OutreachNC August 2019

COMPLIMENTARY

Travel

AUGUST 2019 | VOL. 10, ISSUE 8

THE

Issue

FEATURING:

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features CONTENTS

46 24

42

ONC BOOK CLUB: The Light of the World

28

46

THE REWARDS OF RISK: Traveling with Chronic Conditions

54

WELLNESS & YOU 5 Types of Wellness to Keep You Well

30 36

ALL ABOARD! Amtrak Train Travel

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54 HIDDEN HOMETOWN HEROES Diana Allens' Traveling with a Mission PHOTO ESSAY: The Chocolate Cellar

SETTING SAIL Living on a Cruise Ship in Retirement

www.firsthealth.org/neurosurgery

AUGUST 2019 |

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CONTENTS

departments 16

10 12 13 14 16 18

ASK THE EXPERT: Taking Care & Keeping Promises Amy Natt, MS, CMC, CSA BRAIN HEALTH: Traveling Safe with Dementia Maryanne Edmundson, PhD, LP SCAM ALERT: Travel Scams Patty LePage

BODY HEALTH: Tips for Safe and Healthy Travel Jennifer Roehrs, DO

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DRIVIN' FOR LUNCH: Dewberry Deli Ray Linville VETERANS CORNER: The Legacy of Agent Orange Jim Pedersen

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21

20 21 22 62 64 66

EAT RIGHT: Healthy Eating Should Take a Backseat Laura Buxenbaum, MPH, RD, LDN COOKING SIMPLE: Road Trial Trail Mix Laura Buxenbaum, MPH, RD, LDN

LAW REVIEW: Myths and Urban Legends Margaret (Mia) Lorenz, Attorney GREY MATTER PUZZLES Crossword, Word Search, Sudoku OVER MY SHOULDER: On turning 80...

Ann Robson GENERATIONS QUESTION: What is your favorite summer memory?

Tavern

Edna St. Vincent Millay, 1892 - 1950 Iʼll keep a little tavern Below the high hillʼs crest, Wherein all grey-eyed people May set them down and rest.

There shall be plates a-plenty, And mugs to melt the chill Of all the grey-eyed people Who happen up the hill.

There sound will sleep the traveller, And dream his journeyʼs end, But I will rouse at midnight The falling fire to tend.

Aye, ʻtis a curious fancy— But all the good I know Was taught me out of two grey eyes A long time ago.

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from the editor Travel. I have so many memories of traveling, and of all the things I long to do in my future (or next weekend), travel tops the list. I love experiencing new places, meeting new people, trying new food and walking through a city and getting lost (except when I end up in dodgy neighborhoods with swarthy men and have to hail a taxi).

Some of my best memories are from trips I’ve taken.

I sat once at Angkor Watt, my legs dangling over the moat, waiting on the sunrise. A little girl came walking out of the jungle (literally) and asked if I wanted breakfast.

I nodded – of course. She came back a few minutes later, her bare feet nimbly making their way down the dirt path, carrying a tray of freshly brewed French press coffee, a hot-from-the-oven baguette and a bowl of jam. I sat drinking coffee, eating bread and jam and watching the sun come up just behind that beautiful, crumbling temple.

I visited a student’s home in rural China, after two bus rides, a taxi ride, a motorcycle ride and finally crossing a river by foot. The home didn’t have running water, so each morning, the family would set up a washing station for me in the kitchen with a bucket of boiled water, a toothbrush and a washcloth. They would all gather round me and watch me wash my face and brush my teeth, and my heart ached each morning by how earnest they were to make me comfortable and how welcome I felt in their home.

My happiest memories of my children include being at the beach in San Diego, with a picnic of foods we got from Trader Joe’s. I’d sit with a glass of wine and watch the sun set on the horizon while my kids ran along the edge of the water, reaching down to catch the waves, running after each other – not a technology screen, phone or computer in sight.

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Some of my worst memories are also from the trips I’ve taken.

I was once stranded overnight in Poipet, Cambodia, which is a place nobody wants to be stranded. I gave some food to a child who was begging, who had his little baby brother in a sling across his bare chest. When he gave his brother the food (which he chewed in his mouth and fed to the baby with a straw), the baby began shaking and writhing, begging for more.

My children fought so much during a car ride home from a ‘vacation’ in Las Vegas, that nobody was speaking to each other after a few hours and I cried in the bathroom of a McDonald’s, where we stopped for dinner.

I cherish all of the memories, good and bad, and am grateful to have seen a bit of the world, a lot of my own country and plenty of back roads and ocean views.

This month, we hear from a missionary who combines her passion for ministry with helping those in need across the globe (p 42), learn how we can travel even with chronic health issues (p 30), get on board with the adventure and convenience of traveling by train (p 36) and learn how the French truly experience chocolate right here in Sanford, NC (p 46).

From all of it, the good and the difficult, I’ve learned what Gustav Flaubert best summed up in saying, “Travel

makes one modest. You see what a tiny place you occupy in the world.”

Indeed.

Don’t miss out on getting your monthly copy of

Have it delivered right to you!

Editor-in-Chief Amy Phariss | Editor@OutreachNC.com Creative Director & Designer Sarah McElroy | Coalfeather Art and Design

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Ad Designers Stephanie Budd, Cyndi Fifield, Sarah McElroy Proofreader Margaret Phariss, Kate Pomplun Photography Diana Matthews Contributors Laura Buxenbaum, Maryanne Edmundson, Madison Hall, Melissa Kuhn, Patty LePage, Ray Linville, Margaret (Mia) Lorenz, Amy Natt, Crissy Neville, Jim Pedersen, Amy Phariss, Ann Robson, Jennifer Roehrs, Jonathan Scott Publisher Amy Natt | AmyN@AgingOutreachServices.com Advertising Sales Executive Kara Umphlett | KaraU@OutreachNC.com Marketing & Public Relations Director Susan McKenzie | SusanM@AgingOutreachServices.com Circulation 910-692-0683 | info@OutreachNC.com OutreachNC PO Box 2478 | 676 NW Broad Street Southern Pines, NC 28388 910-692-0683 Office | 910-695-0766 Fax info@OutreachNC.com | www.OutreachNC.com OutreachNC is a publication of The entire contents of OutreachNC are copyrighted by Aging Outreach Services. Reproduction or use without permission of editorial, photographic or graphic content in any manner is prohibited. OutreachNC is published monthly on the first of each month.

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Cumberland, Harnett, Hoke, Lee, Montgomery, Moore, Richmond, Robeson and Scotland Counties.

OutreachNC.com info@outreachnc.com 910.692.0683 or mail a check to: PO BOX 2478 Southern Pines, NC 28388 AUGUST 2019 |

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advice

Our Aging Life Care ProfessionalsTM will answer any aging questions you may have.

Email us your questions! info@OutreachNC.com

Taking Care and Keeping Promises

by Amy Natt, MS, CMC, CSA

I promised my husband that I would keep him home, but I am not comfortable bringing a caregiver into my home. What options do I have now that he needs more help than I can give him?

This is a great question, as so many people promise loved ones that they will keep them home and care for them. These promises are made with the best of intentions, to provide peace of mind to someone we love. The problem is, when a person needs more care than you can give them, other supports must be put in place, or it can become unsafe or (unintentionally) neglectful. Most of us, if asked where we want to spend our final days, would respond “at home”.

However, we do not always consider the type of care we might need, the duration of that care, the skill of caregiver needed and the cost that might be attached.

The cost is not just financial; it can be emotional and mental stress as well. These can quickly take a toll on even the best caregivers.

When more care is needed, bringing a caregiver into the home is one option. It may be a paid caregiver, family member or volunteer. It still means that

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someone will be in your space. There are things you can do to increase your comfort level. Get to know the caregiver outside of the home first, through outings, lunches etc. Always make sure background checks, reference checks and other verifications of credentials have been completed. You might also consider having them in designated areas of the home and preserving some space as private for yourself. If you are worried about valuables, lock them up and don’t leave things like money or jewelry laying around. Trust your gut; if you have a bad feeling about someone, move on to another option. Once you establish a comfort level and routine, you may feel better about having that person in your home.

Some families place nanny cameras or some type of monitor in the home, so that you can keep an eye on your husband and caregiver when you are not in the room with them. You would want to discuss this with

them, to ensure no privacy issues are created. They typically work best in general activity areas, avoiding those areas where personal care may take place.

Another option would be to utilize an adult day program.

Your husband may be able to attend an adult day program during the day and be home at night, giving you a break.

If you have family and friends who are able to help and supplement your role as caregiver this may be an option to provide you with short breaks. They might also be willing to be at the house while a caregiver is there, so you feel more comfortable going out.

There are circumstances that would make it difficult to keep him home, and those should be realistically considered as well. If he requires skilled or heavy care, a facility may be the best option to get him the care he needs. If he is bed bound and no longer mobile, he can quickly develop skin issues if the correct equipment and care is not implemented. There may also be safety issues. If he has memory impairment and is at risk to wander, or demonstrates aggressive behaviors, it may not be safe to keep him home. Cost can also be a determining factor. If you decide to bring in paid caregivers and make that adjustment, there will most likely be an out of pocket expense that exceeds the cost of facility care.

This may not be realistic or practical for an extended period of time.

Remember that your promise to him was made when you were able to provide the care he needed. We have no way of knowing what the future will bring. Do your best for as long as you can and as long is practical, but do not let those words become a deterrent to ensuring he has the best care.

If you are not comfortable having a caregiver in your home, securing a room in a facility may be the better option. You can set it up to be very “home-like” and continue to provide daily support to him. The important thing is that you care for him to the best of your ability, that he is safe and loved.

That may or may not be in your current home. The situation needs to work for both of you, so do your best and give yourself permission to make a different choice if necessary for the greater good.

Readers may send questions to Amy Natt, an Aging Life Care ProfessionalTM, certified senior advisor and CEO of Aging Outreach Services. She can be reached at amyn@agingoutreachservices.com .

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health

B R A I N H E A LT H

Traveling Safe with Dementia

by Maryanne Edmundson, Ph. D., L.P.

You may wonder whether it is safe or advisable to travel if your loved one has dementia. Travel can be accomplished safely if someone has mild (and sometimes moderate) dementia – the key is to be planful, consistent, and flexible.

You should plan ahead. Know the travel routes you will take (including how to navigate an airport!) and safe spots to stop along the way. You may wish to travel to locations where emergency services and pharmacies are accessible.

Have all essentials readily available (in carry-on luggage for air travel), including medications, medical supplies, snacks, water, a change of clothes, and hard copies of your itinerary, emergency contacts, updated medical information, and photocopied legal documents (like durable POA or guardianship).

Plan the transportation type with your loved one in mind.

For example, if a person was nervous to fly before dementia began, that nervousness may be amplified and air travel may be especially difficult. Because changes in surroundings can increase confusion and wandering in individuals with dementia, make sure both you and your loved one have wearable identification (such as jewelry) that list your names, emergency contacts, and the fact that your loved one has dementia and you are their caregiver. You may consider joining a program such as the Alzheimer’s Association’s Safe Return, which provides MedicAlert jewelry and a 24-hour nationwide emergency response network for individuals with dementia who may wander or become lost.

Part of planning ahead is ensuring important people are informed of your plans. Give your travel itinerary to family and friends you will visit and to emergency contacts back home, so they can be ready if an emergency arises. You may consider calling family and friends ahead of time to discuss important changes in your loved one (such as tiring in the afternoon or feeling anxious in busy environments) and how they can help be inclusive of your loved one while keeping them calm (such as repeating information as if it is new each time, asking the person to recount well-known stories from the past, being realistic about limitations, and sticking to their routine). If you are a Safe Return program member, you can also alert the local Alzheimer’s Association chapter 12

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of your planned trip to their area. If you will be traveling by plane, train, or staying in a hotel, you may wish to inform airline, railroad, and hotel staff of your loved one’s special needs. For example, on check-in, you may provide hotel staff with your loved one’s picture and advise them to alert you and/or escort your loved one back to the room if they are found alone in the hallway at night. For air travel, you may request a motorized gate escort (even if walking is not an issue) and inform TSA at security entry points and flight crew of your loved one’s needs. Some special needs services require at least 48 hours’ notice.

People with dementia may become anxious or agitated with environment changes. When you travel, you may reduce emotional distress by choosing destinations with which the person with dementia is familiar, traveling during the early day (especially if confusion is greater in the evening), allowing plenty of rest time, staying with your loved one at all times, and keeping the daily schedule as close as possible to their home schedule (e.g., having similar medication and meal times). It can also help to keep travel plans simple – the longer and more complex the travel day, the more likely emotional distress with arise. Make sure you can recognize signs that your loved one with dementia is becoming upset, so you can intervene quickly with strategies you know calm them. Because emotions can change quickly, particularly in new surroundings, you need to be flexible so that you can quickly retire to calming surroundings or stop your trip on short notice if needed.

Once dementia becomes more severe and/or travel is no longer relaxing, you should consider alternatives to travel, such as having family and friends come to your home instead.

If you have questions about travel with your loved one with dementia, consult with your local neuropsychologist.

Dr. Maryanne Edmundson is a clinical neuropsychologist at Pinehurst Neuropsychology Brain & Memory Clinic. She can be reached at 910-4208041 or through the website at www. pinehurstneuropsychology.com.

SCAM ALERT

Travel Scams

advice

by Patty LePage

Summer is truly one of the best times of year to travel and enjoy our beautiful state and country. So, get out there and enjoy everything the world has to offer, but make sure you take some precautions and educate yourself before you depart on your fabulous journey.

REE!

F scams.

We have learned a lot about scams over the last few months, but few scams are as up close and personal as travel These scammers have the nerve to commit their crimes right in front of you and unless you are on the lookout, you may not even see it coming. Here are some of the most popular travel scams in 2019: 1. The Switcheroo Scam is common in shops around the globe. You spot a gorgeous item, maybe designer, at a rock bottom price. While you are working out a deal with the proprietor, the item is switched for a cheap knock off. You are unaware until you open the package much later. How do you avoid this scam? Remember, the old saying is very true: If it looks to good to be true, it probably is!!

2. The Wrong Change Scam occurs when you are given back a lower amount of change than expected after a transaction. Most people just assume they received the correct change and leave the shop. Make sure to count your change in the presence of the cashier, or you might find out later you have been short changed.

3. The Bike Scam is common in Asia, where bike rentals are popular. You rent a bike for the day but when you return the owner is angry and upset. They are demanding additional payment for time or damages they claim you did to the bike. To avoid this scam, take pictures of the bike before you leave and make sure the owner is walking around the bike with you to note any existing damage. In addition, use your own lock and park the bike out of view. Some owners steal their own bike and charge you for it.

4. The Spill (on your clothes) Scam is very common. A stranger accidently spills something on you and tries to help you clean up the mess. They seem sincere and apologetic, but they are likely picking your pocket while cleaning up. It may seem rude, but push the person away and clean FREE! the mess yourself.

5. The Free Item Scam is very popular in Europe.

A friendly stranger FREE! approaches you and gives you a free bracelet, hat or rosary (something they can put on your body).

Once they put the item on you, they demand money and begin to cause a scene when you refuse to pay. They hope FREE! you would Frather REE! give them money than be embarrassed. To avoid this scam, simply return the item and walk away.

Do your research before you travel and be prepared.

There are many more travel scams out there, but if you are informed and remain aware, you can protect yourself and enjoy a safe and happy summer adventure. Bon Voyage!

Patty holds a Bachelor of Science from UMUC, a Master of Social Work from the University of Southern California and is pursuing her Doctorate in Business Administration at UMUC. She also holds an executive certificate in the Principles of Leading Transformational Nonprofits from the University of Notre Dame.Â

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health

B O D Y H E A LT H

Tips for Safe and Healthy Travel

by Jennifer Roehrs, D.O.

The last thing you want to think about during a trip is getting sick or injured. Unfortunately, sometimes these things happen. You may not be able to prevent illness or injury, but you’ll be able to deal with them much better if you plan ahead.

Here are some tips to keep in mind before hitting the road.

Pack smart.

Use this checklist to prepare for your next trip. It’s important to bring items with you that cannot be guaranteed to be available at your destination.

• Prescription medications and medical supplies such as glasses, contacts, diabetic supplies and EpiPens.

• Over-the-counter medications. Some suggestions include diarrhea medicine, pain and fever reducers, decongestants and mild laxatives.

• Don’t forget items to prevent illness and injury. Things like insect repellent, sunscreen and hand sanitizer.

• First-aid supplies including bandages, hydrocortisone cream and antibacterial ointments.

• Bring along important medical and emergency contact information. It’s helpful to include your insurance card, contact information for your primary health care provider back home and emergency contact information.

Drink a lot of water.

Staying hydrated is incredibly important for healthy travel,

Get enough sleep.

Your body needs rest when you’re traveling. You can quickly wear yourself out carrying luggage to and from destinations, walking all day and especially if you’re crossing time zones.

Traveling can be harsh on your body, so it’s important to get plenty of rest. Listen to your body and rest when you need it.

Eat healthy.

A strong immune system is a powerful way to prevent travel-related sickness, and a healthy diet is the foundation of a strong immune system. Pack healthy travel snacks such as fruits, nuts and vegetables. Plan ahead—know your food options before getting to your destination so that you can stick to your normal eating routine as much as possible.

Board certified family medicine physician Jennifer Roehrs, D.O., practices at FirstHealth Primary Care in Sanford. Dr. Roehrs cares for patients of all ages, from newborns to senior adults. Dr. Roehrs earned a B.A., in biology and chemistry with a minor in mathematics from Westminster College in Fulton, Missouri and a D.O. in medicine from A.T. Still University Kirksville College of Osteopathic Medicine in Kirksville, Missouri. She completed a residency with Via Christi Family Medicine Residency in Kansas and is a fellow of the Academy of Wilderness Medicine.

life but for life to not escape us

We travel not to escape 14

especially when flying. Sometimes in the excitement of a new place, it’s easy to forget to drink as much water as you’re used to. Make sure to carry along a water bottle so that hydration stays top of mind.

OutreachNC.com | AUGUST 2019

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life

DRIVIN FOR LUNCH

Eatin’ Where Mules Were Once Auctioned

by Ray Linville

Would you eat lunch in a former mule auction center?

What if it serves cobblers made with dewberries, once so prominent in the Sandhills?

Now refashioned as an old-time corner drugstore with vintage architectural features, The Dewberry Deli and Soda Fountain in Cameron looks nothing like the mule auction house it once was. The classic redesign is a major reason for its popularity, but most locals come for the enticing menu. It’s also a place where it’s OK to order dessert first before you even open the menu and pick an entree.

“I come here about four or five times a year for a particular lunch, McPherson’s Choice Salad (marinated chicken breast over spinach with mandarin oranges, walnuts, green peppers, mushrooms and more). I just love it, and the cobbler is good too,” says Sue Aceves of Whispering Pines.

Although her favorite lunch is the main reason that Aceves visits, afterwards she takes time to stroll through The Old Hardware Antiques, a store of collectible furniture and accessories that occupies most of the building where the deli is located.

“I always make the circle upstairs. I’m looking to add to my collection of miniature pianos. My grandma started it with a Dresden china piano, and I now have about 300 pieces, although my high school students take one when they graduate,” says Aceves, who started playing piano when she was six and has taught for more than 50 years.

Not all local lunch-goers are regular guests. On his first 16

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visit Danny Huffman of the White Hill community near the Moore-Lee county line was there with his wife to celebrate their 33rd wedding anniversary. However, she comes once or twice a month with her mother, aunt and her mother’s sister-in-law. The foursome makes a congenial ladies group, but Frances says that the deli is definitely much more than a “ladies’ hangout.”

Although most area residents know Cameron as a haven for antiques, many like Danny don’t know the deli very well. Even Frances, who has lived within five minutes of downtown Cameron all her life, didn’t know about the restaurant until two years ago when her aunt Sue brought her for lunch.

“I’ve lived here forever and didn’t even know it was here.

I was tickled to death to find it on the first visit. It’s a secret down here,” she says about the restaurant’s space on the bottom floor of the historic structure that was once the center of Cameron’s agricultural trade.

The sandwiches, salads, soups and other menu offerings are tempting, but the main attraction is the dewberry cobbler made by Diane Field, who has been the chef for eight years. When I sat down, the first item I ordered was the cobbler. Then I looked over the menu. After a turkey, berry chutney and brie sandwich, the cobbler was an excellent finish.

As my wife and I shared the cobbler in the retrofitted soda shop, we were taken back to the era when Cameron was “The Dewberry Capital of the World.” On our table were decals for Scotch Brand Dewberries, a business owned by L. B. McKeithen. However, today the fruit is harvested much farther away than when hundreds of acres were cultivated here. Because the dewberry, larger and sweeter than a blackberry, is no longer prominent in the Sandhills, a customer from Romania was surprised to see it featured on the menu. “It grows wild all over Romania,” she told Field.

The dewberries in the cobbler weren’t too tart or too sweet. “The same recipe has been used since the business opened 38 years ago. I serve anywhere from 30 to 45 cobblers each week.

It’s the most popular dessert,” Field says.

Ken Fairbanks, who owns the building with his wife Jane, undertook the heroic effort of converting it into a destination for antique shoppers and lunch patrons.

The store was opened in 1986, and it took five more years to open the restaurant downstairs in the space where mules had been auctioned. “There were no windows and the floor was dirt,” he says.

According to Fairbanks, the building was completed in the 1920s and designed to be a Ford dealership; however, it was never used for its original purpose. Instead, it was a “hardware and heavy grocery” store until the late ‘60s.

Then it was used as a warehouse for a salt distributorship before being vacant for many years and finally being purchased by Fairbanks.

The interior of the deli is a sight to behold with wood beams supporting the ceiling, a checkered tile floor typical of an early ice cream parlor, vintage photographs and memorabilia on the walls, old tickets and receipts preserved under glass covers on the tables, and an antique soda shop counter with stools. “A lot of customers come specifically for the nostalgic feel,” Field says.

When you visit the deli at 485 Carthage Street, also enjoy the charming scene along the road where houses, stores and churches display styles popular during the era of 1875 to 1925. Lunch begins at 11 a.m. on Tuesdays through Saturdays. Call ahead (910245-3697) if you want to know the daily specials. Use the side entrance that is handicappedaccessible.

Don’t plan to use a credit card.

The deli accepts only cash and personal checks.

Got extra time? Check out the antique shops on Carthage Street (NC Hwy 24/27 through downtown Cameron). Also, visit the town on the first Saturday in May and October to browse collectibles from hundreds of dealers who set up for the popular antique street fairs.

Ray Linville writes about local connections to Southern food, history and culture. He can be reached at linville910@gmail.com.

Serving residents of Scotland, Robeson, Richmond and Hoke counties in North Carolina, as well as Marlboro, Dillon and Chesterfield counties in South Carolina.

www.ScotlandHospice.org

AUGUST 2019 |

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advice

VETERANS CORNER

The Legacy of Agent Orange

by Jim Pedersen, VSO & Director of Moore County Veterans Service Office Nearly every day we hear from Vietnam-era veterans who haven’t applied for VA disability benefits even though they have been diagnosed with a serious health condition that can be linked to Agent Orange, the toxic herbicide and defoliant used in Vietnam.

Some say they haven’t applied because they aren’t sure their health condition qualifies them to receive benefits. Others don’t realize their illness is connected to their military service because it developed many years after they were separated from service.

The VA approves disability claims for many serious health conditions like cancer, heart disease, and certain skin conditions because they are presumed to have been caused by Agent Orange exposure. In fact, the VA recognizes a specific list of ailments and illnesses as related to Agent Orange including Hodgkin’s disease, multiple myeloma, non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, prostate cancer, respiratory cancer, chronic B-cell leukemia, type 2 diabetes, ischemic heart disease and Parkinson’s disease. Several other less well known conditions are also considered to be related to exposure. These include soft tissue sarcoma (or cancers that affect muscles, fat, blood, lymph and connective tissues), AL Amyloidosis, chloracne, early onset peripheral neuropathy and porphyria cutanea tarda, a rare liver disease.

When deciding the claim, the VA doesn’t consider the amount of time that has passed between a veteran’s military discharge and the onset of illness. Veterans who develop one of the acknowledged Agent Orange-related health conditions need to provide proof that they were in an area where either the herbicide was used or that was contaminated. DD214 discharge papers and other military records that include the dates and locations of service can be used to establish the necessary service connection to prove the claim.

For many years, the VA only awarded Agent Orange benefits to people who had boots on the ground in Vietnam or to those who were assigned to small river patrol and swift boats in the country’s inland waterways. That changed earlier this year when the VA approved compensation for qualifying “Blue Water” veterans, those were stationed aboard ships in the waters surrounding Vietnam.

While these veterans did not set foot on Vietnamese soil, they who were still exposed to the herbicide and are now eligible for compensation if they develop an Agent Orange-related disease.

Blue Water Veterans are encouraged to file their claim now to ensure the earliest possible effective date.

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There are several other groups of people who may qualify for disability due to Agent Orange even though they were not in Vietnam. Included in this list are: • People in or near the Demilitarized Zone in Korea between April 1, 1968 and Aug. 31, 1971; • Air Force Veterans stationed near the air base perimeter at certain Royal Thai Air Force bases between Feb. 28, 1961 and May 7, 1975. This includes veterans who performed perimeter security, Army veterans who were members of the military police or who served near the base perimeter at some small Army installations in Thailand, or those who served at locations in Thailand or Korea where Agent Orange was stored or tested; • Army veterans who had contact with Agent Orange while testing, spraying, or transporting herbicides for military purposes; • Veterans who had regular and repeated contact with C-123 aircraft that was contaminated with Agent Orange. This includes Reservists who served as flight, ground or medical crew at Lockbourne/Rickenbacker Air Force Base in Ohio between 1969 and 1986, at Westover Air Force Base in Massachusetts between 1972 and 1982 and at Pittsburgh International Airport between 1972 and 1982.

Veterans who believe they were exposed to Agent Orange but who have not become sick may sign up for the Agent Orange Registry Health Exam. This free exam can help you verify if you were exposed to Agent Orange and alert you to Agent Orangerelated illnesses. You can learn more about the registry and how to access a free health exam by visiting www.va.gov.

The Moore County Veterans Service Office, located at 707 Pinehurst Ave., Carthage, is staffed by three experienced, trained and nationally-accredited Veterans Service Officers (VSO). Our VSOs will help you gather the required medical and service records to prove your disability claim, file the claim on your behalf and provide assistance as needed throughout the process. In accordance with Federal law, all services are free of charge to Moore County Veterans and their families. For more information or to schedule an appointment, contact the office at 910-947-3257.

VSO Jim Pedersen, right, is the director of the Moore County Veterans Service Office. Experienced nationally-certified VSOs Kelly Greene, and Robert “Bob” Hall, a Vietnam-era veteran who retired from the Army after 30 years of service, assist Moore County veterans with their disability claims.

It’s s tthat hat

bloomin’ time AGAIN! Call

910.875.2385 or

910.308.4412

2019

2019-2020

Sept. 23.

Ryley Osentoski, at 919-708-1639

AUGUST 2019 |

OutreachNC.com 19

health

E AT R I G H T

Don’t Let Healthy Eating take a Backseat While Traveling

by Laura Buxenbaum, MPH, RD, LDN

August brings many opportunities for travel. Whether it is fitting in one last summer trip to the beach, hitting the road to see your favorite football team in the first home game of the season, or simply checking out one of the great destinations in North Carolina, many of us will be on the road or in the air this month. While travel is invigorating, it can also be a challenge to maintain a healthy eating plan, leaving us feeling tired and sluggish upon our return home. However, healthy eating doesn’t have to unravel when you hit the road. With some planning and preparation, you can stay on track no matter what your itinerary.

Snack Smart

If not prepared, road trips can end up in a feeding frenzy.

Often, we hit the road without snacks in tow, causing a pit stop at the nearest convenience store once our stomach starts rumbling. Instead of filling up on unhealthy snacks, bring a cooler and pack your own nutritious noshes.

Including snacks with protein and fiber throughout the day will help keep energy levels up and the urge to reach for sugary snacks down. As a Registered Dietitian, I often recommend dairy foods for on-the-go snacks. Not only are they portable, but dairy foods are an easy on-the-go snack that provide nine essential nutrients including protein, calcium and vitamin D. Some of my favorite protein-rich snacks include Greek yogurt, cheese and crackers, trail mix, nuts, string cheese and hummus. Pair these with fresh fruit such as apples, grapes or a banana and portable veggies such as carrots and celery sticks to add fiber that staves of hunger.

Stay Hydrated

Whether traveling by automobile, plane or train, hydration is important for staying alert and energized.

Many studies show that mild dehydration can impair energy levels, mood and memory- leading to reductions

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in brain performance. To prevent this, have bottles of cold water or sparkling water on hand and if traveling by plane, bring an empty water bottle to fill up in the airport once you are through security. If looking for another healthy beverage, pack or purchase small chugs of white or flavored milk. The protein, electrolytes and fluid in the milk will keep you nourished and hydrated.

Stick with MyPlate

Of course, traveling comes with opportunities to dine out. Ask the locals for their favorite restaurants and hip hangouts. Restaurants don’t need to be a roadblock to healthy eating with these tips. First, decrease portion sizes. Consider ordering off the appetizer menu, sharing an entrée with your travel companion or save half of the meal and put it in the hotel fridge. Second, keep the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) MyPlate in mind when ordering. Pick entrees with vegetables, opt for whole grains such as brown rice when available, choose lean proteins such as chicken or fish and whether on the side as a glass of milk or on the plate such as cheese or yogurt, don’t forget the dairy.

Don’t let healthy eating go on vacation just because you are. Planning wisely with protein in mind, staying hydrated and paying attention to portions using MyPlate will keep you healthy and full of energy throughout your travels. For more tips on healthy eating while traveling visit eatright.org.

Laura Buxenbaum, MPH, RD, LDN is the Assistant Director of Food and Nutrition Outreach for The Dairy Alliance. She received her Master of Public Health at UNC Chapel Hill and has been working in dietetics for over 15 years. She can be reached at lbuxenbaum@thedairyalliance.com.

life

COOKING SIMPLE

Road Trip Trail Mix

Before you head out this summer on another cross-country adventure or day hike in a nearby state park, pack up this simple, healthy snack to keep you fueled for hours of summer fun. Many thanks to Laura Buxenbaum, Assistant Director of Food and Nutrition Outreach for The Dairy Alliance for giving us not only great tips on healthy eating this summer but another winning recipe to add to our Cooking Simple repertoire.

Happy trails and healthy snacking...

Road Trip Trail Mix SERVINGS: 10 This sweet and salty snack mix is ideal for a healthy snack because of the added protein from the cheese cubes.

You can make the snack mix ahead and stir in the cheese just before serving.

INGREDIENTS • 2 cups whole grain check square cereal such as Whole Grain Chex • 2 cups honey-sweetened oat cereal such as Honey Nut Cheerios • 2 1/2 oz pretzel sticks about 3 cups • 1/2 cup sunflower seed kernels • 1 1/2Tbsp butter • 1/4 cup honey • 2 Tbsp canola oil • 1/4 cup sugar • 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon • 1/2 cup dried cranberries or dried cherries • 8 oz reduced-fat Mozzarella and Cheddar cheese cubes

INSTRUCTIONS 1. Mix cereals, pretzel sticks and sunflower seed kernels in a large bowl; set aside.

2. Melt butter in a small saucepan over medium heat; stir in honey, oil and sugar.

Bring to a boil, stirring occasionally.

Remove from heat; stir in cinnamon and mix well. Pour over cereal mixture in bowl, stirring until evenly coated.

3. Spread into a baking pan and bake at 325˚ for 20 minutes, stirring after 10 minutes (be careful not to overcook). Spread on waxed paper or aluminum foil; cool completely.

4. Toss with dried cranberries; store in an airtight container until ready to serve. Toss in cheese cubes just before serving.

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advice

L AW R E V I E W

Myths and Urban Legends: The state takes houses and other folk tales

by Margaret (Mia) Lorenz, Attorney

Having helped people as a lawyer since 1993, I have persistently heard myths and legends that are fascinating!

This folklore is passed along from generation to generation, and therefore runs deep. When I tell people that “it's simply not true!” they have a hard time believing me. I see it in their skeptical (squinted) eyes and hear it in their hushed (and firm) voices as they try to figure out if I’m old enough -- or wise enough -- to know better.

The mythical statement that I hear the most is: “the state will take my house.” There is a rumor that the state of North Carolina owns the houses of all of the North Carolina people who get government assistance as they stay in a nursing home. The truth is that North Carolina does not want anyone’s house. They do not own the houses of Medicaid recipients. If they did, we could look at the Register of Deeds property transactions and see the state selling a lot of houses! The state does not take houses – the state demands to get reimbursed for what it paid on your behalf… after you die… and if possible.

The reality is that (1) if you received Medicaid assistance for long term nursing home care, and (2) you die, and (3) your house was owned by you when you die, then its

LAW

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possible that the State of North Carolina will demand that your Executor (or Administrator) sell your house to pay the State of North Carolina “back” for all that it paid for your care. So you see, the state of North Carolina wants money – not your house.

Mythical statement number two: If I die without a Will, the state gets everything I own. Again, if that were the case, the state of North Carolina would be in great financial shape (many people die without Wills).

The reality is that the state of North Carolina does not become your heir if you die without a Will. The state (through its laws) has a DEFAULT Will drafted for you!

The state dictates WHO gets your stuff, but the state doesn’t GET your stuff. There is one exception, however.

If you die and the state drafted Will (of yours in the law of NC) dictates that your stuff goes to your cousin three times removed from you, and nobody can find that cousin, then your estate can’t hold it forever. Your estate will escheat the money to the state of North Carolina for safe keeping until your long lost cousin surfaces.

Mythical statement number three: When I die, there is a reading of my Last Will and Testament. The television shows and movies (in search of great drama) show the attorney gathering all beneficiaries of a Will in a room, whereupon the attorney reads the Last Will and Testament of the loved one “out loud” for all to hear.

The reality is that this is not required by the law, and is not usually done. I was asked to read a Will of a deceased client for a family (probably 15 years ago), and tried to convince the family it was not necessary. They insisted, and said that the deceased expected me to do this for him, and so I performed as requested. It was awkward and unusual, but I did what I needed to do to honor the decedent. I tried to handle this as respectfully as possible, and in the end, the family was satisfied. The reality is that a Last Will and Testament is filed at the courthouse in the county of residence/domicile of the decedent. It

is not read aloud, but it is placed on the public record. Any person can visit the courthouse and review the filed Wills of deceased persons.

• Telling the hospitalist that you would NOT want a certain procedure to be done, and therefore it should NOT be done

Mythical statement number four: When I sign my Last Will and Testament, I must file it at the courthouse.

• Getting a second opinion on your treatment by hiring a different doctor to review your case, because the treatment offered is not up to par

The reality is that a Last Will and Testament cannot be filed at a courthouse until you have died. A Will is filed along with your death certificate – and no sooner. The courthouse will STORE your Will for you (you must “check it in” and only you can “check it out”), but the court officials will not file it at any time prior to your death. You see, you can change your Will – so why would the court pursue filing a document that could be changed?

Mythical statement number five: If I get sick and need help with my financial or personal affairs, my Executor, as named in my Will, has legal authority to help me.

The reality is that your Executor has NO power to do anything for you while you are living. Your Executor only has power once you die. If you are sick and need help, you must have a power of attorney or court appointed guardian to help you.

Mythical statement number six: I have my child named as a co-owner of my bank account, and so I do not need a power of attorney.

The reality is that you manage and handle much more than a bank account. What if you are in a car accident and unconscious and/or immobile for a week or a month? Your child can pay your bills but what about the following: • Signing your (wrecked) car title to get the auto insurance company claim handled – or speaking on your behalf with your car insurance company • Calling your former employer if your pension somehow gets disrupted and doesn’t pay • Calling on your health insurance company to coordinate payment for services – especially if there is a question or issue • Directing your homeowners insurance on a claim (because when it rains it pours) that occurred while your house sat empty and the washing machine hose broke free and Niagara Falls occurred in the house • Complaining to your cell phone company because the auto pay somehow took two times the amount it was supposed to from your bank account that month

• And so on

Your child, as a co-owner of your bank account could not do any of the above without power of attorney for you. If your child does not have power of attorney, then your child will have to go through time consuming and a relatively expensive guardianship lawsuit to try to gain legal power to help you.

Mythical statement number seven: probate is horrible – it should be avoided at all costs. It is expensive and takes years.

The reality is that probate, in North Carolina, can be as short as three months – and sometimes last only one day!

It may be prudent to avoid probate in some instances, but probate is not as bad as certain trust peddlers make it appear.

NC probate is not as expensive as other states (in North Carolina, the costs of probate are not assessed on any real property or life insurance, or annuities, or IRAs, or accounts with right of survivorship. The costs of probate are only assessed against solely owned assets). The costs of probate are not as exorbitant as they are often portrayed. Again, avoiding probate may be recommended, but there is no fire – and the sky is not falling – if you must go through probate.

Do not fear!

I love a good story – especially a story that has been handed down from generation to generation; however, when the stories work to promote an idea that is false, we need to try to squelch it. In our era of FAKE NEWS, I hope that this article helps curb a few false ideas.

Margaret (Mia) Lorenz is an attorney in Southern Pines at Lorenz and Creed Law Firm PLLC, where she helps people with many legal needs such as preparing their wills and/ or trusts, helping when a loved one dies, and helping purchase or sell real estate. She has been assisting people with their legal needs for 26 years. In addition to her husband, John, to whom she has been married for 27 years, she has two children (Matthew and Nicole); three furry children (Brandy (basset beagle hound mix), Mickey and Minnie (cats); and is grandmother to two furry grandchildren (Clif the dog and Aurora, the cat).

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Wellness &

You

by: Melissa Kuhn, MA HEd, CCP, CTTS Live well. Think well. Be well. Are you working on a personalized wellness program? “Wellness” is catching on and becoming a topic more and more prominent in magazines, newspapers, storylines, self-help books, and social media. There are wellness programs at our places of work, worship, socialization and medical clinics.

What does it mean to be well? Historically, we think of this as being free from sickness or disease.

A famous quote by J. Stanford states: “Health is a state of body. Wellness is a state of being.”

Wellness has many dimensions. Depending on which resource you reference, there can be anywhere from five to eight dimensions of wellness. Let’s focus on five:

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Physical Wellness. The dimension of physical wellness embodies physical activity, nutrition, disease management, medication management and adherence, along with participating in preventive health screenings. Knowing your body and how it is performing, along with taking the steps needed to maintain good health is key. You’ll often hear your doctor or healthcare provider encouraging breast cancer screenings, colorectal cancer screenings, diabetes screenings, and others to help you stay ahead of the game. Early detection increases the likelihood of successful interventions and allows you to process through your options and become more aware of your current physical health state. Making healthy food choices that include more whole foods and limit processed foods, along with regular physical activity and exercise (150 minutes per week) assist us in being physically well, but are also interlinked into the dimensions below.

Social Wellness. Being involved with a sense of community is an essential dimension of wellness that can often be overlooked. It goes beyond just the quantity and quality of friends, but also the feeling of connection to your community. Enjoying a morning exploring vegetables at one of our local farmer’s markets, joining a book club or inviting friends over for a card game affect our social wellness.

Other examples might include taking an early evening stroll in your neighborhood or on a walking trail to connect with nature, volunteering to help with a neighborhood cleanup or even participating in a local social event. Finding that connection with others, whatever it may be, lends to improved social wellness.

Spiritual Wellness. Your personal beliefs and value system affect how you live each day, providing that purpose and how get you through challenging times. Spiritual wellness can mean something different for everyone. For some, you may relate this to your religious beliefs.

For others, this may be a connection to nature or the universe. Some view spiritual wellness as a combination of both of these. The National Wellness Institute says spiritual wellness follows these tenants: · It is better to ponder the meaning of life for ourselves and to be tolerant of the beliefs of others than to close our minds and be intolerant. · It is better to live each day in a way that is consistent with our values and beliefs than to do otherwise and feel untrue to ourselves.

Whatever your spiritual beliefs are, they can help you get through tough times and aid in the healing process of whatever you may be experiencing.

Intellectual Wellness. Creativity and mind stimulating activities also keep us well. Sharing your knowledge with others through your work or volunteering can help you feel productive. Try to identify opportunities to pick up a hobby that you’ve always wanted to learn. Exploring your local offerings at the community college may spark a new creative interest. Sometimes these classes are even free. Continued learning can also lead to support in changing behaviors that might not be so healthy. If you are trying to change eating habits to improve health outcomes related to diabetes, kidney disease, or heart health, meeting with a dietitian to learn more about the effects of food on your health and how to identify better choices may be helpful to you. Additionally, if you are trying to understand your medications better, taking the pharmacist up on the offer for a consult when picking up your medicines, can offer an opportunity for improved intellectual wellness that will then affect several of the other dimensions.

Emotional Wellness. Accepting the stressors and feelings in our lives, both positive and negative, affect our emotional well-being. While we may make specific efforts to improve our physical health, sometimes we forget to take efforts at improving our emotional health. Life throws challenges at us from time to time. Sometimes more frequently than others. It is important to be aware of your emotions and how best to cope with stressors. The National Institute on Health has created an “Emotional Wellness Checklist” that provides you with tips for improving emotional health by brightening your outlook, reducing stress, getting quality sleep, being mindful, coping with loss and strengthening social connections. To learn more and start your check list, check out this website: www.nih.gov/health-information/emotional-wellness-toolkit.

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Physical, social, intellectual, spiritual and emotional wellness have an interpersonal relationship. Let’s use the example of the broad goal to eat healthier and exercise more. There is the obvious impact on our physical wellness, yet you may find a social wellness benefit by joining a walking club or exercise group to meet that goal. As you begin walking more with your friends, you feel more connected with a sense of belonging and accountability. You also feel more energized and happy, all of which influences emotional and spiritual wellness. If through conversations during your walks, you learn of new opportunities or hobbies you would like to try, you now have affected your intellectual wellness. Now, all this may not happen in the first walk with your new walking club, but the first step can evolve to much more than you expected.

As the focus on healthcare adapts to a more holistic approach, the issue of wellness becomes more significant. By its very definition, wellness imparts feeling a sense of balance in our physical, social, intellectual, spiritual and emotional dimensions. Having everything figured out

in each dimension isn’t the goal. There are likely dimensions where you will feel more capable, confident, and stronger in how you are managing these areas of your life. Some dimensions of wellness may be more important to you than others and that’s okay. As you find yourself paying more attention to what works for you in maintaining your balance, the healthcare industry is also invested in keeping you well by focusing on the whole person. Your various healthcare providers are asking you questions that may seem “out of the norm,” however, this information helps direct the best and most appropriate resources for you and your health and wellness. For instance, questions on depression and anxiety are part of determining emotional wellness, while asking about nutrition and exercise correlate to physical wellness. Partnering with others invested in your “state of being” will provide opportunity for greater success in maintaining life-long health and wellness.

FEATURED THIS FALL

26

September

October

Advocacy & Volunteering

Food & Drink

OutreachNC.com | AUGUST 2019

PAGE TURNING TRAVEL COMPANIONS One of the highlights of trips, travel and adventure is taking time to sit back, recline a seat, grab a cocktail and enjoy a good read. For many of us, this is just the time to dig into a juicy romance (in a country where nobody knows us) or finally finish the novel sitting on our bedside table. For anyone with a lengthy train ride on the horizon or a few hours devoted to basking in the summer sun, here are 5 Summer Reads to while away the hours in the company of great characters, compelling plots and exotic settings, whether you’re holding a book in your hand, reading off Kindle or listening through Audible.

1. Waiting for Tom Hanks – Kerry Winfrey (available on Kindle and Audible) Stapley’s rom-com arrived this summer in paperback, making it easily transportable to the beach or far-flung foreign cafe. Annie Cassidy wants to become the next Nora Ephron, penning romantic comedy screenplays and waiting for her own love story to unfold in Hollywood-esque style. When she meets Drew Danforth, she has no expectation of said love story, as Drew is nothing like her Tom Hanks image, but it’s funny how sometimes the least expected people keep us on our toes. For anyone looking for a bit of romance and charm, Winfrey’s novel will be a perfect fit.

2.

The Last Resort – Marissa Stapley (available on Kindle and Audible)

The Last Resort is set on the Mayan Riveria where The Harmony Resort caters to married couples on the verge of divorce. Led by celebrity therapists Drs. Miles and Grace Markell, The Harmony Resort is a place where couples come to repair damage and mend fences, but when a tropical storm hits and everyone is trapped at the resort, secrets emerge, trust is tested and what appears perfect on the surface begins to bubble over. If you’re looking for both thrilling and heartwarming, Stapley’s novel is one to pack.

3.

The Woman in the Window – A. J. Finn

Finn’s book is a modern-day Rear Window, which induces heaps of excitement but also a bit of reserve.

Can anyone compete with Hitchcock? Stephen King calls The Woman in the Window “unputdownable,” which makes us take note. King knows a thing or two about suspense, darkness and thrillers. Anna Fox, the protagonist, is an agoraphobe living alone in New York City and, well, spying on her neighbors.

When a seemingly perfect family moves in across the way, Anna sees something that may shatter the perfect image and forces her to question what is real, imagined and everything in between. If you need a gripping thriller to take your mind off an overseas flight, The Woman in the Window might just be your best bet.

4. City of Girls – Elizabeth Gilbert (available on Kindle and Audible) From the bestselling author of Eat Pray Love and The Signature of All Things, City of Girls is described

by The New York Times as, “...a delicious novel of glamor, sex, and adventure.” The scene is set in the theater world of New York City in the 40s. Main character Vivian Morris has just been kicked out of Vassar College and is sent to NYC to live with her Aunt Peg, who owns the Lily Playhouse theater, where Vivian meets characters of all kinds, including some of ill-repute. Now in her late 80s, Vivian tells the story of her own growth and development with the wisdom and perspective of time and age.

5. The Hideaway – Lauren K. Denton (available on Kindle and Audible) Denton’s debut novel has garnered over 3,000 reviews on Amazon, with a solid 4.5 star rating. Sara Jenkins, Denton’s heroin, must leave her successful life in New Orleans to return home to Sweet Bay where her grandmother’s ramshackle B&B, The Hideaway, needs some tender loving care after her death. Finding a box in the attic with clues to a life Sara’s grandmother lived but never shared, Sara unearths much about her family and, ultimately, herself. People are raving about this novel, calling it ‘an experience’ and noting the strong character development and personal AUGUSTgrowth.

2019 | OutreachNC.com 27

OutreachNC’s 2019

Book Club

This month, as we plan adventures and embark on travels near and far, we are carrying along Elizabeth Alexander’s The Light of the World: a memoir. It’s the story of Alexander’s love, her husband Ficre, and his death at the age of 50, a shock to them all. It’s a story about a man from all angles, from his childhood in Eritrea to his journey to America to his life pursuing his passions, first and foremost his family. Alexander, a poet, writes in short, tight vignettes that feel, in the end, like poems themselves. She doesn’t write in a linear fashion, bombarding us with every detail of her husband’s life. Instead, she captures and provides snapshots that are poignant enough that we feel as if we’re sitting in their living room or in Ficre’s studio or in his restaurant, watching him work and cook and smile and toss a joke or two over his shoulder as the bolognaise sauce simmers.

For anyone who has lost a love, and for those of us who are still lucky to have them with us, Alexander’s book is a gentle reminder that love is, after all, what it’s all about.

10 Thoughts on

Elizabeth Alexander’s The Light of the World 1) This book, an elegy really, is about more than one woman’s reaction to her husband’s untimely death. It’s a story, unfolding slowly and piece by piece, of love, and it’s not just a husband and wife love. It’s the love a man has for his African heritage. It’s a love of food. It’s a love of community and pain and children and all of the things we sometimes take for granted in between sips of coffee and meetings and workouts.

2) Elizabeth Alexander is a poet, essayist, playwright and the president of the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation.

Before her current position, she spent 15 years as a professor of poetry and chair of the African American Studies department at Yale University.

3) On page 196, Alexander writes of her husband, “...the man lived. Not nearly enough, but not insufficiently. He found his life’s work thrice: as an activist; as a chef; and as a painter. He understood himself as something larger than himself: His mighty extended family of origin; his beloved native land and its people. He found love and became part of a new extended family, and a new people. He had children and made family, most important of all to him.” This passage makes us wonder if we have found our life’s work, if we have loved and created our own families (extended and otherwise) and if we have taken the time to sit back and see all of that we have in fact done in our time here.

4) Elizabeth Alexander’s husband was Eritrean, a land we’d heard of but knew little about. We dug around. Eritrea is located in the Horn of Africa, bordered by Sudan, Ethiopia and Djibouti. Much of Eritrea’s growing economy is based on resources such as gold, silver, marble, granite and copper. The de facto national language is Tigrinya; although Eritrea is a multilingual country with no actual official national The majority of the Eritrean population is Christian with the second 28 OutreachNC.com | AUGUST language.

2019 largest religious affiliation being Islam.

5) Elizabeth Alexander’s works include American Sublime (2005), a collection of poetry shortlisted for the Pulitzer Prize. She was also asked by Barack Obama to compose and read a poem for his Presidential inauguration. Her poem is entitled “Praise Song for the Day.” 6) One of our favorite stories or descriptions in The Light of the World is when Alexander writes about the Eritrean coffee ceremony and not only her husband’s devotion to the ceremony but how this tradition is passed on to their sons.

7) After her husband’s death, Alexander describes going to his painting studio to manage his belongings. It’s a poignant passage, in which she writes on page 159, “Anticipating throwing away his paintbrushes makes me queasy. They are somehow biological, his DNA in the brush fibers.”

8) Our favorite line in the book comes on page 76, when Alexander writes, “In all marriages there is struggle and ours was no different in that regard. But we always came to the other shore, dusted off, and said, There you are, my love.”

9) This makes us grateful for our people, spouses and otherwise, whom we want to hold tight in light of this reminder that life can be short.

10) Jeeves gives this book 4 out of 5 stars. Even Jeeves can appreciate lyrical writing and the poignancy of a love story told with such tenderness and detail.

That’s it for us this month.

We’re looking forward to Rosalie Knecht Who is Vera Kelly? We won’t lie: we’re going out on a limb with this one, a book about a woman working night shifts at a radio station in New York City who gets noticed by a CIA recruiter.

What? We know. We’re intrigued, too. Fingers and toes on this one.

We love sharing books with everyone and anyone who’s got a review, comment, thought, critique or favorite quote to send along. Feel free to write to us at editor@outreachnc.com and let us know your thoughts on Alexander’s elegy.

The Center for Creative Living

can help you challenge yourself with a new skill or deepen your understanding of a particular topic of interest.

Arts Crafts Hobbies

Business Opportunities

Dance Fitness Film

Culinary Club To Learn More: Visit sandhills.edu/creativeliving or Call 910.695.3980

AUGUST 2019 |

OutreachNC.com 29

by: Jonathan Scott

30

OutreachNC.com | AUGUST 2019

Traveling With Chronic Conditions

The Rewards of Risk:

When Norman received the call from his granddaughter in San Francisco, he took the good news with mixed feelings. He and his wife, Elaine, had been eagerly anticipating the birth of their first great-grandchild, and Norman knew that Elaine was determined to fly out to see the baby. He knew that visiting the giant sequoia forest in nearby Yosemite was on Elaine’s bucket list, something they had put off for years, waiting for the right time. But Norman was painfully aware that Elaine was struggling with forgetfulness, possibly in the early stage of Alzheimer’s Disease.

The two of them sat on their deck after dinner that evening. “You can’t stop me,” Elaine said, knowing the subject was on both their minds.

“I’ll go without you if I have to.”

“You won’t have to,” Norman reassured her.

“We’ll go together.”

She patted his hand. “It’ll be fun. Just like the old days.”

Norman and Elaine had occasionally traveled in their nearly 50 years of marriage, but they had postponed some of their dream destinations until retirement. Now they had the time and means, but health issues as mild as Norman’s sleep apnea and as serious as Elaine’s dementia, kept them cautious.

Intent on having them see her baby, their granddaughter in San Francisco got to work online. She discovered that

not only are seniors traveling more, they are traveling despite chronic conditions, and the travel field is full of advice and accommodation.

First on the to-do list she gave Norman was to buy Elaine her own cell phone. He put on an

app which would allow him to know Elaine’s location at any time. The two of them also loaded it with Elaine’s favorite music, so she could stick in her earphones and close her eyes if she started to feel agitated.

Norman also decided to book them into a hotel room rather than impose on the family.

It would be quieter and give them a chance to keep to their own schedule. Before leaving for the airport—allowing them the extra time recommended—Norman stuffed Elaine’s favorite pillow and throw blanket into one of the suitcases. That had been suggested to bring a touch of the familiar to a new environment.

But the last thing on his list would prove to be the most challenging: convincing Elaine to wear a bracelet marked with her name, his phone number, and identifying her as someone with memory issues.

Not all medical conditions are as challenging for travelers as dementia. The CPCP device that Norman used for his sleep apnea was small enough to take with him, and a phone call was all it took for his granddaughter to arrange for an extension cord and some distilled water.

Under the Americans with Disabilities Act, a CPCP device doesn’t count as a carry-on item, so Norman took it through security rather than risk having it wind up at the wrong destination in his checked luggage. He didn’t need documentation from his doctor regarding the device, but found out that TSA suggested having it if possible.

Of course, Norman and Elaine took all their prescription medications with them, but they were in pill form and weren’t much of an issue at security. TSA does allow an exception for liquid medications from their 3.4 ounce carry-on limit, but the meds need to be in their original containers. TSA expects people to proactively declare these items as well as any ice packs or accessories. It also expects people to repack all these things after inspection.

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Fortunately, neither Norman nor Elaine suffered from diabetes. Traveling with insulin products like Humulin or Novolin can, however, create an issue. Normally, those products are stable at room temperature for a month, but left inside a parked car in the sun, they can be damaged.

A bit of planning, a cooler, and an ice pack (not touching the meds) can solve that problem. And there’s no need to be concerned about the X-ray machine. Medications don’t seem to be affected by a small amount of radiation.

Iris had been a widow for nearly eighteen years when she received a call from a family member. For her, it wasn’t the good news of a new baby in the family. Her sister in Chicago was moving into hospice care. Not wanting to fly wouldn’t be an excuse for this situation. She would have to go—despite being hard of hearing.

Iris didn’t have the advantage of a tech-savvy granddaughter to reassure her with travel tips. She tried calling the travel agent she used when she and her late husband went on vacations, but the familiar person had retired. Fortunately, the young lady she spoke to was more than willing to help.

When Iris picked up her tickets from the agent, the young lady had already printed out a TSA notification card which she could use at security to let them know she was wearing a hearing aid. As it turned out, the device still triggered an alarm, and she had to go through a pat down. The inconvenience of that was barely balanced out by the flight attendant’s reassurance that Iris didn’t need to turn off her hearing aid when the pilot asked that “all electronic devices be turned off.”

The Chicago hotel where Iris stayed provided her an amplified phone at no extra charge. The gentleman who carried her bags gave her a surprising tip of his own. He saw the card Iris still had clipped to her visor. “Do you wear a hearing aid, ma’am?” he asked. “Don’t put it down next to your room key. It can demagnetize the strip.”

“Do you ever wear a visor,” she asked Iris.

When Neva was traveling with her mother, the assistance personnel at the airport offered the older woman a wheelchair. Neva’s mother refused and protested. “Wheelchairs are for handicapped people.”

Iris was confused. Even using her special captioned phone, she sometimes misunderstood.

“No, Mom,” said Neva. “They are for people who want to get through an airport in a reasonable amount of time.”

“One thing we’ve found to be helpful is to clip a card to a visor that lets people know right off the bat that you might not be able to hear them. Do you have a smart phone?”

Neva Fairchild is the National Aging Initiative Specialist for the American Foundation for the Blind. She is a crusader for seniors traveling despite chronic conditions.

She did, but she didn’t know how to use it.

“Bring it with you when you come in to pick up the tickets. I can ask the airline for text alerts. We can put your phone on vibrate. That way you won’t have to worry

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about not being able to hear the announcement if there’s a last minute schedule change when you’re in a noisy terminal.”

OutreachNC.com | AUGUST 2019

“It’s important that people learn ways to do the things they care most about—like going to visit family.

That gives them the tools to do the ordinary things they need to do.

“Many seniors who find themselves with vision impairment don’t identify with terms like blind. But the single most important advice we give is to not be embarrassed. Identify yourself as having a vision impairment right off the bat.”

She recommends people traveling by any means use a white identity cane. “It’s an instant way of letting people know you might need some assistance. And people are generally very solicitous and nice.”

Neva should know. She is visually impaired herself and travels constantly for her work.

For those who aren’t hesitant to embrace new technology, a service called Aira provides glasses mounted with a small camera that transmits live video images to a real person who then can explain to the wearer what is in front of him or her. This can make all the difference in the world if someone needs to read a departures sign, find the right train platform or meet someone in baggage claim. The cost of the service depends on the amount of time in use, but two hours of assistance per month costs only $99.

A free option for the same type of service is available on a smart phone app called Be My Eyes. Currently there are two million volunteers around the world who are on call to “see” through someone’s phone camera and explain it in real time. Other apps, such as Facetime, can also be used in the same way with family or friends, but Be My Eyes volunteers are always available and never feel imposed upon or resentful.

Iris returned to North Carolina grieving the loss of her sister. But she was comforted by the fact she had been

there at the hospice center for the end of her sister’s life. She felt proud she had mustered what she called “the gumption” to make the journey alone despite her limitation.

After visiting their granddaughter, Norman and Elaine rented a car and drove to Yosemite where they spent the night at the Big Trees Lodge. The trip wasn’t without problems. Norman admits there were times when he nearly regretted undertaking it. But, back home, he often shows Elaine the photos of her being dwarfed by the ancient sequoias. He feels good about helping her fulfill her dream, despite the challenges.

“There can be a great deal of reward,” he says, “just from taking a risk.”

Additional Information 1-800-778-483 The Hotline for Air Travelers With Disabilities is available from 7:00 a.m. to 11:00 p.m. seven days a week.

It provides general information to consumers about the rights of air travelers with disabilities and assists air travelers in resolving time-sensitive disability-related issues that need to be addressed in real time.

Amtrak offers a 10% rail fare discount to adult passengers with a disability, as well as a 10% discount for persons traveling as a companion. Those designated as a companion must be capable of providing the necessary assistance to the passenger with a disability.

AUGUST 2019 |

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The

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Interview a Veteran!

Open to all students between the ages of 5 and 18.

Interview a Veteran about his/her thoughts, experiences and service.

Students come up with their own questions and let the interviews meander naturally as the Veteran’s story unfolds.

Rules:

Maximum of 1200 words in length Writer should open with: • A description of the Veteran • Writer’s Relationship to the Veteran • The primary theme of the interview, giving readers a window into the Veteran’s world prior to beginning the interview.

Prizes:

1st Place $150 | 2nd Place $75 | 3rd Place $50 The winning interview/essay will be included in the November ONC issue, in honor of Veteran’s Day. 2nd and 3rd Place essays will be published online.

September 1, 2019 is the deadline for submissions, so don’t wait!

Interviews should be emailed to: Amy Phariss, Editor in Chief - OutreachNC Magazine AUGUST 2019 | OutreachNC.com 35 editor@outreachnc.com

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OutreachNC.com | AUGUST 2019

All Aboard! by: Crissy Neville

For a travel formula that offers ease, affordability, and a wide range of choices in both amenities and destinations, with an added measure of adventure, train trekking is an enticing mixture. Long popular among Europeans, trains are an increasingly sought-after travel method for U.S. travelers, too. Plus, since a scenic ride on the railways can be a vacation in itself, travel by train can be a welcome change from the usual ways to get to and fro.

There are a number of private operators who offer excursions on private passenger trains in the country, but the semi-state-owned Amtrak is the only one offering passenger service in North Carolina. The carrier lauds 500 destinations in 46 states, the District of Columbia, and three Canadian provinces. All 21 thousand miles of route network are available to North Carolina travelers through connecting railways.

With 31.7 million U.S. passengers served according to Amtrak’s most recent statistical report, train travel is at an all-time high.

In the Sandhills, travelers can choose to board either the northbound Silver Meteor train in Fayetteville which extends from Miami to New York City or the southbound Palmetto which has a run from New York City to Savannah, GA. Southern Pines offers another option with the Silver Star traveling from Miami to New York. In addition to these routes, Amtrak maintains depots in 23 additional North Carolina cities and towns including Durham and Raleigh in the Triangle, Winston-Salem, and Greensboro in the Triad, and other major hubs like Charlotte, Greenville and Rocky Mount.

According to Amtrak spokeswoman Kimberly Woods, ridership in North Carolinian is at nearly 900,000 passengers annually, which includes those boarding and traversing through the state.

“Many of the customers on these trains are leisure travelers,� she said.

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“Additionally, we provide a vital transportation service for a growing number unable to fly or drive, including many senior citizens and persons with disabilities. Amtrak offers large spacious seats with ample legroom and no middle seat.

Amtrak offers one-of-a-kind journeys with the chance to relax, move about freely, work or play.”

Where are these leisure destinations? From southeastern North Carolina, treks to our nation’s Capital, Washington, D.C., Disney World in Orlando, Florida and the Big Apple, New York City are popular excursions. Frequent train traveler Constance Ramey boards the midnight train from Fayetteville multiple times a year to see beloved Broadway musicals and plays on weekend jaunts to the city that never sleeps, while others choose NYC for attractions such as the Statue of Liberty, Empire State Building, Rockefeller Plaza or to shop. Ramey notes ease and comfort as two of the reasons she touts the train.

“Unlike flying, my husband and I can get to the train depot shortly before departure and take our bags on board with us, or check luggage without fees. Seating is relaxed and comfortable and we can move around the train to stretch our legs. For meals, there are many choices in the dining car but we can also take food on if we wish.

I love taking the night train to NYC; I sleep through the night and then get right off a few blocks from Times Square. It’s easy.”

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Riders to New York can also choose transfer and travel to other places like the Windy City, Chicago where an included hop-on, hop-off tour takes tourists to sites such as Millennium Park, the Navy Pier, Magnificent Mile, and other popular landmarks.

From the Chicago Union Station, passengers can ride the famous California Zephyr to Salt Lake City where the journey west is an experience in and of itself. An experienced Amtrak blogger, Elysia McMahan, described her 36-hour trip on the Zephyr as a magical experience.

“The iconic silver, double-decker train glides through the American heartland’s amber waves of grain, small towns, and twisting canyons,” she wrote of landscapes she viewed on her rolling adventure.

From the observation car, passengers enjoy views from vantage points in Illinois, Iowa, and Nebraska in route to Denver, Colorado. The greens and tans of America’s breadbasket morph to the reds and oranges of the western world as the train meanders to its mark. Climbing the Colorado Rockies from the Denver Union Station, the Zephyr snakes its way across the Continental Divide, Rocky Mountain National Park and along 235 miles of scenic railway adjacent to the Colorado River before reaching its final stop in Utah.

This expedition is just one made by connecting from New York to Chicago, Amtrak’s national center, with other itineraries available through Memphis to New Orleans, through Denver to San Francisco, via Grand Rapids to Detroit and Pontiac.

Moreover, it is possible to board a train in North Carolina and experience a getaway to our country’s national parks such as Grand Canyon, Glacier,

Yellowstone, and Yosemite. Traverse the Pacific Coast hallmarks of Napa Valley, Redwood National Park or famed Hollywood Hills. See cityscapes in Boston, Atlanta, or faraway Seattle. Visit the Deep South vistas of New Orleans, Savannah, Charleston, or Miami. Explore the Southwestern sights of San Antonio, Tucson and Oklahoma City. Encounter international landscapes in parts of Canada. The possibilities are endless.

While on board, passengers enjoy many choices for amenities in each car type. All seat-types provide Wi-Fi and electrical outlets to keep guests connected, entertained or working while traveling.

Coach class is the open seating, general-passenger car affording riders ample legroom and reclining chairs. Here guests enjoy leg and footrests, folddown trays and curtains at each window. These seats are best for the budget.

For a quieter environment, business cars are a choice item for guests needing a space to work or unwind without a lot of noise. This choice offers an enhanced level of comfort and perks in a separate car or part of the train.

Sleeping cars with bathrooms and showers accommodating one to two adults are another musthave for long-distance routes, with Superliner cars offering family suites.

Passengers on the sleepers are entitled to a range of hotel-like perks such as fresh linen and towel service, and special access to the lounge and dining cars with meals included in the ticket price.

Food service varies by car. On short-distance trains, dining options are available in a cafe-style car.

Casual foods such as sandwiches, pizza, snacks, and beverages are served here.

Longer-distance trains have dining cars featuring seasonal menus with a variety of entree selections and kids’ selections, too. Beverage choices include cocktails, beer, and wine as well as coffee, tea, or soft drinks.

An additional bonus is budget friendliness.

Train fares stay more stable than those of airlines and are often more cost-effective for shorter distances. Customers can take advantage of various discounts at Amtrak like Share Fares and credit card travel rewards.

The rail operator often gives discounts to children, seniors, students, AAA members, military personnel and other key demographics.

The train ride will be longer than the corresponding flight but for cost-cutting, the train choice often wins out.

All in all, the experience of riding the train is the primary reason many choose a railway vacation.

To enjoy the journey as well as the destination, choice and savings, history and charm, and a slower pace, consider a time-tested travel alternative - try the train.

AUGUST 2019 |

OutreachNC.com 39

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Hidden Hometown Heroes Traveling with a Mission:

Diane Allens’ Adventures into Communities – and Hearts – of Need by: Crissy Neville

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OutreachNC.com | AUGUST 2019

Diane Allen has a heart for missions. And this heart has taken Allen, a Harnett County, North Carolina native all over the world. As a registered nurse, Allen had seen her share of ailments and injuries working in hospitals, intensive care units, and both school and home health in her nearly 30 years on the job.

However, in mission work, she found that true health comes from taking care of both the body and the soul.

Allen did not participate in mission travel until her children were almost grown due to the many demands of working and raising a family. Her journeys began when her oldest daughter Amy was a senior in high school in 1996 and she was an Acteens leader at Coats Baptist Church. Along with two other Acteen leaders, some male chaperones and the group of high school girls, the trip was made to the Baptist Mission Center in the stockyards of Oklahoma City, an area known for poverty and crime. Allen, along with the others took to leading Bible School, assisting with a medical clinic and food pantry ministry there like a desert to rain. They were thirsty to make a difference in the lives of others and to show the love of Christ to those they encountered at the Baptist Mission Center.

The trip to Oklahoma was the first in what has been a 20 year plus run in missions travel both state-side and abroad. Going on mission trips, once and sometimes twice a year during that timeframe, Allen’s only hiatus was during her personal battle with breast cancer ten years ago when she was unable to travel. With the cancer treatments behind her, she jumped back into mission work as soon as she could, with increased zeal and purpose. In her Lillington home, Allen explained to OutreachNC’s Crissy Neville how she and others use missions for holistic ministry to address both the physical and spiritual needs of a hurting world.

Crissy Neville: What leads you to use your personal time and finances to travel doing mission work?

Diane Allen: I feel like it makes a difference and as a Christian, I want to use my time and talents to help others. I do not want to get to the end of my life and feel like I have not made a difference in anybody’s life.

I serve here at home too, through my church and in my community, any time I can. We are so blessed just to be the hands and feet of Christ. Another area of “missions” close to my heart is being actively involved in the lives of my seven grandchildren.

CN: Where has your desire to serve led you?

All around the world?

DA: Many places, yes indeed, but mostly Central America. After the initial Oklahoma City trip, I went on two trips with my husband, Jimmy, my son, Jeff, and the Baptist Young Men from my church to Lake Placid, New York, in 1994. My first international trip, however, was to Belarus in 1996 with ABRO, the American Belarussian Relief Organization and after that, there were eight treks to the Central American countries of Honduras, the Dominican Republic, Guatemala and the San Blas Islands of Panama over the last 12 years. The first trip to Guatemala was unique because my granddaughter Gracie and I went with my youngest daughter Jenni’s church out of Southport and we not only worked in an orphanage home for girls but also in a dump yard ministry.

Yes, people there were actually living inside the grounds of the city dump. You can’t ever forget something like that; it makes you just want to go and do more the next time.

This year my husband Jimmy and I accepted shortterm missions staff positions in Israel at the Jerusalem Prayer Center.

CN: That must be very satisfying to have provided so much help to so many. You are a registered nurse.

Is providing medical care your primary goal on the trips?

DA: You know, the medical help we give gets us, the mission team, in there and lets those we are serving know we care about them. That is how we can connect with them because we are meeting physical needs.

However, when we leave we cannot assume their care or continue it, so the most important thing is to introduce them to Jesus Christ. We always have a dual purpose: health care and evangelism. We do as much as we can on the medical front and then try to connect them with local medical professionals to see that the care is continued after we leave.

CN: You speak of a mission team.

With whom do you travel?

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DA: Most of my trips have been with my church, Coats Baptist Church, organized by the NC Baptist Men. I also have traveled with Northwood Temple Church in Fayetteville, via Mercy International. My friend, Sandra Wheeler, attends Northwood and she has often invited me on their trips. Sandra and I worked together with Harnett County Home Health, and have been friends and prayer partners for 40 years. My other main traveling companions are Jimmy and our oldest granddaughter, Gracie. The mission teams are made up of about 12 to 14 people, CN: What are some of the identified needs your teams have addressed?

DA: Both churches have inroads to the learning of particular community needs around the world, and then the teams go in and come alongside the full-time missionaries already at work in the field. To meet spiritual needs is of foremost importance for those who don’t know the Lord. We hold vacation Bible school for the community children on many trips, spend time in fellowship with the local people, hold worship services, and share the Gospel message with as many as we can.

Many are reached and come to accept the Lord.

The physical needs are many and that is evident by how long the lines are when we arrive and how far the people will walk to come to the clinic.

I remember one man who walked six hours both ways to be seen. We treat things like scabies, parasites, poor nutrition, ear infections, stomach and GI problems, respiratory complaints, common colds, the flu, fevers, sore throats and such. Then there are those with more serious conditions like high blood pressure, heart problems, and even tuberculosis. We provide diagnostic exams and dispense over-the-counter medicine, along with prescription medications ordered by the team doctors, and give what immediate relief we can. Finally, we make the connections for their continued care.

We will provide vision and dental care if we have qualified individuals with us in those fields. Dental and eye exams are given, teeth are cleaned and checked, and help is provided for problems. On the vision side,

after patients are given eye exams we dispense reading glasses. We cannot dispense prescription glasses unless we have an optometrist on the team.

Sunglasses are passed out on many trips such as in Honduras, where the sun exposure causes many to have eye damage.

Then there are needs for shelter. Construction teams do everything from build churches and houses to repair and improve existing structures. This can include painting, building handicap ramps, repairing storm damage, fixing roofs, etc. When we build houses they are simple cinder-block houses but the recipients are so grateful. When complete, we give the family receiving the house a Bible, a key, and a lock.

I remember one new homeowner in Honduras shedding tears as he said, “Mi casa es su casa,” asking us to stay with him in his home if we ever returned to his country. It was simply beautiful.

CN: You are doing a lot of good, Mrs. Allen. Does anything stand out to you from any of your trips?

DA: How the Lord allows us to be a part of His work always stands out to me. Like in Oklahoma, we met a precious little girl named Debra who really touched our hearts. She was about 9 years old and had broken her glasses. Her family could not afford to buy her another pair. My husband and I wanted to help and made arrangements to pay for Debra’s glasses. The mission director agreed to take her to the eye doctor.

A few weeks later, Bill called to tell us that when the optometrist met Debra, the Lord touched his heart for her in the same way He had touched our hearts. The doctor not only didn’t charge for Debra’s glasses but offered to start a free eye clinic in conjunction with the Baptist Mission Center. Bill and his wife had been praying for an open door for an eye clinic and the Lord had made a way for it all happen.

CN: Are all your travels for missions? What about recreation and fun?

DA: I love vacations and I do take them, but if I had to choose between mission trips and personal vacations, I would choose mission trips every time.

AUGUST 2019 |

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The Chocolate Cellar

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In downtown Sanford, at the corner of N. Steele Street and Carthage Street, down a small flight of stairs, is the chocolate shop you’ll want to visit. As a non-native of the area, I stood for a few seconds looking around, trying to locate The Chocolate Cellar, until I smelled the intoxicating combination of scents any woman can appreciate: chocolate and coffee.

I followed my nose, taking the steps two-at-a-time.

Opening the door of The Chocolate Cellar is a bit like stepping back in time, back when streets were lined with specialty shops filled with homemade delicacies made by the hands and in the kitchens of people you knew.

I know. I never actually lived in that era, but The Chocolate Cellar is an ode to just that kind of local, hometown, family-run business that makes a girl feel like she has people, community and a place to turn when she needs a thoughtful gift, a truffle to ease an emotional pang or a glass of wine to take that chocolate next level.

I spent a few hours with Gene Phelps, General Manager, learning about the family’s desire to create artisanal chocolate right here in Lee County. When his sister, Carol, returned from a stint living in France, she brought home with her a new-found interest in chocolate not as an out-of-the-wrapper bar to be scarfed down between meetings but as an experience, a true pleasure of all the senses. The family got on board, and using backgrounds in wine, science and customer service, they set about creating world-class chocolate to be sold, shared and enjoyed in their own community here in North Carolina.

I tasted several truffles while talking with Gene and Nick,

who runs the shop day-to-day. I was particularly fond of the Key Lime Truffle, as were several ONC staffers who emailed me rave reviews. The Salted Caramel and Cabernet are also excellent. The chocolate is rich and satisfying, never cloying or waxy. I took a bag home for my children, of course, and they were thrilled. The Tiramisu Almonds and Dark Chocolate Pomegranates were a hit even with their refined palates.

The Chocolate Cellar offers wine for sale as well, with pairing recommendations. Personalized and pre-made gift baskets are available for sale, and the staff is more than willing to tackle larger orders for business events, parties and more. If that isn’t enough, there is also “Iced” Hot Chocolate for these stifling, muggy summer months.

Like all of the wonderful bakeries and treat shops we’ve featured this year, what makes The Chocolate Cellar special isn’t only the confections but the people who sell them, the personal conversations shared while choosing truffles and the feeling of community when your face, name and favorite cordial are remembered a week later.

As Gene says, “The best part of the job is meeting cool people and hearing their stories. Individual transactions can go on for 30 minutes. I love that.”

The Chocolate Cellar is located at 104 N. Steele Street, Sanford, NC 27330. The telephone number is (919) 353-2439. You can find them online at www. thechocolatecellarshop.com.

Hours are Weds. – Sat. 11 a.m. – 7 p.m. and Sun. from 1 p.m. – 5 p.m.

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Opening the door of The Chocolate Cellar is a bit like stepping back in time, back when streets were lined with specialty shops filled with homemade delicacies made by the hands and in the kitchens of people you knew.

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“The best part of the job is meeting cool people and hearing their stories. Individual transactions can go on for 30 minutes. I love that.�

AUGUST 2019 |

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Carol’s Tips

for Tasting and Enjoying Chocolate 1. Allow yourself time to truly enjoy fine chocolates: The enjoyment of chocolate should be an experience involving all the senses. In the hectic, American lifestyle we are not often permitted time to indulge our sensual side. Reward yourself by taking the time to quiet your mind and silence the distractions of the outside world, so that you can focus on the pleasure that chocolate brings. For me this means putting down my phone, opening a bottle of wine, playing some good music on the stereo, and focusing only on the unique taste, texture and appearance of each truffle.

2. Be adventurous: Uniquely infused truffles allow the taster to experience something outside of an ordinary chocolate-eating experience. I initially thought I did not have a palate for dark chocolate; I perceived it as rich but bitter. However, during my time in France, I learned that the appreciation of high-end chocolate could awaken one to a completely new world of taste and flavor. After learning more about how chocolate was made, I began to mix ingredients creating a whole new combination of tastes. Now my favorite truffle we offer is a dark chocolate with raspberry ganache. Truffles such as our dark bacon caramel bring together sweet and savory and our key lime truffle blends creamy textures on top of a crumbly base.

3. Be Creative: Study how to pair your favorite chocolate with other things you love.... wine, cheese, meat, and even beer! You will be surprised how the taste of your favorite food or drink will change after a single bite of chocolate.

You can experience dimensions of flavor that are new and unique just by varying the order in which you taste each item.

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AUGUST 2019 |

OutreachNC.com 51

Itʼs that time of year again!

WIOZ-550 AM & Sandhills Community College present a series of outdoor concerts performed by the Jazz Band.

2019

Free and open to the public!

June 10 | July 8 | August 12 Starts at 6:30 pm

Food is served at 5:00 pm for $8.00 per plate HELD RAIN OR SHINE! (Moves inside on campus if thereʼs rain)

Stay in Southern Pines

◆ Close to Downtown Shops, Dining & Golf ◆ Sleeps 4 Comfortably ◆ Pets Welcome with Deposit

Book Your Stay Today!

info@aosvc.com | 910.692.0683 | AOSVC.com

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OutreachNC.com | AUGUST 2019

welcoming place for individuals with Alzheimer’s disease, A dementia, brain disorders and mild cognitive impairment and

their family member or friend to gather in fellowship, free of charge.

Programs Located at: 165 Shepherd Trail|Aberdeen, NC

PROGRAM DATES:

SEPTEMBER 18 | NOVEMBER 20

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910.585.6757

QUESTIONS? info@aosfcare.org

AOSFCare.org AUGUST 2019 | OutreachNC.com

AOS & Friends Care is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization

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Living on a Cruise Ship in Retirement

by Madison H. V. Hall

If you’re ready for a new and exciting lifestyle, filled with exotic ports of call, then living on a cruise ship in your retirement might just be for you. Imagine yourself, shipping off to sea on a luxury cruise liner, waving farewell to those on the docks and sipping champagne as you cruise out of the harbor and into open waters.

Ahead of you are days at sea, enjoying the food, the entertainment, the pool and spa. You can see yourself meeting new people or resting on deck taking in the vista and sea air. Soon you anchor at an exciting port and you’re going ashore! You’re seeing new sights, discovering new corners of the world, eating beautiful meals and returning to your cabin, which has been cleaned for you, with fresh towels and bed covers turned down. Later you’ll go dancing, perhaps try your luck at the casino, or take a stroll on deck, gazing up at starry skies. Ah, yes, this is the dream of leisure travel!

Cruise ships keep customers happy with their excellent service and responsive staff. Is something wrong with your room? Do you require some special amenity? On a cruise ship, most of your desires and requests can be met quickly by a cheerful steward. This is a great adventure option before moving, for example, to a retirement facility or before needing skilled nursing services. It's like a grown-up Gap Year with staff at the ready to meet your needs and provide touches of luxury as you see the world from the comfort of your own bed.

AUGUST 2019 |

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I

t sounds so exciting and inviting, and can be, especially when you consider that living on a cruise ship may sometimes be less expensive than a retirement community or even a US-based condo or townhome.

But before you take the plunge and move full time onto a cruise ship, you’ll need to do some careful planning. By asking yourself the following questions, you’ll discover answers which may put cruise ship living closer at hand: What can I financially afford?

If I have pets, who will care for them?

If I have family, how often will I be able to see them?

If I have a house, will I sell it or leave it as my HQ on land?

Will I relocate my house near a common home port of call to access it easily?

What will I do with my household belongings and car?

How will I get my mail?

How will I pay my bills?

How will I get my medications?

How will I see my doctors and dentist?

What will happen if I become seriously ill or die on board?

Will I cruise full or part time?

What type of ship would be best for me?

Where would I enjoy cruising in the world?

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Financials

On average, cruise ship passengers spend just over $213/ day, according to https://cruisemarketwatch.com, while a top tier retirement home can cost $5,000/month, or $712/ day, according to www.aboutassistedliving.org. You can immediately see that the economics appear to support cruising.

However, you must calculate the cost of cruising per day per person (remember these are averages) and remember to add in the cost of your existing home and overhead to maintain it.

This changes the financial picture significantly. If your current home overhead is 50,000/year, that breaks down to $137/day.

Add that to the average cruise price of $213/day and your daily expenses are now $350/day. In another example, if your current home overhead is $100,000/year, that breaks down to $274/day. Add that to equal average cruise price of $487/day.

The economics from these two examples seem to favor the cruising lifestyle. Even if your retirement community requires $4,000/month, that breaks down to $570/day, with cruising while owning a home at $487/day. There are so many variables, that the only way to approach this with so much money at stake and retirement in the balance, in addition to taxes, is to seek the advice of a qualified financial advisor who can assess your portfolio and advise you on how much money you can actually commit to this endeavor and still maintain a margin of financial safety.

Pets, Homes & Other Issues

Let’s work through the questions. If money is not an issue and pets are not a hindrance, then rather than sell everything (absolutely an option), some old salts recommend keeping a home on land, in a port of call. This simplifies a few key issues such as where your belongings reside and where you get your mail. Also, a physical bank is still necessary in this world for many things, including easy access to doctors and dentists.

Importantly, if you are injured or become too ill to cruise, you have a place waiting for you to come home to, with a car in the garage and all your amenities at hand. As an option to help ease the expense of maintaining a home, you might look into renting the home out while you’re away, which will offset the cost and keep the home in working order. Don’t forget to check your health insurance coverage, which may need to be amended to include overseas travel. You may need to buy an entirely separate travel health insurance policy, or your current policy may fit the bill. Either way, be sure to check.

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Choosing Ships

Now that you’ve decided to keep or relocate your home to a port of call, your task is to decide what types of cruise line ships you enjoy. You’ve got a bit of research ahead of you, from small to large to mega ships, to ships who call the Gulf of Mexico home to V-shaped hulls which ply the world’s oceans with confidence. This stage of experimenting with various ships and cruise lines will be illuminating and could take a few years. Not only will you be having fun exploring new ports of call and different service levels, your own expertise on cruise ships and the cruise industry will be growing. You’ll be learning what you love and what you want to avoid in the future.

Of course, don’t feel trapped because you want to relocate your home to a Florida port, and you long for ships headed for Europe who depart from New York City.

If you don’t mind flying to your port of departure, the world is your oyster!

Now imagine you’ve been a cruise line passenger for most of three years. You may long to just stay on a single ship. It’s even possible that this has been what you’ve wanted all along. You’re in a good position now to make further decisions regarding which port of call to make your home if you haven’t already done so.

While there’s no single, straight path to finding your perfect cruise ship lifestyle, by working through these questions, you’ll find yourself further along the path to enjoying your retirement as if you were on a permanent vacation, which really sums up why cruising is so attractive to so many.

Travel is enjoyable as long as you feel physically able to do it. For many retired people, they slow down and stop travelling once it becomes difficult from a mobility standpoint. Cruise ships can extend your capacity to travel, by just letting the ship do all the work. The drudgery of packing and unpacking to explore the world has been eliminated, while the joy of simply experiencing the next port of call is magnified. The next step is for you to create your own memorable adventures on the high seas, where the world is indeed, your oyster.

Resources

Here are some research sources to help you think about the cruising lifestyle; YouTube videos online, with many personal reviews and insights by people currently living the cruise lifestyle.

Book: Berlitz Cruising and Cruise Ships 2019 (Travel Guide with Free eBook) (Berlitz Cruise Guide). This excellent, hefty guide gives reviews of nearly 300 cruise ships. Food, service, facilities and entertainment are rated. Included are charts, Top 10 Cruise Lines, sailing ships and expedition cruises. Color photos and maps. Recommended. For sale on Amazon.com.

Great planning advice www.thebalance.com/how-to-retire-on-a-cruise-ship-4589917 Excellent Cruise Ship Magazine with digital and print versions www.porthole.com

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“ Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn’t do than by the ones you did do.

So throw off the bowlines.

Sail away from the safe harbor.

Catch the trade winds in your sails.

Explore. Drea m. Discover. ”

AUGUST 2019 |

OutreachNC.com 59

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4th annual fundraiser!

The mission of AOSFC is to increase awareness and reduce the stigma that often comes with a dementia-related diagnosis.

For each $25 donation made before August 30, we will purchase a purple mum in honor or memory of your loved one or a local facility.

Your donations support community programs and provide funds for individuals who qualify for our direct care grant program.

ALL DONATIONS ARE TAX-DEDUCTIBLE.

Visit www.mumsformemory.org or Email info@aosfcare.org for donation/ sponsorship forms and more information!

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GREY MATTER See Grey Matter Puzzle Answers on Page 65 Puzzle 20 (Medium, difficulty rating 0.50)

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ACCOMMODATIONS AIRPORT ALL-INCLUSIVE ARRIVAL BOARDING CALENDAR CLOTHING COCKTAIL

DEPARTURE DESTINATION DIRECTIONS ESSENTIALS GRATUITY HOTEL INTERNATIONAL ITINERARY

MEALS PACKING PASSENGER PEAK RELAX RESERVATION ROAD TRIP ROOM

SCHEDULE SEASON SEAT SHIP SIGHTSEEING SUITCASE SUITE TRAIN

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26. Warmers 30. Hindu queen 31. Border river near Bosnia and Herzegovina 32. Analyzed 33. Caps 34. Pastime 35. Contrary belief 38. Walking devices 39. Accustom to something unpleasant 40. Singing methods 44. Shouts of farewell 45. Hand (Spanish) 46. Small constellation 47. Cardinals are this 48. Gives a hoot 49. Chatter incessantly 50. Thallium 51. Making very hot 55. Hours (Spanish) 57. Remove completely 58. Eyeglasses 59. Rubbed clean

ACROSS 1. One-time money in Spain 8. “Got _ __ of one” 13. Set a framework for 14. Cover with drops of

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water 15. One who does something for a living 19. Germanium 20. An enclosure for confining livestock

OutreachNC.com | AUGUST 2019

21. Locks a door 22. Buddy 23. Supplement with difficulty 24. Not moving 25. Islamic unit of weight

The care you

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www.AOSNC.com AUGUST 2019 |

OutreachNC.com 63

life

OVER MY SHOULDER

On turning 80 …

by Ann Robson

This month my body calendar rolls over to 80!!! How on earth did I get here? I guess it happened one step at a time, one day at a time and suddenly a year at a time for a total of 29,200 days. And just what did I do to get all those days?

I’ve been giving a lot of thought to what went on since August 9, 1939. One heck of a bunch of things. I remember D-Day, the Korean conflict, the Vietnam War, JFK’s assassination then Martin Luther King then RFK. I watched as we put a man on the moon, saw Nixon resign, to mention a few notable worldwide events.

I remember D-Day because I was almost 5 and I knew my favorite uncle would be coming home soon. Canada joined British forces in 1939 and I have vague memories of ration tokens, blackout nights as we lived in Canada’s capital city, considered a possible target. On D-Day I was playing hopscotch with my friend, Marlene, when neighbors started coming out of their homes saying “Have you heard” and since everyone was smiling, I knew we were getting good news for a change.

I’ve never considered what ripe old age I might reach but as far as I know there’s no “use by” date printed anyplace on or in me. But that doesn’t mean some parts are

beginning to shake and squeak and shift. No one ever really tells you what it’s like to age. Perhaps my age group is living longer and those immediately ahead of us have always been guarded about personal things so we have no firsthand knowledge.

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I lived out of town busy being a mother and good corporate wife, thus saw my parents, aunts and uncles for brief visits. Either they didn’t tell us, or we didn’t notice that getting out of bed in the morning could hurt as you unbent your cozy pose from under the covers.

I didn’t know that it takes much longer to get up, get moving and face a new day. Then when you want to leave your home for various appointments --- medical ones start to outnumber social ones --- getting showered and dressed and maybe putting on makeup and brushing your hair takes more than the 10 minutes or so when you were dashing out in your teens.

It was a surprise to discover just how much longer routine things take. I used to be able to get dinner ready for visiting business men with a few hours’ notice.

Now it takes a week or so to cook, prepare a nice table, take out the ‘good’ dishes, and do all the little things that help make an evening special.

The world has changed so much in all aspects of life that I’m constantly playing catch-up.

I understand that we live in a tech world now. I’m grateful for much of it but have no serious intentions of letting it take over. If I’ve made it to 80 without

24-hour technology, then I figure I don’t need my phone or Alexa to wake me up, and prepare my day for me. I’ve never been a morning person but will make exceptions.

Life has been good to me and I am grateful. I have reasonably good health, a loving husband and daughter, and 29,200 days of memories, many of which I can recall but others have disappeared from my memory bank.

One of the things I like to do is travel. We started out as campers in a tent, then on road trips which we planned using reliable maps, then in an RV, a custom, van, a planned trip with a tour company and now prefer cruising. I could not camp in a tent anymore but am glad we had all these experiences. I’ve been to all 50 states, all 10 Canadian provinces and most of Europe, Hong Kong, Australia and New Zealand. Many trips meant tagging along on my husband’s business trips where he went to work and I explored on my own.

When we first retired and moved to Moore County I became involved with the AARP state volunteers. We spent a lot of time planning and doing education programs for caregivers and those with chronic diseases. In one session we discussed how to define “old”. We arrived at ‘new old’ as being 50 to 65, ‘medium old’ as 66 to 80 and ‘old old’ as 80 plus. The reason of this delineation was that we realized the needs of those in their 50s and 60s were quite different from those 80 and older.

I clearly remember my excitement at discovering an ATM machine in Oxford, England. Before then, changing money in a foreign bank usually meant showing your passport, waiting while a bank clerk disappeared for a few minutes Now I say I made it to ‘old old’. However, when a medical and then exchanging travelers’ checks for whatever currency person starts to explain why I may feel fatigue or some such I needed. The ATM machine spit out pound notes. When condition, I usually inform her/him that they may call my I got0.45) back home, wasdifficulty a minimal charge for each 13 (Medium, difficulty rating Puzzlethere 14 (Medium, rating 0.49) Puzzle 15 (Medium, difficulty ra body old but not me! Some have chosen the Puzzle gentle phrase which 6 1 9 7 5 8 3transaction 4 2 1 8 I consider 2 3 6 well 5 7 worth 9 4 it. I’ve discovered 8 5 7 4 6 2 9 “It’s a matter of birthdays”. That sounds so much better. it’s the that make 5 8 3 4 6 2 1that 7 often 9 9 small 3 5 unexpected 8 7 4 2 6things 1 9 1 a6 trip, 3 8 5 2 Society seems to have a preconceived notion about ‘old’. It 7 4 2 3 9 1 6and 5 life, 8 worthwhile.

7 6 4 9 2 1 3 5 8 3 4 2 9 7 1 6 doesn’t apply to all of us. I recognize that 80 is a landmark 9 7 4 5 8 3 2 6 1 4 1 9 2 5 7 8 3 6 5 7 9 2 3 8 4 year but I’m not giving in just yet. Maybe I’ll need a nap A good friend, Suzanne Black, former head of the county’s 3 5 1 6 2 9 7 8 4 3 5 8 6 1 9 4 2 7 4 6 3 1 5 9 8 now and then so I can get through a busy day. Maybe I’ll Dept. of Aging has coined a wonderful motto: It’s not 8 2 6 1 4 7 5 9 3 2 7 6 4 8 3 5 1 9 1 2 8 7 4 6 5 need some medication to keep all systems operating. That’s how old you are, but how you are old. Right on! Aging is 1 9 8 2 7 5 4 3 6 6 9 3 5 4 8 1 7 2 7 8 4 5 2 3 1 OK. I intend to keep writing until I can’t think or can’t type. something for which to be grateful. Watch out world! This 4 3 5 8 1 6 9 2 7 5 4 7 1 9 2 6 8 3 6 9 5 8 1 7 3 During my 29,200 days I’ve gathered enough stories to keep gray-haired 80-year-old is ready for what’s next.

2 6 7 9 3 4 8 1 5 8 2 1 7 3 6 9 4 5 2 3 1 6 9 4 7 me going for a while.

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Ann Robson is the author of “Over My 7 8 2 4 5 3 9 1 6 5 3 6 2 8 Shoulder: Tales of Life and Death and 3 9 6 2 1 7 5 4 8 4 reached 8 9 5 1 Everything In Between.” She can be at . 2 9 8 4 7 2 overmyshoulder@charter.net 3 7 8 6 9 1 5 4 5

Puzzle 19 (Medium, difficulty rating 0.55)

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I don’t see 80 as being old enough to put difficulty rating 0.50) Puzzle 16 (Medium, 8 4 3 9 1 7 6 2 out to pasture. Many of us are still5 actively 9 7 3 2 5 6 1 8 4 participating in volunteering, the arts, 1 2 6 7 life.

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Generations

OutreachNC asked adults and children our August question.

Share your answer on our Facebook page.

What is your favorite summer memory?

Berry picking with my mom. My brother ate the green strawberries every year and got sick, every year. I remember the dust and the car ride home, no seatbelts back then, just rolling around eating berries and anxious to get home. – Amy, 43 Disney World. We take the train overnight and get there in the morning. My parents are tired. Not me. – Jason, 12 Fishing on our lake in the Adirondacks. – Madison, 60 The ice cream truck. My dad gave us all his quarters to save throughout the year, and we’d keep them for the ice cream man. – John, 63 Playing with my grandma’s dog. He has long ears that touch the ground. He’s a good friend. – Tessa, 8 Rain storms. We had a tin roof, and the sound of the rain hitting that roof was what I heard during nap time when I was a kid. Every time a big summer storm comes now, I get tired. – Janice, 76 Riding my bike and not having to go home to do my homework. – Bryce, 11 Making ice cream. My mom has the best recipe for vanilla. The whole family uses it. We put fresh strawberries over the top, and the kids get to lick the beater. I remember as a kid doing that, licking the beater. Those were good times. – Ray, 47 We move in the summer. My dad’s military, so when I think of the summers, I think of car trips and being with my parents. It’s hard at the time, but it’s fun actually to do it together. – Meg, 14

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I played baseball all summer when I was a kid. We had a few neighborhood boys who played together. It wasn’t fancy like it is today. No lights or mowed fields or concession stands. We played in the fields just outside town. We played until it got dark. Then we went home for dinner. I miss it now. – Joe, 83 Fishing with my grandpa. It’s the only time we have time. The rest of the time, there’s school and soccer practice and taekwondo. But in the summer, we can spend all day. My mom packs us sandwiches and lets me eat bologna because Grandpa likes it. – Jamie, 10 Fourth of July up in Rhode Island. It was my grandmother’s house, and we’d sit on the seawall and eat watermelon. It was so sunny and warm. That was a great place to be a kid. – Michael, 55 When my mom bakes fresh blueberry pie. Or blackberry. Or cherry. Just pie, I guess. – Natalie, 16 Capture the Flag with my cousins. We all got together on the farm in Oklahoma. Our parents would sit after dinner and talk and drink tea, and we’d play Capture the Flag until they told us to go to bed. – James, 63 Bonfires and s’mores. – Becca, 17 Taking the kids out on our ski boat on at Crab Orchard Lake. We ate KFC chicken for dinner. Family memories are the best memories. – Bobbie, 71

Adult Day Health and Day Care Center

Everyday Enrichment for Older Adults “My vision for The Retreat is to provide families with a viable alternative to in-home care or institutionalization.

We offer food, fitness, and fun with the ultimate goal of aging in place at home.”

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Fill your day with companionship, activities, and health support.

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Hours of Operation: 7:45 am - 5:15 pm Monday through Friday

165 Shepherd Trail|Aberdeen OutreachNC.com 67 910.722.1035 | www.SandhillsAdultDay.com AUGUST 2019 |

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OutreachNC.com | AUGUST 2019