay: Yes SSI Accepted: No Short-term Lease: Yes Entrance Fee/Security Deposit: No Part/Totally Refundable: No Outdoor Areas/Fitness Center: Yes Medication Management: Yes On-call Medical Service: Yes
Alzheimer’s Care: Yes Respite Care: Yes Social Programs: Yes Housekeeping/Laundry Service: Yes Transportation (Scheduled): Yes Personal Car Permitted: Yes Pets Permitted: Yes Comments: 1-bedroom suites; secured memory support neighborhood; skilled nursing – The Oaks.
Health Fee-for-Service Available: Yes Alzheimer’s Care: No Respite Care: Yes Social Programs: Yes Housekeeping/Laundry Service: Yes Transportation (Scheduled): Yes Personal Car Permitted: Yes Pets Permitted: No Comments: Excellent care in a lovely environment. Call to schedule a visit.
Brandywine Senior Living at Longwood
Lakeview at Tel Hai Retirement Community
301 Victoria Gardens Drive • Kennett Square, PA 19348 484-734-6200 • www.brandycare.com
1200 Tel Hai Circle • Honey Brook, PA 19344 610-273-4602 • www.telhai.org
Total AL and/or PC Beds: 70 Personal Care Home: Yes Private: Yes Semi-private: Yes Private Pay: Yes SSI Accepted: No Short-term Lease: No Entrance Fee/Security Deposit: Yes Part/Totally Refundable: No Outdoor Areas/Fitness Center: Yes Medication Management: Yes
Total AL and/or PC Beds: 100 Personal Care Home: Yes Private: Yes Semi-private: Yes Private Pay: Yes SSI Accepted: No Short-term Lease: Yes Entrance Fee/Security Deposit: Yes Part/Totally Refundable: Yes Outdoor Areas/Fitness Center: Yes Medication Management: Yes On-call Medical Service: Yes
On-call Medical Service: No Health Fee-for-Service Available: No Alzheimer’s Care: Yes Respite Care: Yes Social Programs: Yes Housekeeping/Laundry Service: Yes Transportation (Scheduled): Yes Personal Car Permitted: Yes Pets Permitted: Yes Comments: At Brandywine Senior Living – life is beautiful!
Health Fee-for-Service Available: Yes Alzheimer’s Care: Yes Respite Care: Yes Social Programs: Yes Housekeeping/Laundry Service: Yes Transportation (Scheduled): Yes Personal Car Permitted: Yes Pets Permitted: Yes Comments: Come discover a wonderful, faith-based community that has been voted No. 1 retirement community by readers of the Daily Local newspaper!
Colonial Lodge Community
Longwood Manor Personal Care & Memory Care
2015 North Reading Road • Denver, PA 17519 717-336-5501 • www.coloniallodgepa.com
2760 Maytown Road • Maytown, PA 17550 717-426-0033 • www.longwoodassisted.com
Total AL and/or PC Beds: 70 Personal Care Home: Yes Private: Yes Semi-private: Yes Private Pay: Yes SSI Accepted: Yes* Short-term Lease: No Entrance Fee/Security Deposit: No Part/Totally Refundable: No Outdoor Areas/Fitness Center: Yes Medication Management: Yes On-call Medical Service: Yes
Total AL and/or PC Beds: 144 Personal Care Home: Yes Private: Yes Semi-private: Yes Private Pay: Yes SSI Accepted: Yes Short-term Lease: Yes Entrance Fee/Security Deposit: No Part/Totally Refundable: No Outdoor Areas/Fitness Center: No Medication Management: Yes On-call Medical Service: No
Health Fee-for-Service Available: No Alzheimer’s Care: No Respite Care: Yes Social Programs: Yes Housekeeping/Laundry Service: Yes Transportation (Scheduled): Yes Personal Car Permitted: Yes Pets Permitted: No Comments: *SSI depends on availability. A veteran-approved “home for heroes” facility, all in a beautiful, rural setting.
Health Fee-for-Service Available: No Alzheimer’s Care: Yes Respite Care: Yes Social Programs: Yes Housekeeping/Laundry Service: Yes Transportation (Scheduled): Yes Personal Car Permitted: Yes Pets Permitted: Yes Comments: Beautiful, homelike environment nestled in the heartland of Lancaster County. Specializing in memory support.
Homeland Center
Mennonite Home Communities
1901 North Fifth Street • Harrisburg, PA 17102 717-221-7727 • www.homelandcenter.org
1520 Harrisburg Pike • Lancaster, PA 17601 717-393-1301 • www.mennonitehome.org
Total AL and/or PC Beds: 50 Personal Care Home: Yes Private: Yes Semi-private: No Private Pay: Yes SSI Accepted: No Short-term Lease: Yes Entrance Fee/Security Deposit: Yes Part/Totally Refundable: Yes Outdoor Areas/Fitness Center: Yes Medication Management: Yes On-call Medical Service: Yes
Total AL and/or PC Beds: 150 Personal Care Home: Yes Private: Yes Semi-private: Yes Private Pay: Yes SSI Accepted: Yes Short-term Lease: No Entrance Fee/Security Deposit: Yes Part/Totally Refundable: No Outdoor Areas/Fitness Center: Yes Medication Management: Yes On-call Medical Service: Yes
Health Fee-for-Service Available: No Alzheimer’s Care: Yes Respite Care: Yes Social Programs: Yes Housekeeping/Laundry Service: Yes Transportation (Scheduled): Yes Personal Car Permitted: Yes Pets Permitted: Yes Comments: Exemplary care in a caring, beautiful environment has been provided for more than 140 years. Our continuum includes a hospice program.
Health Fee-for-Service Available: Yes Alzheimer’s Care: Yes Respite Care: Yes Social Programs: Yes Housekeeping/Laundry Service: Yes Transportation (Scheduled): Yes Personal Car Permitted: Yes Pets Permitted: No Comments: Supportive, encouraging environment. Various room types and suites available. Secure memory care offered.
This is not an all-inclusive list of agencies and providers. These advertisers are eager to provide additional information about their services.
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Assisted Living Residences/Personal Care Homes Normandie Ridge Senior Living Community
St. Anne’s Retirement Community
1700 Normandie Drive • York, PA 17408 717-764-6262 • www.normandieridge.org
3952 Columbia Avenue West Hempfield Township, PA 17512 717-285-6112 • www.stannesrc.org
Total AL and/or PC Beds: 55 Personal Care Home: Yes Private: Yes Semi-private: Yes Private Pay: Yes SSI Accepted: No Short-term Lease: No Entrance Fee/Security Deposit: No Part/Totally Refundable: No Outdoor Areas/Fitness Center: Yes Medication Management: Yes On-call Medical Service: Yes
Health Fee-for-Service Available: Yes Alzheimer’s Care: No Respite Care: Yes Social Programs: Yes Housekeeping/Laundry Service: Yes Transportation (Scheduled): Yes Personal Car Permitted: Yes Pets Permitted: No Comments: Private or shared living in spacious rooms with private baths. Friendly staff assist where needed to help maintain your independence.
Personal Care Home: Yes Private: Yes Semi-private: No Private Pay: Yes SSI Accepted: Yes* Short-term Lease: No Entrance Fee/Security Deposit: Minimal Part/Totally Refundable: No Outdoor Areas/Fitness Center: Yes Medication Management: Yes On-call Medical Service: Yes
Health Fee-for-Service Available: Yes Alzheimer’s Care: Yes* Respite Care: No Social Programs: Yes Housekeeping/Laundry Service: Yes Transportation (Scheduled): Yes Personal Car Permitted: Pending Approval Pets Permitted: Yes Comments: *SSI after three- to five-year private-pay spend-down. Skilled Alzheimer’s care coming soon.
Quarryville Presbyterian Retirement Community
VibraLife
625 Robert Fulton Highway • Quarryville, PA 17566 717-786-7321• 888-786-7331 • www.quarryville.com
707 Shepherdstown Road • Mechanicsburg, PA 17055 717-591-2100 • www.vibralife.net
Total AL and/or PC Beds: 45 Personal Care Home: Yes Private: Yes Semi-private: No Private Pay: Yes SSI Accepted: No Short-term Lease: No Entrance Fee/Security Deposit: No Part/Totally Refundable: No Outdoor Areas/Fitness Center: Yes Medication Management: Yes On-call Medical Service: Yes
Total AL and/or PC Beds: 46 Personal Care Home: Yes Private: Yes Semi-private: Yes Private Pay: Yes SSI Accepted: No Short-term Lease: Yes Entrance Fee/Security Deposit: Yes Part/Totally Refundable: Yes Outdoor Areas/Fitness Center: Yes Medication Management: Yes On-call Medical Service: Yes
Health Fee-for-Service Available: No Alzheimer’s Care: Yes Respite Care: No Social Programs: Yes Housekeeping/Laundry Service: Yes Transportation (Scheduled): Yes Personal Car Permitted: Yes Pets Permitted: No Comments: Quarryville assists in maintaining independence and preserving dignity in a safe and secure environment.
Health Fee-for-Service Available: Yes Alzheimer’s Care: Yes Respite Care: Yes Social Programs: Yes Housekeeping/Laundry Service: Yes Transportation (Scheduled): Yes Personal Car Permitted: Yes Pets Permitted: Yes Comments: Gorgeous new construction. Short-term rehabilitation center and personal care apartments including secured memory care.
This is not an all-inclusive list of agencies and providers. These advertisers are eager to provide additional information about their services.
Social Security News
Faster Benefit Decisions for Veterans By John Johnston his month I’d like to share some news about Social Security disability benefits for veterans with disabilities: a new expedited disability process. We believe it is important to recognize those who currently serve in the military as well as those injured in the line of duty and consider it an honor and a duty to serve them. Whether the injury is physical or mental, getting a decision about Social Security disability benefits from your government shouldn’t add to the problems faced by the injured. Carolyn W. Colvin, acting commissioner of Social Security, recently
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unveiled a new initiative to expedite disability applications from veterans with a Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) disability compensation rating of 100 percent permanent and total (P&T). Under the new process, Social Security will treat these veterans’ applications as
high priority and issue expedited decisions, similar to the way we currently handle disability claims from wounded warriors. “Our veterans have sacrificed so much for our country and it is only right that we ensure they have timely access to the disability
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benefits they may be eligible for and deserve,” said Colvin. Learn more about the new expedited process for veterans at www.socialsecurity. gov/pressoffice/pr/2014/expedited-dibprocess2-pr.html. Read about this new service at www.socialsecurity.gov/pgm/disabilitypt.htm. Also, you’ll want to visit our Wounded Warriors page at www.socialsecurity.gov/woundedwarriors. There you’ll find informative webinars, a Disability Planner, an overview of our disability programs and the convenient online disability application. John Johnston is a Social Security public affairs specialist.
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Traveltizers
Travel Appetizers: Stories that Whet the Appetite for Travel
Beyond the Beaches of Puerto Rico By Andrea Gross t’s Sunday afternoon, and I’m in the mountains of central Puerto Rico, munching barbecued pork under a tin roof. “This reminds me of Sundays when I was a child,” says our guide. “Except instead of eating in a lechonera [restaurant specializing in pork], we ate in my grandmother’s kitchen.” She heaps some arroz on my plate. The rice is seasoned with sofrito [onions, garlic, and peppers] and has a yellow color and nutty flavor from annatto seeds. It’s a plain, hearty meal, the kind the grandmothers of Puerto Rico have been serving for generations. Puerto Rican meals are a unique blend of European, African, and Latin American flavors. While the early inhabitants of the island survived on corn, fruit, and fish, their diet expanded when the Spaniards came in the early 1500s, bringing with them pigs and cattle as well as wheat, rice, and olive oil.
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Many people spend their entire time in Puerto Rico enjoying the beaches and never get to the countryside.
People feast on roast pork in countryside lechoneras.
The seeds of the annatto plant are responsible for the yellow color of Puerto Rican rice. They also add a slightly nutty flavor.
Later, when the Africans arrived, people learned to combine these foods into exotic dishes, such as pasteles [meat, green banana, and spices wrapped in plantain leaves] and mofongo [fried plantain stuffed with pork or seafood]. The grandmothers suddenly had more options. I take second helpings of pork and arroz, all the while tapping my feet in rhythm with the high-energy salsa music that drifts in from outside. I feel as if I’m at a neighborhood party as children play in the street, adults gossip with friends, and almost everybody over a certain age sips frosty piña coladas, the deceptively innocent drink that was dubbed the official beverage of Puerto Rico in 1978. Like most visitors to the island, we had whiled away our first days in Puerto Rico strolling on the beach, wiggling our toes in the warm sand, and taking occasional dips into the water. But we knew that Puerto Rico is more than the sun, rum, and grand hotels that line the coast. It also has a vibrant
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Ice cream with your sweetheart just a stroll down the hallway ... whipped cream and cherry included.
Historic San Juan is filled with Caribbean color, both literally and figuratively.
At Café Don Pello, visitors can taste-test premium coffees.
Piña colada is the official beverage of Puerto Rico.
Are you daydreaming? No. StoneRidge Retirement Living. Resort-Style Living for the Young at Heart!
culture in the interior, one that is most easily experienced through a relatively new series of “epicurean pilgrimages” or “themed trails.” Therefore, thoroughly stuffed by our pig-feast on La Ruta del Lechón [The Trail of the Pig], which had taken us into the high country south of San Juan, we opt for a caffeinated high by going on La Ruta del Café. This brings us to Ciales, a small town in the mountains west of San Juan. Coffee has been produced in this area since the early 1700s. Don Pello Maldonado, the thirdgeneration coffee roaster at Café Don Pello, teaches us how to curl our hands around a cup of steaming brew, sniff deeply, and sip slowly in order to detect subtle differences in aroma and taste. Then he tests our newfound knowledge by serving us cups of several top-ranked coffees. Without prodding, each person on the tour chooses his or her favorite. The winner: Puerto Rico’s Alto Grande, one of only three coffees in the world to be designated as “superpremium.” It’s so rarefied that it’s been served in the Vatican for more than 200 years. The next day we return to San Juan and, having become enamored of Puerto Rican flavors, start our day at the century-old La Bombonera Restaurant. There we treat ourselves to some traditional mallorcas [a sugar-coated pastry, eaten plain, with butter or, more frequently, filled with a combination of meat, egg, and cheese]. www.50plusSeniorNewsPA.com
We accompany the pastries with acerola juice, which comes from a tropical berry known for being rich in vitamins. I trust the health benefits of acerola will compensate for the indulgences of mallorcas! Afterward we walk through the old parts of town, where the colors of the Caribbean overwhelm the senses. The buildings, painted in hues of turquoise, gold, and salmon, have arched doors and handsome grillwork and are often adorned with bougainvillea. We pass the historic Fort El Morro and there, across the bay, is the Bacardi Rum Distillery. While Ponce de Leon never found the fabled Fountain of Youth, he brought a fountain of rum to the island, and that may have been equally appreciated. In the 600 years since he governed Puerto Rico, rum has become central to its economy. Over the next few days we try rum with mint and lime [a mojito], with cola and lime [a Cuba libre], and with pineapple and coconut [a piña colada]. We even convince a bartender to make us a coquito, which is a creamy coconutand-rum concoction that’s generally only served during Christmas and New Year’s. But with its bright colors, good food, coffee, and rum, every day in Puerto Rico is like a holiday. www.seepuertorico.com Photos © Irv Green unless otherwise noted; story by Andrea Gross (www.andreagross.com).
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The Beauty in Nature
Amphibians Pioneering Drier Land Clyde McMillan-Gamber old-blooded amphibians are active in summer’s warmth. Some people enjoy hearing spring peepers peep and American toads trill in the shallows of ponds and wetlands during April and the twang of green frogs and bellow of bull frogs along pond edges. Meanwhile salamanders are active under stones in streams or under leaves and logs on woodland floors, depending on the species. Amphibian means two lives: one in water and the other on land. But all amphibians need to be at least moist at all times to stay alive, and most spawn in water where their fish-like larvae hatch and develop legs and lungs for life on land, where they are all carnivores. Some amphibians, including a few species in the Middle Atlantic States,
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developed features that allowed them to fields during the day some distance from pioneer niches that are drier than their water, retiring at times in moist, cool relatives can tolerate. Those pioneers also shade under fallen leaves or cracks in soil reduced competition for space and food under leafy crops. with their relatives Red-backed and by using niches slimy salamanders those cousins can’t. live under logs and Frogs’ skins need rocks on woodland to be moist to floors. These allow the frogs to related, lung-less exchange oxygen species are 5 inches and carbon dioxide long and exchange through their skins. gases through their Frogs, therefore, damp skins. Both American toad live along water’s species secrete a edges. noxious substance from their skins that American toads and common toads protect them from predators and keep have bumpy skins that taste bad to their skins moist. predators and retain body fluids. Toads Red-backs have two color phases. One travel over woodland floors and shaded is gray all over and the other has a red
stripe on top. The chunkier slimys are black with white speckling. Neither species spawns in water as most amphibians do. Each female red-back and slimy hangs a cluster of four to 12 eggs under a log or rock, which are moist places on woodland floors. The youngsters’ aquatic stage is in their eggs. They hatch 1 inch long and resemble their parents. Geographic isolation causes new species. Red-backed and slimy salamanders confined to wood lots surrounded by lawns, fields, and roads can’t travel to other woods. A genetic quirk in an individual in isolated woods will be passed to its relatives, perhaps creating a new species. Nature is always changing. New species can appear any time.
Calendar of Events
Lebanon County
Programs and Support Groups June 25, 6 to 7 p.m. Personal Care Family Support Group Linden Village 100 Tuck Court, Lebanon (717) 274-7400
Free and open to the public
If you have an event you would like to include, please email information to mjoyce@onlinepub.com for consideration.
Lebanon County Department of Parks and Recreation All events held at the Park at Governor Dick unless noted. June 1, 1 to 4 p.m. – Music by the Fireplace: Bluegrass and Country Music Jam June 14, 10 a.m. – Invasive Invaders: Invasive Plant Identification Walk June 21, 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. – Dog Day of Summer: Dog Activities
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Senior Center Activities
Annville Senior Community Center – (717) 867-1796 200 S. White Oak St., Annville June 11, 10:30 a.m. – Father’s Day Party June 14, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. – Historic Old Annville Day June 24, 3 p.m. – Mini Golf at Pine Meadows, Supper Club at the Wetlands Maple Street Community Center – (717) 273-1048 710 Maple St., Lebanon June 6, 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. – Bus Trip: Salisbury, Md. June 13, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. – Center Picnic June 27, 10 a.m. – Summer Ice Cream Party Myerstown Senior Community Center – (717) 866-6786 Myerstown Baptist Church, 59 Ramona Road, Myerstown June 5, 7:45 a.m. to 3 p.m. – Bus Trip: Breakfast, Moses at Sight & Sound Theatre June 10, 4 p.m. – Dinner and Miniature Golf June 13, 11 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. – Bus Trip: Red Lion Café for Father’s Day Luncheon Palmyra Senior Community Center – (717) 838-8237 101 S. Railroad St., Palmyra June 9, 10:45 a.m. – Presentation of Blindness and Visual Services June 16, 10:45 a.m. – Father’s Day Beach Party and Trivia June 27, 4 p.m. – Dinner and Miniature Golf Please contact your local center for scheduled activities. www.50plusSeniorNewsPA.com
My 22 Cents’ Worth
Good Looks and Looking Good Walt Sonneville n one corner is the undefeated reigning champion, Father Time. In the other corner is the challenger, Our Good Looks. You know how this fight will end. The question is: How many rounds will it last, and which will be the decisive round? Good looks have advantages in the first two trimesters of an aged life. When we enter our senior years, looks that may arouse interests from the opposite sex typically have almost entirely vanished. Who cares? By that time, our primary objectives are to feel good and look good, forsaking any hope of good looks. Eleanor Roosevelt was no eye-catching beauty. She recognized the value of our overall appearance this way: “Beautiful young people,” she said, “are accidents of nature, but beautiful old people are works of art.” Maybe we aren’t “works of art” in the classic sense. But if we have a twinkle in our eyes and a smile on our face, we can look good without being good looking. Once our good looks begin to vanish, we have other resources to display: charm, kindness, knowledge, integrity, humor, and, as Eleanor Roosevelt has shown, a measure of wisdom. They are all part of looking good. There were times Abraham Lincoln depended on self-deprecating humor when campaigning for election. Henry Villard, a journalist who covered the LincolnDouglas debates, wrote Lincoln had a “gawky figure, an odd-featured, wrinkled, inexpressive, and altogether uncomely face.” When Stephan A. Douglas called Lincoln “two-faced,” Lincoln replied: “I leave it to the audience. If I had another face, do you think I would wear this one?” This retort scored “Father Abraham,” as he was called by those who saw in him a biblical image, election points that otherwise may have been denied him because of his lack of good looks. Comic Jimmy Durante and physicist Albert Einstein were not handsome. Yet people found them appealing because their appearance matched the public’s image—expectations for the roles each prominently held in life. Their looks were as if each was an actor supplied by a Hollywood studio’s department of central casting.
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Einstein, despite his experience, and reaches the fifth decade of life and brilliance, could not credibility despite their beyond? Based on photos of Arnold grasp his public advancing years. Schwarzenegger in swimming trunks, his popularity. He Seniors are past the Mr. Universe physique has badly wondered why “no one age when they indulge deteriorated. It takes most bodybuilders understands me but their vanities in cosmetic two hours a day, six days a week, of they like me anyway. I makeovers, such as weightlifting to look like a modern don’t understand it.” Botox injections, breast Goliath. Our faces have to be implants, liposuction, After the age of 50 we lose about 3 compatible with the and other beautification percent of our lean body mass per decade, stereotypical image the procedures. These most of which is muscle. It takes more public has of certain temporary, timetime and energy than most of us are able professions. Would reversing treatments to dedicate to overcome that loss. It is a Jimmy Durante look typically are for those vainglorious mission. credible as a worldentering their 40s. Brig. Gen. James M. Stewart, Walt Sonneville, a retired market-research renowned scientist and Undergoing medical USAF Reserve, circa 1968 would Albert Einstein cosmetology is not aging analyst, is the author of My 22 Cents’ Worth: The Higher-Valued Opinion of a Senior find popular support as a comedian? gracefully; it is grasping to retain Citizen and A Musing Moment: Meditative Would a movie entitled Strange Love vanishing good looks rather than refining Essays on Life and Learning, books of Affair have a chance as a box-office success the emerging persona whose focus should personal-opinion essays, free of partisan and if it starred “Groucho” Marx and Elizabeth be on looking good. sectarian viewpoints. Contact him at Taylor? Our looks, good or not, support What happens to the body of a man waltsonneville@earthlink.net. or limit us in our destined roles in life. with a muscle-bound torso once he Richard Nixon is said to have lost voter appeal in his 1960 televised debate with presidential candidate Jack Kennedy. It was not due to Nixon’s discussion of the issues, which he handled quite well. He lost appeal because of his whisker stubble, commonly called a “five o’clock shadow” in the jargon of the 1960s. To some, the stubble made him look un-presidential, somewhat malevolent. Roles in life are determined largely by more than just our bodies. It is our image Send us your favorite smile—your children, in its entirety, including our clothing style grandchildren, friends, even your “smiling” down to the type of eyeglasses we wear. Doesn’t a Franciscan monk receive more pet!—and it could be 50plus Senior News’ next public reverence when garbed in a brown Smile of the Month! robe, or isn’t a doctor given more You can submit your photos credibility when wearing a white medical (with captions) either digitally to jacket? Imagine them both in t-shirts and mjoyce@onlinepub.com or by mail to: jeans. As we enter our senior years, we should 50plus Senior News give more attention to an appropriate Smile of the Month dress style. It makes us feel better and 3912 Abel Drive, Columbia, PA 17512 raises the favorability quotient for how we are perceived by others. Digital photos must be at least 4x6'' with a Physical attractiveness need not be resolution of 300 dpi. No professional photos, please. limited entirely to the young. Several Please include a SASE if you would like to have your famed movie stars retained a visage photo returned. appeal—if not their sex appeal—as they turned elderly. Jimmy Stewart, Cary Grant, Paul Newman, Henry Fonda, Mary Martin, Myrna Loy, Barbara Stanwyck, and Greer Garson are among them. They were graced with the beauty of dignity,
Have you photographed a smile that just begs to be shared?
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Older But Not Wiser
Reading to Summer Sy Rosen ne of the great pleasures of my being a grandparent is reading to my 3-month-old granddaughter and watching her eyes close and open, fluttering, as she eventually goes to sleep. It’s a wonderful experience—I’m bonding with my granddaughter. And if she doesn’t fall asleep and starts crying, I can always turn the chore over to my daughter and quickly leave the room. My daughter, Ann, had a bunch of books to choose from. My granddaughter, Summer, can’t really understand what I’m reading yet (even though I’m sure she’s a genius), but if the book interests me, I can do a better job of acting out the parts as I read. The first series of books I tried were about characters named Mr. Know-It-All, Mr. Grumpy, and Mrs. Uppity. I’m sure it was well written, but I quickly became Mr. Bored.
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I then started reading another book, a classic called The Very Hungry Caterpillar. It was definitely well written and informative, but by the third time I read it, I got the point—the caterpillar was very hungry. The next time I went to Ann’s condo, I brought along an old book that I had read to her when she was about 10 years old. OK, Summer was only 3 months old, but, like I said, she’s a genius. Actually, I was reading this book largely for my own enjoyment. It brought back memories of when I originally read it to Ann. The book is Beanpole, and it’s about a girl who was the tallest student in her junior high school.
I started reading and came to a section about Grandma Woo Woo. I remembered that about 20 years ago, I stopped reading and told Ann of a personal experience I had with someone nicknamed Woo Woo. I was a camp counselor and there was another counselor there, a very pompous 19-year-old named Warren. He was very proud that the young campers nicknamed him Uncle Woo Woo. He thought it showed everyone how popular he was. That is, until he heard one of the young campers say he had to go make a woo woo. I continued reading to Summer. I got caught up with all the troubles this tall
girl had in school. Because of her height, she was kind of an outcast and given the nickname of Beanpole. I could relate because I had (and still have) a large nose, and the kids nicknamed me Nose (they weren’t very creative). Anyway, Ann came into the room and sat next to me as I was reading to Summer. It was an unbelievable experience. I was reading to my granddaughter while also thinking about the first time I read Beanpole to my daughter. I got really caught up in the story, reading it with great enthusiasm, when Ann put her arm on my shoulder. I thought she was giving me a signal about how great I was doing, but actually she was telling me to speak softer, that Summer was getting tired. And so I lowered my voice, and Summer eventually closed her eyes and drifted off to sleep. It was a good day.
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CROSSWORD
Solutions for all puzzles can be found on page 14
WORD SEARCH
SUDOKU
Across 1. Dot follower 4. Constructed 8. Disfigures 13. Volcanologist’s study 14. Astringent substance 15. Moon of Uranus 16. Explorer Tasman 17. Head over heels 19. Red giant in Cetus 20. Links prop 21. Machinists’ tools 22. Menu item 24. Rockfish 25. Bronx cheer 26. Negation Down 1. Stateroom 2. Succeeded 3. Sub-Saharan scourge 4. Non-glossy finishes 5. Burn plant 6. Fool 7. Printing measures 8. Smooth fabric 9. Cause 10. Yorkshire river 11. Guns the motor 12. Cunning 13. Feeble, as an excuse
27. 31. 33. 34. 35. 36. 37. 38. 40. 41. 43. 44. 45. 46. 18. 23. 24. 26. 28. 29. 30. 31. 32. 33. 36. 39.
Cast aside Environs Overwhelm Adam’s grandson Soak flax Dyke Medics (abbr.) Oaf Actresses Bartok and Gabor Bloodhound’s clue Ballyhoo Diving bird Scorch Wither Actress Mimieux Serpentine letter Libertines Vertigo actress Kim Covert Time period, poetically Attention getter Camber Depend Follies Laborious Having ceased to exist
48. Auto racing inits. 51. Estimate 53. Vital force of Chinese medicine 55. The Last of the Mohicans girl 56. On the poorhouse steps 58. Eng. river 59. Upright 60. With (Fr.) 61. ___-pointe (ballet position) 62. Foreign Legion movie, Beau ___ 63. Engage 64. Geological period 41. 42. 45. 47. 49. 50. 51. 52. 53. 54. 56. 57.
Body of water Descend, like water Stoolpigeon Gemstone Oenophile’s concern Punjabi princess Wound by piercing Inspires admiration Inlet Shades Magnitude (abbr.) Aswan, for one
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Salute to a Veteran
He Spent 2 Years in ‘the Most Detached Duty Station on the Face of the Earth’ Robert D. Wilcox hen Jack Shearer enlisted in the Navy in 1942, he had no idea his service would not be on the water at all, but on land … and in a land unlike any he had ever heard of before. He got there despite something veterans commonly understood: Never volunteer for anything. He was at Norfolk, Va., training for amphibious landings, when he saw a poster asking for volunteers for “prolonged and hazardous assignments” where the destination was unknown. That sounded like a challenge he’d like. So he volunteered. He soon learned that the duty for which he had volunteered would take him to China, under conditions he couldn’t even imagine. He had trained six months at the Radio School in Bedford Springs, Pa. So, apparently, his new assignment would have something to do with radio. He’d have to wait to find out. First, he was sent to San Pedro, Calif. There he boarded a Liberty ship for a 10week trip across the Pacific, with stops in Tasmania and Ceylon (now Sri Lanka) before arriving at Calcutta, India, on New Year’s Eve. There he boarded a C-47 for a hazardous flight over “The Hump,” the plane climbing to 17,000 feet to clear the mountains. What was that like? “Well,” he says, “it was plenty bumpy, and we had people using their ‘barf ’ bags left and right. I didn’t have one, and I came awfully close to needing it, but
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Jack Shearer on the horse issued to him at his remote base in primitive China. Radioman First Class John R. “Jack” Shearer, home from China in 1946.
somehow I managed to get through it.” When the plane landed in Chongqing, China, Shearer and 12 other men were assigned to an outpost camp bordering the Gobi Desert on one side and Inner Mongolia on the other, beyond the Great Wall of China and about 40 miles west of the Japanese force’s westernmost outpost. Called Camp 4, it was one of a dozen camps in China that were among the best-kept secrets of the war. They were primarily weather stations created through a pact with China called SACO (Sino-American Cooperative Organization). Camp 4 occupied a large, walled Catholic mission just outside the town of Shenpa (now Xamba) that was 800 miles
north of Chongqing. The three residents of the mission, a priest and two nuns, had been moved to smaller quarters for the duration. The camp was the northernmost of the SACO camps. Importantly, it was 400 miles north of Tokyo’s latitude and was an excellent site for gathering radio intelligence and monitoring the weather upwind from Japan and the Philippines. Getting to the camp, however, would prove to be an experience. It took the men five entire months of travel by ancient Chinese trucks from headquarters in Chongqing, 1,500 miles to the south. The rickety Chinese trucks were constantly breaking down. “And,” Shearer says, “I often wondered if we would ever make it to our camp.” How did everything work out, once you were there?
Puzzles shown on page 13
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“It really didn’t,” Shearer laughs. “The temperature went from more than 100 F in the summer to minus 30 F in the winter. Sandstorms were common, and there was no running water. We got our water from a well and had to boil it to make it potable. “Our generators soon were beyond repair, and all of us took turns cranking the small hand generator to send our seven daily radio contacts with radio Chongqing and one with Peking (now Beijing). We provided weather information that was relayed to U.S. ships in the Pacific. That information was important to their planning assaults on Japan and the parts of China occupied by the Japanese.” How was the food? “We lived off the land,” he says. “We could buy chicken, eggs, and ‘yellow rice’ locally. But you ate the vegetables at your own peril. The locals fertilized with human waste, and eating the vegetables they grew produced lots of diarrhea. “The worst problem, though, was the bugs. They were everywhere. There were cockroaches in our hair, lice in our clothes, and bedbugs in our bedding. There was no way to get rid of them … they were always with us. That was true for the whole two years I was there.” Was there anything to see? “Nope … nothing. There were some small villages, and we each had a horse. But, when you got there, it was just a scattering of huts with nothing to do or see. So there was really no point in going.”
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The two years in the camp seemed like an eternity, but it finally passed. Shearer says one thing of interest about the grim two years was that suffering through it with him was a medical doctor named Henry Heimlich, who later won national acclaim for developing the Heimlich maneuver that saves people who are choking on food
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lodged in their windpipe. Did the Chinese food help him develop the maneuver? “It might well have,” Shearer agrees, with a grin. When the war in the Pacific ended in August 1945, everybody but Shearer left. He stayed behind to finalize details with the local Chinese officials for deactivating
the camp. He then traveled to Shanghai to catch a ship to San Francisco, where he mustered out as a radioman first class after serving 42 months in the Navy. In 1994, the Republic of China, in Taiwan, gave him and his wife, June, an all-expense-paid, 10-day tour to Taiwan in recognition of his wartime service to China.
At age 92, he now lives in Central Pennsylvania. And he says he will never forget the endless days he spent deep in primitive China in the “Rice Paddy Navy.” Colonel Wilcox flew a B-17 bomber in Europe in World War II.
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When her physician was on vacation, she was able to see another doctor who reviewed her profile, discussed what was going on, and had blood work done before sending her straight to the hospital. The very next day, Charlesworth had an emergency colectomy surgery to remove a tumor for stage-three colon cancer. “I was actually glad,” said Charlesworth—not for the cancer diagnosis, but to know what the real issue was and that her instincts had been completely accurate. Plus, she was relieved that there was a legitimate reason she had been pushing herself at the gym without seeing any results. After surgery, Charlesworth went through weekly chemotherapy for a year. The treatments ravaged her immune system, leaving her sometimes couchbound and unable to move. As someone who thrives on liveliness and exercise, the days of inactivity were especially irritating. It was during this time that Charlesworth set a goal of
RESOURCES
“I just wanted to running a marathon accomplish the 18-floor when she was recovered. task,” she said. “I For her 59th birthday, rappelling was the listened to the trainers, adventure of choice. and the focus was just Rappelling allows a getting to the floor.” person to make a And Charlesworth is controlled descent down determined that others a rope from a cliff—or, benefit from her in Charlesworth’s case, experiences—not just the side of a building. battling colon cancer, The equipment used to but also enduring a Charlesworth, right, with a secure participants helps friend at the 2012 Hershey Half yearlong misdiagnosis. to prevent them from A former business Marathon. Learning this was her descending too quickly or analyst, she organized a friend’s first half marathon, Charlesworth ran at her pace to community health losing control. help her get to the finish line. seminar on managing Nerves were not a factor because your own health in Charlesworth knew that she would be Camp Hill in the early 1990s, which strapped in and secure as she scaled her exceeded her expectations with a turnout way down the Fulton Bank Building in that was standing-room only. downtown Harrisburg. “It was wonderful. I want to do more Gaudenzia, a treatment center that community health seminars; that is one offers drug and alcohol treatment of the dreams I am going to accomplish programs in Pennsylvania, Maryland, this year,” she said. and Delaware, sponsored the rappelling Charlesworth’s other goal for the near event to raise money for their future is to complete a triathlon. organization. Though admittedly a mediocre
swimmer, she said she will still “make it happen.” Charlesworth hopes to inspire others to give sports and regular exercise a try. “It’s all up to you,” Charlesworth said. “Think about it; are you unkind to yourself when you go to a fitness center and think others are critical of you? Think again. Are you critical of others? I am impressed with anyone who does what they want to feel better and look great. “You might be sore since your body hasn’t experienced exercise in a while,” she said. “Instead of complaining, laugh and smile about it. Know that you will get past the soreness and benefit from it.” Charlesworth has two daughters and five grandchildren. In fact, she completed a race with her grandson, exposing him to the camaraderie of running communities. “Be with others,” she said. “They will inspire a routine. There are running clubs who are pleased to have newbies on board. You don’t have to run at the pace they do; just be there.”
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It also provides information on diseases and conditions, an interactive symptom checker, discussion boards on exercise and fitness, and support groups on weight loss and prostate cancer. MedlinePlus (www.nlm.nih.gov/med lineplus/menshealth.html): This comprehensive health site links users to men’s health resources from the National Library of Medicine, National Institutes of Health, Centers for Disease Control, and other government and health-related organizations. It provides easy-to-find information on hundreds of diseases and conditions, along with extensive information on medications and links to thousands of clinical trials. It also offers a senior-specific health site (nihseniorhealth.gov) that makes agerelated health information easy to get. www.50plusSeniorNewsPA.com
Prostate Cancer Foundation (www.prostatecancerfoundation.org): Provides comprehensive information on risk factors, detection and screening, diagnosis and treatment, questions to ask the doctor, and guidelines on how to live with the disease. Men and Depression (www.menand depression.nimh.nih.gov): Part of the National Institute of Mental Health, this site offers personal stories from men suffering from depression as well as the signs and symptoms, treatment, and when and how to seek help. FamilyDoctor.org (www.family doctor.org/men.xml): The American Academy of Family Physicians’ consumer-friendly site allows users to search by symptoms for possible
diagnosis, suggestions for self-care, and when it might be necessary to see a doctor. It also offers help finding a family doctor by zip code, a body mass index calculator, and sections on subjects
ranging from prostate health to athlete’s foot. Jim Miller is a regular contributor to the NBC Today show and author of The Savvy Senior Book. www.savvysenior.org
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One-hour varicose vein treatment. And get right back to life. The discomfort and swelling of varicose veins are more than a cosmetic issue; they can affect your quality of life. That’s why Good Samaritan Surgical Associates offer venous ablation or Venefit™, a one-hour outpatient procedure that is covered by most insurance plans. This radiofrequency treatment is minimally invasive, requires only local anesthetic, and can be performed in the comfortable and convenient GSH Outpatient Surgery Center. Best of all, recovery is quick with only three days of lighter than normal activity recommended after the surgery. Powerful medicine and comforting care. Only at Good Samaritan.
Surgical Associates
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