September 2010

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SEPTEMBER 2010

Prime

Celebrating Midlife and Beyond

Montgomery

Features 14 The Age of Connectivity Blog. Twitter. Google. Who knew we’d being doing this at 50+?

By Lenore Vickrey

19 spirit of the wood Carol Jean Boyd uses wood to craft faces from the heart.

By Drew Hoover

23 50 Caregiver tips Save money, time, and worry by following these helpful suggestions.

By Marion Somers

www.primemontgomery.com | September 2010

3

Entertainment

09 Around montgomery All aboard...you’re in the home stretch!

By Jake Roberts 26 Off the beaten path Preparing for the season’s first hunt in your (dove) field of dreams.

By Niko Corley 34 prime diversions Catch a movie in the comfort of home. DVD reviews of Date Night and The Road.

By Mark Glass

Financial 26

Lifestyles

28 Moneywise Making the most of Social Security, Part III.

By Alan Wallace

10 elder justice These elected seniors make legislators aware of age-related concerns.

By John BItter 12 a gracious plenty West Indies Salad and Pickled Shrimp – who could ask for anything more?

By Patsy Smith 17 Discovering your past Military records provide valuable clues about your ancestors.

By Nancy Dupree 22 in every life Keeping a record of medical test results and prescriptions results in better health decisions.

By Arlene Morris

Medical 29 marci’s medicare answers Q&A on prostate cancer screenings, ambulance fees, and drug discounts.

12 17

Health/Nutrition

On the Cover

11 Moving free with Mirabai Personal training sessions shouldn’t feel like Basic Training.

By Mirabai Holland 24 a Question of health The link between sugar and diabetes?

By Karen Collins

“Two Moons” photo by Drew Hoover. Story on page 19.

O RT H O P E D I C

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My Hospital

HOSPITAL

knows exactly how I move.

Today’s seniors are on the move. And Jackson Hospital helps them stay that way with a complete staff of orthopedic surgeons, physical therapists, nurses and our nationally recognized JointCamp® program. Our patients receive specialized orthopedic services with the latest technology for hip replacements, joint therapy and other orthopedic surgeries. The Jackson Hospital orthopedic team is experienced, caring and compassionate, creating a more positive patient experience. Get the orthopedic care that’s keeps you on the move call Jackson hospital at 334.293.8020.

www.jackson.org

Prime

Celebrating Midlife and Beyond

Montgomery

September 2010 Volume I, Issue 6 PUBLISHER Bob Corley primemontgomery@gmail.com EDITOR Sandra Polizos primeeditor@gmail.com ART DIRECTOR Callie Corley primemagdesign@gmail.com WRITERS Drew Hoover Lenore Vickrey CONTRIBUTORS John Bitter, Tina Calligas, Nancy Dupree, Karen Collins, Niko Corley, Mark Glass, Arlene Morris, Jake Roberts, Patsy Smith, Marion Somers, Alan Wallace PHOTOGRAPHERS Bob Corley, Drew Hoover, Niko Corley Prime Montgomery 7956 Vaughn Road, #144 Montgomery, AL 36116 334-202-0114 www.primemontgomery.com ISSN 2152-9035 Prime Montgomery is a publication of The Polizos/ Corley Group, LLC. Original content is copyright 2010

by The Polizos/Corley Group, LLC., all rights reserved, with replication of any portion prohibited without written permission. Opinions expressed are those of contributing writer(s) and not necessarily those of The Polizos/Corley Group, LLC. Prime Montgomery is published monthly except for the combined issue of December/January. Information in articles, departments, columns, and other content areas, as well as advertisements, does not constitute an endorsement or recommendation by Prime Montgomery magazine. Items relating to health, finances, and legal issues are not offered as substitutes for the advice and consultation of health, financial, and legal professionals. Consult properly degreed and licensed professionals when dealing with financial, medical, emotional, or legal matters.

We accept no liability for errors or omissions, and are not responsible for advertiser claims.

Editor’s Note My first adult job came in 1972, when I went to work for a small television production facility. The office had electric typewriters (okay, maybe just a few) and a desktop copier that made reproductions one S-L-O-W page at a time. I remember the satisfaction of using equipment I considered modern. The 1970s don’t seem like such a long time ago, but by today’s standards I could just as easily have been Wilma, living in Bedrock.

There are times when I feel like Mrs. Flintstone. Not because jump drives, MP3 players, and FTP sites are unfamiliar terms, but because — like many of you — I remember when none of these digital devices existed in the realm of regular, everyday people.

Without a doubt, the Internet impacts my life. As someone whose trade revolves around communicating information, I have countless memories of trudging to the library to complete research on a news story or project to which I’d been assigned. No more. That work is now done at my desk, or at my home, or even at the beach -- and I’ve traded hours of research time and mega-pounds of books for paperless, digital files and no overdue fees. Regardless of how old I become, that single fact never ceases to amaze me.

Despite the benefits of connectivity, there’s also a trade-off. Each innovative contraption and every new program upgrade takes hours to learn and master.

And, the Internet, e-mail, mobile phones, computers, iPods,You-Tube, digital cameras, and such produce various forms of daily stress that, no doubt, affects our longterm health.

Still, I never find myself longing for those “good-old” pre-digital days.

Whether it’s because connectivity makes life easier or because it makes us more efficient on the job, nearly half (40%) of adults over 50 consider themselves “very comfortable” using the Internet, according to a recent AARP study.

River Region residents are joining those ranks, as you’ll learn when reading this month’s feature, The Age of Connectivity, by Lenore Vickrey (page 14). Despite the fact that we’re past 50, many of us are patient, capable, and interested in learning how to link ourselves to this new-fangled digital world.

Marion Somer’s 50 Caregiver Tips on page 23 is an easy read and full of thoughtful suggestions for anyone responsible for taking care of a parent or older friend. Be sure to read these tips that might ultimately save you time, money and a lot of angst. (Look online at www.primemontgomery.com for even more caregiver tips!)

And don’t miss our cover feature, Spirit of the Wood, a profile of area wood sculptor Carol Jean Boyd (page 19). Writer/photographer Drew Hoover visited Boyd’s Old Alabama Town workshop over the summer and provides an intriguing glimpse into the life of an artist inspired by wood and the human face.

It’s the end of a season. Enjoy your Prime time with Labor Day BBQ’s, beach trips, and football as we (eagerly) transition into fall.

Sandra Polizos Editor

Be sure to see Prime publisher Bob Corley, and columnists Patsy Smith and Arlene Morris on WSFA’s “AL LIVE” program, Sept. 7 at 11a.m.!

www.facebook.com/primemontgomery

News you can use Don’t Flush Old Medications It is not uncommon to have expired or no longer used medications and prescriptions in your medicine cabinet.

The FDA warns that medications should not be flushed down the toilet. The best way to dispose of them is in the household trash. The medication should be removed from its original containers and mixed with another “undesirable substance” such as used coffee grinds that will make it less appealing to children, pets or people who might intentionally go through your garbage.

You should also seal them in a closed bag or container to ensure that they do not leak or fall out of the garbage bag.

Montgomery Hearing Loss Support Group The public is invited to attend the first meeting of the newly-formed Montgom-

ery Hearing Loss Support Group. The meeting will be held Thursday, September 9, at 4 p.m. in the Wesley Building of the First Methodist Church, with the goal of bringing together adults who would like to know more about hearing losses, its causes and its possible corrections. Professionals in the field will make brief presentations, with the main focus of the meeting being interaction between those who suffer hearing loss and those who have received help and enjoy better hearing. The group will meet on the second Thursday of each month at the same location. For information, contact HearingInfo@earthlink. net, or P. W. Mills at 334-262-2365.

Evidence Suggests that Coffee Protects Against Cancer Data on the effects of coffee on cancer risk have been mixed. However, results of a recent study add to the existing evidence that drinking coffee protects against cancer, this time against head and neck cancer.

Using information from a pooledanalysis of nine studies collected by the International Head and Neck Cancer Epidemiology (INHANCE) consortium, participants who drank an estimated four or more cups of coffee a day (compared with those who were nondrinkers) had a 39% decreased risk of oral cavity and pharynx cancers combined. Data on decaffeinated coffee was too sparse for detailed analysis. (Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention) Memory Links to 40 Winks When it comes to executing items on tomorrow’s to-do list, it’s best to think it over, then “sleep on Z Z Z Z z z it,” say psychologists at Washington University in St. Louis. People who sleep after processing and storing a memory carry out their intentions much better than people who try to execute their plan before getting to sleep. The researchers have shown that sleep enhances our ability to remember to do something in the future, a skill known as prospective memory. Moreover, researchers

Transitional Care A short-term stay providing patient and family a smooth transition from hospital to home.

Transitional Care is a Crowne Health Care specialty. It encompasses a variety of treatments including, but not limited to, physical, occupational, and speech therapy, wound care and pain management.

Call for more information.

Crowne Health Care and Rehab 1837 Upper Wetumpka Road Montgomery, AL 36107 334-264-8416 Contact Tracy Pattillo or Ann Adams www.crownemanagement.com

studying the relationship between memory and sleep say that our ability to carry out our intentions is not so much a function of how firmly that intention has been embedded in our memories. Rather, the trigger that helps carry out our intentions is usually a place, situation or circumstance — some context encountered the next day – that sparks the recall of an intended action. Prospective memory includes such things as remembering to take a medication, buying a Mother’s Day card or bringing home the ice cream for a birthday party.

Let’s Hear it for the B’s A recent study of almost 30 different types of vegetables lists broccoli, beets, and red bell peppers at the top of the list.

Tests measuring total antioxidant content of the veggies revealed that they were particularly high in phenols -- a category of disease-fighting plant compounds that do everything from bolstering artery function to inhibiting the kind of cell damage that might lead to cancer or Alzheimer's. Broccoli and bell peppers are also a top source of antioxidant vitamin C. And beets are full of blood-pressure-friendly potassium. (RealAge. com) Depression Poses Dementia Risk A new study shows that having depression may nearly double the risk of developing dementia later in life. At the start of the study, participants were free of dementia and were tested for depressive symptoms. A total of 13% were classified as having depression when the study began. The participants were followed for up to 17 years. At the end of the study, depression was associated with a 70% increased risk for dementia.

The results were the same regardless of a person’s age, sex, education and whether they had the APOE gene that increases a person’s risk of Alzheimer’s disease. Researchers stated the inflammation of brain tissue that occurs when a person is depressed might contribute to dementia. Certain proteins found in the brain that increase with depression may also increase the risk. In addition, several lifestyle factors related to longterm depression, such as diet and the amount of exercise and social time a person engages in, could also affect whether they develop dementia. (Neurology®) Tai Chi and Qigong Show Health Benefits An across-the-board review of the health effects of Qigong and Tai Chi finds these practices offer many physical and mental health advantages with benefits for the heart, immune system and overall quality of life. The review, which appeared in the American Journal of Health Promotion, included 77 randomized controlled trials published in peer-reviewed journals between 1993 and 2007. The authors say that the review provides strong evidence for bone health, cardio-respiratory fitness, physical function, balance, quality of life, fall prevention and psychological benefits.

8

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around montgomery

[Go East, Young Man.[[ Then Go West. \

By Jake Roberts of Alabama. As you can see, the building was erected in 1898, he Western Railway of Alabama developed from a plan but in a masterful stroke of historical preservation and modto build a railroad line going East. Geographic irony aside, the plan, as envisioned in 1832, was to build a rail ern adaptation, it now holds offices more suitable to loading line from Montgomery to the Chattahoochee River. Two years bases than loading freight. The transformation was a real team later the plan was modified to move the eastern end of the effort and a home run for the city.

In an on-going salute to the still-viable rail system that line further east, across the river to West Point, Georgia. Eight traverses our city, passing trains, with their noisy horns raising years later, after a host of financial issues, rails stretched from the Capital City eastward, but only a dozen miles. Not a good a ruckus, come within sight of this structure, and their passage sign for those waiting on completion of the rails to carry has been incorporated into the family-friendly surroundings of goods and passengers. the building’s new incarnation.

I’ll bet you a doughnut to a biscuit you know exactly where Eleven years later, overcoming even more financial roadthis is. If you do, take a photo of yourself near the sign and blocks, the connection with West Point was completed. Thus, the re-organized Montgomery and West Point Railroad was e-mail it to primemontgomery@gmail.com.Your photo could be in a future issue of Prime Montgomery. finished. But not for long. Columbus, Georgia was connected (Special thanks to Carole King at Old Alabama Town for suggestto the line in 1856.

Having linked Montgomery with its Eastern neighbors, sights ing this location.) were set on moving westward and a new entity emerged; the Western Rail Road Company of Alabama. By 1870, a rail line to Selma was established.

This high-relief marker in the photograph graces the corner of the building that once held offices12:52 for the Railway MCA_Ad_7.10_Prime_Layout 1 7/23/10 PM Western Page 1

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Elder law

Silver Haired Legislature

By John Bitter, Representative, District 74, ASHL

T

he Alabama Silver Haired Legislature (ASHL) is patterned after the State Legislature, with members representing each of the 105 state legislative districts. Formed in 1991, the ASHL is a non-partisan, non-profit model legislature of citizen volunteers 60 years of age and older who are elected by their peers to represent the interests of older Alabamians.

Voters in their respective districts must also be 60 or older. Elections are conducted the first Tuesday in May of odd-numbered years at various senior centers and nutrition sites serving these districts.

Comprised of eight seniors from Autauga, Elmore and Montgomery’s legislative districts, representatives from Area 9 - the River Region - met for a pre-session strategy meeting July 29 at Eastdale Estates Retirement Community in Montgomery. Their objective was to find the means by which the needs of the ever-growing senior population might be best served. Representatives in the ASHL endeavor to work in concert with their legislative counterparts to insure that constituent needs are met, or at least addressed.

William L. Richards, representing District 77, is a retired colonel and decorated Vietnam veteran who served more than 26 years in the Air Force, most of

Curtis Jackson represents ASHL District 73.

River Region Representatives of the Silver Haired Legislature, elected by their peers, meet in pre-session conference to discuss issues of interest to area seniors. which was at the Pentagon. A resolution with votes taken on the final day. Among the resolutions being considered are the pre-filed by Richards concerns elder following: abuse. n eliminate state sales tax on food “Thousands of Alabama’s senior citizens are the victims of various forms and non-prescription medicines for those 62 and older of elder abuse.,” says Richards. “These n allow senior citizens to participate abuses include physical, psychological, in an early voting program and sexual abuse, as well as financial n expand training for health care exploitation, neglect, isolation, and abanproviders of Alzheimer’s and dementia donment.” patients Co-sponsoring the resolution with n extend the timing of traffic signals Richards is District 74 Representative at crosswalks to accommodate older Dr. John Bitter. pedestrians Area 9, encompassing the River n require Medicare and Medicaid Region, is comprised of the following departments to cover hearing tests and districts and their Representatives.

District 31 - Diane Smith aids for persons over 65 District 73 - Curtis Jackson n put all aging and Medicaid programs District 74 - Dr. John Bitter covering seniors under the Dept. of District 75 - Dr. Faye Baggiano Senior Services n prohibit texting while driving any District 76 - Honorable Harvey vehicle in Alabama Monroe The Silver-Haired Legislature works District 77 - William Richards District 78 - Warner Floyd, Speaker of in cooperation with the Alabama Aging Network, the Alabama Department of the House Senior Services, and the Central AlaDistrict 88 - Melvin Cooper bama Aging Consortium.

The Silver Haired Legislative session The outcome of the session will will be held September 20-23 at the be reported in subsequent issues of Alabama State House. General Sessions and committee meetings will take place, Prime Montgomery.

Moving free ® with mirabai

Anti Drill Sergeant Personal Training

A

friend was describing her personal training sessions to me the other day, and she said, “There’s a fine line between coaching and abuse.”

Sadly, I was not shocked to hear that statement. Lots of trainers think clients need a drill sergeant, to whip them into shape, and push them to do the things they’re just too lazy to do. Small wonder those trainers experience a large client turnover.

In my opinion, good training technique can be described in one word; NURTURE! The technique that works out the best is one where there is a partnership between trainer and client. The trainer needs to meet you where you are now, and guide you to where you want to be, cheering you on, not tearing you down. It’s the “green thumb technique.” Give the client what she/he needs to thrive.

The whole idea is to find someone who you like, and who likes you, to be your teacher and motivator.Your trainer should teach you to exercise safely and effectively when you’re alone and motivate you to love exercise by making it fun. And if you love exercise, you can get and stay fit for a lifetime.

Certification by a national certifying organization and experience are also key.

Make sure your trainer is certified and has several years of experience.

Meet the person, and make sure you click. If you’re not sure, keep looking.

Don’t be shy about asking to see her/ his personal training certification. Ask for client references, too (and call them).

Mirabai Holland Here are some of the top certifying bodies in the USA: n American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) n National Strength & Conditioning Association (NSCA) n National Academy of Sports Medicine (NASM) n American Council on Exercise (ACE) n Aerobics & Fitness Association of America (AFAA) Finding the right trainer can be a daunting task but when it’s right, it’s music. By the way, this training partnership is a two way street. No trainer wants to be treated like a servant or even an employee. Treat your trainer as you’d like to be treated and you may make a lifelong friend.

Mirabai Holland, M.F.A., is a public health activist who specializes in preventive and rehabilitative exercise for people. Her Moving Free® approach to exercise is designed to provide a movement experience so pleasant it doesn’t feel like work. www.easyexercisevideos. com. You can contact Mirabai at: askmirabai@movingfree.com.

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See our Out & About section, page 30, for photos of your friends and neighbors! www.primemontgomery.com | September 2010

11

a gracious plenty

Good Friends Make Good Food Photos By Margaret Ann McGregor

I

t had been too long again since we had seen each other. We trickled in from homes in Mississippi, Tennessee, Georgia, and Alabama. Sorority girls from Auburn in the 70s. We had once gone for a very long stretch without keeping in close touch, mostly because we were too busy having babies and raising them.

But a few years ago Claire reconnectPatsy Smith ed us, and we’ve been gathering at the beach ever since. Now a year seems like forever between visits.

Some of our children have graduated college, a few have married, a couple of them have had babies, one husband has retired. We talk about this stuff when we gather.

We rehash the wedding during a tornado in Mississippi, and we laugh as we remember our friend’s cousin asking every male from nine to 90 to dance. We remember our

West Indies Salad I used to love this at the Sahara Restaurant. It was the point of reference for how mine should taste.

Gently toss together in a glass bowl the following ingredients: 8 oz. fresh lump crabmeat (Publix sells this by the small tub.)

12

September 2010 | www.primemontgomery.com

Better :-)

college days. We recall the streakers at Haley Center and the drill field in the 70s. We giggle about boyfriends and breakups and how we met our husbands. We listen to our music.

We rattle around in the kitchen together. We stay in our pajamas. We enjoy Gladys’ delicious homemade bread, vegetables from Mary Jane’s garden, fruits from roadside stands.

We buy beautiful shrimp, gorgeous crab.

I’ll recreate these dishes to enjoy while I watch my team play this Fall, and I’ll consider that four years at Auburn gave me more than an education. It gave me good friends.

Here’s to good friends, life’s treasures.

Patsy Smith, a Montgomery native, is the author of two cookbooks: A Cookbook for My Southern Daughter and A Southern Daughter Entertains. These books may be purchased at Capitol Book and News, Rosemont Gardens, Southern Homes and Gardens, Jo’s Hallmark, Richardson’s Pharmacy, and other fine book and gift stores, or through her website at southerndaughtercookbooks.com

1/2 medium white onion, chopped fine 1/4 c. cider vinegar 1/4 c. salad oil 1/4 c. ice water Generously season with pepper, to taste.

Cover with plastic wrap and let it chill until you are ready to serve.

Pickled Shrimp This recipe was given to me when I was suitemate at her home in

the houseguest of a

Florida during my college years.

Boil 2 lbs. of large shrimp. Pee l and devein shrimp.

Chill.

Mix together marinade in a 2窶田up or larger glass measuring cup: 2/3 c. white vinegar 1/3 c. vegetable oil 3 oz. bottle of capers, including liquid 2 bay leaves 2 T. Tabasco, or other hot sau ce 2 T. Worcestershire sauce 2 1/2 t. celery seed

Thinly slice 1 large white onion, and separate slices into rings. Toss onion rings and shri mp together in a large glass bowl.

Pour marinade over shrimp and onio n. Cover dish with plastic wrap and chill. This dish is best if shrimp are allowed to marinade overnight to abso rb more flavor.

Drain liquid before serving.

Serve with toothpick spears as an app etizer for game watching parties, or in a stemmed cha mpagne/sherbet glass or on leaf lettuce as a first cou rse salad.

Note: My crimson friends know that I pull for their team, too, until they play mine.

Good luck to all.

Feature

The

@ge of

connectivity W

hen Eleanor Lucas wants you to see the latest photos of her granddaughter, she doesn’t necessarily look inside her purse or pull out her wallet. She’ll log on to her Facebook page. Or she’ll check her Twitter feed.

Bill Elder didn’t even know how to turn on a computer until 1995, but he now has his own website, blog, and sells his books via a few keyboard clicks on PayPal. Montgomery businesswoman Eleanor Davis runs her consignment shop completely on her computer, using e-mail to alert her customers and consignors to sales and important dates. If she needs some information about a particular designer fashion, she “googles” it.

Facebook. Twitter. PayPal. Google. Sound like a foreign language to you? Not for an increasing number of the more than 17.5 million older adults estimated to be using the Internet for e-mail, sharing photos, social networking and reading the news.

In the last five years, the number of Americans 65 and older using the Internet increased by more than 55 percent, according to The Nielsen Company. While still only less than 10 percent of those actively using the Internet, the numbers are steadily increasing and surveys show that seniors are spending more time on the web.

14

September 2010

By Lenore Vickrey

The biggest increase in Internet use since 2005 is in the 70 to 75-year-old age group, with 45 percent currently online, says the Pew Internet and American Life Project. That’s up from 26 percent five years ago.

Davis, who’s 73, is one of that age group who uses her computer daily, either for business or personal use or both. “I do everything on the computer,” says the well-known Montgomery Little Theatre actress and former Ms. Senior Alabama. “I pay my sales tax on the computer, I do all my personal banking online. I’m as paperless as you can be. I tell all my older friends it’s safe and not to worry about it. The advantage is you don’t have a lot of (paper) mail.”

Davis owns and operates Repeat Performance, a large consignment store on Mulberry Street in Montgomery. She uses e-mail to communicate with her 18,000 consignors and 6,000 customers, and maintains all her clothing items in a database on her server and several networked computers.

But her use of the Internet isn’t all for business.

About a year ago, at the encouragement of her children, she got a Facebook page. “I thought it was for 14-year-old girls,” she said. But she soon found other friends who were on the hugely popular social networking site that claims more than 500

Small business owner Eleanor Davis runs her clothing store using an extensive data base of buyers and sellers.

million users worldwide.

On her recent birthday, she received 57 well wishes and compliments on her page. It was like a birthday party, she said, “and you didn’t have to clean up afterwards.”

She has 250 Facebook “friends,” but if you irritate her with useless status updates about what you ate for breakfast, she’s quick to “hide” you. “That’s only news if you’re 100 years old and anorexic,” she said.

Bill Elder, 68, a former college basketball coach and athletic director, had little or no experience with computers until several years ago. “I didn’t know how to operate a computer until 1995,” he said. But he grew tired of being intimidated by the devices and decided to learn how to use them, taking a typing class and using sticky notes to remind himself how to do basic tasks. Now, however, he’s got 525 friends on Facebook, communicates on Twitter (http://twitter.com/saveournation), his own web site (www.bill-elder.com) and blog.

“It’s been a lot of fun,” said Elder, who, like Davis, joined Facebook to keep up with his children and grandchildren. “I got in touch with a lot of old friends,” he said, especially those from high school in Bucyrus, Ohio, the setting for his second book on growing up in the 1950s. When he posted on Facebook that he’d have a booksigning in his old hometown, he was surprised at the large crowd who turned out to see him.

“It was surreal,” he said. He’s also sold some 400 copies via PayPal, an online payment web site that was completely foreign A book signing in Bill Elder’s Ohio hometown, which he promoted online, to him a few years ago. “I keep shocking my son-in-law, who attracted several hundred people. works for Microsoft. They’re all stunned I can pull this off,” he Fear of technology and the cost can be the biggest obstacles to added, chuckling. keeping older adults from using the Internet for communicating, according to Virginia Debolt, a former teacher and senior blogger (aka the Elder Geek Blogger) based in New Mexico who has a web site, three blogs, and has written technical books about web site design.

“Most (seniors) are happy to learn and use at least e-mail,” she said. “I don’t find many older adults who aren’t using the Internet at all.” Debolt, who is in her late 60s, said she stays in touch with friends on Twitter, Facebook, through blogs and texting. “Sometimes by e-mail. I even talk on the phone now and then, if you can imagine that.”

Longtime radio talk show host and former Alabama Public Television news anchor Tim Lennox has been writing a blog for about three years at www.timlennox.com. At age 60, he figures

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Advanced he’s the oldest Legal and Ecoof the group of nomic Studies regular blogshowed that gers he follows, Internet usbut that’s okay age reduces with him. “I depression by blog because 20 percent for I have a lot to older adults. talk about,” Seniors who he said. “As an are lonely or old talk radio housebound guy, one of the can find supthings you do port and keep constantly is in touch with look for things others online, to talk about, experts point so I have lots of out. It may material.” also protect Blogging against a deisn’t difficult, cline in motor technically. “You skills. just supply the Even Eleawords and the nor Lucas’ pictures and video,” he said. Morning news anchor Tim Lennox arrives at work at 3:30 a.m., yet finds time to maintain an extensive own 83-year-old blog that includes photographs and video segments. mother joined “The Google Facebook so program Blogger she could keep up with her grandchildren. is pretty self-sufficient.”

“Of course, when she joined I had the same feeling my own Lennox, now the morning anchor on WAKA Channel 8, grown children had when I did: ‘uh oh!’” she said. “But I am also tweets on Twitter, using it to point viewers to his newest certain it has forged a new path for communication across blog post, and has a Facebook page. “I try to use all of these in these generations, and I see that as a big positive.” conjunction with one another,” he said. “If I was just on Twitter, it wouldn’t make any sense.”

The “connectedness” offered by social networking sites is one of the appeals for Eleanor Lucas, 53, who started a Weight Watchers Online group in 2004 and still keeps in touch with a dozen members of the original group. “We’ve become good friends, spread out all over the country, who have traveled to meet one another many times,” she said.

She also enjoys catching up with far-flung classmates from Floyd Elementary School in 1964. “What Facebook has given me – given all of us – is an opportunity to connect across time and geography to have those same wonderful affirmative interactions. There really is nothing like laughing with an old friend – even if you’re typing – about the warm, dyed-red pistachios you bought when you’d walk to Loveman’s at Normandale Mall that would leave your fingers stained red; or sharing a huge plate of French fries at the counter at Woolworth’s; or riding tandem for miles to ride the horses at Fisher Farms.”

Davis has had a similar experience reconnecting with friends of the Montgomery Little Theatre, which now has an alumni page with 130 members who’ve posted dozens of vintage photos of MLT productions on Facebook.

“I hooked up with people I haven’t heard of in 50 years,” she said.

If you’re still not convinced getting online is for you, conAlong with a ‘regular’ computer, a cell phone with camera and Internet sider this: there may be some health benefits. A survey of 7,000 access keep Eleanor Lucas in touch with family, friends, and work. retired Americans 55 and older by the Phoenix Center for

Resources for Area Computer Classes Educational institutions and other organizations offer computer classes from basic to advanced, including tuitionfree programs for senior adults at some state two-year colleges as well as four-year universities. Policies vary from school to school. Check to see which one offers you the best options.

Montgomery Area Council on Aging, 334-263-0532 www. macoa.org Family Guidance Center, 334-270-4100 www.familyguidancecenter.org Alabama State University, 334-229-4100, ww.alasu.edu Amridge University, 888-790-8080, www.amridgeuniversity.edu Auburn University Montgomery, 334-244-3000, www.aum.edu Faulkner University, 334-272-5820, www.faulkner.edu Huntingdon College, 334-833-4497, www.huntingdon.edu South University,800-688-0932, www.southuniversity.edu/montgomery.aspx Troy University Montgomery, 334-834-1400, www.troy.edu Trenholm State Technical College, 334-420-4200, www.trenholmstate.edu Virginia College, 334-277-3390, www.vacollege.net

Online Classes

Where you want when you want Social Networking Certificate Accounting Fundamentals A to Z Grant Writing eMarketing Essentials Grant Proposal Writing GMAT Prep Medical Terminology Speed Spanish

Excel 2007 Level 2 How to Setup & Secure Your Home Computer Microsoft PowerPoint 2003 Level 1 PowerPoint 2007 Level 1 PowerPoint 2007 Level 2 Word 2007 Level 1 QuickBooks Pro 2008

This is a short list of the online classes offered.

Visit www.aum.edu/coned to see over 250 offerings to choose from.

Have You Heard Us Lately?

Outdoor Pops Concert Broadway Under the Stars September 16 • 7:30pm/ Blount Cultural Park

MSO

www.montgomerysymphony.org

David Campbell/ASU

MONTGOMERY SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA

•

334/240-4004

discovering your past

Was Your Ancestor a Veteran?

A

pproximately 24 million men born between 1872 and 1900, living in the United States, registered for the World War I draft, with 600,000 actually serving. During World War II 16 million men and women served for the U.S. The Civil War saw three to four million men serving for the Union and the Confederacy, with some Alabamians fighting for the Union.

Nancy Dupree Military records can be found at the National Archives (www.archives.gov), at most state archives, and at many libraries. The information found in these records varies greatly; including, but not limited to, dates and places of birth and death, physical descriptions, and where and when an individual served. These records can add vital and interesting details to your genealogical research and may also spur you to study the history surrounding an ancestor’s service.

The Alabama Department of Archives and History has records pertaining to conflicts and wars in which Alabamians served since becoming a state in 1819.

There is also information about Revolutionary War veterans who later lived in Alabama. On the Archives web site (www. archives.alabama.gov), the Civil War Soldiers database contains more than 231,000 entries compiled from the Archives’ Civil War records collections.

These records differ from the National Archives Compiled Service Records, which are for both Union and Confederate soldiers.

For those who had ancestors who died during WWI, the World War I Gold Star database, also on the Archives web site, is a great source of genealogical information. This database contains information gathered from relatives of service members who died during the “Great War.” An entry may contain a card from the U. S. Official Bulletin, photographs, newspaper clippings, letters, and biographical sketches provided by the family.

Other military-related records with great genealogical information are Civil War pension applications, both Union and Confederate. The Alabama legislature established Confederate pensions in the 1880s for those who served from any Confederate state as long as the veteran or his widow remained a resident of the state. Copies of the Alabama Confederate pension applications are available at ADAH. Federal pension records are available at the National Archives.

Genealogy research can bring into sharp focus the struggles and sacrifices made by your ancestors who served in the military. Learning more about their service is one way to honor their memory.

Nancy Dupree is Senior Archivist at the Alabama Department of Archives and History. Photos courtesy Alabama Department of Archives and History.

feature

I

Spiritof the

By Drew Hoover

ood

n the air of Carol Jean Boyd’s small workshop in Boyd attended a class with these friends, and she Old Alabama Town, there lingers the aromatic, turned out to be a natural. dry scent of fresh wood shavings. Boyd puts “The instructor came over and looked at my down her tools and greets me with a “How-arework, and he asked me how long I had been carvyou-doing? Nice-to-meet-you!” complimented by ing. I said ‘about an hour and a half,’” Boyd said. a big smile. Faces of all shapes, sizes, colors, and Boyd now carves full time, and intriguingly, her grains adorn every surface in favorite subject is far more the hut, and what space is not emotional than her medium, occupied by her work is taken which is surprisingly, well, up by raw materials. Walking wooden. sticks, stumps, driftwood and “I carve people more than cypress knees are stacked and anything else. I like carving faces. leaned against the corners There are no two faces in the of this productive and messy world that are exactly alike, not workshop. even identical twins, but they Cypress knees are the all fall within the same triangle knobby-looking roots that shape,” Boyd said. “Billions and stick out of the water in billions of faces can be made Alabama swamps, and they within that triangle.You can are material for which and in make a really beautiful face or a which Carol Jean Boyd has really ugly face.” carved a name for herself in A good portion of her work the world of wood sculpture involves canes or functional Boyd is surrounded by faces she with her book Carving Cypress coaxes from the wood. pieces of wood that have the Knees. face of an old man or sometimes Boyd is a lifelong artist. For 25 years she rean old woman. touched photographs—first black and white, and “I like long, thin, gaunt faces. The person you see later color—for the likes of Leon Loard and Paul is not a particular person, but what we call the Robertson. She did not, however, dream of becom- ‘spirit of the tree,’” Boyd said. ing a woodcarver.

Looking around her workshop, you can tell that “I lost my husband 23 years ago,” Boyd says. “They she is acquainted with many different spirits, but say that when you lose your spouse you lose your she is very serious about one Spirit in particular, friends, and my new friends were woodcarvers.” ­ and that is the God of her Baptist faith. She says

www.primemontgomery.com | September 2010

19

there are only a few restrictions on subject matter for her art.

“I don’t want to carve Jesus. I spent a lot of time doing one nativity set. I felt like the Lord didn’t give me permission to do it,” Boyd said.

She does, however, have a choice piece of ‘found wood’ set aside for a bust of John the Baptist.

“I carve a lot of found wood. When I saw [she gestures to a piece in the back], I thought ‘I want to do John the Baptist,’” Boyd said. “According to the Bible, a lot of people called him a wild man because he was in the wilderness a lot and wore animal skins for clothes. I’m going to blend in the carving to the natural wood so it gives that feeling of nature being out in nature.”

When Boyd looks at a piece of wood she sees emotions and action, a story, even. According to her, one does not choose a piece of wood for a particular project, but the wood actually suggests the project by its shape and characteristics. In Boyd’s words, “The wood chooses you.”

Boyd plans on adding Moses to the list of Biblical figures in her work, but she simply has not yet encountered the right piece of wood.

She has, however, found a piece of wood that will become a carving of a Native American man and woman standing together, wrapped in a buffalo robe. She showed me the piece she planned to carve, and after some dramatic gesturing, I too could see the shape of the man and the woman.

Boyd enjoys using historical figures in her work. She has won a prestigious award at the International Woodcarvers Conference in Decorah, Iowa for “Two Moons,” a carving of a traditional native American woman. The carving was especially noted for its painstakingly crafted fine hair.

In addition to Native Americans, she excitedly described her plans to carve two Civil War soldiers: General George Custer and General J.E.B. Stuart.

“He (Stuart) was a very flamboyant, good-looking man and he had long hair and a well-manicured beard, just like Custer, and I think he would be fun to carve. Custer was a Yankee and Stuart was a rebel; Custer had long blonde hair and Stuart had darker hair, so there’s a contrast.”

Boyd divulged that before she can start on either the Confederate or the Yankee, she has to go down to the archives and find out what the insignia on one of the soldier’s hat looks like.

While she is very concerned about historical accuracy, she is also concerned about remembering all of her ideas and inspiration.

“The older I get, I realize that if I don’t get it started now, I may lose my train of thought. I have as [many pieces] started as I have finished. I have to get at least a few cuts made to it so I remember what I have in mind for that piece.”

Boyd’s shorthand is evident throughout her shop, which contains many pieces in various states of completion. Some have large, simple cuts denoting a general shape; others are precisely cut in one area, but blank elsewhere.

Each piece will be skillfully, and lovingly, carved to tell its own story, a story that Boyd sees hidden in the wood itself. Whatever its tale, it is Boyd’s ability at translation that brings the wood to life, revealing obscured beauty that would go unnoticed except for the art and skill of her steady hand.

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September 2010 | www.primemontgomery.com

A question of health

Sugar and Diabetes

By Karen Collins, MS, RD, CDN

Q A

: Does eating too much sugar increase diabetes risk?

: Development of diabetes is strongly linked to overweight and obesity. For many people, the excess calories from frequent sweets and soft drinks makes it tough to maintain a healthy weight. Beyond that, however, research has not shown whether sugar consumption alone increases risk of diabetes.

In part that’s because it’s unclear whether there is a difference in the effects of sugar from soft drinks, fruit drinks and juices; sugar-sweetened foods; and the rise in blood sugar that can follow consumption of refined grains (like white bread and white rice).

Some studies do link greater consumption of all of these with increased risk of diabetes or pre-diabetes, even beyond any effect of total calorie consumption and/or weight. A western diet – which includes more sweets and refined grains

– is linked with greater risk of diabetes. But this pattern also includes higher consumption of red and processed meats, also linked with diabetes, so we don’t know the role of each individual part of this eating pattern.

Evidence is strongest about risk from regular soft drinks: compared to those who consume less than one drink per month, people who consume them daily may increase diabetes risk by 25 to over 80 percent. Some people probably inherit a tendency to more easily develop diabetes in response to these choices than others.

More research is needed.

Meanwhile, we don’t have evidence that supports totally avoiding high-sugar foods and drinks, but keeping them to occasional use makes sense for many health reasons. For now, research is clear that reaching and maintaining a healthy weight and getting daily moderate physical activity are effective diabetes prevention strategies.

Karen Collins, MS, RD, CDN, writes this column for The American Institute for Cancer Research (AICR), the cancer charity that fosters research on the relationship of nutrition, physical activity and weight management to cancer risk.

De•fin'•ing Re•tire'•ment 1. Care•free (adj.) - untroubled, relaxed 2. In•de•pen•dent (adj.) - self-determining 3. Com•for•ta•ble (adj.) - a state of physical ease

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in every life

Keeping a Personal Health Record

“Researchers, clinicians, and health policy makers...have linked inadequate health literacy to poorer health outcomes, regardless of the illness.”

H

ealth literacy has been defined by the World Health Organization (WHO), the U. S. Institute of Medicine (IOM) and the American Medical Association (AMA).

Essentially, this term refers to the degree of a person’s ability to obtain, process, and understand information about health and services necessary for making health related decisions.

Researchers, clinicians, and health Arlene Morris policy makers have determined that the degree of health literacy is a stronger predictor of health outcomes than factors such as social, financial or educational background, age, or gender, and have linked inadequate health literacy to poorer health outcomes regardless of the illness.

Information about health issues is often obtained from friends, family, internet sites, or advertisements. However, the accuracy of this information as it applies to your particular concern is difficult to determine, and may be difficult to understand.

Obtaining information about your health concerns from your health provider may be complicated by having multiple health care providers for different concerns or chronic illnesses and not being sure which concern should be discussed with which provider.

Obtaining information from your health care provider may be also be a challenge due to limited time for office visits, stress of the visit, distractions while you are being given information, or not understanding printed materials that are provided.

Some strategies you can consider to increase your literacy regarding your own health concerns include: 1) Maintaining your own personal health record. This can be in the form of a separate spiral bound notebook or file on your computer for each individual in your family.

This should include: n Dates of visits to health care 22

September 2010 | www.primemontgomery.com

provider, name of the provider seen, and the reason of the visit. n Any diagnostic tests (lab, x-ray, etc.) that are done, with results entered when obtained n Any prescriptions with name, dose, time and frequency to take, reason for the medication, duration of the medication’s action, how long you should take the medication, any possible side effects, and for what symptoms you should notify your provider n Names of any referrals for other treatment, a date by when they should be completed and specific instructions for follow-up visits with the primary health care provider or the provider to whom you were referred n Copies of any health information pamphlets Questions that arise can be recorded in this notebook between visits. Your personal record can be taken to each health care provider for reference in asking your questions and clarifying instructions among various providers.

2) Requesting information in “plain language” or for directions to be written during the visit into your personal health record by you or your health care provider for referral after you leave the health care facility.

3) Requesting your provider to allow you to “teach back” the information that has been provided to you. In this method, you repeat back to your provider what you believe you have just heard, which allows further discussion of any area in which you are uncertain about the message.

Coping with health concerns requires active involvement, awareness of health changes, and participation in decisions regarding your health or the health of one for whom you care.

Arlene H. Morris, RN, Ed.D. is a Distinguished Teaching Associate Professor in the Auburn Montgomery School of Nursing, where she enjoys teaching content regarding gerontology and professional nursing issues.

feature

50 Caregiver Tips Prime Montgomery columnist Marion Somers, Ph.D. has worked with thousands of seniors and their caregivers as a geriatric care manager and elder care expert. This month, she shares her tips for providing the best care for your elder relative.

(For more tip information, visit www.primemontgomery.com and click on Caregiver Tips.)

Take Care of Legal Issues 1) Execute a legal plan for your elder’s estate.

2) Have all possessions professionally appraised, catalogued, and videotaped for inventory and insurance purposes.

3) Collect all legal papers in a lock box, safety deposit box, or fireproof safe. But don’t place legal documents that need to be accessible 24 hours a day in a bank safe deposit box.

4) Assign durable power of attorney. This authorizes someone to act on behalf of your elder if he/she becomes unable to make decisions. Use caution!

5) Execute “do not resuscitate” (DNR) orders if so desired. Discuss this with your elder at length so you know his or her wishes will be carried out should serious health complications arise.

6) Don’t allow your elder to pass away intestate (without a will).

7) Name someone as your elder’s beneficiary or the estate will be left to the state.Your elder should have the opportunity and choice to leave his or her worldly possessions to exactly who they want to.

8) Make sure that the will and all legal documents are up to date.

9) Determine taxes, inheritance options, asset protection, and tax planning in compliance with various federal and state financial rules and regulations.

10) Legal issues should be handled by a trusted lawyer, accountant, or financial advisor, especially if there are complicated issues outside your expertise.

Manage Financial Issues 1) Add up all assets.

2) Add up all monthly expenses.

3) Add up monthly income.

4) Determine if your elder has enough money to live on for the remaining years.

5) Figure out the best insurance plan.

6) Determine if there are any government programs and benefits your elder should apply for.

7) Figure out the cash value of all life insurance policies.

8) Have a clear tax plan in place for

when your elder passes on.

9) A reverse mortgage can be a useful and valuable option.

10) Rely on a skilled professional such as an accountant, an elder care lawyer, a financial advisor, or a tax expert. www.primemontgomery.com | September 2010

23

Make Life Easier with Adapted Equipment 1) Use silverware that’s easier to hold.

2) Look for double-handled glassware like sippy cups to stop spills.

3) Add amplifiers to telephones for better hearing.

4) Buy walkers that fold in half or that have an attached seat.

5) Use adapted gardening tools.

6) Writing aides with a special grip can help.

7) Consider a motorized wheelchair

if needed.

8) Replace shoelaces, buttons, snaps, or zippers with Velcro.

9) Stock up on adult diapers and disposable briefs for incontinence. This can be a serious point of embarrassment and shame for your elder, but it can be handled in a delicate manner to avoid most mishaps.

10) Look for easy-to-use medication dispensers.

Put Safety First 1) Eliminate all potential hazards in the home.

2) Toss out throw rugs.Throw rugs can easily cause an elderly person to slip, trip, or fall.

3) Affix non-slip strips on the bathtub floor.

4) Put all appliances, dishes, and silverware where they’re easy to reach. Ar-

range everything according to frequency of use.

5) Add safety rails in the shower and tub, and near the toilet.

6) Program telephones with emergency numbers.

7) Make sure all smoke detectors are in perfect working condition.

8) Remove all clutter. If something

doesn’t serve a purpose, get rid of it.

But make sure you ask your elder about each item before you toss anything.

9) Take medication along if your elder will be gone for an extended period of time.

10) Keep emergency items in the car such as a spare tire, bottled water, a flashlight, an umbrella, and maps.

Hire Help When It’s Needed 1) Hire help where and when appropriate to share the caregiving load.

2) Hiring help or assistance can be time consuming, but it’s well worth the effort. After you interview an aide have your elder speak with the candidate to make sure they feel comfortable.

3) Your elder’s needs can often be met by tapping into your network of family and friends.

Look into this before you hire anyone else.

4) Hire help for the most common tasks such as cleaning the home, handyman work, and taking care of trash disposal.

5) Never abuse hired help.

Don’t load them up with extraneous duties, even if you see they’re highly competent, unless of course the aide agrees 24

September 2010 | www.primemontgomery.com

to it and they are financially compensated.

6) Experience matters. Determine if the aide has done this sort of work before, where, and for how long.

7) Draw up a contract and make sure all duties are clearly understood. The list should include timeframes for the work to be completed.

8) Does your elder need an aide or companion to live inhome part time or 24/7?

9) Who pours and dispenses your elder’s medication? A clear, daily chain of command has to be established or else you risk under or over-medicating your elder.

10) Ask about any helper’s educational and professional background as well as references, then check them.

W

Top 5 Social Media Scams

e’re social creatures, and sites like Twitter and Facebook capitalize on this. According to COO Sheryl Sandberg, Facebook has 175 million logins every day.

But, virus writers and other cybercriminals go where the people are. Avoid a con or viral infection, with this list of scams. # 5 Chain Letters The dreaded chain letter has returned.

It may appear in the form of, "Retweet this and Bill Gates will donate $5 million to charity!" But, Bill Gates already does a lot for charity. Why would he do it this way? Answer: He wouldn’t. Both the cause and claim are fake.

Many well-meaning people pass these fake claims onto others. Break the chain and inform them of the likely ruse. # 4 Cash Grabs Social media sites make it easy for us to stay in touch with friends and make new ones. But how well do you really know these new friends? That person who just friended you — and suddenly needs money — is probably a cybercriminal looking for easy cash. Think twice before acting. Do the same even if you know the person.

Example:You receive an urgent request from a real friend who "lost his wallet on vacation and needs some cash to get home." You send some money right away, per his instructions. But there’s a problem: your friend never sent this request. In fact, he isn’t even aware of it. His malwareinfected computer grabbed all of his contacts and forwarded the bogus email to everyone, waiting to see who would bite.

Again, think before acting. And make sure your computer isn't infected as well. # 3 Hidden Charges "What type of STAR WARS character are you? Find out with our quiz!!" Hmm, sounds interesting, so you enter your info and cell number. Later, a text turns up.

You’re more Yoda than Darth Vader. Well, that’s interesting…but not as much as next month’s cell bill will be.You’ve just unwittingly subscribed to a dubious service that charges $9.95 every month.

That "free, fun service" is neither. Be wary of these bait and switch games. # 2 Phishing Requests "Somebody just put up these pictures of you drunk at this wild party! Check 'em out here!" Immediately, you click on

the enclosed link, which takes you to your Twitter or Facebook login page. There, you enter your info and a cybercriminal now has your password, along with total control of your account.

How did this happen? Both the e-mail and landing page were fake. The link you clicked took you to a page that only looked like your intended social site. It's called phishing, and you've just been had.

To prevent this, make sure your Internet security includes anti-phishing defenses.

Many freeware programs don't include this essential protection. # 1 Hidden URLs Beware of blindly clicking on shortened URLs.You'll see them everywhere on Twitter, but you never know where you're going to go since the URL hides the full location. Clicking on such a link could direct you to your intended site, or one that installs all sorts of malware on your computer.

Bottom line: Any sites that attract a significant number of visitors are going to lure in a criminal element, too.

From Symantec, Corp., makers of Norton Internet Security software. Used with permission.

september 25 – OctOber 16, 2010 www.asf.net | 800.841.4273

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facebook.com/alabamashakes

off the beaten path

S

The Birds of September

eptember for many folks in Alabama signals the beginning of another much-anticipated college football season. For months they’ve been waiting patiently to again start the weekend rituals of food, fun, friends and football. I like watching my alma mater take the field in crimson and white as much as any Tide Niko Corley fan, but September marks the beginning of an even more important and much older pastime for me: dove hunting.

The mourning dove is America’s most popular and most hunted game bird, and for good reason. A good dove hunt can be the most enjoyable hunting of the year when the birds are flying well, your dog is retrieving like a field trial champion and you have friends or family with you sharing the experience. In many places the opening day of dove season is steeped in tradition

26

September 2010 | www.primemontgomery.com

and resembles a tailgate ceremony before the first football game of the year. Team colors and shakers are traded in for camouflage and shotguns and dogs are welcome.

This year, hunters across Alabama can enjoy 70 days of dove hunting broken up into three split seasons. The state is divided between a North Zone and a South Zone with different seasons for each, so check the area and dates you plan to hunt to be sure you’re legal.

For the areas I hunt, many Saturdays in September, Bella (my Labrador retriever) and I can be found beneath a shade tree overlooking a harvested grain field or watering hole or hidden along a known dove flyway.

Dove in flight can be difficult and frustrating targets, leading many hunters to poor shell-to-bird ratios. That’s alright though, because a dove hunt is the first hunt of the year for most folks, helping bird hunters warm up for duck, goose or quail season and getting deer hunters fired up to chase bucks and does.

Before heading afield, however, I always make a

checklist of the things I’ll need. Because dove have keen eyesight, I dress in lightweight full camouflage that matches my surroundings. I always wear protective glasses and carry ear plugs, and make sure to carry my hunting license and harvest information program stamp (free, but required for hunting all migratory birds including dove).

Shotgun choice is personal preference; most any 12 or 20 gauge will do as long as it has a plug installed so only three shells can be loaded into the firearm at a time as required by law. Depending on how long the shots will be, I choose either an improved cylinder choke for close proximity shooting or a modified choke if I need to reach out to flaring or high-flying birds. I shoot a 12 gauge automatic for almost every bird I hunt, and for doves, 2 ¾” No. 7 ½ shot or smaller 1 ounce loads work just fine.

I also always pack a dove stool with a cargo compartment for carrying shells, drinks and any birds I harvest. Last but certainly not least, I have to plan for Bella’s needs. On hot days especially, she needs to stay hydrated and in the shade between retrieves. The dove stool comes in handy because it can hold a gallon jug of water for her and a small first aid kit.

Just writing this has me anxiously anticipating opening day and I hope it’s done the same for you as a reader. So pull out your trusty scattergun, get the appropriate licenses, throw a few bumpers for your Lab (I am told young children also make fine retrievers), and get ready for one of wing shooting’s greatest challenges.

Good shooting to you!

Niko Corley is an avid sportsman, spending his free time hunting, fishing and enjoying other outdoor activities. In this column, he will cover a range of outdoor recreation activities in central Alabama and beyond.

2010-2011 Dove Seasons (North Zone) Bag limit —15 birds a day, 15 in possession.

September 4: 12 noon until sunset, afternoon shooting only September 5 – October 3: One-half hour before sunrise until sunset, all day October 23 – November 6: One-half hour before sunrise until sunset, all day December 11 – January 4: One-half hour before sunrise until sunset, all day Public dove hunting opportunities in Central Alabama: Autauga County Community Hunting Area (334) 358-0035 Coosa County Wildlife Management Area (334) 358-0035 Lowndes Wildlife Management Area (334) 358-0035 U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Land (334) 872-9554

A tired but happy Lab following a successful hunt. Be sure there’s adequate water for hunter and companion, especially during early fall hunts when temperatures can remain high.

moneywise

A Trio of Social Security Options

Third and final installment in a series on Social Security retirement benefits.

I

n June we looked at guidelines to help individuals decide when to file for Social Security (SS) retirement benefits. Last month’s article examined the situation of many couples when both spouses are entitled to benefits based on their own work history. This month we will quickly scan three more SS retirement ideas that might help Alan Wallace you or someone you know.

1) Do-over This applies to someone who started collecting benefits early (age 62-65) and are now 70. If this person had waited to start drawing benefits, the current monthly amount would be larger. If the retiree can repay the past benefits received, without interest, he/she can restart benefits now at the higher level for the current attained age as if early retirement benefits had not previously been paid. And, the repayment of past benefits to the SS Administration (SSA) is tax deductible.

Obviously, this do-over is not a good option for everyone, but there are cases where it could make sense. To pursue this idea you must complete SS Form 521. But, you should act quickly if you are interested; the SSA seems to view this option as an unfair loophole and they want Congress to close it.

2) File and Suspend This can help some married couples, especially when only one spouse has a work history qualifying for benefits.

Under this strategy the higher earning spouse files for retirement benefits at full retirement age (FRA), and on the same application requests a suspension of his/ her benefits while continuing to work. (File and suspend is not available prior to FRA.) The lower earning spouse can then start collecting a spousal benefit based on the tax record of the higher earning spouse.

In the meantime, the monthly benefit of the still-working spouse continues to increase (at a rate of 8%/year) because he/she has postponed collecting benefits.

3) Divorced Spouse If you are age 62 or older, were married to the same person for at least 10 years, are now divorced from that person and are not remarried, you may be entitled to SS retirement benefits based on the tax record of your former spouse. While married persons must wait until their spouse files for benefits before drawing a benefit based on the spouse’s tax record, divorced persons do not have to wait. But they must have been divorced for at least two years and the former spouse must qualify for retirement benefits, although he/she has not filed for them yet.

In addition, if your former spouse dies, you could draw a benefit starting as early as age 60 (or age 50 if you are disabled). Remarriage by the person whose tax record is the basis for benefits will not affect the former spouse’s ability to draw benefits.

However, if the person wanting to draw benefits on the former spouse’s record remarries, it could eliminate the right to benefits.Social Security benefits rules are quite complex, using an array of special terms and abbreviations.

One of the rules is that an application for benefits covers all benefits for which the claimant is eligible unless the application is specifically limited by the claimant.

Furthermore, the scope of the application cannot be restricted once it is “effectuated.” This means that you need to be careful in completing the application if you want to use a particular strategy. For this reason (and others) you should plan to spend some time talking to an advisor with the SSA before actually moving forward with a benefits application. Although SSA staff receive extensive training, you should realize that they are not all equally informed, experienced or knowledgeable about your choices. There are cases of people talking to multiple SSA representatives and getting conflicting information.Your best defense, as always, is to be well informed and investigate your options thoroughly before making a final decision.

Alan Wallace,CFA, ChFC, CLU is a Senior Financial Advisor for Ronald Blue & Co.’s Montgomery, Alabama office, 334-2705960, alan.wallace@ronblue.com.

marci’s medicare answers

Marci’s Medicare Answers September 2010

Dear Marci, Does Medicare cover screenings for prostate cancer?

— Sven Dear Sven, Yes. Medicare covers one prostate screening per year (every 12 months) for men age 50 and older. Prostate cancer screenings can detect prostate cancer, which affects one in six men, in its early stages. The screening includes a Prostate-Specific Antigen (PSA) blood test and a digital rectal exam. Medicare will cover these services more than once per year if your doctor says you need them for diagnostic purposes.

Medicare covers 80 percent of the cost of the digital rectal exam (after you pay your annual Part B deductible), and 100 percent of the cost of the PSA test (with no Part B deductible required). (If you are in a Medicare private health plan—HMO or PPO—you may have a copay for the PSA test or the digital rectal exam. Call your plan to find out what you will have to pay.)

— Marci

Dear Marci, If I have an emergency and call an ambulance, will Medicare pay for it?

— Eva Dear Eva, Yes. Medicare will generally cover ambulance services in an emergency, as long as: n An ambulance is the only safe way to transport you (medically necessary); and n You are transported to and from certain locations.

An emergency is when your health is in serious danger and every second counts to prevent your health from getting worse. If the trip is scheduled as a way to transport you from one location to another when your health is not in immediate danger, it is not considered an emergency.

If it is not an emergency, Medicare coverage of ambulance services is very limited, but Medicare may cover nonemergency ambulance services in certain instances.

For example, nonemergency services may be covered if you are confined to your bed or if you need vital medical services during your trip that are available only in an ambulance. Lack of access to alternative transportation alone will not justify Medicare coverage.

If covered, Medicare will pay for 80 percent of its approved

amount for the ambulance service.You or your supplemental insurance policy will be responsible for the remaining 20 percent. All ambulance providers must accept Medicare assignment, meaning they must accept the Medicare-approved amount as payment in full.

Note: Medicare will never pay for ambulette services.

— Marci

Dear Marci, I’ve heard that some drug companies will offer their drugs at a discount for people with low incomes. Is that true?

— Patsy Dear Patsy, Yes. Some drug companies offer free or low-cost drugs through programs called Patient Assistance Programs (PAPs). In most cases, your doctor must apply to the program for you. While many patient assistance programs do not allow you to apply if you are eligible for the Medicare drug benefit (Part D), some do.

Generally, PAPs require your doctor to be involved in the application process.You may be required to pay a copayment. If you have Part D, your PAP copayments will count toward meeting your Part D plan’s out-of-pocket limit ($4,550 in 2010), but you will need to submit your receipts to your plan, and any other required documentation in order for what you pay to count.

What your PAP pays for your prescription drugs will not count toward the $4,550 in out-of-pocket costs that you must spend before catastrophic coverage begins and your drug costs go down significantly. To look up details about PAPs using an alphabetical list of drugs, go to www. medicare.gov/pap.

— Marci Marci’s Medicare Answers is a service of the Medicare Rights Center (www.medicarerights.org), the nation’s largest independent source of information and assistance for people with Medicare. To speak with a counselor, call (800) 333-4114.

To subscribe to “Dear Marci,” the Medicare Rights Center’s free educational e-newsletter, simply e-mail dearmarci@medicarerights.org.

To learn more about the services that Medicare will cover and how to change plans, log on to Medicare Interactive Counselor at the Medicare Rights Center’s website at www.medicareinteractive.org. www.primemontgomery.com | September 2010

29

out & about

2

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Montgomery Bridge Club American Contract Bridge League 1711 Mulberry Street Call 334-244-5052 for information and to register for classes.

Visit us online at www.montgomerybridgeclub.org

6

1. “Making Strides” Kick-off Breakfast, American Cancer Society.

2.Wine tasting, Pepper Tree Steaks ‘N Wines. (L-R), Chris & Kim Boatfield, Kelvin & Barbara Alexander, owner Kathy Holmes, Nan Harrison.

3. (L-R) Ellior & Brenda Neuman, Doreen & Bill Killough enjoy Sunday lunch.

4. (L-R) Dr. Rick Love, Dimitri Polizos, Michael Passineau, at a hearing aid seminar held by All Ears Hearing Center at Mr. G’s restaurant.

5. Elizabeth Cross has her pulse checked ay AUM senior nursing student Brittany Lazenby at the River Region Senior Expo at Frazer Church.

6. Prime columnists (L) Niko Corley, Arlene Morris, Alan Wallace.

7. Carolyn Gibson tosses a door prize to a lucky winner at an East Montgomery Chapter meeting of the AL Retired State Employees Association.

8. Prime Columnist Patsy Smith (C) cooking with Tanya Terry and Judd Davis on WSFA-TV’s Alabama LIVE morning program.

8

7

Montgomery Ballet presents

“Carmina burana” october 16th with the Montgomery chorale “sleeping beauty” october 17th for the whole family At the Historic davis theatre...Call 334.409.0522 for tickets

Montgomery Ballet in Gloria, photo by Chris Helton

prime diversions

Recent DVD Releases Date Night & The Road

Date Night (PG-13) Steve Carell and Tina Fey seem like an ideal pairing for a romantic comedy, in this variation on films like The Out of Towners. They play a basically happy suburban couple, finding a bit of unease in the rut their lives have become, juggling two careers, three kids and all the demands of overscheduled lives in today’s version of the American Dream. Even their weekly date night has become a trip to the same restaurant, ordering the same meals.

So on the night they decide to recapture their almost forgotten sense of adventure by going all the way into Manhattan for dinner at a hot new bistro, they stumble into a feud between gangsters, crooked cops and other characters far from their comfort zone in a mildly madcap night of comic peril. Several supporting characters add to the laughs, but the sum total will be disappointing to their fans. It’s fairly amusing, but not even up to the quality of what we get from their TV series, 30 Rock and The Office. Scale down expectations before going and you might be satisfied.

of the world we know. An undefined cataclysm killed off most of humanity, all vegetation and most, if not all animals.

Mark Glass For years, those left have stayed alive by foraging for diminishing supplies, with growing dependence on cannibalism. No communications; no way to know if new communities are forming anywhere, offering a future above the devolving feral state of their surroundings. They head for the southern coast, leery of roving bands and passing strangers, with little food or means of defense. Their path crosses little evidence of upgrading from the perpetually sunless skies and barren landscapes they’ve known for years.

Some of the scenes are brutal and/or gross, with none of the action one finds in escapist fare of the Mad Max nature.

There’s also not much on the political front, since the cause of the catastrophe is never specified, much less whether human conduct was a factor preventable or otherwise. If you’re not depressed enough by your regular life, here’s a chance to have your mood lowered.

A lot.

The Road (R) Viggo Mortensen stars in this bleak post-Apocalyptic saga of a father and son struggling for survival in the barren remnants

Mark Glass is an officer and director of the St. Louis Film Critics Association.

Check us out online! www.primemontgomery.com

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September 2010 | www.primemontgomery.com

games

By Diane C. Baldwin | Colmbia, MD

TMSPuzzles@aol.com

Crossword Clues ACROSS 1 Fails to enunciate 6 Russian assembly 10 Gay Nineties and the like 14 Fable master 15 Oh my gosh!

16 Full-bodied 17 Heat’s home 18 Commercial award 19 Taj Mahal’s city 20 Office drudge 23 Stick up 26 Meadow, poetically 27 Fly to avoid 28 Showy shrub 30 Arab chieftain: var.

32 Heavy hitter 34 Sodden 37 Chinese leader?

38 School of thought 39 Singing star 40 Susan of “L.A. Law” 41 Prude, perhaps 45 Festive events 46 Mean

47 Gibraltar passage 50 Place to surf 51 Porker’s pad 52 Social butterfly, say 56 Starter chips 57 Steak order 58 Heart line 62 Way out 63 Larger-than-life 64 Basmati and brown 65 Gets off track 66 Clammy 67 Imbibed DOWN 1 Playwright Shepard 2 Honolulu garland 3 Dos Passos work 4 Cavort 5 Pitchman 6 First record label to use Dolby 7 Citrus hybrid 8 Pop in the post 9 Former orphan 10 Pencil end

11 Starboard side 12 Pieces of pastures 13 Don’t be such a hog!

21 Tidal situation 22 Exploitive one

23 Breakneck 24 Unstable oxidizing agent 25 Risque 29 August sign 30 Bridge seats 31 Words of wonderment 33 Turkish bread?

34 Uses a dishcloth 35 Occurrence 36 Overdue 39 Part of an e-mail address 41 Beach toy 42 Changed a bit 43 Pastry items 44 Ready to go along 45 Rubbernecking crowd 47 Black card 48 Quartet member 49 Chopper blade 50 Sunken ship 53 Family man 54 Celtic land 55 Black, to Balzac 59 Sony rival 60 Sawbuck 61 Invite ©2010 TRIBUNE MEDIA SERVICES, INC.

For the answers to this month’s Crossword puzzle, go to page 11; for Sudoku answers, see page 32. www.primemontgomery.com

33

September Community Doings September 14, 5:30 p.m.

Women of Hope Breast Cancer Support Group. Frazer United Methodist Church, Room 8114, 6000 Atlanta Highway, Montgomery AL. WOH meetings offer education, awareness and mentoring for breast cancer patients/survivors, family or friends. Snacks served prior to an informative speaker/presentation. Everyone welcome. For more info call 334-220-4599 or email at womenofhope@ charter.net.

September 16, 6-8 p.m.

Wine tasting fundraising event for the American Cancer Society. $10. Location: Ted “The Wine Guy” & Co., Zelda Rd., Montgomery. For info call Ashley at the Cancer Society, 334-612-8178 (Montgomery).

September 25, 10 a.m. - 6 p.m.

Titus Bluegrass Festival. Proceeds used for continued restoration/improvements to Titus Community Center. $5 for adults, children under 12 free. Titus is approximately 10 miles north of Wetumpka on U.S. Highway 231, then north on County Road 29. More info at http://www.titusbluegrassfestival.com or call 334-567-9059.

September 30, 11 a.m.

The non-profit Women of Hope, dedicated to offering education, awareness, and mentoring for breast cancer families, will holds its Annual Signature Luncheon and Fashion Show at Frazer United Methodist Church, Wesley Hall, 6000 Atlanta Highway.

Tickets are $30, $25 of which is tax deductible. For tickets or info call 334-2204599 or email womenofhope@charter.net.

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Due to a recent surge in insurance activity, a lot of people were told that in the state of Alabama there are no Preferred Providers when hearing aid inquiries were made. This is not true. We are Preferred Providers, as are other companies, and you may have hearing aid benefits. If you are on a Federal Government-wide Service Benefit Plan with enrollment code #104 or #105, #105 then you may be entitled to hearing aids with no out-of-pocket expense.

Best of all, at DeRamus Hearing Centers you’ll have no out-of-pocket expense. You’ll pay nothing for once in your life. Before the program ends come in and get the help you need and be able to enjoy Government Employees the sounds of life again.

Government Insurance Pays Total Cost of Two Just think. No more asking someone to repeat or “what did you say!”

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DeRamus Hearing Centers of Alabama

2218 Executive Park Dr. 2809 Chestnut St. 813 Highland Ave. 701 Lay Dam Rd. Tillman’s Corner Mobile, AL Selma, AL Clanton, AL Montgomery, AL Opelika, AL 1-800-239-3140 1-800-239-3140 1-800-239-3140 1-800-239-3140 1-800-239-3140 334-262-7553

www.deramushearing.com

Some hearing my require stronger receivers not covered by insurance. This offer valid through 12/31/10 and cannot be used with any other discount.

Benefits of hearing aids vary by type and degree of hearing loss, hearing environment, accuracy of hearing evaluation and proper fit.