55 Plus of Rochester, #17: September – October 2012

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How to Help ‘Boomerang Kids’ as They Return Home

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Trends: Number of seniors voting likely to remain high

PLUS Issue 17 September / October 2012

For Active Adults in the Rochester Area

Many Americans die with virtually no financial assets

Making it in Rochester Mario Daniele, 66, talks about his journey from Italy to Rochester and shares some recipes of his success

Downsizing: do you really that 4-bedroom home?

• Norma Platt: building trails in Webster • Diane Kane: 25 years working with seniors • The multi-faceted Kathleen Van Schaik • The Barkers: not your typical grandparents

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We have also created the area’s first freestanding transitional care center—the only rehab center in Rochester that is not located in a nursing home. So people can recover from major medical events surrounded by people just like themselves.

It is a remarkable new way to care for people. Inspired by the people who deserve nothing less than the best.

Learn more about the changes at St. Ann’s Community by visiting us at StAnnsCommunity.com.

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55 PLUS

September / October 2012

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Real Estate 7 9 FAMILY Financial Health 11 • Helping the ‘Boomerang Kids’ Golden Years 33 13 CHANGES Savvy Senior 39 • Do you still need that four-

bedroom home and large van?

Long-Term Care 40 16 Last Page 42 GRANDPARENTING • The Barkers: Not your typical grandparents

19 TRENDS

• Yes, we vote — find out more about the ‘mature vote’

22 ON THE COVER

CONTENTS

Got a story idea? editor@GVhealthnews.com

• Mario Daniele discusses his journey from Italy to Rochester and his secret to a successful business

28

30

26 DEDICATION

• Diane Kane: 25 years working with seniors

28 COMMITMENT

• Norma Platt: Building trails in Webster

30 PROFILE

• Meet the multi-talended Kathleen Van Schaick

34 MUSIC

• Behind the Irondequoit Cocncert Band and New Horizons

28 INSPIRATION

• Harvey Rousseau of Harley Davidson in Macedon is now 90 September / October 2012 - 55 PLUS

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Just one… the one who needs you.

How many youth need mentors?

You’ve got what it takes to make a difference in the life of a child.

55PLUS Editor and Publisher Wagner Dotto

Call 271-4050 or visit www.RochesterMentors.org A message from the Boomer Mentor Project of Rochester Mentors at Lifespan.

Lou Sorendo

Contributing Writers

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real estate

By Linda Marcucci

A Getaway Can Be a Great Investment “Winter is an etching, Summer an oil painting, Spring a water color And autumn a mosaic of them all”

A

Stanley Horowitz

s we head into the autumn of our lives, I don’t think that we baby boomers will be sitting around contemplating what we have or have not done with our lives. Like the bountiful harvest of the fall, we will be enjoying the fruit of our labor as we have always done. Whether driving across the country in a VW bus to catch a concert and explore some of our great country years ago or taking up kayaking, snowshoeing and hiking now, we have always been the generation on the move.

In order to take full advantage of all that Upstate New York and the Finger Lakes region have to offer us, now may be the perfect time to think about that little getaway place that you have always dreamed. Would you consider a cabin in the woods?

Nothing renews the spirit like a colorful fall hike through our many miles of forest and park trails. The Finger Lakes Trail runs 549 miles from Allegany State Park to the Catskills, and is mapped by sections to hike one or two at a time. How about a cottage on or near one of our pristine lakes such as Seneca, Cayuga, Canandaigua, Keuka, Conesus, Hemlock and others?

Enjoy the wildlife while paddling the Honeoye or Canandaigua Lake inlets. Hemlock and Canadice, which supply water to Rochester, are only open to paddle boats so they are quiet and serene…no swimming allowed. Seneca Lake, being the largest and deepest Finger Lake, is great for boating along with Cayuga and Canandaigua Lakes. Keuka Lake is the “Y”-shaped lake. Watching the

sunset over the hills or just gazing at the night sky can fill a person with gratitude for living close to the many treasures of our Finger Lakes.

Besides being a place to escape on weekends, bond with family, create memories and relax, a second home is a great investment. With today’s low interest rates and rock bottom prices, it might be safe to say that this investment’s return will net you more satisfaction than your 401K, in more ways than one. This could be your “window of opportunity” to own your own little piece of paradise.

I think it is time for us to get out there and reap what we have sown.

Let’s learn some new tricks...get some snowshoes and hike to the top of Bare Hill to view Canandaigua Lake in her winter coat, then build a cozy campfire at your cabin. Paddle the many lakes, creeks and streams where the great blue herons will guide you along the way or relax on your porch and identify the many unique species of birds, plants and trees. The Finger Lakes area also boasts New York state’s largest wine producing region with over 100 wineries and vineyards so let’s not forget the wine tasting, the local markets, farm stands, restaurants and country taverns. Every weekend can be a mini-vacation exploring your new neighborhood.

So many new and exciting adventures still await us…after all, we are the generation still on the move.

Linda Marcucci is a licensed REALTOR with Magellan® Inc., Real Estate and Relocation. She has been marketing and selling properties in the Rochester and Finger Lakes areas for more than 25 years. One of her designations is as a resort and second home property specialist. She has first-hand knowledge of owning a second home in the Finger Lakes. Contact her at 585-739-0085 or lmarcucci@1magellan.com

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Helping the ‘Boomerang Kids’ A record number of young adults are moving back with their parents. What should parents do?

By Deborah Jeanne Sergeant

A

re your adult children “boomerang kids” — those adult children who return home because of financial difficulties? In today’s economy, the phenomenon is becoming mainstream.

According to a recent Pew survey, three in 10 parents of adult children (29 percent) report that a child of theirs has moved back in with them in the past few years because of the economy.

“For a variety of reasons, many adult children are returning to their parents’ homes to live,” said Daniel Rosen, licensed clinical social worker and therapist in private practice in Rochester. “Further, more and more middle-aged adult women are living with their parents. So we have a situation in which the cultural norm — growing up, leaving home, setting up your own family, raising children, and briefly caring for your own parents before they die or go to a nursing home — is fading. There are challenges and rewards in these changes.”

Overwhelming college tuition debt, personal debt, poor financial choices and divorce can also send young adults home to mom and dad.

While there’s nothing wrong with helping out your grown children, an arrangement like this can be fraught

with problems.

“Challenges around one’s identity and time can occur,” Rosen said. “It’s true that as much as we love our children, we want to move on from the role of raising them and focus on our own goals: career goals, retirement, travel. All that can be difficult with an adult child in the house.

And as much as it may be difficult to discuss, it’s easier to be sexual when no one else is home.”

Often the father is less impacted by this return home than the mother, who resumes many of her sacrificial roles. Fathers simply have an easier time saying the most important word for every parent to have memorized, ‘no.’”

Your young adult is (somewhat) ready for independence, self-sufficiency and broadening his horizons.

Living with you may put a major crimp in those plans and urges.

“While these

children are adults, it often feels like there is a child in the home,” Rosen said. “Old patterns of adolescence can return and who wants to have a teenager back? Issues of curfews and

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family

Overwhelming college tuition debt, personal debt, poor financial choices and divorce can also send young adults home to mom and dad alcohol use can come back.”

You aren’t the only one who feels the living arrangement negatively changes his life. Your child may be downsizing from a house to your basement and from meaningful employment or attending classes related to a future career to long hours of job hunting.

To make things go as smoothly as possible, be compassionate and work with him. It’s likely your young adult child feels embarrassed about his situation. Losing a job, possibly a home or being unable to launch into adult life when he wanted are detours he didn’t want to take. He may feel like a failure.

If you’re supportive without smothering him, this could be a period to reassess his life and learn from his mistakes. Some parents go overboard with “help” and actually hinder their young adults from ever relaunching.

Making your home an openended offer of free lodging, food and household supplies can make some Rosen young adults a little too comfortable. Pair your offer of housing with stipulations.

David L. Gaesser, marriage and family therapist and mental health counselor, said parents need to negotiate and engage in dialogue.

“Do not let problems or conflict fester. Deal with issues early and calmly and resolve them to all parties 10

55 PLUS - September / October 2012

mutual acceptance. Mutual respect of each other’s territory and values is needed.”

Gaesser operates a private practice in Rochester.

Your adult child should help out with chores by picking up after himself and helping with the common chores such as cooking and taking out the trash. Ask what he thinks is fair in these areas to open this discussion so you don’t sound condescending.

“Everyone has to have a part in making this work,” said Grace Klein with the Center for Human Encouragement in Rochester. “If the parents say you have to do this, it messes up the relationship. Ask, ‘What would you like to do?’”

Not requiring that adult children have responsibilities represents a big mistake, not only for your sake but for theirs, too, since few adults like to find themselves in a situation where they are sponging off their parents.

Since your utility expenses will increase with an additional person in the house, there’s nothing wrong with asking for money to help cover those expenses.

You can’t set a curfew, restrict your adult child from dating or tell him what to wear. He has been making these decisions himself for a while now. But you can set house rules that impact your life. It is reasonable to say “no overnight guests,” for example.

“After an adult child has fledged the family nest, he/she is used to being in charge of their own domain and the freedom to make living style choices for themselves,” Gaesser said.

“All of sudden the clock is turned back

and new items of negotiating their joint living style are on the table.”

Don’t pry into his personal life. Respect his need for emotional independence, private space and alone time. Don’t pounce on him the minute he walks in the door after a job interview. If he wants to share how it went, he will.

If gross financial negligence has brought your grown child home, it may be helpful to suggest a mutual friend who could help. Ideally, suggest someone your child respects who can give wise counsel on how to reduce debt, get a job and save money. Be careful about doling out advice yourself since that can sound a lot like criticism.

Offering the name of a third party who can help with financial planning lets your child decide what to do next, which is empowering.

Still unsure as to how to proceed?

Ask your clergy for help or a trusted friend who has gone through the same experience.

Is Your Grown Child Moving Back?

Here are some basic arrangement you have to discuss with your “boomerang child” • How long he expects to stay.

• What chores he will regularly do around the house in addition to keeping his private area clean.

• How much he will contribute to utilities.

• Your stance on overnight guests.

• How the household will pay for food (he buys his own, buys a share of the groceries or pays you for some of the expense).

• Whatever circumstances or behavior are totally unacceptable to living with you.

financial health

By Jim Terwilliger

Letter of Instruction Benefits Heirs … and You

W

hile most folks know they should have a will (though regrettably, many don’t have one), few realize they should also consider preparing a companion document known as a letter of instruction.

Among other things, a letter can help organize one’s finances; identify who to call first — relatives, advisers, etc.; list where to find things; and list what to do first.

The intent is to ease the stress for surviving heirs at a difficult time and ensure that none of the estate is “lost.” Just as important, having such a letter to leave behind provides peace of mind for the person preparing the letter.

A letter of instruction is a flexible, informal, low-cost personal document which is not legally binding but which can serve multiple purposes. Some uses and suggestions include:

A list of the estate’s assets • Bank and investment accounts (and any automatic withdrawal/ deposit information) • Stock and bond certificates you’ve kept outside a brokerage firm or bank • Real estate documents • Retirement accounts including 401(k) plans and individual retirement accounts • Life insurance and annuity policies • Assets held in trust • Post-death benefits due from employers, the Veteran’s Administration, Social Security The letter should detail their location, their approximate value, account numbers, how the assets are owned (jointly or individually, for example) and how they will pass at death (directly to a beneficiary, through the will, through a trust, or

through joint ownership). Compiling a list of assets provides an opportunity to ensure that your designated beneficiaries are updated and are the ones you want.

• Disposition of personal effects — Because a valid will is legally binding, you may want to use your will to instruct who is to receive highly valuable or key personal possessions.

But a letter of instruction can be useful for lesser, or more-sentimental, items.

• List of advisers and others — Provide the names and phone numbers of your financial planner, accountant, brokers, insurance agents, attorney, and other financial professionals. Also list such contacts as clergy, employers, trustees, and your estate executor.

• Location of other essential documents and information — Tell your heirs where they can find your safe-deposit box (and the key to it), will, tax records, birth certificate, military records, and credit card accounts.

• List of debts — Detail debts you owe and that are owed to you (and what you want done with debts owed to you).

• Funeral arrangements — Granted, this often is emotionally difficult to do, but it will help your loved ones if you describe the type of funeral or memorial service you want. Provide information for your obituary. Include the name and address of a cemetery/funeral home if you’ve already bought a burial plot or prepaid for a funeral. Your heirs are not legally bound to follow all your wishes, but spelling them out is usually far better than letting loved ones guess.

• Summary of finances — The very act of locating your financial assets and important documents, plus spelling out other details for your

heirs, provides a great way to organize your finances for your own benefit.

• Where to keep — You’ll want your heirs to obtain the letter of instruction right away. Don’t store the only copy in a safe deposit box where it might be difficult to reach. Keep a copy at home, with your executor, your financial planner, and/or your attorney.

• Updates — Because letters of instruction are not legally binding, it’s easy to update them annually or when there are major changes such as a marriage, divorce, or the purchase of valuable property. All you have to do is make changes and provide freshly dated copies to the appropriate sources. You generally don’t have to have them witnessed as you do a will.

• Personal messages — A letter of instruction can be a great place to leave personal thoughts to survivors.

What are your hopes and dreams for them? What are your most important values that you want to pass along?

What did you want to tell them during your lifetime but somehow never got around to doing?

You can see that such a “letter” may be much more than a sheet of paper. It may be a full notebook. It can be whatever you want it to be. Consult with your financial planner and/or attorney. Many, including advisers here at CNB, have helped clients prepare letters of instruction and have templates to help you organize your information.

James Terwilliger, CFP®, is senior vice president, Financial Planning Manager, Wealth Strategies Group, Canandaigua National Bank & Trust Company. He can be reached at 585-419-0670 ext. 50630 or by email at jterwilliger@cnbank.com.

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Many Americans Die With ‘Virtually No Financial Assets’

I

t is a central worry of many Americans: not having enough money to live comfortably in old age. Now an innovative paper co-authored by an MIT economist shows that a large portion of America’s older population has very little savings in bank accounts, stocks and bonds, and dies “with virtually no financial assets” to their names.

Indeed, about 46 percent of senior citizens in the United States have less than $10,000 in financial assets when they die. Most of these people rely almost totally on Social Security payments as their only formal means of support, according to the newly published study, coauthored by James Poterba of MIT, Steven Venti of Dartmouth College, and David A. Wise of Harvard University.

That means many seniors have almost no independent ability to withstand financial shocks, such as expensive medical treatments that may not be covered by Medicare or Medicaid, or other unexpected, costly events.

“There are substantial groups that have basically no financial cushion as they are reaching their latest years,” says Poterba, the Mitsui Professor of Economics at MIT. However, the study — one of the first to examine Americans’ end-of-life finances — also reveals a diversity of outcomes among senior citizens. Between 1993 and 2008, it found, unmarried older individuals had median wealth of about $165,000 roughly a year before they died — a figure that includes current and future Social Security income, job-related pension benefits, home equity and financial assets. In the same period, the median wealth for continuously married senior citizens, roughly a year before they died, was more than $600,000.

“There is a lot of divergence 12

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Study shows single elderly faring worse than married couples in how people are doing,” Poterba says. Those disparities also complicate the public-policy issues relating to the new findings.

“One of the clear messages is that it is very hard to do a onesize-fits-all retirement policy,” Poterba says. “We need to recognize that, for example, if we were to substantially reduce Social Security benefits for those later in life, that there is a share of the elderly households for whom that would translate very directly into reduced income, because they seem to have accumulated little in the way of financial resources.”

The paper appears as a chapter in a book edited by Wise — “Investigations in the Economics of Aging” — newly published by the University of Chicago Press.

The three paths to retirement While much attention has been paid to how much wealth people should aim to accumulate at the time of retirement, this study focuses on the evolution of that wealth during retirement, right up until death. The idea, as Poterba puts it, was “instead of looking at these people going into retirement, why don’t we try looking late in the game, and see how it all came out.”

The research in question draws from data collected in the health and retirement study (HRS), an ongoing survey that follows people throughout their retirement years, thus providing data on their wealth over time; it is sponsored by the National Institutes of Health and based at the University of Michigan.

Poterba, Venti and Wise focused their study on people who were 70

and older in 1993, when the HRS began, and examined data running through 2008. This enabled them to track levels of wealth prior to the participants’ deaths, over an extended period. People were surveyed every two years, which means that on average, those who passed away between 1993 and 2008 were last studied roughly one year before their deaths. The researchers identified three main “pathways,” running between the early years of retirement and death, for the households in the survey: those consisting of one person who remained single until death; married individuals who outlive their spouses and die single; and married individuals who die before their spouses.

The three pathways tend to produce very different financial outcomes for the elderly. Married couples, for one thing, are better able to mitigate the financial burdens of old age. Among retirees in the study, 52 percent who were single had annual incomes of less than $20,000 and less than $10,000 in other financial assets; by contrast, just 36 percent of single people who started out in two-person households at retirement fell below those levels, and only 26 percent of people in two-person households fit that description.

“There really is a key distinction between what it looks like for the married [couples] and the singles,” says Poterba, who is also the current president of the National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER).

The study also revealed a “strong correspondence” between wealth in 1993 and the length of time that people lived. That relationship held true across a variety of asset classes: People whose homes were worth more, who had larger retirement incomes, and who had more financial savings all tended to live longer than those who had fewer assets.

While there is, Poterba observes, a “very active debate” among social scientists about the precise causal relationship between wealth and health, the study helps confirm, he notes, that “the patterns of health status in these years are quite persistent.”

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Time to Downsize?

Do you really need that four-bedroom home, large van and all those items you’ve been collecting over the years?

By Deborah Jeanne Sergeant

M

aybe one day you realize you really hate mowing that huge lawn. Or that cleaning three empty bedrooms and an extra bathroom is a hassle. Or that driving a big vehicle isn’t necessary since the kids left the nest. Or maybe you discover that all the stuff sitting around your house is starting to overwhelm you. But for whatever reason, you’re considering downsizing your home, vehicle and perhaps more.

“When clients are retiring, one recommendation is that they may not need as much house,” said Joe Boyd, financial adviser for Brighton Securities Corporation in Rochester.

“It requires more cash flow on a monthly basis for taxes, repair, and if they have a mortgage, they can downsize and get a house they like and improve their cash flow considerably.”

Downsizing can be a significant benefit if you live on a fixed income. You’ll find your day-to-day expenses to shrink as you live in a smaller home, too, especially if you downsize to a newer home.

“Usually it’s a significant energy savings with less square feet,” said Keith Splain, financial adviser and managing partner at William Warren Associates in Rochester.

“Older homes are less energyefficient. Going to a newer home will reduce maintenance costs.”

Renting a smaller house or apartment can decrease your

responsibilities even more and help you plan for your housing expenses since the landlord would pay for property taxes, repairs and maintenance.

“You can also have the freedom to travel,” Boyd added.

Some retirees fear giving up their home because they want to have plenty of room to entertain adult children and grandchildren visiting from out-of-state; however, you should compare the cost of keeping up your home with an occasional hotel bill. Which is less

changes expensive? How much do you enjoy the sentimental value of your home compared with the reduced burden you would have caring for a smaller home?

If you really enjoy your home and do not want to move, however, you may not have to in order to keep costs down and to reduce the amount of upkeep for your home.

Especially during the economic downturn, more and more families have begun living together with two or three generations under one roof.

“I have a client who lives upstairs while her mother lives downstairs,” Boyd said. “We’re seeing more and more of this where people share a house with their kids and grandkids to save on expenses.

They have separate utilities and entrances. It’s like going back to the nuclear family of the good old days.”

If your home is large enough, you could discuss with your adult children or grandchildren about the possibility of adding another kitchen, bathroom and separate entrance to part of your house and sharing upkeep responsibilities and expenses.

A multigenerational household could be a great way for

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changes

grandchildren just starting out to save money to purchase their own home or to pay down college loan debt if you let them stay for free (except for utilities and some help with domestic upkeep). If they have young children, free childcare now and then could offer them another great incentive for making the move, as well as the opportunity for you to create a close bond with the youngsters.

“If you have a vacation property they visit one or two times per year, you can take those proceeds and invest it to create income,” said Dave DeWind, financial adviser with Sage Rutty & Co., Inc. in Rochester. “Not only will that help your monthly income, but you’ll save on taxes and upkeep on a property they rarely visit. It can be a big benefit for you in the retirement years.”

Keeping and renting your vacation property to others may be a good option if you have a strong attachment to it and the ability to perform maintenance yourself. You may consider hiring a property management firm to maintain it, too.

“You may visit the property one or two months a year and the rental company can find renters the other time of the year,” DeWind said. “It’s a great idea.”

Saving on Fuel, Storage Space As gas prices continue high, driving a large vehicle doesn’t make sense for many people whose children have left home. Unless you very frequently transport your grandchildren, consider giving up your gas-guzzling van or SUV in favor of a smaller, more fuel-efficient vehicle. Or go down to one vehicle between the two of you. If you usually go everywhere together anyway, do you really need two cars?

“When going down to one car, think of the insurance savings,” DeWind said. “That money can go into savings or earn a little income. There are a lot of benefits to downsizing.”

14

55 PLUS - September / October 2012

Consider selling both vehicles and getting into a newer model car with an intact warranty so you won’t have to worry about car payments or repair bills.

Many retirees realize Dewind that the stuff they’ve collected through the years may have brought them pleasure or provided usefulness at one point but now no longer suits them.

Letting go of possessions can help you enjoy Boyd your retirement because as the saying goes, “less is more.”

The less you have, the more time you have to enjoy what you have and do what you want.

If you want to liquidate fine collectibles, Splain seek help from a knowledgeable professional with no vested interest in what kind of price you receive.

“If it’s something of sizable value, get three opinions as to its value as opposed to one,” Splain said. “Typically, you’ll find one is better than the other two.”

Go through each room and storage area of your house and contemplate each item’s usefulness and emotional value. Any things that have neither should be the first to go. Then decide what you can live without. If you haven’t worn a garment in two years, for

instance, will you ever wear it again? Does a gadget perform a task that something else can do just as well? Do you really need a trinket to remember a place, person or experience?

If you want to sell some general household items or popular collectibles yourself, you can host a yard sale, sell through a consignment shop or sell items online through sites such as eBay. com, Amazon.com, Etsy.com and Craigslist.com. Auctioning items tends to be the fastest way to sell goods; however, you will likely receive the lowest prices.

Discuss with your financial adviser the possible tax benefits of donating items to charitable causes you support or family members who could use a hand.

“They would have to use an itemized return to make a charitable contribution help their tax situation,” Splain said. “It depends upon the value of the vehicle. They may not want to make a charitiable donation if it has substantial value where they can sell it outright. A lot of used dealerhsips would just buy it for them. That may be a better deal if they’re in a lower tax bracket.

Boyd takes a “bottom-up” approach with retirement planning by looking at the income a retiree has and helping them weigh the priorities and possibilities available.

Discuss your situation with a financial planner so you can make the wisest decisions for you and your spouse.

“Downsizing typically should start about five years prior to retirement,” Splain said. “You don’t want to wait until the last minute.

The main reason for doing that is you can take your time, explore options and you’re not forced into an 11th hour sale of something you’re not sure about.”

He added that while downsizing, it’s a good time to organize financial documents so family members will know what assets you have where.

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15

55+

grandparenting Tom and Anne Barker and grandkids Tim and Jesse on a trip to the New England Aquarium in Boston from last year.

Not Your Typical Grandparents Former RIT professors, Tom and Anne Barker have taken their grandkids to movie camps in Massachusetts, to RV visits to Vermont and Maine, and exploratory trips to Panama

By Beth Emley

W

hat do most grandparents like to do with their grandkids?

Go out to eat, shop at the mall or visit the Strong Museum could be typical responses.

But Tom and Anne Barker aren’t so typical. Their idea of a good time is taking off in their RV with their grandchildren — Jesse, 10 and 16

55 PLUS - September / October 2012

Tim, 8 — and going camping out in the middle of Vermont or New Hampshire. This summer they visited Old Orchard Beach, Maine, and their biggest trip to date was a 10-day excursion to Panama, which they took this past April.

The other big activity the Barkers have tried with grandkids is teaching them how to make

their own movies. Every summer since 2009, Tom has run a movie camp in Amherst, Mass., where his grandkids live with his daughter, Audrey, and her husband, Jeremy.

Audrey and Jeremy live on an organic farm with plenty of space.

The Barkers said their idea to start traveling came about after they both retired from teaching at RIT in 2005. They bought an RV and took a few trips by themselves but later decided it would be fun to involve their grandchildren.

“It [taking trips] seemed like a neat thing to do,” said Tom, 71.

“We felt they were at the perfect age to go on trips with Grandma and Grandpa, and Mom and Dad are glad to have a week alone.”

“I think Mom and Dad are jealous” of the adventures, laughed Anne, 67.

The couple’s biggest and most adventuresome trip to date — the Panama visit — happened this past spring, when the boys were

55+ on spring break from school. Anne said she and Tom and the kids were looking for an “eco adventure” tour.

They considered Costa Rica first, but then settled on Panama after they realized the Costa Rican trip might involve more bird watching than they wanted to do, she said.

They booked the trip through a tour group called, Classic Journeys of San Diego, Anne said.

“They have excellent guides and accommodations,” she said.

Tom and Anne said they and the kids were the only ones who signed up for that particular tour so they had the tour guide to themselves.

“The kids enjoyed it,” Tom said.

He said their activities included using dugout canoes to travel to a native village and they also went whitewater rafting.

Tom has many photos of the trip and smiled when he unveiled a video/audio of the two boys using a “zip-line.” (A zip-line is a pulley suspended on a cable and mounted on an incline. It is designed to allow a user to travel from the top to the bottom of the inclined cable by holding onto to the freely-moving pulley).

Anne and Tom said they’re not sure yet what the next big trip might be for their grandkids and themselves. But in the meantime, the Barkers just held their fourth movie camp, during the week of July 16-20, in Amherst.

Tom — who has enjoyed moviemaking as a hobby for 50 years — said most of the movie-making has involved both grandsons and their friends. He said this year was to be no exception and the boys’ cousins from Tanzania, Africa, would also be visiting and involved.

“It’s neat for the kids to learn how to make movies,” Tom said. He said he’s also purchased some new movie equipment he was anxious to try out this year.

Each year, movie camp has had a theme. In 2009, the theme was “Pony Man,” and the movie that was made was based on a Gordon Lightfoot song. Along with creating

grandparenting

the various scenes to be filmed, Tom said those participating made storyboards and scripts.

On Friday of that week, they had a potluck cookout and handed out Oscar “statues.” Anne smiled when she noted that the statues

are made out of chocolate and come from a Rochester candy shop.

Tom said he also enjoys making up little newsletters for the camp participants in the movie camp about what the director, producer and screenwriter all do.

Tom and Anne Barker — with grandsons Tim and Jesse — are all suited up and ready to go on the zip-line during their visit to Panama in April.

September / October 2012 - 55 PLUS

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“It gives everyone a bit of an education on what goes on behind the scenes,” Tom said.

Those traditions of the camp have continued each year.

This year’s camp featured the adaptation of a children’s book called “The Neddiad,” by Daniel Pinkerton, an author who lives downstate New York. “Neddiad” is set in the 1940s and and tells the story of young shoelace heir Neddie Wentworthstein, who has moved from Chicago to Los Angeles. This year’s theme is a departure from most years when the subjects were “wacky kid themes,” Tom said.

Anne and Tom’s roster of activities may be different from the typical grandparents and grandkids.

But the couple says they are very happy they’ve introduced their grandchildren — and themselves — to new places and a love for filmmaking.

“It broadens our horizons, for sure,” Anne said.

Added Tom, “I’m an avid photographer and I love making pictures and narratives.”

Tom said one of his favorite parts of traveling with his grandkids is telling them stories about his youth before they go to bed each night. They refer to those tales as a “Grandpa story.”

In fact, Barker has compiled many of those stories into print. One of those books, available on amazon. com, is called “Newspaper Boy,” and it chronicles his adventures delivering newspapers in his youth.

He also writes about his love of travel in another publication called, “The World is My Oyster.”

Anne said she thinks the trips and movie camps have strengthened the bond with her grandchildren.

“Something magical happens when we are with them,” she said.

When it’s just the Barkers and their grandkids, it’s easier for the grandkids to see them as the authority figure since there are no parents around.

“They don’t argue with us or we with them,” she said.

Got a story idea for 55 PLUS? Email it to editor@GVhealthnews.com

55+

trends

Yes We Vote!

The number of seniors voting is likely to remain high

By Ken Little

M

ature voters go to the polls more often and in proportionately higher numbers than their younger counterparts.

That fact does not go unnoticed by candidates for office, especially in an election year that includes the presidential race and New York State Legislature.

Rochester-Finger Lakes region is no exception.

“There seems to be an upward trend of older people voting,” said Bill Ferris, AARP state legislative representative.

An AARP survey conducted last year with New York state residents ages 50 to 64 focused on healthcare issues, but also asked respondents a few questions about voting habits.

Sixty-one percent said they “always” vote in gubernatorial or state legislative races. Another 21 percent said they vote “most of the time.”

“I think it’s fair to say that 81 percent of people between 50 and 64 vote most of the time for governor and their state legislators and that’s a big number,” Ferris said.

Monroe County Trends Monroe County’ population is aging. The number of adults 40 to 59 years old increased by 7 percent from 2000 to 2010, making it the largest segment of the population.

The numbers are consistent with regional, state and national trends.

During the same time frame, the number of 60- to 84-year-olds increased by 18 percent. The largest proportional increase was in the number of senior residents 85 and older, which grew 28 percent.

Although the age group represents

only 2 percent of the total county population, the increase in both older groups highlights the growing need for sufficient elder care and support services.

Ferris said health care and economic security, along with issues like Medicare and Social Security, are particularly important to older voters.

AARP members constitute a formidable voting bloc, he added.

“We know that our members vote and we try to engage our members all the time on the issues,” Ferris said.

Voting figures for 2012 may well mirror those of 2008, the last presidential election year. Other significant races will also be decided in November in New York state, including representatives to the state Assembly and Senate.

Significant Turnout According to the U.S. Census, 71.5 percent of Monroe County registered voters between the ages of 55 and 64 voted in the 2008 election. Monroe County voters in the 65 to 74 age group turned out at a 72.4 rate. The percentage of voters 75 and older who cast a ballot was 67.8 percent.

Those numbers contrast with a 67.4 percent rate for registered voters in the 45 to 54 age group, a 62.8 turnout rate of those in the 35 to 44 group, a 57 percent rate for Monroe County voters between 25 to 34, and a rate of 48.5 percent for voters aged between 18 and 24 years old.

The 65-and-over segment of New York state’s population comprises 13.7 percent of the 19.46 million total.

“It’s a well-known fact that older people head to the polls year after year. How elected officials use that I can’t say,” Ferris said.

It’s safe to say baby boomers are also “getting out to the polls more and more,” he said.

Ontario County Like others in the region, Ontario County’s population is aging. The number of adults 40 to 59 years old increased by 15 percent from 2000 to 2010, making it the largest segment of the population and consistent with regional, state and national trends.

Ontario County had the highest percent change in the region for residents 60 to 84 and 85 and older, growing by 36 percent and 52 percent, respectively, from 2000 September / October 2012 - 55 PLUS

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to 2010. The groups represent 22 percent of the total county population, and the increases highlight the growing need for sufficient elder care and support services, according to ACT Rochester.

Candidates Listen State Sen. Joseph Robach, R-56th District, represents most of the city of Rochester and the towns of Greece, Brighton and Parma.

He’s running for re-election this year to the state Senate.

“Obviously, everyone is very important to the electoral process each year. For democracy to work best, people need to be informed and vote. I always appreciate seniors in my district, who I am proud to represent,” Robach said in an email communication.

Mature voters “not only take part in voting, but also contact my office throughout the year with questions and concerns. Their experience in life, business, and raising families make them great resources,” he said.

Robach pays attention to the concerns of mature voters.

“I always have had a great working relationship, not just at election time, but year-round with older residents in the community,” he said. “I actively participate in events with seniors, not-for-profits, and AARP. “I try and be responsive to everyone and am blessed and fortunate to work on many issues facing seniors. These include housing, health care, and retirement,” Robach said. “This has allowed me to successfully move relationships from service to ongoing friendships.”

Added state Senate colleague Patty Ritchie, R-48th District, “Mature voters are critical to the election process — and helping them has been one of my priorities since I took office.”

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55+

cover

Oh Brother, it’s Super Mario!

Famed Rochester restaurant owner reflects on successful career

By Jessica Spies

A

t 66, the face of Italian restaurant Mario’s has no plans of retiring soon, or ever.

Mario Daniele and his family are the owners of a slew of successful restaurants and businesses in the Rochester area and beyond.

While Daniele’s role in the company has certainly changed over the years, he still takes on an active part.

“People think I’m retired because when I don’t want to be here, I’m not,” he said of being in the office. But even in his leisure time, Daniele is working.

He has his cellphone by him at all times no matter where he is.

“I don’t need to be seated in a chair in a building to conduct business,” he said. “When I’m in the restaurant, I’m conducting public relations. When I’m in the boat or in the office, I conduct business.”

Daniele said he’s the owner of his companies by default as his sons are a big part of the operations. Even though more than 200 people are employed by the Daniele organization, “basically I only manage three people—my sons and the financial director.”

His sons Anthony and Danny develop programs and business plans for the Daniele Family Companies.

Daniele Family Companies includes Italian restaurants Mario’s and Bazil, including Mario’s Cafe at the Rochester Museum & Science Center; fresh seafood restaurant Crab Shack; Southpoint Marina on Irondequoit 22

55 PLUS - September / October 2012

Bay; Royal Wash; Southpoint Cove Waterfront Apartments; Royal Atlantic Delray Beach Condominiums in Florida and a line of pasta sauce and pretzellini, based off recipes at Mario’s.

The second edition of Daniele’s cookbook, “Mario’s: 100 Recipes from the Landmark Rochester, NY Restaurant,” is available at area Wegmans and Barnes & Noble.

Daniele Family Companies is headquartered in the basement of Mario’s in Brighton.

“This is our organization. We aim to grow and look to employ more people,” Daniele said.

Rochester pride Mario, who is an Italian native, said he is proud to be a Rochesterian.

He is extensively involved in the Rochester community. He’s the co-founder of the Italian American Community Center and is on the board of directors. He’s also on the board of directors for Park Ridge Chemical Dependency, is a Eucharistic minister at St. Louis Catholic Church in Pittsford and is the honorary vice consul of Italy in Rochester, which represents the government of Italy.

“We are the county clerk’s office for Italian citizens in Upstate New York,” Daniele explains.

One of the newest ventures of Daniele Family Companies is the conversion of Bazil on 749 E. Henrietta Road in Brighton into Crab Shack. They made this change after completing a market study of the area.

“We do nothing on a whim,” he said. “We found our community was in need of a fresh seafood restaurant.”

Neither the ups nor the downs of the restaurant have been extreme, but the business is going at a steady rate, which Daniele notes is more important for a sustainable business.

“I am very proud because we really have changed the expectations of people,” he said.

In his work and personal life, Daniele takes on the motto, “WIT” or “Whatever It Takes.”

In the organization’s training of staff, “they have been empowered to make a split-second decision” using the motto WIT to guide them.

Daniele said it’s because of this motto that his businesses have been successful. It’s also because he believes that it is all about assisting the customer as there “is no such thing as a ‘no’ answer.”

Daniele’s famous marketing campaign expresses the significance that he places on the customer always being first: “You’re not just a customer, you are my special guest.”

For Daniele, it’s more than a slogan but a promise. And he always makes good on that promise.

“Any soul that walks into any of my companies will get that same reception,” he said.

Daniele is a a lifelong businessman opening his first commercial store in Italy selling appliances and TVs at age 14.

He left his business for a few

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September / October 2012 - 55 PLUS

23

55+

cover

years because of a mandate to serve in the army in Italy and and was selected to serve in the Canadian Air Force. When he was in Windsor, Ontario, he would visit his family in Detroit, where his cousins owned the pizzeria Mama Mia’s.

There, he learned the tricks of the trade of the restaurant business.

“My intent was to only go to Canada to finish my term and go back to Italy,” but Daniele’s plans soon changed.

Head over heels He would also visit Rochester where one of his cousins and an uncle lived.

“While in Rochester, I saw a picture of a beautiful girl, Flora, and we had gone to elementary school together in Italy,” he said. Once Daniele saw the photo, it was love at [somewhat] first sight. Flora had left Italy after second grade so Daniele hadn’t seen her in years.

While in Rochester, he met her through his uncle at a gathering and they danced. It wasn’t long before Daniele proposed and they wed in 1969.

The two lived in Detroit where they owned Mario’s Pizzeria in Farmington Hills, Mich.

Even though his Detroit-based cousin moved to Florida, Daniele and Flora stayed in Michigan where their two boys were born.

Because his family was still in Rochester, Daniele and Flora relocated to Rochester where he partnered to take over the landmark Carriage Stop restaurant. After a year of working around the clock, Daniele sold his half of the Carriage Stop. He couldn’t keep himself out of the restaurant business and opened Mario’s pizzeria on Monroe Avenue, which then became Mario’s Pizza & Pasta on East Avenue 24

55 PLUS - September / October 2012

in Rochester.

“I don’t believe there’s a day that goes by with someone who doesn’t remember the salad and hard crust rolls and service,” Daniele said. An example of Daniele’s signature service is that he would provide free wine for his waiting customers.

The lease on the building that housed Mario’s Pizza & Pasta was expiring and “after much study, I decided to open up Mario’s in Brighton,” where it still stands today.

The service at Daniele’s restaurants of the past has continued into his current businesses. While at the Carriage Stop, he did baptismal parties, and then would do those children’s wedding parties, and then their children’s baptisms. Daniele would “continue that philosophy of service” over to the children of his first customers and through the generations.

When one of his customer ’s children gets married, they tell Daniele to take care of it.

“They know that we’re going to offer extremely superior services.

We enjoy that tremendously. It’s very rare that people put that much trust in you,” he said.

Daniele has passed that tradition and service onto his sons.

When his two sons were in college, “I told them not to get into the restaurant business,” he said. But Anthony and Danny both pursued business degrees with the hopes of remaining in the restaurant business once they were out of college.

“I trust in them immensely,” Daniele said. “If I were to die today, I know that business would continue in the fashion if I were president.”

Getting the right flavor Daniele has developed the flavors of his restaurant by taking an active role. He goes to Italy himself and also takes the staff of Mario’s.

The food at Daniele’s restaurants is not about cooking off recipes.

“The difference is learning when and how to infuse the items,” he said.

“When you’re cooking, you have to savor the smell, the look, the taste.

What I want them to take home is not the recipe but the flavor in your

55+ mouth.”

His grandma and mother are inspirations for his cooking.

“In my youth, I always liked to cook,” he said.

Once he decided to enter the restaurant business, he read about cooking, went to cooking schools and interviewed chefs.

“Cooking is a passion,” he said. “If you invite me to your house and you have some stuff in your refrigerator, I promise I’ll make you a meal.”

Before the 2009 earthquake in the Abruzzo region of Italy, Daniele had done some fundraising to redo the church and other public infrastructure in the area. One million dollars was spent on that church that took three years to develop and “five years later, it was completely in dust.”

An earthquake of 6.3 on the Richter scale struck in April 2009, devastating the area, killing hundreds and leaving even more homeless.

Daniele wanted again to help build up the infrastructure that had been destroyed by Mother Nature.

He raised more than $100,000 and hand delivered it personally to those impacted by the earthquake.

While Daniele is a successful

businessman, his real accomplishment is having a healthy family.

“This building is just material,” he says of Mario’s. “All the buildings are just material things. My family has been No. 1,” he said.

Flora has “worked side by side with me until we opened Mario’s,” he said. The two enjoy many vacations and cruises and now Flora baby sits their five grandchildren: Lauren, Michael, Bridget, Grace and Caleb.

She also makes homemade pasta, is involved with the IACC and “sometimes she puts up with me,” Daniele joked.

Flora and Daniele are snowbirds, spending about four months in Florida.

Daniele skis and plays some golf but mainly enjoys spending his time with family and friends. He meets regularly with a group of friends who “try to fix the world’s problems then we get to work.”

Even though much of his family lives in Italy, Daniele stays in touch with them, talking with his 92-yearold mother on the phone every week.

His mother along with his sisterin-law have been running the business

cover

that Daniele started when he left for Canada. It went from small to larger and “that’s a credit to their success,” he said.

He is also continually plugged into the business world, reading trade magazine and taking seminars.

He has passed on his business acumen to his children but the most important thing he has taught them is not about business.

“Respect for other people should be automatic,” he has told them.

Anthony said his father values most the relationships he has with his family, customers and business associates.

“My father is the most passionate and persistent person I know,” Anthony said. “I would describe him as an honest, fun-loving person who has a knack for clarity in his visions and truly believes anything is possible. “ It would be an understatement to call Daniele a busy person. In fact, he’s not convinced that his work will ever be done.

“After my death, they can not bury me for 30 days because I have to finish everything,” he said.

Mario’s Business Tips

D

aniele could write a book on the tips he has for others joining the business field.

“Business is not for everybody,” he said. “To be successful in business, you have to be convinced you’re making a risk and willing to sacrifice your time.”

You can’t ask for time off, or for a raise, and you can’t quit.

“If you’re not willing to give up those elements, you will fail,” he said.

Once you have accepted that, then you can start thinking about what type of business you want to open. To be successful, you

have to be passionate about your business and not just be in it for the money.

After you have figured out the type of business you’d like to pursue, “you must do a study to see if it is feasible in this location and town,” he said.

You also have to discover how you want to measure your satisfaction, Daniele advises, which could include setting a goal of a specific profit for a year or just planning to make enough money to pay your bills.

Be honest with yourself and what experience you have. If you are missing something to

succeed in business, for example, accounting and finance, take the steps to educate yourself on that topic.

According to Daniele, It takes a full year to a year and a half before you can open a business due to licensing, your personal studies and research, and financing.

“For the [Royal] car wash, it took us two and a half years and we spent $50,000 just in research,” he said. This provided the family assurance of returns and that the business would be able to survive in the area.

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Diane Kane: 25 Years Working with Seniors

Chief medical officer at St. Ann’s Community has seen profound changes in senior care during quarter-century career

By Jason Schultz

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iane Kane, medical director for St. Ann’s Community, has grown along with the residents of the senior living community, using her decades of experience to provide peerless service to the community’s hundreds of residents.

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Kane, 57, of Webster is also the chief medical officer at St. Ann’s, and oversees the medical practices at both St. Ann’s Irondequoit and Webster campuses. In addition, Kane is boardcertified in geriatric medicine, internal medicine, and hospice and palliative care.

An Edison, N.J., native, Kane attended Douglass College at Rutgers University, before heading to Harvard University, w h e re s h e a t t e n d e d the renowned School of Public Health, before medical school at the University of Massachusetts in Worcester. Kane made her way to Rochester in 1987, when she began her internship at Strong Memorial Hospital.

What began

as a one-year stint as an attending physician at the St. Ann’s Community campus in Irondequoit turned into a quarter-century of service to seniors.

“I had intended it to be a temporary position, as I was having a child and thought the job would be perfect for a young mother,” said the Webster resident and mother of three.

“It turned out I liked so much that I decided to stay, and fast forward 25 years, and I couldn’t be happier with the opportunities I have every day.”

She said her duties fluctuate, depending on which hat she’s wearing that day. As an attending physician, she still makes her usual rounds with patients. As medical director, she switches her focus to a more administrative role in order to collaborate with many diverse departments and organizations to provide medical care to residents.

Kane’s workload has recently grown, as St. Ann’s opened a 72-bed transitional care center in Irondequoit and a 60-bed skilled nursing center in Webster. Both have a very open and homelike design with a focus on getting away from the traditional, institutional setting. This has resulted in plenty of work for her in-house staff of four physicians and five nurse practitioners. Kane added it is rare for senior living communities to provide medical care on site, as opposed to transporting residents to

the hospital.

Both expansions were marked by grand opening ceremonies in May 12. The addition is one of two such centers St. Ann’s just completed, as a similar expansion also debuted that in Irondequoit.

“The focus is about moving away from the institutional, hospital-like atmosphere of nursing homes to a more home-like feel,” said Diane Braselton, St. Ann’s community relations coordinator, pointing out the open kitchens residents can use to bake cookies with visiting grand kids, to the bright and open design of the resident’s rooms and common areas, which are divided into wings of 12 rooms each, to help create small communities of neighbors.

Braselton said with the completion of the new building, the Webster campus now offers the complete continuum of care for residents. From independent living in apartments and cottages, to transitional and rehabilitation services to assisted and skilled nursing care, this range of service found no where else in the Rochester area, she said.

Betty Mullin-Diprosa, president and CEO of St. Ann’s Community, said she is pleased to see the enormous changes St. Ann’s has seen over the decades.

“When the Heritage [St. Ann’s Irondequoit campus] opened 40 years ago, it was innovative,” she said.

“Now, the needs and expectations for senior care have changed, and we have changed with the times. Seniors today are more discriminating, and demand private, comfortable living spaces with a more home-like setting.

The focus today is about providing services for residents to age in place, so the services and care provided change as the resident’s needs change.”

As St. Ann’s offers the full range of senior living arrangements, from independent living to assisted care, rehabilitation and hospice care, Kane said she is presented will the full range of senior medical needs, which motivates and inspires her to do her best.

“The aspect about this job I like

the most is taking care of a whole spectrum of patient’s needs,” Kane said of going on her daily rounds with patients. “Our philosophy in geriatric medicine is that it is a privilege to help, and I’m giving the rare opportunity to go on house calls to meet with residents and listen to them.”

Kane said this is part of a trend in geriatric care to provide more treatment-in-place, as it is often difficult for seniors to leave the home for emergency and preventive care.

Kane said having strong relationships with her patients allows her to hold those difficult discussions on topics such as do not resuscitate orders, hospice preferences and other care questions which can be uncomfortable to have with family or unknown physicians.

“So often, seniors have many questions on their minds they want to ask their doctors, but no one ever asks,” she said. “Half our job is just asking those questions and listening to what they have to say.”

“The idea is to have the spectrum of living options to allow residents to ‘age in place,’ and live in an independent environment as long as possible,” she stated. “The idea of a traditional nursing home, with its cold, institutional feel is being replaced by a home atmosphere, and St. Ann’s is ahead of the curve on that front.”

In her quarter-century at St. Ann’s, Kane said she has seen the organization grow its services by leaps and bounds to become a model for other senior communities in the Rochester area.

“For example, 15 years ago we had a very cursory rehabilitation unit,” Kane explained. “Now with this new construction, we have 84 transitional care beds. Those needs used to require trips to the hospital, and now we do things in-house.”

She said St. Ann’s hopes to look more at providing geriatric care to members out in the community instead of just at nursing homes, with the use of technology and the growing field of telemedicine become the house call of the 21st century.

As Assisted Living Options Grow, Nursing Home Occupancy Declines

By Katherine Kahn

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new study finds an association between an increase in assisted living options, which provide older adults with an array of services such as help with everyday tasks in homelike settings, and a decline in nursing home occupancy. This shift in delivery of care has both positive and negative implications for seniors.

The study appears in a recent issue of Health Services Research.

Data on assisted living is patchy, primarily because the assisted living industry is not widely regulated and receives little government financing.

Additionally, what constitutes assisted living is poorly defined and typically includes a broad range of housing options with varying levels of care.

“Assisted living has, in general, not been very well understood or studied in its role in the broader long-term care marketplace,” said the study’s lead researcher, David Grabowski, professor of health care policy at Harvard Medical School.

To collect data on assisted living, Grabowski and his colleagues contacted each state; however, only 13 states had longterm data available, from 1993 to 2007. Data for nursing homes was gathered from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, which represents over 95 percent of all nursing home facilities in the U.S., and from Brown University’s Minimum Data Set (MDS) on long term care.

“We found that a 10 percent increase in assisted living capacity led to a 1.4 percent decline in private-pay nursing home occupancy,” Grabowski said. “It’s not a huge effect and it’s not a oneto-one substitution, but I think this is a pretty sizable relationship.”

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Building Trails in Webster

For Norma Platt “it’s all about preserving the Earth for future generations”

By Ernst Lamothe

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or Norma Platt, what good is clean air if you can’t take a long walk to breathe it in or enjoy a precious habitat of nature to listen to various birds chirping?

There’s always been something about the great outdoors that lured her in.

And she spends her weeks helping others in the Rochester area enjoy the many walking and biking trails.

Platt is the Habitat Preservation chairperson for the Friends of Webster Trails. The organization, which builds and maintains acres of trails, advocates for the preservation of the town’s natural character and open space. Platt said Webster trails contribute to community health by providing people of all ages with a free, attractive, safe and accessible place for exercising outdoors.

The trails provide a place for cycling, walking, running, cross-

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country skiing and snowshoeing in a natural environment away from the noise, fumes and dangers of roadways.

“I guess the way I see life is that it’s frustrating that we don’t have world peace by now but because I can’t do anything to change that I figured fixing and enhancing our environment was just a small piece that I could do to improve a small part of the world,” said Platt, a resident of Webster and a 10-year member of the organization. “When we make a new trail using our rakes ands shovels, clearing out brush and putting pipes for draining, it makes me feel good that people can just go out and enjoy it all.”

Aside from her leadership role, she participates in Trail Work Days each month to clean and enhance the current land, arranges special habitat

preservation projects and is a wealth of knowledge about native plant species.

When she discusses the town’s trails, there is passion in her voice, reeling off the advantages of preserving and protecting the walkways. She preaches the importance of open space and also turns into a spokesperson to anyone willing to hear about maintaining and promoting recreational trails.

“It’s all about preserving the Earth for future generations. We have to care about keeping neighborhoods and our environment healthy,” said Platt, 63.

Even when the weather isn’t particularly cooperative, she takes a stroll along Whiting Road Nature Preserve or the Bird Sanctuary Trail.

However, one of her favorite things is taking a jaunt 163-acre Gosnell Big Wood Preserves and its big field, bounded by private

properties on Lake Road to the north, Baker Road on the west, Vosburg Road on the south and woods on the east. There are oak, hickory and hemlock trees that are as much as 350 years old. The property has been well maintained as workers keep the path free of debris.

“I consider myself very lucky to live in Webster and be surrounded by so many trails and people who care about preservation. It’s very easy to take it all for granted,” said Platt, who walks several times a week along the trails.

“When you see these unlogged virgin territories with big trees and hills you can walk for miles and miles all around Webster, stretch your legs and just be in awe. It’s hard to find as many trails in other areas as you will find in Webster.”

Jeff Darling, trails committee chair for the Friends of Webster Trails, describes Platt as an unsung hero whose efforts are appreciated by many. He has worked with her on different projects and trail clean up days for the past four years.

“What makes Norma really amazing is her tireless work not just building trails, but preserving the

Friends of the Webster Trails The group was established in 1997 and its only activity was the maintenance of the Hojack Trail Friends of Webster Trails has now built trails in Finn Park, the Whiting Road Nature Preserve, the Gosnell Big Woods Preserve, and the Bird Sanctuary Trail

habitat that we all get to enjoy,” said Darling, 38, of Webster. “She goes out there and works hard year after year and we have some really good looking mature forests.”

Darling has always been a big fan of hiking and snowshoeing, and once he showed up for the first meeting he was hooked and became a member of the board. With the outdoors being his second home, he views organizations like the Friends of Webster Trails as essential because citizens can’t simply rely on municipalities to do the work.

Darling said the jobs of residents must be to build up and maintain public areas and that the organization is always looking for volunteers that want to make their community a better place. He hopes more people come to the twice a month trail work days that will begin in a few months, along with the organizations initiative to create and maintain a new 80-acre trail on the corner of Lake and Basket roads.

“We are lucky that we have a town that supports green space and has purchased a 1,000 acres of green space in the past decade,” said Darling, who uses the trails several times a week. “It really is a counter balance to suburban sprawl. Yes, we need commercial and residential space but we can’t ignore open space while we are going forward. We’re lucky that each Webster resident has a relatively short distance to walk, run or bike on a trail.”

In her spare time, Platt also uses to the trail to watching birds. As part of the Rochester Birding Association, she gathers with friends who either walk or ride their bikes and discover sometimes non-native species in the area. The outdoors has simply become part of her existence, which she appreciates with each day.

“Like they always said ‘if you don’t use it you lose it,’” said Platt.

“The outdoors is all around us to embrace so we might as well do it. How can it not just give you pleasure?”

For more information about Platt and the Friends of Webster Trails, visit www.webstertrails.org.

To Quit Smoking, Try Eating More Veggies and Fruits

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f you’re trying to quit smoking, eating more fruits and vegetables may help you quit and stay tobaccofree for longer, according to a new study

by University at Buffalo public health researchers.

The paper, in the journal Nicotine and Tobacco Research, is the first longitudinal study on the relationship between fruit and vegetable consumption and smoking cessation.

The UB study found that smokers who consumed the most fruit and vegetables were three times more likely to be tobacco-free for at least 30 days at follow-up 14 months later than those consuming the lowest amount of fruits and vegetables. These findings persisted even when adjustments were made to take into account age, gender, race/ ethnicity, education, household income and health orientation.

They also found that smokers with higher fruit and vegetable consumption smoked fewer cigarettes per day, waited longer to smoke their first cigarette of the day and scored lower on a common test of nicotine dependence.

“We may have identified a new tool that can help people quit smoking,” says Jeffrey P. Haibach, first author on the paper and graduate research assistant in the UB Department of Community Health and Health Behavior. “Granted, this is just an observational study, but improving one’s diet may facilitate quitting.”

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Meet the Multi-talented Kathleen Van Schaick Presenter of “Silver Threads,” a weekly program devoted to seniors on WXXI’s Reachout Radio, is a woman who wears many hats

By Deborah Blackwell

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f anyone ever embraced the words “full of life,” it’s Kathleen Van Schaick, radio personality, teacher, poet, volunteer, hiker, world traveler, wife, mother and dear friend to those whom she meets.

This retired Penfield district teacher-turned radio voice of “Silver Threads,” a Reachout Radio program on WXXI, not only has won national awards for her poetry, but has hiked through the Grand Canyon, snorkeled the Great Barrier Reef, safari’d in 30

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Africa, and visited an Aboriginal culture center.

Believe it or not, this barely rivals her everyday life here, where she manages her camp on the Oswegatchie River and her writing retreat in Naples, two places she finds respite hiking, kayaking, chopping firewood, forging hiking trails and fending off bears from blackberry bushes. She’s also well known for her Christmas cookie-baking marathon, which includes baking from scratch, then

giving away more than 800 cookies every holiday season.

Van Shaick grew up in Vestal, with her mother, a teacher, her father ,an engineer, and an older sister.

An outdoor person for as long as she can remember, Van Shaick spent much of her time in the woods, climbing trees, exploring streams, swinging on vines and learning about plants and animals. Although her interests and studies often leaned toward the sciences, she graduated

55+ from Syracuse University with a degree in philosophy and then obtained a master ’s degree from Nazareth College in elementary education and spent 30 years teaching fourth and sixth grades before retiring in 2001.

Broadcaster F o r Va n S h a i c k t h e w o r d retirement doesn’t mean slowing down. As soon as she retired, she began reading for Reachout Radio, a radio reading service through WXXI, providing readings of local and national newspapers, magazines, and books for the blind or visually impaired.

“Since elementary teachers love to read aloud, I auditioned as soon as I retired,” says Van Shaick. “With my interest in nature it was a perfect fit to take over reading Audubon magazine.

When the magazine was no longer scheduled, I then began reading the B section of the Democrat and Chronicle, and when the programs on health and senior issues were added to programming, I expressed interest and was offered Silver Threads.”

“Silver Threads” is a half-hour program focused on senior citizens, addressing current events and prevalent topics. Part of WXXI’s Reachout Radio programming, “Silver Threads” and other programs are offered to subscribers who listen through a special receiver provided by the station. According to Van Shaick, seniors are the fastest growing population in the country, so she feels it is critical that issues concerning seniors be addressed, from government programs like Social Security or Medicare, the economy, retirement and investments, to family, legal issues and housing.

The diversity of topics on her show includes something for every interest, from excerpts of books on aging, travel, volunteering, spirituality, pets, emergency planning, crafts, gardening, and of course humor.

“I think humor is especially important to seniors, to appreciate the light side of the aspects of aging,” says Van Shaick. “We have a chance to hear stories and the experiences of

other seniors, mainstream folks like ourselves or celebrities like William Shatner. They allow us to connect on an emotional level.”

Van Shaick does not get paid to research, write, and read the programming for “Silver Threads,” she is a volunteer, who dedicates herself to the mission with passion.

“Kathy is full of energy and full of life, and she gives her all to the many projects she takes on,” says Maureen Rich, WXXI Reachout Radio producer, operations. “She covers everything from death and dying to sexuality to living through the changes of retirement, simplifying life and adventure. She has an eye for what’s happening and she lives a lot of what she talks about. I know she truly wants to make a difference for good.”

profile

Volunteer Her meaningful difference shows not only through her work on “Silver Threads,” but by her volunteer work at Serenity House, a comfort care home in Victor for the terminally ill.

Since 2009 Van Shaick has assisted in many aspects of the residents’ care at the facility including bathing, dressing, preparing meals, moving residents in and out of bed, changing beds, giving medications, helping with written forms, daily care plans, anecdotal records, and even doing laundry.

“We often just chat with them, even joke and have fun. Most residents are warm witty, friendly, grateful and have much to teach,” says Van Shaick.

“I had also been a volunteer at the Pines of Peace in Ontario, a comfort care home. I found the atmosphere

Kathy Van Shaick, WXXI’s “Silver Threads” program announcer, and and her husband Ed Van Shaick enjoy a casual moment together in their backyard in Victor.

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“As I got to know Kathy, I realized she’s an incredibly passionate, open and dedicated woman whose heart is big and with talent to match it,” says Elizabeth Osta, Pittsford author and friend.

“Her dedication to Reachout Radio is emblematic of the kind of person she is—she gives with all her heart and her talent raises her giving to an unimagined gift.” to be very respectful, professional and caring, as well as being quite spiritual.

Adventurer Feeding the spirit is a priority for Van Shaick, and part of her overall health and wellness mentality. She belongs to a local gym where she works with a trainer on strength and endurance, which pays off when she is snowshoeing, hiking, swimming, kayaking, and jogging. “I continue to feed my need to be outside. Last summer I fed my adventurist spirit by rafting the Colorado River, the length of the Grand Canyon,” says Van Shaick. “We motor-rafted almost 300 miles on two rafts, 14 people on each one, our hands on tight, splashing and bouncing through the white water.”

Van Shaick’s travel log is quite noteworthy. In the 1971 she toured eight countries in Europe and went on safari in three different game preserves in Africa.

“There are so many wonderful images I still have of that trip, long ago as it was,” says Van Shaick. “Imagine the entire shoreline of a lake pink with flamingos, a cheetah racing after a gazelle, and baby elephants with their mothers. It was a trip that couldn’t be duplicated.”

For her retirement, Van Shaick took a trip to New Zealand, Australia, and Fiji with her husband Ed. She has visited Newfoundland and Labrador and hiked in Gros Morn National Park. But one of her most memorable adventures was in the Grand Canyon, 32

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where Van Shaick rafted through 33 major rapids, hiked rough terrain at great heights, over boulders, and along ledges to waterfalls and pools.

“There are hardly words to describe it. Tired as we got, it was difficult for me to fall asleep at the end of each day for the magnificence of the scene,” says Van Shaick. “Sleeping in primitive campsites along the shore on sand or rocks, a spectacular swath of stars appeared above the walls of the canyon with no other lights anywhere for miles.”

Van Shaick finds adventure close to her home in Victor as well. She loves hiking local trails there, the Crescent Trail in Fairport, and the Finger Lakes Trail.

“Kathy brings such enthusiasm and organization to our hikes,” says Janice Larson, Perinton hiking partner and friend. “If we are going somewhere she goes there first and tests it out to see where we can park or if it’s muddy. She is proactive, conscientious and prepared.”

Poet Whether it’s hiking or writing poetry, Van Shaick commits her finest attributes to everything she does. A member of a memoirwriting workshop at Writers and Books for over 20 years, she also has participated in Poets in Residence, part of an elementary school arts program during her teaching years.

Currently she finds herself dedicated to Just Poets in Rochester.

This local nonprofit organization is

made up of writers of all abilities who are interested in learning the craft and sharing their work. There are monthly meetings involving a presentation on a particular topic, presented either by a member or non-member. After each presentation there is an opportunity for members to read a poem to the group and then receive feedback in what is called a critiquing session.

“During the first few years I was able to learn a great deal and was given excellent suggestions by stronger poets,” says Van Shaick. “The philosophy is to embrace all levels of ability with the purpose of supporting and encouraging individual poets and put poetry out in the community.”

Van Shaick is often found reading her poems in open mic formats throughout the Rochester area. Friend and fellow writer Jenny Lloyd of Pittsford says her poetry not only reflects her love of nature but her real humanity. Friend and author Elizabeth Osta of Pittsford, says Van Shaick’s poetry reveals a spiritual dimension that transports the reader.

Many of her works have been published, in “The MacGuffin,” and also in “The Dire Elegies: 59 Poets on Endangered Species of North America,” which includes many nationally recognized poets.

In 2006 she won the Portia Steele Memorial Award in Poetry sponsored by the San Francisco Chapter of the California Writers Club. Van Shaick has participated as secretary of Just Poets and became the editor of the annual anthology, “Le Mot Juste.”

“I joke that I subscribe to the wise woman archetype,” says Van Shaick.

“But I do believe there is something to be said for the experience acquired over many decades.”

Van Shaick and her husband Ed, formerly of Kodak and currently a volunteer Red Cross disaster administrator, reside in an antique farmhouse circa 1830 in Victor with their cat Christie.

She has a son, two stepsons and four grandchildren.

golden years

By Harold Miller Email: hal@cny55.com

Our Culture Crisis How did America deteriorate from the common sense and work ethic taught by our parents to our current state of affairs?

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merica is the greatest nation in the world — but for how long? Currently we are being tested by what may be the worst recession in our history.

Those of us brought up during the Great Depression soon learned that the best helping hand was at the end of our wrist. My father had a small shop on Genesee Street in downtown Auburn where he did carpentry, sold paints, and recaned chairs. Business was not good, so mother took in washing, I started a newspaper route, and my sisters baby sat when they could. We rented a house just up the street from Dad’s shop so that he could walk to work. Many could not afford to keep up a car or buy a home.

There was no such thing as easy credit in those days.

By working hard and cutting our spending we made it through.

How did America deteriorate from the common sense and work ethic taught by our parents to our current state of affairs?

I am worried about America’s character — who we are and what kind of adults we are raising. Our family is doing well because the wisdom Janet and I learned from our parents was taught to our children, who in turned passed it on to our grandchildren. But we are fast becoming a minority.

Today, half of the population is

overweight or obese (fat and lazy), and almost half of all families are receiving some kind of welfare — many welfare families are in their third generation. Unemployment statistics are sugar-coated by the government. If the truth be known the current 8.2 percent unemployment statistic is almost double if you count the people who have given up looking for a job, or have little desire to work because they are on the dole, as the British would say.

Slovenly behavior and lack of discipline is but a small part of our problems. Benjamin Franklin said, “Beware of little expenses. A small leak will sink a great ship.”

Our already bloated government is becoming even more bloated with drudges and drones at a time when the not-so-small leak can and will sink the ship of state — unless we can reverse our overwhelming deficit.

The greatest threat, however, is the loss of morals, ethics, honesty and character.

Consider the Government Services Administration scandal. GSA is the largest owner and operator of buildings in the world. Likewise their workforce is among the largest in the world. Recently, they held a four-day regional conference in Las Vegas. In reality, it resembled a Roman orgy of drinking, gambling, and hired clowns.

They sang songs about the perks of a government job — and love for the taxpayers who footed the bill. It is not enough that they were squandering our money (the government has squandered our money for ages) it was that they thought they were way cool and we, the drudges and drones who paid the taxes, were uncool.

Then there is the Secret Service scandal involving our most respected government agency. Some trusted agents were sent overseas to scout

security for a presidential visit — and then sent home for drinking, partying, and engaging prostitutes.

Perhaps the most revolting example of what has become our welfare state is the case of the $41 cake purchased with food stamps — as reported in the Wall Street Journal. Gradually, our government has quietly done away with almost all of the restrictions on food assistance SNAP cards (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program). The WSJ reporter happened to be standing behind a woman in a supermarket checkout line as she placed the only item in her cart — an ice cream cake — on the counter. The clerk said, “Forty-one dollars.” Her son, about 12 years old, repeated, “Forty-one dollars?” The mother ignored her son’s question, swiped her benefits card, and was off.

Now tell me who among you reading this — regardless of your financial situation — would spend 10 times more on a store-bought cake than you could make at home.

My wife clips coupons from the newspaper before she goes to the market and watches every penny.

I sincerely believe that we of the 55-plus generation have a lot to teach those within our sphere of influence — those who did not suffer through the Great Depression.

I believe that virtually anyone can get a job — if they want to work hard enough. Emma Lazarus, in her famous poem, said, “Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses, yearning to breathe free.” Our government has amended this to offer, “and we will put them on welfare as soon as they arrive.”

We need to return to the values that built America — before it is too late. How about writing your congressmen?

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music

The Lifelong Musicians of the Irondequoit Concert Band Some members have played music since 4 years of age

By Jessica Spies

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any members of the Irondequoit Concert Band have played music throughout their lives. While some may have taken a break from music as their lives got busier, many started music while in elementary school and then took back to the instrument later in life.

I ro n d e q u o i t C o n c e r t B a n d member Kathy Thomas has not stopped playing music since he was 4 years old.

Thomas, 68, started piano lessons when she was 4 years old.

“Growing up, my best friends took dancing lessons but I really couldn’t afford it. I started my piano lessons at 50 cents a lesson,” she said.

“These people taking dance lessons are probably not dancing but I’ve continued to make music.”

Thomas, who learned flute and piccolo at age 10, continues to play both as a member of the Irondequoit Concert Band, a group she’s been a part of for more than 30 years. She also worked professionally as a musician as an accompanist for the Rochester City School District.

“I get to play my instrument and make music for fun,” Thomas said of the benefits of playing music. “It’s not a job. I’ve had music all my life. I have my career. This, I do for fun.”

Thomas said that playing in the band gives her an opportunity to be a part of the community.

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“It’s a nice outlet to give back to the community because we do so many concerts within the community.

It’s a fun way to do something like that,” she said.

Fellow concert band member Russell Thomas, 70, has been in the group in both the roles of conductor and performer for over the past 20 years. Russell has also made music his career as a teacher for over 34 years in the East Irondequoit Central School District.

“The reason I decided to go into music after high school was because I could not imagine going a day without being musically involved somehow,” he said.

He’s now the owner of Thomas Music, an instrument repair shop in Irondequoit. In order to effectively fix instruments, Russell has learned how to play all of the instruments he fixes.

Since he’s proficient on every band instrument, he fills in with whatever instrument is needed in the concert band at the time and currently plays baritone and saxophone.

“If there’s a need somewhere, I can fill in,” Russell said.

Russell describes the group as being comprised of people “who are not professional musicians but who enjoy playing music.”

In addition to his work with the Irondequoit Concert Band, Russell is the founder and conductor of the

Irondequoit Community Orchestra, which just formed this year.

While he’s spent the majority of his life as teacher, Russell has never stopped learning and is now focused on learning the violin and viola. To put his new skills to the test, Russell has joined the New Horizons String Ensemble.

Russell said that while it may be difficult to pick up an instrument for the first time at an older age, it is not a problem to learn a new one if you have initially learned how to play music.

“It refreshes you,” he said. “It takes you back to the basics when you started.”

Russell said it’s less difficult for an adult to learn another instrument because they can pick it up faster and already know the “bad habits” to avoid.

While there are many members who have played music throughout their lives, there are others who picked up the instrument again after a number of years off.

Shannon Bielaska, 61, who plays the French horn in the Irondequoit Concert Band, stopped playing for a bit when she graduated from college.

She started piano lessons at age 5 and started playing the trumpet in fourth grade. She grew up in a musical home; her family would gather around the piano after dinner and her parents would take her to musicals and Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra

55+ concerts. Bielaska has kept a love of music alive in her family across generations as both of her children play music and she’s encouraged her grandchildren to play music as well.

“Music is a great outlet and stress reliever,” Bielaska said.

She started playing in the Greece Community Orchestra in 1973, joined the Irondequoit Concert Band in 2000 and has also played for the Greece Concert Band.

In addition to trumpet and French horn, Bielaska also plays piano, guitar, banjo and organ.

She enjoys playing in the Irondequoit Concert Band because the band members are friendly and

practices are basically like a “big get together.”

Fellow French horn player Jim Koller is the oldest member of the Irondequoit Concert Band at age 89. He’s been in the band since 1991 and is also a longtime member of the Brighton Symphony Orchestra. He joined both after the encouragement of friends who were current members.

Because he hadn’t played in years, his horn was outdated.

“I still had my school horn and had to buy a modern horn,” he said.

Like Bielaska, Koller played music through his college years but didn’t play again until he retired from Kodak because of graduate school and

music

family life.

“It has been very rewarding,” Koller said of playing horn as an older adult. “I suspect I’m the oldest player in town already. When I have to give it up, I will really miss it.”

Koller said that while the group is not completely comprised of professional musicians, the members are accomplished players.

“The attitude is one of trying to achieve excellence but not getting hung up on individual mistakes,” he said.

The group, directed by David Schantz, performs about 12 concerts a year. For more information visit irondequoitband.org/.

The Irondequoit Concert Band regularly performs in the community. Photo by Kenneth Conley

September / October 2012 - 55 PLUS

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55+

music

Playing to Their Heart’s Content Music program created in Rochester is now spread across the country; locally, hundreds of residents take part in it

By Debbie Waltzer

H

undreds of Rochester-area residents, ages 60 to 90something, are finding joy as members of Rochester New Horizons Program. The program, launched in 1991 by the Eastman Community Music School, provides a creative outlet for senior adults with or without prior musical background.

Today, more than 200 chapters of New Horizons operate in communities throughout the U.S. and Canada, all 36

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modeled after the Rochester program, created by music professor emeritus Roy Ernst.

Step inside the main hall of First Unitarian Church on Winton Road North on a typical Thursday morning, and you will hear 60–70 adults playing their hearts out on flute and clarinet or trombone and tympani. Band rehearsal time starts at 9 a.m. sharp, and folks travel to the Brighton location from all over, some as far

away as Naples in Ontario County.

Love the cello? There’s an ensemble for that. In addition to beginning, concert and symphonic bands, New Horizons offers playing groups for beginning strings, advanced strings/ orchestra, a chorus, Big Band, vintage jazz, clarinet choir, chorus, flute ensemble, trombone choir, saxophone ensemble, and “brasso profundo” for tuba and euphonium enthusiasts.

And the program is designed for novices as well as lifelong musicians who now have time during retirement to return to their beloved childhood instruments.

“We’ll do it all, from showing you how to assemble your instrument and read music, to helping you rekindle a passion for your horn that you put away in a closet years ago,” says Priscilla Brown, coordinator of New Horizons, who holds a bachelor ’s degree in oboe performance from Oberlin Conservatory and served as director of bands at East High School for nearly 20 years, until her retirement in 2010. “New Horizons is

55+ for people of all abilities. It’s never too late to pursue a musical passion.”

Patrice Ristuccia knows that first hand. When the Park Avenue area resident retired from her position as a school counselor at Brighton High School in August 2009, friend Sue Miller—a lifelong flute player, who was also retiring from her English teaching job at BHS—convinced Ristuccia to take up an instrument.

“Our conversation was like a comedy routine,” Ristuccia recalls. “I told Sue I have asthma and allergies, so I didn’t want to play a wind or brass instrument. I didn’t want spit from a spit valve to end up on my Oriental rug. I have neck pain, so the violin or viola were out. No way would I put drums in my house. So the cello made a lot of sense.”

The rest is history. Ristuccia showed up at a New Horizons string rehearsal, was offered individual lessons by one of the program’s mentors (Eastman graduate students), learned to play the cello, bought her own instrument and now she happily plays Bach, Beethoven and more alongside fellow string players every Tuesday morning from 9–11 (with a 20-minute coffee break replete with homebaked goodies supplied by fellow musicians).

“I’m having a ball,” says Ristuccia, whose nine-year-old grandson also has taken up the cello, inspired in part by his grandmother’s interest. “I love New Horizons because everyone is mature, and everybody plays at their own level.” To date, Ristuccia and her string friends have performed at a variety of venues, including area nursing homes and Kilbourn Hall.

Flutist Sue Miller represents the other end of the spectrum, an individual who earlier in life had an extensive involvement with music, then deferred that passion until retirement. Miller, a Detroit native, played flute throughout childhood and during her college years at University of Michigan, while earning a bachelor ’s degree in English with minors in French and Social Studies. As a youngster, she attended Interlochen Center for

the Arts for eight summers and was picked for prestigious performance opportunities, including Michigan’s All-State Music Conference.

Then, after marrying and starting a family and career, “I put the flute in the closet for 35 years,” Miller says, always knowing she would join New Horizons when she retired.

It is a dream come true, she notes.

Miller treated herself to a new flute a few years ago, attended the program’s band camp in Chautauqua, NY, this past fall and enjoys making new friends and playing alongside other Brighton High School retirees.

New Horizons conductors include Priscilla Brown, as well as Bruce Burritt, Alan Woy and Ken Scott, all seasoned musicians and music educators.

music

The program also receives t re me ndou s su p p or t f rom t h e community; Christopher Seaman, Jeff Tyzik and Arild Remmereit from the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra have all conducted various program ensembles during concerts at Kodak Hall at Eastman Theatre.

And new participants are always welcome. Fall orientation is scheduled for Sept. 5 at 2 p.m. in Messenger Hall, 10 Gibbs St.; call 274-1400 for more information.

Ristuccia encourages all retirees to check out the program. “Research has shown that three things can stop our brains from deteriorating as we age: playing music, doing math problems and speaking a foreign language,” she says. “You’ll have a ball being a part of New Horizons.”

New Horizons Program’s co-director Alan Woy.

September / October 2012 - 55 PLUS

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inspiration Rousseau’s 90-year Ride

55+

Founder Harvey Rousseau celebrates 90 years of age and 50 years of his business, Harv’s Harley Davidson in Macedon

By Deborah Jeanne Sergeant

H

arvey Rousseau has re a c h e d a n a g e m o s t people never do: 90.

Considering his passion for motorsports and aviation, which can be dangerous avocations, it’s especially remarkable Rousseau has lived to be a nonagenarian and still in his own home.

As for secrets to his healthy longevity, he said, “Get a good night’s sleep, eat good and enjoy your work.

I have no real secret for longevity. If I knew the secret maybe I could live longer!”

His daughter, Kim Wyman, said of her dad’s longevity, “He has a great sense of humor; he doesn’t sweat the small stuff.”

Rousseau spent much of his life doing work he loved as founder and proprietor of Harv’s Harley Davidson in Macedon.

Rousseau was born in Macedon in the house next door to where he lives now. He always loved motors. As a boy, he liked his bicycle, but thought it would be better with a motor on it. He took the motor off a washing machine and tried to put it on his bicycle.

“That was my start,” he joked.

When he finished high school in 1932, he worked on his father’s farm.

When World War II began, he became interested in flying. After the Air Force turned him away for medical reasons, he joined the Civil Air Patrol where he volunteered part time until 1959 while working on the farm.

During the winter, when farm work lagged he worked at Bausch + 38

55 PLUS - September / October 2012

Lomb on military projects. He also enjoyed participating in auto racing.

After the war, he started working at the American Can Company in Geneva as a mechanic, and later as a mechanic in Fairport. He married his wife, Mildred, known as “Milly” in 1949. They had two daughters born 10 years apart.

In 1962, Rousseau opened the motorcycle shop. He and his wife converted an old chicken coop on their

farm into the showroom. Daughter Wyman was just a toddler when the shop opened.

“It was a small building and we could only fit three bikes on the showroom floor,” Wyman recalled.

“I remember riding on the back of the motorcycle with him. I’d ride on a scooter through the apple orchard on the farm.”

Anytime Rousseau wasn’t working or sleeping, he was at the shop working on bikes. Training at a Harley service school in Milwaukee, home to Harley Davidson’s main headquarters, further honed his selftaught mechanical skills.

“When I started the motorcycle shop, they had full-time Harley Davidson dealerships only in the bigger cities, Rochester, Syracuse, and Buffalo, but not Geneva, so I was considered a small-time dealer until 1970 when I had full-time employees,” he said.

Since both were active riders in addition to dealing in motorcycles, they founded the Empire Riders Motorcycle Club and rode in many

Harv Rousseau and his daughter, Kim Wyman, celebrated his 90th birthday and his shop’s 50th anniversary in May. Rousseau started the business — Harv’s Harley Davidson in Macedon — out of his farm in 1962.

savvy senior motorcycle events.

Lady motorcyclists were not the norm in the ‘60s, but in 1965, his wife Milly was named Miss National Tour Queen at Laconia Motorcycle Week, an annual rally held in Laconia, N.H. Operating his own shop fulfilled a life-long dream for Rousseau, both in surrounding himself with motorcycles all day and in entrepreneurship.

“I’ve always enjoyed being in business for myself,” he said. “It’s more rewarding than working for someone else. I’ve loved motorcycles for traveling and the fun people I’ve met.”

Wy m a n h a s o p e r a t e d t h e dealership since 1989. Her children help out, too.

“I was brought up in it,” she said. “I’ve always ridden since I was 10 years old and it was a natural transition to be the next generation.

“He taught me to be involved with the customers, ride with them, and make them a part of the whole family.”

The Rochester Democrat & Chronicle awarded the family-run dealership with the Reader’s Choice Award Best Motorcycle Dealership each year since 2008.

Though he has grown a successful business from a humble chicken coop to a full-service, award-winning dealership and service shop, Rousseau has experienced his share of sorrows.

Milly and Rousseau’s older daughter was killed in a motorcycle accident in 1967 at age 17. Milly was killed in an auto accident in 1980.

He has retired from flying but to this day Rousseau occasionally rides his Harley, though now with a sidecar attached.

“You get 90 and you’re not quite as active as you once were,” he said.

He is proud of the achievements of his three grandchildren who are professional motorcycle racers. As for the motorcycle shop, living across the road from it makes it easy to attend special events or just drop in any old time.

In May, the shop hosted a combined celebration of Rousseau’s 90th birthday and the business’ 50th anniversary.

By Jim Miller

Dying With Debt Will Your Children Inherit Your Obligations?

W

hat happens to a person’s debt after they die?

In most cases when a person with debt dies, it’s their estate, not their kids that’s legally responsible.

When you die, your estate — which consists of the stuff you own while you’re alive (home, car, cash, etc.) — will be responsible for paying your debts. Whatever is left over is passed along to your heirs as dictated by the terms of your will, if you have one. If you don’t have a will, the intestacy laws of the state you reside in (see mystatewill.com) will determine how his estate will be distributed.

If, however, you die broke, or there isn’t enough money left over to pay your unsecured debts — credit cards, medical bills, personal loans — then your estate is declared insolvent, and your creditors (those you owe) will have to eat the loss.

There are, however, a couple of exceptions that would make your kids legally responsible for your unsecured debt after you pass away: if your son or daughter is a joint holder on a credit card account that you owe on, or if they co-signed on a loan with you.

Secured debts — loans attached to an asset such as a house or a car — are another story. If you have a mortgage or car loan when you die, those monthly payments will need to be made by your estate or heirs or the lender can seize the property.

Untouchable Assets You also need to be aware that there are some assets, such as 401(k) and 403(b) accounts, brokerage accounts, and some life insurance policies that creditors cannot get access to. That’s because these accounts typically have designated beneficiaries, and the

money goes directly to those people without passing through the estate.

Tell Your Kids If you haven’t already done so, you need to inform your kids and the executor of your will of your financial situation so there are no surprises after you die.

If you do indeed die with debt, and you have no assets, settling your estate should be fairly simple.

Your executor will need to send out letters to your creditors explaining the situation, including a copy of your death certificate, and that will probably take care of it. But, your kids may still have to deal with aggressive debt collectors who try to guilt them into paying.

If you have some assets, but not enough to pay all your debts, your state’s probate court has a distinct list of what bills get priority. The details vary by state, but generally estate administrating fees, funeral expenses, taxes and last illness medical bills get paid first, followed by secured debts and lastly credit card debts.

Get Help If you have questions regarding your specific situation, you should consult with an attorney. If your need help locating one use findlegalhelp. org, a consumers’ guide created by the American Bar Association that offers referrals and links to free and low-cost legal help in your area based on your income level. If you don’t have internet access, call the Eldercare Locator at 800-677-1116 for referrals.

Send your senior questions to: Savvy Senior, P.O. Box 5443, Norman, OK 73070, or visit www.savvysenior.org.

Jim Miller is a contributor to the NBC Today show and author of “The Savvy Senior” book.

September / October 2012 - 55 PLUS

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long-term care

By Susan Suben

Caregiver and Care Recipient: Roles We Will Inevitably Play A few steps will help turn a difficult situation into a more meaningful and manageable one

Y

ou’ve probably heard this quote by Rosalynn Carter many times before: “There a re o n l y f o u r k i n d s o f people in the world: those who have been caregivers; those who are currently caregivers; those who will be caregivers; and those who need caregivers.”

This statement cannot be overlooked. Due to the large silent generation and baby boomer populations, increased life expectancy and the growing prevalence of Alzheimer’s, many of us will probably assume the role of caregiver for a spouse or parent or be afflicted with an illness that is debilitating but doesn’t kill us.

New York state ranks third in the nation of informal caregivers, according to the Tompkins County Office for the Aging Summer 2012 newsletter. Without caregiver support, the NYS Office for the Aging has estimated that 50 percent of older residents receiving care would have to be placed in residential care settings.

As a caregiver for both my parents for the past five years, I have found that the ease in which you assume the caregiving role is directly related to your ability to turn a difficult situation into a more meaningful and manageable one for all those involved, including yourself.

How you handle the stress, how you ask for help and how you relate 40

55 PLUS - September / October 2012

to the care recipient and your family will make all the difference. Most important is how you plan for it. Here are some helpful tips.

Have a Family Meeting Arrange a meeting with your family to assess the needs of the care recipient and the breakdown of responsibilities. This is especially true if the person you are caring for remains at home. Understand that tasks may not be divided evenly or fairly. Some family members may not be able to do much because they don’t live nearby. Work or children may take up their time. They might not have the personality or patience to deal with illness. Give them chores they can handle, such as managing finances, scheduling doctor appointments or going to the grocery store. By having a family meeting and determining what each person is capable of doing, there will be less arguments, a n i m o s i t y, a n d guilt.

A t t h i s meeting it is also important for the person handling most of the handson caregiving to enumerate exactly what he or she does. What are the physical and emotional

demands? What is a typical day like?

What is the ill person like on a “bad” day? Arrange for family members to spend a day with the caregiver.

This will make things real and give the caregiver credibility as well as empathy.

Hire a Care Coordinator Oftentimes you can’t foresee when an illness will strike. It can happen unexpectedly and you may find yourself scrambling for help without much guidance. It can be

overwhelming. It may make sense to hire a care coordinator who can evaluate the situation, create an action plan and introduce you to services in the community. The care coordinator can monitor the plan and make adjustments as caregiving needs change in addition to advocating for the care recipient and at the same time taking into consideration the needs of the family.

Care coordinators generally have a very good understanding of Medicare, Medicaid and other health insurance. If the care recipient has a long-term care insurance policy, case management is provided free of charge.

Ask for Help Yo u c a n n o t d o e v e r y t h i n g yourself. It’s that simple. If you try to, you will become exhausted and depressed. When someone offers to help you, don’t be embarrassed to tell them exactly what you would like them to do. Maybe they can sit with your loved one for a few hours in the afternoon to give you some respite, prepare dinner or go to the pharmacy.

Do not be a martyr. Your loved one will receive better care from you if you take care of yourself.

Join a Support Group Being with other caregivers who are going through the same experience can be very uplifting. Oftentimes, you will get realistic ideas on how to deal with certain issues and the weight of guilt that you are not doing a good enough job will dissipate.

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Plan Ahead If, as Rosalynn Carter says, we all have the possibility of being a caregiver or needing care, planning for it should be our first step. Purchase long-term care insurance for yourself or cost share in the premium for a parent. Consult with an attorney.

If you plan ahead, the caregiving experience can be rewarding without any loss of dignity for the person you are caring for.

Susan Suben, MS, CSA, is President of Long Term Care Associates, Inc. and a consultant for Canandaigua National Bank & Trust Company. She can be reached at 800-422-2655 or by email at susansuben@31greenbush.com.

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Senior Apartments • Villas for Lease • Patio Homes For Sale September / October 2012 - 55 PLUS

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last

page

By Ernst Lamothe

Frank Romano, 71 RIT professor emeritus discusses the everchanging printing, publishing business Q. What are some of the things you have enjoyed in your 50 years in the printing and publishing industry?

A. It would have to be educating and motivating students. I recently sailed on the Queen Mary 2 around the world and met up with graduates in Australia, India, Oman, Japan, Thailand, and Europe. Plus the RIT students that work on the three Cunard ships in the print shop. These men and women are the future of the print industry.

Q. You have written more than 50 books? Explain the process of thinking of a good idea and executing it properly.

A. It is now 52 books. Thirty of them were co-authored with students.

I seek out new technology and move quickly to publish the first work in the field. The student and I outline the chapter titles and then the heads and sub heads in each. With that skeleton we can focus our research and work both independently and together.

The secret to writing a book is to have a detailed outline and modular chapters.

Q. What are some aspects you enjoy about lecturing at RIT? A. It is a wonderful environment to learn and teach. I especially like co-teaching courses with professors in the photo and design schools.

New courses can test new ideas for students. Print and new media are inter related with other creative disciplines and print education works best when it is inter disciplinary.

Q. How did you begin being interested in printing and publishing?

A. By accident. My high school counselor had two job opportunities: one with a pharmaceutical company and one with the Mergenthaler 42

55 PLUS - September / October 2012

Linotype Company. “What do they do,” I asked. “Something to do with books,” he said. The rest is history. I went from mail boy to assistant ad manager in five years. It was a time when the industry was converting from metal typesetting to the use of photography. My job essentially has been explaining technology to non-technological people.

Q. Why is it important to you to advocate people being educated in the printing industry?

A. High schoolers do not see print as a career opportunity. At one time, most high schools had graphic arts courses, but they metamorphosed into desktop publishing, which is more design-oriented. Design schools are full to the brim. In fact, there are over 40,000 two-year and four-year graphic design baccalaureate degree graduates every year. We need to integrate creative and production skill sets.

Q. How did it feel receiving the Kodak Lifetime Achievement Award?

A. It was an honor. Kodak has done a great deal for the printing industry and I dare say that there is not a package at the supermarket or a printed piece that is not touched by some Kodak technology.

Q. What is your view on the future of newspapers, magazines, libraries and bookstores in a digital age?

A. Each has a different scenario.

Print newspapers cannot compete with almost instantaneous electronic news dissemination. Thus, publishers are eschewing the print version and emphasizing the electronic version.

Magazines will balance print and electronic versions. Over one thousand new print magazines are

started every year.

There are 11 other categories of print: packaging, promotional, and catalog among them. Print will not die, but it is seeing a reduction in volume. At RIT, the print curriculum has included new media for over 15 years. We predicted the changes and modified the curriculum. Printers also offer services for websites, e-books, and other electronic media.

Libraries will be repositories for old books and access points for electronic publications. With ondemand digital printing, print books can be produced for anyone who wants them.

Q. You have been associated with the International Paper Pocket Pal for three decades. Explain what that is?

A. It is a 200-page handbook about printing basics that is printed in runs of a million when updated every few years. It began in 1934 and I have been the editor for over 30 years. Most newly hired employees in printing plants or print buying organizations use it to educate those who know nothing about print. At many events, I meet those who have been introduced to the print industry by this little book.

Romano was recently honored with the Print Ambassador Lifetime Achievement Award by Kodak.

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