Montana 55 - Autumn 2012

Autumn 2012

the magazine for montanans in their prime

pets

more than companions

travel research for deals

books words to warm up with

cognition don’t let your brain coast

Autumn 2012

inside 7 8 12 pets

travel

cognition

research for deals

by kaitlyn schaffer

1. Make a habit of doing something new everyday.

Intentionally doing something new everyday puts our minds to work.

Doing something new can be as simple as brushing your teeth with your nondominant hand, or as complicated as learning a new skill. “It’s like push ups for your mind,” says Dr. Stephen Johnson, a neurologist at Montana Neurobehavioral Specialists. People need to use their brains if they want to keep them functioning at a high level: “use it or lose it” Dr. Johnson warns.

for successful aging

2. Become more involved.

books

words to warm up with by joy earls

We need to wake up our brains and take ourselves off of autopilot.

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If you are a pet owner and animal lover, you know the first part of planning a trip is how to care for your companions. Your thoughts run from whether they can join you at a pet-friendly hotel, if you need boarding or in-home care. Our last trip was easier, as our trusted friend Jackie stayed at our home. The list we left still took a whole page that looked something like this:

First thing in the morning let the dogs out.

Remember to put their collars on. When they come inside, give them breakfast and morning pills.

Open up the chickens to let them into the pasture.

And don’t forget to give the fish some food now and then.

Many of us can remember having long discussions with children, spouses or perhaps our own parents many years ago about the challenges and responsibilities of pet ownership. But if you are like me, it is all over once you make the mistake of “just going to look” at a new pet. Our logical, adult reasoning can easily be trumped by a puppy, a kitten or even a guinea pig named Mr. Henry from my son’s first-grade class.

More than once – many times more – I found myself headed home with smiling

Our friendship and time together marked a major passage in my life.

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November 2012

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pets

more than companions

adoption

mature pet option

entrepreneur

pursuit of a new career

entrepreneur

pursuit of a new career

by betsy cohen

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M

My grandma walks into the living room, looks around, and sighs. “What did I come in here for?”

We are all familiar with this experience, but as we age, it seems as though this happens with greater frequency, which can be frustrating. However, this need not part and parcel of getting older; there are ways to increase mental fitness.

There are two things that preserve cognitive function: brain reserve and cognitive reserve.

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Our pets are our companions, our source of affection and, for some people, our soul mates. They don’t ask much in return compared to what they give us every day.

As we age, studies continue to confirm, their benefit to our wellbeing. However, also as we grow older, our own needs are changing while we have a responsibility to be our pets’ consistent caretakers.

If you are considering a lifestyle change, retirement or perhaps “right-sizing” from your current home, your pets’ needs will be an important part of this decision.

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Our brains’ ability to generate new neurons and pathways is influenced by the environment. Studies suggest that older adults who “are exposed to long-term environmental enrichment” have more neural pathways, and “this is typically associated with significant improvement in several measures of learning,” explains Psychology Professor Michael Babcock of Montana State University at Bozeman.

Becoming more involved with your family and/or community removes you from a static state of existence.

Brain reserve describes to the number of brain cells (neurons) we have, and cognitive reserve refers to the number of connections these brain cells have to one another. Having more pathways allows information to reach its destination in more than one way.

As we get older, we tend do things we are already familiar with; this fosters a habit of mental coasting, sometimes referred to as autopilot.

Autopilot allows us to function while not having to pay much attention to the environment. In autopilot, the denseness of neural pathways tends to atrophy.

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Autumn 2012

business

resources and mentorships

online

navigating health information

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Getting enough sleep “protects your brain” says Dr. Johnson. Studies suggest that disrupted sleep patterns may put you at risk for Alzheimer’s disease.

7. Anticipate your retrieval environment.

Keith Hutchison, Associate Professor and Graduate Coordinator for the Department of Psychology at MSU Bozeman stresses the link between attention and memory.

“What many older adults think of as memory problems is really attention based forgetfulness,” he explains.

Forgetting has more to do with not focusing attention at the time an event is occurring (i.e., operating on autopilot), so there is nothing to retrieve later. Anticipating your retrieval environment involves imagining where you will be when you will want to retrieve the information later. If you are in a parking lot, turn

9. Use event cues.

Older adults have trouble remembering to perform tasks when the task is tied to something arbitrary, like a time of day. However, they are good at remembering to perform the task when it is linked to an event that’s already part of an established routine, such as teeth brushing. It is easier to remember to “take meds when I brush my teeth” than to “take meds at 6 a.m.”

10. Stay social.

Spending time with friends and conversing keeps us engaged. “The fact that we’re good at it shouldn’t diminish how complex it is; we’re using memory and attention the whole time,” says Professor Hutchison.

While these tips are the advice of field leaders and based on the latest research, it is important to remember that they are not quick fixes. “There are no established strategies for staying mentally fit in old age,” cautions Professor Babcock “Your mileage will vary depending on how you drive.”

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spa-like luxury

falls

prevention advice

rethink

varicose veins

social security not in crisis

ask aarp

Four “Cs” of Medicare Open Enrollment

repurposing

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6. Get enough sleep.

As we age, we get worse at blocking out distractions. When my grandma walked into the living room, she became distracted by all the other things going on in there and forgot her initial reason for entering. By reinstating her original context (returning to the room she was in before) she will likely remember her initial goal. Professor Hutchison also recommends imagining where you’ll be when you need to remember your goal – that way once you get there, the information will be easier to retrieve.

rehabilitation

Boomers ... they want to work where their expertise will have the highest impact.

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In order for blood to successfully reach the brain, we need to make sure our arteries are not clogged. Keeping blood pressure in the normal range and cholesterol under control are excellent ways to prevent plaque buildup.

8. Reinstate context.

November 2012

supporting the community

by kaitlyn schaeffer “Boomers are different than the previous generation of volunteers,” explains Colleen Baldwin, Senior Corps program manager at Missoula Aging Services. Understanding the difference between boomers and the previous generation is important for both the volunteers and the agencies to understand.

In the past, people often chose to volunteer because it was a good thing to do. While some still come looking for traditional volunteer positions, many boomers have had professional careers; they are highly skilled, they have passions, they want flexibility, and they want to work where their expertise will have the highest impact.

Senior Corps

LINDA THOMPSON Cyndy Aten long ago decided to live a self-determined enriching life. Now the owner of Loopy, a Missoula yarn shop, Aten’s previous careers included homemaker, mother, grade-school teacher, pediatrician and chief of undergraduate medicine at Yale University.

November 2012

4. Exercise and eat well.

Exercise and eating well improve heart function, and anything that

5. Encourage blood flow to your brain.

around as you’re leaving and locate your car from the direction you’ll be walking when you return.

don’t let your brain coast

To live an enriching life, she said, means embracing a work life that inspires. It also means having the courage to move on from a job that doesn’t.

“I would get uncomfortable to the point that I had to do something else, and I learned to recognize that what I was doing wasn’t working for me,” Aten explained while working at Loopy, the yarn shop in downtown Missoula that she co-owns with her daughter, Gini Aten Erving.

“I think if you allow yourself to realize you are unhappy and you allow yourself to go ahead and make a change, wonderful things can happen,” she said.

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3. Limit toxins.

“Cigarette smoke, nicotine, alcohol, etc. take a huge hit on brain cells,” cautions Dr. Laura Shelton, a board certified family practitioner at Florence Family Practice. These toxins have detrimental effects on neurons (brain cells) that impair their ability to function properly, which subsequently impairs proper nervous system functioning.

promotes heart function also promotes healthy brain function. “We all need to exercise 20-30 minutes every day at 60-80% of our maximum heart rate in order to have the brain chemical BDNF be produced,” Dr. Shelton explains. This chemical (brain-derived neurotrophic factor) supports the survival of our existing neurons and pathways, and aids in the creation of new pathways. This way, our brains are not dependent on only one pathway to perform a task.

cognition

Cyndy Aten decided a long time ago to make the most out of the life she has been given, to treasure that gift with honest introspection.

I want this store to be a refuge, a place where people can go to express their creativity and joy.

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Advice from the experts: In order to stay mentally fit, we need to wake up our brains and take ourselves off of autopilot. But how?

best city

more than companions

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don’t let your brain coast

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There are several reasons why boomers may find themselves with more time on their hands–retirement, kids leaving for college, moving to a new place–whatever the reason, many people choose to use this newfound free time to volunteer in their community.

However, with approximately 10,000 non– profit organizations in Montana, volunteers often feel overwhelmed by the sheer number of opportunities.

Senior Corps, a 40-yearold program, provides the infrastructure necessary to train and manage large numbers of volunteers. When boomers come looking to work, Senior Corps has the capacity to direct them to where their skills are needed. For example, retired accountants often help with tax services.

“This type of one on one placement benefits the individual,” Baldwin explains. When people come to volunteer, their information goes into a database so when an event comes up that appears to be a good match for a volunteer, he or she can be notified immediately.

Senior Corps also operates on a “guilt-free system” Baldwin elaborates. “We let them know what’s available, they say yes or no, and then we move on.”

Missoula Aging Services sponsors the Missoula Senior Corps, one of 40 Senior Corps branches in the state. Senior Corps consists of three programs: Retired Senior and Volunteer Program (RSVP), Foster Grandparents and Senior Companions. All of these

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programs require volunteers to be at least 55 years old, and offers a comprehensive training session that covers not only on-the-job requirements like working with kids, but also provides life skills and advice on aging gracefully.

RSVP

RSVP acts as a “clearing house” explains Megan Hill, Volunteer Coordinator at Missoula Aging Services; RSVP places individuals where their interests and skills will best serve community needs. The program provides accident and liability insurance for its volunteers at no cost to the individual. RSVP has more than 800 volunteers who participate in a number of projects all over the state.

When volunteers sign up with RSVP, they receive quarterly newsletters, which let them know what projects will be coming to the area. These volunteers are really the masters of their own destinies, choosing “when, where and how much” they’d like to volunteer, Hill says.

Senior Companions

Senior Companions partners volunteers with seniors in the community, with the goal of keeping all seniors healthy and independent. Senior Companions creates a “win-win situation where the companions and volunteers both have a purpose,” says Karen O’Dell, senior companion director for eastern Montana. Because Senior Companions is a stipend program, it relies on grant money to compensate its volunteers.

Although the pay may not be much, for many low or fixed income seniors, this little boost can be the difference between self-sufficiency and dependence.

The current grant allows for 42 volunteers and suggests these volunteers take care of no more

than 180 clients. However, these have taken on 257 clients throughout the region; “they’re so compassionate,” gushes O’Dell, “They do way more than they need to.”

Foster Grandparents

Foster Grandparents pairs volunteers with teachers in any one of seventeen school districts to act as mentors in the classroom; this is also a stipend program. Foster Grandparents provides the opportunity for boomers to work with children and make a difference in the youth community. Anny Snowbird, a Foster Grandparent in Columbia Falls describes this job as “the most important part of my life. These children … give me far more than I could give them.”

Rewarding Experience

Although it can sometimes be hard work, volunteering can be a very rewarding experience.

Stipend program volunteers work around twenty hours a week, while those who volunteer with RSVP tend to average two hours a week. However, some volunteers log upwards of 1800 hours a year.

“They are the backbone propping up society,” Ms. Baldwin says admirably, “the need is so strong. If we only relied on paid employment it wouldn’t work. They are the key to our survival.”

Contact Info

While Missoula Aging Services houses all three Senior Corps programs under one roof, this is not the case in all Montana counties. To find out how you can start volunteering in your community, visit http://www. seniorcorpsmt.org/contactus.html.

November 2012

repurposing

supporting the community

looking ahead

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the magazine for montanans in their prime

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travel

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research for deals

World traveler and frequent flier Barbara Riley can teach us a thing or two about globe-trotting on a budget.

This Montana boomer knows how to travel – and she knows how to do it without breaking the bank.

She and her husband, Colin, are seasoned adventurers who enjoy planning trips as much as they like taking them. They have been traveling and making their own arrangements since 1980 when they were in their 20s – long before the demands of children and careers took precedence – launching their love for adventure when they took a yearlong world excursion.

In the past few years, they have visited: Egypt, Cambodia, Thailand, Spain, Greece, South Korea, Alaska, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Portland, Ore., and Atlanta.

Recently back from Orlando, Fla., Riley was happy to provide some of her money-saving tips to those of us seeking bargain hotel pricing.

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he Internet, of course, is the place for the most efficient comparison shopping.

Other tools you will need: time and patience.

“At Priceline (www.priceline. com) you can bid for a room and you can get great bargains that way,” Riley said. “I did that years ago, but I don’t do it as much anymore because I found other places that work better for me. But I check back into Priceline time and again, because it’s particularly good when you are going to a specific place like a big city and you know where you want to be.

“Then you can go for it, and I

by betsy cohen

always go for the four- or five-star hotels and low-ball them – that’s when I’ve used the service the most and have had the best luck.”

What kind of discounts are we talking about? For big-city travel, particularly in the United States, Riley has gotten five-star rooms that regularly go for $250 or more for as low as $65 a night.

“What I found more recently is that one of the best ways for incountry discounts is to join hotel loyalty programs and you get all the e-mails of their sales,” she said.

“You need to be willing to do a little more work – by signing up for things – and when you aren’t traveling, you need to be willing to delete all the e-mail messages you will get.

“But the loyalty programs offer some of the best prices and deals, and because you do get so many of them, they do spark some interest in places you might not have been thinking about.”

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ne of her favorite Internet travel sites is www.travelzoo. com, which Matt Gross, the New York Times’ “Frugal Traveler” just embraced.

“What I love about Travelzoo is that every Wednesday they send you the top 20 deals.” Riley said. “It’s usually a combination of airfare and hotel deals they have culled from thousands and thousands sources. Sometimes, they just happen to be where we are going to or where we were thinking of going, and sometimes there’s just this screaming deal and you have to go.”

Riley keeps current on travel deals, tips and new Web sites

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by subscribing to the monthly magazine Budget Travel. On the Web, she frequently visits www. frommers.com to do her research for international travel.

“What I like about Frommer’s is that you can follow the links to hotels and they put the hotels in categories using dollar signs that tell you the range of prices, from less expensive to most expensive, and they say what is the best deal in all those categories.

“I always know what my budget is, and so I often go back and forth between a guidebook that tells me about the place I’m visiting and the Web site, and I determine if I want to be near some famous site or near the airport. That’s how I weed out options, and by the descriptions I know a two-dollar sign is more than enough for me, and that I’ll get a more authentic feel at a place that is a one- or two-dollar place that costs $50 or $60 a night, as opposed to the five-star hotels that can be hundreds of dollars.”

In all of her travels, Riley has not been disappointed or burned by these sources.

“I’m always looking for the best value for the money, and that’s why I end up doing constant crosschecking, and I have at times used Kayak.com and Hotels.com,” she said. “I read a lot of travel blogs and forums, and I’ll spend some time reading those to give me an idea of where to go for information or where to take our next trip.

“I avoid the big search engines like Travelocity and Orbitz because they are so generalized.”

Contact Missoulian reporter Betsy Cohen at bcohen@missoulian.com.

I’m always looking for the best value for the money, and that’s why I end up doing constant cross-checking.

Autumn 2012

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best city

8

for successful aging

by keila szpaller

www.montana55.com

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Missoula has landed on a top 10 cities list once again – this time as one of the best small metropolitan areas for “successful aging.”

In a report released late this summer, the Milken Institute ranked Missoula No. 8 out of 359 metropolitan areas it reviewed for its first “Best Cities for Successful Aging” study.

The report named Sioux Falls, S.D., the best small metro, and it gave Provo, Utah, the highest marks for a larger metropolitan area.

“Few people think of chilly South Dakota, Montana or Alaska as ideal places to spend their golden years,” reads an introduction to the chapter on small metros. “But these states compensated for their weather woes with outstanding performances in key categories like hospitals affiliated with medical schools, economic environment, job opportunities for seniors, and cost of living.”

According to the study, Missoula “nailed” providing a healthy lifestyle, good health care system and cultural enrichment: “It’s a hot spot for museums, religious institutions and other cultural activities.” But the Garden City also “needs work” on “high income inequality.”

“Missoula enjoys the cultural, educational and financial benefits of being a university town,” reads the overall assessment for this city. “However, it ranks near the bottom in income growth and inequality, weather, cost of living and housing prices among the small metros.”

According to its website, the Milken Institute is a nonpartisan think tank based in Santa Monica, Calif. It has a mission to “improve lives around the world by advancing innovative economic and policy solutions that create jobs, widen access to capital and enhance health.”

DIANN KELLY Autumn 2012

9

best city

MEGAN RICHTER

10

MEGAN RICHTER

www.montana55.com Brennan’s Wave and the markets held in downtown Missoula are just some of the attractions that Missoulians enjoy.

For this report, analysts examined “78 factors that most affect seniors’ quality of life,” according to the institute. “These include not only health care, crime rates and weather, but also economic and job conditions, housing, transportation and social engagement factors that help create a safe, affordable and connected community for seniors.”

Even as Missoula gains recognition for its support for seniors, the organization focused on them has less support itself.

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hroughout the county, Missoula Aging Services is one agency helping out senior citizens, and Debbie Lester wasn’t shocked to see the recognition from the Milken Institute.

Lester, chief financial officer, shared the agency’s philosophy on serving its clients.

“Growing old is part of living.

We want to make this community a wonderful place to live, and that includes living at any age,” Lester said.

“I am not surprised (Missoula was recognized.) I am very proud, though, that we made the list.”

Every year, the agency serves more than 20,000 people across the county, and she said staff see firsthand the “income inequality” the report noted.

Some seniors earn $2.65 an hour as a stipend for volunteering, but Lester said they need real jobs with real wages instead of only stipends.

“That’s the difference between buying your medicines and buying food,” she said of the stipend. “You shouldn’t have to make those kind of choices, but many of our seniors have to do that.”

The agency has faced financial hurdles of its own in the past year.

Through attrition, five positions in two programs have been eliminated, leaving 26 full-time equivalent employees, Lester said. The organization is seeing the possibility of more turbulence ahead in December, too.

“Likely, if our congressional leaders don’t come up with a plan, then all of our budgets will be cut from schools down to human services organizations like ourselves. So that will have a very detrimental impact on our services,” Lester said.

On the other hand, she said, local support is strong from the Board of County Commissioners, Missoula City Council and Mayor John Engen.

Lester said Missoula Aging Services also relies on United Way of Missoula County.

Missoula is apparently doing commendable work for various segments of the population. It’s also been named a “Playful City USA” for promoting healthy, active lifestyles for kids, and it’s been named one of

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the 100 Best Communities for Young People.

“We’ve been named that five times,” Mayor Engen said. “We’re taking care of folks at both ends of the spectrum, and I hope we’re taking care of folks in between as well.”

Reporter Keila Szpaller can be reached at @KeilaSzpaller, 523-5262, keila.szpaller@missoulian.com or on MissoulaRedTape.com.

It pays to question your statements!

Missoula enjoys the cultural, educational and financial benefits of being a university town.

Questioning a $9 charge on a Medicare statement resulted in the return of $1.37 million to Medicare! You can help stop Medicare waste, fraud and abuse by reading your statements. For assistance, call Montana SMP today.

1-800-551-3191 Montana SMP is a statewide program administered by Missoula Aging Services. This ad was supported, in part, by a grant from the Administration for Community Living, AoA, DHHS. Points of view or opinions do not necessarily represent official AoA policy.

Autumn 2012

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books

12

words to warm up with

by barbara theroux

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People like to talk of the demise of reading, the demise of publishing, the demise of independent bookstores. But I am finding much to be excited about – new authors, more books that celebrate Montana, familiar authors with new places to explore, and just wonderful new books. Here are just a few of the titles that arrived in recent weeks:

“The Orchardist: A Novel”

by Amanda Coplin

At the turn of the 20th century, in the foothills of the Cascade Mountains, a solitary orchardist named Talmadge carefully tends the grove of fruit trees he has cultivated for nearly half a century. Everything he is and has known is tied to this patch of earth. It is where his widowed mother is buried, and where his teenaged sister Elsbeth, mysteriously disappeared. It is where the horse wranglers – native men, mostly Nez Perce – pass through each spring with their wild herds, setting up camp in the meadows between the trees.

One day, while in town to sell his fruit, two girls, barefoot and dirty, steal some apples. Later, they appear on his homestead, cautious yet curious about the man who gave them no chase. Feral, scared and very pregnant, Jane and her sister Della take up on Talmadge’s land and begin to trust his silent, compassionate way of life. When tragedy strikes, Talmadge tries to protect and save not only the girls but the land and way of life that he loves.

Autumn 2012

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books “Meat Eater: Adventures from the Life of an American Hunter” by Steven Rinella Steven Rinella’s new book chronicles his evolving, lifelong relationship with nature and hunting through the lens of 10 dynamic hunts, beginning when he was an aspiring mountain man at age 10 and ending as a 37-year-old father in Brooklyn. Along the way, he grapples with themes such as Manifest Destiny and the vanishing frontier, the ethics of killing, and the responsibilities that human predators have to our prey. Hunting, he ultimately argues, is intimately connected with our humanity and assuming responsibility for acquiring the meat that we eat, rather than entrusting it to proxy executioners, processors, packagers

and distributors, is one of the most respectful and ethically responsible things a carnivore can do.

“Tasting Notes” sidebars at the end of most chapters include tips on eating wild fish and game.

From 1997 to 2000, Rinella was a student in the University of Montana’s Master of Fine Arts creative writing program.

His brother, Matt, was studying at Montana State University. The two of them probably spent more time in the woods than they did in the library, hunting black bear near Thompson Falls and elk in the Sapphire Mountains and Lee Metcalf Wilderness Area.

“Visions and Voices: Montana’s One-Room Schoolhouses” by Charlotte Caldwell

“The Black Rhinos of Namibia: Searching for Survivors in the African Desert” by Rick Bass

Charlotte Caldwell is a photographer, naturalist and preservationist. She captures the beauty of landscapes, wildlife, buildings and people in this beautiful book. The stories by students and teachers, many of whom are now in their 80s or 90s – tell of adventures traveling to and from school, the school day, recess games, family life, daily chores, and above all, the sense of community, as defined by these iconic humble schoolhouses. Their voices share memories and perspectives about a way of life, gone for the most part, and breathe life into these visions of rural heritage. It is the story of the American frontier and the high value placed on education by those who came to homestead, mine or work the railroads. It is a story of the Western spirit and of a culture marked by tenacity and endurance.

All of the net proceeds of this book will be donated to the Preserve Montana Fund, a campaign of collaboration between the Montana Preservation Alliance, the Montana History Foundation, and the National Trust for Historic Preservation. This donation will serve to create a challenge grant, earmarked for Montana’s endangered one-room schoolhouses.2 14

Rick Bass is known for his writing about the Yaak and the wildlife in that valley.

In this book, Bass takes us on a journey into the Namib Desert to follow a group of poachers-turnedconservationists as they track the endangered black rhinos through their ancient and harsh African homeland.

The black rhino is a 3,000-pound, squintyeyed giant that sports three-foot-long dagger horns, lives off poisonous plants, and goes for days without water. The critically endangered black rhino had no real predators until men armed with guns happened along, reducing its population from an estimated 100,000 to below 2,500 in a remarkably short time. But by the time Bass arrived, the species was making a fragile comeback, thanks to the efforts of conservationists. Their hope is to develop a tourism industry around rhino-sighting-the kind of future that Bass would like to see for grizzlies.

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“Fobbit” by David Abrams IEDs, VBIEDs, EODs, G-3 and even CNN contrive a constant Catch-22 as Fobbit Chance Gooding Jr. fights the acronym war in this novel. FOB is an acronym, meaning Forward Operating Base. It’s 2005 in wartorn Iraq, and a Fobbit is a soldier working within that secured area, never venturing beyond the wire and guard towers to cope with AK-47-toting terrorists and improvised explosive devices. Army communications in the age of imbedded reporters makes for great satire.

Fobbit takes us into the chaotic world of Baghdad’s Forward Operating Base Triumph. The FOB is like the back office of the battlefield – where people eat and sleep, and where a lot of soldiers have what looks suspiciously like an office job.

Staff Sgt. Gooding mans a computer in FOB Triumph’s Public Affairs Office. Two

supporting characters, Lt. Col. Vic Duret, a hard-driving, stressed-out, uber-responsible battalion commander haunted by his brother-in-law’s death in the World Trade Center attack, and the inept and fearfilled Capt. Abe Shrinkle, a West Pointer who bungles his way into shooting an innocent Iraqi civilian on one mission and incinerating another on the next.

Though he uses no active unit’s designation, the author knows the Army, good and bad. David Abrams served in the U.S. Army for twenty years, and was deployed to Iraq in 2005 as part of a public affairs team. He now lives in Butte.

Many authors will be in Missoula this fall for book events, campus seminars, and of course HumanitiesMontana’s Festival of the Book. Take time to hear some of these authors, better yet take time to read them.

“The Bartender’s Tale” by Ivan Doig One of Montana’s favorite storytellers gives us a one-of-a-kind father and his precocious son, rocked by a time of change.

Tom Harry has a streak of frost in his black pompadour and a venerable bar called the Medicine Lodge, the chief watering hole and last refuge of the town of Gros Ventre, in northern Montana. Tom also has a son named Rusty, an “accident between the sheets” whose mother deserted them both years ago. The pair makes an odd kind of family, with the bar their true home, but they manage just fine.

Then in 1960, single father Tom Harry finds his world upended by the arrival of a woman from his past and her beatnik daughter, who claims Tom as her father and upends the town with her passionate and pretentious modern views. Events from the past include another bar in another small town during the building of the Fort Peck Dam. Filtering the world through Rusty’s eyes, Doig gives us a poignant saga of a boy becoming a man alongside a town and a bygone way of life.

Barbara Theroux is a longtime independent bookstore owner and advocate for Montana authors.

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Autumn 2012

15

pets

16

more than companions

by joy earls

O

www.montana55.com

Our pets are our companions, our source of affection and, for some people, our soul mates. They don’t ask much in return compared to what they give us every day.

As we age, studies continue to confirm, their benefit to our wellbeing. However, also as we grow older, our own needs are changing while we have a responsibility to be our pets’ consistent caretakers.

If you are considering a lifestyle change, retirement or perhaps “right-sizing” from your current home, your pets’ needs will be an important part of this decision.

If you are a pet owner and animal lover, you know the first part of planning a trip is how to care for your companions. Your thoughts run from whether they can join you at a pet-friendly hotel, if you need boarding or in-home care. Our last trip was easier, as our trusted friend Jackie stayed at our home. The list we left still took a whole page that looked something like this:

First thing in the morning let the dogs out.

Remember to put their collars on. When they come inside, give them breakfast and morning pills.

Open up the chickens to let them into the pasture.

And don’t forget to give the fish some food now and then.

Our friendship and time together marked a major passage in my life.

Many of us can remember having long discussions with children, spouses or perhaps our own parents many years ago about the challenges and responsibilities of pet ownership. But if you are like me, it is all over once you make the mistake of “just going to look” at a new pet. Our logical, adult reasoning can easily be trumped by a puppy, a kitten or even a guinea pig named Mr. Henry from my son’s first-grade class.

More than once – many times more – I found myself headed home with smiling Autumn 2012

17

pets faces in the car and the sound of a new member to our home.

Now that our boys are older, the number of pets has decreased. When my husband and I met 35 years ago, I had a mutt named Jesse and he had Sparky. They became fast friends, as we did, too. Jesse moved to Missoula with me and with his passing, I had an oil painting made of him. Our friendship and time together marked a major passage in my life. Sparky died of old age while we were camping. We buried her there in the Big Hole Valley. This is still a favorite place to camp and think of her wonderful spirit. This was before we had children. Our lives became

much busier.

For a short time we were a pet-free household. Then, as a young boy, our oldest son Leland came to us with his bug box in hand. He patiently explained to us that he really would love a pet that might interact a little more with him than a cricket.

It was hard to argue, just as it was hard to dispute when Carter, our youngest, noticed that two dogs were happier than just one. I fell for that hook, line and sinker. And I am sure you can picture how we progressed with fish and birds and lizards and chickens and all the other wonderful friends that make up our home.

However, time has passed and Carter is now in college. Leland has long since graduated and is on his own adventures. We are still the pet lovers that we have always been. But now we find that our lives are changing.

And I think that if you have read this far, you may be in a similar situation.

I could never or would never part with our dogs Norman or Carl, or the fish (never did get a name) or others.

And I would encourage you to enjoy each day with them, as the hardest part is that their lives are so short.

Losing a pet is impossibly difficult and heartbreaking.

Looking forward to what our

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have a more mobile lifestyle. In either case, caring for a pet may alter your decisions. You might find a home you like, but there may be policies and rules regarding pets, including their sizes and types. I recently learned of a 55-and-older community where only dogs of are a certain height at the shoulders are allowed. I didn’t understand it at first, because most policies are by weight. However I noticed dachshunds’ weights, for example, can vary from 15 to 40 pounds depending on lifestyle or owner’s indulgences.

Right-sizing your home also includes thinking about your pets or perhaps

Joy Earls is a broker/owner of Joy Earls Real Estate. She can be reached at (406) 531-9811 or at joyearls@joyearls. com.

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future companions. This may not be the time to replace the dog or cat that you recently lost. Enjoy the memories of your irreplaceable companion.

Don’t try to hold onto the past by finding a young one of the same breed or size. You may want to ask yourself if it’s time to start considering the value of a smaller pet. Perhaps you may decide to just return to the simple pleasures of crickets and birds?

buy

next adventures might bring also encourages us to think hard before getting a new pet right away. You may even be thinking of selling your home in the future and rightsizing, you should consider your pet responsibilities, too. It is much easier to sell a home that is pet-free. All the pet lovers in the world would rather purchase a pet-free home. No one wants to deal with stained carpeting, scratched flooring and odors. In our case, Carl left us a hole in the bedroom wall? What dog chews a hole in sheetrock?

You also should consider where you could be moving or if you may

talk

adoption

mature pet option

Older pets tend to have well-established personalities and have also outgrown adolescent behaviors.

20

by kaitlyn schaeffer

J

Jacqueline and Philip Silver have been married for almost forty years. They’ve raised three children together, who have all grown up and moved out of their house. But Jacqueline and Philip are not alone in their Missoula home; they’re kept company by their 15-year-old Regal Siberian cat Rags, 7-yearold Pomeranian Louis, and 11-year-old Dachshund Yohance, an homage to Grizzly football legend Yohance Humphry.

“It would not be a home without pets,” Jacqueline says with a smile.

Rags was the first addition to the Silver home. He doesn’t require much upkeep and his presence is enjoyable; in Philip’s words, “he’s calming.”

Yohance, or Yo, is more of a responsibility, but, much like his athletic namesake, he is a more active companion. “We do everything with Yo,” Jacqueline says, “He’s like a little human: we take walks together, take him the lake, talk to him. I talk to Yo more than I do Philip; at least he listens better!”

Louis is the newest addition to the family, but unlike his brothers, he’s an adoptee. The Silvers adopted Louis a month ago from a family who could no longer take proper care of him. Despite having only been around a short time, Jacqueline and Philip agree that he is already “part of the family.”

www.montana55.com

Adoption

Pet owners sometimes choose to adopt their pets, instead of buying them from breeders or pet stores. However, many people may be reluctant to adopt an animal that has an unknown history. For seniors, this may be especially unsettling: having a new animal in the house can be stressful, and if the animal has a personality that is at odds with its owner, the results can be disastrous. However, young animals may also present many difficulties: an un-trained animal may saddle boomers with more responsibilities than they would like.

The Humane Society of Western Montana (HSWM) designed a pet adoption program with the needs and desires of boomers in mind.

The program is called Seniors for Seniors, and applies to individuals who are at least 60 years of age looking to adopt pets that are at least 7 years old. HSWM strives to make the adoption process as seamless as possible for seniors.

The shelter waives the adoption fee for participants in the program, which can result in savings of up to $250.

HSWM also helps each senior find a pet that is right for him or her; every potential new pet owner fills out a Matchmaking Form that the shelter’s adoption specialists use to optimally match pets with new masters.

Seniors for Seniors finds new homes for pets who are already trained, vaccinated, and spayed or neutered. The program provides each new dog owner with a collar, leash and a bag of food, and each new cat owner with a collar, carrier and a bag of food. Adopting an older pet certainly has its benefits.

Older pets tend to have wellestablished personalities and have also outgrown adolescent behaviors,

so they are less likely to pester their new owners.

“Senior dogs and cats are some of the best pets,” explains Lora O’Connor, Director of HSWM. “They’re typically house trained, and they’ve outgrown digging and chewing behaviors. What you see is what you get.” Ms. O’Connor notes that the Seniors for Seniors program has been received well by participants, “It’s typically a really good match; the activity levels are pretty equal. Seniors really like the program.”

And remember, November is Adopted Senior Pet Month!

The Humane Society of Western Montana 5930 Highway 93 South, Missoula Phone: (406) 549-3934 Bitter Root Humane Association 262 Fairgrounds Rd, Hamilton Phone: (406) 363-5311 Heart of the Valley Animal Shelter 1549 E. Cameron Bridge Rd. Bozeman Phone: (406) 388-9399 Humane Society of Cascade County 507 1st Ave. N., Great Falls Phone: (406) 231-4722 Humane Society of Northwest Montana 3499 Hwy 93 N., Kalispell Phone: (406) 752-PAWS Lewis & Clark Humane Society 2112 E. Custer Ave., Helena Phone: (406) 442-1660 Rimrock Humane Society Billings Area www.rimrockhumanesociety.org Phone: (406) 323-3687 Silver Bow Humane Society 699 Centennial, Butte Phone: (406) 782-8450

Autumn 2012

21

entrepreneur

22

pursuit of a new career

by betsy cohen

C

www.montana55.com

Cyndy Aten decided a long time ago to make the most out of the life she has been given, to treasure that gift with honest introspection.

To live an enriching life, she said, means embracing a work life that inspires. It also means having the courage to move on from a job that doesn’t.

“I would get uncomfortable to the point that I had to do something else, and I learned to recognize that what I was doing wasn’t working for me,” Aten explained while working at Loopy, the yarn shop in downtown Missoula that she co-owns with her daughter, Gini Aten Erving.

“I think if you allow yourself to realize you are unhappy and you allow yourself to go ahead and make a change, wonderful things can happen,” she said.

I want this store to be a refuge, a place where people can go to express their creativity and joy.

LINDA THOMPSON Cyndy Aten long ago decided to live a self-determined enriching life. Now the owner of Loopy, a Missoula yarn shop, Aten’s previous careers included homemaker, mother, grade-school teacher, pediatrician and chief of undergraduate medicine at Yale University.

Autumn 2012

23

entrepreneur I’m trying to do as much as possible in this life that I have.

L

oopy Knit/Crochet, which Aten opened three years ago at 115 W. Front St. in downtown Missoula, is the physical manifestation of her longheld love for knitting and the joy she experiences from being surrounded by gorgeously textured yarns in infinite colors.

The business is a significant diversion from Aten’s previous careers, which included homemaker, mother, grade-school teacher, pediatric physician and chief of undergraduate medicine at Yale University.

The story of Loopy begins more than four decades ago, when halfway through her college education and inspired by Betty Friedan’s hallmark book “The Feminine Mystique,” Aten became captivated with the idea of becoming a doctor.

Two years into her medical school program at the University of Cincinnati, Aten and her husband, Ray, started a family. Aten paused her

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education to raise their two children.

“It took me 13 years to finish my third year of medical school,” she said with a laugh, “but I did do it and because Ray got a job that took us to New Haven (Conn.), I finished my degree at Yale.”

While raising her children and before going back to med school, Aten earned a master’s degree in early child care education and taught kindergarten through second grade for several years. Then came the return to medical school and the launch of another new career, pediatric medicine.

It’s not the usual route people take, Aten acknowledged, but it’s the one that worked best for her family.

“Ray gave me a piece of wisdom early on, and it’s one I like to share with young people starting out,” Aten said. “When we talked about my return to medical school, he said, ‘I’ll take care of the kids and do all the

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house chores, but you can’t criticize what I do.’ “ “He was very clear about that because he knew that would sabotage everything,” she said. “I still find that to be incredibly wise and valid advice.”

A

long Aten’s meandering path, she learned other truths that seemed applicable everywhere, from the doctor’s office to a yarn shop.

“Most people are extremely grateful for kindness,” Aten said. “I don’t think we get a lot of that.”

To that end, Aten has set out to create in her shop a haven for people.

“We offer color therapy,” she said joyfully, pointing to the luscious skeins of yarn that are artfully stacked in the cheerful and welcoming shop.

“We wanted to have a shop that was beautiful, that is aesthetically pleasing.

“I want this store to be a refuge, a place where people can go to express

their creativity and joy.”

The act of knitting is a meditative experience for many people, and for Aten, it has long been an outlet that has kept her focused and motivated.

“I knitted my way through medical school, often dropping my metal needles on the concrete floor in the big lecture halls we sat in,” she said.

“I think there are a lot of doctors out there who owe me for getting them through medical school because the noise kept them awake.”

Aten’s adventurous spirit and innate boldness are qualities her daughter, Gini, has always admired.

When her parents decided to “retire” in Missoula and lend a hand with her children, the news was welcome.

“My mom has always made me feel as if anything is possible,” Gini said.

“She’s never afraid to jump in and do something new. If I have an idea, she’s someone I want to share it with.

“She is always encouraging people to try new things and to be bold, to live your life in a bold manner.”

“I don’t know about reincarnation,” Cyndy Aten said. “So I’m trying to do as much as possible in this life that I have.”

When she’s not teaching knitting classes at Loopy, Aten is a student in the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at the University of Montana.

Among her many course topics: Buddhism, Asia and the Silk Road and conflict and comedy in cinema.

“I try to encourage myself to take the things that are interesting, but are things I don’t know much about,” Aten said. “And what I am finding is that sometimes things work together in amazing ways.”

Betsy Cohen can be reached at 523-5253 or at bcohen@missoulian.com.

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Autumn 2012

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business

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resources and mentorships

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The U.S. Small Business Administration and AARP have formed an alliance to provide counseling and training to entrepreneurs over the age of 50 who want to start or grow a small business.

The project will offer online training courses and mentorships, and has a website with SBA and AARP links.

The organizations are working to establish the online training courses, which will cover topics like startup basics, finance strategies, marketing tactics and overseas trade.

“We know that working side by side with AARP, we will be able to reach baby boomers and Americans over the age of 50 who have years of professional experience working for others and are ideally positioned to step out and become their own boss.

And, in doing so, they will become job creators and

Jenna Cederberg can be reached at 523-5241 or at jenna.cederberg@missoulian.com.

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drivers of economic growth in their communities,” SBA Administrator Karen Mills said in a news release.

“Many baby boomers are working beyond retirement age and choosing to stay active and engaged in the work force,” Mills said.“For many older entrepreneurs, starting a small business can be an opportunity to transform a lifetime hobby or interest or years of professional experience into a lucrative line of work.”

Older entrepreneurs may have more business experience and more access to capital, said Chick Rolling of the Senior Core of Retired Executives chapter in Helena.

SCORE helps connect entrepreneurs of any age with mentors and has chapters in most major Montana cities.

Regardless of age, the combination of online resources and agency mentorships can be very useful to people trying to start or grow a small business, Rolling said.

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Autumn 2012

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online

28

navigating health information

by dana kopp

A good consumer health site will explain clearly and completely.

I

www.montana55.com

If you or a family member has general health questions, where do you turn? Often after hearing a diagnosis, a patients will ask his doctor some basic questions. But when he gets home, he thinks of more questions and concerns. Short of leaving lengthy messages for your doctor, where can you turn for additional information?

In 2007, 160 million Americans - roughly half of the U.S. population - used the Internet to search for health information. But how do you, the health care consumer, know the information you find is legitimate? Here are six suggestions to help sift the quality from the quackery: Where does the information come from? How easy is it to find contact information? Is the site easy to navigate?

Look at the “About Us” page. Is the site run by a branch of the government, nonprofit institution, professional organization, health system or hospital, commercial organization or an individual?

Examples of good sources of health information are the National Institutes of Health, U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Johns Hopkins University, Mayo Clinic, American Heart Association and the American Cancer Society.

If contact information is hard to find, or you can’t tell who runs the site, you might want to look elsewhere for legitimate health information. A site that recommends a particular drug by name should be explored to see if the drug manufacturer is a site sponsor and other sources consulted to see what they say about the drug.

A Web site created by a person after their own heart attack might be created with the best of intentions, but compared to information from the American Heart Association site, that independent site is not medically authoritative.

What is the purpose of the site?

Is the site a chat or discussion room? Are they trying to sell you a product or service? Trying to raise money or just trying to inform?

Taking medical advice from a chat room because “Suzi from Sheboygan” says “her husband has the same heart condition you do and it worked for him” also falls into the unadvisable category. Your physician has your medical history and evaluates your health as a whole when he or she makes recommendations. Lab tests, blood pressure, weight and lifestyle are just a few of the Autumn 2012

29

online details that are factored into your physician’s guidance. Any site that offers a diagnosis just based on your description of your symptoms should be explored with caution.

If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.

For only two payments of $14.95, only available for the next 15 minutes, a bottle of pills with a secret ingredient from the Tambopata Rainforest can be shipped to your home. Made from a special chemical secreted by the Hyla rhodopepla tree frog, the “supplement” will make you lose weight, regrow hair, build muscle, shrink hemorrhoids, cures all known skin diseases, eliminates bad breath, flatulence, constipation, diarrhea and wrinkles, and attract the opposite sex.

Does the Web site promise a miracle cure? Is it selling you a product? Does it claim to have the only remedy for

your illness? While this example is extreme, people are tricked daily into spending money on miracle cures from goat’s blood serum to unlicensed stem cell treatments.

Look for evidence.

Does the information sound too scientific? Does it reference actual published research?

If a site giving you medical advice uses big words, confusing scientific sounding lingo and doesn’t detail where and when the research was conducted and published, we suggest leaving the site and finding a different source for medical information.

A good consumer health site will explain clearly and completely, “big words” or medical terms will be hyperlinked or defined and the location of where the information

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came from will be posted or better yet, hyperlinked.

Shop around to see if other Web sites support the information you have found. You would ask for a second opinion from a doctor, so why would you automatically believe what is posted on the Internet?

How old is the information? Who evaluated it before it was put on the Web site?

Would you rely on a map of Missoula from 1970 to help you get across town? While the main streets are the same, the amount of growth and change on side streets would be hard to overcome.

Medical information can change quickly, and a Web site that is years out of date may provide incorrect or dangerous information.

www.montana55.com

Protect your privacy.

Avoid websites that ask for personal information such as name, address, date of birth, gender, mother’s maiden name or credit card number before providing you information.

Look at the site’s privacy policy to see if your information is really being protected. If the privacy policy states that they will “share your information with companies that provide useful products and services” they will be giving or selling your name and address to companies that will probably try to sell you something. Do you really need more junk mail?

So where can you go online to find easy to understand consumer health information? While there are many good Web sites that fit these criteria, most are flooded with advertisements.

We recommend MedlinePlus.gov - the

National Library of Medicine and National Institutes of Health work together to create this site. It combines the best of everything, easy to use, up-to-date and accurate information and, best of all, no advertisements. The site offers interactive tutorials, surgery videos, links to health topics and drug information and with “Go Local” links to local health care resources.

Latest news and research information is linked within the health topics and even age-based disease information is linked for children, teens and seniors.

MedlinePlus is easy to navigate. Check it out and share it with your friends.

Avoid Web sites that ask for personal information

Dana Kopp is medical librarian and director of the Center for Health Information at St. Patrick Hospital and Health Sciences Center.

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cognition

We need to wake up our brains and take ourselves off of autopilot.

32

don’t let your brain coast

M

My grandma walks into the living room, looks around, and sighs. “What did I come in here for?�

We are all familiar with this experience, but as we age, it seems as though this happens with greater frequency, which can be frustrating. However, this need not part and parcel of getting older; there are ways to increase mental fitness.

There are two things that preserve cognitive function: brain reserve and cognitive reserve.

Brain reserve describes to the number of brain cells (neurons) we have, and cognitive reserve refers to the number of connections these brain cells have to one another. Having more pathways allows information to reach its destination in more than one way.

As we get older, we tend do things we are already familiar with; this fosters a habit of mental coasting, sometimes referred to as autopilot.

Autopilot allows us to function while not having to pay much attention to the environment. In autopilot, the denseness of neural pathways tends to atrophy.

by kaitlyn schaffer

www.montana55.com

Advice from the experts: In order to stay mentally fit, we need to wake up our brains and take ourselves off of autopilot. But how?

1. Make a habit of doing something new everyday.

Intentionally doing something new everyday puts our minds to work.

Doing something new can be as simple as brushing your teeth with your nondominant hand, or as complicated as learning a new skill. “It’s like push ups for your mind,” says Dr. Stephen Johnson, a neurologist at Montana Neurobehavioral Specialists. People need to use their brains if they want to keep them functioning at a high level: “use it or lose it” Dr. Johnson warns.

2. Become more involved.

Our brains’ ability to generate new neurons and pathways is influenced by the environment. Studies suggest that older adults who “are exposed to long-term environmental enrichment” have more neural pathways, and “this is typically associated with significant improvement in several measures of learning,” explains Psychology Professor Michael Babcock of Montana State University at Bozeman.

Becoming more involved with your family and/or community removes you from a static state of existence.

3. Limit toxins.

“Cigarette smoke, nicotine, alcohol, etc. take a huge hit on brain cells,” cautions Dr. Laura Shelton, a board certified family practitioner at Florence Family Practice. These toxins have detrimental effects on neurons (brain cells) that impair their ability to function properly, which subsequently impairs proper nervous system functioning.

4. Exercise and eat well.

Exercise and eating well improve heart function, and anything that

promotes heart function also promotes healthy brain function. “We all need to exercise 20-30 minutes every day at 60-80% of our maximum heart rate in order to have the brain chemical BDNF be produced,” Dr. Shelton explains. This chemical (brain-derived neurotrophic factor) supports the survival of our existing neurons and pathways, and aids in the creation of new pathways. This way, our brains are not dependent on only one pathway to perform a task.

5. Encourage blood flow to your brain.

In order for blood to successfully reach the brain, we need to make sure our arteries are not clogged. Keeping blood pressure in the normal range and cholesterol under control are excellent ways to prevent plaque buildup.

6. Get enough sleep.

Getting enough sleep “protects your brain” says Dr. Johnson. Studies suggest that disrupted sleep patterns may put you at risk for Alzheimer’s disease.

7. Anticipate your retrieval environment.

Keith Hutchison, Associate Professor and Graduate Coordinator for the Department of Psychology at MSU Bozeman stresses the link between attention and memory.

“What many older adults think of as memory problems is really attention based forgetfulness,” he explains.

Forgetting has more to do with not focusing attention at the time an event is occurring (i.e., operating on autopilot), so there is nothing to retrieve later. Anticipating your retrieval environment involves imagining where you will be when you will want to retrieve the information later. If you are in a parking lot, turn

around as you’re leaving and locate your car from the direction you’ll be walking when you return.

8. Reinstate context.

As we age, we get worse at blocking out distractions. When my grandma walked into the living room, she became distracted by all the other things going on in there and forgot her initial reason for entering. By reinstating her original context (returning to the room she was in before) she will likely remember her initial goal. Professor Hutchison also recommends imagining where you’ll be when you need to remember your goal – that way once you get there, the information will be easier to retrieve.

9. Use event cues.

Older adults have trouble remembering to perform tasks when the task is tied to something arbitrary, like a time of day. However, they are good at remembering to perform the task when it is linked to an event that’s already part of an established routine, such as teeth brushing. It is easier to remember to “take meds when I brush my teeth” than to “take meds at 6 a.m.”

10. Stay social.

Spending time with friends and conversing keeps us engaged. “The fact that we’re good at it shouldn’t diminish how complex it is; we’re using memory and attention the whole time,” says Professor Hutchison.

While these tips are the advice of field leaders and based on the latest research, it is important to remember that they are not quick fixes. “There are no established strategies for staying mentally fit in old age,” cautions Professor Babcock “Your mileage will vary depending on how you drive.”

Autumn 2012

33

rehabilitation

S

Susan Naïve, after her second knee replacement in 12 years, relished her stay at the fairly new Retreat at Buffalo Hill, a transitional short-term care facility in Kalispell that looks more like a luxury spa than a rehabilitation hospital.

34

spa-like luxury

While Naïve is only 57, the average age at the three-pronged facility is 78, according to Jim Archibald, executive director of the Immanuel Skilled Care Center, which includes the skilled nursing care Retreat at Buffalo Hill. Hers was a short-term stay, but a valuable one that made all the difference in her recovery.

“I’m kinda young even to be having the surgery,” said Naïve, a former recreational

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he fullest, most convenient and most professional array of senior services comes to the Flathead Valley. With Residential Living, Assisted Living, Skilled Nursing, Rehabilitative Services and Memory Support integrated into a compassionate continuum, we offer what others can’t – everything in one place – with a distinctive style that looks like hospitality and feels like friendship.

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runner who had her other knee replaced in 2002. “Now I have a matching set. I was an amateur athlete who destroyed her knees. Both my knees are titanium, but different brands. ” While still independent and capable, Naïve admitted through humorous asides that she required more care than she expected, and that stellar staff helped her realize that she had to remove all throw rugs from her home in order to avoid any spills that could damage her new knee while in the healing stage.

“You don’t feel well when you get there -- you don’t dance in, that’s for sure,” said Naïve, a financial adviser who owns her own company, Swift Creek Capital, in Kalispell. “It really surprised me about how much emotional stuff I went through about not being able to take care of myself. And it made me realize what our parents went through maybe in assisted living.

“It’s that whole getting used to someone taking care of you,” she added. “It made me think of how difficult that transition is for older people. It was a neat experience to go through. I realized how wonderful the caregivers (CNAs) are there. They were the most valuable people in the place. … The gals are there to anticipate your needs. They treated me with an enormous amount of dignity and respect.”

The Retreat at Buffalo Hill Concierge-like personalized service in a resort-like setting – just right for recuperation after surgery or an accident.

It’s a better way to get better.

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rehabilitation

GIBEON PHOTOGRAPHY The state-of-the-art therapy pool at The Retreat is unlike anything else in the Flathead Valley, providing low-impact, highly effective aquatic therapy.

what at first sounds like a luxury “They treated Invacation resort, the Retreat at Buffalo Hill boasts a large rehabilitation gym, spaces that include a theater, me with an common dining room, library, gaming room, Kindle for reservation and 16 private guest enormous Fire rooms with flat-screen TVs, wi-fi, desks and amount of recliners.

“It really looks more like a hotel than it does a medical facility,” said Archibald. dignity and “We wanted to get rid of as much of the medical look as we could.” There are lifts in each room, medicine respect.” portable cabinets in lieu of rolling medicine carts, and individual European showers and bathrooms.

As for the gym, Immanuel Lutheran Communities (ILC) spared no expense 36

when it opened last March: the retreat is the only short-term rehabilitation facility in the entire (Flathead) valley that offers a therapy pool with an underwater treadmill.

“The gym has state-of-the-art equipment to achieve the best outcomes in the shortest amount of time,” said Archibald, adding that the Montana outdoors are reflected inside in a floor-to-ceiling garden and hiking trail mural. “The design was to inspire recovery. Private treatment rooms give privacy for those receiving massage, speech therapy or other modalities that are better delivered in a quiet setting.”

Some therapists provide care in both the retreat and the skilled nursing care sections.

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W

hile Naïve’s stay was short-term and her surgery very recoverable, the facility itself caters to all ages of older folks who may have much more serious injuries and illnesses.

The other two prongs of the facility include a residential, continual-care retirement community and an assisted living community, which allows a certain degree of independence for residents.

The skilled nursing services include treatments for stroke, pneumonia, cardiac issues, cancer, fractures, shoulder dislocation, urostomy care, wound vac care, tube feedings, pressure areas, vascular wounds, incision care, intravenous antibiotics, blood draws, and, of course, joint replacement.

Patricia Kingsolver, retreat unit manager, emphasized that family support and care for “generalized debilitation/failure to thrive” is a vital part of the mix.

A nonprofit corporation, ILC is the fourth-largest Medicaid provider in Montana, according to Archibald.

But because of its high-tech facilities and prime hands-on treatment, can the average Joe or average Josephine afford to use its services?

“When deciding how to certify the rooms, the staff voiced concern that the Retreat not be exclusive to wealthy folks or only Medicare recipients,” he explained. “The board and all involved in the planning wanted to be able to stay without our mission on enriching lives by providing Christian communities of support and loving care. So guests at the Retreat can use as payer sources Medicare, Medicare/ Medicaid dual-eligible and private insurance.”

Native said she’s lucky that her insurance, companyprovided Blue Cross/Blue Shield included a short-term, skilled nursing care provision. “Staying home would have been dangerous for me,” she added.

Even Charlie, her chocolate lab, was allowed to visit to lift her spirits. “The seven days I was there, put me 14 days ahead in my recovery because all I had to do was focus on getting well,” Naïve said. “I could do the little bit of work I needed to do for the day, but I only had to walk from my bed to the bathroom.

It sounds like major progress not only from the patient’s perspective, but also from the retreat’s compassionate approach.

“I feel that I’m further ahead than I was 12 years ago,” Naive said. “My recovery is moving along nicely.”

Add our assistance to your steely resolve.

When you can’t go straight home after surgery or an accident, the ideal getaway is The Retreat. You’ll find concierge-like personalized service in a resortlike setting, with flexible dining, private suites, state-of-the-art therapies – and straight-from-theheart care. Our skillful assistance, your steely resolve – there’s no better way to mend yourself than The Retreat at Buffalo Hill.

More information:

According to the latest projections from the DPHHS Senior Long Term Care Division for fiscal year 2013, Immanuel Skilled Care Center is projected to provide 24,724 Medicaid days of care to Flathead Valley residents, Archibald said. In volume, that project ranks ISCC ninth on the list of long-term care providers in Montana and first in the Flathead Valley. http://www.ilcorp.org/services/short_term_rehab/ http://www.ilcorp.org/services/overview_section/

25 Claremont Street Kalispell, MT 59901 (406) 752-6953 www.ilcorp.org Autumn 2012

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falls

38

prevention advice

by mary thane

www.montana55.com

A fall for an older adult can be detrimental to his or her continued health and independence.

D

Did you know that one-third of deaths and 41 percent of hospitalizations due to falls among older adults are due to slipping, tripping, stumbling or some other fall on a level surface?

Did you know that 1,770 hospitalizations for unintentional fall injuries occurred in Montana in 2010?

Did you know that 26 percent of adults age 65 and older fell in the last three months and were injured?

Did you know that Montana has one of the highest mortality rates in the nation for falls?

Did you know that in 2010, hospitalizations for falls among people age 65 and older cost $41.7 million in Montana and 82 percent were paid by Medicare?

There is good news - many falls and fall-related injuries are preventable.

Consider the following steps to minimize your risk of falling:

• Exercise regularly. In addition to walking, one should incorporate lower extremity strengthening exercises as well as standing balance exercises. • Schedule a vision exam annually. You may be wearing the

wrong glasses or have a condition like glaucoma or cataracts that limits your vision. Wearing bifocals may increase difficulty negotiating steps and curbs.

Poor vision can increase your risk of falls.

Autumn 2012

39

falls • Review your medications with your primary care provider or pharmacist. Side effects of many medications may be the cause of falling. Taking five or more medications increases one’s risk of falls.

• Reduce fall hazards in your home by:

Removing clutter, scatter rugs and cords so pathways are clear.

Improving the lighting in your home. As you age you need brighter lights to see well. Be sure to have night lights.

Using extra caution with your pets, their toys and leashes.

Feed pets away from traffic paths and wipe up spills promptly.

Putting items in your cupboard or closet at a level you can reach while keeping your feet on the floor.

• Getting up slowly after you sit or lie down. Rushing may make one dizzy or disoriented.

• Wearing shoes that are supportive with a thin firm sole and provide a heel counter. (Avoid slippers and shoes that don’t have backs.)

Mary Thane, P.T., GCS, is a board-certified specialist in geriatrics. She works in Community Medical Center’s Outpatient Therapy Clinic and at the Community clinic at the YMCA.

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rethink

varicose veins

ARTHUR MOURATIDIS Dr. David Bellamah and June Martin, registered diagnostic medical sonographer, work together to guide a copper heat source through a catheter and into a vein in the left leg of patient Tashuana Boggs during a varicose vein treatment procedure at St. Patrick Hospital on Friday afternoon.

As many as 25 percent of people have some form of venous insufficiency.

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T

Tashauna Boggs was worried about how her doctor might react to her theory on why she was experiencing throbbing leg pain.

The 30-year-old nurse, who’s on her feet for the majority of her 12-hour shifts at the Fresenius Medical Care dialysis center in Missoula, had been fighting increasing leg pain for about a year.

Boggs suspected varicose veins, but remembers thinking, “I can’t have these problems now.”

by jenna cederberg “I kind of thought (the doctor) might laugh at me for my age,” Boggs said. “He was like, ‘No, it’s so good you’re doing this now.’ ” Dr. David Bellamah confirmed Boggs was suffering from venous insufficiency, caused by untreated varicose veins.

Bellamah is a general surgeon and partner at Missoula Surgical Associates. He also serves as the medical director of St. Patrick Hospital’s Wound Care Clinic.

He reassured Boggs she wasn’t alone. As many as 25 percent of people have some form of venous insufficiency.

Varicose veins are caused when veins’ valves break down, allowing blood to travel in the wrong direction.

Symptoms include bulging, ropy veins, pain or pooling of bloods at the ankles. Venous insufficiency actually can affect most anyone, even teenagers, Bellamah said.

The good news for patients like Boggs is that new treatments allow doctors to treat venous insufficiency with a less invasive, more effective procedure. And Bellamah said a slowly growing number of patients are seeking earlier treatment for venous insufficiency.

“Nowadays, it’s preventative medicine,” Bellamah said.

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fter being diagnosed, Boggs opted to have Bellamah use the venefit closure procedure, or radio frequency ablation, to help treat her legs.

Bellamah calls the technology the “gold standard” of venous insufficiency treatment. It’s significantly less painful and invasive than traditional “stripping” procedures.

“Twelve years ago, stripping caused a lot of pain and discomfort.

Most people needed two weeks off work,” Bellamah said.

The ablation procedure is done in Bellamah’s office in a sterile room. Most appointments take less than an hour.

First, the broken vein is punctured, then ultrasound is used to place a heat source in the proper place along the vein. The heat is drawn backward to destroy the vein.

Over time, the body absorbs the treated vein.

Most patients don’t need to take time off work after the procedure.

“They are pleasantly surprised; they come slightly nervous, as anyone would,” Bellamah said.

Boggs so far has had one ablation treatment and needs five to have both legs completely treated. She called the procedure “minimally invasive,” but said she did experience bruising and tenderness.

Boggs is spreading out the procedures to defer costs, although insurance is covering 80 percent of the $22,000 total procedure costs.

Most insurance plans, along with Medicare and Medicaid, will help cover the procedures, Bellamah said.

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raditionally viewed as a problem that occurs later in life, the “Rethink Varicose Veins” campaign was launched to encourage patients to seek earlier treatment of varicose veins. The campaign is sponsored by health care products company Covidien in partnership with the Society for Vascular Surgery, American Venous Forum and American College of Phlebology.

Bellamah also wants to help continue to spread the word on why early treatment is important. His work in the Wound Care Clinic, he said, shows why early treatment of venous insufficiency is crucial.

Nonhealing wounds precipitated by damaged veins is an “epidemic.”

It could save the health care system a significant amount of money if more people likes Boggs pay attention to early symptoms and take preventive action, Bellamah said. For example,

it costs $20,000 a year to treat an open wound complicated by venous insufficiency.

“Over 70 percent of people we see in wound care have chronic wounds secondary to (venous insufficiency),” Bellamah said.

“I think the main thing is to make people aware,” Bellamah said, “it’s not just cosmetic.”

For her part, Boggs is encouraging fellow nurses to look into the treatment.

“I bet there are lots of other nurses, that if they did something when they’re younger, could prevent a lot of problems later,” Boggs said. “I think it’s something definitely people need to be more proactive about. I just don’t think people think about it.”

Reporter Jenna Cederberg can be reached at 523-5241 or at jenna.cederberg@missoulian.com.

Symptoms include bulging, ropy veins, pain or pooling of bloods at the ankles.

ARTHUR MOURATIDIS Tashauna Boggs readies for a venefit closure procedure for varicose veins by having an ultrasound of her left leg administered by June Martin, a registered diagnostic medical sonographer with Missoula Surgical Associates at St. Patrick’s Hospital on Friday afternoon.

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social security

A

At least two Montana aging experts agree that despite the current economic worries and seemingly bleak future outlook, Social Security remains solid.

46

not in crisis

“Social Security is not broken and there are solutions that can easily be implemented to ensure its solvency,” said Susan Kohler, CEO of Missoula Aging Services. “One is to increase the current payroll tax cap. The cap is currently at $110,000 when a person no longer has to pay Social Security taxes. Raising the cap to cover a higher percent of total earnings would help close the

by renata birkenbuel Social Security funding gap.

“I just wish the politicians would quit scaring people on this topic and stop discouraging our young people into thinking it won’t be there for them,” she added.

Like Medicare, Social Security, too, has a key online document that elucidates questions Baby Boomers – or those hoping to retire at age 65 or older – may access for answers: “The Future of Social Security: 12 Proposals You Should Know About” can be found on at www.earnedasay. org. AARP Montana offers it for all Baby Boomers, not only AARP members (joining age is the magic 50).

Attaining long-term solvency for Social Security is the goal of both AARP and Missoula Aging Services, and Kohler refers to some possible solutions outlined in the “Proposals” document. For instance, earnedasay. org lists the following “Social Security: The Options” topics: Raising the full retirement age, longevity indexing, recalculate the cost-of-living adjustment (COLA), increasing or eliminating the payroll tax cap and rate, reducing benefits for higher earners, taxing all salary reduction plans, covering all newly hired state and local government workers, benefits improvements, increasing the number of years used to calculate initial benefits and means-testing Social Security benefits.

Click on each one to read a pro and con argument for each.

S

igned into law in 1935, Social Security is a federal program designed to protect individuals and their families from loss of earnings due to retirement, disability, or death. At first, it covered only retired workers.

However, in 1939 Social Security became a family benefit by expanding benefits to include the spouses and minor children of retired and deceased workers. In 1956, Social Security was further expanded by including benefits for disabled workers.

Dahl explained that “As more baby boomers begin receiving benefits (and for longer periods of time), the amount

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of interest required to make up for the shortfall will grow. Eventually, the amount of benefits that have to be paid will be greater than the amount of income received from payroll taxes and interest from the assets. The first year that the amount of benefits is projected to exceed income from payroll taxes and interest is 2023.

“After 2023, the Social Security system will have to depend on the principal from the securities (thus, the U.S. securities will have to be redeemed) to make up for the difference between the income from the payroll tax (and the taxation of benefits) and the benefits that must be paid. Eventually, all of the U.S. securities held in the trust funds will be redeemed and the trust funds will be exhausted.”

The Social Security Trustees project that the trust funds will be exhausted in 2036.

“After 2036,” Dahl added, “the only income will come from payroll taxes and the taxation of benefits, at which time it will be possible to pay only about three-quarters (77 percent) of scheduled Social Security benefits until approximately the end of the century.”

So she sees Social Security safe and secure at least for two more decades.

That’s why AARP has been proactive in projecting its health even further in the future.

“So you can see, Social Security is not in crisis and can pay full benefits for more than 20 years,” Dahl explained. “Washington, however, has a long history of kicking the can down the road so to protect the retirement security of future generations, we needed to start the conversation now, which is why we launched “You’ve Earned a Say”–a national conversation to take the debate about the future of Medicare and Social Security out of Washington so Americans can have their say.”

A

t any rate, you can use the AARP Social Security Benefits Calculator found at http://www.aarp.org/work/socialsecurity/social-security-benefits-

calculator/?intcmp=SKYBOX2EN In order to solicit responses from Baby Boomers and those already retired, AARP Montana took its “You’ve Earned a Say” message on the road.

We’ve had some great events,” said Bob Bartholomew, state director of AARP Montana. His agency hauled a trailer across the state to 23 events and annual festivals like the Western Montana Fair, the Montana Fair in Billings and the Montana Irish Festival in Butte.

A total of 4,400 fair-goers filled out the AARP Montana survey posted on the www.aarpmt.org website and watched the AARP YouTube videos, then provided crucial feedback for how society should address the future of Social Security and Medicare.

“We have a series of other events between now and the election,” Bartholomew added. See the calendar posted on the AARP Montana website.

Informational links:

www.aarp.org/retirementcalculator Online job board for older workers: http://jobs.aarp.org

Social Security is not broken and there are solutions that can easily be implemented to ensure its solvency.

Autumn 2012

47

ASK AARP

48

Four “Cs” of Medicare Open Enrollment

by stacia dahl

Q: I am fairly new to Medicare.

I understand that I need to pay close attention to the open enrollment process – what are the main points that I need to be aware of?

A: For those of us with Medicare, the fall season means more than watching our favorite football team and getting ready for winter. October 15 through December 7 is also Medicare open enrollment season.

M

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Medicare open enrollment is the only time of the year when the 171,499 Montanans who have Medicare can review and make changes to their Medicare coverage. Any changes you make will be in place on January 1, 2013.

During open enrollment you can:

• Switch to a Medicare Advantage plan; • Switch from one Medicare Advantage plan to another; • Drop your Medicare Advantage plan and return to Original Medicare; or • Join a Medicare Prescription Drug plan, change to a new one or drop your coverage.

It is always a good idea to review your plan to make sure you are getting the most out of your Medicare coverage. Evaluating your plan options is easier than you think. Nicole Duritz, Vice President of Health at AARP provides us with the following tips. She suggests following the four “Cs”: coverage, cost, convenience and customer satisfaction.

Take five minutes to learn how one hour can

Make a Lifetime of Difference.

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he average person spends 80,000 hours working and building up assets during their lifetime, yet people average less than four hours planning what their heirs will receive. The good news is that in less than one hour you can be well on your way to creating a plan that will protect your hard-earned assets and ensure your wishes are known and followed — exactly as you intend.

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ask AARP also hosts free webinars for anyone interested in learning more about the Medicare program and open enrollment.

Coverage

Comparing Medicare plans is simple.

The official Medicare website has a tool at www.Medicare.gov/find-a-plan that helps you find and compare all of the plans available in your area. When reviewing plans, focus on the benefits, such as the coverage offered while you are in the “doughnut hole,” the period during which you pay a higher share of your drug costs. Find out which drugs are covered.

If you need help comparing coverage options, you can work with counselors from the Montana State Health Insurance Assistance Program (SHIP). Be sure to ask the counselor questions about issues that matter to you, such as whether you will have coverage if you get sick while traveling out of state. You may contact a local SHIP Counselor at 1-800-551-3191.

Cost

From year to year, your Medicare plan costs may change. During open enrollment, you should compare all of the costs, including premiums, deductibles, drug costs and out-ofpocket maximums.

Convenience

When it comes to going to doctor’s appointments and filling prescriptions, convenience matters. When comparing Medicare plans, find out if you will have access to nearby doctors. Use the Medicare Plan Finder (www.medicare. gov/find-a-plan/) to locate plans that your local pharmacy accepts or plans that provide online prescription-filling or mail-order options.

Customer Service

Have you ever wondered how your Medicare plan stacks up against the rest? When you’re comparing plans, use Medicare’s star-rating system.

Medicare health and prescription drug plans are rated on how they perform in different categories, such as responsiveness and care, member complaints and customer service. A 50

plan can rate between 1 star (“poor”) and 5 stars (“excellent”). You can view the star-ratings at www.medicare.gov/ find-a-plan by clicking on the plan name. You can compare up to three plans at once.

After the Four Cs, You are Ready for D (Decide)

Remember, even if you are happy with your Medicare plan, it is wise to evaluate your options since the open enrollment period is the one time each year you can switch plans. Once you go through the four Cs of comparing coverage, cost, convenience and customer service, you can make a wellresearched decision to either change your plan or stay with what you have.

Remember, it is important to review your options carefully. In some cases, if you drop your coverage you might not be able to get it back.

Of course, you may decide to keep the coverage you have. But, if you miss the December 7th deadline, you’ll have to wait until next fall to switch to a different Medicare plan.

For more information about Medicare open enrollment, visit www. aarp.org/openenrollment. AARP also hosts free webinars for anyone interested in learning more about the Medicare program and open enrollment. Learn more and register at www.aarp.org/healthwebinars. For free printed fact sheets on Medicare, call 1-888-687-2277 and request “Twelve Questions You Can Ask” (publication number D19576 English/ D19578 Spanish) and “Eight Things You Can Do” (publication number D19575 English/D19677 Spanish).

Do you have a question for AARP Montana? Send your question to “Ask AARP Montana” at MTAARP@ aarp.org or 30 W 14th St., Helena, MT 59601 or call our toll-free hotline at 866-295-7278. As we receive questions, we will consult with both internal and external experts to provide timely and valuable advice. Stacia Dahl is associate state director for the AARP Montana State Office.

facts about aging in Montana and nationally By 2030, one in every four Montanans is expected to be at least 65 years old. For the rest of the country, that proportion will be about one in five.

The last baby boomer turns 50 in 2014.

Nationwide, 10,000 people are turning 65 every day, and that level will continue for the next 18 years.

If people live to reach age 65, they can expect to reach 82, according to the Harvard Health Letter. If they make it to age 85, they can expect to reach 90.

Nationally, more than 30 percent of Social Security recipients are totally dependent on a Social Security check, while 65 percent are mostly dependent on Social Security.

Montana’s statistics are within that range.

www.montana55.com

Of all the people who ever lived to age 65 since the dawn of humans, two-third of them are walking the earth today.

The cost of health care is expected to double by 2020 as a result of the inflation of health care costs and the growing elderly population.

As people live longer, it put financial pressure on the financial security of baby boomers, who on average have retirement savings of only $50,000.

Last year in Montana, Social Security paid $1.9 billion in benefits to recipients age 65 and older and $600 million to younger disabled workers and survivors, with children accounting for more than 22,000 of them.

A total of 139,855 Montanans received Social Security last year, with an annual average benefit of $13,400. That’s 58 percent of the total income of the typical Montana senior and at least 77 percent of income for low- and middle-income seniors.

The United States faces what AARP calls “a mammoth need for care-giving, most of which is done by family members contributing their time valued at more than $400 billion worth of labor and rising.” In Montana, an estimated 191,000 family members serve as caregivers at any time during the year at a value of $1.39 billion.

Out-of-pocket health care costs for a Medicare beneficiary cost an average of about $4,600 a year. Medicare doesn’t cover long-term nursing home care or routine health care, dental, hearing and vision care.

A semi-private room in a Montana nursing home costs about $70,263 a year, according to a Genworth survey cited by AARP.

A great place for a senior moment

Come to

FUN PEOPLE ONLY! No grouches.

Sugar Free Gluten Free 2g Net Carbs 14g Fiber

Come visit Bob. He’s over 65 and seniors are MOST welcome.

20 up-to-date gaming machines, late night food, Liberal players club and you’ll be rewarded for playing at Nickels.

www.nickelsgaming.com

2100 N Last Chance Gulch Helena, Montana

(406) 443-5554 (406) 443-7013 (poker room)

Autumn 2012

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repurposing

Boomers ... they want to work where their expertise will have the highest impact.

52

supporting the community

T

There are several reasons why boomers may find themselves with more time on their hands–retirement, kids leaving for college, moving to a new place–whatever the reason, many people choose to use this newfound free time to volunteer in their community.

However, with approximately 10,000 non– profit organizations in Montana, volunteers often feel overwhelmed by the sheer number of opportunities.

by kaitlyn schaeffer “Boomers are different than the previous generation of volunteers,” explains Colleen Baldwin, Senior Corps program manager at Missoula Aging Services. Understanding the difference between boomers and the previous generation is important for both the volunteers and the agencies to understand.

In the past, people often chose to volunteer because it was a good thing to do. While some still come looking for traditional volunteer positions, many boomers have had professional careers; they are highly skilled, they have passions, they want flexibility, and they want to work where their expertise will have the highest impact.

Senior Corps

Senior Corps, a 40-yearold program, provides the infrastructure necessary to train and manage large numbers of volunteers. When boomers come looking to work, Senior Corps has the capacity to direct them to where their skills are needed. For example, retired accountants often help with tax services.

“This type of one on one placement benefits the individual,” Baldwin explains. When people come to volunteer, their information goes into a database so when an event comes up that appears to be a good match for a volunteer, he or she can be notified immediately.

Senior Corps also operates on a “guilt-free system” Baldwin elaborates. “We let them know what’s available, they say yes or no, and then we move on.”

Missoula Aging Services sponsors the Missoula Senior Corps, one of 40 Senior Corps branches in the state. Senior Corps consists of three programs: Retired Senior and Volunteer Program (RSVP), Foster Grandparents and Senior Companions. All of these

www.montana55.com

programs require volunteers to be at least 55 years old, and offers a comprehensive training session that covers not only on-the-job requirements like working with kids, but also provides life skills and advice on aging gracefully.

RSVP

RSVP acts as a “clearing house” explains Megan Hill, Volunteer Coordinator at Missoula Aging Services; RSVP places individuals where their interests and skills will best serve community needs. The program provides accident and liability insurance for its volunteers at no cost to the individual. RSVP has more than 800 volunteers who participate in a number of projects all over the state.

When volunteers sign up with RSVP, they receive quarterly newsletters, which let them know what projects will be coming to the area. These volunteers are really the masters of their own destinies, choosing “when, where and how much” they’d like to volunteer, Hill says.

Senior Companions

Senior Companions partners volunteers with seniors in the community, with the goal of keeping all seniors healthy and independent. Senior Companions creates a “win-win situation where the companions and volunteers both have a purpose,” says Karen O’Dell, senior companion director for eastern Montana. Because Senior Companions is a stipend program, it relies on grant money to compensate its volunteers.

Although the pay may not be much, for many low or fixed income seniors, this little boost can be the difference between self-sufficiency and dependence.

The current grant allows for 42 volunteers and suggests these volunteers take care of no more

than 180 clients. However, these have taken on 257 clients throughout the region; “they’re so compassionate,” gushes O’Dell, “They do way more than they need to.”

Foster Grandparents

Foster Grandparents pairs volunteers with teachers in any one of seventeen school districts to act as mentors in the classroom; this is also a stipend program. Foster Grandparents provides the opportunity for boomers to work with children and make a difference in the youth community. Anny Snowbird, a Foster Grandparent in Columbia Falls describes this job as “the most important part of my life. These children … give me far more than I could give them.”

Rewarding Experience

Although it can sometimes be hard work, volunteering can be a very rewarding experience.

Stipend program volunteers work around twenty hours a week, while those who volunteer with RSVP tend to average two hours a week. However, some volunteers log upwards of 1800 hours a year.

“They are the backbone propping up society,” Ms. Baldwin says admirably, “the need is so strong. If we only relied on paid employment it wouldn’t work. They are the key to our survival.”

Contact Info

While Missoula Aging Services houses all three Senior Corps programs under one roof, this is not the case in all Montana counties. To find out how you can start volunteering in your community, visit http://www. seniorcorpsmt.org/contactus.html.

Autumn 2012

53

looking ahead

W

We celebrate the bounty of fall’s harvest, then take our leave. Winter draws near.

54

KURT WILSON

Autumn 2012

55

You’ve got questions.

What now?

When you don’t know what’s wrong, it’s hard to know where to

Where it all comes together.

look. But what if there was a place called Answers? A place where you and your physician worked with teams of specialists, in one organization, with all the resources they need to find answers where no one else could. A place where reality is just as powerful as hope. There is. Billings Clinic.

Visit BillingsClinicAnswers.com for patient stories and more.