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Horse therapy helps dementia patients By Ivey Noojin Horses can change lives for the better. A number of residents from a Baltimore retirement community have had first-hand experience with the healing powers of a soft nose and gentle eyes. Each spring and fall, Broadmead, a Quaker Life Plan Community in Hunt Valley, sends four to six of its residents with dementia to the Rose of Sharon Equestrian School (ROSES) in Glen Arm — a therapeutic program built around horsemanship — to spend time with some fourlegged gentle giants. Prior to working with Broadmead, ROSES focused its “equine facilitated learning experiences” on children and young adults with disabilities. Stacey Young, Broadmead’s director of lifestyle and dementia programs, and Andy Switzer, director of health and wellness, were looking for a way to incorporate equine therapy into their residents’ lives. They knew of potential benefits from the practice from a 2014 study by researchers at Ohio State University. The first study of its kind, it found that grooming and touching horses helped ease the symptoms of Alzheimer’s dementia, including agitation, fidgeting and lack of physical activity. After searching the Internet, Young and Switzer found the ROSES program, located in next to Gunpowder State Park. The 12-acre facility is home to two miniature ponies and three horses specially trained for therapeutic work. “We knew that we wanted [ROSES] to be a part of our program” for residents, Young said. So, they reached out to Joan Marie Twining, the executive director and founder of the school. “The more we learned about how dementia affects not only an individual, but his or her family and other caregivers as well, the more we realized how many similarities there are with our students,” Twining wrote in an email. After a year-long process filled with logistics, the school established a program in 2017 called Silver STEEDS — Special Therapeutic Equine Experiences Designed for Seniors. It is now held twice a year, in the spring and fall, for a session of five once-a-week visits.

PHOTO BY TOM O’CONNOR PHOTOGRAPHY

By Diane Carliner Everyone in Baltimore, it seems, knows Peachy. Leonora “Peachy” DePietro Dixon has waited tables at Sabatino’s restaurant in Little Italy since 1974. (She received her childhood nickname for her peaches-andcream complexion.) With a wide circle of friends from all over Baltimore and celebrity acquaintances, she is well known for her warm-heartedness. Among the famous people she rubbed shoulders with at Sabatino’s and other local restaurants are Frank Sinatra, Cardinal Keeler, Ted Kennedy, Mother Teresa, President Jimmy Carter, Johnny Depp, Debbie Reynolds and Muhammed Ali. A few years ago, Dixon, now in her 70s, discovered another talent in addition to being a people person: writing. “I always thought about writing, but my parents never pushed me. My brothers have college degrees, but as a girl I was expected to get a job after high school,” she recalled. Her writing career came about as a result of an accident. A pickup truck swerved into her, injuring her knee. Spending long hours on her feet as a waitress slowed her recovery. But during that time, an aunt reached out to her and revealed some family stories. With the stories, Dixon said, “Memories started flowing out of me. [My] sister came to read what I wrote. We both started to cry. ‘Peachy, you have something here. Don’t stop writing,’ my sister said.”

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A resident of Broadmead in Hunt Valley greets a resident of the barn at Rose of Sharon Equestrian School, located in Glen Arm. The school has begun providing older adults who suffer from dementia with “horse therapy,” which has been found to boost both mood and memory in those with the condition.

Benefits for all Around the horses, residents of the community become less anxious and are able to express themselves and communicate more. Caryl Connor, whose 84-year-old mother has lived at Broadmead for four years, has nothing but good things to say about the program. “The moment I heard about it, I jumped on it,” Connor said. “I knew this would be something my mother would really benefit from and enjoy.” Connor’s mother had grown up around horses. Her father rode them competitively, and she even owned one at a young age. She was one of the first residents to participate the program in 2017. “She could be having a really rough day,” Connor said, “but when I would bring up this activity of visiting the horses, she would calm down and smile.” Even though Connor’s mother cannot communicate well, her body language told Connor all she needed to know: The pro-

gram was making a real difference in her mother’s life. “I can just see how meaningful it is to her because she would relax when you bring up the horses,” Connor said. “It gives me great joy to know she is having a good experience.” Her mother even placed a picture of one of the horses from the barn in her room.

Emotional, cognitive changes Young has seen other positive cognitive effects from the barn program. One man, who hardly speaks anymore, was able to converse with his wife about the geological surveys he had conducted during his career. Another resident, who cries every afternoon and most mornings, quickly calmed down around the horses. Someone else, who typically can’t remember what she did that morning, was able to recollect the grooming procedure, according to Young. “I just see this wonderful connection between the horses and the people,” Young

said. Twining describes it as “magic.” The partnership with ROSES hasn’t only benefited the residents with dementia. It has also helped the patients’ families and caregivers. “They can also struggle with what happens with dementia,” Young said. “Seeing their loved ones joyous and connected means a lot.” And the horses love it as well. They wait at their stalls, with their heads peeking out, and get excited when the residents come, according to Young. Having been trained around all sorts of equipment for the school’s riders with disabilities, the horses are used to any walkers, wheelchairs and canes that the participants might use. “They tend to act very gently,” Twining said of them. The way these horses can bring out the personality of everyone, including those who have dementia, has left the program coordinators in awe. “Words don’t describe it,” Young said.

SEE SPECIAL INSERT Housing & Homecare Options following page 12

ARTS & STYLE

A lucky break

Leonora “Peachy” Dixon, 72, has long been a highly popular waitress at Sabatino’s in Little Italy, where she has worked since the 1970s. But she is also a published author. Her fourth book, a novel set in Baltimore, will be released in March.

Finding an editor for her first book was a great struggle. But she was helped along the way by a Sabatino’s customer who was an editor, and by Michael Olesker, a former Baltimore Sun columnist. CityLit Press published A Peachy Life in 2011. As the title suggests, the book is autobiographical. It deals with her early years growing up in Highlandtown, her family life, and her strict Catholic upbringing with a father who worked at Bethlehem Steel. These vignettes are followed by her rape on a blind date, her subsequent pregnancy and then disastrous marriage to the man, who was an abusive husband. But she also writes about her two wonderful daughters and demonstrates her resilience.

“Peachy is a good storyteller, and she has the kind of life that deserves to be in a book,” said Gregg Wilhelm, publisher of CityLit Press. “She and I worked really hard together crafting that manuscript, but it’s all Peachy.” The book launch, held at Sabatino’s, was “one of the highlights of my publishing career,” Wilhelm said. The line outside the restaurant stretched around the block, he remembered. “All the celebrities who have ever been through Sabatino’s — the news reporters, the athletes — everybody showed up,” Wilhelm said. “She was in her glory.” At Peachy’s request, Wilhelm said he “ordered what I thought was an insane

amount of books for one event — and darn if we didn’t sell all but two.”

First book led to three more The second book, A Peachy Business, published in 2015, is about her short stint in the restaurant industry and the many challenges involved in being a female restaurant owner in the 1980s and 90s. Two years later, she published her third book, My Peachy City, about authentic Baltimore. Descriptions of significant local people past and present — such as former Governor William Donald Schaefer, Congresswoman Helen Bentley, Senator Barbara Mikulski See WAITRESS, page 20

Sculptor Melvin Edwards’ revolutionary career; plus, Agatha Christie’s thrilling ride, Murder on the Orient Express, at Everyman Theatre page 19

FITNESS & HEALTH 6 k When to bypass a bypass (or stents) k A closer look at coconut oil LAW & MONEY 13 k When parents need your help k Roth IRA guidelines LEISURE & TRAVEL 16 k Puerto Rico, open for tourism ADVERTISER DIRECTORY

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JANUARY 2020 — BALTIMORE BEACON

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Innovative solutions I recently attended a national confer- phones. Some of the new software products also ence that highlighted some of the latest inmake use of artificial intellinovations in products and gence (AI). They apply algoservices for older adults. rithms to the data collected Attendees represented from millions of sources to companies large and small, better understand what peostar t-ups and long-estabple are asking of the malished brands, as well as assochines. But they also apply ciations like AARP and the Nathem to better understand tional Council on the Aging. people themselves. You’ll see I came away excited about what I mean below. what I learned, and energized Here is a brief selection of by the creative technologies new products discussed at the and solutions these new com- FROM THE PUBLISHER conference. I expect we’ll have panies are developing. By Stuart P. Rosenthal more in-depth stories elaboratMany of them build on the ing on some of these (and othincreasingly popular “voice assistants,” such as Amazon’s Alexa, ers) in upcoming issues. Preventing caregiver burnout: CareApple’s Siri and Google’s Assistant. These come as both smartphone apps and stand- giving issues were one of the biggest areas alone products (e.g., Amazon Echo, Apple addressed in the conference. More than 40 million family members and other unpaid HomePod, Google Home). Personally, I have not been a fan of caregivers currently provide caregiving in these due to privacy concerns. But it ap- the U.S. Preventing burnout among these indipears older adults are flocking to them, as the products offer hands-free ways of viduals is an important goal that can help using the Internet without the technologi- keep those being cared for from needing cal confusions that can come with operat- to enter a nursing home. The company TCare has developed a ing and maintaining computers and smart-

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structured conversation (to be administered by a trained social worker or healthcare professional) that has been shown to identify caregivers at risk of burnout. Following the conversation, an AI algorithm is applied that functions as a screening and assessment tool. This product has a proven track record, such that it is recognized by the Administration for Community Living, a federal agency, as “a consistent, objective and reliable process” to identify at-risk caregivers. See more at tailoredcare.com. Share your legacy: A start-up’s new website and app are designed to make it easy for users to share important stories about themselves with family and friends, and to leave a recorded legacy for the future — all at no cost, for the time being. Called Megilla, it currently offers more than 750 questions or prompts, such as “What were you like as a child?” and “What is one piece of advice that affected your life?” From a smartphone, laptop or computer with a camera, a user clicks on a question they want to answer and then has up to three minutes to video their answer. All answers are stored on the site, and can be easily emailed to anyone of your choosing, or just kept private, if users prefer. The service plans eventually to start charging a monthly fee ($5 or so, it’s said) to maintain the videos and services, but for now, it’s totally free. Visit megilla.com for more info or to start using. Improving hearing: Another start-up, called Audio Cardio, has developed a smartphone app that it claims can help

preserve hearing and even recover some “lost” hearing ability. The concept is based on studies that suggest regular audio therapy appears capable of improving the brain’s ability to process frequencies that have been lost due to aging and noise exposure. One study even suggested this type of therapy can help repair damaged hair cells in the inner ear that are essential for hearing. The app produces tones that are not audible. Users “listen” to these inaudible sounds for an hour a day through headphones or earphones while doing anything else they want (even listening to music at the same time). The claim is that this strengthens and stimulates the cells in the ear, and reconditions the brain to once again detect sound frequencies that had been inaudible before. It certainly seems like a great idea. Maybe too good to be true. More studies are underway, so stay tuned (no pun intended). For more information, see audiocardio.com. May the new year bring all of us new opportunities, as well as innovative products and services, that make life better. We’ll do our best to cover them here in the Beacon, so please keep reading and recommend us to your friends. Also, please share your opinion on topics of the day through letters to the editor. We love hearing from you.

Letters to the editor Readers are encouraged to share their opinion on any matter addressed in the Beacon as well as on political and social issues of the day. Mail your Letter to the Editor to The Beacon, P.O. Box 2227, Silver Spring, MD 20915, or email info@thebeaconnewspapers.com. Please include your name, address and telephone number for verification. Dear Editor: The Chesapeake Bay, a defining feature of Maryland and a national treasure, is under threat — many of the species that visit or make their homes in the Bay are endangered or threatened, including the diamondback terrapin, Maryland darter and leatherback sea turtle. Despite those grave risks, the federal government recently announced a new rule that severely weakens the Endangered Species Act — one of our nation’s bedrock environmental laws that protects wildlife and plants. The new rule punches holes in this critical safety net, making it easier for companies to develop pipelines and other industrial infrastructure inside wild places that are critical for endangered species’ survival. That isn’t who we are. These aren’t Maryland’s values. We are counting on our congressional delegation to stand up for Maryland’s wildlife by coming out in opposition to the rollback of the Endangered Species Act. Now is the time to defend our wildlife,

before it’s gone. Kate Breimann Environment Maryland Dear Editor: I think it ludicrous to think you will read this and take it seriously, but I will try anyway. Regarding your October article, “Making retirement safe for LGBTQ elders,” why shouldn’t they have issues? These lifestyles are perverted, so straights should be nervous and concerned. Where do they have the “right” to force us to believe contrary to nature and to scripture? And why does your paper not allow those opposed to those lifestyles, or who want to get out of those lifestyles, to express their position? Another issue: the legalization of marijuana. Dr. Karen Randall of Colorado, who supported legalized pot, and 275 of 300 other doctors now want it to be illegal, as they see the damage it has done in the country. Where is the fair and equal coverage of See LETTERS TO EDITOR, page 9

BALTIMORE BEACON — JANUARY 2020

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Health Fitness &

HEAR HERE Personal sound amplification devices can be a good solution for mild hearing loss MEMORY STUDY Johns Hopkins seeks patients with mild cognitive impairment for a new study SUPER MELON Bitter melon in tea or supplements may help prevent oral cancer, researchers find HELP FROM HEMP Some studies suggest CBD helps with anxiety, but talk to your doctor, too

Study questions value of stents, bypass By Marilynn Marchione People with severe but stable heart disease from clogged arteries may have less chest pain if they get a procedure to improve blood flow, rather than just giving medicines a chance to help. But it won’t cut their risk of having a heart attack or dying over the following few years, a big federally funded study found. The results challenge medical dogma and call into question some of the most common practices in heart care. They are the strongest evidence yet that tens of thousands of costly stent procedures and bypass operations each year are unnecessary or premature for people with stable disease.

That’s a different situation than a heart attack, when a procedure is needed right away to restore blood flow. But for nonemergency cases, the study shows “there’s no need to rush” into invasive tests and procedures, said New York University’s Dr. Judith Hochman. There might even be harm: To doctors’ surprise, study participants who had a procedure were more likely to suffer a heart problem or die over the next year than those treated with medicines alone. Hochman co-led the study and gave the results at an American Heart Association conference in Philadelphia in November. “This study clearly goes against what has been the common wisdom for the last

30, 40 years” and may lead to less testing and invasive treatment for such patients in the future, said Dr. Glenn Levine, a Baylor College of Medicine cardiologist with no role in the research. Some doctors still may quibble with the study, but it was very well done “and I think the results are extremely believable,” he said.

Reinforces earlier study results About 17 million Americans have clogged arteries that crimp the heart’s blood supply, which can cause periodic chest pain. Cheap and generic aspirin, cholesterol-lowering drugs and blood pressure medicines are known to cut the risk of a heart attack for these folks, but many

doctors also recommend a procedure to improve blood flow. That’s either a bypass — open-heart surgery to detour around blockages — or angioplasty, in which doctors push a tube through an artery to the clog, inflate a tiny balloon and place a stent, or mesh scaffold, to prop the artery open. Twelve years ago, a big study found that angioplasty was no better than medicines for preventing heart attacks and deaths in non-emergency heart patients, but many doctors balked at the results and quarreled with the methods. So the federal government spent $100 See HEART PROCEDURE, page 6

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BALTIMORE BEACON — JANUARY 2020

Take a closer look at coconut oil advice

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❏ Blair House at Stoneleigh (see ad on page B-7) ❏ Catholic Charities (see ad on page B-3) ❏ Christ Church Harbor Apts. (see ad on page B-7) ❏ Glynn Taff Assisted Living (see ad on page B-4) ❏ Park View Laurel (see ad on page 20) ❏ Park View Towson (see ad on page 20) ❏ Park View Fullerton (see ad on page 20) ❏ Park View Rosedale (see ad on page 20) ❏ St. Mary’s Roland View Towers (see ad on page B-3) ❏ Warren Place Senior Apartments (see ad on page 14) ❏ Weinberg Senior Living (see ads on pages B-4 & B-8)

Health Study Volunteers

❏ Balance & Falls Study (see ad on page 9) ❏ Cognitive Impairment Study

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(see article on page 8; ad on page 9) ❏ Diabetic Nerve Study (see ad on page 8) ❏ Knee Osteoarthritis Study (see ad on page 9) ❏ MARC Study (see ad on page 8) ❏ Shoulder Pain Study (see ad on page 8)

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For free materials on housing communities and health studies, just complete and clip this coupon and mail or fax it to the Beacon.

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With such salient evidence supporting the replacement of saturated fat, including coconut oil, with unsaturated fat for optimal cardiovascular health, where do the myriad health claims for coconut oil come from? Many of the health claims for coconut oil are based on studies that used a special formulation of coconut oil made of 100% medium-chain triglycerides (MCTs). This is not the coconut oil available on supermarket shelves. MCTs have a shorter chemical structure than other fats and are quickly absorbed and metabolized by the body, which is thought to promote a feeling of fullness and prevent fat storage. However, the coconut oil found on most supermarket shelves contains mostly lauric acid, which is absorbed and metabo-

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Health claims undermined

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★ F R EE I N FOR MATION ★ F R EE I N FOR MATION ★ F R EE I N FOR MATION ★

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Based on the current evidence, coconut oil is neither a superfood nor a poison. Rather, its dietary role falls somewhere in between. Coconut oil has a unique flavor and is best consumed in small amounts, as a periodic alternative to other vegetable oils like olive or canola that are rich in unsaturated fat. This dietary choice should be made in the context of an overall healthy dietary pattern and within the recommended limits for saturated fat intake. © 2019 President and Fellows of Harvard College. All rights reserved. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

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The current Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommend consuming no more than 10% of total calories from satu-

Neither superfood nor poison

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Saturated fats should be limited

However, in these studies many other characteristics of the participants, including background, dietary habits and lifestyle, could explain the findings.

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Coconut oil largely consists of saturated fat (80% to 90% of fat in coconut oil is saturated), making it solid at room temperature. Other sources of saturated fat include animal products, such as meat and dairy, and other plant-based tropical oils like palm oil. Consumption of saturated fat has long been associated with increased risk of cardiovascular disease due to its ability to raise harmful LDL cholesterol levels. Unlike saturated fats, unsaturated fats are liquid at room temperature. They can improve blood cholesterol levels and reduce inflammation, among other cardiovascular benefits. Unsaturated fats are predominantly found in oils, nuts, seeds and fish.

lized slower than MCT. As a result, the health benefits reported from specially constructed MCT coconut oil cannot be applied to regular coconut oil. Interestingly, lauric acid itself has also been purported to have health benefits. While lauric acid has been shown to increase LDL cholesterol levels, it also raises HDL cholesterol levels, suggesting a potential heart-protective role of coconut oil. However, large epidemiological studies have failed to report protective associations between lauric acid and cardiovascular disease. Findings from epidemiological studies that report low rates of cardiovascular disease among populations who consume coconut oil as part of their traditional diets (in India, the Philippines and Polynesia, for example) have also been cited as support for the health benefits of coconut oil.

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Bad fats, good fats

rated fat. And last year the American Heart Association (AHA) released a scientific advisory statement recommending the replacement of saturated fats in the diet, including coconut oil, with unsaturated fats. In their statement, the AHA cited and discussed a review of seven randomized controlled trials, in which coconut oil was found to raise LDL cholesterol levels. The rationale behind the AHA recommendation is that consuming unsaturated fats in place of saturated fat will lower “bad” LDL cholesterol and improve the ratio of total cholesterol to “good” HDL cholesterol, lowering the risk of heart disease. For those at risk of, or who already have, heart disease, the AHA advises no more than 6% of total calories from saturated fat, or about 13 grams based on a 2,000-calorie diet. One tablespoon of coconut oil comes close to that limit, with about 12 grams of saturated fat.

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F R EE I N FOR MATION ★ F R EE I N FOR MATION ★ F R EE I N FOR MATION ★

By Vasanti Malik Coconut oil has seen a surge in popularity in recent years due to many touted health benefits, ranging from reducing belly fat to strengthening the immune system, preventing heart disease and staving off dementia. These claims are often backed by celebrity endorsements and bolstered by proponents of popular diets such as ketogenic and Paleo, with little support from scientific evidence. On the flip side, and further adding to the confusion, you also may have seen headlines calling out coconut oil as “pure poison,” implying that it shouldn’t be consumed at all. Given these contradictory claims, a question of much public and scientific interest is whether there is room for coconut oil in a healthy diet.

Fitness & Health | More at TheBeaconNewspapers.com

Heart procedure From page 4 million for the new study, which was twice as large, spanned 37 countries and included people with more severe heart disease — a group most likely to benefit from stents or a bypass. All 5,179 participants had stress tests, usually done on a treadmill, that suggested blood flow was crimped. All were given lifestyle advice and medicines that improve heart health. Half also were given CT scans to rule out dangerous blockages and then continued on their medicines. The others were treated as many people with abnormal stress tests are now: They were taken to cardiac catheterization labs for angiograms. The procedure involves placing a tube into a major artery and using special dyes to image the heart’s

JANUARY 2020 — BALTIMORE BEACON

blood vessels. Blockages were treated right away, with angioplasty in threefourths of cases and a bypass in the rest. Doctors then tracked how many in each group suffered a heart attack, heart-related death, cardiac arrest or hospitalization for worsening chest pain or heart failure. After one year, 7% in the invasively treated group had one of those events versus 5% of those on medicines alone. At four years, the trend reversed — 13% of the procedures group and 15% of the medicines group had suffered a problem. Averaged across the entire study period, the rates were similar regardless of treatment.

Medicines just as effective If stents and bypasses did not carry risks of their own, “I think the results would have shown an overall benefit” from

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“It’s intuitive that if you take the blockage away, you’re going to do better, you’re going to feel better,” but the decision is up to the patient and doctor, she said. The bottom line: There’s no harm in trying medicines first, especially for people with no or little chest pain, doctors said. When told they have a problem that can be fixed with a stent, “the grand majority of patients in my experience will opt to undergo that procedure’’ to get improvement right away, said Dr. Jay Giri, a cardiologist at the University of Pennsylvania with no role in the study. Maryann Byrnes-Alvarado is not among them. The 66-year-old New York City woman said she joined the study six years ago after having trouble walking, which “scared me to death,” but so did the idea of a heart procedure. She was relieved when she was assigned to the medication treatment group. Her doctor altered her blood pressure medicine, added a cholesterol drug and aspirin, and adjusted her diet. Now her risk factor numbers are better, and she can walk again without difficulty. “I believe I got the best care that I could get” and avoided an operation, she said. —AP

BEACON BITS

Jan. 10

FREE HEARING TEST

On Fri., Jan. 10, at noon, stop by the Seven Oaks Senior Center, 9210 Seven Courts Dr., Baltimore. Connect Hearing will provide a free lunch, a program on hearing, and a free hearing screening. Sign up in advance by calling (410) 887-5192 or emailing cgonce@baltimorecountymd.gov.

Jan. 15

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them, said another study leader, Dr. David Maron of Stanford University. “But that’s not what we found. We found an early harm and later benefit, and they canceled each other out.” Why might medicines have proved just as effective at reducing risks? Bypasses and stents fix only a small area. Medicines affect all the arteries, including other spots that might be starting to clog, experts said. Drugs also have improved a lot in recent years. Having a procedure did prove better at reducing chest pain, though. Of those who had pain daily or weekly when they entered the study, half in the stent-or-bypass group were free of it within a year versus 20% of those on medicines alone. A placebo effect may have swayed these results — people who know they had a procedure tend to credit it with any improvement they perceive in symptoms. Dr. Alice Jacobs, a Boston University cardiologist who led a treatment-guidelines panel a few years ago, said any placebo effect fades with time, and people with a lot of chest pain that’s unrelieved by medicines still may want a procedure.

GOOGLE DOCS

You don’t need Microsoft Word to create a document. At this class, learn about more features of your Google email account. Class size is limited to 10, so arrive early to guarantee a spot. The free class will be held on Wed., Jan. 15 from 6 to 7 p.m. at the Randallstown Branch of the Baltimore County Public Library, 8604 Liberty Rd., Randallstown. To learn more, call (410) 887-0770.

BALTIMORE BEACON — JANUARY 2020

Say you saw it in the Beacon | Fitness & Health

PSAPs: affordable hearing aid alternative? By David M. Vernick, M.D. Growing up, I had to wear glasses. Back then, glasses were considered socially unacceptable, but necessary to be able to see. Sixty years later, everyone wears glasses, and they are even a fashion statement. Now as an aging adult, I need to wear hearing aids. This was, and still is in many age groups, considered socially unacceptable — a sign of being old and maybe a little senile. But it appears that hearing aids are in the process of a similar transformation. A pared down, more affordable category of products — personal sound amplification products (PSAPs) — may lead to greater use of hearing enhancers at a younger age.

Hearing aids: excellent but costly One of the major complaints about hearing aids is that they are expensive; they can run from $1,000 to $6,000 apiece. Furthermore, their average lifespan is about five years, making them a recurring expense. Not everyone can afford, or wishes to spend, that amount to improve their hearing, especially if their hearing loss is mild and can be managed without aids. A large segment of the population has mild hearing loss. They struggle in certain situations — such as when there is a lot of background noise, as in noisy restaurants, large crowds and large rooms. But they do

fine in quiet situations with small groups or one-on-one conversation. These people could benefit from “readers” for the ears — inexpensive help that they can use occasionally, or even continuously, for a little boost. Until recently, the laws have been a barrier for development of such help. Hearing aids have been defined by law and regulated. High certification costs have served as a barrier to market entry. Hearing aid prices have not come down much over the years, though the quality of the aids and the sophistication of the instruments have improved as fast as any electronic device available. What you get now for the same price you would have paid 10 years ago is a far superior device. What’s more, the cost to dispense, service and maintain the devices has increased with the cost of living. All of this has led to a gap between the demand for and supply of inexpensive hearing aids.

A more affordable option Along come PSAPs, which have the potential to fill a gap in the existing hearing aid product offerings. They provide a lesser certified, less feature-filled, but lower-cost entrylevel product for hearing loss sufferers. PSAPs cannot be called or marketed as “hearing aids,” as they do not meet the

same definition and rigorous manufacturing and safety standards. PSAPs range from simple volume amplification devices to more sophisticated devices that can do many of the simpler tasks that hearing aids can perform. They are self-fitting and can be self-programmed using a smartphone or computer app. They are sold over the counter and thus eliminate the expense of fitting. PSAPs are not a replacement for hearing aids. They cannot match the sophistication of hearing aids or the skill in fitting them that audiologists bring to the job. They are devices that can fill the need for those with mild hearing loss, who just need a little more volume in certain situations.

The good ones — the ones you should try — will be marketed as hearing aids in the near future.

Getting started with a PSAP Suppose you want to try a PSAP. How do you know that what these products advertise is actually what they deliver? How do you know that they are safe? The FDA has stepped in to regulate this new market. Legislation was passed in 2017 and goes into effect in 2020 to allow these low-end hearing aids to be advertised as such, if they meet certain (still-to-be-finalized) criteria on performance and safety. See HEARING AID, page 8

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Health Studies

JANUARY 2020 — BALTIMORE BEACON

INFORMATION ON AREA CLINICAL TRIALS

Testing a drug to delay cognitive decline By Margaret Foster Do you or a loved one have trouble remembering appointments, conversations or even what happened yesterday? Have you noticed that it’s harder to make decisions or follow a recipe? These are symptoms of mild cognitive impairment (MCI). About 15 to 20% of people over the age of 65 have MCI, which some doctors consider an early stage of Alzheimer’s disease or other kind of dementia. Now, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine is enrolling people ages 55 to 85 in a global study to see if an epilepsy drug can slow or even prevent the progression to Alzheimer’s disease. “Our clinical trial is aimed at individuals with mild cognitive changes, with the goal

of slowing decline and delaying progression to dementia,” said Dr. Marilyn Albert, director of the Division of Cognitive Neuroscience at Johns Hopkins. Called the HOPE4MCI Alzheimer’s Trial, the global, Phase 3 study is testing an FDA-approved epilepsy medication at a lower dose to see if it’s safe and effective for people with mild cognitive impairment. The drug’s generic name is levetiracetam, and it is sold under the brand names Roweepra, Spritam and Keppra. Previous studies at NIH and Harvard Medical School have shown that people with Alzheimer’s have seizures and similar brain activity that may contribute to the loss of cognitive function; therefore, researchers want to see if an anti-seizure drug could have an effect on the progres-

sion of the disease. “Our clinical trial is using a novel approach to treatment. We are using low doses of a drug that has been already been approved for a completely different disorder,” Albert said.

How the study works In the randomized, double-blind trial, study participants will take either levetiracetam or a placebo every day for 18 months. Neither the participants nor the researchers will know who is taking which pill. Every six months, they’ll receive a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scan, which takes less than an hour and does not involve radiation. MRIs will take place in downtown Baltimore at the medical school’s Division of Psychiatric Neu-

Hearing aid From page 7 Many of the devices are on the market today without any such oversight. That will change in 2020 to allow those devices that meet the established criteria to be marketed as hearing aids and not PSAPs. Many of the new devices require some sophistication in setup and maintenance. You become the dispenser, fitter and maintainer of the devices. You provide yourself with the services that an audiologist provides for hearing aids. YouTube videos and online support can resolve most, if not all, issues that may come up. Mandated trial periods can allow

roimaging, located at 733 N. Broadway. Albert’s team hopes to make progress in the fight against the disease, she said. “We have decided to take a different approach from the majority of the clinical trials that are currently underway. “Since a new drug has not been approved for Alzheimer’s disease since 2003, we feel it is important to try something novel.” All procedures are conducted at no charge to the patient, and compensation can total up to $700 for completing all study visits. In addition, free parking is provided. For those without cars, free transportation to and from Johns Hopkins is available. For more information, or to see if you qualify, visit Hope4mci.org, email hope4mci@jhu.edu or call (410) 502-4797.

for return of goods when the issues cannot be resolved. Money is clearly not the only issue preventing hearing aid use: Even in countries where hearing aids are free, more than half of the people who could use hearing aids do not use them. Starting people earlier in the process and giving them control over the use of such devices can only encourage a greater long-term acceptance and usage of hearing aids as we age. Having more people use the devices eliminates the social stigma that has surrounded hearing aids. © 2019 President and Fellows of Harvard College. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

BALTIMORE BEACON — JANUARY 2020

Say you saw it in the Beacon | Fitness & Health

Bitter melon appears to fight oral cancer There’s a famous quote by Hippocrates Support from recent study that underpins today’s article: Let food be In a new study published in October in thy medicine and medicine be Cell Communication and Sigthy food. naling, researchers found Bitter melon is a gourd that that bitter melon inhibited belongs to the pumpkin and both glycolysis and lipogenezucchini family. It’s also a food sis, which is hugely beneficial that has a new potential use to oral cancer patients. The for an unusual cancer. full article can be read online You’ll likely be told by your at PubMed on nih.gov. doctor that this is just a folk This should be making headremedy and not “approved” lines everywhere, but since it’s for anything important. I disnot heavily funded, and foods DEAR agree. don’t make money for drug As you know, my life’s work PHARMACIST companies, you probably won’t By Suzy Cohen is devoted to researching nathear much about it. ural foods and extracts that The latest news is solid and work along the same pathways as drugs. suggests that bitter melon extracts can slow I’m a pharmacist, so I understand all of down the growth of oral dysplasia and squathat. mous cell cancer in the mouth and throat. Full disclosure: I also happen to formuThis makes me suspect it could help with late dietary supplements, and I want to be stomach and colon cancer too. This also fully transparent. I have included bitter makes me think all smokers should read this melon in one of them. But it’s in there for article. blood sugar and insulin sensitivity conYour oncologist might be interested in cerns. evaluating certain immune checkpoints Today’s article isn’t about any of that. that bitter melon is known to suppress. I It’s about mouth cancer. list the specific pathways and cytokines in Early signs of oral cancer are easy to ig- an extended version of this article, which I nore. They include chronic mouth sores, can email to anyone who wants it. Just join white or red patches in your mouth, numb- my online community at suzycohen.com. ness, pain, difficulty swallowing, jaw A paradigm shift must occur in your swelling or voice alterations. mind if you’re being treated for cancer. In Bitter melon’s constituents have been my opinion, many malignancies have natustudied for the past few years for treating fast- ral, proven treatments that can help. growing malignancies, especially mouth canBitter melon is considered a food, but cer, which many smokers get. it’s also sold as a tea and dietary supple-

Letter to editor From page 2 this in the press? No, it does not go along with the liberal, progressive, Democratic

Party political agenda. Seems everything they advance hurts, kills and destroys people and communities. K. Buraczynski Brooklyn, Maryland

ment. Of course, you want to be prudent, but keep an open mind. I hope this article gives you renewed hope and a new therapy to consider. My intention is to help improve or extend the life of someone you know and/or augment their chemotherapy. This is purely educational, so please ask your doctor what is right for you.

This information is opinion only. It is not intended to treat, cure or diagnose your condition. Consult with your doctor before using any new drug or supplement. Suzy Cohen is a registered pharmacist and the author of The 24-Hour Pharmacist and Real Solutions from Head to Toe. To contact her, visit SuzyCohen.com.

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JANUARY 2020 â&#x20AC;&#x201D; BALTIMORE BEACON

Enjoy (indoor) grilled fish all winter long By Wolfgang Puck Many people refer to the Labor Day weekend, now months past, as the unofficial end of summer grilling season. But those of us who love to grill know that you canâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t stop just because youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve turned the calendar page. There are diehards, of course, who brave the elements to continue grilling outdoors. Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve even known people who protect their food and themselves with an umbrella in the pouring rain to keep practicing their favorite cooking method, regardless of the fact that theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll trudge back indoors soaking wet and saturated with smoke â&#x20AC;&#x201D; but feeling happy that their food still turned out perfect. I prefer an easier approach: indoors. When I want to grill food, I like to use a

ridged grill, whether a countertop one thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s electrically heated or a simpler model that you heat up right over a burner on your stove. When preheated before food is placed on it, the pan produces flavorful seared markings very similar to those you get from an outdoor grill. You may not get the exact same tastes, of course, because youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll lack the scent that comes from fat and juices dripping onto hot coals or gas-heated lava rocks beneath an outdoor grillâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s cooking grid. But if you start with a recipe full of lively seasonings, you wonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t notice a big difference between the results of outdoor and indoor grilling. That said, there are other important points to bear in mind. First, I make sure to

BEACON BITS

Jan. 7

OVERDOSE TRAINING The opioid epidemic isnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t going away, but you can still save a life.

Learn how to administer intra-nasal naloxone, a medicine that reverses an overdose, at a training session with the Baltimore County Department of Health. The class will be held on Tue., Jan. 7 from 6 to 8 p.m. at the Randallstown Branch of the Baltimore County Public Library, 8604 Liberty Rd., Randallstown. To register, visit baltimorecountymd.gov/odresponse or call (410) 887-3828.

use a ridged grill with a nonstick surface, so you wonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t have to grease or spray it. More importantly, I prefer to prepare items that cook quickly because the highheat method will still fill the kitchen with very fragrant scents and some smoke â&#x20AC;&#x201D; so you donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t want the cooking to go on for too long. (Be sure to turn on your kitchen fan and crack open a window as well, so you wonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t set off any smoke alarms!) For an example of a recipe that fulfills these requirements perfectly, I hope youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll try my recipe for grilled marinated fish with garlic, ginger, lime and chiles. It bursts with bright flavors, and the swordfish steaks (you can also use other mildtasting fish like halibut or yellowtail tuna) cook in about 10 minutes. No wonder it became one of the most popular recipes I used when I first began demonstrating my own reversible electric grill/griddle years ago on the Home Shopping Network. (You can also make it with a hinged electric countertop grill, which cooks both sides at once, cutting the cooking time in half.) Serve the fish with a rice pilaf and your favorite tomato salsa. Then close your eyes, and imagine youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re dining outdoors!

Grilled marinated fish with garlic, ginger, lime and chiles Serves 4 Ingredients: Â˝ cup extra-virgin olive oil Juice of 3 medium limes Grated zest of 1 medium lime 6 cloves garlic, minced 3 small fresh serrano chiles, or 1 large jalapeĂąo, halved, stemmed, seeded, deveined and finely chopped 1 small bunch cilantro leaves, chopped 1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger

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7R /HDUQ 0RUH 9LVLW 8V DW ChooseKeswick.org or email us at Admissions@ChooseKeswick.org or call us at 410.235.8860

1 teaspoon brown sugar 4 swordfish (or tuna or halibut) steaks, each about 6 ounces and Âž inch thick Kosher salt Freshly ground black pepper Directions: In a large sealable food-storage bag, combine the olive oil, lime juice and zest, garlic, chiles, cilantro, ginger and sugar. Seal the bag, and gently shake to combine the ingredients. Trim the skin and any traces of connective tissue from the sides of the swordfish steaks. If you like, carefully cut out the darker red areas of meat, known as the bloodlines, which have a slightly stronger flavor that some people do not like. Open the bag and put the swordfish fillets inside with the marinade. Seal the bag, eliminating any air, and gently move the fillets to coat them evenly. Put the bag inside a pan or shallow bowl large enough to hold it comfortably. Place in the refrigerator, and leave the fish to marinate for at least 1 hour or as long as overnight, turning the bag over occasionally. Over high heat, preheat a nonstick ridged electric indoor grill or stovetop grill pan. Meanwhile, remove the fish steaks from the marinade, and pat off excess moisture with paper towels without wiping off the pieces of zest, garlic, chiles, cilantro and ginger. Season the steaks on both sides with salt and pepper, and place them on the grill. Cook them undisturbed, turning them once, until well seared and cooked through to a temperature of 145Â° F on an instantread thermometer carefully inserted into the center, 5 to 6 minutes per side. Serve immediately. ÂŠ 2019 Wolfgang Puck Worldwide, Inc. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

Say you saw it in the Beacon | Fitness & Health

BALTIMORE BEACON — JANUARY 2020

The evidence for using CBD for anxiety Dear Mayo Clinic: Is there any harm in trying CBD for anxiety? It seems to have helped my co-worker, but I am hesitant to tr y it without knowing more about it. A: Cannabidiol, also known as CBD, has not been approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to treat anxiety. Although some research appears to indicate that CBD might help treat anxiety-related disorders, more study is needed. Cannabidiol may interfere with other prescriptions and have side effects, so talk with your healthcare provider before taking any form of CBD. Cannabidiol is a chemical found in marijuana, but it doesn’t contain tetrahydrocannabinol, or THC, the psychoactive ingredient in marijuana that produces a high. The typical formulation of CBD is a liquid that you take orally. But CBD also is sold as an extract, a vaporized liquid and an oil-based capsule. Foods, drinks and beauty products are among the many CBD-infused products available. Epidiolex is the only CBD product authorized by the FDA. This prescription medication is approved to treat two types of epilepsy: Lennox-Gastaut syndrome and Dravet syndrome. Aside from Epidiolex, which is approved for use nationwide, U.S. state laws vary regarding other forms of CBD.

Studied for many conditions Cannabidiol has been studied as a treatment for a wide range of conditions, including Parkinson’s disease, schizophrenia, diabetes, multiple sclerosis and anxiety. But research supporting the drug’s benefits for these disorders is limited. For example, one recent review of research looked at results from numerous studies that examined the effectiveness

and safety of medical cannabis — including both CBD- and THC-based medicines — to treat mental disorders. The review found that, when given with other medication, as well as psychotherapy, CBD and THC medications were associated with some symptom improvement. But the researchers emphasized the need for more thorough investigation before making a firm recommendation on the use of any form of medical cannabis to treat mental disorders. Another study involving 72 participants that was published in January examined whether CBD can help improve anxiety and sleep quality. It found a decrease in anxiety symptoms in 57 of the study participants, and concluded that CBD may hold benefit for anxiety-related disorders. But, again, the researchers indicated that larger, controlled clinical research studies are needed to confirm this initial finding.

Side effects, dosage concerns There are potential risks to be aware of with CBD use, too. In some cases, it can cause side effects, such as dry mouth, diarrhea, reduced appetite, drowsiness and fatigue. Rarely, it may have an effect on liver function. CBD also can interfere with the effectiveness of other medications you’re taking, such as blood thinners. Another cause for concern is the unreliability of the purity and dosage of CBD in nonprescription products. A recent study of 84 CBD products bought online showed that more than one-quarter of the products contained less CBD than labeled. In addition, THC was found in 18 of the products. Before you use a product that contains CBD, talk to your healthcare provider. And discuss other possible treatment

options for anxiety, too. In many cases, a type of psychotherapy known as cognitive behavioral therapy, along with anti-anxiety medication, can reduce anxiety symptoms significantly. — Brent Bauer, M.D., Complementary and Integrative Medicine Program, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minn.

Mayo Clinic Q & A is an educational resource and doesn’t replace regular medical care. Email questions to MayoClinicQ&A@mayo.edu. For more information, visit mayoclinic.org. © 2019 Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research. All rights reserved. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

BEACON BITS

Jan. 6

MICROSOFT EXCEL BASICS

Spreadsheets can help with budgeting or other organizational needs. Learn more about Microsoft Excel at a beginner’s class. The free session takes place on Mon., Jan. 6 from 7 to 8 p.m. at the Woodlawn Branch of the Baltimore County Public Library, 1811 Woodlawn Dr., Woodlawn. To register, call (410) 887-1336.

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JANUARY 2020 â&#x20AC;&#x201D; BALTIMORE BEACON

BALTIMORE BEACON — JANUARY 2020

SPECIAL PULL-OUT SECTION

More at TheBeaconNewspapers.com

B-1

Horse therapy helps dementia patients PHOTO BY TOM O’CONNOR PHOTOGRAPHY

By Ivey Noojin Horses can change lives for the better. A number of residents from a Baltimore retirement community have had first-hand experience with the healing powers of a soft nose and gentle eyes. Each spring and fall, Broadmead, a Quaker Life Plan Community in Hunt Valley, sends four to six of its residents with dementia to the Rose of Sharon Equestrian School (ROSES) in Glen Arm — a therapeutic program built around horsemanship — to spend time with some fourlegged gentle giants. Prior to working with Broadmead, ROSES focused its “equine facilitated learning experiences” on children and young adults with disabilities. Stacey Young, Broadmead’s director of lifestyle and dementia programs, and Andy Switzer, director of health and wellness, were looking for a way to incorporate equine therapy into their residents’ lives. They knew of potential benefits from the practice from a 2014 study by researchers at Ohio State University. The first study of its kind, it found that grooming and touching horses helped ease the symptoms of Alzheimer’s dementia, including agitation, fidgeting and lack of physical activity. After searching the Internet, Young and Switzer found the ROSES program, located next to Gunpowder State Park. The 12acre facility is home to two miniature ponies and three horses specially trained for therapeutic work. “We knew that we wanted [ROSES] to be a part of our program” for residents, Young said. So, they reached out to Joan Marie Twining, the executive director and founder of the school. “The more we learned about how dementia affects not only an individual, but his or her family and other caregivers as well, the more we realized how many similarities there are with our students,” Twining wrote in an email. After a year-long process filled with logistics, the school established a program in 2017 called Silver STEEDS — Special Therapeutic Equine Experiences Designed for Seniors. It is now held twice a year, in the spring and fall, for a session of five once-a-week visits.

Benefits for all Around the horses, residents of the community become less anxious and are able to express themselves and communicate more. Caryl Connor, whose 84-year-old mother has lived at Broadmead for four years, has nothing but good things to say about the program. “The moment I heard about it, I jumped on it,” Connor said. “I knew this would be something my mother would really benefit from and enjoy.” Connor’s mother had grown up around horses. Her father rode them competitively, and she even owned one at a young age. She was one of the first residents to participate in the program in 2017. “She could be having a really rough day,” Connor said, “but when I would bring up this activity of visiting the horses, she would calm down and smile.” Even though Connor’s mother cannot communicate well, her body language told Connor all she needed to know: The pro-

B-2

Housing Options | More at TheBeaconNewspapers.com

JANUARY 2020 — BALTIMORE BEACON

A downsizing journey: Learning to let go By Rita Wilkins I spent an entire year of my life downsizing my big house. That yearlong journey was one of the most challenging, most revealing and most rewarding years of my life. During the process of decluttering and downsizing my home, I discovered the real me that was hiding underneath all of that beautiful stuff. To say it was easy would be a lie. I was confronted daily with one more drawer or cabinet that was crammed with things I didn’t even recall buying: One more useless gadget I thought would make life easier. One more closet filled with clothes that no longer fit or that I hadn’t worn in years. I was embarrassed, ashamed and guilty about the excess and overspending. At the end of a day’s effort, I was physically exhausted and emotionally drained. Downsizing is a rollercoaster of emotions: The thrill and excitement of a vision for a new lifestyle, versus the unsettling and confusing decision fatigue. The dream and promise of a simpler life with less, versus the daily struggle and exhaustion of letting go of years of excess accumulation.

Call in the troops At first, I tried to tackle this downsizing

project on my own, thinking I could chip away at this overwhelming task day-by-day in my spare time. After a month into my solo attempt to be superwoman, I picked up the phone to call my family and friends to say “Help!” Those calls generated one of my first big discoveries: I didn’t have to do this alone. I realized the importance of having a team for such a big undertaking. I decided to create a team and schedule one or two of them to meet with me for four hours on a Saturday or Sunday so I would garner the physical and emotional support required to downsize my life. Ultimately, I gave away 95% of what I owned to people who needed or wanted it.

Confronted by clothes, memories It was a dreary winter day. Perfect for attacking the first of my many closets, filled with beautiful dresses and suits, many of which had not been worn in years. Some still had tags on them. Touching each piece of clothing, I was filled with emotions ranging from guilt to shame to disgust. Weekend after weekend, I would fill my lonely days shopping, perhaps in search of “the perfect little black dress” for the someday perfect date. Then

Tell them you saw it in the Beacon!

I counted four little black dresses that looked just like the others. I struggled to let go of the clothing that reminded me of special times in my life, not wanting to let go of the memories. But why? They were just clothes — and way too many of them.

A change in perspective As I stood there in the middle of the large walk-in closet surrounded on three sides by things I mostly no longer needed or wanted, I began to envision women who would be thrilled to have even one of these beautiful suits or dresses. First, I removed all the clothes I hadn’t worn in at least a year. Next, I tried on those that I wanted to keep. If they didn’t fit me when I tried them on, I put them in the “donate” pile. The clothes that remained hanging were still too many, but I realized I could do a second and perhaps a third edit on another day. Next, I folded the “donate” clothes into neat piles and then put them into boxes. I immediately loaded the boxes into my car so I wouldn’t have second thoughts. I pulled out of my driveway to drive to my favorite women’s shelter, which welcomed donations of professional clothing for job interviews. I rang the bell to the shelter. Within

minutes, I was warmly greeted by three women who helped me unload all the boxes from my car. I wasn’t expecting their assistance, but it was definitely appreciated. That day, one of the women I met at the shelter said that she could hardly wait to get a good job so that she could get a nice apartment for herself and her children. I felt a warm glow knowing I was doing the right thing. This was just one woman of many who would benefit from the clothes that had been hanging uselessly in my closet. Driving home, I was overcome with gratitude. I realized that there was so much more that I could do and must do. By letting go of my excess stuff, I was gaining so much more in return. As I walked into my home, I suddenly felt lighter. I also realized I didn’t always have to be strong, and I didn’t have to do everything by myself. There were people in my life who cared for me and told me they were willing to help. I was finally willing to accept their assistance. Rita Wilkins is the author of Downsize Your Life, Upgrade Your Lifestyle, from which this essay was adapted. Watch her TEDx talk, “Downsize Your Life: Why Less Is More” at bitly.com/ritawilkins. Visit her website designservicesltd.com.

BALTIMORE BEACON — JANUARY 2020

More at TheBeaconNewspapers.com | Housing Options

B-3

Moving? Consider renting vs. selling By Ruth Lyons So, you’re ready to downsize and move into a retirement community or closer to your grandkids. Should you sell, or consider renting out your home? Like many of life’s big decisions, the answer depends on your situation, goals and personal preferences. Both options offer advantages — and potential drawbacks — that you must weigh carefully. First things first: Determine if your home makes a good rental. Start by considering your home’s condition, layout, lot and location. Condition: Tenants need a safe place to live that is properly maintained. If your home’s roof or furnace is nearing the end of its useful life, you may need to fix those things or budget for these expenditures as a landlord, just like you would if you were continuing to live there. On the other hand, if you’ve already invested in a new roof or replaced the HVAC, renting may make more sense, as you’re not likely to get a corresponding bump in selling price to compensate for these large capital expenditures. Layout: Over the last few decades, living habits and tastes have changed. If your home is older and you haven’t invested in updates, it may be hard to sell, as buyers can be pretty picky. Renters are more forgiving about property condition and outdated layouts. Lot: Does your yard require a lot of maintenance? You can’t count on tenants to meticulously maintain your landscaping. In general, a property that needs constant maintenance beyond lawn mowing does not make a good rental property. Location: Not all locations provide the market conditions ideal for renting. Here are just some of the location-related questions you need to consider:

Will the average rent for your area cover your home’s monthly expenses? Do you live in an area convenient for commuting? Do you live near great schools that would be attractive to families? Is there adequate parking? Is there storage on site? If you’re governed by an HOA, is renting allowed by the association’s bylaws? These are the big considerations. A real estate agent with experience and knowledge of your local area can help you think through and analyze your home’s rental suitability.

Does it make financial sense? Next, figure out if it makes financial sense to rent your home. The biggest consideration is determining if the numbers work. To find that out, calculate your anticipated annual rent and deduct your total annual expenses. You should include all fixed costs (such as taxes, HOA, insurance and mortgage payments if you still owe money on the property) and fair estimates of variable expenses (such as maintenance and vacancy costs). Only if you’re cash flow positive each month does renting make sense.

The pros If you’ve concluded that your home would indeed make a good rental, here are the pros and cons of owning a residential rental property instead of selling: —Monthly income from rental payments. Historically, rental real estate, when acquired and managed wisely, has been a powerful builder of wealth. Renting can provide you with a steady flow of extra monthly income. You can look at rental websites like Hotpads and Trulia to get an idea of what types of rental properties are available in your area.

You can also find online rental calculators, like Rentometer, that will help you guestimate the rent you can charge. And don’t hesitate to consult with a local real estate agent who has access to real-time and historical rental data. —Tenants pay off your mortgage. If you still owe money on your home, your tenant is essentially paying down the mortgage for you. —Sell in a better market. Many housing markets are still recovering from the sub-prime lending bubble that burst a decade ago. If you bought at the height of the market frenzy between 2005 and 2008, your home may be worth less than you paid for it. Holding instead of selling — and collecting rental income in the meantime — can be a great strategy. —Defer the expense of needed home improvements. Maybe your home is outdated or requires some home improvements that you don’t have the money for now. You can budget for the updates and upgrades from the rent you’re collecting each month, make the improvements later, and potentially get a higher sales price for your home in the future. —Rental real estate typically provides an inflation hedge and market appreciation. Residential property is a tangible asset that always has a value. It can’t really go to zero like other invest-

ments can. As inflation drives up the cost of other consumer products, rents typically rise. And modest annual rent increases can improve your monthly cash flow while the cost of owning stays the same each year. Some housing markets seem to be almost guaranteed to get stronger in the next few years. If you are in such a market, and you feel like there is a good chance your home will increase in value significantly, then renting now will grant a bigger payday later. —Rental property ownership offers some powerful tax deductions annually. Each year, you claim a depreciation write-off at the same time the value of your home is likely appreciating. And if you have a bad rental year, you can deduct up to $25,000 in rental property losses, which decreases your tax due on other income sources. —Renting allows you to postpone selling costs. Transfer taxes, title work, sales commissions and attorney fees can add up to an estimated 8% of your sales price. If you’re somewhat undecided about your future plans, renting your home allows you to postpone the cost of selling and keep your options open.

See RENT VS. SELL, page B-4

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Housing Notes Home to open soon for assisted living and memory care In several months, a new memory care facility just north of Baltimore will open. Blair House at Stoneleigh is a 15-unit residential assisted living/memory care facility for people with Alzheimer’s disease or dementia. The staff to resident ratio is one to eight. “We’re ready to open. We offer everything that our competitors do, but we are just small,” said Suzi Jones, executive director of Blair House at Stoneleigh, who emphasizes that the “boutique-style memory care community” was designed to deliver the best care possible.

Rent vs. sell From page B-3

The cons However, there are some downsides of renting rather than selling your home: — Being a landlord is not for everyone! Dealing with tenants and property management is not something everyone is

The community allows pets, has a garden club and baking club, and has a secure, fenced-in outdoor courtyard, Jones said. “We focus on a lot of music and a lot of art and connecting with those long-term memories and connecting with who they were in their earlier years.” Blair House at Stoneleigh is located at 812 Regester Ave., in a house in the residential area near the Country Club of Maryland. For more information or to schedule a tour, visit blairhousestoneleigh.com or call (410) 697-5932.

Study finds staff is key to success Retirement communities are judged not for their bells and whistles — or even the food — but for their employees. That’s ac-

cut out for. And that’s okay. If the prospect of being a landlord gives you the willies, you might reconsider. Rental ownership is often stressful because you have no control over what tenants do in your home. You may get great tenants who pay on time and respect your property. Or you may get tenants who pay late and wreck the place.

JANUARY 2020 — BALTIMORE BEACON

cording to the J.D. Power 2019 U.S. Senior Living Satisfaction Study, released in October 2019. While more than half (54%) of residents said that location was a major factor in choosing their community, about half said the quality of staff and services led to their decision. However, the study found that more than half of residents said that their community’s staff does not know anything about them personally. Specifically, the study found that residents want a staff person who “communicates clearly, knows personal details about residents and makes them feel like they are part of a community.” They also want employees to offer help and greet residents in a friendly way. Industry-wide, just 53% of residents say community staff deliver on these criteria. To read the study in its entirety, visit jdpower.com/business/resource/senior-living-study.

Even if your tenants are decent, you still need to manage the process, which might stress you out. Of course, you can hire a property management firm to take care of placing tenants, collecting rent, managing maintenance and repairs, and handle the rental for you. Just be sure to factor in the expense of a good property manager, which typically runs between 8 and 10% of your rental income. —Renting your home ties up a substantial amount of money. Real estate is not a liquid investment that you can quickly turn into cash if a financial emergency arises. If you decide to rent, you’ll want to make sure you have enough liquid assets from other sources that you can quickly and easily tap into for emergencies. —You may need additional insurance. As a landlord, you could be liable for accidents that occur on the property. You’ll need to make sure you’re adequately insured. An umbrella liability policy does the

Local survey has lessons for businesses In a recent online survey conducted by strianews.com, older consumers tell businesses how to improve the way they serve 50+ customers. Nearly 65% of respondents think businesses don’t care about them. When asked what makes them feel unwelcome, respondents shared a range of examples, many of which reflect the ageism that lurks in our culture. For example, over a third of survey respondents (38%) mentioned, “being ignored” or “feeling invisible.” In addition, a whopping 80% of survey respondents said businesses don’t market respectfully to them. This finding mirrors recent results from AARP research that See HOUSING NOTES, page B-7

trick and is relatively inexpensive for a large amount of coverage. —You may miss out on taking advantage of today’s seller-friendly tax laws. Selling your home now allows you take advantage of current tax laws that exclude your sale from capital gains tax up to $250,000 for an individual or $500,000 for married couples. For most homeowners, that means you can avoid a sizable tax on a huge sale. Of course, tax laws can always change, and this benefit might go away. You just never know what will happen in Washington! Few homeowners consider the benefits of renting their residence instead of simply selling it. It’s always good to look at all your options when making an important financial decision. Ruth Lyons is a Residential Realtor and Senior Real Estate Specialist with Sachs Realty. You can reach her at RL@sachsrealty.com or visit her website at www.ruthlyons1.com.

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BALTIMORE BEACON — JANUARY 2020

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FREE HOUSING AND OTHER INFORMATION # For free information from advertisers in this special section, check off those that interest you and mail this entire coupon to the Beacon. Please do not request info if you are not interested. All replies received by Feb. 1 will be entered into a random drawing to win tickets to Mary Wilson.

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JANUARY 2020 — BALTIMORE BEACON

The financial perks of going solar By Pat Mertz Esswein Ivica Bilich and Jennifer Twiggs, of Charlotte, North Carolina, love their house’s solar panels. “When I pull up to my house on a sunny day and see the panels, they look like a slot machine dropping money on my front porch,” Bilich said. The couple had been thinking about going solar for years, but in the fall of 2018, the numbers — a combination of falling costs and incentives — finally made sense. A local solar installer proposed a system

that cost $20,000 before any incentives. The couple learned they would get a federal tax credit of $6,000 — 30% of the cost of the system — and a $4,320 rebate from Duke Energy. The incentives reduced their total cost to $9,680. “It was a no-brainer for us,” Twiggs said.

The case for going solar Homeowners have been installing solar panels at a record pace, taking advantage of falling prices and the federal tax credit, which is slated to be phased out by 2022.

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Solar panels are getting more powerful, more efficient and cheaper every year, according to industry experts. The average household will recoup the cost of their system in just over seven years.

Consider your house’s site If you pay a high electric rate and live in a sunny location, there’s a compelling case for going solar. For an estimate of the cost and benefit of adding solar panels to your home, use the EnergySage Solar Calculator. It uses a combination of satellite imagery (to see your roof, its size and orientation to the sun), data you provide about your electricity bill, real-time cost data from solar firms in your area, and its own proprietary formulas. EnergySage recently launched the EnergySage Buyer’s Guide, which allows consumers to easily search, filter and compare solar equipment (panels, inverters and solar batteries) based on quality rating, aesthetics, performance and pricing. In most states, homeowners whose systems produce more electricity than they use can send the excess to the utility’s electric grid and receive credit on their electric bill. (To see what incentives your state offers, visit dsireusa.org.)

Ways to pay A decade ago, a residential system cost

$40,000 to $60,000, according to Vikram Aggarwal, CEO of EnergySage.com, and solar financing wasn’t available. Today, with the cost of a typical system running $18,300 before the tax credit and incentives, two-thirds of homeowners have purchased their systems outright. Buying your system will maximize the financial benefit, but third-party ownership [where the installer owns the panels and you pay them monthly for using them or for the energy they generate] can still reduce your electric bills. With third-party ownership, the solar firm benefits directly from the tax credit, not you — though it may pass along a lower cost to you. If you don’t own your panels, you’ll see 15% to 30% lower utility bills, Aggarwal said. But if you pay for a system with cash, you’ll enjoy 100% of the savings — after you recoup the cost of the system. If you want to finance your system, tapping a home-equity line of credit is a good way to do it. The debt is deductible because it’s secured by your home and the panels are a substantial home improvement. In 2020, the tax credit drops from 30% down to 26%; in 2021, it falls to 22%. After that, it disappears. © 2019 The Kiplinger Washington Editors, Inc. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

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BALTIMORE BEACON — JANUARY 2020

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Moving to escape taxes? Make a clean break By Liz Weston Breaking up can be hard to do if the other party doesn’t want to let you go. People who move out of high-tax states may learn this the hard way — through a residency audit. States such as New York, California and Illinois use the audits to claim that your recent interstate move was just a tax dodge and that you still owe their state income taxes. Proving you’ve actually moved and plan to make the new place your permanent home — yes, the burden of proof is on you in a residency audit — often requires far more than flashing your new driver’s license or spending a certain number of days outside the old state.

Who is most at risk? Technically, anyone who moves out of a high-tax state could face scrutiny, but tax experts say the residency audit risk increases if: — You moved to a state with a much lower tax burden. — You still have a home or business ties in the old state. — You moved just before selling a business, a bunch of stock or some other valuable asset. — You’re in a high tax bracket. Wealthy people who move away from high-tax states are virtually certain to face a residency audit, said New York tax attorney Mark Klein. Auditors go where the money is. You’re unlikely to be audited if you’re already in a low tax bracket and cut all ties to your old state. But the more you have to gain from a move away from a high-tax state, the more careful you should be about making that

Housing notes From page B-4 found 69% of 50+ consumers say media images are ageist. One respondent suggested that companies should “have the courage to diversify

move, tax experts say.

What really matters Many people mistakenly believe they need only spend 183 days of each year outside their former state to win a residency audit, Klein said. But if you spend more days in the high-tax state than you do elsewhere, you could still be considered a resident. That can be a particular problem for the “migratory rich” who own homes in multiple states, or even for more ordinary people who travel a lot. Klein advises his clients to spend at least twice as much time in their new home state as in their old one. Auditors look at a wide range of factors for evidence of where your true home lies. Are you still seeing doctors and dentists in your old location? Does your family celebrate holidays there? Where do you keep your most treasured items — your photo albums, family heirlooms, pets? Where’s your safe deposit box?

Create a good paper trail Creating a substantial paper trail can be key to winning your case. Register to vote and get a driver’s license in your new state, but don’t stop there. You also should change vehicle registrations, update the address where you receive bank statements, bills and other mail, and revise your estate-planning documents to reflect the laws of your new state. People under residency audits typically need to prove where they were each day of the year in question, according to Klein. Cell phone records — which can show where you were with each text or call — can be used by taxpayers to prove their case but also can be subpoenaed by the tax agency.

advertising and marketing images and reflect real older adults 60-70-80 years old.” The survey was conducted by Stria and MBM Consulting in November 2019. Participants included 54 people who reported to be over 50 and living in Maryland, Virginia and the District of Columbia.

Other potentially rich (and subpoenable) data sources include travel records, credit card receipts and toll-collection devices, such as E-Z Pass. You may need to maintain records indefinitely. Although most audits happen within a few years of the last tax return you filed, there’s often no statute of limitations if a state finds you should have filed a return but didn’t. People at high risk of audit should consult a tax professional who specializes in

residency audits, especially if they’re keeping a home or business in their old state or if their move might not be their last. For example, if you start in California and move to Nevada, but residency auditors don’t catch up to you until you’ve moved again to Arizona, your stay in Nevada could be deemed temporary and you could owe California taxes for that time period. “You need to stick the landing,” Klein said. —AP/NerdWallet

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Say you saw it in the Beacon

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Money Law &

ROTH IRA FAQS An overview of the pros and cons of Roth IRAs, plus rules for IRA conversions and how to avoid penalties TAX TIPS Could your tax bill explode in retirement? There are ways to avoid high rates, but don’t wait too long to act

When parents need your financial help By Liz Weston Most parents in the U.S. provide some sort of financial support to their adult children, multiple surveys have found. But often, financial aid goes the other way. A 2015 survey by TD Ameritrade found 13% of American adults provided financial support to a parent. Millennials were far more likely than older generations to report they were helping their folks. Of people born between 1981 and 1996, 19% helped support their parents, compared with 13% of Gen Xers (1965 to 1980) and 8% of baby boomers (1946 to 1964). Sometimes the money is provided happily, or at least without resentment, by those following cultural norms or personal convic-

tion that they owe it to their parents. Other times, financial aid to parents is a source of tension — between parent and adult child, among siblings and between partners. Certified financial planner Austin A. Frye had no idea when he married his wife four decades ago that they would one day support her parents. The older couple, now in their 80s, cover their day-to-day expenses with a union pension and Social Security. Frye and his wife cover unexpected expenses and travel for her parents, Frye said, and also pay $15,000 a year for a long-term care policy. Frye said that though he’s happy to be in a position to help his in-laws, he still wishes they had saved money for their retirement.

“They just spent what they made,” Frye said. “They didn’t really plan.” Balancing competing goals is what financial planning is all about. If you’re supporting a parent or think you may in the future, the following steps could help make the balancing act a bit easier: Talk to your partner. If you’re married or in a committed relationship, it helps to get on the same page about how much you’re willing and able to give. If you’re not clear on what you can afford, a consultation with a financial planner could help. If you don’t have a partner, talking to a trusted friend or a financial planner can help you clarify what you can offer and when. Talk with your parents. Just over half

of the people supporting parents in the TD Ameritrade survey had ever talked with them about the situation. Financial planners say that understanding the parents’ financial situation can help you prepare and might also provide an opportunity for you to reduce their need for your help. You could help them budget, give them a session with a financial planner, or check Benefits.gov for assistance programs. You also can let them know how much help you can afford to provide. Rope in your siblings, if you have them. Even if they can’t contribute finanSee PARENTS, page 14

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JANUARY 2020 — BALTIMORE BEACON

Understand pros and cons of a Roth IRA Based on the mail I receive, many readers 3.8% surtax either. misunderstand Roth IRAs, including the Another benefit to original Roth IRA benefits for the initial owner owners is that there are no reand for beneficiaries. I’ll explain quired distributions. This is some of the basics associated very important in comparison with Roth IRAs below. to the regulations applicable However, I should preface to traditional IRAs. this by saying that Congress Under current regulations, at is contemplating modificaage 70½ owners of traditional tions in the regulations that IRAs are required to start taking will affect the length of time required mandatory distribubeneficiaries will be able to tions (RMDs) from their IRAs. stretch out benefits from both The RMD amount changes traditional and Roth IRAs. If THE SAVINGS each year based on the value of Congress does pass new leg- GAME the IRA at year-end and the life islation that becomes law, I By Elliot Raphaelson expectancy of the IRA owner. All will discuss the impact in a withdrawals from traditional subsequent column. IRAs are taxed at ordinary income tax rates. An individual with earned income can Benefits for original owners make contributions to the Roth IRA of a A significant benefit of a Roth IRA is that spouse who is not working or has limited inall income earned in the account — come, as long as the working spouse has whether from interest, dividends or capital sufficient income to cover the contributions gains — is tax free. for the non-working spouse plus any contriWhen you invest in a Roth IRA, you are in- butions made for the working spouse. vesting after-tax income. Any withdrawals If you have earned income after age 70½, you make from your Roth after retirement you can still make contributions to a Roth will be tax free, regardless of whether the IRA (not true of traditional IRAs). withdrawals exceed the amount of your initial Even if you are under 59½, you can withpurchases. draw any contributions you made to a Roth Tax-free distributions from Roth IRAs (not including earnings thereon) without will not expose investment income to the penalty. If you make any withdrawals from a

traditional IRA, you would be subject to a 10% early withdrawal penalty and income taxes.

Benefits for Roth beneficiaries These are some of the advantages of a Roth IRA to beneficiaries: Withdrawals of Roth IRA contributions are income tax free. Earnings can be withdrawn tax free as long as the five-year rule has been met (i.e., the account was at least five years old when the owner died; see “Penalties” at the end of this article). Beneficiaries can, under present regulations, stretch tax-free distributions over their lifetimes. (Proposed congressional proposals may change that limit to 10 years.) Spouse beneficiaries are not required to take RMD distributions. Non-spouse beneficiaries (such as children) are required to take RMDs based on their age from the IRS Single Life Expectancy Table, starting the year after the owner’s death. Each year the life expectancy for non-spouses is reduced by one year. (See IRS 590-B for instructions and the appropriate table.)

Back-door contribution loophole If you earn more than the maximum (for 2019 the limit is between $193,000 and $203,000 for married filers and between $122,000 and $137,000 for single filers)

Parents From page 13 cially, they may be able to help in other ways: running errands, taking parents to the doctor, handling bill paying and other paperwork or providing respite care. Take care of yourself. You may have

and if you are younger than 70½, you can make a contribution to a traditional IRA and then convert that account to a Roth. This can be done the same year. [However, note that this requires paying tax up front on any pre-tax IRA contributions and any earnings using “pro-rata” rules that take into account the value of all IRAs you own. This can be somewhat complex, so consult an adviser before doing this.] Also note: You are no longer allowed to undo (called a recharacterization) a conversion done in 2018 or onward.

Penalties Although Roth contributions can be withdrawn without penalty, some withdrawals would be subject to penalties and taxes. If you make a withdrawal that exceeds your original contribution and are under age 59½, or you have not waited five years after your contribution, you would be subject to a 10% penalty and income tax liability for the amount of the withdrawal that exceeds your contributions. Beneficiaries are not subject to the 10% early withdrawal penalty, but they are liable to income tax on earnings related to funds that were not held in the account for five years. Elliot Raphaelson welcomes your questions and comments at raphelliot@gmail.com. © 2019 Elliot Raphaelson. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

to delay retirement, buying a house or having kids in order to support your parents. Many people do, according to the survey. But you should have a plan to eventually reach your own goals. Unlike your parents, you may have only yourself to rely on when you’re older. —AP/NerdWallet

BALTIMORE BEACON — JANUARY 2020

Say you saw it in the Beacon | Law & Money

Could your tax bill explode in retirement? By John Creekmur Remember when you first started earning a decent salary, and it seemed as if everybody — your parents, your boss, the nice lady in Human Resources and, of course, your tax preparer — all told you to put as much money as you could into your employer’s 401(k) plan? But what they didn’t tell you then (because they probably didn’t know) is that as you kept stuffing money into that tax-deferred account, you were chaining yourself to a ticking tax time bomb. Because there’s a good chance your tax rate won’t be lower when you retire. And if you don’t do something to help defuse the situation before you start withdrawing money from that 401(k) (or SEP IRA or 403(b)) for retirement, you could be sending a sizable chunk of your nest egg to the IRS every year.

Tax rates could rise Tax rates may go up in the future. Don’t think so? Here are just a few reasons: • Most people think taxes are too high now, but they could be much worse. They certainly have been in the past. The national debt is sitting at more than $22 trillion, and it’s growing by the second. Most experts agree the only clear way to help reduce the country’s deficit and pay down that debt is to collect more money. (That usually means higher taxes.) • A large percentage of the federal budget goes toward Social Security, Medicaid and Medicare. Those programs are funded by dedicated taxes that no longer generate enough revenue to cover their costs. Our leaders can either cut those programs or raise taxes to pay for them. • By 2030, when all baby boomers have reached age 65, the Pew Research Center projects that 18% of the nation will be at

least that old. As the aging population continues to tap into Social Security, Medicare and other benefits, it can only further drain the system.

delay. Help defuse the ticking tax bomb before it can blow up your retirement plan. John Creekmur, CFP, is co-founder of Creekmur Wealth Advisors. Check adviser

Tax-cutting strategies So, you basically have two choices. You can ignore the data, the trends and the experts and see what happens. Or you can incorporate some tax strategies into your retirement plan now, bring some balance to your portfolio, and maybe even get yourself to a tax rate of 0% with these steps: Make a list of all your investments. Recognize that your investments fit into three different tax buckets: tax always (brokerage accounts, CDs, etc.); tax later (401(k)s, 403(b)s, traditional IRAs); and tax never (Roth IRAs, cash value life insurance, municipal bonds). Work on a strategy to move money from the tax-always and tax-later buckets into the tax-never bucket. And if possible, do it in the next five years, before the current tax reforms sunset. As with most investment decisions, the right strategy for you will be based on your personal situation. One option is to do a Roth IRA conversion — move money from a traditional IRA or 401(k), pay taxes on it at today’s rates, and then let the funds grow inside the Roth, knowing the principal and earnings will never be taxed again. You can do this all at once or, to keep the tax bite lower as you go, convert the funds over a period of years. Another option is to take the money out of your tax-deferred account and put it into a cash value life insurance policy from which you can take policy loans tax-free. (This calls for the help of a financial professional.) No matter which strategy you choose, if you’re concerned about the money that’s piling up in your tax-deferred accounts, don’t

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Reflect on Northern Ireland’s beauty and troubled history on a hiking tour. See story on page 18.

Puerto Rico once again enchants visitors sive strides since the hurricanes with perseverance and positive attitudes. Any resentment toward the federal government’s response was expressed with a shrug of acceptance of bureaucracy. Today’s focus is on lessons learned — and the future.

Nature blossoms again Since Christopher Columbus arrived in Puerto Rico in 1493, it has stood the test of time, hurricane season after hurricane season. Mother Nature recovered quickly after Irma and Maria. Mountains so battered that they looked burned returned to vibrant green after just a few months. Smaller plants emerged, and today there’s no shortage of flowers. It’s the tropics, after all. In El Yunque — the only tropical rainforest in the U.S. National Forest system — new growth is steadily restoring the lost tree canopy. Visitors can access about 70% of the trails now, according to Carolyn Krupp of the Forest Service, who recommends a stop at the temporary visitors center in Palmer, about an hour’s drive from Old San Juan. Tourists are returning to the island, too. Last summer, Frank Comito, CEO of the Caribbean Hotel and Tourism Association, reported that Puerto Rico’s recovery is ahead of schedule, with at least 90% of hotel rooms open.

PHOTO BY RUTH PETERKIN/DREAMSTIME.COM

By Ann Cochran The sprawling 300-year-old Nispero tree — in the outdoor courtyard of the former Carmelite convent that dates back to 1651 — stretches up 50 feet, beyond the fifth floor of what is now the El Convento hotel in Old San Juan. In September 2017, Hurricane Maria’s 155-mile-per-hour winds savaged the tree, along with the rest of Puerto Rico. Hotel management called on expert arborists, but they had no luck resuscitating the tree. It would have been cut down but for the hotel’s longtime gardener, who, inspired by a dream, announced that the tree needed 40 pounds of larvae. Somehow the odd cure worked, and the tree is thriving today. An estimated 2,982 people died after the dual hurricanes of Irma and Maria, only two weeks apart. Although not every resident’s life is back to normal after two years, the lush island remains a premier destination. Resilience, community, ingenuity, hard work — those were the themes of every conversation I had this fall with people in Puerto Rico about the island’s recovery. On an earlier visit via Caribbean cruise last winter, my husband and I explored San Juan’s historic, colorful architecture and sampled the island’s unique cuisine. Intrigued, we returned to the city in November to see more. Tourist dollars are crucial to people of this U.S. territory, who have made impres-

The Spanish fort Castillo San Felipe del Morro, known as El Morro, was built nearly 500 years ago to protect Old San Juan, Puerto Rico. Administered by the National Park Service, the six-story fortress is a UNESCO World Heritage Site open to the public.

Walkable Old San Juan

PHOTO BY BROOK WARD

Beginning in 1520, the Spanish settled in Old San Juan, constructing many of the buildings that still stand in the sevensquare-block historic district. The Spanish forts of El Morro and San Cristóbal, the latter of which is the largest fort built by the Spanish in the New World, protected the city of San Juan from the English and Dutch. They have been preserved as National Historic Sites and are open to the public seven days a week. We found a great way to get familiar with Old San Juan: a culinary walking tour. The guides at Flavors of San Juan combine personal stories, informative observations and historical facts. Walking around Old San Juan, where some streets are 400 years old, we delighted in the pastel Spanish Colonial and Art Deco architecture. The district is chockfull of small restaurants, boutique hotels, specialty shops and a few luxury-brand stores.

Historic sites Old San Juan’s colorful Spanish Colonial and Art Deco buildings, along with its cobblestone streets and plazas, give a European look and feel to the National Historic Landmark district.

One of the most peaceful, beautiful places to visit is the Casa Blanca Museum, at the edge of Old San Juan near the immense fort of El Morro. The two-story white mansion, which

also served as Puerto Rico’s first stone fort, was built in 1523 for Spanish explorer Juan Ponce de León, the island’s first governor. (By the way, his supposed search for the Fountain of Youth is today considered a myth.) Although he died before he could move in, his family and their descendants lived there for 250 years. It has been open to the public as a museum since 1974. As I walked around the serene rooms and lush grounds full of palms and flowers, I felt envious. Facing the sea, with a warm, perfumed breeze on my face, I thought about the lucky people who lived at this post. Worth much more than the few dollars’ mansion entrance fee, and no charge at all for the grounds, Casa Blanca is a lovely oasis to explore. Juan Ponce de León is buried in a marble tomb at the nearby Catedral de San Juan Bautista, or Cathedral of Saint John the Baptist. The second oldest church in the Western Hemisphere, it will be celebrating 500 years in 2021. Its placement near the city’s main entry gate from the sea was deliberate, offering arrivals a place to give thanks for a successful journey. Like many wooden buildings on this isSee PUERTO RICO, page 17

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Puerto Rico From page 16 land and others, the original was destroyed by a hurricane, and another took off its thatched roof. The current stone cathedral, first constructed in 1540, has survived, along with the rest of the island.

Where to stay Choose a hotel in historic Old San Juan or a resort in the Condado, a pedestrianfriendly oceanfront area about a 15-minute cab ride away. For those who love history, Old San Juan’s El Convento, across the street from the cathedral, is a charming choice. Its rooftop restaurant offers stunning sea views at sunset. In addition to the Nispero tree, its priceless antiques include a lobby tapestry, iron bell and a convent gate. In a ground-floor meeting room, there’s a full-wall tiled kitchen mural that was hidden and forgotten for six decades until a ceiling leak repair revealed it. Hurricane winds blew out all the windows in the Caribe Hilton, a 1949 waterfront resort in the Condado, whose claim to fame is the invention of the piña colada. The resort, along with its spectacular grounds, was repaired and finally reopened in May 2019. Another top-tier beachfront hotel is the Condado Vanderbilt Hotel, celebrating its 100th anniversary this year.

Where to eat and drink Puerto Rican coffee has a wonderful, mild flavor; sugar is unnecessary. Try the island-grown coffee at Cuatro Sombras. Two of the many places that serve au-

thentic island dishes are Triana and Hecho en Casa. Triana Tapas & Flamenco restaurant not only has great Puerto Rican and Spanish food, including paella, but live flamenco and rumba music and dancing Tuesday through Sunday. You’ll find a delicious dish called mofongo all over Puerto Rico. It’s made with fried plantains mashed with a mortar and pestle, with lots of garlic and either meat or beans. Try mofongo or empanadillas at Hecho en Casa, a family restaurant whose name means “made at home.” There is plenty of upscale dining in San Juan. Mexican-born Puerto Rico resident Chef Paulina Escanes offers guests locally sourced organic food at Paulina Escanes Gourmandize. As delicious as the main courses are, desserts are another level of nirvana. The bread pudding has a flan-like element, and her key lime pie is piled with an unusual marshmallowy meringue. Mario Pagán Restaurant is the flagship of chef’s chef Mario Pagán, friend of celebrity chef José Andrés. Both chefs procured major donations and fed the masses after the hurricane. Pagán’s signature black Chilean sea bass, with its port wine, veal stock and foie gras reduction, is not to be missed. From the octopus tacos to the chocolate souffle, a divine meal can be had here on earth. A great treat after walking San Juan’s cobblestone streets are handmade popsicles from Señor Paleta. Pure, grown-up flavors include peanut, guava-queso and strawberry mojito. Daytime or dusk, enjoy Chocobar Cortés, where chocolate pancakes and marbled waffles are listed along with more unexpected

savory dishes like a chili cocoa chicken. High quality, local, sustainably sourced chocolate makes a welcome edible souvenir.

By boat or plane San Juan, a popular cruise port, was our final destination on a 10-day Silversea cruise to Grand Turk, St. Bart’s, Antigua and Virgin Gorda last winter. Silversea’s Silver Wind is an ideal ship for travelers who like quiet luxury. Because the ship has a capacity of fewer than 300 people and almost as many crew members, the service is exemplary. Our fellow passengers were friendly, so-

phisticated travelers who enhanced our journey with stimulating conversations. Internet service was excellent, unlike on many cruises. We took a few onboard Spanish classes, a nice bonus for our time in Puerto Rico. San Juan is serviced by short, direct flights from Baltimore. A direct, round-trip flight from BWI to San Juan in January costs $178 on Spirit Airlines. For more information about the island, visit Discover Puerto Rico at discoverpuertorico.com. For Silversea cruise schedules, call 1-877-382-6908 or visit silversea.com.

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Off the beaten track in Northern Ireland By Don Mankin The story of Northern Ireland is a tale of natural beauty and convivial people bound up in a singularly dark and bloody history. For a week and a half last summer, my wife Katherine and I traveled through Ireland — from Dublin, through “Game of Thrones” country along the windy coast of Northern Ireland, to the Wild Atlantic Way on the west coast and back to Dublin. The trip — my fifth visit to Ireland — began on a sunny day in Dublin, where we walked around the city, taking in the sights along the River Liffey. We got our first Irish history lesson at the excellent museum in the General Post Office, the site of the Easter Rising in 1916, which marked the modern begin-

ning of the long, contentious path to Irish statehood. After two nights in Dublin, we joined the “Magnetic North Adventure Tour” by Vagabond Tours of Ireland, my host on this trip. Vagabond describes this as their “most active and off the beaten track tour,” an apt description indeed. We traveled for a week through northwestern and Northern Ireland in a van, led by our guide, Aidan, who (when he wasn’t leading the way up a steep, muddy, rocky trail) filled us in on the bloody turmoil that shaped the history of the region. Decades of violence between Irish Republicans and British Unionists began in the 1960s and finally ended with a peace agreement between the British and Irish

governments in 1998. More than 3,500 people in the small country of 1.5 million lost their lives in a 30-year period of unrest known as “the Troubles.”

The walls of Belfast The painful history is most visible in the two main cities of Northern Ireland. In the capital city of Belfast, we took a Black Cab tour of the murals on both sides of the Peace Wall — a forbidding, 2,625foot-long structure of cement, chain link and razor wire that separates the Protestant, Unionist side in the Shankill section of the city from the Catholic, Republican side along Falls Road. The 1969 riots between Catholic residents and Protestant residents and police lasted four days, killing eight people and injuring almost 800. More than 150 houses were burned, and 275 businesses were destroyed — about 80% of which were Catholic-owned. After the riots, the government built more than 100 “peace walls” that still stand throughout the country. Two days later, my wife and I took a walking tour along the ramparts surrounding the beautiful, weathered city of Derry. We stopped for several minutes at a spot overlooking the Bogside, where most of the violence occurred. Almost everyone we talked to was concerned that Brexit might change everything and re-establish the hard border between Northern Ireland and the Republic. I wondered if the strife was really over or just waiting for a new spark to light the fuse. Things are quieter now, of course, but there are still some diehards trying to stir up new “troubles.”

The green scene Although Ireland’s history is fascinating

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and compelling, most of our tour focused on the country’s pristine scenery. Among the highlights were the Giants Causeway and the Carrick-a-Rede rope bridge, as well as the views of sea, fields and bog along the way. We also stayed in a couple of grand 19thcentury manor houses — the Beech Hill Inn near Derry and Mount Falcon in Mayo. To me, they looked and felt like castles, surrounded by woods, pathways, ponds and fields with horses and sheep. The trip was quite active. We did something physical — and often challenging — almost every day, including a choppy three-hour jaunt in kayaks along the coast. We also took an eight-mile bike ride along the Great Western Greenway, a windy bike path on the Wild Atlantic Way from Newport to Westport.

Irish cuisine The history, weather and breathtaking beauty will not come as a surprise to most readers, but the great food might. I ate three of my top-five all-time best meals on this trip — the oysters at Nancie’s in Ardara; the seafood chowder at Lizzie’s Diner in Dunfanaghy; and the fruit scone at the cafe in the visitors’ center at Ballycroy National Park. I’m already considering a sixth trip to the Emerald Isle. The warmth of the people, the beauty of the land and sea, and its powerful history keep pulling me back. The approximate cost of this Vagabond tour, not including airfare, is about $2,000, depending on the conversion rate for the Euro. Airfare from Baltimore to Belfast starts at $750. For more details and photos see the blog on the author’s website, adventuretransformations.com.

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Arts &

Murder on the Orient Express rolls through the Everyman Theatre. See story on page 21.

Sculptorâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s works express historical truths â&#x20AC;&#x153;Creativity, in many ways, is a constant struggle to move the world ahead in a positive way,â&#x20AC;? Edwards told the Beacon. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I would hope that the world can be a little more thoughtful about some things because I try to work on bigger ideas.â&#x20AC;?

Not all art is Western Edwards was an arts professor at Rutgers University for 30 years. Hoping to expand studentsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; conceptions of canonical Western art, he created a curriculum there that centered around what he termed Third World Art. â&#x20AC;&#x153;It wasnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t a history class, but I would bring slides and information from my travels all over the world,â&#x20AC;? he explained. In his class, he dedicated one day each week to another culture that was typically passed over in favor of a Western art education. Sometimes, he would bring in an artist or filmmaker to showcase their work, to expand the studentsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; understanding about cultures outside their own. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Many people make art in the world,â&#x20AC;? Edwards said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m always happy to see what people are doing from everywhere.â&#x20AC;?

A love of art from childhood

PHOTO COURTESY ALEXANDER GRAY ASSOCIATES, NEW YORK

By Noelani Kirschner Melvin Edwards melds the story of African-American past and present through sculpted steel. Now through January 12, his work can be seen at a solo exhibition at the Baltimore Museum of Art (BMA). During his 60-year career, the revolutionary sculptor has had more than a dozen solo exhibitions and was part of nearly 50 group shows. Edwards was also the first African-American sculptor to have a solo exhibition at the Whitney Museum of American Art, in 1970. Edwards, now 82, creates art that addresses post-colonialism, slavery and cultural changes in America. The exhibition, titled Melvin Edwards: Crossroads, features 18 works, including some from his 200-sculpture series Lynch Fragments. Made of twisted steel and incorporating shackles and chains, horseshoes and bolts, the works span from 1980 through the present. Other works in the show include a fullroom installation, titled Agricole, of suspended chains linked to agricultural equipment. The piece relates to the slave trade and resulting African diaspora.

Edwards was born in Houston in 1937, the eldest of four children. When he was seven years old, his father got a job as an executive for the Boy Scouts of America in Dayton, Ohio, so the family moved north. â&#x20AC;&#x153;That was the first place I ever saw an art museum, the Dayton Art Institute,â&#x20AC;? Edwards recalled. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We would go there after school and bang on the harpsichord. The old guards, who were the age that I am now, couldnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t catch us.â&#x20AC;? Melvin Edwardsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; exhibit at the Baltimore Museum of Art But beyond a place for includes metal sculptures that incorporate shackles, mischief, the museum be- horseshoes and agricultural equipment. came a place where Edwards learned about life art grew in elementary school art classes. and culture outside of his own daily exisSee EDWARDS, page 20 tence. Around the same time, his interest in

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Edwards From page 19 “I started to learn something about art in the fourth grade,” he said. “But when I hit high school, the art got to be more serious.” It was during his college years at the University of Southern California that Edwards realized he would become an artist. He received a scholarship to the Los Angeles County Art Institute, where he began by studying painting and drawing. It was only by chance, after becoming disillusioned with his sculpture classes, that he stumbled across welding. “I saw a graduate student welding, and I

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JANUARY 2020 — BALTIMORE BEACON

got him to teach me the mechanics of [it],” Edwards remembered. From then on, he worked as a metal sculptor. Today, Edwards’ abstract metal sculptures are part of the collections of New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art, Museum of Modern Art, and Houston’s Museum of Fine Arts. He also was elected to membership of the National Academy of Design, and was granted an Honorary Doctorate of Fine Arts from the Massachusetts College of Art and Design.

Major influences Throughout the Civil Rights era of the 1960s, Edwards became increasingly interested in what was happening at the interHaussner’s, and H & S Bakery resonated with Baltimoreans.

From page 1 and their accomplishments — add a touch of nostalgia. Dixon’s personal experiences with the Orioles, the Ravens, Patterson Park,

A stab at fiction Dixon’s fourth book and most recent endeavor, The Baltimore Bookies, is her first attempt at fiction. In the book, the Little Italy

section of art, literature and politics. He was especially affected by the Négritude movement of the 1930s through 1960s, which was inspired by the Harlem Renaissance. It was a literary movement in which Parisian writers protested French colonial rule and emphasized African heritage. The movement was founded by three poets: Léon Damas of French Guiana, Léopold Sédar Senghor of Senegal, and Aime Cesaire of Martinique. Edwards’ sculpture Agricole is dedicated to Damas. “I learned a great deal from them,” he said of the poets. “What was possible — and not to be limited by other people’s idea of what it meant to be African.”

Edwards spent the next two decades teaching and working in New York City, Plainfield, New Jersey (near Rutgers), Baltimore, Zimbabwe (where he had a Fulbright Fellowship), and Dakar, Senegal. “In each of those places, I had a residence or a place of work,” he said. “And for me, there’s a certain style associated with the work that was made in each place.” As for his future work, Edwards has no shortage of projects. “I just keep trying to develop the ideas that I have already,” he said. “I have way too many ideas for two or three lifetimes. “It’s never too late, you know, to keep working and to have ideas.”

bookies and Highlandtown bookies are in competition with each other for customers. Drugs are involved, especially fentanyl. A woman is beaten up in a schoolyard in Highlandtown, and a mutilated dead body is found near the Department of Motor Vehicles in Glen Burnie.

High drama transpires in well-known places, such as the Inner Harbor and The Horse You Came in On bar in Fells Point. Descriptions of the Italian, Polish, Irish and German immigrants who settled the area add interest and authenticity to the tale. The book is expected to be available at Sabatino’s in March.

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Dixon’s daughter Anna Maria Carpenter, a former schoolteacher and currently a benefits manager for Calvert County, is proud of her mother’s strength. “She is in her late 70s, still very strong and still working. She is sharp, witty and funny, and loves the people she serves,” she said. “Her life was a struggle, and she came through it all.” Longtime friend Reverend Robert Albright first became aware of Dixon in the early 1990s, when he saw her in a television advertisement. “I was surprised to see a hometown girl promoting the Orioles,” said Albright, a retired Catholic priest. “It reminded me of my own working-class background growing up in Pittsburgh in an area known as the slums.” At the time, Albright was a professor of religious studies at Towson University. He took some of his students to Sabatino’s to meet the waitress, and the two became friends. Although officially retired as university chaplain, he is currently an instructor with the Osher Institute, also at Towson University. Albright has read all of Dixon’s books, of course. “Her first three books are extremely authentic because of her experiences and willingness to meet people. Peachy exposes Baltimore and its history. “She is a marvelous example for retired people,” he added, working part-time in her late 70s and writing books. The older she gets, he said, “the more exciting life is for her.” Her daughter, however, focuses on her mother’s wide popularity and big heart. “People love my mother. It’s a huge blessing to have people admire her and hold her so dear. They always ask for her at Sabatino’s.” Dixon’s books are available at Sabatino’s, 901 East Fawn St., Baltimore. For more information, call the restaurant at (410) 727-2667.

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Agatha Christie’s tale of delicious revenge By Dan Collins We all know the meaning of the phrase, “Revenge is a dish best ser ved cold.” Vengeance is more satisfying when exacted sometime after the original offense, when least expected. Perhaps one of the finest examples of this proverb may be found in Agatha Christie’s famed 1934 mystery, Murder on the Orient Express. If you’ve never read Christie’s book, chances are you’ve seen Sidney Lumet’s 1974 film with Albert Finney as the fastidious Belgian sleuth, Hercule Poirot. Or the 2017 film in which Kenneth Branagh was both director and star detective. Both are hard acts to follow, but fortunately, the ensemble cast of The Everyman Theatre is up to the task as Vincent M. Lancisi directs the Ken Ludwig adaption of Christie’s whodunit.

Setting the stage The Orient Express began service in 1883 as an opulent international railroad, originally connecting Paris and Constantinople (today’s Istanbul). It was essentially the opulent Titanic on rails, minus the iceberg tragedy. There is, however, considerable snow and ice cleverly projected through the train “windows” to set the stage for a grisly act of re-

venge: the murder of passenger Samuel Ratchett (Danny Gavigan) during the trip. He is discovered by the passenger in a neighboring compartment, stabbed to death. Kudos to Gavigan, whose quick-change skills were on display as he portrayed both Ratchett (pre-murder) and Colonel Arbuthnot. Having to toggle between Ratchett’s “hey-youse-guys” Bowery Boys accent to something akin to Scottish for the Colonel, not to mention costume and wig changes, could not have been easy. Enter perennial Everyman favorite Bruce Randolph Nelson as Poirot, who plays the private detective with considerable wit (and the character’s amusing Belgian/French accent). The international flair of the passenger roster also includes Lilian Oben’s Hungarian Countess Andrenyi, Jefferson A. Russell’s Monsieur Bouc, Beth Hylton’s Swedish missionary Greta Ohlsson, and Helen Hedman’s Russian Princess Dragomiroff. Kudos are due to dialect coach Gary Logan for handling this veritable United Nations of vocals. The cultural variety also serves as a key plot point as the mystery begins to unfold in the mind of Poirot.

veloped character, Poirot, who must weigh what is morally right versus what is justice. The two are not always the same, and Nelson does a superlative job in expressing the detective’s tortured choice. Should a monster’s deserved end destroy the lives of people traumatized by the villain’s acts? Chances are, most of the audience will be well aware of the 85-year-old mystery’s solution. It is, therefore, a testament to the actors’ skills and acumen of the stage staff that the recreation of Ratchett’s murder managed to have such a disturbing effect on the audience. As Lancisi, who is also founder and artistic director of the Everyman, noted before

curtain, “You’re all in for a heck of a ride!” Still, the greatest mystery may be how the set, projection and lighting designers Daniel Ettinger, Rasean Davonte Johnson and Harold F. Burgess, II, successfully manage to bring a multi-compartment moving train, a blizzard and a busy café in Istanbul, all to life on a single stage. As Poirot might say, “Mon Dieu!” The play runs through Jan. 5. Tickets are $10 to $69 and may be purchased online at everymantheatre.org, by calling (410) 7522208, or in person at the box office, located at 315 W. Fayette St., Baltimore. Patrons 62+ get a $5 discount on tickets for Saturday matinees and Sunday evenings.

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FROM PAGE 22 ANSWERS TO SCRABBLE

The story’s deeper dilemma Christie’s play is more than a simple whodunit. It also raises a key issue in her most de-

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family and friends are what make the season special. Wishing you hope and joy as you celebrate traditions and remember your loved ones. Happy holidays from your local Dignity Memorial® professionals.

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࠮ *VYWVYH[L ]VS\U[LLY opportunities ࠮ 2PIISL *VUULJ[PVU pet food delivery

Check out our new video—What do we do? at: mealsonwheelsmd.org/Volunteer Questions about volunteer or donor opportunities?

Call 443.573.0925 today.

SCHIMUNEK Funeral Home

Schimunek-Belair.com

Schimunek-Nottingham.com

BEL AIR

410-638-5360

NOTTINGHAM

410-256-3600

Licensed funeral establishments in the State of Maryland.

MEALS OF CENTRAL MARYLAND ™

More than a meal

mealsonwheelsmd.org 515 South Haven Street | Baltimore, MD 21224 | 410.573.0925

JANUARY 2020 — BALTIMORE BEACON

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Crossword Puzzle

Daily crosswords can be found on our website: Not So Quickly Stephen Sherr www.TheBeaconNewspapers.com Click on Puzzles Plus Pre-Op Clearance 1

Stephen Sherr

26 32

33 35

42 45

57 62

Across 1. A current unit of measure 4. Organic chemistry classrooms 8. Trite 13. The Tax Administrative Assistance Act of 2012, briefly 15. Operatic song 16. Indian coin 17. eBay listing claim 20. “It was a brave man who first ___ oyster” (Jonathan Swift) 21. Leaves un-edited 22. “Chitty Chitty Bang Bang”, for one 23. Favorite drink of Capt. Picard and Winnie the Pooh 26. Do/say go-between 27. End to brew- or buttin30. Ice-T, Ice Cube, and Vanilla Ice 34. Convince to join 35. Common Oscar runway dress feature 36. “You come and go like ___ song” 38. Actor in a crowd scene 41. Not manual 42. Vegan’s protein source 43. Cafe ___ (coffee and milk) 45. Beachwear that reveals a lot of skin 51. Arrange the silverware 52. Try to catch a bus 53. What all good things must do 54. Add 15% to the bill 55. First line on many Income Statements 57. Previous criminal conviction 59. Harbinger of incoming mail, circa 1860 64. Communication channels 65. The first Roman emperor to commit suicide 66. Scott Turow book about his first year at Harvard Law School 67. Minnesota’s state birds 68. Advantage 69. Cunning

Down 1. Add a picture file to an e-mail 2. Cocktail with a tiny umbrella

BB120

Scrabble answers on p. 21.

63 66 69

3. Unrealized capital gain 4. Drink like a cat 5. Beltway portion 6. Book jacket profiles 7. Seasonal mall hires 8. Entertainment Weekly employee 9. Most innings have six 10. Univ. established in 1824 by Stephen van Renssselaer 11. Opposite of paleo12. Urge for eastern currency 14. ___ loss for words 18. Using one of the bunk beds 19. He loved Lucy 24. Fencing sword used in every Olympics since 1900 25. “Acting is ___ of luck and choice” (John Travolta) 27. Starts to “Dear John” letters 28. Create booties for baby 29. Analogy words 31. Climb onto the examination table 32. Put away the keg for next time 33. “You did what ___ you would” 36. Letters on booze-cops’ hats 37. One who saw only Warsaw 39. Clever deception 40. The only actor in Alda episodes of M*A*S*H 44. Ma ___ business 46. Noisy quarrel 47. Make one sleepy 48. The most common final score in English soccer matches 49. Toy train company 50. How a member of the Senior PGA Tour swings 55. Go on the Dumbo ride at Disneyland 56. Did 60 in a 40 58. “Run-pass option” to a QB 59. Just the Roman numerals in “crumple” 60. One born during the dog days of summer 61. The groom’s line 62. End of Greenpeace’s web address 63. Boris Badenov, to Bullwinkle

Answers on page 21.

Say you saw it in the Beacon

BALTIMORE BEACON — JANUARY 2020

CLASSIFIEDS The Beacon prints classified advertising under the following headings: Business & Employment Opportunities; Caregivers; Computer Services; Entertainment; For Sale; For Sale/Rent: Real Estate; Free; Health; Home/ Handyman Services; Miscellaneous; Personals; Personal Services; Vacation Opportunities; and Wanted. For submission guidelines and deadlines, see the box on the right. CAVEAT EMPTOR! The Beacon does not knowingly accept obscene, offensive, harmful, or fraudulent advertising. However, we do not investigate any advertisers or their products and cannot accept responsibility for the integrity of either. Respondents to classified advertising should always use caution and their best judgment. EMPLOYMENT & REAL ESTATE ADS: We will not knowingly or intentionally accept advertising in violation of federal, state, and local laws prohibiting discrimination based on race, color, national origin, sex, familial status or handicap in connection with employment or the sale or rental of real estate.

Financial WHY SETTLE FOR A “one size fits all” life insurance company or insurance policy? Dupree Insurance Services works with many providers to find the best plan for “YOU”. Call Yvonne Dupree 443-286-8049. www.dupreeinsuranceservices.com

For Sale/Rent: Real Estate A PLACE FOR MOM. The nation’s largest senior living referral service. Contact our trusted, local experts today! Our service is FREE/no obligation. CALL 1-855-502-4495

Health DENTAL INSURANCE from Physicians Mutual Insurance Company. NOT just a discount plan, REAL coverage for [350] procedures. Call 1-844366-1003 for details. www.dental50plus.com/320. [6118-0219] PORTABLE OXYGEN CONCENTRATOR May Be Covered by Medicare! Reclaim independence and mobility with the compact design and long-lasting battery of Inogen One. Free information kit! Call 855-851-0949.

Home/Handyman Services BORN AGAIN REFINISHING c/o Vernon E. Madairy Sr. Because your antique and fine furniture is an investment since 1973. Photographs at www.bornagainrefinishing.com. Furniture refinishing and repairs. All pieces hand striped. Restorations. Missing pieces hand carved. Veneer repair and replaced. Upholstery. Hand-woven natural cane. Cane webbing. Natural rush. Fiber rush. Wood splint. Residential and Commercial. 410-323-0467

HOW TO PLACE A CLASSIFIED AD All classified ads must be submitted and paid for online, via our website, www.thebeaconnewspapers.com/classifieds Deadlines and Payments: To appear in the next issue, your ad text and payment must be entered by the 5th of the preceding month (for Baltimore and Howard County editions); by the 20th (for Washington and Richmond editions). Cost will be based on the number of characters and spaces in your ad: • $25 for 1-250 • $35 for 251-500. • $50 for 501-750 (maximum length). The website will calculate this for you. Note: Maryland contractors must provide a valid MHIC number. • Each real estate listing qualifies as one ad. • All ads are subject to publisher's discretion. Payment will be refunded if unacceptable for any reason.

To place your classified ad, visit www.thebeaconnewspapers.com/classifieds Personals

Wanted

TIRED OF BEING ALONE? Reach out to meet your ideal companion through our special Companion Outreach Circle. Simply submit details describing yourself, and a recent photo to: CompanionOutreach@gmail.com

ESTATE LIQUIDATION/ANTIQUES & COLLECTIBLES: One call solves it all when you hire us to handle your estate liquidation, down-sizing and/or home cleanout. We sell your treasures, take care of charitable donations and provide junk removal. We also purchase partial estate contents/collections. Always buying antiques, jewelry, fine art, vintage toys, collectibles, advertising, sports memorabilia, military, vintage cars, Mid Century Modern furniture, vinyl records, gold and silver coins and more. Based in Silver Spring, we serve Montgomery, Howard and Baltimore Counties, Washington D.C., NOVA and beyond. Also provide appraisal services for insurance/estates. Friendly, conscientious staff. Call Chris on cell (202) 731-9447. www.OrionsAttic.com.

TV/Cable

STAY IN YOUR HOME LONGER with an American Standard Walk-In Bathtub. Receive up to $1,500 off, including a free toilet, and a lifetime warranty on the tub and installation! Call us at 1-877-240-2061 or visit www.walkintubquote.com/beacon

GET NFL SUNDAY TICKET FREE w/ DIRECTV Choice All-Included Package. $59.99/month for 12 months. 185 Channels PLUS Thousands of Shows/Movies On Demand. FREE Genie HD DVR Upgrade. Call 1-888-5724953 or satellitedealnow.com/TBN

DULANEY VALLEY MEMORIAL GARDENS - Apostles Circle - one cemetery crypt with two liners: sells for $6,595; will accept $5000. 410-517-2205

**STOP STRUGGLING ON THE STAIRS** Give your life a lift with an ACORN STAIRLIFT! Call now for $250 OFF your stairlift purchase and FREE DVD & brochure! 1-855-850-3183.

PUT ON YOUR TV EARS and hear TV with unmatched clarity. TV Ears Original were originally $129.95 - NOW WITH THIS SPECIAL OFFER are only $59.95 with code MCB59! Call 1-833-934-0843.

ELIMINATE GUTTER CLEANING FOREVER! LeafFilter, the most advanced debrisblocking gutter protection. Schedule a FREE LeafFilter estimate today. 15% off and 0% financing for those who qualify. PLUS Senior & Military Discounts. Call 1-844-359-6933.

DISH NETWORK $59.99 For 190 Channels! Add High Speed Internet for ONLY $19.95/month. Call Today for $100k Gift Card! Best Value & Technology. FREE Installation. Call 1-844-560-5837 (some restrictions apply)

For Sale

ACROSONIC PIANO with Bench and Yamaha Keyboard, excellent condition: $550. Call 410-486-1707.

For Sale/Rent: Real Estate WE BUY HOUSES!!! CALL 443-415-0790. Are you tired of toilets and tenants, but like the monthly income? Call us for a creative solution to your real estate problems. We buy houses in any condition, any location, any price range. We pay CASH or terms and offer QUICK closings. Call us today at 443-415-0790 or visit www.ikebuyshouses.com. MID-ATLANTIC FUNDING GROUP — Pays cash for Owner Financed Mortgages. Professional Service / Fast Closing. Call Us Today! 1 (800) 641-9521 or visit midatlanticnotes.com

Legal Services APPLYING FOR SOCIAL SECURITY DISABILITY or Appealing a Denied Claim? Call Bill Gordon & Assoc., Social Security Disability Attorneys, 1-866-970-0779! FREE Consultations. Local Attorneys Nationwide [Mail: 2420 N St NW, Washington DC. Office: Broward Co. FL (TX/NM Bar.)]

Personals VERY PRETTY single white lady age 63 enjoys socializing with people and recreation (dining and movies.) I would like to meet a gentleman age 63 or older who enjoys socializing with people and recreation. Call Patricia 443-845-7802

Wanted COLLECTOR BUYING MILITARY ITEMS: Helmets, weapons, knives, swords, web gear, uniforms, etc. from all wars & countries. Also Lionel Trains, & slots/coin operated machines. Will pay top prices. Discreet consultations. Call Fred, 301-910-0783 SEEKING FULL/SEALED BOTTLES of Vintage Bourbon & Rye (Pre-1990). Examples include, but are not limited to: Old Grand Dad, Pikesville Rye, Wild Turkey, Old Fitzgerald, I.W. Harper, Old Forester and more! Inquiries are welcome. Call Alex 443-223-7669. MONEY, TIME TO SELL! Make the right choice. Call Greg, 717-658-7954. We buy jewelry, coins, silver, antiques, watches, gold, art, paper money, toys, bottles, comic books and records, etc. No middleman, no fees, no overhead means more money in your pocket. Give me a call, and let’s do business. 717-658-7954.

BUYING VINYL RECORDS from 1950 through 1990. Jazz, Rock-n-Roll, Soul, Rhythm & Blues, Reggae, Punk, Blues, and Disco. 33 1/3 LPs, 45s or 78s, Larger collections of at least 100 items wanted. Please call John, 301-596-6201. TOP PRICES PAID for fine antiques, artwork and high quality decorative items including decorated crocks and jugs, rare antique clocks, music boxes and antique phonographs,unusual lamps, slot machines, country store and advertising items, great old toys and dolls to name a few. I am 66 years old with over 40 years in the antique business, well educated and financially capable. Why pay expensive auction house, estate sale, or consignment store commissions when you can get a fair upfront price for your pieces immediately? If you have something unusual and interesting, rare and valuable and are prepared to sell it I would like to speak with you. Please call Jake Lenihan 301 279 8834. No calls after 7 pm please. Thank you. SELL ME YOUR CAR, Truck or SUV for CASH today instead of a maybe tax deduction tomorrow. I come to you. NO FUSS NO MUSS. 410-916-0776 I also buy Motorcycles, Scooters & Bikes. If it’s got wheels, I am a Buyer.

ADVERTISERS IN THIS ISSUE St. Mary’s Roland View Towers B-3 Warren Place Senior Apartments . .14 Weinberg Senior Living . . .B-4, B-8

Clinical Research Studies

Health

Balance & Falls Study . . . . . . . . . .9 Cognitive Impairment Study . . . . .9 Diabetic Nerve Study . . . . . . . . . . .8 Knee Osteoarthritis Study . . . . . . .9 MARC Study . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .8 Shoulder Pain Study . . . . . . . . . . . .8

Advanced Center for Plastic Surgery . . . . . . . . . . . .6 Barenburg Eye Associates . . . . . .11 Rosenblatt Foot Care . . . . . . . . . .11 Skin Cancer EB . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6 Snyder Center . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7

Dental Services

Home Health Care

Medical Cannabis

Beacon Subscription . . . . . . . . . .22

Denture Doctor . . . . . . . . . . . . .7, 9

Cannabis Docs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .11 Health For Life . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .10

Technology

Education

Baltimore City Companion Program . . . . . . . . .15 Options for Senior America . . . . .17

CCBC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .17 Coppin State University . . . . . . . .19

Home Improvement

Caring Transitions . . . . . . . . . . .B-7

Events

LeafGuard . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .24 Peak Custom Remodeling . . . . .B-2

Real Estate

Celebration of the Arts . . . . . . . . .12

Financial Services Mutual of Omaha . . . . . . . . . . . . .13

Funeral Services Schimunek Funeral Home . . . . . .21

Housing Blair House at Stoneleigh . . . . .B-7 Catholic Charities . . . . . . . . . . .B-3 Christ Church Harbor Apts. . . . .B-7 Glynn Taff Assisted Living . . . .B-4 R Home Communities . . . . . . . . .20

Legal Services Angels of Elder Care Planning . .15 Frank, Frank & Scherr Law Firm 15

Moving Services

Bob Lucido Team . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3

Shopping Perfect Sleep Chair . . . . . . . . . .B-6 Radio Flea Market . . . . . . . . . . .B-6 Smyth Jewelers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4 Wilkens Beltway Plaza . . . . . . . .14

Skilled Nursing & Rehabilitation Keswick . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .10 Manor Care . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .18 Oakwood Care Center . . . . . . . . . .7

Subscriptions

Computer Doctors . . . . . . . . . . . .18

Theatres/ Entertainment Gordon Center . . . . . . . . . . . . . .B-5 Toby’s Dinner Theatre . . . . . . . . .19

Travel Eyre Bus, Tour & Travel . . . . . . .17 Superior Tours . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5

Volunteers Meals on Wheels . . . . . . . . . . . . .21

JANUARY 2020 — BALTIMORE BEACON

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