Chester County 50plus LIFE – October 2021

Complimentary | Chester County Edition

October 2021

A Bus Ride to Days Gone By page 4

How to set up a trust fund page 8

Should you prepay your funeral? page 14

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October 2021

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Volunteer Spotlight Volunteer Honored for 35 Years of Service Connie Gruber has volunteers to kindly been a volunteer with request they take an CONTACT Helpline extra shift. for 35 plus years. She As the support tried to retire from worker for volunteers, the Helpline, but that responsibilities didn’t last! included calling In 1985, she other volunteers to began as a volunteer remind them of their Helpline specialist, upcoming shifts answering calls from and being available community members during their shifts if Connie Gruber looking for help or they needed someone someone to talk with. to talk through a To remain a CONTACT difficult call. volunteer takes empathy, fortitude, Her experience and compassion and flexibility, which Gruber has in helped many other volunteers. spades! Gruber has provided over Gruber received the Spirit of 4,000 hours of volunteer service.

CONTACT Award from the Throughout the years, Gruber National CONTACT USA for her has served in many different roles work and dedication. in the organization. She served as Gruber has always been president of the board of directors, an enthusiastic participant in chaired the volunteer committee, CONTACT Helpline social and joined the volunteer training fundraising events. Over time, with program team to teach volunteers changes in society and technology, active listening, and assumed two Gruber has learned new skills along of the most challenging volunteer the way. roles: scheduling phone coverage To this day, Gruber frequently and supporting other Helpline answers the 24-hour listening, specialists. housing, health, and human service As a scheduler, Gruber was information hotlines and spreads responsible for keeping the phones her caring and positive outlook answered 24/7. She monitored the among staff and volunteers. monthly signup sheets. When there Gruber continues to show her were holes in the schedule, as there dedication to the well-being of often were, she called or emailed CONTACT’s family of volunteers.

Do you know a 50+ volunteer who gives selflessly to others? Tell us what makes him or her so special and we will consider them for 50plus LIFE’s Volunteer Spotlight!

Submissions should be 200 words or fewer and photos are encouraged. Email preferred to mjoyce@onlinepub.com or mail nominations to 50plus LIFE, Volunteer Spotlight, P.O. Box 8049, Lancaster, PA 17601.

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50plus LIFE

October 2021

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Cover Story

A Bus Ride to Days Gone By When Turzai started college, he What comes to acquired a different your mind when you VW bug, also chosen think of traveling by his dad, for the in a Volkswagen same reasons as bus? Driving along the first one: It was a breathtaking affordable.

California coastal The Turzais met highway? Maybe and began dating camping in Arizona while attending Penn with beautiful redState in 1985. Eric The Turzais’ son Shawn waving from the 1964 rock formations in the Turzai’s employment VW Bus they owned while living in Reno, background? eventually took them Nevada.

For Eric and Celia to Arizona, where they Turzai, they don’t were married in 1987. have to imagine what In 1988, his employer traveling around in transferred him to a VW bus is like …

Reno, Nevada. for them, it’s a normal It was while these occurrence, and it newlyweds were living happens right here in in Reno that his love central Pennsylvania affair with VWs truly among the abundant began. cornfields and “On the way back picturesque Amish from Lake Tahoe one farms. day, I saw a cherry-red The red 1968 Karmann Ghia Eric Turzai “fell in Eric Turzai was 1968 Karmann Ghia love with” on a drive home from Lake Tahoe. born and raised in and fell in love with Hershey, attended it,” Turzai recalls. “I Penn State majoring bought it and enjoyed in hotel/restaurant/ working on it, and institutional that started my deeper management, interest in all VWs.” and received his At one time, in the B.S. in business driveway of their home administration from in Reno, the Turzais Elizabethtown College. had, in addition to He is currently the 1968 Karmann employed as the Ghia, a 1983 Cabriolet In the early 1980s, Eric Turzai’s second car was a director of dining green ‘69 Bug. convertible; a 1964 services at Elizabethtown VW Bus; a 1957 ovalCollege, a position that window ragtop VW Bug; a 1958 all-original, keeps him very busy but still allows him time to German-origin VW Bug; and a 1967 Baja Bug. indulge in his passion for VWs. “The neighbors wanted to make a sign that said What would become that lifelong interest didn’t ‘Eric’s Used VW Lot,’” Turzai said. happen right away.

One reason for the popularity of VWs in the “My first car at 16 was a 1968 VW Bug western part of the United States is that rust isn’t as convertible,” he said. “I wasn’t entirely thrilled with big of a problem as it is in the East. it. Dad picked it out because it was available and “Also, they were easy to find, and you could affordable.” make some interesting deals to obtain them,” To say that first car wasn’t in tiptop shape would Turzai said. “I once received a hot tub as payment be an understatement. The floorboards were gone, for one I sold.” and the top needed replacing, so “I only had it Once they became parents, welcoming a son about a year because it was too expensive to repair,” in 1989 and daughter in 1994, the Turzais moved he said. back to Pennsylvania and continued the used-VW

By Lynda Hudzick Corporate Office

P.O. Box 8049, Lancaster, PA 17604 Phone (717) 285-1350 (610) 675-6240 Fax (717) 285-1360 Email address: info@onlinepub.com Website address: www.onlinepub.com

PRESIDENT AND PUBLISHER Donna K. Anderson

EDITORIAL Vice President and Managing Editor Christianne Rupp Editor, 50plus Publications Megan Joyce

ART DEPARTMENT Project Coordinator Lauren Phillips

BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT Senior Marketing Consultant Joshua Binkley Events Manager Kimberly Shaffer

ADMINISTRATION Business Manager Elizabeth Duvall

Member of

Awards

50plus LIFE is published by On-Line Publishers, Inc. and is distributed monthly among senior centers, retirement communities, banks, grocers, libraries and other outlets serving the senior community.

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Views expressed in opinion stories, contributions, articles and letters are not necessarily the views of the publisher. The appearance of advertisements for products or services does not constitute an endorsement of the particular product or service. The publisher will not be responsible for mistakes in advertisements unless notified within five days of publication.

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tradition by acquiring a 1972 VW They’ve already loaned out Rosie Bus, a 1986 VW Vanagon, a 1974 once for a wedding reception, where VW Bug, a 1969 Karmann Ghia, she was parked in front of a barn. a 1987 VW Cabriolet, a 1985 VW “I think the bus softens the feel Gulf, and a 1984 Rabbit. of the photos. It has soft lines and Eric Turzai enjoys working on a relaxed stance, and it looks easy, air-cooled engines, which are a comforting, and inviting,” Celia staple of the VW brand.

Turzai said.

“They keep me challenged and The idea of making such a big give me something to analyze and life change, and starting their work out a solution for,” he said. own business, is daunting, but the The VW Camper Bus in Turzais are doing their homework. particular has a special place in “There are others who do it, Turzai’s heart. and we’ve looked at their websites “They are different and unique for ideas and details such as the and rarer,” he said. “I would like a reservation process, pricing, pre-1967 bus because of the split packages, and policies,” Eric window in front, but they are very Turzai said. “We also talked about The Turzais’ photo booth-like setup inside expensive to obtain.” buying one or two fully restored Rosie includes a ring light and various props.

He has studied the history and functioning camper buses and of the introduction of VWs, the renting them out … but there are manufacturing of them, and the evolution of the brand, but mostly, he said, “I many factors to consider before we would embark on that venture.” just think they are cool vehicles, and I like working on them.”

Whatever the future may hold, this couple is looking forward to spending These days, the VW Camper Bus that sits pride of place in their their retirement years together doing the things they love: camping, traveling, Elizabethtown driveway goes by the name of Rosie (a name suggested by the and visiting friends and family.

Turzais’ daughter). Purchased in 2010, Turzai recalls that he “happened to be “We are also looking forward to continuing to work on Rosie, or any other on Craigslist and saw it. The owner needed money for rent and was selling it projects that may pop up,” Turzai said. for $2,500.”

And those projects will surely include a VW or two.

Rosie, a 1974 model, still had all her original equipment and was in pretty On the cover: Celia and Eric Turzai with Rosie, their 1974 VW Camper Bus. good condition. The previous owner had painted her green, but her original color is orange.

“I have redone the interior — the walls, the upholstery, new flooring, curtains, stereo, and a 1976 engine,” Turzai said.

Celia Turzai supports her husband’s interest because she enjoys hearing about the projects and helping him figure things out.

“Often, he needs to talk through a problem, and even though I can’t help him or answer a question, just the process of talking it through helps him figure it out,” she said.

With 33 Years of Even though she doesn’t quite share his level of interest, Turzai must admit Real Estate Experience that the bugs and buses “are cute, and I do enjoy seeing how different people have done different things with them,” she said.

• 2016 Realtor of the Year “It was interesting when we lived out West to see the older ones and how well they were maintained.”

• 2014 President of Growing up, Turzai did a lot of camping with her family; she said if they Realtor’s Association of were younger, she would love to go camping in Rosie.

York and Adams County “I like how the camper buses have all you need to go camping with,” she said.

• Licensed in PA and MD Paula Musselman She was also a big help with the restoration work, making curtains and • Providing Reliable and helping choose the wood and the layout for the flooring.

Selling or buying a house?

Trustworthy Contracting “I am always holding a flashlight, or handing over a tool, or holding Please call me – I’ll guide and Moving Resources something in place or out of the way, or listening, or giving my opinion,” she you every step of the way! said.

• Specializing in Senior With retirement in the not-too-distant future, the Turzais are hoping to Office: (717) 793-9678 Moves and Transitions share their love of VWs with others by offering Rosie for photo opportunities Cell: (717) 309-6921 at weddings, parties, and corporate events.

2525 Eastern Blvd.

Taking the time to make It is an idea they are working on together as a means of future additional York, PA 17402 income that would be creative and fun and would not bind them into a fullyour transaction smooth pmusselmanrealtor@gmail.com time commitment. and stress free.

“The bus itself would be the photo booth, with the camera mainly inside,” Eric Turzai said. “The bus could also be used as a backdrop for outside photos with various-themed props available relevant to the theme of the event. We Senior Real Estate think the bus itself provides a unique frame for photos.”

Specialist

Senior Real Estate Specialist

®

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50plus LIFE

October 2021

5

Make Giving Back Your Second Act!

Join RSVP to help tackle your community’s most pressing challenges!

We empower Americans over the age of 55 to serve their communities.

When you join the Retired and Senior Volunteer Program with AmeriCorps Seniors, you choose how you want to give back.

Find a service opportunity that you are passionate about.

With RSVP you can use the skills and talents you’ve learned over the years, or develop new ones while serving in a variety of volunteer activities in your community. Deliver meals to an elderly neighbor.

Help a struggling child to learn to read. Support a family impacted by natural disaster.

Contact RSVP at info@rsvpcapreg.org or 800-870-2616 to find the perfect volunteer opportunity for you!

www.RSVPCapReg.org

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October 2021

50plus LIFE

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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.

PATRIOT HOME CARE

Homeland at Home

(717) 406-2537 www.patriothomecare.org

www.homelandathome.org 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*, Mifflin, Northumberland, Perry*, Schuylkill, Snyder, York* *Homeland HomeHealth currently serves five of 14 counties.

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

Social Workers: Yes Spiritual Counselors: Yes Complementary Therapies: Yes Medicare Certified: 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 nonmedical personal assistance to skilled nursing and compassionate care. We are privileged to care for you and your loved ones … any place you call “home.”

We offer 13 months of bereavement support as well as community and staff educational programs. Please call for details.

Year Est.: 2018 Counties Served: Adams, Berks, Centre, Cumberland, Dauphin, Franklin, Lancaster, Lebanon, Mifflin, York RNs: No LPNs: No CNAs: No Home Aides: Yes

Senior life york Senior life harrisburg

(717) 757-5433 www.seniorlifepa.com

Year Est.: 2006 Counties Served: Dauphin, York RNs: Yes LPNs: Yes CNAs: Yes Home Aides: Yes Medicare Certified: Yes

Year Est.: 2010 Counties Served: Lancaster RNs: No LPNs: No CNAs: No Home Aides: Yes

Medicare Certified: No Other Certifications and Services: Homestead Village is a local name you trust.

Now offering homecare services that come to you! Support after surgery, support with pet care, companion transportation, meal prep, laundry, housekeeping, and more!

Other Certifications and Services: Physicians; specialists; nursing care; physical, occupational, and speech therapies; personal and home care; medications; meals and nutritional counseling; eye, dental, and foot care; durable medical equipment; and other medically necessary services.

VISITING ANGELS

Homestead Village Home Care

(717) 397-3044 www.homesteadvillage.org/home-care

Medicare Certified?: No Other Certifications and Services: Act 150, aging waiver, OBRA waiver, COMMCARE waiver, independent waiver, and attendant care waiver. Meal prep, companionship, light housekeeping, laundry, medication reminders, errands, bathing, community engagement, and personal care.

(800) 365-4189 www.visitingangels.com Year Est.: 2001 Counties Served: Adams, Cumberland, Dauphin, Franklin, Lancaster, Perry, and York RNs: No LPNs: No CNAs: Yes Home Aides: Yes

Medicare Certified?: No Other Certifications and Services: Visiting Angels provides seniors and adults with the needed assistance to continue living at home. Flexible hours up to 24 hours per day. Companionship, personal hygiene, meal prep, and more. Our caregivers are thoroughly screened, bonded, and insured. Call today for a complimentary and informational meeting.

OSS Health at Home

(717) 747-8365 www.osshealth.com

Year Est.: 2013 Counties Served: Adams, Cumberland, Lancaster, York RNs: Yes LPNs: Yes CNAs: Yes

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Home Aides: Yes Medicare Certified: Yes Other Certifications and Services: Physical therapy, occupational therapy, speech therapy, and medical social work.

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

50plus LIFE

October 2021

7

How to Set Up a Trust Fund b ecome public information. If you wish to keep your personal matters private, you might want to consider setting up a trust. Bypassing probate court means that your matters won’t be publicly available.

By Patrick Hicks

As we age, we naturally think more frequently about how we plan to pass on our property to our loved ones, whether it’s a spouse, children, or grandchildren.

After all, you’ve spent decades building a legacy, and you likely want to retain that legacy within the family as much as you can.

The process of estate planning can be tricky because you want to make the choices that will best protect your assets and your loved ones. One of the main choices you will face will be getting a will, a trust, or both.

Cons of a trust include:

October is National Estate Planning Month

What is a Trust?

A trust is a fiduciary agreement that allows one person (the “trustee”) to control property provided by another person (the “trustor” or “grantor”). The trustee is charged with the duty of managing the trust, and any distributions, in the best interest of the beneficiary.

When setting up the trust, the grantor is responsible for designating instructions for how the trust should be managed and how assets should be distributed.

Trust vs. Living Trust In general, trusts come into effect upon the grantor’s passing. This means the trust is irrevocable or that it cannot be changed or modified.

In contrast, you can also set up a living trust, which is one you set up during your lifetime. Living trusts are revocable, meaning you can change the terms at any time.

Living trusts are a great option if you prefer to have some flexibility and think you might need to make any changes during your lifetime. You can also set it up in such a way that you can access property and assets placed in the trust while you still need them.

Pros & Cons of a Trust Both wills and trusts are important estate-planning tools. A last will and testament designates how your property should be divided and distributed to beneficiaries upon your passing.

Trusts essentially hold the same function, but they offer additional protections that are worth consideration.

Pros of a trust include: • Avoiding probate – Avoiding probate proceedings is arguably the largest draw for most families. Upon your passing, property held within a trust will not be subject to probate court. This will save your family time, money, and frustration.

• Simple and flexible – Contrary to popular belief, trusts are not difficult to set up. If you go with a living trust, it will also offer you flexibility. You can add to it or modify it at any time.

• Limits estate taxes – Because assets held within a trust are owned by the trust itself, some tax benefits will kick in. For example, you can help limit your estate taxes.

• Keeps family matters private – Estates that pass through probate court

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• Potential loss of flexibility – A living trust does offer flexibility, while an irrevocable trust does not. Once you set up an irrevocable trust, you cannot revoke it or modify it. A living trust is recommended if you prefer retaining flexibility, although an irrevocable trust offers added tax benefits.

• Ongoing costs and fees – In addition to the cost of setting up the trust, you may be subject to ongoing costs to maintain the trust, as well as fees paid to the trustee for managing the estate on your behalf.

How to Set Up a Trust Setting up your trust just takes three steps: 1. Draft your trust agreement – First, you’ll need to create a draft of your trust agreement. This document should list out all the assets that will be held in the trust, as well as the names of all your beneficiaries.

You’ll also need to think about who you will name as your trustee, and create detailed instructions on how you want your property managed and distributed. You can make the terms of your trust yours; you can be as detailed or general as you’d like.

2. Set up the trust fund – Next, it’s time to set up the trust with an estateplanning attorney.

3. Place assets into the trust – A final and critical step is funding your trust.

You’ll do this by transferring property and assets into the trust so they are then owned by the trust. It’s helpful to contact your financial institution and ask what documents they’ll need to make this happen.

How to Distribute Trust Assets to Beneficiaries How your assets are distributed depends on the rules you set for your trust.

Your trustee could distribute property or assets directly to your beneficiaries outright and without any restrictions. This could take the shape of a check, cash, or transfer of real estate.

Alternatively, you could instruct the trustee to disburse assets over time. For example, you could instruct the trustee to wait until your beneficiary reached a certain age or milestone. You can also instruct that the assets are released over a certain time period, such as on a monthly or annual basis.

Setting up a trust fund is a smart choice for many families. If you feel stuck choosing between a will and a trust, know that you can do both. In fact, many individuals successfully create an airtight estate plan by setting up both a will and a trust, which can work in tandem.

Patrick Hicks is the head of legal for Trust & Will (trustandwill.com), the leading digital estate-planning provider in the U.S. offering affordable, customizable estate plans for all 50 states.

www.50plusLifePA.com

Elder Law Attorneys

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This is not an all-inclusive list of agencies and providers.

These advertisers are eager to provide additional information about their services.

Specific areas of elder law in which the firm concentrates:

Appel, Yost & Zee LLP 33 North Duke Street Lancaster, PA 17602 717-394-0521 • fax 717-394-0739 appel@appelyostzee.com www.appelyost.com

5

17

1883 1970

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Estate planning, wills, trusts, powers of attorney, living wills/ advanced healthcare directories, estate administrative, guardianship, Medicaid planning, and business succession planning. Experienced, responsive, and friendly staff.

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

Medicaid and nursing home asset planning; asset protection trust planning; elder, estate, and POA planning; advanced directives; Certified Elder Law Attorney (CELA).

Yes

Estate planning, wills, financial powers of attorney, durable healthcare powers of attorney (living wills), guardianships, Medicaid planning, and estate administration.

Offices in Lancaster, Columbia, Elizabethtown, and Quarryville.

Blakey, Yost, Bupp & Rausch, LLP David A. Mills, Esquire

17 East Market Street, York, PA 17401 717-845-3674 • fax 717-854-7839 dmills@blakeyyost.com www.blakeyyost.com

1

6

1980 1990

No

Yes

No

CGA Law Firm 135 North George Street York, PA 17401 717-848-4900, ext. 121 fax 717-843-9039 tbupp@cgalaw.com www.cgalaw.com

3

32

1967

2010

Yes

Yes

Yes

Nikolaus & Hohenadel, LLP 212 North Queen Street Lancaster, PA 17603 717-299-3726 • fax 717-299-1811 www.n-hlaw.com

7

23

1972 2006

No

Yes

No

If you would like to be featured on this important page, please 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.

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50plus LIFE

October 2021

9

CROSSWORD

Puzzle Page

Solutions for all puzzles can be found on page 29.

SUDOKU

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The History of Ordinary Things

The Evolution of Toilet Paper Doris Montag

What did humans use to clean themselves after required a product that could flush away without toileting before toilet paper? clogging or damaging the pipes. Americans Naturally, they used what was readily available. quickly embraced toilet paper.

The simplest way was use of one’s hand, but if That said, the quality of paper production there was an alternative, it was likely preferred. varied widely. In fact, splinters were a common Different materials were used depending problem with early toilet paper. In 1935, upon the country, weather conditions, social Northern Tissue introduced splinter-free toilet customs, and status. Ancient Greeks used clay paper! and stones. In the era of Roman baths, men used In 1928, the Hoberg Paper Company a communal sponge attached to a wooden stick, introduced Charmin using a feminine logo with which soaked in a bucket of saltwater between a beautiful woman. The marketing campaign uses. focused on softness and femininity, thus avoiding In coastal regions, mussel shells and coconut reference to the paper’s actual purpose. Charmin husks were available. Eskimos used moss or snow; introduced the economy-size pack of four rolls in the Vikings used wool.

1932.

Mayans and early/rural Americans used the Do you remember the affable TV grocer of cobs from shelled ears of corn. Other handy the 1970s who implored customers, “Please don’t options were hay, leaves, grass, ferns, maize, fruit squeeze the Charmin”? In 1978, a TV Guide poll skins, animal fur, and, later, fabric, newspaper, named Mr. Whipple the third best-known man magazines, and pages of books. in the U.S., behind former president Richard The first paper-like toilet paper was made in Nixon and the Rev. Billy Graham.

1391 for the needs of the Chinese emperor’s In 1942, the first two-ply toilet paper was family. By the late 1500s, paper became more introduced in England, and today two-ply is the readily available, resulting in the advent of the standard. In 1990, the U.K. introduced moist A two-hole outhouse, complete with a bucket of newspaper, which became a popular choice for toilet paper, which was marketed in the U.S. by corncobs for self-cleanup. toileting.

Kimberly-Clark in 2001.

In 1857, Joseph C. Gayetty created the first According to the toiletpaperhistory.net, commercially packaged toilet paper, a manila hemp infused with aloe. It was the average person uses 57 sheets of toilet paper each day, and 100 rolls of marketed for those with hemorrhoids. toilet paper per year (over 20,000 sheets). Each day, 83 million rolls are His product was not a commercial success, in part because people did not manufactured. want to buy toilet paper when catalogs came in the mail for free, and old Growth in this market is focused on developing countries, where some sheets or clothes were available to use. studies suggest that more than 70% of people do not use toilet paper due to Initially, toilet paper came in individual sheets. In 1878, two brothers, cost and custom.

Clarence and Irvin Scott, formed the Scott Paper Company, which introduced Doris Montag is a homespun historian and an exhibit curator who researches and “tissue on a roll.” displays historical collections of ordinary things, such as can openers, crochet, toy In 1890, the Scotts’ Waldorf brand was marketed to hotels and drugstores sewing machines, hand corn planters, powder compacts, egg cartons, and more. rather than direct sales to the public. At the time, any reference to bodily Contact or follow her on Facebook, HistoryofOrdinaryThings. functions was considered impolite at best; thus, the public was hesitant to openly buy toilet paper.

In 1897, perforated sheets on a roll were marketed by the Albany Perforated Are you 62+ or Information and 18 to 61 with Wrapping Paper Company. support whenever permanent By the 1900s, people had replaced corncobs and other organic materials disabilities? you need it with whatever paper they had on hand. The mail-order catalogs were Welcome to your new home! repurposed to the outhouse (until they were printed on glossy paper).

Americans nailed the Farmer’s Almanac to the outhouse wall, leading the utilities included! company, in 1919, to precut the legendary hole in the upper-left corner of the Look at all we have to offer ...

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By the 1930s, most urban populations had access to municipal running We offer congregate meals to water, ushering in the advent of flushing indoor toilets in private homes. (In View online at: all residents, Mon.–Fri., at 11:30 a.m. rural areas, access to running water came about 15 years later, or mid-1940s.) www.onlinepub.com b’nai B’rith Apartments 130 South Third Street • Harrisburg The sit-down flush toilets with their newfangled indoor plumbing systems (under supplements) (717) 232-7516

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50plus LIFE

October 2021

11

October 30th is

Create a Great Funeral Day Americans’ Burial Plans Have Changed as a Result of COVID-19

By Anthony Martin

The COVID-19 pandemic has impacted nearly every facet of our daily lives, including funeral decisions.

Choice Mutual recently surveyed another 1,500 people to determine how America’s burial preferences have changed since its 2020 report.

How the Pandemic Impacted Americans’ Burial Decisions More and more families are facing unexpected losses, virtual funeral services, and overall community deaths.

With that in mind, it is no surprise that 37% of respondents reported that their burial/memorial

KEILMORE ye Associates

choices have changed due to the pandemic.

Among that 37%, over half claimed COVID-19 changed which process of body disposal they will choose.

Over 50% of Americans were invited to a funeral sometime after March 2020 and witnessed the complicated task of organizing and paying for a memorial mid-pandemic. Of the 37% mentioned above, 52% said COVID-19 changed how they’d like their memorial services arranged, and 43% claimed it motivated them to determine or finalize their burial plans.

“COVID-19 has driven the United States, a country that has for the past several decades been a country that refuses to discuss death, to have this conversation with ourselves and with our

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October 2021

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October 30th is

Create a Great Funeral Day family,” Brian Waters, licensed funeral director and host of Undertaking: The Podcast, said.

“This mere shift in mindset has allowed Americans to discover the offerings of funeral homes across the nation.”

Burial Preferences in the U.S.: 2020 vs. 2021 Traditional burial emerged as the most popular funeral plan (selected by 33% of respondents), closely followed by cremation (32%). This shift is partly due to more Americans planning for a natural burial (up 7% from 2020) and donation to science (up 5% from 2020).

“The natural burial option is rapidly taking its place among the most popular end-of-life options offered as conventional burial costs continue to rise,” Joe Casper, funeral director at Casper Funeral & Cremation Services, said.

“In fact, natural burials have joined cremation as a top choice for environmentally and cost-conscious individuals and families wanting to respectfully return a loved one to the earth.”

The increased interest in donating remains to science may be tied to the heavy media coverage on the healthcare industry in 2020. The heightened exposure to medically vulnerable individuals could inspire America to choose a more philanthropic burial approach.

Unconventional Burial Decisions For many of us, providing peace for our loved ones is the ultimate goal when planning our burial decisions. Solace may come in the form of a decorative urn that your family can cherish or a traditional burial plot in the company of past generations.

Alternatively, one can request the creation of jewelry using preserved teeth or bones, which 13% of Americans consider.

Better yet, you can prevent your favorite tattoo from “dying” with you by getting it preserved as leather for your loved ones to display. Of respondents, 23% would consider this alternative memorial, starting at $1,600.

Americans ages 35-44 are most on board with forever ink, with 31% saying they would consider it.

Another modern trend that some funeral homes offer is “extreme embalming,” the extensive process of preserving a body in a natural position for the duration of the funeral service.

Those who select this option often request to be positioned doing their favorite things, whether sitting at a poker table, playing the drums, or even riding a motorcycle. Thirty-four percent of Americans said they would consider this unique variation of an open-casket memorial.

Again, the 35-44 age bracket is the most interested in this option, with nearly half (46%) saying they are open to it.

How Do You Want to Be Memorialized?

Although a lot has changed since the 2020 report, one thing remains the same — Americans can get pretty creative when it comes to their burial.

Regardless if you choose a more traditional option or venture outside of the casket, it is crucial to take the proper steps now to prepare for the financial impact of your funeral.

Learn more about planning ahead so your family can focus on remembering you (in whichever form you choose).

To view the full 2021 report, visit choicemutual.com/funeral-preferences.

www.50plusLifePA.com

Cremation: What to Do with the Cremains Although traditional burial narrowly topped it as the most common burial plan, cremation is still a widely used option. The survey asked Americans who plan on being cremated what they would like to do with their cremains.

The responses haven’t changed much since 2020, with “ashes spread in a specific location” still being the top choice overall (28%), followed by: • Having family keep them – 26% • Other – 21% • Plant as a tree – 13% • Buried in a cemetery – 12%

! r a e r u o y s u d Len 50plus LIFE and Vision Resources of Central Pennsylvania have partnered to bring you weekly audio readings of 50plus LIFE’s editorial content!

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.

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

50plus LIFE

October 2021

13

October 30th is

Create a Great Funeral Day Savvy Senior

Should You Prepay Your Funeral?

Jim Miller

Dear Savvy Senior, My wife and I have been thinking about preplanning our funerals now so our kids won’t have to later, but we would like to find out if it’s a good idea to prepay. What can you tell us?

– Living on a Budget Dear Living, Planning your funerals in advance is definitely a smart move.

Not only does it give you and your wife time to make a thoughtful decision on the type of service you want, but it also allows you to shop around to find a good funeral provider, and it will spare your family members the burden of making these decisions at an emotional time.

But preplanning a funeral doesn’t mean you have to prepay too. In fact, the Funeral Consumer Alliance, a national nonprofit funeral consumer-protection organization, doesn’t recommend it unless you need to spend down your financial resources so you can qualify for Medicaid.

Here’s what you should know.

Preneed Arrangements Most funeral homes today offer what is known as “preneed plans,” which allow you to prearrange for the type of funeral services you want and prepay with a lump sum or through installments.

The funeral home either puts your money in a trust fund with the payout triggered by your death or buys an insurance policy naming itself as the beneficiary.

If you’re interested in this route, make sure you’re being guaranteed the services you specify at the contracted price. Some contracts call for additional payments for final expense funding, which means that if the funeral home’s charges increase between the time you sign up and the time you sign off, somebody will have to pay the difference.

Here are some additional questions you should ask before committing: • Can you cancel the contract and get a full refund if you change your mind?

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• Will your money earn interest? If so, how much? Who gets it?

• If there is an insurance policy involved, is there a waiting period before it takes effect? How long?

• A re the prices locked in, or will an additional payment be required at the time of death?

• A re you protected if the funeral home goes out of business or if it’s bought out by another company?

• W hat happens if you move? Can the plan be transferred to another funeral home in a different state?

• If there’s money left over after your funeral, will your heirs get it, or does the home keep it?

If you decide to prepay, be sure to get all the details of the agreement in writing, and give copies to your family so they know what’s expected. If your family isn’t aware that you’ve made plans, your wishes may not be carried out.

And if family members don’t know that you’ve prepaid the funeral costs, they could end up paying for the same arrangements.

Other Payment Option While prepaying your funerals may seem like a convenient way to go, from a financial point of view, there are other options available.

For example, if you have a life insurance policy, many policies will pay a lump sum when you die to your beneficiaries to be used for your funeral expenses. The payment is made soon after you die and doesn’t have to go through probate.

Or you could set up a payable-on-death (or POD) account at your bank or credit union, naming the person you want to handle your arrangements as the beneficiary. POD accounts also are called Totten trusts.

With this type of account, you maintain control of your money, so you can tap the funds in an emergency, collect the interest, and change the beneficiary.

When you die, your beneficiary collects the balance without the delay of probate.

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

New Study Links Dense Breasts in Older Women with Higher Cancer Risk

By Bill Levesque

Physicians have long recognized that women with denser breasts are at increased risk of invasive breast cancer, heightening the importance of mammography screenings.

A paucity of data, however, established such a risk in women age 65 and older, and virtually no data existed for women age 75 and older, a University of Florida Health researcher said.

But now, a large study recently led by a UF Health population scientist examined data from more than 193,000 women age 65 and older, including more than 70,000 who were at least 75, and found a positive association between breast density and breast cancer risk.

The study fills a gap of information with possible implications on the decision-making of older women considering a breast cancer screening mammography, said the study’s senior author, Dejana Braithwaite, Ph.D, the associate director of population sciences at the UF Health Cancer Center and a professor in the UF Institute on Aging.

Right now, the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force, or USPSTF, an independent panel of national experts on disease prevention and evidencebased medicine, does not recommend for or against mammography screening after age 75.

The task force says evidence to weigh risk versus benefit has been insufficient for a definitive recommendation.

“Our goal is to develop the evidence that helps personalize breast cancer screening for older women,” said Braithwaite. “Older women who are in good health and have dense breasts may consider a screening mammogram even as they age beyond the screening recommendations for average-risk women.”

Breast density is a measure of the amount of fibrous or glandular tissue compared with fatty tissue, with less dense breasts containing more fat.

Roughly half of women ages 40-74 have dense breasts.

The breasts of aging women become less dense over time, although nearly a third of all women age 65 and older still have dense breasts, Braithwaite said.

The USPSTF recommends a mammogram every two years for women in the 50-74 age group. American Cancer Society recommendations are slightly different, with annual mammograms suggested for women 45 and older and then biennially after age 55 for women who are in good health.

Physicians note that not all older women would benefit from screening mammography, especially those with serious medical conditions.

“This study provides evidence that breast density remains an important risk factor in older women and should be included in risk-prediction models that also consider life expectancy to help identify women who may benefit most from continued screening,” said study co-author Diana L. Miglioretti, Ph.D., a researcher at the University of California, Davis.

The study analyzed data from the Breast Cancer Surveillance Consortium and specifically examined breast density as a breast cancer risk factor in two groups of women — those ages 65-74 and those 75 and older.

Data were collected from women in New Hampshire, Vermont, North Carolina, the San Francisco area, Washington, New Mexico, and Colorado.

“Our findings are generalizable to the U.S. population because we collected

data from women in seven different surveillance registries across the country,” said Braithwaite.

While researchers found that age is the strongest risk factor for breast cancer, women with dense breasts have a higher risk of breast cancer than women with fatty breasts. And the risk increases with increasing breast density.

For example, in women 65-74 years old, the team found an increased five-year risk of breast cancer that ranged from 11.3 per 1,000 women in groups with fatty breasts to 23.7 per 1,000 women in Photo credit: Getty Images groups with dense breasts.

“The 30% to 32% of older women with high breast density should discuss with their healthcare provider whether having high breast density sufficiently increases their risk to warrant ongoing screening mammography,” said Karla Kerlikowske, M.D., a co-author and a member of the University of California, San Francisco’s Helen Diller Family Comprehensive Cancer Center.

October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month

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On-Line Publishers, Inc.

has earned a Mature Media Award!

Merit Award “Quilting Made Modern”

by Megan Joyce

Thank you for supporting our award-winning publication!

www.50plusLIFEPA.com

50plus LIFE

October 2021

15

50plus EXPO Returning to Carlisle Oct. 13

22nd Annual

Baby boomers, seniors, their families, and caregivers will find timely information for living a happy, healthy, and productive life at the 22nd annual Cumberland County 50plus EXPO on Wednesday, Oct. 13, from 9 a.m. – 2 p.m. at the Carlisle Expo Center, 100 K St., Carlisle.

Presented by OLP Events and the Cumberland County Area Agency on Aging, the Cumberland County 50plus EXPO features exhibitors displaying products and services in travel, housing, medical services, nutrition, home improvements, finances, healthcare options, and more.

Quality Care Pharmacy will be providing flu shots on a first-come, first-served basis at the 50plus EXPO. Flu shots are no-cost for most people with Medicare Part B and most insurance plans. Please bring your insurance card.

The 50plus EXPO will also

CUMBERLAND COUNTY

Oct. 13, 2021 9 a.m. – 2 p.m.

Carlisle Expo Center 100 K St. Carlisle

Let’s safely come together again!

It’s time to get out and: • Be social again … safely • Discover new products and services • Learn about local businesses and organizations • Check out what’s new in retirement living

feature door prizes and onstage entertainment, including a seminar on Medicare basics; a discussion of normal vs. abnormal changes in the aging process; and a presentation

by Soni Dimond, host of “Vibrant Living” on abc27.

Admission and parking are both free.

Sponsors include 50plus LIFE, BUSINESSWoman, Encompass Health Rehabilitation Hospital of Mechanicsburg, Highmark Blue Shield, Homeland Center/Homeland at Home, Penn State Health Hampden Medical Center and Penn State Health Holy Spirit Medical Center, Vibra Health Plan, WellSpan Health, and WHTM abc27.

For more information, call (717) 285-1350 or visit 50plusExpoPA. com. For footage of previous 50plus EXPOs, visit youtube.com/user/ OnLinePublishers.

Uh oh!

Know where to go.

Emergency services at

and more!

50plusExpoPA.com Brought to you by:

24/7 care

&

Sponsored by:

Principal Sponsors:

Health & Wellness Sponsor: WellSpan Health

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Lunch Bag Sponsor:

Seminar Sponsor:

Penn State Health Hampden Medical Center Penn State Health Holy Spirit Medical Center

Vibra Health Plan

Supporting Sponsor:

Visitor Bag Sponsor:

Highmark Blue Shield

Encompass Health Rehabilitation Hospital of Mechanicsburg

October 2021

50plus LIFE

Opening Oct. 1

Media Sponsor:

www.50plusLifePA.com

Don’t Miss the Great Lineup of Seminars and Entertainment at the EXPO! 9:45 a.m. – What’s Normal for the Aging Process?

Presented by Jessica Arnold, Director of Therapy, and Kylie Van Dam, Senior Physical Therapist, Encompass Health Rehabilitation Hospital of Mechanicsburg Do you often find yourself forgetting things, having trouble getting up when seated, or even falling? Do you chalk it up to “getting older”?

Some changes in our bodies are signs of a normal aging process, while others are not. Join this informative seminar to learn how to know the difference.

Introducing WellSpan Family Medicine – Carlisle WellSpan Convenient Care is now WellSpan Family Medicine – Carlisle.

Our physicians and advanced practice providers offer scheduled appointments and walk-in care for your convenience. Whether you’re feeling under the weather or just need your annual checkup, we’re ready to serve you and your family.

WellSpan Family Medicine – Carlisle 354 Alexander Spring Rd., Suite 3, Carlisle, PA 17015 (717) 462-6873

Now accepting new patients!

To schedule your appointment, please visit WellSpan.org/Schedule

10:30 a.m. – Medicare 101 Presented by Tara Pew, Broker Manager, Capital BlueCross Do you find Medicare confusing? Unsure of how the program works? Attend this free seminar and learn the basics: what the differences are between Medicare Advantage and Medicare Supplemental plans, when you should initiate the process of applying for Medicare Part B, how to avoid late-enrollment penalties, and more.

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Medicare plans starting at

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Go to VibraHealthPlan.com to learn more.

Vibra Health Plan is a PPO with a Medicare contract.

Enrollment in Vibra Health Plan depends on contract renewal.

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Noon – Vibrant Living at All Ages Presented by Soni Dimond, Host/Producer, Vibrant Living, abc27 Life is exciting at all ages! Soni Dimond, host of abc27’s Vibrant Living show on Good Day PA will reveal countless ways to thrive over 55. Soni will share a few gems from her inspiring stories, showcasing the beautiful brilliance of aging — in multifaceted ways. Discover how you can request to be Soni’s guest on Vibrant Living.

www.50plusLifePA.com

Facebook.com/50plusExpoPA

50plus LIFE

October 2021

17

Let Highmark help you find the right Medicare plan.

Just call Morgan Catherman, your local Highmark representative, at 717-302-7419.

Not ready for Medicare?

Go to DiscoverHighmark.com to learn about our individual plans.

CUMBERLAND COUNTY

Thank you, sponsors!

Because life should be easy.

That’s why Highmark has a team to answer any of your questions.

Proudly Sponsored By: Brought to you by: & Principal Sponsors:

Health & Wellness Sponsor: WellSpan Health Lunch Bag Sponsor: Penn State Health Hampden Medical Center Penn State Health Holy Spirit Medical Center Visitor Bag Sponsor: Encompass Health Rehabilitation Hospital of Mechanicsburg Seminar Sponsor: Vibra Health Plan

Supporting Sponsor: Highmark Blue Shield

Media Sponsor:

THE TRUSTED CHOICE At Encompass Health, we create rehabilitation programs that are specifically designed for each patient’s needs, using advanced technology and innovative treatments to maximize recovery. It’s why so many people and their caregivers choose us. And why we are the trusted choice of a growing number of medical professionals.

encompasshealth.com/mechanicsburgrehab ©2021:Encompass Health Corporation:MyTurn

A Spirit of Service, A Legacy of Trust

Enjoy more time with those you love and less worrying about future “what-ifs” with SpiriTrust Lutheran’s® family of services. Our spirit of caring has enhanced the lives of seniors and earned the trust of thousands for 70 years.

SpiriTrust Lutheran® Life Plan Communities includes six campuses: • The Village at Gettysburg, Gettysburg • The Village at Kelly Drive, York • The Village at Luther Ridge, Chambersburg • The Village at Shrewsbury, Shrewsbury • The Village at Sprenkle Drive, York • The Village at Utz Terrace, Hanover

SpiriTrust Lutheran® LIFE, Living Independence for the Elderly, features a personalized program with medical and personal care assistance, recreation therapy, and social opportunities for those 55+. Services are conveniently provided in the participant’s home or at one of two LIFE Centers in Enola and Chambersburg. (Cumberland and Franklin Counties only)

These communities feature: • Maintenance-free retirement living in one of our residential neighborhoods • Support with daily activities in one of our personal care or assisted living neighborhoods • Specialized care in our memory support assisted living neighborhood • Short-term rehabilitation or nursing care in one of our skilled care centers

SpiriTrust Lutheran® Home Care & Hospice provides health care and related services to those striving to achieve the highest quality of life, as well as in-home medical, spiritual and emotional support from an interdisciplinary team of caregivers.

Come discover the SpiriTrust Lutheran not-for-profit, faith-based difference and expand life’s possibilities!

www.SpiriTrustLutheran.org

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October 2021

50plus LIFE

Pet Friendly

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The jack o’lantern is one of the most popular and enduring symbols of Halloween, that night when children of all ages dress up and go door to door in search of treats. But where did “jack” come from?

Its origins can be found in Irish myth. According to the stories, a crafty soul nicknamed Stingy Jack played a trick on the devil. In one version, Jack lured Satan up into an apple tree, then planted a circle of crosses around the tree to trap him there. In exchange for being set free, the devil promised not to take Jack’s soul when he died.

In another tale, Jack persuaded the devil to transform himself into a coin; Jack then slipped the coin into a purse that contained a cross.

Again, Jack made a deal with the

devil before setting him free.

In both stories, after Jack died, both heaven and hell refused to let him in, and he was condemned to wander the world in darkness. Satan offered him an ember of the fires of hell to light his way, and Jack placed it inside a hollowed-out turnip to carry as a lantern.

This “Jack O’Lantern,” using a turnip or a beet, was common in the British Isles to ward away evil spirits on All Hallows’ Eve. Immigrants to North America substituted pumpkins, which were larger, more plentiful, and easier to carve.

Originally associated with harvest season, the jack o’lantern has become part of a traditional Halloween in the United States.

Let’s Safely Come Together Again Face-to-Face!

Exhibitor booths will be spatially distanced, and personal social-distancing and other CDC guidelines will be observed.

Caregiving • Finances • Health & Wellness • Home Improvements Leisure Activities • Nutrition • Retirement Living • Technology and more!

22nd Annual

The Legend of the Jack O’Lantern

Oct. 13

9 a.m. – 2 p.m.

CUMBERLAND COUNTY

Carlisle Expo Center 100 K St. Carlisle

50plusExpoPA.com

The road of life contains more than a few curves …

Throughout the year, 50plus LIFE includes Special Services pages dedicated to connecting you with these resources in our area: • CCRCs/Life Plan Communities • In-home Healthcare • Hospice Providers • Nursing/Rehab Communities • Assisted Living/Personal Care Communities • Elder Law and Estate Planning Attorneys

Please access this free and valuable information any time at

50pluslifepa.com/special-services www.50plusLifePA.com

5th Annual

… and confident decisions are informed decisions.

omen’s Expo

10th Annual

Health & Wellness • Finance • Home Shopping • Technology • Beauty Nutrition • Fashion and more!

omen’s Expo

Lancaster County

Cumberland County

Oct. 23

9 a.m. – 2 p.m.

Spooky Nook Sports 2913 Spooky Nook Road Manheim

Nov. 13

9 a.m. – 2 p.m.

Carlisle Expo Center 100 K St. Carlisle

aGreatWayToSpendMyDay.com Sponsor & Exhibitor Opportunities Available!

(717) 285-1350

50plus LIFE

October 2021

19

Can You Travel Safely with the Delta Variant?

By Dan Richards Perhaps you’re planning a fall getaway to wine country? Maybe your college-aged loved ones are heading off to a study-abroad program? Or possibly your boss decided it’s time to restart domestic, even international, business travel again?

No matter the reason, people have been traveling at steadily increasing volumes during the late spring and summer, based on TSA’s airportscreening data. But the delta variant may be changing that trend.

The delta variant of coronavirus is making news headlines, and some of the reporting is contributing to traveler confusion about whether they should take trips and, if they do, how to minimize risk and travel safely.

The delta variant is twice as contagious as previous strains of the disease. But the available scientific data indicate COVID-19-vaccinated people and those who have been infected and subsequently recovered are far less likely to catch coronavirus in any form, including delta.

The most recent data indicate that all Western-approved vaccines — Pfizer,

Coming in January 2022: The ultimate resource for boomer and senior living and care options in south-central Pennsylvania.

Last chanc e to be includ ed!

25th Annual Edition

www.onlinepub.com/Living.html

Advertisers: you don’t want to miss this opportunity to showcase your community or services.

To be included in the 2022 edition of 50plus LIVING, contact your marketing consultant, call (717) 285-1350, or email info@onlinepub.com

Closing date: Nov. 5, 2021 Street date: Jan. 2022 20

October 2021

50plus LIFE

Moderna, Johnson & Johnson, and AstraZeneca — are highly effective at protecting against the worst outcomes of COVID-19, including the delta variant.

The Pfizer vaccine was 92% effective at fighting the delta variant, but the vaccine’s effectiveness fell to 90%, 85%, and 78% after 30, 60, and 90 days, respectively, according to a recent study by the Nuffield Department of Medicine (University of Oxford).

In another study published by Reuters in August, researchers found the effectiveness of Moderna’s vaccine against infection from the delta variant was 76%.

To minimize contracting or spreading the virus during air travel, people should continue to mask and physically distance in airport terminals, screening and security areas, at the gates, and on the jetway.

Inflight is different. Passengers cannot socially distance on board a jet, but masking is still required. Travelers should know that the onboard jet air filtration is fast and effective against bacteria and viruses, including COVID19.

A United States Transportation Command study revealed the chances of becoming infected with COVID-19 while wearing a mask and flying on a modern commercial airline is about the same as being struck by lightning: about 1 in 500,000.

Air filtration and recycling on a jet are fast and effective due to the use of powerful air-circulation fans and high-efficiency particulate absorbing (HEPA) filters.

“The HEPA filters are 99.9% effective or greater in removing particulate contaminants, including viruses like COVID-19, and bacteria and fungi from recirculated air. The air flows from the ceiling to the floor and creates completely new air in the cabin every six minutes,” said Denise Stecconi, a commercial pilot who flies Boeing 737s for Alaska Airlines.

When it comes to destinations, domestic or international, travelers should look at hotspot trend data to identify places to avoid, but they should also be aware that viruses mutate.

“Hedge your destination bets by picking outdoor getaway spots where COVID-19 and delta variant trends matter less, like remote camping, horseback riding, ranch or seashore vacations, and hiking. Go where you can be outside and away from crowds,” said Kent Webber, senior manager, Intelligence Services at Global Rescue.

Medical experts, like Amber D’Souza, professor of epidemiology for the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, agrees delta variant infection rates are getting worse, but she adds that “in evaluating now whether to go on trips, if individuals are vaccinated, risk does remain low if you take appropriate precautions.

“I think it still is OK to consider taking those trips.”

Dan Richards is CEO of Global Rescue, the leading provider of medical, security, evacuation, and travel-risk management services. He serves on the U.S. Travel and Tourism Advisory Board at the U.S. Department of Commerce and is a global member of the World Travel and Tourism Council.

www.50plusLifePA.com

The Beauty in Nature

Eggs on Their Feet Clyde McMillan-Gamber

The 4-foot-tall, 88-pound emperor penguins are the only birds on Earth that raise young on sea ice around the Antarctic Continent during the southern hemisphere’s winter, which is our summer.

However, these stately penguins that stand upright are built for bitterly cold, windy conditions. They have two layers of dense feathering and are lined with fat.

Though penguins of all species can’t fly, their long, powerful wings are used for diving and swimming in the oceans to procure food. And emperors are known to stay submerged up to 20 minutes.

Emperor penguins begin their breeding season in April (during the southern autumn) when they leave the Antarctic Ocean.

Each bird finds its mate in noisy throngs of tens of thousands of individuals on the sea ice around the Antarctic Continent. Each pair courts with much bowing and posturing and then finally mates.

Later, each female lays a single egg and, having no nest materials, gives the egg to her mate, who pushes it on his feet with his beak and plops a feathered brood pouch on that egg to keep it warm.

Female emperors leave the nesting colonies early in June (midwinter) to gorge on krill, squid, and small fish in the Antarctic Ocean. Meanwhile, their mates, by the thousands, stand together in tightly massed huddles to stay warm and incubate their eggs.

There the males stand, clustered together, for two months, without eating or drinking and in bitter winds, blizzards of ice and snow, and the total darkness of the southern winter, each patient father incubating a single embryo.

Nature’s Wonders

by Clyde

A nature blog

by Clyde McMillan-Gamber, retired Lancaster County Parks naturalist and longtime 50plus LIFE columnist

Each story is like a walk with your own naturalist.

NaturesWondersByClyde.BlogSpot.com

Female emperors return to the nesting colonies late in July (still winter). Each mother is fat and has a stomach full of half-digested krill, fish, and squid, much of which she will feed to her chick, who hatched in mid-August. Each mother takes her chick on her feet and feeds it frequently. Finally, all the males trudge to the ocean to get food.

During October and November (spring in the southern hemisphere), each pair of emperors takes turns feeding themselves in the ocean and feeding and protecting their chick from giant petrels and south polar skuas, a gull relative.

As the chicks grow, they develop their own masses to stay warm and fight off those predatory birds themselves. That independence allows both parents freedom to hunt food in the ocean and shuttle some of it to their youngster.

Adult emperors leave nesting colonies in December and feed in the ocean until April. The chicks fledge in December by diving off ice floes into the ocean to feed themselves. Young and adult penguins must be alert for the large leopard seals that prowl along the sea ice to catch and eat some of those birds.

Emperor penguins start their breeding season in the southern hemisphere’s fall and through its winter so their chicks can be independent in the southern summer, when there are 24 hours of sunlight, warmer weather, melted sea ice, and the living around the Antarctic Continent is as easy as it will get.

Clyde McMillan-Gamber is a retired Lancaster County Parks naturalist.

Are you at least 65 years old with back pain?

You and your spouse/partner may be able to participate in a research study

ABOUT THIS STUDY The purpose of this study is to learn more about the daily experiences of people with back pain and their spouse/partner.

WHAT WILL PARTICIPANTS DO? Participants and their spouse/partner will be interviewed by video using a provided tablet computer every six months for two years and will be asked to complete daily surveys twice-a-day for 30 days using the computer.

The daily surveys will take about 5-to-10 minutes to complete.

No in-person meetings are required. Compensation is provided.

WHO CAN PARTICIPATE? • • • •

Individuals with back pain at least 65 years old or older m Have Moderate or severe back pain for at least three months Married or in a long-term relationship AND living with their spouse/partner Does not work more than 20 hours a week outside the home

Contact Kari Whitehead

couplesstudy@psu.edu

814-863-1519

STUDY DIRECTOR: Lynn Martire, PhD | Department of Human Development and Family Studies This research has been approved by the Institutional Review Board, under federal regulations at Pennsylvania State University.

IRB STUDY 00013726 Advertisement created using resources of Penn State Clinical and Translational Science Institute, UL1 TR002014

www.50plusLifePA.com

50plus LIFE

October 2021

21

Bob’s Tech Talk

See Better with Your Smartphone Bob DeLaurentis

Q. How do I make the text on my phone larger?

A. The good news is that both iPhone and Android have system settings to make text larger, and many apps support adjustable-size text based on these settings.

The less-good news is that these settings appear in multiple places, and they have different effects. Read on for some general suggestions, but I encourage you to search the web for detailed advice about your specific device.

Not all text on a phone is the same.

Labels are text. So is scrolling text in an email. Action items, such as notifications and menus, contain text as well.

On both iPhone and Android, open “Settings,” and open the “Accessibility”

option, and then look for a menu choice like “Font Size” or “Larger Text.” These controls will get you started in the right direction.

On Android, text in the Chrome web browser has its own control under the three-dot menu in the upper right of the screen. Tap it, and then tap “Settings,” followed by “Accessibility” and “Font Scaling.”

On Apple, the Safari text is a small button next to the URL marked with “AA” that reveals a menu to change text size.

One side effect of larger text is that other items on screen have to adapt.

Make the text too big, and other screen elements might be pushed off the screen. There is a balance to strike between readability and usability.

Once you find the correct size for you, the experience of using your phone will be much more comfortable.

Q. How can I make my phone screen easier to see? Sometimes I cannot tell where I should tap.

A. Modern smartphones are smart enough to accommodate our individual differences in a number of ways. Options range from increases in text size, to contrast and color refinements, to voice-based interfaces usable by people with severely impaired vision.

All of these options are managed in device “Settings,” grouped under a menu titled “Accessibility.” There are a considerable number of choices under that menu. Simply knowing what they are and what they do is useful.

In addition to text-size adjustments, there are two other notable features worth exploring.

The first is system-wide screen enlarging. It works similar to a zoom gesture on a photo, except that it magnifies the entire screen. It takes practice to manage zooming along with screen taps and scrolling regions, but it can make a huge difference in usability.

To enable it, look under “Accessibility” for an item called “Magnification” on Android and “Zoom” on iPhone.

The second is increasing contrast. This feature is more useful on iPhone because it changes elements like buttons and borders to make them more clearly defined. Android has a similar option, but it only applies to text.

Every year smartphones become smarter at adapting to us. And accessibility features are key to making the most personal computing devices ever even more personal.

Q. Can I use my smartphone like a magnifying glass?

A. Absolutely, yes! I first wrote about this capability on iPhone a few years ago, but the feature has improved since then, and it has come to Android as well.

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October 2021

50plus LIFE

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The “Magnifier” app comes preinstalled on iPhones, and the “Lookout by Google” app is available from the Google Play Store. Both apps have similar features.

For iPhone users, this feature is as simple as activating Siri and saying “open Magnifier.” It can also be opened by tapping the Magnifier app in the utilities folder or in the Control Center.

There is a slider at the bottom of the screen to adjust the magnification.

If you tap just above the slider, a tray will slide upward to reveal secondary controls, which include a snapshot button, contrast and color adjustments, and a flashlight.

Snapshots allow you to store a quick image so you do not have to hold the camera for more than a few seconds. This is especially handy for grabbing images in awkward-to-reach places. Use the two-finger zoom gesture to enlarge the parts the snapshot you wish to read.

The Lookout app for Android is a gem. Alongside the ability to magnify, it has special modes for tasks like reading a document aloud and deciphering nutrition labels.

Bob has been writing about technology for over three decades. He can be contacted at techtalk@bobdel.com.

Tax-Prep Help Needed in York County RSVP – York County is seeking volunteers 55 and over for AARP Foundation Tax-Aide of York County.

Training will be provided.

The program is located at York, Hanover, Delta, Dover, Lewisberry, Manchester, Mount Wolf, Red Lion, Shrewsbury, Spring Grove, and Wrightsville.

Also needed are onsite greeters and interpreters for language assistance.

Volunteer benefits include: transportation reimbursement (need based), free supplemental liability insurance, recognition and appreciation events, paid assistance with clearances, and volunteerrecognition opportunities.

Please contact Scott Hunsinger at (717) 893-8474 or yorkrsvp@ rsvpcapreg.org.

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October 2021

23

It Was 50 Years Ago Today

‘Gypsies, Tramps & Thieves’ Randal Hill

Thomas “Snuff” Garrett was a Dallas successes of the decade. But two years high school dropout who became a later, neither the pair together nor Cher Lubbock, Texas, disc jockey at age 17 on her own found themselves putting out and befriended local music star Buddy any hits.

Holly. Two years later, Garrett became a Then, in 1971, Cher signed with staff producer at Liberty Records in Los Kapp Records, hopeful of finding a Angeles. successful song that would return her to Garrett wasn’t a musician, but he did prominence. have the uncanny knack of finding — Garrett asked songwriter pal Bob and later producing — hit songs. During Stone to come up with something the ’60s, he created million-sellers for noteworthy that would bring Cher a hit the likes of Bobby Vee (a Buddy Holly and an audience beyond teenyboppers. soundalike) and Gary Lewis & the Stone responded with an adult-level Playboys. story-song called “Gypsies and White Garrett lived in the Hollywood Hills, Trash.” Garrett sensed that Stone’s Sonny and Cher performing live in 1971. next door to Salvatore and Cherilyn Bono creation had hit potential but obviously — better known in the entertainment needed some tweaking in order to avoid world as Sonny and Cher. (As with controversy.

Garrett, both were also high school dropouts themselves.)

The result was one of the finest pop tunes of Cher’s career — and one she In 1965, the husband-and-wife duo had rocketed to international fame never really liked. when their Atco single “I Got You Babe” became one of the biggest pop

The melodramatic “Gypsies, Tramps & Thieves” unfolds at near-

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!

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Please email story submissions to Megan Joyce, editor, at mjoyce@onlinepub.com or send via mail to 50plus LIFE, P.O. Box 8049, Lancaster, PA 17604.

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breakneck speed — it lasts just two and a half minutes — but unfurls a poignant tale of poverty and misfortune.

I was born in the wagon of a travelin’ show My mama used to dance for the money they’ d throw Cher, as the 16-year-old narrator, tells of meeting a 21-year-old drifter in Mobile, Alabama. Her family befriends him, feeds him, and gives him a ride to Memphis. He travels on from there, deserting the girl: Three months later, I’m a gal in trouble And I haven’t seen him for a while The narrator’s daughter is, as she herself was, born in a wagon. Now the

teenager is the one who must dance for money when men of the visited towns come to do their ogling. Hypocritically, those who frequent the traveling show later reject the gypsy families as lowlife carnies and grifters.

Cher all but spits out the words in a sort of punkish anger that renders Stone’s lyrics both haunting and depressing.

“Gypsies, Tramps & Thieves” held the No. 1 position on Billboard’s Hot 100 chart for two weeks. Cher never liked her comeback hit and dismissed it as “a song I recorded in, like, an hour.” In concert, she would pare the tune to 90 seconds by eliminating a verse and a chorus.

We’ll never know the reason for Cher’s antipathy toward the song, but it does seem an odd way to treat Stone’s creation, which had granted her a rare return to music-world stardom.

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

On Life and Love after 50

Moving in is Easier than Moving Out Tom Blake

Recently, two women emailed me about difficult cohabitation situations with men. Both women admit to ignoring red flags in the early days of their respective relationships.

Jeanne emailed that she met a man online in 2015. In 2018, she allowed him to move in with her.

Jeanne said, “His landlady knew he and I were dating; she called to tell me that he might ask to move in with me. She kicked him out of her house because of ‘lifestyle differences,’ namely that he was a hoarder and had boxes piled high in his bedroom.

“She was right. He did ask to move in with me. It was easy; just open the door and let him. I admit I ignored some red flags.

“I thought he would weed out the boxes before moving in. But no, the boxes came with him and into my garage and house. He has even more stuff in a neighbor’s garage.

“He is very quick to anger and is an incessant talker and takes over conversations and hates being interrupted or countered. Two wives left him; apparently, they hated being lectured to and that he was always right and having it his way.

“He refuses to get rid of the bicycle, motorcycle, and kayak. He isn’t going to use them as he’s in his late 70s and out of shape.

“His flaws are too much for me; they killed my love for him. I didn’t like the person I had become — yelling and fighting back or shutting myself in my bedroom.

“We don’t have a cohabitation agreement. He says that I can’t kick him out, and the only way he will leave is if I sell my house. Maybe I should ask my lawyer! Getting him to move out is nearly impossible.”

Beth (not her true name), 70, wrote: “Sixteen months ago, I started dating an older gentleman (79). We met online at the beginning of COVID-19. www.50plusLifePA.com

We missed the dating process because of COVID shutdowns.

“We walked often, and I cooked for us and cooked for him before I went home.

We Facetimed every night we weren’t together. He’d call eight times a day asking when I would come to his house. He asked me to marry him early on, but I said no.

“He wanted me to move in, but I said no. He started to fail physically, losing his balance and falling occasionally. I started going to doctor appointments with him. I went from girlfriend to caregiver in a few short months. Staying at his home for three months, I cooked and cleaned with no days off.

“He was very demanding of my time. He had brain surgery. I had to shower him. I started pushing back and told him when he got well, I was returning to my home. He asked me to stay another month.

“One day while he was on the phone, I packed and left. I felt guilty for leaving but knew no time would be a good time to leave. I am so burned out. I decided to just enjoy my life.”

Here are my seven lessons learned from these two situations.

Before cohabitating: 1. Heed red-flag warnings.

2. Trust your instincts.

3. Get to know the person well.

4. Don’t rush your decision.

5. Agree to a written exit plan before the move, in case it doesn’t work out.

6. Don’t do it just to save money.

7. Remember, moving in is easy; moving out is difficult.

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

50plus LIFE

October 2021

25

So What Do Trick-or-Treaters Really Want?

By Sally Breslin Over the years, I’ve spent a lot of time thinking about Halloween and what I could give to trick-or-treaters that would make them squeal with delight. Unfortunately, many of my efforts have turned out to be less than rousing successes.

Take, for example, the year I decided to hand out packs of colorful smiley-face stickers instead of candy.

I imagined the trick-or-treaters also having smiles on their faces when they saw them.

I figured wrong. For one thing, the really young kids didn’t know what the stickers were and tried to eat them. And the older kids’ expressions clearly told me where I could stick my stickers.

Still, the next morning, when I spotted dozens of smiley faces stuck all over my car in the driveway, I convinced myself my treat had helped the kids unleash their hidden creativity.

The next year, I bought small paper Halloween bags decorated with witches and pumpkins. I then painstakingly filled each with assorted wrapped penny candy (fireballs, root beer barrels, caramels, Tootsie Rolls, etc.) and stapled them shut.

The kids actually looked scared when I handed them the sealed bags.

Are you getting your share of the

SILVER ECONOMY? Which buyers make up the Silver Economy?

• 962 million men and women over the age of 60 • A group with 11 times more wealth than millennials • Persons with a life expectancy in the U.S. is about 78.87 years • Persons who prefer in-person contact when possible • A group that wants to age at home as long as reasonable

Why do you want to reach these buyers?

• They are free of many economic burdens • They like to take care of themselves, be active, eat well, be fashionable, and have fun • They have more free time • They are looking for products and services to help them age well

What sectors are on the rise?

The obvious:

The not-so-obvious:

• Home improvements/renovations • Tourism and leisure activities tailored for them • Caregiver solutions • Financial products geared for seniors • Retirement living

• Security technology – mobile apps, sensors, wearable devices, smart clothing, etc.

• Pet care – pet sitting, walking, grooming, food, accessories, etc.

• Gardening/lawn services combined with snow removal • Mobile esthetic and concierge services – hairstylist, manicurist, massage, facials • Personal services – running errands, shopping

What are you waiting for?

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October 2021

50plus LIFE

“What’s in here?” one little boy hesitantly asked as he held the bag with only two fingers, in a way that someone might hold a bag of manure.

“It’s a surprise!” I said.

“Will it bite me?” he asked.

Through years of trial and error, I finally found something that no red-blooded trick-or-treater could complain about: full-sized chocolate bars. The first time I handed them out, I finally got the reaction I’d been seeking for so long.

“Wow! Awesome!” one group all gasped in unison. “Big candy bars!

Thank you, lady!”

Not so awesome was my husband’s reaction when he had to eat scrambled eggs for dinner three nights in a row because I’d spent all our grocery budget on the chocolate bars. I mean, they certainly weren’t a nickel apiece anymore, like back when I was a kid.

“How many candy bars did you give out anyway?” my husband asked me at the dinner table the night after Halloween. He stabbed a piece of egg with his fork and then held it up and stared at it as if he were trying to use mind power to transform it into a T-bone steak.

“About 75, I guess,” I said.

“There didn’t seem to be nearly that many kids, judging by the doorbell.”

“Well, that’s because quite a few of them had sick sisters or brothers who couldn’t come out trick-or-treating,” I said. “So they asked me for candy bars to take home to them.”

My husband rolled his eyes and shook his head.

“Those kids were pulling the oldest scam in the book on you! There are no sick sisters or brothers. If they like your candy, they’ll make up stories like that just to get some extra candy for themselves.”

So the next year I bought fewer candy bars and vowed not to give out any for the supposedly sick brothers or sisters. If a kid wasn’t well enough to go out trick-or-treating, I decided, then he or she was going to be out of luck.

Unfortunately, it rained so hard that Halloween night, the only kid who ventured out was dressed like the Gloucester Fisherman. I ended up with loads of candy bars left over. My husband and I ate so many of them during the next few weeks, we actually could see the cavities popping out in our teeth and hear our arteries hardening.

So this year, with Halloween just around the corner, I once again am faced with the dilemma of what to give the trick-or-treaters, especially with my drastically reduced budget.

“I was thinking maybe I’ll get a bunch of dimes and hand one out to each kid,” I said to a friend the other night. “After all, what kid doesn’t like money?

And it’ll be much cheaper than buying some overpriced candy I might end up getting stuck with.”

“Dimes?” she repeated, laughing. “This isn’t the 1950s! You can’t buy anything, not even penny candy, for a dime anymore.”

“Well, what would you suggest then?” I asked.

“I suggest that on Halloween you lock the doors, shut off all the lights, and don’t answer the doorbell. You’ll save a bundle that way.”

I think she really could use a smiley-face sticker.

Sally Breslin is an award-winning syndicated humor columnist who has written regularly for newspapers and magazines all of her adult life. She is the author of several novels in a variety of genres, from humor and romance to science fiction.

Contact her at: sillysally@att.net.

www.50plusLifePA.com

Art & Antiques by Dr. Lori

Collectibles for the Baker Lori Verderame

Baking has been a popular pastime for years.

Among Mom’s china or Grandma’s baking dishes, collectors find cooking collectibles to have good design elements and maintain high values.

Some of the most popular collectibles for bakers are not the utensils, rolling pins, or specialty pans but rather mainstay objects necessary in every baker’s kitchen. These baking-collectible objects hold their value, recall bygone days, and stir old memories of kitchen time with loved ones.

What are bakers collecting in the vintage and antiques market?

What made the cookie-jar market spike?

Andy Warhol’s cookie-jar collection was sold at auction in the late 1980s and brought values that prompted an unexpected craze. The values skyrocketed, and vintage cookie jars sold for thousands and tens of thousands of dollars.

Recently, cookie-jar values leveled off, but the cute and colorful cookie jars remained popular.

They bring good money on the market today.

Cake Plates Like cookie jars, the display of one’s baked goods, specifically cakes, helped to make cake Cookbooks plates in all styles popular with collectors.

Cookbooks are a big part of any kitchen.

Cake plates are important collectibles for the Cherished home recipes handed down from kitchen and may be found in materials like glass, generation to generation are well-known ceramic, aluminum, crystal, etc. Showing off one’s keepsakes. baked goods on a kitchen countertop on a pretty Cookbook collectors amass their collections cake plate was commonplace. by country or region, like the highly regarded The cake plate, usually on a stemmed or and coveted work The Summer Shack Cookbook pedestal base with a matching cover or dome, is

by Jasper White, one of New England’s premier an age-old tradition. It is being revived with the seafood experts; The William Greenberg Desserts Photo credit: Staff of www.DrLoriV.com interest in cake baking and over-the-top cake Cookbook: Classic Desserts from an Iconic New York Pig cookie jar, ceramic, circa 1960s. decorating.

City Bakery; or Martie Duncan’s cookbook nod Values for fine-china cake plates soar to the to her Alabama hometown of Birmingham called Magic City Cravings, which is chock-full of recipes. several hundreds of dollars, while other cake plates, in glass mainly, can The connection between cookbooks and memory is a strong one. Some be acquired for less than $250 each depending on manufacturer, design, cookbook lovers build collections based on specific meals, holiday fare, or condition, etc. occasions. Two American cookbooks highlight how Americans ate during the late 20th century and early 21st century.

The kitchen is a great place to look if you want to start a collection that The all-American cooking style of Ina Garten evinced in The Barefoot will remind you of family time. Since kitchens are the center of any home, the Contessa Cookbook and Martha Stewart’s Entertaining both speak to the way collectibles for the baker are certain to be of interest on the collectibles market.

Americans cooked and ate over the last 30-plus years. These cookbooks and other like them all promise to be must-haves in any cookbook collection and Ph.D. antiques appraiser, author, and award-winning TV personality Dr. Lori are destined to increase in value. presents antique appraisal events nationwide and appears on The Curse of Oak Island Some vintage cookbook collectors look for historic recipes like those found on History channel. Visit drloriv.com, youtube.com/drloriv, or call (888) 431-1010. in collectible cookbooks like White House Cookbook; Julia Child’s Mastering the Art of French Cooking; The Joy of Cooking; Betty Crocker’s Picture Cookbook; Grandma’s Little Black Book of Recipes from 1910; Amelia Simmons’ American Cookery from 1796; Eustace Murray’s The Oyster from 1861; and Salvador Dali’s Les Diners de Gala, published in 1973, among many others.

Values for these cookbooks on the vintage and antiques market range from under $100 for some facsimile copies to several thousands of dollars for firstedition volumes. www.gordonsinc.com Vintage Cookie Jars Another collectible that is a fine gift for a baker is a vintage cookie jar. The cookie-jar-collecting craze started in the 1950s and continued to gain strength in the late 1900s. The World War II baby boom sparked a newly found need for cookies and cookie storage, so cookie jars were placed front and center in manufacturing lines and on kitchen countertops.

Postwar American examples of cookie jars were made by potteries like Brush-McCoy, Blue Ridge, and other firms. Nursery rhyme figures like Mother Goose, Humpty Dumpty, and Mary had a Little Lamb were featured. www.50plusLifePA.com

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October 2021

27

Nine years without a cold?

Scientists have discovered a natural way to kill germs fast.

Now thousands of people are using it against unwanted viruses and bacteria in the nose and on the skin.

Germs, such as viruses and bacteria, can multiply fast.

When unwanted germs get in your nose they can spread and Copper can stop germs before they spread. cause misery unless you stop “What a wonderful thing!” exthem early. claimed Physician’s Assistant Julie.

In the last 20 years, hundreds of Another customer asked, “Is it supstudies by government and universi- posed to work that fast?” ty scientists show the natural element Pat McAllister, 70, received one copper kills germs just by touch. for Christmas and called it “one of 7KH (3$ R൶FLDOO\ GHFODUHG FRS- the best presents ever. This little jewper to be antimicrobial, which means el really works.” it kills microbes, including viruses, )UHTXHQW ÀLHU .DUHQ *DXFL XVHG WR bacteria, and fungus.

VX൵HU DIWHU FURZGHG ÀLJKWV 7KRXJK The National Institutes of Health skeptical, she tried copper on travel says, “The antimicrobial activity of GD\V IRU PRQWKV ³6L[WHHQ ÀLJKWV copper is now well established.”

DQG QRW D VQL൷H ´ VKH H[FODLPHG Ancient Greeks and Egyptians %XVLQHVVZRPDQ 5RVDOHHQ VD\V used copper to purify water and heal when people around her show signs wounds. They didn’t know about mi- of unwanted germs, she uses copper crobes, but now we do. morning and night. “It saved me last Scientists say the high conduc- holidays,” she said. “The kids had tance of copper disrupts the electrical crud going round and round, but not balance in a microbe cell by touch me.” and destroys it in seconds. $WWRUQH\ 'RQQD %OLJKW WULHG FRSSome hospitals tried copper for per for her sinus. “I am shocked!” touch surfaces like faucets and door- she said. “My head cleared, no more knobs. They say this cut the spread of headache, no more congestion.”

MRSA, and other illnesses, by over A man with trouble breathing half and saved lives. through his nose at night tried copper 7KH VWURQJ VFLHQWL¿F HYLGHQFH MXVW EHIRUH EHG ³%HVW VOHHS ,¶YH KDG gave inventor Doug Cornell an idea. in years!” he said.

He made a smooth copper probe with In a lab test, technicians placed D WLS WR ¿W LQ WKH ERWWRP RI KLV QRVH PLOOLRQ OLYH ÀX YLUXVHV RQ D &RSThe next time he felt a tickle in perZap. No viruses were found alive his nose that felt like a cold about to soon after. start, he rubbed the copper gently in The handle is curved and textured his nose for 60 seconds. to increase contact. Copper can kill “The cold never got going,” he ex- JHUPV SLFNHG XS RQ ¿QJHUV DQG KDQGV claimed. “That was September 2012. after you touch things other people I use copper in the nose every time have touched. Some use it one the lip and I have not had a single cold since DW WKH ¿UVW VLJQ RI YLUXVHV JDWKHULQJ then.” there.

“We don’t make product health The EPA says copper still works claims,” he said, “so I can’t say cause even when tarnished.

DQG H൵HFW %XW ZH NQRZ FRSSHU LV DQMade in America of pure copper. timicrobial.”

90-day full money back guarantee.

He asked relatives and friends to Price $79.95. try it. They reported the same thing, *HW R൵ HDFK &RSSHU=DS ZLWK so he patented CopperZap® and put code PAFP7. it on the market.

See www.CopperZap.com or call Soon hundreds of people had toll-free 1-888-411-6114. tried it. The feedback was 99% posi %X\ RQFH XVH IRUHYHU tive if they used the copper within 3 Statements herein are not intendKRXUV DIWHU WKH ¿UVW VLJQ RI XQZDQWHG ed and should not be interpreted as germs, like a tickle in the nose or a product health claims, and have not scratchy throat. been evaluated by the FDA. Not Mary Pickrell said, “I can’t be- claimed to diagnose, treat, cure, or lieve how good my nose feels.” prevent any disease. (paid advertisement)

28

October 2021

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Looking forward to coming together again in person – please join us!

22nd Annual

CUMBERLAND COUNTY

Oct. 13, 2021 9 a.m. – 2 p.m.

Carlisle Expo Center 100 K St., Carlisle Brought to you by:

Principal Sponsors:

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Health & Wellness Sponsor:

Visitor Bag Sponsor: Encompass Health Rehabilitation Hospital of Mechanicsburg

Supporting Sponsor: Highmark Blue Shield

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Penn State Health Hampden Medical Center Penn State Health Holy Spirit Medical Center

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FREE Admission and Parking!

www.50plusExpoPA.com 10th Annual

omen’s Expo Cumberland County

Nov. 13, 2021 9 a.m. – 2 p.m.

Carlisle Expo Center 100 K St., Carlisle Community Outreach Sponsors:

Health & Wellness Sponsor: Seminar Sponsor: Penn Medicine Lancaster General Health

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Melinda’s Garden

Keep Gardening after the First Fall Frost Melinda Myers

There is nothing worse than frost in the Systems like Maxi Garden Hoops stand 7 feet forecast and a garden full of vegetables not tall and 5 feet wide when installed. Simply quite ready for picking. Use some simple cover the set of three hoops with row cover strategies to extend the growing season and fabric. keep enjoying garden-fresh vegetables.

Cloches have long been used to jump start Fortunately, some vegetables — like the season or extend it beyond the first fall cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, kale, and frost. You will find a variety of shapes and Brussels sprouts — tolerate frost and even sizes available. Select one large enough to taste better after a slight chill. Most of these cover your plants and protect them as needed. can tolerate temperatures as low as 24-28 Look for those with vents to prevent plants degrees F. from overheating and ones like the coolLeeks are another vegetable that thrives weather row cloches (gardeners.com) that in cooler temperatures. Many tolerate allow water through while trapping in the temperatures as low as 20 degrees F. Just heat. mound some protective mulch around the Don’t let unripe tomatoes go to waste if plants and continue harvesting. you are unable or unwilling to protect them Leave some of your carrots, turnips, and from frost. Harvest any that are starting to parsnips in the ground for winter. Just cover show color before the killing frost and finish the soil with straw or evergreen boughs after ripening them indoors. The bottom of the it lightly freezes. Dig as needed or during a tomato should be greenish white or starting to winter thaw. You will enjoy their wonderfully color up. sweet flavor.

Store your green tomatoes in a cool (60-65 Protect frost-sensitive plants with old degrees) location to extend their storage life.

Photo courtesy of Gardeners Supply Company. bedsheets and even mattress pads. Cover the Spread the tomatoes out on heavy paper or Use hoops and row covers to allow easy access for plants in late afternoon and remove them as wrap them individually in newspaper so the harvesting while protecting plants from frost. soon as the temperatures climb above freezing. fruit do not touch. They will ripen over the Keep them handy and be ready to cover next few weeks. whenever frost is in the forecast.

Speed up the process by moving a few tomatoes to a warm, bright location a Make it easier by using all-purpose garden fabric row covers. This spun few days before they are needed. Enjoy green tomatoes fried or in relish, salsa, material allows air, light, and water through while protecting the plants from pies, or one of many more ways. frost.

And when the season finally ends for you, start planning for next year.

Loosely cover the plants and anchor the edges with stones, boards, or Many of these same strategies can be used to jump start the season for an garden pins. You only need to remove the fabric to harvest ripe vegetables. earlier harvest.

Otherwise, it can stay in place until the vegetables stop producing or you Melinda Myers has written more than 20 gardening books, including Small Space decide it is time to end the season.

Gardening. She hosts The Great Courses’ How to Grow Anything DVD series and Create a high tunnel over garden beds filled with large plants. Use hoops the Melinda’s Garden Moment TV and radio program. Myers is a columnist and and row covers to allow easy access for harvesting while protecting the plants.

Puzzles shown on page 10.

Puzzle Solutions

contributing editor for Birds & Blooms magazine. MelindaMyers.com

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October 2021

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Preretirement Seminars to Be Held Virtually Recently retired individuals and those approaching retirement can learn to better navigate the Medicare system with two free preretirement seminars to be held Thursdays, Oct. 28 and Nov. 18, from 6-8:30 p.m. via Zoom.

The seminars will be presented by Pennsylvania Medicare Education and Decision Insight, PA MEDI (formally known as APPRISE).

PA MEDI is the state health insurance counseling program for all Medicare beneficiaries in Pennsylvania, offered by the York County Area Agency on Aging.

Seminar topics to be covered include: • Review of Medicare benefits • Original Medicare and Medicare Advantage plan coverage options • Medicare prescription drug coverage and tools to navigate the “Drug Plan Finder” • Medicare savings programs • Medicare preventive services • Supplemental insurance/Medigap plans • MyMedicare.gov and other technological tools Preregistration and a valid email address are required. Call (717) 771-9008 or (800) 632-9073 or email aging@ yorkcountypa.gov for registration and further information.

The December issue of 50plus LIFE will include a special focus —

Orthopedics & Pain

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

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October 2021

50plus LIFE

Fewer of Us Rely on Cable These Days Americans are cutting the cord more than ever, according to the Pew Research Center. The share of Americans who watch television via cable or satellite has dropped from 76% in 2015 to 56% in 2021.

About 71% say it’s because they can get the programs and content they want online, and 69% say the cost of cable and satellite services is too high; 45% just don’t watch TV often.

Sixty-one percent of people without cable or satellite say they’ve had it in the past, while 39% have never been subscribers.

Only 34% of Americans 18-29 currently get content on TV through cable or satellite, down 31% from 2015. Just 46% of people 30-49 watch TV that way, down 2%.

The decline is less pronounced among older Americans. People 50-64 had a 14-point drop from 2015, and those 65 and older saw only a five-point decline. www.50plusLifePA.com

Pet of the Month

Reese

Hurricane rescue is not all puppies and kittens …

12-year-old Reese arrived as a rescue from Hurricane Ida. This sweet, gentle elder had been up for adoption at the shelter where BVSPCA has staff working in Louisiana.

Let’s show her some love and get her back into a home!

Reese is laidback and so endearing. She did well in her dog meet here and would do best with another gentle dog.

If you would like to meet Reese, please bring your family and any other dogs in your household to meet her prior to adoption.

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

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1 “Medicare & You,” Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, 2021. 2 “How might my oral and dental health change as I age?”, www. usnews.com, 11/30/2018. 3 American Dental Association, Health Policy Institute, 2018 Survey of Dental Fees, Copyright 2018, American Dental Association.

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