50plus LIFE York County August 2019

re coverage Is your Medica sive? too expen ith referrals?

Still dealing w r hearing aids fo e g ra e v o c d e Ne or dentures? to see what Go to page 11 r you. we can do fo

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ent Licensee s is an Independ Capital BlueCros iation BlueShield Assoc of the BlueCross

August 2019 • Vol. 20 No. 8

50th

Anniversary Woodstock

They Were Stardust, They Were Golden: The Reality of Woodstock 1969 page 4

how seniors can spot fake news page 2

Senior Games Rout Aging Stereotypes page 10

Savvy Senior

How Seniors Can Spot Fake News Jim Miller

Dear Savvy Senior, I recently read that seniors are the No. 1 purveyor of fake news on the internet.

Is this true, or is it fake news too? If it’s true, how can seniors go about spotting fake news?

– Faked-Out Senior

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Sept. 25, 2019 9 a.m. – 2 p.m.

York Expo Center Memorial Hall East • 334 Carlisle Avenue, York

Exhibitors • Seminars Free Health Screenings Demonstrations • Door Prizes Principal Sponsors:

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Seminar Sponsors: Bellomo & Associates, LLC Capital Blue Cross Miracle-Ear Media Sponsors:

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www.50plusExpoPA.com Now accepting sponsor and exhibitor reservations!

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Dear Faked Out, Yes, it’s true.

According to a recent study published in the journal Science Advances, people aged 65 and older are almost four times more likely to share fake news on social media than younger people.

Why do older users share fake news more often?

There are two theories.

The first is that seniors, who came to the internet later, sometimes lack the digital literacy skills of their younger counterparts to identify false or misleading content.

The second is that many older people experience cognitive decline as they age, making them more likely to fall for hoaxes.

What is Fake News?

Fake news is not new, but it is more prevalent than ever before because of the internet and social networking, which enables it to spread like wildfire.

Fake news comprises false news stories, hoaxes, or propaganda created to deliberately misinform or deceive readers. Usually, these stories are created to influence people’s views, push a political agenda, or cause confusion and can often be a profitable business for online publishers. www.gordonsinc.com Also note that some fake stories Providing trusted service for over 40 years! aren’t completely false but rather Complete and Skilled distortions of real events. These Automotive Maintenance and Repair deceitful claims can take a legitimate COLLISION SERVICES news story and twist what it says 24/7 Emergency Towing/Recovery or even claim that something that Roadside Assistance happened long ago is related to current Specializing in Brake, Tire, events. and Mechanical Services PA State Inspections and Emissions Testing

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How to Spot Fake News Here are some tips from the International Federation of Library www.50plusLifePA.com

Associations, Harvard University, and Facebook that can help you spot fake news stories.

Be skeptical of headlines: False news stories often have catchy headlines in all caps with exclamation points. If shocking claims in the headline sound unbelievable, they probably are.

Look closely at the web link: A phony or lookalike link may be a warning sign of false news. Many false news sites mimic authentic news sources by making small changes to the link, for example “abcnews.com.co” (an illegitimate site) versus the actual “abcnews.com.”

Investigate the source: Ensure the story is written by a source you trust with a reputation for accuracy. If the story comes from an unfamiliar organization, check their “About” section to learn more.

You can also find a list of websites that post deceptive and fake content at FactCheck.org — type “misinformation directory” in their search feature to find it.

Watch for unusual formatting: Many false news sites have misspellings or awkward layouts. Read carefully if you see these signs.

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Inspect the dates: False news stories may contain timelines that make no sense or event dates that have been altered.

Check the evidence: Check the author’s sources to confirm they are accurate. Lack of evidence or reliance on unnamed experts may indicate a false news story.

Look at other reports: If no other news source is reporting the same story, it may indicate that the story is false. If the story is reported by multiple sources you trust, it’s more likely to be true.

Is the story a joke? Sometimes false news stories can be hard to distinguish from humor or satire. Check whether the source is known for parody and whether the story’s details and tone suggest it may be just for fun.

Do some fact checking: There are many good websites, like PolitiFact (www.politifact.com), Snopes (www.snopes.com), and FactCheck.org that can help you fact-check a story and identify fact versus fiction.

These sites have most likely already fact-checked the latest viral claim to pop up in your newsfeed.

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.

Habitat for Humanity Needs Local Volunteers RSVP – York County is seeking volunteers 55 and over for York Habitat for Humanity.

Help is needed with construction of homes in October and restoration in December.

Volunteer benefits include: transportation reimbursement (if needed), free supplemental liability insurance, recognition and appreciation events, and assistance with clearances.

Contact Scott Hunsinger at (717) 893-8474 or email york@rsvpcapreg.org. www.50plusLifePA.com

717-857-7400 | HomelandatHome.org Hospice volunteers are always welcome.

Community Outreach of Homeland Center

Homeland Hospice A Toast to the 10th … An Encore for More!

Save the date! Nov. 10

| Harrisburg, PA

Senior Real Estate Specialist With 30 Years of Real Estate Experience • 2016 Realtor of the Year •2 014 President of Realtor’s Association of York and Adams County

Paula Musselman Selling or buying a house?

Please call me – I’ll guide you every step of the way!

Office: (717) 793-9678 Cell: (717) 309-6921 2525 Eastern Blvd.

York, PA 17402 Paula1159@aol.com

• Licensed in PA and MD •P roviding Reliable and Trustworthy Contracting and Moving Resources •S pecializing in Senior Moves and Transitions

Taking the time to make your transaction smooth and stress free.

Senior Real Estate Specialist ®

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August 2019

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Cover Story

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EDITORIAL

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

ART DEPARTMENT Project Coordinator Renee McWilliams Production Artist Lauren Phillips

BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT

Senior Marketing Consultants Joshua Binkley Jennifer Schmalhofer Angie Willis Events Manager Kimberly Shaffer Account Service Coordinator Emily Polito

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

On-Line Publishers, Inc. will not knowingly accept or publish advertising which may be fraudulent or misleading in nature.

Views expressed in opinion stories, contributions, articles and letters are not necessarily the views of the publisher. The appearance of advertisements for products or services does not constitute an endorsement of the particular product or service. The publisher will not be responsible for mistakes in advertisements unless notified within five days of publication. On-Line Publishers, Inc. reserves the right to revise or reject any and all advertising. No part of this publication may be reproduced or reprinted without permission of On-Line Publishers, Inc. We will not knowingly publish any advertisement or information not in compliance with the Federal Fair Housing Act, Pennsylvania State laws or other local laws.

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They Were Stardust, They Were Golden: The Reality of Woodstock 1969

By Randal C. Hill

the original name was retained — would be a lowkey, folky affair drawing no more than 50,000 Half a century ago, in an atmosphere redolent of music fans.

Given the green light, Woodstock Ventures cow manure and marijuana smoke, 500,000 young leased the nearby 300-acre Mills Industrial Park people came together on the hillside of a farm in and went to work. Beginning with Creedence New York state.

Clearwater Revival, top rock acts of the day were The historic Woodstock concert of Aug. 15–18, soon signed 1969, became (at top dollar, the watershed in order to moment of secure the the late-1960s biggest names), counterculture and aroundgeneration and the-clock toil offered attendees was begun on a brief respite prepping the from political area. assassinations, However, inner-city race Wallkill folks riots, antiwar also began to demonstrations, get cold feet, Chappaquiddick, and a hastily Charles Manson, organized a raging foreign zoning board of war that made appeals denied no sense, a Photo credit: Marc Holstein the necessary general feeling This monument marks the site of the original 1969 of hopelessness, Woodstock Music and Arts Festival site in Bethel, New York. permits. Howls of protest and visions of a from Woodstock Ventures fell on deaf ears, and bleak future — if any future existed. the proposed concert, now only one month away, Translation: It was time to party! appeared to be dead in the water. ··· Everyone panicked except Lang, who assured his partners that everything would somehow work out.

The architects of Woodstock included idea Given a tip from a realtor friend, Lang journeyed men Michael Lang, a concert promoter, and 33 miles west and met with an open-minded Capitol Records VP pal Artie Kornfeld, along with trust-fund millionaires John Roberts and Joel Bethel, New York, dairy farmer named Max Yasgur, who agreed to lease a sizeable portion of his Rosenman, who were both willing to fund Lang’s pet project: a history-making concert of prodigious sprawling property in nearby White Lake.

As before, Lang had pitched the idea that no proportions that would feature the current crème more than 50,000 concertgoers would show up. de la crème of the rock-music world and ensure a huge profit for the investors. ··· In January of 1969, the foursome named their In mid-August, a river of cars, vans, and trucks fledgling company Woodstock Ventures, the title flowed into White Lake until their drivers could honoring Lang’s artsy adopted hometown 108 miles north of the Big Apple and his hoped-for site go no further. Many abandoned their vehicles and walked or hitched rides in cars inching toward of the biggest music gathering ever.

Yasgur’s sacred grounds, a bowl-shaped cow pasture But Woodstock locals turned thumbs down that sloped to a flat space — a perfect setting for on the idea of a horde of rowdy, unwashed, longthe expansive performance stage — and next to a haired hippies descending on their Norman Rockwell-style village. After required permits were crystal-clear lake.

But problems were far from over for the denied, the four men then set their sights on the Woodstock Ventures men. Rented portable ticket hamlet of Wallkill, 64 miles to the south. stands were never delivered, and the incoming The Wallkill locals were assured that the human tsunami that weekend — which would Woodstock concert — due to its coolness cachet, www.50plusLifePA.com

eventually total 400,000 people — pushed over McKnight, who was 16 when he attended the event, the rickety fences that had been erected around the recalled years later feeling a certain sadness creep into perimeter. the euphoria that he felt as he sat in thrall as final artist After a while, Woodstock was declared a free event, Hendrix performed his stellar “The Star-Spangled which meant that Roberts and Rosenman were out Banner” for a sleep-deprived audience that had about $10 million in today’s money. dwindled to about 35,000.

In between the onstage entertainment, the concert “We knew, as we listened, that it was over,” says attendees often cavorted, skinny-dipped, and made McKnight. “We’d made history and ‘come together,’ love with abandon — not always privately — as but we also understood that it could never happen they endured stifling heat and humidity, booming again. Soon there’d be Altamont and Kent State thunderstorms, and howling winds, all the while and Watergate and disco. Jimi and Janis and Jim gamely staving off exhaustion, thirst, hunger, and a [Morrison] would all die shortly thereafter, as if they shortage of portable toilets and coping with rivers of knew it was all over too. mud.

“But I also felt joy that misty morning. I knew I’d Drug usage was rampant, yes, but many concertgoers experienced something extraordinary and unique … I had come to just enjoy the world’s largest unchaperoned had shared a utopia with my brothers and sisters for a party and groove on the music. brief moment in time.”

And what music it was! Many of the 32 performing Visitors to Yasgur’s farm that summer weekend acts that August weekend reflected the quintessence then began their inexorable march to adulthood, with of late-1960s rock and included established megastars many “rebels” eventually swapping their VW buses of the day (Creedence, Sly and the Family Stone, for sensible sedans, free love for marriage vows, spare Joan Baez, Janis Joplin, the Grateful Dead, Jefferson change for an IRA, and a room at home for a 30-year Photo credit: Chic Chicas Airplane, Jimi Hendrix) and such on-the-rise artists as mortgage.

Magazine advertisement for Santana, Melanie, Joe Cocker, and Crosby, Stills, Nash, But for the 500,000 people on the cusp of maturity Woodstock Music Festival in 1969. and Young. who had temporarily bonded as members of an elite The entertainment commenced on a Friday afternoon club of sorts, it had meant three days that defined what with folkie Ritchie Havens and ended the following Monday morning — rain many would come to mark later as the high point of their young — or perhaps had delayed the Sunday-night performances by several hours — with the entire — lives and one that to this day retains an almost sanctified aura. legendary Jimi Hendrix.

On the front cover: Opening ceremony at Woodstock on Aug. 15, 1969.

In the book Woodstock Revisited, musician/songwriter/producer Sandy

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

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Online Drives traffic to your site Digital e-dition Easily accessible on mobile devices Print For those who rely on traditional media Distribution Available at more than 15 events annually Direct mailed To professional offices throughout the Susquehanna and Delaware valleys On-Demand Where readers pick up 50plus LIFE Community Reaches your targeted audience: healthcare professionals, adult decision-making children, and 50+ consumers

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50plus LIFE t

August 2019

5

Tech Talk

Data Backup Considerations Mark Rinaudo

Question: What are my options for backing up my computer?

When it comes to computers, it’s not a matter of if it’s going to fail, but when.

With hard drives slowly being replaced by solid-state drives, the chances of losing your data is slowly diminishing — but it’s not completely gone.

Solid-state drives today have about one-tenth of a percent failure rate, versus its cousin the hard drive, which has a 4–6% failure rate. It’s pretty slim, but still possible.

Backups are a very important tool to be used to guard your data against failures within the machine and failures made by the users of these machines. As malicious activities — such as scams and viruses — escalate, so do the tactics used to deploy them and their level of sophistication.

Ransomware is a tool that is starting to be seen more and more. The ransomware will encrypt all of your data and programs and leave your machine in an unusable state. The ransomware then instructs you where to make payment if you want your data decrypted.

A good backup may be the quickest way to free yourself of ransomware.

Backups play a crucial role in protecting yourself from data loss and time loss.

There are many online services available to consumers that allow you to back up your computer to the cloud. When you hear the word “cloud,” it’s safe to assume you can replace it with the word “server.”

When you back up to the cloud, your data is usually compressed, encrypted, and uploaded to a server on the internet, where it is stored for retrieval. Most online backup services provide you the option to keep multiple versions of files, so if you accidentally overwrite a file or want to go back to a particular version of a file on a particular date, you have that option.

Online backups are your go-to disaster-backup tool. This protects your data

   

from theft, fire, or acts of Mother Nature. In the event your home or office is no longer standing, for whatever reason, your data is readily available to be downloaded from the internet. All this data will take some time to download, however.

For non-disaster recovery, I recommend restoring from an onsite backup. This usually entails an external hard drive connected to your computer. Some backup services allow you to back up to a local destination as well as to the cloud.

I always recommend having a local backup in the event you need to recover from a computer failure and you don’t want to wait eight hours to download all your data from the internet.

Backing up your files is a good first step for protecting yourself, but if you really want protection, then you will want to make sure you have a bare-metal backup. This backup provides a way for you to restore your operating system, programs, and files back to a specific point in time.

This is the backup you want if your computer loses a hard drive or you’re infected with the latest, greatest ransomware.

You can simply restore your machine from a bare-metal recovery, and you’re back up and running without having to reinstall the operating system and programs one at a time or without reconfiguring everything. It’s all there, ready to be restored. It’s like going back in time.

Backups are definitely something any computer user needs to have in their line of defense. It will save you the loss of data and the anguish of lost time.

Mark Rinaudo has worked in IT in Shreveport, La., for more than 20 years. He is the owner and operator of Preferred Data Solutions. Email mark@preferreddatasolutions. com to submit a question for this column.

CLOCK REPAIR

717-235-6732



    

 

        

     

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House Calls on Grandfather Clocks

When you patronize our advertisers, please let them know you saw their ad in

Clocks need to be serviced every 5 years. www.50plusLifePA.com

Art & Antiques by Dr. Lori

Collectibles Put into Everyday Use Lori Verderame

My job appraising art, antiques, and collectibles at big public events, online, and in private homes offers me many opportunities to learn about and share new and fascinating ideas about storage, display, and repurposing of antique and vintage objects.

I learn a lot from my audiences and from my clients, and I like to spread around what is a wealth of information about how others are enjoying their collectibles.

Here are some of my favorites: 1. A client for whom I conducted an inhome appraisal had been a longtime pet

parent. Devastated when a pet member of her family passed, she started to host their cremated remains in her collection of antique lidded tobacco jars.

The jars were made of pewter or silver plate, and with the aid of some creative display techniques, she kept a photo of each pet near each jar.

My client kept the tobacco jar collection on her mantle. The jars were lined up in the order that she purchased or received each jar; she placed her oldest pet’s remains in the first jar she ever collected and Canister sets can be put into untraditional yet good use as bathroom catchalls.

please see COLLECTIBLES page 13

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

Animal Hospitals Community Animal Hospital Donald A. Sloat, D.V.M. 400 S. Pine St., York (717) 845-5669

Health & Medical Services Alzheimer’s Association (717) 651-5020

Automobile Sales/Service Gordon’s Body Shop, Inc. 10 Mill St., Stewartstown (717) 993-2263

American Diabetes Association (800) 342-2383

Energy Assistance Low-Income Energy Assistance (717) 787-8750

The National Kidney Foundation (800) 697-7007 or (717) 757-0604

Housing Assistance Housing Authority of York (717) 845-2601

Social Security Information (800) 772-1213

Property Tax/Rent Rebate (888) 728-2937

Entertainment Dutch Apple Dinner Theatre 510 Centerville Road, Lancaster (717) 898-1900 financial services Morgan Stanley Wealth Management (302) 573-4027 funeral preplanning Mount Rose Cemetery (717) 845-6618 Susquehanna Memorial Gardens (717) 244-7674

www.50plusLifePA.com

Alzheimer’s Information Clearinghouse (800) 367-5115

CONTACT Helpline (717) 652-4400

Healthcare Information Pennsylvania HealthCare Cost Containment (717) 232-6787 Hearing Services Pennsylvania Office for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing (800) 233-3008 V/TTY Home Care Services Homeland at Home Serving all of York County (717) 221-7892

Visiting Angels Living Assistance Services Hanover: (717) 630-0067 Lancaster: (717) 393-3450 York: (717) 751-2488 Hospice Services Homeland at Home Serving all of York County (717) 221-7890

PERSONAL CARE HOMES Family Care Personal Care Home (717) 373-5205 Pharmacies CVS/pharmacy www.cvs.com real estate Berkshire Hathaway Paula Musselman (717) 793-9678 (Office) (717) 309-6921 (Cell) Services York County Area Agency on Aging (717) 771-9610

Insurance Medicare (800) 633-4227

Veterans Services Lebanon VA Medical Center 1700 S. Lincoln Ave., Lebanon (717) 228-6000 or (800) 409-8771

Vibra Health Plan (844) 660-2961 (TTY: 711) Insurance – Long-Term Care Apprise Insurance Counseling (717) 771-9610 or (800) 632-9073

Volunteer opportunities RSVP of the Capital Region (443) 619-3842

Orthopedics OSS Health 1855 Powder Mill Road, York (717) 848-4800

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

50plus LIFE t

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7

CCRC Continuing Care

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

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

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

The listings with a shaded background have additional information about their center in a display advertisement in this edition.

Bethany Village

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

Woodcrest Villa Mennonite Home Communities

Cornwall Manor

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

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

2001 Harrisburg Pike Lancaster, PA 17601 Connie Buckwalter Director of Marketing (717) 390-4126 www.woodcrestvilla.org

Homeland Center

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

Willow Valley Communities

600 Willow Valley Square Lancaster, PA 17602 Richard Myers Director of Sales (717) 464-6800 info@willowvalley.org www.WillowValleyCommunities.org

The CCRCs listed are sponsoring this message. This is not an all-inclusive list.

Casey Holds Hearing on Scam Artists Impersonating Law Enforcement enforcement phone numbers and threatening seniors and others During a July 17 U.S. Senate Special Committee on Aging hearing entitled, “Combatting Robocall Fraud: Using Telecom with arrest in order to scare them into immediately handing Advances and Law Enforcement to Stop Scammers and Protect over funds.”

Seniors,” Sen. Bob Casey (D-PA) highlighted the need for the According to the FCC, Americans received approximately Senate to pass his bipartisan bill, the Stop Senior Scams Act. 47.8 billion robocalls in 2018.

Delaware County Sheriff Jerry L. Sanders Jr. testified In an age where telecommunications technology, such as about the recent trends of phone scammers impersonating law robocalls and spoofing, is utilized to trick seniors into giving money to scammers, this bill would enlist bank tellers and enforcement, including his office. Sanders spoke on the steps cashiers in the effort to spot and stop scams before seniors lose his department takes to prevent seniors and others from falling money. victim to robocall scams.

Delaware County Sheriff The financial impact of scams, including robocalls and “Often, trying to keep the public aware to avoid Jerry L. Sanders Jr. with financial abuses targeting seniors, is estimated to be at least $3 victimization is the best we can do,” Sanders said. “I was U.S. Sen. Bob Casey. pleased to learn that Sen. Casey has introduced legislation that billion a year. would help train bank tellers, cashiers, and others about how spot a potential “Robocalls calls are more than a nuisance: They turn a conversation into a heist by threatening our aging loved ones and stealing their hard-earned scam victim and intervene to stop it. savings,” said Casey, ranking member of the Special Committee on Aging.

“In this way, they would serve as another line of defense — protecting our “Con artists are feeling more emboldened than ever, spoofing law friends and neighbors from these criminals.”

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www.50plusLifePA.com

Volunteer Spotlight YCAAA Recognizes Volunteers of the Month Richard “Harry” McDermont, should just do it.

Patricia Egger, and Jody Bray“You are ‘doing good,’ and Duncan have been named you’ll find that you enjoy it,” he Volunteers of said. the Month by Patricia Egger, the York County of Chanceford Area Agency on Township, said she Aging for their likes being involved ongoing service and with programs dedication to the designed for the agency and York needs of seniors.

County’s older Egger serves on the adults.

YCAAA Advisory Penn Township Council, in the resident Harry APPRISE program, Harry McDermont McDermont and with the York has delivered County Senior New Horizons Games. newspapers to the Egger believes in greater Hanover getting involved. area since he began “It helps to keep volunteering with your perspective the agency in 2003. fresh, keeps the He also served mind working on as a volunteer new things, and ombudsman. provides support to McDermont others who could attributes his end up having a enjoyment of better outcome Patricia Egger getting out and because of your delivering New involvement.”

Horizons to his Manchester work history as Township’s Jody a milkman in Bray-Duncan Baltimore County, volunteers as a delivering milk friendly visitor. to community “I come from a residential homes. large family that “I just like to was very giving to help people. I others in need,” always have. It Bray-Duncan said. gives me something “Everyone, rich Jody Bray-Duncan to do in my spare or poor, ‘takes’ time,” he said. from society, and McDermont believes that volunteering is one way to show a people considering volunteering sense of appreciation.”

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, 3912 Abel Drive, Columbia, PA 17512.

www.50plusLifePA.com

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9

Senior Games Rout Aging Stereotypes

By Megan Joyce Each year, the York County Senior Games have a consistent goal of building up camaraderie and physical fitness — but the annual event also has a goal of tearing something down.

“Aging has a certain stereotype about it, and the Senior Games help older adults stay involved in the community while enjoying some exercise and encouraging a positive outlook about aging,” Jenny Nace, information specialist for the York County Area Agency on Aging, said.

“The Senior Games give hope that aging does not have to be negative. There are many opportunities for aging well, and the games are just one of those opportunities.”

The 18th annual York County Senior Games returned June 17–21, with most events held at Central York High School.

Organized by the York County Area Agency on Aging in conjunction with the Senior Games Planning Committee, the games comprised 28 events — returning favorites as well as a new offering.

“Pickleball was a new event this year,” Nace said. “We partnered with the White Rose Pickleball Association. They coordinated a men’s, women’s, and mixed pickleball event for the games.”

Popular sports included bocce; ladder golf; Wii bowling; football, Frisbee, and softball throws; basketball hoops; horseshoes; darts; and cornhole, Nace said.

Registration climbed for 2019, exceeding 550 participants, more than 150 of whom were first-timers. The games’ oldest competitor, at age 98, clinched her third consecutive goldmedal win in the 500-bid card game.

Nonagenarians also competed in a range of other sports, including the games’ 93-year-old torchbearer, John Barton, who joined in more than a dozen events.

“He’s participated for the past 13 years and didn’t even start participating until he was 81!”

Nace said.

The Senior Games are open to any York County man or woman over 50, however, and 54-year-old Rev. Dr. Mike Brossman, lead pastor at Calvary United Methodist Church in York, was selected to lead the parade of

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athletes, part of the week’s opening ceremony.

“The parade of athletes is fun. I’m honored to lead the parade when called upon,” Brossman said. “The parade is a time to begin to build the momentum for the games that the AAA works so hard to provide with excellence.”

It was Brossman’s fourth year competing in the Senior Games; his efforts included table tennis, pickleball, throws, darts, and basketball shots.

And although the days of competition bring friends together and encourage fellowship, the games are still just that — a competition.

“We are competitive. We give it our all,” Brossman said. “The genius of the AAA is to offer activities for all ages of seniors, all abilities, and various interests.

“And, since we participate each year, the games give us an opportunity to stay active and ready to compete all year long.”

Also vital to the games’ success were the 220 volunteers who gave their time in 2019.

“We always have wonderful volunteers, but this year they were exceptional,” Nace said.

“Our running volunteers actually ran with the participants, encouraging them over the finish line.”

Nace said participants provided positive feedback, grateful for the efforts of all involved in coordinating the multipronged effort required to pull off the five-day Senior Games each year.

“They are very appreciative of all the volunteer support and our wonderful sponsors; without their generous support, the games couldn’t be held,” she said.

“We have so much support from key community leaders and sponsoring organizations,” Brossman agreed.

“It was nice to see the increase of athlete participation this year,” he said. “We obviously hope for more participation each year as more folks become aware and eligible.”

The results listings for the 2019 York County Senior Games can be found online at www.ycaaa.org. Photos can be viewed at https://yorkcountyseniorgamesyorkpa. shutterfly.com.

For more information, call the York County AAA at (717) 771-9001.

From left, York County Commissioner Susan Byrnes, Senior Games torchbearer John Barton, Commissioner Doug Hoke, and YCAA Director Mark Shea.

Dr. Mike Brossman, left, leads the parade of athletes during the opening ceremony for the 2019 York County Senior Games.

Senior Games medalists in women’s pickleball.

Support volunteers run alongside a senior.

www.50plusLifePA.com

Why More Ambitious Seniors are Going Back to School

By Ted Lee Historically, most college students have been young adults in their late teens and early 20s. It’s practically a given these days for young people to go to college. But what about the older generations that didn’t have the same opportunities and expectations?

A growing number of adults aged 50+ are following their ambitions and going back to school to create new lives for themselves during their golden years.

Today, people are living longer, and many older Americans see retirement age as time to make their dreams a reality. But what are the factors driving this trend, and what can ambitious seniors expect when they make the bold decision to go back to school? Let’s take a look.

Seniors Have a Lot to Look Forward to!

These days, healthcare is more effective than ever, and we’re living longer as a result. People over the age of 50 now lead active, vibrant lives and have a lot to look forward to.

It makes sense to upgrade your skills and keep working if you enjoy what you do and could use the money (and let’s face it, who can’t!). There’s a growing demand for people with degrees and tech skills in the workforce, and seniors can launch a satisfying second career by investing in their education.

Another argument for going back to school later in life is the impact it can have on your life expectancy. Global lifespans are on the rise, and education can make a big difference in how long a person lives. Surprisingly, holding a college degree can increase your lifespan significantly.

A Maryville University resource highlighting attending school after 50 notes that men with bachelor’s degrees lived 12.9 years longer than those without a degree. Women lived an average of 10.4 years longer.

Seniors who go back to school to complete a degree will not only have a chance to fulfill their dreams, but they’ll also probably have more time to do so.

Going Back to School Can Make You Healthier and Wiser Older students can gain more benefits than an education and improved job prospects by going back to school. Attending college can also have massive health benefits and positively affect overall well-being.

Seniors who continue learning late in life have the opportunity to stay sharp and exercise their brains in challenging and stimulating ways. Challenging yourself with education can help you stay independent, healthy, and empowered.

The social component of going back to school can also make a difference in long-term health and happiness. Making new friends, engaging in academic discussions, and getting out into the world can help you stay healthy, wise, and engaged with the world.

This can have a major positive impact on both your physical and mental health.

The Dollars and Cents of Going Back to School Obviously, going back to school is an investment that can be scary for seniors who may be on a limited income. Ambitious older students need to think about the financial implications of enrolling in a college or university program.

Although degree holders make much more annually than high school graduates, some programs are more likely to create a return on investment than others. Making smart decisions about what to study can help justify the cost of an education and set you up for financial success late in life.

If you’re worried about your finances when going back to school, take some www.50plusLifePA.com

time to make a budget and understand the investment you’re making.

Creating new financial goals and understanding the full cost of going back to school and your potential earnings will help you understand if it will be necessary and worthwhile to borrow money and allow you to make a plan for how to afford your new educational journey.

Pursue Your Dreams If you think you’re too old to pursue your dreams, think again. More and more people over 50 are saying yes to an education and using their retirement years to live fulfilling and active lives.

If you dream of graduating, don’t let your age hold you back. There are so many benefits to going back to school in your golden years. And these days, you’re likely to meet students your own age and develop rich friendships.

Invest in yourself and follow your dreams — you’ll be glad you did.

Ted Lee is a higher education researcher focused on the continual merger between education and technology. Lee’s current focus is on the online education sector and how various online programs and learning platforms can help develop a more educated and informed society.

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August 2019

11

The Beauty in Nature

Catching Insects in Midair Clyde McMillan-Gamber

Several kinds of creatures catch flying insects in midair during summer and autumn in southeastern Pennsylvania. Those species of winged wildlife are a variety of small birds, bats, and dragonflies.

Some of those aerial predators hunt flying insects by day, including some families of birds and all dragonflies, while Eastern kingbird bats do so at night.

But all those predatory species are entertaining and inspiring to watch.

All these flying-insect predators are built for extensive, maneuverable flight.

They are small, light in weight (birds even have bones filled with warm air), and have strong muscles to power their wings in rapid flight.

The small birds and bats have tiny legs that reduce the animals’ weight. Bats’

wings are made of skin stretched between long, thin fingers. Those fingers are also thin to reduce the bats’ weight.

A variety of birds — including flycatchers, such as eastern phoebes, eastern kingbirds, chimney swifts, and all species of swallows — catch insects in midair but in different ways and in a diversity of habitats.

Eastern phoebe Flycatchers perch on twigs and flutter out to snare an insect in the air, and then flit back to their perches to eat their victim and watch for more.

Swifts and swallows weave quickly among their fellows, without collision, to seine flying insects, one right after another, from the sky. Swifts generally careen higher in the sky than swallows do to catch prey, thus reducing

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competition between those two groups of birds for food.

As swallows and swifts retire for the night at twilight, little brown bats take wing from hiding in trees and swoop and dive across the darkening sky to catch flying insects in midair during dusk and into the night. The bats’ flight is erratic and swift as they track down each flying insect, one right after another.

Bats locate prey at night by emitting high-pitched squeaks that strike the insects and bounce back to the bats’ ears. Bats “see” their victims ahead by hearing the echoes bouncing off them. The bats’ minds can visualize how big and far away each object around them is.

Winged adult dragonflies, including green darners, white-tailed skimmers, and 12-spotted skimmers that are common in southeastern Pennsylvania,

sweep over ponds, creeks, and dry land after flying insects to ingest.

These dragonfly species, and others, are intriguing to watch and help make the landscape more interesting in summer. And they are attractive to see in their color patterns and with four wings held stiffly out to the sides when perched on vegetation.

Dragonflies start life as camouflaged nymphs on the bottoms of still waters, where they prey on small invertebrates. But within a year, they become winged adults that leave the water and take to the air, where we see their beauties and intrigues.

Watch for these creatures catching insects in midair. They are very entertaining.

COLLECTIBLES from page 7 continued the tradition down the line for other pets.

Her idea made for an attractive and heartfelt display.

2. Twin sisters shared their late mother’s china service for 12. Each sister got half of the service, or an eight-piece place setting for six people.

At holiday time, when one sister was hosting the entire family for dinner, she wanted to use all of her mother’s set, so her sister packed up her share of the set and brought them to her sister’s home.

The way she packed the fragile china was handy. She packed and transported the china by car, each piece wrapped in disposable diapers. The diapers’ sticky tabs made wrapping easy.

Once wrapped, the sister packed them tightly in a carry-on roller-board suitcase to her sister’s home. The diapers’ padding and the easily portable suitcase kept the china protected in transport.

3. Use antique and vintage canister sets with lids on the bathroom counter or in a linen closet to hold or store toiletries.

For instance, use the large flour or sugar containers for small washcloths,

www.50plusLifePA.com

toothpaste tubes, soap bars, extra toothbrushes, etc. The smaller coffee and tea canisters are good for pocket-size tissues, travel-size shampoo bottles, makeup remover pads, and cotton balls.

They offer a nostalgic look displayed on the countertop and, in the linen closet, these vintage canisters can keep the chaos of toiletries tidy.

When someone opens the linen closet door, the closet looks uniform too.

That is what my audience member told me she liked about her bright idea.

There are many more bright ideas for putting your antiques and collectibles into everyday use. You can share yours on my social media pages on Twitter @ drloriv and www.facebook.com/doctorlori.

Dr. Lori Verderame is an author and award-winning TV personality on History channel’s The Curse of Oak Island. With a Ph.D. from Penn State University and experience appraising 20,000 antiques every year nationwide, Dr. Lori presents antique appraisal events and travels the world lecturing about art, museums, and history. Visit www.DrLoriV.com or call (888) 431-1010.

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August 2019

13

On Life and Love after 50

A Living-Apart-Together Relationship May Be Their Perfect Arrangement

Tom Blake

Finding love at 50-plus is challenging. Finding love at 76 is a blessing.

That’s what happened to Judy (not her true name). But, now, at 78, she is confused about her two-year relationship.

Judy contacted me, asking for advice. She said, “I never married (not yet, haha), though I had proposals. I met one man in my 30s whom I would have married. He was nine years younger, and we were so happy. His parents

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broke us up.

“I compare everyone to the wonderful relationship we had. I know it’s ridiculous to hang onto the past and the hope I could meet another like him.

“Two years ago, a high school classmate, 78, and I began a relationship. He was married 53 years. His wife had dementia; he cared for her until he couldn’t anymore. She went into assisted living.

“After his wife died, he came to see me often and helped me move and buy a car. Our feelings grew and we declared our love.

“We live an hour and a half away.

He remembers our anniversary of our first holding hands, our first kiss, and incidents like when he says he thought of me while driving all the way home.

“He’s a country boy; I’m a city girl. When I stay at his place, I feel like I’m in the boonies, and when he comes here, he cannot stand traffic. He curses at traffic, or if he drops something, or when he can’t find his phone, or at anything that frustrates him.

“I can’t stand that. It cuts into the peace we are experiencing and really affects me.

“He would like me to move up there, but it’s really rural. Nice house, but mostly still set up [the way it was] when his wife was there.

“He’s jealous that I’ve been in several relationships prior to ever knowing him. Plus, he’s constantly wanting sexual activity to the point I think he’s obsessed.

“We just talked a few moments ago; he’s at his place and I’m at home. He misses me and loves me, and for the first time, instead of rolling his eyes when I want to go to my church group, or other things I like, he’s encouraging me to do so.

“I try to please him. He does me too. Today he said he doesn’t want to be someone who controls my life. That was new because, in fact, he tries to.

“Having said all that, he’s truly a fine person and that’s the reason I got involved to begin with. There’s much I love about him. But we are very different. I tell myself all relationships have adjustments the older we get.

“I’ve thought about moving up to his place and building a new life. It’s just that I like civilization. I also love his friends. They’re fun, great people. He has a large family; I enjoy being with them and love for him to spend time with them.

“Also, he’s remarked he thinks about moving into my place, thus no yard to mow, hedges to trim, repairs to make, and the like.

“If we break up, I figure it would be my last chance at a relationship, whereas www.50plusLifePA.com

he could find many others, as there are more women than men at our age.

“He’s conflicted and so am I. What to do? We love each other, but we’re so different. Any comments would be welcome.”

Tom’s advice: Considering you’re both so different and yet love each other, you already have the best arrangement — an LAT (Living Apart Together) relationship.

Living an hour and a half away from each other is a bit inconvenient, but living apart allows you both to spend time alone when you want.

You say you’re both “conflicted” about relocating. Based on the information you provided, if one of you relocated, there is a strong chance that one or both of you would not be happy living permanently in the other’s environment.

Problems could quickly arise.

Moving in together or getting married could ruin your relationship. You say he’s controlling, jealous, and wants too much sex. He also has anger issues. I see big red flags in those characteristics.

Firmly explain to him that those behaviors are unacceptable to you. He must treat you with respect.

You reported that he said he is going to try to change his behavior, to be more considerate of you. Give him a chance; see if he does. And, as far as the obsessive sex, tell him to cool his jets somewhat on that also.

After your talk, see if his behavior changes. If not, you must decide what to do. Being treated with respect is nonnegotiable.

For now, keep the LAT relationship as is.

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

Guthrie Library Celebrates ‘Windy Hill Wednesdays’

Need more LIFE in your life?

The open house for the Windy Hill Wednesdays program featured remarks by program representatives, a ribbon-cutting ceremony, and musical entertainment by D.J. Pebbles.

The Windy Hill Wednesdays at Guthrie Memorial Library program recently held an open house and ribbon cutting at the library, located at 2 Library Place, Hanover.

A free program, Windy Hill Wednesdays offers activities for seniors 55 and older from 10 a.m. – 1 p.m. each Wednesday, including chair and walking exercise, crafts, games, speakers, musical entertainment, socialization, and more. A lunch is also offered.

Transportation is also available through rabbittransit.

For questions or to make a reservation, contact the library at (717) 632-5183 or email jmoul@yorklibraries.org. www.50plusLifePA.com

Get 50plus LIFE sent straight to your mailbox!

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

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August 2019

15

Dear Pharmacist

Grilling Lettuce Might Make You Sleepy Suzy Cohen

This summer, lots of people are barbecuing.

You probably think the words “grill” and “lettuce” shouldn’t be in the same sentence. Why not?

It wouldn’t be the first time a vegetable was grilled. Just think of zucchini, peppers, and corn on the cob.

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Wild lettuce, known as Lactusa virosa, is a species from the lettuce family that is most interesting. It grows all over the world. It contains “lactucarium,” a milky substance that can cause sedation and psychoactive effects like hallucinations. It should not be grilled.

Wild lettuce has bright-green leaves that secrete the lactucarium. This compound resembles opium, a mild analgesic. In the early 1900s, extracts of this species were used for whooping cough.

But you’re probably wondering about iceberg lettuce or romaine, aren’t you? To answer your first question (because I can read your mind), no, these foods are not psychoactive.

Food Science and Biotechnology has an article entitled, “Sleep-inducing effect of lettuce (Lactuca sativa) varieties on pentobarbital-induced sleep.” The scientists investigated the sleep-inducing effect of romaine lettuce on mice who were put to sleep by pentobarbital, an anesthetic and anti-seizure drug.

Because romaine lettuce has a higher content of a compound called “lactucin,” it made people sleep longer than they would have normally. They tested the seed extract and the leaves themselves; seeds were stronger.

FYI, lactucin is part of the bigger compound lactucarium, which I mentioned earlier, so romaine does actually have some sedating characteristics.

Iceberg didn’t make anyone snooze, although it’s fabulous for lettuce wraps!

Of the two lettuces, romaine is what I recommend. Not because it causes drowsiness — trust me, it’s not even remotely close to an Ambien! But romaine lettuce is full of antioxidants and chlorophyll, which clean your internal biochemical gears.

It also contains a lot of vitamin K and natural folate (methylation); plus, what better way to consume delicious fiber? It’s also very high in potassium, which normalizes blood pressure.

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• 1 tablespoon olive oil • 2 tablespoons favorite salad dressing • 2 teaspoons chopped fresh parsley

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Directions Cut an inch off of the top part of the romaine leaves, leaving the bottom core intact. This allows you to grill the lettuce without it falling apart.

Brush the lettuce with olive oil and place on your heated grill or skillet. Turn frequently to brown/char all sides. (They will slightly soften but they should not wilt or turn black). You want them crisp-tender and slightly charred.

Once done, you can drizzle your favorite dressing on top. I like creamy Caesar dressing, personally. Then sprinkle fresh parsley on top and salt/pepper.

Optionally, sprinkle parmesan or fresh goat cheese. Serve while warm.

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

www.50plusLifePA.com

MIND Study Could Confirm Nicotine’s Benefit in Treating Memory Loss

By Megan Joyce Nowadays, it’s difficult to hear the word “nicotine” without immediately conjuring up an image of a cigarette.

Nicotine may be in need of a PR overhaul, to be sure. Its potential use as a medicinal agent has been on researchers’ radar for decades; nicotine has demonstrated effectiveness in the treatment of Parkinson’s disease, depression, ADHD, anxiety, and other disorders.

A stimulant found naturally in the nightshade family of plants — which includes tobacco — nicotine is now also the focus of a twoyear nationwide study, funded by the National Institutes of Health, that looks at nicotine and its potential to improve memory in adults diagnosed with mild cognitive impairment, or MCI. The MIND Study comprises data collected from 400 individuals diagnosed with MCI from 32 sites across the country, including Penn State Health Milton S. Hershey Medical Center in Hershey.

Researchers have used nicotine in memory studies for more than three decades, according to the NIH, and the MIND Study is the largest and longest running of its kind.

Researchers hope to establish whether the safe use of nicotine, delivered via patch, can improve memory and functioning in people diagnosed with MCI. “MCI is a bit of a broad umbrella term that refers, in most cases, to shortterm memory loss that starts to become noticeable to an individual in their daily activities,” Dr. Paul Eslinger, neurologist with Penn State Neuroscience Institute at Penn State Health Milton S. Hershey Medical Center, said.

MCI, which occurs in about 20% of people 65 and older, goes beyond what is considered a normal level of cognitive decline associated with aging.

“MCI is usually diagnosed if they tend to fall a certain degree below what’s typical for an individual of their background, such as their educational and occupational level,” Eslinger said.

People with MCI will report not only misplacing objects and forgetting aspects of conversations, but also trouble retrieving names of people or objects they would usually know and difficulty keeping track of scheduled activities.

“Most often, individuals don’t have noticeable changes in their neurologic exams, such as their cranial nerves or reflexes,” Eslinger added.

People with MCI can generally use effective strategies — such as calendars, alarms, and other reminders — to compensate for their memory issues.

“Most often, they’ll be able to be fully independent and continue managing their affairs and their social and recreational activities, but they need extra attention, often double checking specifics,” Eslinger noted.

Eslinger said about half of individuals with MCI will remain stable, meaning their memory loss will not progress further; but the other half will develop more symptoms over time, leading to conditions such as Alzheimer’s disease.

And it’s here, in the mild stages of impairment, that Eslinger and other MIND Study researchers hope to be able to slow or even stop memory decline — using nicotine.

Studies of Alzheimer’s disease have shown that one of the brain’s neurotransmitters, acetylcholine, has become deficient in disease sufferers. www.50plusLifePA.com

Acetylcholine sends signals from cell to cell and activates entire groups of cells, Eslinger explained.

It is a key neurotransmitter for memory and thinking.

And nicotine, a natural stimulant, acts very similarly to acetylcholine, stimulating the nicotinic receptors in the brain and in areas close to the memory structures of the limbic system.

“So [nicotine use] is a way for us to potentially stimulate some cells that may be underactive in the memory areas in a way that can bolster functioning of these memory structures in the brain and hence improve individuals’ memory functions on a day-to-day basis,” Eslinger said.

Administering nicotine via a patch on the skin bypasses all the problems associated with cigarettes, he added.

“In its pure form, [nicotine] can actually be used by the brain quite well,” Eslinger said. “The problem with cigarettes is all the carcinogens that cause all the lung disease, and the other anoxic effects of the smoke. And all that is completely taken out of the equation.”

In a preliminary six-month study of 74 people with MCI, individuals using nicotine patches showed improvement in both attention and memory versus those who had placebo patches. The two-year, double-blind MIND Study looks to extend the confirmation of nicotine’s benefit.

Study participants must be healthy, nonsmoking adults 55–90 years old who have been diagnosed with MCI. Participants must commit to applying a fresh patch each morning and to visiting their research site every three months for two years to have their progress documented.

All studies to date have shown no risk of addiction — even for former smokers — to the patch’s nicotine, which is released in a dose considerably lower than that found in cigarettes.

The nicotine is also absorbed more slowly, over the course of a 12- to 15hour day, and is gradually titrated up in each participant until a therapeutic dose is reached.

Past participants have occasionally reported minor side effects, such as nausea, dizziness, or headache, but “when they do occur, they tend to be upon first having the patch, and they tend to resolve rapidly,” Eslinger said. “We have not seen any side effects that have been lingering or that have caused anyone to drop out of the study.”

Eslinger sees the potential advantages of nicotine use for both halves of the population with MCI, those whose problems will progress no further — and those whose symptoms signal the beginnings of dementia or Alzheimer’s.

“For those individuals … this will be a stage at which we could slow that progression, and we may be able to slow it by several years if the nicotine patch ends up being very helpful in improving the memory function and slowing progression of the disease,” Eslinger said.

“For those individuals who have MCI as really their only manifestation of change in the brain, it will help them, we believe, function better in their daily activities,” he added. “They’ll be less stressed and harried in trying to keep up with notes and providing reminders all the time.”

The MIND Study has already begun, but additional participants are still needed. Individuals interested in more information should call (866) MIND150 or visit www.mindstudy.org.

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Calendar of Events

York County

Community Programs/Support Groups Free and open to the public

Senior Center Activities

Sundays, 6:15 p.m.

Food Addicts in Recovery Anonymous Luther Memorial Lutheran Church 1907 Hollywood Drive, York (781) 932-6300 www.foodaddicts.org

Crispus Attucks Active Living Center (717) 848-3610, www.crispusattucks.org

Aug. 20, 7-8 p.m.

Alzheimer’s Support Group Providence Place 3377 Fox Run Road, Dover (717) 767-4500 Aug. 24 and 25, 1-5 p.m.

Shrewsbury Flower Show: A Winter Wonderland Shrewsbury Assembly of God 234 N. Main St., Shrewsbury 717-235-1130

Aug. 5, 9:30 a.m.

Green Thumb Garden Club Meeting Emmanuel Lutheran Church 2650 Freysville Road, Red Lion (717) 235-2823

parks and recreation Aug. 7, 10-11:30 a.m. – Woods Wander, Rocky Ridge Park Aug. 10, 8 p.m. to midnight – Public Star Watch: Perseid Meteor Shower, John Rudy Park Aug. 11, 2-4 p.m. – 2019 Caterpillars Drop-in, Nixon Park

Collinsville Community Library, 2632 Delta Road, Brogue, (717) 927-9014 Tuesdays, 6-8 p.m. – Purls of Brogue Knitting Club Aug. 1, 4-5:45 p.m. – Tech Time Aug. 7, 10:30-11:30 a.m. – Final Party Bubble Lady Dillsburg Area Public Library, 17 S. Baltimore St., Dillsburg, (717) 432-5613 Dover Area Community Library, 3700-3 Davidsburg Road, Dover, (717) 292-6814 Aug. 8, 10-11:45 a.m. – Tech Time Aug. 21 and 28, 6-7 p.m. – Knitting Group Glatfelter Memorial Library, 101 Glenview Road, Spring Grove, (717) 225-3220 Mondays, 6-7 p.m. – Knitting Group Guthrie Memorial Library, 2 Library Place, Hanover, (717) 632-5183 Aug. 5, 1-3 p.m. – Letters from the Heart Aug. 21, 6:30-8 p.m. – K aren Slaughter is Coming to Guthrie Aug. 22, 10-11:45 a.m. – Tech Time Kaltreider-Benfer Library, 147 S. Charles St., Red Lion, (717) 244-2032 Aug. 1, 10-11:45 a.m. – Tech Time Aug. 6, 6-8 p.m. – Greeting Card Workshop Aug. 22, 6:30-7:30 p.m. – Green Thumb Garden Club Lecture Series Kreutz Creek Valley Library Center, 66 Walnut Springs Road, Hellam, (717) 252-4080 Aug. 15, 4-5:45 p.m. – Tech Time

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Dillsburg Senior Activity Center – (717) 432-2216 Eastern Area Senior Center, Inc. – (717) 252-1641 Golden Connections Community Center (717) 244-7229, www.gcccenter.com Weekdays, 9 a.m. – Games Tuesdays and Wednesdays, 10 a.m. – Pinochle Fridays, 9:15 a.m. – Computers 101 Golden Visions Senior Community Center (717) 633-5072, www.goldenvisionspa.com Heritage Senior Center, Inc. – (717) 292-7471 www.heritagesrcenter.org

Library Programs Arthur Hufnagel Public Library of Glen Rock, 32 Main St., Glen Rock, (717) 235-1127

Delta Area Senior Center, Inc. – (717) 456-5753

Martin Library, 159 E. Market St., York, (717) 846-5300 Aug. 5 and 19, 5-6 p.m. – Tech Time Aug. 7, 5:30-6:30 p.m. – How Money Works Aug. 17, 10:30 a. m. to noon – Tech Time Power Session: Online Buying and Selling Mason-Dixon Public Library, 250 Bailey Drive, Stewartstown, (717) 993-2404 Aug. 1, 1:30-3:15 p.m. – Tech Time Aug. 6, 6-7:30 p.m. – Coin Club Aug. 7, 10:30-11 a.m. – Human Solar System with Jeri Jones Paul Smith Library of Southern York County, 80 Constitution Ave., Shrewsbury, (717) 235-4313 Aug. 15, 10-11:45 a.m. – Tech Time Aug. 21, 6-7 p.m. – Evening Book Group Red Land Community Library, 48 Robin Hood Drive, Etters, (717) 938-5599 Mondays, 10 a.m. to noon – Play Bridge Thursdays, 10 a.m. to noon – Mah Jong, Anyone?

Aug. 1 and 15, 1-2 p.m. – Adult Yoga Village Library, 35-C N. Main St., Jacobus, (717) 428-1034 Tuesdays, noon to 2 p.m. – Village Knitters Aug. 22, 4-5:45 p.m. – Tech Time

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

Northeastern Senior Community Center (717) 266-1400, www.mtwolf.org/SeniorCenter Red Land Senior Center – (717) 938-4649 www.redlandseniorcenter.org September House – (717) 848-4417 South Central Senior Community Center (717) 235-6060 https://southcentralyorkcountysrctr.webs.com Mondays, 9:30 a.m. – Acrylic Art Class Weekdays, 9:15 a.m. – Isometric Exercises Weekdays, 10:15 a.m. – Tai Chi Stewartstown Senior Center – (717) 993-3488 www.stewsenior.org Susquehanna Senior Center – (717) 244-0340 www.susquehannaseniorcenter.org Mondays, 9:30-10:30 a.m. – Chorus Practice Tuesdays, 6-10 p.m. – Bluegrass/Country Music Jam Session White Rose Senior Center – (717) 843-9704 www.whiteroseseniorcenter.org Windy Hill On the Campus – (717) 225-0733 https://windyhillonthecampus.org Tuesdays, 1-2 p.m. – Ballroom Dancing Classes Wednesdays, 9:30 a.m. – Exercise Class for Parkinson’s Patients and Caregivers Aug. 20, 12:30 p.m. – Book Club Yorktown Senior Center – (717) 854-0693 www.yorktownseniorcenter.org Submit senior center events to mjoyce@onlinepub.com.

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Puzzle Page

CROSSWORD

Solutions for all puzzles can be found on page 20 SUDOKU

WORD SEARCH

Computer Words

Across 1. Hobbyist’s need 5. Sister of Erato 9. Religious figure 13. Tears 14. Pencil part 15. ___ contendere 16. Electrical units 17. Name tag, e.g.

19. Game piece 20. Sweetheart 21. Tough tests 22. Pick up the tab 24. End of grace 25. Deviate

26. Overly proud 30. Smells 32. Terrarium plant 33. Undivided 34. Kind of phone 35. Kindergarten disrupters 36. Nickel, e.g.

37. Back of the boat 38. Artist Bonheur 39. Cigar ends 40. Standing still 43. Knitting stitch 44. Job for a body shop

45. Block house?

47. Pottery fragment 49. Heaps 51. Balancing pro 53. Swimming with a snorkel 55. Blood-related 56. Ballpark figures 57. Hole in the head 58. Monthly check 59. Undertaking 60. Derbies 61. “___ chic”

Down 1. Alumnus, briefly 2. Gaming table cap 3. Burkina Faso, once 4. Hook shape 5. Musical finale 6. Stead 7. Wayfarer’s stop 8. Hassocks 9. Babe in arms 10. Tiger’s position before a strike 11. Corrida cries 12. ___’wester 14. Devotion 18. Ticks off

20. Blocks 23. Nobleman 24. Main artery 26. Savage 27. Barracks trunk 28. Troop group 29. Telescope part 30. Wood sorrels 31. Skillful 32. Weather map phenomenon 35. Flourish 36. Ringlet 39. Insects

41. Port city in northern Poland 42. Dweeb 43. Short, high-pitched sounds 46. Sounds off 47. Gull-like bird 48. Collides 49. Shade 50. Burden 52. Colony members 53. Drunkard 54. Routing word 55. College major

Your ad could be here on this popular page!

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50plus LIFE t

August 2019

19

Such is Life

Threads of a Lifetime of Summers Saralee Perel

across a mile of ankle-deep muck.

You may not know how I met my “Bob,” I grumbled, “you forgot the tide husband, Bob. After his divorce, he took a chart.” college course called “Life after Divorce.” I “Why is this my responsibility?” he said. was the teacher. Bob got an A. “Because you are a man.”

That was 44 years ago. Since then, we “Then what am I when I vacuum all the have experienced many long-term summer time?” phases.

“A good man.”

The baking competition at the county While kayaking, my constant worrying fair has threaded its way throughout our ceased. Instead I’d focus on what’s right lives, with Bob winning 26 award ribbons around me. Present-moment living is the for his cookies. When he tests cookie only way to go. recipes, he turns from a sweet, gentle, goodIn fact, we kayaked year-round wearing natured soul into a monster. wet suits. These are like spray-painting your Once, when I ate one blueberry from body with rubber. Bob looked terrific in his. his recipe, he roared, “You’ve thrown off I looked like the Michelin Tire Man with everything. Now I have to start from bosoms. scratch!”

Saralee in her garden.

Bicycling was another thread. We’d “You take this contest too seriously, bike past cranberry bogs, kettle holes, and honey. When you don’t win, you demand a saltmarshes. recount.”

Once, we biked to a restaurant that had a cemetery across the street. The Camping has also threaded its way through our lives. First, we went tent restaurant’s sign read: “So come on in and have a seat. Sure better here than camping. I kvetched, “Bob, this no-TV thing? A nightmare.” across the street.”

We bought a slide-on truck camper so we could camp with the other 10 Since my spinal cord injury, I no longer kayak or go clamming, biking, or billion campers at popular beaches. Slide-ons are metal homes the size of a tick camping. So, we’ve turned to gardening. At first, Bob tried growing vegetables, that fit on the back of a pickup truck. A generator powers the TV! but in spite of trying every animal preventative in the universe, including Campers spend their days doing the same thing: nothing. spraying fox urine, nary a vegetable would grow uneaten by critters.

Well, I’m not being fair. We all do three things.

So instead, we grow a flower garden. It’s right outside our back door. In that 1. We swat greenhead flies, which don’t die — ever. You could smash them paradise, we feel everything we’ve felt before on the many pursuits threaded with a sledgehammer, after which they’ll resume biting you. throughout our lives. And what ties our threads together? Each other, of course.

2. We coat ourselves with 4,000 layers of bug repellant.

We don’t take vacations, nor feel the need to. We live in vacation land.

3. We put combination locks on food containers so Einstein’s raccoons can’t There’s no better place to be. get in. But raccoons memorize numbers. We upgrade to padlocks, then on In the joy, maintenance, and creation of the garden, we still find the to deadbolts. Neither work. Varmints chew through whatever the container’s sustenance of our early pursuits: beauty, wildlife, visitors, peace, and made of, be it cardboard or concrete. appreciation of all that is truly in our midst.

Nationally syndicated award-winning columnist Saralee Perel can be reached at sperel@saraleeperel.com or via her website: www.saraleeperel.com

Puzzles shown on page 19

Puzzle Solutions

Kayaking is heaven. Once, when we were far from any town landing, an unexpected, shocking event occurred. The tide went out. We dragged the kayak

20

August 2019

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It Was 50 Years Ago Today

‘Sugar, Sugar’ Randal Hill

The Archies’ “Sugar, Sugar” was the bestselling Pop-music fans probably thought they heard the single of 1969, yet the singing group was never entire group of Riverdale chums — Archie, Betty, photographed together, never gave an interview, never Veronica, Jughead, and Moose — vocalizing on appeared on The Ed Sullivan Show, never headlined in “Sugar, Sugar,” but in truth the recording Archies Las Vegas, and never traveled the lucrative tour road. consisted only of Dante’s multi-tracked voice and The reason was simple: Beyond the walls of the Wine’s simplistic two-line contribution of “You make recording studio, the Archies didn’t exist. The outfit life so sweet!” and “I’m gonna make life so sweet!” was as fictional as the absurdly wholesome teenagers She would later tell the website Songfacts, “It was from John L. Goldwater’s Archie comic books that just a very easy session … it was a blast, and at the had been around since 1942 and upon which the TV session we just knew that this was something, and series was based. something huge was going to happen.”

In 1968, Filmation Studios released a Saturday Kirshner knew that Top 40 radio stations probably “Sugar, Sugar” morning CBS-TV cartoon program called The Archie would steer clear of a single by a cartoon band, so he The Archies Show and featured the whole clean-cut gang from directed his promotion men to visit radio stations and August 2019 mainstream Riverdale High. play “Sugar, Sugar” for the program directors but not Music mogul Don Kirshner, a savvy businessperson who knew the youth reveal the group’s name until proper interest had been shown and the 45 had music market inside and out — he had managed the Monkees’ career — was secured a place on the station’s playlist. hired to supply tunes for the prepubescent-oriented show.

The strategy worked, and “Sugar, Sugar” subsequently reached No. 1 on the He brought together virtuoso studio musicians, a 19-year-old singer/ Billboard charts and sold 3 million copies. songwriter named Toni Wine (who, at 16, had co-written the Mindbenders’ “A And Ron Dante? Later in the year he became the lead singer of the oneGroovy Kind of Love”), and 23-year-old vocalist Ron Dante. hit wonder Cuff Links, another studio-only group whose 15 minutes of fame Dante’s musical career had begun at age 11 after he had fallen out of a tree. included the little-remembered 1969 Top 10 winner “Tracy.”

To exercise a fractured wrist, he took up playing the guitar and mastered the instrument so quickly that he formed a rock group called the Persuaders just Tom & Randi LaNasa “MEMORY MUSIC” one year later.

Dante had worked for Kirshner for years, mainly as a demo (demonstration) singer, although he had briefly tasted fame in 1964 as a member of the Detergents. They had enjoyed a Top 20 novelty 45 with “Leader of the Laundromat,” a spoof of the Shangri-Las’ “Leader of the Pack” that had resulted in a lawsuit from its composers.

But later attempts at finding success in the entertainment world had eluded Dante until the day that Kirshner signed him as the lead voice of the nonexistent Archies.

One Health Risk of Dog Ownership Having a dog can be good for your mental and physical health. Dogs offer companionship to their owners and encourage more physical activity.

However, as the Time magazine website reports, dogs can also pose a health risk, especially to older owners.

The medical journal JAMA has shared research showing that fractures connected to dog walking are becoming more common among older adults.

An examination of emergency room logs found that in 2014, close to 1,700 adults 65 and older around the country had to go to emergency rooms for injuries related to walking their leashed dogs.

By 2017, the number had risen to almost 4,500.

Fractures can happen when dog walkers fall as a result of dogs lunging while on the leash. The research found that almost 30 percent of those injured senior citizens were admitted to the hospital, nearly 20 percent with fractures to the hip.

Hip fractures can contribute to disability and other long-term decreases in quality of life — as well as a mortality rate of close to 30 percent.

Keeping a dog for health benefits is a positive choice, but just be careful to exercise caution on daily walks. www.50plusLifePA.com

Attention: RETIREMENT HOMES, CLUBS AND ORGANIZATIONS. Looking for entertainment?

Now booking our Christmas, variety, and specialty shows for 2019.

We have many variety shows featuring the music from the 1930s to the 60s.

Songs by legendary artists like Bing Crosby, Frank Sinatra, Doris Day, Kay Starr, Dean Martin, Patsy Cline, and the Mills Brothers.

Specialty shows include …

Songs from the WWII Years • The Post WWII Years: 1945 – 1955 AMERICA: From Sea to Shining Sea Salute to the Rat Pack (or if you prefer, just Sinatra) Elvis & Patsy • Classic Country Please contact Memory Music to book your next event!

Phone: (717) 846-6126

E-mail: memrymusic@aol.com

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August 2019

21

Soldier Stories

Robert Naeye

Sprayed by Shrapnel, His Flak Vest Saved His Life

Pennsylvania native and central Pennsylvania resident Tom Foor nearly perished in Vietnam during an enemy attack.

But this stout artilleryman survived the war and earned numerous decorations for his valiant service, including the Army Commendation Medal, the Purple Heart, and a Presidential Unit Citation.

Foor comes from a military family. He had 21 direct relatives who served in Tom Foor leaning on the barrel the Civil War, eight of whom of his 105 mm howitzer. paid the ultimate sacrifice.

His father served in the Army in Africa and Europe for almost the entire duration of World War II and helped liberate the concentration camp in Landsberg, Germany.

But like many World War II veterans, “He didn’t tell me a lot of stories about the war,” says Foor.

Foor grew up in in Manns Choice, Pennsylvania, and graduated from Bedford High School in 1966. Shortly thereafter he went to work for a U.S. Department of Agriculture research center in Beltsville, Maryland.

Foor had a 1A draft number, so he knew he would eventually have to go into the military.

“I thought, ‘Man, I’m not going to sit around thinking about that for the next six, eight months or whatever.’ I decided to get it over with.”

So he went to a recruiting station in Altoona and signed up for a two-year enlistment in the Army.

On June 24, 1968, he traveled to the Pittsburgh airport to fly to Fort Jackson, South Carolina, for basic training. There, he met a fellow incoming soldier who would become one of his best friends: Jim Engelmeier.

Foor vividly remembers a bus ride to Fort Gordon, Georgia. A staff sergeant named Raymond Soulet hopped on the bus and yelled, “I don’t wanna hear talk. I don’t wanna hear a fart. I don’t wanna hear nothin’.”

“It was dead silence all the way to Fort Gordon,” says Foor.

Foor enlisted at a time when casualties in Vietnam were mounting, so the armed services had to lower their standards for enlistees. Foor met soldiers who could barely read or write.

“All they were doing was looking for bodies. They just wanted people to fill the ranks,” says Foor.

He also recalls a renegade soldier punching a drill sergeant, which turned out to be a big mistake. A group of drill sergeants came out and beat the guy up so badly that his face was a bloody pulp. That was the last time they ever saw him.

Foor later traveled to Fort Sill in Oklahoma for artillery training. There, he learned how to fire a variety of howitzers.

“Fort Sill was nice because they treated you almost like you were a human being,” he recalls.

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Photo credit: Robert Naeye

Tom Foor, right, with Rich Burton, president of the Central Pennsylvania Vietnam Round Table, for which Foor was recently the featured speaker.

After a 30-day leave back home in Bedford, he flew to Fort Lewis, Washington.

Coincidentally, his buddy Engelmeier from basic training took the same flight.

After turning down an opportunity to flee to Canada with three fellow soldiers who went AWOL, Foor flew to Hawaii, then Guam, and then to Bien Hoa Air Base, near Saigon.

“I remember walking off that plane and as soon as that door opened, it smacked you in the face. The heat and the stink. I remember diesel fuel smells and garbage.

Every time I smell that, it

takes me back to that time,” says Foor.

Foor spent his first few weeks shuffling between bases. But he was eventually choppered into Landing Zone Clara, west of Saigon.

“I was walking off the pad up to the guns and I heard this guy yelling at me.

I thought, ‘Who the heck is that?’ Here’s that Engelmeier again. We ended up in the same outfit again. That is a one-in-a-million shot,” he recalls.

On Dec. 29, the North Vietnamese Army battered LZ Clara with rockets and mortars. Foor was getting ready to return fire when a mortar round exploded about 15 feet away, spreading shrapnel that entered Foor’s chest, neck, arm, and leg.

Foor was wearing a flak vest, which he credits for saving his life. The shrapnel penetrated his chest but didn’t go far enough to kill him.

Foor was medevacked to a hospital in Cu Chi, where he spent several days recovering. He recalls one incident when a severely wounded man helped him make his blood-stained bed.

“You could see his stomach and there was plastic covering the area. You could look in there and see stuff, whether it was intestines or whatever. I said to him, ‘What happened to you?’ He said, ‘I’m waiting for my abdomen to drain and then they’re going to sew me up.’”

Foor was transferred several days later to a hospital at Cam Ranh Bay, where he stayed for nearly six weeks. There, he met the famous actor Jimmy Stewart, who was also from Pennsylvania.

After Foor recovered sufficiently from his wounds to go back into the field, he first went to LZ Elrod and then LZ Lois. On March 17, 1969, Lois got hit hard with rocket-propelled grenades, and two howitzers were taken out of action, the only time Foor’s unit lost a gun to enemy action during his year in ’Nam. On May 10, Foor was stationed at LZ Phyllis when it was attacked by mortars and rockets. Infantrymen made a sweep around the base and found a cache of weapons. Following orders, they loaded the ordnance onto a jeep trailer and drove it into the LZ. Two days later, after a second enemy attack, another infantry sweep produced another cache of weapons that was also brought into the LZ.

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Something caused the entire pile to blow up, killing 11 men and wounding 10 others.

“I hope somebody got court martialed for allowing that ordnance to come on the base. That was a travesty and a tragedy,” says Foor.

After intelligence suggested a major attack was coming on LZ Phyllis, Foor was evacuated first to LZ Cindy then to LZ Joy. The NVA launched a heavy ground attack on June 12, and sadly, Jim Engelmeier was killed instantly when he was hit in the neck with small arms fire.

Foor’s unit was moved around from base to base over the next few months and fired many rounds supporting the infantry. He later went to Bu Dop, a Special Forces camp near the Cambodian border. There, he witnessed a Vietnamese woman giving birth to a baby girl in a bunker.

Foor recalls, “It was amazing, but I felt so bad for that kid being born into this time and in this hellhole. She was a pretty little thing.”

After returning from R&R in Taipei, Taiwan, Foor was asked to drive an officer to a nearby provincial capital. That officer happened to be Gen. Creighton Abrams, commander of all U.S. forces in Vietnam.

Abrams had a pocket full of cigars. Foor thought, “Please give me a cigar.”

The general didn’t give Foor a cigar, but he thanked him for the ride.

Foor spent most of his remaining tour at LZ Westcott. He shot a lot of rounds, and as he points out, “The longer you stayed in a place, the worse the rats would get.”

On Thanksgiving, his battery commander and first sergeant told him that would be his last day in the field.

“I got choked up. ‘Oh man, I made it,’” Foor recalls thinking.

Flying out of the base that afternoon, Foor was allowed to follow a unit tradition by throwing a red smoke grenade out of the helicopter as he was flying away for the last time.

In early December, Foor flew to Hawaii and then Oakland, California. A day later, while leaving Oakland for San Francisco’s international airport, he encountered protestors for the first time.

“Why are they throwing rocks and eggs at us?” he thought. “We weren’t too much aware of what was going on in 1969.”

He returned home to Bedford to friends and family. He still had six months of service remaining, which he completed at Fort Stewart, Georgia.

Foor has enjoyed a successful post-military career, working for PPG Industries, then as a car salesman, and then 22 years in the postal service.

He has been married to Kim for 39 years, and the couple has a daughter, Shelley, who lives in Florida. He has traveled around the U.S. and Europe and loves riding his Harley-Davidson motorcycle.

But to this day, the war lingers on in Foor’s mind from shooting thousands of rounds with large guns.

“I have big-time tinnitus,” he says, “It’s been ringing in my ears every day since.”

Aug. 27, 2019

Sept. 12, 2019

Radisson Hotel Harrisburg 1150 Camp Hill Bypass Camp Hill

Lebanon Expo Center 80 Rocherty Road Lebanon

9 a.m. – 2 p.m.

9 a.m. – 2 p.m.

This event is FREE to attend.

Veterans (of all ages), the military community, and their families are invited to join us!

The Expo brings federal, state, and local agencies together with area businesses to provide information and resources to veterans and their families.

The Job Fair brings veterans and spouses who need jobs together with employers who can benefit from this rich source of talent to aid their organizations.

At the Expo

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

At the Job Fair

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

Employers Job Counseling Workshops Employment Seminars Resume Writing Assistance Hosted by:

Sponsor & Exhibitor Opportunities Available

www.veteransexpo.com

Brought to you by:

www.50plusLifePA.com

(717) 285-1350 www.olpevents.com

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August 2019

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