50plus LIFE - October 2020

Complimentary | October 2020

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When a Childhood Hobby Builds a Lifelong Pastime

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The Beauty in Nature

Autumn Poke and Sumac Foliage Clyde McMillan-Gamber

Pokeweed and staghorn sumac trees are plants that have red foliage in September and October.

Both these species, which are striking in fall, are native to the northeastern United States and have adapted to farmland hedgerows, woodland edges, and country roadsides where sunlight is abundant.

Pokeweed tree.

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These two plants, and other kinds of vegetation, help make those sunny, humanmade habitats more beautiful in autumn.

Poke is a perennial plant that sprouts in May and rapidly grows, bush-like, up to 6 feet or more. Poke produces tiny white blossoms Staghorn sumac tree. in elongated clusters on each of its several drooping flower stems. When pollinated, those blooms produce green berries that become juicy and deep purple by late summer.

In fall, the large leaves; thick, branching stems; and slender flower stems of pokeweed become red. Those red parts and the deep-purple berries drooping from their stems create lovely plants, readily seen from country roads.

Staghorn sumacs are small trees that help pioneer soil that has been burned over or otherwise disturbed and abandoned. They provide food and shelter for wildlife and help hold down soil against flooding until other kinds of trees take root.

Each leaf of sumacs has several leaflets. In autumn, their pretty red leaves flutter like banners in the wind, adding more beauty to the countryside.

By fall, too, sumacs have clusters of fuzzy red berries on the tips of their twigs, which add more beauty to those trees. Each berry cluster is shaped like a cone pointing up.

The red foliage of these plants is most striking when seen with sunlight behind it. The leaves seem to glow beautifully from within, adding more radiance to weeds, hay, and harvested cornfields.

Field mice and certain berry-eating birds, including cedar waxwings, starlings, American robins, eastern bluebirds, and other kinds, add the berries of poke and sumacs to their fall and winter menus. Those pretty birds digest the pulp of the berries but pass many of the seeds far and wide as they travel about.

Poke and sumac grow abundantly from seeds dropped in sunny, forgotten habitats in farmland. Eventually, they produce their own seeds, many of which are ingested by mice and birds.

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Some of the mice become part of several food chains. They are the prey of red foxes, eastern coyotes, long-tailed weasels, American kestrels, screech owls, and other kinds of predators the year around.

By late autumn, poke leaves fall off their stems, but many of those stems are still standing like skeletons. And some of their now-dried berries still cling to their slender stems.

Sumacs are bare and gaunt through winter. But they still hold their lovely berries on top of their limbs, adding a bit of color to the gray winter scene.

When along rural roads this fall, watch for the striking colored foliage of pokeweed and staghorn sumac. They both help make those roadsides more attractive and intriguing in themselves and in drawing the birds that consume their many lovely berries.

Clyde McMillan-Gamber is a retired Lancaster County Parks naturalist. Check out his blog at natureswondersbyclyde.blogspot.com.

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Talent

Showcase

Do you dance, sing, play an instrument, perform magic, tell jokes?

OLP Events invites the community to share their talents! There are oodles of boomers and seniors with talent, and we want to see it!

This year during the virtual 50plus EXPO season, we will be showcasing your creative side!

This is a chance for your 3 minutes in the spotlight. Just get out those smartphones or tablets and ask someone to record your talent.

Join us for this fun, motivational experience for today’s active adults. Show the community how much life there is after 50!

ELIGIBILITY:

RULES AND REQUIREMENTS:

• All performers must have reached their 50th birthday on or before Sept. 1, 2020.

• Must be a resident of Pennsylvania.

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• Lyrics or subject matter inappropriate to a family-style audience will disqualify the entry.

• Lip synching is prohibited.

We can’t wait to share your talent!

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• A 3-minute act limit will be strictly enforced. Record your talent in either a 3-minute clip or edit it down to 3 minutes.

• Videos must be filmed on a cell phone or tablet and emailed to talent@50plusEXPOPA.com. Please email the video directly from the device you used to record your talent or send us your YouTube link.

• Photo and brief bio of performer/s are required with entry.

• Entries must be received no later than Thursday, Oct. 15.

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October 2020

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When a Childhood Hobby Builds a Lifelong Pastime

By Jason Tabor “I’ve always good at talking enjoyed building about machines things; it keeps and would be me out of good at selling trouble,” laughs them, so I large-scale model decided to give builder Jerry that a try,” he Albert. remembers.

At 79, In 2003, he Albert stays retired from busy building Dressel Welding model replicas Supply, where of historic he’d spent 20 battleships in years in sales. the basement “Well, I have The USS Indianapolis CA-35, a heavy cruiser, was the last American ship sunk during by the Japanese during World War II. a lot more time workshop of The model is about 8 feet long. the Manheim to build models Township home now,” he laughs, he shares with his when asked how wife, Darlene. he’s spending his A Kennett retirement. “I Square native, don’t golf, so this Albert moved keeps me pretty to Lancaster busy.” in 1968 with He typically his wife and spends three two children to hours a day or work for John more working Bridge Sons in his basement The USS Missouri resides near the USS Arizona at the Pearl as a salesman shop, equipped Harbor National Memorial in Honolulu, Hawaii. Unlike this specializing with a lathe and 9.5-foot model, the real Missouri weighs 45,000 tons. in mechanical milling machine, power transmission equipment. building model recreations of World War II-era As a kid, he always spent a lot of time outside and battleships. taking things apart and putting them back together, “Sometimes I’ll wake up in the middle of the including lawnmowers and small engines. He also night with a new idea, and I’ll head down to the enjoyed building model airplane and truck kits. basement to see if I can bring it to life. I couldn’t do Albert remembers being 12 years old and seeing a that before I was retired,” he laughs. newspaper picture of a battleship; he soon bought a “I’m definitely a history buff, and World War II plastic model kit to build his own replica. is what I’m most interested in. I guess I was always After a mishap where he left the plastic model fascinated by the guns on those old battleships, and out in the sun — some of the model parts melted that’s why I’ve always focused on building those — Albert fabricated his own parts out of wood and ships,” he says. other materials to rebuild the battleship, a practice Over the years he has built about a half dozen that still continues to this day. large battleships based on historic vessels from the After receiving an associate’s degree in World War II era. Many of these models are over 6 mechanical design from Temple University in the feet in length, with hulls specially ordered from a ’60s, Albert embarked on a career as a machinist dealer in California. before becoming a salesman.

“Many of the parts that I don’t build myself have “Someone I worked with convinced me I was to be specially ordered from vendors around the www.50plusLifePA.com

U.S. or sometimes other countries. It’s a very niche hobby,” he says.

He has never sold any of his intricately designed models, preferring to build and display them for his own personal enjoyment.

“Most of what I’ve built is either on display or in storage somewhere in my house. They tend to take up quite a bit of room,” he laughs.

“It’s always just been a good way for me to ‘space out’ and get away from whatever Close-up of the brass anchor chains of the battleship stress might be happening in life,” he says.

USS Missouri BB-63. Albert started the model about 25 years “Ever since I was a kid, it’s been my way to ago and continued upgrading it over the years. relax and be creative. It’s probably similar for people who enjoy painting or creating other kinds of art.”

Albert is a member of model clubs that host get-togethers around the country, including a meet-up in Rocky Mount, North Carolina, where a mass deployment of 1/96th-scale, radio-controlled World War II vessels takes to the water in a local lake.

“It’s a small community of enthusiasts, but we all enjoy catching up with each other, talking shop, and getting ideas for new projects,” he says.

Most recently, Albert has displayed his The German battleship Bismarck — which sunk the British HMS Hood in the Battle of the Denmark Strait in May1941 — creations locally, including at Quarryville Presbyterian Retirement Community, where was 823 feet long. Albert’s model version comes in at 7.5 feet. he fielded questions from residents and local media as he launched ships in a pond adjoining the property.

“A friend of mine lives there, and I asked him if anyone would mind if I brought a ship down there to put in the pond. A lot of people who live there came to see it, and the next thing I knew, the entertainment committee asked me to come back with more,” he explains.

On his return visit, his models were displayed in the home’s hallways, where residents could see his work up close.

In his 65 years of model building, Albert has seen his hobby in times of growth as well as contraction over the years.

“Models today are much larger and detailed than anything we conceived of back when I was first getting started,” he says. “But kids today might be [too] caught up with the internet and video games to get into modeling. I know that hobby shops in particular have been impacted by the internet and Amazon in particular.”

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Even well into retirement, Albert has been keeping up with the technological advancements that have affected his hobby, including websites devoted to selling and discussing scale models and reaching vendors specializing in parts.

The internet has also boosted the availability of model plans and fabrication methods.

“I think 3D printing might really energize the hobby; it allows people to have more access to parts and pieces they might not otherwise be able to include in their models.”

When he’s not busy building in his basement workshop, Albert enjoys staying active during his retirement. He makes it to the YMCA a few times a week to work out, meets friends for conversations over breakfast, reads, and finds ways to stay occupied.

He is also working on another model he hopes to complete in the near future, a replica of a German battleship from the Second World War. “The thing about these models is, they’re never really done,” he laughs.

“They’re always going to keep me busy in retirement.”

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October 2020

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Honeybee Venom Found to Kill Aggressive Breast Cancer Cells Using the venom from 312 honeybees and bumblebees in Perth, Western Australia; Ireland; and England, Dr. Ciara Duffy from the Harry Perkins Institute of Medical Research and the University of Western Australia tested the effect of honeybee venom on the clinical subtypes of breast cancer, including triplenegative breast cancer, which has limited treatment options.

Results published in the international journal NJP Nature Precision Oncology revealed that honeybee venom rapidly destroyed triplenegative breast cancer and HER2-enriched breast cancer cells.

Duffy said the aim of the research was to investigate the anti-cancer properties of honeybee venom and a component compound, melittin, on

different types of breast cancer cells.

“We tested a very small, positively charged peptide in honeybee venom called melittin, which we could reproduce synthetically, and found that the synthetic product mirrored the majority of the anti-cancer effects of honeybee venom,” Duffy said.

“We found both honeybee venom and melittin significantly, selectively, and rapidly reduced the viability of triple-negative breast cancer and HER2-enriched breast cancer cells. The venom was extremely potent.”

A specific concentration of honeybee venom can induce 100% cancer cell death, while having minimal effects on normal cells.

“We found that melittin can completely destroy cancer cell membranes within 60 minutes,” Duffy said.

Melittin in honeybee venom also had another remarkable effect: Within 20 minutes, melittin was able to substantially reduce the chemical messages of cancer cells that are essential to cancer cell growth and cell division.

Duffy also tested to see if melittin could be used with existing chemotherapy drugs as it forms pores, or holes, in breast cancer cell membranes, potentially enabling the entry of other treatments into the cancer cell to enhance cell death.

“We found that melittin can be used with small molecules or chemotherapies, such as docetaxel, to treat highly aggressive types of breast cancer,” she said. “The combination of melittin and docetaxel was extremely efficient in reducing tumor growth in mice.”

Duffy’s research was conducted as part of her Ph.D. undertaken at Perth’s Harry Perkins Institute of Medical Research at the Cancer Epigenetics laboratory overseen by associate professor Pilar Blancafort.

While there are 20,000 species of bees, Duffy wanted to compare the effects of honeybee venom from honeybees in Perth, Australia, to other honeybee populations in Ireland and England, as well as to the venom of bumblebees.

“I found that the European honeybee in Australia, Ireland, and England produced almost identical effects in breast cancer compared to normal cells.

However, bumblebee venom was unable to induce cell death, even at very high concentrations.”

One of the first reports of the effects of bee venom was published in Nature in 1950, where the venom reduced the growth of tumors in plants. However, Duffy said it was only in the past two decades that interest grew substantially into the effects of honeybee venom on different cancers.

In the future, studies will be required to formally assess the optimum method of delivery of melittin, as well as toxicities and maximum tolerated doses.

For more information, visit www.perkins.org.au.

October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month

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October 2020

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It Was 50 Years Ago Today

‘Fire and Rain’ Randal Hill

He was just 22 when his introspective breakout single on Warner Records made James Taylor an international pop star.

Born in Boston in 1948, he was the second of five children and the son of a prominent doctor father and an aspiring opera-singer mother. After the Taylors moved to North Carolina, James studied the cello before switching to the guitar.

At a private boarding school as a teenager, he proved to be bright but uncomfortable in the high-pressure, college-prep setting. He enrolled at the public Chapel Hill High School but, depressed and insecure, dropped out during his junior year.

In time, though, Taylor earned his diploma at a psychiatric hospital in Belmont, Massachusetts.

He and a musician friend moved to New York, formed the Flying Machine band, and gigged around Greenwich Village, where Taylor began shooting heroin. The group released one single, which went unnoticed, and the discouraged musicians disbanded.

Eventually Taylor decided to move to London alone, where he auditioned for Beatles-owned Apple Records and became the first non-British act signed to the prestigious (but, as it turned out, short-lived) label.

While his debut album contained such now-classic tracks as “Carolina in My Mind,” his Apple disc tanked, due primarily to Taylor’s drug issues and the Beatles’ label falling apart.

Back in the States, Taylor signed with Warner Records and cut the album Sweet Baby James, which featured “Fire and Rain.”

Listeners often dug deeply in trying to analyze Taylor’s poignant lyric lines; a 1972 Rolling Stone magazine interview managed to shed quite a bit of “Fire and Rain” light on the song’s three seemingly disparate verses.

James Taylor “The first verse is about my reactions to the death of October 1970 a friend,” Taylor explained.

Suzanne Schnerr was a young woman who had befriended Taylor during his Flying Machine days. Later, at a mental-health please see ‘Fire and Rain’ page 9

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For more information, call Kimberly Shaffer at 717-285-8123 or email kshaffer@onlinepub.com Serving the mind, heart, and spirit of the 50plus community for 25 years.

October 2020

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On Life and Love after 50

Tom Blake

The Challenges of Senior Dating during the Pandemic

For 26 years, I’ve stated the best way for single seniors to meet potential mates is to get off the couch and out of the house.

However, that advice hasn’t been useful over the past eight months during the pandemic. We’ve been quarantined and encouraged to stay home. So, how do singles meet new people?

Choices are limited. Most senior centers and libraries are closed.

And when we do go to a grocery store or places indoors, we must wear a mask. It’s difficult to check somebody out from a distance when faces are covered.

Internet dating has become the most useful dating tool in 2020. My email inbox is bombarded with online dating-site messages. An estimated 1,500 new dating sites have emerged this year.

But do seniors really want to click on sites with names such as “Cobble,”

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“Pokerface,” “Say Allo,” “IsMyGirl,” “Live,” or “Extreme Age Gap”? Most likely not.

As the number of online sites has increased, so has the number of scammers. Seniors are targets for scammers. Many seniors are lonely, which makes them vulnerable.

But let’s say a senior meets a prospective mate online, using sites like Match, eHarmony, or Plenty of Fish (POF). The advice from dating coaches has always been to meet face-to-face as soon as possible, to avoid wasting time on the wrong person.

But that thinking has changed.

Sure, singles can still try to meet faceto-face (or should we say “mask-to-mask”?), but they need to ask themselves, “Is it worth the health risk?”

Before meeting “mask-to-mask,” should each person take a COVID-19 test and bring the results to the date?

On a first date, or any date, does each person wear a mask or gloves and place hand sanitizer or disinfecting wipes on the table? Does each show up with a thermometer and take his or her temperature and then show the results to the other person, proving he or she isn’t overheated?

You can probably forget about kissing (can we say Russian roulette every time?).

How about hugs? That’s always been a nice way to end a date when a kiss would be premature. Even hugs are risky. Yes, dating during the pandemic is a challenge.

How can senior singles feel safe meeting a stranger on a first date? Some are trying it, while respecting social distancing and mask guidelines.

People in established long-distance relationships where air travel is required to be together are being particularly challenged, especially if one person resides in a foreign country.

With the Canadian border having been closed, Americans and Canadians dating across the border but living apart probably haven’t seen each other in person for months.

Will senior dating get easier? Not likely any time soon. A former fraternity brother of mine, a highly regarded doctor, emails a coronavirus biweekly update, based upon the University of Washington’s IHME (Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation) data.

In September he emailed: “The data sees lots of trouble around Dec. 1 — worse than anything we’ve seen. Buckle your seat belts; we have a long journey ahead of us only to be avoided with effective vaccines.”

So, seniors, if you are going to meet in person, wear your mask, keep your distance, and save the hugs and kisses for later. And write and tell us how the date went.

For dating information, previous articles, or to sign up for Tom’s complimentary, weekly e-newsletter, go to www.findingloveafter50.com.

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50plus LIFE

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‘Fire and Rain’ from page 7

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facility, she committed suicide after being assigned an isolation cell.

Suzanne, the plans they made put an end to you He continues, “The second verse is about my arrival [back] in this country with a monkey on my back.” Here he implores Jesus to give him the strength he needs to survive his potentially lethal heroin addiction.

50plus LIFE and Vision Resources of Central Pennsylvania have partnered to bring you weekly audio readings of 50plus LIFE’s editorial content!

My body’s aching and my time is at hand In conclusion, Taylor candidly offers, “The third verse of that song refers to my recuperation in Austin Riggs [a psychiatric hospital in Stockbridge, Massachusetts], which lasted about five months.”

Here he faced the reality of the demise of his youthful, idealistic goals.

Sweet dreams and flying machines in pieces on the ground Later, on NPR, Taylor said of his first hit record, “It did come very, very fast. But it was a great relief. [It] relieved a lot of tension. There were things I needed to get rid of.”

Although the five-time Grammy winner intensely dislikes hearing his songs on the radio, he understands that “Fire and Rain” is one of his most anticipated concert pieces, yet admits, “I’m surprised really how durable it is or how reliable the connection, the emotional connection it makes.”

Randal C. Hill is a rock ’n’ roll historian who lives at the Oregon coast. He may be reached at wryterhill@msn.com.

Listen to the livestream Thursdays from 12:30-1:30 p.m. at www.vrocp.org!

The program will repeat 3 times that day and Saturdays from 11-11:30 a.m.

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For more information, call Vision Resources at (717) 238-2531 and listen at visit www.vrocp.org.

You know a good story when you hear it.

Think you or someone you know would make an interesting profile story for 50plus LIFE? We are looking for central Pennsylvanians over age 50 who have a unique hobby, passion, or history of volunteer work, or who are a part of an interesting local club.

Ideal story candidates are willing to talk about themselves and to be photographed.

Your name: _______________________________________________________________ Your address: ____________________________________________________________________ Your phone: ________________________________________ Email:_____________________________________________ Nominee’s name (if not self): ____________________________________________________________________________ Nominee’s town of residence: ___________________________________________________________________________ Nominee’s phone: __________________________________ Email: _____________________________________________ Why they would make a great story: _____________________________________________________________________ Note: Please get your nominee’s permission before submitting them!

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________________________

Please email story submissions to Megan Joyce, editor, at mjoyce@onlinepub.com or send via mail to 50plus LIFE, 3912 Abel Drive, Columbia, PA 17512. www.50plusLifePA.com

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October 2020

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2 Alternatives for Struggling Retirees Who Don’t Want to Drain Their Savings

By Chris Orestis Financial professionals often have this word of advice when the market takes a tumble and your 401(k) and other retirement accounts lose value: Ride it out. If you make a move now, you are locking in your losses. The market will come back — if you’re patient.

That’s great advice for younger investors who have time on their side. It’s less so for retirees who need that money for weekly living expenses right now. With every withdrawal they make, they are lowering the account’s balance, which means when the recovery does happen, they won’t enjoy its full power.

Unfortunately, many older Americans may feel financially trapped in this scenario and assume they have no alternative other than to keep drawing money from those retirement accounts.

But here are two options that don’t require you to dip into your retirement savings and are immediately available. One is a reverse mortgage; the other involves cashing in on your life insurance through a life settlement.

Let’s explore how each works:

About Us – The Lancaster County Office of Aging (LCOA) was established 45 years ago as a

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Reverse mortgage. A reverse mortgage is a mortgage loan or line of credit,

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usually secured by a residential property, that enables the borrower to access the unencumbered value of the property.

The loans are designed for older homeowners and do not require monthly payments for as long as the homeowner is living in the home. Borrowers are still responsible for paying property taxes and homeowner’s insurance.

Reverse mortgages allow homeowners who are 62 or older to borrow against the home equity they have built up in their homes now and defer payment of the loan until they die, sell, or move out of the home.

One downside, though, is that because there are no required mortgage payments on a reverse mortgage, the interest is added to the loan balance each month. The rising loan balance can eventually grow to exceed the value of the home, particularly in times of declining home values or if the borrower continues to live in the home for many years.

However, the borrower (or the borrower’s estate) is generally not required to repay any additional loan balance in excess of the value of the home at the time it is sold.

One example of a reverse mortgage is an FHA-insured HECM (home

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Lancaster County Office of Aging Maintaining the independence and quality of life for seniors through information, services, and protection since 1974.

result of the passage of the Older Americans Act. This act directed states to develop a network of services and supports to help keep older adults healthy and independent.

The Pennsylvania Department of Aging was created to fulfill this mandate. In turn, a network of 52 Area Agencies on Aging (AAA) was established throughout the commonwealth to carry out this mission at the local level.

Funding for aging-related services is a combination of state and federal monies, with the Pennsylvania Lottery providing the major source of funding.

In Lancaster County, the AAA is part of county government. We are dedicated to providing Lancaster County residents, 60 years of age and older, with a wide range of informational resources and services as well as advocacy efforts and elder abuse protection.

The LCOA offers the following services:

Our Philosophy:

• Information and referral services

u

Support

the older person’s right to decide his/her own destiny. Encourage consumer self-determination and choice.

• Long-term living assessments • H ome and community-based support services

u

Support

the older person’s right to risk.

• Protection from abuse and neglect

u

Promote

independence and dignity.

• A PPRISE, Medicare, and related health insurance counseling

u

Avoid

unnecessary/inappropriate institutionalization.

• Senior center services

• • • • • • • •

Adult daily living services Caregiver support Employment Ombudsman services Transportation Legal services Health and wellness programming Volunteer opportunities

For more information, please call us Monday – Friday from 8:30 a.m. – 5 p.m. at 717-299-7979/1-800-801-3070, visit our website at www.lancoaging.org, or email aging@co.lancaster.pa.us.

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50plus LIFE

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equity conversion mortgage) nonrecourse loan. The cost of the FHA mortgage insurance is a one-time fee of 2% of the appraised value of the home and then an annual fee of 0.5% of the outstanding loan balance.

Life settlements. Many people don’t know this, but life insurance policy owners have the legal right to sell off an unneeded or unwanted life insurance policy through what’s known as a “life settlement.”

For struggling seniors, this is an immediate financial solution they can access in times like these if they are having difficulties paying their bills.

After all, the settlement is for a policy a senior already owns and has made premium payments on for years.

There are no fees to do a life settlement and no out-of-pocket costs. When a person settles their policy, the policy owner receives cash that can often be tax-free, and they are no longer responsible for premium payments.

The process can be completed from start to finish in 90 days’ time or less. Another bonus in these social-distancing times is that the entire lifesettlement process is conducted remotely, and there is no need for in-person meetings at any time.

During the coronavirus pandemic, struggling seniors who own a life insurance policy, or who have paid off or nearly paid off their mortgages, should review these other options before they make any moves toward depleting their retirement savings.

The opportunity could be there to put yourself on much firmer financial footing.

Chris Orestis, known as the “Retirement Genius,” is president of LifeCare Xchange and a nationally recognized healthcare expert and senior advocate. He has 25 years’ experience in the insurance and long-term care industries and is the author of Help on the Way and A Survival Guide to Aging.

Email inbox feeling a little . . . heavy?

Free Online Exercise, Baking Classes Offered Virtual exercise and cooking classes will be offered in October

by TheSeniorList.com. Both classes are free.

Amplitude, Mental Agility, and Power Wednesday, Oct. 14, 5 p.m.

Sign Up: www.theseniorlist.com/ online-web-classes This class will work your whole body and mind. This A.M.P. (Amplitude, Mental Agility, Power) class was specifically designed to battle the effects of Parkinson’s disease but is wonderful exercise for anybody looking to improve strength, endurance, flexibility, balance, and cognition.

No special equipment required.

Materials needed:

Materials needed:

• Yoga mat or a thick towel • Chair for balance • Water The Easiest Apple Crisp (Gluten-free, Plant-based) Wednesday, Oct. 21, 5 p.m.

Sign Up: www.theseniorlist.com/ online-web-classes Come learn how to bake a very easy and crowd-pleasing dessert that is not only gluten-free, but also vegan. Bakers don’t need

Lighten things up with

anything but a bowl, a baking dish, and their hands to create a dessert delicious enough to serve all fall and for the holidays.

• • • • • • • • • • • •

9x13'' baking dish A peeler A knife A mixing bowl 8 apples Gluten-free quick-cook oats Gluten-free 1:1 baking flour Baking soda Salt Sugar Cinnamon coconut oil or shortening

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our fun and free monthly e-newsletter featuring interesting quotes, tasty recipes, little-known facts, and links to helpful and timely articles!

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

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Serving the mind, heart, and spirit of the 50plus community for 25 years.

October 2020

11

Art & Antiques by Dr. Lori

How to Sell Political Playthings Online Lori Verderame

The vintage toy advertise your market is nearly online listings of as emotionally political items. charged as the What’s hot? political landscape.

Political campaigns During have moved away campaign season, from the functional which keeps item giveaways getting longer promoting their and longer candidates of the nowadays, the most past, like William popular political McKinley baby — specifically soap and John F. Photo credit: Staff photographer, www.DrLoriV.com presidential — Kennedy cigarette Left: Ty Inc. Beanie Babies, Righty and Lefty, 2004. collectibles come lighters, in favor of Right: Clinton and Trump coloring books, 2016. in the form of campaign toys. playthings: games or toys.

More recently, collectors, political operatives, and even kids have coveted From bobbleheads to Beanie Babies, now is the time to cash in on the items like Barack Obama and Mitt Romney bobbleheads, George W. Bush campaign memorabilia of yesterday. Take advantage of the broad media jack-in-the-boxes, Donald J. Trump coloring books, Bill Clinton soft-plush coverage surrounding the candidates to sell your stuff and use it to help pillow dolls, and blue pantsuit-clad Hillary Clinton “Ready for Action” action figures.

A pair of Beanie Babies called Lefty, a donkey, and Righty, an elephant, were manufactured a few years after the collectible stuffed toys were first introduced in 1993. These red-and-blue Ty Inc. collectibles were all the rage in 1996, 2000, 2004, and 2008.

Today, they are among the pricey offerings on auction websites and Facebook marketplace that have emerged from basement storage tubs.

When it comes to market value, the big winners will be political family fun Handsome games as families look for new activities during a pandemic that has kept some Dallas is a smart boy parents and children home from workplaces and schools. who knows Games like the “A House Divided” congressional Monopoly board game several or Trump Cards, where players try to guess which printed-card statements are tricks and fake news, attract young and old alike to compete this election season. commands If you are trying to sell your bygone political toys, post them online no later and is housethan Oct. 1 to ride the intense press wave. broken. He On my YouTube channel, I teach people how to sell stuff, market, and can be a attract buyers. I advise viewers to use social media pages to highlight their little goofy stuff, make sure they tell the backstory of their political playthings, and and make post tightly cropped photographs with no hands or visual distractions in the adorable background when they are showing potential buyers their online offerings. snorting Attract buyer interest with an interesting anecdote from the candidate or sounds. campaign. Answer comments and questions in a timely manner. Ignore online An auction trolls posing as helpful shoppers or naysayers. affectionate boy who loves to give kisses, Dallas is not Use this time to market your online political collectibles well before opposed to living with other dogs but would like the Election Day arrives. Don’t forget to vote! opportunity to meet them before making a commitment.

Pet of the Month

Dallas

For more information, contact Brandywine Valley SPCA, 1212 Phoenixville Pike, West Chester, at (484) 302-0865 or bvspca.org.

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October 2020

50plus LIFE

Dr. Lori Verderame is the award-winning Ph.D. antiques appraiser on History channel’s No. 1 hit show about the world’s oldest treasure hunt, The Curse of Oak Island. For more information, visit www.DrLoriV.com and www.YouTube.com/ DrLoriV.

www.50plusLifePA.com

Booming Voice

Of Pandemic and Pandemonium Bill Levine

My late dad and I have both been in the crosshairs of a pandemic, albeit 102 years apart.

His premature home birth on Sept. 2, 1918, in Malden, Massachusetts, was only 8 miles from the epicenter of the Spanish flu pandemic in Boston: a naval barracks ship, where the flu claimed two victims on Aug. 27, 1918, and then mercilessly killed over 3,000 Bostonians by late October.

As a child under 5 years old, Dad was in a most vulnerable category.

My age of 68 in the age of COVID19 has made me a vulnerable target for this insidious pathogen.

Dad’s family was truly in a more precarious situation in 1918 than we are now in 2020. My wife and I were in Florida, where the virus was relatively dormant from March until we left in the end of May. We came back to a Greater Boston that had flattened the curve.

Dad’s family in Malden consisted of Dad and my grandparents on one floor and my great-grandparents and my teenage great-uncle on the other floor.

Growing up I always admired a picture of my grandfather, young, proud, and spiffy in his World War I naval uniform. But was it also the picture of a Spanish flu carrier?

Family lore has it that my grandfather was stationed in Groton, Connecticut, and Boston during his duty tour. If he was stationed in Boston in September, he could have been one of the 2,000 of 21,000 sailors infected by the flu by mid-September.

There are, of course, a lot of “ifs” here, and family lore is no substitute for military records. But my grandfather certainly could have been home following my dad’s Sept. 2 birth, if stationed in Boston.

Dad survived the pandemic in 1918, in spite of possibly difficult odds, and I have so far ridden out the first wave of the 2020 pandemic without catching COVID-19.

My COVID-19 fantasy is that Dad and I, alive during the 1918 and 2020 baseball seasons but on parallel pandemic experiences, could be united just once in 2020 to watch a Red Sox game and celebrate our joint survivorship as pandemic-vulnerable individuals.

Indeed, Dad was born on the last day of the regular 1918 season on Sept.

2. The season was shortened to 130 games due to World War I, but the Red Sox had won the American League pennant so they continued on to meet the Chicago Cubs in the World Series.

Games 4-6 were played at Fenway Park from Sept. 5-11, the same time the public became aware of the flu breakout at Boston’s naval installations.

The public’s concern for the virus kept the attendance down to 24,000 for game 5, and in the championship-clinching game 6, only 15,000 fans showed up — less than half of Fenway Park’s 35,000 capacity.

Even these reduced crowds abetted the pandemic, with fans seated in www.50plusLifePA.com

50plus LIFE

Fenway’s closely packed seats. There was no parade that year because of the flu, so it would be over 86 years until Red Sox fans witnessed a championship parade.

In the midst of our current COVID-19 pandemic, MLB teams will play only 60 games, with an average attendance of zero. I have already watched the odd spectacle of no 30,000-member Greek chorus of fans commenting on the proceedings with boos, cheers, claps, waves, screams, and yells.

Dad passed away in 2013, right after the Sox won the series. He too would find the fan-less games strange. Yet separated by 102 years, it would be special if we, two virulent virus survivors, could witness a baseball game together in a common pandemic.

My fantasy I will borrow from the Field of Dreams script. I will constantly hear voices saying, “If you buy it, he will come.” I will then go out and get a 75-inch, whip-smart TV, with full wraparound sound.

Then Dad and I, on parallel pandemic paths, will coexist for a plague moment. We will watch a quiet, soulless, empty-Fenway Red Sox game. I will then play a YouTube clip of the last out of the Red Sox 1967 season that sealed a 5-3, pennant-clinching victory over the Twins, an epic event Dad and I witnessed on our den TV. The fans streamed onto the field, mobbing pitcher Jim Lonborg, who is barely visible in the huge scrum. Broadcaster Ned Martin described it perfectly: “It’s pandemonium on the field.”

We then will switch back to the empty Fenway Park, where players after a Sox win are as jubilant as can be under social distancing, pantomiming high-fives. The announcer, my dad and I would agree, should say, “There is pandemic on the field.”

Bill Levine is a retired IT professional and active freelance writer. Bill aspires to be a humorist because it is easier to be pithy than funny. He may be reached at wlevine0607@comcast.net.

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Serving the mind, heart, and spirit of the 50plus community for 25 years.

October 2020

13

Dear Pharmacist

Do You Have Chronic Fatigue and Breathlessness?

Suzy Cohen

We’ve all felt tired at one point or another, but this article is about a different kind of exhaustion.

Fatigue is sometimes self-limited and temporary.

That is, unless, you’ve ever had a virus. In that case, the fatigue is more persistent and, in some cases, disabling.

If you’ve ever had a bad cold, the flu, COVID, a tick bite, chickenpox, mononucleosis, flea bites, Bartonella (from a cat scratch), West Nile, or any other virus, you could have what’s called post-viral fatigue syndrome, or PVFS. PVFS is a very real, and intractable fatigue is associated with it. Some of you reading this have the fatigue that I’m talking about and don’t even know it. It could also be related to hyperventilation or, more aptly termed, “overbreathing.”

Sometimes people with panic attacks or sleep apnea will have issues with breathing, as will those who have taken chemotherapy.

Dizziness and lightheadedness are potential symptoms of overbreathing.

You may have experienced this when you got up to do something —

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Although Troy’s playful days are behind him, he has plenty of time for snuggling and hanging out with his people.

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14

October 2020

50plus LIFE

for example, get the mail from the mailbox — and you came back breathless and tired. You don’t feel well, but you’re mentally astute and physically capable and strong. Yet you feel so weak!

This overbreathing will induce low levels of carbon dioxide in your blood, termed hypocapnia, which causes the symptoms below.

An example you might relate to is that you go to Pilates, and 15 minutes in, you feel short of breath (or breathless) and perhaps slightly dizzy. You might feel a strong, racing heartbeat.

Or maybe you try to jog 3 miles like you used to, but you have to stop within a mile and walk back home breathing very heavily.

Sound familiar?

It comes with excessive production of cytokines, peroxynitrites, and hydrogen peroxide! This is like a little bomb going off in your body.

Potential symptoms of overbreathing or hyperventilation: • • • • • • • • •

Lightheadedness Dizziness Weakness Confusion or brain fog Feeling like you cannot catch your breath Racing or pounding heartbeat Tingling or numbness in the fingers or toes Muscle cramps Excessive yawning

Here are some ideas for treatment, but make sure you have done a complete cardiovascular evaluation to rule out heart trouble. Because I couldn’t possibly know what is right for each of you, please discuss these ideas with your doctor: 1. Breathe slowly into your mask, if you’re wearing one, or into cupped hands during these episodes to help raise CO2 levels.

2. Do some diaphragmatic breathing.

3. Consider Catalase supplements once daily to break down hydrogen peroxide and turn it into oxygen and water intracellularly.

4. Consider taking 600mg of NAC (N-acetylcysteine) twice daily to support glutathione levels.

5. Consider taking a sublingual ATP supplement, which offsets the damage done by the lack of oxygen to your brain.

If you’re interested in more solutions and in learning more about this topic, I have a longer, comprehensive version of this article that I will email to you if you sign up for my free newsletter at suzycohen.com.

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

www.50plusLifePA.com

Free Online Tool Helps Older Adults Find Medicare Coverage

Same great events, but they’re online . . .

Virtually!

Entertainment • Live Videos Seminars • Demonstrations 21st Annual

Oct. 1–4, 2020 NOrtHErN LANCAStEr COUNtY

18th Annual

Oct. 15–18, 2020 As Medicare Open Enrollment nears, the National Council on Aging has launched a modernized version of its My Medicare Matters online tool that simplifies the often-confusing process of choosing a Medicare plan.

Medicare Open Enrollment runs from Oct. 15 through Dec. 7, 2020, for coverage effective in 2021. Every year, individuals with Medicare are encouraged to review their Medicare plan to determine if it still meets their needs as their health situation changes.

This year, amidst a global pandemic, it’s even more important for older adults to ensure their plan still provides the coverage they need at the best price.

“We built this new tool from the perspective of an older adult trying to navigate the complexities of Medicare — focusing on giving users an easy-to-use website, unbiased information, and an opportunity to receive personalized information and enrollment support,” said Josh Hodges, NCOA chief customer officer.

On My Medicare Matters, visitors can take a free, confidential assessment to evaluate their health coverage needs. After completing it, they can explore: • Plan Options – Based on their situation and lifestyle, visitors can learn about the benefits of enrolling in Medicare Advantage or Medigap + Part D to meet their health and prescription needs.

• Costs to Expect – With sample plans, visitors can discover how much they can expect to pay with premiums, co-pays, prescriptions, and other out-ofpocket expenses.

• Easy Enrollment – If they choose, visitors can get personalized advice and talk with a trusted Medicare agency partner that meets NCOA’s standards.

• Next Steps – Visitors also can access Medicare basics, tips, and advice on how to get the most out of their Medicare plans.

“The Medicare plan shopping experience can be daunting for beneficiaries,” said Bob McFillin, managing director at Medicare Choice Group, LLC, an NCOA partner for My Medicare Matters.

“Our goal is to eliminate confusion and efficiently navigate individuals to their desired health plan. Guided by the NCOA standards of excellence and with a focus on each person’s needs, we can research their options across the most respected Medicare brands nationally in an unbiased fashion.”

For more information, visit www.MyMedicareMatters.org. www.50plusLifePA.com

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YOrK COUNtY 21st Annual

Oct. 22–25, 2020 CUMBErLAND COUNtY 17th Annual

Nov. 5–8, 2020 CHEStEr COUNtY 24th Annual

Nov. 19–22, 2020 LANCAStEr COUNtY ——— Sponsored By ——— Health & Wellness Sponsor:

Seminar Sponsors: Bellomo and Associates Capital BlueCross Highmark Blue Shield VIBRA

Principal Sponsors:

Co-Host: Lancaster County Office of Aging Visitor Bag Sponsors: Independence Blue Cross OSS Health Media Sponsors:

Expo Guide Sponsors:

Supporting Sponsors: Highmark Blue Shield Menno Haven Retirement Communities Orthopedic Institute of PA UPMC Pinnacle

(717) 285-1350 or email info@50plusEXPOPA.com

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Hosted by: and

Serving the mind, heart, and spirit of the 50plus community for 25 years.

October 2020

15

50 Plus Senior News 10/20 Crossword

Puzzle Page

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Such is Life

What Does Ellenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Bell Really Stand For? Saralee Perel

I grew up in Baltimore, Maryland, when they still had â&#x20AC;&#x153;whites onlyâ&#x20AC;? signs at the swimming pools.

My best friendâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s father owned a huge real estate agency. Once, I asked him why he didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t sell houses to Black people.

He said, â&#x20AC;&#x153;I tell them, â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;You wonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t be comfortable in a neighborhood where youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re different from all the others.â&#x20AC;&#x2122;â&#x20AC;? I didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t get it.

Last week I connected with my friend, Jill, who also grew up in Baltimore. She told me that her grandmother wouldnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t let her play on a seesaw if the other rider was Black. Jill didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t get it back then.

I was raised by a Black American woman named Ellen Sullivan, Saralee and Ellen. who had her own (sort of) room in our 15-room red-brick house. After she served our dinners in our walnut-paneled dining room, she had to eat by herself in the kitchen.

She and I had a closer mother-daughter bond than I did with my mother. It was Ellen whoâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d put Mercurochrome on my bloody knees. It was Ellen Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d run to when kids made fun of me for being overweight. Nightmares had happy endings because Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d run to Ellenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s room in the night.

My parents were great to me, though. But Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d (perhaps unfairly) be accusatory toward them when it came to Ellenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s place in our family.

Innocently, I expected her to be a guest at my bat mitzvah party, not a servant.

My mother would summon Ellen by ringing a brass bell. I loved that sound because the love of my life would soon be nearby.

That bell is displayed on my mantel. But I donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t know if it should be. You see, recently Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve learned that the bell is a symbol of servitude.

At the very same time, though, Ellenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s bell is a symbol of our devotion to each other. In fact, we had an unspoken code. Whenever Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d want to burst with fury toward my mother, or snap back at my dad, all Ellen had to do was wink at me.

What do I do with her bell, now that I know it symbolizes oppression? Do I take it down like a Confederate statue?

When I was 14, we moved to a condominium. Ellen was then fired. I thought, â&#x20AC;&#x153;You canâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t fire a family member.â&#x20AC;?

Dad wouldnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t allow Ellen to visit us at the all-white condominium. But I wouldnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t stop carping, so they gave in. She looked so fancy wearing a petticoat under a purple skirt with big yellow roses on it. She held a shiny patent-leather pocketbook in her lap. She stood out like car in the middle of a pond.

It was awful.

When I hugged her goodbye, she whispered something she had said many times, â&#x20AC;&#x153;You are beautiful, Saralee, just the way you are.â&#x20AC;?

I didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t want her to leave. I knew it would be for the last time. And it was. www.50plusLifePA.com

50plus LIFE

Twelve years later, on the eve of my wedding, I secretly went into my parentsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; bedroom, where I found Ellenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s number and called her. When I said, â&#x20AC;&#x153;Ellen?â&#x20AC;? I could hear her crying as she whispered, remarkably, â&#x20AC;&#x153;Saralee.â&#x20AC;? She died shortly thereafter, 42 years ago.

If I could, Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d ask Ellen, â&#x20AC;&#x153;What should I do with our bell?â&#x20AC;?

I imagine her saying, â&#x20AC;&#x153;Any old Ellenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s bell. bell would have meant your mom needed something. But â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;ourâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; bell is just between you and me.â&#x20AC;?

And so, I will honor the bell for the tender, loving bond it represents, but I donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t know where Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll put it, or even if Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll keep it at all.

Award-winning, nationally syndicated columnist Saralee Perel can be reached at sperel@saraleeperel.com or via her website: www.SaraleePerel.com

The December issue of 50plus LIFE will include a special focus â&#x20AC;&#x201D;

ORTHOPEDICS & PAIN Whether you provide relief through standard care, complementary and alternative medicine, therapies, fitness options, or specialty products ...

50plus LIFE is the perfect venue to reach an ideal demographic who can benefit from your information.

Closing date for advertorial: Oct. 30, 2020 Closing date for ad copy: Nov. 6, 2020 Let our readers know what their options are and to whom they can turn when they hurt.

Please contact your marketing consultant at 717.285.1350 or info@onlinepub.com today to reserve your space!

0O -JOF 1VCMJTIFST *OD t 0OMJOF BOE *O 1SJOU t onlinepub.com

Serving the mind, heart, and spirit of the 50plus community for 25 years.

October 2020

17

October 30th is

Create a Great Funeral Day Savvy Senior

Jim Miller

How to Get Veterans’ Funeral and Burial Benefits

Dear Savvy Senior, Does the VA provide any special burial benefits to old veterans? My dad, who has latestage Parkinson’s disease, served during the Vietnam War in the 1960s.

– Only Child Dear Only, Most U.S. veterans are eligible for burial and memorial benefits through the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) National Cemetery Administration.

Veterans who were discharged under conditions other than dishonorable are eligible.

To verify your dad’s discharge, you’ll need a copy of his DD Form 214 “Certificate of Release or Discharge from Active Duty,” which you can request online from the National Archives (www.archives.gov/veterans).

Here’s a rundown of some of the different benefits that are available to veterans that die a nonservice-related death.

National Cemetery Benefits If your dad is eligible and would like to be buried in one of the 136 national or 111 grant-funded state and tribal VA cemeteries (see www.cem.va.gov/cem/ cems/listcem.asp for a list), the VA provides a host of benefits, at no cost to the family, including:

• A gravesite • Opening and closing of the grave • Perpetual gravesite care • A government headstone or marker • A United States burial flag that can be used to drape the casket or accompany the urn (after the funeral service, the flag is given to the nextof-kin as a keepsake) • A presidential memorial certificate National cemetery burial benefits are also available to spouses and dependents of veterans.

If your dad is cremated, his remains will be buried or inurned in the same manner as casketed remains.

Funeral or cremation arrangements and costs are not, however, taken care of by the VA. They are the responsibility of the veteran’s family, but some veterans’ survivors are eligible for burial allowances, which are explained below.

If you’re interested in this option, the VA offers a preneed burial eligibility determination program at www.cem.va.gov/pre-need or call the National Cemetery Scheduling Office at (800) 535-1117.

Private Cemetery Benefits If your father is going to be buried in a private cemetery, the benefits available include a free government headstone or marker or a medallion that can be affixed to an existing privately purchased headstone or marker; a burial flag; and a presidential memorial certificate.

Funeral or cremation arrangements and costs are again the responsibility of the family (some burial allowances may be available), and there are no benefits offered to spouses and dependents who are buried in private cemeteries.

Military Funeral Honors Another popular benefit available to all eligible veterans buried in either a national or private cemetery is a military funeral honors ceremony.

This includes an honor guard detail of at least two uniformed military persons, folding and presenting the U.S. burial flag to the veteran’s survivors, please see Benefits page 20

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October 30th is

Create a Great Funeral Day How America Wants to Be Buried in 2020 Earlier this year, Choice Mutual surveyed 1,500 people over age 18 in the United States on their burial preferences. The following information represents some of their findings.

How do you plan to have your body disposed of after you die?

• • • • • •

Traditional burial – 35% Cremation – 44% Natural burial – 4% Donate to science – 6% Don’t have a plan/don’t care – 10% Other – 1%

Alternative burial methods and how much they cost

Cremation – What do you want to have done with your ashes?

• • • •

My family keeps the ashes – 36% Ashes spread in a specific location – 40% Ashes mixed with soil and used to plant a tree – 10% Other – 14%  Made into art  Mausoleum  Coral reef  Diamond  Glass creation  Mixed with ink and used for a tattoo  Pressed into vinyl record  Turned into a firework  3D-printed into an object  Launched into space Cremation – Where do you want your ashes spread?

• Near water – 48% • In nature (including water) – 65% • Specific place (mentioned by name) – 37% Why did you choose the way you plan to have your body disposed of?

• • • • •

Personal belief – 47% Family tradition – 24% Financial reasons – 13% Religious beliefs – 11% Other – 5% What items would/do you want to be buried with?

• • • • • • •

Photos of loved ones – 50% Sports memorabilia – 7% Family heirloom – 14% Remains of loved one or pet – 19% Award, diploma, or medal – 7% Hobby-related item – 12% Other (or nothing) – 24% For the full report, visit https://choicemutual.com/funeral-preferences.

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50plus LIFE

Serving the mind, heart, and spirit of the 50plus community for 25 years.

October 2020

19

Support the Troops This Holiday Season!

Our troops deserve our help and to know they aren’t forgotten!

Keystone Military Families, a PA-based nonprofit, encourages you to brighten the holidays for our troops overseas by sponsoring a care package!

Benefits from page 18

00 0,0 ops 1 g t ro . din Sen ings to world k e stoc ver th o al l

Thousands of essential items have been received for veterans, but monetary donations to defray shipping costs are desperately needed.

Registered 501c-3

Please send your monetary donation by Dec. 15 The cost for one box is $27-$77, depending on the destination.

We need your help to make this happen!

Donations can be made online at www.KeystoneMilitaryFamilies.org or mail checks to:

Keystone Military Families 331 Main Street, Shoemakersville, PA 19555

For more information, visit KeystoneMilitaryFamilies.org, call (610) 698-2122, or email keystonemilitary@yahoo.com.

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October 2020

50plus LIFE

and the playing of “Taps” by a bugler or an electronic recording.

The funeral provider you choose will be able to assist you with all VA burial requests. Depending on what you want, certain forms may need to be completed, which are always better done in advance.

For a complete rundown of burial and memorial benefits, eligibility details, and required forms, visit the National Cemetery Administration online (www.cem.va.gov) or call (800) 827-1000.

Burial Allowances In addition to the burial benefits, some veterans’ survivors may also qualify for a $300 burial allowance (or $780 if hospitalized by the VA at time of death) and $780 for a plot, to those who choose to be buried in a private cemetery.

To find out if your dad is eligible, see the VA’s burial and plot internment allowance fact sheet at benefits.va.gov/benefits/factsheets/burials/burial.pdf.

To apply for burial allowances, you’ll need to fill out VA Form 21P-530 “Application for Burial Benefits.” You need to attach a copy of your dad’s discharge document (DD-214 or equivalent), death certificate, and funeral and burial bills.

They should show that you have paid them in full. You may download the form at www.va.gov/vaforms.

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

www.50plusLifePA.com

KEIy eLAM O R E ssociates Medical • Diagnostic testing • Disease evaluation • Routine eye care • Emergency care and treatment

Surgical • Cataract removal and intraocular lens implants • Retinal injections (macular degeneration) • Glaucoma surgery

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890 Century Drive, Mechanicsburg, PA 17055

(717) 697-1414 • www.kilmoreeye.com

Fun feature of the virtual 50plus EXPOs!

Writing Challenge Showcase

ou Chec to ki nl t ine !

Everyone has a story tell, and we want to hear from you!

Send us up to 300 words of your original work. Your entry can be a poem, essay, or narrative format.

You may want to let us know about the biggest challenge you had to navigate through. How did you come through that time and did it change the course of your life?

Or do you like the rhythm of words? Then a poem would be your forte.

We are excited to be able to offer this special feature as part of the online virtual 50plus EXPOs this fall.

Prizes w All entries will be shown online for the general public to vote for their favorite. ill

be awar

ELIGIBILITY: • A ll competitors must have reached their 50th birthday on or before Sept. 1, 2020.

• Competition is limited to nonprofessional writers.

• Writers must be a resident of Pennsylvania.

RULES AND REQUIREMENTS: • Entries cannot be longer than 300 words.

• Subject matter inappropriate to a family-style audience will disqualify the entry.

• Plagiarizing is not permitted and entries must be your original work.

• Photo of contestant/s is required with entry.

• Entries will be posted for viewing beginning in September.

• Entries to be posted for the competition must be received no later than Thursday, Oct. 15.

• Please go to www.50plusEXPOpa.com/writingshowcase to submit your writing.

25 th

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ded!

If you would like to mail your submission, see page 36 for Entry Form.

Celebrating 25 years of serving the mind, heart, and spirit of the 50+ community

50plusEXPOpa.com/writingshowcase

50plus LIFE

Serving the mind, heart, and spirit of the 50plus community for 25 years.

October 2020

21

Join us in celebrating our silver anniversary by taking a look back at life over the last 25 years … as well as a blast from one of our covers past!

1998 Top Headlines

Entertainment

• American domestic terrorist, anarchist, former mathematics professor, and confessed “Unabomber” Theodore Kaczynski was sentenced to four consecutive life sentences without the possibility of parole on May 4 for a series of mailed bombs that killed three people and injured 23 between 1978 and 1995.

• In January, NBC agreed to pay an unprecedented $13 million per episode for broadcast rights to the top-rated series ER through the 2000-01 season. The total dollar figure, $850 million, eclipsed any price ever paid for a television show.

• T itanic tied Ben-Hur for the record for most Academy Awards on March 23. The movie’s 11 awards included Best Director for James Cameron and Best Picture. That year, Titanic also became the highest-grossing film of all time, pulling in more than $580 million in the U.S.

• On Aug. 7, nearly simultaneous bombs blew up in front of the American embassies in Nairobi, Kenya, and Tanzania. The al Qaeda-linked blasts killed 224 people, including 12 Americans, and more than 4,500 people were wounded.

• President Clinton ordered a four-day bombing campaign on Iraqi targets beginning Dec. 16 after the country’s refusal to cooperate with U.N. weapons inspectors. At the time of the air strikes, Iraq was continuing its attempts to build weapons of mass destruction.

• With a running time of 56 minutes, the twopart series finale of Seinfeld aired May 14 and was watched by an estimated 76 million viewers. Series co-creator Larry David returned to write the script for the episode, which polarized critics and audiences both then and now.

• President Clinton was impeached by the House of Representatives on Dec. 19 on grounds of perjury to a grand jury and obstruction of justice. The charges stemmed from Clinton’s two-year affair with then-White House intern Monica Lewinsky.

• On May 14, American crooner Frank Sinatra, 82, died of a heart attack at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles. Other notable deaths in 1998 included Gene Autry, Sonny Bono, Florence Griffith Joyner, Lloyd Bridges, and Phil Hartman.

Oct. 1998

Sports

• The Denver Broncos topped the Green Bay Packers 31–24 in Super Bowl XXXII, held Jan. 25 in San Diego. In October, the New York Yankees made quick work of the San Diego Padres in the World Series, sweeping the Padres in four games to win their second World Series championship in three years.

• The Winter Olympic Games were held Feb. 7–22 in Nagano, Japan, comprising 2,176 athletes from 72 nations, a record at the time. New to the events roster that year were curling, women’s ice hockey, and snowboarding. Germany was the top medal earner with a total of 29; the United States came in fifth place with 13.

• France hosted 32 soccer teams for the FIFA World Cup June 10 to July 12. The host country also won the tournament despite their considerable underdog status, beating defending the champions from Brazil 3-0 in the final game. It was France’s first World Cup title.

• The home run chase between St. Louis Cardinals first baseman Mark McGwire and Chicago Cubs right fielder Sammy Sosa ended with McGwire breaking Roger Maris’s record for single-season home runs (61) on Sept. 8. McGwire ended the season with 70 home runs; Sosa finished with 66. Both players, however, would later be accused of using steroids to accomplish these feats.

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Science & Technology

• Scientists announced on March 5 that the Athena probe, which had launched from Florida on Jan. 6, found frozen water on moon. Athena’s neutron spectrometer instrument had detected hydrogen at both lunar poles, which scientists theorized to be in the form of water ice.

• The FDA approved Viagra, an oral medication that treats male impotence, on March 27. Originally developed and studied as a potential treatment for high blood pressure and cardiovascular disease, the “little blue pill” brought in about a billion dollars in sales in its first year alone.

• Dow Corning Corporation agreed on a $3.2 billion settlement plan on July 8 to more than 170,000 women who claimed immune-system illnesses due to the manufacturer’s ruptured silicone breast implants. The settlement would be dispersed over a 16-year period.

• On Oct. 29, the first American to orbit the Earth became the oldest man to fly in space when astronaut John Glenn served as a payload specialist aboard the space shuttle Discovery. The nine-day research mission included investigations on the aging process, in which the 77-year-old senator participated.

Join us next month to see what was happening in 1997! www.50plusLifePA.com

Since 2000, 50plus LIFE (previously Senior News and 50plus Senior News) has won more than 130 awards for its editorial content and design. Here’s a look at an award-winning article from our archives.

Pulling Beauty from the Ashes

Silve r Awar d

October 2009 issue Mature Media Award: Silver Award

By Katie Weeber Going through a covered bridge, it’s fun to “The outsides were badly charred, but inside image the horses and buggies or cars that have there was good lumber,” Longenecker said. passed through since it was built. Groups have Longenecker even brought a portable saw endeavored to preserve many of the covered mill to his farm in order to cut the logs into bridges, even to the extent of moving them so boards. It was a difficult process that took weeks they aren’t destroyed and their history lost. to complete, but once the wood was prepared, Bill Longenecker recalls watching cars pass Longenecker was able to give the scarred logs through the Risser’s Mill Covered Bridge that new shape. once stretched across Chiques Creek.

“I’ve never worked for a carpenter,” he said, “I used to sit there and watch all the cars when asked if he had always done woodworking. drive through,” he said. “I’ve walked through “But I remodeled everything around the farm. I it hundreds of times, and I’ve been on hayrides built a pavilion, an outhouse, and added an extra through it dozens of times. I probably knew room to the house.” about the bridge as soon as I was old enough to Using the knowledge he had gained from his remember anything.” construction work around the farm, Longenecker Longenecker has done his research on the started producing anything and everything that covered bridge, reading books that contain could possibly be made from the damaged wood. information about the bridge. He can also tell “It’s hard to mention everything I do make,” you about the day the bridge was burned. he said.

“By the time the fire companies came to put Out of the remains of Risser’s Mill Covered it out, the roof and the sides of the bridge were Bridge, Longenecker has made countless picture gone,” he said. “Only the main structure logs frames, shelves, candlesticks, buckets, and remained.” miniature bridges, which he then sold. His As he thought about the fire the next day, neighbors encouraged this new hobby, grateful Retired pastor Bill Longenecker continues to create a variety of objects from the however, Longenecker began to realize that the that they would have the chance to keep a part wooden remains of Risser’s Mill Covered structural logs that had been saved from the of the bridge they had once seen every day.

Bridge, which burned down in 2002. blaze had historical value and should be kept Longenecker has also worked with a local from a final destruction. Longenecker knew exactly what to do with artist who painted a picture of the bridge, providing frames for her them. finished works.

In the months before the bridge burned down, Longenecker, who had “We’ve sold hundreds of them,” he said. been the pastor of a local church, retired.

Of all the items Longenecker has created, his favorite is an 18-foot “I’ve always said that when I retired, I was going to build myself a replica of Risser’s Mill Bridge that he built across the pond on his farm in woodshop,” he said.

2003. With the exception of the shingles, all the materials Longenecker When he stopped working, Longenecker did create the shop he had used to create this smaller version came from the salvaged wood. promised to himself. After the fire, he became determined to add some of While Longenecker enjoys his hours of woodworking, he also likes the wood from Risser’s Bridge to his supply of lumber, saving a piece of interacting with his customers and seeing their interest in the story of his history. craft. He says that he often gives people a history of the bridge and the When Longenecker spoke to the contractor who had been hired to story of the lumber when they come to see him. remove the remains of the bridge, he realized that his project would be Many of Longenecker’s customers also have their own memories of much larger than he had first imagined.

Risser’s Mill Covered Bridge.

“He told me that if I wanted some of [the wood], I’d have to take all of “Most of the people I sell to knew the bridge or are bridge lovers or it!” Longenecker laughed. interested in history,” he said. These customers appreciate Longenecker’s Originally, the contractor had planned to haul the logs left from the connection to the bridge and his knowledge of its history. fire and burn them. As a result of Longenecker’s pledge to take all of the Although Longenecker has used most of the larger pieces of lumber wood, however, the remains of the bridge were instead transported to his over the past seven years, there are still many smaller pieces of wood left farm on July 30, 2002. that he has to work with. He wants to continue to produce crafts even Longenecker then took on the difficult task of preparing the wood for after the wood from the bridge is gone because woodworking was always his shop. The nails from the original construction had to be removed and something that interested him and it’s a craft that he truly enjoys. the logs washed. www.50plusLifePA.com

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Serving the mind, heart, and spirit of the 50plus community for 25 years.

October 2020

23

Volunteers Needed for Railway, Food Bank

School Bus Drivers

Needed Now! • No Experience Required • Paid CDL Training • Competitive Pay

Apply in Person (Mask Required, Social Distancing Observed) Mon.–Fri. • 10AM–1PM 3871 Old Harrisburg Pike • Mount Joy, PA 17552

717-459-3803

RSVP – York County is seeking volunteers 55 and over to fill these roles for Northern Central Railway in New Freedom: • • • •

Flaggers Greeters/special events Model train room builders Administrative support persons with good computer skills RSVP – York County is also

seeking volunteers for York County Food Bank in York to assemble, pack, and distribute food to over 1,400 needy families.

Volunteer benefits include: mileage reimbursement, free supplemental liability insurance, recognition and appreciation events, and assistance with clearances.

For more information, contact Scott Hunsinger at (717) 893-8474 or yorkrsvp@ rsvpcapreg.org.

EVERY WOMAN SHOULD GET SCREENED. Breast cancer is the second leading cause of death among women, and 1 in 8 women will be diagnosed with breast cancer in her lifetime. But UPMC Pinnacle is working to beat breast cancer. Our experts offer personalized therapies, access to breast cancer trials, and advanced imaging technology, like 3D mammograms. Early detection saves lives, so every woman should schedule her screening today. To learn more, visit UPMCPinnacle.com/3D

TO SCHEDULE A MAMMOGRAM, CALL 717-230-3700.

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October 2020

50plus LIFE

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HALDEMAN MECHANICAL INC. 717-665-6910

No Need for Disguises.

We’re Pet Friendly!

Service Since 1939 Protecting Your Home For Three Generations

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After all, your pets are family too.

We Pay Cash on the SPOT! Guarantee We’ll Beat Any Legitimate Offer Class Rings • Bracelets • Earrings (1/2 Pairs OK!) House Calls Available for Larger Estates & Antiques

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Independent Living Personal Care Respite Care 300 Strode Avenue East Fallowfield, PA 19320 610.384.6310

See our website for more locations and information.

Serving the mind, heart, and spirit of the 50plus community for 25 years.

October 2020

25

Independent Living • Personal Care • Skilled Nursing

THE TONY® AWARD-WINNING BROADWAY MUSICAL

SEPTEMBER 17- NOVEMBER 7

An Adaptable Approach & a Heart for Community We work to adapt our environment to our residents’ interests and needs.

Residents participate in various intergenerational programs in the community and enjoy giving back.

Inspired by the true story of the recording session where the stars were together for one night only. You’ll hear Blue Suede Shoes, Great Balls of Fire, I Walk The Line, Hound Dog, and more.

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Lancaster, PA 17601

ORDER TODAY 717-898-1900 or order online at DutchApple.com

Be an Advocate in the Life of a Long-Term Care Resident Become a Volunteer Ombudsman

The Lancaster County Office of Aging trains community members to serve as Volunteer Ombudsmen, advocating for residents of long-term care facilities.

Duties include: • Educating residents about their rights

• Encouraging and assisting residents to ask questions and express concerns • Helping them reach solutions, in collaboration with facility staff and family

Background checks and a full-day training by PA Department of Aging are required.

Schedule and assignments are flexible, based on volunteer’s availability. Visits can be made days, evenings, and/or weekends.

To learn more about this unique volunteer opportunity, contact Sheri Snyder at 717-299-7979 or 1-800-801-3070 or by e-mail at aging@co.lancaster.pa.us.

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October 2020

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County Aging Offices Announce Open Enrollment Assistance Options Below is the available information compiled from local aging offices for Medicare Open Enrollment assistance for this fall.

During this time, people with Medicare may join, switch, or disenroll from a Part D prescription drug plan or a Medicare Advantage plan, or switch to Original Medicare with or without a Medicare Part D plan.

Chester County Department of Aging Services The Chester County Department of Aging and APPRISE health insurance counselors will provide free, confidential assistance to Medicare beneficiaries during the Annual Open Enrollment period.

For information, visit www.chesco.org/477/Apprise---Health-InsuranceCounseling, or email apprisechesco@outlook.com. Call APPRISE at (610) 344-5234 to schedule a phone appointment.

Or call to schedule an individual phone appointment at: • Coatesville Area Senior Center – (610) 383-6900 • Downingtown Area Senior Center – (610) 269-3939 • Kennett Area Senior Center – (610) 444-4819 • Oxford Area Senior Center – (610) 932-5244 • Phoenixville Area Senior Services Center – (610) 935-1515 • Surrey Services for Seniors, Devon – (610) 647-6404 • West Chester Area Senior Center – (610) 431-4242

Save the Dates

Cumberland County Aging & Community Services Cumberland County Aging & Community Services’ Open Enrollment counseling sessions will be done remotely and will require an appointment.

For those who do not want to do their counseling session remotely, there will be appointments available for face-to-face sessions at the agency. An appointment will be required for the remote sessions as well.

Call (717) 240-6110 to schedule either a remote or face-to-face appointment. Appointments are highly recommended; there is no guarantee walk-ins will be accommodated.

Dauphin County Area Agency on Aging Dauphin County Area Agency on Aging will not be doing any Medicare Annual Open Enrollment events this year due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Medicare beneficiaries can call the Aging office at (717) 780-6130 to be assisted through virtual counseling options.

Lancaster County Office of Aging To ensure the health and safety of beneficiaries and counselors, Lancaster County Office of Aging will provide individual Open Enrollment assistance this year in three ways: virtual visit with a counselor, telephonic visit with a counselor, or mail-in.

Call the office (717) 299-7979 for more information or to schedule a counselor appointment.

please see Open Enrollment page 28

Medicare Annual Open Enrollment October 15 – December 7, 2020

During this time, you can: u

Change how you receive your health care coverage u

Add, change or drop Medicare Part D prescription drug coverage

APPRISE Counselors work with Medicare beneficiaries during this time to run comparisons for Medicare Advantage Plans and Prescription Drug Plans so you get the fullest coverage for the least expense in the upcoming year.

To ensure the health and safety of beneficiaries and counselors, enrollment individual assistance will be provided this year in three ways: u Virtual visit with a counselor u

Telephonic visit with a counselor u Mail-in

APPRISE Counselors are specially trained staff and volunteers who can answer your questions about Medicare and provide you with objective, easy-to-understand information about Medicare.

Need Information…Join us for a Medicare Education Session: u Medicare Annual Enrollment - October 1, 12:30–1:30 PM https://stream.lifesizecloud.com/extension/5180275/b06e5c41-b8da-4454-91a8-1020f21deb52 u Medicare Annual Enrollment - October 14, 2:30–3:30 PM https://stream.lifesizecloud.com/extension/5180289/f1a8f447-a1ad-41cf-85f8-c92108ba5014

NG • DIGN AGI ITY VO C AD

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•

ASS OMP ION • A •C C

APPRISE is a free health insurance counseling program designed to help all Pennsylvanians with Medicare.

WE

R RMENT • P

OT

Lancaster County Office of Aging

Call the Lancaster County Office of Aging at 717-299-7979 for more information or to schedule a counselor appointment for open enrollment.

www.LanCoAging.org

www.Aging.PA.Gov/Aging-Services/Medicare-Counseling

Maintaining the independence and quality of life for seniors through information, services, and protection since 1974.

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October 2020

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Open Enrollment from page 27

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Now Engaging Women of All Ages Online . . .

Lebanon County Area Agency on Aging Medicare Open Enrollment counseling through the Lebanon County Area Agency on Aging’s APPRISE program will be by appointment only, either in person or by phone.

All CDC guidelines will be followed for in-person appointments.

Individuals are asked to call the office from their car at the time of their appointment; a greeter will meet them at the door, take their temperature, and ask the COVID-19 screening questions. The greeter will then bring the individual back to their appointment.

If an appointment is scheduled by phone, a counselor will call the individual at their scheduled appointment time.

To schedule a free Medicare counseling appointment, call (717) 273-9262.

For more information, visit www.lebcounty.org.

York County Area Agency on Aging APPRISE is the state health insurance assistance program in Pennsylvania, providing free, unbiased insurance counseling to people on Medicare.

APPRISE counselors are specifically trained to answer any questions about your coverage. They provide clear, easy-to-understand information about your Medicare options and can assist in comparing plans for 2021.

APPRISE counselors also explore if you qualify for any financial assistance programs to get help paying for your prescription drugs or Part B premium.

In an effort to protect APPRISE’s clients and counselors from community spread of the coronavirus (COVID-19), all plan comparisons will be conducted remotely.

Appointments are required, so please call the York County Area Agency on Aging at (717) 771-9042 or (800) 632-9073 to speak with an APPRISE counselor and schedule your free comparison.

Virtually!

E Plan to join us online — comfy, cozy, and from home!

Same great events, but …

• They’re online virtually • They take place over multiple days • You can visit at your convenience and return often • There is no need to wear a mask

Lebanon County

Lancaster County

Cumberland County

Oct. 29–Nov. 1, 2020

Nov. 12–15, 2020

Entertainment • Demos • Seminars and products and services

for all the facets of your life!

Oct. 8–11, 2020 ———— Our Sponsors ————

Principal Sponsors:

BeBalanced May-Grant Obstetrics and Gynecology Visiting Angels

aGreatWayToSpendMyDay.com 28

October 2020

50plus LIFE

www.50plusLifePA.com

Entertainment for Virtual 50plus Expos Previewed Pandemic-weary men and women ready to experience a bit of the world again can do so safely and from their own computers this month.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Northern Lancaster, York, and Cumberland County 50plus EXPOs have been redesigned to serve the community virtually: • Northern Lancaster 50plus EXPO – Oct. 1–4 • York County 50plus EXPO – Oct. 1–18 • Cumberland County 50plus EXPO – Oct. 22–25 The 50plus EXPOs will enable attendees to connect one-on-one — virtually — with exhibitors in health and wellness, retirement living, finance, leisure, travel, home improvement, and more.

Admission is free. Guests are encouraged to “reenter” the EXPO multiple times at their leisure to check out the event’s free seminars, demonstrations, and entertainment, which include: • Sally Winchell, Bright Side Opportunities Center – Standing and Seated Strength and Conditioning • Jan Helen McGee, Psychic – Astrology Made Simple; Palms: Read Your Own; Ghosts & Spirits: An Easy 1, 2, 3 • Laurie Forster, The Wine Coach – Food- and Wine-Pairing Secrets • Ann Fulton, Fountain Avenue Kitchen – Crispy Turmeric Egg Recipe • JDK Group – Floral in the Fall • WITNESS and the National Council on Aging – An Age for Justice: Confronting Elder Abuse in America • Jerry Mitchell, Office of the Attorney General – The Latest Senior Scams • Jeff Krick Jr. – Elvis Presley Tribute Artist • Debby Kimble, Tastefully Simple: What’s Happening in Your Kitchen?

• Pat Dumas, Astrological Consultant – Astrology: Another Tool for Your Metaphysical Toolbox • Refreshing Mountain – Lancaster’s Getaway: What We Do and Why We Do It • Diana Egnatz, Lancaster Local Provisions – Cook Along with Chef Diana: Winter Squash Edition • Kim Meredith, Author – Discover How to Unlock the Gift of Your Whispers • Writing Showcase – Essays, narratives or poems by local writers over 50 (www.50plusexpopa.com/writingshowcase) • Talent Showcase – Performances by the area’s over-50 entertainers (www.50plusexpopa.com/talentshowcase) For more information, call (717) 285-1350 or visit www.50plusExpoPA. com. www.50plusLifePA.com

50plus LIFE

Event Now Going Virtual!

Lancaster Nov. 7-22

Safe a Effect nd ive

www.veteransexpo.com www.jobs717.com Veterans (of all ages), the military community, and their families are invited to this free event!

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.

At the Expo

Veterans Benefits & Services Medical/Nonmedical Resources Products and Services Available Support/Assistance Programs Education/Training Services

At the Job Fair

Jobseekers can check out various opportunities available and connect with employers about those potential positions.

Principal Sponsors:

Marketing Sponsors:

Media Sponsor:

Sponsor & Exhibitor Opportunities Available

25 th

Brought to you by:

(717) 285-1350 www.olpevents.com

Serving the mind, heart, and spirit of the 50plus community for 25 years.

October 2020

29

COVID-19: Why It’s More Lethal to Men than Women, Plus Immune-Boosting Steps You Can Take

By Dr. Cory Rice

With the outbreak of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19), more than 6 million Americans have been infected with the disease, resulting in over 196,000 deaths as of September 2020.

While it’s still too soon to determine all of the definitive reasons for the differentiating survivability trends between men and women, both biological and nonbiological factors are certainly playing a role.

According to a study published by Frontiers in Public Health in April 2020, men and women were equally susceptible to COVID-19, but men were more prone to passing away as a result of the disease.

In one large subset, the number of male patients who died was 2.4 times higher than women (about 70% to 30%). The researchers found similar trends among the patients of the severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) outbreak in 2003.

According to the World Health Organization’s COVID-19 surveillance report, 58% of all COVID-19-related deaths in Europe were men. The New York City Department of Health reported similar numbers, with males accounting for about 60% of COVID-19 deaths.

With data suggesting that sex plays a role in severity of COVID-19’s effects, the question arises: Why? Many scientists and medical professionals agree that differences in survivability between men and women stem from biological factors, such as differences in hormones and the development of chronic diseases, as well as nonbiological factors like diet.

Why Newspapers?

84%

of Baby Boomers have taken action as a result of seeing an ad in a print newspaper in the past 30 days.2

Because in print or online, newspapers are

the most trusted source of news and information among all age groups.1

To advertise your products and services, call 717-285-1350 or email info@onlinepub.com Sources: 1Coda Ventures; 2NAA

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50plus LIFE

Women have more robust immune systems than men and are better at producing antibodies that aid in their fight against viral infections. Female bodies possess estrogen receptors, and estrogen shows its effects on immune cells mostly through these receptors.

As detailed in the book A Survival Guide to Staying Healthy during the COVID-19 Crisis by Dr. Gary Donovitz, M.D., estrogen regulates multiple aspects of immune cell function, including T cell activation, proliferation, and survival of these important immune cells that help the body fight infection.

Estrogen hormone has also been shown to regulate neutrophils, white blood cells that circulate around the body and, upon receiving signals that an infection is present, are the first to travel to the site of infection to begin destroying the microbes.

Neutrophils can also alter macrophage function, a scavenger white blood cell that removes foreign particles, bacteria, and viruses. In other words: Estrogen has a boosting effect on the immune system.

Women also live longer than men and are likely to develop chronic diseases like heart disease and hypertension later in life than men — and both conditions increase the risk of severe effects of COVID-19 and can hinder overall immune response.

In addition to biological factors, nonbiological factors, such as diet, may also play a role in the COVID-19 gender disparity.

According to Harvard Health, although obesity is slightly more prevalent in women, excess weight is still more detrimental for men because women tend to carry excess weight in their hips and thighs, whereas men carry it in their abdomen — and abdominal obesity can significantly increase the risk of heart attack and stroke.

With both biological and nonbiological factors putting men more at risk for serious and sometimes lethal effects of COVID-19, what are the best practices to stay safe?

Now is a critical time for both men and women to boost their immune systems and improve their overall health and wellness to have better outcomes against viral infections like COVID-19.

1. Optimize Hormone Levels – First, it’s important for both men and women to maintain optimal hormone levels. Hormones are essentially chemical messengers that affect the functioning of other cells, which means a wide variety of symptoms, from weight gain to low energy, can signal a hormone imbalance.

Balanced hormone levels can support a strong immune system and contribute not only to overall wellness, but also to feeling younger, healthier, and happier.

2. Optimize the Thyroid – The thyroid is responsible for producing hormones that regulate the body’s metabolism, so it’s crucial that the thyroid functions effectively.

When the thyroid doesn’t function properly, it can produce too little or too much hormone, which can lead to a variety of diseases and increased health risks.

3. Add Probiotics – Probiotics can help improve gastrointestinal health by up-regulating immune function. Some clinical trials have shown that please see COVID-19 page 33

www.50plusLifePA.com

Home Care Services & Hospice Providers Listings with a screened background have additional information about their services in a display advertisement in this edition.

This is not an all-inclusive list of agencies and providers. These advertisers are eager to provide additional information about their services.

PennCares Support Services

Homeland at Home

www.homelandathome.org

(717) 632-5552 www.penncares.org

Year Est.: 1968 Homeland Hospice: (717) 221-7890 Year Est.: 2008 Homeland HomeCare: (717) 221-7892 Year Est.: 2016 Homeland HomeHealth: (717) 412-0166 Year Est.: 2017 Counties Served: Adams, Cumberland*, Dauphin*, Franklin, Fulton, Juniata, Lancaster, Lebanon*, Northumberland, Perry*, Schuylkill, Snyder, York* *Homeland HomeHealth currently serves five of 13 counties.

RNs: Yes LPNs: Yes CNAs/Home Aides: Yes Direct Care Workers: Yes PT/OT/Speech Therapists: Yes

Other Certifications and Services: Homeland at Home is a community outreach of Homeland Center, a nonprofit CCRC that has served our region with excellent and benevolent care since 1867.

Our expert team is dedicated to providing a continuum of At Home services—from non-medical personal assistance to skilled nursing and compassionate hospice and palliative care. We are privileged to care for you and your loved ones … any place you call “home.”

We offer community and staff educational programs, including a “My Reflections” end-of-life planning workshop, as well as 15 unique bereavement support groups.

Counties Served: Adams, Cumberland, Dauphin, Franklin, Fulton, Lancaster, York RNs: No LPNs: No CNAs: No

Other Certifications and Services: PennCares offers in-home, nonmedical support for adults with physical disabilities and for older adults who need extra assistance due to aging, illness, or injury. This can include personal health and hygiene, food preparation, housekeeping, socializing, and companionship.

Home Aides: Yes Medicare Certified?: No

Surrey Home Care Services (610) 647-9840 www.surreyhomecare.org

Year Est.: 1981 Counties Served: Chester, Delaware, Montgomery

Social Workers: Yes

RNs: Yes

Spiritual Counselors: Yes

LPNs: No

Complementary Therapies: Yes

CNAs: Yes

Medicare Certified: Yes

Home Aides: Yes Medicare Certified: No

Other Certifications and Services: Surrey, a nonprofit, provides in-home services including personal care, social companions, medical procedure transportation, geriatric care management, RN care management, and live-in caregivers. Surrey caregivers regularly go through a rigorous screening process and follow CDC protocols to maintain the highest standards of health.

OSS Health at Home (717) 747-8365 www.osshealth.com

Year Est.: 2013

Other Certifications and Services: Physical therapy, occupational therapy, speech therapy and medical social work

Counties Served: Adams, Cumberland, Lancaster, York RNs: Yes LPNs: Yes

If you would like to be featured on this important page, please contact your marketing consultant or call (717) 285-1350.

CNAs: Yes Home Aides: Yes Medicare Certified: Yes

www.50plusLifePA.com

50plus LIFE

Serving the mind, heart, and spirit of the 50plus community for 25 years.

October 2020

31

What? Paul McCartney is Dead?

By Randal C. Hill In September 1969, the student newspaper at Inside the foldout album, McCartney wears Drake University in Iowa published an article a circus-band uniform with an arm patch that entitled “Is Beatle Paul McCartney Dead?” reads O.P.D. In England, our American term of Apparently, numerous students had gathered D.O.A. (dead on arrival) is expressed as O.P.D. — myriad “clues” from previous Beatles LPs, as well officially pronounced dead. as from the newly released Abbey Road album.

On the back cover, McCartney is the only Within a month, the rumor spread worldwide, Beatle with his back to the camera. and diehard fans were left devastated — and confused.

Magical Mystery Tour – At the end of According to the story, McCartney had argued “Strawberry Fields Forever,” Lennon states, “I with the other Beatles during a recording session buried Paul,” although he slurs the last word. At on the evening of Nov. 8, 1966 (and a little more the end of “I Am the Walrus,” Lennon asks, “Is than two months after the quartet had officially he dead? Sit you down, Father. Rest you.” (This is called it quits as a touring group). from Shakespeare’s King Lear.)

Early the next morning — on Wednesday, Nov. On the cover, somebody is dressed as a walrus 9 — he supposedly bolted from the studio and (another death symbol in some cultures). In the roared off in his Aston-Martin sports car. Later, inside booklet, McCartney sits at a desk behind Photographer Iain Macmillan at about 5 a.m., he was said to have crashed his the nameplate IWAS (I WAS).

The Beatles’ Abbey Road album cover. car and died instantly in a small, unidentified In another photo, he plays his bass guitar with English town. his eyes closed, and his (removed) shoes nearby To spare the world of the agony of enduring a Paul-less Beatles, a man show a red stain on them. In a later photo, the other three Beatles wear red named Billy Campbell (who had supposedly won a local McCartney lookalike flowers in their lapels; McCartney’s is black. contest) had been brought in for photo shoots.

Let’s consider the albums that fueled the flames of this cleverest of pranks: The Beatles (“The White Album”) – On “Glass Onion,” Lennon asserts, “I told you ’bout the walrus and me, man. You know that we’re as close as can Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band – The opening vocal track be, man. Well, here’s another clue for you all: the walrus was Paul.” mentions Billy Shears, but some rumor-promoters thought the words might Between the LP tracks of “I’m So Tired” and “Blackbird,” we hear have actually been “Billy’s here!” mumbling. When the disc is reversed, Lennon clearly says, “Paul is a dead On “A Day in the Life,” John Lennon says that somebody had “blown his man, miss him, miss him, miss him.” (Lennon sounds on the verge of tears.) mind out in a car,” that he “didn’t notice that the lights had changed,” and On “Revolution #9,” if the record is reversed, Lennon commands, “Turn that the crowd that gathered at the scene “had seen his face before.” me on, dead man” several times.

On the front cover, we see the “funeral” of the old Beatles, with a hand raised above McCartney’s head (a death omen in some cultures). A white toy Abbey Road – Walking in an orderly line across northwest London’s busy Aston-Martin rests nearby upon a doll’s knee.

Abbey Road (also the name of the band’s recording studio), Lennon is shown On the ground, a yellow wreath forms the shape of a left-handed bass in long, reddish hair and dressed in white — an obvious Jesus symbol. Ringo guitar. (McCartney was the only leftie in the band.) The instrument reveals Starr, clad as an undertaker, follows. only three strings instead of four. Tilted counterclockwise, the guitar becomes McCartney is the only Beatle with his eyes closed, the only Beatle without the letter “P.” shoes (in some countries people are buried shoeless), the only Beatle out of step with the others, the only Beatle shown smoking. (Left-handed McCartney holds his cigarette in his right hand.)

Did you know?

George Harrison, bringing up the rear, wears a gravedigger’s outfit. is available online for The license plate of a VW Beetle (get it?) in the background reads 28IF. anytime/anywhere reading!

McCartney was 27 in 1969; however, in some cultures a person is counted as 1 year old at birth.

On the album’s back cover, a series of dots before the word BEATLES form the number three if connected. On BEATLES, a crack runs through one-quarter of the S. Tilted counterclockwise and angled slightly to the left, shadows on the wall next to BEATLES form a human skull.

The world’s greatest rock group never did admit to what was obviously a well-crafted and well-executed hoax, always claiming that the plentiful clues were merely a set of interesting coincidences.

Yeah, yeah, yeah! Yeah, right!

www.50plusLIFEPA.com 32

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50plus LIFE

Randal C. Hill is a rock ’n’ roll historian who lives at the Oregon coast. He may be reached at wryterhill@msn.com.

www.50plusLifePA.com

Tips for Vacating an Empty Nest

By Amy Tokos Leaving the family home for good can present a real challenge for many older Americans who may still be cleaning, making repairs to, and paying for a large, aging house filled with memories.

But now, the once-perfect house is just too big to manage. There may be stairs to navigate, lawns to mow, and snow to plow. And while it may be difficult to leave all the good memories behind, the move to a smaller home can be an exciting change.

That said, downsizing and cleaning out the house in preparation for the move can be difficult, emotional, and, at times, even contentious when family members can’t agree on which items to keep and which to leave behind.

“It’s important that future empty nesters connect with family and determine how they want to make this milestone transition,” suggests Jennifer Pastore Monroy, executive director of The National Association of Productivity & Organizing Professionals (NAPO).

“Moving is a giant undertaking at any age, and when families work together, they will need time to look through their memorabilia, reminisce, and also create a sense of closure. Then, they can offer the family home to a new family to love and grow up in,” Monroy said.

“As for the empty nesters, moving to a new place can be an adventure, a very positive change of locale and lifestyle at this time in their lives.”

To get the ball rolling, here are some tips to help SIMPLIFY the transition:

Professional Guidance – Don’t be afraid to get help. Hire a professional to streamline the process: decluttering and identifying items that will fit into the new home and lifestyle. They can help arrange all the logistics for the move, assist with donating to charitable organizations, and expertly organize the new home to be move-in ready.

Love it or Leave it – If you unearth items that have been packed away for years, chances are, you can let them go.

It’s OK to be nostalgic, but don’t let that get in the way. Take photos of the items you can’t keep as a reminder.

Important Documents – A professional can help you organize your most important documents, scan them on your computer, and back them up. You’ll be surprised at how much paper you’ll be able to toss out as a result. (Maybe recommend shredding to ensure privacy of sensitive documents.)

Family Affair – When you’re weeding out the items to leave behind, ask your family what they might like. The rest you can donate or toss.

Yield – By opening yourself up to new experiences and change, your life can be greatly enriched and significantly SIMPLIFIED.

Integrate the Old with the New – While it’s important to keep items that are meaningful, you might want to bring in a few fresh pieces to celebrate the start of a new locale and lifestyle.

Before making any move, responsibilities should be divided between all willing and able friends and family members in the area. Consider some of the advance planning logistics, including identifying the most highly rated movers and charitable organizations that will take your furniture and household items away free of charge as well as places where clothes and smaller items can be donated, tossed, or shredded.

Remember to stock the refrigerator in the new home so that no one has to worry about cooking a meal at the end of a very long day.

For more information and to find a professional who can help you make a smooth transition, visit www.napo.net.

Mediate – If you and your family don’t agree on what to keep, be prepared to make your case — calmly. Compromise is key — and holding on to every old Grateful Dead t-shirt or Beanie Baby is silly. Pick your favorite, and let the rest move on. The less you keep, the more the memorabilia items become a treasure.

Amy Tokos is a Certified Professional Organizer and Productivity Consultant and the owner of Freshly Organized in Omaha, Neb. She is board president-elect of the National Association of Professional Organizers and past president of the NAPO – Virtual Chapter. Tokos’s organizing tips have been featured in Good Housekeeping, Entrepreneur, The New York Times, HGTV Remodels, and This Old House.

Space Considerations – Map out the new home room by room and determine the furniture that will actually fit. Tape the new space out in the new home to provide a visual of which items will fit and where. If there’s no place for it — out it must go.

COVID-19 from page 30 probiotics may reduce acute respiratory infections, many of which are caused by viruses.

4. Supplement with Nutraceuticals – While a good diet goes a long way toward our general well-being, it is also important to be aware of the essential vitamins and nutrients that may be difficult to attain from diet alone.

Clinical-grade nutraceuticals are often a necessary component of healthier aging and provide nutritional support for vitamin and mineral deficiencies that may have created health deficits that have often been accumulating for years.

That’s where vital nutraceuticals, like iodine or curcumin, come into play.

www.50plusLifePA.com

50plus LIFE

Although clinical research of COVID-19 is only at its beginning phases, scientists and medical professionals agree that one of the best protections against the disease is a strong immune system.

Boosting the immune system through medical and lifestyle interventions can improve overall health and well-being as well as fortify the body’s defenses against viral diseases.

Dr. Cory Rice, DO, BioTE Medical Advisory board member (www.biotemedical. com), earned a bachelor’s degree in forensic science and completed medical school at the Arizona College of Osteopathic Medicine. Rice’s professional interests include nutrition-based chronic disease management, thyroid optimization, and bioidentical hormone replacement therapy for men and women.

Serving the mind, heart, and spirit of the 50plus community for 25 years.

October 2020

33

Department of Aging Releases Study on Financial Exploitation of Older Pennsylvanians The Pennsylvania Department of Aging recently released its study on the impact of financial exploitation of older adults.

The findings of this study reinforce the urgent need for the General Assembly to update the Older Adults Protective Services Act to strengthen protections against financial exploitation of older adults.

The study included an independent audit of 446 case files from 10 Area Agencies on Aging covering 14 counties containing the largest number of substantiated financialexploitation cases during the fiscal year 2017-18.

The audit examined the types of financial exploitation that occurred, the combined amount lost, and the financial impact of these losses on the victims, the economy, and the commonwealth.

The study also reviewed financial-exploitation studies conducted by three other states, as well as academic literature published on the topic.

“The results of this study are eye-opening and alarming. Financial exploitation is an underreported crime that not only harms its victims, but also has a corrosive effect on Pennsylvania’s fiscal health, as older adults whose income and assets have been drained by this crime are more likely to need assistance from publicly funded programs,” said Secretary of Aging Robert Torres.

“Often, and heartbreakingly so, older adults are exploited by those they trust and depend upon most. Now that we have a clearer picture of this issue, the Department of Aging will call upon other state departments and stakeholders to collaborate on combatting financial exploitation and work to proactively prevent older adults from becoming victims.”

The following are some of the highlights from the study: • The majority of the victims were female, lived in urban communities, non-Hispanic, widowed, and lived alone.

The average age was 79.

• Many of the perpetrators were family members, most often an adult child or grandchild.

• The average loss to each victim studied was almost $40,000, totaling close to $12.5 million. With 1,488 total financial-exploitation cases substantiated statewide, older Pennsylvanians collectively suffered an estimated loss of $58 million during fiscal year 2017-2018 to financial exploitation in reported cases alone.

• Unauthorized bank withdrawals constituted the largest percentage of total loss, with more than $5 million, or 46%, in the sampled cases lost to withdrawals via ATM, debit cards, and checks. Scams constituted 28% of the total loss and included romantic and lottery-based scams.

• 322 older adults in the study enrolled in Medicaid after their first reported incident of financial exploitation.

The study provides recommendations on how to prevent further financial exploitation in Pennsylvania. These include amending OAPSA to establish a defined process to report suspected exploitation for financial institutions; increasing prevention education; and forming a task force to explore barriers, identify potential solutions, and develop a multidisciplinary approach to better please see Exploitation page 42

AACA Crowns Car of the Year at 2020 Grand Nationals The Antique Automobile Club of America, the world’s largest organization of its kind, held its annual Grand Nationals in Gettysburg in August. The event included AACA’s annual Zenith Award competition and its Grand Nationals car show.

This year’s show was a little different because of the coronavirus pandemic. The Wyndham Gettysburg property allowed 484 cars to be spread out over eight different outdoor show fields, permitting plenty of space for social distancing.

This year’s winner was chosen from

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50plus LIFE

the more than 2,800 cars, trucks, and motorcycles shown across the U.S. during 2019.

Judges crowned the 1958 Buick Century Caballero, owned by Joe and Julie Tonietto of Michigan, as the 2020 Zenith Award winner.

The Toniettos’ restoration took 4 ½ years to complete and was performed by a mix of professionals, the owners, and a few trusted friends.

For more information on AACA, visit www.aaca.org.

1958 Buick Caballero

www.50plusLifePA.com

Protect Your Eyes during the Outbreak Will your eyewear help keep you safe from the coronavirus? Maybe, if you treat it right.

The U.S. News & World Report offers some guidelines on how to wear your glasses and contact lenses effectively during the pandemic: Contacts vs. glasses. While some people are switching to eyeglasses, the American Optometric Association says there’s no evidence that wearing contacts lenses increases one’s risk of COVID-19 infection.

Still, make sure to wash your hands thoroughly before inserting and removing your lenses, clean them properly, and don’t touch your eyes while wearing them.

If you develop cold- or flu-like symptoms, stop wearing them immediately.

Clean your glasses daily. Clean your glasses every day, using soap, water, and a microfiber lens cloth — not a paper towel or corner of your shirt, which can scratch your lenses.

Hand-wash microfiber cloths regularly with a gentle soap and hang them up to dry.

Don’t set glasses down carelessly. Placing them on a desk, table, or bar can be risky if the surface isn’t clean. If you must take your glasses off, put them into a clean case.

Avoid string holders. Hanging glasses around your neck can expose the interior of the lenses to droplets in the air, bringing them

too close to your eyes and face.

Again, store them in a case until you need them again.

Astronomers Spot BiggestEver Black-Hole Explosion Imagine an explosion. A big one. Are you thinking of a nuclear bomb?

Think bigger.

As the U.S. News & World Report website reports, astronomers have detected an explosion in the distant universe that blasted a crater in the hot galactic gas around it large enough to hold 15 Milky Way galaxies. That’s big — the biggest ever discovered, in fact.

A supermassive black hole in a galactic cluster some 390 million light-years away was responsible for the blast. Black holes don’t just suck matter in — they also spew matter and energy out.

This one is at the center of a group of thousands of galaxies www.50plusLifePA.com

known as the Ophiuchus cluster and was discovered by scientists using NASA’s space-based Chandra X-Ray Observatory, in cooperation with ground telescopes in Australia and India, along with a European space observatory.

The explosion was five times the size of the previously known biggest outer-space explosion.

More recent observations show that no more jets of energy and matter came from the black hole after the event. Scientists plan to make further observations in different wavelengths to better understand the causes of the colossal blast.

50plus LIFE

The ultimate resource for boomer and senior living and care options.

La cha st n to b ce incl e ude d!

25th Annual Edition

25 th

Closing date: Nov. 6, 2020.

Street date: Jan. 2021

To be included in the 2021 edition of 50plus LIVING, call your marketing consultant, call (717) 285-1350, or email info@onlinepub.com

Serving the mind, heart, and spirit of the 50plus community for 25 years.

October 2020

35

Tips to Protect Seniors from Financial Abuse The Department of Banking and Securities is reminding Pennsylvanians about signs of senior financial exploitation and ways to help prevent this type of abuse.

“Social isolation is a leading factor contributing to the financial exploitation of older investors,” said Acting Secretary Richard Vague.

“Social distancing and other mitigation efforts have helped to reduce the spread of COVID-19, but it provides more opportunities for scammers to take advantage of seniors. It’s important for all of us to know the signs of elder financial abuse and what to do about it.”

While elder financial abuse can happen at any time, perpetrators often strike during times in a senior’s life when they may be more vulnerable, such as during a health crisis or after the death of a loved one.

Scammers often gather personal details from obituaries and social media posts and use this information to target their victims. Some even will exploit trust within seniors’ social and support groups to become more involved in their lives.

Warning signs of senior financial exploitation can be difficult to identify or recognize. Common signs to watch for include:

Writing Challenge Showcase Entry Form

• A new and overly protective friend or caregiver or surrendering control of finances to a new friend or partner • Fear or sudden change in feelings about somebody • A lack of knowledge about financial status or reluctance to discuss financial matters • Sudden or unexplained changes in spending habits, a will, trust, or beneficiary designations • Unexplained checks made out to cash, unexplained loans, or unexplained disappearance of assets (cash, valuables, securities, etc.)

Also watch for suspicious signatures on the senior’s checks or other documents.

“Every day the DoBS Investor Education and Consumer Outreach Office works to ensure consumers and businesses are well informed about the marketplace,” said Vague. “Last year, DoBS presented to 1,554 financial professionals at 18 elder-abuse prevention trainings. It is important that we continue to educate the public to help protect older Pennsylvanians from falling victim to a scam.”

How You Can Help • Contact older family members, friends, and neighbors to let them know you are thinking of them. While in-person visits may not be possible yet, call or leave a note on their front door. If they have the technology, send them a text or email, or have a video chat.

• Inform older family members to know that fraudsters and scammers have found ways to exploit the pandemic. Make them aware of the red flags of fraud, which remain consistent regardless of the fraud or scam.

Name Date of Birth

• Act! DoBS asks anyone with suspicions of possible senior financial exploitation to report it by calling the 24-hour statewide abuse hotline at (800) 490-8505. If you believe you have fallen victim to a scam, contact local law enforcement.

Title of Entry

Address Address Line 2 City

State

Zip

Email Is Your Entry:

  

Essay Poem

Checklist:  Counted Words (no more than 300)  Is entry typed?

Narrative

Please include your writing with this form.

To read the Terms and Conditions, go to: www.onlinepub.com/writing-challenge-terms.html

www.50plusExpoPA.com/WritingShowcase 36

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50plus LIFE

The Department of Aging’s Protective Services Office and Office of LongTerm Care Ombudsman continue to prevent abuse of older Pennsylvanians during and beyond the pandemic.

The Protective Services Office continues to respond to and investigate reports of abuse and neglect of older adults, including reports of financial exploitation.

The LTC Ombudsman has also served as a source of protection against financial abuse, responding to consumer complaints of long-term care facilities requesting that residents surrender part or all of their federal stimulus check to pay for services. Families who have concerns about residents’ stimulus checks can call the LTC State Ombudsman at (717) 783-8975.

For more detailed information related to financial scams and tips for protecting yourself, DoBS has developed a financial scams guide. Learn more about the free, noncommercial programs and presentations available virtually for your organization or community by contacting informed@pa.gov. www.50plusLifePA.com

Caring for a Patient at Home Chances are we’ll be living with COVID-19 for a while — sometimes literally.

What should you do if someone in your household gets sick? The NPR website offers this advice for staying safe:

Open a window or turn on a fan to clear the air. If possible, the patient should wipe down all surfaces before leaving — doorknobs, faucets, toilet, countertops, light switches, and anything else he or she might have touched.

Physically isolate the person. Designate a room or area where the patient can separate him- or herself from the rest of the house, including pets. Ideally, the space should have a door that can stay closed throughout the day and night.

Keep the person out of the kitchen. You or someone in your household should prepare meals and take them to the patient. Wear gloves; wash dishes in hot, soapy water or in the dishwasher; and wash your hands immediately after handling dishes or utensils.

Maintain emotional contact. Don’t leave the person hanging. We all need contact with friends and family, even at a distance. Talk as much as you can, and encourage phone calls and Zoom sessions.

Be careful in the bathroom. If you have to share a bathroom, exercise caution. Don’t go into the bathroom right after the patient has used it.

Do the laundry. Wash clothes in as hot a temperature as they’ll stand to kill any traces of the virus. Dry them completely.

Don’t let the patient’s clothes linger in a pile on the floor — wash them as soon as you can. If you have a hamper, put a washable liner or a disposable trash bag inside it.

Sea Turtles May Be Eating Ocean Plastic Plastic in the ocean is a growing environmental threat, and ecologists have recently recognized a new danger — to sea turtles.

The Science News website reports that plastic in ocean water smells like food to the turtles, who then eat it or get tangled up in it and die.

Plastic debris in the ocean degrades, producing a chemical gas that smells like phytoplankton, an important source of nutrition to birds and fish.

A study of loggerhead sea turtles in tanks found that www.50plusLifePA.com

the turtles generally avoid fresh plastics.

Then scientists puffed air into the tanks containing the scent of food and oceancooked plastic.

That led to the turtles foraging more above water for food, and they were unable to distinguish between the smell of food or plastic. Thus, they were more likely to either eat the plastic or get entangled in it, both of which are harmful.

This is another reminder to be careful of what you throw in the trash. You don’t know where it might end up.

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Elder Law Attorneys

Listings with a screened background have additional information about their

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To solve the Sudoku puzzle, each row, column and box in a display advertisement in this edition. services This is not an all-inclusive list of agencies and providers. These advertisers are eager to provide additional information about their services. must contain the numbers 1 to 9.

Specific areas of elder law in which the firm concentrates:

Yes

Individualized estate planning, including wills, trusts, powers of attorney, living will/advanced healthcare directives, and succession planning by a former president of the York County and Pennsylvania Bar Associations.

Yes

Estate planning, wills, trusts, powers of attorney, estate administration, guardianships.

York County Bar Association Estate Planning and Probate Law Section, chairman since 2001, friendly and efficient service and staff.

Yes

Compassionate guidance with Alzheimer’s planning, Medicaid benefits, wills, powers of attorney, estate administration, and care coordination. Nurse on staff. Care crisis? Call for a free consultation with our care coordinator.

Austin Law Firm LLC

717-845-3674 • fax 717-854-7839 Copyright ©2020 PuzzleJunction.com dmills@blakeyyost.com www.blakeyyost.com

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Keystone Elder Law P.C. 555 Gettysburg Pike, Suite B-200, Mechanicsburg 717-697-3223 • toll-free 844-697-3223 karen@keystoneelderlaw.com www.keystoneelderlaw.com

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If you would like to be featured on this important page, pleaseSolution contact your marketing consultant or call (717) 285-1350. * Indicates that at least one attorney in the firm is a member. Information contained herein was provided by the firm.

Puzzles shown on page 16

Puzzle Solutions

Solution

38

2 7 1 6 3 5 4 9 8

October 2020

5 4 3 7 8 9 6 2 1

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50plus LIFE

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www.50plusLifePA.com

www.50plusLifePA.com

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We are ready to see you

now.

pennstatehealth.org/now

HEA-15703-20-141617-0920

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October 2020

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www.50plusLifePA.com

Traveltizers

Traveltizers: Makin’ Music in Macon

By Andrea Gross

“Music is in more than the air; it’s in the town’s DNA,” says my friend when I tell her I’m headed for Macon, Georgia.

I soon find that she’s right.

This small town, 85 miles southeast of Atlanta, is a place where music spans decades and genres, where folks like Little Richard, James Brown, Otis Redding, and the Allman brothers made music history and where musicians like Mike Mills and Robert McDuffie are ensuring that Macon’s music creds remain strong in the future.

But Macon (www.maconga.org) is more than just a breeding ground of music masters. In Macon, music history blends with personal history.

As my husband and I visit places connected to the above-mentioned artists, we meet their relatives, school chums, managers, and supporters, and these folks tell us stories — not wellrehearsed tales like those we hear on most trips, but informal ones like those that ricochet between friends.

We feel as if we’re guests at a big family party.

The feeling of intimacy begins when we take a Rock Candy Tour led by Jessica Walden, who regales us with stories about her uncle, Phil Walden, who was largely responsible for turning Macon from a sleepy Southern town into a major hub of R&B and Southern rock.

Over the years, his companies recorded the Allman Brothers Band and James Brown at the start of their careers and managed the careers of stars such as Otis Redding, Etta James, Percy Sledge, and Ike and Tina Turner.

Walden has personally met, or her father and uncle have told her stories about, not only Macon’s musical artists, but also virtually every celebrity who has lived in or passed through the town in the last 50 years.

She tells us how Judy Garland taught a local chef to make egg salad, how Andy Warhol came to town as a reporter before he became a visual artist, and why Jimmy www.50plusLifePA.com

50plus LIFE

Macon considers itself the “Song & Soul of the South.”

A mural of the Allman Brothers Band, created by former Macon resident Steve Penley, greets visitors to the ABB Museum at the Big House.

A life-size statue of Otis Redding sits in Macon’s Gateway Park.

Redding’s wife gave sculptor Bradley Cooley some of her husband’s clothing to ensure accuracy.

Carter credited Phil and the Allmans with helping him become president.

She pauses outside the Downtown Grill, one of Macon’s classiest restaurants.

“Here’s where Gregg Allman proposed to Cher,” she says.

She gives us the inside scoop on the couple’s stormy four-year marriage.

“I guess you could say they ‘drug it out,’” she says with a grin.

We hear more Allman stories at The Allman Brothers Band Museum at the Big House, the home and hangout of the original members of the band between 1970 and 1973.

Rob Schneck, a former road manager for Gov’t Mule (an offshoot of the Allman Brothers Band) as well as a friend of Gregg and Cher’s son, shows us around, interspersing facts with anecdotes drawn from his personal association with band members.

Of all the folks who knew the Allmans when they lived in Macon, it’s Louise Hudson, the one they called “Mama Louise,” who knew them best.

Today Hudson is officially retired from her down-home eatery, H&H Restaurant, but she still comes in almost every day to check on the chicken and chat with the customers. She likes to tell them about the day when “two skinny boys came begging for food. They said they had no money but were fixin’ to go on tour and would pay me when they got back.”

Hudson gave them heaping dishes of soul food; the boys started one of the hottest bands in the country, and Mama Louise became their lifelong friend.

The next day we stop by the Otis Redding Foundation, which showcases memorabilia from the family’s personal collection.

Redding’s daughter, Karla ReddingAndrews, greets us. A visitor asks which of her father’s songs is her personal favorite. She stops to think. please see Macon page 42

Serving the mind, heart, and spirit of the 50plus community for 25 years.

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41

Macon from page 41 “Probably ‘I’ve Got Dreams to Remember,’” she says after a minute, “but I also like ‘Love Man’ because it describes my dad so well.

Mom was the strict one. Dad would let us kids eat ice cream for dinner.”

During the rest of our visit, we’re privy to other stories — stories about sex, scandal, and segregation, tales about revitalizing neighborhoods and repurposing historic buildings in the city’s College Hill Corridor (www.collegehillmacon.com), which is a 2-square-mile area between Mercer University and Macon’s downtown business district.

Finally, before we leave, we pause outside an 1855 antebellum mansion, replete with marble steps and Corinthian pillars. We recognize it as the building that the Allman Brothers used as a backdrop for their first album.

Today, violin virtuoso Robert McDuffie — “Bobby” to his hometown friends — has turned the building into the Robert McDuffie Center for the Strings, a conservatory that is now being hailed as the Juilliard of the South.

“First came soul; then came Southern rock, and now it’s only fitting that Macon is a home for classical music,” says Jessica Walden.

With this, it seems certain that there will be more legendary artists — and more stories — as folks in Macon continue makin’ music.

Photos ©Irv Green unless otherwise noted; story by Andrea Gross (andreagross.com). www.traveltizers.com

Otis Redding performed at the Douglass Theatre when he was a teen, winning the talent shows so often they finally stopped letting him enter.

Visitors to the Otis Redding Foundation often hear family stories from his daughter, Karla Redding-Andrews.

Exploitation from page 34 coordinate and increase supports when the early detection of an older adult’s declining capacity is identified.

“Amending OAPSA is critical for the department to further protect vulnerable adults from financial exploitation,” Torres said. “We need to broaden who is considered a mandated reporter required to report suspected

For active adults when apartment living is all you need!

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Little Richard spent part of his childhood in this pink shotgun house in Macon’s Pleasant Hill neighborhood. He used to get in trouble for banging out rhythms on the pews of his church, which is nearby.

The antebellum Bell House, once a setting for a photo of the Allman Brothers Band, is now the home of a new music conservatory.

elder abuse, and we need to provide appropriate training for these individuals on the signs of elder abuse.

“The legislation we support expands the list of facilities at which employees are required to report abuse to include care options that did not exist in 1987 when the law was first enacted — such as home health, hospice, and assisted living ,” Torres said.

“Amending OAPSA will help us increase awareness of financial exploitation of older adults and promote collaboration with other state agencies, such as the Department of Banking and Securities, and financial service providers, to improve reporting of the abuse and action that can be taken before an older adult is victimized,” Torres continued.

“The bills that the Department of Aging helped shape will expire in December, so I urge the General Assembly to work together and pass a muchneeded update to OAPSA.” The complete Financial Exploitation Study can be found at www.aging. pa.gov/publications.

The department’s Protective Services Office investigates and supports older adults who become victims of abuse. Anyone suspecting elder abuse should call the statewide reporting hotline at (800) 490-8505, which operates 24 hours a day, seven days a week. www.50plusLifePA.com

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