Montana 55 Winter 2017

Winter 2017

talented musician

turkey calls

master guitar builder

! y a d n o M na

just another

a t n o M

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Winter 2017

inside 6

caring for Montana’s

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turkey

12 14

4

caregivers

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master

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what are you reading?

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sex life

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talented

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whole foods

guitar builder

calls

women’s wellness 6 tips

James Lee Burke reflects on life

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importance of play

22

saving

winter books

it’s complicated

musician

for all ages

for grandchildren’s tuition

Winter 2017

stay healthy

the magazine for montanans in their prime

publisher Mark Heintzelman editor Ashley Klein sales coordinator Jacque Walawander sales assistant Holly Kuehlwein

graphic designer Tyler Wilson

Montana 55 is a special publication of Lee Enterprises and the Missoulian. Copyright 2017.

For advertising information contact Jacque Walawander 406-523-5271, or email jacque.walawander@lee.net www.montana55.com

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Caring for Montana’s caregivers AARP supports Montana Caregiver Act bill Story by Tim Summers, for Montana 55

Family caregivers are an invaluable part of our state.

More than 118,000 family caregivers provide about $1.4 billion in unpaid care. Their commitment allows loved ones to stay at home with their families in their own communities as they age.

As the state director for AARP in Montana I believe that we owe a huge debt of gratitude to this silent army of family caregivers who quietly go about taking care of their loved ones. That is why AARP is strongly supportive of the Montana Caregiver Act bill, sponsored by Rep. Geraldine Custer, R-Forsyth.

The Montana Caregiver Act is a common sense solution to help those caring for their loved ones so they can live independently, as well as help provide assistance and education to the more than 118,000 caregivers who work tirelessly throughout the state.

This bill ensures that family caregivers have support as their loved ones go into the hospital and as they transition home. Key provisions of the bill include: designating and recording your name on the medical record of your loved ones as the primary caregiver; informing you when your loved one is to be discharged to another facility or back home; and giving you education and instruction on the medical tasks you will need to perform at home, like managing medication or changing bandages.

This proposal is a “win-win” – caregivers will be more confident and competent, and hospitals will have better medical results and face fewer financial penalties when fewer patients are readmitted with complications due to inadequate home care. As a result, many hospital associations in states across the country, including neighboring states, have supported similar measures. We hope our hospital association will join us in supporting Montana’s caregivers.

Since many caregivers have the responsibility of a full-time job, along with caring for loved ones, caregiving becomes a very stressful and time-consuming responsibility.

By eliminating some of the stress that comes with being a caregiver and providing assistance with hospitals and their transition back home, this bill will allow for caregivers to free up time for themselves as well as their loved ones.

This is increasingly important as many caregivers dedicate so much time to caring for their loved ones that they forget to care for themselves. They push aside much needed 6

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Tim Summers

relaxation and “me” time needed to allow them to focus on their own health and well-being, both of which are essential when it comes to being a caregiver. The Montana Caregiver Act can help caregivers be better at caregiving, as well as focus on keeping themselves healthy.

If passed, Montana will become the 34th state (including Washington D.C., Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands) to enact this type of legislation. AARP Montana encourages you to reach out to your legislators and ask them to support the Montana Caregiver Act. Tim Summers is the State Director for AARP Montana.

In that role he oversees the activity of the state office including protecting Montanans from fraud through the AARP Fraud Watch Network, representing the interests of the 50plus at the State Capitol in Helena, protecting the health and financial security of older Montanans and engaging people in communities all across the state. ☐

Montana educators: Many ways to take your pension Story by Jesse Ramos, for Montana 55 I have had the privilege of working with many school teachers here in Montana. I have learned that with your busy schedules, many of you have not had the opportunity to learn much about your Montana Teachers’ Retirement System pension. I know how overwhelming and intimidating the pension book can be. I am writing this article to break down one of the most important parts of your pension, choosing how to take it.

When is this information applicable to me? This is the most common question I get from clients regarding this topic. The primary concern of my younger clients is they are simply too young to worry about this. On the surface, this may seem true as some of them are years from retirement.

However, this notion couldn’t be further from the truth. The more time you plan and prepare for your retirement the more lucrative your retirement will be. The cost of procrastination with this piece of your pension can end up costing tens of thousands of dollars over the course of your retirement.

There are six different ways of taking your pension upon reaching retirement; all serve unique purposes based on each individual’s situation. The payable for member only option is the highest payout option. This is the pension payout in the most basic form, you get a monthly check for your entire life. Whether you live for one year after your payments begin, or 40 years, it is irrelevant. You are paid the monthly amount until you die, at which point the payments stop. However, this option only pays while the pension holder is alive, this can present a problem for a surviving spouse if he/she has become reliant upon the pension check to survive. To combat this issue there are several options available to the pension holder. A monthly cost is deducted from what the payable for member only option would normally pay out. The joint and full (the most expensive option) is what I refer to as the “Cadillac” of the spousal protection options. If the pension holder passes away, the full amount of the pension check carries over to the spouse for the remainder of his/her life. Joint and two-thirds is one step down from the joint and full option. This costs slightly less but reduces the benefit received by the spouse to twothirds the amount received prior to the pension holder passing away. Joint and one-half is the least expensive option, however, this leaves only one-half the original monthly amount to the surviving spouse.

There are also two additional options, which payout for a certain period of time regardless of the length of the pension holder or spouse’s life. If the pension holder is deceased, or both the pension holder and spouse have deceased, these payments will carry on to beneficiaries of your choice for a specific length of time. The first option,

10-year term, is the cheapest of all the protection options.

This option pays for 10 years regardless of whether or not the pension holder or spouse is alive for the entire 10 years before the payments stop. The next step up from this option is the 20-year term option, which guarantees the pension payout for 20 years.

What happens if a spouse predeceases the pension holder in the spousal protection options?

If the spouse passes away after several years of retirement the added costs for their protection are not reimbursed by the pension fund. However, the pension holder can revert back to the payable for member only option and receive added income for the remainder of their lifetime. A good way to look at the added cost for all of these protection options is to recognize the fact that they are more or less premiums for a life insurance policy. You are paying money to protect against the financial impact of your death.

The reason for the additional cost is additional risk taken on by the pension fund to cover your spouse or loved-ones.

The additional cost you pay helps protect against the added risk, for overall stability of the pension fund.

All of these protection options serve unique purposes based on marital status, life expectancy, additional retirement savings and retirement income of the spouse. Choosing these options is one of the most important parts of your retirement and should not be taken lightly. You should consult with the Montana TRS staff, a financial professional and your family before making this decision. All of these options can provide a great benefit when chosen correctly, and can pave the way for a happy retirement with peace of mind knowing that your family is protected. My office is located in Missoula, please feel free to reach out to me with any further questions.

Disclosure: Neither Northern Rockies Financial Group nor the Guardian Life Insurance Company of America are in any way affiliated with any school district, individual school or with the Teacher Retirement System of Montana. Refer to your school district, individual school or TRS with any benefits questions relating to your specific situation. 2016-32655 Exp 12/18

Jesse Ramos works for Northern Rockies Financial Group in Missoula, assisting teachers across Montana with understanding and maximizing their pensions. Jesse can be reached at jesse_ramos@glic.com or 406-728-6699 with any questions. ☐

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Part call and part art:

Montana man’s handiwork helps put birds on the table Story by Tom Kuglin, for Montana 55 Photos by Thom Bridge, for Montana 55

Bob Gibson, 83, a former supervisor of the Helena National Forest and current Bozeman resident, recalls his first turkey hunt.

I

n the expert hands of Bob Gibson, the dark brown walnut paddle met reddish cedar with a tiny puff of blue chalk, producing a rhythmic yelp that echoed in the small shop.

“The cedar has long fibers and vibrates, but the other thing I like to look for is pretty wood, and it has all these knots that really look nice,” he said, repeating the yelp and tilting his head to listen.

Thin patterns of grained wood sat on the workbench – the half dozen or so pieces that form one of Gibson’s handcrafted turkey calls. Behind the wood, a row of completed “scratch boxes” rested against the wall awaiting a number and signature before going to their final owners.

“I’ve never timed how long it takes me to build one, but it takes a hell of a long time to do this,” he said. “If you do anything with your hands, they can’t be perfect and every 8

Winter 2017

one of them is a little bit different.”

Gibson, 83, a former supervisor of the Helena National Forest and current Bozeman resident, recalled his first turkey hunt.

The year was 1958 and the first year the state of Montana held an open turkey season. A posse of gobbler-getters ventured to Jordan with little knowledge of the wily birds and only one turkey call between them.

Gibson and a fellow hunter returned that morning to the truck unsuccessful, but when he slammed the tailgate, an enraged tom responded nearby. A short sneak into position and he bagged his first bird as it came up the hill.

“It’s was so terribly exciting to hear that,” he said of the gobble. “That was my first hunt, and since then I’ve hunted turkeys all over eastern Montana, Wyoming and South Dakota.”

Bob Gibson handles one of his handmade turkey calls in his home workshop in Bozeman recently. “I’ve never timed how long it takes me to build one, but it takes a hell of a long time to do this,” Gibson said. “If you do anything with your hands, they can’t be perfect and every one of them is a little bit different.”

Bitten by the turkey hunting bug, Gibson visited a sporting goods store and looked at the commercial calls for sale.

“I said, ‘That’s nothing, I can make that damn thing,’ and $5 or $6 was a lot of money in those days,” he said.

As a hobby woodworker, Gibson started constructing calls. He produced scratch boxes, made up of a small cedar box and separate peg, and box calls, using an attached paddle to yelp, purr and even gobble when the time is right.

His earliest models were a work in progress.

“The only thing I remember about them is they weren’t well constructed,” he joked. “It’s small work and not easy stuff to do. … I’m sure I had some screw-ups, but they make good firewood.”

Gibson refined his calls into works of folk art. He has produced plenty for friends and fellow hunters, and typically donated several each year for local conservation groups

to auction, often netting $400 or more.

The meticulousness of call building translates into much of his life spent hunting. As he sat in his basement surrounded by antlers, beards from turkeys and mounted fish of considerable size, Gibson flipped through journals documenting every hunt for decades, including 97 turkeys.

Gibson hopes to one day hit 100 and to publish his journals.

Longtime hunting partner Charlie Decker is in many of those stories.

“Bob just has a gift I’d say,” Decker said of his call-making. “They have a really good sound and anybody can use them that’ve hunted turkeys.”

Using a call his friend hand built undoubtedly makes the hunt that much sweeter.

“It’s like somebody building a traditional bow and arrow 9 montana55.com

TOP: “The cedar has long fibers and vibrates, but the other thing I like to look for is pretty wood, and it has all these knots that really look nice,” Gibson said.

BOTTOM: A few of Gibson’s smaller calls sit finished on his workbench.

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Bob Gibson, 83, works on his handmade turkey calls recently in his Bozeman workshop.

“If you do hear one gobble, you want to get towards him as close as you can but not too close because they have eyes like a whitetail.”

- Bob Gibson

and hunting with it. It makes it that much more gratifying,” Decker said.

As he builds each call, Gibson settles into a mix of concentration and dreaming of days afield.

“When I’m working on one, I’m interested in the call because I want it to be sound, but I’m also thinking about how I talked that gobbler in until he was almost standing on my back.”

Gibson’s witty humor notes he cannot climb mountains as he once did. But he can still negotiate the gentle slopes of his secret turkey hotspot.

“If you do hear one gobble, you want to get towards him as close as you can but not too close because they have eyes like a whitetail,” Gibson said. “If he answers you, hold your breath because he’s probably coming. You can’t help but get excited.”

Tom Kuglin is the natural resources reporter for the Helena Independent Record. He can be reached at tom.kuglin@helenair.com. Thom Bridge is the photographer for the Helena Independent Record.

He can be reached at thom.bridge@helenair.com. ☐ montana55.com 11

Women’s wellness:

6 tips for managing urinary incontinence Mayo Clinic News Network

Thinkstock

Urinary incontinence is a prevalent issue, with anywhere from 25 to 50 percent of women reporting an episode in the past year.

“Managing urinary conditions can be frustrating and time-consuming, but there are helpful tips and lifestyle changes that can reduce the burden this condition causes,” says Jenna Hoppenworth, a Mayo Clinic Health System nurse practitioner.

Hoppenworth shares these tips:

Establish a fluid schedule.

Attempt to keep your fluid intake on a schedule to help retrain your bladder when to fill and when to empty. Also, limit fluid intake after 6 p.m. to reduce nighttime voiding and incontinence.

Stick to a toileting schedule.

Plan toileting attempts at least every two to three hours during the day. This helps prevent your bladder from becoming too full and causing overflow incontinence.

Perform pelvic floor exercises.

Strengthening the muscles of the pelvic floor can reduce urinary incontinence by as much as 90 percent. Kegel exercises can help.

12 Winter 2017

Manage constipation.

Obstruction of stool is a common cause of incontinence and retention. Maintaining a healthy elimination pattern prevents stool from obstructing the stream of urine.

Keep a bladder diary.

Try to keep a bladder diary for a few days to a few weeks to identify triggers of incontinence and retention. Important components to the diary include time of day, amount of fluid intake, how many times you went to the bathroom, how many times you leaked urine throughout the day, if you felt an urge to urinate before leaking and what type of activity you were engaged in at the time. Remember to bring this with you to appointments with your health care provider.

Create a calming environment.

Managing urinary incontinence can be stressful and emotional at times. Creating a calm environment takes the stress off the situation so that you can focus on emptying your bladder.

“It’s important to have a conversation with your provider regarding prevention of urinary retention and incontinence,” says Hoppenworth. “There are medications that can cause urinary retention as well as many medications that can alleviate the symptoms and causes of urinary retention.” ☐

AandWriter a Gentleman James Lee Burke reflects on life & work as he releases new book Story by Cory Walsh, for Montana 55 | Photos By Kurt Wilson, for Montana 55

T

o James Lee Burke, the appropriate response to many questions arrives in the form of a story.

The author, who turned 80 in December, said that in Louisiana, where he spent his youth along with Texas, stories are everywhere. He could walk up to a tree and find remnants of shots fired in the Civil War. Like many of Burke’s observations, he’s not so much telling you a widely held philosophy, but hinting at his own in a roundabout way. Stories are seemingly everywhere to him, and the gregarious writer can pull anecdotes from thin air, an ability that’s allowed him to produce a new book every year.

“The only gift that age brings you is that if you’ve had a sufficient amount of experience on the Earth, then you’re endowed with the gift of selectivity,” he said.

There are friends and family, but no big answers.

“You don’t figure out the great mysteries,” he said. “That’s the big cheat. Because we always feel, ‘I’m going to get down the road and figure out why the good suffer, figure out the nature of creation.’ Good heavens. And then you realize I know no more now than I did when I was 21.

“That’s not bad. I think if there’s any wisdom it’s just maybe accepting our limitations. Finally you start counting your friends, counting up your family, and say, ‘Boy, it’s a pretty good ride.’ ” There’s work, too, which comes with that selectivity and focus. Often called the best mystery writer in America, he’s written 20 books about Dave Robicheaux, a former alcoholic Louisiana cop, four about Texas attorney Billy Bob Holland, a saga about his family, the Hollands, and a number of standalone books and short stories.

This month, he released “The Jealous Kind,” the end-cap to the Holland trilogy set in the 1950s, an era he says has been rendered with nostalgia in popular culture, aside from exceptions he admires like “Rebel Without A Cause” and the novel “The Amboy Dukes.”

His teenage protagonist falls in love with a girl, and inadvertently runs into trouble with the Mob and the clash of different classes in Houston.

The early ‘50s, when Burke was coming of age, were a time of widespread juvenile delinquency, he said, fraught with dangerous characters who packed switchblades and youths who put present-day cursing to shame.

“I can defend everything in it,” he said. “Either I saw it, I knew about it, I could say it on authority of experience of people I knew well.”

He says the same of all of his books, which have often detailed incidents of

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violence and racism in the South that he says pale in comparison to real-life stories.

“This is the way it was, it’s just that simple,” he said.Burke has written about one book a year since 1986, for a current total of 37 including short-story collections. Most are available in mass-market paperback. If you tally them up in that format, his oeuvre totals just more than 16,000 pages, a remarkable volume of work by a writer who’s praised for his prose style, a subject that rarely comes up when discussing similarly productive authors like Stephen King.

That’s easily attributed to his work routine.

“There’s no days off. I work year-round like that,” he said.

He keeps a pen and pad by his bed, and will often wake up at 4 a.m. and write for a while before returning to sleep. He writes after he wakes up, seven days a week. He works out in the afternoon, does some chores and then returns to work.

“I always say neurosis is invaluable. It’s free, it goes with you everywhere. It never lets you alone. It has no limits,” he said.

Dennis Lehane, the Boston novelist of “Mystic River” fame, said the combination of Burke’s talent and output is “baffling.”

“To come anywhere within the yard stick of him takes me two or three years a book, and he’s putting this out a book a year,” he said in a phone interview.

“I just want to keep watching him,” Lehane said. “It’s like watching LeBron (James), you know? It’s why you watch (Marlon) Brando. You’re just seeing something that’s just an ungodly level of both talent and work ethic and commitment to what he does. I can’t look at a James Lee Burke book and go, ‘Oh, it’s OK for me to phone one in.’ ” The seeming ease with which Burke produces his novels makes sense the moment you hear him speak.

In a soft, knowledgeable voice, the former creative writing professor can quote Milton, Shakespeare and Hemingway and follow it with a Louisiana anecdote that he punctuates with a huge laugh.

Burke’s had yearly signings at Fact and Fiction Bookstore in downtown Missoula since 1987, the year he published his first Robicheaux novel, “Neon Rain.” He spends the days ahead signing hundreds of books, which Writer and gentleman rancher James Lee Burke leaves the barn on his 120-acre ranch, Heartwood, with a load of feed for his horses including, Love That Santa Fe, who waits outside the barn doors.

are annual events that draw fans from as far as Calgary and Salt Lake City, courtesy of his storytelling style.

“It’s so much fun to hear him read his work and then take questions from the audience and then hear him laugh,” said Barbara Theroux, the founder and current manager of the bookstore.

Burke first came to Missoula in 1966 for a teaching job at the University of Montana.

“You get to Montana, you just say, ‘This is it.’ I told Pearl the first day we were here, I said I’m going to kick the bucket here,” he said.

“You can’t explain it to other people, either. They don’t know what you’re talking about,” he said.

The rivers and landscape are free and open to anyone.

“There’s no way to get bored here, you can’t use it up.

There’s always something to do.”

The Burkes now live on a 120-acre ranch outside Lolo, where they have pastures and keep horses, some from an animal rescue program: Missy’s Playboy, Gloria “as in Glorious,” and Love That Santa Fe. “They’re pranksters,” he said.

He loves Montana, but acknowledges that it’s a rough place to make a living. He and Pearl didn’t buy a house here until 1989, thanks to “Black Cherry Blues.” They used to spend the winters at another house in Louisiana until recently.

He has an office where he does the bulk of his writing, decorated with artifacts. Lined up on a window sill are his two Edgar Awards, given out by the Mystery Writers of America, plus its Grand Master prize.

Burke’s a guitar player, and picks are scattered about his desk. He’s a music fan, which figures heavily in his books and his entertainment. He’s hung a photograph of his “secular patron saint” Woody Guthrie with his guitar, which was lettered with the phrase, “This Machine Kills Fascists.”

Some of the artifacts are more light-hearted. He has a doorknob given to him by a friend who lives in Brooklyn.

“He was a plumber and he worked on Boss Tweed’s house and he stole this out of Boss Tweed’s bathroom door and gave it to me as a paperweight. Boss Tweed’s unwashed DNA is still on this milk glass. A horrible thought,” he said with a laugh.

Burke had what he calls a “peculiar” career arc. His first novels were published in his 20s, even gaining a review in the New York Times.

A seemingly cursed manuscript followed: “The Lost Get-Back Boogie,” a tale about a troubled blues singer set in both Louisiana and the Bitterroot, was rejected 111 times as the legend goes. In that nine-year dry spell, none of his other work was accepted either.

Burke’s fond of saying that not much of anything, particularly rejection, can stop a real writer.

“He’s invested with a kind of arrogance about a gift.

When people tell him he’s no good he shrugs his shoulder,” he said.

His wife, Pearl, encouraged him to send “Boogie” to the Louisiana State University Press, which published it; it was 18

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nominated for a Pulitzer Prize, a turnaround he delights in recounting at the readings, where the audience applauds.

Another breakthrough happened: As the story is told, he was on a fishing trip with his friend and fellow writer Rick DeMarinis, who encouraged Burke to try his hand at a mystery novel.

Burke, a recently recovered alcoholic, wrote a few pages in long-hand about Robicheaux, a Vietnam veteran, homicide cop, Catholic and struggling drinker.

“It was my attempt at Milton’s ‘Paradise Lost’ and ‘Paradise Regained.’ It’s about a man who descends into the abyss. He’s lost his wife, who’s been murdered, he’s drunk.

He’s living in despair, what psychiatrists would call clinical depression,” he said.

The book, “Neon Rain,” set Burke on a path to success.

“It allowed me to write full-time finally, which I’d always wanted to do. It’s hard to reach that point, ’cause if it doesn’t work out, you’re in trouble,” he said.

By trying his hand at genre novels he elevated them in ways that he can’t have foreseen on that fishing trip with DeMarinis.

Fiction with literary ambitions that dealt in crime and mystery wasn’t always as reputable as it is today, when crime writers’ work is fashioned into award-winning and popular television shows and movies like “The Wire” and “The Night Of.” Lehane, author of best-sellers like “Mystic River” and “Shutter Island,” first read Burke in the mid-1980s when he picked up “Black Cherry Blues.”

Along with James Ellroy and James Crumley, Burke was a strong influence on Lehane.

“As a prose stylist, he was several notches above and beyond almost anybody,” he said in a phone interview. “It’s hard to imagine him having a peer at that level.”

He also believes that quality forced questions about why Burke’s novels were considered genre works, a step below literary fiction.

“I think he was the first one to really rattle that cage.

I think once those of us who were coming up behind him said, ‘If you’re going to pigeonhole James Lee Burke as just a genre writer, or you’re going to pigeonhole the L.A. Quartet as just a crime opera, then there’s something wrong.

There’s a lifeblood in here, there’s a commentary, there’s a level of prose, there’s a level of depth that is as good if not better than anything you’ll find in so-called literary fiction.”

Lehane said there’s a discipline to it as well.

“There’s so much craft and artistry in what Burke does, but there’s also a nuts-and-bolts mechanics,” he said.

“He sits down and follows one sentence with another one.’’

Burke recently completed a short story, “The Wild Side of Life,” named after a country song. He based it on experiences working for an oil company when he was 20. He was fatherless, supporting himself with some help from his mother, and the men at the oil company took him in, including a geologist who served as a tank commander in World War II. Burke remembers reading about an oil company satchel-

Burke signs copies of his new book last week before a reading at the Fact and Fiction Bookstore in downtown Missoula.

bombing a village in South America after the indigenous people had fired arrows at a derrick.

The geologist Burke so admired told him, “Well, Jim they asked for it.” The chilling response shocked him, and he never forgot it. It points to an underlying theme of his books: neocolonialism.

“It’s my view that we’re walking in the footprints, the same sand as the British and the French, and will come to the same end. We’ll get tired of it one day and let go of it,” he said.

Regarding his next novel, he says he’s “fooling with it a bit.”

He’s fond of Hemingway’s advice about writing: Start one sentence and follow it with another.

“I don’t know where it’s going. I never know where it’s going, I never see more than two scenes ahead, but eventually it gets there,” he said.

Cory Walsh is the Entertainer editor for the Missoulian.

He can be reached at cory.walsh@lee.net. Kurt Wilson is the photography editor for the Missoulian. He can be reached at kurt.wilson@missoulian.com. ☐

Worried about rising home heating costs?

Here are some energy conservation tips that can help.

• Cover single-pane windows with plastic to create an “air” insulation barrier • Turn down your thermostat at night and when you’re not home • Clean or replace furnace filters monthly during the heating season For energy conservation brochures or information about assistance programs, call 1-800-344-5979 or visit CAPNM.net

The importance of play across all ages remains relevant Story by Laura Olsonoski, OTD, OTR/L Photo by Melissa Bluntonoski

P

lay contributes to the cognitive, physical, social and emotional well-being of individuals across the lifespan. This learning process is self-sustained in children and based on a natural love of learning and playful engagement with life. As we age this process becomes more complex. We begin to be influenced by social norms and thrive off of routine, predictability and goal attainment. We naturally avoid vulnerable situations that place us in a state of acting without knowing.

Many Americans go from the desk to the couch year after year, believing erroneously that the TV will provide needed relaxation and stress reduction. Our careers begin to take precedence and we create a strict sequenced step system that begins to dictate every decision we make. We forget about play, how to do things for no other reason than to do them or just because we can.

Many adults believe that this is a typical aspect of aging and that at a certain age play becomes obsolete and unnecessary. When in fact, play may be the very thing that keeps us young, fulfilled and healthy.

Neuroscientist Jaak Panksepp found that play stimulates the production of a protein, “brain-derived neurotrophic factor,” in the amygdala and the prefrontal cortex, which are responsible for cognitive functioning, emotional well-being and attention. Numerous studies show the correlation between play and the increase in efficiency of our immune, endocrine and cardiovascular systems. Active play activities have proven to increase range of motion, agility, coordination, balance, flexibility, and fine and gross motor participation.

Play has been defined as any activity freely chosen, intrinsically motivated and personally directed. It stands outside “ordinary” life, and is non-serious but at the same time absorbing the player intensely. It has no particular goal other than itself. Play is not a specific behavior or task but any activity undertaken with a playful frame of mind. Individuals engage in play without 20

Winter 2017

Heidi Halverson smiles at the camera while cross-country skiing at Lolo Pass in April 2011.

having a reason for doing so. When asked why he wanted to climb Mount Everest, George Mallory said “Because it’s there.”

As an occupational therapist I have witnessed the direct effect of my clients’ health and well-being and their level of engagement in social, leisure and play participation. Occupational therapy is a skilled health, rehabilitation and educational service that helps people participate in the things they want and need to do through the therapeutic use of everyday activities (occupations). Occupational therapy practitioners promote play for all individuals, with or without disabilities. Play challenges could indicate a need for further assessment. If you would like to consult an occupational therapist, ask your physician or other health professionals for information on how you can access an occupational therapist in your area.

As an occupational therapist and someone who engages in play routinely I believe it is important to develop the ability to simply do something for no other reason than curiosity or interest. Forget about what others will say or think. Engage in an activity without expectation for result, accolade or productivity.

You can start small. Dance poorly to Zeppo Montana, at the Union Club. Sing horribly in the car just because you can. Take a spontaneous trip to Denver. Attend a class at the Lifelong Learning Center for no other reason than it looks interesting. Go for a drive in the Bitterroot, flip a coin at each turn to see where you end up. Call up a friend or family member and ask them to show you how to knit, play the violin, you name it. Take that art class you’ve wanted to take since you were a kid.

This winter, commit to engaging in the winter activities Montana has to offer. Here are a couple playful suggestions for interacting with our beautiful surroundings: Hit the slopes! Ski hills in Montana often offer lessons for beginners and always offer magnificent, mind-blowing views. Not interested in going fast down a mountain?

Cross-country skiing or snowshoeing may be more your style. Check out visitmt.com for a list of trails just waiting to be discovered. If you’re looking for a relaxing and healing getaway, take a dip at one of the many hot springs resorts and pools in Montana. Want to take the road less traveled? Check out dog sledding; in Whitefish head to Dog Sled Adventures Montana to glide through the wilderness.

Montana is full of unpaved experiences just waiting to be discovered. Be brave as you create your own sensational memories. Get good at “wasting time” in unexpected ways and remember play doesn’t have an age limit.

Laura Olsonoski, OTD, OTR/L, can be reached at laura.olsonoski@gmail.com ☐

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Your grandchildren’s education Plan provides tax advantages for saving for college Story by David Erickson for Montana 55

I

f you’re thinking about putting money away to pay for college for your children or grandkids, there’s a better option than just letting it sit in a savings account.

A 529 college savings plan is a program that offers tax advantages for those who want to put money away to allow someone to use money for college tuition and expenses like room and board, books, equipment and fees.

Achieve Montana is a specific program administered by the Montana Board of Regents of Higher Education.

It allows tax-deferred growth and withdrawal, substantial contribution limits, investment options and professional investment management.

Contributions are exempt from state and federal income tax, and as long as the person you name to the account uses it for authorized purposes, withdrawals are tax free. Contributions to Achieve Montana accounts may be eligible as a yearly deduction to adjusted gross income of a total of up to $3,000 per taxpayer or $6,000 for married couples filing jointly on Montana state income tax forms.

That means you can contribute $14,000 for each beneficiary every year without incurring a federal gift tax. For those concerned about estate planning, you can reduce your personal taxable estate through an accelerated gifting process with a 529. Essentially, you contribute five years’ worth, up to $70,000 or $140,000 for a couple, in one lump sum. Then, the beneficiary can use the money at any eligible institution around the country, including vocational and technical schools and two and four-year universities.

“They are an excellent mechanism to save for college,” said Kent McGowan, the director of financial aid at the University of Montana. “It’s basically tax-deferred saving.

It’s a great advantage for students, and it encourages people to think forward rather than just waiting and hoping for financial aid to help them out when the time comes for college.”

McGowan said that Achieve Montana is an “absolutely legitimate” program, although he believes not enough people take advantage of it.

“I would suspect that the people that do it are wealthier folks,” he said. “There are middle or low-income people that are forward-thinking that scrimp and save, but those are the frugal people. Outside of that small population, I bet it is wealthier individuals that use it. It’s a great idea and it’s a 22

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great mechanism for saving.”

Legislation recently was passed making certain equipment an eligible expense for tax-free withdrawals, such as computers, printers, scanners, education-related software and the cost of internet access. Anyone who is a U.S. citizen or a legal resident alien with a Social Security number or a Tax Identification number can be a beneficiary.

The tax advantages can be fairly sizable. According to a state website dedicated to promoting the plan, a $2,500 initial investment with subsequent monthly investments of $100 for 18 years would grow into $36,689 assuming an annual rate of return on investment of 4 percent. If that money were to be simply invested and taxed, it would be worth $32,180. Of course, with the risks of investing could come greater rewards, but someone wishing to play it safe with a college savings nest egg might consider a 529 plan a good choice.

When you enroll in Achieve Montana, you choose to invest in at least one of three different investment approaches, based on your preferences and risk tolerance. You can change your investment options up to two times per year.

The Achieve Montana account does not have to be used at a college in Montana. Also, the beneficiary does not have to attend college immediately after high school.

For more information visit achievemontana.com.

David Erickson is the business reporter for the Missoulian.

He can be reached at david.erickson@missoulian.com. ☐

Most of the equipment and tools John uses to build his guitars he built himself. “There (are) things like tuners and strings that I don’t build, but most of the things I either build myself or I have built in other parts of my career,” Walker said.

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Alberton guitar builder has customers all over the world Story by David Erickson, for Montana 55 | Photos by Tommy Martino, for Montana 55

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ne of the world’s most respected luthiers is, probably while you are reading this, quietly working on another handmade guitar in an unassuming shop in the woods, way up Petty Creek Road west of Missoula.

John Walker builds high-end custom guitars from scratch for customers in Japan, Germany and everywhere in between. His guitars range from $4,000 to $15,000, and right now he’s working on his 169th project. That’s not counting all the guitars he built when he worked for Gibson and Tacoma, when he made instruments for master musicians the likes of Pete Townsend of The Who, Jorma Kaukonen and Greg Lake of Emerson, Lake and Palmer.

For Walker, who is a humble, deliberate, soft-spoken craftsman, the art of getting every single tiny detail right on every single guitar has been a three-decade long labor of love.

“I like everything about it,” he said. “I think the thing that really gets me going is my belief that music is such an important part of everybody’s life and the good things in life. For me, I’ve always loved music so much. And by building instruments, it allows me to participate and be a part of that scene. I love it and I think it’s an important thing in the world. That to me is a really huge draw.”

Walker, who jokingly refers to his own playing ability as “unsuccessful,” took an unusual route to the trade.

“Most (luthiers) are players and are seeking a better guitar than they can purchase,” he said. “For me it was every job I did before getting into this, I seemed to be too meticulous. So when I was building houses, I worked for a guy who kept saying, ‘You’re not building a piano!’ And the thought that crossed my mind was, ‘How cool would that be to build musical instruments?’ ”

He started out making banjos and mandolins in Bozeman for a small company, then honed his craft building guitars for Gibson, one of the most respected companies in the industry.

The opportunity came up many years ago to purchase land on Petty Creek Road, and now he lives there with his wife and commutes a few feet to his shop every day.

Each project starts with the selection of the perfect wood – everything from rosewood to mahogany to Adirondack red spruce – and then he builds every single piece except for the tuners and strings. Guitar makers are obsessive about the wood quality. Walker recalls one instance where his supplier dug up an entire curly maple tree’s root ball because it was so perfect that it needed to be planted.

“He doesn’t expect to see any results in his lifetime, but possibly that same tree will produce again,” he said. “It is really amazing wood.”

His shop has all kinds of machinery and tools to help him shape each piece of the guitar.

Many of his customers are dentists and lawyers and other professionals who have found a renewed passion for music as a hobby and now want a fine instrument to play.

“It’s mostly baby boomers who are now in a position to afford that guitar they’ve wanted since they were in that garage band in their teens,” he said. “Now they can afford that dream guitar. They most of the time have a collection of guitars.”

He often has repeat customers, and he sometimes has a two-year backlog, since he can only produce about 12 a year.

“Every once in awhile I build a guitar that doesn’t have a customer other than a general customer in mind,” he said.

“It gives me an opportunity to sort of broaden the things that I do.” montana55.com 25

After spending several years with Gibson Acoustic and eventually managing the custom shop in Bozeman, Walker spent about 10 years in Seattle before returning to Montana to start his own shop.

The price tag may seem high, but Walker says he charges less than many experienced luthiers, although more than the younger ones.

“I kind of work off of my reputation,” he explained.

More and more, it seems, his customers have been ordering more expensive guitars. They often have specific requests, but Walker says many of them just want a traditional, high-quality instrument rather than a flashy, gaudy piece.

“Every guitar has a different purpose and I can steer towards that purpose,” he said. “You know, if I build 100 guitars it’s 100 different guitars and every one has its own personality. I can steer towards that. Certainly bluegrass players have different requirements than fingerstyle players or rock ’n’ roll players.”

Although it’s a difficult skill to master, Walker says the art of building instruments from scratch is not in any danger of dying out anytime soon.

“Twenty-seven years ago there were not a whole lot of people building guitars on their own,” he said.

“But that number exploded in the ‘90s, I would say. To a 26

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point where now I can’t believe how many people are doing it. It’s certainly a very hard way to make a living at least until your name is well-known and your quality is wellknown.”

He’s made it his mission to build a custom guitar for every one of his children and grandchildren. He’s gotten a lot of calls from people hoping to apprentice under him, but he’s never been interested in that.

He takes pride and satisfaction in knowing that every instrument he’s created is bringing joy and music into someone’s life.

“I haven’t seen one yet wear out or fall apart,” he said.

“As far as I know they’re all still in operation. And hopefully they’re still in operation long after I’m gone.”

As for his favorite guitar he’s built after all these years?

“The one I’m working on right now,” he said, smiling.

David Erickson is the business reporter for the Missoulian. He can be reached at david.erickson@missoulian.com.

Tommy Martino is a photographer for the Missoulian. He can be reached at tommy.martino@missoulian.com. ☐

The parlor-sized guitar strung with nylon strings, is made of Brazilian rosewood and Engelmann spruce.

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Thinkstock

what are you

reading?

By Barbara Theroux

People read books to learn, to prepare, to celebrate and to escape. Will Schwalbe’s new book talks about specific books that added meaning to his life. The title is recommended here to have you reflect on what books and reading mean to you.

What books have been important to you?

“Books for Living” by Will Schwalbe Why is it that we read? Is it to pass time? To learn something new? To escape from reality?

For Will Schwalbe, reading is a way to entertain himself but also to make sense of the world, to become a better person, and to find the answers to the big (and small) questions about how to live his life. In this celebration of reading, Schwalbe invites us along on his quest for books that speak to the specific challenges of living in our modern world, with all its noise and distractions.

In each chapter, he discusses a book – what brought him to it (or vice versa), the people in his life he associates with it, and how it became a part of his understanding of himself in the world.

Throughout, Schwalbe focuses on the way certain books can help us honor those we’ve loved and lost, and figure out how to live each day more fully. Rich with stories and recommendations, Books for Living is a treasure for everyone who loves books and loves to hear the answer to the question: “What are you reading?”

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A new year is upon us, one that is sure to bring changes. What better way to reflect on the fast pace of the world than Thomas Friedman.

“Thank You for Being Late: An Optimist’s Guide to Thriving in the Age of Accelerations” by Thomas L. Friedman You feel it when you talk to your kids. You can’t miss it when you read the newspapers or watch the news.

In Thank You for Being Late, Thomas L. Friedman exposes the movements that are reshaping the world today and explains how to get the most out of them and cushion their worst impacts. His thesis: to understand the 21st century, you need to understand that the planet’s three largest forces – Moore’s law (technology), the market (globalization) and Mother Nature (climate change and biodiversity loss) – are accelerating all at once. These accelerations are transforming five key realms: the workplace, politics, geopolitics, ethics and community.

With his trademark vitality, wit and optimism, Friedman shows that we can overcome the multiple stresses of an age of accelerations – if we slow down, if we dare to be late and use the time to reimagine work, politics and community. Thank You for Being Late is Friedman’s most ambitious book – and an essential guide to the present and the future.

Now that reflection and learning are out of the way, here are the escapes. Three paperbacks that talk of foreign places include: “The Hanging Girl: A Department Q Novel” by Jussi Adler-Olsen In the middle of his usual hard-won morning nap in the basement of police headquarters, Carl Mørck, head of Department Q, receives a call from a colleague working on the Danish island of Bornholm. Carl is dismissive when he realizes that a new case is being foisted on him, but a few hours later, he receives some shocking news that leaves his headstrong assistant Rose more furious than usual. Carl has no choice but to lead Department Q into the tragic cold case of a vivacious seventeenyear-old girl who vanished from school, only to be found dead hanging high up in a tree. The investigation will take them from the remote island of Bornholm to a strange sun worshipping cult, where Carl, Assad, Rose and newcomer Gordon attempt to stop a string of new murders and a skilled manipulator who refuses to let anything – or anyone – get in the way.

Discover why Department Q exists and read more of the unsolved cases in the earlier books by Adler-Olsen: The Keeper of Lost Causes, The Absent One, A Conspiracy of Faith, The Purity of Vengeance and The Marco Effect “Journey to Munich: A Maisie Dobbs Novel” by Jacqueline Winspear It’s early 1938, and Maisie Dobbs has returned to England from war-torn Spain. On a fine yet chilly morning, as she walks toward Fitzroy Square, she is intercepted by Brian Huntley and Robert MacFarlane of the Secret Service. The German government has agreed to release an important British subject from prison, but only if he is handed over to a family member. Because the man’s daughter – his only child – is gravely ill and his wife deceased, the Secret Service need a first-class female agent to present herself in the guise of his daughter at Dachau, on the outskirts of Munich. They want her to bring home a man crucial to Britain’s war plans.

The British government is not alone in its interest in Maisie’s journey to Munich. Her nemesis – the man she holds responsible for her husband’s death – has learned of her journey, and is desperate for help of a more personal nature.

“Britt-Marie Was Here: A Novel”

by Fredrik Backman Britt-Marie can’t stand mess. A disorganized cutlery drawer ranks high on her list of unforgivable sins. She is not one to judge others – no matter how ill-mannered, unkempt or morally suspect they might be. It’s just that sometimes people interpret her helpful suggestions as criticisms. But hidden inside the socially awkward, fussy busybody is a woman who has more imagination, dreams and a warmer heart that anyone around her realizes.

When Britt-Marie walks out on her cheating husband and must fend for herself in the miserable backwater town of Borg – of which the kindest thing one can say is that it has a road going through it – she finds work as the caretaker of a soon-to-be demolished recreation center. The fastidious BrittMarie soon finds herself being drawn into the daily doings of the town’s citizens: an odd assortment of misfits, drunkards and layabouts. Most alarming of all, she’s given the impossible task of leading the supremely untalented children’s soccer team to victory.

Like Backman’s other books, A Man Called Ove and My Grandmother Asked me to Tell You She’s Sorry, Britt Marie Was Here is funny, moving and inspiring.

May your book selections always give you a ready answer to “What are you reading?” ☐ 30

Winter 2017

This is Big Sky Country.

Montana Magazine has been the state’s source for stunning photography and authentic storytelling since 1970. From the national parks to the wide open prairie, we’ve helped readers experience Montana for 45 years.

Be part of the tradition.

Subscribe today!

Visit montanamagazine.com/subscribe or call 1-888-666-8624

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Normal sex life as we age?

It’s complicated.

Story by Jill Daly, Tribune News Service

Thinkstock

T

here’s no one right answer for women who wonder if their sex life is normal in their midlife years, and there are doctors who say they can prove it.

In an attempt to go beyond surveys of women in their 40s and 50s asking them about their sex lives, physician Holly Thomas, women’s health researcher at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, recently led a more openended interview-based study of 39 sexually active women ages 46-59, with an average age of 58. It found both a range of attitudes about change – including more satisfying sex – and adaptations to sex-function difficulties that arise in midlife.

“In general, studies have shown many women have negative changes,” Thomas said. “We were surprised in this work that found that a substantial number of women were discussing positive changes.”

At the annual meeting of the North American Menopause Society, Thomas reported on her study that gave women a chance to explain how they’re doing with changes in sexual function, as most were apparently going through the transition to menopause.

Twenty women were questioned in one-on-one interviews, and the remainder were in one of three focus groups with a trained facilitator. “We got complex, nuanced 32

Winter 2017

answers,” Thomas said. She received a new investigator award from the society in recognition of the quality of her abstract, a summary of the study.

Among the conclusions are that, as expected, changes such as decreased responsiveness, vaginal dryness, lower libido and difficulty reaching orgasm are common.

Making Adjustments

“Even for women who experienced some negative changes – for example, vaginal dryness – these women found ways to adapt to these changes,” Thomas said.

“Women talked about using lubricants, trying different types of sexual activity, to try to help with those changes they experience.”

Other adaptations included lengthening foreplay, using other types of sex besides intercourse, trying other sexual positions, masturbating more and encouraging use of erectile dysfunction treatments in their partners.

Also, some women said they adapted by putting more importance on the emotional intimacy that sex brings and less on physical pleasure.

Rather than blaming the changes on menopause, more women said family and career stress was to blame, and for some of them negative change was attributed to issues such

as their partner’s own health, the partner’s sexual dysfunction and relationship problems.

Sex when a woman is in her 40s or 50s isn’t simple, said Judith Balk, a gynecologist with Midlife Women’s Associates.

“In my experience,” Balk said, “when I ask women why they are not having sex, there are a lot of issues.” Changes in midlife can include weight gain, adult children living in the home and health of the partner.

“Weight gain is a libido issue,” Balk said. “Your sex drive might be really low. It’s a body image issue. I try to assess how important it is to them. If it’s related to a medical problem, like diabetes, then I encourage them to get treatment. Partners are not typically worried about it.”

In general, the incidence of sexual activity goes down as women get older, Balk said.

Among women ages 50-59, she said, studies have found 51 percent are not having sex as vaginal intercourse. In the next age group, ages 60-69, that number goes up to 58 percent.

A number of women in these age groups are widowed or divorced, Balk said. “A lack of a partner is a big impediment to vaginal intercourse.”

But she knows many women are satisfied with their sex lives, often because their relationship with their partners is in good shape.

“Sexual dysfunction is defined as sexual distress,” she said. “There’s such a wide range of normal. If there’s not distress or marital discord, it’s not a dysfunction in their point of view.”

Positive Changes

Thomas found four areas of good news in the study group of women: Confidence: “They felt more comfortable in their own skin, with their bodies,” Thomas said.

Self-knowledge: “They knew themselves better,” she said, and have learned what sexual activity works for them.

Communication skills: “They were better able to convey what works for them with their partner.”

Libido: Some women had no problem with having less sex drive; others said their libido is higher than their male partners. “That goes against what we usually assume about women and men in midlife,” Thomas said.

Issues about sexual function should come up at routine doctor’s visits, Thomas said, and doctors should expect not all problems will be biological and women have a range of responses to changes.

“Doctors do have to be the ones to bring it up,” she said. “Depending on the problem, there are things a health care provider can do to help.

“If you have problems, talk to your doctor. If you’re not having a problem, celebrate that.” ☐

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A ‘Flawless Pianist’ Woman returns to UM in her retirement Story by Lucy Beighle, for Montana 55 Photos by Tyler Wilson, for Montana 55

O

Barbara Blegen at the Music Recital Hall at the University of Montana.

ne of Barbara Blegen’s earliest memories is running around the University Theatre (now known as the Dennison Theatre) at the University of Montana, at the age of 6 or 7. Her mother, Dorothy Anderson Blegen, was a violinist in the Missoula Civic Symphony Orchestra, a precursor to the present day Missoula Symphony Orchestra, and the young Blegen spent many a day with her sister running around the concert hall.

“My family was incredibly musical,” Blegen said. “My mother would host chamber concerts in our living room with other members of the orchestra, some families who are still prominent in the musical community here in Missoula. My father, who was a physician by trade, played the piano in a band called the ‘Toe Teasers,’ which was really a honky-tonk band, and my sister Judith went on to become a prominent opera singer, singing at the Met with the likes of Placido Domingo and Luciano Pavarotti.”

Blegen, or Barbie as the Missoula musical community addresses her, is no slouch herself. During an interview, the diminutive pianist proudly showed off folders and cuttings of newspaper articles dating back to the 1950s, announcing upcoming concerts by the young musician. Her first public full-length recital in the Music Recital Hall was in 1955 when she was 11, and she was the featured soloist with the Missoula Civic Symphony Orchestra at the age of 12.

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“She’s adored in this community, and people just love what she brings to music.”

- Steven Hesla

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Winter 2017

Blegen became attracted to the piano at about the same age most kids become attracted to dolls and monster trucks, and by the age of 4 she could pick out tunes on the piano by ear.

“If my dad played a note on the piano, I could tell him what note it was from the other room,” she said.

That ability led to piano lessons, but by the age of 8, her mother, a string musician, urged her to play the cello.

“I told her ‘no way,’ and I’ve never regretted that decision,” Blegen said.

Thankfully for us, she was a stubborn third-grader.

At the age of 15, Blegen and her sister Judith both were offered full ride scholarships at the prestigious Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia, where they studied until graduation. Thereafter, Missoula had a long hiatus from the talented musician. Blegen moved to Baltimore and then Boston, where she got a contract playing concerts with Columbia Artists.

“I performed 88 concerts in a seven-year period – it was hard work, but incredibly rewarding,” she said.

She also played with the New York Philharmonic and the St. Louis and Baltimore symphonies during this period, and went back to get her MFA at Columbia University where she ended up working, all the while still performing concerts. She retired in 2006. She then returned to her hometown, almost 50 years later.

Since her “retirement,” Barbie has kept up her lifelong pace, and works as a pianist “as needed,” for UM. That means, among other things, she accompanies the Opera

Theater and the University Choir, presents master classes, accompanies vocal auditions and music recitals, performs in the School of Music’s Celebrate Piano Series and performs in the Missoula Symphony Orchestra’s Symphony Soirée.

Piano faculty member Steven Hesla describes Blegen as a “flawless pianist.”

“We joke in the department that we haven’t heard her miss a note in 10 years,” he said. “She’s adored in this community, and people just love what she brings to music.”

Blegen fondly recalls, “when I was living in Missoula from the age of 8 to 15, I spent so much of my time at UM either in my own lessons with the esteemed professor George Hummel, performing in some capacity, or with my mother and the symphony, that I really felt like a part of the university. I feel that again now – I’m lucky to be back.”

And we’re lucky to have her back.

Blegen’s next performance is a solo concert on Sunday, Jan. 22, at 3 p.m. in the Music Recital Hall at UM in Missoula. This concert is the fourth out of five in the Celebrate Piano Series through the UM School of Music. Tickets to this concert are available online at griztix.com, at the UM Arts Box Office in the PARTV Center Lobby, or by calling 406-243-4581.

Lucy Guthrie Beighle writes from Missoula, where she owns a public relations consultancy, teaches communications at the University of Montana and enjoys the many cultural and recreational amenities her hometown offers. ☐

Barbara Blegen.

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Whole foods can help us stay healthy this winter Story by Rebecca Morley, for Montana 55

What are whole foods?

We may know we should eat more healthy whole foods, but sometimes we don’t know exactly what qualifies. Simply speaking, whole foods have been processed or refined as little as possible and are free from additives and artificial substances. According to a Food & Nutrition post titled Whole Foods vs. Processed Foods: Why Less Is Actually Better from Brittany Chin, RD, LD, whole foods are nutrient dense and packed with fiber, vitamins and minerals without the added fat, sugar, sodium and preservatives often found in packaged goods.

Whole foods are close to nature. Fresh and frozen fruits and vegetables once grew in the soil or from trees and are minimally processed before consumption. Whole grains are edible seeds from plants that contain nutrient-rich endosperm, bran and germ, such as brown rice, quinoa, breads and cereals. A general rule of thumb from the USDA’s choosemyplate.gov website, is to make at least half of your grains whole. Choose products that have “whole grain” as the first ingredient. Basically, it’s the difference between an apple and apple juice, or whole oats and a box of store bought oatmeal cookies. Animal products should come directly from the source with limited processing for food safety (i.e. pasteurization of milk and eggs).

Energy dense, nutrient poor foods are often highly processed and packaged, with excess sugar, sodium and fat that negatively influence both health and the environment. Examples of these foods include sugar sweetened beverages, chips, candy, most “TV dinners” and pre-packaged bakery goods. Jennifer Poti, a research assistant professor at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, put together a research team that analyzed at least one year (the average was 4 years) of grocery store purchases by more than 157,000 households between 2000 and 2012. It was discovered that highly processed foods account for more than 60 percent of the calories in products Americans routinely buy in grocery stores. Studies like these illustrate we have lots of room for improvement in reducing the amount of processed foods in the typical American diet.

The nutrients lost during refinement are not the only disadvantage of eating processed foods. What’s added also can be a problem. Many health conscious people are wary of the preservatives and chemicals with multi-syllable words that are added to processed and manufactured foods. When we control all that goes into a dish, rather than purchasing prepackaged meal kits, we give up a little bit of convenience to assure that what we are eating contributes to our health.

How do whole foods benefit our bodies?

“If you’re trying to eat a healthier diet, relying on more whole foods is a great place to start,” says Lucia L. Kaiser, 38 Winter 2017

Ph.D., community nutrition specialist in the department of nutrition at the University of California, Davis, in an article titled The Benefits of Healthy Whole Foods on webmd.com.

She further states that nutrition science is always discovering new components of foods, things that we didn’t know are there. By eating whole foods, we get the entire benefit of the food that might not be available in the processed form.

Whole foods can help boost our immune systems and help us stay healthier this winter.

Reduction of chronic disease. Many studies have found that a diet high in healthy foods like fruits, vegetables and whole grains are associated with a reduced risk of diseases such as cardiovascular disease, many types of cancer, and type 2 diabetes. Regular consumption of fruit and vegetables also is associated with reduced risks for Alzheimer’s disease, cataracts and some of the functional declines associated with aging. Whole foods that contain significant amounts of nutrients may provide desirable health benefits beyond basic nutrition and may play an important role in the prevention of chronic diseases.

Changes in the immune system with age. Unfortunately as we grow older, our immune system tends to slow down.

The immune system is a network of cells that defends the body from foreign invaders, destroys infected and malignant cells, and removes cellular debris. Poor nutrition impairs the immune system, suppressing immune functions that are fundamental to health. This increases our risk of getting sick. Flu shots or other vaccines may not work as well or protect you for as long as expected. We become more susceptible to autoimmune disorders, where the immune system mistakenly attacks and destroys healthy body tissues.

It may take longer to heal and there are fewer immune cells in the body to bring about healing. The immune system’s ability to detect and correct cell defects also declines which can increase cancer risk. Simple prevention measures, like getting enough sleep, washing our hands properly, exercising regularly, staying sufficiently hydrated and eating whole foods become even more important as we age.

Value of essential nutrients. Nutrient content is an important factor contributing to optimum immune function.

When we eat lots of junk foods, we may be missing essential nutrients that keep us healthy and strong. Nutrients required for the immune system to function efficiently include essential amino acids, essential fatty acids like linoleic acid, vitamin A, folic acid, vitamin B6, vitamin B12, vitamin C, vitamin E, vitamin D, zinc, copper, iron and selenium. Our bodies are not able to fight disease effectively if there are deficiencies in one or more of these nutrients. By eating a

healthy diet of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, lean protein and low-fat dairy, we can boost immune function and resistance to infection.

Phytochemicals and anti-oxidants. Whole foods are rich in phytochemicals which are powerful nutrients found in plant foods. In addition, whole foods contain anti-oxidants which help reduce damage by free radicals which are believed by many experts to be a factor in the development of blood vessel disease (plaque), cancer, and other conditions. Phytochemicals can also be anti-oxidants, examples of which are flavonoids, carotenoids and lycopene. The effects of phytochemicals and anti-oxidants found in whole foods are additive and even synergistic, increasing their potency in fighting disease.

Value of probiotics. There is increasing evidence that probiotic bacteria improve host immune function. Therefore, eating probiotic rich foods like yogurt or Greek yogurt (it may be best to buy plain and add your own fruit, nuts or other favorite healthy flavors), kefir, sauerkraut, kimchi, kombucha and certain soft cheeses may help boost your immune system.

Most nutrients can be obtained by eating a variety of whole foods. Vitamin D, which is closely linked to the immune response, may be an exception to this rule, as it can be difficult to obtain adequate amounts from food alone. It may require additional supplementation depending on where you live geographically, the season of the year, the amount of time you spend in the sun, use of sunscreen and other highly individualized variables. Work with your health care provider, who may order a simple blood test to assure your vitamin D level is adequate. But be aware that taking excessive amounts of supplements can also impair immune function. Your nutrition needs can vary with time of life cycle and individual health needs, so follow your health care provider’s recommendations on supplementation.

of disease, perhaps we should be thinking about the quality of our food first. Maybe we can reach for an apple and a handful of nuts, before we mindlessly grab that bag of caramel corn from the vending machine; or we might enjoy a nice soothing cup of herbal tea, before we gulp down a double white-chocolate mocha from our favorite coffee shop. Whole foods can satisfy our palate while enhancing our health. Regular consumption of whole foods, in place of junk foods, has the added bonus of helping us keep our waistlines trim. Add on some daily exercise and even in gray weather, we have an increased forecast for health.

Rebecca Morley provides nutrition services through the Eat Smart Program at the Missoula City-County Health Department and can be reached at 258-3827 or at rmorley@ missoulacounty.us. ☐

Does this mean we should only eat whole foods?

No, we don’t need to cut out all processed foods. The goal is to decrease the number of processed foods and increase the proportion of healthy whole foods we regularly eat. Many foods are processed in some way before they reach our plates. Some actually need some processing to be edible and nutritious. Imagine chewing on wheat strands fresh from the field, raw artichokes or dried pinto beans.

Hard, right? Processing can slow spoilage and make food storable. That becomes essential in emergency preparedness. Freezing the abundance of fruits and vegetables after the summer’s harvest allows people to continue to have fruits and vegetables available into the winter. Adding spices and mixing ingredients in a recipe adds to the enjoyment of food. The occasional indulgence in a baked good, an ice cream cone or your favorite chocolate bar may be good for the soul.

We all eat and drink a variety of foods on a daily basis, but as we face the winter months and the increased risk

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Each day to the fullest.

The secret to happiness as we age is to stay as mentally, physically and socially engaged as possible. To feel a sense of purpose. And to be surrounded by those who truly care. Helping residents live each day to the fullest is our mission at Highgate. We offer a host of activities, nutritious and delicious meals, and full care for all in a lovely, homelike setting. If you or your loved one needs either a little or a lot of extra help with daily living, call today and schedule a tour of our Assisted Living or Memory Care community. You’ll see why a move to Highgate is one of the best moves you can make.

Highgate at Great Falls 3000 11th Avenue South Call: 406-454-0991 Highgate at Bozeman 2219 West Oak Street Call: 406-587-5100

Highgate at Billings 3980 Parkhill Drive Call: 406-651-4833

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